German Graduate Research Articles

Dynamic Capabilities & Path Dependence: Organizational Adaptability in Turbulent Environments

Understanding how organizations adapt to turbulent environments is at the heart of contemporary management research. Scholars have identified various approaches to address this question. Two perspectives gained particular prominence: dynamic capabilities and path dependence. Both approaches share the objective to explain why organizations may or may not adapt to changing business environments. However, while dynamic capabilities emphasize the flexibility of firms, path dependence highlights the inherent stability or rigidity of organizations. In extant research, these two camps have rarely engaged in dialogue. By bringing together dynamic capabilities and path dependence, our presenter symposium seeks to change this. The presentations in the symposium discuss how these seemingly contrary perspectives relate to and what they can learn from each other. We aim to attract attention to this dual perspective in management research that helps to better understand organizational adaptability in turbulent environments. How to Become a Different Kind of Company: Dynamic Capabilities or Path Breaking Change? Presenter: Arne Keller; Freie U. Berlin Presenter: Wolfgang H. Guettel; Johannes Kepler U. A Practice Theory Approach to Dynamic Managerial Capabilities in Multi- business Organizations Presenter: Jeffrey A. Martin; U. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Stakeholder Management and the Tension Between Dynamic Capabilities and Path Dependence Presenter: Veit Wohlgemuth; German Graduate School of Management & Law (GGS) Presenter: Katharina Hoehne; European U. Viadrina How do Dynamic Capabilities Evolve? The Impact of Imprints on Early Stage Formation Presenter: Georg Reischauer; Vienna U. of Technology Presenter: Monika Biedulska; European U. Viadrina Presenter: Jochen Koch; European U. Viadrina

The Impact of Education on Personality: Evidence from a German High School Reform

Western labor markets face major challenges caused by demographic changes. They increasingly experience a shortage of skilled workers and face the problem of an increasing disparity between a reduced group of active workers contributing to the pension scheme and a rising share of an older population receiving pension benefits. Starting in 2001, Germany therefore introduced an educational reform enabling high school graduates earlier labor market entry. By shortening the length of upper secondary school leaving the overall curriculum unchanged, the reform did not only make German graduates more competitive on the international labor market and reduce costs in the German education system, but also increased the labor force by one birth cohort, relieving the shortage of skilled workers and disburdening the pension scheme. However, the reform may have led to unintended consequences on individuals' human capital. This paper investigates this reform's short-term effects on students' personality exploiting the variation in high school duration over time and across states as a quasi-natural experiment. Using rich data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study on adolescents' Big Five personality traits and on their locus of control, our estimates show that shortening high school caused students on average to be less emotionally stable. Moreover, the personality of male students and students from disrupted families changed more strongly following the reform: they became more agreeable and more extroverted, respectively. We conclude that the educational system plays a role in shaping adolescents' personality, which in turn impacts labor market success and further later life outcomes.

The future of graduate medical education in Germany - position paper of the Committee on Graduate Medical Education of the Society for Medical Education (GMA).

The German graduate medical education system is going through an important phase of changes. Besides the ongoing reform of the national guidelines for graduate medical education (Musterweiterbildungsordnung), other factors like societal and demographic changes, health and research policy reforms also play a central role for the future and competitiveness of graduate medical education.With this position paper, the committee on graduate medical education of the Society for Medical Education (GMA) would like to point out some central questions for this process and support the current discourse.As an interprofessional and interdisciplinary scientific society, the GMA has the resources to contribute in a meaningful way to an evidence-based and future-oriented graduate medical education strategy.In this position paper, we use four key questions with regards to educational goals, quality assurance, teaching competence and policy requirements to address the core issues for the future of graduate medical education in Germany. The GMA sees its task in contributing to the necessary reform processes as the only German speaking scientific society in the field of medical education.

