Degree
Master of Business Administration
Faculty / School
Faculty of Business Administration (FBA)
Advisor
Dr. Rameez Khalid, Assistant Professor, Department of Management
Committee Member 1
Dr. Rameez Khalid, Assistant Professor - Academic Director PGD (SCM) Program Department of Management, Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
Project Type
MBA Research Project
Keywords
https://ir.iba.edu.pk/do/search/?q=%20B2B&start=0&context=8598587&facet="> B2B, B2C portal, Marketplace, Revenue targets, Cost reduction, Inventory management software
Abstract / Summary
Businesses have primarily focused on improving their bottom line by setting more aggressive revenue targets, still they have not approached the issue of cost reduction with the same tenacity. The easiest method of eliminating excess is the sale of assets which are currently not in service and will not be for the foreseeable future. In this context selling of industry surplus reduces the cost impact of dead stock while for the buyer it offers a reduced cost of a usable item which would otherwise be costlier or unavailable, as is the concept of circular economy.
For this purpose, the client intends to provide an online B2B marketplace for industry surplus. Although B2C portals exist online as do B2B, they usually serve as marketplaces and avenues for sale of finished or trading goods, no such marketplace exists to sell the excess surplus that has been accrued over the lifetime of a business to formally and safely sell off.
Project team studied the volume and proportion of spares listed in Tier 1 company’s annual reports to estimate surplus inventory. Through interviews of industry personnel, we aimed to ascertain current modes of disposal and the risks perceived by said companies. By researching B2B surplus marketplaces outside Pakistan, we aimed to design a marketplace for the client. The culmination of our research would allow the creation of a business model and website able to cater to both buyers and seller of the Pakistan market.
Insights gained in the research phase significantly helped us in deciding a course of action for the implementation of the project in terms of market feasibility, designing of the platform, operational mechanism and transactional intricacies. The project team were given clearance to decide the project phases along with the proposed ideas for the platform and client was in-charge of implementing the ideas using their personnel. After the website’s go live, clientele building was followed via pitch meetings with different industrial sectors to expand operations initially within Karachi with the aim of going expanding in the region soon.
Further after the implementation of the project, different avenues of expansion of the same business model and diversifying into adjacent avenues are also presented to the client.
Recommended Citation
Azam, A., Mian, M. u., Fareed, M. M., & Abbas, S. R. (2020). Online marketplace for B2B surplus (Unpublished graduate research project). Institute of Business Administration, Pakistan. Retrieved from https://ir.iba.edu.pk/research-projects-mba/25
