Business Commons^™

Change Management In The Irish Defence Forces During Technological Change, Paul Hegarty Lt Cdr

Irish Business Journal

Extant literature fails to address change management in the military during technological change. Few researchers have examined how military organisations, undergo change and what, if any, processes do they use to manage this change. As such, whether change management processes are found to have a positive impact on military organisations or not, the extant literature in the sociology and military domains are being added to by the findings of this research.

The aim of this paper is to determine if the Irish Defence Forces would benefit from the introduction of change management processes when implementing new technological systems. The extant …

Brief Report: Employees’ Perceptions Of Stress And Support During A Pandemic Mandated Telework, Dimple S. Johnson, Aaron D. Johnson, Kristen B. Crossney, Emily Devereux

Irish Business Journal

COVID-19 has forced the knowledge-based workforce into full-time remote work, amplifying every-day stressors. The crisis has resulted in employees having to juggle work and home life simultaneously, while forcing many organizations with little to no experience to implement and manage teleworking. This brief study explores employee perceived stress as it relates to perceived support and age within an American workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a global era of uncertainty and crisis, the findings suggest that employees’ perceived stress is negatively related to age and perceived organizational support, but not related to perceived supervisor support. The pre-pandemic world will likely …

Stand Alone Or Continue To Support: Exploring The Need For Post Incubation Services For New And Growing Enterprises., Miriam Adair, Breda Kenny, Helen Mcguirk

Irish Business Journal

Public support for entrepreneurship varies across countries and depends on issues such as sector, regional location and stage of the start-up. In making it easier for people to set up a business, many countries provide access to finance, training and advice. Business incubation (BI) centres are one such model of support for entrepreneurship. The current research provides some preliminary insights into the extent of the demand for post-incubation services in supporting new ventures to thrive and survive. Employing a unique data set based on information gathered from business incubation centre managers, current and alumni clients, we adopted an exploratory research …

An Analysis Of The Micro-Determinants Of Domestic Holiday Expenditure By Households In The Republic Of Ireland, Lisa Noonan

Irish Business Journal

The dramatic decrease in overseas visitors to Ireland in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the risks, for the tourism sector, associated with being over-reliant on international tourism. Growing the domestic tourism market is now critical for sustaining jobs and businesses within the sector. The purpose of this paper is to examine the micro-determinants of expenditure on domestic holidays by households in the Republic of Ireland.

Using data from the Irish Household Budget Survey 2015-2016, instrumental variable estimators are used to conduct the analysis. The results reveal that disposable income, being located in the Border, Midlands and Western …

The Business Landscape 2021/2022, Holly Barry Dr

Irish Business Journal

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Employer Branding In Talent Management In The Hotel Industry, Donagh Davern, Leo Jago, Margaret Deery

Irish Business Journal

This paper aims to explore the influence of employer branding in attracting and retaining talented employees, with a particular focus on millennial staff. The paper reviews literature in the area of talent management, employer branding and the millennial generation in the hotel industry and draws on the results of interviews with hotel General Managers. At a time when there is a shortage of talent to fill available positions in the hotel industry, this paper seeks to give hoteliers an improved understanding of the concepts of talent management and employer branding and their usage in the attraction and retention of staff, …

The Yin And Yang Of Business Strategy, Edward Dennehy

Irish Business Journal

The purpose of this paper is to provide a ‘grounded’ approach to business strategy formulation on the basis that the generic strategy approach lacks contextual sensitivity. Today’s strategists need to constantly assess the degree to which their businesses are achieving both market effectiveness and organisational efficiency. Drawing on primary and secondary research the paper examines business strategy formulation as a balancing act between achieving organisational effectiveness and efficiency and provides a matrix that can help identify where a business lies in this process.

The Economic Value Of A Place-Based Resource For Regional Development, Aisling Conwaylenihan, Helen Mcguirk

Irish Business Journal

Regional economic development has long been acknowledged as an important objective of government policy. Natural resources are also recognised as drivers of economic development. However, the importance of place-based resources such as peripheral coastlines and Harbour areas are less understood. This research provides insights into an industry based on its region’s natural resource and the value it generates for sustainable economic development. Using the world’s second largest natural Harbour region, the current research measures the economic activities associated with the Marine Leisure Industry in Cork Harbour, and estimates the economic impact on the local economy. The research establishes a multiplier …

Yeats’S Legacy And Literary Tourism: A Study Of The Yeats Winter School In Sligo, Mary Mcguckin

