Department of

Business
and Psychology

Business & psychology combined.

The Department of Business & Psychology brings together economic and psychological expertise for research, teaching and practice. With an interdisciplinary focus, the team analyses economic and human dynamics in organisations and markets.

Academically sound & practice-oriented.

Contact.

This is how to reach our department team.

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Prof.ⁱⁿ (FH) Dr.ⁱⁿ Birgit Teufer, BSc BA MA

Head of Department

Mission Statement

The Department of Business & Psychology at the FERNFH Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences combines economic and psychological perspectives in research and teaching. It is responsible for the Business Administration and Psychology bachelor and master degree programmes and provides in-depth knowledge of economic processes, the planning, organisation and management of companies, human experience and behaviour in organisations and markets, and the design of learning and working environments.

A key feature of the department is its interdisciplinary approach. The team brings together expertise in business administration – with a focus on marketing, human resource management, organisational theory and accounting – and in psychology, particularly consumer, market, social, work and organisational psychology as well as economic psychology. This broad expertise makes it possible to analyse economic and psychological questions holistically and to develop innovative solutions for practice and research.

R&D focus areas

Research at the Department of Business & Psychology is interdisciplinary, practice-oriented and application-focused. In close collaboration with the Department of Information Technology & Business Informatics and the Department of Health Sciences at the FERNFH Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences, as well as with other universities and research institutions, we investigate current issues in business psychology. In doing so, we look not only at economic and organisational relationships but also at the experience and behaviour of employees and consumers, as well as social and technological developments.

Our research focuses on three closely interconnected thematic areas:

Sustainability and business psychology perspectives on sustainable behaviour
Sustainable economic and social transformation requires a deep understanding of individual, organisational and structural influencing factors. Our research examines how people make sustainable decisions, how organisations develop sustainable business models and which psychological mechanisms promote or inhibit sustainable behaviour. We look not only at consumer behaviour but also at corporate sustainability strategies and the political framework.
Worlds of work & New Work – the changing nature of work and its psychological implications
Digitalisation, globalisation and social developments are changing the way we work. Our research addresses the challenges and opportunities of new forms of work, from flexible working models to digital collaboration. Psychological factors such as motivation, leadership, well-being and job satisfaction play a central role. We also explore how healthy ageing and a healthy transition into retirement can succeed in a modern working world, and when this transition should take place – taking into account trends as well as bridge employment.
Teaching and learning in digital and hybrid environments
The changing world of work goes hand in hand with increasing demands on education and lifelong learning. Our research focuses on designing innovative teaching and learning formats that optimise knowledge transfer and integrate digital media meaningfully. We investigate how blended learning approaches, interactive learning environments and adaptive learning systems can improve the acquisition of competences and which factors influence learning success.

These three research focus areas should not be viewed in isolation; they influence one another: sustainable development requires new work and organisational structures, while the changing world of work in turn calls for new educational formats. Education, in turn, can drive sustainable behaviour. Digital transformation permeates all three areas – it is changing consumer behaviour, economic structures, work processes and teaching and learning concepts. Diversity is also a key cross-cutting theme of our work. We regard diversity as an essential component of sustainable development, modern working environments and forward-looking educational approaches. Our research addresses the role of diversity in organisations, the effects of inclusive leadership and equitable education and learning formats designed to meet different needs.

Bringing research to life – involving students

Students are actively involved in our research – whether through project-based teaching formats, academic papers or participation in empirical studies. At the same time, research findings feed back into teaching, so that students benefit from the latest scientific insights and receive a research- and evidence-based education that meets high academic quality standards.

Research with impact

Our research projects combine academic depth with social relevance. We investigate how work, learning and consumption are changing in the course of digital and sustainable transformation – and how psychological insights can help shape this transformation responsibly. From AI in teaching to motivation in flexible working environments: our interdisciplinary projects generate sound knowledge and concrete solutions.

Research project Communities Climate Alliance – CoClimA (German only)

(currently in German only)

The hidden costs of flexible work: low situational strength as a feature of modern knowledge work and its opposing effects on intrinsic motivation
Commissioned by: Austrian Science Fund FWF

Objective: This research project aims to close gaps in understanding the effects of work flexibility on motivation, performance and well-being, focusing on both employees and the self-employed. Research on the psychological effects of work flexibility has produced mixed results, particularly regarding its effects on performance and well-being. Previous studies have overlooked key factors such as intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic work motivation refers to personal interest in and enjoyment of work (Gagné & Deci, 2005) and has been highlighted as the most important type of motivation for workers’ well-being (Van den Broeck et al., 2021). Based on situational strength theory (Meyer et al., 2010), we assume that flexible working conditions can foster intrinsic motivation through greater control, but can also reduce it through unclear work expectations resulting from less information.

Consequently, we hypothesise that lower situational strength can both increase control and reduce clarity at work, which can have both positive and negative effects on intrinsic motivation. However, personal resources (e.g. experience) and social resources (e.g. informational support) may buffer the unfavourable influence of work flexibility on lack of clarity. To test these hypotheses, we are carrying out five work packages over a period of three years, including interviews, the development and validation of questionnaires, a longitudinal panel study and an experimental vignette study. All studies target both employees and the self-employed.

