Dries Van Doninck

• Wednesday 18 December 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Jan Wynen, Jan Boon & Christophe De Block 
• The defence will take place in the F. De Tassiszaal, Hof Van Liere, University of Antwerp, Stadscampus, Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
• Please contact Dries Van Doninck (dries.vandoninck@uantwerpen.be) to inform him whether you wish to attend the PhD defence before Friday 13 December 2024

Avoiding repetitive change injury in the public sector. Can leadership behavior reduce the damaging effect of repetitive reforms?

Public organizations are increasingly implementing changes to remain adaptive in the face of complex challenges and environmental turbulence. While these efforts aim to enhance organizational resilience, they confront individual civil servants to high rates of workplace changes. This can lead to negative side effects such as uncertainty and stress. When these effects accumulate, they risk undermining the intended positive outcomes of organizational change initiatives.

Research highlights the role of leadership in mitigating adverse effects of organizational change. To this end, this dissertation serves two broad ambitions: to empirically study the link between such a prolonged exposure to high rates of workplace change and chronic stress; and to identify leadership conditions that can mitigate these stress-related side-effects. A distinctive feature of this study is its methodological innovation—as we use cortisol concentrations administered in hair samples as a biological marker to measure chronic stress.

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Hendrik Leder

• Monday 20 January 2025 at 9:30 am
• Supervisors: Sascha Albers & Markus Reihlen
• The defence will take place at the Antwerp Management School, Boogkeers 5, 2000 Antwerp
• Please contact Hendrik Leder (hendrik.leder@student.uantwerpen.be) to inform him whether you wish to attend the PhD defence before Thursday 16 January 2025

Turnaround in Endgames

The pace of technological change and digital transformation is accelerating, leading to the emergence of new industries as others decline. Responding to this phenomenon, this PhD thesis explores the challenges of industry decline, endgames and organizational turnarounds. I draw on a rich theoretical foundation and empirical evidence to identify the strategies firms can follow to navigate these challenges.

This PhD thesis is structured around three studies researching the social construction of endgames, how strategy is adapted within an endgame and how firms can achieve successful turnarounds. In the first study, I use a fictional institutionalist perspective to show how endgames are socially constructed, shedding light on the dynamic interplay of industry actors’ fictional expectations and the subsequent strategies they chose as an endgame diffuses through an industry. The second study investigates the patterns of strategic change in endgames and introduces a dialectical model that conceptualize the dynamics of organizational responses to industry decline. The last study focuses on organizational turnarounds as organizations initiate turnaround efforts to recover from prolonged decline in an endgame. This study uses a qualitative meta-analysis of turnaround cases to identify the underlying mechanisms and temporal sequences of successful recovery efforts. The four distinct process archetypes that this study identifies contributes both theoretical insights for researchers and practical insights for managers navigating turnaround scenarios. Together, these three studies provide a detailed understanding of endgames, from how endgames are conceptualized to which organizational strategies firms follow in endgames to the archetypes of organizational turnarounds that firms use to recover from prolonged decline during an endgame.

Overall, this thesis contributes theoretically and practically to the fields of strategic management and organizational studies. I provide a nuanced understanding of how organizations can navigate the tumultuous waters of decline, adapt to changing industry landscapes and orchestrate successful turnarounds in the face of adversity.

Elke Godden

• Tuesday 21 January  2025 at 5.00 pm
• Supervisors: Nathalie Dens & Lukar Thornton 
• The defence will take place in the F. De Tassiszaal, Hof Van Liere, University of Antwerp, Stadscampus, Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
• Please contact Elke Godden (elke.godden@uantwerpen.be) to inform her whether you wish to attend the PhD defence before Wednesday 15 January 2025

A two-sided perspective on the Nutri-Score: nudging consumers towards healthier choices

Katrien Storms

• Friday 7 February 2025 at 4:30 pm
• Supervisors: Thierry Vanelslander & Edwin Van Hassel
• The defence will take place at the Promotion Room, Cloister of the Grauwzusters,
  University of Antwerp, Stadscampus,
  Lange Sint-Annastraat 7, 2000 Antwerp
• Please contact Katrien Storms (katrien.storms@uantwerpen.be) to inform her whether you wish to attend the PhD defence before Monday 3 February 2025

Unravelling D&D within the ecosystem and its influence on the use of IWT in port-hinterland supply chains

The use of intermodal inland waterway transport (IWT) is a key European strategy to move towards climate-neutral transport. However, challenges such as COVID-19, extreme Rhine water levels, and geopolitical disruptions complicate the shift from road to IWT. These disruptions often result in additional costs, known as demurrage and detention (D&D).

