Chair of Economic Psychology & Leadership Ethics
Teaching
Recurring Seminars
Behavioral Business Ethics
Bachelor
Prof. Dr. Carmen Tanner / Diana Stimmler-Caesmann MSc
Spring Semester (course language German) / Fall Semester (course language English)
Content:
Behavioral
Business Ethics is an interdisciplinary research stream at the intersection of
Psychology, Ethics, and Economics & Finance. Based on an empirical
(primarily experimental) approach, this line of research examines how human
beings respond to moral-ethical issues in work contexts and how unethical
practices in organizations can develop. In the course questions are addressed,
such as: What psychological and situational factors influence misconduct? How
can it occur that people engage in unethical behavior, often without being
aware of it? What is the role of intuition and emotions in ethical
decision-making? Is ethical behavior associated with self-control when dealing
with selfish temptations? How do people justify their own questionable
behavior?
Advances in Behavioral Ethics
Master
Prof. Dr. Carmen Tanner
Fall Semester (course language English)
Content:
Given the recurring scandals involving companies (e.g. Enron, Volkswagen, Wirecard, Cum-Ex) or individuals (e.g. Bernie Madoff), the question of why people behave dishonestly continues to receive much attention. In fact, addressing the determinants of "dishonesty in business" is a central topic of Behavioral Ethics, making this the focus of the course. What are the conditions that promote or reduce lying, cheating, deception, accounting manipulation, etc.? There are different approaches to answering this question, from economics, philosophy and psychology. The course will use empirical-experimental research literature to explore in depth the implications of these different approaches for understanding honesty.
Advanced Methods – Experimental Designs
Bachelor
Prof. Dr. Carmen Tanner
Spring or Fall Semester (course language German)
Content:
Experimental research has become one of the most important research methods in economics and social sciences during the last decades. In this course, basic concepts of experimental research will be explored in depth.
This course is designed for students who already have a basic knowledge of statistics and are interested in designing and implementing their own small experimental study. It is recommended for students who want to apply this research method in a student research project.
Methods Workshop – Questionnaire Development
Bachelor
Dr. Nicole Witt
Spring or Fall Semester (course language German)
Content:
Standardized questionnaires are used for many research questions within the social sciences, economics, psychology, as well as in other disciplines. In order to achieve a high data quality, to be able to perform statistical analyses appropriately, and to generate valid and reliable results, the questionnaire must be designed carefully. What has to be taken into account when developing a questionnaire is the subject of this workshop. In addition to the theoretical background of questionnaire design, the programming of online questionnaires will be discussed. In addition, course participants will have the opportunity to optimize and discuss the questionnaire from their own research project in the workshop.
Methods Workshop – Questionnaire Analysis
Bachelor
Dr. Nicole Witt
Spring or Fall Semester (course language German)
Content:
In this workshop, basic statistical knowledge is taught, and the statistical program SPSS is introduced. Data analysis techniques will be discussed and practically applied using sample data sets. The following topics will be covered: Data preparation, descriptive and inferential statistics (including location parameters, measures of dispersion, measures of correlation, cross-tabulations, t-tests, linear regression analysis), analysis of data sets with SPSS.
Scientific Working Methods
Bachelor
Diana Stimmler-Caesmann MSc
Spring Semester / Fall Semester (course language German)
Content:
What is meant by "scientific working" or by its result, scientific work? In the course, the formal, content-related and stylistic requirements of a scientific paper are discussed in detail.
Past Seminars
Psychology of Judgement & Decision Making
Bachelor
Dr. Carolin Baur / Dr. Matthias Sohn
Fall Semester (course language German)
Content:
This lecture offers an introduction to the psychology of judgment and decision making. Based on empirical research, the lecture depicts how people make decisions in an environment that gets ever more complex and uncertain.
In the first part, the lecture deals with human decisions with a focus on information search, information usage, and effects of feedback on decision making. Judgment heuristics and judgmental biases will be discussed intensively. We also focus on decision making under uncertainty and how individuals deal with risks, including the effects of learning and expertise on decision making. By taking a closer look at current social psychological research on group decision making, the lecture offers insight in how groups reach judgments. Finally, the lecture emphasizes the influence of emotions on individual decisions.
This lecture is tailored for students in economics, political, and social sciences. As research on judgment and decisions is interdisciplinary, studies from cognitive psychology, social psychology, economic psychology, economics, and behavioral ethics constitute the literature basis.
Personal Integrity – Approaching Individual Competence Building in a Playful Way
Bachelor
Prof. Dr. Carmen Tanner
Spring Semester 2020 (course language German)
Content :
In the business world, executives and employees are often expected to have
"integrity" in addition to professional qualities. But what exactly
is meant by personal integrity and what skills does it entail? And how can we
train such skills? The aim of this in-depth seminar is to address these
questions. In a first theoretical part, we will first get to know the
psychological, social-emotional and ethical competencies ("soft skills")
that contribute to successful cooperation, implementation and realization of
ethical values in everyday work. In a second part, we want to train such skills
using digital tools (keyword: serious games), various games and exercises. Due
to the design, a block event is suggested for this course. Two experts from the
field of business games and serious games will also be invited to support the
course.
Moral Intelligence
Bachelor
Prof. Dr. Carmen Tanner / Diana Stimmler-Caesmann MSc
Spring Semester 2018 (course language German)
Since the financial and economic crisis, topics of ethics and responsibility have received a lot of attention. Many speak of the need for a change in values: values such as honesty, fairness, appreciation, modesty, respect for dignity, etc. are to be activated or reactivated. But how can the implementation of such values succeed? On the one hand, value change has to do with social structures and corporate cultures, but it also has to do with individuals, who have to introduce and live ethical values. This is where the concept of Moral Intelligence comes in. Moral Intelligence is a set of psychological skills that are needed to put values into practice. The goal of the interactive in-depth seminar is to work on the following questions in intensive discussion and exchange: What elements and psychological skills constitute Moral Intelligence more precisely? How could these competencies be measured? How can moral intelligence be trained? The seminar is aimed at students with a strong interest in empirical psychological research, an interest in developing innovative ideas for measuring and promoting ethical competencies.
Leadership in Organizations
Bachelor / Master
Dipl.-Psych. Nicole Witt / Dr. Katharina Gangl
Fall Semester 2016 (course language English)
The course consists of lecture, discussion and practical parts, which are designed to provide theoretical knowledge and practical skills on psychological leadership theories. In the lecture parts, the topics of employee motivation, trait theories, behavioral theories, situational theories, leadership styles (transactional, transformational, relational), ethical leadership, current issues in leadership (age-appropriate leadership, intercultural leadership, etc.), leadership effectiveness, organizational culture, self-leadership and character education, as well as the empirical assessment of leadership concepts are covered. In the discussion and practice sections, students work in groups to present and discuss current research articles on leadership and conduct exercises (making work motivating, selecting leaders, conducting employee conversations, etc.).
Quantitative Methoden
Bachelor
Dipl.-Psych. Nicole Witt
Fall 2015 bis Fall 2016 (course language German)
Students will gain insights into common methods of quantitative empirical research. Using practical examples (from social and market research, (economic) psychology and political research), possible questions and suitable methodological approaches are illustrated. Techniques of data collection as well as data analysis are discussed. In addition, learning the statistics program R for the application of the analysis methods presented in the course is central.