Nyenrode Now Issue 1, Spring 2010

Nowm a g a z i n e f o r t h e n y e n r o d e c o m m u n i t y • i s s u e 1 s p r i n g 2 0 1 0

Nowm a g a z i n e f o r t h e n y e n r o d e c o m m u n i t y • i s s u e 1 s p r i n g 2 0 1 0

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the mix News@Nyenrode: the print versiontheme control Now you have it, now you don’t. Anintroduction to the concept of control finance An insider’s views on the financial control ofRandstad, the world’s second largest HR services companyin-control statements Blessing or curse? Dean Leen Paapeon the state of the statementsleadership Maurits van Rooijen wants Nyenrode to beengaged in society without being controlled by itmusic Conductor Otto Tausk controls his orchestra as amusician among musicians faculty Five of Nyenrode’s faculty members define whatcontrol means in their fieldsveerstichting Students met with movers and shakers insociety at a conference homing in on controlhealthcare How we experience our own healthsociety Watchdogs and whistle-blowers are two of the partieswith a role to play in the control and regulation of Dutch societycampus Control meets wilderness in the landscape of the estate

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Nyenrode NOW Magazine for theNyenrode Community, Issue 1, spring 2010Published by Nyenrode Business Universiteit

Editor-in-chief Frank TebbeAssociate editor/writer Terri J. KesterLayout U-Cap, Cynthia SchalkwijkCover Olga WestrateEditorial board Judith Droste, HannaEmmering, Helm Horsten, Terri J. Kester,Sanne Lichtendahl, Cynthia Schalkwijk,Pol Schevernels, Frank TebbeContributors Gert Immerzeel,Steve Korver, George McDonald,Olga Westrate, John Widen

Rector Magnificus/CEO Nyenrode BusinessUniversiteit Maurits van Rooijen

Nyenrode Business Universiteit reservesthe right to edit contributions.

Nyenrode Business UniversiteitStraatweg 25, 3621 BG BreukelenThe NetherlandsTel. +31 (0)346 291 211www.nyenrode.nl [email protected]

Control

Maurits van RooijenRector Magnificus and CEO of Nyenrode Business Universiteit

“If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough,” American racing driver Mario Andretti once said. Totalcontrol, however, is an illusion, a Utopian ideal we can strive for but will never achieve. Even a measure of control – of asituation, an organization or one’s own life – is not easy to attain. It requires perseverance, experience and, last but notleast, education. The head, heart and hands that summarize Nyenrode’s educational philosophy have to work together.

Control is the theme of this issue of Nyenrode NOW. Too much control can kill creativity, while not enough controlcan lead to disaster. So the truism is that you should make sure you have enough control – but not too much. The nextquestion is: what is enough control for a particular organization, at any given time? If you get the answer to this basicquestion wrong, things could get messy.

The combined arts of leadership and management, the key to success, lies in the way you handle the controldilemma. Where in the spectrum of control, between laissez faire and blueprint, should you be? How do you relinquishcontrol, how do you delegate responsibility, and do you trust others to do the right thing? Bearing the quote from MarioAndretti in mind, we try to find some answers in the pages of this magazine.

Last winter, I took control as Rector Magnificus and CEO of Nyenrode Business Universiteit. What a wonderful placeI have found here, offering so much opportunity, so much alumni involvement and so many hidden jewels among thefaculty. In an interview in these pages I am sharing some insights on Nyenrode with you. I would also like to use thisopportunity to invite you to get back to me with some of your thoughts. I’m sure I will find them very helpful. After all,we control the future of Nyenrode together.

For now, I hope that this edition of Nyenrode NOW will make inspiring and enjoyable reading.

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program round-up

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS DEGREE PROGRAMS

Master of Science in ManagementFULL-TIME, 16 MONTHS, STARTS IN AUGUSTwww.nyenrode.nl/msc

Part-time Master of Science in ManagementPART-TIME, 36 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN JANUARYwww.nyenrode.nl/ptmsc

International MBA FULL-TIME, 12 MONTHS, STARTS IN SEPTEMBER www.nyenrode.nl/imba

Executive MBAPART-TIME, 21 MONTHS, STARTS IN APRIL www.nyenrode.nl/emba

Public Sector MBAPART-TIME, 22 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN JANUARYwww.nyenrode.nl/psmba

NyVu Modular Executive MBAPART-TIME, 9 MODULES, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN JANUARYAND SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/nyvu

For information, go to www.nyenrode.nl/education/businessdegreesor contact the Nyenrode Program Information Center, +31 346 291 291,[email protected]

SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY & CONTROLLINGDEGREE PROGRAMS

Bachelor of Science in AccountancyPART-TIME, 54 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN AUGUSTwww.nyenrode.nl/bsca

Master of Science in AccountancyPART-TIME, 24 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN AUGUSTwww.nyenrode.nl/ra

Post Master RAPART-TIME, 12 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN FEBRUARYAND SEPTEMBER

Master of Science in ControllingPART-TIME, 24-32 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/mscc

Executive Master of Finance & ControlPART-TIME, 18-24 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN MARCHAND SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/efmc

Managerial ControllingPART-TIME, 12-18 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/mc

Kopjaar IT-Auditing (RE)PART-TIME, 10 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/re

Kopjaar Internal/Operational Auditing (RO)PART-TIME, 10 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/ro

Credit Rating AdvisorPART-TIME, 4 MONTHS, DUTCH-LANGUAGE, STARTS IN SEPTEMBERwww.nyenrode.nl/cra

For information, go to www.nyenrode.nl/education/accounting or contact+31 346 295 813, [email protected]

LIFELONG EDUCATION

Nyenrode offers tailored programs and courses in the fields of financialmanagement, accountancy and controlling.

Short courses (PE or Lifelong Education) are available for controllers,accountants and other financial experts. In addition, in cooperationwith KPMG, the university also provides the possibility to earn PE pointsthrough monthly meetings (PE-Café). All programs are in Dutch.

For information contact Nick Vos, +31 346 295 851, [email protected]

OPEN EXECUTIVE PROGRAMSNyenrode’s open executive programs, in Dutch and English, vary fromone-day masterclasses to management development programs of upto 11 months.

