Author: Practicenet

A share option scheme for Irish SMEs launched as part of Budget 2018 has had no uptake and needs to be modified, according to an industry group that lobbied for it last year. The Key Employee Engagement Programme (Keep) is supposed to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) hold on to talent by granting workers […]

Shares in Asia slumped Monday as China’s markets stumbled in their first trading day after a one-week holiday even though Beijing’s Central Bank increased liquidity to offset the impact of an escalating trade dispute with the United States. European markets were also set to weaken, with financial spreadbetters expecting the FTSE to open 0.07pc lower, […]

This week I’m going to write about the most difficult slide in your entire pitch deck. This particular slide outlines the evidence that you have a real business, by showing that a market demand exists. Even if you have a real business, with real customers, and real traction, it may not be enough, especially for […]

SMEs are the engine of the Irish economy. They make a major contribution to economic development and employment. Their performance is very closely linked with overall economic health, including to consumer sentiment – because people’s confidence in their own finances and purchasing ability influence the performance of SMEs. Businesses’ confidence is equally important; the more […]

A MAJOR stock market-listed US real estate investment trust, CyrusOne, has been granted planning permission for a massive €400m data centre in Dublin. It will be the Dallas-based company’s first data centre project in Ireland and will significantly boost its global data centre footprint. Nasdaq-listed CyrusOne, with a $6.6bn (€7.5bn) market capitalisation, currently has more […]

Everything will be hit, including CAP, if there is a hard Brexit, RTE Europe Editor Tony Connelly told a recent Brexit conference. “The EU budget would be impacted and CAP would come under attack,” Mr Connelly said, adding though, that he was of the view that the Commission didn’t want a radically cut CAP budget […]

A European payments system crash left thousands of people without vital payments. People who receive social-welfare payments, such as child benefit and farm assist, found there were no funds in their accounts yesterday morning. An industry-wide issue affected European payments across a number of banks. People whose payments were due to be paid into accounts […]

A little over a decade ago, the most popular mobile phone in use in businesses was the humble Nokia 6310i, famed for its near indestructibility and a battery life counted in days not hours. Today, everyone has a powerful computer in their pocket with the capability to connect to the internet, access work and personal […]

Tariffs, currency fluctuations and corporation tax were among the concerns raised by more than 230 small business owners and interest group representatives at a Brexit event yesterday. The event held in Loughrea, Co Galway, and organised by Supermac’s, was addressed by RTE Europe editor Tony Connelly, and Farmers Association president Joe Healy. Among the concerns […]

Growth in the Irish manufacturing sector fell slightly in September. The Irish Manufacturing Purchasers Managers’ Index (PMI) recorded a reading of 56.3 for the month, down from the seven month high of 57.5 reported in August. Any reading over 50 is deemed growth. Overall, and the manufacturing sector continued to perform strongly in September, according […]