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A cross-industry investigation into the barriers facing Irish entrepreneurs during the recession
Get PDFThe objectives of this research are to conduct a thorough investigation into the barriers facing entrepreneurs during the recession. Ireland has experienced a downturn in the economy since 2008 and many businesses across the country have suffered from the rippling effects. This investigation will examine previous literature and conduct primary research to\ud
construct new literature and add to the existing body of knowledge. The Author interviewed nine Irish entrepreneurs and surveyed thirty Irish entrepreneurs to gain a further insight into the research topi
An empirical study into the potential of a multi-loyalty card for a business and consumer.
Get PDFThe aim and purpose of this research is to identify additional benefits that may be available with\ud
the use of a multi-loyalty card to businesses within the various industries and also to consumers.\ud
Loyalty card holders are aware of the benefits that loyalty cards provide if they are used in the\ud
right manner. However, there are a lot of “loyalty points” not being spent by each loyalty card\ud
holder and I want to identify a method where the loyalty points may be distributed in a manner\ud
that will benefit the loyalty card holder and in addition to industries who issue the loyalty cards\ud
as a method of rewarding their loyal consumers. I wish to determine if there is a method of\ud
combining one loyalty card that can be used in multiple stores. The points could be collected in\ud
each store by the consumer and redeemed in any of the other stores that are attributed to the card.\ud
The participant stores can vary from department stores to pharmacies. The idea is to have a website\ud
where consumers can identify five shops where they purchase goods on a regular basis.\ud
There will be a wide range of stores that participate. The consumer will “click” on the five shops\ud
that they wish their card to be affiliated with. They will be issued with the “multi-loyalty card
An exploration into the use of experiential marketing in Ireland
Get PDFExperiential marketing has an important role to play in the marketing communications \ud
strategy. This thesis explores the use of experiential marketing in Ireland by \ud
discussing Irish brands commitment to it and by investigating how they deliver and \ud
measure their campaigns. A review of relevant literature examines topical areas \ud
including; the experience economy, who uses experiential marketing, a move away \ud
from traditional marketing, traditional marketing versus experiential marketing \ud
mediums and the measurement of experiential marketing. \ud
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An exploratory research design is employed; data is collected using a judgment \ud
sampling technique from eight in-depth interviews with Irish brand or marketing \ud
managers, who have each engaged in an experiential marketing campaign. Four of \ud
the brands are from the service sector and four are product providers. \ud
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The findings indicate a good level of understanding about experiential marketing \ud
amongst participants and the benefits it provides. While some differences exist \ud
between the services and product industries use of experiential marketing, the \ud
research has clearly identified that experiential marketing does not just differ by \ud
industry or product it also differs with each brand- it is flexible and its success is \ud
dependent on how creative a brand is and how engaging they want to be. The \ud
importance of integrated campaigns is highlighted, as are stringent planning processes \ud
and measuring the effectiveness of campaigns. \ud
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A number of key criteria for the successful implementation of experiential marketing \ud
are identified in the primary research and consequently an experiential marketing \ud
score card model is developed and presented to an industry expert, whose feedback \ud
validates and supports the proposed model
The integration of motion graphics within contemporary theatrical performances
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to investigate the potential use of motion graphics\ud
within live theatrical performances. The paper explores the use of motion graphics as\ud
digital content in theatre, to enhance the experience. This research examines this\ud
through historical reference and the live practice of a theatrical production ‘Artaud’.\ud
The research aims to introduce spectacle and visual narrative to stimulate a visually\ud
aware audience, as audiences today are already visually aware with the various visual\ud
media available in today’s society. The introduction of spectacle and visual narrative\ud
is investigated through the multi-discipline environment of theatre, while exploring\ud
how a motion designer fits into that environment. This work also looks at digital\ud
technology and the practices involved in the design process. The aim of the work is to\ud
prove that motion graphics has a role in theatrical productions, by enhancing the\ud
performance through the discipline of motion graphics, to introduce visual stimuli to\ud
the live experience. Additionally this work will research the historical pattern of\ud
motion graphics in theatre, by understanding the origins of motion graphics it is easier\ud
to understand the potential of motion graphics today
High performance liquid chromatography method development and chemometric analysis of ecstasy and cocaine
Get PDFConsumption of illegal drugs of abuse remains a major social issue aligned with a \ud
global law-enforcement priority. Forensic analysts are faced with the challenge of \ud
continually developing sophisticated methods of analysis to combat the increasing \ud
variability that occurs in illicit drug samples. Research work for this thesis has \ud
focused on the development of High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) \ud
methods for the analysis of major drug constituents associated with ecstasy and \ud
cocaine illicit drug samples. Emphasis has been placed on method development with \ud
strategies of univariate or multivariate experimental approaches used in the selection \ud
and optimisation of procedures. Considerations with regard to the choice of \ud
chromatographic factors, solutes under investigation and the provision of quality \ud
assurance data throughout the research work have been the main criteria in methods \ud
developed. Two HPLC methods were developed to qualitatively and quantitatively \ud
assay for the major drug components and analogue derivatives found in ecstasy and \ud
cocaine. Methods developed have undergone validation studies including intra- and \ud
inter- reproducibility, accuracy, and linearity of calibration, limit of detection (LOD) \ud
and limit of quantification (LOQ) and the use of internal standards. Applications of \ud
methods to ecstasy and cocaine samples seized in Ireland ensured their suitability for \ud
routine analysis of illicit drug samples.\ud