This dissertation researches the impact of D&D practices on IWT within Europe’s port-hinterland supply chain. Using a SARIMAX modeling, it forecasts IWT container volumes on the Rhine and highlights the potential impact of disruptions on IWT recovery. Findings from surveys, discussions, and legal analyses reveal inefficiencies in D&D practices and propose solutions such as extended free time for IWT, digitalization, and improved negotiation strategies. Cost analyses show that D&D fees can exceed the shipping lines’ opportunity costs as time passes, suggesting their role as a revenue stream. Nevertheless, shippers can leverage D&D into their storage strategies to optimize costs. Furthermore, D&D and terminal dwell times significantly influence IWT's modal share. Consequently, addressing D&D is important in making a shift towards more sustainable and efficient hinterland transport.

Mehran Farzadmehr

• Monday 10 February 2025 at 4:30 pm
• Supervisors: Thierry Vanelslander & Valentin Carlan
• The defence will take place at the F. De Tassis Room, Hof van Liere,
  University of Antwerp, Stadscampus,
  Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp
• Please contact Mehran Farzadmehr (mehran.farzadmehr@uantwerpen.be) to inform him whether you wish to attend the PhD defence before Tuesday 4 February 2025

Impact assessment of AI-powered solutions in port and maritime industries

Patrick Ndlovu

• Friday 13 December 2024 at 12:30 pm
• Supervisors:  Sunčica Vujić & Roland Winkler

Essays on Job Satisfaction, Minimum Wage, and Work From Home: Exploring Gender, Household, and Policy Influences on Labour Market Outcomes in Canada

Among the most salient topics in today’s labour market are the issues of job satisfaction, minimum wage, and the rise of work from home. Firstly, labour market studies have sought to understand job satisfaction in relation to gender pay gaps. The empirical findings are often seen as a paradox as they indicate that women tend to have high job satisfaction despite having lower earnings. Secondly, minimum wage reforms have gained more attention as various jurisdictions have moved towards higher minimum wages. There is interest in assessing the effects of these relatively substantial wage reforms, in particular regarding their effects on youth employment. Thirdly, work from home has gained popularity following its large-scale adoption in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shock. There is growing interest in understanding the effects of these shifts towards flexible work arrangements, and whether work from home may help reduce gender differences in labour supply and earnings. The aim of this thesis is to improve understanding of the gender, household, and policy mechanisms that impact differences in labour market outcomes in relation to these salient topics. The thesis utilizes Canadian labour market data and provides timely insights which are of key relevance to workers, employers, and policy makers alike.

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Björn Mestdagh

• Wednesday 11 December 2024 at 5.00 pm
• Supervisors: Luc Van Liedekerke, Jan Cools & Wayne Visser
  
  

​Organizational Engagement with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Theoretical Perspectives and Empirical Insights in a Public Sector Context

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) stand as a globally recognized initiative aimed at tackling humanity's most pressing challenges, aspiring to shape a future characterized by sustainable development. Since their inception in 2015, organizations of all sorts and sizes worldwide have increasingly adopted these goals, highlighting the framework's success. The academic community has followed this trend, including the 'Business and Management' literature. However, in part due to the relatively recent emergence of the SDGs, not all facets of their adoption at the organizational level have undergone thorough examination, resulting in a somewhat fragmented and incomplete scholarly contribution with inherent shortcomings. This thesis endeavors to address some of these shortcomings, with a particular focus on the concept of ‘organizational SDG engagement’, an area that has received minimal attention in current research. By offering precise delineation and a definition of this concept, along with other key concepts, and presenting a universally applicable framework of drivers, this thesis aims to make a contribution towards enhancing the theoretical foundation on the topic. Furthermore, by conducting quantitative empirical examinations within the often-overlooked organizational context of public sector organizations, delving into analyses of the impact of COVID-19 on organizational SDG engagement, evaluating employee attitudinal responses towards organizational SDG engagement, and exploring the relationship between organizational SDG engagement and public trust, this thesis aims at enriching empirical knowledge in this domain. Finally, by offering actionable recommendations grounded in both theoretical understanding and empirical evidence, including insights resulting from an applied SDG project in collaboration with the Province of Antwerp, this thesis aims to bridge a gap between theory and practice. While these contributions may seem subtle, they have the potential to provide a solid foundation for organizations to enhance their SDG engagement and amplify their role in driving positive change.

