Research at Webster Vienna

Professor Dr. Maria Madlberger presents research conducted with Webster Vienna graduate Ruslan Tagiev, MBA, Msc.

Dr. Maria Madlberger will present a study that she has done together with the Webster Vienna MBA and MSc. Marketing graduate Ruslan Tagiev at an international scholarly conference. 

Mr. Tagiev and Dr. Madlberger empirically investigated the role of intrinsic and extrinsic cues by an experimental design involving the average user rating as well as product samples in the context of a printed textbook. Intrinsic cues are inherent properties of a product, such as the content, chapters, or writing style of a book. Extrinsic cues are related to the product, but not inherent to it. Examples are a book author’s reputation or evaluations of the product by customers. Previous research in offline contexts has shown significant impacts of intrinsic and extrinsic cues on product quality perception. The study investigates whether this also applies in electronic commerce with typical online offered types of cues. 

The study uses the availability of a textbook’s sample pages and average user rating as stimuli representing intrinsic and extrinsic cues and investigated how they are influencing perceived product quality. Findings indicate that the extrinsic cue (average user rating) affects perceived product quality. On the other hand, the intrinsic cue (product sample) does not show an impact on perceived product quality. Dr. Madlberger will present the study at the International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies (WEBIST) in November 2023 in Rome.

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Faculty — Business and Management

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Professor Bátora published a new article in the journal European Security
 
In a new article published by a leading peer reviewed journal - European Security - professor Bátora from WVPU’s IR Department analyzes interstitial emergence of national defense entrepreneurial firms (NDEFs). Due to their close connection with their home state authorities, NDEFs are typologically different from private military- and security companies. As professor Bátora shows in a case study of Sweden’s Vesper Group, NDEFs operate in interstitial spaces on the fringes of the state becoming – in effect – its private arm in the delivery of defense services. Thereby, the state is being re-configured as a defense actor.

The article develops an analytical framework anchored in the multiple-networks approach in organization theory associated with the work of John F. Padgett and Walter W. Powell. Through a focus on change as minor (or major) shifts in recurring patterns of rules and practices, the approach enables us to speak to an issue often discussed by IR-scholars (and, more specifically, international political sociology scholars) in recent years: namely, what happens when resources and practices from multiple institutionalized domains overlap or re-combine in the delivery of international security policy solutions. The current approach moves beyond the state of the art in the debate in that it analyzes micro-level shifts in patterns of rules and practices and thereby speaks to how change in interstitial spaces actually occurs. 

Coining a new term and conceptualizing a new organizational form – the NDEF - the article is also a contribution to the scholarly debate on the functions and role of private military- and security companies in security policy in the EU and beyond. In light of the growing importance of private armies in global security policy, the article also has the potential to enrich the policy debates in this field.

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Faculty — International Relations

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Recently, Prof. Dr. Bradley Wiggins collaborated with colleagues at the Vienna University of Economics (WU) and Lund University in Sweden to publish an article examining two case studies from the perspective of current and past research on memes and related forms of messaging. The article, The Meme’s-Eye View of Strategic Communication: A Case Study of Social Movements from a Memetic Perspective, has been accepted and will be published by the International Journal of Strategic Communication. 

The article argues that a memetic approach, or meme’s-eye view, could help bring together the strategic management view and the communication-constitutes-organization (CCO) perspective. To illustrate our argumentation, we analyze two cases: 1) the Montagsdemos in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) with its core meme Wir sind das Volk! (“We are the people!”); and, 2) the so-called Satanic Panic and the QAnon movement and its meme save the children. We will show that while the memes largely remain the same, they reproduce themselves within different environments, adapted by groups of likeminded individuals yet differing in terms of the ideology practiced by different groups over time. Memes possess that power, because they are linked to memory traces of said likeminded individuals and groups.

