Business Perspectives and Research

This article sets out to compare the organizational culture of the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (henceforth, UAS UA) with the Austrian societal culture. Leadership practices of the UAS UA are elaborated in the knowledge that they are partly based on personal values of leaders/managers and partly on the perceived organizational set of values. Since it is assumed that societal and personal values translate in managerial practices, the authors seek to investigate how the organizational values of the UAS UA and the societal values of a country that belongs to the Germanic Europe cluster (House et al., 2004) comply with each other.

In a previous study, leadership styles and practices were investigated among 24 heads of study programs and members of top management of the UAS UA. It came to the fore that the respondents were attaching the utmost importance to values in the light of leadership. Among others, values discovered were trust in fellow employees and team solidarity, freedom, autonomy, and self-determination, as well as fairness and respect. Additionally, the respondents stressed the significance of consensus orientation and self-reflection with regard to their own learning capabilities. Interestingly, the UAS UA postulates its organizational values as part of its mission statement, its vision, and strategic objectives.

In this follow-up study, the interrelationships between societal culture, organizational culture, and organizational leadership are explored in more detail. It is hoped that this case study will contribute to a better understanding of the organizational culture of the UAS UA by relating it to Austrian societal values. In doing so, it may have the potential to support managers to reflect and further develop their leadership styles and practices.

The authors of this article seek to contribute to the intercultural discourse by building a conceptual bridge between the leadership literature of higher education and societal norms that underpin organizational values.

Assuming that employment prospects in the country of education represent a pull factor for international students to enroll in higher education programs abroad and a selling proposition for higher education institutions campaigning for international students, this study aims at investigating the validity of these prospects. Using a qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with recruiters of 12 companies in Germany and Russia. A content analysis was applied to identify and compare employment opportunities and barriers for international graduates with domestic degrees at individual, organizational, and institutional levels. Findings include that country-specific human capital components are highly valued by employers, that the organization’s stage of internationalization determines the valuation of human capital components as well as the availability of customized recruiting practices, and that the institutional framework—particularly the law on labor migration—influences employers’ receptivity for international graduates as well as their international staffing strategies in general. Findings are interpreted on the background of pertinent theoretical perspectives. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations given for international students, higher education institutions, employers, and policy-makers.

The article attempts to establish a correlation between socially relevant behavior (using driving behavior as an example) and cultural dimensions indicators. The statistical correlation method was used to test several hypothesis based on Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s model of cultural dimensions. Among the first results, it appears that display of emotions does not seem to be linked to road behavior; however, a clear correlation exists between road fatalities and the cultural acceptance of rules by the drivers. Service companies working in the automobile sphere, such as insurance companies, should take into account the cultural influence upon drivers’ behavior when calculating premiums.

This article aims at conducting a cross-cultural comparison of university websites by taking the example of Austria and Russia. Numerous studies in the field of human–computer interaction (HCI) have revealed that cultural differences are likely to be present in website design. The rationale behind this article is twofold. On the one hand, the author pursues her personal interest in the field due to both her own cultural background and the fact that she studies in Austria. On the other hand, there is a scarcity of cross-cultural comparative studies of higher education institution (HEI) websites between Russia and Austria, and thus this study will contribute to the existing body of knowledge. Cultural differences in the design of HEI websites, identified within the scope of this study, may become a helpful tool which universities of both Austria and Russia could use for the English version of their websites in order to make them more culturally appropriate.

An increasing relevance of organizational cross-border relationships, and thereby of Europeanization, globalization, and internationalization, has led to the importance of intercultural competence. To develop this competence among their students, most educational institutions have entered into international partnerships and offer international projects accompanied by intercultural curricula.

This article concentrates on the influence of these activities in higher education concerning the success of multicultural student teams. The teams analyzed here consist of students from three different nations working on a joint project. Due to the cultural differences, conflicts can be anticipated (Hofstede, Hofstede & Minkov, 2010; Rohn, 2006) and intercultural competence to overcome those conflicts is needed (Hiller, 2010). To reflect the effect of activities strengthening intercultural competence, four university coefficients were allocated to each team based on the theory of, inter alia, Bennett (2011) and Führing (1996). In a survey, the students assessed at the end of the project how well they felt supported by the different activities and how comfortable they felt within their respective team. Out of this assessment, team success factors were evaluated. It was expected that a positive correlation between the assessment of activities and the team success factors would result. Interestingly, the sample used does not show this relationship.