The subjects of these programs are:• Strategy/Management• Leadership• Marketing/Sales/Innovation• Finance/Tax/Pensions• Human Resource Management

Nyenrode also offers specific programs on the following subjects: • China-related Issues• Corporate Governance • Emerging Technologies• Entrepreneurship• India-related Issues• Professional Services• Strategic Talent Management• Sustainability

For information go to www.nyenrode.nl/education/executive orcontact +31 346 291 581

FACILITIESCorporate relations of the Nyenrode Business Universiteit mayrequest the use of university facilities for seminars, conferencesor meetings with clients.

For information, go to www.nyenrode.nl/about/rentalocation or sendan e-mail to [email protected]

CUSTOMIZED EXECUTIVE PROGRAMS

Tailormade in-company programs are developed in close collaborationwith our clients. These learning partnerships have included clients suchas Achmea, KLM, SNS, DHL, Koninklijke BAM Groep and many others.

For information contact Nel Hildebrand, +31 346 291 448,[email protected]

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the mix

more musical masters

The coach house is proving an excellent venue for classical music.An opera concert held there late last year as part of the festivitiescommemorating the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrivalin New York sold out well in advance. The presence of the USambassador lent extra prestige to the concert, which included

compositions by Copland, Barber and Gershwin. The next concertin the Musical Masters at Nyenrode series, featuring violinist LizaFerschtman, will be held on March 28 – an appropriate date topresent the Spring and Summer concertos from Vivaldi’s best-known work, The Four Seasons.

exemplary expat

The Undutchables Recruitment agency, service website Expatica, agovernment-linked foreign investment organization and Nyenrodehave put their heads together to create more recognition for the150,000-odd expatriates, who make a significant contribution tothe Dutch economy. They jointly created the Expat of the YearAwards. On March 23, when the winners have emerged after anonline vote at www.expatoftheyear.nl, they will be presented withtheir awards in a ceremony hosted by Nyenrode.

harvard award for mba students

A paper analyzing the creation, current position and future successof the petrochemical cluster in the Port of Rotterdam, which waswritten by five MBA students, has been singled out for an awardby the Harvard Business School. The report was produced in thecontext of a course on the microeconomics of competitiveness,developed by a team led by Professor Michael Porter and taught bythe Nyenrode Strategy Center. Universities from all over the worldpresented a total of 89 papers.

boosting dutch polish

trade relations

Last fall the Dutch PolishTrade Award, aimed atstimulating trade rela-tions between the twocountries, was presentedat Nyenrode for the fifthtime. The lucky winnerwas Zeelandia, a companyproducing ingredients forbakeries. Zeelandia’s man-aging director and Nyen-rode alumnus Coen Meijer(left) received the prizefrom the hands of JanuszStanczyk, the Polish ambas-sador to the Netherlands.

pitbull from holland

During his repeated visits toNyenrode, where he arrived instyle in the latest Spyker model,Victor Muller proved himself tobe a charismatic and inspirationalspeaker. In 2006 we featured himon the cover of Nyenrode NOW.At the time, no one could haveimagined that the ‘pitbull fromHolland’, as he was dubbed inSweden, would buy Saab, a Euro-pean icon, from US automotivebehemoth General Motors. WhenMuller announced the successful conclusion of the takeover nego-tiations in January, he pledged to restore Saab’s original character.

youtube new tool for scholarship candidates

Nyenrode has become the first business school to offer candidatesfor a scholarship the option of applying on YouTube. They weregiven just two minutes of video time to convince the judges thatthey were worthy of a place on the program. After the first batch ofscholarship recipients had been selected in this way, MSc programdirector Eric Melse commented: “YouTube makes it possible to betterassess personality and has the added bonus of allowing us to forman immediate bond with the students.” A Russian student singledout for a scholarship returned the compliment: “It was an excellentway for me to focus on the specific reasons why I wanted to study atNyenrode. And it was fun!”

good show in rankings

Academic rankings are increasingly taken into account in the selec-tion of higher education institutes. So it was good news for Nyen-rode that its Executive MBA topped last fall’s listing for careerprogress in the Financial Times. The ranking, which comparesalumni’s level of seniority and the size of the companies they workfor before and after their MBA, is part of a survey that awarded theprogram an overall ranking of 69.

Nyenrode’s MSc in Management, which tends to attract youngerstudents than the MBA, also beat the competition in the NationalStudent Survey published by ResearchNed and TNS-NIPO. It was thesecond time the MSc, which has recently been fine-tuned tostrengthen its focus on personal development and leadership, cametop of the list.

room for improvement in risk management

The results of a risk management study carried out by GroningenUniversity, Nyenrode, Royal NIVRA and PricewaterhouseCoopers

do not reflect well on Dutchcompanies: the way they managetheir risks was found to be inade-quate, inefficient and too super-ficial. On the occasion of NIVRA’sAccountant Day, Dean Leen Paapepresented these findings to anaudience of finance professionals.On page 11 of this edition of Nyen-rode NOW, Paape puts the studyinto perspective.

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ontrol is easy to lose. It happens all the time and it’salmost always bad news. Take sport, for instance. A For-mula One driver goes into a sharp corner too fast andspins off the track: he lost control. A tennis player lobs

past her opponent at the net and the ball lands just outside the line:she lost control. A soccer team leading 2-1 with five minutes to gomake two errors costing them two goals: they lost control. Losingcontrol is not a good thing. You’ll rarely hear anyone say: “It’s OK, noproblem – we just lost control.”

In aviation, there’s air traffic control; nobody wants those guys tolose it. Businesses have their financial controller, internal controlsand cost controls. We’ve all seen how the current financial crisis hasled to calls for more controls. Everybody knows a control freak orsomeone with no self-control, and has had a usually unpleasantencounter with them. The Mafia control the drug trade, and woe betideanyone trying to take it away from them. Border controls help to keepus safe. Hooligans are out of control. Even children’s favorite Thomasthe Tank Engine has to deal with the Fat Controller. And then we’renot even considering the question of who controls the controllers.

Chaos theory, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, Murphy’s Law,even life itself – they have all taught us that the universe is a riskyplace, and that it is far safer to stay in bed. Since staying in bed isusually not an option, we like to make ourselves believe that we arein control.

Is there anything to be said for not being in control? Well, oneof the reasons given for the collapse of Communism is that thesystem tried to control everything; its own rigidity helped to kill it.That same kind of suffocating control is present in many companiesand organizations. Yet if innovation and progress are to take placeat all, there must be some space between having too much andtoo little control, where initiative has room to breathe. The art ofmanagement is to identify that space and place people in it whoknow how to use it. They will need strong nerves. And when some-thing goes wrong, as sooner or later it will, they will also need a verygood explanation.

