Project management: Marion Krause

Duration: 2008

Funding: CEE Erste Bank Grant (Vienna University of Economics and Business)

Associative strengths as a diagnostic tool for detecting collective conceptualizations

The objective of this project was to more accurately evaluate the method of determination of association strengths as a diagnostic tool. This method was developed in a comprehensive study of the semantic enrichment of the concept of PERFORMANCE in different Central and Eastern European cultures and confounded with other survey methods (see Krause 2004).

The samples previously covered were, however, relatively small; including 21 to 38 participants. The submitted project was to clarify the following questions through material from a much larger sample of 143 Polish subjects:

1. How large must the sample be to provide reliable information

a) on the semantic enrichment of the examined concept of (PERFORMANCE)

b) the homogeneity respectively heterogeneity of the participant group in regard to the construction of the concept.

2. Is the method actually suited to diagnosing collective conceptualizations allowing conclusions about the objective corporate culture and corporate identity?

3. Can the enrichment of the concept of PERFORMANCE through the influence of bio-psycho-social variables such as gender, social origin (urban/rural, social status of the parental home), age, study phase, type of higher education institution, professional ambitions, be demonstrated through use of a larger sample?

Project management: Marion Krause

Duration: 2008

Funding: CEE Erste Bank Grant (Vienna University of Economics and Business)