ALIBABA GROUP'S STRATEGIES IN REDUCING ECONOMIC INEQUALITY OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

This undergraduate thesis aimed to Describe howthe"RuralTaobao" Program is part of Alibaba Group's ef orts asamultinational corporation to alleviate economic disparitiesinrural China. The author will explain howmultinationalcorporations such as Alibaba Group address the issueof ruraleconomic inequities, as well as the ef orts made bythese corporations through the "Rural Taobao" program. Inthissituation, the Alibaba group's aim to assist solve the problemof economic inequality in rural China is also motivatedbytheChinese government's desire to make China the world'smostpowerful economy. Alibaba Group, a non-state entity, ispositioned to meet China's challenge in achievingits goals. China must devise a new way in order to developwithinthecurrent world economic paradigm, which tends tobeneoliberal-capitalist. However, this is a unique phenomenoninwhich, in a country where the government is heavilydominated, such as China, non-state players with littleabilityto solve social problems, such as Alibaba Group, are requiredto address economic inequalities in rural China. Furtherresearch is needed to have a better understandingof thetactics used by Alibaba Group to solve economic disparityinrural China.