Research at Webster Vienna

New Edition of Danish Stakeholder Engagement Textbook Co-Authored by Prof. Pernille Eskerod

On April 22, 2025, Prof. Dr. Pernille Eskerod of Webster Vienna Private University and Associate Prof. Dr. Anna Lund Jepsen of the University of Southern Denmark published the second edition of their Danish-language textbook on project stakeholder analysis and engagement. The volume, titled Projektets Interessenter, is released by Djøf Forlag, Denmark’s leading academic publisher for research-based literature in business and management. Grounded in recent scholarly developments, the book is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students in project management courses. Its use of contemporary, practice-oriented case studies also makes it a relevant resource for professionals involved in project-based work.

Reference: Eskerod, P., & Jepsen, A. L. (2025). Projektets interessenter: Analyse og samspil (2nd ed.). Djøf Forlag.

Faculty — Business and Management

Faculty and Staff

Prof. Bátora from the IR Department published a research article in the European Journal of International Relations

In a new research article entitled "Repositioning of war: the ambiguous language of private military and security companies," Prof. Jozef Bátora (IR Department) and his co-author Dr. Michal Ovádek (Department of Political Science, University College London) argue that war as an institution of the modern state order is repositioned by the ambiguous language used by private military and security companies (PMSCs).

They suggest that to gain an analytical understanding of the ongoing repositioning of war as an institution, it is useful to study the language and discursive practices of PMSCs. This includes capturing the emergence of new recombined vocabularies connecting PMSCs to multiple societal domains usually unrelated to war. To do so, their theoretical approach builds on new institutionalism in political science and on organizational discourse analysis, and they analyze terminology on the websites of PMSCs cooperating with the European Union (EU).

Based on data from a new survey of 564 PMSCs connected with the EU, Bátora and Ovádek generated a corpus of text retrieved from 22,000 webpages. To identify core themes in PMSC discourse, they use principal component analysis (PCA) and non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) and perform topic classification and dimensionality reduction, and show patterns of recombined vocabularies across multiple domains.

They complement this by illustrating PMSCs' recombined practices in the field, demonstrating that language-based repositioning of war is also complemented by its practice-based repositioning. Bátora and Ovádek suggest that the concept of repositioning is useful as a new way of theorizing institutional change.

Faculty — International Relations

Faculty and Staff

Webster Vienna Professor Publishes Groundbreaking Research on Political Memes in New Media & Society

Dr. Bradley E. Wiggins, Associate Professor and Department Head of Media Communications at Webster Vienna Private University, together with co-author Prof. Maria Madlberger, has published a new study in New Media & Society, one of the most highly ranked journals in the field of media and communication.
The article, titled “Memetic Election Cycles in US Presidential Campaigns”, examines how internet memes have transformed into powerful political tools in U.S. elections, particularly since the 2016 campaign.

Drawing from research in political communication, participatory culture, and digital marketing, the study demonstrates how memes operate as more than viral jokes: they have evolved into vehicles of voter engagement, branding, and persuasion. The authors show that political campaigns increasingly use memes not only to energize grassroots support but also to shape public perception in an era of deepening political polarization.

The study highlights both the opportunities and risks of this digital phenomenon. On the one hand, memes function as hybrid forms of digital folklore and viral marketing, amplifying political messages far beyond traditional campaign strategies. On the other hand, their rapid spread makes them fertile ground for misinformation and disinformation, with tangible influence on voter attitudes and behavior.

“Memes have become central to how political discourse unfolds online,” notes Dr. Wiggins. “They blur the lines between grassroots culture and professional marketing, and their influence on elections is only likely to grow.”

The article adds to Dr. Wiggins’ extensive scholarship on digital culture and political communication. As a member of the editorial board of New Media & Society, his contribution further cements Webster Vienna’s role at the forefront of international media and communications research.

Reference: Wiggins, B. E., & Madlberger, M. (2025). Memetic Election Cycles in US Presidential Campaigns. New Media & Society.

Faculty — Strategic Communication

Faculty and Staff

Understanding Burnout in University Students Through Transactional Analysis

Burnout has grown to become an increasingly common issue among university students, affecting academic performance, mental and physical health, relationships, and overall well-being. Studies estimate between 31% and 55% of all students to experience some form of burnout. Eliška Maťašková, a Master of Arts graduate in Psychology with an Emphasis in Counselling from Webster Vienna Private University has recently concluded her research on the topic of burnout and its effects on various aspects of the lives of university students. Maťašková’s study aimed to deepen the understanding of student burnout by examining it through the framework of transactional analysis, specifically focusing on stroke patterns and ego states as potential predictors.

Maťašková used a cross-sectional correlation design with a total of 200 participants recruited via convenience sampling. The data was collected using a Qualtrics survey, incorporating the Beck Depression Inventory – Short Form, the ZESUI Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Student Survey, and the Stroke Scale. These measures were used to assess burnout levels and their relationship to specific stroke patterns and ego state profiles. Preliminary analyses included t-tests to identify which ego states and stroke patterns are most strongly associated with higher levels of burnout. Findings indicate that students with a dominant Nurturing Parent state reported significantly lower levels of burnout compared to those with a dominant Critical Parent state. This outcome can be attributed to the caring and empathetic characteristics of the Nurturing Parent, which help mitigate burnout by promoting supportive interpersonal interactions and a sense of purpose. In contrast, the judgmental and perfectionistic tendencies associated with the Critical Parent state may intensify stress and self-criticism, thereby increasing the risk of burnout, particularly in academically demanding environments.

By exploring these connections, her research aims to provide insights into how personality traits and social interaction styles contribute to student burnout. The findings could serve as a foundation for future interventions designed to prevent burnout and improve student well-being.

Faculty — Psychology

Faculty and Staff