George McDonald is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor toNyenrode NOW

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new books by nyenrode faculty

Annemieke Roobeek, Nyenrode’s Professor of Strategy and Trans-formation Management, and Marjanne van der Helm are the

main authors of netwerkend werken

en intelligent opsporen (working bynetworking and intelligent detectivework). Published by the Dutch Councilof Police Chiefs, the book unveils a newmodel for police investigation thatmakes use of networking techniques.Nyenrode contributed to the projectby hosted a number of brainstormingsessions and an international seminaron new approaches to intelligence workand networking.

In a new book entitled financiële deca-

dentie, toezicht en compliance (financialdecadence, supervision and compliance)Bob Hoogenboom and Marcel Pheijfferof the School of Accountancy and Con-trolling discuss financial and economiccrime, the erosion of norms and values,greed and related issues. The authorsquestion the widely held view that regu-lation and compliance are the solution tothe current economic problems.

A compilation of articles by Pheijffer andHoogenboom previously published onwebsites has now appeared in printunder the title accountancy en andere

zaken onder de loep (accountancy andother things under the microscope). In theintroduction, accountant and editor TomNierop observes: “The armor platingaround the universe of accountants maynot have been completely dismantled, butpeople are hammering on the hatches.”

A transformation for a new approachto management and business practicethat makes better use of spirituality isthe focal theme in an English-languagebook co-edited by Sharda Nandram,associate professor at the Center forEntrepreneurship, and Margot EstherBorden. spirituality and business, explor-

ing possibilities for a new management

paradigm, includes a contribution by Paulde Blot.

acting local

For the third year in a row, Nyenrode is showing its involvement inthe local community of the historic town of Breukelen by hostingan exchange which brings together local companies and organiza-tions. The municipality has made sustainability its focus for 2010,and the exchange, known as Beursvloer Breukelen, is following suit.On March 25, local entrepreneurs and representatives of a widerange of organizations will be heading for Nyenrode to find part-ners interested in their ideas and initiatives.

a little more soul please

If business enterprises had shown a little more soul, the financialcrisis might not have hit so hard. That seems to be the conclusionfrom the findings of the Nyenrode Monitor, which this time investi-gated business spirituality. Half of the respondents, drawn frommanagers and entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, felt that the crisiswas caused by the private sector acting soullessly. Approximately50 percent took the view that the bonuses paid to executives under-mine the sense of community within an organization.

www.nyenrode.nl/news www.nyenrode.nl/businesstopics

royal decoration for paul de blot

On the 63rd Founders Day, Professor Dr Paul de Chauvignyde Blot received the title of Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau at Nyenrode. De Blot (85), who was born in theDutch East Indies, has had a long and distinguished careeras a thinker and a scientist. After World War II he joinedthe order of the Jesuits and in 2006 he was installed atNyenrode as professor of business spirituality, a very con-temporary field. In his PhD thesis, published two yearsearlier, he compared modern management techniqueswith the way the Jesuit order was run in the 16th century.

theme control finance


ince joining Randstad nine years ago, Robert-Jan van deKraats has given his local CFOs a relatively high degreeof autonomy, maintaining what he calls a “dotted butactive line” to them from his Amsterdam office. Most of

the company’s business is conducted locally, he reasons, so it mustbe controlled by local teams. “Not one of my CFOs is recruited withoutmy personal approval, and I am also involved with all appraisals andtarget setting.” He acknowledges that there could be a clash betweenhis responsibilities as CFO and for operations, but there isn’t: “Thereare even benefits, because I live in the same world as my colleagues.”

ParadoxVan de Kraats explains that Randstad’s business model is a relativelysimple yet paradoxical one. On the one hand its strong operationalfocus makes the model fairly straightforward, while on the other itsalmost unlimited commercial potential adds complexity. At Rand-stad, controlling is split into financial control, which encompassesaccounting and financial consolidation, and business control,which focuses more on real-world strategy, productivity, strategictargets and performance measurement analyses. “The CFO, however,is more than the person in charge of financial control, which is apurely technical discipline. He also adds value by being the navigatoror business controller.” Navigators, Van de Kraats continues, ensurethat at local and group levels processes are in place to underscore astrategy with financial targets and the milestones and benchmarkingtools to facilitate their realization. To boost competitiveness andmake improvements, it’s essential to balance market and internaldynamics. If staff turnover is too high, market share suffers. If it’stoo low, it reduces flexibility. “There are many elements to monitorin the dashboard and we have to constantly point out what’shappening and where we can do better.”

International operations account for 80 percent of Randstad’srevenues, so they strongly affect the overall dynamics and are keyto the corporation’s growth potential. That said, Van de Kraats issatisfied with the company’s current geographical spread, althoughhe would like to strengthen its presence in existing operations.“In Germany we are market leader, but our market share is only16 percent. Globally, we are present in almost 90 percent of theHR services market. So we don’t need to expand into other countries.”

Alive and kickingRandstad was severely affected by the current economic crisis, butVan de Kraats points out that the company is emerging from it

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robert-jan van de kraats is cfo and vice chairman of the executive board of randstad holding

and has operational responsibility for several of the 46 countries where it operates. he reflects

on aspects of financially controlling the world’s second largest hr services company.

by john widen

THE

RIGHTSTAFF

“alive and kicking”. To obtain the necessary finance for its pre-crisisacquisition of staffing company Vedior, Randstad sketched a hypo-thetical scenario for the way it would cope with a normal downturn,assuming three consecutive years of limited revenue shrinkage.When the crisis hit, the company suffered a 30 percent decline – ina single year. At that point, a blueprint for survival was already inplace, but the necessary measures were much harsher. Van de Kraats:

robert-jan van de kraats:

«we suffered some people

damage, but relatively

little f inancial damage»


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theme control finance theme control in-control statements

Smokescreenor added value?whether in-control statements are a blessing or a curse depends on who you are talking to.

leen paape gives his take on the phenomenon.

e recently carried out research on the state of theart of risk management in the Netherlands. Wesurveyed almost one thousand organizations,each with revenues exceeding €10 million. We

also looked at the practice of in-control statements and learnedthat only about one third of all organizations subject to corporategovernance regulations provided one. Of the corporations notbound by the regulations, a meager one in five produced an in-control statement. Two-thirds of the total number of statementsthat were produced only included the financial reporting risks andcontrols, with just one third giving details of all risks and controls.

