Tom Van Caneghem associate professor

Research Tom Van Caneghem

Research team

Expertise

Empirical research based on accounting data (with a focus on nonprofit organisations).

Navigating Big Data: Essential Infrastructure for Business and Economics Fields. 01/05/2024 - 30/04/2028

Abstract

There has been a growing emphasis on the significance of big data and business analytics. Academic institutions use large volumes of data to effectively address research questions that generate and capture value for individuals, businesses, communities, and governments. The Orbis Global and Belfirst data warehouses, encompassing financial, accounting, social balance and governance data, allow scholars to explore the promise and opportunities for new theories and practices resulting in topnotch research. The Orbis Global and Bel-first databases are used as the primary data in our field. When investigating firm behaviors and actions, scholars always need basic knowledge about their financial figures (profitability, growth, assets, liabilities, etc.). Therefore, these Orbis Global and Belfirst databases are always used as the primary data source to which scholars add more specific data (survey-based data, data collected from more specific databases such as investors data). The funding proposal seeks to address an urgent issue: the significant price hikes of these data warehouses. The requested funding would serve as a bridging budget, providing a temporary solution while a more sustainable long-term financing strategy is being developed. Several research groups in the field of business and economics cannot continue doing the research they are currently doing if they no longer have access to these databases. These databases function as essential tools and instruments.

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project

External certification in the nonprofit sector: An examination of drivers and consequences. 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2027

Abstract

Research on external certification in the nonprofit sector is extremely scant. The aim of this project is to make a significant contribution to the literature on external certification in the nonprofit context by considering three unexplored research objectives and by doing so we will be able to paint a full picture of NPO certification (i.e., identify drivers of certification (objective 1); assess economic consequences of certification (objective 2); and assess quality effects of certification (objective 3)). Because charity ratings are not really common outside the US, examining external certification as a quality signal in the nonprofit context is an extremely relevant issue in non-US settings. Besides academic relevance, findings are extremely useful for practice (e.g., for NPOs in deciding on whether or not to opt for external certification, for donors when making their donation decisions, etc.).

Researcher(s)

Research team(s)

Project type(s)

  • Research Project