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An investigation of the potential of genealogy tourism as a catalyst for regional development in County Galway
Get PDFThis thesis is concerned with the challenges now faced by genealogy tourism in county Galway, situated on Ireland’s Western seaboard. It is a response to a 50%\ud
decline in the overall number of genealogy tourists visiting Ireland between 2000 and 2005. The fieldwork combined qualitative and quantitative methodologies, namely recorded focus-group and one-to-one interviews (18 interviews with 23 interviewees),\ud
participant observation (4 sessions with 6 participants), diaries (2 participants) and a questionnaire survey (302 respondents). Together with conceptual work, the empirical work assisted in producing a comprehensive cross-sectoral snapshot of genealogy tourism in the region which enabled the generation of answers to three pertinent questions: What are the reasons behind the 50% decline in the overall number of genealogy tourists to Ireland? What are the profiles, needs and expectations of genealogy tourists to Ireland and how do they differ from those of general tourists?\ud
Can the genealogy tourism market be recovered and - if yes - how can this be achieved? Finally, the Investigation brought fresh perspectives on the marketing of Irish genealogy and the need to incorporate it into new heritage tourism products that respect local needs, but respond to the competitive environment of a globalised world, in which the tourism industry continuously re-defines its roles. The overall message that emerged from this investigation is clear. A specialist, rather affluent and dedicated market of pure genealogy tourists to Ireland, even if ageing and\ud
relatively small in number, will exist for many years to come, although it is likely to gradually decline in time. However, a more broadly perceived ancestry-related\ud
tourism market, comprising the wider Diaspora who are interested in visiting Ireland as the homeland of their ancestors (and who may, to a certain degree, engage in some aspects of genealogical research), has a good chance to develop and grow. These markets need to be given a wide access to the genealogy tourism products offered by the Irish Family History Foundation societies, providing high-quality, customerorientated and reasonably-priced genealogical research services. The marketing campaigns should promote the themes of ‘ancestral visits’, ‘constructing family trees’ and ‘stories about ancestors’, as these are some of the ultimate rewards for the genealogy tourist. Finally, genealogy as a part of Ireland’s cultural heritage should nurture novel generic heritage tourism products, aimed at both - the genealogy and the general overseas tourist. A high-degree of co-ordination, co-operation, team work and joint funding should be employed among the principal stakeholders to bring this uneasy task of re-juvenation and re-vitalisation of genealogy tourism in Ireland to fruition
A study of the waterfowl populations on Lough Carra, County Mayo, 1967-2006
Get PDFThis study examined the population fluctuations of nine waterfowl species on Lough Carra in County Mayo by comparing count data from two waterfowl counting programmes conducted from 1967 to 1980 and 1995 to 2006 It also examined the population fluctuations of a further six waterfowl species from 1995 to 2006 To add to existing population data, a total of 36 waterfowl counts were conducted as part of the study over 22\ud
months from November 2004 to August 2006 Comparative breeding surveys on ten islands on the lake were undertaken during 2005 and 2006 to compare current breeding populations to those from 1968 to 1973 To develop hypotheses in relation to the decline\ud
in the populations of certain species, predation and negative habitat changes were investigated The research for this element of the study included island vegetation\ud
mapping, reedbed analysis and the investigation into habitat changes m two of the lake’s sub-catchments This study found that seven duck species have severely declined on Lough Carra smce the 1960s/70s with Teal\ud
(Anas crecca), Pochard (Aythya ferina) and Mallard\ud
(Anas platyrkynchos p) populations down by 91%, 89% and 88% respectively. The once nationally recognised Mallard breeding population has crashed largely due to\ud
high levels of predation and the loss of breeding and feeding habitat The American Mink (Mustela visori)\ud
has predated the nests of Mallard and Tufted Duck\ud
(Aythya fuhgula) but evidence also shows that it preys upon adult and juveniles of those species as well as\ud
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) and Teal Using recognised scientific methods, this study\ud
has highlighted the large-scale declines in the populations of waterfowl on Lough Carra, it has provided important data which will contribute to future management and in addition to building upon previous studies, lays a new foundation for further research at the lak
Prose warping for realtime animation
No full text3D computer games with animated characters are restricted to the animations provided \ud
by an animator. This thesis explores a method for having a character perform different \ud
animations using only simple base animations and discrete poses incorporating a digital \ud
signal processing approach. Treating the animations as a series of digital signals allows \ud
digital signal processing techniques to be applied to create new motions. This facilitates a \ud
decreased animator workload while allowing a character to interact better with its environ\ud
ment. These techniques involve treating an animation as a continuous signal, sampling it \ud
and shifting it about another signal to combine an animation and a pose. To eliminate dead \ud
poses the use of filters on animations with a view to creating new animations with the aid \ud
of timewarping is also explore
The triple helix, open innovation and the DOI research agenda
