Alibaba Group Holding Limited is justly regarded as the global leader among technology companies that specialize in electronic commerce. As a multinational corporation owning more than ten prominent businesses, Alibaba Group uses a holding company organizational structure (“Corporate Governance Guidelines”). This type of internal organization gives more freedom and autonomy to divisional business executives and grants some decision-making power to shareholders. The corporation’s board of directors is responsible for overseeing the performance of Alibaba Group’s businesses and their compliance with the existing legal requirements and regulations.
Nowadays, Alibaba Group’s corporate governance approach involves stressing the unity of command. In particular, the controversial but still popular principle of CEO duality can be observed in Alibaba Group’s case. Daniel Yong Zhang, who has served as the COO, the CFO, and the senior manager, has taken on the dual role less than one year ago, so CEO duality is among Alibaba Group’s recent experiments (“Corporate Governance: Board of Directors”). Although it is probably too early to assess the practical outcomes of implementing CEO duality, the potential positive effects of the principle include corporations’ better responsiveness to change and coordination of activities.
In its corporate governance strategy, Alibaba Group emphasizes the presence of independent and experienced directors. Alibaba Group’s board of directors is comprised of qualified specialists with extensive experience in fulfilling the responsibilities of senior managers. In particular, the team is presented by eleven professionals, including five independent directors, a chairman, a vice-chairman, and other directors (“Corporate Governance: Board of Directors”). The members demonstrate the necessary qualifications, including university degrees in economics, management, and other fields of study. Also, they have years of experience as senior managers or directors in Alibaba subsidiaries or other prominent technology companies, such as Yahoo, Arm Limited, and so on (“Corporate Governance: Board of Directors”). Additionally, the members of the board of directors are expected to meet a set of expectations, including loyalty to the organization, treating confidential information appropriately, rules regarding affiliations with other public businesses, and being in a sound mind (“Corporate Governance Guidelines”). In such a way, Alibaba Group maximizes its strategic success by setting high standards for its directors.
Works Cited
“Corporate Governance: Board of Directors.” Alibaba Group. Web.
“Corporate Governance Guidelines.” Alibaba Group. Web.