Lihong Cao

• Tuesday 26 November 2024 at 9:30 am
• Supervisor: Marc Deloof

Essays on the effects of government and institutional ownership

This dissertation investigates the effect of government ownership and institutional ownership on corporate outcomes. We first examine the value of government ownership in Europe during the global financial crisis, and find that firms with government ownership experienced a smaller decrease in stock value than other firms. We then explore the relationship between the dividend policy and foreign institutional shareholding in Chinese listed firms. The results indicate that foreign institutional investors do not play an active role in promoting high dividends but instead self-select into Chinese firms that pay high dividends. Furthermore, we examine the effect of institutional investor distraction on corporate ESG performance in China, and the findings suggest that institutional investors view ESG activities as detrimental to shareholder wealth and prefer less ESG engagement in the Chinese context.

Altogether, this dissertation offers new evidence on the role of government ownership, institutional ownership in general, and foreign institutional investors respectively, and highlights the importance of country-level institutional quality for different types of shareholders to influence corporate outcomes.

Ekin Yurdakul

• Monday 21 October 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Sunčica Vujić & Luca Paolo Merlino

Three Essays in Family Economics

Over the past decades, gender gaps in labor participation, working hours, and earnings have narrowed, especially for married women, due to increased education, job opportunities, and anti-discrimination laws. However, significant gaps persist. This thesis investigates these enduring disparities by exploring how female education affects household labor supply, how mothers' relative wages shape the transmission of gender role attitudes, and the impact of policies restricting female labor supply.

Alexander Bergfeld

• Thursday 3 October 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Eddy Laveren, Ine Paeleman & Pramodita Sharma
  

The role of capabilities in ownership succession of Business Families in Southeast Asia

This study investigates the significance of capabilities in the ownership succession of business families in Southeast Asia, a region increasingly vital to the global economy. It addresses the often-overlooked process of ownership succession and its dynamics, emphasizing the unique cultural and philosophical contexts of Southeast Asia. By employing a qualitative case study approach, the research examines three business families and identifies three overarching capabilities necessary for effective active ownership, which positions prospective owners as champions of continuity and guardians of governance. The findings contribute to family business research by highlighting the diversity within family enterprise systems across different cultural contexts and opening avenues for further exploration in this field.

​Elie Lunanga

• Thursday 26 September 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Marijke Verpoorten & Nik Stoop

Learning from micro-economic data. Shocks, opportunities and policies in Eastern Congo

Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly its most fragile and conflict-affected regions, is frequently and severely impacted by economic, health, and environmental shocks. The impact of these shocks is exacerbated by poor governance and weak institutions, leaving people to largely fend for themselves. Policymaking is further hampered not only by a lack of trust in institutions but also by the absence of reliable and timely micro-level data that could illuminate the severity of these shocks and how communities cope with them.
Collecting data in a shock-prone environment is an inherently uncertain endeavor. This dissertation, initially intended to assess the impact of an electricity roll-out by Virunga Energies—a subsidiary of the Virunga Foundation working with the Congolese Institute of Nature Conservation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo—faced unexpected delays due to a series of shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the May 2021 Nyiragongo volcano eruption, and increased insecurity in the research areas. As a result, the research evolved to transform these challenges into opportunities for new insights, culminating in four essays.
The first essay (Chapter 2) examines the socio-economic impacts of two simultaneous health crises, COVID-19 and Ebola, in North Kivu province. It finds that while Ebola was more lethal, COVID-19 had a more profound impact on income, food access, and social behavior due to its higher transmissibility, which led to stringent containment measures and the rapid global spread of the disease.
The second essay (Chapter 3) uses experimental evidence to explore the role of political leadership in promoting COVID-19 vaccination. It concludes that the effectiveness of presidents as role models is contingent on the level of public trust and awareness.
The third essay (Chapter 4) analyzes the evacuation decisions of Goma residents following the 2021 Nyiragongo volcano eruption. It reveals that the government's inadequate response deepens public distrust, making government directives more likely to be ignored, with people instead relying on social cues and their previous experiences with disaster (response), which is prone to cognitive biases.
Finally, the fourth essay (Chapter 5) investigates community responses to a positive shock—in this case, the introduction of electricity. It highlights the unpredictable nature of household and business electricity demand, partly due to an uncertain institutional environment, and suggests that Virunga Energies could serve as a model for how mini-grids can be managed to ensure both financial sustainability and local development.

