Business Commons^™

Supply Chain Management: The Business Model Of The 21st Century, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Webs Of Power: Multiple Ownership In Tourism Destinations, Ziene Mottiar, Hazel Tucker

Articles

It has been widely noted in the tourism small business literature that collaboration between groups of businesses operating within clusters contributes both to business development and the success of destinations and regions. This paper aims to contribute to the research on tourism destination networks by focusing on multiple ownership, or portfolio entrepreneurship, when more than one small or micro business within a specific destination are owned by the same entrepreneur. Courtown, in Ireland and Göreme in Turkey are presented as two case studies in which the existence of multiple owners was identified. The implications of multiple ownership on tourism operation …

Broadening The Entrepreneurial Perspective, Ziene Mottiar, Sarah Ingle

Articles

In this paper entrepreneurial literature is combined with industrial district literature to try and explain regional success in an Irish industrial sector. A new approach called interpreneurship is introduced as an explanatory concept for regional success in an Irish case study. A number of conclusions are drawn regarding the extent to which the interpreneurship approach is valid and the authors recommend that this is an important concept for further research.

Supply Chain Benchmarking And Performance Measurement: Towards The Learning Supply Chain, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Lifestyle Entrepreneurs And Spheres Of Inter-Firm Relations: The Case Of Westport Co. Mayo, Ireland, Ziene Mottiar

Articles

A relatively small body of literature in tourism which concentrates on the issues of small firms and entrepreneurs and ‘this area of inquiry is vastly under-researched’ (Thomas, 2004, p.1). A key piece of research (Rimmington et al, 1999) classifies entrepreneurs in the tourism sector and one category which has received research attention has been that of lifestyle entrepreneurs. This article outlines the literature on lifestyle entrepreneurs and concludes that much of the focus to date has been on the individual entrepreneur. This current paper investigates how lifestyle entrepreneurs interact with other entrepreneurs in the destination in which they operate, and …

City Break Motivation: The Case Of Dublin, A Successful National Capital, Gerard Dunne, Sheila Flanagan, Joan Buckley

Articles

This paper investigates why people take city break trips. The main objective of the study was to reveal the underlying push and pull motivational factors associated with taking a city break holiday to Dublin. In-depth interviews with 40 city break visitors uncovered six push factors and eight pull factors. The main push motives involved were, ‘escape,’ ‘socialising,’ and ‘self esteem (gift giving).’ City breaks were generally viewed as active or ‘doing’ holidays, with the ‘relaxation’ motive hardly featuring at all as a reason to visit. Pull factors were found to be particularly important in terms of the travel decision. Factors …

Irish Marketing Review, Vol. 19, Nos. 1 & 2, 2007, Unknown

Issues

The Irish Marketing Review deals with issues, development and research in the ares of marketing.

Introduction To Perspectives On Supply Chain Management And Logistics - Creating Competitive Organisations In The 21st Century, Edward Sweeney

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

De Boerinn (Netherlands), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Hendrik Jan Hoogendoom and his parents sat around the family dinner table and once again discussed the key problem facing the business in which they all worked. There had been many changes in the use of their land over the past two decades but they knew that they had not yet achieved the maximum economic return from it. Currently, the primary income came from recreation activities, which were extremely successful for six months of the year. But the challenge remained on how they could keep the business equally active during the long cold winter months.

Towards A Conceptual Framework Of Corporate Branding In Retailing, Edmund O'Callaghan

Conference proceedings

The view that corporate brand building in retailing is different to any other context (Burt and Sparks, 2002) is predicated in the belief that ‘goods’ retailers need to manage a range of corporate components, its multiple relationships with customers and its dependence on employees to personify and deliver much of the corporate identity. These differences in operations are perceived as adding a degree of complexity to an already challenging process of corporate brand development. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for the corporate brand building process within an SME retail context. It develops on the work of Hatch & Schultz’s …

The National Game And Irish Society: The Gaa As A Cultural Brand, Aine Carroll

Masters

The link between brands and culture is well documented (McCracken, 1986; Ritson and Elliott, 1999). However the purposeful creation of brands related to culture is less evident (Vincent, 2002; Holt, 2004). It is this lack of theoretical understanding of cultural brands that drives this study. The objective of this study is to investigate the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) as an iconic brand within the socio-economic context of Ireland. The literature has been divided into two chapters, the first is an overview of consumer culture as the context within which brands have taken on great importance, in the construction of self …

