Category Archives: General

Irkutsk State Technical University: International School “EXPLORING SIBERIA ’15. Winter edition”

February 07 – 26, 2015
Irkutsk city and Lake Baikal, Russia

About the program

Irkutsk State Technical University (ISTU) offers a high quality academic program in Siberian regional studies accompanied by Russian language course and combined with diverse cultural program. The first “Exploring Siberia” took place in summer 2007 and had 17 participants; in 2010 the winter edition of ES was launched. Since that time we had more than 270 participants from 20 countries of Europe, Asia, North and South America. The School is designed for international individuals with different educational background and aims to introduce the participants to the peculiarities of Siberia from political, social, geographical, ecological etc point of view. The program furthermore provides the participants with understanding of a local life style, opens up opportunities for destroying misconceptions about Siberia. After the program completion students are awarded with certificates of participation issued by ISTU.

Curriculum

ES’15 offers lectures about the “Pearl of Siberia”, Lake Baikal, its origin, geology, ecosystems, climate, ecology etc; the total amount of academic hours held by distinguished faculty of Irkutsk State University is 30. Supporting course of Russian language is delivered by instructors of ISTU department of Russian language and intercultural communication. Total number of contact hours is 50, classes are held on weekday mornings, 4-5 academic hours per day. Working language of the School is English and German.

Extracurricular activities

Academic classes are accompanied by the diverse extracurricular activities. School participants are invited to take part in guided tours, to visit museums, theater, Irkutsk hydroelectric power station etc. The highlight of the cultural program is a 4-day trip to the heart of Lake Baikal, Olkhon island.

Tentative program of the School could be found here.

Course fee:

850 EUR (academic and cultural program, pick-up service, visa support, 4-day tour to lake Baikal with full board)

Application

Application for ES is simple; just send the following documents via e-mail oms@istu.edu before December 10, 2014 (those applying for DAAD scholarship before November 20, 2014): Motivation letter, CV, academic transcript, completed application form, international passport copy for visa support letter.

Funding opportunities:

Limited number of DAAD scholarships is available for German students (for more information refer to goeast.daad.de).

Accommodation options (subject to availability):

  • ISTU student hostel (single and double rooms within shared two-room flats with a bathroom; kitchen on the floor; residents are provided with bed-linen and basic utensils; as a standard Russian student hostel it is closed from 11 p.m. till 6 a.m.);
  • Homestay (incl. breakfast);
  • Others (Irkutsk hostels, hotels etc)

Contact

Irkutsk State Technical University
International Office
Phone: +7 3952 405 200
Fax: +7 3952 405 100
E-mail: oms@istu.edu

Further Information

Call for Papers: Organizing mindfulness across organizations, networks, and clusters (EURAM 2015)

T_06-01: Organizing mindfulness across organizations, networks, and clusters
SIG: Innovation

Organizing mindfulness across organizations, networks, and clusters

The concepts of mindfulness and mindful organizing have proved to be beneficial for explaining how to manage unexpected events as a specific domain of uncertainty (Argote, 2006; Weick & Sutcliffe, 2007). Mindfulness seems to enhance change readiness and the capacity to sense and seize opportunities in an uncertain environment (Gärtner 2011, 2013). Existing research on mindfulness has mostly studied the individual or group level and is rooted in psychological accounts of mindfulness. This literature conceives of mindfulness as cognitive differentiation and conceptualizes knowledge and learning in terms of mental cognition (Vogus & Sutcliffe, 2012). Only a few studies take the level of organizations as collectives of groups or interorganizational networks as unit of analysis (Sydow, Müller-Seitz, & Provan 2013). While there is apt evidence that individuals, groups and organizations do not work in isolation, there is little research about the interrelations between organizations and the ‘higher’ analytical levels of networks and clusters (Gittell & Weiss 2004). Thus, we know little about how mindfulness can be established across organizations, networks and clusters in order to harness the opportunities of uncertainty.

