A New Series: Research Pioneers

• Author: Mike Wright,G.T. Lumpkin,Jay Barney,Rajshree Agarwal
• Date: 01 June 2014
• Published date: 01 June 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1182

Research Pioneers

A NEW SERIES: RESEARCH PIONEERS

G.T. LUMPKIN1*, RAJSHREE AGARWAL2, JAY BARNEY3, and

MIKE WRIGHT4,5

1Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Syracuse University, Syracuse,

New York, U.S.A.

2Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park,

Maryland, U.S.A.

3David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

4Center for Management Buyout Research, Imperial College Business School,

London, U.K.

5University of Ghent, Ghent, Belgium

With this issue, we are pleased to inaugurate an

occasional series entitled ‘Research Pioneers’ that

celebrates scholars who have made major contribu-

tions to the field of entrepreneurship. Much of the

work we do, and the assumptions underlying it,

is based on pioneering research conducted by

scholars who began their work in an earlier era—

when entrepreneurship was underdeveloped and its

importance either unrecognized or dismissed.

Entrepreneurship’s role as a force in economic

systems and its impact on new venture creation,

innovation, and strategic decision making was

undervalued for much of the late twentieth century.

It took the efforts of original thinkers to revitalize

the significance of entrepreneurship for understand-

ing the mechanisms and motivations that drive eco-

nomic activity and innovation. As researchers, we

stand on the shoulders of these pioneers. The work

that is published in Strategic Entrepreneurship

Journal brings together the various strands of their

research and builds on the cumulative insights that

define our field.

The Research Pioneers series provides a retro-

spective of featured scholars’ research by scholars

who are themselves experts in the literature stream,

and often by close colleagues who had ample oppor-

tunity to observe the pioneers in action. When pos-

sible, the articles will include interviews that provide

rare insights regarding the reasons why these schol-

ars pursued a particular line of inquiry, the processes

they used for developing their research ideas, and the

challenges they may have encountered while break-

ing new ground.

Some of these scholars remain quite active and are

still contributing to entrepreneurship research across

many dimensions. Alas, others have recently passed

away and their voices have gone silent even though

the impact of their work endures. The first four

essays in this series represent two of each. We begin

with an essay about Mark Casson that highlights the

thinking and insights that led to his seminal work,

The Entrepreneur: An Economic Theory. Written by

Sharon Alvarez, Andrew Godley, and Mike Wright,

it includes both interviews with Professor Casson

and commentary about his contribution. Later, we

will publish Rita McGrath’s lively and informative

essay about Ian MacMillan, which includes perspec-

tives about the future of entrepreneurship research in

Professor MacMillan’s own words.

We will also feature essays about the work and

influence of Arnold Cooper (1933–2012) and Steven

Klepper (1949–2013). Timothy Folta worked along-

side Professor Cooper as both a student and close

colleague, and he offers a thoughtful review of the

Keywords: research; entrepreneurship; pioneer

*Correspondence to: G.T. Lumpkin, Martin J.Whitman School

of Management, Syracuse University, 721 UniversityAvenue,

Syracuse, N.Y. 13244-2450, U.S.A. E-mail: lumpkin@syr.edu

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Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal

Strat. Entrepreneurship J., 8: 183–184 (2014)

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/sej.1182

Copyright © 2014 Strategic Management Society