Michiel Van Roy

• Thursday 19 September 2024 at 5.00 pm
• Supervisors: Ann Jorissen, David Martens & Anne Van de Vijver

Tax Disclosure: Firms' Governance Characteristics and Utilization by Tax Authorities

Through two archival studies, this dissertation explores the relationship between firm-level governance characteristics and tax disclosures. In addition, a third methodological study provides a framework to value tax disclosures based on a machine learning approach, which subsequently applies this framework to a real-world case.
The findings demonstrate that increasing family ownership in a firm is significantly negatively associated with the level of tax disclosure, but do not demonstrate robust evidence of a relationship between family involvement in management and tax disclosures, or between family involvement on the board of directors and tax disclosures. Furthermore, the dissertation shows a positive relationship between employee representation on corporate boards and a firm’s level of tax disclosure and a positive relationship between the existence of a CSR subcommittee and a firm’s level of tax disclosure. We find no robust evidence of a relationship between board gender diversity and the firm’s level of tax disclosure. Additionally, the consequences of governance mechanisms are shown to be influenced by a country’s formal and informal institutions. Finally, this dissertation develops and applies a machine learning approach to value data based on the theoretically sound Shapley value to assist the Belgian Federal Tax Authorities in managing large quantities of data received under various exchange of information agreements. This valuation technique determines which data is valuable for predicting successful tax audits. This valuation technique does not rely on the assumption that all features in the machine learning model must be independent like the often-applied SHAP and SAGE methods, enhancing the validity of its results in a real-world setting.
This dissertation intends to inform regulators and other stakeholders of the pitfalls and effectiveness of governance mechanisms that could monitor a firm’s tax management and payments. In addition, this thesis provides a framework to value tax disclosures that can effectively assist tax authorities in filtering out useful tax disclosures.

Sofie Goethals

• Friday 13 September 2024 at 5.00 pm
• Supervisors: David Martens & Kenneth Sörensen
  

Explaining prediction models to address ethical issues in business and society

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has experienced explosive growth in recent years, with applications ranging from medical diagnosis to financial forecasting. However, as these technologies become increasingly integrated into decision-making processes, it is crucial to consider the ethical implications of their use. This PhD thesis focuses on three aspects of ethical AI: Transparency, Fairness, and Privacy.

Within the transparency pillar, we study the trade-off between transparency and the performance of machine learning models, and investigate the manipulation issues that Explainable AI (XAI) techniques can induce. Next, within the fairness pillar, we demonstrate how XAI techniques can be used to measure discrimination in machine learning models, and discuss the opaqueness surrounding the impact of bias mitigation methods. Finally, within the privacy pillar, we analyze the privacy issues of XAI techniques, and conduct an applied study to show the trade-off between privacy and personalization using a behavioral Facebook dataset.

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Paula Peng

• Monday 9 September 2024 - 4:00 PM
  
• Supervisors: Bart Cambré & Sofie Jacobs

Brewing Value: Probing Multi-Dimensional Factors Shaping Value Co-Creation in Chinese Coffee Shops

The coffee shop industry in China is experiencing rapid growth, a notable trend given the country's lack of a traditional coffee culture. This dissertation investigates the factors contributing to the appeal and success of coffee shops, emphasizing that they offer more than just coffee; superior service and favorable experiences significantly enhance customer value.
Through three empirical studies, this research explores how value is co-created in coffee shops. The first study examines the combined effect of customer and employee behaviors, along with customer personalities, on creating high customer value in independent coffee shops. The second study further explores various pathways to high customer value, taking into account customer and employee behaviors, types of coffee shops, and cultural value orientation. The third study proposes a comprehensive framework for value co-creation, categorizing behaviors into employee-customer and customer-customer interactions and including factors such as customer expectations and cultural alignment.
This dissertation not only advances the theory of value co-creation but also offers actionable insights for practitioners aiming to optimize customer experiences and enhance value co-creation in service settings.

