Excellence: The virtue Google is trying to possess?

After a few over head transmissions, I managed to understand a few philosophies behind business ethics. What caught my eyes was the six dimensions of vitue ethics. It was enlighting to know that even a good sense of humor could be a virtue in corporate life!

Excellence as a virtue, in business ethics, has been discussed as something more than "knowingly do no harm". This reminds me of Google's corporate code of conduct: "Don't be evil". If it is not enough to do no wrong, is it, in turn, enough to not be evil? Apparently, people from Google read the last paragraph in page 70 of 'Ethical Issues in Business' (our textbook for the BUAD840 course) and thus, decided to do something more. Now, it is also trying to stop the evil. The evil I am talking about is the long speculated and much talked about merger between Microsoft and Yahoo!.

Google clearly considers the merger an evil to the consumers. In its official blog, Google openly talks about Microsoft's legacy of serious legal and regulatory offences. Google's concerns over "perserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openess and innovation" are seemingly altruist. Google questions the the ability of consumers to freely access conpetitors' email, IM, and web-based services. It fears that the combination of the two (Microsoft and Yahoo!) could take advantage of the a PC software monopoly into Internet monopoly. Competitive innovation has been highly stressed which Google thinks would be lost due to Microsoft's tendency to establish proprietary monopoly.
On the other hand, Microsoft expressed its commitment to openness, innovation and the protection of privacy on the Internet. Besides, it pointed out Google's market shares hinting Google's possible monopoly and Microsoft's attempt to establish a compelling number two, thus creating a more competitive marketplace.

Whether Google is trying to achieve the virtue of excellence by trying to stop th evil or itself indulging in it by avoiding stronger competition is the question!