ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the debate among those of the people who conduct business-to-business research. In part, the authors have suggested that business-to-business marketing is in need of a reexamination and the review by Reid and Plank presents a wonderful opportunity to begin that reexamination in earnest. This self-appraisal is warranted for reasons beyond the twentieth year review. This commentary is intended to be provocative, to challenge and to prod the people to think differently about the scope and domain of business-to-business marketing as reviewed by Reid and Plank. If there are a relatively large number of unrelated studies, attempting to summarize the full set of papers dilutes the power of concentrating on major themes that have carried the discipline over the years. From this synopsis and integration we gain insight into a set of findings that have been tested and replicated.