Irish Business Journal

Literary tourism is of increasing importance within the field of cultural and heritage tourism yet remains under-represented in academic literature. Smith, et al. (2010, p. 108) define it as a “tourism activity motivated by interest in an author, a literary creation or setting, or the literary heritage of a destination”. The typical profile of a literary tourist is that of a well- educated holidaymaker who is seeking an authentic experience, may have heard about the place’s linkage with a writer but may not have high levels of knowledge about the actual work of the writer. The socio-economic characteristics of literary …

Drivers Of Early Technology Sector Development In Ireland, Sarah Davis, Breda Kenny

Irish Business Journal

This paper explores the origins of the electronics and software sector, now called the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) Sector in the Republic of Ireland and its subsequent development from 1960 to 2010 inclusive. The research sought to identify key developments that influenced the emergence of the sector. For the purposes of this study, the ICT sector is defined as the foreign-owned and indigenous firms actively involved in the production, design and/or servicing of hardware and software electronic products within the Republic of Ireland. Empirical evidence in the form of 15 semi-structured interviews was analysed and validated by three respondents …

Social Partnership And Its Continuities, Brian Sheehan

Irish Business Journal

Social partnership has long been pronounced ‘dead’ and buried, lamented by few. But thirty years on from the watershed Programme for National Recovery of 1987, the underlying influence of the 22-year construct is stronger than it might seem. How pay formation in the private and public sectors works today; how management-union disputes are resolved; how employers and trade unions engage; and how the social partners manage key industrial relations issues, all suggest important continuities with the partnership era.

Strategies For Success: How A Small Business Competes In The Motorhome Industry In Ireland., Niamh Lenihan, Catherine Kavanagh

Irish Business Journal

The motorhome industry in the Irish economy has grown and transformed over the last 20 years with a rise in the number of motorhome companies and campsites around Ireland. This is a small competitive industry that has faced numerous economic challenges, in particular since the economic downturn in 2008. The failure of many firms’ strategy can arise from the firm’s inability to gain a competitive advantage (Porter, 2008). This study provides an analysis of how a small Irish motorhome company can achieve a competitive advantage to increase its business profitability, growth and performance. The motorhome industry in Ireland has received …

Where Will Technology Lead Us?, Jerry Kennelly

Irish Business Journal

Artificial intelligence is a misnomer in my opinion. You get out what you put in. AI seeks to simulate intelligent human behaviour in software and computers. If you consider AI software like a big database and learns along the way. It is programmed by clever humans who create algorithms which use all of the data available and process it to give a calculated result. For example, my IPhone will tell me that it’s going to take me ten minutes to drive home when I walk onto the street from my office in Killorglin. It doesn’t know I’m going home, but …

The Influence Of Price, Status Consumption And Reference Groups On Consumer Attitude To Purchase Counterfeit Sport Products In Uae, Hamza Salim Khraim

Irish Business Journal

The purpose of this study is to explore factors that influence the consumers' attitude to purchase counterfeit sports products in the UAE. We will examine the influence of price, status consumption and reference groups on consumers’ attitudes to purchase counterfeited sport products in the UAE. A sample of 235 respondents was collected for the study, which was carried out in two famous sports retailers GO Sports and Rebook in the UAE. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS. Different analytical tools have been used including, descriptive statistics, and multiple regression. Results show that price and reference groups have a positive …

After The Crash: Examining Pedagogical Approaches To Teaching Business Ethics, Colette Murphy, Dr. Noel Murray

Irish Business Journal

Research has shown that business students are less ethical than students in other disciplines (Segal et al., 2011), which is a worrying finding, considering that unethical business practices are seen as a major feature leading to the world economic recession in 2008. However, business schools across the globe have consistently taught the subject of ethics in order to instil an ethical mind-set in their graduates. The way business ethics is embedded in the curriculum has been the subject of much debate, with a range of pedagogical approaches taken. This paper examines the current teaching of ethics, by examining two business …

Food Tourism In Cork’S English Market - An Authentic Visitor Experience, Lisa O'Riordan, Prof. Margaret Linehan, Aisling Ward

Irish Business Journal

Authenticity is deemed to be a crucial element in many tourism experiences. Tourism, however, is often accused of succumbing to notions of perceived authenticity to ensure commercial success, leading to misrepresentations of cultures. Food tourism, conversely, is advocated as a means of encountering genuine culture, history and lifestyle. This paper investigates the role of food tourism as an authentic representation of culture in Cork’s English Market. In-depth interviews were conducted with market traders and analysed through the grounded theory method. Results indicate that, allowing for natural evolution, food tourism is providing a platform for the continuation, sharing and development of …

