There’s only two months to go to Budget 2011 and rarely has an upcoming budget engendered so much talk and frankly, dread. Government and Opposition are batting it across the house and in the media…utterances are getting daily more alarming culminating this week in Deputy Varadkar’s belief that our Budget deficit might be reduced by €8 billion, a whopping €4 billion more than the Government’s ‘worst’ case scenario. Minister Lenihan has warned that the budget target would be ‘well above’ the existing figure of €3 billion.
Not since the days of ‘Mac the Knife’ has the prospect been so grim. Minister Lenihan has the toughest of tough jobs to do but are we, as a nation, ready or indeed able to take this ‘medicine’?
In this column Galway Chamber has written about our Pre-Budget to Government document where each year we alert Government to the issues, the generalities and particulars that are important to our members and some suggestions as to how these matters should be dealt with. We have always been conscious that this document would include possible solutions because, as we know, it’s very easy to demand change but it’s a different matter to come up with viable, acceptable ways to implement change.
Taxation and Enterprise are high on our agenda in our Pre Budget deliberations. By Enterprise we mean everything that affects enterprise here. By taxation we mean all taxes included extra taxes that only business pays ie Commercial Rates, a crippling extra tax on business that many businesses perceive are not entitling them to anything ‘extra’ event though it is hugely affecting their bottom line and in some cases is their death knell. It was recently reported in a list of items effectively ‘mothballed’ for the foreseeable that one of these longfingered reforms is ‘A System for Financing Local Government’. We are aware that Local Authorities have to balance their books, we are aware that services must be provided but it is no longer possible for business to balance the books for Local Authorities.
There has to be another way. We have long advocated that Government its system of funding for Local Government to help compensate for the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions. Specific measures to redress this inequity should include: a phasing out of Commercial Rates by introducing a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government. During the phasing out period the level of Rates must be reduced. There must be value for taxes paid at a local level.
What about looking at it from a private sector point of view…Is it ok to have 30 plus Local Authorities replicating back office functions across the country? It is hugely costly, not sustainable and would not be acceptable in the private sector in current times. We need to protect jobs and we need job creators. We need to continue to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. Business is prepared to pay its fair share but not at the expense of jobs and not to bail out unnecessary duplication in the public service.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Galway Independent Column - 6th October 2010
In 1980 a brave group of people in Galway made a brave decision. They raised money and developed a regional airport. Since 1982 business in Galway has directly benefited from this decision. We have welcomed companies such as Boston Scientific, Hewlett Packard, Medtronic, APC, Cisco and Nortel among others.
The availability of an airport in Galway was a factor in the decision by these companies to set up in Galway and it is a factor in their decisions to stay here. These companies employ over 12.000 people in the Galway area and have been a backbone of our business based since they first opened their doors.
The whole issue of funding for regional airports is hugely important for Galway and Galway Airport. Coming up to Budget time, the Cabinet is to discuss the future of Government funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and whether or not they should be renewed. A €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast is up for renewal at the end of this year and a separate €15m a year is provided by the state through the PSO routes. This was reported in the media on the same day that it was announced that Metro North work is to begin in Dublin next Spring at an estimated completion cost of €5 billion…that’s a lot of money.
General Manager of Galway Airport Joe Walsh has said that without Government support Galway Airport will have significant challenges. In a recent survey carried out by Galway Airport among businesses in the region, more than 80% said that air accessibility was essential to their location in the West.
Galway Chamber made this point to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D at a recent meeting in Dublin. We put it to the Minister that by putting our Airport in jeopardy we are putting the next generation of Boston Scientifics, Hewlett Packards, Medtronics, APCs, Ciscos, Nortels et al in jeopardy also. When air accessibility is on the checklist for one of these type of companies in their location search are we automatically excluding Galway from consideration if we don’t have air access? Are we going to disqualify ourselves before they even come to visit? And of course our indigenous companies have travel needs also. On any given day on a flight to Dublin you will bump into people who are travelling to Dubai, the Far East, Europe and the US seeking out new business and new markets. It is the Government’s own view that our economic recovery will be export led.
So, yes, we are all aware of and welcome the fact that the road network has been immeasurably improved but on many occasion business wishes to air connect from Galway to their final destination using Dublin or any other hub. Surely in this day and age that should be an option?
The availability of an airport in Galway was a factor in the decision by these companies to set up in Galway and it is a factor in their decisions to stay here. These companies employ over 12.000 people in the Galway area and have been a backbone of our business based since they first opened their doors.
The whole issue of funding for regional airports is hugely important for Galway and Galway Airport. Coming up to Budget time, the Cabinet is to discuss the future of Government funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and whether or not they should be renewed. A €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast is up for renewal at the end of this year and a separate €15m a year is provided by the state through the PSO routes. This was reported in the media on the same day that it was announced that Metro North work is to begin in Dublin next Spring at an estimated completion cost of €5 billion…that’s a lot of money.
General Manager of Galway Airport Joe Walsh has said that without Government support Galway Airport will have significant challenges. In a recent survey carried out by Galway Airport among businesses in the region, more than 80% said that air accessibility was essential to their location in the West.
Galway Chamber made this point to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D at a recent meeting in Dublin. We put it to the Minister that by putting our Airport in jeopardy we are putting the next generation of Boston Scientifics, Hewlett Packards, Medtronics, APCs, Ciscos, Nortels et al in jeopardy also. When air accessibility is on the checklist for one of these type of companies in their location search are we automatically excluding Galway from consideration if we don’t have air access? Are we going to disqualify ourselves before they even come to visit? And of course our indigenous companies have travel needs also. On any given day on a flight to Dublin you will bump into people who are travelling to Dubai, the Far East, Europe and the US seeking out new business and new markets. It is the Government’s own view that our economic recovery will be export led.
So, yes, we are all aware of and welcome the fact that the road network has been immeasurably improved but on many occasion business wishes to air connect from Galway to their final destination using Dublin or any other hub. Surely in this day and age that should be an option?
Galway Independent Column - 29th September 2010
In 1980 a brave group of people in Galway made a brave decision. They raised money and developed a regional airport. Since 1982 business in Galway has directly benefited from this decision. We have welcomed companies such as Boston Scientific, Hewlett Packard, Medtronic, APC, Cisco and Nortel among others.
The availability of an airport in Galway was a factor in the decision by these companies to set up in Galway and it is a factor in their decisions to stay here. These companies employ over 12.000 people in the Galway area and have been a backbone of our business based since they first opened their doors.
The whole issue of funding for regional airports is hugely important for Galway and Galway Airport. Coming up to Budget time, the Cabinet is to discuss the future of Government funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and whether or not they should be renewed. A €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast is up for renewal at the end of this year and a separate €15m a year is provided by the state through the PSO routes. This was reported in the media on the same day that it was announced that Metro North work is to begin in Dublin next Spring at an estimated completion cost of €5 billion…that’s a lot of money.
General Manager of Galway Airport Joe Walsh has said that without Government support Galway Airport will have significant challenges. In a recent survey carried out by Galway Airport among businesses in the region, more than 80% said that air accessibility was essential to their location in the West.
Galway Chamber made this point to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D at a recent meeting in Dublin. We put it to the Minister that by putting our Airport in jeopardy we are putting the next generation of Boston Scientifics, Hewlett Packards, Medtronics, APCs, Ciscos, Nortels et al in jeopardy also. When air accessibility is on the checklist for one of these type of companies in their location search are we automatically excluding Galway from consideration if we don’t have air access? Are we going to disqualify ourselves before they even come to visit? And of course our indigenous companies have travel needs also. On any given day on a flight to Dublin you will bump into people who are travelling to Dubai, the Far East, Europe and the US seeking out new business and new markets. It is the Government’s own view that our economic recovery will be export led.
So, yes, we are all aware of and welcome the fact that the road network has been immeasurably improved but on many occasion business wishes to air connect from Galway to their final destination using Dublin or any other hub. Surely in this day and age that should be an option?
The availability of an airport in Galway was a factor in the decision by these companies to set up in Galway and it is a factor in their decisions to stay here. These companies employ over 12.000 people in the Galway area and have been a backbone of our business based since they first opened their doors.
The whole issue of funding for regional airports is hugely important for Galway and Galway Airport. Coming up to Budget time, the Cabinet is to discuss the future of Government funded Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes and whether or not they should be renewed. A €2 million operational grant for six airports along the west coast is up for renewal at the end of this year and a separate €15m a year is provided by the state through the PSO routes. This was reported in the media on the same day that it was announced that Metro North work is to begin in Dublin next Spring at an estimated completion cost of €5 billion…that’s a lot of money.
General Manager of Galway Airport Joe Walsh has said that without Government support Galway Airport will have significant challenges. In a recent survey carried out by Galway Airport among businesses in the region, more than 80% said that air accessibility was essential to their location in the West.
Galway Chamber made this point to Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D at a recent meeting in Dublin. We put it to the Minister that by putting our Airport in jeopardy we are putting the next generation of Boston Scientifics, Hewlett Packards, Medtronics, APCs, Ciscos, Nortels et al in jeopardy also. When air accessibility is on the checklist for one of these type of companies in their location search are we automatically excluding Galway from consideration if we don’t have air access? Are we going to disqualify ourselves before they even come to visit? And of course our indigenous companies have travel needs also. On any given day on a flight to Dublin you will bump into people who are travelling to Dubai, the Far East, Europe and the US seeking out new business and new markets. It is the Government’s own view that our economic recovery will be export led.
So, yes, we are all aware of and welcome the fact that the road network has been immeasurably improved but on many occasion business wishes to air connect from Galway to their final destination using Dublin or any other hub. Surely in this day and age that should be an option?
Galway Independent Column - 22nd September 2010
Any individual, being a fully paid up Member of Galway Chamber, can put himself or herself forward to be a member of the Council of Galway Chamber, in effect our board of directors. Election to Council takes place every year and currently the Postal Ballot of the Chamber Council Elections 2010/2011, is with members. Half of the places on Council are decided by postal ballot with the remaining places being voted for at our AGM in October.
Our Council members all work with Galway Chamber in a voluntary capacity to make Galway, as we say in our mission statement, the leading location for business, investment and people. Council members come from all business sectors and range from sole traders to employees of multi national companies and everything in between. What they all have in common is a wish to make business better in Galway.
Policy issues, lobbying campaigns, programme of work are decided by Council and enacted by the executive with committee assistance from Council. There is a full meeting of Council once a month with an agenda pertinent to Chamber business and the issues relevant to the wider business community. This year Galway Chamber will hold its 219th AGM which is a long time being in business for business.
Our offices at Commerce House, Merchant’s Road are open five days a week from 9 am to 5.30 pm and members and potential members are very welcome to call in. As a business organisation our strength is in our membership and the more members we have the more strength we have to lobby on issues affecting business in Galway. Our website www.galwaychamber.com has more information about what we do and how to become a member. We are also on Facebook and Twitter and these Galway Independent columns are available for comment on Galway Chamber’s Blog on www.galwaychamber.blogspot.com
Our current President is Paul Shelly and the following list of Presidents of Galway Chamber from 1923 to 2010 includes names that will be very familiar to readers. They all made a significant contribution to Galway Chamber and to business in Galway: Alex Grant, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, E. K. Jackson, J. O'Kelly Lynch, P. O'Gorman, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, J. J. Ward, Louis O'Dea, J. J. Ward, J. F. Costello, M. O'Flaherty, Dr. T. Walsh, J. D. Whelan, G. D. Naughton, John Allen, R. T. Curley, D. D. Coyle, Lord Killanan, G. I. Corbett, G. O'Gorman, P. D. Ryan, J. M Lydon, C. E. Faller, Kerry O'Sullivan, N. C. Rabbitt, Joseph Herbert, E. L. Hynes, L. M. O'Brien, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Curley, P. McCambridge, Conor Connolly, G. P. Watson, John D. Coyle, D. P. Griffin, Seosamh o'hOgairtaigh, Thomas O'Connor, Mary Bennett, John D. Coyle, Jim Sweeney, Bernard O'Hara, Terry Brennan, Michael Corless, Liam O'Connell, Joe Greaney, Michael Hegarty, Judy Greene, Michael Coyle, Joe Greaney, Hannah Kiely, Chris Coughlan, John Madden, David Niland, Peter Allen and Paul Shelly. Carmel Brennan is the incoming President.
Our Council members all work with Galway Chamber in a voluntary capacity to make Galway, as we say in our mission statement, the leading location for business, investment and people. Council members come from all business sectors and range from sole traders to employees of multi national companies and everything in between. What they all have in common is a wish to make business better in Galway.
Policy issues, lobbying campaigns, programme of work are decided by Council and enacted by the executive with committee assistance from Council. There is a full meeting of Council once a month with an agenda pertinent to Chamber business and the issues relevant to the wider business community. This year Galway Chamber will hold its 219th AGM which is a long time being in business for business.
