Natural gas extraction from the Groningen gas fields in the Netherlands used to be a non-controversial activity, but became highly contested over the past few years. In addition to a political mandate to commercially operate the Groningen gas fields, NAM needs approval from local residents and society at large. In this study, we analyse how NAM attempted to maintain its social license
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Equestrianism is currently facing a range of pressing challenges. These challenges, which are largely based on evolving attitudes to ethics and equine wellbeing, have consequences for the sport’s social licence to operate. The factors that may have contributed to the current situation include overarching societal trends, specific aspects of the equestrian sector, and factors rooted in human nature. If equestrianism is to flourish, it is evident that much needs to change, not the least,human behaviour. To this end, using established behaviour change frameworks that have been scientifically validated and are rooted in practice — most notably, Michie et al.’s COM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel — could be of practical value for developing and implementing equine welfare strategies. This review summarises the theoretical underpinnings of some behaviour change frameworks and provides a practical, step-by-step approach to designing an effective behaviour change intervention. A real-world example is provided through the retrospective analysis of an intervention strategy that aimed to increase the use of learning theory in (educational) veterinary practice. We contend that the incorporation of effective behaviour change interventions into any equine welfare improvement strategy may help to safeguard the future of equestrianism.
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Ooit kende Noordwest-Europa nationale gasmonopolies. Leveringszekerheid was hun license to operate. Ze bouwden daartoe gasopslagen. Dit vergde grote investeringen op basis van technische berekeningen, inclusief risicoanalyses waarin het falen van componenten in het energiesysteem werd gesimuleerd. De gasopslagen werden elke zomer gevuld. Aardgas vormde immers, net zoals nu trouwens, de ruggengraat van de nationale energiesystemen.
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Distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) such as blockchain have in recent years been presented as a new general-purpose technology that could underlie many aspects of social and economic life, including civics and urban governance. In an urban context, over the past few years, a number of actors have started to explore the application of distributed ledgers in amongst others smart city services as well as in blockchain for good and urban commons-projects. DLTs could become the administrative backbones of such projects, as the technology can be set-up as an administration, management and allocation tool for urban resources. With the addition of smart contracts, DLTs can further automate the processing of data and execution of decisions in urban resource management through algorithmic governance. This means that the technological set-up and design of such DLT based systems could have large implications for the ways urban resources are governed. Positive contributions are expected to be made toward (local) democracy, transparent governance, decentralization, and citizen empowerment. We argue that to fully scrutinize the implications for urban governance, a critical analysis of distributed ledger technologies is necessary. In this contribution, we explore the lens of “the city as a license” for such a critical analysis. Through this lens, the city is framed as a “rights-management-system,” operated through DLT technology. Building upon Lefebvrian a right to the city-discourses, such an approach allows to ask important questions about the implications of DLTs for the democratic governance of cities in an open, inclusive urban culture. Through a technological exploration combined with a speculative approach, and guided by our interest in the rights management and agency that blockchains have been claimed to provide to their users, we trace six important issues: quantification; blockchain as a normative apparatus; the complicated relationship between transparency and accountability; the centralizing forces that act on blockchains; the degrees to which algorithmic rules can embed democratic law-making and enforcing; and finally, the limits of blockchain's trustlessness.
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The global tourism industry witnesses significant challenges and changes when it comes to sustainability, changing consumer preferences and ICT developments. Against this backdrop, tourism businesses need to innovate in order to stay relevant for their markets and stakeholders. Critical tourism professionals with strong analytical skills can initiate and guide these processes of innovation in the future, and reach beyond existing blueprints and organizational frameworks. This is the idea behind Sustainability in Tourism—The Corporate Perspective (SUSCOR), a 6-week, English taught, intensive specialization course that explores how sustainable business practices can create (social) returns on investment. SUSCOR is built around a real-life consultancy assignment for a work field commissioner. Students work in international project teams to assess the client’s CSR activities in order to identify strategic improvements, design a business case, present this business case to the board of directors at the client’s head office, and conclude with a final consultancy report. SUSCOR offers students a platform to practice and develop their problem solving and consultancy skills while simultaneously getting a reality check about their future professional field. As the assignment is embedded in a series of lectures and workshops about contemporary theories about sustainable development, social responsibility and business innovation, SUSCOR links academic knowledge to the reality of today’s professional field. This chapter presents the concept and design of the course, illustrates the course week by week, and provides a number of concluding remarks and recommendations that aim to guide the further development of this type of teaching activity.
