Alibaba: The Giant of e-Commerce

[TaiShang]

Lots of underpaid or unemployed USers will have a chance to earn money. I think Ma Yun eventually found his very "business partner."

Which man's business empire bigger?

***

Jack Ma, Trump discuss plans to help American small business
Xinhua, January 10, 2017

Jack Ma (R), the founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, met with US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday. [Photo/VCG]


Jack Ma, founder and chairman of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba, on Monday met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and they discussed plans to help U.S. small businesses sell products to China through the company's platform.

"I think the president-elect is very smart, he's very open-minded to listen. I told him my ideas about how to improve trade, especially to improve small business, cross border trade," Ma told reporters at Trump tower in New York after meeting with Trump.

"We specifically talked about ... supporting 1 million small businesses, especially in the Midwest of America. Small businesses on the platform selling products -- agriculture products and America services - to China and Asia," he said.

They also discussed the China-U.S. relationship, which should be "strengthened" and "more friendly", according to Ma. "(Trump) has concerns, and he has solutions, that he wants to discuss with China and us," he said.

"We had a great meeting, and a great, great entrepreneur, one of the best in the world," Trump told reporters after the meeting. "Jack and I are going to do some great things."

Alibaba group said on Monday via its official twitter that the company works with U.S. companies and farmers to sell to over 450 million Chinese consumers on its platform, and it has set a goal of helping one million U.S. small businesses export to China.

 

[Shotgunner51]

U.S. produce sold on Alibaba’s platforms include Pacific Northwest cherries, Washington State apples, and Alaskan seafood.

Yes US agricultural and fishery products are competitive, even under existing currency exchange rate, so let's connect Chinese consumers to US jobs through e-commerice, win-win trade. That helps to offset the huge ongoing trade surplus brought by China's industrial exports to US, therefore helps to slow down further imbalance in credit-debt positions. Good news.

 

[graphican]

From "Ma" I thought you were talking about "Maan"

 

[ahojunk]

Alibaba grooms young foreigners to be leaders of global expansion
2017-01-13 08:53 | China Daily | Editor: Feng Shuang

Training a class of 32 young foreign employees in leadership is another sign of Alibaba Group's ambitious strategy for overseas expansion.

The students, from 14 nations, are set to spend a year at the Alibaba Global Leadership Academy at company headquarters in Hangzhou. There, they will engage in hands-on leadership training, cultural immersion and industry tours, and serve rotational assignments in different business units. The first class began in October.

When the training is completed, they will be sent to company offices in the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, India and Southeast Asia, where Alibaba has a growing presence.

The academy aims to train participants with both a global vision and a deeper understanding of China, according to Brian Wong, the Alibaba vice-president who oversees the program.

The training "will help the company build a strong foundation for our future international footprint. It also shows what Chinese companies are doing to engage with the rest of the world", said Wong.

It is a gateway to "building trust and mutual understanding for a meaningful global impact", according to company Chairman Jack Ma. Alibaba has set an ambitious goal of serving 2 billion customers globally and having 40 percent of its sales from overseas in the coming decade.

They graduated from leading universities like Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, and were selected based on stringent criteria like learning ability, strategic and innovative thinking, and cultural fit for the company.

Gary Topp, a 31-year old MBA graduate from the University of Chicago, said the combination of the education and the chance to work in one of China's most exciting companies makes for an attractive experience.

"I just came back from a company tour to the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. It's amazing to see how advanced e-commerce and internet finance are in the development of China's rural areas," said Topp, who previously worked for rating agency Moody's in London and New York before joining Alibaba.

French associate Isabelle Kam said, "The program, which includes teaching Chinese history, economics and politics, makes me better understand Chinese culture and the market, and I get to feel the social impact of Alibaba." Kam said she expects to be sent to Paris after finishing the program.

Xu Jian, founder of Decide Consulting, a human resources firm, said the academy shows Chinese firms are becoming a major draw for high-caliber international talent.
.

 

[scherz]

Bad decision. We shouldnt offer jobs to foreigners. China got enough talents! ->"Make China greater".

 

[TaiShang]

Alibaba joins Olympics in 'game changer'

(China Daily) 09:07, January 20, 2017

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach (right), exchanges gifts with Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group, during a press conference at the 47th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan 19, 2017. [Photo/IC]

E-commerce giant Alibaba has become a digital sponsor of the Olympic Games under a partnership through 2028 with the International Olympic Committee, the two parties said on Thursday during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The announcement came just two days after President Xi Jinping spoke at the forum about the benefits of globalization and driving forward global growth through innovation.

