Bodo Abel

Bodo Abel (born January 18, 1948 in Witzenhausen ) is a German economist . Until 2013 he was professor of business administration , especially international marketing , at the University of Hamburg and program director of the international master's program "MiBA - Master of International Business Administration" at the University of Hamburg and is also at the State University of Economics and Finance until the end of 2014 ( FINEC) in Saint Petersburg , Russia . In addition to "International Marketing", teaching and research areas also include "International Media Management", "International Business Ethics", "International Corporate Social Responsibility" and the theory of science .

life and career

Bodo Abel went to Hann. Münden and Bremen went to school and from 1968 studied business administration at the University of Mannheim . During his studies he came into contact with Hans Raffée and Hans Albert and, in addition to business administration, was enthusiastic about the theory of science and critical rationalism. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in business administration and became a research assistant at the chair for general business administration and marketing (later marketing) with Hans Raffée. In 1981 he successfully completed his doctorate on the subject of "Basics of Explanation in Business Administration" with Hans Raffée and Hans Albert. The dissertation was published in 1983 in a modified form under the title “Basics of the Explanation of Human Action” in the series “The Unity of Social Sciences”, Verlag JCB Mohr (Paul Siebeck).

After completing his doctorate, Bodo Abel switched to publishing management. From 1982 to 1993 he worked in various marketing management functions for the publishing house Gruner + Jahr . In addition, from 1986 to 1994 he was a lecturer in "Media Marketing" at the University of Hanover , Market and Consumption Department, Ursula Hansen.

In 1994 Abel was offered a professorship at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, where he was Professor of Marketing for one year. A short time later he followed the call to the HWP - Hamburg University for Economics and Politics in Hamburg, which was merged with the University of Hamburg in 2005 . He has been a university professor there since 1995. Since 1998 he has been head of the international master's program “Master of International Business Administration (MiBA)”. This program was exported to Russia under his leadership in 2005 and has since been offered at the State University of Economics and Finance (FINEC) in Saint Petersburg parallel to the University of Hamburg. After the University of Hamburg withdrew in 2013, the course in St. Petersburg will be continued in a cooperation between FINEC and the TU Braunschweig.

Scientific work

Teaching

As a university lecturer, Bodo Abel has offered lectures and seminars on the following topics at several international universities:

" Media Marketing " (at the University of Hanover, the University of Hamburg and the State University for Economics and Finance, FINEC, in Saint Petersburg, Russia),
"International Marketing" (University of Hamburg, FINEC in Saint Petersburg, Russia, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China),
“International Business Ethics” and “Corporate Social Responsibility” (University of Hamburg and FINEC in Saint Petersburg, Russia) and
“International case study seminars” with current cases from international management practice that had to be solved by student teams from several universities (MiBA students from the University of Hamburg, FINEC in Saint Petersburg and the East China University of Science and Technology were involved , Shanghai).

Publications

In his publications, Bodo Abel has stood out in particular for his contributions to scientific theoretical topics in economics. He has also worked on socio-marketing, marketing ethics and branding.

In the philosophy of science he took a position on the following topics, primarily on the basis of critical rationalism:

The adequate explanation of human action
The “Erlanger model” of constructivism, which was mainly represented in business administration by Horst Steinmann and his students
The appropriate research program in business administration to explain and design actions in management
Ethics and Freedom of Values in Science.

According to Abel, the explanation of human action on the basis of the scientific deductive-nomological explanatory model is not only possible, but also makes sense. He dealt with this question in detail in a differentiated analysis of the explanatory approach of the constructivists of the Erlanger School in his book "Fundamentals of the Explanation of Human Action".

Bodo Abel sees “theoretical thinking in models” on the basis of behavioral theories as an adequate research program core element of business administration. These theoretical models contain nomological hypotheses, especially from the (especially cognitive) behavioral theories as well as statements about business application conditions. In its explanatory and structuring function, business administration is essentially an applied science, in which above all hypotheses of behavioral theories are applied to particular business management constellations. In a similar context, Karl R. Popper aptly speaks of "explanations of event types" and Friedrich August von Hayek of "explanations in principle".

On the question of value freedom, Bodo Abel has modified his view somewhat over time: He was always of the opinion that science should make a lasting contribution to the normative discussion and shaping of reality, and that value-free scientific statements play a central role here. He still believes this. In his early publications on the principle of value freedom, he advocated that science should limit itself to value-free material expenses. He was of the opinion that no methodical-rational basis can be created for normative statements in science, and that science in this respect strictly follows Max Weber's principle of freedom from values and cannot and should not make any normative statements. On this point his view has changed. Bodo Abel now assumes that an acceptable scientific method base can also be created for normative statements, without having to deviate from the basic ideas of critical rationalism . Rather, he considers it almost necessary, as in the discussion of value-free empirical statements, to start from the basic assumption of critical rationalism.

