Formation of the information systems strategy: in a global financial services company

Over the past few decades, the potential of information systems (IS) to support organizational activities and help them gain competitive advantage has been widely recognized. At the level of strategy, there is a genre of organizational activities dedicated to realizing this potential. Methods known broadly as strategic information planning have been constructed to support such activities in organizations but these methods have not lived up their promises. Meanwhile, the use of evolutionary approaches in the application of IS in organizations have also received some attention. This paper describes and analyzes a case study of the evolution of the IS strategy within LeaseHold NV, a Dutch global leasing company. The study reveals that no IS planning was used. Instead, concepts of organizational evolution are found to be useful in analyzing the development of the IS strategy at LeaseHold.     

Comprehensiveness versus Pragmatism: Consensus at the Japanese–Dutch Interface

abstract    By comparing the views of managers working at the interface of two consensus-oriented societies, Japan and the Netherlands, we show important differences between the consensus decision-making processes as seen by Japanese and Dutch managers. These differences relate to how complete the agreement of opinion should be in order to speak of consensus, with the Japanese managers demanding a more complete consensus than the Dutch. The processes and conditions that Japanese and Dutch managers see as leading to consensus also differ. Japanese consensus is based on a more ordered, sequential process than Dutch consensus. Our respondents differed deeply regarding the role of the hierarchy in their own and the others' consensus processes, with both Japanese and Dutch managers seeing their own consensus process as less hierarchical. Our findings show that the concept of consensus is interpreted quite differently by Japanese and Dutch managers. This is an important warning for companies operating at the interface of these two societies. More in general our research illustrates the usefulness for international management research of detailed comparative studies focusing not on stark contrasts but on more subtle differences between management practices.     

The Agrarian Land Question in South Africa in Its Historical Context, 1652-1988

A bstract . The highly uneven land distribution in South Africa which favors the White ruling minority has its roots in many historical events and legislative measures. These include the "Great Trek" (the migration of Dutch farmers into the interior of South Africa), squatter laws in British colonies and Dutch republics , and the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910 whose parliament immediately took up the issue of land distribution and passed the ultimate land expropriation legislation, the Natives Land Act (1913), No. 27. Since the passage of this landmark act, indigenous Africans have been virtually landless while South Africa has emerged as one of the world's most economically advanced nations.     

Training and Performance of a Diverse Workforce

The moderating role of work contracts on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and the self‐reported performance of 1,311 permanent and 924 temporary employees across three sectors was studied using a multilevel design in 103 organizations in three European countries. The HR practice examined was training and its allocation to the different workforce groups. The relationship between training for permanent employees and performance was moderated by work contract as well as country. In the Spanish sample, the performance of temporary employees was more negatively related to training for permanent employees as compared to the Dutch and the Swedish sample. Unexpectedly, in the Dutch sample, training provision was negatively related to the workforce group it was provided for. It is the temporary employees that seemed to be the cause of the interactions, underlining the call for special treatment of this workforce. Results indicate a considerable role of the interplay of job dependence and labor market conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

THE AID EFFECTIVENESS LITERATURE: THE SAD RESULTS OF 40 YEARS OF RESEARCH

Abstract.  The aid effectiveness literature (AEL) consists of empirical macroeconomic estimates of the effects of development aid. By the end of 2004, it comprised 97 econometric studies of three families of related effects. Each family has been analyzed in a separate meta-analysis. The AEL is an ideal subject for meta-analysis as it uses only a few formally similar models to estimate the same underlying effects. It is also an area with strong beliefs, often generated by altruism. When this whole literature is examined, a clear pattern emerges. After 40 years of development aid, the preponderance of the evidence indicates that aid has not been effective. We show that the distribution of results is significantly asymmetric reflecting the reluctance of the research community to publish negative results. The Dutch disease effect on exchange rates provides a plausible explanation for the observed aid ineffectiveness.     

THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF OVERLAPPING JURISDICTIONS AND THE FRENCH/DUTCH REJECTION OF THE EU CONSTITUTION

In seeking to protect their failed social model by rejecting the EU constitution, French and Dutch voters ironically contributed to promoting the very 'liberal' order they misunderstand and despise. When, as in federalist politics, functions overlap, two levels of government compete for the same votes in the same territory in the supply of similar services. Not unlike the tragedy of the commons in oil extraction, it is in the interest of both political authorities to seek to gain votes in implementing the programme first. The overall equilibrium supply of public services is excessive and both levels of government have a tendency to invade every field. Short of effective constitutional limits on the powers of the central government, a more decentralised EU offers an opportunity to overcome the common-pool problem of multi-level government.     

