Reflecting on the past 50 years of Long Range Planning and a research agenda for the next 50

When the first issue of Long Range Planning was published in 1968 under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Bernard Taylor, the founding Editorial Board put forward an ambitious research agenda: to contribute to an improved understanding of technological and societal changes and to develop approaches and analytical tools for the development and competitiveness of nations, regions, and corporations.In the first issue, Perrin, the Chairman of the founding Long Range Planning Society, defined Long Range Planning as comprising (1) economic planning at the national and regional level, (2) corporate planning in organizations, and (3) project planning to manage large-scale projects. At the time, particular concerns included the competitiveness of the United Kingdom, the development of appropriate analytical techniques to guide national policy and help corporate decision makers develop longer-term plans, entrepreneurship and industrial transformation due to the consolidation of larger firms, and the role of computers in transforming society and businesses.