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Outdoor play experiences in Tilburg – A co-creative research including children and parents
No full textThis qualitative research aimed to get more insight into the outdoor play experiences of children aged 9-12 in Tilburg. A combination of a creative excersice and focus-group discussions - the last were also held with parents - led to a rich description of children's lived experiences when they are playing outside. The visual data was analysed with a content analysis, and the focus-group conversations were transcribed and coded into themes. The findings challenge to move beyond notions of outdoor play as inherently positive - the negative elements cannot be ignored and enhance the ability of outdoor play to stimulate development and resilience. Therefore, this research presents a nuanced, complex and above all child-centered understanding of outdoor play
Trust and Troops: Examining the Impact of Recruitment Methods and Geopolitical Unrest on Public Trust in the Dutch Military
No full textDuring Pax Europaea, many European countries transitioned their military recruitment method from
conscription to an All-Volunteer Force (AVF). With the end of Pax Europaea, a prominent question in
the Netherlands is whether conscription should be reinstated. The Netherlands officially has
conscription; however, there is no compulsory service, meaning that those who receive a conscription
letter are not obligated to join the military against their wishes. Nevertheless, this current shift towards
conscription raises various concerns. Previously, it was found that an AVF army often enjoys a
significant amount of trust within society, as it is perceived as more professional. With the
reconsideration of conscription, there might be a shift in this public trust. Interestingly, the
Eurobarometer indicates an increase in trust in the military in the Netherlands in 2024.
In the current research, we investigate whether and to what extent three variables—
geopolitical unrest, current recruitment methods, and the adoption of new recruitment methods—can
explain the increasing trust in the Dutch military. To do this, we analysed 94 newspaper articles from
either De Volkskrant, De Telegraaf, or Algemeen Dagblad that mentioned ‘dienstplicht’ (conscription)
using thematic discourse analysis and contribution analysis. Our findings revealed that the
contribution of recruitment methods was smaller than anticipated regarding changes in trust in the
military, as was the contribution of switching recruitment methods. Geopolitical unrest appeared to
exert the largest influence on rising trust in the military. However, this research found insufficient
evidence to make any claims of causality
Gender Board Diversity & Corporate Risk-Taking: The Moderating Role of Social Capital
No full textInitiatives such as gender quotas aim to promote inclusivity in corporate leadership, but raise questions about the impact of gender diversity on decision-making. Although women are often found to be more risk-averse than men, some studies suggest that women in top leadership positions may actually be more risk-seeking. Social capital has also been linked to higher corporate risk-taking. However, men and women typically develop different types of networks, which may influence their impact on boards. Despite growing research on these factors separately, few studies have combined gender diversity and social capital to examine their joint impact on corporate risk-taking. Therefore, this thesis investigates whether social capital of female board directors moderates the relationship between board gender diversity and corporate risk-taking. Using panel data on publicly listed European firms from 1999 to 2024, fixed effects regression models analyse two risk measures: leverage and R&D expenditures relative to sales. The findings provide limited evidence for a positive relationship between gender diversity and corporate risk-taking, but no consistent support for the role of social capital or its interaction with gender diversity. Several robustness checks, including alternative diversity and social capital measures, CEO social capital controls, and subsample analyses, support these results
Perfect Timing! Using Spiking Neural Networks for Temporal Variations in Side Channel Analysis
No full textTechniques from artificial intelligence have been used in cyber security to analyse data leaked
through side channels. Examples of such side-channels include power consumption or electro
magnetic emissions. Currently, convolutional neural networks are the most promising network
architecture for the analysis of synchronised and desynchronised power traces. In this study,
we investigate the usability of a new generation of neural networks for side-channel analysis.
These networks originate from the field of neuromorphic computing. As spiking neural networks
operate in a temporal manner by nature, we hypothesise that such networks have the potential
to deal with desynchronised traces. We compared two convolutional neural network models
(ASCAD and VGG16) on their suitability for a conversion to a spiking implementation. Our
findings indicate that the ASCAD model is well suited for the conversion to a spiking neural net
work without performance loss. In contrast, the VGG16 model was less suitable for conversion,
but useful insights were gained. We found that spiking neural networks have the potential to be
applied in side-channel analysis, but more research is needed to investigate the full potential.