The Sociodemographic Indicators Of Travel Insurance Fraud: Motivations, Emotions, And Behaviours, Gonzalo Díaz-Meneses

Irish Business Journal

This work centres on the study of travel insurance fraud, with the aim of identifying the psychographic and behavioural responses involved in claiming an insurance policy through simulating injury or loss. To be specific, five types of motivation (fun, compensation, revenge, profitability, and family interest), nine types of emotion (love, surprise, disgust, anger, shame, sadness, trust, fear, and pride), and three types of behaviour (without personal damages, at destination, and with personal damages) have been found to be related to travel insurance fraud. In order to facilitate the detection of dishonest claims, the relationship between these psychographic, as well as …

Some Reflections On The Question Of ‘Finality’ In Irish Industrial Relations Disputes, Brian Sheehan

Irish Business Journal

Trade unions in the private sector and the commercial semi-states have rejected voluntarist Labour Court recommendations in the industrial relations arena in a significant number of high-profile cases in recent times. Conversely, in parts of the public sector, there has been a move towards the adoption of binding dispute resolution systems. Brian Sheehan suggests that respect for the state’s dispute resolution agencies and need for expertise and experience in dispute management is as great as ever.

Theatre Marketing: Using Websites To Attract Young Target Audience, Mirna Leko Šimić, Dr. Antun Biloš

Irish Business Journal

Classic theatres worldwide are faced with the trend of aging of loyal audiences and general decrease of the audience size. It indicates that attracting young audiences to classic theatre is the key issue of its existence. Since the quality of communication is one of the major elements of marketing efficiency, the aim of this research is to identify Croatian classic theatre website characteristics and usability elements which are connected with website experience of young target audiences. Altogether 7 Croatian national theatres and three commercial theatres’ official websites were tested. The in-depth analysis of websites of sample theatres implies that website …

Learning In Action: Implementing A Facilitated Learning Programme For Tourism Micro-Firms, Dr. Felicity Kelliher, Dr. Leana Reinl

Irish Business Journal

This paper presents findings from research associated with a tourism micro-firm facilitated learning programme, carried out over a four-year period. Considering traditional educational interventions have had limited impact on micro-firm activities; the researchers propose an alternative approach to meeting the learning needs of micro-firms which encompass local and self-developed knowledge and the successful completion of learning cycles. Using a behavioural lens, the researchers’ consider the experiential learning impact of facilitated learning programmes on observed micro-firm owner-managers. Adopting an action learning (AL) approach, the researchers explore the design, development, implementation and impact of this programme and contemplate the observed micro-firms’ focus …

Profiling Tourism Entrepreneurs And Their Enterprises Along The Wild Atlantic Way, Dr. James Hanrahan, Dr. Áine Conaghan

Irish Business Journal

This paper discusses the profile of tourism entrepreneurs and their enterprises along the WAW (Wild Atlantic Way). Ireland had witnessed less numbers of some holidaymakers in particular the British market visiting over the past five years, resulting in a significant loss of market share from GB. This research undertook a proactive approach to investigating regional qualitative stakeholders profiles while identifying factors that impact on the management of tourism Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to develop the International market. The research provides the industry with a snapshot of a current typology of successful tourism entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the research develops a …

An Exploration Of The Role Of Food Tourism In Sustaining Cultural Authenticity In Ireland, Lisa O'Riordan, Dr. Aisling Ward

Irish Business Journal

Authenticity is often a motivating factor for tourists. In many situations what occurs, however, is staged authenticity. Food is one of the few entities left that indicates true cultural authenticity. Food can bridge the gap between tourists and their understanding of and involvement in a place. Native cultures that are struggling to preserve their heritage and ways of life from globalising forces can use food as a defensive mechanism. This paper is part of a wider postgraduate study on food tourism and culture so will focus on the research completed to date, mainly the literature reviewed as well as initial …

Assessing Service Quality In Adventure Tourism, Prof. Antonie Bauer

Irish Business Journal

The purpose of this paper, which is based on a survey of activity providers in South West Ireland, is to assess the quality of adventure tourism offerings and to investigate which aspects of the experience contribute most to visitors’ perception of quality. In addition, it explores the validity of different methods for the assessment of service quality. A new importance weighted method is developed that avoids the inconsistencies of existing approaches and has higher predictive value than the other models for the Irish sample. A simple performance only approach is second best in explaining variation in overall perception of quality, …

Niche Markets In Irish Tourism: The Case Of North American Coach Tourists, Dr. Marie Ryan, Prof. Jim Deegan, Dr. Richard Moloney, Dr. William Sjostrom

