Ebay Paper

eBay has indisputably developed into one of the world’s largest marketplaces and has continued to dominate the online auction realm since its initial establishment. It was originally founded in 1995 by software developer Pierre Omidyar. He looked at his creation as a “pet project,” unsure of the success that was yet to come. His original website, Auction Web, was initially small and involved person-to- person online trading posts, and would evolve into what is now known as eBay. After two years passed, Omidyar believed that it was necessary to introduce a more experienced member to the eBay team. His desire for eBay to flourish and achieve the potential he realized it had initiated his invitation to Meg Whitman to become the company’s new CEO. This decision caused the company to grow exponentially, and the company has never looked back. Whitman brought her extraordinary business experience and astonishing intelligence to the company; her respect for the community was the driving factor behind much of this company’s success. eBay quickly became the internet’s leading auction site through its emphasis of core values, importance of the customer, and the decision to hire Meg Whitman.

Many factors contribute to the success of a company. Meg Whitman was the vital addition to this company that greatly attributed to the overall improvement and steady growth of eBay. She was able to hone in on the key facets that accelerated this company’s success, mainly through emphasizing communication with eBay employees. The company has a very clear and direct vision statement. It states that it strives “to become the largest trading company in the world” (1). This statement is essential, for it drives all employees toward a greater common goal. eBay wanted to become the leader in the online trading industry and, therefore, needed to create an effective, tight-knit community between sellers, traders and buyers. This unification is key to the success of any company, as well as the teamwork and cooperation between employees. Omidyar stated that, “We can’t control how one person treats another… the only thing we can do is to influence customer behavior by encouraging them to adopt certain values. And those values are to assume that people are basically good, to give people the benefit of the doubt, and to treat people with respect- the way you would want to be treated yourself” (4). This vision statement inspires eBay’s employees to realize the general “vision” of the company and to work toward the overall goal of becoming a world leader. It serves as a constant reminder of the direction of the company. One of eBay’s strategies that contributed to their success was their emphasis on community and their committed employees. Customer satisfaction is extremely important to the eBay team. Customers will not buy or sell goods to anyone they do not trust. Furthermore, individuals will not engage in such activity through a medium