Examining the use of fsQCA in B2B marketing research: benefits, current state and agenda for future research

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to build on recent efforts occurring within business-to-business (B2B) marketing research to advance methodological developments. As phenomena within B2B relationships have become increasingly complex, marketing scholars have begun to point out the limitations associated with correlation-based methodological approaches and highlight the need for new developments in this area. One such development is the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a literature review to examine the use of fsQCA in B2B marketing research.

Findings

First, the current manuscript presents the benefits that the application of fsQCA can offer to market researchers investigating B2B phenomena. Second, the paper presents the current state of fsQCA use within B2B marketing. Third, it suggests possible marketing B2B research topics that can be explored using fsQCA.

Originality/value

The study highlights the benefits of fsQCA, presents the current state of fsQCA use within B2B marketing and offers a rich future research agenda for B2B marketing scholars. This agenda can also help spur additional method developments in the discipline.

Citation

Gligor, D.M., Golgeci, I., Rego, C., Russo, I., Bozkurt, S., Pohlen, T., Hiatt, B. and Garg, V. (2022), "Examining the use of fsQCA in B2B marketing research: benefits, current state and agenda for future research", Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, Vol. 37 No. 7, pp. 1542-1552. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-09-2020-0436