Experiences within a pre-bachelor programme for refugees : insights from Zuyd University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands

The current ‘migration crisis’ in Europe started at the end of 2014, as migrants, primarily from Africa and Syria, and mainly due to war, arrived in Europe in big numbers. Initially, the European Council labelled the situation as tragic (European Council statement 2015, European Commission and its priorities, 2018). With the growing influx of migrants, member states started referring to the situation as a security problem, resulting in a greater reluctance to accept newcomers into their territory. In February 2016, the EU member states imposed a European border, deployed coast guards and implemented a joint Turkey action plan. “Fortress Europe” was gaining momentum. Europe promised aid to Western Balkan countries in handling the massive migration waves. Countries were forced to accept a quota of migrants (Bauerová, 2015).peer-reviewe

MANAGEMENT INNOVATION: A JOURNEY INTO THE CORE OF RESEARCH IN MANAGEMENT

As innovation is considered central to firms’ competitive advantage, innovation research has become a cornerstone of strategic management inquiry. However, the vast majority of research attention is dedicated to understanding how firms can stimulate technological innovation. An emerging (or rather resurrecting) research trend espouses the benefits of management innovation. Management innovation refers to the introduction of management practices, processes and structures that are intended to further organizational goals (Birkinshaw, Hamel and Mol, 2008). The emergent dialogue consists of conceptual work (e.g., Birkinshaw et al., 2008), historical outlines of various management innovations (e.g., Mol and Birkinshaw, 2007) and empirical studies (e.g., Damanpour, Walker and Avellaneda, 2009; Vaccaro, Jansen, Van Den Bosch, and Volberda, 2010)

Global Status of DDT and Its Alternatives for Use in Vector Control to Prevent Disease

Objective - I review the status of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), used for disease vector control, along with current evidence on its benefits and risks in relation to the available alternatives. Data sources and extraction - Contemporary data on DDT use were largely obtained from questionnaires and reports. I also conducted a Scopus search to retrieve published articles. Data synthesis - DDT has been recommended as part of the arsenal of insecticides available for indoor residual spraying until suitable alternatives are available. Approximately 14 countries use DDT for disease control, and several countries are preparing to reintroduce DDT. The effectiveness of DDT depends on local settings and merits close consideration in relation to the alternatives. Concerns about the continued use of DDT are fueled by recent reports of high levels of human exposure associated with indoor spraying amid accumulating evidence on chronic health effects. There are signs that more malaria vectors are becoming resistant to the toxic action of DDT, and that resistance is spreading to new countries. A comprehensive cost assessment of DDT versus its alternatives that takes side effects into account is missing. Effective chemical methods are available as immediate alternatives to DDT, but the choice of insecticide class is limited, and in certain areas the development of resistance is undermining the efficacy of insecticidal tools. New insecticides are not expected in the short term. Nonchemical methods are potentially important, but their effectiveness at program level needs urgent study. Conclusions - To reduce reliance on DDT, support is needed for integrated and multipartner strategies of vector control and for the continued development of new technologies. Integrated vector management provides a framework for developing and implementing effective technologies and strategies as sustainable alternatives to reliance on DD

Overcoming the World:Bavinck on Faith and Knowledge

After a short biographical introduction, this article argues that Herman Bavinck’s Reformed theology displays his appreciation for the catholicity of the church. This attitude appears most strongly in his interest in epistemology. For Bavinck, faith and knowledge form an essential unity. He intends to avoid subjectivity while incorporating the modern epistemological turn to the human subject. This is his most original and most important contribution to theology. According to Bavinck, faith overcomes the world by viewing it as God’s fallen creation on its way to final restoration through Christ’s redemption. The appendix offers the first English translation of thus far unnoticed theses on faith and knowledge

Synodical powerlessness and mystical liberalism:Louis A. Bähler (1867-1941) and the Reformed League

The publication of Buddhist mission: ‘Christian’ barbarism in Europe, translated by Louis Adriën Bähler (1867-1941), a Christian anarchist and pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church, led to the founding of the Reformed League in the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk). The classis censured Bähler, but Synod rehabilitated him and therefore the orthodox Reformed within the church charged that Synod’s actions revealed its powerlessness to maintain doctrinal discipline. Bähler’s Buddhist leanings have drawn much attention. This article places Bähler’s sympathy for pietism and mysticism in the broader context of his theology, one characterized by a spiritualizationand moralization of the Gospel

INTERNATIONAL RISK ASSESSMENT AND DECISION MAKING IN DUTCH SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES

In this article we will discuss the process of judgment and decision-making (JDM) the management of a company goes through when they are confronted with the opportunity to operate internationally. In particular we will focus on the way country risks are incorporated in the assessment that companies make concerning the feasibility of these international opportunities. Although the literature appears to offer a systematic approach based on research, the actual JDM follows a different route, one of intuition. This will be demonstrated by research in five sectors in the Netherlands. The gap between theory and its application offers a model for an improved way of doing things by clarifying why business is only partially using the outcome of research

Revelation and the Unity of the Truth

In his assessment of Paul Tillich’s theology, Dirk Martin Grube states that revelation pertains to knowledge about knowledge instead of knowledge about the world. This concept of revelation raises two interrelated questions: 1) Can revelation be restricted to an epistemological metalevel without conveying propositional content?; 2) Does knowledge based on revelation potentially conflict with other forms of knowledge? This article denies the first and affirms the latter, thus arguing against Grube’s thesis and uses the importance of the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection as a litmus test