Next Generation intelligent transport systems: a multidimensional framework for eCall implementation

The present use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) can be defined as a hybrid between information and communication technologies to improve different aspects of mobility and transport. The potential value of the next generation ITS can be assessed as an integrated array of services satisfying customer preferences, optimising policy objectives and generating business revenues. Based on industry interviews, the analysis of a traffic information service and an 'emergency call' service permitted the multidimensional appreciation of deployment scenarios of these next generation Intelligent Transport Systems. The implementation of an on-board emergency call (eCall) is an ITS service which has already been deployed in different countries. Several private and public initiatives have already resulted into preliminary and purely private eCall services, mainly proprietary to the car industry, each with different underlying revenue and cost models. On the European level, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) instigated on the national enactment to implement a standardised eCall system. The research question involved in this paper is whether the specified ecosystem for the Belgian case confirms that all stakeholders have a particular interest in the effectuation of eCall. The findings are the result of a case study performed within the Flemish IBBT research project NextGenITS. --

Strategic Management of family SMEs: Experience from Belgium

In spite of the vast literature on ‘strategy,’ there is no consensus on a common delineation of the term. Similarly, although the need for strategic flexibility is acknowledged by the literature, there is little research that analyses the nature and direction of strategic change, especially where family firms are concerned. This chapter proposes building blocks for the formulation and implementation of strategy. A clear definition of competitive strategy is distilled from various perspectives on strategy available in the literature. Finally, three categories of strategic change are defined, namely Restructuring, Expansion and Transformation. Case study research of five Flemish family firms shows that none of the strategic change scenarios is naturally preferable to the others, but that each scenario offers its own set of advantages and risks.status: publishe