We were, to put it mildly, disappointed with these results. Wehad to conclude that, apparently, even organizations with a legalrequirement to provide transparent information about the qualityof their risk management systems refused to do so.

Transparency is crucialThe current economic and financial crisis makes financial trans-parency all the more crucial. Critics point out that, although manyreputable organizations have provided in-control statements, thesedid not stand the test of the economic downturn. The critics put thisview in perspective by explaining that, for organizations which havepublished such a statement, the risks of being held accountablewhen surprises occur outweigh their potential benefits. Too muchtransparency might also harm their competitive position. Whilethose arguments should not be brushed aside, there is proofthat providing an in-control statement enhances the quality ofrisk management.

In our research we graded the quality of risk management ofour respondents. The results showed that organizations that followmandatory regulations requiring in-control statements had highergrades than those that don’t. On a scale from 1 to 10 – with 1 beingvery poor and 10 outstanding – the average grade was 4.5. We alsoasked respondents to grade the quality of their own risk manage-

ment. Not surprisingly, they gave themselves significantly highergrades: 6.5 on average. In our view, this overrating of the quality oftheir risk management systems may lead to the creation of an evendenser smokescreen.

Worthwhile undertakingOther research results revealed that providing in-control state-ments leads to lower cost of capital, higher shareholder value, lessfraudulent behavior and fewer restatements of the annual report. Itis therefore our opinion that providing an in-control statementadds value, making it a worthwhile undertaking. It focuses theattention and obliges the organization to take a closer look at thequality of its risk management and control systems. This will mostlikely lead to improvements and correction of flaws. In the end notonly the shareholders, but all stakeholders will benefit.

Sure, the in-control statement may itself be perceived as a smoke-screen. There are no guarantees whatsoever that control systemscan prevent all crises and economic downturns. But as long as theysoften the impact and prevent even one major crisis, the benefits arecertain to exceed the costs.

Leen Paape is Dean of the Nyenrode School for Accountancy & Controlling.

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«in the end not only the

shareholders, but all

stakeholders will benefit»


“A decline of 30 percent calls for the same tools as one of 10 percent;you just have to use them better. We have suffered some ‘peopledamage’ but relatively little financial damage, so we survived withoutthe need for any refinancing.”

There are now signs of growth in Randstad’s US operations,and in Europe the downturn appears to be bottoming out. Van deKraats expects to see the marginal contraction he anticipates in early2010 to turn into marginal growth at year’s end. “We’re usuallythe first to benefit from a recovery, so our challenge will be to meetthis growth by increasing productivity, not costs. We still haveovercapacity, which will be used first.”

Business gameVan de Kraats’ activities are not limited to Randstad. He is a boardmember of the New Venture initiative, a business game with a€25,000 prize in which potential entrepreneurs are encouraged todevelop a business plan to attract investors and form real compa-nies. He likes its pragmatic character: “It works. It has alreadycreated about a thousand companies and thousands of jobs.” Vande Kraats is also on the supervisory boards of two other companies,which he feels provides benefits all round. “It prevents me from beingblinkered to a Randstad perspective, and I pick up on elementsthat I can apply here. What I bring to the party is my day-to-dayexperience of managing a large company. I can relate to the problemsof other organizations, making it easier for me to evaluate theirperformance and advise them.”

Van de Kraats has come a long way since starting a degree courseat NIVRA 20 years ago when, by his own admission, he barely knew

the difference between debit and credit. “It was tough and highlyintensive,” he recalls, “but very beneficial too, because it gave mepractical and theoretical experience in a good combination of theelements I now apply at Randstad.”

Judging by recent events he must be applying himself verywell, because he was voted the Netherlands’ financial top man in2006 and 2008. Although clearly proud of the achievement, hestresses that the credit should be shared with his team and withRandstad, which gave him the room to maneuver and hire the rightpeople. “Like everything in business, you cannot achieve somethinglike this alone.”

John Widen is a freelance journalist and a regular contributor toNyenrode NOW.

«besides be ing in charge

of financial control,

the cfo also adds value

by being the navigator»

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theme control leadership

Nyenrode’s broad canvas

in an in-depth interview, maurits van rooijen discusses his plans for nyenrode and its relevance

for education, business and society at large. by terri j. kester

The end of your first 100 days as Rector Magnificusand CEO coincided with the beginning of the New Year.Have you formulated a vision?One can easily get too excited about vision and get to a point wherethere’s too much vision and not enough work. It’s not my personalvision that matters, but the institutional vision. What I can do is

match what I’ve seen in the worlds of business and education withNyenrode’s historical and current strengths, image and branding.

What do you see as Nyenrode’s main strength?Nyenrode is the only universiteit which is recognized by the Dutchstate and yet financially independent. Don’t get me wrong; we should

not adopt an arrogant attitude toward the public universities. Everyuniversity has its own voice. There clearly is a need for diversity, andI want to stress that there’s nothing wrong with the purely academiceducation offered by other universities.

However, Nyenrode is a different kind of animal. While wetoo are committed to a high level of academic rigor, we have tocombine this with relevance to society. I realize that relevance is anambiguous concept. I mean that, in order to remain relevant,we should not just respond to the demands and desires of ourstakeholders but keep ahead of what happens in society. We mustfocus on our impact on society, through our graduates and ourconsultancy work. That is the exciting challenge facing us. Nyenrode

is important for this country and rooted in society. If we don’t stayfirmly focused on what society needs, we will lose our raison d’être.

Can you give an example of areas where business andsociety are intertwined? Sustainability is a good example. Leaving the ideological aspectaside, we see sustainability as a business case and we study the roleof leadership in it. Another example is spirituality. Professor Paul deBlot spoke about this recently, when he received a royal decoration.These are business discussions as well as ideological ones. The studyof the business angles of such fields is what makes Nyenrode relevantand innovative.


theme control leadership


You are the first Rector Magnificus who is also CEOof Nyenrode. Was your appointment the reasonto reorganize the leadership?The reason lies partly in my background. My 16 years in the UK andmy experience in the US and Australia have made me see the logic ofcombining a university’s operational and managerial responsibilitieswith the academic leadership. In a modern organization, the twoare interdependent. Clear leadership, in the context of a team, isparticularly important for a private institution like Nyenrode.

