BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
-DEF.jpg "Anna Bos-Nehles")
Human Resource Management: Role of Line Managers
Anna Bos-Nehles was born in Cologne, Germany and carried out her research under the supervision of Professor Jan Kees Looise and Dr. Maarten van Riemsdijk in the Operations, Organisation and Human Resource (OOHR) Department at the School of Management and Governance.
Her research looks closely at five inhibiting factors that prevent the effective implementation of human resource activities by carefully testing line managers and their employees as respondents in a series of interviews and a survey.
By and large, she discovered line managers are effective at implementing human resource practices within an operational unit, and have the proper knowledge and practical skills to function properly when asked to perform in this role. "They are able to see the 'added value' of human resource management to enhance the performance of their team," she points out.
Her research contributes to the discussion on empirical testing of a wide problem within organisations and levers sound advice on how to improve employee performance and that of line mangers in their role as human resource managers.
Last year, she defended her doctoral thesis and now is in the process to improve upon the theoretical foundation of her argument for final submission and eventual publication in related academic journals.
Aside from her own research efforts, other researchers are actively gathering data at Bosch Security Systems and General Electronics on the subject. In the summer, additional publications on the effectiveness of line managers will be ready for publication. Find Bos-Nehles' full dissertation online here.
Aard Groen Director / Head of department NIKOS
Fotograaf Eric Brinkhorst
First Dutch Soft Landing Designation
Programme Director Rob van Lambalgen joined the University of Twente as VentureLab Twente's programme director in 2009. Prior to this position, he worked as director of the Innovatieplatform Twente (Innovation Platform Twente) and was CEO of a software company.
Over the past year, his main objectives were to accelerate business development processes and increase success rates of so-called "high-tech, high-potential" enterprises. "We offer an excellent programme in cooperation with teams of professionals, staff, professors, private sector partners and PhDs in NIKOS, the Dutch Institute of Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship," explains Van Lambalgen.
Since its two-year milestone, over 100 entrepreneurs and business developers have participated in the programme, and among them, five soft landing participants added their expertise from India, Russia and the US. Van Lambalgen highlights the fact that VentureLab Twente was the first recognized Dutch organization to receive an NBIA Soft Landings Business Accelerator Designation, extending its services to an international community, beyond Overijssel and Gelderland regions.
"VentureLab Twente aspires to realise a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Twente region, and in doing so, help bolster sustainable economic structures to retain and create an increase in high-quality employment opportunities," he predicts. "We received €22,650 from the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers in April of last year which allows us to give travel grants in the amount of €500 to finance program participants who need to take business trips outside the Netherlands."
In a short time, VentureLab Twente has grown into a "catalyst for innovation" and "key contributor" to social and economic growth within the region. "Future plans," he forecasts, "will continue to have everything to do with the realization of 'brain gain' that replaces "brain drain."
To learn more about VentureLab Twente, visit their new English language website that was launched last year.
Impact of Social Media on customer behavior
Efthymios Constantinides studied in Athens and followed a post-graduate study in the Economics of European Integration in Amsterdam. Since 2001, he has worked in the Institute of Knowledge-Intensive Entrepreneurship (NIKOS) at the School of Management and Governance and received his PhD in virtual marketing in 2005.
His latest research topics focus on examining online consumer behaviour and the role Social Media can play as an effective marketing tool. Constantinides has developed and explored marketing theories to educate marketers and provide them with accurate knowledge and capabilities to meet new requirements of the 21rst Century markets.
At a time when the emergence of the Internet and Social Media has created substantial "customer empowerment", new research domains are opening to analysis in order to understand "customer behaviour in global, networked and social environments.
"Nowadays, businesses have difficulties to reach customers with traditional marketing strategies and operate in a transparent environment, without control of the medium and message," he explains. "In order to meet customer needs and cooperate with them to develop better solutions," the assistant professor proposes, "We need to engage the end user in innovation processes and use resources in a wise and sustainable way to provide higher value at less expense."
Since 2009, Constantinides has applied his wealth of knowledge in the area of E-Commerce at VentureLab Twente, TSM Business School and collaborates with researchers at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain.
His latest thoughts on Social Media Marketing, online marketing advice and e-commerce can be found on his weekly blog.