Our offices at Commerce House, Merchant’s Road are open five days a week from 9 am to 5.30 pm and members and potential members are very welcome to call in. As a business organisation our strength is in our membership and the more members we have the more strength we have to lobby on issues affecting business in Galway. Our website www.galwaychamber.com has more information about what we do and how to become a member. We are also on Facebook and Twitter and these Galway Independent columns are available for comment on Galway Chamber’s Blog on www.galwaychamber.blogspot.com
Our current President is Paul Shelly and the following list of Presidents of Galway Chamber from 1923 to 2010 includes names that will be very familiar to readers. They all made a significant contribution to Galway Chamber and to business in Galway: Alex Grant, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, E. K. Jackson, J. O'Kelly Lynch, P. O'Gorman, Martin McDonagh, T. J. W. Kenny, J. J. Ward, Louis O'Dea, J. J. Ward, J. F. Costello, M. O'Flaherty, Dr. T. Walsh, J. D. Whelan, G. D. Naughton, John Allen, R. T. Curley, D. D. Coyle, Lord Killanan, G. I. Corbett, G. O'Gorman, P. D. Ryan, J. M Lydon, C. E. Faller, Kerry O'Sullivan, N. C. Rabbitt, Joseph Herbert, E. L. Hynes, L. M. O'Brien, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Curley, P. McCambridge, Conor Connolly, G. P. Watson, John D. Coyle, D. P. Griffin, Seosamh o'hOgairtaigh, Thomas O'Connor, Mary Bennett, John D. Coyle, Jim Sweeney, Bernard O'Hara, Terry Brennan, Michael Corless, Liam O'Connell, Joe Greaney, Michael Hegarty, Judy Greene, Michael Coyle, Joe Greaney, Hannah Kiely, Chris Coughlan, John Madden, David Niland, Peter Allen and Paul Shelly. Carmel Brennan is the incoming President.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Galway Independent Column - 15th September 2010
Each year Galway Chamber, in consultation with our members, makes a Pre-Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance and an Taoiseach. This submission expresses the views and opinions of our members, real business people operating in the real world.
These real opinions from real people focus on issues such as Public Sector Costs, Infrastructure, Commercial Rates, Jobs, Education, Taxation, Stimuli for SME’s and Maintaining Ireland as an Attractive Area for Investment. This is a core group of headings for the Submission but where there is a particular issue in a particular year, it will be highlighted. Clearly this year Jobs is a priority and will be addressed.
Galway Chamber will call on Government to put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. While our message is national, it’s main focus is local and our submission will reflect the particular issues of importance to Galway businesses, our members.
We have long been lobbyists on Commercial Rates and this ties in with our views on public sector finance in general. In our submission we will urge a freeze on Government controlled cost increases, a reduction in the public service pay bill, reduction in non-pay costs in the public service like overtime and other work related costs, the elimination of duplication of support services/agencies and the rationalisation of ‘back office’ services across the public sector. This last item is something we have been vocal on for some time and the message seems to be hitting home. Only last week the Minister for Health suggested that consultants could possibly share office services…
Government needs to reform its system of funding for Local Government to help compensate for the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions. Specific measures to redress this inequity include: a 3-year phasing out of Commercial Rates by introducing a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government. During the phasing out period the level of Rates increases must be reduced. There must be value for taxes paid at a local level, for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid. Inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized i.e. Rateable Valuations. The Local Authority paybill must be reduced through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration
Galway needs to consolidate its position as our countrys third city by encouraging iconic, relevant and important developments. Our city is in serious danger of losing out to Cork, Limerick and Dublin in relation to vital infrastructure and investment projects.
We continue to urge both national and local government to support the work of the business community and to ensure that where possible job creating projects be secured for Galway in the short term to allow Galway to maintains its attractiveness as a location to live, work and do business in the longer term.,
That’s why this week’s comments by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan at his party’s ‘think-in’ here in Galway were so alarming. Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Galway the Minister who controls our purse strings said that the figure of €3 billion in ‘adjustments’ already promised in the upcoming December budget was ‘a minimum’. This word ‘minimum’ is a relatively small word with big implications. Bottom line is that any larger tax increases coupled with service cuts in the next Budget will have a profound impact on business here. There are currently 80 vacant premises in Galway city centre. That’s too many.
These real opinions from real people focus on issues such as Public Sector Costs, Infrastructure, Commercial Rates, Jobs, Education, Taxation, Stimuli for SME’s and Maintaining Ireland as an Attractive Area for Investment. This is a core group of headings for the Submission but where there is a particular issue in a particular year, it will be highlighted. Clearly this year Jobs is a priority and will be addressed.
Galway Chamber will call on Government to put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. While our message is national, it’s main focus is local and our submission will reflect the particular issues of importance to Galway businesses, our members.
We have long been lobbyists on Commercial Rates and this ties in with our views on public sector finance in general. In our submission we will urge a freeze on Government controlled cost increases, a reduction in the public service pay bill, reduction in non-pay costs in the public service like overtime and other work related costs, the elimination of duplication of support services/agencies and the rationalisation of ‘back office’ services across the public sector. This last item is something we have been vocal on for some time and the message seems to be hitting home. Only last week the Minister for Health suggested that consultants could possibly share office services…
Government needs to reform its system of funding for Local Government to help compensate for the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions. Specific measures to redress this inequity include: a 3-year phasing out of Commercial Rates by introducing a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government. During the phasing out period the level of Rates increases must be reduced. There must be value for taxes paid at a local level, for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid. Inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized i.e. Rateable Valuations. The Local Authority paybill must be reduced through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration
Galway needs to consolidate its position as our countrys third city by encouraging iconic, relevant and important developments. Our city is in serious danger of losing out to Cork, Limerick and Dublin in relation to vital infrastructure and investment projects.
We continue to urge both national and local government to support the work of the business community and to ensure that where possible job creating projects be secured for Galway in the short term to allow Galway to maintains its attractiveness as a location to live, work and do business in the longer term.,
That’s why this week’s comments by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan at his party’s ‘think-in’ here in Galway were so alarming. Speaking to reporters on his arrival in Galway the Minister who controls our purse strings said that the figure of €3 billion in ‘adjustments’ already promised in the upcoming December budget was ‘a minimum’. This word ‘minimum’ is a relatively small word with big implications. Bottom line is that any larger tax increases coupled with service cuts in the next Budget will have a profound impact on business here. There are currently 80 vacant premises in Galway city centre. That’s too many.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Galway Independent Column - 8th September 2010
At a time when unemployment levels continue to be too high, it’s often easier to try to find a quick fix solution than what really matters, which is putting in place the foundation for future growth and investment that will ensure employment and a good quality of life for all.
We’ve often spoken of ‘smarter cities’, ‘smarter travel’ et al and now more than ever we need to concentrate on the ‘smarter’ part. A recent report by IBM’s Institute for Business Value by, among others TCD’s Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev, outlines how, in the 21st century ‘growth, economic value and competitive differentiation of cities will increasingly be derived from people and their skills, creativity and knowledge, as well as the capacity of the economy to create and absorb innovation. To compete in this new economic environment, cities will need to better apply advanced information technology, analytics and systems thinking to develop a more citizen-centric approach to services. By doing so, they can better attract, create, enable and retain their citizens’ skills, knowledge and creativity.
Galway Chamber has long advocated this approach that business will come when the basis or foundation is here and that it is incumbent on us to create the optimum environment and to make that environment ‘citizen-centric’. When Galway Chamber last revisited our Mission Statement ‘To make Galway the Leading Location for Business, Investment and People’ we felt that it was very important to include the word ‘people’. A ‘smarter economy’ is all about people. Gurdgiev calls it the ‘brains and creativity’ as opposed to the ‘bricks and mortar’ drivers of economic growth and activity.
To attract the highly skilled, innovative citizens for Galway, part of this ‘optimum creation’ is, however, about the ‘bricks and mortar’ of the systems here. To explain: we haven’t heard yet whether Galway City Council’s ‘Galway Metropolitan Smarter Travel Area Bid’ has been successful. It’s necessary as is the Galway City Outer Bypass…an optimum ‘smart city’ isn’t gridlocked. Our health services are currently ‘gridlocked’, that’s not ‘smart city’, our school class sizes are too big, that’s not ‘smart’ and there are many other examples.
Gurdgiev focuses on four high-impact areas of improvement for any city wishing to aspire to ‘smart city’ status:
Reduce congestion in transport systems
Improve public safety by reducing crime and emergency response time
Streamline and tailor services for the citizen, including a heavy emphasis on education and training
Enable appropriate access to healthcare data for better quality of care, early disease detection and prevention.
(In addition to these he also mentions energy, water and environmental sustainability, urban planning and architecture). All of these feed into making Galway a leading location for business, investment and people. We’re not the only city privy to this information. We need to act now.
We’ve often spoken of ‘smarter cities’, ‘smarter travel’ et al and now more than ever we need to concentrate on the ‘smarter’ part. A recent report by IBM’s Institute for Business Value by, among others TCD’s Dr. Constantin Gurdgiev, outlines how, in the 21st century ‘growth, economic value and competitive differentiation of cities will increasingly be derived from people and their skills, creativity and knowledge, as well as the capacity of the economy to create and absorb innovation. To compete in this new economic environment, cities will need to better apply advanced information technology, analytics and systems thinking to develop a more citizen-centric approach to services. By doing so, they can better attract, create, enable and retain their citizens’ skills, knowledge and creativity.
Galway Chamber has long advocated this approach that business will come when the basis or foundation is here and that it is incumbent on us to create the optimum environment and to make that environment ‘citizen-centric’. When Galway Chamber last revisited our Mission Statement ‘To make Galway the Leading Location for Business, Investment and People’ we felt that it was very important to include the word ‘people’. A ‘smarter economy’ is all about people. Gurdgiev calls it the ‘brains and creativity’ as opposed to the ‘bricks and mortar’ drivers of economic growth and activity.
To attract the highly skilled, innovative citizens for Galway, part of this ‘optimum creation’ is, however, about the ‘bricks and mortar’ of the systems here. To explain: we haven’t heard yet whether Galway City Council’s ‘Galway Metropolitan Smarter Travel Area Bid’ has been successful. It’s necessary as is the Galway City Outer Bypass…an optimum ‘smart city’ isn’t gridlocked. Our health services are currently ‘gridlocked’, that’s not ‘smart city’, our school class sizes are too big, that’s not ‘smart’ and there are many other examples.
Gurdgiev focuses on four high-impact areas of improvement for any city wishing to aspire to ‘smart city’ status:
Reduce congestion in transport systems
Improve public safety by reducing crime and emergency response time
Streamline and tailor services for the citizen, including a heavy emphasis on education and training
Enable appropriate access to healthcare data for better quality of care, early disease detection and prevention.
(In addition to these he also mentions energy, water and environmental sustainability, urban planning and architecture). All of these feed into making Galway a leading location for business, investment and people. We’re not the only city privy to this information. We need to act now.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Galway Independent Column 1st September 2010
A number of years ago a former President of Galway Chamber when asked to describe the spirit and work of the Chamber in one word said ‘access’. It’s still a good word to describe in an overall way what we do.
Access means a lot of things, it includes access to representation on both local and national issues from commercial rates to Governments Budgets. It means access to Networking where every Chamber event has a networking element as well as our monthly Business After Hours networking opportunities.
Access to business information and knowledge is available through our newsletter, ezines, website and our programme of events including seminars, business lunches and conferences. Access to innovation includes the incubation and other facilities that our subsidiary the Galway Technology Centre offers.
And finally access to and from Galway road, rail and of course air, offered by our subsidiary company Galway Airport. Access is the ability to "easily reach" and there’s no easier way to reach Galway than by flying into Galway Airport. It’s still the quickest, most efficient way to get to Dublin, London Luton, Lorient, Edinburgh, Manchester and Waterford and onto a myriad of destinations from these hubs. The codeshare agreements in place mean that luggage can be checked through from Galway Airport to facilitate travel ease.
This facility has always been important to Galway and in particular to the business community in Galway. This is why Galway Chamber has been the majority shareholder in Galway Airport from its inception as a commercial airport. It exists to provide access to and from Galway. It’s not the only means of access. Galway Chamber has lobbied for and welcomed the N6 and continues to lobby for the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass as well as West on Track. Business needs choice.
That’s why the news that an Interim Examiner has been appointed to Aer Arann, main carrier at Galway Airport is of concern to the business community in Galway. However, having had discussions with the Board and the Management of Galway Airport it is important to stress that during the period of examinership flight services will continue to operate as normal to and from Galway Airport. This has been confirmed by Aer Arann. Galway Airport will continue to serve the business and leisure traveller the same as always during this time. Access to air routes in and out of Galway needs to be supported by Government and by us, the travelling public.
As a Gateway city, Galway must provide access which must in itself be timely, always available, of high quality and cost effective. If this doesn’t happen then Galway's continued success and growth could be seriously jeopardised.
Congratulations and Good Wishes
Just a note of congratulations and good wishes to someone who has over the years been involved in the transition of Galway from a town to a city and everything that entails. Bernard O’Hara retires today as Registrar of GMIT having worked there since the college opened as the RTC Galway in 1972.
Bernard began his academic career as a lecturer in Business Studies, was promoted to Head of Department, followed by Head of School of Business and Humanities for nineteen years, latterly served as Registrar of the college for the last eleven years.
Among his many achievements in a working life full of achievement Bernard was a Board Member of Galway Chamber for over ten years and was President during the bicentennial year of 1991/92 when he said at his inauguration that he believed that the Chamber’s mission was to act as a catalyst for the economic and commercial development of Galway and its hinterland. We wish him a happy and healthy retirement.