Developing Students As Global Learners

This case study investigates the use of online blogs as a teaching tool. A collaborative blog was implemented in parallel classes on group processes in the United States and Germany. Our goal was to connect American and German graduate students by helping them to talk about group communication and meeting behaviors. Collected data included transcripts of the messages, as well as students’ evaluations of the blog (collected at the end of the project). Quantitative analyses assessed students’ participation rates and the content of their postings. Qualitative analysis examined the use of the blog as a teaching and learning tool. The results showed that students interacted more on the blog than was required by the instructor. Students valued blogging as a new learning experience. We discuss the pedagogical implications of blog usage for teaching about groups and provide recommendations for instructors interested in using blogs in their own courses.

How Relevant is Job Mismatch for German Graduates?

In this study, we examine the incidence and direct consequences of job mismatch for German graduates. Beyond measuring job mismatch by the comparison of qualification obtained by employees and required for a job, we employ self-reported skill mismatch variables concerning overall skills and more detailed information about the surplus or deficit in specific competences. The results indicate that a substantial share of graduates underutilizes own skills in the job. The rate of overqualification and skill mismatch is found to differ strongly between fields of study, type of university and gender. In addition, we investigate to what extent jobs of matched graduates differ from jobs held by mismatched graduates. Jobs of the latter are found to exhibit lower complexity and creativity requirements but to be more monotone than matching jobs. Furthermore, we provide a conceptual underpinning of the possible explanations of job-worker mismatch and its implication for different actors in the economy.

Neuroenhancement Among German University Students: Motives, Expectations, and Relationship with Psychoactive Lifestyle Drugs

Recent research has indicated that neuroenhancement (NE), the use of legal or illegal drugs by healthy individuals to improve their cognitive performance, is widely practiced among students in both the United States and Germany. The primary objective of this study was to identify the motives for and beliefs regarding the benefits and risks of practicing NE among a sample of German university students and graduates. The secondary objective was to determine the relationship between the use of neuroenhancers and the use of several common psychoactive lifestyle drugs. A web-based survey was used to interview students and postgraduates. Of the 1,324 participants, 93 reported having practiced NE for the primary motives of improving concentration (55%) and increasing vigilance (49%). Participants who reported having practiced NE were more likely to assess NE as more beneficial and less harmful compared to participants who reported not having practiced NE. The former also reported greater use of all lifestyle drugs except alcohol compared to the latter. The primary motives for practicing NE are associated with management of a high level of stress and a large academic workload. As such, decreasing the prevalence of NE among students requires implementation of strategies targeting stress reduction and workload management.

Different but equal? Assessing European dual HE systems

In higher education dual systems, graduates are qualified to apply for jobs in same professional fields along two separated educational routes. The research problem is whether the rival applicants for professional positions are treated equally in the labour market despite their different qualifications. From the graduates point of view, to be equal means to have an opportunity to be employed in accordance with one’s professional skill. Applying European survey data, the article tests to what extent the ‘distribution of work’ between university and non-university graduates seems to be based on educational qualifications or actual competence. Among 4,000 German, Dutch, Finnish, and Swiss graduates primarily in business and administration and engineering, only slight and occasional evidence of ‘status-based recruitment’ was found. All in all, the research suggests that from the view of graduate employment, the European dual HE systems work very much following the principle of ‘different but equal’.

China's Millions of Jobless Migrants

27 GUANGDONG, CHINA—“With the Premier’s encouragement, we have exceeding confidence.” Zhang Wengui, 21, a peasant worker from Sichuan province, reads the slogan from a help-wanted board at the Likai Shoes factory on the outskirts of noisy Houjie Town, some 30 miles from Guangzhou, the capital of industry-heavy Guangdong province. Despite Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s reassuring smile in the photo that accompanies the optimistic pronouncement, Zhang still isn’t sure whether to pursue the job offer—it pays only $6 per day. It’s February, which means at least 130 million workers, like Zhang, have just arrived in Guangdong and other coastal provinces of China searching for jobs, signaling the end of a tense month-long return to their rural hometowns over the annual New Year’s break, known as the Spring Festival. Zhang Wengui’s dilemma is common: while this job promises only nominal revenue, there are painfully few posted on such billboards these days. Of serious concern, both to China and the world at large, is that an estimated 20 million workers who have left their rural family farms for the promise of work in urban and industrial centers may not succeed in finding new jobs, or holding onto their old ones this year. Last November, Premier Wen, concerned about declining employment statistics, visited Guangdong province, home to one of the largest concentrations of factories in the world. The Likai complex was one of many on his inspection list. Likai, together with around 500 other shoe factories in this small town, turns out each year some 600 million pairs of sneakers for Adidas, Nike, New Balance, and other global brands. Considering the world population of 6.76 billion—in a decade, Houjie Town alone produces enough footwear for every human being on the planet. During his Cambridge University speech on February 2, Wen was the target of a worn New Balance shoe thrown by a German graduate student protesting China’s human rights record. Chances are that very shoe was made in this town. The shoe-tossing incident notwithstanding, Premier Wen is a very popular figure in China. He is seen by his people as a sympathetic and responsive leader, not merely as the top Communist Party bureaucrat. Just seven hours after the devastating earthquake in Sichuan province (and long before any foreign media were able to reach the area), Wen stood before the collapsed school buildings at the epicenter of the catastrophe. His compassionate face and confident Michael Anti, a former reporter in The New York Times Beijing bureau, was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University last year.

