List of current thesis topics Business Economics - June 27, 2014

Oude Lansink

1. Analysis of mergers and acquisitions in the agribusiness – what are the benefits of
mergers and acquisitions
2. New financing facilities for cooperatives. How can cooperatives finance their
activities. Why do they choose certain ways of financing. What is the value of
certificates and shares in cooperatives?
3. Analysis of the technical and economic efficiency of agribusiness firms. What is the
technical and economic performance of agribusiness firms?; Analysis of the economic
performance of agribusiness firms using production frontiers
4. Financial ratios of the agribusiness using a world wide data base of firms (ORBIS).
For example comparison of solvency, liquidity, activity for the ten largest dairy
processing companies (e.g FrieslandCampina, ARLA, Fonterra)
5. Measuring the financial risks in agribusiness firms using ORBIS (beta of the
company)
6. Comparing the financial risks and economic performance of investor owned firms and
cooperatives using ORBIS
7. Analysis of companies that were or are facing financial problems (e.g. VION,
Greenery)
8. Measuring the value of shares of Dutch cooperatives using the CAPM model
9. Assessing the relation between investments and financial ratios

Meuwissen

1. Analysis of the correlation between the price of shares and the price on futures
markets, in relation to the size of stocks of agricultural commodities.
2. Risk management: implications of various strategies at farm level (with LEI [FADN
data], follow-up of current work Tsion).
3. Valstar Holland (company); development of a price forecasting model for pepers
(Dutch: paprika)‘, cucumbers and/or tomatoes.
4. Risk assessment for SO Natural (10 million orchids per year; largest pot orchid
plantation in the world). Details to be discussed with the management.
5. Strategic scenario building for the EU sugar sector in view of 2017 reform
[RABOBANK]
6. Where are the next 60 mln tons of soybeans going to come from?! [RABOBANK]
7. Working with Big Data from the Rabobank; an in-depth assessment of the financial
performance of individual farms in the Netherlands [with director Agro, Rabo].
Required: interest in working with statistics and big data sets (57,000 farms) and
Dutch language!
Berentsen/Sok

Accounting related topics in cooperation with accountancy/advisory firms like

 Accon/AVM
 Alfa
 Flynth ; Flynth wants to innovate their services within the pig farming sector

Saatkamp

1. The impact of changes in poultry production structure on the impact of HPAI (Highly
Pathogenic Avian Influenza) outbreaks (geen specifiek project, interesse vanuit EZ)
2. Cost-effectiveness and –efficiency analysis of surveillance against various infectious
diseases (e.g. BlueTongueVirus, Classical Swine Fever, Aujeszky’s Disease, ...)
3. German-Dutch cross-border control of highly contagious livestock diseases (i.e. FMD
and/or CSF): the issue of differences in compensation
4. The impact of mitigation of movement restrictions during a contagious livestock
disease outbreak on numbers of animals, animal welfare and costs
5. The impact of various above-legal zoning measures (e.g. large buffer zones) during a
contagious livestock disease outbreak on numbers of animals, animal welfare and
costs
6. Economic aspects of emergence, surveillance and reduction of anti-biotic resistance in
livestock production (various topics possible, e.g. literature review, pilot calculation,
etc) (Effort project)
7. Vaccination against CSF in Germany: prospects and limitations for control and
economic impact (a pilot study)
8. The impact of FMD outbreaks on milk collection, processing and valorisation in
Germany (a pilot study)
9. Economic aspects of control of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) a bacterial
infection within fattening pigs.
10. The relation between antibiotic usage and animal health, welfare and production
performance in broiler and/or hog production.
11. The potential impact of emergence of antibiotic resistance on animal health, welfare
and production performance in broiler and/or hog production.
12. Monitoring of antibiotic resistance in broiler and/or pig production chains: technical
and economic aspects.
Mourits

1. Cost-effectiveness of measures to reduce the likelihood of plant pest invasions into

2. Community-acquired (food-related) outbreaks and the associated investigation costs
3. Risk analyses – Bloembollenkeuringsdienst (Peter Knippels)
4. Financial risks during business interruptions; Large livestock farms are heavily
financed and highly specialised, making them more vulnerable to disruptions in
production (dioxin detection/ contagious animal disease control). How vulnerable?
5. Cost-effectivess evaluations of mass vaccination campaigns/public health programs;
how to apply in practise?

Steeneveld

1. Economic performance/ comparison of dairy farms with and without sensors-based

management programs.
2. What are the labour requirements of conventional, short, cow-specific and no dry
period regimes; how do farmers value labour for the tasks involved and what is their
motivation for their dry period strategy
3. In Dutch: Het levenslang probleem vrije (LPV) melkproductie systeem. Het doel is om
een alternatief melkproductiesyteem te beschrijven waarin koeien probleemloos
jarenlang melk kunnen produceren.

Bonanno

1. Applied industrial organization of food systems

2. Economic and structural analysis of traditional and non-traditional food retail
3. Impact of firms’ strategies on consumers health
4. Food safety, firms strategies and economic performance

Hogeveen

1. Economic performance of sustainable dariy farms; together with Livestock Research

2. Economic impact reproduction disorders in dairy cattle
3. Economic optimization of ‘drying off’ dairy cows; in collaboration with CRV
4. Economic effects of a novel immune stimulating treatment in dairy cattle
I.c.w. Elanco Animal Health
5. Economic effects of stocking density on dairy farms
6. Relation building costs and barn layout and milk production on farms with an
Automatic Milking System; in co-operation with Lely Industries
7. Determinants of economic consequences of foot and mouth disease in South East Asia
and Africa. In co-operation with the Royal Veterinary College (London), very suitable
for an internship
8. Cost utility of rabies control in endemic areas
 9. Value of automatic detection of calving in dairy cattle in co-operation with the
partners in Smart Dairy Farming
10. Economic effect of subclinical ketosis

Ine van der Fels

1. Economic impact of contaminated feed on the animals’ production.; in cooperation

with Nutreco and RIKILT.
2. Estimate the costs (direct and indirect) for mycotoxin contamination of crops grown in
the Netherlands. In cooperation with RIKILT.
3. Estimate the effectiveness of various measures for fungal infection and mycotoxin
control in the entire cereal production chain. In cooperation with RIKILT
4. Cost-effective sampling and analyses of large batches of cereals to detect mycotoxin
contaminations. In cooperation with RIKILT
5. Food safety management in the dairy chain; the case of home-made products. In
cooperation with RIKILT.

For further information on thesis topics please contact Monique.Mourits@wur.nl