Ever since, the recognition of the causality between earthquakes in the Northern part of the Netherlands, more specific the Region Groningen, gas production and the ensuing damage to houses and buildings in that area, society faces big challenges in policy-making. Not in the least because the above-mentioned …

The Knowledge Centre NoorderRuimte conducts practice-oriented research into the built environment in the Northern Netherlands. In Oldambt, a region in the northeast of the province Groningen, it was observed that the current demographic, behavioural and economic development causes a low business succession …

This survey is about recognizing patterns in the way Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) organize their procurement activities. The scope of the survey is limited to the key commodities of the SME. A key commodity is defined as the purchased product or service group which is essential for realizing the …

The regional office of the Royal Association MKB-Nederland, the largest entrepreneurs’ organisation in the Netherlands, MKB-Nederland Noord asked us if we could support small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SME’s) in the North of the Netherlands to fulfill social conditions in public procurement. SME’s …

The complexity of Information Technology (IT) is increasing; so are customer expectations. Consequently it is not easy for especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to keep track of all IT-developments, let alone leverage them in business operations with the aim to satisfy increasingly demanding …

This paper discusses risk and uncertainty aspects and proposes an assessment tool leading to identification of critical control points (CCPs) within purchasing-oriented activities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Identifying such CCPs is the basis for developing SME purchasing instruments to support …

This paper discusses risk and uncertainty aspects and proposes an assessment tool leading to identification of critical control points (CCPs) within purchasing-oriented activities of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Identifying such CCPs is the basis for developing SME purchasing instruments to support …

Paper for the WION - Werkgemeenschap Inkoop Onderzoek Nederland - 2015, 3rd version. Purchasing within Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is important for the overall SME firm performance. However, purchasing within SMEs is not the same as purchasing within larger organisations and there is limited …

Small retail entrepreneurs in the Netherlands are confronted with declining turnover and ROI. A decrease and even disappearance of small retail in town centres, suburbs and villages is not just a loss of income for the people involved. It constitutes also a loss of attractiveness and economic viability …

EHealth applications hold many promises, for instance to improve the quality of health care, to increase its accessibility, or to reduce the cost. Yet, many eHealth innovations never reach the stage where they get embedded into routine health care. This is due in part to a lack of evidence that these …