Making Space for Us: German Graduate Student Voices in English

Abstract This paper presents a study which incorporates the voices of graduate students in English and North American Studies programmes at a German university as they reflect on how they have learned to negotiate between established academic writing conventions and expressing who they are. We find that students foresee several opportunities to write in English in their professional and personal lives and they also employ several strategies to use the language to their own end. But many of these students lack a feeling of ‘belonging’ within the academic community and so believe that they cannot develop an authoritative or authentic ‘voice’ within the university context. In response to this finding, we suggest appropriate teaching practices for advanced second-language writers in English which draw on students’ existing experience, expectations and hopes to help them to assert their voices in English and negotiate their demands for the language.

Making Space for Us: German Graduate Student Voices in English

This paper presents a study which incorporates the voices of graduate students in English and North American Studies programmes at a German university as they reflect on how they have learned to negotiate between established academic writing conventions and expressing who they are. We find that students foresee several opportunities to write in English in their professional and personal lives and they also employ several strategies to use the language to their own end. But many of these students lack a feeling of ‘belonging’ within the academic community and so believe that they cannot develop an authoritative or authentic ‘voice’ within the university context. In response to this finding, we suggest appropriate teaching practices for advanced second-language writers in English which draw on students’ existing experience, expectations and hopes to help them to assert their voices in English and negotiate their demands for the language.

How Do We Teach Language, Literature, and Culture in a Collegiate Environment and What Are the Implications for Graduate Education?

Graduate education is a critical mission of Research I universities. In light of the increased attention paid to languages, to assessment, and to the search for new models for teaching and learning in German Departments, a reexamination of how we train our students is called for. A graduate experience that does not compartmentalize too rigorously between training in Second Language Studies and Literary and Cultural Studies, but instead offers a more holistic education might serve our profession better in the long run. This position piece and its parallel contribution in the Spring 2008 issue of The German Quarterly provide some considerations for rethinking German graduate education.

Liivimaa valgustaja August Wilhelm Hupel, 1737-1819 by Indrek Jürjo Aufklärung im Baltikum. Leben und Werk des livländischen Gelehrten August Wilhelm Hupel (1737-1819) by Indrek Jürjo (review)

