Within the energy transition, green hydrogen stands as a key solution for decarbonizing sectors where direct electrification is not viable. This thesis focuses on the competitive landscape of hydrogen production in North-Western Europe, addressing the technological and geographical competition of locally produced green hydrogen. This research introduces a comprehensive analytical tool to assess the viability of various hydrogen production methods, which are competing value chains of European green hydrogen. By synthesizing institutional, economic, societal, and technical considerations, the model facilitates a direct comparison between different green hydrogen alternatives.

The research commenced by applying Hekkert’s (2011) TIS analysis as a tool for structural analysis to systematically map the system. The goal was to delineate its structure and identify potential key competing value chains within the scope of Europe. This initial phase involved a literature review and interviews to select value chains. The subsequent phase, which also used the TIS as a tool, focused on identifying key drivers and barriers within the system through a functional analysis, utilizing a structured approach to examine system functions. Expert interviews played a pivotal role in this stage, providing an understanding of the system's dynamics. In the last phase, the techno-economic analysis was performed by introducing barrier-driven scenarios. Allowing for insights into the cost components and the overall comparison in the levelized cost of hydrogen for every scenario.

The structural analysis showed that the European Commission set the scope with institutions, allowing for technologically mature low-carbon alternatives in this comparison. The functional analysis revealed the intricate interconnectivity of the system functions, illustrating how drivers and barriers can swiftly transform, reflecting the system's complex status. The primary barrier to green hydrogen adoption is its high cost, creating a deadlock with no demand or supply. Technological advancement and governmental intervention emerged as key solutions to this challenge. The techno-economic results show that the least cost-effective value chain is local green hydrogen, and the most cost-effective value chain is local blue hydrogen. Local green hydrogen faces challenges in competitiveness due to high energy prices and low capacity factors compared to other electrolyzer-based methods. Additionally, compared to other types, like blue hydrogen, it has higher overall investment and energy costs.

The ultimate aim is to navigate through the complexities of the hydrogen system, clarifying how various variables interconnect and influence each other. Tools like the one developed in this research provide a foundation for understanding this complexity. By understanding the impact of governmental interventions and other factors on final prices, stakeholders can engage in more strategic decision-making. To deepen the understanding of the system, it is recommended to conduct further interviews and research, exploring the alternatives within and outside the European system more comprehensively. Investigating what drives prices beyond mere economic factors will offer a clearer picture of their current status and potential future developments. This broader analysis will equip users with the insights needed to make informed decisions, considering both the economic and socio-technical dimensions that shape the hydrogen market's evolution.

This master's thesis explores the potential of persuasive games for addressing challenges in multiactor systems. For many multi-actor system problems, the different actors need to take action to handle these problems. Persuasive gaming is proposed as a method that can stimulate taking action. This thesis identifies a gap in the applicability of existing persuasive games to multi-actor systems problems and proposes an alternative approach: game-mediated persuasive strategy. The research uses an explorative strategy, defining seven criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of this strategy. A case study on the labor shortage in Rotterdam's port area is conducted, featuring a game utilizing a cat cafe metaphor to represent the labor market. The game is played by employees from both companies in the port area and the Port of Rotterdam itself. With observations and surveys, the effect of the game is evaluated. One of the key insights is the emergence of collaboration as a crucial factor in tackling the labor shortage, an outcome not predefined in the game but contributed by the players. Therefore, it is recommended to the Port of Rotterdam to invest in collaboration between companies. While the findings are based on a single case study and thus lack generalizability, they show the promise of this underexplored approach of persuasive gaming in addressing multi-actor system problems. In conclusion, the study underscores the potential of game-mediated persuasive strategy in promoting collaborative action among stakeholders in multi-actor systems. Although further research with a larger participant pool and across various contexts is necessary for broader validation, this study shows potential for a new method to help actors with multi-actor system problems. Gamemediated persuasive strategy deserves more research to further validate this method.

This master’s thesis explores the future of citizen participation in public decision-making in the Netherlands. Citizen participation is regarded as an important aspect of the Dutch democracy since it is used to gain insights into what the citizens consider important. Currently, there is scarce scientific literature on the future of citizen participation. Besides most literature focuses on a specific case or method instead of the broader system of citizen participation. This thesis addresses this research gap by exploring scientific literature and interviewing thirteen leading Dutch practitioners.

Based on the resulting insights, it can be derived how citizen participation can be improved in the future. The findings indicate that digitalization and the rise of co-creation are two main developments that are going to impact citizen participation in the future. Policymakers should anticipate on these developments by adapting to digital developments and a changing participation need of citizens instead of ignoring it. Important challenges are the communication between policymakers and citizens and the lack of inclusiveness. These challenges can be addressed by using different participation methods that align with the needs of different groups of citizens, and encourage open and clear communication from policymakers towards citizens about the participation process. Another relevant finding is that practitioners emphasise the normative and substantive objectives of citizen participation, while instrumental objectives are barely identified.