This article is based on a comprehensive and interdisciplinary study of literature as well as on empirical research. The main result of the research shows the changing importance of activities to strengthen intercultural competence based on the difference between students’ competence from international universities. Accordingly, it might be a basis on which to restructure programs teaching intercultural competence in higher education.

Studies on human resource management (HRM) have mostly been conducted with a United States (US) perspective. A lack of independent and systematic analyses into the “European HRM” issues is still noticeable. As many economies of Central and Eastern Europe experienced a phase of transition after the socialist era and are now recovering from the 2008 global crisis, there is a need to examine the current state of human resources (HR) positioning. Therefore, the cultural and institutional contexts of each country must be taken into account. This article focuses on HR practices in Hungary; the underlying exploratory qualitative study examines which competencies HR managers perceive to be the most important in the Hungarian context, when it comes to strengthening the HR position.

In the ever-more connected and intertwined world, driven by specialization, economies of scale, and outsourcing, results are obtained through extensive communication and collaboration in international environment. We are witnessing successful complex business endeavors that rely on unobstructed and creative exchange of information and synergy of skills and resources. These processes are accomplished in international environment to a greater extent than ever. This calls for a deeper understanding of intercultural processes and communication for the purpose of achieving business results. This article aims to provide the guidance in negotiating with American partners, based on a number of structured interviews. Attempt was made to link major intercultural theories with practical experience of Austrian companies and individuals working with their United States (US) partners, as well as with self-assessment of a number of American business people. According to the best of our knowledge, there is a shortage of articles that deal with specific features of negotiating with American partners.

Although making mistakes is a part of human nature, they are still tabooed, covered up, or kept secret. This behavior probably has its origin in our socialization. Research has shown that errors made by people are perceived as a competence deficit. Causing of errors leads to a negative self-assessment, and also to rising perception of penalty as a necessity (März, 2007, Dimensions analytische Untersuchung zur Fehlerfreundlichkeit, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Essen). Since organizations can learn from both good and bad actions, a rethinking of these adopted settings is required (Argyris & Schön, 2006, Die lernende organisation: Grundlagen, methode, praxis. Stuttgart: Klett-Cotta).

This article provides a concept for understanding and examining critical factors which support or inhibit the development of an encouraged “learning from failure culture” in an organization.

Being able to interact effectively and efficiently in the networked professional environments appears to be a crucial skill for junior job seekers. Graduates possessing these skills can markedly increase their possibilities of being hired.

A sample analysis on recruitment advertisements revealed that interaction skills are of paramount importance in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. In view of the scarcity of terminological definitions, the authors of this article sought to make a cross-cultural comparison on the scope and definition of interactional skills required in the sector at hand. The data were gathered by means of open-ended questionnaires and interviews in which first year ICT students from Austria and Finland defined their understanding of work-life interaction skills. The wide variety of responses was clustered by subsuming particulars into general categories (see Miles, Huberman, & Saldana, 2014, pp. 279–286). In parallel, recruitment staff was interviewed to shed light on their perceptions of the necessity and definition of interaction skills for future ICT employees.

Preliminary findings suggested that there are many similarities in the Finnish and Austrian definitions for work-life interaction skills. Both student groups appeared to be highly aware of the necessity of T-shaped graduates, placing a heavy emphasis on generic skills. However, while Finnish ICT students connected interaction skills strongly with communication, listening, and social skills, Austrian students adhered to more societal values, such as reliability, punctuality, and dedication to interaction skills per se.

Interestingly, and although pointed out by a number of recruitment advertisements and employers, neither student group identified intercultural competence as being a central skill set of work-life interaction skills. However, in view of the interconnectivity of the ICT field, which is increasingly performing on a global stage, it is important for future employees to understand the various demands of interacting in an intercultural setting.