Business Solutions in the B2B World - A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In an increasingly competitive environment, manufacturers are seeking for new ways of sustainable growth. Different resources (i.e., products, services, knowledge) are integrated into innovative business solutions to solve an entire customer problem. Business solution research is a dynamic research domain with a continuously increasing research output. This study provides a systematic literature review on business solution research. It reviews 355 articles from 1964 to 2020. On the one hand, the review’s objective is to develop a consistent definition and to retrace the evolutionary path of business solutions. On the other hand, the review aims to investigate outcomes and challenges of business solutions and uncover existing research gaps. These insights can help researchers to gain a quick and up-to-date snapshot of business solution research. Managers can benefit by understanding conceptual foundations of business solutions and potential risks, challenges, and outcomes.