This thesis emphasises the importance of discussing the role of citizens in different participation processes. Disagreement among practitioners about the general purpose and function of citizen participation in the Dutch democracy is not likely to be resolved. Hence it is important to keep addressing this during participation processes, because practitioners do agree upon the fact that citizen participation has added value.

Limitations of this research include the validity and the generalisability of this research. Validity can be anticipated on by conducting more interviews and a more extensive literature research. The generalisability can be improved by conducting similar research in different context and from the perspective of citizens instead of policymakers.

Key recommendations for practitioners include the fact that policymakers should be aware of the value of citizen participation, and they should experiment with (combining) different participation methods.

The Netherlands is subject to labour scarcity across a variety of industries. While labour scarcity has occurred in the past, only now the consequences of higher educational attainment have become prevalent in the Netherlands. Due to a shortage of vocational workers and a population that is getting older, circumstances ask for adequate policy-making. Although policies like increasing the formal retirement age are put in place to negate labour scarcity, it remains difficult to understand the long-term outcomes of policy implications made in the present.

Understanding this long-term behaviour of the dutch labour system is deemed useful to develop strategies that result in a well-functioning labour market. Since the labour market is intertwined with other systems (e.g. population, educational system and the economy) and is subject to uncertain future developments it results in increased complexity of understanding long-term dynamics. This research aims to develop a better understanding of the long-term behaviour of these systems in deeply uncertain futures.

Medical equipment supplied to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are often substandard and inappropriate to the contextual needs. The majority of equipment entering these countries are donated or financed by external agencies. Procurement of equipment also happens through public tendering. However, the assessment and management of the equipment entering these countries are found to be inappropriate and ineffective. This has resulted in equipment that remains unused, malfunctions, or fails to meet its expected lifespan. This ultimately causes harmful consequences to the patient groups in LMIC. It is high time that this situation needs to be addressed and implement measures to provide quality, safe, affordable, accessible, and appropriate health technologies to people in these low-resource settings. One approach to create transparency around the notion of appropriate health technologies for LMICs is by creating a set of measurable criteria, tested in the form of a label. A global team of BioMedical engineers undertook an initiative to implement such a label, namely, ‘Appropriate Medical Equipment’ or ‘AME Label’. This research aims to examine the feasibility and constraints associated with implementing such an initiative from the perspective of medical equipment manufacturers.

The study investigated four main topics to answer the research question: ‘How can a new product label support medical equipment manufacturers to sustainably enter the healthcare market of low- and middle-income countries?’. These are the value of product labels in the market, regulatory challenges faced by manufacturers in the MedTech industry, challenges for manufacturers in entering LMICs, and perception of manufacturers on the concept of AME label. A combination of desk research and qualitative interview was used to deduce the conclusion. Initially, a case study was conducted involving a medical equipment manufacturer based in the Netherlands, whose operations primarily targeted LMICs. The data was collected through one-to-one online semi-structured interviews with managers within this organization. The preliminary findings formed were later validated through survey and interviews conducted with a globally diverse sample size including industry and academic experts.

The results of the study indicated that the adoption of AME label has the potential to benefit manufacturers with enhanced brand value, increased visibility, improved credibility, and greater product transparency in their target markets. These factors can in turn build confidence and trust among LMIC stakeholders on AME-labeled products, opening doors for sustained business opportunities for manufacturers in these countries. By optimizing the product design towards the contextual requirements and including competitive product features, manufacturers could use the AME label as a differentiating factor in their sales. Subsequently, manufacturers could attain higher commercial value for their products and improved operating efficiency in the healthcare market of LMICs. At the same time, it is found that the introduction of the AME label could increase the complexity of the regulatory system. Manufacturers of all sizes face challenges while undergoing any regulatory process, adhering to regulatory norms, or undertaking any product label. This is unavoidable for manufacturers while supplying medical equipment across boundaries. Therefore, the inclination of manufacturers to adopt AME label depends on how effectively it streamlines the supply process, cuts administrative costs, reduces documentation work, and expedites the distribution of equipment to target countries.

Considering the novelty of the label, there are some concerns that could hinder the full-fledged adoption of the AME label by manufacturers. These concerns primarily revolve around the reliability and trustworthiness of the label. To overcome these concerns, the AME team should take into account the following aspects when implementing the label. They should carefully plan and execute steps to ensure that the label is recognized and accepted by authorized bodies like the UN, WHO, etc. It is equally important that measures need to be taken in the direction where the label is validated by all relevant stakeholders in LMICs. It is also essential to establish a clear positioning of the AME label within the regulatory system by highlighting the unique testing methods and distinctive tangible advantages it offers to the manufacturers compared to existing labels. By addressing these concerns, the widespread adoption of the AME label by medical equipment manufacturers could be achieved, leading to the availability of appropriate equipment in LMIC hospitals, and ultimately benefiting the patient groups within.

