Latest News and events at cisc

Dr. Patrick Collins of Whitaker Institute and Dr. Frances Fahy of the School of Geography have published an article examining the importance of culture and the arts to Galway City’s economic and social development ahead of the national day of action on the importance of the Arts to Ireland’s economic recovery on Friday 17th September 2010.

The publication entitled - Culture and creativity: A case study from the West of Ireland was published this week in the international journal Cities. In the article, the authors review cultural policy in Ireland and focus on the production of culture, and gauge its assimilation into the economic life of Galway City by looking at various facets of the city’s economic structure.

To read the full press release, pleas click HERE.

Dr. Patrick Collins of Whitaker Institute has been commissioned by the Western Development Commission (WDC) to conduct an economic impact assessment of the creative economy in the West of Ireland. This builds on previous work carried out by both institutions including last year’s co-hosted seminar: Creative Industries, Innovation and the Smart Economy held at NUI, Galway (see below for details of this event). The seminar was held in response to the ' Creative West' document, published by the WDC, which identified a sector comprising of nearly 5,000 separate industries and employing 11,000 people directly. It was recognised as a dynamic sector that is integral for future national development in line with the government’s smart economy strategy.

The goal of the Economic Impact Assessment is to outline the future growth of the sector; to identify potential pitfalls and highlight areas of opportunity. This will be done by addressing the Tier 1 recommendations of the ' Creative West' Report; namely gauging export potential and identifying and promoting networks of best practice. For further information, please contact:

Patrick Collins
Centre for Innovation & Structural Change
NUI Galway
Phone: 091 493326
Email: P.Collinsnuigalway.ie
  

Whitaker Institute was delighted to launch the Lucerna Project Report on Capabilities and Competitiveness as part of a one-day Symposium with contributions from industry, policy-makers and academics. The Symposium included a Keynote Address by Professor Michael Best of the University of Massachusetts and the University of Cambridge, who was the Senior Advisor on the Lucerna project. The report is based on a new industry database developed over three years at the Centre for Innovation and Structural Change, NUI Galway.

Click HERE to learn more about this event.

Click HERE to read the full Press Release.

Click HERE to watch the Keynote Address and to download a copy of the LUCERNA Report.

Whitaker Institute and the Marketing Discipline at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics welcomed some of the leading experts in social marketing to the 2nd Annual Social Marketing Conference on 4th June 2010. Over 100 delegates attended this interactive conference, which built on the success of last year's inaugural event.

Click HERE to learn more about this event.

Click HERE to read the full Press Release.

Researchers at Kogod's Center for Information Technology and the Global Economy (CITGE) hosted visitors from five embassies, various U.S. government agencies, and private corporations to discuss CITGE's research on the use of Web 2.0 tools by government agencies. Murray Scott of Whitaker Institute and BIS collaborated with Kogod Professor and CITGE Executive Director William DeLone on the research. The pair surveyed over 300 users of U.S. government websites to see if and how e-Government is effective. After the presentation, four panelists shared their various professional experiences with Web 2.0 and e-Government, which was then followed by a group discussion.

Click HERE to read more about this event.

Dr. Seamus Grimes of Whitaker Institute and Geography is currently visiting China researching inward R&D investment. He says "There has been a lot of recent commentary in the media about the ’new’ focus in ’indigenous innovation’ by the Chinese government. This is more a new elaboration of the key Science and Technology 15 year plan published in 2006. Multinational companies in China have had some concern that this would mean an uneven playing field, with some restrictions on their access to the market."

To learn more about his visit to China, please click HERE to read a recent article published on finfacts.ie

The latest edition of the Association of Business School Journal rankings has recently been published. Whitaker Institute hosts the editorial office for the Human Resource Management Journal and the Irish Journal of Management and both of these journals are ranked in this ABS journal ranking list. The Human Resource Management Journal maintains its 3* ranking, and the Irish Journal of Management, a national journal, is ranked as a 1*, which is the first time it has been given such a ranking. It is a significant milestone in the development of this journal.

Please CLICK HERE for more information on the Human Resource Management Journal

Please CLICK HERE for more information on the Irish Journal of Management

All at Whitaker Institute would like to congratulate Dr. Majella Giblin for securing an RIA Mobvility Grant to conduct research in Boston, Massachusetts.

Details of the RIA mobility grant:
Title: Regional competitiveness and development: A comparative study of the medical technology sectors in Ireland and Massachusetts
Source: Royal Irish Academy Postdoctoral Mobility Grant
Short description: The purpose of this funding is for travel to Boston, Massachusetts, to undertake primary research for a comparative study of the medical technology sector in the greater Boston area and Ireland. The research will explore the transformation of regions and development of industrial clusters in these two regions.

To view Dr. Giblin's research profile, please click HERE

Dr. Tony Royle of Whitaker Institute and Discipline of Management was recently awarded funding as part of an international research project into Employment Relations in European Multinational Grocery Retailers.

Funding Body: Hans Boeckler Stiftung (Germany)
Title of Project: Employment Relations in European Multinational Grocery Retailers – Discounters and  Hypermarkets
Duration: 2years
Principal Investigator: Professor Mike Geppert (University of Surrey, UK)
NUIG Researcher: Dr. Tony Royle
International Collaborators: Prof M. Geppert, University of Surrey, UK; Prof Luis Ortiz, Pompeu Fabra Catalan University, Barcelona, Spain; Dr Michael Wortmann, Wissenschaftszentrum, Berlin; Dr Jan Czarzasty, Warsaw School of Economics, Poland; Prof. Ban Uckan, Anadolu University, Turkey.

Management Control Systems and New Product Development

Dr Breda Sweeney and Dr Emer Curtis are currently working on a project sponsored by Irish Accountancy Education Trust examining management control systems over new product development. They are examining how management controls can foster innovation and enable a company to search for opportunities and solve problems, in contrast to management controls which emphasise restriction of activities and inhibit innovation. 

A number of companies in the medical devices sector and building materials sector are participating in the study. If your company would like further information on the project please contact Breda Sweeney ( breda.sweeneynuigalway.ie) or Emer Curtis ( emer.curtisnuigalway.ie).

Whitaker Institute was delighted to host the very successful Masterclass in Growing Brands through a Recession with Prof. Leslie de Chernatony and Dr. Elaine Wallace. Over 20 business professionals from a wide variety of companies took part in this "hands-on" Masterclass, where they learned practical tools to build their own brands through the recession and how a budget can be better used to deliver a “wow factor” by offering more appropriate value to customers through a strong brand. Click HERE for more details.

Click HERE to see the Press Release