Charlotte Fabri

• Monday 1 July 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisor: Steven Van Passel
  

Climate Challenges in European Agriculture: Assessing Economic Impacts and Adaptive Strategies

This doctoral dissertation explores the diverse relation between climate change and European agriculture through four interconnected papers. The first study investigates the role of heatwaves, in addition to average climate change, on agricultural productivity in Europe using the widely used Ricardian model. The second paper delves into the ability of this approach in estimating robust climate coefficients, assessing its susceptibility to omitted variable bias. Moving on to adaptation strategies, the third study focuses on Italian farmers, analysing their response to climate change by examining shifts in their irrigation technology mix. Finally, the fourth chapter explores the effectiveness of crop diversification as an adaptation measure in Italy, considering its influence on both income and income risk in the face of increasing weather shocks. Altogether, this dissertation provides a comprehensive understanding of climate change impacts on agriculture, evaluates modelling approaches, and explores adaptive measures adopted by farmers.

Jonas Vandennieuwenhuysen

• Thursday 27 June 2024 at 4.30 pm
• Supervisors: Kris Hardies & Marie-Laure Vandenhaute
  

The Auditor Selection Process: Institutional and Interpersonal Dynamics

Every audit engagement once started with an audit client selecting an auditor. Despite the auditor selection process being a crucial mechanism for ensuring auditor independence and enhancing audit quality, an understanding of how companies select an auditor was lacking before this dissertation. This dissertation investigates the auditor selection process employing a multi-methodological approach. The study synthesizes existing literature, analyzes archival data to explore audit partner-client alignment, and conducts qualitative research on eight large Dutch companies' auditor selection processes. This study reveals the importance of audit partner-client alignment when studying audit quality, auditor tenure, and auditor changes. Moreover, the findings indicate that despite regulatory efforts to standardize the selection process and enhance transparency, audit clients continue to prioritize relational factors over formal criteria. Additionally, the intended reduction of managerial influence on the selection process appears to be unsuccessful, as management remains significantly involved in every step of the process. Finally, this study highlights the importance of trust, cooperation, and commitment in auditor-client relationships, demonstrating how audit clients demand these qualities and how auditors strive to meet these expectations throughout the selection process. It suggests that mandatory audit firm rotation may introduce relational costs and reduce client-specific knowledge. These insights underscore the need for a balanced approach to regulation that considers both independence and relational dynamics. The dissertation offers insights for regulators, audit clients, and auditors and identifies avenues for future research on auditor selection behaviors and their implications.

Michell Queiroz

• Monday 24 June 2024 at 2.00 pm
• Supervisor: Kenneth Sörensen

From instance generation to parallel computing: insights on implementing an on-demand transportation system

On-demand public transportation operates without fixed routes and schedules, dynamically adjusting to passenger-provided information about locations and destinations. These systems address the limitations of traditional public transportation, which often has limited coverage and inefficient vehicle use during off-peak hours, leading to resource waste and infrequent services. By contrast, on-demand transportation adapts more flexibly, reducing inconveniences such as prolonged waiting times and overcrowded vehicles.
In this thesis, we focus on the optimization aspect of an on-demand public transportation system. To investigate optimization problems, it is crucial to simulate real-world scenarios, known as instances. One of the primary contributions of this thesis is the introduction of REQreate, a tool designed to generate realistic instances for on-demand transportation problems. We also address the Heterogeneous On-Demand Bus Routing Problem (H-ODBRP), aiming to minimize total user ride time by using a metaheuristic based on the Simulated Annealing framework. Finally, we introduce a parallel approach for large-scale H-ODBRP scenarios, demonstrating superior efficiency and solution quality compared to sequential algorithms.

Jo Mentens

• Friday 21 June 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisor: Kris Hardies

Beyond the Financial: How Visualisations, Language, and Temporal Distance Shape Investor Decisions

