Study on corporate responsibility through inter-firm cooperation in Austria

As little data is available for Austria on the subject of “Corporate Social Responsibility through inter-company cooperation”, the Institute for Business Ethics and Sustainable Strategy (IBES) of FHWien der WKW conducts a corresponding study. Within the scope of this study, qualitative data for Austria are to be used for the first time,

1. what goals are pursued through cooperation and what forms of cooperation exist,
2. which factors of success are to be observed in the individual phases of a cooperation and across phases and
3. which business opportunities arise for the company in the long term.

Created in the framework of the endowed chair of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness, sponsored by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

Project lead IBES: Dr. Anne Maria Busch

ENDONANO is a European Industrial Doctorate (EID) funded in the framework of Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. By merging the project partners’ expertise in immunology, nanotechnology and physics into a broader approach to address toxicology and safety and related regulatory issues, the ENDONANO network aims at delivering industry-oriented PhD training of young scientists in the area of safety regulations for drugs and medical devices. Among other things, this training includes a course on entrepreneurship and responsible research and innovation. Dr. Katharina Jarmai teaches a course on “Entrepreneurship and Responsible Innovation” within the project (third party service).

Contact IBES: Dr. Katharina Jarmai

The Josef Ressel Center for Collective Action and Responsible Partnerships (JR Center CARe) explores the emergence, management, evaluation, and legitimacy of so-called Collective Action initiatives. We understand collective action initiatives as collaborative, long-term cooperation processes between companies and other stakeholders in order to solve social and environmental challenges.

Guiding research questions

“What drives companies to engage in collective action initiatives?”

“What basic conditions are suitable for the development of collective action initiatives?”

“How can collective action initiatives be managed more effectively and what success factors can be identified?”

“How can the success of collective action initiatives be measured?”

“Where do collective action initiatives derive their legitimacy?“

Josef Ressel Centers are jointly financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the corporate partners.

Duration: 1/9/2020 – 31/8/2025
Funding Program: Josef Ressel Centers (JR Centers) of the Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft (CDG)
Project Partner: Josef Manner & Comp AG, Kapsch TrafficCom AG und Simacek Facility Management Group GmbH
Project Management IBES: Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz, Dr. Katharina Jarmai

Study on the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility in Austria

The implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility is a challenge for companies, especially SMEs. However, they are increasingly recognizing the business need as well as the opportunities that result from the inclusion of social and environmentally relevant aspects in the business process. For the first time, the study uses current quantitative data from Austria to analyze the motivation of SMEs to implement Corporate Social Responsibility. The aim of the study is to provide an overview of the systematic integration in Austrian SMEs. From this, recommendations for action for the professionalization are derived, which should lead to the creation of expected competitive advantages.

Duration: 1/1/2020 – 31/10/2020

Created in the framework of the endowed chair of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness, sponsored by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

Project lead IBES: Dr. Anne Maria Busch

Study on the cooperation between established industrial companies and technology start-ups in Austria.

To manage the digital transformation, established companies are increasingly entering into cooperation with technology start-ups. Using qualitative data for manufacturing firms, , the study examines the following questions: 1) what forms and objectives exist for cooperation between established industrial companies and technology start-ups, 2) what critical success factors are to be considered in the individual phases of a cooperation and across phases, and 3) what business opportunities can arise for the companies in the long-term.

The results should help companies to better understand the opportunities and risks of cooperation projects with start-up firms. Concrete recommendations for the implementation and design of such cooperation schemes will be derived and ultimately support companies in the successful implementation and thus in mastering the digital transformation.

Duration: 1/7/2019 – 31/12/2019

Created in the framework of the endowed chair of the Microeconomics of Competitiveness, sponsored by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

Project lead IBES: Dr. Anne Maria Busch

Study on reasons and motives for setting up voluntary bodies – advisory boards – in medium-sized enterprises in Austria.

An advisory board offers medium-sized companies, in particular, various opportunities for organisational and strategic development. Nevertheless, the advisory board does not yet have a strong presence in Austrian medium-sized companies. The questions of why companies have set up an advisory board what role it plays and what influence it has on business success, are all answered in this study. For this purpose, a quantitative study of 530 medium-sized enterprises was conducted. The findings were enriched and contrasted with six interviews with managers of companies in Vienna who have set up an advisory board.

Duration: 1/9/2018 – 28/2/2019

Created in the context of the endowed chair Microeconomics of Competitiveness, sponsored by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce.

Project lead IBES: Dr. Anne Maria Busch