Access means a lot of things, it includes access to representation on both local and national issues from commercial rates to Governments Budgets. It means access to Networking where every Chamber event has a networking element as well as our monthly Business After Hours networking opportunities.
Access to business information and knowledge is available through our newsletter, ezines, website and our programme of events including seminars, business lunches and conferences. Access to innovation includes the incubation and other facilities that our subsidiary the Galway Technology Centre offers.
And finally access to and from Galway road, rail and of course air, offered by our subsidiary company Galway Airport. Access is the ability to "easily reach" and there’s no easier way to reach Galway than by flying into Galway Airport. It’s still the quickest, most efficient way to get to Dublin, London Luton, Lorient, Edinburgh, Manchester and Waterford and onto a myriad of destinations from these hubs. The codeshare agreements in place mean that luggage can be checked through from Galway Airport to facilitate travel ease.
This facility has always been important to Galway and in particular to the business community in Galway. This is why Galway Chamber has been the majority shareholder in Galway Airport from its inception as a commercial airport. It exists to provide access to and from Galway. It’s not the only means of access. Galway Chamber has lobbied for and welcomed the N6 and continues to lobby for the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass as well as West on Track. Business needs choice.
That’s why the news that an Interim Examiner has been appointed to Aer Arann, main carrier at Galway Airport is of concern to the business community in Galway. However, having had discussions with the Board and the Management of Galway Airport it is important to stress that during the period of examinership flight services will continue to operate as normal to and from Galway Airport. This has been confirmed by Aer Arann. Galway Airport will continue to serve the business and leisure traveller the same as always during this time. Access to air routes in and out of Galway needs to be supported by Government and by us, the travelling public.
As a Gateway city, Galway must provide access which must in itself be timely, always available, of high quality and cost effective. If this doesn’t happen then Galway's continued success and growth could be seriously jeopardised.
Congratulations and Good Wishes
Just a note of congratulations and good wishes to someone who has over the years been involved in the transition of Galway from a town to a city and everything that entails. Bernard O’Hara retires today as Registrar of GMIT having worked there since the college opened as the RTC Galway in 1972.
Bernard began his academic career as a lecturer in Business Studies, was promoted to Head of Department, followed by Head of School of Business and Humanities for nineteen years, latterly served as Registrar of the college for the last eleven years.
Among his many achievements in a working life full of achievement Bernard was a Board Member of Galway Chamber for over ten years and was President during the bicentennial year of 1991/92 when he said at his inauguration that he believed that the Chamber’s mission was to act as a catalyst for the economic and commercial development of Galway and its hinterland. We wish him a happy and healthy retirement.
Making A Difference
Is there a link between littering and anti-social behaviour or between anti-social behaviour and littering? If an individual litters is he or she more likely to engage in what we call anti-social behaviour? What is anti-social behaviour and is its definition different from person to person?
These questions are prompted by the most recent litter survey from IBAL, the Irish Business Against Litter organisation who carry out surveys each year with the help of An Taisce to find which towns and cities in this country (with a population of over 6,000) are considered ‘Clean to European Norms’, ‘Moderately Littered’, ‘Littered’, ‘Seriously Littered’, or ‘Litter Blackspot’. Galway fitted into the ‘Moderately Littered’ category along with fellow cities Dublin and Cork. Limerick, the fourth city surveyed ended up in the ‘Littered’ category.
In fairness the survey is not just based on litter thrown on the ground by wanton litter louts, approach roads etc also come into play and cleaning of same comes under the remit of city and county councils. But, the keeping clean of visible areas outside a business premises is the responsibility of the business owner. IBAL say that to keep on the right side of the law as well as to show corporate citizenship and community spirit, businesses should look to clean up outside their premises, including their car parks twice daily. This would have an enormous impact on our streetscapes, they say, in one fell swoop and reduce local authority cleaning costs. This might not sit well with businesses who wonder what exactly they get for their Commercial Rates Bill paid to the council…street cleaning?
The majority of businesses do keep their street area tidy, they have pride in what they do and their premises and its environs reflect this. Which leads to the first question involving anti-social behaviour… Anti-social behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person's quality of life, it’s all about the effect that one’s behaviour has on others. What might seem like harmless fun to one person may seem like something entirely different to someone else.
The person who ends up having drunken fisticuffs with his ‘mates’ at three am doesn’t realise or doesn’t care that he’s keeping local residents awake, the person who urinates on someone’s front door doesn’t care that the householder will have to clean it off the next day and he certainly doesn’t care that he’s frightening people. This scenario can equally take place at three o’clock in the afternoon when tourists and children are the recipients. If this sort of thing happens once outside your door, you can get over it. But if it happens on a very regular basis like it does at the Spanish Arch, it is a serious problem for residents and businesses in the area. This has been highlighted time and time again. We haven’t seen any major riots there this summer but anti-social behaviour is like litter, it’s always there. The street cleaners do a particularly good job at the Spanish Arch each morning but like the anti-social behaviour, its there again the next day. Dropping a piece of litter might not seem like anti-social behaviour but it’s all about just not caring.
These questions are prompted by the most recent litter survey from IBAL, the Irish Business Against Litter organisation who carry out surveys each year with the help of An Taisce to find which towns and cities in this country (with a population of over 6,000) are considered ‘Clean to European Norms’, ‘Moderately Littered’, ‘Littered’, ‘Seriously Littered’, or ‘Litter Blackspot’. Galway fitted into the ‘Moderately Littered’ category along with fellow cities Dublin and Cork. Limerick, the fourth city surveyed ended up in the ‘Littered’ category.
In fairness the survey is not just based on litter thrown on the ground by wanton litter louts, approach roads etc also come into play and cleaning of same comes under the remit of city and county councils. But, the keeping clean of visible areas outside a business premises is the responsibility of the business owner. IBAL say that to keep on the right side of the law as well as to show corporate citizenship and community spirit, businesses should look to clean up outside their premises, including their car parks twice daily. This would have an enormous impact on our streetscapes, they say, in one fell swoop and reduce local authority cleaning costs. This might not sit well with businesses who wonder what exactly they get for their Commercial Rates Bill paid to the council…street cleaning?
The majority of businesses do keep their street area tidy, they have pride in what they do and their premises and its environs reflect this. Which leads to the first question involving anti-social behaviour… Anti-social behaviour is any aggressive, intimidating or destructive activity that damages or destroys another person's quality of life, it’s all about the effect that one’s behaviour has on others. What might seem like harmless fun to one person may seem like something entirely different to someone else.
The person who ends up having drunken fisticuffs with his ‘mates’ at three am doesn’t realise or doesn’t care that he’s keeping local residents awake, the person who urinates on someone’s front door doesn’t care that the householder will have to clean it off the next day and he certainly doesn’t care that he’s frightening people. This scenario can equally take place at three o’clock in the afternoon when tourists and children are the recipients. If this sort of thing happens once outside your door, you can get over it. But if it happens on a very regular basis like it does at the Spanish Arch, it is a serious problem for residents and businesses in the area. This has been highlighted time and time again. We haven’t seen any major riots there this summer but anti-social behaviour is like litter, it’s always there. The street cleaners do a particularly good job at the Spanish Arch each morning but like the anti-social behaviour, its there again the next day. Dropping a piece of litter might not seem like anti-social behaviour but it’s all about just not caring.
Galway Independent Column - August 11th 2010
The news this week that the Government intends to increase electricity by 5% in October comes as yet another unwelcome cost base hike to business.
The increase, according to the Government, is due to the public service obligation levy, a charge designed to improve the country’s security of energy supply and to develop renewable energy….scant comfort to businesses already buckling under a raft of charges including commercial rates, water and waste charges.
In the real world any extra charges to business at this time will be at best detrimental and at worst catastrophic. Sure, we appreciate that securing supply and developing renewable energy are good things and must happen but the timing of this proposed increase couldn’t be worse. The Commissioner for Energy Regulation says that if the levy is postponed consumers will have to pay more later…
But it’s the here and now that concerns businesses at the moment. It’s keeping afloat and providing jobs. The possibility of lower bills in the longer term doesn’t cut any ice with businesses trying to pay today’s bills.
The increases will also hit the bottom line of our larger businesses and particularly those in the manufacturing sector. For a country whose cost base is perceived already as being high (in fact Ireland has the fourth highest electricity charges in the EU), this will not help in attracting future foreign direct investment to locate here. The IDA have already expressed their concerns regarding the increase which will of course make their job of attracting foreign direct investment significantly more difficult.
On a more positive note, it’s good to be able to offer something for nothing to businesses… a reminder that those SMEs who wish to provide a work placement to a participant on the WebActivate programme this autumn, Galway Chamber as the Galway business link along with Galway provider GTI invites SMEs to apply to take a work placement. Chamber Members will receive a brochure with an application form attached in this week’s mailout and details are also available on www.webactivate.ie Remember participant WebActivators do not need to be accommodated in the place of business. Rather they are empowered to work independently, equipped with a notebook computer and software, 3G broadband and mobile and technical support. Thus equipped they will create a web presence that will enable the host SME to grow its business through the web, using the internet to reach and drive customers to the business.
Congratulations to the Salthill Village Festival which was launched in the Galway Business School at the weekend. The Festival itself will take place this year on the weekend of August 21 and 22 and will host among other events, a giant tea dance, a vintage car rally, DJ’s in the marquee, a ghost run, fire juggling, ice sculpting, giant jenga, poetry, literature, art, windsurfing, diving, salsa, capoeira and lots more. This is a great family festival and as the organisers say: ‘It’s Free by the Sea’. We wish all our members in Salthill every success with this initiative. www.salthillvillage.com
The increase, according to the Government, is due to the public service obligation levy, a charge designed to improve the country’s security of energy supply and to develop renewable energy….scant comfort to businesses already buckling under a raft of charges including commercial rates, water and waste charges.
In the real world any extra charges to business at this time will be at best detrimental and at worst catastrophic. Sure, we appreciate that securing supply and developing renewable energy are good things and must happen but the timing of this proposed increase couldn’t be worse. The Commissioner for Energy Regulation says that if the levy is postponed consumers will have to pay more later…
But it’s the here and now that concerns businesses at the moment. It’s keeping afloat and providing jobs. The possibility of lower bills in the longer term doesn’t cut any ice with businesses trying to pay today’s bills.
The increases will also hit the bottom line of our larger businesses and particularly those in the manufacturing sector. For a country whose cost base is perceived already as being high (in fact Ireland has the fourth highest electricity charges in the EU), this will not help in attracting future foreign direct investment to locate here. The IDA have already expressed their concerns regarding the increase which will of course make their job of attracting foreign direct investment significantly more difficult.
On a more positive note, it’s good to be able to offer something for nothing to businesses… a reminder that those SMEs who wish to provide a work placement to a participant on the WebActivate programme this autumn, Galway Chamber as the Galway business link along with Galway provider GTI invites SMEs to apply to take a work placement. Chamber Members will receive a brochure with an application form attached in this week’s mailout and details are also available on www.webactivate.ie Remember participant WebActivators do not need to be accommodated in the place of business. Rather they are empowered to work independently, equipped with a notebook computer and software, 3G broadband and mobile and technical support. Thus equipped they will create a web presence that will enable the host SME to grow its business through the web, using the internet to reach and drive customers to the business.
Congratulations to the Salthill Village Festival which was launched in the Galway Business School at the weekend. The Festival itself will take place this year on the weekend of August 21 and 22 and will host among other events, a giant tea dance, a vintage car rally, DJ’s in the marquee, a ghost run, fire juggling, ice sculpting, giant jenga, poetry, literature, art, windsurfing, diving, salsa, capoeira and lots more. This is a great family festival and as the organisers say: ‘It’s Free by the Sea’. We wish all our members in Salthill every success with this initiative. www.salthillvillage.com
Galway Independent Column - August 4th 2010
We’ve come a long way from the first racing festival held in Ballybrit on Tuesday, 17th August 1869 when the two-day event heralded what would become the modern phenomenon that is The Galway Racing Festival.
Last week saw a city alive with people, with fun, with colour, with good humour and was truly an advertisement for what Galway does really well. Yet again, congratulations to John Maloney, to his team in Ballybrit and to the Race Committee.
But congratulations also to the Galway business community, to the hospitality industry, to the shopkeepers, to each and every employee who made it such a good week for the visitors and Galwegians alike. Each smile, each courtesy made the week better for someone. We’re now into the final month of voting for ‘Galway’s Best Awards’ winners, the new customer service excellence awards supported by Failte Ireland and Galway Chamber, sponsored by the Central Park Group and in association with Heineken. The aim of the awards is to find the best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer, and Festival/Event as voted by the public. Last week was a great opportunity for businesses to make their mark with the public.
We would like to commend those establishments that stuck to their normal prices…we still purchased our takeout coffee at €2, we enjoyed a great lunch with enormous choice, for €10 including excellent coffee and there was lots more. Yes, we were asked to comment on ‘rip-off Galway’, as we are every year and we replied by talking about ‘Choice’. The Oxford Dictionary definition of the word ‘Choice’ is …an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. We all have choice. When we go to a new place as a visitor we have choice. We check out the various possibilities and then we make our (informed) choice. We choose what we do, we choose where to eat, sleep, drink, socialise, shop etc.