Recent years have shown an increased level of food insecurity: a surge in the level of poverty and hunger in low-income countries caused by higher global food prices. One of the potential causes of the commodity price spikes is the process of financialization, including an increased level of financial speculation in food commodity markets. Because the literature is inconclusive on the exact effects of speculation, this research aims to provide a fresh analysis of the potential impacts of financial speculation on food commodity prices as well as to explore policies that could influence the level of financial speculation. The main question to be answered through this research is: ‘What are the likely effects of the increase in financial speculation on the behavior of commodity prices in the current soybeans market, and which policies can be used to regulate these effects?’ First, a literature review was conducted to study sources on the potential theoretical effects of speculation, as well as sources on the current regulatory measures to counter speculation. Next, the system dynamics approach was used to investigate the role of speculative activity in price-setting behavior. Lastly, expert interviews were conducted to validate the behavior of commodity prices as shown in the model, as well as to gain knowledge on policy interventions.
Guided by the literature review, three important interacting markets were identified for inclusion in the conceptual system dynamics model for the soybeans market: the market for storage, the cash market, and the futures market. The results show how interactions between these markets determine the behavior of spot prices. Furthermore, in the literature review, speculators were found to be trend-following, fast-reacting entities who contribute to strengthening of price expectations and spot prices. The quantitative system dynamics model shows how speculators are able to amplify the oscillation of spot price behavior, which can be compared to the forming and crashing of price bubbles in a commodity market. This amplification occurs because speculators react faster to changes in spot prices than other market participants. While the model is still relatively simplistic, it creates an understanding of the system structure of financial markets that determines spot price behavior.
The research describes how experts agree on the fact that some kind of policy intervention is required to limit the negative effects of speculation. Policy makers should pay attention to the level of transparency in setting position limits and focus on clarifying and explaining the classification of speculators and hedgers. Furthermore, it is recommended that only traders with an active and real interest in the commodity should be allowed to participate in the futures market.

In Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), a significant challenge lies in the misalignment between available medical equipment and the specific needs of these regions. For example the needs of being adapted to low resource settings. A lot of medical equipment is not adapted to be operated in low-resource settings. This situation has prompted a growing interest in seeking comprehensive solutions that ensure clinical safety, adaptability to local needs, and affordability with the available resources. Previous strategies have had limited success, as they primarily focused on isolated aspects such as providing extra training or ensuring spare parts and leaving medical equipment unused or non-functional. Presently, a global team of experts is actively exploring the potential of an innovative solution – the "Appropriate Medical Equipment" (AME) label. The idea of this team of experts is to develop such a label so that those who are purchasing equipment know that the equipment is appropriate for the LMICs settings. Because, often, equipment is donated or funded by external organizations with procurement processes that prove inappropriate and ineffective. The unused and non-functional medical equipment contributes to critical issues, adversely impacting the functionality, usability, and lifespan of medical equipment, thus impeding its vital role within the healthcare system. Therefore, this research will delve into the requirements and characteristics necessary for developing this new product label, considering the perspectives of experts related to LMICs.\\

The research addressed four sub-research questions that collectively provided answers to the main research question: \textbf{\textit{"What characteristics of an Appropriate Medical Equipment label would facilitate the intended use of medical equipment in low- and middle-income countries?"}} To answer the main research question, a design approach was employed, proving to be a valuable problem-solving method for this multifaceted problem. The design approach encompassed four phases: exploration, ideation, prototyping, and prototype review. In the exploration phase, four key steps were undertaken. Firstly, a literature review was conducted to investigate the current usage and experiences related to labels and certificates for medical equipment as well as labels in general, with a focus on experiences pertaining to medical equipment labels and certificates. Secondly, scientific literature was used to identify system factors influencing the life cycle of medical equipment. Insights from this literature were translated into IDEF frameworks, which formed the foundation for subsequent interviews. These IDEF frameworks served as structured way of showing information and were used as boundary objects throughout the research and interviews. Thirdly, interviews were conducted with experts, validating the information obtained from the literature and enhancing the IDEF framework. The fourth step was consolidating the insights to formulate a problem statement. This problem statement encapsulated key stakeholders' needs, requirements, desires, and dilemmas. Following the accumulation of knowledge from the exploration phase, the ideation phase began. During the ideation phase the design space matrices were developed for each of the categories. This design space matrix showed the decision making process between categories and means. The third phase, prototyping, involved synthesizing the knowledge gathered from the previous phases to create a prototype. Lastly, in the review prototype phase, the prototype was discussed with experts who provided feedback and opinions. Following the prototype review, consideration was given to future steps, determining the best approach for addressing this complex problem.

The study concludes that to facilitate the intended use of medical equipment in LMICs, a product label should incorporate essential characteristics, identified through a comprehensive review of literature and expert interviews. These characteristics encompass safety, design orientation, training, finance, maintenance, spare parts, service, usability, transparency, and end-of-life considerations. By prioritizing and integrating these features, the label has the potential to indirectly improve the overall life cycle of medical equipment in LMICs. The requirements for such a product label are identified through expert interviews, encompassing training, technical aspects, and safety considerations.