When you were appointed, the media emphasizedthat you are an outsider because you don’t belongto Nyenrode’s ‘old boys network’. Sometimes you need an outsider to appreciate the value of some-thing. I already knew that Nyenrode has a strong alumni network,but it’s even better than I expected. Even in a global context it’sa truly unique resource, further strengthened by the School ofAccountancy and Controlling. If we organize it in a more structuredway, we can generate more interaction between degree studentsand alumni, who are very generous with their time and energy. Asan outsider, I don’t take the network for granted.

What do the groups making up the Nyenrode communityhave in common?They have all made a conscious choice to come here. People come tous at different stages in their lives. Young graduates, MBA students,accountancy students, middle management and board membersall have their own reasons to come to Nyenrode. We have a broadcanvas to work on. The overall picture is that we all understandwhat entrepreneurship and leadership are about.

As for the students, they are investing in their future. They’renot just here to acquire knowledge, because knowledge alonedoesn’t make you successful in life. Even if you know how to useyour knowledge but lack the drive and attitude that should go withit, you’ll fail. You have to test your abilities in the real world. AtNyenrode we understand and facilitate this, and we’ll do so evenmore in the future.

What, in your view, is the place of executive education?Our executive programs enable us to say to companies: “You don’tneed to set up your own corporate university. Nyenrode is yourcorporate university. You can come to us for all your trainingneeds.” We start teaching where other universities stop – and goway beyond that point. Even on a global scale, very few institutionsunderstand what teaching in the 21st century should be about.Today’s higher education should deliver people who not onlyunderstand leadership and entrepreneurship, but who also knowhow to link theory and practice. Coming from a work-integratedlearning environment, they should look beyond the classroom andmove to a learning-integrated work environment. Our involvementwith our students doesn’t end when they graduate. This universitycan be a partner for life to all its stakeholders.

You strongly emphasize the importance of listeningto everyone.If you listen carefully, you learn more quickly. Listening is notsomething you do from nine to five; you also do it in the bar or atan alumni event. It’s one of the reasons why I live on the campus.People don’t listen enough to each other. I encourage them to talkto each other rather than about each other, because dialogue is themost important part of communication.

I don’t just want to follow my own leadership style, but alsoaddress the anxieties and resistance of the people around me andplay to their strengths. We have a gathering of very intelligent,highly creative people at Nyenrode, with strong opinions. Every-thing I say will be viewed critically – perhaps even skeptically. This isnot a bad thing; on the contrary, there’s strength in that. It’s whatshapes a genuine community, to which people are committed. Butit comes at a price.

What is the price you have to pay?Having to do a lot of talking and explaining. Otherwise peoplewill not commit to working with me. To lead Nyenrode, I must beaware of both the internal and external perceptions. Our message,that we are a different kind of university relevant for students,

the business community and society at large, has to extend beyondthe campus.

How do you see Nyenrode’s place in the internationalarena?Nyenrode was founded over 63 years ago as an organization with aninternational mission. Somehow, this mission has receded in recentyears. That is something we have to address. We can considerablyraise our profile, both in the Netherlands and abroad, by beingmore visible in the international domain. We need to develop amore focused cooperation with other business schools and makeour teaching more international. The full-time MSc program in par-ticular would benefit from a higher percentage of foreign students.Things are happening in this area already – we have joined the Euro-Mediterranean University initiative of the European Parliament forexample, and we’re going to set up an international academic councilof leading business school deans – but we can do much more. This isa part of my assignment that I’m very much looking forward to.

Due to the withdrawal of the student bank loans, we wereforced to postpone the start of our International MBA. Thoughthis is not the kind of thing you want on your desk when you starta new job, we have managed to turn a negative into a positive.The new-style MBA that will start in September is going to be moretypically Nyenrode and more in step with the emerging needs of the21st century. In fact, this incident has created a wonderful oppor-tunity for us.

The theme of this edition of Nyenrode Now is Control.Do you intend to keep a tight rein on Nyenrode?I have no desire to exercise strict top-down control, because itwould stifle the creativity and excellent work that is done here. In amedium-sized institution like this, you don’t need much control.You have to safeguard your autonomy and make clear that you cannotbe bought. You should be free to express provocative opinions, thetruth as you see it, and be engaged in the outside world withoutbeing controlled by it.

Of course excesses in terms of behavior, by students as wellas professors, have to be controlled. Another area where controlmechanisms have to be firmly in place is cost control. To protect ourindependence, we need to develop a better financial buffer. Weshould also control – or rather coordinate – our message to theoutside world. But apart from that I advocate no more control thanis absolutely necessary.

Do you expect to be here long enough to carry all yourplans through?I returned to the Netherlands because Nyenrode is a very excitinginstitution, and I’m going on the assumption that I’ll be here for therest of my working life. I don’t think it would be good for the organ-ization if I thought otherwise.

Terri J. Kester is a freelance journalist and associate editor ofNyenrode NOW.

maurits van rooijen:

«strict top-down control

would st ifle the creativ ity

and excellent work that

is done here»

maurits van rooijen (1956), who assumed his dutiesas Rector Magnificus and CEO of Nyenrode on October 1,2009, is an economic historian who graduated at UtrechtUniversity, where he also obtained his doctorate for hisresearch on green urbanization. He has held positions as anacademic, administrator and executive at Leiden University,Erasmus University Rotterdam, Victoria UniversityMelbourne, the University of Pennsylvania and elsewhere.In 1993 he joined the staff of the University of Westminsterin London. As a member of the senior management teamand later of the executive team, he assumed responsibilityfor international and institutional development. Thetransformation of a locally-oriented, undergraduate-focusedinstitution into an internationally acclaimed university withan extensive portfolio in postgraduate education did not gounnoticed. On two occasions the University of Westminsterreceived, quite uniquely, the UK’s highest business awardfor achievement in export, the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.While based in London, Van Rooijen was also involved inthe founding of universities in Africa and Asia. He currentlychairs the Euro-Mediterranean University, which wasrecently founded as an initiative of the European Union.Other international positions held by him include thepresidencies of the Spain-based Compostela Group ofUniversities, one of the largest consortia of its kind withsome 80 members, and of the World Association forCo-operative Education in Boston, Massachusetts, whichseeks to bring together business and universities.


theme control music

The conductor as sheepdog

raditionally, conductors have had a certain reputation.Arturo Toscanini and Gustav Mahler were untouchablegods, alone on their mountains. Artur Rodzinski wassaid to bring a revolver to rehearsals to deal with motiv-

ational issues. So it is a relief that Otto Tausk (1970) has quite different ways

of staying professionally in control in today’s modern world.Regarded as the most successful Dutch conductor of his generation,he is the chief conductor of the Holland Symfonia – when he is notgathering prizes or acting as guest conductor to the great orchestras

of the world. He has built up a startlingly diverse repertoire thatruns from Verdi’s Requiem to the latest opera by contemporaryDutch composer Michel van der Aa. He has also collaborated withthe decidedly non-classical likes of Loes Luca and Henny Vrienten.He describes himself as “a very convinced non-specialist”. Tauskcomes across as a nice guy whose energy and enthusiasm for musicare infectious.

