Entrepreneurial Proclivity, Market Orientation and Performance of Dutch Farmers and Horticultural growers

Farm Management,

Investments in Energy-Saving Systems in Dutch Horticultural Farms

In the Netherlands the greenhouse sector is a major user of energy. It accounts for 7% of the total amount of energy used in the Netherlands and for 79% of the total amount of energy used in agriculture. In order to sustain this sector on the long term, it is important that its use of energy is lowered. One way of reducing energy use for horticultural producers is investing in energy-saving systems. The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the investment behavior of farm operators. A two-stage econometric model has been applied to analyze the factors influencing the decision of farmers to invest and the level of investments.investments, two-stage model, management theory, option value, adjustment costs, Farm Management,

Ondernemers en de actoren in hun omgeving in beweging: Zoektocht naar rode draden in agrarische transitieprocessen

With the aid of a theoretically-based analysis of four historical and four current change processes - or transition case studies - in agriculture, we have made a study of how farmers and their associated actors move towards a sustainable agriculture. The change processes always appear to need the same 'conditions' in order to be successful and also appear always to encounter the same types of obstacles. It may be concluded from this that better advance anticipation of obstacles' hanging above the heads' of people involved in change needs to be possible, so that the envisaged change processes can proceed more easily. It remains a fact, however, that every change process also encounters unmanageable, unpredictable obstacles.Farm Management,

Human B Cells Engage the NCK/PI3K/RAC1 Axis to Internalize Large Particles via the IgM-BCR

Growing evidence indicate that large antigen-containing particles induce potent T cell-dependent high-affinity antibody responses. These responses require large particle internalization after recognition by the B cell receptor (BCR) on B cells. However, the molecular mechanisms governing BCR-mediated internalization remain unclear. Here we use a high-throughput quantitative image analysis approach to discriminate between B cell particle binding and internalization. We systematically show, using small molecule inhibitors, that human B cells require a SYK-dependent IgM-BCR signaling transduction via PI3K to efficiently internalize large anti-IgM-coated particles. IgM-BCR-mediated activation of PI3K involves both the adaptor protein NCK and the co-receptor CD19. Interestingly, we here reveal a strong NCK-dependence without profound requirement of the co-receptor CD19 in B cell responses to large particles. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the IgM-BCR/NCK signaling event facilitates RAC1 activation to promote actin cytoskeleton remodeling necessary for particle engulfment. Thus, we establish NCK/PI3K/RAC1 as an attractive IgM-BCR signaling axis for biological intervention to prevent undesired antibody responses to large particles

How to build a successful business model with big data platforms?

A product lifecycle approach is used to describe the origin, history and development of current big data platforms, using literature sources, business case descriptions, interviews held with founding team members of platform businesses, and experiences in action research projects on big data platform development in Dutch agriculture. The paper concludes with an outlook on future developments and business models

Social Competence in Small Firms-Fostering Workplace Learning and Performance

While it is widely accepted that social networks are key to small-firm success, detailed studies on the specific contribution of owner-managers' social competence to learning and performance are scarce. In this article, the importance of owner-managers' social competence was explored in a specific, innovative small-firm sector in the Netherlands: the agri-food sector. This was done by means of a qualitative (n = 13) and quantitative (n = 556) study. In the qualitative study, the two social competence domains most frequently cited and employed in entrepreneurial workplace learning practices were a social learning orientation and the ability to interact with strategic social partners. The quantitative study illustrated that social competence, overall, influences small-firm performance significantly. However, the relationships between social competence and small-firm performance seem to depend on the specific strategies that owner-managers pursue. In particular, this research supports the idea of social competence being an important driver of success for specific small-firm strategies and for the ongoing development of existing and new capabilities. As such, it underlines the importance of the capability-driven approach to HRD in the small-firm context. This, in turn, has implications for small-firm support programs