Involving the process dimensions of time in case-based research

The lack of consideration of process dimensions of time in business marketing and management literature in general and in B2B case-based research in particular is in sharp contrast to the importance of time in our society. Marketing scholars need a stronger involvement of time to enrich case study research. This paper offers a structure and a set of questions on critical elements of time and presents a review of the debate on and treatment of time in management and (case-based) marketing science. Based on case-based articles in Industrial Marketing Management and the Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing (2004–2006), a content analysis of seven process dimensions is presented that reveals a limited presence of time aspects. Our findings indicate that case studies can benefit from an explicit incorporation of time and its different dimensions. While often only steps or stages are described and references to the flow of time are made, richer case studies also include the dimensions of duration, timing, frequency, pace and order. That way business marketing researchers will be able to deepen their case observations thereby increasing their learning.