Compelling Business Writing A Portfolio of Successful Business Writing Experience

Tom Richards

Bringing businesses to life through words, stories and images

(Contents © Copyright Tom Richards and/or his clients, 2013.)

Contact: Email: tomrichards@earthnet.ie

Tel: 011 353 27 74979 ▪ 011 353 86 6004475

Eyeries, County Cork, Ireland / Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland

A Portfolio of Successful Business Writing Experience Bringing businesses to life through words, stories and images

Tom invites you to view a collection of his past projects

Table of Contents

• Introduction: Applying a Passion for Writing to Business • Case Study Samples • Article Samples

• White Paper Samples

• Website Applications, Creation and Management

• Blogs

• Brochures, Direct Mail & Other Samples • Animation & Storytelling Samples • Feature Film: Marketing Plans & Electronic Press Kits

Introduction: Applying a Passion for Writing to Business

Back when I was a newly-minted MBA and working for Avis Rent-a-Car Systems, my manager – inextricably frustrated with my seeming inability to relate to our customers – stated something that I’ll never forget: ‘They won’t understand you if you stick with the analytics. Tell them a story, for God’s sake. Use real life examples. They’ll understand you then!’

I’ve never forgotten that advice and apply it to this day.

A best-of-breed International IT Company requires a deeper solution’s footprint

throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa through effective reference

materials. • An Irish Bank with a global reach must minimise investor withdrawals

during an economic downturn. • A Global Analytics Server Company desires to

increase market share and profitability across Eastern and Western Europe.

An International Oil Company hopes to increase market share by 20

percent in the UK and Ireland through words that compel customer action • A US Retail Bank requires a powerful story to drive market penetration on the East Coast

of the United States • A Florida-based Design Company seeks success through

inspiring communications that hammer home its capabilities to Blue Chip financial

services companies.

An Independent European-based Feature Film Company desperately

needs to raise co-production financing for its latest film from international sources •

An Internet-powered Energy Advisory Company must engage its UK and Irish

Youth Market with a visually powerful story that captures their imagination. • An

International FMCG Company requires a captivating method to motivate Point of

Sale purchase through unique storytelling that also reinforces brand values

All of these missions were achieved by turning to Tom Richards and his

passion for creative business writing.

Tom has been passionate about effective writing and storytelling for over 30

years. Originally from Chicago, he lives in Ireland but works for clients on both sides

of the Atlantic. Owner and managing director of Earthnet, a marketing

communications company established in 1992, he has led his company to

exceptional growth and profitability by creating passionate business stories that

achieve results and exceed clients’ demanding expectations for success.

Cross-Atlantic Experience

Tom has worked on projects targeting a range of geographic markets in both Europe

and the United States. His insight into different cultures helps him to choose words,

and produce deliverables, that are appropriate to those markets, their peoples, and

the unique international and local challenges faced by his clients.

In part, this success is due to Tom’s ability to fashion compelling words that

incite action: Words that reinforce his clients’ brand benefits and experience, and

demonstrate how those meet end-customer expectations. By engaging prospective

and existing end-customers with persuasive words and stories, Tom’s writing abilities

empower companies to increase market share, brand loyalty, and profitability.

Present and past clients include (but are not limited to):

• AIG • ACE Insurance • American Express • CIE Tours International • Cisco • Coca Cola • Educational Building Society • EMC • Garcia Media • Guinness • Intel • Irish Life Insurance • Microsoft • Murphy Brewery • O2 • Sage Software • Shell Oil • Standard Life Insurance • Stonegate Bank • Sybase • Unilever Foods • VieLife

Within a Range of Industries:

• FMCG • Finance / Insurance • Electronics • IT / Software • Cloud Computing • Drinks • Media / Telecom • Energy • Aerospace • