Alibaba.com sourcing guide for Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises
Lundell, Laura (2017)
Lundell, Laura
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201703173388
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201703173388
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this project-based thesis is to offer guidance for Finnish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) about the use of Alibaba.com online marketplace in China-based sourcing, in the form of a guide. The guide offers information about looking for suppliers and products, how to distinguish between sellers and how to contact them, what the recommended sourcing process is and what risks may be involved. In addition, the guide aims to offer a better understanding of Alibaba Group as a whole.
The thesis author has personal experience in China-based sourcing, having worked for a Chinese sourcing company in Shanghai for two years. Personal interest and know-how, as well as the fact that Alibaba Group is still relatively unknown in Finland, made it a natural choice for the author to write the sourcing guide.
The theoretical framework of the thesis comprises of the background research the author conducted prior to writing the guide, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the topic and the concepts related to it. The secondary objective is for the theoretical framework to support the need and purpose of the guide.
The thesis itself comprises of two sections: theoretical framework and empirical part. The theoretical framework is divided into two main themes, out of which the first discusses internationalization in Finnish SMEs in the forms of exports, imports and global sourcing, and presents trade relations between Finland and China. The second chapter of the theoretical framework discusses the concept of electronic commerce and its different forms, with a deeper look into business-to-business (B2B) level electronic commerce. In addition, Alibaba Group and its online marketplaces, including Alibaba.com, are introduced in the chapter.
The empirical part of the thesis introduces the process of writing the guidebook. The section discusses the project starting point and project plan, and presents the structure of the project and how the final product, or guide turned out to be. The last chapter of the thesis, discussion, includes the author’s conclusions for the whole thesis project and future development ideas, as well as presents what the author learned from the writing process.
The thesis project was started in November 2016 and finalized in March 2017. The objectives that were set were reached.
The thesis author has personal experience in China-based sourcing, having worked for a Chinese sourcing company in Shanghai for two years. Personal interest and know-how, as well as the fact that Alibaba Group is still relatively unknown in Finland, made it a natural choice for the author to write the sourcing guide.
The theoretical framework of the thesis comprises of the background research the author conducted prior to writing the guide, in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the topic and the concepts related to it. The secondary objective is for the theoretical framework to support the need and purpose of the guide.
The thesis itself comprises of two sections: theoretical framework and empirical part. The theoretical framework is divided into two main themes, out of which the first discusses internationalization in Finnish SMEs in the forms of exports, imports and global sourcing, and presents trade relations between Finland and China. The second chapter of the theoretical framework discusses the concept of electronic commerce and its different forms, with a deeper look into business-to-business (B2B) level electronic commerce. In addition, Alibaba Group and its online marketplaces, including Alibaba.com, are introduced in the chapter.
The empirical part of the thesis introduces the process of writing the guidebook. The section discusses the project starting point and project plan, and presents the structure of the project and how the final product, or guide turned out to be. The last chapter of the thesis, discussion, includes the author’s conclusions for the whole thesis project and future development ideas, as well as presents what the author learned from the writing process.
The thesis project was started in November 2016 and finalized in March 2017. The objectives that were set were reached.