Findings from empirical research are increasingly published and discussed in the scientific community. On the one hand, empiricism helps to substantiate or question existing theories; on the other hand, it is itself a source of inspiration for new theoretical considerations. The share of empirical contributions in scientific journals has risen sharply in recent years and the (empirical) instruments used for this purpose are often highly complex.

In order to be able to carry out scientifically recognised empirical research, a well-grounded knowledge of methods is therefore necessary in addition to business management expertise. It was therefore obvious to work as a cross-institutional research team in which all team members contribute their expertise. During the long-standing cooperation with the Institute of Applied Statistics, represented by Ms. a.Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. MMag. Dr. Christine Duller, several quantitative studies have been carried out and processed together. In addition to studies on the main topics of controlling in SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and controlling in family businesses, the research team has recently also continued to deal with the area of corporate crisis and restructuring. This topic area is particularly exciting because the taboo of corporate failure has made data acquisition particularly challenging. Some parts of the joint research work are already visible as successful conference participations and publications in the scientific community, while other parts are our current joint work.

Working together in a good and successful team, doing science, researching and discussing together has brought the two sub-disciplines closer together. The exciting cooperation in research has also led to a no less exciting cooperation in teaching. The goal of joint teaching is not only to convey to students the fun of research, but also to show them the added value of an interdisciplinary, appreciative approach to each other.