Please rate my Issue Essay

lars32 · Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:54 pm Post subject: Please rate my Issue Essay

“The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows.”

Explain what you think the above quotation means and discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with it. Support your position with relevant reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

One of the most important factors that determines the success of a business is its ability to differentiate itself from its competitors. The above quotation implies that the secret, or differentiating factor, of business is to have knowledge that others do not have, and implies that its success is based on this mantra. I agree with this quotation because it represents one of the most fundamental factors that many of the world's sucessful businesses rely upon.

For instance, the Coca-Cola Company is one of the world's most renowned companies and its family of products represent one of the most recognizable brands. The key underpinning to its grand success for over a century has been its classic beverage product, Coca Cola Classic. The product's recipe has been safeguarded for many years and no business has ever been able to replicate it. Knock-offs have certainly sprouted over the years, such as do-it-yourself soda kits, and none have ever been successful. It is certainly hard to argue against the fact that Coca-Cola, a multi-billion dollar company, obtained success due to its ability to "know something that nobody else knows" in its products.

Some may argue that in fact, the secret to business is to let everybody know what a business knows. For example, we have a patent system that, by nature, releases detailed designs of inventions to the public. But it is important to note that, although they may release core designs of products, businesses still have secrets that will enable them to differentiate themselves.

A clear example is the case of Google. The underlying algorithmic theory behind its search engine technology was published by the founders in public academic papers. Certainly anybody who has expertise in the field can replicate those algorithms. But how did Google become one of the most pervasive, successful, multi-billion dollar businesses in the world? The answer is that the company continued to refine its algorithm secretly such that its technology evolved and continued to improve. Competitors today know the basic algorithms, but still cannot produce a better product, and consequently, have not garnered the equivalent success of Google.

Clearly, for many businesses it is paramount that they have secret knowledge that will enable them to compete against others. If businesses have all the same pool of knowledge, how will they be able to differentiate themselves and be successful? It is simply not the case, and therefore the quotation, "The secret of business is to know something that nobody else knows" is undoubtedly true.

VP_Jim · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject:

Hi lars32,

Great job on your Analysis of an Issue essay. I'd rate this a 5.5 or 6. Keep up the good work!