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Het thema voedsel is van groot belang voor de Metropoolregio Amsterdam. Niet alleen omdat er vele monden te voeden zijn maar ook omdat het een belangrijke economische sector is. Alle schakels van de voedselketen zijn in de regio vertegenwoordigd. Bovendien heeft de manier waarop de stad en de industrie van voedsel en grondstoffen worden voorzien grote invloed op de leefbaarheid en duurzaamheid van de stad. Met toenemende verstedelijking en toerisme in de stad én de doelstelling om in 2030 zero-emissie te zijn als Amsterdam, staat de food sector in de Metropoolregio Amsterdam voor een enorme uitdaging.De foodsector is enorm divers én in beweging. De sector heeft te maken met grote veranderingen in consumentwensen, technologie en randvoorwaarden voor opereren. Handel en logistiek zijn in de sector sterk met elkaar verweven: hoe de handel is georganiseerd, bepaalt voor een groot deel de randvoorwaarden voor logistieke organisatie. Digitalisering en de opkomst van directere relaties tussen producent en consument brengen daar mogelijk verandering in maar welke consequenties dit precies zal (kunnen) hebben is nog erg onzeker. Dat maakt het voor ondernemers – boeren, tuinders, verwerkende industrie, groothandel, logistiek dienstverleners – heel lastig om de juiste strategische beslissingen te maken over investeringen in nieuwe locaties voor opslag en overslag en nieuwe services voor handel en logistiek. De randvoorwaarden om Amsterdam in 2030 zero-emissie te laten zijn, worden op dit moment nog niet zo duidelijk gevoeld door de sector maar moeten zeker niet worden onderschat. Daarom besteden we daar in de roadmap apart aandacht aan.Dat het bestaande systeem van voedselbelevering waarin nog maar weinig wordt samengewerkt tussen partijen zijn langste tijd heeft gehad, lijkt voor veel bedrijven wel duidelijk. Maar hoe het systeem van handel en logistiek er over vijf tot tien jaar uit ziet, is voor velen nog gissen. Deze roadmap is een eerste stap om hier gestructureerd meer inzicht in te krijgen.
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Copyright enforcement by private third parties – does it work uniformly across the EU? Since the inception of Napster, home copying of digital files has taken a flight. The first providers of software or infrastructure for the illegal exchange of files were held contributory or vicariously liable for copyright infringement. In response, they quickly diluted the chain of liability to such an extent that neither the software producers, nor the service providers could be held liable. Moving further down the communication chain, the rights holders are now requiring Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that provide access to end customers to help them with the enforcement of their rights. This article discusses case-law regarding the enforcement of copyright by Internet Access Providers throughout Europe. At first glance, copyright enforcement has been harmonised by means of a number of directives, and article 8(3) of the Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC) regulates that EU Member States must ensure the position of rights holders with regard to injunctions against ISPs. Problem solved? Case law from Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Norway, England, The Netherlands, Austria and the Court of Justice of the EU was studied. In addition, the legal practice in Germany was examined. The period of time covered by case law is from 2003 to 2013, the case law gives insight into the differences that still exist after the implementation of the directive.
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The equine industry faces increasing scrutiny regarding its social license to operate (SLO), with appropriate care for horses at its center. Grooms play a vital role in professional horse care and management, yet their own working conditions often remain poor, resulting in an increasing number leaving the industry. Building on previous research, this study explored grooms’ perspectives on the changes needed to improve their profession’s long-term viability, and the types of future initiatives they believe would effectively address these issues. An online survey targeting professional grooms received 1,318 valid responses. Thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative responses to two questions focusing on aspects related to Sustainable Workforce and Future Initiatives. For Sustainable Workforce, 15 unique lower-order themes were grouped into four higher-order themes: Working Conditions, Recognition and Respect, Future Prospects and Personal Development, and Acceptance and Status Quo. For Future Initiatives, 19 lower-order themes were organized into three higher-order themes: Working Conditions, External Recognition, and Change in General. Participants considered improved working conditions—particularly better pay, reasonable working hours, and legal protections—vital to ensuring the sustainability of the grooming profession. Respondents emphasized the importance of initiatives that address such tangible improvements, in addition to aspects such as unionization and health support, rather than symbolic recognition alone. Addressing these issues is critical for improving job satisfaction, retaining grooms, and ensuring horse welfare, ultimately contributing to the industry's SLO and long-term viability.
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The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between sustainable performance and risk management, whereby sustainability (innovation), interdisciplinarity and leadership give new insights into the traditional perspectives on performance and risk management in the field of accounting and finance.
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Recent years have seen a massive growth in ethical and legal frameworks to govern data science practices. Yet one of the core questions associated with ethical and legal frameworks is the extent to which they are implemented in practice. A particularly interesting case in this context comes to public officials, for whom higher standards typically exist. We are thus trying to understand how ethical and legal frameworks influence the everyday practices on data and algorithms of public sector data professionals. The following paper looks at two cases: public sector data professionals (1) at municipalities in the Netherlands and (2) at the Netherlands Police. We compare these two cases based on an analytical research framework we develop in this article to help understanding of everyday professional practices. We conclude that there is a wide gap between legal and ethical governance rules and the everyday practices.
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