Paper info: In research we trust: value and relevance of academic research for business practitioners
Title
In research we trust: value and relevance of academic research for business practitioners
Authors
Olga Dziubaniuk, Ivanova-Gongne and Nikolina Koporcic
Place of Publication
The paper was published at the 34th IMP-conference in Marseille, France in 2018.
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Abstract
In spite of extensive research within the field of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, the academic knowledge frequently remains in isolation from the business reality. Although academic scholars aspire for their articles to possess value for other academics, business people generally have little interest in academic journals and current research even though academic knowledge is accessible. Among the main constrains to the application of academic knowledge, business practitioners highlight the abstruse academic writing style, out of date findings by the time of their publications and too broad understanding (or insufficient) of business realities. Moreover, some high quality academic journals do not demand executive summaries, or even managerial implications in the content of their research papers. Thus, taking into account that business managers rarely rely on published academic findings, what would be effective solutions for changing this tradition? The aim of this research is to address the challenges of academic research and its relevance for business practitioners. The paper applies a qualitative literature review of the top articles published in several prominent journals in B2B marketing. The study emphasizes that in order to achieve managerial relevance and increase interest of business practitioners in B2B marketing research, it is crucial to provide managerial implications and practical cases in a clear, managerfriendly language, otherwise academic papers may be too generic and complicated to understand.