As part of this study, chemical profiling of 183 ecstasy tablets seized in Ireland during \ud
2002-2004 were recorded as discrete data sets. Chemical data sets include both the \ud
quantification and occurrence in individual tablets of the major amphetamine \ud
components (i.e. MDA, MDMA, MDEA, MBDB methamphetamine and \ud
amphetamine), adulterant components (i.e. caffeine, phenacetin, acetaminophen and \ud
acetylsalicylic acid), excipients components (i.e. sucrose, glucose, lactose, fructose, \ud
mannitol, sorbitol and inositol) and inorganic components (i.e. Al, Zn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cr, \ud
Pb, Na and K ). Chemometrics, including unsupervised methods of principal \ud
component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and Pearson’s \ud
correlation coefficient, as well as supervised methods of linear discriminant analysis \ud
(LDA) and artificial neural networks (ANN) was applied to the chemical data sets to \ud
demonstrate the ability of the statistical approach to linking sample seizures. HCA \ud
and ANN were the numerical methods that most efficiently distinguished between\ud
5HPLC method development & chemometric analysis of ecstasy & cocaine\ud
linked and unlinked seizures. Eleven groups were identified from the chemical data \ud
sets with group classification dependant on the main amphetamine, adulterant and \ud
excipient components present. The benefits from this study can provide strategic \ud
intelligence and an understanding of the operational level on the Irish ecstasy market \ud
and help evaluate the changing profile or dynamics associated with this illegal market \ud
supply
Integration of district heating with existing combined cycle gas turbines in North Dublin
Get PDFThere is potential in Ireland for the development o f existing large scale CCGT by\ud
conversion to CHP. A district heating network developed for North Dublin would\ud
provide this opportunity for CCGT generating stations. Connecting two CCGT plants\ud
currently optimized for electricity production to a district heating network would\ud
require the plants to be converted to allow a Combined Heat and Power mode. It\ud
would make use o f the themial energy produced during electricity production and\ud
increase the plant efficiency, while significantly reducing the energy required to run\ud
condenser cooling fans. It would also reduce the carbon intensity o f the energy\ud
generated, as the use o f the waste heat would increase the total energy with no\ud
increase in the greenhouse gas emissions from the combustion process. Use o f waste\ud
heat increases efficiency, avoids emissions and helps enhance the quality o f the\ud
environment.\ud
The pipe network for North Dublin would circulate hot water in an underground, preinsulated\ud
pipe system with supply and return lines. Flow temperatures would be in\ud
the range o f 80 - 95°C with return temperatures o f 60 - 65°C. The biggest cost o f\ud
district heating is the investment required to establish a pipe network. However such\ud
a scheme would service the local area for m any decades and would allow flexibility\ud
by using alternative heat sources if required
Management and evaluation of a range of forest species for use as cut foliage
Get PDFThis project explored the possibility of harvesting marketable foliage stems in addition to\ud
producing timber from plantations of Larix leptolepis, Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Goldcrest’\ud
and Tsuga heterophylla. Data recorded from trial sites included both growth parameters, in\ud
the form of height and diameter increments, and production parameters in the form of foliage\ud
stem yields. Results varied with species and site type. In many cases, results achieved appear\ud
to have been influenced more by the biology of the trees than by the treatments alone. Trials\ud
were also established to investigate methods of managing old or over grown Abies procera\ud
Christmas tree plantations for forest foliage production. Shelf life testing and market research\ud
into the domestic trade of forest foliage were also conducted over the course of the project.\ud
Recommendations for managing forest plantations for foliage production as well as a general\ud
discussion on the industry are presented in this report
The evaluation of the impact of using balanced scorecard on strategic performance in small and medium enterprises
Get PDFIn this research study the BSC significance has been discussed and analyzed, the organizations if implement the BSC model in the organizations only then the performance of the employees as well as the performance o f the organizations will get improved. In this research study the mixed methodology has been used, in the quantities research methods the questionnaire are being filled and interviews are also be conducted from the company’s managers. In this research study the close ended as well as the open ended questions are being used. Thus after analysis it can be proved that the performance of the organizations and employees can be improved by implementing the BSC model in the organization
An ecological perspective on innovation management
Get PDFEnabling innovation is major challenge for individuals, teams, organizations, regions and\ud
economies and the topic is increasingly seen as being crucial not only to success but to\ud
survival. The topic of innovation is both complex and wide-ranging and has not been\ud
extensively explored in the information systems literature. Many IS scholars such as Swanson\ud
and Ramiller, Fichman, Avergou and La Rovere, and Lee have implied that an ecological\ud
approach is required to refresh research in this important area. The purpose of this paper is\ud
to adapt the ecological systems theory (EST) of Urie Bronfenbrenner and apply it to a case\ud
study of innovation in a subsidiary of APC (by Schneider) located in the west of Ireland.\ud
Furthermore the paper involved utilising a new form of action research called dialogical AR\ud
recently proposed by Mårtensson & Lee. Among other findings the study shows that the EST\ud
lens can provide a comprehensive analysis of the innovation ecosystem which takes account\ud
of both internal capabilities and external influences
An investigation on the impact of information technology in accounting firms
Get PDFThis study explores the impact of Information Technology in accounting \ud
firms. The study investigates different issues that have an impact on \ud
Information Technology in accounting firms including: productivity; \ud
performance; accuracy; cost; time; output and quality. \ud
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The study will evaluate the influence Information Technology has inflicted on \ud
each of these components within accounting firms. Academic studies and \ud
critiques will be explored in relation to the use of Information Technology in \ud
accounting firms. The structure of the study will be underpinned by the \ud
exploration of various data collection methods. \ud
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Additionally, the study will hope to exhibit the diverse aspects of using \ud
Information Technology in accounting firms