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Researcher Diane Zandee, who obtains her doctorate from Nyenrode Business Universiteit today, wants to connect finance and sustainability. That is why she has conducted research into how accounting can contribute to the transition towards a circular economy. There is a need for a common language and structure in order to embrace this new economy. “We are still focusing too much on the financial side and not enough on ecological and social values. We can only change this if the entire chain changes along with it. For that we need a conductor, a coordinator who ensures that everything goes at the right pace and that everyone works together to find harmony.”

In recent decades, the optimization of production processes was mainly focused on making profit. Nowadays there is also an increasing focus on environmental and societal impact. This transition calls for new leadership. To best prepare students for their future leadership roles, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and Analytics, Taher Ahmadi, developed a Multi-Objective Line Balancing (MOLB) game. This game has led to positive reactions both nationally and internationally.

The vision on talent is changing. Nyenrode Business Universiteit has been researching talent management for years. Not only does this change education, but it also changes its policy. Now all employees are given the opportunity to develop their talents, instead of only the best ones.

Auditors are able to work more transparently and efficiently by using Bayesian statistics. That is the main conclusion of Koen Derks’ research, who obtains his doctorate from Nyenrode Business University today. Techniques to apply Bayesian statistics in the audit have been made freely accessible by Derks, through the open-source program JASP. “Auditors should be bold enough to deviate from ways already paved more often.”

Until a few years ago, corporate transparency about their activities and their impact on society and the environment was still exceptional and non-committal. However, sustainability reporting is now for many companies a mandatory part of accounting for what they do, and has become common good. René Orij, who recently was appointed as full professor at Nyenrode Business Universiteit, has conducted important research in this area.

Is the recently updated corporate governance code still relevant and future-proof? According to Jeroen Veldman, Professor of Corporate Governance at Nyenrode Business University, this discussion calls for a strong plea: let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Read the full essay in Management Scope (in Dutch).

Not just companies, but governments and citizens too have a responsibility in making global value chains more sustainable. That is what Désirée van Gorp, professor of International Business at Nyenrode Business University, firmly believes. Global value chains represent processes in which goods and services are produced, processed, and delivered in different countries. Van Gorp: “Making these chains sustainable means, above all, taking solidarity as a starting point. What is good for us must also be good for people in the countries where we move our activities to, such as production processes.”

For the Wadden Sea, could a Rights of Nature approach be promising for strengthening the protection of natural values in this area? Prof. Dr. Tineke Lambooy LL.M. (Professor of Business Law at Nyenrode Business University) explored this issue together with fellow researchers Tessa van Soest and Ignace Breemer.