This dissertation explores the influences of visualisations, language, and temporal distance on investor decision-making within an increasingly information-rich and globalised corporate reporting landscape. It examines how these elements, beyond traditional financial metrics, impact investors’ cognitive and emotional responses, providing insights into their decision-making processes. Through three experimental studies, this work contributes to the field of behavioural accounting by illustrating how various aspects of corporate disclosures affect investor behaviour.
The findings across the studies consistently reveal that how information is presented—through visualisations, language, and temporal framing—significantly shape investor responses. Specifically, the first study shows that visualisations increased investment willingness, largely through enhanced processing fluency rather than improved comprehension, highlighting the affective impact of presentation style. The second study demonstrates that processing environmental, social, and governance disclosures in a foreign language generally led to less emotional and more analytical evaluations, thereby moderating emotional influences in investment decisions. In the third study, matching short-term environmental goals with desirability framing significantly improved investors’ perceptions of corporate credibility, suggesting that appropriate narrative framing can effectively align with investors’ cognitive orientations to influence their investment decisions.
This research makes significant academic contributions by applying psychological theories in an accounting context, thus bridging a gap between these fields, and offering new perspectives on investor behaviour. It underscores the need for accounting standards and practices to consider not only the content but also the format and presentation of information, thereby enhancing transparency and investor engagement in financial markets.

Bassam Istanbouli

• ^​Wednesday 19 June 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisor: Jan Verelst
  

Towards the application of Normalized Systems Theory to the domain of Supply Chain Management

The goal of this research is to investigate the relevance of the modularization and normalization concepts in the design of products or supply chain processes, as this concept has the potential to contain these ripple effects and enable change in supply chains. More specifically, we draw upon Normalized Systems Theory, developed at the University of Antwerp, as a basis for studying normalization. This theory has initially been developed in context of dealing with change in software architectures, but has subsequently been applied to modular structures in domains such as BPMN business processes, accounting information systems and documents. This is the first research in which this theory is applied to the domain of supply chain management. This thesis is written mainly for engineers and process designers at the management and control layer of the organization. Its aim is to increase awareness that at one point of time their initially designed product will change as well as their manufacturing processes. Those changes will have substantial impacts, possibly causing ripple effects across the whole organization.

Lize Borms

• Tuesday 18 June 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Steven Van Passel, Jan Brusselaers & Maarten Christis

Out with jobs and in with skills: measuring current circular jobs and analyzing future necessary skills

This dissertation explores the labor market transition in Belgium and Flanders from a linear economic model to a circular economy, focusing on sustainable materials management and its contribution to broader sustainable development goals. It explores new ways to monitor circular jobs and skills, the effects of circular economy strategies on skills, and an impact assessment of the COVID-19 crisis on the circular companies and their employees. Using Natural Language Processing, a General Equilibrium model and a Skills Extension Tool, an attempt is made to quantify circular activities and jobs in Belgium and analyze the impact of circular economy policy measures on jobs and skills. Regression analyses investigate the relationship between circular strategies and skills requirements among startups in Flanders, focusing on transport and logistics, research and development, IT, and technical skills. Lastly, the regression analyses also examine the resilience of companies in Flanders during the COVID-19 crisis in relation to their circularity level. The dissertation underscores the importance of proactive policy measures to support companies in building resilience, and to support employees and educational institutions to acquire the necessary skills, especially during times of crisis.

Spiros Gkousis

• Wednesday 15 May 2024 at 4.30 pm
• Supervisors: Tine Compernolle & Kris Welkenhuysen
  

Analysis of deep geothermal energy development under uncertainty: An integrated geo-techno-economic and environmental assessment

This dissertation examines the economic and environmental sustainability of deep geothermal heating investments in Northern Belgium. It follows a comprehensive approach by integrating life cycle assessment, techno-economic assessment, and real options analysis to explore the economic and environmental performance of deep geothermal heating investments under uncertainty. The dissertation provides significant insights on the economic and environmental feasibility of exploiting deep geothermal energy in Northern Belgium. It also highlights ways to improve the performance of the investment. This study contributes to the better understanding of the sustainability of deep geothermal heating investments and the strategies that can improve their performance. It also presents novel methodological frameworks that can be adopted for investigating and assessing the sustainability of other systems and technologies.

Anil Berkin

• Tuesday 16 April 2024 at 4:30 p.m.
• Supervisors: Walter Aerts & Tom Van Caneghem
  
  

Corporate narratives and textual analysis: Perspectives on top management’s language use in financial and sustainability reporting

The dissertation investigates top management’s language use in financial and sustainability reporting, offering insightful perspectives and methodological innovations. It delves into differences in language use in distinct disclosure genres influenced by audience projection and communicative purpose, and the role of visibility in rhetorical impression management in sustainability reporting. By exploring these dimensions, the dissertation sheds light on how companies navigate communication challenges, adapt to regional level institutional settings and employ strategic approaches to shape perceptions and manage stakeholder relationships.
Furthermore, the dissertation introduces feasibility of employing machine learning methods for attributional content and framing analysis in corporate reporting, highlighting the potential in enhancing narrative disclosure analysis. Collectively, these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of corporate communication practices and pave the way for future research endeavors in the field.

