The Diarmuid Gillingham Blog

(Adapted University Assignment)   There are many quotes about strategy out there. For example, American academic Michael Porter once said, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” Corporate strategy is vital for any business big or small to survive. Without a plan, businesses would not achieve very much, even with the best of intentions. “If all you do is motivate, without a strategy, it’s like a warm bath. It’s nice. It’s not enough.” (Robbins 2017). In this essay, different models of co-operating strategy will be outlined for context. The selected model will then be assigned to the selected company. This will be done to help establish and identify the direction and objectives of the introduced company. Using the model, the strategy of the company will be described in detail. Finally using researched evidence, it will be investigated whether these approaches are having/have had their desired effect, or in other words are they successful.    When it comes to ...

In September 2015, the OECD published an overview of its report on Ireland titled  OECD Economic Surveys: Ireland overview  It suggests  “getting more people back to work is the best way to spread the gains from the recovery….. Some important policy levers for achieving this are: well-designed tax and welfare system; efficient activation policy;….. ”  (OECD 2015: 29)    You have been hired by the Irish government as an Independent Economic Consultant policy levers have been used to assist in achieving the goal of getting people back to work. Introduction As Steve Jobs once said: "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work." Beyond the need to work to receive an income and survive, for many work defines who we are and our ability to be happy. This ability and getting more people back to work is vital. In Ireland like most countries, the government plays a huge role...

As I write this blog post, it is two months to the day since I returned to Ireland from my year in Germany. With that in mind, I decided to put a list together of what emotions, feelings, and realizations have hit me over that time. I wanted to write this piece about two weeks before starting University again, but at the time I found my mind was still abroad and it was too early to write such a blog post in a manner that would reflect reality.   1) Your body and mind will feel out of sink  When leaving your newly adopted home, you say many goodbyes followed by many hellos. You pack your things up and then unpack again while dealing with annoying and over-crowded airports in between. All of these actions would suggest that you are home for good, but it takes your brain time to fully understand that you’re not going back. Even if it is just that one per cent of you that is not willing to accept the fact yet.   2) Your heart won't break but it will be divided Before moving t...

Introduction Education is something that is important to all of us. Whether you’re somebody who didn’t finish high school or somebody who did go to University and not only got their bachelor but masters and PhD as well. Our time in education plays a massive role in how we see ourselves, our careers and much of the world around us. It is education where we got some of our first experiences of friendship and love as well as confusion and worry about our future. In this piece, I am going to speak about my own experiences in University and discuss both the pros and cons of attending an institution that can be seen as the most important decision in many people’s lives. Finally, I will finish with a conclusion.    Personal Story First of all, I have never been and I will likely never be an "A student." For the most part, I am a straight “C” student (55% to 70% ).  In secondary school (6 years between the ages of 12 and 18 in Ireland) I received maybe, 5 As (85% or higher). All ...

I will be the first to admit it, Twitter is not as easy as it looks. If you look at it on the surface it can be hard to find your particular part of it all. Unlike Facebook where new friends, pages and groups are constantly suggested, Twitter can sometimes be a one-man island. Yes, twitter has the “who to follow” feature but these are usually celebrities who are unlikely to follow you back at first. Without the right strategies, Twitter can be a very lonely place. The second reason many of us struggle with Twitter if the feeling that we need to be tweeting at least 3-4 times a day. Something that is uncommon on other social media platforms. Whether we admit it or not this can be a bit overwhelming. There is nobody out there saying we actually need to do this but at the same time it’s not too hard. A tweet has a limit of 140 characters, many of us would text that before leaving the house in the morning. What I often hear is “How can I tweet every day, when I have nothing to tweet about?...

Sort out the essentials before arriving This may not sound like the most exciting advice in the world, but that makes our first piece of advice any less important. Before arriving in a new country make you know exactly where you will be living and how to get there. There are few experiences, more stressful than arriving in a new country and not having any idea where you are going with a few suitcases weighing you down in the process. This is even more vital is you’re doing your exchange in a country in which you don’t speak the language fluently. So before leaving home to make sure you have the address written down and have details notes on how the local bus or train system will get you there. The third major thing to remember is to make sure your mobile phone and sim card will be useable. This can be useful for Google maps and simply telling your family you arrived in one piece. Finally, speak to your bank in your home country to make sure your card will be usable is your new destinat...