Theory and Research

A Theory and Research article is a scholarly paper: the final product of an involved process of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization and composition. It should contain original research results, present a new theory or replication study, or review the results of another study.

Length: <8,000 words

# of Reviewers: 3


The Making of Successful Female Family-Enterprise Leaders

Based on interviews with 46 female family firm successors from 13 countries around the globe, we distill patterns of how the female successors were raised, how their career paths looked like, what Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: Nadine Kammerlander , Elizabeth Bagger , Doris Sommavilla and Sasha Lund

Surprising reasons owners exit family businesses

Only about a third of family businesses make it to a second generation beyond the founder.  Conventional wisdom says that these firms falter because the owners didn’t have a succession Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: James Hoffman , Ritch Sorenson and Keith Brigham

Founderitis: A Silent Killer of Startups

It is well-known that only a small fraction of startups achieve long-lasting success. They often fail not because their idea is poor but because of problems executing on their idea. One area that is Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: Chuck Sacco and Aasim Sani

When Do Scientists Commercialize Their Inventions? Insights From the Theory of Planned Behavior

What would you like to see in the future? Some common answers to this question might include a cure for cancer or other chronic diseases, or technologies that can help feed the world in ways that are Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: Lisa Auster-Gussman and Daniel Forbes

Technical Specialized Knowledge and Founder Leadership at Initial Public Offering

In 2003 Noam Wasserman introduced the term “Paradox of Success” to describe how software company founders were more likely to be replaced as their startups attracted more capital or went Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: Jon Eckhardt , Marc Junkunc and Mingxiang Li

Being Female Affects Business Loans from Family and Friends

It’s been said (ruefully) that Ginger Rogers had to perform the same dance moves as Fred Astaire, only backwards and in high heels. Unfortunately, this also holds true for women seeking Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Author: Kimberly Eddleston

The Theory of Disruptive Innovation: Science or Allegory?

“Every age has a theory about the past and the present, of what was and what is, a notion of time: a theory of history…Our era has disruption… [1] ” – Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper ’41 Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Author: Andrew King

Will Music Schools Embrace Multimedia Software?

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it." - W.C. Fields In the fall of 2010, Dejen Tesfiagiorgis sat in his tiny incubator office on Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Authors: Alec Johnson and Jay Ebben

Research Insight: Proven Entrepreneurs May Benefit Less from Partnering With Experienced VCs

In 2000, the New England Patriots football team chose University of Michigan quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round of the draft. He became the starting quarterback barely two years later, and on Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Author: Jon Eckhardt

How Crisis Spurred Healthcare Innovation in Cuba

Health care is a hotly debated topic in the US -- how it's delivered, whether the government or employers pay for it, how research on promising new drugs is funded and other issues. "Innovation" is Read More...

Category: Theory and Research

Author: Eapen Chacko