Considering other forms of ‘knowledge’ (e.g., rules, routines, tools and technology) seems to be useful in order to explain how organizations, networks and clusters screen their environment and benefit from uncertainty (see Becker & Knudsen 2005; Salvato & Rerup 2011; Antonacopoulou et al. 2012). For example, research in the field of innovation management advocates tools like technological forecasting or roadmapping to remain sensitive about technological trends and developments that might impact corporate, network, or cluster strategies (e.g., Reger 2001). Other research has documented the importance of regional embeddedness for knowledge creation, spillovers, learning and harnessing opportunities of temporary or permanent disruptions (Cooke 2001; Audretsch, Hülsbeck, & Lehmann 2012; Berthod, Müller-Seitz, & Sydow 2014).

The aim of this track is to foster exchange of theoretical ideas and empirical insights that might be conducive to further understand multi-level mechanisms of organizing for mindfulness. It seeks to bring together researchers who study organizational and interorganizational sensemaking, distributed knowledge and learning, as well as mindful decision making in organizations, networks, and clusters.

Possible topics for contributions include, but are not limited to, the following issues:

  • Conceptual and/or empirical analyses of multi-level perspectives on mindful organizing, for example, building an overarching theoretical framework for how mindfulness emerges across multiple levels of analysis and how this differs from mindfulness on the individual- or group-level
  • The interplay among sensemaking and/or decision making processes between different levels of analysis
  • The role of socio-cultural and economic institutions as initial conditions for coping with and harnessing opportunities of uncertainty
  • Forms of organizational, inter-organizational and inter-cluster responses to unexpected events and their development over time
  • The role of (distributed) knowledge and knowledge flows between (organizational) actors in a cluster in order to harness opportunities of uncertainty
  • The different types of tools and their role in mindful organizing and managing uncertainty

Literature

Antonacopoulou, E., Güttel, W., Kaiser, S., Macpherson, A., Mèric, J.; Müller-Seitz, G. (2012).: Strategic Organizational Learning in Turbulent Times: Ambidexterity and Absorptive Capacity (book), Publisher: International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies, 5 (1/2), 2012

Argote, L. (2006). Introduction to mindfulness. Organization Science, 17(4), 501-501

Audretsch, D. B., Hülsbeck, M., & Lehmann, E. E. (2012). Regional competitiveness, university spillovers, and entrepreneurial activity. Small Business Economics, 39(3), 587-601.

Becker, M. C. & Knudsen, T. (2005). The role of routines in reducing pervasive uncertainty. Journal of Business Research, 58(6), 746-757.

Berthod, O., Müller-Seitz, G., Sydow, J. (2014). Out of nowhere? Interorganizational assemblage as the answer to a foodborne disease outbreak. sbr, 16.

Cooke, P. (2001). Regional innovation systems, clusters, and the knowledge economy. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10(4), 945-974.

Gärtner, C. (2011): Putting new wine into old bottles: Mindfulness as a micro-foundation of dynamic capabilities. Management Decision, 49(2), 253-269.

Gärtner, C. (2013). Enhancing readiness for change by enhancing mindfulness. Journal of Change Management, 13(1), 52-68.

Gittell, J. H. & Weiss, L. (2004). Coordination networks within and across organizations: A multi-level framework. Journal of Management Studies, 41(1), 127-153.

Müller-Seitz, G. (2014). Practising uncertainty in the face of large-scale disease outbreaks. Journal of Management Inquiry, 23(3), 276-293.

Weick, K. E. & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Reger, G. 2001. Technology foresight in companies: From an indicator to a network and process perspective. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 13(4), 533-553.

Salvato, C. & Rerup, C. (2011). Beyond collective entities: Multilevel research on Organizational routines and capabilities. Journal of Management, 37(2), 468-490.

Sydow, J., Müller-Seitz, G., & Provan, K.G. (2013): Managing uncertainty in alliances and networks – From governance to practice. In: Das, T.K. (eds.): Managing knowledge in strategic alliances. IAP. Greenwood, Conn., 1-43.

