Dear subscriber,

a lot has happened since the publication of our last newsletter. We have conducted a number of new studies, have discussed the results on international conferences, and have continued to publish our work.

Topics in this issue are:
1. Developments at the RespectResearchGroup
2. Conference papers of the RespectResearchGroup
3. Academic publications of the RespectResearchGroup
4. Colloquium „Ethics between Theory and Practice“
5. Introduction of new areas of research: „Literature and Ethics“ and „Values in Regional Marketing“

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1. Developments at the RespectResearchGroup
(a) So what are the latest developments? President Horst Köhler honoured the commitment of the winners in the competition „365 Orte im Land der Ideen“ at the annual reception of the initiative „Deutschland – Land der Ideen“. We are very proud of this distinction and it has encouraged us to keep going our unconventional way. ...more >>

(b) On 3 December 2007 Niels van Quaquebeke successfully defended his doctoral dissertation "Respect & Leadership: A Psychological Perspective". He has moved on to work at the Rotterdam School of Management – Erasmus University. The book version of the dissertation is now available from

Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Berlin. ...more >>

(c) Furthermore, Sibylle Petersen successfully defended her dissertation. Starting with September, she will be working in Dallas at the Southern Methodist University in the Stress, Anxiety & Chronic Disease Research Program on her project on self-concept and symptom perception.

(d) Swantje Möller also successfully defended her doctoral dissertation entitled "Disorientation and Reorientation in the Novels of Ian McEwan" on 16.07.2008 at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cologne.

(e) The phenomenon of respect between leaders and subordinates continues to constitute a central focus of our research. We are very pleased about the fact that the results of our studies in this area have now been largely analysed and that

we had the opportunity to present and discuss these with critical specialist audiences on a number conferences, colloquiums and seminars. Here, we would like to once more thank the Stiftung Wertevolle Zukunft for the generous financial support of this research. Additionally, the first scale on "respectful leadership" and "respect for the leader" have been published ...more >>

(g) We were also active in research concerning respect in schools. In this area we are investigating how respect arises in the relationship between teachers and pupils and, on a practical level, how teachers can act in order to gain their pupils’ respect. Furthermore, in a new study we are researching the effects of respect towards learners on their academic achievement. We are grateful for the financial support we receive for this project from the Deutsche Stiftungstrust.

2. Selected conference papers of the RespectResearchGroup
(a) At the 9. Konferenz der Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Albuquerque, USA we presented two studies which show that the positive effects of respectful leadership on the voluntary openness of subordinates are mediated through processes of identification ...more >>

(b) In a contribution to the 13. European Congress on Work and Organizational Psychology we presented two studies which show the importance of encouraging the experience of self-determintation in subordinates for subordinates’ satisfaction, strong identification with leaders, and openness towards the influence of leaders ...more >>

3. Academic publications of the RespectResearchGroup
Together with Prof. Erich H. Witte we edited a thematic series on the topic of respect for the Zeitschrift für Gruppendynamik & Organisationsberatung. In our article we develop a model in which we identify two basic forms of respect and distinguish them from terms such as acceptance and tolerance. ...more >>

4. Colloquium “Ethics between Theory and Practice“
From 02.11.07 to 04.11.07 the RespectResearchGroup hosted the interdisciplinary research colloquium “Ethics between Theory and Practice“. Through engaging in exciting presentations and lively discussions the participants tried to find answers to the question of how the gap between theory and practice in ethics can be

bridged. We would like to once more thank all speakers and participants for these interesting days.

5. Introduction of new areas of research: “Literature and Ethics” and “Values in Regional Marketing”
The RespectResearchGroup continues to grow and so do our areas of research. Our work is continuously enriched by new questions and issues and we would like to use this opportunity tp briefly introduce two of our projects.

(a) Questions of respect are intricately intertwined with ethical questions. In the context of the crisis of orientation and values characteristic of postmodernity the interest in ethical questions has strongly increased. Through an analysis of the novels of

contemporary British author Ian McEwan the relationship of ethics and literature was investigated in a project which was completed in May 2008. This project was concerned with two central questions: firstly, how  the postmodern crisis of orientation is reflected through the medium of literature, and secondly, in which ways literature can contribute to the discussion of ethical questions. ...more >>

(b) The competition between cities and regions is in full swing. Major advertising campaigns posit that people from Baden-Württemberg can do anything but speak standard German, and that people from Saxony-Anhalt get up earlier than anybody else. The aim: to attract talents and creative thinkers to the region, as a good infrastructure or subventions are no longer the only things that count for investors and companies. So which factors induce

people to move? What does a region or a city have to have on offer in order to be attractive? What is the impact of soft factors and values on specific target groups regarding their choice of place of residence?  These questions are tackled in a project jointly conducted by the RespectResearchGroup and the Institute of Marketing and Media (Chair for Marketing & Branding)

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Please understand that our priority is not to drown you in a flood of newsletters. We only send out newsletters if we really have something to say… and not merely for the sake of it. We think that this is a respectful way of dealing with our subscribers, even if this might mean that you receive the next issue in one or two months’

or even a year’s time.

If you are interested in our research or in our group please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Your
RespectResearchGroup