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B2B Supply Chain

B2B vs. B2C
In this paper, there will be a definition of what a business-to-business is as well as a business-to-consumer. A definition of a supply chain will be discussed. There will also be a discussion of the differences in a business-to-business as opposed to a business-to-consumer.
Business-to-Business
Supply chains are known as the series of channels any product can take from its original production to reach its final destination. An example of this is when a customer walks into Wal-Mart or K-Mart to purchase a television. These supply chain will begin with the customer and their desire for a television. Then the supply chain continues to the brick and mortar store. The K-Mart stores receive its products from the K-Mart distribution center. The K-Mart distribution center will get their product from the manufacturer and the manufacturer gets materials from quite a few companies that supply raw materials. This basic supply chain is liquid and continuously goes back and forth (slashdoc.com, 2007).
Business-to-Business or short (B2B) is a longtime sales practice where the transactions primarily target companies and wholesale buyers. Many companies have both B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) elements and it is more likely for companies to concentrate in B2B transactions (wisegek.com, 2007). B2B is popular in sales and services due to its major capacity. A customer will visit a manufacturer's website to purchase one sweater and a pair of shoes. A buyer of a chain of stores will not just buy one item but may buy over 6,000 items of one particular product. The manufacturer will lose out on a very large sale if they do not use one of the B2B elements.
The sales of B2B are also produced by providing a particular manufactured good that is will not be obtainable to a regular consumer. This B2B operation is mostly used when businesses are manufacturing. A company that produces some sort of spray bottle, for example, may need a specific plastic...