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Social structure within the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population in the Shannon Estuary, Ireland
Get PDFThe Shannon Estuary is home to Ireland’s only known resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and is designated as a candidate Special Area of Conservation (cSAC) for this species. Proper conservation management of these dolphins requires an understanding of the social structure of this population. Four years of photo-identification data (2005 to 2009, excluding 2007) were used to construct sociograms that comple-ment a cluster analysis of individually marked dol-phins and their associates. The results found little evidence of social stability or group fidelity for this study’s dolphin population. Analysis of dol-phins observed in consecutive years showed that the probability of group members encountering an individual dolphin in the second year did not depart from a random model. The social parameters for this resident population seem to be typical for this species. Bottlenose dolphins are found to exhibit a highly fluid, dynamic social structure within which individuals change their composition and associates regularly. These dolphins in the Shannon Estuary appear to live in a fission-fusion based society
Work based learning partnerships: a match made in Heaven?
No full textThe objective of this paper is to identify the critical success factors for a Work Based Learning (WBL) partnership between a Higher Education (HE) provider and an employer and to make recommendations for successful WBL partnerships. A WBL partnership involves a programme of learning which is jointly developed and delivered by an employer and a HE provider. An increasing number of employers now recognise the importance of investing in their employees’ development and are turning to HE providers to deliver the appropriate learning. In order to ensure a successful WBL programme, it is extremely important that there is a good partnership between the HE provider and the employer. Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) has acquired significant experience in developing WBL partnerships with local and national employers. This paper reports on findings from a series of depth interviews with experienced WBL practitioners from both industry and HE. The findings from this research will contribute to the debate on how HE providers can engage in successful partnerships with industry to offer innovative WBL programmes
Evolution of Irish higher education with particular reference to the Institute of Technology sector
Get PDFThe paper traces the main policy and institutional changes which have taken place in the Irish Higher education sector from the era of Regional Technical Colleges to now Institutes of Technology
The application of process planning in the Irish furniture and wood products Industry
Get PDFIn its simplest form process planning is the preparation of a list of the sequence of processes,\ud
applied to material in a manufacturing facility, to bring it to a useable part or product. Process\ud
planning can be seen as an integral component of the design-to-manufacture cycle. There is a\ud
shortage of available research and other supporting material relevant to the design-to-manufacture\ud
cycle in the furniture and wood products industry. This shortage is more acute in the context of\ud
the major changes in production technology that have overtaken the industry in the last 20 years,\ud
predominantly flexible computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining centres.\ud
Even though CNC technology is abundant in the Irish furniture and wood products industry,\ud
companies were not utilising it to full potential. This feedback led the research work towards\ud
looking specifically at the application of process planning methods. The practice of process\ud
planning is common in other manufacturing industries as are the benefits. Research conductcd in\ud
this project found no evidence of any formal process planning being used in the Irish furniture\ud
and wood products industry. Further study revealed that the decision to make a component on a\ud
particular machine was based on the decision makers training, experience and personal\ud
preferences, and not based on any calculation of the most productive method.\ud
Thus the primary objective of this thesis became the development of a methodology for process\ud
planning that will support product engineering efforts, and guide design and production decisions\ud
involving traditional and modem technology.\ud
Results from workshop based process planning trials, revealed extraordinary differences in\ud
experienced people’s process plans, for the manufacture of the same product in the same\ud
manufacturing facility. Process planning decisions were found to be influenced by peoples\ud
experiences with certain processes and not based on any formal thought process as to the most\ud
economical solution.\ud
Process planning guidelines were developed for a limited number of woodworking processes.\ud
These guidelines were applied in a sample exercise using intelligent spreadsheet logic with a\ud
range of process and part parameters and a knowledge base of previously recorded set-up and\ud
processing times. They achieved more favourable results than any of the eight process planners\ud
involved in the trials.\ud
The guidelines were then integrated into a process planning methodology to demonstrate how\ud
such a decision tool might be utilised in a larger product development approach. Finally, a list of\ud
functionality is given for a process planning decision support system based on the results of the\ud
research
Analysis of energy management in GMIT
Get PDFEnergy management is the process of monitoring, controlling and conserving energy in a\ud
building or organisation. The main reasons for this are for cost purposes and benefit to the\ud
environment. Through various techniques and solutions for lighting, heating, office\ud