THE IMPACT OF RURAL OUTMIGRATION ON REGION OF ORIGIN IN KOREA*

To assess the impact of rural outmigration on regions of origin, this paper borrows from international trade theory to develop a model of rural-to-urban migration. Borrowing from theories of nontraded goods and Dutch Disease, a model is developed for application to Korea. The model finds that rural outmigration can be detrimental to the rural sector when outmigration reduces farm profitability and triggers deterioration in the rural service sector. Farm profitability falls because of rising labor costs that cannot be passed on to consumers. The rural service sector falters when outmigration reduces market demand while raising input costs. County (kun) level Korean census data are used to test the model.     

Iranian Disease: Why a Developing Country's Government Did Not Listen to Economists' Advices

Why did the Iranian government push its economy towards Dutch disease, even when the consensus of Iranian economists and the majority of the media warned about the consequences of the adopted policies and the symptoms of economic illness? This study shows that Iranian Dutch disease occurred between 2006 and 2009 when a combination of favorable socioeconomic incentives and affirmative structural‐cultural backgrounds, including public acceptance of redistributive policies, short‐term perspectives of life and the development process, institutionalized obedience, and the increasing general perception of corruption, led the government to neglect economists' warnings and insist on its policies.     

THE ROLE OF THE SERVICE SECTOR IN THE ECONOMY OF METROPOLITAN GENEVA, 1975–1985

Modern production systems are characterized by the growth of service industries and the increasing interdependence between services and the production of goods. Further, current research is becoming increasingly concerned with the strategic role of certain service functions in the process of economic growth. In this paper we examine these phenomena in the specific context of the economic structure and evolution of metropolitan Geneva. We begin by presenting an alternative typology of economic activity, and then employ this typology to examine three aspects of Geneva's economic structure: its configuration in 1985; its evolution over the period 1975–1985; and intrametropolitan shifts of economic activity. Finally, we compare Geneva to other metropolitan areas and cities in Switzerland, France, and Canada, in order to demonstrate the universality of the processes taking place.     

荷兰租赁住房的发展历程

大力发展租赁住房是荷兰成功解决居民住房问题的基本经验。首先对荷兰租赁住房市场发展历程进行了概括介绍,其后对荷兰租赁住房体系,包括其租赁住房类型、特点、供给主体、融资来源、租赁对象等进行了归纳性研究,重点对政府在发展租赁住房体系中的作用及其政策实施效果进行了评价,从中揭示了荷兰发展租赁住房体系的经验与教训。     

荷兰高校PDP教学模式对我国高校的启示和借鉴

荷兰不仅以其经济发达而著称,其育人质量和教学特色也一直备受各国关注。PDP作为一种新的教学模式,在其国内受到诸多高校师生的推崇和重视。通过对PDP内涵的理解以及对荷兰高校PDP教学模式的深入探析,结合当前我国高校PDP教学现状的不足,总结出这种教学模式在育人和教学方面对我国高校的一些启示和借鉴,以希借此推进我国高等教育的发展,加快高素质人才的培养。     

THE IMPACT OF THE PRODUCT/PRODUCTION PROCESS INTERACTION ON THE EVOLUTION OF STRATEGIC RESPONSE

This article synthesizes previous research on the interaction between product and production process, and the impact of that interaction on the evolution of strategic response. This interaction has major implications for the competitiveness and productivity of the firm. The authors identify characteristics of the interaction that allow a more complete analysis of its relation to firm strategic response, productivity and competitiveness.     

Unraveling willingness to cannibalize: a closer look at the barrier to radical innovation

In the literature it has been suggested that willingness to cannibalize might explain why certain organizations are better at developing radical innovations than other organizations. Yet, a closer inspection of the literature suggests that organizations may cannibalize on previous investments, capabilities, and sales, lending support for the notion of a three-dimensional construct of willingness to cannibalize. The construct was then tested using a sample of Dutch companies. The results confirmed the three-dimensions of willingness to cannibalize. The construct and its dimensions showed anticipated different relationships with other NPD constructs, e.g. future market focus and risk posture of top management. In a second, larger study involving a panel of Dutch SMEs the construct was further checked and its effect on the type of new products developed investigated. Two out of three-dimensions of willingness to cannibalize were correlated with turning out more radical new products. There also was a positive correlation with financial performance. The results confirm that willingness to cannibalize is a multidimensional construct and plays an important role in predicting new product radicalness.     

THE POLITICS OF CASINO GAMBLING

This paper examines the politics that has permeated the development and implementation of public policy in Britain around casino gambling during the last 15 years. Casino gambling is said to be always controversial, with many claims and counter‐claims about its impact on individuals and communities. The author reviews the evolution of the Gambling Act 2005 to highlight the nature of the politics of casino gambling in liberal democracies and draws some lessons from the British experience that may assist policy‐making with regard to casino gambling in the future.     

