Strategy and Entrepreneurship (S&E)

The Dutch economy has been recovering from the 2008 financial downturn, and its GDP has reached pre-crisis levels sooner than expected.¹ Revived consumer confidence and a stronger labor market contribute to an increasingly optimistic mood. Whether this situation will persist, however, is uncertain. The European Union is currently experiencing previously unforeseen changes – for instance the BREXIT – with enormous destabilizing risks. These risks could possibly exert severe negative consequences on economies in the area, including the Dutch.

The Dutch economy is principally sustained by private enterprises. Developing strategies to maximize the private sector’s profitability and safeguard its performance during economic downturns is therefore a matter of utmost national interest. Devising superior managerial strategies, however, is complex and must be based on solid evidence obtained by rigorous research.
Moreover, solutions must be tailored to the size and structure of the specific business: requirements for maximal profitability differ in start-up companies, large corporations, and family-run businesses.

ERIM’s Strategy and Entrepreneurship (S&E) research programme investigates the fields of Strategic Management, Strategic Entrepreneurship, and Global Strategy. In order to achieve focused and maximal economic and social impact through academic research, the programme reaches out to three distinct groups of stakeholders: start-up and scale-up businesses, family owned or managed firms, and large corporations. The extensive research carried out within S&E is exemplified by the work of the three respective research centres: the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECE), the Erasmus Centre for Family Business (ECFB), and INSCOPE.

¹ https://insights.abnamro.nl/en/2016/07/dutch-economy-in-focus-growth-estimates-lower-after-brexit/

Source: ERIM Self Assessment Report 2010 – 2015, January 2017