Uncategorized, Blog, IIA Press Releases, Featured
IIA eTail Initiative – We want to hear from you!
If you have a website and are engaging with customers online we need to hear from you!The Irish Internet Association (IIA) is asking Irish businesses to participate in research designed to support Irish SMEs adopt their best fit e-commerce solutions. To participate, simply click here.
This research builds on previous IEDR research carried out in 2015 to highlight the scale of the ecommerce gap in Ireland. This highlighted that almost 40% of SMEs don’t even have a website and of those that do, 68% cannot process payments on their site. Given that Irish consumers spend €8.5million daily almost 80% of that is spent with overseas retailers.
This new initiative will look to develop a diagnostic tool to enable Irish SMEs find the best route to sell online. Once developed the IIA will run nationwide clinics to help participants adopt the best fit e-commerce solution will be hold information days, clinics and workshops all over the country with the support of the IEDR, AIB, AIB Merchant Services to get this to as many business owners as possible.
This research phase is being powered by Qualtrics and it is open to businesses selling online.
Blog, IIA Press Releases, Featured
71% of STRESSED IT PROFESSIONALS IGNORING THEIR HEALTH AND FAMILY TO MEET WORK DEMANDS
Research of the Irish Internet Association (IIA) Reveal State of IT Professional Stress:
Dublin 2nd December 2015: 71% of Irish full time IT Professionals are sacrificing their health and personal lives to meet work demands. 87% of Irish IT professionals are losing out on personal time due work calls and emails. In fact 59% never take their full holiday entitlement with 47% reporting that work pressures are contributing to family conflict.
The research conducted by the Irish Internet Association (IIA) examined how workplace demands and stress impacted across their health, family life and work. It found that over half (54%) felt they did not have enough time to accomplish their tasks.
The research was conducted by the IIA in October 2015 and surveyed 200 IT professionals from a range of SMEs and large organisations.
Health of the IT Nation
When asked about their employers, 61% were uncertain if their employer cared about their mental health, with 41.5% unsure if their employer cared about their physical well-being. Over a quarter of those interviewed reported never exercising due to work pressure, while 32% reported that the demands of work was impacting on their diet.
Family Strife
Nearly half of IT professionals interviewed reported family tension and arguments caused by word demands encroaching on their personal time. 87% of those interviewed highlighted that they have had personal time regularly interrupted by work calls or emails. When it comes to downtime in the evening or weekends, 63% of them took work home in the evenings and weekends. In fact, 59% of those interviewed never took their full holidays due to work demands, causing stress in their family life.
Workplace Woes
Nearly three quarters (69%) report working up 60 hours a week. Over half (54%) of those surveyed feel they do not have enough time to accomplish all their tasks. More worryingly, 41% of this surveyed felt they have too much work to cope. In terms of their employer, 65% of those interviewed highlighted that their workplace did not any reactional facilities. Even for companies that have such facilities 42% of employees do not have enough time to make use of them.
“Without a doubt there are untold exciting career opportunities in the technology sector and the Irish Internet Association has been campaigning to address the digital skills shortage since 2012. More than anything, I believe this survey highlights that this skills shortage is having a serious knock-on effect for those currently employed in the sector. The number of respondents who feel they have more work than they can reasonably cope with is a worrying trend. From a business perspective, it simply makes sense that we do not exacerbate the current skills shortage by failing to acknowledge and address the implications of stress and burnout in terms of talent retention and development. Likewise we cannot in good conscience continue to entice people to work in our businesses if we do not invest in and care for them once they are there. I believe that most member organisations are committed to their employees but in light of these responses we must clearly do more. We live and work in a time where people are increasingly ‘on’ and we need to improve the demarcation lines between family time and work time if we are to retain great people and support their development”.
Stress on Health |
· 61% unsure if employer cares about their mental wellbeing |
· 41.5% unsure if their employer care about their physical wellbeing
· 32% feel work has negatively impacted their diet |
· 25% of IT professionals never exercise due to work pressure |
Family Strife |
· 86.6% of IT professionals have had personal time interrupted by calls or emails from work |
· 63% take work home on evening and weekends |
· 59% of IT workers never take their full holiday entitlement |
· 47% percent have been in family conflict over work demands in personal time |
Stressful Working Life |
· 41% believe they have too much work to cope |
· 54% believe they do not have enough time to accomplish tasks |
· 69% of all it employees work 50- 60 hours per week |
· 42% of employees don’t use recreational facilities that are provided due to lack of time |
ENDS
Contact
Cyril Moloney – PSG Plus.
