B2B and B2C

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how B2C, or business-to-consumer e-commerce, is the selling of products or services to individual consumers over the Internet whereas B2B, or business-to-business e-commerce, is the selling of products or services to other businesses over the Internet. It discusses how, although both types of business are e-commerce and how ostensibly they should operate similarly, there is actually a significant difference in the supply chains of the two types of businesses. The paper then looks at how the fundamental distinction between the B2B and B2C supply chains is in their handling of fulfillment.

From the Paper:

"Supply chain and logistical technologies have changed so radically, in fact, that they bear little resemblance to those of even the recent past. New ways of fulfilling orders incorporate virtual warehousing, point-to-point on-demand delivery, cross-docking, and other rapid shipment techniques combine with innovative customer service solutions to produce a fulfillment environment that is extremely efficient, highly responsive, and capable of filling small orders as easily as large ones. The old delivery hierarchy where a product when from the distributor to the wholesaler, then the retailer before being shipped to the consumer is obsolete in most B2C venues (Singh). The new paradigm is integrated fulfillment, "an e-fulfillment approach with a broad end-to-end supply chain performance objective" (Hintlian & Mann). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hintlian, J.T. & Mann, R.E. (2001). E-Fulfillment Challenge - The Holy Grail of B2C and B2B E-Commerce. ASCET, Volume 3.
• Retrieved on October 1, 2007, from: http://supplychain.ittoolbox.com/browse.asp?c=SCMPeerPublishing&r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eascet%2Ecom%2Fdocuments%2Easp%3FgrID%3D140%26d%5FID%3D512
• Patton, S. The ABCs of B2C. CIO. Retrieved on October 1, 2007, from: http://www.cio.com/ec/edit/b2cabc.html
• Singh, Munindar P. (1999). The End of the Supply Chain? IEEE Internet Computing. Retrieved on October 1, 2007, from: http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/mpsingh/papers/columns/bi-3-6-99.pdf

More papers on B2B and B2C:

• Comparison Essay # 121273 : "B2B and B2C E-Commerce"
• Term Paper # 121872 : "B2B and B2C Legal Issues"
• Comparison Essay # 120646 : "B2B and B2C Marketing"
• Comparison Essay # 90547 : "B2B and B2C e-Marketing "

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: