Clearance of emergency exits for use by the elderly,a proposal for an addition to a Dutch standard

In this article, the maximum pushing and pulling forces of 750 persons between 20 and 30 and over 50 years of age are presented. Measurements were done using a framed strain gauge transducer and recorder. Both forces were measured in a free standing position that was related to opening a heavy door. The latter makes it possible to use the information in a standard on emergency exits. Such a force standard is not available in The Netherlands. We propose an addition to NEN 6082:19971 concerning human abilities to open unfastened, hinged doors that are on an escape route.     

Partnership on Top of a Dutch Gas Pocket

Recent developments between Gasunie and Groningen illustrate the delicate issues which are raised by such company-city partnerships. The author is a scientific researcher in Ethics at Nijenrode, The Netherlands School of Business. He wishes to thank Henk Pohlmann, Head of the department of Collective Relations and Social Policy of Gasunie, for information and discussion.     

Remittances and the Dutch disease

Using data for El Salvador and Bayesian techniques, we develop and estimate a two-sector dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model to analyze the effects of remittances on emerging market economies. We find that, whether altruistically motivated or otherwise, an increase in remittance flows leads to a decline in labor supply and an increase in consumption demand that is biased toward non-tradables. The higher non-tradable prices serve as incentive for an expansion of that sector, culminating in reallocation of labor away from the tradable sector — a phenomenon known as the Dutch disease. Quantitative results also indicate that remittances improve the welfare of households because they smooth income flows and increase consumption and leisure levels. A BVAR analysis provides results that are consistent with the dynamics of the model.     

Examining Dutch disease across Australian regions

The recent mining boom represents one of the largest external shocks to the Australian economy in its post‐war history. Although most agree that it had a positive effect on the Australian economy as well as on people’s living standards, there is disagreement over the extent to which this boom has caused deindustrialisation and the so‐called Dutch disease in Australia. Our empirical findings support the presence of Dutch disease nationally for Australia using data for the period 1984–2013. Regionally, the results show that Dutch disease was concentrated mainly in the eastern and southern states of Australia—Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.     

Workers' remittances and Dutch Disease in Bangladesh

Workers' remittance is one of the major sources of foreign exchange earnings for Bangladesh in recent years. It accounted for 12% of GDP in 2009 and has colossal socio-economic implications for the country. However, the inflows of foreign exchange earnings can exert adverse effects on the international competitiveness of an economy as postulated by the Dutch Disease theory. Using Johansen Cointegration and Vector Error Correction Model and annual data from 1971 to 2008, this paper investigates the effects of remittances on the external trade competitiveness as measured by the movements of real exchange rate of the country. The results of the study suggest that the influx of workers' remittances significantly appreciates the real exchange rate and deteriorates the external trade competitiveness of Bangladesh. While increased terms of trade indicates similar adverse effects, openness in goods and capital markets and nominal devaluation improve the trade competitiveness of the country. Therefore, greater trade openness and channelling remittances to the priority investment projects can be powerful policy devices to improve the external competitiveness and avert ‘Dutch Disease' in Bangladesh.     

Recent developments in the Dutch firm-size distribution

This study investigates the development of the firm-size distribution in the Netherlands using various measures. Data are used for the period 1978 through 1989 covering practically the entire Dutch private sector. The results show a general tendency towards smaller firm sizes in manufacturing industries until 1986, but indicate an opposite development after that year. This tendency towards larger firm sizes after 1986 is also encountered for non-manufacturing industries.This study is part of a research program carried out at the Centre for Advanced Small Business Economics (CASBEC) of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The authors are grateful to Jan van Dalen, Aad Kleijweg, Jeroen Potjes and Wim Verhoeven for helpful comments and Herman van Schaik for elaborating the original data files. The authors acknowledge a research grant from the Stichting KMO-fonds.     

Co-operation in the Dutch Container Transport Industry

During the last 25 years, co-operation within the Dutch container transport industry has served in various ways as Q means of reducing rkk. Co-operation has been aimed chiefly at reducing financial risks, pooling financial resources, and regulating com- petition. In most cases, a direct solution of the problem of match- ing supply and demand has not been an important motive for CO- operation. In the early days of containerisation, industry culture was facilitating co-operation in liner shipping more than in the stevedoring and road haulage industries.     

Organizational Structure and Performance in Dutch small Firms

The relationship between organizational structure and performance in small firms has received relatively limited attention over the last few decades. In understanding small firm performance this seems to be a serious omission. In this paper, we first present the rationale for including organizational structure in the analysis of small firm performance. Then, from the literature on organizational theory, we retrieve several dimensions that may be postulated to describe organizational structures of small firms. Based on the study of a stratified sample of 1411 Dutch small firms we show that nine structure stereotypes can be delineated. We further investigate the relevance of the empirical taxonomy by looking at the relationship with firm performance in terms of sales growth, profitability and innovativeness. Eventually, we conclude that organizational structure indeed matters and that it deserves to be taken into account in models and future analysis of small firm performance.     

Firm-size distribution and price-cost margins in Dutch manufacturing

Industrial economists surmise a relation between the size distribution of firms and performance. Usually, attention is focused on the high end of the size distribution. The widely used four-firm seller concentration ratio, C4, ignores what happens at the low end of the size distribution. We investigate to what extent the level and the growth of small business presence influence price-cost margins in Dutch manufacturing. We use a large data set of 66 industries for a thirteen year period. This allows the investigation of both small business influences within a framework in which that of many other market structure variables is also studied. Evidence is shown that price-cost margins are influenced by large firm dominance, growth in small business presence, capital intensity, business cycle, international trade and buyer concentration.     

Radical Product Innovation in the Dutch Food Industry

Abstract

This paper examines the adoption of radical food production systems in the Dutch food industry. It is argued that radical innovations are of major importance to contribute to the increase of growth and competitiveness. A model was developed to test which factors influence the adoption of radical product innovations, in particular health enhancing food products. It includes organizational and environmental factors derived from literature that influence the adoption of radical innovations. Results indicate that differences in firms' organizational factors determine the adoption of radical product innovations. Implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.     

Closer Cooperation in the Energy Sector with Dutch

Among EU countries, the Netherlands is China＇s second largest trade partner. Dutch imports from China in 2008 amounted to a substantial EUR 25.3 billion. Exports too have risen sharply since the mid-nineties, now reaching 3.8 billion. In september, Mrs. Maria Van der Hoeven, Minister of the ministry of Economic Affairs visited China including Beijing, Xiamen and Shanghai from September 7-September 11, 2009. The purpose of the visit is to af- firm the excellent economics bilateral ties between The Kingdom of the Netherlands and the People＇s Republic of China.     

Transparency of Corporate Social Responsibility in Dutch Breweries

According to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (2001), transparency by means of Sustainability Reporting should lead to better Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance of companies. Sustainability Reporting should also give consumers the information they need to purchase the most sustainable products available (Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, 2004). This article analyses the driving factors influencing CSR and Sustainability Reporting at seven breweries in the Netherlands. It also gives a better understanding of organizational behaviour with reference to CSR and the reasons breweries have for Sustainability Reporting. The Dutch government has no intention of forcing organizations to publish a sustainability report, since it is trying to diminish the volume of legislation. Rather, the government prefers to rely on the willingness and initiatives of organizations to make CSR a success. In 2006, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs will evaluate the effect of its CSR policy. But is it a success already? During our research, breweries appeared to find CSR more important than Sustainability Reporting. Sustainability reporting is, for most breweries, not the way to reach stakeholders. Most stakeholders have their own means for receiving information e.g. annual reports, meetings, public statements and press releases. Although small breweries think CSR is very important, they feel no pressure from outside to publish a sustainability report. For them it is very complex and expensive to publish a sustainability report. Large breweries feel pressure from many stakeholders to be transparent, but not on a regular basis. We conclude from this research that CSR does not stimulate Sustainability Reporting, but neither does Sustainability Reporting stimulate CSR.     

荷兰学派的技术哲学思想初探

荷兰学派是指在技术哲学领域,以特温特大学、埃因霍温理工大学、代尔夫特大学以及瓦格尼格大学哲学部为代表的荷兰学者们及其相关研究。他们掀起了国际技术哲学界的＂经验转向＂,提出了＂技术人工物双重属性＂的技术解释学论纲,具体表现在对工程哲学、技术与社会的关系、信息技术、技术文化、技术可持续性等的关注。在国际技术哲学的舞台上,荷兰已有取代美国成为研究中心的趋势。     

A Comparison between Dutch and German Retail Price Setting

This article examines the diferences between Dutch and German retail price setting. The study is based on an econometric approach in the sense that the estimates of the coeficients of a one-equation model explaining retail profit margins are compared. Extensive datasets are used for both the Dutch and German case, allowing a general comparison between the two countries to be made. An ex post interpretation of the differences in coeficients found is given.     

Non-legislative means of consumer protection: The Dutch perspective

This report approaches the new spheres of self-regulation, soft law and deregulation in the Netherlands from both a factual and historical point of view. Using the Dutch Advertising Code as an example, the article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of self-regulation, thereby illustrating that self-regulation may even lead to greater protection of the consumer than would otherwise be achieved: the operation of the Dutch Advertising Code is not only successful, but is also more far-reaching than the draft EEC directive on misleading advertising.Self-regulation exists in many other spheres which, however, do not necessarily further protect the position of the consumer. Where a Complaints Commission exists, the situation is somewhat different in that disputes may generally be settled without great expense and relatively quickly.Self-regulation and concerted action have achieved a certain level of consumer protection in the Netherlands, but this, of course, does not mean that there is no room for progress: the author here shows the inter-dependency of non-legal rules with legal rules despite the tendency seen in the past years in the Netherlands to deregulate what were formerly public agencies and consumer-related institutions.

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Nicht-rechtliche Maßnahmen zum Verbraucherschutz — das Beispiel der Niederlande

Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag geht zunächst auf die grundsätzliche Einschätzung und Terminologie von Selbstregulierung, soft law und Deregulierung in den Niederlanden ein. Es herrscht eine positive Einstellung zu Selbstverwaltungsmaßnahmen der Wirtschaft. Mit dem Aufkommen von zwei einflußreichen Verbraucherorganisationen, Consumentenbond und Konsumenten Kontakt, konnte in Teilbereichen das System der Selbstregulierung zu einem solchen der konzertierten Aktion erweitert werden. In diesem Sinne ist eine Ergänzung, teilweise auch ein Ersatz von Gesetzgebung möglich.Dargestellt werden Selbstegulierungsmaßnahmen auf dem Gebiet der Werbung durch einen Kodex. Für die Einhaltung der Regeln über lautere Werbung sorgt eine besondere Beschwerdekommission, an der Verbrauchervertreter mitwirken. Die Implementation des Kodex wird positiv eingeschätzt. Er bietet z.T. einen höheren Verbraucherschutz als der EG-Richtlinienvorschlag über irreführende Werbung.In vielen anderen Bereichen existieren Selbstregulierungsmechanismen, die allerdings wenig effektiv sind und meist auch keine Verbrauchervertretung aufweisen. Eine Ausnahme machen Beschwerdekommissionen, die Streitfälle schnell und kostengünstig erledigen. Gesetzgebung bleibt hier notwendig als Mittel zu verbraucherfreundlichem Verhalten, etwa wie geplant zu Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen.

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Ewoud H. Hondius is Professor of Law at the University of Utrecht, Molengraaff Institute for Civil Law, Nieuwe Gracht 60, NL-3512 LT Utrecht, Netherlands.The author is indebted to Mr Egens Holleman, at present a graduate student at the City of London Polytechnic, who did valuable research for Section 2.     

Labour productivity and profitability in the Dutch flower trade

This paper makes an attempt to illustrate the use of econometric models as frame of reference for diagnosing small firm performance. For this purpose, two models are developed explaining differences in labour productivity and profitability among Dutch flower exporters. In addition, we show how these models can be used for inter-firm performance comparisons.     

Evaluating a Dutch scheme for encouraging research & development

This paper contains an evaluation over the period 1984–1988 of an important instrument of Dutch technology policy: a generic subsidy on R&D labor costs which especially favours small firms. The evaluation is based on surveys among nearly 3000 subsidy-using firms and on empirical analysis. The surveys show that the subsidy effectively strengthened the R&D activities of small firms in particular. It can be concluded from the empirical analysis that the subsidy generated between 40 and 150% of additional R&D spending. Given the large spill-over effects of R&D this probably means that the social benefits of the subsidy outweigh the costs. The incubation period of subsidies like the Dutch scheme require consistency and continuity of governmental (R&D) policies in order to influence corporate strategies, in particular those of small firms.     

Consumers and the conflict of laws in Dutch legal practice

Kaffeefahrt is the keyword for a survey of the situation of the consumer when it comes to the practice of conflict of laws in the Netherlands.The number of international consumer conflict of law cases that are met in Dutch legal practice seems to be quite low. However, the factual circumstances ofKaffeefahrten are similar to the sale of time-sharing developments in Southern Europe. This seems to be the most common example of internationalKaffeefahrt cases.

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Konsumenten und Rechtskonflikte in der hollÄndischen Rechtssprechung

Zusammenfassung Der Beitrag gibt unter dem StichwortKaffeefahrt einen überblick über die Situation des niederlÄndischen Konsumenten in FÄllen, die durch zwei beteiligte Staaten rechtlich unterschiedlich geregelt werden. Der Autor behandelt zunÄchst einige wenige FÄlle von Rechtsstreitigkeiten nach einer Kaffeefahrt, wo Konsumenten in ein Nachbarland gefahren werden und dort bei einer Tasse Kaffee zum Abschlu\ irgendeines Kaufvertrages aufgefordert werden. Der Autor übertrÄgt seine überlegungen zu der Frage, welches Recht anzuwenden ist, auf die hÄufiger werdenden FÄlle von kaffeefahrtartiger Anbahnung von VertrÄgen über die Teilzeitnutzung von Ferienwohnungen in alpinen oder mediterranen LÄndern.