Limerick venture to bring corn sileage system to China
DuPont business Pioneer, through its joint venture partner Dunhuang Seed Pioneer Hi-Bred and Limerick-based Samco Agricultural Manufacturing, is to bring a cutting-edge corn sileage system to China. The environmentally-friendly technology will help to bring improved productivity to China’s northern corn growing areas and rapidly expanding dairy industry. Pairing Samco technology with Pioneer hybrids means farmers may be able to plant up to three weeks earlier each spring. The system may also provide the flexibility to harvest earlier in the autumn. The announcement was made during this week’s trade mission to China led by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD. “Pioneer has a proven track record of…
Read MoreImmigrant entrepreneurs good for Irish exports
Ireland’s immigrants and expats offer a viable means of expanding merchandise and service exports from the SME sector, which usually underperforms big business in international trade, a seminar heard today. This was a view put across by Professor Ivan Light, an international expert on migration and enterprise, who believes Ireland is uniquely placed to benefit from migrant entrepreneurship. The seminar, co-hosted by the Immigrant Council of Ireland, focused on the economic contribution made by migrant entrepreneurs; the level of entrepreneurship amongst Ireland’s migrant communities; and the job creation impact of enterprises founded by migrants. A professor of sociology at the University of California, Professor Light has researched and written extensively…
Read MoreLeo Cullen, Non-Executive Director
Appointment Date: 13.04.2012 Company: SIFE Ireland Business Type: Not-For-Profit Position: Non-Executive Director Leo Cullen has been appointed a non-executive director of SIFE Ireland (Students in Free Enterprise). The Irish international and Leinster Rugby captain started his professional career with Leinster, winning the Celtic League, before moving to Leicester to win the EDF Energy Cup and the Guinness Premiership. He rejoined Leinster to win the Magners League in 2008, before captaining the side to the Heineken Cup in 2009 and 2011. Cullen became the 100th man to captain Ireland in a full test match when he led the team out against Scotland in August 2011. Cullen is a graduate of University…
Read MoreScholarship in Waterford named after Ernest Walton
Scholarship in Waterford named after Ernst Walton A new scholarship scheme in Waterford has been named after Ernest Walton, who was the first to split the atom along with John Cockcroft and Ireland’s only Nobel laureate in science. The new bursaries will recognise high achievement for students who are from disadvantaged families and attending DEIS schools. A park in the town of Dungarvan is already named after Walton whose discovery with Cockcroft gave rise to a whole new generation of research in physics. It was of paramount importance because it validated many scientific theories within the realm of relativity theory and quantum mechanics, provided proof for Einstein’s mass-energy equation and…
Read MoreUK SMEs shifting to VoIP telephony to save money
Seven out of ten SMEs in the UK will be using VoIP (Voice over Internet protocol) telephony services by 2013, according to a new survey by Internet telephony provider Telappliant. VoIP is technology that allows telephone calls to be made over computer networks. The study, which questioned 100 UK businesses from a variety of industries, showed that 41pc of UK companies are already actively using VoIP telephony to improve efficiencies within their business, while a further 25pc have plans to review and implement VoIP within the next 12 months. The data also indicated that businesses with a head count of 100-500 people are embracing the technology faster than smaller businesses.…
Read MoreLinkedIn launches tools to help brands engage with followers
LinkedIn Introduces New Tools for Brand-Follower Connections LinkedIn launches tools to help brands engage with followers LinkedIn has announced the launch of two new tools to help brands connect with followers. The company said a select group of partners have signed up to use these tools initially, including AT&T;, Dell and Microsoft globally, and Philips in Europe. Targeted Updates for Enhanced Engagement The business networking site said that LinkedIn targeted updates and a follower statistics tab will give this initial group of marketers access to “the most robust targeting and analytics capabilities for their campaign initiatives on the platform from their LinkedIn Company Pages”. Robust Analytics for Campaign Initiatives It…
Read MoreDavid Dobbyn, EMEA Regional Counsel
Appointment Date: 10.04.2012 Company: Xilinx Business Type: Semiconductor Components Position: EMEA Regional Counsel Xilinx has appointed David Dobbyn as EMEA regional counsel. Dobbyn’s responsibilities cover the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions from Dublin where he will advise on a range of legal and corporate matters including commercial and contractual arrangements, M&A, regulatory compliance and corporate governance. He formerly worked for A&L Goodbody specialising in corporate law and supporting a wide base of international and Irish clients. He graduated with a BCL (European) law degree from University College Dublin.
Read MoreStrong interest from emerging firms in Entrepreneurial Business Awards
The organizers of the Entrepreneurial Business Awards (EBA) have reported substantial interest in this year’s competition, with more than 1,300 applications from around the country, with 26pc of these being in the emerging new business category, which was open to businesses in operation for two years or less. The EBA website , meanwhile, received almost 100,000 hits in the three months leading up to the application closing date on 18 February. “The huge interest that has been shown demonstrates the need for these awards,” said John Kelly, chairman of the EBAs. “It is encouraging to see such high numbers for the Emerging New Business Award and illustrates the entrepreneurial spirit and willingness…
Read MoreDigital struggle for ad agencies
Ad agencies are struggling to develop their capabilities to match the requirements of an increasingly digital world, according to the Chief Marketing Officer Council. The majority of traditional advertising agencies are not meeting the challenges of the digital age, according to a new report from the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, which reveals that just 9pc of senior marketers believe agencies are doing a good job of evolving and expanding their service capabilities. The ‘More Gain, Less Strain’ study, which is based on a survey of more than 250 senior marketers around the world, as well as in-depth interviews with over 20 leading brand advertisers, claims that the marketing shift…
Read MoreBrian Hayes highlights role of State contracts for SMEs
Procurement Minister, Brian Hayes, yesterday highlighted the importance of public sector contracts for small and medium sized enterprises in Ireland. The Minister, who together with Taoiseach, Enda Kenny met with 12 Irish SMEs that have won substantial State contracts, noted that the Government spends around €14bn a year on goods and services. “Too often the perception is that SMEs don’t win public sector procurement contracts,” said Minister Hayes. “The businesses that met with An Taoiseach today demonstrate that small and medium sized companies regularly win. “The Programme for Government has identified public procurement as a key driver in supporting SMEs,” he said. “Irish companies can succeed at the highest levels…
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