Q1 2013 Economic Trends Survey:

Our quarterly economic trends survey is essential to our work representing members on key business issues. The information provided by you in this survey will allow the Chamber to prioritise its lobbying and representation activities for the year ahead. This survey reviews business perspectives over the last quarter including business performance, access to finance and attitudes to Government policy.  This survey takes less than five minutes to complete and the results are very important for Chamber lobbying activities with regional stakeholders, state agencies and local and national government.

**Survey Prize** 

All respondents who complete this survey will be entered into a draw to win:

PR training designed specifically for start-ups and small businesses, worth nearly €1,500 from award winning communications company H+A Marketing + PR.

The PR Starter Kit is a high-touch, intensive half-day session where businesses get fully customised, one-on-one advice from agency experts on the best media targets for their business, and guidance on writing media materials and pitches to secure the maximum publicity bounce. Social media training and tips on how to handle communications in a crisis are also being offered as part of the prize, which will be tailored to suit your company’s individual needs.

To begin the survey - please CLICK HERE or copy and paste the following into your browser https://Q12013.surveyconsole.com

Please complete the Q1 2013 Survey by close of business on Friday 22^nd March 2013. All responses will be treated in the strictest confidence and the results will be presented in aggregate format only.

The Policy Department would like to thank you for your continued input into our work.

Transition Year Awards 2013:

Cork Chamber and University College Cork’s College of Business & Law invite TY Students to submit a project for the annual Transition Year Business Awards for 2013. This year’s awards, kindly sponsored by Bank of New York Mellon, focus on ‘Innovation in Action.’

Ongoing supports and initiatives from businesses in education is key to instilling a greater interest and awareness of a future career in entrepreneurship amongst young people and the TY Awards aim to play a key role in encouraging and supporting young entrepreneurs in Ireland.

To apply for the awards, Transition Year students must submit a 1,500 word project based on their experience with their Mini Company/Enterprise. Projects must demonstrate ‘Innovation in Action’ by:

• Showing creative and original ideas
• Telling the story of how their business developed
• Showing how their business impacts on job creation

The prize for this year’s winning team is €1,000 for their school and €500 and €250 for those schools in second and third place.

The closing date for entries is 22^nd March 2013 with the prize-giving ceremony taking place in UCC on Tuesday 23^rd April.

Further information is available here.

Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt)

Course Dates: 8 Days:4^th, 5^th, 25^th & 26^th April, 9^th, 10^th & 24^th May & 7^th June

Member Rate: €900.00

In these challenging times, all companies need to ensure that they are controlling current costs and taking the steps needed to enhance their future performance. Lean Six Sigma helps companies streamline operations, increase value and reduce waste. Lean Six Sigma is a prescription for regaining business health and transforming a company, a way to cut waste from its operations and of increasing productivity and improving quality.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belts are vital assets to any business. They are key employees equipped with specialist tools to make these ‘changes for the better’ happen. Utilizing a vast array of tools, Lean Six Sigma focuses on improving speed and quality of a product or service, regardless of the industrial sector or size of the business, helping a business in becoming better and faster, providing a greater value product to the customer. They are key employees equipped with specialist tools to make these ‘changes for the better’ happen. Utilizing a vast array of tools, Lean Six Sigma focuses on improving speed and quality of a product or service, regardless of the industrial sector or size of the business, helping a business in becoming better and faster, providing a greater value product to the customer.

At the end of this training programme you will be able to:

• Understand Continuous Improvement.
• Understand Lean Six Sigma methodology and DMAIC.
• Understand Change Management and tools used.
• Understand how to use the most important tools in DMAIC phases.
• Identify sources of waste and variation within the business.
• Use Lean Six Sigma as an efficient and effective cost reduction strategy.

This course is intended for those employees within a business who are engaged in daily problem solving and/or project management, for example Process Engineers, Quality Technicians and Engineers, Maintenance, Supervisors, Managers and Project Managers.

Our next Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt) course starts on 4^th April next and is of eight days duration delivered over three months for ONLY €900 so BOOK NOW!!

“Beyond the Basics” – MS Powerpoint 2007/2010

Course Date: 22^nd March

Member Rate: €100.00

This one day programme will teach you how to produce and run professional looking slide shows. The course reviews the basics of PowerPoint to quickly run through shortcuts and speed keys, working through from text based slide content through to alternative options - inserting ClipArt, pictures, photos, diagrams, movie clips etc.

