Erich Gutenberg (December 13, 1897 in Herford – May 22, 1984 in Cologne) was an influential German economist.
He is considered the founder of modern German business studies after World War II. Gutenberg used microeconomy to explain the functioning of the enterprise. Therefore he also developed a new production function. With a system of inputs and outputs under management control he explained how a firm could be efficient.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of Halle in 1921 and subsequently taught as a professor at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, and the University of Cologne.