Alibaba will also become a founding partner of the Olympic Channel, a digital avenue aimed at better engaging and connecting with Olympic audiences around the world, said Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma.

"I'm a believer in globalization. Olympics is about the spirit of globalization, teamwork and connecting with each other," Ma said during the news conference. He called the collaboration a "game changer".

By providing cloud services and e-commerce platforms, Alibaba will become the first Chinese company to sign a three-term sponsorship with the organization, joining hands with brands like Coca-Cola and McDonald's as top Olympic sponsors.

Thomas Bach, president of the IOC, said the historic partnership with Alibaba will "transform the global Olympic movement".

"This is a groundbreaking, innovative alliance, and it will help drive efficiencies in the organization of the Olympic Games through 2028, while also supporting the global development of digital opportunities including the Olympic Channel," he said.

Alibaba Cloud's big data analytics will help achieve a more efficient and secure staging of the Olympic Games, Ma said.

Its cross-border online shopping sites, which now serve around 500 million consumers in China and abroad, will bridge fans who seek official Olympic-licensed products anytime they want.

Besides, Alibaba will also help develop and customize the digital Olympic Channel to enable billions of Olympic fans to have easier access to the games.

"As a company, Alibaba is founded in China but built for the world. Olympics can empower our dreams, and we hope our technology can empower the spirit of the Olympics," Ma said.

The partnership came amid growing protectionist and anti-globalization sentiment, suggesting that Chinese enterprises have become an active player in global governance, said Qi Xiaozhai, a consultant for the Shanghai Commission of Commerce.

"The announcement came at a great time as political and business leaders convene to discuss how nations could walk toward each other. As Chinese companies set foot overseas, they have become crucial forces for promoting globalization and integrating the Chinese economy into the world," he said.

Companies like Alibaba have long acknowledged the importance of freer, more inclusive and innovation-driven trade, and they are making efforts to extend the benefits to more people, Qi said.

Alibaba has vowed to serve 2 billion customers globally over the next two decades.

 

[ahojunk]

Alibaba will also become a founding partner of the Olympic Channel, a digital avenue aimed at better engaging and connecting with Olympic audiences around the world, said Alibaba Chairman Jack Ma.

"I'm a believer in globalization. Olympics is about the spirit of globalization, teamwork and connecting with each other," Ma said during the news conference. He called the collaboration a "game changer".

"This is a groundbreaking, innovative alliance, and it will help drive efficiencies in the organization of the Olympic Games through 2028, while also supporting the global development of digital opportunities including the Olympic Channel," he said.

"As a company, Alibaba is founded in China but built for the world. Olympics can empower our dreams, and we hope our technology can empower the spirit of the Olympics," Ma said.

.
Jack Ma really knows how to promote Alibaba. He is incredibly good at PR work and Alibaba is lucky to have him as the chairman.

Alibaba Cloud's big data analytics will help achieve a more efficient and secure staging of the Olympic Games, Ma said.

Its cross-border online shopping sites, which now serve around 500 million consumers in China and abroad, will bridge fans who seek official Olympic-licensed products anytime they want.

Besides, Alibaba will also help develop and customize the digital Olympic Channel to enable billions of Olympic fans to have easier access to the games.

.
This is true. Alibaba has the technology to make it happen.

 

[艹艹艹]

https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/24/alibaba-q3-january-2017/
Alibaba smashes estimates as revenue jumps 54% to $7.67 billion
Posted19 hours agobyJon Russell(@jonrussell)

Next Story

Alibaba has smashed analyst estimates with its latest financials.

The Chinese e-commerce giant reported (PDF) net income of RMB 17.12 billion ($2.47 billion) with total revenue of RMB 53.25 million ($7.67 billion) for its Q3 2016, the latter was a 54 percent year-on-year jump. Earning per share came in at RMB 6.94 ($1.00).

This was a big win for Alibaba. Analysts predicted net income of RMB 13.7 billion and total revenue of RMB 50.4 billion,according to the Wall Street Journal, but it beat those figures by some margin. In light of that, the firm raised its revenue guidance for the full 2017 year from 48 percent growth to 53 percent.

The primary source of revenue remains Alibaba’s core commerce businesses — its Taobao marketplace and T-Mall service for brands — and they accounted for RMB 46,58 billion ($6.71 billion), up 45 percent year-on-year. Alibaba said its marketplaces now have 493 million monthly users, as of December 2016, with 443 million active buyers. Taobao, it said, grew to 493 million monthly users in December from 450 million in September. For context,China now has 731 million internet users, 95 percent of whom are on mobile.