REVIEWS 163 theUpper House, and from royal court judges and representatives of royal free towns in theLower House. However, both tax proposals and the nature of promises and oaths made by monarchs on their coronation were often challenged by representatives of the counties. Szij?rt? finds the core of this county party opposition among deputies from eastern counties which had high proportions of Protestants. For example, he details the response of theLower House to a request to raise taxes inJuly 1728. While the votes of clergy and townswere divided over how to respond, only five of twentywestern counties supported the court's request, and none of the twenty-one eastern counties voted in favour (p. 174). The court attempted to weaken this Protestant opposition by withdrawing the right of the estates to interfereon matters of religion. However, Szij?rt? argues that this decision had the long-term effect of creating a broader base of opposition to the crown on a non-confessional basis. Nevertheless, the estates stillhardly presented a united political front. Time in both houses was, for example, spent arguing over precedence in seating, including disputes between representatives of the towns of Buda and Pozsony (p. 104). Szij?rt?'s arguments about the institutional and political development of the diet are supported by a great deal of information in extensive appendices. The weight of detail about, for example, the timetable ofmeetings will not perhaps be of great interest to non-specialist readers. However, there are also some points of broader concern. For example, Szij?rt?'s discussion of the diet's procedures reveals that its famous use of Latin for formal business masks the fact that itwas in reality a bi-lingual institution (p. 135). Overall, he suggests that across the eighteenth century there was a steady shift of power from theUpper to theLower House. In addition, he argues that as the diet's business came increasingly to be conducted in preparatory committees, the voices of county deputies steadily acquired greater prominence. Szij?rt? concludes that the growing political power of these gentry representatives was critical to the revival of the diet from the end of the eighteenth century. Szij?rt?'s arguments are based on close study of archival and other sources, and presented in the context of both Hungarian and wider European histori ography on the relationship between crown and estates during this period, which adds greatly to the value of this thorough and thoughtful study. Department of Modern History GraemeMurdock Universityof Birmingham J?rjo, Indrek. Liivimaa valgustajaAugustWilhelm Hupel, 1J3J-181Q [Enlighten ment in theBaltic: August Wilhelm Hupel 1737-1819]. Riigiarhiiv, Tallin, 2004. 556 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. English Summary. 28.00. J?rjo, Indrek. Aufkl?rung imBaltikum. Leben undWerk des livl?ndischen Gelehrten August Wilhelm Hupel (iy^y-i8ig). Quellen und Studien zur baltischen Geschichte, 19.B?hlau, K?ln, Weimar, Wien, 2006. x + 466 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. 44.90. Livonia, the south-eastern corner of the Baltic, was conquered by Russia from Sweden in the Great Northern War (1700-21). The conflict decimated the 164 SEER, 86, I, 2008 area's population and seriously damaged itsculture ? the Swedish university at Dorpat/Tartu, for example, disappeared. Over the following century the region ? now divided into the Imperial provinces of Esdand and Liefland ? gradually recovered, while the dominant Baltic-German land- and serf owning elite consolidated its position. The provinces' cultural and religious needs, however, were largely supplied from theGerman lands. Baltic-German students studied at German universities and, more importantly, many German graduates came seeking posts in Livonia as tutors and pastors and in other professions. These literati brought contemporary European ideas and knowledge to Russia's new north-western territories; they often remained connected with the European 'republic of letters', and constituted a bridge between Russia and the rest of Europe furtherwest. They were principal bearers of the Enlightenment in Livonia, which was distinct from but had many connections with cultural developments in Russia proper. August Wilhelm Hupel is a preeminent exemplar of this type.A pastor's son from theDuchy of Sachsen-Weimar, educated inWeimar and Jena, he came to Livonia in 1757, aged twenty-one, as a family tutor. In due time...

Einführung eines kompetenzbasierten Facharztweiterbildungsprogramms in einer neurologischen Abteilung

Competency-based programs have long been the basis of graduate medical education in British and North America. Such formally defined program structures are lacking in German graduate medical education. The methods and assessment tools used in a curriculum-based program of graduate education in medical specialties are presented. The feasibility of the program was tested in day-to-day use in a pilot study conducted within a neurology department. Experience of it during a 1-year period after implementation has also been collected. It was found that implementation of the program is feasible providing that both the trainers and the students are well motivated, that adequate resources are provided, and that a formal training system is provided for the trainers. This is confirmed by the 1-year experience of the program in routine clinical practice. The competency-based program presented, which is compatible with many quality management systems, offers management and assessment tools that will make for more satisfactory postgraduate medical education.

German and UK higher education and graduate employment: the interface between systemic tradition and graduate views

This article presents a comparative analysis of the German and UK higher education systems and their relationship to graduate employment. It scrutinizes the complex interconnections between (1) higher education systems and traditions; (2) the role of higher education in the state, society and the economy; and (3) the views of graduates as expressed in interviews. We explore how far and in what ways opinions, expectations and experiences are shaped by (1) national traditions and culture and (2) current economic, social, political and educational developments. We find that today’s student expectations and perceptions are shaped and transformed by economic, political and social factors, including potent higher education beliefs dating back to earlier centuries, as illustrated by the reflections of graduates five years after graduation. The analysis explores the commonalities within each country grouping which lead to striking differences between the countries that transcend the mostly country‐independent disciplinary differences. The analysis has possible implications for the Bologna protocol and issues of European comparability.

