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Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business Hardcover – May 12, 2015

by Porter Erisman (Author)

4.3 628 ratings

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**Selected as one of the Best Business Books of 2015 by the Wall Street Journal**

In September 2014, a Chinese company that most Americans had never heard of held the largest IPO in history – bigger than Google, Facebook and Twitter combined. Alibaba, now the world's largest e-commerce company, mostly escaped Western notice for over ten years, while building a customer base more than twice the size of Amazon's, and handling the bulk of e-commerce transactions in China. How did it happen? And what was it like to be along for such a revolutionary ride?

In Alibaba's World, author Porter Erisman, one of Alibaba's first Western employees and its head of international marketing from 2000 to 2008, shows how Jack Ma, a Chinese schoolteacher who twice failed his college entrance exams, rose from obscurity to found Alibaba and lead it from struggling startup to the world's most dominant e-commerce player. He shares stories of weathering the dotcom crash, facing down eBay and Google, negotiating with the unpredictable Chinese government, and enduring the misguided advice of foreign experts, all to build the behemoth that's poised to sweep the ecommerce world today. And he analyzes Alibaba's role as a harbinger of the new global business landscape―with its focus on the East rather than the West, emerging markets over developed ones, and the nimble entrepreneur over the industry titan. As we face this near future, the story of Alibaba―and its inevitable descendants―is both essential and instructive.

Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

St. Martin's Press
Publication date

May 12, 2015
Dimensions

6.44 x 0.94 x 9.51 inches
ISBN-10

1250069874
ISBN-13

978-1250069870
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fascinating...stories don't get much better than Alibaba's.” ―The Financial Times

“Few westerners have had the opportunity to be in the inner sanctum of a Chinese company. Erisman makes you feel like you were there through the all trials and tribulations -- from Alibaba's humble origins to its David vs Goliath meetings with the chiefs of eBay, Google and Yahoo, to its remarkable arrival as Internet titan. A must-read, full of practical learning for anyone seeking to understand Chinese entrepreneurship or build the business of their dreams.” ―Nick Arnold, former Head of Marketing, Apple Asia

“A fascinating insider's look at the digital opening of China...Erisman's comprehensive account of "how a schoolteacher rose from obscurity to build the world's largest e-commerce company" provides a dizzying look at this company's startling birth, growth, and success.” ―Publisher's Weekly

“An absolute delight to read. Porter Erisman has crafted an insider's loving portrayal of the world's largest e-commerce site, from its humble beginnings in Hong Kong and rural China to its present-day dominance of the online China trade... The book is written in a fresh, engaging style that creates a sense of immediacy and empathy for Alibaba's team. If you like a well-written business yarn, read Alibaba's World. It's how the East was won.” ―The New York Journal of Books

“It is difficult to imagine anyone more qualified than Porter Erisman to provide Westerners with deep insight into one of the greatest business stories of China, and of this century. That Porter happens to be an extremely engaging writer with a wry and savvy eye makes this not only a must-read, but an utterly enjoyable one too.” ―Janet Yang, film producer of THE JOY LUCK CLUB and PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLINT

About the Author

Prior to joining Alibaba in 2000, PORTER ERISMAN worked for Ogilvy & Mather in Beijing. From 2000-2008, Porter worked as a Vice President at Alibaba.com and Alibaba Group, at various times leading the company's international website operations, international marketing, and corporate affairs as one of the company's first American employees. He is the writer/director of Crocodile in the Yangtze, an award-winning documentary about the rise of Alibaba and its famous founder, Jack Ma. An expert on ecommerce in emerging markets, he has consulted to ecommerce companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America. He lives in Shanghai, China.

Erisman is the bestselling author of Alibaba’s World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press (May 12, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250069874
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250069870
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.44 x 0.94 x 9.51 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #632,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #185 in Retailing Industry (Books)
- #1,152 in E-commerce Professional (Books)

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4.3 628 ratings

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Porter Erisman

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Porter Erisman worked as a vice president at Alibaba Group from 2000-2008, joining the company just as it moved out of founder Jack Ma's apartment. He is the writer and director of Crocodile in the Yangtze: The Alibaba Story, an award-winning documentary about the rise of Alibaba and its famous founder. Erisman is also the bestselling author of Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business. Most recently, he is the author of Six Billion Shoppers: the Companies Winning the Global E-Commerce Boom. An expert on e-commerce in emerging markets, he has consulted to e-commerce companies in Africa, Asia and Latin America and has spoken at high-profile industry events in more than thirty countries.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

628 global ratings

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Jason

An Entreprenuer and Executive MUST read! -- Book shelf worthy.