Vogus, T. J. & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2012). Organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing: A reconciliation and path forward. Academy of Management Learning & Education 11(4), 722-735

Proponents

Christian Gärtner (Helmut-Schmidt-University)
Iain Munro (Newcastle Business School)
Gordon Müller-Seitz (TU Kaiserslautern)
Marcel Hülsbeck (University of Witten/Herdecke)

Further information

Kursangebot der Universität Hamburg im Promotionsstudiengang der Fakultät WiSo

Das Kursangebot im Wintersemester 2014/15 des Promotionsstudiengangs der WiSo-Fakultät (Universität Hamburg) finden Sie unter folgendem Link: http://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/einrichtungen/graduate-school/kursprogramm/promotionsstudiengang/

Informationen zur Anmeldung erhalten Sie auf der Startseite unter folgendem Link: http://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/einrichtungen/graduate-school/startseite/

Vortrag: PROMOTION – Promovieren bei der BMW Group

Am Donnerstag, den 04. September 2014 wird um 14:30 Uhr im Seminarraum 405/406 der Helmut-Schmidt-Universität ein Vortrag zum Thema: “PROMOTION – Promovieren bei der BMW Group” stattfinden.
Vortragen wird Frau Sophie Rieder, Doktorandin im Bereich Unternehmensprozesse bei der BMW Group. Sie ist gleichzeitig eine der beiden Sprecherinnen des etwa 200 Doktoranden umfassenden Netzwerks. Was bei einer solchen Kooperation materiell möglich ist, sehen Sie vom 02. bis zum 04.09.2014 zwischen H1 und der Mensa.

Call for Papers: 3. Rhein-Ruhr Promovendensymposium “Arbeit und Soziale Sicherheit”

Call for Papers

3. Rhein-Ruhr Promovendensymposium
“Arbeit und Soziale Sicherheit”

12./13. März 2015 in Duisburg

Das Rhein-Ruhr Promovendensymposium ist eine Veranstaltung, die gemeinsam vom Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Institut (WSI) in der Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Düsseldorf sowie dem Institut Arbeit und Qualifikation (IAQ) und dem Institut für Soziologie (IfS) der Universität Duisburg-Essen organisiert wird. Das Organisations- und Programmkomitee besteht aus Prof. Dr. Brigitte Unger (WSI), PD Dr. Martin Brussig (IAQ) und Prof. Dr. Marcel Erlinghagen (IfS).

Die jährlich ausgerichtete Veranstaltung richtet sich an Promovendinnen und Promovenden unterschiedlicher sozialwissenschaftlicher Disziplinen und angrenzender Fächer (z.B. Soziologie, Wirtschaftswissenschaft, Politikwissenschaft), deren laufende Doktorarbeit einen Zusammenhang mit dem Oberthema „Arbeit und Soziale Sicherheit“ aufweist. Im Rahmen des Symposiums besteht für die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer die Möglichkeit, ihre im Entstehungsprozess befindliche Arbeit vorzustellen und mit erfahrenen Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern sowie anderen Doktorandinnen und Doktoranden intensiv zu diskutieren. Dabei sind sowohl theoretisch-konzeptionelle als auch empirische oder sozialpolitische Arbeiten gleichermaßen erwünscht.

Interessierte Promovendinnen und Promovenden können sich für die Präsentation ihrer Arbeit bewerben, indem sie bis zum 15. September 2014 eine Zusammenfassung ihres Vorhabens (maximal 3.000 Zeichen) einreichen. Eine Entscheidung über die Annahme des Vortragsvorschlags fällt spätestens bis zum 15. November 2014. Angenommene Bewerberinnen und Bewerber müssen den Organisatoren dann bis spätestens 31. Januar 2015 einen zusammenhängenden Aufsatz (maximal 60.000 Zeichen) zusenden.