There was value to be had in Galway last week in terms of accommodation. There were also some very expensive options available…we have choice. Some chose the expensive options, some didn’t but there was a choice. There is a ‘supply and demand’ situation going on here. If people will pay the higher rates and are happy to do so, then why wouldn’t the provider charge them? There is a competitive element, prices must compete at the lower and the higher ends of the scale. There are also many extra overheads in the hospitality sector that feed into the racegoer’s overall experience, extra staff, late bars, entertainment etc.
Eating out offered many possibilities last week, from takeout ‘on the hoof’ to pub grub, to a gourmet experience (which is not to say that a gourmet experience can’t happen in a pub, because it can!), the choice was there. The race course roast beef sandwich has made many a punter very happy over the years and long may it continue.
Essentially the Galway Racing Festival is a festival for everyone. That’s what has made it unique. You never know who you’re going to meet at the racecourse or around the town. There’s room for everybody and a welcome for everybody. There’s loads of entertainment, most of it free and an atmosphere that you just couldn’t buy. The Galway Racing Festival gets it right. It was a great idea back in 1869 and it was great last week. Well done to everyone involved.
Last week saw a city alive with people, with fun, with colour, with good humour and was truly an advertisement for what Galway does really well. Yet again, congratulations to John Maloney, to his team in Ballybrit and to the Race Committee.
But congratulations also to the Galway business community, to the hospitality industry, to the shopkeepers, to each and every employee who made it such a good week for the visitors and Galwegians alike. Each smile, each courtesy made the week better for someone. We’re now into the final month of voting for ‘Galway’s Best Awards’ winners, the new customer service excellence awards supported by Failte Ireland and Galway Chamber, sponsored by the Central Park Group and in association with Heineken. The aim of the awards is to find the best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer, and Festival/Event as voted by the public. Last week was a great opportunity for businesses to make their mark with the public.
We would like to commend those establishments that stuck to their normal prices…we still purchased our takeout coffee at €2, we enjoyed a great lunch with enormous choice, for €10 including excellent coffee and there was lots more. Yes, we were asked to comment on ‘rip-off Galway’, as we are every year and we replied by talking about ‘Choice’. The Oxford Dictionary definition of the word ‘Choice’ is …an act of choosing between two or more possibilities. We all have choice. When we go to a new place as a visitor we have choice. We check out the various possibilities and then we make our (informed) choice. We choose what we do, we choose where to eat, sleep, drink, socialise, shop etc.
There was value to be had in Galway last week in terms of accommodation. There were also some very expensive options available…we have choice. Some chose the expensive options, some didn’t but there was a choice. There is a ‘supply and demand’ situation going on here. If people will pay the higher rates and are happy to do so, then why wouldn’t the provider charge them? There is a competitive element, prices must compete at the lower and the higher ends of the scale. There are also many extra overheads in the hospitality sector that feed into the racegoer’s overall experience, extra staff, late bars, entertainment etc.
Eating out offered many possibilities last week, from takeout ‘on the hoof’ to pub grub, to a gourmet experience (which is not to say that a gourmet experience can’t happen in a pub, because it can!), the choice was there. The race course roast beef sandwich has made many a punter very happy over the years and long may it continue.
Essentially the Galway Racing Festival is a festival for everyone. That’s what has made it unique. You never know who you’re going to meet at the racecourse or around the town. There’s room for everybody and a welcome for everybody. There’s loads of entertainment, most of it free and an atmosphere that you just couldn’t buy. The Galway Racing Festival gets it right. It was a great idea back in 1869 and it was great last week. Well done to everyone involved.
Galway Independent Column - July 28th 2010
It is becoming ever more apparent that to establish trading in the Digital Economy all Irish SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises), from sole-trader to micro to medium sized, need to have an online digital presence. This means using at least the minimum digital channel of a ‘Google friendly’ website to reach and drive customers to a particular business.
Galway Chamber has long been an advocate of the internet as a marketing tool for business and we set up our website www.shopgalway.com in 2005 to allow business to promote their special offers in a free and user friendly way.
A report on Information Society and Telecommunications (ICT) released by the CSO in December 2009 shows that while 95% of enterprises had a computer connected to the internet only 66% had a website or homepage.
Businesses will need increasingly high levels of skills and greater technical capability to respond effectively to the opportunities and threats posed by globalisation and advances in digital technology.
With this in mind, WebActivate is an innovative programme designed by Digital Skills Academy and delivered in partnership with the Digital Hub, the Chambers of Commerce and leading Further Education Colleges in the participating cities. In Galway the partners are Galway Technical Institute and Galway Chamber.
The programme is funded by the government Labour Market Activation Fund and the courses are free of charge to participants. There are no fees or charges for the SMEs providing work placements in the programme.
Digital Skills Academy: is based in the Digital Hub in the heart of Dublin. Building on many decades of accumulated experience in Internet & Digital Media, the Academy offers the highest standard of multidisciplinary training in digital skills.
Galway Chamber invites SME members to express an interest in providing work placements for course participants.
The WebActivate programme will provide participants with specific skills in digital media, and allied sectors, along with broader e-skills increasingly in demand across all industry sectors. WebActivate is a high-quality training programme delivered by an expert group of quality assured trainers. The aim is to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively design and publish websites for businesses with no previous online presence.
This will be achieved through completion of a suite of FETAC modules which ensure proficiency in internet publishing and on-line marketing. Among other, these modules include: Internet publishing, iMarketing, Social media marketing, Publishing Google Maps, Digital photography & web publishing
Participants will also be trained as trainers so that they will be in a position to transfer their newly acquired skills and learning into the businesses with which they are placed.
Work placements will commence at the end of September 2010.
Following their 6 weeks ‘In-Centre’ training, each participant will spend 12 weeks with 3 different SMEs. In this time they will create websites and coach employees on how to maximise business via their newly achieved web presence at no cost to the employer.
During work placement the course participants will attend their designated training centres one day a week for classes, ongoing mentoring and coaching from their expert trainers. Each participant will be equipped with a Notebook computer, software and 3G broadband, all of which are provided through the WebActivate programme. Anyone interested in hosting trainee placements and “Web-Activating” their business should contact Maeve Joyce at Galway Chamber on 091 563536
Galway Chamber has long been an advocate of the internet as a marketing tool for business and we set up our website www.shopgalway.com in 2005 to allow business to promote their special offers in a free and user friendly way.
A report on Information Society and Telecommunications (ICT) released by the CSO in December 2009 shows that while 95% of enterprises had a computer connected to the internet only 66% had a website or homepage.
Businesses will need increasingly high levels of skills and greater technical capability to respond effectively to the opportunities and threats posed by globalisation and advances in digital technology.
With this in mind, WebActivate is an innovative programme designed by Digital Skills Academy and delivered in partnership with the Digital Hub, the Chambers of Commerce and leading Further Education Colleges in the participating cities. In Galway the partners are Galway Technical Institute and Galway Chamber.
The programme is funded by the government Labour Market Activation Fund and the courses are free of charge to participants. There are no fees or charges for the SMEs providing work placements in the programme.
Digital Skills Academy: is based in the Digital Hub in the heart of Dublin. Building on many decades of accumulated experience in Internet & Digital Media, the Academy offers the highest standard of multidisciplinary training in digital skills.
Galway Chamber invites SME members to express an interest in providing work placements for course participants.
The WebActivate programme will provide participants with specific skills in digital media, and allied sectors, along with broader e-skills increasingly in demand across all industry sectors. WebActivate is a high-quality training programme delivered by an expert group of quality assured trainers. The aim is to equip participants with the necessary skills to effectively design and publish websites for businesses with no previous online presence.
This will be achieved through completion of a suite of FETAC modules which ensure proficiency in internet publishing and on-line marketing. Among other, these modules include: Internet publishing, iMarketing, Social media marketing, Publishing Google Maps, Digital photography & web publishing
Participants will also be trained as trainers so that they will be in a position to transfer their newly acquired skills and learning into the businesses with which they are placed.
Work placements will commence at the end of September 2010.
Following their 6 weeks ‘In-Centre’ training, each participant will spend 12 weeks with 3 different SMEs. In this time they will create websites and coach employees on how to maximise business via their newly achieved web presence at no cost to the employer.
During work placement the course participants will attend their designated training centres one day a week for classes, ongoing mentoring and coaching from their expert trainers. Each participant will be equipped with a Notebook computer, software and 3G broadband, all of which are provided through the WebActivate programme. Anyone interested in hosting trainee placements and “Web-Activating” their business should contact Maeve Joyce at Galway Chamber on 091 563536
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Galway Independent Column - July 21st 2010
There was good news this week for companies involved in research, when Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn announced the latest EU round of financial support for research and innovation. €6.4 billion is to be spent over the next 14 months.
Under the EU’s Framework Programme 7 (FP7), Irish scientists and companies involved in research can apply to the programme for funding. Under the programme support is given for collaborative research conducted with public and private sector research partners in other EU countries. The monies will be allocated to SME’s as well as larger organisations and will act as a much needed financial stimulus
The package, the biggest ever, covers a vast range of scientific disciplines, public policy areas and commercial sectors. This funding is intended to advance scientific boundaries, increase European competitiveness and help solve societal challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population. Around 16 000 participants from research organisations, universities and industry, including about 3 000 SMEs, will receive funding. Grants will be awarded through calls for proposals and evaluations over the next 14 months. This package is expected to create more than 165 000 jobs and is a long-term investment in a smarter, sustainable and more inclusive Europe. It is a key element within the EU's Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular the Innovation Union flagship initiative, which will be launched in autumn 2010.
Announcing the funding Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn said that it would speed up the innovation process from research to retail and would give Europe a competitive edge. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan TD encouraged Irish researchers, particularly from SME’s to apply for the funding which, he said, would allow them to use research to improve their competitiveness and grow their business.
Galway Chamber has consistently called on Government to support innovation and to foster a culture of research and development in particular in the SME sector. In our most recent Pre Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance we said that Government must put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. We have also lobbied to encourage Research & Development activity through the R&D tax credit.
Further information on the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) can be found on www.ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/
Speaking of innovation, congratulations to Macnas on their spectacular Wild Hunt parade on Sunday and while the Galway Arts Festival comes to a close this weekend we look forward to the Galway Racing Festival starting on Monday. Last year over 150,000 people attended the summer festival meeting and we look forward to a successful festival again this year.
Under the EU’s Framework Programme 7 (FP7), Irish scientists and companies involved in research can apply to the programme for funding. Under the programme support is given for collaborative research conducted with public and private sector research partners in other EU countries. The monies will be allocated to SME’s as well as larger organisations and will act as a much needed financial stimulus
The package, the biggest ever, covers a vast range of scientific disciplines, public policy areas and commercial sectors. This funding is intended to advance scientific boundaries, increase European competitiveness and help solve societal challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, health and an ageing population. Around 16 000 participants from research organisations, universities and industry, including about 3 000 SMEs, will receive funding. Grants will be awarded through calls for proposals and evaluations over the next 14 months. This package is expected to create more than 165 000 jobs and is a long-term investment in a smarter, sustainable and more inclusive Europe. It is a key element within the EU's Europe 2020 Strategy and in particular the Innovation Union flagship initiative, which will be launched in autumn 2010.
Announcing the funding Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn said that it would speed up the innovation process from research to retail and would give Europe a competitive edge. Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan TD encouraged Irish researchers, particularly from SME’s to apply for the funding which, he said, would allow them to use research to improve their competitiveness and grow their business.
Galway Chamber has consistently called on Government to support innovation and to foster a culture of research and development in particular in the SME sector. In our most recent Pre Budget Submission to the Minister for Finance we said that Government must put measures in place to allow Ireland Inc. to compete, innovate and grow while sustaining employment, supporting Irish companies and continuing to attract foreign direct investment. We have also lobbied to encourage Research & Development activity through the R&D tax credit.
Further information on the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) can be found on www.ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/
Speaking of innovation, congratulations to Macnas on their spectacular Wild Hunt parade on Sunday and while the Galway Arts Festival comes to a close this weekend we look forward to the Galway Racing Festival starting on Monday. Last year over 150,000 people attended the summer festival meeting and we look forward to a successful festival again this year.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Galway Independent Column - July 14th 2010
In a recent survey of Galway Chamber Members, results of which will be published in the coming weeks, ‘Access to Credit’ was ranked as the second most important in a list of fifteen ‘Pressing business issues’ facing members. The importance of this issue to business in this country is underlined by the fact that Minister for Enterprise Trade and Innovation Batt O'Keefe TD supported by Junior Minister Dara Calleary will be in Galway this week to embark on a fresh round of meetings with the business community around the country on the issue of bank credit availability.
The purpose of the meeting is for Ministers O’Keeffe and Calleary to hear at first hand the views and experiences of local businesses on access to bank lending. This full exchange of views aims to facilitate a greater understanding of the issue at both regional and national levels, giving an indication of how matters have changed since last year, when Minister O’Keeffe met with the group in the first instance.
Galway Chamber will be represented at the meeting by our President Paul Shelly with members of the Chamber Council in the SME sector, who will put the experiences and views of Chamber members to the Ministers and who will continue to press for easier access to credit for SMEs.
The Ministers must be made fully aware that credit difficulties have made successful businesses go to the wall since last year and while we welcome An Taoiseach’s global message this week of Ireland ‘turning the corner’ with the launch of his €500 million ‘Innovation Fund Ireland’ in New York, Galway Chamber will continue to lobby strongly for our members in their particular areas of need. This meeting with Ministers O’Keefe and Calleary is part of that process.