Phone: 01 634 2509 or 086 0479462
Email: cyril.moloney@psgplus.ie
About the IIA
The Irish Internet Association (the IIA) is the independent representative body for internet businesses in Ireland. Established in 1997 it has been at the forefront of ensuring that Irish businesses and citizens have the skills, infrastructure and network of support needed to drive growth in the economy. Working with agile start-ups, scaling SMEs and indigenous and FDI corporates, the IIA have a unique insight into the ICT sector in Ireland.
The IIA is a non-profit business association. Members of the association include suppliers of Internet services and products as well as those using the medium for communication, marketing and commerce.
For more information contact Joan Mulvihill, +353 (0)1 542 4154 or members@iia.ie
– See more at: http://www.iia.ie/news/item/2185/71-of-stressed-it-professionals-ignoring-their-health-and-family-to-meet-work-demands/#sthash.YnGZy6ex.dpuf
Uncategorized, IIA Press Releases
Innovation Leadership Recognised in Dublin
Dublin, 21 May 2013 Stockholm has the Nobel, Hollywood the Oscars and today Dublin hosted the first annual European awards for Innovation Leadership. The inaugural Innovation Luminary Awards took place in Trinity College Dublin during the Open Innovation 2.0 Conference. The annual Innovation Luminary awards will rotate amongst the four Dublin region universities.
The Innovation Luminary Academy and Awards have been established by the EU Open Innovation Strategy and Policy Group (OISPG) to celebrate and recognise outstanding innovation role models and through this to inspire the next generation of innovators.
The Academy was initiated with the support and sponsorship of Intel Labs Europe, DG Connect, European Commission, and Dublin City; and were established in association with the Innovation Value Institute and the International Society for Professional Innovation Management.
Those receiving the Awards last night became the first members of the Innovation Luminary Academy.
Introducing the awards by recorded video President of the EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said “I am very excited to see the quality of the nominees this year and am sure that the Innovation Luminary Awards will fast become a hallmark for celebrating and encouraging innovation achievement”.
OISPG Chairman and Intel Vice President Prof. Martin Curley said “The Irish EU Presidency can leave a legacy of and a trajectory for a new generation of Innovation leadership. These awards and the Academy into which these individuals enter will prove to be part of that legacy and an inspiration for all who are improving an ever changing world by being creative and innovative.”
Lord Mayor of Dublin Naoise Ó Muirí said “In the last few years Dublin’s annual Innovation festival has created a significant awareness and appetite for Innovation in Dublin– thus Dublin was a natural location to host these awards”
Dr Patrick Prendergast, Provost of Trinity College Dublin commented: “We were honoured to host this inaugural Innovation Luminary award ceremony The University is first and foremost about knowledge and is therefore a key player in innovation. Its leading research and high-level graduate employment are a cornerstone of such innovation. It is important to celebrate such innovation achievement, as it sends the right signal to our students and researchers, the innovators of the future.”
Inaugural luminaries included individuals such as Professor Stephen Hawking, Felix Baumgartner, Dr. Alexander Osterwalder and Prof Alex von Gabain and companies such as McLaren Electronic Systems and Rovio.
Also Joan Mulvihill, CEO of the Irish Internet Association was awarded a special local Irish Innovation Champion award for her crusading efforts to stimulate the Irish Internet ecosystem.
The Full List of Inaugural Innovation Luminary awardees is as follows:
Serial Entrepreneurship
Professor Alexander von Gabain (DE)– Chairman, European Institute of Innovation &Technology & Chairman, IntelCell AG
High Performance Innovation
Peter van Manen (UK) – CEO McLaren Formula 1 Electronics
Innovators Courage
Professor Stephen Hawking (UK)
Innovation Courage
Felix Baumgartner (Au)- RedBull Stratos
Business Model Innovation
Alexander Osterwalder (CH)– Inventor of the Business Model Canvas & Best Selling Author
Ami de L’Europe – 21st Century Industrial Innovation
Justin Rattner (USA)– Intel Chief Technology Officer
Creative Innovation
Rovio (FI) Mikael Hed, CEO
Innovation Thought Leadership
Professor Leif Edvinsson (SE) – New Club of Paris, University of Lund.