Luis Fernando Lindner (Schemnitz, ca. 1763 – México, 1805): catedrático de química y metalurgia del Real Seminario de México

After the Seven Years War, several mining academies were founded in Europe. The first to open its doors in the New World was that in Mexico in 1792. Chemistry and Metallurgy were the most important disciplines in students' curricula, and in some cases they were taught by physicians. In Mexico, Luis Fernando Lindner (ca. 1763-1805), a German graduate of the Wiener Medizinische Schule, occupied this chair between 1797 and 1805. This paper reveals some unknown details about his life and a reconstruction of his personal library.

Tracking the careers of graduates in sport and sport-related programmes: a European perspective

As part of the work of a European Observatory on Sports Occupations (EOSE), and building on previous national studies, a questionnaire and a methodology were developed to facilitate the tracking of graduates in physical education, sport and recreation in various European states. The questionnaire consisted of five major sections: personal data, education curriculum, career curriculum, specifications about current job and future employment aspirations. It was tested in 1998 in a Flemish and a German survey and, partly, in a French survey. The preliminary results of these pilot studies indicate that education is (still) the most important employment sector for Flemish and French graduates. In Germany, the sports sector seems to be the most important. Consequently, for Flemish and French graduates "handling pupils/children' and "(oral) communication' are seen as the most important skills. The German graduates indicated "commitment' as most important, and "(oral) communication' as second. The pilot reinforces the need for a consistent European methodology to investigate graduate employment in this field.

Can they think for themselves? The coming generation of scientists must learn more in school than simple fact memorising.

Can they think for themselves? The coming generation of scientists must learn more in school than simple fact memorising.

Millennial Possibilities: Entering the Profession at the Jahrtausendwende

As an undergraduate German major in the late '80s and early '90s, I was told that employment prospects in post-secondary education would be exceptionally good for my generation of students. When I began a PhD program in 1993, however, it was already becoming apparent that these predictions were not entirely accurate. I heard sobering reports that the number of new PhDs produced outnumbered the number of new vacancies considerably, not to mention the recent PhDs who remained unemployed or in adjunct positions. Either the anticipated retirements were delayed, or existing faculty lines were being eliminated upon the retirement of their holders. Despite the general consensus that employment outlooks were bleak, I resolved to complete the PhD program and to pursue an academic career. There were and still are no guarantees of tenure-track appointments for new PhDs, but I remain confident that graduate students and junior faculty who are sufficiently committed to the profession and receive the necessary training, guidance, and support from their departments and mentors can create a niche for themselves in today's and tomorrow's Germanistik/German Studies. Because I am personally in the transitional phase from graduate student to visiting assistant professor to tenure-track assistant professor, I will share my pragmatic views on some practical measures which I believe might ensure the vitality of a strain of German Studies which can continue to attract and retain students at all levels, and in turn permit a new generation of PhDs to continue in their chosen profession. While a graduate student, I served as graduate student representative on the departmental Self Study Review Committee. This granted me the opportunity to see our own programs from a variety of different perspectives: those of graduate and undergraduate students in the department, of faculty and administration, and of external reviewers. By participating in a single case study of the past, present, and projected future of a single German program, I gained an understanding of the widely varied and often-competing interests which both departments and individual faculty and students must negotiate in the attempt to ensure the continued integrity and vitality of our profession. The seemingly irreconcilable nature of these competing interests is most apparent in discussions of enrollments. With the advent of responsibility-based (or market-driven) budgeting systems, we frequently hear from above that we are too expensive, that especially graduate courses are under-enrolled. While a simple remedy might be to increase the number of graduate students admitted into German graduate programs, the MLA and others have cautioned that it is unconscionable to produce PhDs far in excess of the number of projected available academic positions. One possible solution to this dilemma would be the development of attractive alternate master's degree programs, for example a combined MBA and German MA, or master's degrees in Education and German. In addition to recruiting degree students in German, graduate programs can increase enrollments by developing courses which attract students from History, Art or Music History, Philosophy, Comparative Studies, Women's Studies, Jewish Studies, etc. While this would necessitate teaching in English translation, additional discussion sections can easily be offered in German for students who need to develop their language skills further. Many graduate schools are also encouraging the development of graduate minors, including interdisciplinary minors. Interdisciplinary minors would serve the dual purpose of increasing enrollments in German graduate courses and promoting collaborative projects (research projects and publications, conferences and symposia) among participating programs in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. Conversely, German graduate students should be encouraged likewise to pursue graduate minors and specializations in related fields. …