Galway Chamber continues to be committed to make Galway a better business environment for our members and with this in mind we are supporting a range of activities that will allow our members to access extra help for their businesses. One of the ways in which we’re doing this is by facilitating projects under the Labour Market Activation Fund operated by the Department of Education and Skills.
For many businesses the ability to hire new employees to tackle a specific project or to deal with outstanding work is not a runner while financial pressures remain. The Begin Again programme being offered by ICBE, Irish Centre for Business Excellence, initiated by the Labour Market Activation Fund, allows employers to take on an experienced and qualified individual for work experience.
This experienced and qualified individual who has been made redundant (for at least 3 months) will undertake placement experience for 12 weeks at no additional cost to the business. The individual placed in the company retains all Social Welfare benefits while gaining valuable experience and furthering his/her networking activities. To ensure both the company and the individual maximise this opportunity both mentoring support and training will be provided. This would appear to be a win all round situation so if you’re a business owner or unemployed (for at least 3 months) and want to learn more about this programme contact Paula Crowley on 091-755736/paula@leapadvisors.ie.
The purpose of the meeting is for Ministers O’Keeffe and Calleary to hear at first hand the views and experiences of local businesses on access to bank lending. This full exchange of views aims to facilitate a greater understanding of the issue at both regional and national levels, giving an indication of how matters have changed since last year, when Minister O’Keeffe met with the group in the first instance.
Galway Chamber will be represented at the meeting by our President Paul Shelly with members of the Chamber Council in the SME sector, who will put the experiences and views of Chamber members to the Ministers and who will continue to press for easier access to credit for SMEs.
The Ministers must be made fully aware that credit difficulties have made successful businesses go to the wall since last year and while we welcome An Taoiseach’s global message this week of Ireland ‘turning the corner’ with the launch of his €500 million ‘Innovation Fund Ireland’ in New York, Galway Chamber will continue to lobby strongly for our members in their particular areas of need. This meeting with Ministers O’Keefe and Calleary is part of that process.
Galway Chamber continues to be committed to make Galway a better business environment for our members and with this in mind we are supporting a range of activities that will allow our members to access extra help for their businesses. One of the ways in which we’re doing this is by facilitating projects under the Labour Market Activation Fund operated by the Department of Education and Skills.
For many businesses the ability to hire new employees to tackle a specific project or to deal with outstanding work is not a runner while financial pressures remain. The Begin Again programme being offered by ICBE, Irish Centre for Business Excellence, initiated by the Labour Market Activation Fund, allows employers to take on an experienced and qualified individual for work experience.
This experienced and qualified individual who has been made redundant (for at least 3 months) will undertake placement experience for 12 weeks at no additional cost to the business. The individual placed in the company retains all Social Welfare benefits while gaining valuable experience and furthering his/her networking activities. To ensure both the company and the individual maximise this opportunity both mentoring support and training will be provided. This would appear to be a win all round situation so if you’re a business owner or unemployed (for at least 3 months) and want to learn more about this programme contact Paula Crowley on 091-755736/paula@leapadvisors.ie.
Galway Independent Column - July 7th 2010
Having written last week about the tentative economic growth being experienced in the country it is heartening to see that this week the country appears to be over the recession (that dreadful word) but facing lengthening dole queues. Therefore it would seem to be premature to welcome the end of the recession while greater unemployment looms.
That is why we have consistently lobbied Government on job creation and the culture that attracts jobs. This includes investment in our third and fourth level educational institutions which continues to prove so successful for Galway. We welcome unreservedly the news that Merit Medical has announced an expansion which will create 100 jobs over the next year. This is a boost to the local economy and again underpins Galway’s role as a hub in the life sciences sector. Each time we have the opportunity to welcome investment in Galway, the point is made that the availability of a highly trained, skilled workforce is key to attracting investment. Announcing the Merit Medical investment, CEO of the company referred to the ‘skill set of the existing Irish management team’ as a decision maker in Merit’s location choice.
Galway Chamber continues to provide relevant skills training for members and to this end has recently partnered with the Institute for Professional Selling (IPS) to offer IPS educational programmes to Chamber members. In any business sales are key and sales training has now more than ever become critical to business.
The Institute was launched in Jan 2010 by the then Minister for Education Batt O’ Keefe TD and since then it has formed strategic alliances with many of Irelands leading business organisations to promote the profession of sales.
IPS offers a suite of accredited sales qualifications aimed at each level within the sales profession from entry level to sales director with the qualifications designed to improve both people and process.
Each qualification has ECTS (European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System) credits attached which allows for the transfer of learning experiences between different institutions, greater student mobility and more flexible routes to degree and to further higher education levels.
The timing for this initiative is excellent. In order for Irish companies to regain competitiveness our sales force must have the skills to adapt and compete in changing economic circumstances.
The IPS Pathway to Professionalism in Selling consists of accredited academic programmes that allow salespeople, managers, trainers and coaches to match their career and their academic aspirations. The collaboration between academia and business in an independent structure will ensure that all of the programmes offered remain innovative, current and relevant while maintaining the rigour and balance of an internationally recognised quality assurance process.
Galway Chamber will send details of the Institute for Professional Selling’s courses to members and for more information on this or any other business matter, please contact us on 091 563536.
That is why we have consistently lobbied Government on job creation and the culture that attracts jobs. This includes investment in our third and fourth level educational institutions which continues to prove so successful for Galway. We welcome unreservedly the news that Merit Medical has announced an expansion which will create 100 jobs over the next year. This is a boost to the local economy and again underpins Galway’s role as a hub in the life sciences sector. Each time we have the opportunity to welcome investment in Galway, the point is made that the availability of a highly trained, skilled workforce is key to attracting investment. Announcing the Merit Medical investment, CEO of the company referred to the ‘skill set of the existing Irish management team’ as a decision maker in Merit’s location choice.
Galway Chamber continues to provide relevant skills training for members and to this end has recently partnered with the Institute for Professional Selling (IPS) to offer IPS educational programmes to Chamber members. In any business sales are key and sales training has now more than ever become critical to business.
The Institute was launched in Jan 2010 by the then Minister for Education Batt O’ Keefe TD and since then it has formed strategic alliances with many of Irelands leading business organisations to promote the profession of sales.
IPS offers a suite of accredited sales qualifications aimed at each level within the sales profession from entry level to sales director with the qualifications designed to improve both people and process.
Each qualification has ECTS (European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System) credits attached which allows for the transfer of learning experiences between different institutions, greater student mobility and more flexible routes to degree and to further higher education levels.
The timing for this initiative is excellent. In order for Irish companies to regain competitiveness our sales force must have the skills to adapt and compete in changing economic circumstances.
The IPS Pathway to Professionalism in Selling consists of accredited academic programmes that allow salespeople, managers, trainers and coaches to match their career and their academic aspirations. The collaboration between academia and business in an independent structure will ensure that all of the programmes offered remain innovative, current and relevant while maintaining the rigour and balance of an internationally recognised quality assurance process.
Galway Chamber will send details of the Institute for Professional Selling’s courses to members and for more information on this or any other business matter, please contact us on 091 563536.
Galway Independent Column - June 30th 2010
Just last week the government launched a new initiative to help employers create jobs. The Employer Job (PRSI) Incentive Scheme has been set up to help employers to create jobs and get people back to work.
Aimed at taking people who have been unemployed for six months or more off the Live Register, the scheme, according to the government, will save an employer in the region of €3,000 from the annual cost of employing an additional worker by exempting the employer from paying employers PRSI for 12 months from the date of approval of the full time position.
Launching the scheme An Taoiseach said that the measure is being deliberately targeted at those who have been unemployed for six months or more as the proportion of people who return to employment after a short period out of work remains relatively high but after 6 months on the Live Register there is a danger that people will drift into long-term unemployment. Therefore the scheme will only be available for new employees who have been unemployed for 6 months or more.
The scheme will be administered by the department of Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, and will be pertinent to any new job created in 2010 which employed a person who had been unemployed for 6 months or more. The government hopes that this initiative will create several thousand jobs.
Obviously, Galway Chamber welcomes any initiative that makes it easier for an employer to employ and any initiative that cuts employers costs but one wonders whether or not many employers are in a position to take on staff even with the exemption in PRSI.
Could the government come up with an initiative to safeguard existing jobs as well as creating new positions? Most employers are still struggling regardless of what the recent economic outlooks say. (Bloxham Stockbrokers Irish Quarterly Economic Outlook June 21 expects the economy to grow by 0.5% on a Gross Domestic Product basis) Now would be a good time, for example, to revisit local government funding and its reform. The double taxation, both unfair and inequitable, that is Commercial Rates, needs attention. It can no longer be used to balance the books for local authorities. Government needs to get its think tanks working on this before a winter of discontent sets in with businesses frankly being unable to pay their rates bill resulting in staff layoffs and ultimately closure. A closed business can’t take on staff, regardless of any PRSI exemptions.
For more information on the Employer PRSI Incentive Scheme see www.welfare.ie
Aimed at taking people who have been unemployed for six months or more off the Live Register, the scheme, according to the government, will save an employer in the region of €3,000 from the annual cost of employing an additional worker by exempting the employer from paying employers PRSI for 12 months from the date of approval of the full time position.
Launching the scheme An Taoiseach said that the measure is being deliberately targeted at those who have been unemployed for six months or more as the proportion of people who return to employment after a short period out of work remains relatively high but after 6 months on the Live Register there is a danger that people will drift into long-term unemployment. Therefore the scheme will only be available for new employees who have been unemployed for 6 months or more.
The scheme will be administered by the department of Minister for Social Protection, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, and will be pertinent to any new job created in 2010 which employed a person who had been unemployed for 6 months or more. The government hopes that this initiative will create several thousand jobs.
Obviously, Galway Chamber welcomes any initiative that makes it easier for an employer to employ and any initiative that cuts employers costs but one wonders whether or not many employers are in a position to take on staff even with the exemption in PRSI.
Could the government come up with an initiative to safeguard existing jobs as well as creating new positions? Most employers are still struggling regardless of what the recent economic outlooks say. (Bloxham Stockbrokers Irish Quarterly Economic Outlook June 21 expects the economy to grow by 0.5% on a Gross Domestic Product basis) Now would be a good time, for example, to revisit local government funding and its reform. The double taxation, both unfair and inequitable, that is Commercial Rates, needs attention. It can no longer be used to balance the books for local authorities. Government needs to get its think tanks working on this before a winter of discontent sets in with businesses frankly being unable to pay their rates bill resulting in staff layoffs and ultimately closure. A closed business can’t take on staff, regardless of any PRSI exemptions.
For more information on the Employer PRSI Incentive Scheme see www.welfare.ie
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Galway Independent Column - June 23rd 2010
It’s a tough time for traders at the moment. The summer season is key and for many businesses it’s a successful summer season that will keep them going during the lean months ahead. The season’s trade is vital to all of those employed in the retail and hospitality sectors in our city. Anything that affects trade adversely is a problem for our members.
Road closures are a problem. Loss of trade for one day is a major problem. Loss of trade for a week can be catastrophic. Traffic in Newtownsmith was one way for five days last week ‘To implement a trial contra-flow cycle lane as part of National Bike Week 2010. Traffic shall not be permitted to travel along Newtownsmith from Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green to St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge. However a cycle lane shall be provided in this direction. Vehicular traffic shall still be permitted to travel along Newtown Smith from the direction of St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge to Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green. Some on-street parking will be temporarily removed in order to provide this trial contra-flow cycle lane. (Galway City Council Public Notice)
An alternative route for traffic was via a signposted diversion route as follows: ‘Traffic approaching Newtown Smith from Abbeygate Street and Bowling Green will be required to access Newtown Smith by travelling along Mary Street and turning onto St. Francis Street. From St. Francis Street vehicles will be required to turn left onto St. Vincent's Avenue (at courthouse junction). From St. Vincent's Avenue, vehicles can access Newtown Smith’ (Galway City Council Public Notice)
What tourist or indeed local is going to brave those diversions if they don’t have to? What the above two paragraphs really say is ‘Avoid This Area’. What Galway Chamber says is ‘Traffic Experiments should not put jobs at risk’
Businesses in the area have said that this pilot scheme has caused serious problems for them. They believe that there wasn’t proper advance warning about the scheme and they feel that they weren’t consulted even though it is their businesses that were directly affected. The City Council did publish public notices on the scheme and did have the same notice on their website and they also say that a letter would have been sent to the particular businesses affected. However, we don’t always see a public notice on page whatever of a local newspaper, neither are most businesses in the habit of assiduously checking the City Council’s website for such information.
What business wants is communication from City Hall, real face to face communication on matters of such importance. It’s only fair to ratepayers (and let’s not forget here that €33 million was levied in commercial rates this year in Galway City) that any schemes, road closures, major road works, refurbishments, traffic diversions be communicated to them…in advance. If an initiative is going to result in any business losing revenue and as a result possibly ending in job losses, then advance consultation must be a given. It’s not too much to ask. Businesses similarly affected should contact Galway Chamber.
