Challenges for B2B research relevance: a top executive perspective

Purpose – The purpose of the article is to identify and analyze the challenges of business-to-business (B2B) research relevance from the point of view of top executives. Design/methodology/approach – Ten in-depth interviews with top executives from different B2B industries were conducted and analyzed by using Arndt’s (1985) elements of a healthy discipline, i.e. knowledge, problems and instruments. Findings – The findings reveal 12 challenges that characterize contemporary B2B research relevance from a top executive perspective. Research limitations/implications – The research offers genuine top executive insight. More research from different perspectives is needed to broaden the understanding of B2B research relevance. Originality/value – Reflecting B2B research with the identified challenges can contribute to better research designs, narrowing the gap between B2B scholars and practitioners. Altogether, it contributes to the health of the B2B discipline. The study also introduces a new approach to analyzing research relevance by using the elements of scientific balance.