Business Commons^™

The Impact Of Drone Technology In Surveying In Ireland: An Examination Of The Accuracy Level Of Drones., Eleni Zintiridou

Theses

Abstract The society that we are living in could unquestionably be characterised as a community of technology. One of the most recent technological inventions is the drone, of which the usage is expected to triple by 2020, worldwide. Through the development and increasing popularity of the drones, the ability of latter to affect the surveying industry in Ireland has become a contemporary subject of study in the field of surveying, which is, however, in its infant stage. The presented dissertation is dealing with the ability of drones to impact the way that surveys are being conducted in Ireland, and also …

Nutritional Labelling Providing Education On Its Usage Could It Impact On Patient's Food Choice Selection For Those In The Obese Classification?, Celia Lane

Theses

A build-up of too much body fat can cause significant health risks and development of medical conditions and disabilities (National Institute Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2014). The causes of obesity involve the disproportionate intake of calories that are not utilised (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2016). The rising trend towards obesity threatens to bankrupt medical systems (Heifer and Shultz, 2014). There has been a heighten awareness from the general public in the last decade of the affiliation between health and nutrition (Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance (lUNA), 2011). In light of the ever increasing obesity trend, individuals still desire to take control of …

Outsourcing Human Resource Activities - Impact On Organizational Performance In Multinational Organizations., Vesela Kacharova

Theses

Outsourcing some or all Human Resources functions is a part of a growing trend. Organizations have different reasons to contract HR to an outside provider such as to save money, focus on strategic Human Resources, improve compliance, gain access to skilled HR professionals, or take advantage of technology. This thesis focuses on the outsourcing of Human Resources activities and possible impacts on organizational performance. Due to the large amount of multinational organizations with presence in Ireland, the research focused on outsourcing of HR functions in multinational organizations.

Two different types of questionnaires were conducted targeting Human Resources professionals and Line …

Farm Deaths And Injuries: Changing Farmer Attitudes And Behaviour On Farm Safety, Kieran O'Connell

Theses

While the Irish agricultural sector accounts for just 6% of the working population of Ireland, it consistently has the highest proportion of fatal incidents of any sector - generally ranging from between 35% and 45% of all workplace fatalities in any given year (Health and Safety Authority, 2015). This was again evident in 2014 where 55% (30 of the 56) of the fatal workplace incidents were in the agricultural sector (Health and Safety Authority, 2015). Agriculture has an ageing workforce with the average age of an Irish farmer now standing at fifty-seven and farmers are eight times more likely to …

Destination Cork : A New Frontier For The Culinary Curious Tourist, Catherine Fitzgibbon

Theses

Food is an important aspect in creating tourism destinations and can be perceived as an immensely influential attraction for tourism. There are excellent examples of destinations that brand themselves through food tourism, using this special-interest area as a strategy to develop regional tourism and ultimately, increase tourist numbers. However, not all destinations use food tourism as a strategic branding strategy. One such example is Cork in Ireland. While having an excellent food offering, food is not a primary tourism activity in the region’s destination branding strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of branding Cork as …

Integrating A Code Of Professional Conduct And Ethics: An Action Research Approach, Ciara Kissane

Theses

A new version of the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Nurses and Registered Midwives (NMBI, 2014a) was published in 2014. A nurse’s fitness to practice, and the associated patient experience, is determined by the extent to which the nurse accords with the duties outlined in the Code. Professional misconduct among members of the nursing profession has been highlighted within recent reports and enquiries. The failure to act on unethical care is also a feature. The literature suggests that Codes are poorly understood and can be problematic to integrate in practice. This study sought to; explore the impact …

The Power Of Word-Of-Mouth: A Study On The Impact Of Interpersonal Communication Using Arts Festivals As A Case Study, Holly Ní Ghráda

Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of interpersonal communication tactics in building and maintaining key relationships in the arts festival context, using two Irish traditional music festivals as its case studies. The main objective of this research is to demonstrate the effectiveness of word-of-mouth endorsements among stakeholders for small organisations.