It is also true for the scientific discussion of value judgments that there is no objective certainty and that all certainty is produced by people themselves. Therefore, the methodical idea of systematic, unfounded criticism is preferable to striving for a secure foundation not only for empirical factual statements, but also for normative statements. Both types of statements have to be subject to a different verification principle. The factual statements are checked for their truth, that is, for the correspondence between what is meant in the statements and reality. Normative statements, on the other hand, are checked for their reasonableness, that is, what contribution they can make to the benefit of all sentient, affected beings. In the scientific discussion and justification of norms , empirical factual statements play an important role and they must be used.

Since no logical conclusions can be drawn from empirical factual statements about norms, so-called bridging principles are required in the scientific discussion of norms, which have a double function: on the one hand, they are methodological-rational principles of norm assessment and, on the other hand, indications of the contributions made by empirical knowledge to the assessment of norms can. Bodo Abel cites the “congruence postulate” (adopted by Hans Albert ) as bridging principles , which states that what is fundamentally accessible to knowledge should be used in the review of standards (e.g. . no recourse to God). As a second bridging principle, the well-known “practicability principle” can be used, which simply means “ought implies ability”, that is, only what can basically be produced empirically may be required. As a further bridging principle, Bodo Abel chooses the “linking principle”, behind which stands the demand for exhaustion of the ethical content of the assessed facts and norms, whereby under “ethical content” everyone affected by this constellation in their happiness (gain in benefit) or suffering (loss of benefit) stands are meant. Finally, the “principle of comparative assessment” can be defined as a further bridging principle in the light of alternatives.

Core elements of a scientific treatment of empirical statements and norms
	Empirical Sciences	Normative Sciences
Functions	Help people understand reality and shape it in a targeted manner	Help people to evaluate reality and shape it sensibly
aims	Presentation of reality revealing: structures (transcendence)	Assessment and improvement of reality
Areas	What is accessible to knowledge	Affected
Verification principle	Truth (correspondence) true / false	Reasonableness good / bad (happiness, sorrow)
Basic methodological assumption	Instead of objective certainty → fallibilism → every assumption could be wrong.	Instead of objective certainty → fallibilism → every solution could be the second best.
Basic methodological approach	Instead of recourse to a dogma or foundation → systematic criticism	Instead of recourse to a dogma or foundation → systematic criticism
Relationship norms and empirical statements	Critical dualism with bridging principles (instead of parallelism or mixing)

In publications on marketing, Bodo Abel has dealt with topics of marketing ethics and branding. Like management and business administration, he has not only viewed marketing studies as limited to commercial companies, but has always defined them broadly. Marketing also includes socio-marketing in the sense of marketing for social and societal tasks (e.g. church or town marketing). The approaches and the instruments of marketing can also lead to a significantly better achievement of goals in the non-profit area than would be the case without marketing. In his publications, Bodo Abel not only started from a social and societal concept of marketing, but also often made social and societal obligations an issue by treating marketing in its relationship to ethics. It was about the harmonization of market and ethical successes, the enlargement of the ethical successes of the market and the market successes of ethics. In his essays on the subject of media marketing and ethics, the main focus was on the extent to which the market quality of media and their social (especially educational) quality can be harmonized.

In city marketing, Bodo Abel worked on how the international competitiveness of cities can be improved through branding strategies. He is of the opinion that branding (again in its broad interpretation) as an approach to the strategic structuring of city management significantly increases the well-being of the citizens and the success of the city with other target groups of city marketing (talent, investors, trade, industry, visitors, media) can. He sees the following elements as elements of the branding strategies:

Brand vision (what should the brand be perceived as by the target persons?),
Core competence of the brand (what is the brand actually seen as central by the target persons?),
Brand mission (the strategic goals and business areas of the brand: what is offered, in what form?)
Brand signals (the entirety of the communicative elements associated with the brand),
Brand substances (the rational utility components of brands) and
Brand personality (the brand's emotional associations).

The factors of successful city marketing include the development and communication of ideas about what the city should stand for (brand vision), a clear understanding of the city (core competencies) among the target groups, the delivery of relevant benefits (brand substances) for these target groups, the evocation of associations and Emotions (brand personality) and the production of stimulating images (brand signals), and all of this in a coherent, conclusive, target group-related approach.

Awards and memberships

2005 Doctor of Honoris Causa from the State University of Economics and Finance (FINEC) in St. Petersburg, Russia
2001 member of the “International Higher Education Academy of Sciences” (IHEAS), Russia
2003 Vice-President of the "International Academy of Sciences for Higher Education", the German department of the Russian IHEAS

Publications

Books

Basics of explanation in business administration. Reflections on a Controversy Between Constructivists and Critical Rationalists. Dissertation . Mannheim 1981.
with Hans Raffée (Hrsg.): Philosophical basic questions of economics. Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1979. (also published in Japanese: by Zeimu-Keiri-Kyokai-Verlag, Tokyo 1982)
Basics of explaining human action. (= The unit of the social sciences. Volume 34). Verlag JCB Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tübingen 1983, ISBN 3-16-944685-1 .
with Klaus-Peter Wiedmann and Wolfgang Fritz (eds.): Management with vision and responsibility. A challenge to science and practice. Gabler-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2004.

Essays

A plea for an education and design-oriented marketing science. In: WF Fischer-Winkelmann, R. Rock (Ed.): Marketing and Society. Gabler-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1977, pp. 9-41.