Special Category: Irish Innovation Champion
Recipient: Joan Mulvihill, Irish Internet Association
IIA Press Releases
IRISH INTERNET ASSOCIATION PARTNERS WITH ENTERPRISE IRELAND FOR CLOUD APOPTION EVENT SERIES – SUPPORTED BY MICROSOFT
Using the cloud – opening up export opportunities for Irish companies
Cloud services are reshaping the way companies do business and manage their information and open up tremendous opportunities for Irish companies. The Irish Internet Association, in partnership with Enterprise Ireland and sponsored by Microsoft, is holding a series of Cloud Awareness and Adoption events for summer 2013 aimed at helping Irish SMEs assess the potential of using cloud-based business models to support their export growth – the first event takes place in Galway on Thursday 30 May.
As they move from a traditional in-house IT infrastructure to an external cloud-based solution, businesses benefit from a responsive, timely and cost-effective operation. This announcement takes place during National Cloud Week with a number of other initiatives taking place to support cloud adoption. This Cloud Awareness series is specifically designed to help companies to assess the benefits of cloud computing while managing any potential risks. Delegates will hear from other SMEs on how, why and what they moved to the cloud as well as from security and service contract experts who will guide delegates through the process.
Speaking at the launch, Joan Mulvihill, CEO of the Irish Internet Association, welcomed the opportunity to partner with Enterprise Ireland in bringing these events to the Irish SME community. “We are delighted to be working with Enterprise Ireland on this initiative. We have a shared commitment and responsibility to ensuring that Irish businesses have the knowledge and resources they need to benefit from cloud solutions. It’s going to be a busy start to the summer with events planned for Galway, Dublin and Cork”.
Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, welcomed the initiative, saying: “Enterprise Ireland is delighted to be part of this Cloud Computing Awareness programme aimed in particular at SMEs. This is an important move to help increase the numbers of Irish businesses, small and large, who successfully adopt Cloud Computing, and is an important element of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs. A central part of this plan is targeting key sectors where Ireland has competitive advantage and the potential to foster growth. One such sector is cloud computing, and a number of studies have reported that Ireland has potential to create high levels of growth and jobs in this sector if we move early”.
Microsoft Ireland is a long-standing contributor to the IIA Cloud Computing Working Group and is supporting the IIA and Enterprise Ireland as event sponsors. Delighted with the company’s involvement, Clare Dillon, Microsoft Ireland said: “There is enormous potential for the cloud to play a central role in driving economic growth and job creation but for its potential to be fulfilled it is critical that small businesses understand how they can tap into the benefits of cloud to help them scale for growth. We are delighted that this series of IIA and Enterprise Ireland events are being announced during National Cloud Week – a week of activities organised by Microsoft to drive cloud awareness and adoption.”.
The IIA Cloud Computing Working Group last year in conjunction with the NSAI published “Adopting the Cloud – decision support for cloud computing” as the standard for cloud adoption. The working group is chaired by Lavinia Morris, head of IT infrastructure at Friends First. “The group are pleased to be bringing this decision-support guide to life in the form of these events and by sharing our collective expertise and experiences with the wider business community. These events are totally focussed on helping businesses of all industries and sizes to get the most from the cloud”.
For more information on these events: www.iia.ie/cloudroadshow
For more information on the NSAI Swift 10: www.iia.ie/adoptingthecloud
-ends-
IIA Press Releases
Closed gTLDs – Comment from Irish Internet Association
Upon review of proposals for generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), the Irish Internet Association (IIA) on behalf of their members have written to ICANN to register their grave concerns in relation to the introduction of “closed generics”.
The very essence of the internet as an open, democratic and free space for users is compromised by the registration of certain generic domains by large corporations. The idea that generic words such as ‘cloud’, ‘blog’ and ‘search’ are owned by commercial entities who’s primary motivation is to profit from an orchestrated monopoly of the market is at odds with the fundamental principles of an internet for all.
The applications to ICANN from a number of large organisations seeking to close-off common words for use by one company is anti-competitive, stifles innovation and creates barriers to entry for new enterprise. Consumers too for example, in using the worlds largest search engine, will be mistakenly led to believe that they are searching the global internet marketplace. Instead they will be presented only with a filtered view of the world, coralled into finding only those blogs that come under its remit. A blog by its very nature is a personal space promoting freedom of expression but where the very freedom to choose a preferred blogging software would be gone (or at least pointless).
The internet is born of dynamic, creative and enterprising innovators. They are the very kernel of it’s existence. The internet has been positively transformative for business and society as a whole. For the most part one of its defining and precious characteristics has been that it allows all comers to compete on a fair platform. Is it now to be turned into a marketplace that is ‘owned’ by a small number of worlds largest brands who have bought the market and where new enterprises are commercially disadvantaged and consumers are restricted in choice?
