Innovations are one of the central determinants of the economic development and growth of business. Innovation management is therefore one of the central tasks of leadership. Innovation research has recently been characterised from an empirically quantitative point of view. This work, however, emphasises the theoretical conceptualised perspective, which is essential as a basis for empirically quantitative studies. This is why central business and economic theories, concepts and methods of innovation research are being explored. Furthermore, it contains an introduction into the historical development and the central publications of business economic innovation research, which has always had interdisciplinary links.