Business Administration and Practical Reason. In: H. Steinmann (Hrsg.): Business administration as normative action science. Gabler-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1978, pp. 160-191.

Thinking in theoretical models as a guiding principle in economics. In: H. Raffée, B. Abel (Hrsg.): Theoretical basic questions of economics. Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1979, pp. 138-160.

Critical rationalism and the principle of freedom from values. In: H. Raffée, B. Abel (Hrsg.): Theoretical basic questions of economics. Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1979, pp. 215-234.

with Hans Raffée: Tasks and current trends in the philosophy of science in economics. In: H. Raffée, B. Abel (Hrsg.): Theoretical basic questions of economics. Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1979, pp. 1-10.

Power theory models and individualism as starting points for business-related conflict research. In: G. Dlugos (Ed.): Company- related conflict research. CE Poeschel Verlag, Stuttgart 1979, pp. 45-69.

with Hans Raffée and Peter Wiedmann: Socio-Marketing. In: M. Irle (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Psychologie, Volume 12: Methods and Applications in Market Psychology. Verlag Hogrefe, Göttingen 1983, pp. 675-768.

An independent cultural studies specialist understanding in business administration: Is that necessary? In: WF Fischer-Winkelmann (Ed.): Paradigm shift in business administration? Verlag René F. Wilfer, Spardorf 1983, pp. 3-30.

Functions of the philosophy of science in economics. In: TR Hummel (Hrsg.): The study of economics. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt / New York 1984, pp. 159–179.

Socially committed. Promoters of change, core target group of society-related marketing. In: H. Meffert, H. Wagner (Ed.): Value change and consumer behavior. (= Working Paper No. 20). Scientific Society for Marketing and Management V., Münster 1984, pp. 39-66.

Constructivism. In: E. Dichtl, O. Issing (ed.): Vahlens large economic encyclopedia. Volume 1, Verlag CH Beck, Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1987, p. 1055 f.

Cultural studies. In: E. Dichtl, O. Issing (ed.): Vahlens large economic encyclopedia. Volume 1, Verlag CH Beck, Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1987, p. 1116 f.

Principle of trans-subjectivity. In: E. Dichtl, O. Issing (ed.): Vahlens large economic encyclopedia. Volume 1, Verlag CH Beck, Verlag Vahlen, Munich 1987, p. 722 f.

Business administration as an independent cultural science? In: S. Kojima, G. Schanz (Ed.): Economics and Critical Rationalism. Scientific exchange between Germany and Japan. Tokyo 1987, pp. 52-68. (only published in Japanese)

Marketing Ethics - Starting Points, Barriers, and Implications. In: Business Administration. DBW, Volume 48, 1988, pp. 803-806.

Ethics, Market and Media. In: G. Silberer, G. Specht, H. Engelhardt (eds.): Marketing interfaces. CE Poeschel Verlag, Stuttgart 1989, pp. 69-83.

Dialogue and Ethics - A non-dialogical method of ethical assessment of dialogue. In: U. Hansen (Hrsg.): Marketing in social dialogue. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt / New York 1996, pp. 93-108.

Fundamental challenges in e-branding. In: H.-C. Riekhof (Ed.): E-branding strategies in practice. Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2001, pp. 31-55.

Menedschment SMI meschdu rinkom, politikoj i svobodoj pechati. In: Region. 4/2001, St. Petersburg, Russia 2001, pp. 120–125.

Media management between market, politics and freedom of the press. In: G. Bagiev (ed.): Economic relations and marketing between Russia and the European Union under the condition of globalization. Pp. 142-151.

Cosmopolitanism - the next “big idea”? About Ulrich Beck's book “Power and Counterpower in the Global Age”. In: Personnel Management. January 2003, p. 78 f.

The basic challenges of globalization in research and higher education of International Business Administration. In: Report of the AFBE-Conference in Shanghai. May 2004,

Ethical-normative analyzes in economics - possible and useful. In: Klaus-Peter Wiedmann, Wolfgang Fritz, Bodo Abel (eds.): Management with vision and responsibility. A challenge to science and practice. Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 2004, pp. 285-307.

Fundamental challenges of globalization for the research and training of international management at universities. In: G. Bagiev (ed.): European education. Volume 1, St. Petersburg 2006, pp. 103-108.

Corporate social responsibility in journalism and media management - an overview. CIS paper for the workshop "Corporate Social Responsibility in Media Companies - Opportunities and Challenges of Approaches to Business Ethics", June 20, 2007

An international university cooperation along the partnership axis Hamburg - St. Petersburg - Shanghai - Why do we need international study programs? In: ChinaContact. October 2007, pp. 24-26.

Diversity and competition as the basis for the competitiveness of our universities. In: Book on Anniversary of International Higher Education Academy of Science (IHEAS). Moscow 2007, pp. 158-170. (in German and Russian Language)

St. Petersburg - brand politics of a city. In: Georgyi Bagiev, Heribert Meffert (ed.): Relationship marketing . St. Petersburg 2009, pp. 437-444.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Abel, Bodo
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German economist
DATE OF BIRTH	January 18, 1948
PLACE OF BIRTH	Witzenhausen