In making our submission to ICANN by the midnight March 7th deadline we are urging them to reject these applications for such closed gTLDs and in so doing act as the custodians for the future of the internet as a space that allows for true market competition, supporting innovation and ensuring access for all.
IIA Press Releases
IIA STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO TOURISM IRELAND AWARDING CONTRACT TO LONDON BASED COMPANY
In response to the Tourism Ireland decision to spend €2.5million on the development of the new Tourism Ireland website www.Ireland.com <http://www.Ireland.com> the Irish Internet Association on behalf of its members would like to express its serious disappointment that an agency of the state have preferred to employ the services of a London web development company over an Irish one.
There are a number of points that need to be addressed. Firstly, as a country in a job crisis we should be doing everything in our powers to support jobs locally. On principle as well as in practice, this ethos should be of highest importance for government agencies leading by example. In this specific instance, IIA members were shortlisted for this tender and we know that domestic rates are far more competitive that those reportedly paid. In accepting that price is not the only factor and that technical merit was the other criteria used, it is worth noting that on the subjective yet technical issue of design and user experience, the general view is that there are already some basic user experience shortcomings with this site.
Secondly, we must look at the broader ramifications of this decision. The majority of global technology companies have elected Ireland as their European base given the high quality of talent here. Beyond the specifics of this particular case, the political message that this decision is sending out to the world is counter-productive and anti-jobs. On the one hand, we have the IDA and Government Ministers working to increase foreign direct investment with a strong focus on the technology industry. On the other hand, in this single decision, we have a state agency saying that it is not possible to secure high quality and good value web design and development services here.
Tourism Ireland is responsible for attracting visitors to Ireland. Holiday tourism is important but so too is business and education tourism. They are asking people to visit a vibrant and welcoming country but is it also one that is so insecure about itself, so lacking in faith in its own people that when given the choice they will partner with a foreign company rather than an Irish one? The argument that this spend represents less than 10% of its total budget for the year is reminiscent of boom years when pockets were deep. The measure of value in these straitened times should surely not be that they got it for a small % of a large amount but rather that they got it for the very best possible price and in doing so factored in the multiplier effect of keeping those jobs in Ireland and promoting the world class standards that exist within our country.
IIA Press Releases
IRISH INTERNET ASSOCIATION LAUNCH ECOMMERCE SKILLS AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Today Wednesday 23rd January 2013: The Irish Internet Association (IIA) has today launched its Diploma in eCommerce Management and Internship programme. The IIA’s newly formed eCommerce Working Group comprises leading Irish eCommerce businesses; Life Style Sports, Realex Payments, Arnotts.ie and Nightline’s ParcelMotel to name but a few. Chaired by Bob Curran of Buy4Now, members of the group and IIA members have undertaken to provide a number of internships for anyone doing the 11 week course. This blended learning approach of evening course and on-the-job experience is a great opportunity for retail managers, merchandisers and marketers seeking to take up the growing number of positions in eCommerce management.
Speaking on the launch Joan Mulvihill, CEO of the IIA, highlighted the scale of the opportunity for businesses and interns alike. “With €4billion being spent online by Irish shoppers the opportunity for Irish retailers is enormous. But 75% of that is being spent with overseas retailers so much of that opportunity is being lost. The challenge is not in convincing retailers to develop an eCommerce proposition but rather in enabling them with the skills and knowledge to execute it. This course is ideal for retailer owner/managers to build that knowledge. Likewise, many retail sector workers have suffered during the downtown. This combined Diploma and Internship is a great way to adapt your retail and merchandising knowledge to fill the increasing number of eCommerce manager positions”.
Gordon Newman is the Head of Online Sales at Life Style Sports and a member of the IIA Working Group. He expressed his own difficulties in filling ecommerce positions. “One of the most challenging aspects of my role has been finding the right people with the right skills. People think they have to be web developers or social media gurus but this just isn’t the case. We really need great process and merchandising people with commercial acumen and Customer focus. A broad understanding of retail operations is just as important for an eCommerce specialist as getting to grips with the technical components. It’s why we are so supportive of this Diploma course and also why we are one of the businesses looking forward to taking an intern and with our proven record of internal progression there is a very real prospect of a job at the end of it”.
Mulvihill added “For anyone wishing to avail of the internship, we would encourage them to send us their CVs as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this course is not covered by any government programme so course fees are applicable.”
