1. Waaggasse 10-4
A-1040, Wien
Austria
January 2014
To Whom it May Concern,
Please accept this letter of recommendation on behalf of Oda Hoftun, whom I have had the
pleasure of knowing for the past 2½ years. I have known Oda as a student in my Labor-Management
Relations course and then as her Thesis Advisor, at Webster University, Vienna.
I highly recommend Oda to you. She is very smart, strong willed, and highly motivated in her
field. I have found few students as committed and dedicated as Oda. In her thesis work, she operated
independently, and was/is very self-motivated and focused.
Oda’s thesis was on the topic of Employee Engagement, something she and I share an interest
in. Her research with Hafslund ASA, which owns Hafslund Customer Services Centre, was both practical
and applied. She conducted this study, as she might have as an HR executive with Hafslund. As such,
she gained great insight into the question of what engages staff and also how to work with an executive to
evaluate a situation that was perplexing him. For her thesis work she received an A grade. As her
advisor, I found the work to be empirically rigorous and at the same time, very practical.
Oda is committed to a career in the Human Resources/Organisation Development field and I
believe, over time, she will make significant contributions to the profession and field. She is highly
capable, self-directed, inquisitive and imaginative.
If you are considering Oda, you have found the right person. Only good could come from
bringing Oda into any company smart enough to hire her. In this competitive marketplace, I find Oda
stands out among her peers. I believe this will not change over time.
Yours truly
Dr. Paul D. Tolchinsky, PhD
Webster University, Adjunct Professor
Performance Development Associates, Managing Partner
European Organisation Design Forum European Chairperson