Bus4500 International Business

Case Analysis #3

Tramaine Freeman

Shorter University

BUS 4500 International Business

August 10, 2019

Case Analysis #3

This paper is an analysis of whether a weak or strong dollar is better for emerging markets. The analysis will involve answering three questions on pages 476-479 of the textbook (Parboteeah & Cullen, 2018).

Are there unique components of Alibaba’s e-commerce business model/strategy?

Yes, there are unique components of Alibaba’s e-commerce business model. Alibaba’s business to business platform supports small and medium-sized enterprises. The organization acts as a middleman between manufacturers and business buyers. The mission of Alibaba Group is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The organization consists of several companies which include an internet retail site, a third-party internet payment company, and a cloud computing and data management company. The site also offers sellers the opportunity to showcase their goods to the world.

Do you think the future of international business will change as more people become familiar with the Alibaba business model? Explain.

Yes, I do think the future of international business will change. I believe many organizations will try to re-produce Alibaba’s business model to gain access into the international market. Also, having this type of platform makes it easier for small and medium-sized organizations to enter into international markets. Without the presence of such a platform, I do no think this would be possible. This type of business model makes it easier for organizations to do business anywhere in the world.

If Alibaba and Amazon aren’t direct competitors yet, how might the business models change in the future which may make them fierce competitors? Who do you think will be more successful and why?

Alibaba and Amazon operate in different competitive spaces at the moment. Alibaba is more a platform that acts as a middleman between manufacturers and business buyers. It is a B2B organization, whereas Amazon is a giant retailer. Therefore, if Amazon where to change their business model or add the addition of a B2B platform they would be direct competition for the Alibaba Group. I feel that Amazon might be more successful because the organization already has a successful international retail platform and adding the addition of a B2B platform would only make Amazon the more successful.

In conclusion, Alibaba’s business to business platform supports small and medium-sized enterprises. The organization acts as a middleman between manufacturers and business buyers. The mission of Alibaba