Dima Braiteh

• Tuesday 19 March 2024 at 9.30 am
  
• Supervisor: Ans De Vos
  
  

Navigating Through Turbulence: Investigating Individual Characteristics, Well-being, and Career Outcomes in the Face of Career Shocks

Our thesis delved into the complex landscape of career changes, introducing the 'Career Shock' concept. This term encapsulates significant, unexpected events triggered by external factors, prompting individuals to reevaluate their career trajectories. At the heart of our investigation is an in-depth analysis of how unforeseen changes affect individual well-being and career outcomes. We emphasize the crucial role of personal characteristics and resources in navigating these shocks, with adaptability as a central element in our analytical framework.
Initially, our research explored the impact of individual traits, extending beyond the Big Five personality dimensions, on the capacity to adapt to abrupt changes. We focused specifically on the contributions of self-monitoring and self-efficacy to adaptability, aiming to expand the existing discourse on personal adaptability in the face of change.
The study then narrows its scope to assess the effects of career shocks on individual well-being, particularly highlighting the context of an economic-financial crisis in the banking sector. This section elucidates career shocks' positive and negative impacts, further examining how personal characteristics moderate the effect on well-being.
In the final phase, our investigation deepened to assess the effect of negative career shocks on specific career outcomes, such as engagement and the experience of regret. This study transitioned the focus from individual adaptability to career adaptability, endeavoring to elucidate the mediating function of career adaptability in the interplay between career shocks and the respective career outcomes.
Conclusively, our thesis sought to illuminate career development in times of instability, proposing strategies for individuals confronted with career shocks and adapting to evolving contexts. It underscored the practical significance for both practitioners and scholars, delineating methods to foster adaptability and engagement amidst career shocks, thereby making a substantial contribution to the domains of organizational and career studies.

Mohammadsaeid Fallahniasar

• Thursday 14 March 2024 at 12:30 p.m.
  
• Supervisors: Kenneth Sörensen & Seyed Mehdi Sajadifar
  
  

Metaheuristics for the school bus routing problem

This thesis focusses on a special part of the supply chain that is relevant to the student transportation problem. Considering previous studies, it appears that addressing emergent issues such as increased traffic load, high student population, lack of resources, safety, and risks can play a substantial role in designing an efficient plan for the student transportation system. The significance of this issue is highlighted when we take into account the needs and expectations of all stakeholders, including students, the private sector, and municipalities. In this regard, this dissertation considers a number of realistic and innovative characteristics for the school bus routing problem (SBRP). In doing so, two main trajectories have been followed. First, the existing gap and concerns in the literature and real life are considered to extract a new model-based variant of SBRP characteristics.
Second, an attempt is made to construct proper metaheuristic algorithms (solution approaches) to efficiently solve the problems identified in the first phase. To put it more clearly, in the first trajectory, we consider different problem features and propose new model and problem for SBRP, and in the second trajectory, we design and construct a metaheuristic approach germane to the defined problem. To do so, there are challenges that must be addressed concerning how to design an appropriate metaheuristic that corresponds to the specific type of problem and makes a trade-off between computing time and solution quality as well as a trade-off between intensification and diversification.
Following the above phases entails two advantages. It helps the decision-maker in urban planning to adopt the right course of action and presents alternatives in choosing the appropriate solution approach. In the first and second chapters of this thesis, the existing school bus routing problems along with different kinds of solution approaches are discussed, while in chapters three to five a new model and, correspondingly, new metaheuristics are presented. In other words, the first two chapters we present new solution approaches for the existing current problem, and in the remaining chapters we explore and attempt at a new model as well as solution approaches.
Briefly, regarding the solution approach, we have considered the strategic oscillation (searching between feasible and infeasible parts of the solution space), different large neighborhood search algorithms (presenting different kinds of removal and insertion heuristics), neighborhood selection mechanisms, and a number of diversification strategies.
We have also developed new mathematical models for SBRP that consider mixed-load effect, transporting morning and afternoon students, and the existing risks of student transportation. Further analyses are also executed to address real life concerns.