Authors: 

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jens Seiffert, Prof. Dr. Bradley Wiggins, Prof. Dr. Howard Nothhaft

 

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In October 2023, Associate Prof. Dr. Bradley Wiggins is scheduled to present a paper at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society. The panel he will be part of is titled "When Things Are Very, Very Bad, We Laugh": Folklore from the War in Ukraine. This panel brings together several scholars, including a representative from Ukraine, and it will be chaired by a colleague from Penn State University.

Here is more information about it: Make memes, not war: A comparative study of user discourses in response to @Ukraine’s dark-humour meme on Twitter Author: 

Abstract

This study investigates user reception of a dark-humor meme tweeted by @Ukraine on 7 December 2021. A critical discourse analysis reveals that responses to the ‘headaches meme’ emphasize an appreciation of the meme’s humor and/or its contextual embedding. The analysis considers user reactions in two socio-political contexts – before and after the invasion on 24 February 2022 – using two equal samples (n=300) of quote tweets. Findings reveal a decrease in humor reactions after the invasion. The sub corpora demonstrate politically polarized sentiments. Outcomes include: factors affecting dark humor reception, a media logic defined by notions of hyperreality and mediatization.

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Faculty — Strategic Communication

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Cracking the Code of Human Behavior: An Expedition with Dr. Mehu and Dr. Lindova

Embark on a captivating journey with Dr. Marc Mehu, an Associate Professor of Psychology at Webster Vienna's Psychology Department, and Dr. Jitka Lindova from Charles University Prague, as they present a series of engaging workshops in the Czech Republic!

These workshops recently unfolded at the Summer Institute of the International Society for Human Ethology, hosted by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. The focus of these workshops was on the meticulous observation of human behavior, delving into the intricate tapestry of social interactions. Expanding their scope, the workshops also delved into video-based conversation analysis from an ethological perspective, employing the versatile linguistic annotation software, ELAN. Attendees were guided through the art of decoding both verbal and nonverbal behaviors, ranging from facial expressions, head movements, hand gestures, to body postures. In-depth discussions explored the interplay between behavior and internal states, encompassing personality traits, motivations, attitudes, and emotions, thereby enriching the comprehension of how behavioral cues serve as indicators of these internal states.

Through their transformative discourse, Dr. Mehu and Dr. Lindova illuminate the path to understanding human behavior, fostering an enriched appreciation for the dynamics of social interactions. Their contributions extend a novel vantage point to emerging scholars, unveiling the intricate relationship between spoken and unspoken behaviors and embodying Webster Vienna's steadfast commitment to academic progress.

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Unveiling Monogamy: Peering into the Tapestry of Long-Term Relationship Contentment – Camila González

We take great pleasure in showcasing the remarkable research undertaken by one of our exceptional graduate students, Camila Zamora González, from the Master of Arts in Psychology program with an emphasis on Counseling Psychology.

In a thought-provoking exploration, Camila delved into the intricate interplay between the duration of relationships and the perceived contentment within enduring heterosexual unions. Her study, which garnered insights from 155 participants spanning Europe, Latin America, and the United States, aimed to illuminate how the passage of time influences both relationship satisfaction and the concept of monogamy.

Guided by meticulous statistical analysis, the findings unveiled that the length of a relationship did not exert a significant influence on the satisfaction derived from it. However, it was intriguing to note that participants' satisfaction ratings seemed to diminish with advancing age. As relationships evolved over time, participants exhibited more affirmative perceptions of monogamy at a societal level. Furthermore, a positive correlation emerged between higher relationship quality and satisfaction and more favorable perspectives regarding romantic and sexual exclusivity. A notable gender distinction emerged, with men reporting less optimistic views on romantic and sexual exclusivity in comparison to women. Lastly, the study underscored that couples with children appeared to experience comparatively lower relationship satisfaction and quality compared to those without.

Camila's insightful inquiry adds depth to the ongoing discourse surrounding monogamy, proffering invaluable insights into the factors that mold the dynamics of enduring relationships. Her study casts a luminous spotlight on the intricate facets of human connections, thereby enriching our comprehension of the multifaceted influences shaping contemporary cultural frameworks.

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Faculty — Psychology

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