Get PDFThis paper examines the implications for research into the diffusion of innovations (DOI) arising from a growing body of literature in two related fields. The first area concerns the debate on the role of regional and national systems of innovation (NSI) in the innovation process. The second area deals with the argument that enterprises must move from a “closed innovation” to an “open innovation” paradigm. The review is presented in the context of a case study being undertaken in a subsidiary of American Power Conversion (APC) located in the West of Ireland. Based on the preliminary stages of our work, we present a conceptual 3-D model of Rogers’ innovation-decision process and suggest a series of propositions to stimulate future research efforts
Facilitating environmental management through a participatory approach
Get PDFThe impact of the human resource and cultural aspects of an organisation on the success of an\ud
environmental programme cannot be underestimated. The literature widely recognises that\ud
active participation from employees at all levels is essential at each stage of the\ud
implementation process to overcome employee resistance and ensure a proactive\ud
environmental programme is accepted and permanently integrated into each aspect of an\ud
organisations’ culture and functions. An extensive range of techniques are available to assist\ud
an organisation through the technical and cultural adjustments required to ensure pervasive\ud
participation in the environmental programme is achieved.\ud
This study determines the extent of employee participation in environmental programmes in\ud
38 Irish-based organisations and the participatory techniques that facilitate the inclusion of\ud
employees at all levels in the programme. The responding organisations did not achieve\ud
comprehensive involvement of employees from every level in the organisation and at each\ud
stage of the programme. Only top management and middle management employees\ud
participate in the programme in most cases. In the 36.8% of respondents that succeeded in\ud
involving front-line employees, the extent of participation was limited.\ud
Organisations with a higher percentage of employees involved in the programme tended to\ud
have a middle-up-down management structure; have a policy to include employees in the\ud
environmental programme and have achieved front-line employee participation in line with\ud
this policy; facilitate employees to directly communicate to senior management and other parts\ud
of the organisation; and consider the environmental impacts of their products and processes to\ud
a greater extent than organisations with a lower percentage of employee involvement.\ud
Organisations that achieved front-line employee participation consult employees when setting\ud
environmental objectives and targets; assess employee attitudes and willingness to accept the\ud
programme, assess the organisations culture; allow middle management and front-line\ud
employees to experiment to find solutions to environmental problems; allow front-line\ud
employees to make decisions in their own work area; communicate to front-line employees at\ud
an earlier stage in the implementation of the programme; consult employees about the\ud
processes they work on; use suggestion schemes; and link participation into job descriptions\ud
and staff appraisals to a greater extent than organisations without front-line employee\ud
involvement.\ud
Techniques which were not conclusively linked to improved employee participation include\ud
training; environmental teams; providing feedback on the programme’s progress; considering\ud
environmental issues in the business strategy; the presence of an environmental manager or\ud
environmental department; top management supportive actions and middle management\ud
support.\ud
Organisations with front-line employee involvement in the environmental programme were\ud
more likely to experience a change in behaviour of managers and workers and improved\ud
environmental performance. The potential to reduce resistance through participation was\ud
noted
Accounting practice in the new millennium: a practitioner’s view
Get PDFThe business environment is constantly changing and evolving, resulting in significant change on the nature of the accountants work in practise. Accountants are of vital importance to the efficient operation of the economy. They work with businesses of every size to set up and maintain the systems that collect and report information about business activity. The daily tasks of the accountant in practice include meeting clients, managing client expectations, accounts preparation, audit work and the supervision of junior staff. Beyond carrying out the fundamental tasks of their work many accountants are now required to possess a wide range of skills, including excellent basic technical ability and knowledge of the general business environment. The study has shown that the key driver of change for the profession is increased regulatory pressures. In contrast to literature Marriott & Marriott, (2000), the increase in the audit exemption threshold is not seen as a threat to the income of the small practice. Accountants are broadening the scope of services they offer to include financial analysis, tax and investment planning, and wealth management. This study has highlighted that the trainee accountant is not efficient in basic bookkeeping skills at college leaving them in a weak position when they start out in training. It is evident from this study that regardless of firm size, traditional accounting work such as audit and accounts preparation remains a substantial proportion of the work performed and continues to be an essential source of revenue. Accountants have embraced information technology and effectively incorporated it in to all core services. The image of the accountant as ‘bean counter’ although still existent is gradually diminishing. Finally a suitable title for the accountant in practice was identified as either business advisor or accountant and financial specialist
Motivating techniques within Irish and American manufacturing and service companies in the Northwest of Ireland
Get PDFIn today’s world, many companies are concentrating on both their technology and human\ud
resources to provide them with their competitive advantage. Hence, understanding what\ud
motivates people is particularly important for managers in order to develop and sustain a\ud
