August 2018
Beginner
320 pages
8h 3m
English
Content preview from Smart Business
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CHAPTER 6
POSITIONING
How to Create Value in a Network
Companies like Big-E, Ruhan, Red Collar, and Shangpin don’t just emerge haphazardly or in isolation. They leverage platform capabilities painstakingly built on Taobao and the vital resources gathered there, namely, the many independent service providers detailed in chapter 2. At the same time, these firms enable the growth of platforms like Taobao. New players always grow together with the platforms and with the platform partners the players rely on for various support functions. In essence, brands, support functions, and the platform all grow together as an ecosystem.
In the technology industry, ecosystem is one of those overused buzzwords that make eyes roll. However, at Alibaba, the term ...