The project is the first to examine the effects of work flexibility from a situational strength perspective. In doing so, we outline a psychological model of work motivation that is highly important for understanding the experience of employees in a contemporary, flexible world of work.

Duration: 06/2025 to 05/2028

Project leaders: Christian Korunka (University of Vienna), Julia Schöllbauer (University of Vienna, FERNFH)

Project staff: Ada Sil Patterer
Virtual learning companions in the distance learning programme: how generative artificial intelligence can support learning
Commissioned by: internal/FERNFH

Objective: The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing how we design teaching and learning. Especially in innovative educational concepts such as blended learning offerings in distance learning programmes, which are based on constructivist and self-directed learning, there are numerous concrete opportunities to improve the quality of teaching and learning processes and to develop them further didactically. In this context, AI chatbots are a promising media-didactic tool: as virtual learning companions, they can support students in acquiring research skills, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, while at the same time enabling individually tailored learning processes.

In the course unit “Financing and Investment” of the bachelor degree programme “Business Administration and Psychology”, students were offered easy access on the online campus to the voluntary use of a chatbot based on OpenAI’s GPT architecture. Adapted to the specific requirements of the course unit, the generative AI acted as organisational and subject-related support and enriched the teaching and learning environment as a virtual learning companion. Both actual usage behaviour and the results of interviews with 13 students are currently being evaluated. The aim is to systematically capture and critically reflect on the opportunities and challenges of integrating generative AI into the learning processes of a distance learning programme.

Duration: 04/2024 to ongoing

Project leader: Günther Wenzel

Project team: Nicole König, Andreas Pashchenko
Salience of eco-taxes and sustainability information on menus: effects on the choice of meat dishes
Client: internal/FERNFH

Objective: The aim of this internally funded research project is to investigate how different forms of presenting information on menus – in particular highlighting eco-taxes and sustainability information – influence consumer behaviour with regard to meat dishes. Several online experiments tested whether increased salience (visibility) of this information encourages the choice of vegetarian dishes. The project builds on an award-winning master’s thesis at FERNFH, which laid key foundations for the design and analysis. The results are intended to help develop evidence-based recommendations for sustainable consumption interventions in the hospitality sector.

Duration: 07/2024 to 08/2025

Project lead: Katharina Rieck (FERNFH alumna) with academic support from Birgit Teufer

Project team: Andreas Pashchenko
Strategies for financing harvest shares in community-supported agriculture for socio-economically disadvantaged households in Austria
Client: internal/FERNFH

Objective: The aim of this internally funded research project is to examine the potential of community-supported agriculture (CSA) in Austria among people on lower incomes and to find out which pricing models and subsidy schemes are most attractive and acceptable for this target group. The project will determine willingness to take part in a CO-CSA programme, the acceptable price for harvest shares and the preferred forms of subsidy (e.g. public funding, donations from members, income-based pricing). The research aims to understand the specific barriers to and motivations for participating in CSAs among economically disadvantaged population groups and ultimately to develop concepts that enable broader participation in this sustainable system, offering both environmental and health benefits.

Duration: 10/2023 to 06/2025

Project lead: Birgit Teufer

Project team: Vivien Marx

Digital Transformation

Business psychology perspectives on digital change
Digital transformation permeates every area of our society – it is changing consumer behaviour, work processes, economic structures and learning environments. At the Department of Business & Psychology, we analyse these developments from an interdisciplinary perspective, combining economic and psychological approaches.

Among other things, our research examines how digital technologies influence decision-making behaviour, communication skills and collaboration. The focus is on individual, organisational and societal impacts alike.
Embedded in teaching & research
In our teaching, we impart the competences needed to critically reflect on and responsibly shape digital change processes. Students analyse digital phenomena from a business psychology perspective and develop practical solutions.
In our research, we address topics such as digital stress, trust in technology, digital consumer behaviour and the effectiveness of new learning formats – always with a view to academic rigour and societal relevance.

Knowledge transfer / transfer activities

The Department of Business & Psychology is actively networked within the academic community. This includes, among other things:

Guest lectures and interdisciplinary research discussions that foster exchange with external experts.

Participation in academic conferences to present research findings and discuss them within the international research community.

Publications in renowned journals – both academic journals and so-called “communities of practice” with practical relevance for subject specialists and professional groups.

Connecting research, teaching and practice

With its research-led and practice-oriented approach, the Department of Business & Psychology contributes to the further development of business psychology topics. Through the close integration of research, teaching and practice, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration with other disciplines, we develop scientifically sound and application-oriented insights that help shape business and society in a sustainable way.

We welcome exchange with interested partners from academia, business and society. Whether through research collaborations, guest lectures, corporate partnerships or joint projects – we are open to new ideas and interdisciplinary cooperation. If you are interested in working with us or have ideas for joint initiatives, please get in touch.

Our team

Our department thrives on the people who shape it. Our staff bring their professional expertise, commitment and diverse perspectives to research, teaching and practice. Here we introduce you to our team – competent, experienced and passionate about what they do.