Beyond individual characteristics of the label itself, this study also explored the success of label implementation for medical equipment in LMICs. Several concerns require attention for a successful label implementation. The concern covered in this research is the potential misalignment of values and agendas among stakeholders can hinder commitment to a new product label and its prototype. To address this, incentives should be tailored to meet the specific needs of each stakeholder. Research indicates a preference for the bottom-up approach in label development due to its effectiveness in managing complexity and enhancing project success rates. Starting with end-user testing and progressing upward to demonstrate the label's value and encourage adherence to its standards can motivate manufacturers. By integrating the label's unique characteristics with advocacy efforts and a bottom-up approach, it has the potential to facilitate the intended use of medical equipment in low- and middle-income countries, enhancing the crucial role of medical equipment in healthcare systems in these regions.

The findings in this thesis hold significant importance for individuals seeking solutions to reduce the high rates of unused or non-functional medical equipment in LMICs. This thesis explores the distinctive characteristics of a label and how these characteristics can address the challenges present in the medical equipment life cycle. By gaining a clear understanding of these issues, organizations and experts can leverage these insights when developing solutions to reduce high percentages of unused and non-functional medical equipment, such as the product label. Lastly, the thesis introduces an initial prototype for a product label for medical equipment in LMICs. This prototype is a start for future study and can be used as a starting point for the actual development of the product label.

According to the Paris agreement in 2015, global warming should be limited by applying new innovative technologies in the industry in order to keep the global temperature 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Governmental organisations, institutes and manufacturing companies themselves are concerned about high emissions and all together are making efforts to find and apply more appropriate technologies to reduce GHG emissions. This research focuses on the chemical industry, from the perspective of the chemical industrial cluster, and presents a way to identify the most suitable technologies for decarbonisation. The concept of an industrial cluster has the view of interconnected companies located in industrial proximity and there is a perspective of cooperation in order to find a way to reduce emissions. This cooperation, however, creates complexity as the companies will have to cooperate on a financial, technical and social level.

In order to study the topic, a specific case study was chosen to study, which is the Port of Moerdijk industrial cluster. Using publicly available data, three are chemical manufacturing companies and the one is a glass packaging manufacturing company, which is taken into account. The cluster analysis, results that companies are already strongly interlinked by exchanging material streams and utilities, which is an example of existing industrial symbiosis. The main raw material is naphtha, while energy is produced mainly by burning natural gas. This explains the high emissions of the cluster, around 2.8 Mt CO2/y, while the biggest emitter is the steam cracker unit (55% of the total emissions). Based on the cluster analysis, various options for decarbonisation are studied, such as alternatives for feedstock, energy carriers and the alternative processes itself.

The proposed scenario for the cluster of Moerdijk is, investing in the partial substitution of fossil-based naphtha feedstock with 10% co-feed of bionaphtha and 10% co-feed of waste plastic oil. Implementation of the electrification of the steam cracker, the steam boilers and the glass production processes and finally, Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) technology is recommended. By implementing the recommended combination of decarbonisation options, it is estimated that by 2035 this will result in reduction of 45% of cluster emissions.

After the proposal of the final scenario for the case study, an attempt is made to generalise this analysis, and thus a way towards a decision framework is presented. Essentially, a list of actions is presented, which someone could follow to find the appropriate solution for another chemical industrial cluster. In this framework, all the social, environmental, economic and technical sectors are taken into account. This leads to a rather complex topic that should be solved or at least simplified. This study can be used by decision makers of a chemical manufacturing company, which is a part of an industrial cluster, as a tool in order to follow the right steps to conclude the most suitable option for decarbonisation.  The advantage of studying this topic from an industrial cluster perspective is the decrease of individual investment costs by investing in a common solution with shared infrastructure.

A profound change is occurring in the Dutch energy system and significant growth in energy production from renewables can be observed. This requires flexibility solutions to balance the demand and supply of electricity. As described by the European Union in the Clean Energy Package, aggregators have the important responsibility to provide this flexibility.
A literature review identified that it remains unclear how firms entering the Dutch energy market as an aggregator can design their business strategy and business model and therefore a conceptual model based on 7 strategic components and 9 components of the Business Model Canvas has been established.

In order to explore potential business strategies and business models for firms entering the Dutch energy market as an aggregator, a qualitative study has been done by collecting primary data through interviews.
The interviews identified several findings that are used to complete the conceptual model. The study identified that aggregators can focus on both the B2B and B2C customer segments and that a number of key partners exist such as energy suppliers with an already large customer base, as well as seeking partners to fulfill the requirement of a Balance Responsible Party. It has been found that aggregators require a number of essential capabilities and resources such as IT knowledge and staff, and require algorithms for predictions of electricity price, demand & supply, and weather. Several revenue streams can be used by aggregators, however, the flexibility from customers’ assets can be currently sold with the highest profits in the imbalance market. Additionally, the study identified the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of aggregators, the elements required in an aggregator's value proposition, and other factors as part of the conceptual model.