This research undertook three stages of study. The first stage of this thesis took the form of a literature review - also known as the secondary research phase. Throughout this stage the author found relevant academic opinions and definitions based on selected public relations, culture, and …

Are “Chippers” For The Chop? An Investigation Into How Independent Fast Food Outlets Are Managed., David Mccarthy

Theses

This research investigates and explores the quick service segment (Fast Food) of the Irish Foodservice Industry, with a particular focus on how independent owners of Fast Food outlets manage their business. This growing sector of the Irish Foodservice market is experiencing dramatic changes, in terms of their “food offer”, the legislation governing the industry and the level of increasing competition within the market. As a result of year on year growth and increasing consumer trends towards fast casual dining, this sector of the market is attractive to the plethora of both international and national food franchises who are seeking further …

An Investigation Into The Obstacles And Barriers Preventing Farmers In Rural Areas Using Information Communication Technologies, David O'Leary

Theses

Technology and in particular, mobile devices can help farmers both from a social and business perspective. This study focuses on the areas preventing farmers using smart phones and the downfalls they might be facing on a regular basis in the adoption of mobile devices. The objectives of this study were to identify what devices are being used and for what purpose, identify who helps the farmer when they are in difficulty with their device, identify if broadband is an obstacle and to develop a set of recommendations based on my research for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) …

Economic Viability Of Direct Drilling In Ireland Compared To Conventional Drilling, Angus Griffith

Theses

With the price of fuel rising and the need for farmers to try and cut costs, and not just variable and the input cost of producing the crop need to be reduced too. It is for this reason that this project is going to focus on direct drilling (DD) vs. conventional tillage (CT) which is the most common system of production in Ireland while also looking into the difference in the costs of establishing each of the two methods. In addition, this project will determine whether or not there are any differences in soil quality and conditions as well as …

An Investigation Of Service Quality Within Irish Franchised Motor Dealerships, Clive Atkinson

Theses

This study investigates service quality within franchised motor dealerships from the perspective of thirty-eight persons working in the roles of Dealer Principal, After-Sales Manager or Service Manager in dealerships operating under the Volkswagen group of brands in Ireland (VW, Audi, SEAT and Skoda). With approximately 2.3 million cars on Irish roads, more than two thirds of the Irish adult population encounter car service experiences on a regular basis. Regardless of brand or dealership type, the quality of vehicle service experience is paramount for customer retention. Despite this, however, service quality within Irish motor dealerships remains an under-explored area. Qualitative analysis …

Sitting With Nellie; Mentoring Relationships In The Office Of The Revenue Commissioners, Kieran Healy

Theses

Mentoring is a powerful HRD tool that has been shown to have a positive impact on career development and play a significant role in the psychosocial support of employees in the workplace. There is no definitive definition of mentoring or a clear concise methodology of how it works but it does work and has been shown to do so time and time again in a multitude of settings and organisations.

Mentoring in Revenue is a mixture of the formal and informal and supports training courses and on the job training in equal measure. This dissertation will focus on mentoring in …

Transfer And Competency Exchange Of Wisetek Into The Data Centre Hubs Of Frankfurt And Amsterdam: An Empirical Study, Thomas G. O'Farrell

Theses

This research study is an examination of Wisetek; an organization that has expanded from their head office in Cork, Ireland into the North America, Asian and the MENA region. This study is particularly focused on analysing the data centre hubs of Frankfurt and Amsterdam, a market where Wisetek do not have a presence and are looking to explore the region further. The growing problem of E-waste defined in this research, and the benefits of the services that Wisetek offer of managing E-waste, is a solution for data centres. Wisetek was founded in 2007 by Sean Sheehan and is a provider …

Distributed Leadership: Building Capacity To Maximise Collaborative Practice In A New Teaching Research Aged Care Service, Kirsty Marles

Theses

This research facilitated an approach to apply the concept of distributed leadership, as articulated in Health LEADS Australia: the Australian health leadership framework to generate the conditions required to support sustained collaborative practice. The setting for this research was ViTA South, which, at the time of the research was a newly established teaching, research aged care service located in Adelaide, South Australia. The research was concerned with developing distributed leadership amongst the staff team to engender sustained collaborative practice, critical to realising the vision for ViTA South, which requires collaboration beyond the traditional practices of an aged care workforce. This …

The Shift From Work-Life Balance To Work-Life Integration., Annie Butler

Theses

This thesis focuses on the shift from work-life balance to work-life integration. The term ‘work-life balance’ was first introduced in Ireland in the mid-1980s, outlining the significance of balance between employees’ work and personal life activities. Studies on work-life balance most often show that work and life are perceived as mutually exclusive domains that are constantly competing for an individual’s time or energy. Work-life balance practices improve employee motivation and enhance their job performance and commitment. For employers, these policies are essential to maintaining an edge over competitors, and necessary to retain highly qualified staff Flexible working is seen as …