Die ausgewählten Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer werden auf dem Symposium in maximal 20 Minuten wesentliche Aspekte ihrer Arbeit vortragen. Dieser Vortrag und der zuvor eingereichte Aufsatz werden anschließend durch eine(n) erfahrene(n) Forscher(in) kommentiert und im Plenum diskutiert. Für eingeladene Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer übernehmen die Organisatoren die anfallenden Fahrt- und Hotelkosten.

Bitte senden Sie Ihre Bewerbung in elektronischer Form an:

Prof. Dr. Marcel Erlinghagen
c/o Silke Demmler (Sekretariat)
Universität Duisburg-Essen

University of Southern Denmark: Assistant Professorship in Global Business Economics

The Department of Border Region Studies (IFG) at the University of Southern Denmark invites applications for an Assistant Professorship in Global Business Economics with focus on institutions and innovation in regional development.

The position as Assistant Professor is to be filled by January 1st, 2015 or as soon as possible thereafter, and has a time limit of three years.

This position is one of six full-time academic positions of the newly established Danfoss Center of Global Business (DCGB) at the IFG. The Center is co-financed by a donation from the Bitten & Mads Clausen Fund and funds from the University of Southern Denmark. The vision of the DCGB is to build a high profile, high quality research and teaching pole in the field of global business economics. Formal and informal relations to similar international research centers are currently being established.

The Department of Border Region Studies is part of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, is located in Sønderborg and rooted in the unique history of the Southern Danish border region. It has lively relationships with the business community and with public, private and cultural institutions of the region.

The Department constitutes of an international and interdisciplinary unit with scholars organised around three research groups focusing on (a) Regional Economics & Development, (b) People & Society in Border Regions and (c) Global Business Relationships (GBR).

The DCGB is an independent unit in its research and teaching focus, yet is closely related to the GBR research group.

The Department offers teaching on all levels within Business Administration, Business Relationship Management, European Studies and Regional Economics.

There are approximately 800 students from about 50 countries enrolled at the Department and teaching is conducted in English only.

The Department offers one of the most modern office and research facilities in Denmark. Please visit our website for more information on Campus Sønderborg.

Job description:
The successful candidate is expected to further the development of research and teaching in the above areas within the DCGB and the Department as a whole, and is expected to develop an independent research programme.

The position includes teaching and supervision at the BSc, MSc and PhD level, course development, and contributing to administrative tasks. The successful candidate will also be expected to contribute towards raising external competitive research funds, and to be willing to engage in collaborative research and teaching.

The DCGB offers resources for conference travel, research assistants and software requirements.

Applicants are expected to have strong quantitative skills (econometrics) and conduct research/have research experience in the following areas:

  • institutions and organisations in a global business and cultural context (the extent to which institutions can explain cross-border differences in innovative activities)
  • micro econometric analyses of regional business growth

Candidates with some knowledge of the Danish research landscape and local knowledge of firms in the Danish-German border region will be preferred.

Further information can be obtained by contacting the Director of the DCGB, Prof. Bodo Steiner, e-mail or phone +45 6550 1221.

Application, salary etc.:
An application must include:

  • A detailed CV
  • Certificates/Diplomas (Master and PhD degree)
  • Information on teaching experience or other forms of knowledge communication
  • A complete list of publications, indicating which publications are most relevant for the position
  • Up to 5 of the most relevant publications. Please upload a pdf-file for each publication and if the publication has been co-authored, co-author statements must be a part of this pdf.
  • Documented experience with research leadership
  • A list of other qualifications relevant for the position
  • A research and publication plan for the next 3 years
  • References

Appointment to the position requires a PhD degree or equivalent in Business Administration/Economics or in a closely related field. You are expected to have published reviewed journals, or be able to demonstrate that such publications are forthcoming. Strong quantitative skills are required for this position.

Teaching experience at both undergraduate and graduate level is an advantage. This must be documented such that it is possible to objectively assess the quality of the teaching.
Appointment to the position will be in accordance with the salary agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations.
An assessment of the registrered applications will be done under the existing Appointment Order for universities and the applications will be assessed by an assessment committee.
The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the applicant will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns him/her.