Religion: A Contested Site in Theology and the Study of Religion

I first became acquainted with Richard Niebuhr's scholarship and thought in a German graduate seminar on Friedrich Schleiermacher and Ernst Troeltsch. Niebuhr's book,Schleiermacher on Christ and Religion, was a required text for the course and was regarded as the most significant study on Schleiermacher. My interest in Karl Rahner's theology had led me to go to Germany for doctoral studies. Once there, I discovered that much of what I had admired in Rahner had already been anticipated a century and a half earlier in Schleiermacher's work. Professor Niebuhr's study on Schleiermacher was the source of this insight. It influenced my decision later to translate into English Schleiermacher'sOn the Glaubenslehre: Two Letters to Dr. Lücke. My topic for this article, the theological retrieval of the category of religion, is obviously suggested by Niebuhr's study of Schleiermacher, which sought to overcome the dichotomies associated with the category of religion by the then-dominant Neo-orthodoxy. This topic is also a theme of Niebuhr's ensuing book,Experiential Religion, in which he elaborated his own constructive account of religion and experience. In addition, this topic appropriately relates to Niebuhr's activity at Harvard University, where he helped establish a program of studies in religion within the Committee on the Study of Religion.

German Graduate Student Professional Development: Report on a Survey of Perceptions (1994-95)

In order to be successful in the competitive job market of the 1990s, today's graduate student in German must become professionally active early in his or her graduate career. While foreign language departments have lost tenure-track positions (Huber, Changes), graduate programs in German continue to produce a surplus of Ph.D.s (Huber, MLA's 1993-94 Survey). Thus, competition for even temporary appointments is tight. But what does it mean to become professionally active? Are graduate students aware of what it entails to become a member of the professoriate? Is it accurate to presume that most are interested in a career in higher education? If most do plan to pursue such a career, to what extent are German departments across the country preparing the students for the academic triad of teaching, publishing, and service? These are some of the basic questions we asked graduate students in a survey on their own professional development. 1 The topic of professional development of graduate students in German has received considerable attention in recent years, yet we hear primarily from tenured, established members of the profession whose knowledge about professional preparation of the German graduate student population is based largely on personal experience in their own departmental situation. Our aim in designing this survey was to give a voice to the graduate students themselves and shed light on the national situation. Based on the results of our nationwide survey, this paper profiles graduate students' understanding of what being a member of the professoriate involves. In addition, it discusses to what extent German departments across the country are training graduate students for quality teaching, publishing and an understanding of university service early enough to assure their survival on the job market as well as in the academy. Two points must be clarified from the outset. First, this survey reports graduate students' perceptions of their own professional development. It should thus be seen as a gauge to understanding how these graduate students see their career preparation. Their perception of their own needs for professional development may not correspond to how others (e.g., advisors, departments) view necessary preparatory activities, relationships, and goals. Second, the age of the data is a factor which must be acknowledged briefly; however, we do not believe that age diminishes relevance. We hold that the circumstances at many university graduate programs have not changed so drastically in the past three years as to discount the perceptions of respondents who may still be enrolled in graduate programs or who are just entering the job market. Further, while the academy has paid increasing attention to professional development since the time this survey was taken (e.g., sponsored sessions at national conferences, articles in profession-related journals), such discourse remains either inaccessible or undiscovered to those whose faculty advisors do