Depending on the technical and regulatory specifications of other countries' energy systems, the findings of the study are to some extent generalizable and can be used by researchers to investigate opportunities for aggregators' market entry in these countries. Furthermore, the findings of this study can be used as a tool by actors in the Dutch energy market that consider providing aggregation services, to design their business strategy and business model and to create awareness of their opportunities in the market.
The study's proposed models might be provisionally acceptable as a business strategy and business model for firms involved in aggregation but should be validated further by research and implementation in practice. It is recommended that policymakers enable and stimulate aggregators in the Netherlands, for example by introducing subsidies, as the study found that achieving a profitable business case is a challenge for aggregators and considering the fact that aggregation does not only bring economic benefits but also ecological benefits that bring value to society as a whole.

Currently, medical technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are not yet sufficient to provide robust healthcare systems. This is not due to it being unavailable, but due to a large portion of present technologies being non-functional. This non-functionality also causes a lack of adoption of medical technologies. Through a T-shaped case study (e.g. a multiple case study with one case worked out in-depth), current barriers in adoption are uncovered. These are then integrated into an actionable framework that can be used by organizations implementing medical technologies in SSA to uncover barriers applicable to them, as well as proposed mitigating strategies to overcome these barriers. Themes included affecting adoption in this thesis are: maintenance, training, organizational and behavioral change. Barriers discovered can be divided into three categories. The first being resource-barriers, covering time, money, human and materials. Secondly, institutional barriers, covering policy, trust and the need for breaking habits. The last barrier category covers communication between client and organization. The framework offers the possibility to find applicable barriers based upon characteristics of an implementation situation. The implementation situation herein is medical equipment (ME) being implemented by an organization (O) into a client organization (CO). Using the knowledge on barriers in an early stage provides opportunity for the organization to overcome these barriers by informed analysis of mitigating strategies that they could implement.

Scholars have studied for many years the challenges of integrating requirements traceability in Agile environments. The developed tools, frameworks, and models in the literature take a rather technical perspective on the problem. The scholars focus primarily on mechanisms that provide accurate and relevant information retrieval from the requirements database or analyze various techniques for creating valid links between requirements. Although the technical approach provides solutions to several scoped challenges, the scholars did not take into account the business goals, stakeholders’ needs, and business processes. In practice, the company resources, the development approach, and knowledge workers’ interests play a critical role in requirements traceability. As a result, multiple tradeoffs are required to develop a balanced and stable environment. In particular, the approaches are not in sync with agile development approaches, whereas the first requires documentation, the latter is focused on working software. Therefore, taking a business and management perspective on requirements traceability integration in Agile methodologies could bring new meaningful insights into solving existing challenges.

Management requires to make trade-offs between what is desirable and feasible given limited resources and the need to stay agile. As a result, a framework for making these trade-offs is developed. In addition, a model capturing the main elements needed for traceability is designed, which can be modified/customized by other companies to realize RT given the limitations (or no limitations) brought by resources and business goals/strategy.

Technology has an increasing role in the modern day health care system. Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) is an area of biomedical engineering including the domains of planning, needs assessment, selection, procurement, donations, inventory, installation and maintenance of medical equipment (WHO, 2017). This thesis deals with HTM in Dutch hospitals from the viewpoint of procurement of high-cost medical equipment. Procurement is considered the main shifting point between resources and being able to provide care with the available technology.Through literature search and semi-structured interviews, we study the decision process for health technology procurement from the hospitals perspective, to answer the following question: What procedures improve the effectiveness of the multi-layered decision making process of procurement of health technology in hospitals in the Netherlands? To be able to answer this question, three perspectives are described.First of all, actor and stakeholder interaction within the decision arena. In the hospital we can define three actor types: clinical, operational and business actors. The project team for procurement processes generally includes a project leader, medical technology and clinical physics, procurement and users. Although it is preferable to have business oriented project leaders, the role is often fulfilled by operational or even clinical actors.The second perspective concentrates on external influences on the decision arena. Two types of external influence are described: regulation and industry influence. The recently introduced agreement medical technology is considered to be the most influential piece of regulation, despite it being a directive and not a law. The agreement medical technology introduced new procedures in terms of risk analysis and justification and induced big steps towards an increasingly formalized procurement process. Despite the fact that the covenant and all other applicable regulation steers to set up procurement processes as functionally oriented as possible, relational capital appears to be important in practice. However, statements about industry interference are variable.The third and final perspective introduced a process view. Procurement processes can generally be described in six steps: specification, selection, contracting, ordering, monitoring, and, aftercare (Veeke and Gunning, 1993). However, two preceding steps are suggested which are: budgeting and initiation. Budgeting holds the allocation of a yearly budget to the division which is the result of a dialogue between applicants, an investment committee and planning & control. The initiation phase is a second gatekeeper in which the actual project initiation is justified and accepted. When we combine the three perspectives several lessons can be learnt.
• Frequently a project leader lacks the competencies to lead a project properly. This has major influence on going through the project steps and the project outcome. A project leader should be a neutral actor who has no advising role towards the project team in terms of content. A competent project leader could increase buyer-supplier relationships which would decrease negative effects from disproportional social capital between physicians and manufacturers. It is suggested to consider full time project leaders with proper education to contribute to an effective purchasing process.
• In the procurement process the ability to save financial resources decreases as is proceeded through the steps. Assuming that the added steps of budgeting and initiation are executed well, the specification step is crucial for the outcome of the project. Participants indicate however that the means of specification does not serve the goal. Detailed programs of requirements are the status quo but lack the ability to differentiate between options because too many basic requirements have to be registered. It is suggested to change towards a best value approach where the desired outcome is described.
• A best value approach improves and demands buyer-supplier relationship. The specification and selection step melt together and the specification of solutions happens in cooperation with a manufacturer. Hospitals and the industry are dependent on each other for executing their purpose. Therefore cooperation between the two industries is already perceived as positive but legislation counteracts this. At this moment this is in this form not allowed for academic hospitals as they are subject to the tender law.
We can conclude that an improved systems approach is essential for an effective procurement process and a project leader should provide in this. Having proper project lead creates the opportunity to experiment with the best value approach and break loose from the strict program of requirements homogenizing the healthcare technology market. Future research could test the potential of this method to increase opportunity for innovation for manufacturers, as well as hospitals.

