A Strong Tradition. A Forward-Looking Mission.

The Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft e.V. promotes exchange between business research, teaching, and practice. It provides a forum in which scholars and business leaders discuss current issues in management and business economics, develop solutions, and strengthen the link between academic research and corporate practice.

As the oldest association of its kind in Germany, the Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft combines a long scholarly tradition with a contemporary commitment to rigorous, independent, and practice-oriented business research. Its work is guided by academic standards, professional expertise, and institutional independence.

Conferences and lectures are central to the association’s activities. The Schmalenbach-Tagung in spring and the Deutscher Betriebswirtschafter-Tag in autumn address current topics in business, research, and regulation. Another defining element is the work of the association’s 29 working groups, in which more than 700 experts from academia and business collaborate on relevant questions in business administration. The Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research (SBUR), published jointly with the Verband der Hochschullehrerinnen und Hochschullehrer für Betriebswirtschaft e.V. (VHB), is the association’s English-language Open Access journal. Schmalenbach IMPULSE is its digital platform for dialogue between research and practice.

The Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft in its current form was established in 1978 through the merger of two long-standing associations: the Schmalenbach-Vereinigung in Cologne and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Betriebswirtschaft in Berlin.

The roots of both associations reach back to the early twentieth century and are closely linked to the work of Eugen Schmalenbach, one of the most influential German scholars of business economics. Schmalenbach sought to establish business economics as an applied discipline by connecting academic analysis with the practical challenges of business.

Today, the Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft continues this tradition. As a registered non-profit association, it is politically and financially independent. Its members include scholars, executives, and institutions committed to advancing the exchange between universities, companies, and the wider business community.