Smeal College of Business

Penn State Smeal ISBM launches 2nd edition of 'Handbook of B2B Marketing'

The Penn State Smeal College of Business Institute for the Study of Business Markets has updated and improved its "Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing" and published a second edition of the one-of-a-kind book. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Smeal College of Business Institute for the Study of Business Markets has introduced the second edition of its landmark “Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing.”

This edition provides an updated comprehensive state-of-the-art overview of business-to-business marketing by the leading academic scholars and practitioners in the field from around the world. It is the only such book on B2B marketing in print.

“As the leading B2B research institute, the ISBM is uniquely positioned to enlist the talents of leading researchers and practitioners,” said Stefan Wuyts, professor of marketing and director of ISBM.

“We tapped into that collective knowledge base to compile a comprehensive overview of the current state of the art of B2B marketing and address the most important unanswered questions.” 

The handbook promises to accelerate and expand research and teaching in B2B marketing and to improve the practice of B2B marketing for firms across many industries. It is a source of inspiration for young and seasoned B2B marketing academics and a repository of managerial insights that will have a positive impact on business-to-business exchanges.”

The 34 chapters in this edition are each structured to provide new insights and offer frameworks and perspectives on the key B2B focus areas, both from an academic and a managerial perspective. Each chapter, created by the leading academic scholars in the field, includes a state-of-the-art review, a research agenda and a variety of insights, tools and implications for practitioners.

The handbook was edited by Wuyts, Gary Lilien, Distinguished Research Professor of Management Science and ISBM research director emeritus, and Andrew Petersen, associate professor of marketing and associate director of the ISBM.

“Most years, transactions between businesses (B2B) account for more than half of the value creation and gross domestic product globally,” said Ralph Oliva, emeritus professor of marketing and a past executive director of the ISBM. “Our handbook provides valuable insight into the very latest B2B challenges, helps underpin academic research in B2B and offers research-based insights to forward-looking B2B marketing practitioners.”

Several scholars from other universities have weighed in on the utility of the handbook.

“This handbook is essential reading for any scholar or manager who is a serious student of B2B marketing — comprehensive, authoritative and well structured. It is destined to be a classic,” said Bernard Jaworski, the Peter F. Drucker Chair in Management and the Liberal Arts in the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Others highlighted the stature of the chapter authors.

“A comprehensive and insightful resource on business-to-business marketing from a galaxy of academic stars. This handbook will illuminate the path for business marketers for many years to come,” said Mohanbir Sawhney, McCormick Foundation Chair of Technology in Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

The Institute for the Study of Business Markets is a non-profit research institute headquartered at the Penn State Smeal College of Business. The mission of the ISBM is to play a leadership role in advancing the theory and practice of B2B marketing, and to advance business marketing as a specialized field within the broader marketing discipline.

Founded in 1983, the ISBM is recognized worldwide and one of the largest networks of academics, practitioners and thought leaders shaping the future of business markets and B2B marketing. The ISBM creates a unique bridge between the global B2B marketing academic community and the corporate community of B2B marketing practitioners (see www.isbm.org for more details on academic initiatives and www.isbm.com for more details on corporate initiatives).

The hardback edition of the Handbook of Business-to-Business Marketing is available now at https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/handbook-of-business-to-business-marketing-9781800376861.html. The softback edition is scheduled for release in the summer of 2023.

Last Updated November 2, 2022

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