Almost 25 million people in Indonesia are still living in poverty. Most of these people are living in a rural area. Energy provision is considered as one of the first steps towards poverty alleviation. However, there are many challenges faced by the Indonesian government in providing electricity to the rural area, because most of the non-electrified villages are difficult to access by off-grid connection. Hence, renewable energy technology is widely considered as the most viable option for rural electrification that could stimulate economic growth without harming the environment. As technology provider agents, social entrepreneurs and NGOs have an essential role in technology development and knowledge transfer to people in a rural area. This highlights the importance of social entrepreneurship in supporting rural development and electrification. However, the implementation of rural renewable energy has high dependencies on charitable funding and grants. This addresses the most critical challenge for social enterprises and NGOs, that is to become financially and socially sustainable, especially after the launch of the innovation. Thus, identification and analysis of critical success factors for the commercialization phase of social innovation are needed. This study aims to identify and analyze the critical success factors influencing social innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly in the rural renewable energy field. Then, possible recommendations can be proposed to overcome the barriers. A combination of research methodologies is used in this study, combining both primary and secondary data through literature review, interview, and case study with cross-case analysis. The case study will be conducted by analyzing three social entrepreneurs focusing on rural renewable energy in Indonesia, such as Lentera Bumi Nusantara (LBN) for the wind turbine, Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) Sumba for solar PV, and Institut Bisnis dan Ekonomi Kerakyatan (IBEKA) for micro-hydro. The main deliverables from this study are the framework of influencing factors for social innovation in the commercialization phase and recommendations to overcome the barriers. The proposed framework and suggestions can be used as a basis for future research in other cases of social innovation, not only limited to rural development and renewable energy field. The study provides a final framework of 20 factors, which is based on these three levels: individual organization, civil society, and state. For the “individual organization” level, the factors are long-term goals and commitment, planning and targets, credibility and capability of the company, organizational culture and environment, qualified personnel, benefits for personnel, the role of company leaders, products and services, cost recovery model, natural resources, and standard procedures and practices. For the “civil society” level, the factors are target market readiness, benefits for users or community, community involvement and participation, network and partnership, financial support, and competition. For the “state” dimension, the factors are regulations and policies, administrative and bureaucratic procedures, and infrastructure.

The Global Financial Crisis caused by the collapse of the U.S. financial system had immense repercussions for the Eurozone countries. The fall-out of the global crisis turned out to be quite different for the “economically healthy” economies of Northern Europe and “core” and the economies of the Southern “sick periphery”, with the latter still suffering and trying to recover. The problem was acknowledged to be the difference of international competitiveness between the countries of these two groups, while its increase was considered to be substantial for the recovery of those countries which were most forcefully hit from the crisis. Countries of the periphery tried to improve their price/cost competitiveness by implementing internal devaluation and fiscal consolidation policies expecting an improvement on their international competitiveness and balance of payments performance. However, the adopted policies did not bring about the anticipated recovery and extended the period of turbulence for the Member States of the Eurozone and especially for those in South Europe like Greece. The negative experience of Greece and other countries of the periphery confirmed the perceptions of those economists who argued that a country could enhance its international competitiveness in a meaningful and lasting way only through the development of its non-price/technological competencies and structural strengthening of its technological capabilities and national innovation system. Thus, this research investigates how the international competitiveness of Eurozone Member States is affected on the one hand, by its international cost/price competitiveness, and on the other hand by its technological competencies. The econometric findings of this research lead to the recommendation of a policy orientation focusing on the case of Greece.

