B2B v. B2C Supply Chains Essay example -- Compare Contrast Business Co

B2B v. B2C Supply Chains Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the age of technology business has come a long way and evolved tremendously. It used to be that brick and mortar was the only way to open and run a business. However, the internet has changed all of that now businesses can use technology to reach customers and other businesses all over the world. This has caused a great surge in the world wide economy. In 2003 Business to Business (B2B) commerce tipped the scales at $1.41 Trillion. This is in comparison to Business to Consumer (B2C) that was $90.1 Billion (Naraine, R.2003). All of these purchases need to get transported and that is where businesses supply chains come in play. Contrary to popular belief the supply chains of B2B and B2C are not the same both have unique qualities. This paper will define the term supply chain. Then it will define the terms B2B and B2C. Finally, it will explain how the supply chain differs on a B2C site compared to a B2B site and provide examples. Supply Chain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to learnthat.com a supply chain is the series of channels a product takes from its initial production to reach it’s finally destination (Learn That, 2004). A typical example of this chain of events that occurs in everyday life would be when a guest walks into a Target Store and purchases a X Box Game. The supply chain begins with the guest and the need for the game. Then it continues to the brick and mortar store. This Target store receives its product from the Target Distribution Center. The Target Distribution center receives the product from the manufacturer. Finally, the manufacturer receives the raw products from several other suppliers. This basic supply chain is liquid and continuously goes back and forth. B2B   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When people hear B2B or business to business they might recall the classic image of an old style ice salesman traveling from business to business delivering ice in order for them to keep their merchandise cold. Fast forward 60 years and now B2B eCommerce occurs when companies are buying from and selling to one and other online. B2B eCommerce has evolved past just basic purchasing. It now encompasses supply chain management as more organizations continue to outsource parts of their supply chain to their trading partners (Varon, E., 2001). B2C   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  B2C is pretty straight forward with the title business to consumer, it conjur... ... scale b2b versus the smaller and ever longer b2c. These both are still extremely successful in creating a more global economy and with improvements should provide continuing success. References Naraine,R., 2003, B2C Goes From Rags to Riches, retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://www.internetnews.com/stats/article.php/2196821 Global Market, 2004, B2B Market Trends, retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://www.ewowfacts.com/pdfs/chap04/33.pdf Learn That, 2004, Definition of Supply Chain, retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://www.learnthat.com/define/view.asp?id=339 Varon, E., August 2001, The ABCs of B2B, retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://www.cio.com/ec/edit/b2babc.html Patton,S., August, 2001, The ABC’s of B2C, retrieved from the World Wide Web on:http://www.cio.com/ec/edit/b2cabc.html Marketing Profs, 2005, What differentiates B2C supply chain from B2B? retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://www.marketingprofs.com/ea/qst_question.asp?qstID=7770 CIO Decisions, 2005, Executive Guide B2B Integration, retrieved from the World Wide Web on: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/generic/0,295582,sid19_gci1067719,00.html?bucket=REF