The development of the Dutch national accounts as a tool for analysis and policy

Since the start of modern national accounting in the 1930s, the Netherlands has played a dominant role in the development of the national accounts. This paper discusses the origins and development of the Dutch national accounts. This includes the surprisingly slow start of political arithmetic in the Netherlands, the views of van Cleeff and Tinbergen on planning and national accounting, the role of Derksen and Oomens as fathers of the Dutch national accounts, the Dutch School of National Accounting, the interaction with national statistics and the role of the international guidelines and the European Union. The paper also takes a look into the future. The major challenges are to bridge the gap with data users and to increase relevance by, e.g. extended accounts, long-term time series on government finance and modules on education, health care and social security.     

Innovation processes in small and medium-size companies

Innovation in small manufacturing companies often proceeds in an unstructured way. For the most part there is no previous well-defined plan. Small companies manage to introduce product and process innovations in a great variety of ways. The activities involved in the innovation process vary from one company to another, as does the total duration of the process.

With product innovations, the market to which the companies orient largely determines how the innovation evolves. With process innovations, it is the novelty of the innovation that determines the mode of evolution.

Next to the know-how invested in the company, sources of information in the business sector are particularly intensively used, such as customers and suppliers. The use of other sources depends strongly on the stage in the innovation process.

These are the most important conclusions from an investigation that has been carried out under commission from the Dutch government. Its objective was to establish how innovation is accomplished in small companies and which sources of information are used at the successive stages of the innovation process.     

HR research in the Netherlands: imitation and innovation

In this paper we present an overview of Dutch HRM Research in the last decade, based on a content analysis of academic journals in this area. Also included is a comparison between UK and USA research, on the one hand, and Dutch research, on the other. Looking back, we conclude that HRM research in the Netherlands has had a relatively institutional character and has been less focused on HRM activities in a narrow sense. Dutch HRM researchers have paid less attention to the strategic positioning of HRM, to the redesign of HRM tools in the area of through-flow and performance management (appraisal, reward systems, feedback mechanisms) and to the monitoring of the effects of HRM. In this way HRM research has not reflected the key HRM issues occupying the attention of practitioners. From more recent patterns, however, we expect Dutch HRM research increasingly to reflect managerial concerns. This does not imply full convergence with US patterns, especially given the Dutch traditions in industrial relations and personnel management. The challenge for Dutch research on HRM is to find the right balance between market forces and institutional arrangements, including a fair position for the workers; this will have to do justice to the long established tradition of industrial democracy and consultation practices among the various stakeholders.     

Escaping the Resource Curse and the Dutch Disease?

Abstract . In the 1960s, Norway lagged behind its Scandinavian neighbors in the aggregate value of economic production per capita, as it had for decades. By the 1990s, Norway had caught up with and forged ahead of Denmark and Sweden. When and why did Norway catch up? The discovery and extraction of oil in the early 1970s is usually suggested as the explanation. But oil alone cannot explain Norway’s growth, since Sachs and Warner (2001 ) show that resource gifts often reverse growth, making oil a curse, not a blessing. Moreover, there is the possibility of contracting the Dutch Disease, which involves a rapid and substantial contraction of the traded goods sector. This article explains how deliberate macroeconomic policy, the arrangement of political and economic institutions, a strong judicial system, and social norms contributed to let Norway escape the Resource Curse and the Dutch Disease for more than two decades. Intriguingly, it appears that Norway in the late 1990s may show some symptoms: Norway has experienced reversed relative growth compared to Denmark and Sweden and a contraction of industrial activity. This article explores the political economy behind this recent slowdown.     

THE EVOLUTION OF THE TERM 'WASHINGTON CONSENSUS'

Abstract.  The term 'Washington Consensus', as Williamson conceived it, was the lowest common denominator of the reforms that he judged 'Washington' could agree were required in Latin America. The term has evolved to denote a different set of policies from those initially conceived. This paper investigates the different versions and interpretations of this controversial term and assesses whether the term itself is suitable and viable or slowly becoming irrelevant and obsolete. Most importantly, the evolution of the term mirrors the evolution of economic thought on economic development for nearly the last two decades.     

STATISTICS IN THE SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

This survey paper gives an impression of the main ways in which statistics is used in disciplines such as sociology and psychology. After an introductory section 1 the negative image of social science research is discussed in section 2. Section 3 is devoted to the enormous influence of modern computing facilities. Measurement of human behaviour has its specific problems (section 4). The use of linear and log–linear models is the topic of section 5. Latent variables are a basic concept for social and behavioral scientists, both in some linear models (section 6) and in item response theory (section 7). In the next section multidimensional and optimal scaling techniques are mentioned, and a selection of other topics is the content of section 9. Some general remarks on the generalizability claim of statistical methods constitute the final section. Because of space limitations and priority considerations, the author has decided to write a paper about topics and not about individual research contributions. For this reason there is no list of references (it would take several pages) and no painful split of all Dutch authors into those mentioned and those omitted. In general the Dutch research community has made quite a few major contributions to the area discussed in this paper.