Internships will be granted by the businesses directly and subject to their respective interview procedures. On a case by case basis, depending on organisation requirements and candidate suitability, some internships may qualify for Jobbridge.
This course has been designed by the Irish Internet Association and its leading industry expert lecturers and practitioners. It is delivered in partnership with Irish Times Training.
Course enrolment is now open and all details are available on www.iia.ie/eComDip
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Joan Mulvihill, Irish Internet Association: 01 5424154 / 086 389 7552 joan@iia.ie
IIA eCommerce Working Group Members
Bob Curran……………………………………………Buy4Now
Tracy Glynn…………………………………………..Realex Payments
Graham Merriman……………………………………Carrickane Consulting
Kevin Murray…………………………………………Nightline’s ParcelMotel
Gordon Newman…………………………………….Life Style Sports
Vinny O’Brien…………………………………………Micksgarage.com
Rory O’Connor………………………………………..Scurri.com
– See more at: http://www.iia.ie/news/item/1981/irish-internet-association-launch-ecommerce-skills-and-job-opportunities/#sthash.uI0YLF5Y.dpuf
IIA Press Releases
IIA Wins Awards for Excellence!
IIA Wins Public Affairs Category at the PRCA Award 2012
On Friday 21st June 2012 at the Awards for Excellence in Public Relations 2012, the IIA won the prestigious Award for PR Excellence in the Public Affairs Category.
IIA Wins Public Affairs Category at the PRCA Award 2012
On Friday 21st June 2012 at the Awards for Excellence in Public Relations 2012, the IIA won the prestigious Award for PR Excellence in the Public Affairs Category. The IIA had engaged the services of Fleishman-Hilliard to deliver the campaign that was centred on the IIA “Critical Skills Retention Policy” to address the Skills Shortage in Ireland.
The Awards for Excellence in Public Relations, hosted by the PRCA (Ireland), the PRII and CIPR Northern Ireland, salute Ireland’s most outstanding communications initiatives in the highly competitive and dynamic PR arena. These coveted awards, now 19 years on the go, set the industry benchmark for excellence across all areas of PR.
We are thrilled to have our worked recognised by the PRCA and to have leveraged our role in this sector to effect positive policy change.
You can view our award entry here.
Citation of the winning entry from the PRCA
Our winner in this category took an issue of concern to the stakeholders and put it on the national agenda. From concept refinement to implementation at legislative level they were firm in handling their message and skillful in building alliances. Although modestly funded, this was a very thorough campaign in terms of driving debate, dialogue and change.
Picture: Joan Mulvihill, IIA, CEO pictured with Aidan McLoughlin and Carl Gibney from Fleishman-Hillard
– See more at: http://www.iia.ie/news/item/1921/iia-wins-awards-for-excellence/#sthash.WYXSRa6x.dpuf
IIA Press Releases
Irish Internet Association statement on Copyright Review Consultation Paper Process
RISH INTERNET ASSOCIATION (IIA) STATEMENT
The IIA welcomes the Minister for Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock’s recognition that the existing method of gathering stakeholder feedback for consultation is not sufficiently interactive and is not reflective or representative of the medium used by internet stakeholders.
The IIA is happy to provide a mechanism for online submissions on the Copyright Review Consultation Paper to gather feedback on this paper. The IIA is currently preparing an online survey which includes each of the 86 questions posed in the Copyright Consultation Review Paper. All members and indeed non-members can enter their comments on the issues, ideas and opportunities raised therein. This will allow the IIA to collate the views of its members and enable us to comprehensively represent their concerns and ideas to Government and input into this important legislation. An IIA working group will be assigned to review member feedback and assemble a position paper for submission to the department. The link to this survey will be available in the coming days.
Non-members are welcome to submit their comments using this survey tool. However, comments by non-members will be passed un-collated and un-filtered to the department as it would not be in the best interests of our members to use IIA resources in working for non-members. I believe this methodology strikes the right balance of being inclusive and facilitative whilst prioritising our member’s needs as we are charged to do. Allowing the widest stakeholder feedback is quite simply in the spirit of the community. Stakeholders are not limited to using this tool but it is open to everyone.
This is a great opportunity for the IIA to provide a mechanism for members to engage in policy formation and to be integral to internet policy in Ireland by representing the best interests of its members.
The Minister, in response to questions by the media yesterday said that people could contact the IIA who were going to facilitate feedback via an online forum. This survey is that forum.
Click here to take part in Survey
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Joan Mulvihill, Irish Internet Association: 01 5424154 / 086 389 7552 joan@iia.ie