Out of all the events and phenomena surrounding the financial crisis of 2007/2008, one stood out: financialization. What is financialization, why does it occur, and is it problematic? It can be described as the financial sector increasing in size and importance relative to the real economy (including, for example, in terms of business practice and policy making) because of, amongst other reasons, redirected investments. When real economic growth slowed down, attention shifted to financial growth, often expressed in profit. According to several studies, this has led to rising inequality and economic instability. Its occurrence appears to be related to an emphasis on (Neoclassical) profit maximization. In recent times, this is expressed as shareholder value maximization, which became the goal of business activity. The emphasis is arguably unjustified, because theoretical assumptions on which the goal depends, including the presence of the Neoclassical perfectly competitive market, no longer hold in current real-world conditions (they appear more oligopolistic). Perhaps therefore, the prescription of profit maximization is no longer valid. Is the solution to try and return to perfect competition? Considering the aforementioned consequences, maybe it is time to visit other ideas too. The purpose of this thesis is to find elements of an economic model and especially a business model, that would provide a different economic goal. Ideally, a goal that, through our economic activities, would enable individuals to develop themselves and to participate in a stable economic system. Based on theoretical and empirical research, the thesis presents several building blocks for an alternative business model, relating to three realms of human existence: cultural-scientific, practical-economic and legal-political.1 From Aristotelian literature2 follows that eudaimonia would be the human goal (rather than Benthamite-utilitarian utility maximization).The cultural-scientific sphere would encompass what is referred to, by for example Wilken (1982) as, the Geistesleben. There would be freedom of thought, which contributes to development of, what Aristotle calls, virtues, which are essential towards eudaimonia. Financial literacy (Houghton Budd, 2017) might be instrumental. It would mean everyone would understand accounting and (also practice) bookkeeping in particular. An analogy with a mirror demonstrates that accounting shows what is happening. It is neutral yet it allows people to see what is going on, and thereby hold each other accountable. The practical-economic sphere would be devoted to fulfilling the material needs of people. It is important to note that this would not include limitless wants (which means the consumer is not insatiable). The underlying idea for economic activity would be the implementation of the ‘just price’3. A just price ensures that the costs of production are covered, but also, and this is an elaboration, the intellectual or spiritual input. The just price would be paid for the product of labour, and the input of the Geist of the producer. Labour would not be traded in a market because then remuneration might fall below that what is needed. Undeniably, the fact that there would be no labour market has huge implications.

The European Union (EU) landfilled and incinerated 600 million tons of waste in 2013, which could have been recycled and returned as raw material to the economy. Resource efficiency can regain this value and bring economic, environmental and social benefits. The EU has therefore adapted the Circular Economy Package with targets to stimulate the transition to a circular economy. These targets include reusing and recycling 55% of plastic packaging waste by 2025. Member states act to achieve those targets with subsidies and funding schemes. This enables entrepreneurs to enter the market of recycled plastic with innovations to gain Schumpeterian rent. However, only approximately 50% of starting companies are still operating after 4 years. It is crucial to increase the success rate of turning new technologies into innovations in order to reach the recycling targets. Market exploration and orientation strategies can aid entrepreneurs to gain insight in the recycled plastic market. Globalized value chain research is a commonly used method, but not suitable to address the recycling industry as it is not globalized but restricted by country borders and local governance. Value chain research methodology was used, according to a handbook written by Kaplinsky & Morris from 2001, which refers to and uses globalized value chain research methodology. For the recycling industry a specific selection was made from elements mentioned in the handbook. This enabled the execution of value chain research for the not globalized recycling industry. The interview questions and topics were made based on the required data for the selected elements. This thesis focussed on the biggest market segment of post-consumer plastic packaging waste in the Netherlands. In total 149 compounders, recyclers and converters were included in a database for a selection. Of which seven companies participated, which resulted in qualitative data that gives insight into the industry and enabled answering the research question.What is required from the value chain of the plastic recycling industry to increase the use of recycled post-consumer PPW? Converters must be able to get access to regranulate with stable MFI and crystallization time characteristics in higher quantities. Compounders can initiate this with joint design projects with branding companies thereby highlighting the possibilities of their regranulate. The optimization of the product and process for their regranulate lowers the switching costs for the converter and can bring rent opportunities. It furthermore showed to increase the sales of regranulate. The compounder requests higher quantities of mono streams recycled plastic from the recycler to comply with demand for regranulate to be used for high volume consumer goods. Recyclers however, upgrade their processes to maximize output for the Dutch ‘Raamovereenkomst’, which includes a mix stream next to the mono streams. This mix stream cannot be used by the compounders to make regranulate for the converters. The recyclers claim that they can technically increase the mono streams at the expense of the mix stream, although this leads to lower profits for them. A change is therefore required in the Dutch ‘Raamovereenkomst’ to optimize for mono stream output.

