CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT - Alibaba

CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
IN OUR WORLD, SAYING
“WE PUT THE CUSTOMER FIRST”
IS NOT A MERE CATCH-PHRASE:
IT IS JOB NUMBER ONE IN OUR COMPANY.
Dear Alibaba.com shareholders,
For years you’ve heard me talk about the importance of small
businesses as the real engines of every major economy on earth,
and why as a result we all must do what we can to foster their
growth and development. In addition to being strong contributors
to job creation and international trade over the next few years,
small businesses also will play a significant role in boosting
domestic demand.
As the global economy inches toward recovery, more and more
voices are starting to take notice of the importance of small
businesses. Recently, Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to US
President Barack Obama, said that two of every three new jobs
will come from small businesses.
She’s right. Since our founding, Alibaba.com has recognized that
it is our mission to help small businesses leverage the Internet to
reach their potential. We have found ourselves now squarely in
the future: where small business entrepreneurs have discovered
the power of the Internet to become nimble and outmaneuver
the big-box companies that dominated the late 20th century.
We call these smart small businesses, our customers,
“Netrepreneurs.”
Alibaba.com will continue to help play a big role in this transition.
We will continue to innovate in order to help millions of
Netrepreneurs get the most out of the Alibaba.com platform. On
Alibaba.com, small businesses will be enabled with the tool to not
just “Meet at Alibaba” but also “Work at Alibaba.”
Alibaba.com Limited Annual Report 2010
This means that, in addition to helping our customers find new
markets and suppliers whether internationally or in their own
domestic markets, we will also offer small businesses useful
services including trade financing, logistics, customs clearance and
quality inspection and so on. Many of these services can be more
readily available because the Internet is an efficient service delivery
platform.
Alibaba.com will also collaborate more closely with other
Alibaba Group companies with the goal of streamlining the supply
chain through e-commerce. For example, efforts are under way
to marry the suppliers trading on Alibaba.com with millions of
consumers shopping on China’s largest online retail site and our
sister company Taobao.
The rules for commerce are changing. The playing field is leveling
for the small guys. Because of the Internet, we are entering
what we call a “new business paradigm,” and all Alibaba Group
companies hope to play a part in fostering and accelerating
this trend. Netrepreneurs will be the major engine of global job
creation – the livelihoods of literally hundreds of millions of people
around the world will depend almost exclusively on being a part
of the new business paradigm. As I’ve said before, we are well on
our way to realizing the dream of having an online business world
where 10 million Netrepreneurs will employ 100 million people
and serve the needs of 1 billion consumers.
Last year, Alibaba.com surpassed the 1 million paying member
milestone! These customers are placing an enormous amount of
faith and trust in us and hoping we help them fulfill their dreams
of survival and growth. We will not let them down.
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In closing, a word about the importance of trust and the need for
a strong set of values and sense of mission. In our world, saying
“We put the customer first” is not a mere catch-phrase: it is job
number one in our company. Saying we value integrity, passion
and commitment are not hollow ideals. Likewise, we have held
firm on our mission “to make it easy to do business anywhere.”
When it comes to these fundamentals, we will never cut corners.
Our principles will not be compromised in the face of temptation.
The road to success is neither straight nor level. And the line
between right and wrong can seem sometimes paper thin. But
the test of the character of an organization, like a person, is not in
words, but in deeds. Our mission and values will be our compass
as we help guide small business customers, be they sellers or
buyers, to navigate the torrential cross-currents of the next few
years. Our values are what made our company what it is today,
and they are sacrosanct.
Jack Ma
Chairman
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Alibaba.com Limited Annual Report 2010
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