Erik J. de Bruijn’s research while affiliated with University of Twente and other places

Technology is considered as a key factor for economic development. Many authors in the field of technology management mention this impact on economic development as a motivator for their technology oriented study. What is this relationship between technology and economic development? In most studies, the relationship between technology and economy remains implicit. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between technology and the economy. Four literature streams are discussed which each provide insight into this relationship. The paper contributes to the management of technology field by summarizing different views that relate to technology and economy.

Certain regions in the world are economically very successful. They are connected with prominent universities. Examples are the Route 128 region near Boston which is connected with MIT and the Goteborg area in Sweden which is related to Chalmers University of Technology. In this knowledge era the issue is how to best use the knowledge that is created by universities to enhance economic development. This paper focuses on the role of universities for regional development and in particular university start-ups. Based on a literature review, this paper is concerned with three questions. First, what is the economic effect of a university on the region? Second, what are differences of university startups compared to other start-ups? Third, what is the effect of university start-up companies on the region? It was found that universities have several different economic effects on a region, including direct knowledge effects such as start-ups. Technology based start-ups have a disproportionate effect on the economy. Lastly, although success stories exist about the regional impact of for example MIT and Stanford, there are two issues: what is included in their calculations, and distributions of success are highly skewed. Based on these findings suggestions for further research are provided.

We investigate whether there were common causes for the withdrawal from the regional aircraft market of three established manufacturers (BAE Systems, Fokker and Saab), while competitors thrived. We focus on the markets for 50- and 100-seat aircraft. One cause concerning the 50-seat market was the introduction of a new class of aircraft, the regional jet, which pushed the less successful turboprop aircraft from the market. Turboprop aircraft that had been relatively successful before the introduction of regional jets survived. A probable reason for the withdrawal of BAE Systems and Fokker from the 100-seat market (in which Saab was not present) was that their products were ‘standalone’ aircraft, while those of their successful competitors were members of aircraft families, the larger members being far more successful. It was not the availability of technology that determined the success of regional aircraft manufacturers, but the application of (suppliers’) technology in new products.

One of the factors that can influence the economic status of countries is the education of the workforce. Improvements in education can positively impact economic growth. This paper is oriented on one program in particular, i.e. a PhD program in Industrial Engineering and Management with an emphasis on international issues. This program started in 1990 and recently more challenges with the quality of the research of PhD students were observed. This paper offers an exploratory analysis to determine key issues in the PhD program. It was concluded that many of the required skills should already be present in PhD students at the beginning of the PhD program in order to successfully complete it.

Since the mid-1980s, there has been a significant movement toward global markets, especially the privatization of the State-Owned Enterprises. Recently, after a more than three decades of excessive reliance on the public sector, Libya has pursued privatization of its public sector. This paper explores the underlying forces of the economic reform, especially with respect to the privatization of industrial sector, in Libya. It is found that privatization has been pursued in Libya as result of its own policy plan, rarely after pressures from the international lending agencies. It has been embarked on with more pragmatic and less ideological base.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a process‐based design of integrated management systems (IMS) implementation. Design/methodology/approach An extensive survey of peer‐reviewed literature was conducted. Based on the literature review, a comprehensive methodology for the design and implementation of an IMS was developed. Findings A critical review of the strategies employed and of difficulties encountered in IMS implementation reveals the need for a context‐ and process‐based design of IMS. At the operational level core activities are first designed from the perspective of stakeholders' requirements and then treated with operational excellence tools to strip away waste. The transformed core processes are then integrated with mainstream individual management systems to form one composite and holistic management system. The institutionalisation of IMS needs to be addressed in its design (through process embedded design) as well as at the users' level (through education and training of employees). Practical implications The paper provides the process‐based strategy for IMS implementation and institutionalisation. Originality/value The paper should be useful for practitioners searching for a recipe to integrate management systems, for government regulatory agencies seeking to facilitate the integration of management systems, and for researchers as a future area of research.

An international investment decision, such as through FDI, is sometimes followed some years later by a divestment decision. In this paper, we explore the current viewpoints and insights with regard to divestment theories. We also look for specific lessons that can be learned from divestments that relate back to the initial investment decision. We found that the literature on divestments is not yet fully developed. The number of studies that have been conducted is limited compared to many other fields. Also, there is not yet a comprehensive model that explains divestments and contradictory findings have been reported. Studies have used different variables, different definitions, samples that are characterized differently etc. We argue that future research on divestments needs to distinguish more clearly the different types of divestments that occur and that we need to look for additional variables that