Tilburg School of Economics and Management

Tilburg University's largest School ranks amongst the top Schools in Europe due to its excellent quality in education and research which contributes to a better understanding of society.

News Archive August 2012


30 August
Foreign students anticipate on high rate of bicycle theft in the Netherlands
Foreign students who study in the Netherlands take more precautions against the risk of bicycle theft than Dutch students. In particular, they are 60 percent more likely to put their bicycle lock around a lamppost or tree. The result is that victimization rates of bicycle theft are 15 percent lower among foreign students with a bicycle compared to domestic students with a bicycle. These are the findings of a study conducted by Ben Vollaard, crime economist at Tilburg University. The study has been published in the Dutch economic journal ESB on August 31st.
Foreign students say that they responded to warnings about the theft risk on the internet and during the introduction week of the university. In contrast, Dutch students rely on their personal experience with bicycle theft. Since recent experiences with bicycle theft are easily a number of years ago, it is not a major concern for most Dutch students. It has been shown in experimental studies that people tend to show a strong precautionary response to descriptions of the crime risk, but little response when knowledge of the risk is based on personal experience. The most careless of students appear to be those who did not move house to start their studies. They are most likely to rely on their experience with the crime risk.
The results are based on a survey among 155 students in the Economics Bachelor's program at Tilburg University. Four out of the five respondents were first-year students. Of the students with a bicycle, about a third came from outside the Netherlands.
Read more on Econtrack, the research website of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (in Dutch).

29 August
Tilburg University and TiasNimbas Business School win prestigious Franz Edelman Award with TNT Express and ORTEC
Joint efforts of Tilburg University and TiasNimbas Business School for TNT Express in the field of Operations Research, have been rewarded with the Franz Edelman Award 2012, which has been officially awarded in the Netherlands to TNT CEO Marie-Christine Lombard on August 29. In the past companies such as Motorola, Merrill Lynch, Canadian Pacific Railway and IBM won the prestigious prize. The project won the award because of the successful application of Operations Research (OR) in the optimization of its supply chain, in its so-called ‘GO Program’ (Global Optimization Program). The Edelman Award is considered the highest honor in the field of operations research, the discipline of applying advanced analytical methods, such as modeling, to help make better decisions. TNT Express routinely uses such tools to enhance its transportation networks, resulting in more efficient routes and lower mileage. The GO Program covers multiple aspects of TNT's operations, including site location planning, optimal truck routing, fleet management and staff scheduling. TNT Express has by now carried out over 100 network optimization projects worldwide, saving 60 mln km of mileage, 283 million kg of CO2 emissions and ¤ 207 mln in four years time. Hein Fleuren, Professor of Applied Operations Research, is responsible for the project from Tilburg University, where he holds the TNT Express chair. TNT Express, Tilburg University and ORTEC have worked together for over six years on several optimization projects. In addition, TNT Express started a partnership with TiasNimbas Business School for the development of a two-year management development program. This 'GO Academy’ has trained over 150 managers of TNT in network optimization since 2008.
More information can be found on TNT’s website

23 August
Fiscal Institute Tilburg starts collaboration IRET with Erasmus and UvA
The Fiscal Institute Tilburg (FIT) of Tilburg University is one of the founders of the new Institute for Research in Economics of Taxation (IRET). In this collaboration, FIT joins forces with the Fiscal Economics Institute of the Erasmus School of Economics and the section Fiscal Economics of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Together, they aim to encourage research in the economics of taxation. IRET will do that, for example, by organizing conferences and seminars and by encouraging publications in the field of the economics of taxation. In doing so, IRET intends to bridge the currently existing gap with adjacent disciplines such as economics, public finance, business economics, and tax law.
IRET’s first activity and official start will be the conference ‘Economen en Fiscalisten in dialoog’, on September 28 in the Willem II stadium in Tilburg. During this conference, which will be held in Dutch, tax scientists and economists will debate topics that both have a strong tax dimension and a strong economic component.
More information on the conference (in Dutch)

22 August
Alumnus Hans van der Linden in executive board Rabobank
Hans van der Linden, alumnus of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM), will join the executive board at Rabobank Netherlands per December 1, 2012. He started working at Rabobank in 1975. He follows in the footsteps of other Tilburg University alumni like Herman Wijffels (former chairman) and Wim van den Goorbergh (former CFO and vice chairman). The current chairman of the executive board, Piet Moerland, also has ties with Tilburg University where he used to be Professor of Corporate Governance.
Interviews with more alumni in the spotlight can be found here .