Purpose - Housing associations make too small a contribution to society, the government has to step in too frequently because of maladministration, and the associations’ executives are often unaware of the far-reaching impact of their decisions. These are the conclusions of new academic research conducted by Jan Veuger of Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM). In his dissertation, he asserts that in numerous cases there is no correlation between social and financial objectives. The Dutch House of Representatives debated the results of the report Ver van huis from the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on Housing Associations in early December 2014. Design/methodology/approach -After extensive exploration of the literature and PhD studies on the period from 2005-2009, the research design inspired based on the grounded theory, which has a certain bias as a result of the extensive literature study. In the line of thinking of the grounded theory, interviews with directors more or less contracted uninhibited according to a narrative method. Afterwards these interviews, independent of the researcher, thematic and labeled by a single Delphi method be submitted to an expert group which created a storyline. The results of this Delphi method have been submitted to a peer group of directors. Then these conclusions in a survey presented to 60 selected directors and the subsequent conclusions. There has thus been more than a triangulation of research than just interviews, Delphi method and survey. Hypotheses are thereby omitted because of the difficulty of fitting in within the chosen research design inspired by grounded theory. Findings -Why thisqualitative thesis 'Control of housing associations in consistency with social values'? To understand and to discover patterns about the how and why of the functioning of corporations in society as they do now. This qualitative study is about the search for ideas, backgrounds, motives, resistors and motives and is therefore suitable for the following question: witch contradictions are there in the social values that underlie housing associations that affect the way the are governed? The overall summary conclusions to answer the central question is: Directors, at the highest level thinking about how to deal with values ensure they drive on their own, monitor, know the consequences and take responsibility. Research limitations/implications - At his request Stef Blok, Minister for Housing and Kingdom Relations, has received the thesis Material Immaterial (Veuger 2014) on December 4, 2014. On December 11, 2014, the Minister decided to change its proposed policy through the establishment of an inspection model in which the financial and social objectives of the corporations are tested and assured, with the Minister as the final responsible. The parliament has unanimously agreed. Originality/value - My contribution to science is also showing patterns of Board behavior, whether or not in conjunction with societal and financial values of housing associations. This has not been previously investigated or established. This contribution complements include studies on culture of housing associations (Dreimuller 2008 and Sinke 2014) or only driver behavior (Heemskerk 2013) or history of housing corporations (Beekers 2012) or about the behavior of housing associations (Koolma 2009)
Corporate Social Responsibility affects Corporate Governance as it stretches the accountability of companies beyond its traditional boundaries. This however may conflict with the corporate objective of maximizing stockholder wealth. The paper provides an overview of various academic theories and corporate attitudes on this issue and discusses the merits and disadvantages of the two main governance modes: the stockholder mode and the stakeholder mode.
The number of applications for debt management services in the Netherlands shows a steady increase of about 10 percent each year, over the last few years. Municipalities, responsible for these services, at the same need to cut back on expenditures. Our research shows that the (social) return on debt management is on average twice as high as the costs. These benefits are mainly found in the areas of social welfare and housing. Since debts are a reason for employers not to hire or not to continue employment, debt management increases the chance of (continued) employment and therefore helps reduce costs of unemployment and welfare benefits. Since housing corporations spend large sums of money on evictions, the prevention of evictions through debt management also reduces costs in that area. The ratio between the costs and benefits is only partly influenced by the quality of execution. Social structure offers a better explanation, where a weaker social structure results in greater benefits. Our findings are based on extensive research of individual files combined with interviews with professionals. Only direct if-then relations were considered. This means that in reality the cost-benefit ratio may even be more favorable. Municipalities should therefore be careful in cutting back on debt management services. On the other hand, crosslinking debt management with welfare payments and co-operating with housing corporations could open up opportunities for co-financing debt management services.