As part of the overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, an interview may be applied.

Applications that are incomplete with regard to the above requirements will not be assessed by the committee.

The University encourages all interested persons to apply, regardless of age, gender, religious affiliation or ethnic background.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link below.
Uploaded files must be in Adobe PDF (unlocked) or Word format.

Read the guideline for the applicants

Each field can only contain a single file of max. 10 Mb.

Tjenestested:
Sønderborg

Ansøgningsfrist:
22/09/2014

WSI-Herbstforum 2014: Call for Papers – Arbeitszeiten der Zukunft: Selbstbestimmt, geschlechtergerecht, nachhaltig!

CALL FOR PAPERS
WSI-Herbstforum 2014
Arbeitszeiten der Zukunft: Selbstbestimmt, geschlechtergerecht, nachhaltig!

27. – 28. November 2014, Berlin

Das diesjährige WSI-Herbstforum widmet sich den Herausforderungen zur (Neu-)Gestaltung von Arbeitszeiten vor dem Hintergrund bedeutender wirtschaftlicher, betrieblicher und sozialer Entwicklungen der letzten Jahre. Zum einen besteht derzeit eine massive Arbeitslosigkeit in Europa, insbesondere in Südeuropa, die evtl. über eine Umverteilung der Arbeitszeit reduziert werden könnte. Zum anderen erfordern aber auch technologische und betriebswirtschaftliche Entwicklungen ein Umdenken. So hat die Nutzung neuer Technologien und neuer Formen der Arbeitsorganisation (z. B. Leistungssteuerung der Beschäftigten über Marktkennzahlen) zu einem signifikanten Anstieg der Arbeitsverdichtung und weiterer psychischer Arbeitsbelastungen geführt. Auch kommt es mit dem Anstieg der Frauenerwerbsarbeit zur Herausforderung, Arbeit und Familie bzw. Pflegetätigkeiten zu verbinden. Aber auch der demografische Wandel stellt Herausforderungen an die Arbeitsorganisation. Ältere Mitarbeiter werden immer unverzichtbarer für Arbeitgeber, jedoch ist ihre Beschäftigungsfähigkeit häufig begrenzt.

Die wachsenden Qualifikationsanforderungen führen darüber hinaus zur Notwendigkeit kontinuierlicher Aus- und Weiterbildung der Beschäftigten während und außerhalb der Erwerbstätigkeit. Dies ist mit hoher Wochenarbeitszeit in Verbindung mit der Erwartung flexibler Einsatzbereitschaft schwer umzusetzen. Nicht zuletzt verändern sich aber auch die Arbeitszeitbedürfnisse von Beschäftigten. Männer wollen mehr Zeit für die Familie und Aktivitäten außerhalb der Arbeit haben, Frauen wollen mehr Zeit in ihre Erwerbstätigkeit und ihr berufliches Fortkommen investieren.

Diese Entwicklungen bedürfen einer vertieften Auseinandersetzung mit Optionen für kürzere und an den Interessen der Beschäftigten orientierte Arbeitszeiten. Flexible Arbeitszeiten und Arbeitszeitoptionen können Beschäftigte unterstützen, z. B. bei der Integration von Arbeit und Leben. Flexible Arbeitszeiten bringen jedoch auch Probleme für die Beschäftigten mit sich: die Intensivierung von Arbeit, zunehmende psychische Erkrankungen und Vereinbarkeitsprobleme deuten darauf hin. Neue Konzepte darüber, wie wir zukünftig arbeiten wollen und wie viel Zeit wir in Arbeit investieren wollen, müssen entwickelt werden. Die Zunahme der Frauenerwerbsarbeit macht zudem die Umverteilung von Arbeitszeiten im Job und im Haushalt unerlässlich.

