diff --git a/django/core/management/__init__.py b/django/core/management/__init__.py
index e15dfccdf2..cd90fd6109 100644
--- a/django/core/management/__init__.py
+++ b/django/core/management/__init__.py
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ def setup_environ(settings_mod):
     project_directory, settings_filename = os.path.split(settings_mod.__file__)
     project_name = os.path.basename(project_directory)
     settings_name = os.path.splitext(settings_filename)[0]
-    sys.path.append(os.path.join(project_directory, '..'))
+    sys.path.append(os.path.join(project_directory, os.pardir))
     project_module = __import__(project_name, {}, {}, [''])
     sys.path.pop()
 
diff --git a/django/core/management/commands/startapp.py b/django/core/management/commands/startapp.py
index 1da2776cf5..c238e74a08 100644
--- a/django/core/management/commands/startapp.py
+++ b/django/core/management/commands/startapp.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ class Command(LabelCommand):
             directory = os.getcwd()
         # Determine the project_name a bit naively -- by looking at the name of
         # the parent directory.
-        project_dir = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(directory, '..'))
+        project_dir = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(directory, os.pardir))
         parent_dir = os.path.basename(project_dir)
         project_name = os.path.basename(directory)
         if app_name == project_name: