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Running head: B2B VS. B2C SUPPLY CHAIN

Supply Chains Comparison
David Miranda
BUS/400
Thomas Jerdon
August 28, 2006
Supply Chains
Introduction
In previous decades brick and mortar companies were the rulers of business everywhere in the world. Companies all around the world conducted business with each other and consumers with what we now would consider "the long way." Shopping for something would mean that a consumer would have to physically go into a retail store and shop. For businesses, to make purchases it would mean having to use a snail mail catalogue or to place an order over the phone. The internet has now made it possible for companies and consumers alike to shop for materials and goods from a computer anywhere in the world. The internet has allowed for eBusiness or eCommerce to rise have become a preferred method of business for many companies and consumers. Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B) commerce serve different customers and both have a different supply chain.
Supply Chain
According to Schnider, G.P. (2004), the part of an industry value chain that precedes a particular strategic business unit is often called a supply chain. A company's supply chain for a specific product begins with the suppliers of the raw materials and includes every single component necessary to make the final product. An example of a supply chain for Sanyo, which is the manufacturer of the Sanyo Katana, a cellular phone used by Sprint Nextel would be that Sanyo receives electronic parts from Qualcomm to work on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology. Qualcomm also has suppliers that provide electronic pieces to complete the cellular phone's electronic components. Plastics for the phone cases are purchased from other suppliers. Finally, the finished product is shipped to Sanyo Distribution Warehouse in Japan. From Japan, the products are shipped to the Sprint Nextel...