Alibaba.com to raise its spending on staff

China's Alibaba.com Ltd. reports a 57% fourth-quarter net profit drop to 199.4 million yuan, and a 27% increase in revenue to 805.9 million yuan. Fourth-quarter operating profit dropped to 22% from last year's 29%. The company's 2008 full-year net profit rose 25% to 1.21 billion yuan. In 2009, Alibaba.com plans to hire between 2,000 and 3,000 new employees, raising staff costs by 25% to 30%.