Beauty Brand Versus New Media: How Have Communications Tactics Changed Within A Large Cosmetic Brand & How Have They Incorporated New Media Pr Tactics, Ruth Walsh

Theses

This research study aims to investigate and analyse what is working in the cosmetic PR industry for beauty brands; bloggers; and beauty consumers. There has been limited research conducted into this important topic and less so into the PR tactics used by large cosmetic brands. This thesis first examines that said limited scope of literature that relates to the cosmetic PR industry but not well and it further examines the viewpoints of well-known PR professionals. From this research, a triangulation approach to data collecting was outlined and conducted that included two interviews with beauty industry experts; a PR professional, a …

The Internal Organizational Factors And External Environmental Factors Affecting The Implementation And Management Of The Hr Department: A Case Study Of Kearys, Eva Spitere

Theses

Globalisation and an increased demand for competitive advantage have caused the contemporary HR department to face additional pressure to provide strategic value to the organization. To do so, the HR department must integrate with overall business strategy and continually monitor both the internal and external environments in which the organization operates. This thesis focuses on identifying these internal organizational factors and external environmental factors, and exploring how these factors can affect the implementation and management of a new HR department within an already established organization.

Given the unique position of the researcher, who is currently solely responsible for the establishment …

Private Sector Emiratisation: Evaluating The Policies And Practices Designed To Achieve Abu Dhabi's Strategic Hrm Goal, Khaled Sultan Saeed Ai Kaabi

Theses

The purpose of this study is two-fold: firstly, to gauge the job satisfaction levels of UAE nationals employed in the private sector and secondly to consider the HRM policies and procedures most likely to attract and retain such individuals. The issue is of contemporary importance because the UAE has a fast growing population, an already overstaffed public sector and, a labour nationalisation program that has yet to have a significant impact on the ratio of nationals employed in the private sector visà- vis the classic public sector. Using a combination of employee survey and expert interview feedback this study provides …

The Relationship Between Transformational Leadership And Human Capital Development: The Mediating Effect Of Knowledge Management And Organizational Culture, Mona Majed Mohamed Al Mansoori

Theses

Human capital development is one of the most important enablers for any organization to achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. Thus, organisations are interested in adopting various initiatives and mechanisms to support the development of human capital, such as transformational leadership style, knowledge management practices and building organisational culture. This study intends to examine the mediating effect of knowledge management and organisational culture on the relationships between transformational leadership and human capital development in the Abu Dhabi emirate. This study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from a large sample of employees drawn from government and semi-government entities in the …

Determinants Of Organizational Performance Ln The Semi-Government Sector Of Abu Dhabi: Strategic Management Perspective, Bakheet Saeed Al Katheeri

Theses

With a conceptual model, we focused on evaluating the current situation of strategic management practices in Abu Dhabi’s semi-government sector, a littleresearched area, to understand the relationships between strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation, as elements, and organizational performance; to identify whether environmental dynamism plays moderating roles in these relationships; and to explore the relationship between organisational performance and organizational competiveness. Data were collected in Abu Dhabi from semigovernment organizations of the UAE. A questionnaire was used on a sample population of 210 organizations. 182 completed questionnaires were collected and included in the analysis. The structural equation modelling package, AMOS, was …

Effectiveness Of Engineering, Procurement And Construction (Epc) Major Projects In Abu Dhabi's Oil And Gas Industry: End User’S Perspective, Mohamed Salem Obaid Aldhaheri

Theses

No abstract provided.

Do Education, Spending Habits And Planning Habits Affect Investing Habits?, Miran Simunic

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the influence of formal education, spending habit, and planning habit on investing habit, while controlling for age, gender, income, and self-perception of financial knowledge. The previous studies tested the influence of education on certain money management skills or investing habits, but none of them explored the influence of formal education, spending habit and planning habit on investing habits. This thesis explores this influence of those three independent variables with control variables on a sample that represents the entire population of the United States. The testing is performed on the data from 2012 …

Atm Services : Transforming The Customer Value Proposition, Colm Mckiernan

Theses

Managing risk has always been to the fore, in the CIT (Cash-in-Transit) industry. An accelerated rate of change and increasing market risks, now face the sector. ATM (automated teller machine) servicing is an important market segment for CIT firms. Despite turbulence in the banking industry since the recent financial crisis, the ATM market has remained resilient. The desire for new levels of bank branch automation has been driving technology development in the ATM industry.