Road closures are a problem. Loss of trade for one day is a major problem. Loss of trade for a week can be catastrophic. Traffic in Newtownsmith was one way for five days last week ‘To implement a trial contra-flow cycle lane as part of National Bike Week 2010. Traffic shall not be permitted to travel along Newtownsmith from Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green to St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge. However a cycle lane shall be provided in this direction. Vehicular traffic shall still be permitted to travel along Newtown Smith from the direction of St. Vincents Avenue / Salmon Weir Bridge to Abbeygate Street / Bowling Green. Some on-street parking will be temporarily removed in order to provide this trial contra-flow cycle lane. (Galway City Council Public Notice)
An alternative route for traffic was via a signposted diversion route as follows: ‘Traffic approaching Newtown Smith from Abbeygate Street and Bowling Green will be required to access Newtown Smith by travelling along Mary Street and turning onto St. Francis Street. From St. Francis Street vehicles will be required to turn left onto St. Vincent's Avenue (at courthouse junction). From St. Vincent's Avenue, vehicles can access Newtown Smith’ (Galway City Council Public Notice)
What tourist or indeed local is going to brave those diversions if they don’t have to? What the above two paragraphs really say is ‘Avoid This Area’. What Galway Chamber says is ‘Traffic Experiments should not put jobs at risk’
Businesses in the area have said that this pilot scheme has caused serious problems for them. They believe that there wasn’t proper advance warning about the scheme and they feel that they weren’t consulted even though it is their businesses that were directly affected. The City Council did publish public notices on the scheme and did have the same notice on their website and they also say that a letter would have been sent to the particular businesses affected. However, we don’t always see a public notice on page whatever of a local newspaper, neither are most businesses in the habit of assiduously checking the City Council’s website for such information.
What business wants is communication from City Hall, real face to face communication on matters of such importance. It’s only fair to ratepayers (and let’s not forget here that €33 million was levied in commercial rates this year in Galway City) that any schemes, road closures, major road works, refurbishments, traffic diversions be communicated to them…in advance. If an initiative is going to result in any business losing revenue and as a result possibly ending in job losses, then advance consultation must be a given. It’s not too much to ask. Businesses similarly affected should contact Galway Chamber.
Galway Independent Column - June 16th 2010
When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping…
There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult time for the retail trade. Spending by the general public has been cautious of late with global recessionary worries filtering to local pockets. But as much as the retail sector is a barometer of the economy so also it is the life blood of our towns and cities. People come to town to shop and anything else is a bonus. It is not untrue to say that our hospitality sector depends on our retail sector and the health of one is directly affected by the other.
So, in order to keep a vibrant city economy we need to attract shoppers. We have a great product and must do everything in our power to bring people here in the first instance and make them want to return. On a recent radio programme presenter Lucy Kennedy, in a discussion about Grafton Street, said that her favourite shopping street is, in fact, Shop Street in Galway. This is the sort of thing we want to hear. With the new motorway Dublin is only a couple of hours away…We want Dublin people to come and shop here. We have flights from Dublin, Cork and Belfast into Galway airport, a stone’s throw from the city centre. We want them all to come here to shop.
This week the Galway City Business Association launched a shopping guide. It joins Galway Chamber’s Shop Galway website www.shopgalway.com, a free website listing business in Galway in all sectors where shops can advertise their special offers free. Using a password, retailers can change their offers and add and delete at will making it the most up to date shopping site available. These are some of the practical things that are being done to attract shoppers and make the experience of shopping in Galway the best it can possibly be.
And let’s not forget the search to find Galway’s Best, where Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County. Also supported by Fáilte Ireland, the awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. For details of the public voting process log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com
Having a great product is the best possible start but we still need to attract shoppers. We must be ambassadors for our product at all times. This week the Around Ireland 2010 Offshore Powerboat Race finished in Galway, last week the Latin Quarter salsaed to the Little Havana Festival, this week the Galway Sessions Festival 2010 brings a Scottish flavour to Galway with musicians and dancers from Stirling joining our own in gigs and a pub session trail… and we’re only a heartbeat away from the Arts Festival. All of these events are opportunities to showcase our shopping, to bring people into our city, to strengthen our retail sector and safeguard all of the jobs dependant on it.
There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult time for the retail trade. Spending by the general public has been cautious of late with global recessionary worries filtering to local pockets. But as much as the retail sector is a barometer of the economy so also it is the life blood of our towns and cities. People come to town to shop and anything else is a bonus. It is not untrue to say that our hospitality sector depends on our retail sector and the health of one is directly affected by the other.
So, in order to keep a vibrant city economy we need to attract shoppers. We have a great product and must do everything in our power to bring people here in the first instance and make them want to return. On a recent radio programme presenter Lucy Kennedy, in a discussion about Grafton Street, said that her favourite shopping street is, in fact, Shop Street in Galway. This is the sort of thing we want to hear. With the new motorway Dublin is only a couple of hours away…We want Dublin people to come and shop here. We have flights from Dublin, Cork and Belfast into Galway airport, a stone’s throw from the city centre. We want them all to come here to shop.
This week the Galway City Business Association launched a shopping guide. It joins Galway Chamber’s Shop Galway website www.shopgalway.com, a free website listing business in Galway in all sectors where shops can advertise their special offers free. Using a password, retailers can change their offers and add and delete at will making it the most up to date shopping site available. These are some of the practical things that are being done to attract shoppers and make the experience of shopping in Galway the best it can possibly be.
And let’s not forget the search to find Galway’s Best, where Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County. Also supported by Fáilte Ireland, the awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. For details of the public voting process log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com
Having a great product is the best possible start but we still need to attract shoppers. We must be ambassadors for our product at all times. This week the Around Ireland 2010 Offshore Powerboat Race finished in Galway, last week the Latin Quarter salsaed to the Little Havana Festival, this week the Galway Sessions Festival 2010 brings a Scottish flavour to Galway with musicians and dancers from Stirling joining our own in gigs and a pub session trail… and we’re only a heartbeat away from the Arts Festival. All of these events are opportunities to showcase our shopping, to bring people into our city, to strengthen our retail sector and safeguard all of the jobs dependant on it.
Galway Independent Column - June 9th 2010
Projects involving the word ‘Bypass’ on the NRA Website as at Bank Holiday weekend, June 2010 include the following: M1 Dundalk Western Bypass, N2 Ardee Bypass, N2 Ashbourne Bypass, N2 Carrickmacross Bypass, N2 Castleblayney Bypass, N2 Monaghan Town Bypass, N2 Slane Bypass, N3 Belturbet Bypass, N4 Edgeworthstown Bypass, N4 Sligo Inner Relief Road, N5 Ballaghaderreen Bypass, N5 Charlestown Bypass, N5 Longford Bypass, N6 Loughrea Bypass, N7 Limerick Southern Ring Road,
N7 Limerick Tunnel, N8 Mitchelstown Relief Road, N9/N10 Carlow Bypass, N11 Arklow Gorey Bypass, N11 Enniscorthy Bypass, N11 Rathnew / Ashford Bypass, N15 Ballybofey / Stranorlar Bypass, N15 Ballyshannon / Bundoran Bypass, N16 Manorhamilton Bypass, N17 Collooney to Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass to Knock Bypass, N18 Ennis Bypass, N21 Adare Bypass, N21 Castleisland Bypass, N22 Ballincollig Bypass, N22 Cork Northern Ring Road, N22 Tralee Bypass, N24 Carrick on Suir Bypass, N24 Clonmel / Cahir Bypass, N24 Clonmel Bypass, N24 Mooncoin Bypass, N25 Dungarvan Bypass, N25 Kinsalebeg to Youghal Bypass, N25 New Ross Bypass, N25 Waterford City Bypass, N51 Navan Inner Relief Road, N52 Ardee Bypass, N52 Mullingar Bypass, N52 Tullamore Bypass, N56 Letterkenny Relief Road, N59 Moycullen Bypass, N59 South Westport Relief Road, N61 Boyle Town Bypass, N61 Roscommon Town Bypass, N62 Horse and Jockey / Thurles Bypass, N62 Roscrea Bypass,
N62 Thurles Bypass, N69 Listowel Bypass, N81 Tallaght Bypass Extension, N83 Ballyhaunis Outer Distributor Road, N84 Ballinrobe Relief Road…
The above, non-exhaustive list, does not include all of the hundreds of villages and smaller towns that have been bypassed by the motorway construction of recent times. The towns in the above list have either been bypassed or are in the process of being bypassed. The aim of a bypass is to reduce accidents, remove long distance traffic from local roads and improve the local environment. A bypass aims to act as a lifeline to commercial and tourist activity and make the bypassed village, town or city a better place in which to shop, work and live. Think back the few short years to when all of the above had to be traversed on any journey, anywhere….Also on the above list is the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass.
While the legal issues regarding the GCOB are ongoing, the need for the bypass has not changed. The news this week that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal issues relating to the Bypass and its compliance with the EU Habitats Directive, should be referred to the European Court of Justice, is welcome in that it will bring finality and clarification to the issue.
We hope that there will be an early determination from Europe but we believe that while Europe is deliberating there is work to be done here. We would like to see agreement from all parties that preparatory works begin right away. It’s worrying to think that further delays will involve significantly increased costs.
Galway Chamber has publicly welcomed the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway and looks forward to increased business for Galway as a result. As part of our lobbying on all matters infrastructural, Galway Chamber lobbied on the M6 and as part of that process we also lobbied for the Galway City Outer Bypass which we see as integral to the M6 motorway.
It makes complete sense that the Galway City Outer Bypass be part of the M6. There is no logic in a motorway finishing on the outskirts of Galway with its traffic having to cross the city via the city centre regardless of its destination. This is as true for a visitor from Dublin going to Clifden as it is for someone living in Knocknacarra going to work in Parkmore. Galway Chamber will continue, with our lobbying partners, to meet with those involved in this process. Our position has always been that the Galway City Outer Bypass will take traffic out of the city that doesn’t need or want to be there, thus freeing space for those who wish to visit the city centre to shop and for leisure purposes, and for public transport.
As we have previously stated there is no conflict between public transport, bus lanes, cycle lanes, park and ride and the Galway City Outer Bypass. Funding for the GCOB will be through Public Private Partnership non-tolled, and will not have a detrimental effect on funding for any other transport initiatives in the city. It will in fact inject about €200 million plus in capital infrastructure into the area with all the attendant employment that such a large project brings.
N7 Limerick Tunnel, N8 Mitchelstown Relief Road, N9/N10 Carlow Bypass, N11 Arklow Gorey Bypass, N11 Enniscorthy Bypass, N11 Rathnew / Ashford Bypass, N15 Ballybofey / Stranorlar Bypass, N15 Ballyshannon / Bundoran Bypass, N16 Manorhamilton Bypass, N17 Collooney to Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass, N17 Tobercurry Bypass to Knock Bypass, N18 Ennis Bypass, N21 Adare Bypass, N21 Castleisland Bypass, N22 Ballincollig Bypass, N22 Cork Northern Ring Road, N22 Tralee Bypass, N24 Carrick on Suir Bypass, N24 Clonmel / Cahir Bypass, N24 Clonmel Bypass, N24 Mooncoin Bypass, N25 Dungarvan Bypass, N25 Kinsalebeg to Youghal Bypass, N25 New Ross Bypass, N25 Waterford City Bypass, N51 Navan Inner Relief Road, N52 Ardee Bypass, N52 Mullingar Bypass, N52 Tullamore Bypass, N56 Letterkenny Relief Road, N59 Moycullen Bypass, N59 South Westport Relief Road, N61 Boyle Town Bypass, N61 Roscommon Town Bypass, N62 Horse and Jockey / Thurles Bypass, N62 Roscrea Bypass,
N62 Thurles Bypass, N69 Listowel Bypass, N81 Tallaght Bypass Extension, N83 Ballyhaunis Outer Distributor Road, N84 Ballinrobe Relief Road…
The above, non-exhaustive list, does not include all of the hundreds of villages and smaller towns that have been bypassed by the motorway construction of recent times. The towns in the above list have either been bypassed or are in the process of being bypassed. The aim of a bypass is to reduce accidents, remove long distance traffic from local roads and improve the local environment. A bypass aims to act as a lifeline to commercial and tourist activity and make the bypassed village, town or city a better place in which to shop, work and live. Think back the few short years to when all of the above had to be traversed on any journey, anywhere….Also on the above list is the N6 Galway City Outer Bypass.
While the legal issues regarding the GCOB are ongoing, the need for the bypass has not changed. The news this week that the Supreme Court ruled that the legal issues relating to the Bypass and its compliance with the EU Habitats Directive, should be referred to the European Court of Justice, is welcome in that it will bring finality and clarification to the issue.
We hope that there will be an early determination from Europe but we believe that while Europe is deliberating there is work to be done here. We would like to see agreement from all parties that preparatory works begin right away. It’s worrying to think that further delays will involve significantly increased costs.
Galway Chamber has publicly welcomed the M6 Dublin-Galway motorway and looks forward to increased business for Galway as a result. As part of our lobbying on all matters infrastructural, Galway Chamber lobbied on the M6 and as part of that process we also lobbied for the Galway City Outer Bypass which we see as integral to the M6 motorway.