An Investigation Into Outsourcing Practice In Ireland: A New Direction In Logistics And Supply Chain Management, Aoife O'Riordan, Edward Sweeney

Articles

Companies are increasingly focusing on the development of core competencies as an integral part of their overall strategy development and implementation. The corollary of this is that functions regarded as being non-core are being outsourced. This paper investigates the case for and against outsourcing and in addition what is happening in Ireland regards outsourcing. Furthermore to analysis of current literature in
the field, an Irish-wide postal and e-mail survey, as well as three case studies revealed many interesting facts. The key findings of the work are manufacturing outsourcing is now the most popular function to be outsourced for both small …

The Strategic Use Of Geographic Information Systems In The Irish Insurance Industry, Stephen Willis

Masters

The motivation for the research arose from the significant increase in flooding events that have occurred in Ireland and other countries over the last decade. These floods can cause major damage to properties and have resulted in significant losses for insurance companies. There was an expression of interest from within the Irish insurance industry to utilise Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for enhancing the value of their customer data and with the recent losses they began considering using GIS for mapping flood prone areas. Anecdotal evidence suggested that the availability of accurate, up to date and relevant data to support a …

Strategic Development In Professional Associations: A Study Of The Strategic Development Of An Irish Professional Association, Imelda Graham

Masters

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the process of strategic development in professional associations. The thesis will apply the generic model as developed by Johnson and Scholes [1999] ton one professional association and seek to understand the process of strategic development within that association. According to Johnson and Scholes ‘the strategic development of organisations is better understood typically in terms of continuity or momentum of strategy; once an organisation has adopted a particular strategy, it tends to develop from and within that strategy, rather than fundamentally changing direction’ [Johnson and Scholes, 1999:45]. The thesis conducts a literature review …

Ionad Cois Locha: 20 Years On, Gerry Mortimer

Case studies

Early in 2007, Seamus Gallagher watched from his modest attic office at Ionad Cois Locha as the last main steel beam was lifted into place right outside his window. The new venue was at last taking shape. Already it was a month or more behind schedule because the violent storms of late 2006 had meant that the steel frame could not be erected until now, and it would be at least May before the building would be completed. It had been planned to be ready by April before the main tourist season.

Heylen Bvba (Belgium), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

As Tom Heylen reflects upon his early days in business, he often wonders how his company Heylen bvba survived. He had left university after just one year of studying biology in order to pursue a business opportunity that he believed existed in the market and that needed to be acted upon without delay. About that time, nature had become modified to such an extent (particularly in Europe) that biodiversity could only be conserved through active management and restoration of the few natural areas which remained. Such management required innovation, specialised equipment, and knowledge in order to be successful. But those …

South Hill Enterprise (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Billy Barrett was facing challenges as a consultant that he had never previously experienced. All of the goals that are expected in business practice were not amongst the main priorities here. Confused, he asked Maura Melia (Manager of South Hill Enterprise) if he could clarify the situation.

Guardian Angel (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

It was the summer of 2006 and three friends of many years had come up with a business idea that they believed could be a money-spinner for all of them. Maria Harrison, Krystle Malone and Marie Lyons had all been students at the Technological University Dublin and had recently completed their degree in Marketing. As part of their programme, they had taken a course on Entrepreneurship by way of interest rather than any deep-rooted desire to start their own business. But now, they are about to meet a venture capital company to ask for €300,000 to get the business started. …

Ecoserve (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Roisin Nash had just finished reading a new report that had recently been launched by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey at the headquarters of the Marine Institute at Oranmore in County Galway. The report, entitled ‘Sea Change – A Marine Knowledge, Research and Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007- 2013’, presented a national agenda (comprising of science, research, innovation, and management) aimed at a complete transformation of the Irish maritime economy. Roisin felt that the report provided a clear and realistic picture of future opportunities and challenges within the Irish marine industry, and that it would …

Echinades Fish Farm (Greece), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

The past decade had seen a dramatic decline in the regional economy along the west coast of the Greece as agriculture faded and few incentives existed for manufacturing companies to locate there given its relatively poor infrastructure. Since the long-established Greek strength of tourism was still focused on the islands and in areas where large natural beaches offered holidaymakers the opportunity to lay out in the glorious Mediterranean sunshine, this region of barren land and traditional lifestyle offered little to entice the modern tourist. Despite this pessimistic background, Nikos Anagnopoulos stood on the deck of the small boat that had …