No new figures were given for T-Mall beyondthe data Alibaba shared back on Single’s Day, which is China’s biggest shopping festival on November 11. Alibaba did break its own record by selling RMB 120.7 billion ($17.79 billion) in goods during the 24-hour period, but its annual growth slowed.

Outside of e-commerce, we know Alibaba has been prioritizing its cloud computing business. Revenue from it once again more than doubled (up 115 percent) to reach RMB 1.76 billion ($254 million) in revenue — that’sup nearly 50 percent on the previous quarteralone. Aliyun, the cloud computing business, is getting close to breakeven/profitability, having carded a slim RMB 339 million ($49 million) loss in Q3, an improvement on RMB 439 million ($66 million) in the previous quarter.


Cloud computing may be a fast growing revenue stream, but it still accounts for just a few percent of Alibaba’s total revenue. It is, of course, also an intensively competitive space dominated by Amazon (AWS) with Google and Microsoft among the fierce rivals.

Another area where it is seeing growth is “digital media and entertainment” — revenue rose 273 percent to reach RMB 4.1 billion ($585 million) — while other activities accounted for RMB 845 million ($122 million), up 61 percent.

The firm is looking to plant further roots in China’s e-commerce industry by expanding its offline presence. That explainsits $2.6 billion bid to fully acquireone of China’s prominent shopping mall and department store operators, Intime — which it first bought a chunk of back in 2014. Alibaba believes that combining on- and offline services can help enhance the shopping experience for consumers, and also better organize a retailer, too.

Its offline-to-online interests run further. Alibaba’s Koubei offshoot pulled in total revenue of RMB 73.1 billion ($10.5 billion) during Q3. That’s up 52 percent on the previous quarter, but it wasn’t said how much money that the business is losing at this point.

Alibaba is saying even less about Cainiao, another affiliate that covers logistics, other than that it is now “enabling” 57 million package deliveries per day. There’s also no word on how Alibaba’s overseas businesses are performing despite the company “laying the foundation for long-term growth.” Those operations include Lazada in Southeast Asia, secured viaa majority $1 billion investment last year, and Paytm in India, whichAlibaba and its sister finance firm Ant Financial have both invested in.

 

[艹艹艹]

http://www.indiatvnews.com/business...c-stake-in-paytm-s-e-commerce-business-367528
Alibaba set to hold 40 pc stake in Paytm’s e-commerce business

Currently reading:Alibaba set to hold 40 pc stake in Paytm’s e-commerce business
#PayTM,#Alibaba,#E-commerce

India TV Tech Desk,New Delhi[Published on:03 Feb 2017, 12:41:23]



Chinese internet giant Alibaba is leading an investment round of between Rs 1,350 crore and Rs 1,700 crore in the newly-started online retail marketplace of Paytm.

According to a Times of India report, the regulatory filings sourced from business research platform Tofler revealed that the Jack Ma-led company will hold almost 40 per cent in Paytm e-commerce.

The shareholding is through Alibaba.com Singapore and AliPay Singapore, while venture fund SAIF Partners and Paytm's founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma will own 30 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

The filings showed that Alibaba.com Singapore and AliPay Singapore have picked up 3,89,955 shares in Paytm E-commerce at Rs 10 per share.

“India is an important emerging market with great potential and we are absolutely committed to developing it for the long term...While we are excited about addressing the market opportunity in India, we are not in a position to share any forward looking information with you at this moment,” an Alibaba spokesperson was quoted by Times of India as saying.

According to the report, Paytm’s online marketplace is also close to raising fresh funds of about $200 million (approx Rs 13,500 crore) and has held talks with external investors like Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) at an asking valuation of $1 billion (approx Rs 6,700 crore).

Alibaba Group and its affiliate Ant Financial pumped in $680 million (approx Rs 4,600 crore) into Paytm's parent One97 Communications last year, taking its total shareholding to over 40 percent in the country's largest mobile wallet operator with close to 160 million customers.

read more：
Alibaba Said to Lead $200m Funding for Paytm’s E-Commerce Unit
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...lead-200m-funding-for-paytm-s-e-commerce-unit

 

[Flynn Swagmire]

In India almost everything has Chinese involvement. Yet they will talk trashy about China...

 

[Abba_Dabba_Jabba]

Since 2014 I knew PayTM will kick the other E-commerce players in the market, because it has backing from some of the most powerful personality and run by youthful leader.