Keywords — side-channel analysis, neuromorphic, spiking neural networks, desynchroni
sation, temporal variation
Guahan: "Where America's day begins!" The impact of US militarization on Guam's environment and indigenous chamorro population
No full textThe effects of climate change are felt globally, but unequally, as they are experienced more immediately and severely in the Global South than in the Global North. Colonialism is a huge reason behind this, which is mainly seen in the marginalization of Indigenous people who suffer most from colonialism and climate change. Therefore, this research will apply the theory of climate coloniality to Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States, to understand this relationship and examine its impact on the environment and the Indigenous Chamorro population. Guam is a Pacific island and thus more vulnerable to climate change. The US makes its colonial power apparent by using Guam as a US military base and extracting the land from the Chamorro people. This thesis relates militarization and imperialism to climate coloniality through the case study of Guam to prove how devastating the short and long-term effects of militarization can be on local communities. This thesis employed a case study approach, a document analysis, and interviewed 7 experts from Guam in order to answer the research question. The discussion of results shows that the Chamorros experience a multitude of socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and climate change effects due to militarization and colonization
Beyond the loop: the possibility of AI-held accountability
No full textThis thesis redefines the practical application of accountability, based on AI-integrated
organizations and their implications for accounting. As AI systems increasingly operate in
organizations as independent actors, research shows that maintaining human oversight to
ensure accountability comes with significant challenges and inefficiencies. Therefore, this
thesis explores if AI, as an actor, can be held to account to avoid these problems. This thesis
shows that this consideration is often automatically dismissed by the literature through narrow
and one sided arguments. Instead, this thesis proposes, via a comprehensive analysis of the
philosophy of action, a multi-layered framework. This framework allows AI to meet the
identified prerequisites for holding accountability: intentionality, consciousness, and free will,
under different levels of interpretation. This has particularly significant implications for the
role of accounting within organizations. While accounting has traditionally been the primary
practice for structuring and enforcing organizational accountability, progressive literature
advocates for its replacement by informal practices, better suited to human nature. However,
this thesis claims that if AI can be held to account, traditional accounting practices are better
suited to govern such accountability. As a result, with the growing organizational presence of
AI, accounting may reclaim this central role
The impact of mandatory ESG disclosure on firm value. Evidence from European publicly listed firms (2014-2020)
No full textThis study analyses the influence of mandatory considerations of ESG disclosure on firm value, which considers the publicly listed firms in Europe during 2014-2020. Based on the ESG scores of LSEG as the dedicated measure of disclosure and performance, the analysis evaluates the effects of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) of the European Union, which was established in 2017. The analysis uses a panel regression analysis of more than 8000 firm-years with Tobin’s Q and Return on Equity (ROE) as market valuation and financial performance proxy, respectively. Results indicate no statistically significant association between ESG scores and the value or profitability of the firms. Rather, industry characteristics and firm size look more powerful. Such results point to the idea that the mandatory disclosure might not increase market valuation or short-term returns. Contributing to the argument on the regulation of ESG, the paper notes that disclosure requirements do not have a significant financial effect and that the quality of disclosures and materiality defined by the industry have a significant effect on how investors react.
Keywords:
ESG, CSRD, Non-financial disclosure, firm value,, publicly licensed firm
De Taal van Muziek
No full textMuziek is een complex en abstract sensorisch domein dat nauw verweven is met emotionele en culturele aspecten van de mens. Onderzoek naar hoe mensen muziek beschrijven kan inzichten bieden in de interactie tussen taal en andere cognitieve domeinen. Dit onderzoek richt zich op de vraag in hoeverre experts en niet-experts verschillen in hun beschrijvingen van klassieke muziekfragmenten. Om deze vraag te beantwoorden, werd een experiment uitgevoerd waarin 54 participanten twaalf muziekfragmenten beluisterden en deze beschreven. De resultaten hiervan toonden geen verschillen tussen experts en niet-experts in de lengte van de beschrijvingen. Niet-experts vertoonden echter meer overeenstemming in gebruikte descriptoren dan experts, vermoedelijk door een beperkter muzikaal vocabulaire van de niet-experts. Wat betreft typen descriptoren, gebruikten experts vaker geluidspecifieke termen, terwijl niet-experts vaker emoties en situationele associaties benoemden. Deze verschillen worden verklaard door zowel de perceptuele als talige training van muziekexperts. Dit onderzoek draagt bij aan ons begrip van de rol van expertise in de perceptie en conceptualisatie van abstracte sensorische domeinen zoals muziek
From directive to practice: implementing gradual land-water transitions in Markermeer
No full textThe European Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to achieve good chemical and ecological status for all EU waterbodies (European Commission, 2023). The Netherlands, however, still struggles to meet these objectives (Slagter, et al., 2024). One promising spatial measure is the implementation of gradual land-water transitions (GLWTs), which can contribute to the ecological quality (Heins et al., 2020). This research investigates what influences the degree of success of the implementation of GLWTs in the Markermeer.
An embedded single case study was conducted, analysing four projects through desk research and fourteen semi-structured interviews. A new conceptual framework was developed, combining four policy implementation theories with the PPPE model on policy success.
Results indicate that the degree of success of the implementation of GLWTs in the Markermeer is influenced by the alignment of four key factors: problem pressure, administrative capacities, role of actors, and legal and policy. If one of these is lacking, full implementation success across the programmatic, process, political, and endurance assessment can’t be achieved. Influential subfactors include political prioritisation, sufficient resources and process time, drive, cooperation, participation and support, and the role of the WFD as a project objective or assessment framework