Tyché Perkisas

• Friday 16 February 2024 at 4.00 pm
• Supervisors: Johan Braet & Wim Mees
  

On dedicated anti-cybercrime mailboxes within financial institutions

The world is currently living in the Information Age. Technological advances driving digitalization and digitization have been adopted by the larger part of society and have been progressively becoming the norm. This adoption process was further accelerated by the strings of lock-downs and quarantines, which pushed this technology from accepted to - in some cases - necessary. However, as with all new technology, there will be those that exploit it to enrich themselves illegally. The global annual costs caused by cybercrime have been on the rise for years, reaching over $ 6 trillion USD at the end of 2023. Institutions providing critical infrastructure therefore need to mitigate the risks of providing their services within this technological framework, both for themselves as well as for their clients. One such mitigation is the use of a dedicated anti-cybercrime mailbox: a single point of contact for both internal as external parties for all matters cybercrime related.
This work considers the content of a such a dedicated anti-cybercrime mailbox (DACM) within a Belgian financial institution. Its aim is the prioritization of the service requests, both internal and external, that reach this mailbox in order to reduce the damages caused by illegitimate e-mails. This prioritization is based on predicted damage potential, for which we provide a model. This dissertation outlines a methodology to characterize and quantify the evolution of such a DACM. We conclude the DACM has a unique composition and can be clustered into distinct e-mail types for which a prioritization can be proposed based on their characteristics and content.

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Maysam Ayoub

• Friday 19 January 2024 4.00 pm
• Supervisor:  Kris Hardies
  

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The Role of Audit Firm Network Complexity, Audit Offices, and Partners In Explaining Audit Outcomes 

The dissertation comprises three distinct empirical studies investigating the influence of audit firms, offices, and partners on audit outcomes. Based on data from sixteen European countries, I examine if audit firms can maintain consistency across their engagements, that is, across the offices and partners within their network.
In the first study, I examine if financial statement comparability is greater if clients have the same audit firm and if this relationship is moderated by audit firm network complexity – which depends on audit firm’s size and geographic dispersion. In the second study, I explore if financial reporting quality is affected by within-firm office changes and if audit firms’ geographic dispersion moderates this relationship. In the third study, I examine the relative importance of audit partners vis-à-vis audit offices and firms in explaining audit outcomes.
Overall, the results of these three studies provide much weaker evidence than prior research on the effects of audit firms, offices, and partners on audit outcomes such as financial statement comparability, financial reporting quality, and auditors’ going concern reporting.  

Stéphanie Verlinden

• Wednesday 17 January 2024 4.00 pm
• Supervisor: Jan Wynen,  Koen Verhoest & Bjorn Kleizen

Does repeated change paradoxically undermine organizational adaptability? Essays on the impact of repeated organizational change on public organizations' capacity to adapt.

Climate change, globalized terrorism, disruptive technologies, and the COVID-19 pandemic have presented governments with unprecedented, fast-evolving challenges requiring rapid response and adaptation. Consequently, public organizations have been implementing changes at an increasing pace as they attempt to keep up. At the same time, civil servants must develop new skills centered on adaptability and flexibility. However, evidence from the field suggests that civil servants find it increasingly difficult to cope with a highly turbulent work environment in which change is nearly constant. Many are feeling overwhelmed by too many organizational changes occurring in a row. While public organizations often implement changes in pursuit of more adaptability, the question thus arises whether repeated change paradoxically undermines their capacity to adapt. 

This dissertation seeks to answer this question by examining the effects of repeated change – as it is perceived by civil servants- on their levels of role clarity, autonomy, and proactive behavior at work. In doing so, this research examines whether there is evidence of a threat-rigidity response, characterized by a constriction of control and restriction in information processing.  

Results show that the more changes civil servants experienced, the less clear they were about their role at work, the less individual autonomy they perceived, and the less proactively they behaved at work. These results offer empirical support for the cognitive and behavioral inflexibility characteristic of a threat-rigidity response. Finding that repeated change causes civil servants to respond with rigidity rather than the required flexibility; this dissertation concludes that repeated change paradoxically undermines public organizations’ capacity to adapt. In addition, the finding that chronic stress in civil servants distorts their perceptions of the frequency of change offers important implications for public sector change management. It indicates that change management strategies based on objective accounts of change may be tailored to a reality that does not align with the reality of change as civil servants experience it.