VolunteerTausk didn’t start his career by lining up his teddy bears and wavinga pretzel stick in front of them. As a child, he was a gifted violin

T

far from displaying the totalitarian tendencies

of which some conductors are accused, otto

tausk uses more subtle means to impose his

musical personality on the orchestras he leads.

by steve korver

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«the age of the lonely boss

is over. i am more a music ian

among music ians»


theme control music theme control faculty

we asked some members of nyenrode’s faculty what control means in their fields.

dr. lidewey van der sluis

full professor of strategic talent management

“The labor market needs people who are in control, with composure, disciplineand self-awareness in the most essential aspects of their talent development:knowledge, expertise and character.”

lineke sneller

researcher and phd candidate (with information

technology as area of expertise)

“I see control in information systems as a combination ofmastery and balance – not as domination. But I wouldnot venture to say whether the use of informationtechnology in the fight against terrorism leads tobalanced mastery or domination.”

dr. sharda nandram

researcher, psychologist and associate

professor of entrepreneurship and

business spirituality

“Control puts the brakes on creativity,because the former is imposed from outside,while the latter usually comes from within.”

dr. désirée van gorp

director international department

and associate professor of inter-

national business (with global

sourcing as an area of expertise)

“In moving activities abroad, geographicalproximity is associated with a high degree ofcontrol. In practice, however, cultural compa-tibility is often more significant in creating orenhancing a sense of control.”

dr. barbara majoor

professor of accountancy

“Control implies a confirmation of the justified confidenceof your stakeholders. Their confidence should be justified;you can confirm this by exercising control.”


Defining control

player. Soon after starting to play with orchestras, he became frus-trated by having to focus on just one part of a score. “So when oneday a conductor called in sick, I volunteered to give it a try.”

Tausk ranks his time as assistant to Valery Gergiev at the Rotter-dam Philharmonic Orchestra as formative. “I call him the greatestconductor on earth, and it’s with that orchestra that I gained mypilot hours.” He describes his studies at the conservatory in Vilnius,Lithuania, as “very inspiring because of the hardships there. Peoplewere really dedicated to the music. They were even willing to practicein temperatures of -20 when the heat was shut off. I was prettyisolated there from my friends and family and could just immersemyself in music.”

He also had time to meditate on the true role of the conductor.“It’s about translating what the composer intended into what Iwant. I have to stay musically true to myself while being respectful

to the musicians. The age of the lonely boss is over. I am more amusician among musicians. I don’t dictate. I just try to convey theimportance of what we are doing and connect everyone to themusic, and I feel responsible for that.”

UndemocraticBut of course leading an orchestra remains a fundamentally undemo-cratic process. “They once experimented in communist Russia witha conductor-free orchestra and the results weren’t that bad,” saysTausk. “But it took at least ten times as many rehearsals beforeeveryone had had their say.

“Talking takes up so much time and it’s not always useful. Justlook at these amazing Japanese, Korean and Chinese conductors.In fact, their musical technique became excellent because theycould not speak the language of the orchestras they worked with.With fewer words, they could create a more direct relationship withthe music.”

So conducting is less about working on your totalitariantendencies and more about developing a strong musical personality?“Absolutely. For example with Gergiev, I would rehearse with theorchestra for days, really sweating over all the details, and then hewould walk in and be able to impose his musical personality upona piece almost immediately.”

Prima donnasBut how does he control the first violinists? Surely they are stillthe prima donnas they always were? Surely some of the stereotypesstill exist? Tausk sticks to his guns by remaining a diplomat:“Actually, they are usually a great help as a conduit between con-ductor and orchestra.”

Sven Arne Tepl, the acclaimed first viola player and artisticmanager of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and theNetherlands Chamber Orchestra, worked with Tausk at the HollandSymfonia. He claims he has never seen Tausk lose control. “Otto hasa natural authority and he always has room to digest surprises. Heis very self-critical and open to feedback. This evaluation process isa healthy way for an artist to evolve. Besides, making music is notabout control but about creating freedom within a framework.”

Tausk himself, however, admits to sometimes losing control.“Usually it’s when the orchestra is not completely with you.” Luckily,unlike Rodzinski, he feels no need to bring a revolver. “Dealing withsuch a situation is normally about doing less, not more. Usingsmaller movements makes the orchestra more aware of the discon-nection, so they start listening more. It’s the same with sheepdogs:the young ones keep running around like crazy to keep the sheeptogether, while the older ones get away with making very littleeffort because they know the sheep know they are being watched.”

Instead of taking control of the interview by asking Tausk how hethinks musicians would feel about being compared to sheep, I decideto try harder to take control of my own life. Thanks, Otto.

Steve Korver is a freelance writer and editor. More information onwww.stevekorver.com.

otto tausk: «conducting

is about translating what

the composer intended

into what i want»


theme control conference

last year the veerstichting, an organization that stimulates communication between university

students and those who shape society, staged a conference examining the concept of control.

by terri j. kester

he most significant character in Everything Under Control?,the title of the symposium organized last year by the Veer-Stichting (Veer Foundation), is the question mark. In ourcomplex world, complete control is, at most, an illusion.

Whether we should even try to achieve it remains an open question.Founded in 1979 by students from Leiden University, the Veer-

Stichting aims to stimulate communication between students andwhat it calls the designers of society, a group that includes policymakers, government officials, academics, media personalities andcreative people of all kinds. The foundation’s annual two-day sympo-sium in Leiden’s historic city center is the main focus of its activities.

