In order to evaluate the differences between a B2C site and a B2B site it is required to know what B2C and B2B represent. B2C is a consumer that shops on the Web and a B2B is a transaction conducted between businesses on the Web (Schneider, 2004). Reviewing ethical, legal and regulatory will provide a better understanding of what the requirements are for a B2B and B2C site. According to dictionary.com, ethical is being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong that govern the conduct of a profession. Legal is defined as in conformity with or permitted by law and regulatory is identified, to control or direct according to rule, principle, or law (dictionary.com).
When providing services either on a B2C site or B2B site there is ethical responsibilities, laws and regulations that each organization/company must follow in order to stay in compliance. There is increasing acceptance that consumer trust is a key foundation for electronic commerce success. If the consumer cannot develop some sense of confidence in the vendor's competence, predictability, benevolence and integrity, then the consumer is likely to abort the purchase and simply look elsewhere for a more trustworthy alternative (McKnight, Chervany, 2002).
When an organization determines that e-commerce is an option that is going to be offered to consumers, the organization needs to realize that as a whole the organization is going to be exposed to new risks, such as, fraud and viruses. Regulatory mechanisms for e-business are not yet in place in many countries. This causes B2B and B2C sites to be based around trust, trust in the organization that has been chosen, either for business or consumer purposes (Chaker, 2005).
Many B2C Web sites are segmente ...