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

Mr Erisman - You hit a home run. There are not many out there who know the truth behind the Alibaba story. Alibaba's World is the most genuine depiction of the most exciting global business success story - ever. Anybody who does not know the story behind the legend, and at times mythical figure - Jack Ma - needs to! Porter's book, more importantly, will inspire budding entrepreneurs to chase their dreams and tackle any challenge. While the success of the company Alibaba is now known by most, the real story is about Jack and the adverse challenges he overcame to go from a small dingy apartment to building one of the most impressive world head quarters. Without question, Alibaba's World is hands down a highly recommended read and well done piece of literature!

Jason Prescott
CEO, Manufacturer.com | TopTenWholesale.com
Author~ Wholesale 101: A Guide to Product Sourcing for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners & Retail 101: The Guide to Managing and Marketing Your Retail Business

2 people found this helpful

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William Teh

Alibaba and the 40 lessons

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2016

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Insightful story of how Jack Ma started Alibaba. I enjoyed listening to the book, and to get a feel for the challenges how Jack Ma overcome them to start Alibaba. My 3 main takeaways are
1) Dream Big: Jack Ma's dream for Alibaba is not big.... its HUGE. When you dream big, the scary part is that you may actually accomplish it! More importantly, you will be able to attract quality people to build your dream
2) The road to success, is long and painful: It has been a journey, quite a journey for Jack and Alibaba. Success does not come overnight. It takes persistence, lots and lots of hard work, and betting big.
3) Never Give Up: Wow. For any other person besides Jack at the helm of Alibaba, the company may not have been to struggle or survive the challenges.

A great inspiritional story of success. Don't be disillusioned. Everyone wants to be successful, but not everyone is willing to put in the work or risk everything to accomplish it. A great read.

William Teh
Investor | Author | Entrepreneur
TTTrends Investments

3 people found this helpful

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Carmichael

Right place, Right time ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2021

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More than hard work .. it’s the Right mindset and core values funneled down from the Jack Ma to all of the team players. A great read, thanks Porter.

2 people found this helpful

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Ronald Cellini

More an autobiography but last chapter was good

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2015

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This book is an easy read. It is written from one person's perspective, albeit a person close to Jack Ma. It is an autobiography of the challenges and highs while at Alibaba. If you are looking for specific strategies and decisions made that led Alibaba to its success, you will be disappointed. It's a fun book, nothing thought provoking, I finished it in a day. The last chapter has some gems.

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

I read a Harvard Business School case on the same topic many years ago but this book is a hundred times better: more realistic, more informative, and more inspiring. It is a must read for anyone fascinated by e-commerce in China and the world at large.

2 people found this helpful

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Dennis Pratistha

Great read on Alibaba from an ex insider

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2018

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The book is a very easy read providing great insights on Alibaba in its early stage to becoming a Chinese giant. I liked the fact that an insider actually wrote the book from his first hand experience and perspective.

The 40 rules from Alibaba’s playbook was actually a good summary of the way they conducted business over the years to grow from a David to a Goliath.

Overall great stories and good closing.

One person found this helpful

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Jens Guld

Things are happening in China

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015

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Bezos - Amazon's CEO - showed up and took notes when Alibaba's CEO showed up and lectured about Alibaba.
We know very little about China's new capitalism. Alibaba outshines Google and more than that.
The Western press is not exactly informative, but here is the story written by a man who was involved almost from the beginning.
And it is a good read.

3 people found this helpful

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R. Manigault

Great Insight Into The Mind Of Jack Ma

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2015

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To say that this book is inspirational would be a cliché. But when an English teacher making $20 a week with no technical background starts the world's largest e-commerce company one can't help but use the adjective "inspirational" to describe it. Jack Ma is not a genius. He is an average guy with an incredible imagination and determination to match. This book is about him as much as it is about Alibaba.com. The book is very easy to read and contains no technical jargon. I highly recommend it.

One person found this helpful

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Cliente de Amazon

Me encanto

Reviewed in Mexico on November 3, 2023

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Me gusto mucho como narro la historia,sabe captar tu interes

One person found this helpful

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marco

Scritto bene

Reviewed in Italy on September 25, 2022

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Ottimo

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OG

einfach toll

Reviewed in Germany on December 14, 2020

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insight the crocodile lernt man am besten ich empfehle dieses Buch fuer Manager,die ihr Unternehmen nachhaltig verbessern wollen. Ich werde Aktien kaufen

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Cliente Amazon

muito bom

Reviewed in Brazil on December 4, 2016

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boa narrativa de alguem q trabalhou la dentro... re omendo a ldi tura, om, ok, om, lm, ok, ok, ok,

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Ken

Amazing book!!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is amazing, the second one I've read on the story of Jack Ma's Alibaba. I love it because the writer, Porter, is an "insider" having headed Alibaba's PR, and so the breadth of the story is immense, interesting and super-engaging, he tells the story brilliantly! I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the Alibaba story, or China's Internet story, the best one I've read so far. 5 stars for sure!!!

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