Business-to-Business Decision Making
Section 1
As outlaid from the 3M case study, there are two types of B2B customers, that is, Hospital customer and Local medical center customers. At the 3M medical which is a subsidiary of the 3M healthcare enterprise, they aim at transforming the outcomes of medical practice while fostering welfare for the people under their care through products and resources lowering costs and improving patient experiences. However, it is worth noting that the two B2B customers are quite distinct. The following are the differences in the characteristics between hospital and local medical center customers.
| Hospital Customer | Local medical center customer |
| Acute care is accorded to Hospital customers. Acute care refers to “healthcare that you receive in hospital following an injury, operation or illness.”(Canterbury District Health Board. (2020). It is distinct from other forms of care one may receive from their physicians, community nurse and other professions in areas where they reside. | Primary care is given to the local medical center customers. Primary care refers to “the initial point of contact between a patient and the healthcare system that provides individuals with access to the information and resources they need for optimal health outcomes.”(Schroeder, 2017). Primary care givers avail counseling and monitor people’s health. |
| Hospital customers comprises of professional fields, that is, acute care surgery, rehabilitative care, psychiatric care, trauma care, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, emergency care, critical care and urgent care (Registered Nursing.org, 2019). | Local medical center customers incorporate professionals in limited fields such as family medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology (Schroeder, 2017). |
| Hospital customers call for a high supply of medical masks and respirators and the hand hygiene products. The employment of respirators and medical equipment is paramount in bringing down the level of hazards induced by pathogens. Hand washing products are also highly paramount for acute care (Ippolito et al., 2020). They have a duty to protect patients from infections while undergoing treatment. Inhibiting the transfer of pathogens through hand washing and hygiene is quite paramount in the healthcare setting. | Local medical center customers call for a high supply of hand hygiene products (alcohol based sanitizers and hand wash products. They are quite paramount for the local medical care customers in the primary care level as it will aid inhibit the transfer of pathogens from care givers to patients (Waltrip, 2019). |
It’s paramount to understand the differences between the two customers to anticipate the demand. This will be significant when it comes to assessing production capacity and demand by 3M on its medical division. Understanding the characteristics of the two customers will also help 3M comprehend the stakeholders who will entice demand for their supplies.
References
Canterbury District Health Board. (2020, March 5). Acute care. Canterbury DHB. https://www.cdhb.health.nz/glossary/acute-care/
Schroeder, A. (2017). What is primary care? University of Utah Health | University of Utah Health. https://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2017/01/what-is-primary-care.php
Registered Nursing.org. (2019, February 14). What is acute care nursing? || RegisteredNursing.org. RN Programs – Registered Nurse || RegisteredNursing.org. https://www.registerednursing.org/answers/what-acute-care-nursing/
Ippolito, M., Vitale, F., Accurso, G., Iozzo, P., Gregoretti, C., Giarratano, A., & Cortegiani, A. (2020). Medical masks and Respirators for the Protection of Healthcare Workers from SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses. Pulmonology.
Waltrip, K. (2019). Hand hygiene for healthcare providers. Concordance Healthcare Solutions. https://www.concordancehealthcare.com/blog/hand-hygiene-for-healthcare-providers