Deep endEvery fall, a committee of five students suspend their studies to getto work on the following year’s symposium. In 2009, the theme and

the composition of the program were the responsibility of Claartjevan Dam, a 22-year-old law and political science student. “We werethrown in at the deep end; I had to start from scratch,” she says. “Foralmost a year, I talked to Iots of people and visited artists, politiciansand philosophers to find out how they felt about control.”

Even before joining the committee, Claartje was interested in theconcept of control. As a student, she was struck by the tremendousfreedom she experienced. “When you’re a student, you can do any-thing. But this freedom also creates tension and makes you aware ofrisks and dangers. You start looking for certainties, you feel theneed for control. That’s why the symposium also addressed freedomand creativity and the way they are affected by control. Rather thansolutions, we wanted to offer food for thought by asking questions.”

Claartje drew up a program for the conference that started with abroad perspective and then narrowed the focus to speakers with highly

T

individual views and stories. On the first day, for example, a lecture byPiet Hein Donner, the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employ-ment, was followed by a presentation by Manon Ossevoort, who trav-eled on a tractor to the South Pole and back in pursuit of a dream.

High-profile namesWhile the speakers and moderators – the latter included high-profile names like Antoine Bodar, Carolina de Bourbon and ArthurDocters van Leeuwen – addressed thought-provoking aspects of thetheme, the program also offered plenty of opportunity to interact,eat and drink. The entertainment included street dance, live musicand a show by the American comedy group Boom Chicago.

The main venue of the conference was Leiden’s imposingPieterskerk, and the 500 participants were made up of equal num-bers of ‘designers of society’ and students. The latter, 200 from theNetherlands’ most prestigious universities and 50 from abroad,were selected on the basis of essays they submitted. Sharon Prusswas one of five MSc students from Nyenrode. She enjoyed the inter-action with other participants and left with the notion that controlis an illusion. “At the end of the conference, some people werecheering enthusiastically while others were more reserved. Buteverybody had a twinkle in their eyes which showed that the Veer-Stichting had spiritually challenged them and got them thinking.”

No conclusionsThe symposium did not set out to draw any conclusions or produce

factual data. Yet its impact was such that, several months after theevent, Claartje van Dam confesses that not everything she’s taken onboard during those two hectic days has yet sunk in. “I am someone

who likes to keep control. But if the past year has taught me anything,it’s that control is not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes youshould just let things happen.”

Thoughtsthat count

«when you’re a student,

you can do anything. but

this freedom also makes you

aware of r isks and dangers.

you start looking for

certainties, you feel the

need for control»

The conference was chaired by writer and presenter Jeroen Smit


theme control healthcare

Your thesis discusses the psychological determinantsof subjective health. What exactly does that mean?In its present form, healthcare is largely based on the assumptionthat the individual’s experience of his or her health runs parallelwith the biological and physiological state of the organism. In otherwords, if you have the flu you don’t feel well, and as you get betterphysically your experience of your health also improves. Myresearch shows, however, that apart from the physical aspects otherfactors also influence health experience. The degree to which wethink we can control the state of our health can play a part. Otherfactors are whether or not we can accept this, and to what extent weare willing and able to adjust our behavior.

In your thesis you say that doctors and other medicalpractitioners should pay more attention to the subjectivehealth perception of their patients.In the course of my research I identified the essential psychologicaldeterminants of subjective health. I combined them in a model inorder to study the relative effects of these various determinants.This enables healthcare professionals to get a better insight into

simply put, joost stalpers earned his cum laude phd by studying how people experience

their own health. the practice of healthcare can benefit from his findings.

by hanna emmering

their patients’ concerns. Since the subjective experience of yourown health governs when and how you enter, move through andleave the healthcare chain, these insights make it possible to anti-cipate future healthcare requirements.

How relevant is your research for specific target groups?The comparison of the treatment of individual patients in parti-cular produced remarkable results. For example, women perceivetheir own health more negatively than men, possibly because theyare more inclined to interpret physical phenomena as symptoms ofdisease or disorder. However, in terms of the psychological factorsinfluencing experienced health, there is no difference between menand women.

Is intelligence a factor in subjective health perception?Yes it is. My research showed that highly educated people have amore positive image of their health than those who have studiedless. Perhaps the highly educated are better able to accept disease asan integral part of human existence, rather than seeing it as aninevitable disaster that strikes them from outside. This means theyare more inclined to see a link between their health and theirbehavior. I also found that for the chronically ill the acceptanceof their fate and the perception of control over their disease are ofcrucial importance.

Given your conclusions, what is your advice for medicalpractitioners?If doctors structurally consider the experiences and ideas of theirpatients in deciding on their treatment, they may arrive at betterdiagnoses, draw up better treatment plans, instill greater willing-ness to follow the prescribed therapy and ultimately have moresatisfied patients. This in turn will increase both the efficiency andquality of healthcare and bring us a step closer to improving ourquality of life.

«highly educated people

have a more posit ive image

of their health than those

who have studied less»

Toward a better quality of life

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theme control society

Too littletoo late?investigative journalists, pressure groups, websites and whistle blowers all have their part to play

in counterbalancing the proliferation of top-down regulatory organizations in the netherlands.

by pol schevernels

he instruments and activities for the top-down regula-tion of Netherlands-based organizations have increasedconsiderably in recent years. The main reason for this isthe rise in social and economic abuses in nearly every

sector of society. Yet when push comes to shove, the new instru-ments are not proving sufficiently effective. In addition, they onlyseem to be used or enforced if individuals or groups signal theirdiscontent. The perpetrators don’t seem inclined to reflect on theiractions and mend their ways. Thanks to more inventive alliances,the signals from the bottom up have become louder rather thanfading away.