competitive edge. As a result, numerous theories have been advanced to help our\ud
understanding of the subject matter and from these theories many motivational methods\ud
have evolved to enhance motivation within the workplace. In addition, research has been\ud
conducted on the various types of motivational techniques utilised by companies within\ud
Ireland. However, very little research has been completed within specific geographical\ud
regions in Ireland concerning the types of motivational techniques implemented at different\ud
job levels and their impact on employees work performance.\ud
Thus the objective of this research was to identify the motivational techniques utilised at\ud
different job levels within large manufacturing and service companies in the Northwest of\ud
Ireland and examine how these techniques influence the performance levels of employees.\ud
Furthermore, the study examined if these companies have changed from traditional ways of\ud
motivating employees to newer techniques. The research methodologies used to undertake\ud
the research included interviews with the HR managers and questionnaires completed by\ud
different employees at various job levels within the participating companies.\ud
Overall the conclusions were varied. Many different types of motivation techniques were\ud
found within the study’s participating companies. Irish companies are improving their\ud
motivational techniques, however most of these techniques are only used within higher job\ud
levels. In contrast to their American counterparts, a variety of motivational techniques are\ud
utilised and implemented at all job levels. On a more positive note, the majority of these\ud
motivational techniques do increase performance levels at all job levels.\ud
From the extensive primary and secondary research conducted, the thesis concludes by\ud
offering a number of recommendations to assist companies in further development of their\ud
motivational techniques for all job levels. These recommendations hope to augment the\ud
success of companies through an enhanced motivated workforce
The control of disinfection by-products in water treatment plants and distribution systems.
Get PDFThe development of techniques to disinfect drinking water is seen as one o f the major\ud
achievements o f the nineteenth century. However, with the advancement and development\ud
of analytical techniques, substances formed from disinfection reactions are now a cause for\ud
public concern and have resulted in the development and application o f alternative\ud
disinfection methods and technologies to control potentially harmful disinfection byproducts.\ud
Disinfection is critical to ensuring the safety o f drinking water. It must not be\ud
compromised by efforts used to control disinfection by-products. The study details the\ud
current methods, which may be used for the control o f disinfection by-products at water\ud
treatment plants and distribution systems and examines the effectiveness of their\ud
application.\ud
This study highlights the disinfection practices currently carried out in participating water\ud
supply regions in Connaught, Ireland. It establishes that chlorination is the sole process\ud
used to adequately disinfect drinking water and is achieved through the application o f\ud
chlorine. The use o f alternative methods and disinfecting agents is not considered in the\ud
treatment o f drinking water in public water treatment plants that participated in this study.\ud
The control o f disinfection by-products at water treatment plants and distribution systems\ud
The study also reveals that proactive measures, which may be taken to control and limit the\ud
formation o f disinfection by-products, are not considered in the Connaught region. It has\ud
been established that only reactive monitoring of substances such as bromate and total\ud
trihalomethanes is routinely undertaken by the majority of local authorities in the\ud
Connaught region.\ud
It is apparent from the findings of this study that only basic water treatment processes are\ud
relied upon to control the formation of disinfection by-products at water treatment plants,\ud
while flushing is the principle method employed for the cleaning o f water distribution\ud
pipes
The environmental, health and safety implications of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) in Ireland
No full textThe overall aim o f this dissertation was to establish if the European Union\ud
Emissions Trading Scheme had been successful in reducing Carbon Dioxide emissions in\ud
Ireland since the scheme came into force on 1st January 2005. In addition, this study also\ud
identifies whether any notable benefits have being experienced in issues related to\ud
Environmental, Health and Safety management within Organisations who are obliged to\ud
participate in the scheme.\ud
All participating companies in the scheme had to have a report submitted to the\ud
EPA in March 2006 detailing their progression since the scheme began. This information\ud
was submitted to the European Commission later in the year and the Commission\ud
published a report. The report detailed the success o f emission reduction attempts in all\ud
EU participating companies. From this it could be seen that Ireland did not manage to\ud
reduce emissions as a whole, but that approximately half o f participating companies did\ud
reduce emissions.\ud
This study also examines how the scheme has been managed at installation level\ud
and whether formal Management Systems enhance the chances o f reducing o f emissions.\ud
The results indicate that those companies managing the scheme within some kind o f\ud
management systems had overall better success in operating within their quota o f\ud
allowances in Carbon Dioxide. The results also identified problems experienced by\ud
Companies and illustrated some dissatisfaction with the scheme.\ud
Finally, this study sought to establish if there have been any additional EHS\ud
benefits observed by the Companies that are part o f the scheme. Results illustrated a\ud
variety o f benefits for the environment and for Health and Safety, but showed that the\ud
scheme had little effect on Quality