This thesis examines the competitiveness of renewable energy technology compared to conventional power generation methods by examining the relative cost of solar PV, wind, and coal. The findings of this analysis seek to answer the primary hypothesis: The unique application of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), entailing the manipulation of CAPEX and CO2 variables, reveals the points in time and the exact LCOE values where it becomes cost competitiveness to switch from a coal asset to a renewable asset within the context of the German electricity market. The results illustrate that cost competitiveness between new renewables (solar PV, onshore wind, and offshore wind) and coal in the German electricity market does cross at certain points. The research seeks to determine the precise scenarios under which new renewable plants are more cost competitive than existing coal plants. The LCOE calculation has been chosen as the methodology to estimate the relative cost competitiveness of these differing power generation methods, under predefined scenarios for both CAPEX-reduction for renewables and CO2-price increase for coal. New assets are compared to existing assets; therefore, LCOE has been chosen in order to compare operational costs (OPEX) plus the capital cost (CAPEX) of new assets, with only the operational cost (OPEX) for existing assets. i.e. the investment cost for coal-fired assets is denoted as a sunk cost. This allowed for the development of a simplified framework to analyze an electricity-producing firm involved in an investment decision, whether a new solar or wind project or the continuation of an existing coal power plant...

What makes a startup successful? How to define success? Existent models on startup success prediction often left aside significant predictors which may not be available in typical business databases such as crunchbase. com. In this research, focused on a population of five thousand organisations from the Dutch startup ecosystem, we go beyond previous approaches and deliver predictive models that include novel and distinctive variables. To achieve this goal, we depart from an extensive selection of variables drawn from the literature review. The initial selection is discussed, refined and enriched by carrying out interviews with knowledgeable actors in the ecosystem. At the end of the study, a total of eight significant predictors are used to construct three predictive models on startup success. The first model predicts a startup having total funding of one million euros or above, the second model predicts a startup having ten or more employees, and the third model predicts a startup having an average annualized return of at least 20% in the past three years. After testing the models, accuracies of 71%, 71% and 76% respectively are obtained. The results of this research are meant to be used by the organisation techleap.nl. By enriching the data, employing more sophisticated MLmodels and conducting this research at different points of time, techleap.nl will be capable of monitoring and predicting the performance of the ecosystemboth accurately and dynamically.

Climate change has been largely attributed to global temperatures rising over the years. This has been further mitigated by the increased usage of fossil fuels, deforestation, increased livestock farming, and chemical emissions, as a result of the large-scale industrialization of developing nations, combined with the increased consumption of goods and services all across the world (Steffen et. al., 2018). While separate research can be conducted in individual fields, it has become increasingly apparent that interdisciplinary research is imperative. The Kaya Identity was formulated by Yoichi Kaya to form a relationship between carbon emissions and economic and technological factors, particularly in the form of ‘growth factors’ in this thesis. The Kaya Identity has since been a mainstay of analyzing carbon emissions by internationally acclaimed bodies like the United Nations. To specify the research objectives a few research questions were asked: What form have policies to curb carbon emissions taken until now and what are the main points of differentiation between developed and developing countries? Using the Kaya Identity framework, what have been the main trends in energy efficiency and carbon intensity, thus identifying the main factors that policies have been aimed at correcting? What are the trends in energy efficiency and carbon emissions in each of the main sectors of the economy: transport, industry and manufacture, energy and heat, and buildings? What are the main deep decarbonization pathways which can be implemented by a developing economy (India) and a developed economy (the United Kingdom)?
To find answers to these questions, metadata over a period of thirty years was decomposed over the different sectors in India and the United Kingdom. The results of the decomposition showed that while the United Kingdom showed a decreasing trend in carbon emissions over time, India has shown an opposite trend. Also, technological factors have had a sufficient impact in offsetting carbon emissions in the United Kingdom, shown by negative growth percentages. Similar trends are observed in most individual sectors in the UK, except for the building sector, where the technology factor has not sufficient to offset the scale factor, showing us that it is a sector which needs particular focus. In India it is evident that the effect of technological factors needs to be enhanced, since the scale factors will. In each of the chapters, policies which were implemented for corresponding sectors looked at as well.
A regression analysis was then done till the year 2050 to predict the future trends of carbon emissions, followed by a stakeholder analysis of a possible technology in each sector. A two-phase solution is suggested since the demand for energy will never cease; first by integrating carbon capture technologies into existing industrial methods, followed by large-scale investments into the research and development of technologies with a much higher efficiency which have a greater chance of mass acceptance into society and industry without discounting important stakeholder values. This will reduce the rate of carbon emissions released into the environment till a truly sustainable result can be achieved.

To fend off the probable adverse effects of climate change as well as the subsequent economic and social impacts as a consequence of humans’ industrial activities, drastic changes are required in the way of processing, managing and exploiting natural resources. Based on a case study, the present report combines life-cycle assessment and life-cycle costing techniques on the basis of environmental externalities monetization with a view to conducting a multi-perspective comparative assessment of different chlorine manufacturing systems so that to identify which alternative can lead to the lowest environmental footprint and cost-intensity. Our findings suggest that the most cost-effective and less environmentally-intensive technical solution concerns the modification of the electrolysis cell’s configuration type from gap to zero-gap one when the heat is supplied by an on-site CHP facility. This modification is accompanied by 39% reduction of CO2 emissions in the membrane electrolysis stage and 24% reduction in the total CO2 emissions per ton of chlorine produced. Moreover, annual savings and profits increase while chain-related environmental costs substantially decline.