Beside more legislation, more regulation and control havemade many areas of Dutch society easier to manage and police.A number of new authorities have been created: AFM (NetherlandsAuthority for Financial Markets), NZa (Dutch Healthcare Authority),OPTA (Independent Post and Telecommunications Authority) andthe Voedsel- en Waren Autoriteit (Food and Consumer ProductSafety Authority), in addition to independent supervisory bodieslike DNB (Dutch Central Bank), Milieu Inspectie (Environmental

T Inspectorate) and KOAG (Inspection Board for Public Advertisingof Medication). While all these bodies have led to a differentiationof top-down regulation, the various consumer organizations, arbi-

tration boards and ombudsmen are also trying – and failing – toput a stop to the excesses and lapses of control we have seen andwhich continue to occur across the board. We’ve seen them inthe incomprehensible financial products that are on offer; in the

«a whistle-blowing website

like wik ileaks guarantees

its contributors anonymity»

Pieter Lakeman (far left) and Dirk Scheringa (above) were two of the main protagonists in the bankruptcy of the DSB bank

Even if they refuse to disclose their sources,the traditional audiovisual and print media

nonetheless exercise a measure of control.With the rise of the digital media, thiscontrol has unfortunately evaporated. A

whistle-blowing website like Wikileaksguarantees its contributors complete

anonymity. In 2008 this practicewas endorsed by a court in Cali-fornia, where a Swiss bank triedto defend itself against accusa-tions of money-laundering. The

Dutch website www.klokkenluideronline.nl also takes pains to protect

those who are willing to blow thewhistle. At a time when anyone who has a mobile

phone and a computer can post photos and videofootage on the Internet, accurate reporting is crucial to

prevent the control function of the media and its informantsbeing discredited.

More rights for whistle-blowersIn the Dutch public sector, the Algemene Rekenkamer (Court ofAudit) has long carried out satisfactory top-down control. TheOnderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid (Dutch Safety Board) is alsoimproving its performance in this respect. However, until recentlythe position of whistle-blowers, who provide bottom-up control,sharply contrasted with these venerable institutions. Fortunately,this situation is being rectified. A group of experts, including severalformer whistle-blowers, has drawn up new regulations makingit easier to report wrongdoings while at the same time protectingthe rights of the whistle-blowers. The final hurdle for these regula-tions is the Raad van State (Council of State), which has yet toapprove them. Work is also underway on an advice and referralservice for whistle-blowers and a central reporting office forintegrity violations.

The new top-down regulation and control tools improve thesituation, but only slightly. They are complemented by variousinvestigations and inquiries. In Amsterdam, for example, the exces-sive overspending on the North-South metro line was recentlyinvestigated, and at national level a committee is finding outwhy public transport came to a halt last winter as a result of heavysnow. ROVER, the association of public transport users, whichhas played an important role in bottom-up control since the earlyseventies, is pleased with the new initiatives. However, it is vitalthat bottom-up informants also play a part in the new top-downregulatory policies which are described above. This will reinforcethe credibility of the many control tools we already have andstimulate discussion on further improvements.

Pol Schevernels is a communications architect, boardroom counselor,publicist and editor of VCV Magazine. His book Acties naar aanleidingvan publieksreacties (actions taken in response to public reactions)was published in 1987.

plagued construction industry;in the fees charged by medicalspecialists; in violations of theincome norms in the public sec-tor; and in the poorly controlledbonuses paid in the private sector.

Media watchdogsActing on their own initiative or after beingalerted by aggrieved or concerned citizens,investigative journalists frequently drawattention to these lapses and excesses.Next to TV consumer programs like Kassaand Radar, other Dutch media are alsoclaiming their share of the action. Asearly as 2006, after being swamped bycomplaints from the public, Radar presenterAntoinette Hertsenberg coined the termwoekerpolis for extortionate insurance policies.In August 2009, Pieter Lakeman was appointed chairman of theStichting Hypotheekleed (Mortgage Distress Foundation) andgiven ample air time on television news shows. His foundation wasone of about a dozen organizations set up by customers of DSB, asmall but high-profile Dutch bank that got into financial hot waterand finally went bankrupt in October last year. Following thebankruptcy, a TV news program laid its hands on documents callinginto question the role of the Dutch Central Bank in the downfallof DSB. Although the documents were posted on the program’swebsite, the Public Prosecutor’s office dismissed the demand fromthe Central Bank for a criminal investigation into the affair.

In addition to reporting on aggrieved individuals and consumergroups, the media increasingly assume the role of self-appointedinvestigator. Around the time this magazine is published, the DutchNews Monitor will report its findings on the role of the media inthe DSB affair. Other organizations, including the Dutch CentralBank and the independent Scheltema Commission, are carryingout their own investigations, which are expected to result in newregulatory measures.


theme control campus

A controlled wildernessthe landscape styles of the renaissance and the romantic movement both contributed to the

nijenrode estate as it is today.

by gert immerzeel

omo sapiens has an innate desire to control the worldaround it. On the surface, it would seem that moderntechnology has increased the possibilities to do so, butthe failure of the climate change summit in Copenhagen,

for example, shows how powerless our leaders can be to truly movein the right direction. Instead, we often see nature as a source ofwealth, which we exploit without heeding the consequences.

Authorities on nature like Sir David Attenborough try to teach ussome humility. After all, we need the planet and its resources morethan they need us. Respect for nature is our guiding principle inmanaging the Nijenrode estate (for the estate, we use the Dutchspelling of our name). We know that nature can only be shaped up toa point. The more you try to control it, the more energy you need.

The formal gardens that were all the rage during the Renaissanceexpressed man’s desire for maximum control of nature. The reactionto this tight control came at the time of the Romantic Movement,when the English landscape garden recreated Arcadian vistaswith lakes, ruins and bridges. This new approach to the landscapeoffered opportunities to partner with nature instead of counter-

acting its ways. With certain limitations – such as some essentialmaintenance and respect for the shape of paths and banks – Englishlandscape gardens give a wide berth to natural processes in acontrolled wilderness. Leaving dead trees where they fall, forexample, generates a wealth of living organisms, much of whichis all but invisible to the human eye. In a forest, approximately40 percent of all organisms – from bats and birds to mushrooms andinsects – are sustained by dead wood. The beauty of this is thateveryone benefits: on one hand more ecological managementrequires less labor, while on the other it creates a richer and moresustainable landscape.

Nijenrode favors a two-pronged management of the estate. Therose garden, a splendid example of the Renaissance style, has greatcultural and historic value, so we are dedicated to keeping it undercontrol. At the same time, we take a more relaxed approach to thepart of the estate that follows the English landscape principle. Theresult is a rich and varied park.

Gert Immerzeel is estate manager at Nyenrode.

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«to re inforce the credib il ity

of the control tools, it is

v ital that bottom-up

informants play a part in

the new regulatory polic ies»

theme control society

Nyenrode Now Issue 1, Spring 2010

Documents

Transcript of Nyenrode Now Issue 1, Spring 2010