equipment, the building fabric etc along with a change in people’s attitudes there can be a\ud
substantial saving in the amount spent on energy. A good example o f energy waste in GMIT\ud
is the lighting situation in the library. All the lights are switched on all day on even in places\ud
where that is adequate daylighting, which is a big waste o f energy. Also the lights for book\ud
shelves are left on. Surely all these books won’t be searched for all at the one time. It would\ud
make much more sense to have local switches that the users can control when they are\ud
searching for a particular book. Heating controls for the older parts o f the college are badly\ud
needed. A room like 834 needs a TRV to prevent it from overheating as temperatures often\ud
reach the high twenties due to the heat from the radiators, computers, solar gains and heat\ud
from users o f the room. Also in the old part o f the college it is missing vital insulation, along\ud
with not being air tight due to the era when it was built. Pumped bonded bead insulation and\ud
sealant around services and gaps can greatly improve the thermal performance o f the building\ud
and help achieve a higher BER cert. GMIT should also look at the possibility o f installing a\ud
CHP plant to meet the base heating loads. It would meet the requirement o f running 4500\ud
hours a year and would receive some financial support from the Accelerated Capital\ud
Allowance. I f people’s attitudes are changed through energy awareness campaigns and a few\ud
changes made for more energy efficient equipment, substantial savings can be made in the\ud
energy expenditure
Energy from waste (EfW): a feasibility study on the economic and the environmental co-benefits of biogas production within rural communities
Get PDFEnergy from waste (E/W) technologies in the form o f biogas plants, CHP plants and\ud
other municipal solid waste (MSW) conversion technologies, have been gaining steady\ud
ground in the provision o f energy throughout Europe and the UK. Urban Waste Water\ud
Treatment Plants (UWWTP) are utilising much o f the same biochemical processes\ud
common to these E/W plants. Previous studies on Centralised Anaerobic Digestion\ud
(CAD) within Ireland found that the legislative and economic conditions were not\ud
conducive to such an operation on the grounds o f low energy price for electric and heat\ud
energy, and due to the restrictive nature o f the allowable feedstocks.\ud
Recent changes to the Irish REFIT tariff on energy produced from Anaerobic digestion;\ud
alterations to the regulation o f the allowable use o f animal by products(ABP); the recent\ud
enactment o f the Renewable Energy D irective (09/28/EC) and a subsequent review o f the\ud
draft Biowaste Directive (2001) required that the issue o f decentralised energy\ud
production in Ireland be reassessed. In this instance the feasibility study is based on a\ud
extant rural community, centred around the village o f Woodford Co Galway.\ud
The review found that the prevailing conditions were now such that it was technically\ud
and economically feasible for this biochemical process to provide energy and waste\ud
treatment facilities at the above location. The review also outlines the last item which is\ud
preventing this process from becoming achievable, specifically the lack o f a digestate\ud
regulation on land spreading which deals specifically with biowaste. The study finds that\ud
the implementation o f the draft EU biowaste regulations, with amendments for Cr and\ud
Hg levels to match the proposed Irish regulation for compost, would ensure that Ireland\ud
has some o f the most restrictive regulations in Europe for this application. The delay in\ud
completing this piece o f legislation is preventing national energy and waste issues from\ud
being resolved in a planned and stepwise fashion.\ud
A proposed lay out for the new Integrated Waste from Energy Plant (IW/EP) is\ud
presented. Budget economic projections and alternative revenue streams are outlined.\ud
Finally a review o f the national policies regarding the Rural Development Plan (RDP),\ud
the Rural Planning Guidelines (RPG) and the National Renewable Energy Action Plan\ud
(NREAP) are examined against the relevant EU directives
The importance and accuracy of wind power forecasts
Get PDFDue to the global crisis o f climate change many countries throughout the world are\ud
installing the renewable energy o f wind power into their electricity system. Wind\ud
energy causes complications when it is being integrated into the electricity system due\ud
its intermittent nature. Additionally winds intennittency can result in penalties being\ud
enforced due to the deregulation in the electricity market.\ud
Wind power forecasting can play a pivotal role to ease the integration o f wind energy.\ud
Wind power forecasts at 24 and 48 hours ahead of time are deemed the most crucial\ud
for determining an appropriate balance on the power system. In the electricity market\ud
wind power forecasts can also assist market participants in terms o f applying a\ud
suitable bidding strategy, unit commitment or have an impact on the value o f the spot\ud
price. For these reasons this study investigates the importance o f wind power\ud
forecasts for such players as the Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and\ud
Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Investigation in this study is also conducted into\ud
the impacts that wind power forecasts can have on the electricity market in relation to\ud
bidding strategies, spot price and unit commitment by examining various case studies.\ud
The results o f these case studies portray a clear and insightful indication o f the\ud
significance o f availing from the information available from wind power forecasts.\ud
The accuracy o f a particular wind power forecast is also explored. Data from a wind\ud
power forecast is examined in the circumstances o f both 24 and 48 hour forecasts.\ud
