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Freely accessible (also free of charge) data for courses or similar purposes can be found at https://data.aussda.at/ . Access to the data themselves requires WU login credentials, the accompanying information is available to everyone.
Method workshop
Grounded Visual Pattern Analysis: A workshop to analyse participant-generated images 'beyond narrative', held by Sam Parsley and Harriet Shortt, 8 March 2023
New publication
Rusch, T., Mair, P., & Hornik, K. (2023). Structure-based hyperparameter selection with Bayesian optimization in multidimensional scaling. Statistics & Computing, 33, [28].
New publication
Baldassari, P., Eberhard, S., Jiang, Y., Muller-Camen, M., Obereder, L., Schiffinger, M., Thiele, R. (2023). Looking up and fitting in: Team leaders' and members' behaviors and attitudes toward the environment in an MNC. Human Resource Management, online first publication 18 January 2023
Method workshop
Group-based Methods for Qualitative Data Collection: Using the full
potential of multiperspectivity in focus groups, group interviews and
discussions, held by Cornelia Reiter, 16 December 2022
Workshop abstract: The workshop provides knowledge on how the potential of group-based methods such as focus groups, interpretative group interviews or group discussions can be used in qualitative or mixed methods research projects.
Method workshop
Software for Conducting Systematic Literature, Reviews: A Tale of Three Tools, held by Marco Rapp, 14 December 2022 (in cooperation with the Department of Management)
Workshop abstract: Literature reviews and meta-analyses tend to involve the rather tedious task of screening loads of papers. Fortunately, machine-learning tools can reduce the time spent on browsing through vast sets of articles by acting as a decision-support system. Specifically, researchers can “train” an algorithm by assessing the relevance of a set of articles. The tool “learns” from these decisions and filters the remaining search results accordingly, reducing your screening effort by up to 2/3. In this workshop, three popular tools will be introduced based on user experience: ASReview, HubMeta, and the R package revtools.
New publication
Miko-Schefzig, K., Learmonth, M., & McMurray, R. (2022). A different way of looking at things: The role of social science film in organisation studies. Organization, 29(4), 653–672.
Method workshop
Grounded Theory Methodologie: Programmatik, Potenziale, Perspektiven, held by Günter Mey, 24 May 2022
New publication
Venturo-Conerly, K., Johnson, N., Osborn, T., Puffer, E., Rusch, T., Ndetei, D., Wasanga, C., Mutiso, V., Musyimi, C., & Weisz, J. (2022). Long-term health outcomes of adolescent character strength interventions: 3- to 4-year outcomes of three randomized controlled trials of the Shamiri program. Trials, 23(443), 1-18.
Method workshop
Method workshop on qualitative video analysis (Introduction), held by Christine Moritz, 29 April 2022.
New publication
Miko-Schefzig, K. (2022). Die qualitative Vignettenmethode. Weinheim: Beltz-Juventa.
LILI - Life-worlds meet Life Science in Public Health and Social Measures (seed funding)
The research project LILI - Life-worlds meet Life Science in Public Health and Social Measures is a joint project of the Competence Centre for Empirical Research Methods, Vienna University of Economics and Business and the Institute of Sociology, University of Vienna in cooperation with the Institute of Mathematics, University of Vienna and the Institute of Public Health and Health Services Research, Ludwig-Maximilian-University Munich.
In light of recent steady increase in science scepticism and distrust towards scientific communities surfacing during the COVID 19 -pandemic, this study focuses on difficult-to-reach life worlds and seeks to explain collective patterns of interpretations of scientific knowledge (knowledge subjectivation) and public health management measures. Scientific knowledge, which is, from the perspective of the citizens, a part of expert knowledge requires interpretation and translation to reach the targeted population. The project investigates these translations as a multi-step process between scientists, politics, the media, public health and its interpretations in different life worlds. It is the purpose of the study to understand and reconstruct dominant patterns of interpretation of science denial and scepticism. Furthermore, the study aims to explore the perspectives of science sceptics on scientific results (mathematical models) and public health and social measures in highly solution-oriented discussions regarding the transformation of scepticism to compliance.
The project is funded by start-up grant from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and the University of Vienna and will run until the end of May, 2022. LILI is based on interpretative social science methods in combination with mathematical modelling. In addition to developing a proposal for a continuing research project, initial field work is being carried out and first results are being elaborated and published.
Method workshop
Introduction to Natural Language Processing for Social Scientists, held by Marcel Tkacik on 2 December 2021
Workshop abstract: The workshop will present a practical overview of recent advances in text analysis that now allow us to perform sophisticated analyses of various textual sources. We will go through basic descriptive analysis of text, continue with the models for analyzing sentiment and emotionality, introduce ourselves to options on finding topics in text (topic modeling) and end with one of the most exciting discoveries in the NLP field, word embeddings, which are neural network models that can capture meaning of words from the context in which they are used. The emphasis of the workshop is on the hands-on practical experience which will be done in Orange, a user-friendly open-source software. No previous programming knowledge (or affinity) is required. The main data focus of the workshop is on studying social media - Twitter, which can now be analyzed for free by researchers using Twitter Academic Research Track. The entire structure of the workshop is inspired by Gentzkow’s et al. (2019) paper “Text as Data” and Jackson's et al. (2021) paper "From Text to Thought: How Analysing Language Can Advance Psychological Science".
New publication
Michael Schiffinger (2021). A world of p(ain). Wie signifikant ist "(statistisch) signifikant"? Austrian Management Review, Vol.11, pp. 112-123
Representation in WU ethics council
Katharina Miko-Schefzig has been elected as a member of the newly founded ethics council.
Method workshop
Applied statistical power analysis: Basic and advanced use of G*Power and beyond, held by Edgar Erdfelder.
New publication
Tom Osborn, Katherine Venturo-Conerly, Susana Arango G., Elizabeth Roe, Micaela Rodriguez, Rediet Alemu, Jenny Gan, Akash Wasil, Benny Otieno, Thomas Rusch, David Ndetei, Christine Wasanga, Jessica Schleider, John Weisz (2021). Effect of Shamiri Layperson-Provided Intervention vs Study Skills Control Intervention for Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescents in Kenya: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(8), 829-837.
Member of the Science Board of the Shamiri Institute
Thomas Rusch joined the Science Board of the Shamiri Institute, a data-driven organization that develops and implements low-cost, low-stigma mental health and wellness interventions to help young people, in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, thrive.
New publication
Thomas Rusch, Patrick Mair, Kurt Hornik. 2021. Cluster Optimized Proximity Scaling. Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, 30(4), 1156-1167.
FWF project "Collaborative Consumption / Sharing Economy": mission accomplished
After the successful completion of the project after four years, this page offers not just a brief description but an interesting short video as well.
We have moved!
The Competence Center is now in building D5, 2nd floor. As before, please make an appointment beforehand.
New publication
Mensi-Klarbach, Heike, Leixnering, Stephan, Schiffinger, Michael. 2021. The carrot or the stick: Self-regulation for gender-diverse boards via codes of good governance. Journal of Business Ethics, 170, 577-593.
"WU Vienna's impacts on the environment, society, and our future": contribution by the Competence Center
The project "Management in police detention – safe and healthy prisons" by Katharina Miko-Schefzig, Cornelia Reiter, and Karin Sardadvar (as well as external partners) is listed in the current WU impact brochure (p. 50).
New "leaderboard"
After many years of (jointly) leading the Competence Center, Manfred Lueger follows Regina Dittrich into well-deserved retirement. From 1 January 2020 onwards, Katharina Miko-Schefzig is the new head of the Competence Center, with Thomas Rusch as deputy head.