PayTM is the biggest gainer after the demonetization, and they have started campaigning aggressively.

In India almost everything has Chinese involvement. Yet they will talk trashy about China...

I have got two words for you "Shut Up". Because we have sacrificed our people for your freedom and you all also talk sh!t about India.

So stop derailing the thread, and if you can't share anything productive.

 

[艹艹艹]

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1310063/alibaba-testing-pakistans-e-commerce-market/
Alibaba testing Pakistan’s e-commerce market
ByShahram Haq
Published: January 29, 2017
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LAHORE:Global e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited, spurred by the fast-growing information technology market in Pakistan, is looking at the country with profound interest and is testing the market’s response with the launch of a couple of its ventures.

This development, though, has no link with a meeting held last week between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Alibaba Group Founder Jack Ma on the sidelines of World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in which the premier invited Alibaba to explore the growing e-commerce opportunities in Pakistan.

The group was already seeking to start its ventures in Pakistan’s market, which has been driven primarily by mobile internet services.

Last year, Alibaba formally launched its subsidiary, UCWeb – a mobile internet company, in Pakistan through which it was providing mobile browsing service with the help of UC Browser.

The other venture, which has not been formally launched, but is present in Pakistan, is Aliexpress, an e-commerce ancillary that works in the retail segment in different countries.

According to industry experts, the group is currently receiving around 15,000 orders per day from Pakistan via Aliexpress.

In order to grab more opportunities, the group has entered into an agreement with a local company, which will provide vendors for smooth operations in Punjab’s first and second-tier cities initially.

Aliexpress has not been formally launched as training sessions and work on necessary infrastructure are currently under way.

According to Alibaba Mobile Business Group Head of Marketing in Emerging Markets Andrea Huang, UCWeb has acquired 25.3% market share in Pakistan, second after Google Chrome and Firefox.

“We have decided to fully market our product here as we are successfully leading in China, India and Indonesia with a global customer base of 420 million active users,” Huang toldThe Express Tribunein an interview over Skype.

The immense growth in 3G and 4G connections in Pakistan, coupled with a population of over 190 million, was the biggest attraction for formally launching the group’s product. Huang said they were currently marketing the product while residing in China. “It is not easy to penetrate Pakistan’s market in the presence of other web browsers; the biggest challenge is to widen the user base and provide users the best available services within the browser,” she said.

“For this, we are investing in our product to keep finding the demand and better services. At present, we don’t have a formal office in Pakistan, but once we expand out of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, we will hire a team and open up offices in Pakistan.” UC Browser was the first mobile browser to introduce cloud computing technology back in 2004. Though Huang did not disclose the initial and upcoming investment by UCWeb in Pakistan, she said they would continue to pour capital in upcoming years.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2017.

 

[艹艹艹]

• http://www.afr.com/leadership/innov...n-memory-of-australian-mentor-20170202-gu4fg3
  
• Updated Feb 3 2017 at 6:02 PM

• 
  Alibaba billionaire founder Jack Ma gives $26m to University of Newcastle in memory of Australian mentor

• by Tim Dodd

The late Ken Morley with a young Jack Ma.

Chinese businessman Jack Ma returned to the NSW city of Newcastle on Friday and gave the university $US20 million as a tribute to a local man, Ken Morley, who helped him on his journey from penniless youth to e-commerce tycoon worth$US28 billion.

The money will fund a scholarship scheme to remember Mr Morley, a Newcastle electrical engineer who met the 15-year-old Mr Ma in Hangzhou while on trip to China in 1980 and became his friend, teacher and mentor.

Mr Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba which now handles a quarter of the world's e-commerce, said the donation to the University of Newcastle would set up the Ma and Morley Scholarship Program "to honour the experience and the special relationship I formed with the Morley family".

Mr Morley brought young Mr Ma to Australia in 1985 for his first overseas trip, when he spent nearly a month in Newcastle, an experience which he said last year "totally changed my future".

Jack Ma on a Sydney ferry on his first visit to Australia in 1985.
"I am very thankful for Australia and the time I spent there in my youth. The culture, the landscape and most importantly its people had a profound impact on my view of the world at that time," Mr Ma said in a statement on Friday.


His gift, worth $26 million, will fund initially fund 30 scholarships at the University of Newcastle for Australian students when it begins in 2018.

Twenty of the students will receive support for the duration of their degree, including a $10,000 to $15,000 annual allowance as well as access to an engagement and enrichment program. Additionally 10 students will get one-off support for an internship or overseas exchange visit.

