“ There is a desire to ‘improve’ something in the interest of others, without actually knowing what those interests are.”

In the Western world we are very quick to demand specific ethical criteria relating to working conditions. However, the Pakistani sociologist Farah Naz, who earned her doctorate at the University of Klagenfurt and now researches and teaches at the University of Sargodha, raises the following issue: Before judging child labour and home-based work, we should understand the living and working conditions of the families concerned. Together with sociology professor Dieter Bögenhold, she has published a book with the title “Unheard Voices”. The publication forges links between the work of Pakistani football stitchers and the great global inequalities. The two authors discuss the main ideas of their book in this interview.

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Krank zur Arbeit: Wie kommt die Forschung dem Präsentismus und seinen Folgen auf die Spur?

Die Grippewelle hat Österreich und Europa wieder im Griff, und damit einher geht für viele Berufstätige die Frage: Wann gehe ich (noch oder wieder) zur Arbeit und wann bleibe ich besser zuhause? Welche Folgen entstehen für mich und für meine*n Arbeitgeber*in mit Blick auf Produktivität, Kosten und Zusammenarbeit? Studien zeigen, dass rund ein Drittel der Arbeitnehmer*innen auch krank zur Arbeit gehen. Heiko Breitsohl forscht an der Abteilung Personal, Führung und Organisation zum so genannten „Präsentismus“. In einer aktuellen Übersichtsarbeit kommt er gemeinsam mit Kolleg*innen zum Schluss: Wir wissen zu wenig über das „Phänomen Präsentismus“ und seine Bedeutung und Folgen werden gravierend unterschätzt.

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Innovation boost for “learning factory”: European research project “SemI40” generates path-breaking findings

Scientists and researchers have been conducting intensive research into the further development of autonomous factories in the framework of the European “SemI40” project (Power Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing 4.0). Under the leadership of Infineon Austria, 37 partners from science and industry have made decisive progress in the development of processes and methods for Industry 4.0 applications over the past three project years. The result: a unique security concept for networked communication of factories, a quality leap in the production process, plus significant improvements in energy efficiency.

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How do parenthood, marital state and income affect causes of death?

While the consequences of smoking, drinking alcohol, being active etc. have been carefully researched and are well understood as far as life expectancy is concerned, very few studies explore how individual decisions which result in becoming a parent or getting married influence the probability of dying and causes of death. Miguel Portela (Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal) and Paul Schweinzer (University of Klagenfurt, Austria) have recently conducted studies using data from Great Britain. Their biblically inspired conclusion is: “Let the little children come to me.”

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