Winter semester 2024/25

Purpose and Profit

AI and “The End of Humanity”
Harris or Trump?
What Strengthens Europe?
Free trade is out of steam
Destroying Nature to Save It
„I feel like … gespalten“

Increasingly stakeholders are demanding that companies pursue a higher purpose that goes beyond profits, such as addressing climate change or inequality. Research suggests that companies with purpose central to their strategy tend to have higher growth and profitability, whilst achieving higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction. But what does developing a purpose- driven organization really mean? How do companies authentically live by their purpose and avoid rhetoric vs. reality gaps?

Keynote

Günter Stahl, Professor of International Business, WU Vienna

Panel discussion

Christof Miska, Associate Professor of International Business, WU Vienna

Nina Poxleitner, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of the social business “wirkt.”

Blanche Segrestin, Professor of Management Sciences at Mines Paris – PSL University, member of the Mission Committees of the purpose-driven companies Mirova and Maif

Lothar Wenzl, Managing Director at Trainconsulting, Systemic Organizational Transformation Specialist, author

Moderated by

Wendy Chapple, Professor of International Business and CSR, WU Vienna

Are humans inefficient and replaceable compared to AI? The stories we tell about ourselves as humans and the power of technology impact how we shape and invest in our future and how we engage AI. A gloomy view of humankind has become mainstream. It paints a picture of a future without trust, with weak democracies and an overpowering AI. The documentary film “‘The End of Humanity,”’, co-produced by WU, examines this narrative and explores alternative perspectives.

Introduction

Sarah Spiekermann-Hoff, Head of the Institute for Information Systems & Society, WU Vienna

Panel discussion

Sarah Spiekermann-Hoff, Professor of Management Information Systems and Society, WU Vienna

Oliver Dürr, Director of the Center Faith & Society, University of Fribourg

Stefan Woltran, Head of the Databases and Artificial Intelligence research unit, TU Vienna 

Moderated by

Axel Polleres, Head of the Department of Information Systems and Operations Management, WU Vienna

November 5 marks the 60th US presidential election. The extraordinary election campaign brought some twists and turns, most notably the resignation of the incumbent president as the Democratic candidate. Kamala Harris or Donald Trump – who will win over more voters? What implications will a Democratic or Republican victory have for the future of the USA? And what does all this mean for the world, given the USA’s enormous political and economic influence?

Panel discussion

Harald Oberhofer, Professor of Empirical Economics, WU; Senior Economist, WIFO

Velina Tchakarova, Founder of FACE and Visiting Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation

Moderated by

Kerstin Schlögl, Communications and Project Manager, freelance speaker

Europe’s position in the world is being challenged on several levels, including defense policy, economics, technology, and culture. It is therefore essential that we return to and revive Europe’s key strengths. How does the promise of freedom enshrined in the European treaties and the national constitutions hold up today? Can it sustain prosperity and social peace? How relevant are the EU’s core values? And will the EU enlargement help to make Europe stronger?

Panel discussion

Robert Menasse, writer

Ursula Plassnik, former Federal Minister and Ambassador, Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs

Pál Sonnevend, Professor and Dean, ELTE University Budapest

Moderated by

Katharina Pabel, Professor of European Law and International Law, WU Vienna

The pandemic and Putin’s energy policy have thrown the risks of foreign economic dependencies into stark relief. At the same time, populists are attacking the very world trade rules that have made global prosperity possible. China and the USA are decoupling, and globalization is being rolled back. The EU is focusing increasingly on sanctions, supply chain laws, and climate protection – geopolitical and ecological interests are pushing free trade aside. The prosperity of countries like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, whose wealth is based on trade and small and medium-sized enterprises, is under threat. In their new book, Gabriel Felbermayr and Martin Braml discuss possible ways of safeguarding and even expanding this prosperity.

Keynote

Gabriel Felbermayr, Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO); professor of economic policy, WU Vienna

Moderated by

Gerlinde Fellner-Röhling, Full professor and Deputy Head of Economics Department, WU Vienna

Humanity is facing an interlocking complex of social, ecological, and economic crises. Strategies for the economic transition remain within the bounds of the growth economy, including Green Deals and energy transitions. Is trading in new environmental commodities and offsetting environmental destruction, e.g. with carbon permits and biodiversity credits, the right response to the destruction of ecosystems and the mass extinction of species? Or do we need a completely new economic paradigm to inform systemic transformation? (What alternative economic systems are needed to initiate real change?)

Keynote

Clive L. Spash, Chair of Public Policy & Governance, Institute for Spatial and Social-Ecological Transformations, Department of Socioeconomics, WU Vienna

Panel discussion

Ursula Bittner, Spokesperson and Economic Expert, Greenpeace

Jutta Kill, Researcher and Activist, World Rainforest Movement (WRM)

Vincent Liegey, coordinator of Cargonomia, Degrowth research and experimentation cooperative

Christina Plank, Researcher, Institute for Development Research, BOKU University

Moderated by

Ines Omann, Sustainability Researcher and Facilitator

Linguistic diversity is a cultural asset in our globalized world. At the same time, it poses challenges for individuals, organizations, and societies. Language is complex and closely linked to emotions and identity. How can we communicate efficiently within this diversity? What adaptation and learning processes are needed? And what innovative approaches can be taken?

Keynote

Johannes Schnitzer, Associate Professor, Institute for Romance Languages at the Department of Business Communication, WU Vienna

Magdalena Zehetgruber, Teaching and Research Associate, Institute for Romance Languages at the Department of Business Communication, WU Vienna

Panel discussion

Vincent Beaufils, Chief Digital Officer, WALTER GROUP

Catharina Fendt, Chief Communication Officer & Public Affairs, IKEA Austria

Hatice Şahin-Ilter, native language consultant at the Klinik Landstraße hospital, Wiener Gesundheitsverbund

Andreas Windisch, Head of the Intelligent Vision Applications Research Group at JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Chief Science Officer at AI Austri

Moderated by

Bernadette Hofer-Bonfim, Teaching and Research Associate, Institute for Romance Languages at the Department of Business Communication, WU Vienna