List of business theorists

This is an annotated list of important business theorists. It is in alphabetical order based on last name. To facilitate reading, only names are hyperlinked. For quick navigation, click on one of the letters:

Contents: Top - 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Business theorists:

[edit] A

• David A. Aaker - marketing strategy (1980s)
• Russell L. Ackoff - operations research and systems theory (1950s - 2004)
• Karol Adamiecki - management (1890s-1930s)
• Igor Ansoff - strategic management (1950s-1970s)
• Chris Argyris - learning systems (1970s, 1980s, 1990s)

[edit] B

• Chester Barnard - management (1920s, 1930s)
• Patrick Blackett, Baron Blackett - operations research (1930s, 1940s)
• Matthew Boulton - labor productivity (1800s)

[edit] C

• James A. Champy - Business process reengineering (1990s)
• Alfred D. Chandler, Jr. - Management - Pulitzer prize for The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business (1977)
• Ronald Coase - Transaction costs, Coase theorem, Theory of the firm (1950s) (Nobel Prize in 1991)
• James C. Collins - vision statement, strategic planning and BHAG (1990s)
• Philip Crosby - quality control (1980s) - "Quality is Free"

[edit] D

• George S. Day - marketing (1970s)
• W. Edwards Deming - statistical quality control, (1950s, 1960s)
• Peter Drucker - management (1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s)

[edit] E

[edit] F

• Henri Fayol - management (1910s)
• Armand V. Feigenbaum - quality control (1950s)
• Ronald Fisher - statistics (1920s)
• Mary Follett - organizational studies (1930s)
• T. Fry - statistical queuing theory (1920s)

[edit] G

• J. K. Galbraith - The New Industrial State (1967)
• B. Gale - Profit impact of marketing strategy (PIMS) (1970s, 1980s)
• Henry Gantt - Gantt chart (1900s)
• David Garvin - eight dimensions of quality --
• Michael Gerber - E-Myth Revisited, others
• P. Ghemawat - experience curve (1980s) --
• Sumantra Ghoshal -
• Frank Gilbreth - Time and motion study (1900s)
• Eliyahu M. Goldratt - Theory of Constraints (1980s)
• Vytautas Andrius Graiciunas - management (1933)
• Erich Gutenberg - theory of the firm (1950s)

[edit] H

• Gary Hamel - core competency, strategic management (1990s)
• Michael Hammer - business process reengineering (1990s)
• Paul Harmon - Business Process Change (2000s)
• Charles Handy - organisational behaviour (1990s)
• F. Harris - economic lot size model (1910s)
• Frederick Herzberg - two factor theory, motivation theory, job enrichment (1970s)
• Frederick Hallsey - wage and compensation plans (1890s)

[edit] I

• Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-1989) - Ishikawa diagram in industrial process; quality circles (1960s)
• Masaaki Imai (1930) - Kaizen (continuous improvement)(1980s, 1990s, 2000s)

[edit] J

• Joseph M. Juran (1904-2008) quality control, especially quality circles (1960s), (1970s)

[edit] K

• Rosabeth Moss Kanter - Business Management and Change Management (1977)
• Robert S. Kaplan - management accounting and balanced scorecard (1990s)
• Joseph Koshnick - leadership and organizational design (1980s, 1990s)
• Philip Kotler - marketing management and social marketing (1970s, 1980s, 1990s)
• John Kotter - organizational behaviour and management (1980s, 1990s)
• Peter Kraljic - Purchasing Portfolio Management(1983)

[edit] L

• Albert S Humphrey - strategic planning, SWOT analysis (1970s, 1980s)
• William Henry Leffingwell - office management (1910s)-(1940s)
• Theodore Levitt - marketing and globalization (1960s, 1970s)
• John Lintner - capital asset pricing model (1970s)

[edit] M

• James G. March - theory of the firm (1960s)
• Constantinos Markides - strategic management and strategy dynamics (1990s)
• Harry Markowitz - modern portfolio theory (1960s, 1970s) - Nobel Prize in 1990
• George Elton Mayo - job satisfaction and Hawthorne effect (1920s, 1930s)
• Daniel McCallum - organizational charts (1850s)
• Leo Melamed - currency futures and derivatives (1980s, 1990s)
• Henry Metcalfe - the science of administration (1880s)
• Merton Miller - Modigliani-Miller theorem and corporate finance (1970s)
• Henry Mintzberg - organizational architecture, strategic management (1970s-2000s)
• Franco Modigliani - Modigliani-Miller theorem and corporate finance (1970s)
• Hugo Münsterberg - the psychology of work (1910s)

[edit] N

• Nicholas Negroponte - human-computer interaction (1970s-1990s)
• Nils Brunsson - institutionalized hypocrisy of organizations (1990s onwards)

[edit] O

• Kenichi Ohmae - 3C's Model and strategic management (1970s, 1980s)
• Taiichi Ohno - Toyota Production System, lean manufacturing, just in time (1980s)
• David Ogilvy - advertising (1960s-1980s)
• William Ouchi - Theory Z (1980s)
• Robert Owen - cooperatives (1810s)

[edit] P

• Luca Pacioli - double-entry bookkeeping system and financial statements (1494)
• Edith Penrose - Theory of the Growth of the Firm (1959)
• Laurence J. Peter - peter principle (1970s)
• Jeffrey Pfeffer - organizational development (1970s) - (?)
• Henry Poor - the principles of organization (1850s) - (?)
• Michael Porter - strategic management and Porter's 5 forces (1970s-1990s)
• Thomas J. Peters - management (1970s, 1980s)
• C. K. Prahalad - core competency (1980s)

[edit] Q

[edit] R

• Al Ries - Positioning Theory (1980s) - (?)
• Reg Revans - Action learning (1980s) - (?)

[edit] S

• Pietro Savo - business theorists- (1950s-?)
• Eugen Schmalenbach - economic value added (1920s-?)
• Walter Scott - the psychology of personnel management (1920s) (?)
• Oliver Sheldon - business philosophy (1920s)
• Walter A. Shewhart - control charts (1920s-1930s)
• Shigeo Shingo (1909-1990) - Zero Quality Control (Poka-Yoke) and Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED)
• Herbert A. Simon - (1916-2001) Satisficing Nobel Prize, 1978
• Adrian Slywotzky - marketing strategy (1990s)
• Adam Smith - economics, capitalism, free trade (1770s)
• the Soranzo brothers - journals and ledgers (1410s) (?)

[edit] T

• Genichi Taguchi (1924-) Taguchi methods, quality control
• Frederick Winslow Taylor - scientific management, time and motion study (1900s)
• Ordway Tead (1891 - 1973)- the psychology of industry (1910s) (?)
• Henry R. Towne - scientific management (1890s)
• Jack Trout - marketing warfare strategies and positioning (marketing) (1980s-2000s)