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PurposeThe purpose of this study is to review the current body of the B2B branding literature, and identify research issues that hamper current B2B branding research.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a systematic review, and identifies 73 relevant journal publications from the years 1973‐2010 that were subsequently evaluated for further analysis.FindingsThis study identifies five possible issues hampering current B2B branding research: the lack of systematic theory development, the transference of consumer concepts, the dominance of quantitative research, the lack of longitudinal research, and the focus on single industries.Research limitations/implicationsThis study considers only published journal articles, excluding books and conference proceedings. By highlighting the research issues, this paper aims to direct research efforts to areas where they will have the most impact, and thus aid more rapid advancement of B2B branding as a discipline.Originality/valueThis study provides the first systematic review to identify and evaluate the current B2B branding literature. The review identifies the key literature related to B2B branding, provides an overview of past research and identifies emerging research issues to be addressed in future research.

While the current literature generally assumes that implementing sustainable business practices (SBPs) will lead to improved wellbeing and positive outcomes, relatively little research has explored the potential tensions and conflicts that SBPs may cause in multi-actor networks. To address this issue, we conduct a qualitative multiple case study in a regional business network, including interviews with 43 managers in 17 firms in different industries. The findings of this study identify four types of tensions (economic, structural, psychological, and behavioral) that tend to emerge when firms implement SBPs in networks, and illustrate how different stakeholders (implementers, suppliers, customers, other network partners) perceive them. Overall, this study contributes to the current literature by highlighting the underexplored "dark side" of sustainability, and illuminating how organizational decisions aiming at improving collective wellbeing can also lead to tensions and conflicts. For managers, this study offers insights into how to anticipate, manage and mitigate potential tensions that might arise in business networks when one stakeholder decides to implement a SBP.

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