The author undertook qualitative research to determine how the customer value proposition for ATM services could evolve. ATMs are an important component of the overall cash …

Cruise Tourism : The Cork Perspective, Lavina Madalina Untea

Theses

Cruise industry has presented an energetic and lively development in recent years. However, the research conducted in Ireland on the topic of Cruise Tourism is inadequate. This research study aims to close a gap in the Irish tourism literature, as there was no other similar research previously done in Ireland. The researcher intends to find what is relevant and meaningful for the present and future cruise tourism in the Cork region, from the perspective of the key stakeholders. The author hopes to provide the relevant officials with a background in the cruise tourism in Cork and enlighten them on the …

The Structure Of Work Placement In A Third-Level Accounting Programme : Employers' Perspective, Laura O'Callaghan

Theses

Extant literature on the benefits of work placement extols the virtues of embedding work placement in accounting degree programmes, not only for the students, but also for the employers. It provides employers with an extended period to vet students for graduate position (Gault et al, 2000; Beard, 2007), a cost-effective solution to hiring for short-term projects (Ferkins, 2002) and a valuable link with local colleges (Gault et al, 2000; Me Gann and Anderson, 2012). However, there is a dearth of literature exploring how placement should be structured to maximise these benefits (Buckley and El Amond, 2010; Sheridan and Linehan, 2003). …

An Exploration Of The Smart Cities Concept: The Case For The Cork Region, Marguerite O'Connor

Theses

The term “Smart City” has gained a lot of attention from policy-makers, business leaders and citizens in recent years. The definition of what a smart city is differs depending on the city, region or individual that you ask but most definitions define it as local governments’ projects and initiatives that are implemented through some form of information and communication technologies, which are designed to enhance the quality of life for citizens and stakeholders whilst maintaining a sustainable future. This study aims to build an understanding of what the Smart cities concept actually means to Cork and the implications of Information …

Relationship Marketing In Fast Moving Consumer Goods Markets: The Consumers' Perspective, Rose Leahy

Theses

Relationship marketing has been dominant in marketing literature since the 1990s. Despite this, however, the relationship marketing concept has not yet acquired uncontested meaning and application, and consequently its core philosophy remains ambiguous. In particular, there is a lack of relationship theory building and testing in mass consumer markets. It is within this context that this thesis is positioned. Adopting the relationship marketing and social psychology literatures as a framework, this study explores relationship marketing in Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets from the consumers' perspective. Taking an interpretivist inductive approach, the study focuses on the applicability of relationship marketing …

Electric Vehicles In Ireland: The Past, The Present And The Future?, Emma Sadleir

Theses

This research is undertaken as part of the researcher’s efforts to achieve a Masters Degree in Business from Cork Institute of Technology. The research topic of Electric Vehicles in Ireland and the concentration on those vehicles exclusively or primarily powered by battery was prompted by interest and curiosity, but with a significant undertone of concern for the environment, all of which led to the research question: Electric Vehicles in Ireland: the past, the present, and the future?

It was not possible to start with a complete void and therefore initially assumptions were made, particularly that serious environmental damage arises from …

Food Tourism In Ireland: An Exploration Of The Role Of Food Tourism In Cultural Sustainability, Lisa O'Riordan

Theses

Previous research proposes that food tourism is a medium through which traditions can be maintained, as well as a conduit through which authentic culture can be experienced (Fox, 2007; Henderson, 2014; Okumus et al, 2007). Food tourism is also advocated as a sustainable means of environmental, economic and sociocultural development (Everett and Aitchison, 2008; Montanari and Staniscia, 2009). The unique focus of this research study is the role food tourism plays in cultural sustainability in Ireland, specifically, in Kinsale, the English Market and Dingle. In particular, this study draws on the viewpoints of thirty three food tourism representatives on the …

Incorporating Network Theory And Visulatisation Into Cluster Analysis: A Hybrid Methodology Applied To European Ict Clusters, Eoin M. Byrne

Theses

Industry clusters (Porter, 1990; 1998a) have been the focus of numerous studies, economic strategies and policy globally (Ketels et al., 2013). Cluster analysis has focused on identifying and mapping clusters yet there is a need to develop a deeper understanding of how clusters operate and to visualise cluster ecosystems. Linkages and networks are a key component of clusters and thus, network theory has the potential to enrich the literature and analysis of clusters. This research addresses three objectives: 1. Review cluster theory and analysis techniques to investigate the potential to apply network theory and visualisation to cluster analysis; 2. Develop …