Alibaba: Jack Ma’s Unique Growth Strategy and the Future of Its Global Development in the Chinese Digital Business Industry

Abstract

China’s B2B businesses have gained immensely from the surge in social media users—with Alibaba, who have been at the forefront of the movement, benefitting the greatest. When compared to typical Western B2B companies, Alibaba has pursued a unique growth strategy—in line with the Chinese business ethos, through maintaining strong relations with the government as well as their gradual transition into the manufacturing sector. This research will therefore investigate Alibaba’s growth strategies through the lens of Chinese traditional norms to discern whether their development phases are exclusive to Alibaba, or whether it can be emulated by emerging e-commerce firms, also. Thus, Alibaba’s early business decisions will be compared to that of their Western digital business counterparts, analysing which factors shaped their successes, whether it be their development strategies or Ma’s own persona. Ultimately, Alibaba’s global status in the e-commerce industry going forward will be assessed to determine the relative likelihood of their future growth initiatives—addressing in the process whether their standing as the global leader of online business is temporary or whether it will fundamentally change the course of the industry.