It makes complete sense that the Galway City Outer Bypass be part of the M6. There is no logic in a motorway finishing on the outskirts of Galway with its traffic having to cross the city via the city centre regardless of its destination. This is as true for a visitor from Dublin going to Clifden as it is for someone living in Knocknacarra going to work in Parkmore. Galway Chamber will continue, with our lobbying partners, to meet with those involved in this process. Our position has always been that the Galway City Outer Bypass will take traffic out of the city that doesn’t need or want to be there, thus freeing space for those who wish to visit the city centre to shop and for leisure purposes, and for public transport.
As we have previously stated there is no conflict between public transport, bus lanes, cycle lanes, park and ride and the Galway City Outer Bypass. Funding for the GCOB will be through Public Private Partnership non-tolled, and will not have a detrimental effect on funding for any other transport initiatives in the city. It will in fact inject about €200 million plus in capital infrastructure into the area with all the attendant employment that such a large project brings.
Galway Independent Column - June 2nd 2010
‘To interact or engage in informal communication with others for mutual assistance or support’ is one of the definitions of the verb ‘to network’. It’s an example of a word that has become part of our lexicon without us even realizing it. While we twitter, facebook, poke, defriend, friendsource, rescue call, we’re networking, albeit by computer, but there’s still a lot to be said for the old fashioned face to face networking, the non-digital form of social networking which began circa the mid-70s, the earliest use of the phrase social network dates to 1976.
Like all good things face to face networking has evolved and grown and the latest incarnation is Speed Networking (not to be confused with Speed Dating where you don’t end up trying to have a relationship with everyone in the room!) If anyone remembers that good old wedding favourite the Paul Jones, then that’s what speed networking is all about…an inner and outer circle of people facing each other in pairs, one circle moving on each time a bell rings. It’s basically a number of short, scheduled meetings with new business contacts. You chat about your business for a couple of minutes and that of the other person, making notes about that new contact before moving onto your next meeting.
Meetings are structured and scheduled so you have time to see as many people as possible. As networkers themselves would say… successful people get ahead in the time that other people waste. Essentially you have 5 minutes to work out if the person sitting opposite you is a potential new client, supplier or business partner for your future. The advantage of speed networking over traditional forms of networking is the high turnover and the guarantee that you will to meet lots of like-minded individuals in a session. It is also a good opportunity for you to distill your unique selling point into a short, sharp message suitable to impress in a brief encounter.
Galway Chamber is pleased to bring our members and guests the opportunity to Speed Network on Tuesday June 15th at the biggest Speed Networking Event of the year in Galway. The event will begin at 6 pm and conclude at 8.30 pm in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill. The evening will be professionally facilitated by Tricia Murphy known as The Networking Queen. We’re very pleased that Tricia will be joining us as part of a successful Speed Networking event is an experienced facilitator.
This is Galway Chamber’s first Speed Networking event and it follows our very successful Business After Hours monthly networking events. We started our BAHs in 2004 based on a US model where Chamber members had the opportunity to host a networking event in their own premises for fellow Chamber members and guests. From our first BAH in Baron’s Self Storage in March 2004 to our most recent BAH on board the Corrib Princess with hosts Go West Event Management last week, the formula has proved successful. Our next BAH will be in the premises of RDJ Glynn Solicitors, Aengus House, Long Walk on Wednesday 23rd of June at 6 p.m.
For both the Speed Networking and Business After Hours please register with Elaine Murphy [emurphy@galwaychamber.com]. Fees for the Speed Networking event are €20 for members and €25 for non-members to include refreshments.
Like all good things face to face networking has evolved and grown and the latest incarnation is Speed Networking (not to be confused with Speed Dating where you don’t end up trying to have a relationship with everyone in the room!) If anyone remembers that good old wedding favourite the Paul Jones, then that’s what speed networking is all about…an inner and outer circle of people facing each other in pairs, one circle moving on each time a bell rings. It’s basically a number of short, scheduled meetings with new business contacts. You chat about your business for a couple of minutes and that of the other person, making notes about that new contact before moving onto your next meeting.
Meetings are structured and scheduled so you have time to see as many people as possible. As networkers themselves would say… successful people get ahead in the time that other people waste. Essentially you have 5 minutes to work out if the person sitting opposite you is a potential new client, supplier or business partner for your future. The advantage of speed networking over traditional forms of networking is the high turnover and the guarantee that you will to meet lots of like-minded individuals in a session. It is also a good opportunity for you to distill your unique selling point into a short, sharp message suitable to impress in a brief encounter.
Galway Chamber is pleased to bring our members and guests the opportunity to Speed Network on Tuesday June 15th at the biggest Speed Networking Event of the year in Galway. The event will begin at 6 pm and conclude at 8.30 pm in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill. The evening will be professionally facilitated by Tricia Murphy known as The Networking Queen. We’re very pleased that Tricia will be joining us as part of a successful Speed Networking event is an experienced facilitator.
This is Galway Chamber’s first Speed Networking event and it follows our very successful Business After Hours monthly networking events. We started our BAHs in 2004 based on a US model where Chamber members had the opportunity to host a networking event in their own premises for fellow Chamber members and guests. From our first BAH in Baron’s Self Storage in March 2004 to our most recent BAH on board the Corrib Princess with hosts Go West Event Management last week, the formula has proved successful. Our next BAH will be in the premises of RDJ Glynn Solicitors, Aengus House, Long Walk on Wednesday 23rd of June at 6 p.m.
For both the Speed Networking and Business After Hours please register with Elaine Murphy [emurphy@galwaychamber.com]. Fees for the Speed Networking event are €20 for members and €25 for non-members to include refreshments.
Galway Independent Column - May 26th 2010
25 degrees and sunny…over the weekend we thought we were, well, somewhere else where there are cloudless blue skies and the outlook is always sunny. Beaches were busy, shops were running out of ice cream and there was a definite summer feeling from the smell of the barbecues to the glow of the sun worshippers who will never learn that it’s not ok to go out in the sun without protection.
As the now famous Baz Luhrmann monologue has it ‘If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience’.
Experience, however meandering, is one of the most valuable tools in our arsenal in these difficult times and when a group like Retail Ireland publish a survey on the retail sector we must take notice. Galway Chamber as advertised over the last few weeks is this week offering classes and seminars free to the public on matters of importance to all SMEs which includes the retail sector.
Among its findings the Retail Ireland survey results said that jobs are under threat and that landlords who have continued to reap unsustainably high rents have to cut rental costs without delay as the sector struggles. As a result of the survey they called on commercial landlords to reverse rent hikes in keeping with price reductions on the High Street, housing and day to day bills.
Rent coupled with Commercial Rates is crippling the retail sector and needs to be addressed before we lose our indigenous business on the High Street altogether. When you add the issue of access to credit into the mix, it’s obvious that something has to give, and sooner rather than later. The retail sector, and particularly its small family businesses, need to be encouraged to prosper and create employment, not encounter the brick walls of local taxation, difficult credit and impossibly high, upward only rents at every turn.
As part of SME week the Bank of Ireland will hold a seminar tomorrow evening, Thursday May 27th in the Ardilaun Hotel from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm entitled ‘Managing your Business through Recession’ covering such topics as cash flow management, enterprise building and business diagnostics. As with all of the other events during SME week it is free to the public.
The weather forecast for the rest of the week isn’t as hot as last weekend but the sunscreen advice stands as does the advice provide free to the public during the week by Dr. Aidan Daly; Enterprise Ireland and WESTBIC; Vodafone, Bank of Ireland and Sheehan & Co. Solicitors.
As the now famous Baz Luhrmann monologue has it ‘If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience’.
Experience, however meandering, is one of the most valuable tools in our arsenal in these difficult times and when a group like Retail Ireland publish a survey on the retail sector we must take notice. Galway Chamber as advertised over the last few weeks is this week offering classes and seminars free to the public on matters of importance to all SMEs which includes the retail sector.
Among its findings the Retail Ireland survey results said that jobs are under threat and that landlords who have continued to reap unsustainably high rents have to cut rental costs without delay as the sector struggles. As a result of the survey they called on commercial landlords to reverse rent hikes in keeping with price reductions on the High Street, housing and day to day bills.
Rent coupled with Commercial Rates is crippling the retail sector and needs to be addressed before we lose our indigenous business on the High Street altogether. When you add the issue of access to credit into the mix, it’s obvious that something has to give, and sooner rather than later. The retail sector, and particularly its small family businesses, need to be encouraged to prosper and create employment, not encounter the brick walls of local taxation, difficult credit and impossibly high, upward only rents at every turn.
As part of SME week the Bank of Ireland will hold a seminar tomorrow evening, Thursday May 27th in the Ardilaun Hotel from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm entitled ‘Managing your Business through Recession’ covering such topics as cash flow management, enterprise building and business diagnostics. As with all of the other events during SME week it is free to the public.
The weather forecast for the rest of the week isn’t as hot as last weekend but the sunscreen advice stands as does the advice provide free to the public during the week by Dr. Aidan Daly; Enterprise Ireland and WESTBIC; Vodafone, Bank of Ireland and Sheehan & Co. Solicitors.
Galway Independent Column - May 19th 2010
At a time when business is under unprecedented pressure our minds must turn to ways in which business can actually save money. One of these ways is to lessen or eliminate crimes against business. These crimes include shoplifting, vandalism, thefts, fraud, anti social behaviour or any of the other crimes that either cost business in terms of time or revenue.
Galway Business Watch is a crime prevention programme designed by the Gardaí and is based on the same principals as the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. On Monday a Galway Business Watch forum was held in the offices of Galway Chamber on Merchant’s Road where the business community met with members of the Gardai to discuss ways in which we can join together and be instrumental in preventing crime in our own community.
This can be done through awareness, observation and commitment to action, people at work can become extra 'eyes and ears' of the Gardaí and act as a 'watchman' to their own and their neighbour’s premises, in the prevention of crime. Business Watch is based on a series of ‘Street Coordinators’ who take on a liaison role with Gardai on behalf of all the businesses on their particular street. This has proven in the past to work really well and acts as an important link between Gardai and businesses.
The Gardaí themselves play a significant role in terms of specialist crime prevention advice through liaison with the Business Watch Committee to address crime and crime related issues for business. Galway Business Watch is one tangible way that business can take ownership of their own protection from shoplifters, anti-social behaviour etc. This benefits all of us as well as visitors and tourists to our city in the coming months and thereafter.
This week also saw a meeting of the Galway City Joint Policing Committee which has been set up in each local authority administrative area as part of the local government structures. The purpose of these committees is to provide a forum where a local authority and the senior Garda officers responsible for the policing of that area, with the participation of Oireachtas members and community interests, can consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area. Piloted in 2006 the Committees were put in train in 2008.
Both Galway Business Watch and the Galway City Joint Policing Committee are based on consultation with the Gardaí and the relevant local organisations. Inclusion and consultation on pertinent, relevant issues are at their core. We hope that Galway Business Watch will be supported by the local business community who will seize the opportunity to have their voices heard on matters of importance with regard to their special issues of concern. People often say that there’s a lack of consultation on matters concerning business, this is an opportunity to debunk that perception, to get involved and to make a difference.
Galway Business Watch is a crime prevention programme designed by the Gardaí and is based on the same principals as the Neighbourhood Watch scheme. On Monday a Galway Business Watch forum was held in the offices of Galway Chamber on Merchant’s Road where the business community met with members of the Gardai to discuss ways in which we can join together and be instrumental in preventing crime in our own community.
This can be done through awareness, observation and commitment to action, people at work can become extra 'eyes and ears' of the Gardaí and act as a 'watchman' to their own and their neighbour’s premises, in the prevention of crime. Business Watch is based on a series of ‘Street Coordinators’ who take on a liaison role with Gardai on behalf of all the businesses on their particular street. This has proven in the past to work really well and acts as an important link between Gardai and businesses.
The Gardaí themselves play a significant role in terms of specialist crime prevention advice through liaison with the Business Watch Committee to address crime and crime related issues for business. Galway Business Watch is one tangible way that business can take ownership of their own protection from shoplifters, anti-social behaviour etc. This benefits all of us as well as visitors and tourists to our city in the coming months and thereafter.
This week also saw a meeting of the Galway City Joint Policing Committee which has been set up in each local authority administrative area as part of the local government structures. The purpose of these committees is to provide a forum where a local authority and the senior Garda officers responsible for the policing of that area, with the participation of Oireachtas members and community interests, can consult, discuss and make recommendations on matters affecting the policing of the area. Piloted in 2006 the Committees were put in train in 2008.
Both Galway Business Watch and the Galway City Joint Policing Committee are based on consultation with the Gardaí and the relevant local organisations. Inclusion and consultation on pertinent, relevant issues are at their core. We hope that Galway Business Watch will be supported by the local business community who will seize the opportunity to have their voices heard on matters of importance with regard to their special issues of concern. People often say that there’s a lack of consultation on matters concerning business, this is an opportunity to debunk that perception, to get involved and to make a difference.
Galway Independent Column - May 12th 2010
It’s that time of year again, the tourist season is upon us and we hope its going to be a good one. Like in the old days when we whitewashed before the Stations, businesses in the city are getting spruced up and the flower boxes are beginning to bloom. The retail sector in particular is getting ready for its busiest time of the year. It’s a time to think about the Galway experience for visitors and Galwegians alike. What makes the visitors return and the Galwegians stay loyal?
