Respond to at least two of your classmates by commenting on their posts with constructive comments that move the conversation forward. 200 words eachInternationalResponse1.pdf

Richard’s Post

Google has been a dominating force in the search engine market. Their brand is a constant leader among people to find answers to their questions in several categories. According to Copenhaver (2022), "Apart from its search engine, Google is the largest provider of digital advertising; a leading web browser; a large mobile operating system; and a major provider of digital maps, email, and data storage services" (p. 890). Advertisers pay Google for algorithm placement that moves the goods and services of a company to the forefront of the searches to draw consumers towards their brands. The article highlights the anti-trust lawsuits in Europe from the U.K. and Netherlands regarding the alleged intentional favoritism towards Google's ad servers.

Main points of the lawsuit:

• The French Competition Authority found in 2021 that Google had misused ‘ad tech’ to benefit ad servers it owned.

• The Initial fine was 200 million Euros and a required change to the company’s online advertising model.

• The Netherlands and the U.K. are seeking 25 billion Euros in damages. • Google continues to face legal challenges in several countries.

Link: https://www.law.com/international-edition/2022/09/20/collective-actions-seek- e25b-from-google-in-latest-antitrust-case/?slreturn=20230304091014Links to an external site.

Google’s leadership team should invoke a competitive strategy involving regular antitrust official audits. Transparency to regulators within each country of operation can help keep the company on track with its strategy without revealing valuable trade secrets to the public through lengthy trials. According to Peng (2023), “Antitrust officials, in contrast, have a static view of the sustainability of competitive advantage” (p. 379). Working with regulators to ensure that they are aware of the company’s operational strategies and assist with maintaining compliance can help mitigate legal problems for Google. Programmers can also ensure that their algorithms balance consuming searches evenly between third-party and company ad servers.

Many technological companies need help with antitrust challenges in the international market. More countries are becoming aware of the strategies and tactics deployed by corporations such as Google that use their complex technologies to create a competitive advantage. According to Lecchi (2022), “The business community views the application of competition law as imposing unnecessary constraints on existing free markets” (p. 359). Large brands can no longer hide behind proprietary data if they wish to move their brand into strict countries that heavily regulate tech companies. Antitrust laws have been difficult and costly for tech companies, hindering product availability and growth in developing communities.

Trust busting is complex as corporate intervention moves from the laws and regulations of a business’s actions to utilizing the government to break up large corporations. The intent is to maintain a market balance by preventing monopolies and creating fairness for employees and consumers. According to Hafiz (2022), “Corporate power, including employers’ monopsony power as unilateral wage setters, contributes to higher prices to consumers, lower quality goods and services, stagnant wages, and the decline of labor’s share of national income” (p. 1494). I believe that trust busing is politically motivated as it can be seen as a form of wealth re-distribution. Consumers drive the success of a business and can ultimately decide if they want to support a company or not with their purchasing power. It is essential for businesses to consistently meet the demands of their target consumers to create brand loyalty. Companies should be regulated against unethical business practices. However, it should not be the responsibility of a government body to break up successful businesses because they feel that it is too large. Ultimately, the market will decide the success of a business. We have seen several industry leaders fall from their top spots over the past decades due to their inability to generate revenue.

References

COPENHAVER, S. (2022). Big Tech Is Why I Have (Anti)Trust Issues. St. John’s Law Review, 95(4), 869–893.

HAFIZ, H. (2022). Rethinking Breakups. Duke Law Journal, 71(7), 1491–1603.

Lecchi, E. (2022). Hong Kong, China, and the Disruption of Antitrust. Washington International Law Journal, 31(3), 357–419.

Peng, M. W. (2023). Global business (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Christopher’s Post

The link that I found: https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-offers-concessions-to-fend- off-u-s-antitrust-lawsuit-11657296591

Google offered concessions to the US Justice Department in response to the antitrust lawsuit against the company. The concessions include changes to advertising and search services. The proposed changes by Google would aim to prevent the company from favoring its own products and services over those of competitors. Some strategies that management can put in place to address future reoccurrences of antitrust decisions include conducting regular compliance audits, implementing internal controls, and providing training to employees. The antitrust war is growing, with several other big tech companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Apple facing antitrust scrutiny. The trend suggests that antitrust legislation and trust-busting are not politically motivated, but rather a response to the growing power of big tech companies.

Antitrust legislation and trust-busting are not new concepts and have a long history in the US. "Antitrust represents the grotesque contradiction of attempting to preserve the freedom of the market by government controls—to preserve the benefits of laissez-faire by abrogating it" (Peng, 2023). The trend in recent years, however, has been to apply antitrust laws to big tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple. These companies are accused of using their market power to stifle competition and harm consumers. “Competition and insecurity are much better for workers, much more likely to bring out their full productive energies” (Ise, 1948). This is an old reference but having competition and trust-busting increases competition and grows the economy. There is a growing concern among policymakers and the public that these companies have become too powerful and need to be reined in. The US government and several states have filed antitrust lawsuits against these companies, and there is growing bipartisan support for stricter antitrust legislation. It is unclear whether antitrust legislation and trust-busting are politically motivated or simply a tool used by politicians to gain political points. However, the trend in recent years suggests that antitrust enforcement is becoming more aggressive, and big tech companies are likely to face increased scrutiny in the future.

Reference

Ise, J. (1948). The Futility of Trust-Busting. The American Economic Review, 38(2), 488– 501.

Kruppa, M., Schechner, S., & Kendall, B. (2022, July 12). WSJ News Exclusive | Google offers concessions to fend off U.S. antitrust lawsuit. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-offers-concessions- to-fend-off-u-s-antitrust-lawsuit-11657296591

Peng, M. W. (2023). Global Business (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.