University of Newcastle vice-chancellor Caroline McMillen said there is a possibility the scholarship holders would be able to do internships with Alibaba in China or Australia.

She said the scholarships would also particularly focus on disadvantaged and Indigenous students. When fully up and running the Ma and Morley scholarships will benefit 90 students a year.

Jack Ma and David Morley in Newcastle on Friday before the announcement of the $26 million donation. Peter Stoop
Mr Ma said he wanted the scholarships to "inspire, educate and cultivate tomorrow's leaders".

"Alibaba was built by young people and we are committed to lifting up and empowering students so they can reach their dreams and ambitions," he said.

Mr Morley died over a decade ago but his family was represented at Friday's scholarship announcement by his son David, a Newcastle yoga teacher who also first met Mr Ma in Hangzhou on the family trip to China in 1980.

He said the Morley family were very happy to see Mr Ma honouring their father's egalitarian values. (Mr Morley senior was a communist sympathiser and, ironically, his friendship with Mr Ma helped build one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies.)

Jack Ma and David Morley in a Hangzhou park in 1980. Supplied
"Dad would be extremely proud of Jack's commitment to making a difference to students in our home town, and so touched that their close friendship has led to this program," Mr Morley said.

On Saturday, Mr Ma will open Alibaba's new local headquarters in Melbourne which will anchor its growing business in Australia and New Zealand.

Alibaba's Tmall Global offers overseas businesses access to the huge Chinese consumer market and Australia is reported to be the fifth-most active country on the platform.

Last year, Alibaba opened a data centre in Sydney, part of its strategy to match cloud computing leader Amazon Web Services in the next four years.

more read：
Alibaba founder Jack Ma sets up Australian scholarship programme in honour of late friend
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/soci...jack-ma-sets-australian-scholarship-programme

 

[ahojunk]

My respect and admiration of Mr Jack Ma has gone up a notch.

I appreciate his donation to an Australian university.

 

[ahojunk]

China's Jack Ma Foundation launches scholarship program in Australia's University of Newcastle
2017-02-04 13:21 Xinhua Editor: Xu Shanshan

Jack Ma (C) participates in the announcement of a scholarship program in Australia's University of Newcastle (UON) in New South Wales, Australia, Feb. 3, 2017. Australia's University of Newcastle on Friday announced the establishment of a scholarship program supported by China's Jack Ma Foundation. Jack Ma Foundation will give US$20 million (AU$26.4 million) to fund a first of its kind scholarship program at UON, marking the largest philanthropic commitment in UON's history. (Xinhua/Gui Qing)

Australia's University of Newcastle (UON) on Friday announced the establishment of a scholarship program supported by China's Jack Ma Foundation.

Jack Ma Foundation will give US$20 million (AU$26.4 million) to fund a first of its kind scholarship program at UON, marking the largest philanthropic commitment in UON's history, and the Jack Ma Foundation's first philanthropic contribution in Australia.

Ma was joined by New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP, UON Chancellor Paul Jeans and others to announce the scholarship program in Newcastle.

In its initial year, The Ma & Morley Scholarship Program will support 30 new UON scholarships, 20 scholarships to support students throughout the duration of their degree, including access to a unique and comprehensive engagement and enrichment program, and 10 one-off scholarships to support educational exchange, internship or immersion activities.

When the program reaches full capacity, it will support 90 students per year.

UON Vice-Chancellor, Professor Caroline McMillen, said The Ma & Morley Scholarship Program at UON would have a transformational impact on the lives of students and shape the next generation of leaders.

"Through this remarkable friendship spanning decades, a new generation of talented students will have the opportunity to reach their full personal and professional potential," Professor McMillen said.

"This scholarship program will exemplify the shared values between Mr Ma and Mr Morley, and aims to develop the next generation of globally aware and socially conscious Australian leaders," Professor McMillen said.

The first round of The Ma & Morley Scholarship Program will be advertised in mid-2017 for students commencing their first year of an undergraduate degree at UON in 2018.

Jack Ma delivers a speech in Australia's University of Newcastle (UON) in New South Wales, Australia, Feb. 3, 2017. Australia's University of Newcastle on Friday announced the establishment of a scholarship program supported by China's Jack Ma Foundation. Jack Ma Foundation will give US$20 million (AU$26.4 million) to fund a first of its kind scholarship program at UON, marking the largest philanthropic commitment in UON's history. (Xinhua/Gui Qing)