Das WSI-Herbstforum diskutiert diese Herausforderungen in einer interdisziplinären Perspektive. Die Zeitbedarfe verschiedener Beschäftigtengruppen, Zeit für Familie und Freizeit ebenso wie die Verteilung der Arbeitszeiten von Männern und Frauen stehen im Fokus der Debatte.

Wir interessieren uns vor allem für:

  • Unterschiede zwischen der tatsächlichen Arbeitszeit von Beschäftigten und ihrer Arbeitszeitpräferenzen im Lebensverlauf
  • Konzepte zur Gestaltung betrieblicher Leistungspolitik und Arbeitszeit
  • bessere Integration von Arbeit und Leben
  • Konzepte zur Gewährleistung von Zeitsouveränität der Beschäftigten
  • Genderspezifische Arbeitsarrangements
  • Konzepte zur Arbeitszeitverkürzung

Beiträge für das WSI-Herbstforum 2014 können in Form eines Abstracts (max. 300 Wörter) bis zum 30.06.14 an Toralf Pusch oder Yvonne Lott gesendet werden. Vorträge sind in Deutsch und Englisch willkommen.

Management Revue: Call for Papers – Labour Time – Life Time

Call for Papers

Wenzel Matiaske, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)
Simon Fietze, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg
Gerd Grözinger, University of Flensburg (Germany)
Doris Holtmann, Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg (Germany)

Special Issue of Management Revue
Labour Time – Life Time

Ever since the beginning of industrialization the fight for the reduction of working hours was considered the way out of the “kingdom of necessity”. It was only in the 1980s, in the course of a decentralized organization in worldwide networks, that the paradigm changed to more flexible forms of working time management. This is no longer an issue of the collective actors alone but also of the individuals who have to cope with the increasing time flexibility in a socio-structurally differentiated way. From trust-based working hours to on-call duty, from the core workforce with a 35-hour week to temporary work: the contemporary organization of working time took since long already various forms. In addition, the ongoing economic crisis leads in many European countries to forced over-employment and under-employment at the same time.

At the same time the topics are changing under which the problems of the “flexible character” in balancing different aspects of life are discussed in (human resource) management, psychology and sociology. Role conflicts, the balance of work, free time and family or burnout as a possible consequence are keywords which show that work and work time cannot be separated from life time.

In the special issue, we would like to discuss our topic in an adequately broad and interdisciplinary way. We are particularly interested in questions such as:

  • Disparities of working time and desired working hours in the course of time
  • Quantitative and qualitative working-time regimes
  • Time-related stress and wealth in time
  • Balancing life domain work conflict
  • Models of labour time re-distribution
  • Externalities of problematic working time arrangements, e.g. influences on family life, happiness, fertility etc.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Deadline
Full papers for this special edition of ‘management revue’ must be with the editors by July 31st, 2014. All submissions will be subject to a double blind review process. Please submit your papers electronically via the journal submission system using ‘Labour Time – Life Time’ as article section.

Hoping to hear from you!

Wenzel Matiaske,
Simon Fietze,
Gerd Grözinger,
Doris Holtmann

Call for Contributions: work-in-progress symposium for PhD students

Call for Contributions for the work-in-progress symposium for PhD students at the University of  Southern Denmark in Sønderborg on September 17, 2014.

Linked to the Workshop on “Clusters in the Context of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Smart Specialisation Strategies & Regional Development” to be held at Flensburg University on September 15 and 16, a work-in-progress symposium for PhD students will be held on September 17 at the University of Southern Denmark.
In the workshop as well as the PhD symposium we are particularly interested in developing new knowledge in the area of firm clusters with regard to a resource-oriented perspective on clusters bringing together a wide range of multidisciplinary and cross sectoral approaches. The workshop in Flensburg is held as a combination of keynote speeches and paper presentations in highly interactive sessions.
The PhD symposium consists of two parts. In the morning the PhD students are invited to participate in two lectures and in the afternoon they may present their work in progress.

For detailled information see this link.