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The hypothesis is supported that substantial similarities exist in supplier choice strategies across industrialised nations. The nine studies reviewed indicate that a four‐step process is common to the majority of capital goods purchases and purchases of component parts and raw materials in some European countries and the United States

Organizational buying is an active research domain with hundreds of studies grounded in one or several of the complementary theoretical models in the literature. In recent years, however, many scholars have focussed on the importance of the buyer‐seller relationship. For many research studies, the theoretical framework has expanded from a buying‐side‐only perspective. Explores the reason for this transition in terms of changes in the business‐to‐business environment. Given the environmental changes, the next theory transition may be to view buying and selling relationships between firms from a systems perspective. Introduces basic systems thinking concepts as they may apply in the buyer‐seller context.

A central finding in the relationship marketing/buying literature is that the thought and decision processes by both marketers and buyers include a series of branching, if‐then, questions and answers. For example, will customer X accept a 7 percent price increase? The correct answer: acceptance depends on the changes in the other attributes on the table (i.e. in the bid proposal or product‐service design). Consequently, from designing and evaluating bid‐purchase proposals to evaluating the current state of the overall seller‐buyer relationship, the perceived value of the level of any given attribute depends in part of the value perceived in the levels of several other attributes. Possibly, business‐to‐business decisions and outcomes may be understood best by constructing thick descriptions of the multiple contingency paths that marketers and buyers think about and sometimes enact when deciding. We report the use of two “think aloud” methods to learn the contingency thoughts and decisions of marketers and buyers of industrial solvents. The main conclusions of the study: designing generalized “gatekeeping”, contingency, models of if‐then decision paths can be achieved; these models are useful for constructing accurate behavioral theories of marketer‐buyer relationships.

Both marketing executives and consumers engage in a combination of automatic and strategic (i.e. controlled) thinking and doing processes when they become aware of problems/opportunities. Similarities and departures in these processes among executives and consumers occur through all stages of their decisions. This article includes a paradigm describing similarities (S_i) and departures (D_i) in the stream of thinking and behaviors of executives and consumers. For example, both executives and consumers apply simplifying categorizing rules for defining decision contexts; for repetitive decision‐making contexts, categorization rules are more often formalized in writing by executives but not by consumers. The extant literature on the quality of decision processes offers several easy‐to‐apply, but often unknown rules helpful for both executives and consumers for improving the quality of their decisions; these rules are examined briefly within the framework of similarities and departures. Formal study by all marketers of such similarities and departures of consumer/business buying decisions may be helpful for recognizing nuances critical in selling‐buying processes for achieving desired outcomes – such as getting a sale or building a marketing relationship. The article describes “direct research” studies of decision processes implemented by executives and consumers; direct research studies hold particular promise for uncovering similarities and departures when comparing the two areas of study.

This article provides a new definition for case study research. Achieving deep understanding of processes and other concept variables (e.g. actors’ perceptions of their own thinking processes, intentions and contextual influences) is identified as the principal objective of case study research. Using multiple methods to “triangulate” (i.e. confirm and deepen understanding by using multiple sources all focusing on the same process/event) within the same case is described. The article outlines the core criticisms made by case study researchers of large sample surveys. A need exists for a paradigm shift in research on organizational behavior (including modeling the antecedents of new product performance). The article outlines the telling weaknesses of case study research as seen by other researchers. The article examines Senge’s core propositions related to the “mental models” of decision participants. Details illustrate the use of specific research methods for case studies to achieve different research objectives and the combination of objectives. Finally, the article illustrates basic concept variables in a case study and 12 propositions are reviewed briefly. This report reviews classic and recent contributions in the literature on case study research.

Explores antecedents of individual influence in organizational purchasing decisions made by buying centres. Proposes a two‐step model whereby individual influence is a function of decision‐specific variables such as expertise, interest and personal stake in the decision. The decision‐specific variables are affected, in turn, by demographic characteristics and psychological traits of the individual. Proposes a new method which improves on past research; this method allows for the assessment of influence as it is manifested in buying centre decision making. The two‐step model is generally supported based on the path analysis results.

Seeks to provide a historical case study of the founding and development of the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing from the perspective of the two editors of the journal covering the first 20 years of publication.

The editors report on their experiences of establishing and nurturing the journal over a 20‐year period. Individual experiences are reported along with specific historical events and specific journal contents.

The paper provides information about the history of the journal and its founding, indicating the difficulties and managerial skills necessary to accomplish such a task. The paper also recognizes the 20‐year growth and contribution of the journal and those who contributed to it.

The viewpoints of the editors are anecdotal and recall events as far back as 20 years. They summarize the events of a 20‐year period in the article, relying on memory and information from archival files.

The paper provides one description of the founding and development of a leading journal in the field of business and industrial marketing. A list is presented summarizing Special Issues and significant milestones of the journal. The paper is a must‐read for anyone contemplating starting a new journal.

This article presents the only complete history of the Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.