Irish Business Journal

In 2010, 115,000 coach tourists came from North America to Ireland, averaging a length of stay of 9 nights. This paper applies factor analysis to a survey of North American coach tourists to Ireland (with 486 responses). It identifies the most significant factors that have common characteristics amongst the tourists. Factor analysis, although popular in tourism research, has never been applied to an inbound tourist market to Ireland, so this research fills an important gap in Irish segmentation research. The factor analysis of the survey identifies a number of important characteristics of this market. For example, the North American coach …

An Investigation Of Work Placement In The Hotel Industry: Perceptions From Hoteliers And Students, Margaret Lenihan, Irene Sheridan

Irish Business Journal

The changing need of higher education to interface more effectively with industry has been widely documented, as has the rising awareness of those attributes which most benefit graduates seeking employment. A key way in which third-level institutions can build stronger partnerships with employers, and assist their students in postgraduate success, is through the provision of work placements. This paper presents research conducted in relation to work placement in the hotel industry, from the perspective of both hoteliers who facilitated the work placements and students who undertook placements. Primary research was conducted with both hoteliers and students. The findings from the …

Assessing Farmers’ And Landowners’ Attitudes Towards Environmental Sustainability And Their Motivations Towards Walking Tourism In Sheep’S Head Way, Co. Cork, Gráinne Dwyer

Irish Business Journal

Numerous studies within academic literature examine motivations of walkers engaging with nature-based tourism activities, such as hillwalking. However, a gap exists in the literature regarding the suppliers of this type of tourism, namely landowners and farmers. This research hopes to address this identifiable gap in tourism research in a confined study area located in the Sheep’s Head Way in Co. Cork. The purpose of this research was to examine geographical spatial differences in environmental attitudes, and to determine the factors that influenced the landowner’s intentions to permit the walkway throughout their land. To examine these factors, seven semi-structured interviews were …

Calibrating Growth In The Ambitious Sme: Growth Mapping As A New Direction In Business Model Visualisation, Pat Daly, James S. Walsh

Irish Business Journal

Research relating to management assumptions1 has largely being confined to mature industries where they are readily recognisable as influential business variables in finance, economics, organisational and business development. These studies have primarily considered senior managerial assumptions as part of the cognitive architecture of the firm, driving many developmental and growth processes of the organisation. This perspective of assumptions acting as intellectual assets of the organisation supporting the firm and its development is however largely absent from entrepreneurial and small business research. This is somewhat surprising given that research on the small firm suggests that entrepreneurs tend to operate on a …

Critical Success Factors In The Promotion Of Sustainable Rural Tourism By Destination Marketing Organisations: A Study Of Ballyhoura Fáilte, Louise Nugent, Siobhán Lynch

Irish Business Journal

With the Irish tourism industry maturing, destination marketing organisations (DMOs) must meet tourists’ changing expectations. For rural tourism destinations, the challenge lies in ensuring that they obtain a position of sustainability in the Irish tourism industry (Department of Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht, 2011). Due to the highly volatile nature of the Irish rural tourism industry, treating rural tourism like any other product does not comply with the new approach to destination marketing management, which considers the resources available, the environment, the tourist, and the residents themselves (Buhalis, 2000; Pike, 2008). The aim of this study is to carry out a …

The Use Of Fear Appeals To Communicate Public Health Messages, Katie Mcsweeney, Simon Stephens

Irish Business Journal

This paper provides an insight into the use of fear appeals to communicate a public health message. A fear appeal is a means of persuasion that threatens the audience with a negative, physical, psychological, and/or social consequence that is likely to occur if they engage in a particular behaviour. This paper explores: the effectiveness of fear appeals; the impact gender and age have on the effectiveness of a fear appeals; and ethical concerns relating to fear appeal advertising. This study comprises a two stage data collection process: focus groups and depth interviews. Firstly, two focus groups were conducted. The participants …

Measurement Of The Effect Of Policy Changes On Volatility In Dairy Markets1, Eoin Kelly, Declan O'Connor, Michael Keane

Irish Business Journal

Volatility in dairy commodity markets has become a major concern for many in the dairy supply chain and is likely to remain so in the future. Changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) over the past decade have more closely aligned EU and World prices and their associated volatilities. The aim of this paper is to measure volatility at farm level in Ireland over time, identify possible reasons for the increased volatility and identify ways of reducing volatility. Statistical measures such as coefficient of variation (CV) and annualised standard deviation are used to provide measures of past volatility and its …