Our “Beyond the Basics” Course, costing only €100.00 includes:

• The Do’s and Don’ts of PowerPoint
• Working with Slides
• Formatting the Presentation
• Logos/Clipart/Pictures
• Working with Charts
• Diagrams
• Drawing Tools
• Multimedia
• Adding the Finishing Touches
• Creating a Slide Show

This course is suitable for those who are already familiar with the basics of MS PowerPoint and would now like to build on that knowledge. BOOK NOW.

Introduction to Technical Writing

Course Date: 28^th March 

Member Rate: €130.00

Great technical writing can make a poor product usable - poor technical writing can make a great product useless. Our Introduction to Technical Writing Course is designed to help you become that great technical writer! This one day course aims to ensure that participants can make their technical documentation accurate, brief, clear, complete and, above all, useful. The emphasis is on writing to impart complex technical information to a specific target audience. Participants should be committed to delivering reports, manuals and routine communications that are accurate, concise, clear and focussed on the needs of the target audience.

The course will include:

• How to structure reports
• Basic sentence rules
• Technical writing for software
• Working with words
• Brushing up on grammar and punctuation

This new one-day course will be running on the 28^th March next and is only €130.00 for Chamber members - BOOK NOW!

BUSINESS SCHOOL CALENDAR

MARCH

• MS Powerpoint – “Beyond the Basics”  – 22^nd March
• Introduction to Technical Writing – 28^th March

APRIL

• Microsoft Visio Professional 2010 – 3^rd April – NEW COURSE!
• Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt) – 4^th April
• Digital Media for Business – 9^th April
• Networking for Success – 16^th April – NEW COURSE!
• Microsoft Project 2010 – 30^th April – NEW COURSE!

MAY

• PMI Exam Preparation – 7^th May

See our full range of courses at www.corkchamber.ie/training

Bookings can be completed through the website and enquiries should be directed to aoife@corkchamber.ie  (Training Services Administrator)

Gareth Keane, Investment Manager at Qualcomm Ventures; Sean O' Sullivan, Managing Director at Avego; Pat Phelan, CEO @ Trustev and Eamon Leonard, VP Engineering at Engine Yard have all confirmed their support of Cork’s first Startup Weekend by agreeing to participate in the judging and final selection of the Cork’s Startup Weekend Award 2013

 Our first Startup Weekend for Cork will take place from April 5^th to April 7^th next in the UCC Western Gateway Building and tickets are now available online at www.cork.startupweekend.org. 

This event promises to be a highly stimulating and engaging experience, offering entrepreneurs an opportunity to come and share ideas, form teams and launch a startup in 54 memorable hours!  The dedicated and focused environment, with coaches on hand to offer support, is sure to shape or reshape the way you think about startups.  ‘We find that so many potential tech entrepreneurs have excellent ideas but lack one or two of the key skills or area of expertise to bring the idea to fruition. The idea of this weekend is to remove as many of the obstacles to concept development as possible. If we are serious about this Silicon Lee Valley hub we need hang on to our native entrepreneurs as well as attracting outside talent’ said Ernest Cantillon, President of the Cork Business Association. 

StartUp Weekend Cork is set to bring together Corks best and brightest including recently named Forbes most influential ‘30 under 30: Social Entrepreneurs’ James Whelton of Coder Dojo.  While the judging panel will include Gareth Keane, Investment Manager at Qualcomm Ventures; Sean O' Sullivan, Managing Director at Avego; Pat Phelan, CEO @ Trustev and Eamon Leonard, VP Engineering at Engine Yard.

Will Martin, founder of LiveDuel.com said that ‘attending the Startup Weekend in San Francisco was one of the most rewarding experiences in my entrepreneurial life.   Working side by side with my peers to build a product, business model, marketing plan etc. in 54 hours has given me the tools and contacts that I apply on my own startup LiveDuel.com. If you have ever wondered what it takes to be in a startup or how to meet like- minded individuals, Startup Weekend Cork is a must attend event’.

For more information on this weekend contact:

Will Martin                        087 274 6341
Jayne Ronayne                087 229 6982

Are you Ready for China?