Digicel Foundation (Haiti), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

It was a beautiful day on March 5th 2007 and the official launch of the Digicel Foundation Haiti was drawing to a close. The Foundation had been inaugurated at a special ceremony to mark the completion of the Foundation's first project, the rebuilding in record time of the Ecole Mixte Lageho (a primary school in the hurricane ravaged Pont Janvier rural community of Thomazeau), thanks primarily to the combined efforts of Digicel staff and local community members. Denis O'Brien (Digicel Group Founder / Chairman and Patron of the Digicel Foundation) was joined at the ceremony by the Prime Minister of …

Daft.Ie (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Eamonn and Brian Fallon sat in their office at the Digital Hub near the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and reflected upon their success. It was a beautiful day outside and the sun shone warmly through the windows. About them on the walls was an array of awards that they had collected over the past two years. Indeed they had received a telephone call earlier that day informing them that the radio programme ‘Down To Business’ on NewsTalk 106 had selected them as a leading example of best business practice and wanted to interview them. It was yet further recognition that …

An Examination Of The Role Of Intuition In Individual Decision Making In Organisations, Rory Martin, Philomena Hanlon

Conference papers

The feeling of knowing without knowing has often been described as listening to your heart, trusting your gut, or using your intuition. As decision makers face more turbulent and complex environments, rational analysis may not always be able to assist in yielding optimal results. In cases where sufficient data is not available or the situation is one that the decision maker or the organisation has not faced before, the decision maker may utilise intuition to guide them through uncertainty (Lank & Lank 1995:19). This paper looks at the role that intuition plays in individual decision making in organisations. The primary …

Informed Retail Location Decisions: A Critical Concern For Irish Smes, Edmund O'Callaghan

Articles

No abstract provided.

Passport To Trade: Connecting Europe’S Smes From East To West?, Amanda Ratcliffe, Thomas Cooney

Conference proceedings

: An EFER report in 1995observed that little of the growth of Europe’s top 500 companies came from existing products in existing markets, but almost two-thirds of the growth came from entering new markets [1]. A large majority of Europe’s 500 are active in export markets, with exports accounting for 40% of their turnover as opposed to the 10% export share for SMEs overall. One of the critical reasons for the poor performance of SMEs within the international arena is their ignorance of local business cultures. This paper is based upon the work of an EU initiative with the project …

Competitive Challenges, Chain Reactions, Edward Sweeney

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Outsourcing And Its Role In The Supply Chain, Edward Sweeney, Aoife O'Riordan

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Destination Website Effectiveness – A Delphi-Based Emetric Approach – A Dms Perspective, Patrick Horan, Andrew Frew

Conference papers

This paper outlines the development and evaluation of a comprehensive set of eMetrics for measuring the effectiveness of a Destination Management Systems’ (DMS) websites from the perspective of small and medium-sized hotel enterprises. Ultimately, from a hotel’s viewpoint, website effectiveness depends on how well a site performs with respect to the related business goals. The priority of the research is thus to establish which criteria are important for destination websites and to determine a mechanism for their measurement. These criteria are divided into both macro- and micro- level metrics which each combine to provide information that is actionable from a …

Landscape And Geotourism: Market Typologies And Visitor Needs, Catherine Elizabeth Gorman

Conference papers

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore Geotourism (landscape tourism) in the context of the Irish tourism experience, to develop visitor typologies and propose an approach that will ensure greater sustainability by addressing market value and requirements through the use of marketing techniques and tools.

Methodology/Approach: An evaluation of existing geotourism resources and information was undertaken. A gap was identified in terms of marketing the Geotourism product. This gap is identified as a break the delivery of the experience to the most suitable customer and is addressed by identifying specific typologies, their requirements and making suggestions …

Thermal Effectiveness Characteristics Of Low Approach Indirect Evaporative Cooling Systems In Buildings, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Articles

Meteorological enthalpy analysis of temperate and maritime climates above latitude 45°N suggests that the water-side evaporative cooling technique has considerable unrealised potential with contemporary “high temperature” building cooling systems—such as chilled ceilings and displacement ventilation. As low approach conditions are the key to exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air, thermal performance at such conditions needs to be investigated. To address the research issues, an industrial scale test rig, based on a low approach open cooling tower and plate heat exchanger and designed to maximise evaporative cooling potential, has been constructed. The thermal effectiveness of such systems (as a …