Corporate Strategy Case Study

Revitalisation of eBay under John Donahoe: Will it Work?

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Abstract:
Internet auctioneer eBay Inc.had announced that John Donahoe would take over as eBay Chief Executive on March 31, 2008 from Meg Whitman who had been at the helm of affairs for 10 years since March 1998. John Donahoe said that his priority is to reinvigorate eBay. Although it still remains the dominant online auction site, it faces increased competition from other Internet retailers such as Amazon.com. The new CEO announced a series of measures to revive the company including changing the fee structure, which was at the core of eBay’s business model. He also proposed to improve trust and safety in its transactions. The case allows for discussion on whether the revitalisation process under John Donahoe would bring in the desired results

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To analyse the revenue model of eBay
• To analyse the impacts of the initiatives on eBay under Meg Whitman
• To analyse the revitalisation of eBay under John Donahoe
• To analyse the future of eBay.

Keywords : eBay; John Donahoe; Revitalisation; E-Commerce Business; Meg Whitman; Fraud sciences; Restructuring - Turnaround Strategies Case Studies; Revenue model; Revenue per unique Visitor; eBay business