The Enterprise Europe Network, in association with the EU SME Centre in Beijing, is hosting a half-day seminar focusing on the influential global market that is China. The event will take place on Tuesday, 23^rd April in The River Lee Hotel between 08:30 and 12:30. The event will cover the supports available for Irish companies looking to do business in or with China; an introduction to China’s macroeconomic framework; opportunities by industry sector and location considerations, to name but a few topics. Companies will also have the opportunity to avail of one-to-one consultations with the speakers following the seminar. For more information, please contact Katherine@corkchamber.ie

Partner Opportunities

A Scottish textile company, supplying customised work-wear uniforms, is looking to establish distributor or wholesale partners in Ireland. Currently, their main clients are healthcare practices, beauticians and children’s nurseries. The company’s ideal partner would be already supplying to the work-wear market, with a gap for a range that can be customised for very small minimum order quantities and rapid delivery. For further information about this profile, please contact Eimear@corkchamber.ie   

A Northern Irish company which designs and produces a range of design-led portable commercial cookery workspaces is seeking distribution partners. The range can be used in cookery demonstrations, sampling and light catering and it incorporates cooking and mobile water facilities and easily interchangeable panels that can be to adapt according to brand, season or campaign. For further information, please contact Eimear@corkchamber.ie  and quote Ref. 20130227034.

Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) has launched a Big Data course. This new innovative Government-funded programme will complement the excellent Higher Diploma in Cloud Computing already offered by CIT. Both intensive programmes are designed to offer conversion pathways for graduates from cognate disciplines and will start in early April. Graduates will be work ready by January 2014. The programmes have been developed in close collaboration with employers and a cohort of 70 students through similar pathway in 2012 has been very successful in seeking employment.

With recent reports suggesting that the demand for “cloud-ready” IT workers will grow by 26 percent annually through 2015, with as many as 7 million cloud-related jobs available worldwide the programmes offered by CIT are both timely, visionary and designed to meet the future needs of the IT sector in Cork.

More details including eligibility and application information can be obtained at: CIT's Cloud Computing Website: http://cloud.cit.ie

CELEBRITY CRUISE OFFER - FREE BALCONY UPGRADE

• Celebrity Reflection ~ Ex Rome
• 11th October 2013
• 10 Nights ~ Balcony Cabin
• 5 star ~ Full Board
• Fly / Cruise From €1498 per person

DUBAI MAY OFFER

•  Ex Dublin
• 3 Star Hotel ~ Arabian Park
• 4 Nights ~ May
• From € 689 per person incl tax

MSC MEDITERRANEAN CRUISE SALE

•  MSC Splendida ~ Ex Barcelona
• May 2013
• 7 Nights ~ Interior Cabin
• Full Board  ~ 4 star
• Fly/Cruise From € 839 per person

THAILAND OFFER 

• 10 Nights ~ Ex Cork or Dublin
  
• 4 Star ~ Koh Samui
• Centara Villas ~ B+B
• Travel 01st April - 07th July
• From € 1085 per person incl tax

INSIGHT VACATIONS

• 10 Day American Parks Trail Tour
• 12th May 2013
• 5 Star Exceptional Touring
• Tour From € 1912 per person

All the benefits of booking with Heffernan's Travel with the convenience of booking online.......We are a fully bonded travel company so don't take chances with non-bonded companies. Check out our new website  www.easyholidays.ie

Clients and friends of Smarter Egg are celebrating Easter a little early with the latest in the continuing series of Smarter Egg events and for the first time, some places are available to other members of Cork Chamber. Egg Talks will be given by Conall Mac Aongusa, Director at Transport and Innovation, Shane McCarthy, UCC and Avril Ronan, Trend Micro which will provoke us to think differently and take away some fresh insights about the world in which we work. Our live discussion features two of Ireland's brightest business brains, Jonathan Amm of ChangeAgents and John Prendergast of Aonach. We'll explore what's working in the marketplace as businesses look to engage with customers, talk about the power of branding and the online channel and identify where we might be making some mistakes. Capacity is limited and pre-registration is essential.

The theme of this year’s annual charity cycle is simply ‘Do Miles, Make Smiles’ and will see cyclists depart from Highfield Rugby Club in Bishopstown, Cork and complete a 100Km or 50Km cycle route. The charity cycle route will journey through some beautiful parts of Cork including the towns of Dripsey and Bandon.  A rent a bike facility is also available which will give everybody the opportunity to participate in this worthwhile fundraising initiative. “This year, we want you to ‘get on your bike’ to raise much needed funds for our medical care programme, which includes life-saving child cardiac surgeries”, said Adi Roche, CEO Chernobyl Children International.  “You can help to save lives by joining us this year on our fundraising cycle.  It’s a great way to keep your heart fit while keeping their hearts beating”.