Customer service is one reason. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. To make a business profitable, customers must come back. Good customer service is about sending customers away happy and then bringing them back. Satisfied customers tell others. In the retail circle the customer is at the centre. With this in mind and as part of Galway Chamber’s ongoing efforts to offer business enhancing events to members and their guests we are running a full programme of events for SME (small and medium enterprises) week this year from May 24 to 28.
As part of SME week on Monday May 24th from 8.30 am to 10.30 am in the Chamber offices we are hosting a Customer Service Seminar. This event, free to attend, will feature Dr. Aidan Daly of NUIG, an authority on Customer Service whose background in business before joining the Marketing Department in NUIG in 1982 places him in an ideal position to share his ‘Five Step Approach to Managing Consistent Customer Service’ with attendees. This event will also feature Galway Chamber’s three female ambassadors, Judy Greene of Judy Greene Pottery; Liz Cassidy of Irish Time Design and Audrey Kinahan of University Pharmacy who will share their experiences related to customer service. This is an ideal opportunity for all businesses dealing with the public especially in the retail sector to add value to their customer service offering before the summer season. Contact Elaine on 091 563536 to reserve a place.
And still speaking of retail, GMIT offer a Bachelor of Business Degree in Retail and Customer Service Management which is a particularly relevant and innovative idea. The course aims to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for a management career in a retail organisation and subjects include everything from customer care to management and finance to communications and marketing and everything in between. The interesting part of this degree course is that there is a full module of work placement for three months in the retail industry during semester 5 of the degree programme. This is a really good example of an academic institution educating for the real world. For further details contact Cáit Noone at the School of Hotel and Catering Studies at GMIT.
And finally, on the subject of Customer Service, if your business fits any of the categories in Galway’s Best Awards, why not enter the awards. Launched by the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, Galway’s Best Awards 2010 aim to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group. The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm.
Customer service is one reason. Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. To make a business profitable, customers must come back. Good customer service is about sending customers away happy and then bringing them back. Satisfied customers tell others. In the retail circle the customer is at the centre. With this in mind and as part of Galway Chamber’s ongoing efforts to offer business enhancing events to members and their guests we are running a full programme of events for SME (small and medium enterprises) week this year from May 24 to 28.
As part of SME week on Monday May 24th from 8.30 am to 10.30 am in the Chamber offices we are hosting a Customer Service Seminar. This event, free to attend, will feature Dr. Aidan Daly of NUIG, an authority on Customer Service whose background in business before joining the Marketing Department in NUIG in 1982 places him in an ideal position to share his ‘Five Step Approach to Managing Consistent Customer Service’ with attendees. This event will also feature Galway Chamber’s three female ambassadors, Judy Greene of Judy Greene Pottery; Liz Cassidy of Irish Time Design and Audrey Kinahan of University Pharmacy who will share their experiences related to customer service. This is an ideal opportunity for all businesses dealing with the public especially in the retail sector to add value to their customer service offering before the summer season. Contact Elaine on 091 563536 to reserve a place.
And still speaking of retail, GMIT offer a Bachelor of Business Degree in Retail and Customer Service Management which is a particularly relevant and innovative idea. The course aims to provide learners with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for a management career in a retail organisation and subjects include everything from customer care to management and finance to communications and marketing and everything in between. The interesting part of this degree course is that there is a full module of work placement for three months in the retail industry during semester 5 of the degree programme. This is a really good example of an academic institution educating for the real world. For further details contact Cáit Noone at the School of Hotel and Catering Studies at GMIT.
And finally, on the subject of Customer Service, if your business fits any of the categories in Galway’s Best Awards, why not enter the awards. Launched by the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, Galway’s Best Awards 2010 aim to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group. The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm.
Galway Independent Column - May 5th 2010
In Galway Chamber’s Pre-Budget Submission to Government prior to the last Budget, we stated that Government needs to reform its system of funding for Local Government. There are many reasons for this, not just the decline in construction activity and its effect on revenues derived by local authorities from development contributions.
We proposed some specific measures including a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government, Rates increases must be reduced or at the very least capped at current levels. Commercial Rates, as a tax on business, are a tax on job creation and entrepreneurship.
There must be value for taxes paid at a local level (€32 million to be levied in rates in Galway City in 2010), for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid and inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized.
One of our proposals in the document was to cut the Local Authority paybill through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration ie both City and County Councils using the same back office function. This occurs every day in the private sector as business struggle to survive.
This has come to the fore again recently where the Galway City Manager recently referred to the problem of Rates collection as being paramount to the difficulties the City Council is experiencing in balancing its books. As a business organisation, whose members are struggling to pay rates (particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors), an extra tax on the business community for which many people feel they get nothing in return, Galway Chamber would again encourage the City Council to examine the possibility of amalgamating certain functions with the County Council. Costs as well as revenues must be examined as arguably, the City Council has more control over costs. This would appear to be worthy of consideration before threatening legal action.
This idea is currently getting a lot of airplay in Limerick where the Boundary Commission Report instigated by Minister Gormley has generated responses such as ‘not an inch’ from at least one local elected representative on its proposal to extend the Limerick City boundary into Clare.
An Taisce in Limerick has gone so far as to propose a regional authority or a region with a unified authority involving Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Councils. This view of amalgamation to promote cost saving is not the preserve of local government…this week there appears to be emerging consensus in ongoing discussions on the future of the Irish Catholic Church that there are too many dioceses with four archbishops and 25 bishops. It appears that the diocesan structures in Ireland were established in 1111 and if that tradition is being examined then perhaps Local Government should be too.
We proposed some specific measures including a more broadly based sectorally inclusive system of funding for Local Government, Rates increases must be reduced or at the very least capped at current levels. Commercial Rates, as a tax on business, are a tax on job creation and entrepreneurship.
There must be value for taxes paid at a local level (€32 million to be levied in rates in Galway City in 2010), for example, a direct tax credit against actual rates paid and inequity in location must be addressed in terms of Commercial Rates where centres of critical mass are being penalized.
One of our proposals in the document was to cut the Local Authority paybill through a ‘back office’ rationalisation plan for activities such as HR, IT and Finance Administration ie both City and County Councils using the same back office function. This occurs every day in the private sector as business struggle to survive.
This has come to the fore again recently where the Galway City Manager recently referred to the problem of Rates collection as being paramount to the difficulties the City Council is experiencing in balancing its books. As a business organisation, whose members are struggling to pay rates (particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors), an extra tax on the business community for which many people feel they get nothing in return, Galway Chamber would again encourage the City Council to examine the possibility of amalgamating certain functions with the County Council. Costs as well as revenues must be examined as arguably, the City Council has more control over costs. This would appear to be worthy of consideration before threatening legal action.
This idea is currently getting a lot of airplay in Limerick where the Boundary Commission Report instigated by Minister Gormley has generated responses such as ‘not an inch’ from at least one local elected representative on its proposal to extend the Limerick City boundary into Clare.
An Taisce in Limerick has gone so far as to propose a regional authority or a region with a unified authority involving Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary County Councils. This view of amalgamation to promote cost saving is not the preserve of local government…this week there appears to be emerging consensus in ongoing discussions on the future of the Irish Catholic Church that there are too many dioceses with four archbishops and 25 bishops. It appears that the diocesan structures in Ireland were established in 1111 and if that tradition is being examined then perhaps Local Government should be too.
Welcome the Green Shoots
It was a pleasure to attend Thermo King’s celebrations last week A tour of the plant was followed by a mini-expo featuring energy efficient products and services from the facility and other local companies. The award winning Thermo King Galway site, at the leading edge of environmentally friendly design and manufacture of transport refrigeration equipment, has been part of the Galway business community since 1976.
As part of the Galway celebration, Transitions Optical was presented with the Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award in honor of its demonstrated commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The plant in Tuam recently completed upgrades to its buildings that are generating €144,000 in annual energy savings and reduced the energy required to produce each lens by 50 percent.
The new Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand (CEES) was also announced by the company. Thermo King are former winners of the Galway Chamber Business Awards Environmental Category in 2005 and 2009.
Tim Folan, Environmental Officer at the Mervue Plant does incredible work with his team and the buy in to the environmental programme at the plant is palpable. Also very good news for Thermo King is that the 450 workers in Mervue are back to a five day week having been working a three day week since January 2009.
These good signs, now universally known as ‘green shoots’ have made a welcome appearance in Galway recently. It’s great to hear that Cisco have now increased their workforce to 140 employees while Avaya have advertised in the local press for 73 people. This is all positive and we welcome it. We also welcome next weekend’s International Association of Language Centres (IALC) Conference and Workshop which, as the biggest EFL conference to be held in Ireland, will bring 200 visitors to Galway and will generate over €400,000 for the local economy. We wish Celestine Rowland and David Niland of the Galway Cultural Institute and the Galway Business School every success with the event. Our conference business not only creates revenue for Galway but it showcases our city both nationally and internationally.
More good stories…Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the recently launched Galway’s Best Awards. Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, has launched Galway’s Best Awards 2010 in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and the Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group.
The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm. To enter your business or for more information, log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com.
As part of the Galway celebration, Transitions Optical was presented with the Trane Energy Efficiency Leader Award in honor of its demonstrated commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. The plant in Tuam recently completed upgrades to its buildings that are generating €144,000 in annual energy savings and reduced the energy required to produce each lens by 50 percent.
The new Center for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability at Ingersoll Rand (CEES) was also announced by the company. Thermo King are former winners of the Galway Chamber Business Awards Environmental Category in 2005 and 2009.
Tim Folan, Environmental Officer at the Mervue Plant does incredible work with his team and the buy in to the environmental programme at the plant is palpable. Also very good news for Thermo King is that the 450 workers in Mervue are back to a five day week having been working a three day week since January 2009.
These good signs, now universally known as ‘green shoots’ have made a welcome appearance in Galway recently. It’s great to hear that Cisco have now increased their workforce to 140 employees while Avaya have advertised in the local press for 73 people. This is all positive and we welcome it. We also welcome next weekend’s International Association of Language Centres (IALC) Conference and Workshop which, as the biggest EFL conference to be held in Ireland, will bring 200 visitors to Galway and will generate over €400,000 for the local economy. We wish Celestine Rowland and David Niland of the Galway Cultural Institute and the Galway Business School every success with the event. Our conference business not only creates revenue for Galway but it showcases our city both nationally and internationally.
More good stories…Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the recently launched Galway’s Best Awards. Central Park Group, in association with Heineken, has launched Galway’s Best Awards 2010 in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County.
The initiative is supported by Fáilte Ireland and the Galway Chamber. The awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. Businesses that fall under any of the named categories are invited to log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com and enter their business; which then will be put to a public vote over the summer period in order to find the ‘best’ in each group.
The closing date for entries is Monday 24th May at 5pm. To enter your business or for more information, log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wildly modern, iconic, beautiful…
A recent visit to Dublin included a visit to the new Grand Canal Square and Theatre. This new district was beautiful, elegant, functional and a jewel in Dublin’s crown. It’s a stones throw away from the also new, and opening in September, National Convention Centre accessed by the Samuel Beckett Bridge opened a year ago. These wildly modern, iconic, large scale developments sit well with their more established neighbours along the quays and into the docklands and outline a progressive, open vision of a confident city.
With plans on the table for development in Galway of both Ceannt Station and our own docklands what sort of vision do we want for Galway? Do we want to raise the bar with modern, iconic statement co-existing with our city’s built heritage or do we want to play it safe…Most of us don’t get the opportunity to shape our city’s future, or at least we think we don’t. However, there are certain opportunities for the public to have input and to make our views known.
The Draft City Development Plan 2011 – 2017 has been on public display since early February. Submissions may be made until next Wednesday. The City Development Plan is an important document which will affect our city for the next six years. It will affect us in areas such as zoning, amenities, renewal and development, water, sewage, waste, accommodation services and other services to the community. Its basically a blueprint for the planning and development of Galway city for the next six years. You can read the Draft by logging onto the Galway City Council website on www.galwaycity.ie
Submissions or observations may be made to the Draft City Development Plan in writing up to Wednesday 21st of April at 16.00 hours. These submissions may be made to the Senior Planner, Planning Department, City Hall or by email to the same closing date and time to devplan@galwaycity.ie All submissions should be marked Draft Galway City Development Plan and should state the name of the person making the submission and where relevant the organisation or body represented.
With plans on the table for development in Galway of both Ceannt Station and our own docklands what sort of vision do we want for Galway? Do we want to raise the bar with modern, iconic statement co-existing with our city’s built heritage or do we want to play it safe…Most of us don’t get the opportunity to shape our city’s future, or at least we think we don’t. However, there are certain opportunities for the public to have input and to make our views known.
The Draft City Development Plan 2011 – 2017 has been on public display since early February. Submissions may be made until next Wednesday. The City Development Plan is an important document which will affect our city for the next six years. It will affect us in areas such as zoning, amenities, renewal and development, water, sewage, waste, accommodation services and other services to the community. Its basically a blueprint for the planning and development of Galway city for the next six years. You can read the Draft by logging onto the Galway City Council website on www.galwaycity.ie
Submissions or observations may be made to the Draft City Development Plan in writing up to Wednesday 21st of April at 16.00 hours. These submissions may be made to the Senior Planner, Planning Department, City Hall or by email to the same closing date and time to devplan@galwaycity.ie All submissions should be marked Draft Galway City Development Plan and should state the name of the person making the submission and where relevant the organisation or body represented.
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