Research at Webster Vienna

New Edition of Danish Stakeholder Engagement Textbook Co-Authored by Prof. Pernille Eskerod

On April 22, 2025, Prof. Dr. Pernille Eskerod of Webster Vienna Private University and Associate Prof. Dr. Anna Lund Jepsen of the University of Southern Denmark published the second edition of their Danish-language textbook on project stakeholder analysis and engagement. The volume, titled Projektets Interessenter, is released by Djøf Forlag, Denmark’s leading academic publisher for research-based literature in business and management. Grounded in recent scholarly developments, the book is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students in project management courses. Its use of contemporary, practice-oriented case studies also makes it a relevant resource for professionals involved in project-based work.

Reference: Eskerod, P., & Jepsen, A. L. (2025). Projektets interessenter: Analyse og samspil (2nd ed.). Djøf Forlag.

Faculty — Business and Management

Faculty and Staff

Franco Algieri has analyzed the conflict-ridden EU-China relationship in his latest contribution to the Yearbook on European Integration. In another article for Risk Monitor 2025 of the Austrian Defense Ministry, he discusses the issue of neutrality in the EU and the need for member states to adapt to a changing security and defense political environment.

Franco Algieri: Die Europäische Union und China (The European Union and China), in: Werner Weidenfeld/Wolfgang Wessels (Hrsg): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Union 2023. Baden-Baden: Nomos 2023, 349-354. 

Franco Algieri: Neutralität in der EU (Neutrality in the EU), in: Bundesministerium für Landesverteidigung: Risikobild 2025. Vienna: Austrian Defence Ministry 2025.

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Faculty — International Relations

Faculty and Staff

Memetic Election Cycles in US Presidential Campaigns

This presentation provides critical insight around the concept of memetic election cycles, examining how memes have become a central tool in U.S. political campaigns since at least the 2008 Obama campaign. Through a review of key literature on political communication, participatory culture, and digital marketing, the study analyzes the evolution of memes as viral political content, but also as a viable means to mobilize the masses behind increasingly polarized political parties and campaigns.

It highlights how campaigns such as those of Obama, Trump, Biden, and Harris leveraged memes not only for voter engagement but also as branding tools that shaped public perception. Using examples from recent election cycles, including the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, the article discusses the role of memes as grassroots digital marketing and viral political advertising. Additionally, the research explores the potential influence of memes on voting behavior and the risks of disinformation. The findings suggest that memes serve as a hybrid form of digital folklore and marketing, influencing both electoral discourse and voter behavior.

To be presented at the 12th European Conference on Social Media in Porto, Portugal on Thursday May 22, 2025. 

Faculty — Strategic Communication

Faculty and Staff

Investigating the Effects of Self-Compassion Training on Adolescent Well-Being

With rising rates of anxiety and mood disorders among teenagers, early intervention programs promoting psychological resilience have become increasingly necessary. Anna Pohl, recent graduate of Webster Vienna Private University’s Master of Arts in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counselling program, has recently concluded her master’s thesis investigating this issue. Pohl’s study examined the impact of a four-week mindful self-compassion training program on anxiety, self-compassion, and resilience among 20 early adolescents at an international school in Vienna, Austria. Using a mixed-methods design, the training was delivered in 35-minute sessions during school hours, with the intervention group receiving 12 sessions of Mindful Self-Compassion training, while the control group participated in Healthy Lifestyle Mentoring classes.

Pohl’s study aimed to replicate previous research suggesting that self-compassion negatively correlates with anxiety and positively correlates with resilience. Results showed a significant negative correlation between self-compassion and anxiety at baseline, but no significant link between self-compassion and resilience. Post-intervention analysis found an increase only in the common-humanity subscale of self-compassion, with no significant changes in other measures or between-group differences. Neither gender nor age influenced outcomes. However, changes in self-compassion predicted changes in resilience, though not in anxiety.

A thematic analysis highlighted the potential of mindful self-compassion training and suggested promising trends aligned with the hypotheses. Pohl’s research highlights the importance of further exploring the long-term effects of self-compassion interventions in school settings, with larger sample sizes and extended program durations.

Faculty — Psychology

Faculty and Staff