Professionals van woningbouwcorporaties en gemeentes die zich bezig houden met verduurzaming hebben vragen over hergebruik van afvalhout uit hun (renovatie) projecten. De doelstelling van dit voorstel is het onderzoeken van de mogelijkheden om hout te hergebruiken door gebruik te maken van innovatieve digitale productietechnieken, en om implementatiestrategieën hiervoor te ontwikkelen voor publieke organisaties in de bouwsector, in het bijzonder woningcorporaties en gemeentes. Strategieën omvatten concrete voorstellen om a) afvalhout van woningen in te zamelen en te verwerken; b) waarde toe te voegen aan houtafvalstromen door middel van digitale productie; c) de betrokkenheid en acceptatie van huurders te vergroten bij circulaire verwerking van hout in nieuwe toepassingen; en d) goede toepassingen voor een circulaire economie te realiseren. Het project onderzoekt aard en omvang van houtafvalstromen uit woningrenovatie en identificeert de mogelijkheden voor het hergebruik van specifieke fracties daarvan voor (lokale) toepassingen. Uit voorgaande projecten blijkt dat digitale productie mogelijkheden biedt om stedelijk afval om te zetten in zinvolle circulaire producten. Digitale productie maakt de (lokale) creatie van unieke prototypen en grootschalige toepassingen mogelijk. Het onderzoek wordt uitgevoerd in vier werkpakketten. De eerste identificeert de aard van huishoudelijk houtafval (volume, houtsoort, verzamelproces) door zorgvuldig cases van Ymere en Rochdale te bestuderen. Daarnaast worden er een raamwerk van indicatoren gedefinieerd om projectresultaten te kunnen evalueren. Het tweede werkpakket onderzoekt welke toepassingen kunnen worden bedacht, gegeven de beschikbare houtfracties. In het derde werkpakket wordt een aantal case studies uitgevoerd voor concrete projecten van de deelnemende woningcorporaties. Deze applicaties hebben als doel het potentieel van digitale productie met houtafval te laten zien, rekening houdend met het perspectief van bewoners. Het biedt belangrijke inzichten in de uitvoerbaarheid van concrete toepassingen uit teruggewonnen hout. In het vierde werkpakket worden alle projectbevindingen gecombineerd in een set implementatie strategieën voor publieke organisaties in het stedelijk domein.
Exercise-friendly Environment Public SpacesOur physical and social environment have a great influence on how people move, whether they are aware of this or not. A public environment in which it is easy to move around can have a preventive effect on people’s health and this way it can make an important contribution to Healthy Ageing. An attractive park is an invitation for people to take a walk or go for a run. A beautiful cycle route through nature is an invitation to go cycling.The way a space that is easy to move around in can affect socialisation also contributes to the quality of life in a neighbourhood and its surroundings. By allowing people to exercise and meet each other, healthcare costs can be cut back and social problems can be reduced. In addition, a dynamic and exercise-friendly natural area makes for an attractive tourist destination, which can contribute positively to a region’s economy.The innovation lab ‘Exercise-friendly Environment Public Spaces’ is aimed at an optimal use of public spaces in order to stimulate an active lifestyle, and with this the economic and social impact on the environment of this space. In the innovation lab knowledge institutions, institutions for healthcare and wellbeing, governments (municipalities, provinces) and housing corporations together with various partners from sports, the catering industry and recreation.
Digitalisation has enabled businesses to access and utilise vast amounts of data. Business data analytics allows companies to employ the most recent and relevant data to comprehend situations and enhance decision-making. While the value of data itself is limited, substantial value can be directly or indirectly uncovered from data. This process is referred to as data monetisation. The most successful stories of data monetisation often originate from large corporations, as they have adequate resources to monetise their data. Notably, many such cases arise from prominent Big Tech companies in North America. In contrast, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have lagged behind in utilising their digital data assets effectively. They are frequently constrained by limited resources to build up capabilities and fully exploit their data. This places them at a strategic disadvantage, particularly as digitalisation is progressively reshaping markets and competitive relationships. Furthermore, the use of digital technologies and data are important in addressing societal challenges such as energy conservation, circularity, and the ageing of the population. This lag has been highlighted by SMEs we have engaged with, where managing directors have indicated their desire to operate based on data, but their companies lack the know-how and are unsure of ‘where to start’. Together with eight SMEs and other partners, we have defined a research project to gain insight into the potential and obstacles of data monetisation in SMEs. More specifically, we will explore how SMEs can transform data into strategic assets and create value. We attempt to demonstrate the journey of data monetisation and illustrate different possibilities to create value from data in SMEs. We will take a holistic approach to examine different aspects of data monetisation and their associations. The outcomes of this project are both practical and academic, such as an SME handbook, academic papers, and case studies.
