News

On March 29, 2019, Prof Dr Henk Langendijk said goodbye as a professor at Nyenrode Business University. In Nyenrode’s Pfizer room, he delivered his farewell speech titled: ‘The (un)true and fair view of the annual financial statements and the position of the auditor.’ His most important advice is to have auditors appointed and paid by umbrella organizations in order to create more impartiality.

“The field of Auditing & Assurance is about people and trust”, says Prof. Dr. Joost van Buuren. However, according to Van Buuren, the field has not been innovative enough in recent years and is failing to adequately fulfill users’ wishes. Van Buuren therefore calls upon the sector to develop a new active approach: one in which innovation is aimed at meeting users’ needs and boosting their trust in the accountant through scientific validation of audit methodology. Van Buuren: “Accountants must start thinking differently and seize opportunities with an open mind in order to increase the relevance of the accounting position.”

Entrepreneurial finance is a fast-growing phenomenon in this day and age. New forms of financing are developing at a rapid pace with the changing European economy and the increasing number of startups and scale-ups. What is lagging behind in these developments is the literature. Until now, that is. The book “Entrepreneurial Finance: The Art and Science of Growing Ventures” is a new standard work, textbook and research book all in one, drawing enthusiastic responses from numerous students, lecturers and critics.

Prof. Ruud Wetzels has been appointed as a professor at Nyenrode Business Universiteit as of 1 July to hold the chair in Data Science. In this chair, Wetzels will be conducting research focused on applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI), mathematics and statistics in the business world.

The turmoil surrounding the economic situation in Italy has returned in recent weeks. Based on inflation expectations, however, Italian consumers intend to remain in the eurozone. Inflation expectations would indeed rise if the country were to leave the eurozone, though the findings show that inflation expectations actually fall during times of concern over the eurozone’s future. This points to an internal adjustment mechanism within the eurozone. This is one of the conclusions reached by Beau Soederhuizen in his dissertation titled “Empirical studies on (un)conventional policies and macroeconomic adjustment during the crisis”, for which he will receive his doctorate from Nyenrode Business Universiteit on 11 June 2018. At age 26, Soederhuizen is the youngest person ever to earn a PhD from the university.

Young professionals within the accountancy sector experience high levels of work pressure, which compromises their professional skepticism and thus the quality of their work.

The 2018 Keuzegids (Selection Guide) for Master’s Programs has declared Nyenrode Business Universiteit’s Master’s programs in Business Administration and Master in Controlling as the “Best Masters” in the Netherlands.

Measures regarding compensation incentives for auditors have a different effect on their judgment and decision-making. This effect depends on factors such as various personality traits. This is one of the conclusions reached by Herman van Brenk in his dissertation titled “Compensation Incentives and Personality Traits: Three studies on their Joint Effects on Auditor Judgment and Decision Making”, for which he received his doctorate from Nyenrode Business Universiteit on Wednesday 6th of December.