Abstract
Successful supply chain management requires a change from managing individual functions to integrating activities into the key supply chain process. The advantages far outweigh the effort involved in accessing the final product; a seamless supply chain that operates fluidly and benefits the entire chain. In this paper, the merit of supply chain and B2B is discussed, and the impacts on each other identified. With the groundwork built, the concept of B2B marketplaces as the participating units in a supply chain process in order to enhance the business process is employed. Virtual enterprises can use this extended form of supply chain as its building-blocks. © 2002, MCB UP Limited