ABSTRACT Purpose of this paper This paper aims to study different aspects of a logistics purchasing process from both the buyer's and supplier's perspective to compare literature and practice. Design/methodology/approach A multiple case study approach is chosen based on the exploratory character of the study. Seven recent logistics purchasing projects are studied by means of semi-structured interviews and company documents. Findings Literature review makes clear that the complexity of outsourced logistics services increased. As a result, buyers of these services should adapt their purchasing process to thoroughly think through its purchasing processes before going on the market, and to fully benefit from the expertise of service providers. Nevertheless, the cases show that most buyers still follow a traditional purchasing approach and process where service providers are not involved in defining the specifications of the logistics services. As a result shippers do not fully benefit from the expertise and possibilities of the service providers. Research limitations/implications The research is qualitative in nature and therefore limited to making theoretical propositions and to generalizing the findings to the total population. This must be accomplished through additional empirical verification. Practical implications The paper shows that both shippers and logistics service providers could improve their competitive position by changing the purchasing process and approach for logistics services. What is original/value of paper Our research differs from existing publications on logistics outsourcing for two reasons: 1) Existing publications do not primarily focus on the aspect of supplier involvement in purchasing logistics services. 2) Our study involves both the buyer's and the supplier's perspective.
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Civil society as a social sphere is constantly subjected to change. Using the Dutch context, this article addresses the question whether religiously inspired engagement is a binder or a breakpoint in modern societies. The author examines how religiously inspired people in the Netherlands involve themselves in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and voluntary activities. Religious involvement and social engagement in different European countries are compared and discussed. In addition, the author explores the models of civil society and applies these to both the Christian and Islamic civil society in the Netherlands. Using four religious ‘identity organizations’ as case studies, this article discusses the interaction of Christian and Islamic civil society related to secularized Dutch society. The character and intentions of religiously inspired organizations and the relationship between religious and secular involvement are examined. This study also focuses on the attitude of policymakers towards religiously inspired engagement and government policy on ‘identity organizations’ in the Netherlands.
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Both within the Netherlands and beyond, young people often start their formal foreign language (FL) education just as they reach adolescence. Speaking the FL in class can be intimidating, and this challenge is often exacerbated as teachers lack ready access to engaging speaking activities. In language classrooms around the world, improvisational drama techniques (IDTs) have been shown to engender positive affective reactions (e.g. enjoyment) and spoken interaction. Yet little research has been conducted on how to train FL teachers to implement IDTs. With this doctoral research project, the goal was to discover which characteristics of a professional development program (PDP) can foster integration of IDTs in the FL classroom and in turn stimulate affective factors related to willingness to communicate among secondary school pupils. The first three studies focused on developing design principles for the PDP and consequently a prototype for this training. The following two studies involved testing and refining this prototype by offering this training to FL teachers. Finally, the impact of the PDP was evaluated among trained teachers’ pupils. The collective findings revealed that the PDP design was viable in its relevance to teachers in galvanizing them to implement IDTs. Their pupils found drama activities to be engaging and fun, and they expressed greater willingness to communicate than during other types of speaking activities. This project was conducted through the Multilingualism and Education Research Group at the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht in conjunction with Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities.
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Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) are at the centre of European Union Agenda aiming at reducing the plastic soup with the EU Directive 2019/904. SUPs reduction is pivotal also in the Dutch Government Agenda for the transition to a Circular Economy by 2050. Worldwide the data on SUPs use and disposal are impressive: humans use around 1.2 million plastic bottles per minute; approximately 91% of plastic is not recycled (www.earthday.org/fact-sheet-single-use-plastics/). While centralised processes of waste collection, disposal, and recycling strive to cope with such intense use of SUPs, the opportunities and constraints of establishing a networked grid of facilities enacting processes of SUPs collection and recycling with the active involvement of local community has remained unexplored. The hospitality sector is characterised by a widespread capillary network of small hospitality firms nested in neighbourhoods and rural communities. Our research group works with small hospitality firms, different stakeholders, and other research groups to prompt the transition of the hospitality sector towards a Circular Economy embracing not only the environmental and economic dimensions but also the social dimension. Hence, this project explores the knowledge and network needed to build an innovative pilot allowing to close the plastic loop within a hospitality facility by combining a 3D printing process with social inclusiveness. This will mean generating key technical and legal knowledge as well as a network of strategic experts and stakeholders to be involved in an innovative pilot setting a 3D printing process in a hospitality facility and establishing an active involvement of the local community. Such active involvement of the local inhabitants will be explored as SUPs collectors and end-users of upcycled plastics items realised with the 3D printer, as well as through opportunities of vocational training and job opportunities for citizens distant from the job market.
There is increasing interest for the use of Virtual Reality (VR) in the field of sustainable transportation and urban development. Even though much has been said about the opportunities of using VR technology to enhance design and involve stakeholders in the process, implementations of VR technology are still limited. To bridge this gap, the urban intelligence team of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences developed CycleSPEX, a Virtual Reality (VR) simulator for cycling. CycleSpex enables researchers, planners and policy makers to shape a variety of scenarios around knowledge- and design questions and test their impact on users experiences and behaviour, in this case (potential) cyclists. The impact of infrastructure enhancements as well as changes in the surrounding built environment can be tested, analysed an evaluated. The main advantage for planners and policy makers is that the VR environment enables them to test scenarios ex-ante in a safe and controlled setting.“The key to a smart, healthy and safe urban environment lies in engaging mobility. Healthy cities are often characterized by high quality facilities for the active modes. But what contributes to a pleasant cycling experience? CycleSPEX helps us to understand the relations between cyclists on the move and (designed) urban environments”