The accuracy o f the wind power forecasts are displayed through a variety o f statistical\ud
approaches. The results o f the investigation can assist market participants taking part\ud
in the electricity pool and also provides a platform that can be applied to any forecast\ud
when attempting to define its accuracy.\ud
This study contributes significantly to the knowledge in the area o f wind power\ud
forecasts by explaining the importance o f wind power forecasting within the energy\ud
sector. It innovativeness and uniqueness lies in determining the accuracy o f a\ud
particular wind power forecast that was previously unknown
An empirical study of how management engage with cultural diversity in the West of Ireland's hotel sector
Get PDFIn Ireland, non-nationals play a very important role in the Irish hospitality sector. The long hours they put in, their hard work and their efficiency has proven invaluable to\ud
the sector both in the good and the bad times in the Irish economy. During the boom years when hotel managers found it hard to fill job vacancies within the sector, nonnationals from all over the world were more than willing to come to Ireland to take these jobs that at the time, it seemed the Irish was not prepared to do. Due to the sheer size o f the influx o f non-national workers into the sector, hotel managers may not have been ready to deal with important issues such as the language barrier and integrating non-nationals with their Irish colleagues who brought different cultures with them. The author has previously worked in one o f the hotels that was researched as part o f\ud
this study. It was while working in this particular hotel that the issues surrounding\ud
the objectives o f this research study was first noticed. The author witnessed first\ud
hand the problems that non-nationals incur while trying to adapt to the language\ud
barrier and also adapting to the cultural changes they face in Ireland.\ud
The author believes that now is a good time for managers within the hotel sector to look at how they performed while managing a diverse workforce during the height of immigration into Ireland. The reason why now is a good time is because many nonnationals have returned home in the last couple of years due to the economic downturn. By this happening it will give them a chance to look back and see what ways they can change their management style so that they can manage cultural diversity during a boom with a different approach. Even though this has occurred,\ud
there are still many non-nationals working within Irish hotels to date. This research\ud
study looks at three key research objectives that are related to cultural diversity.\ud
Within any organization, it is vital that these three areas of research are managed with great care and sensitivity as chapters four and five will highlight for the reader
What are the environmental and economic impacts of a wind power system on a small rural community in East Galway?
Get PDFAs the world is getting increasingly more concerned about the environment and the fear that the end of fossil fuels is coming soon; people are researching into different ways of meeting our energy needs in the future. One of these ways is wind energy as it is one of\ud
the most efficient and effective methods of generating electricity. Wind energy has the ultimate advantage; its primary fuel is the wind which is a renewable source of energy. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the positive and negative environmental and economic impacts of a wind power system are, on a small rural community in East Galway. The author intends to achieve this by interviewing people involved in the\ud
manufacturing, installation and maintenance of wind power systems as well as people who have installed wind power systems. As a result the author should gain a greater understanding of the impacts of wind power systems. On completion of the thesis the author hopes to have provided the reader with the main environmental and economic impacts of wind power systems
Best practice HRM: benchmarking the resources required to drive employee participation and innovation in the workplace; a case study of a single company - the ESB
Get PDFThis study examines Human Resource Management practices in the electricity industry in Ireland. The focus is on one single company — Irelands biggest electricity provider; the ESB (electricity supply board). Two areas of the state owned company are examined - PG, or Power Generation and ESBI; or ESB International. In recent times, HR management within PG have began paving the way for new HR practices and implementing new policies by way of restructuring the company’s overall business units. Currently, the HR management practices are being amalgamated with that of ESBI (ESB\ud
International). ‘Best Practice HR’ polices are examined in relation to the company’s overall strategic direction and business focus. The change initiative resulted from driving forces within the economy - a force which greatly imposes the market conditions presented within the electric industry today. The rise of growing competition has brought about an onset of monopolists onto the market and indeed the presence of independent companies has risen sharply in the last number of\ud
years, which has influenced the strength of Ireland’s customer bargaining power, external influences and the societal needs that lie within Ireland’s economy.\ud
Also the quest for a ‘greener Ireland’ and the limited fossil fuel shortage has also spurred this transition.\ud
In order to cater for the current economic and climate conditions; the ESB began a restructuring process, which started in 2008 and is due to be fully completed by the year 2015. The emphasis on conjoining PG with the ESBI and the closure of three power stations in the last number of years is also suggesting closer trading within the UK. This is unsurprising, given the attractive market conditions for electricity suppliers in the UK\ud
and Europe