How Google really does it

    
    A huge appetite for takeovers is the main driver of tech's 'great
    innovator'

    PLUS, also in this week's Canadian Business magazine:
    -   Flu Inc.: How fear is fuelling profits and pushing ethical boundaries
    -   Canada in 2020: Good times to come
    

TORONTO , Oct. 13 /CNW/ - Google: It allows us to cruise the streets of New York and Rome, scour the surfaces of the moon and email and phone our friends. We can track global flu trends, monitor our household energy usage or edit photos. Soon, we'll be able to do even more.

But while Google enjoys an almost unmatched reputation for innovation, many of the services that have generated the biggest buzz and made stock market values soar didn't originate from its engineers' brains. Rather, they came from Google's appetite for takeovers - and its gigantic bank account.

With Google set to embark on another round of acquisitions, there's no telling into which new directions it will expand. Canadian Business goes behind the hype and examines the strategies behind one of the most influential corporations on earth.

Morality and the business of fear

For most of us, a looming pandemic is alarming. But for some, it's also brisk business. Among them: manufacturers of body bags, hand sanitizer, medical gloves and safety gloves. But perhaps the largest benefactors of the current flu scare are the pharmaceutical companies, which make much-sought-after antiviral medications. The demand for these drugs are generated largely by a controversial new trend - the hoarding of antivirals by private-sector organizations. Meanwhile, doctors are writing prescriptions before anyone is sick - and observers are wondering how business and ethics can co-exist inside Flu Inc.

Canada in 2020: Good times to come

The future is looking bright according to Canadian Business's exclusive ranking of future prosperity. Canadian Business magazine looks at the great opportunities Canada faces- including the Arctic bridge and natural gas resources-as well as the challenges: the need for a technological "czar" to lead development, the gaps in our education system and the burden of our aging population.

What's new about Canadian Business magazine

The new re-launched Canadian Business is bold, engaging, provocative and entertaining. It's easy to read with a sophisticated and attractive look inspired by the glamour and adventure of modern business. Great storytelling, outstanding journalism, analysis and perspective remain the backbone of the magazine.

About Canadian Business magazine:

Founded in 1928, Canadian Business is the longest-serving, best-selling and most-trusted business publication in Canada . Canadian Business stands alone as the business magazine in Canada with majority paid circulation. With a readership of more than one million, the magazine is published every second Monday, except in January, July and August, when monthly issues are published. Special annual issues of Canadian Business include the Investor 500, the MBA Guide and the Rich 100. Visit www.canadianbusiness.com.

For further information: Louise Leger, [phone], [email protected]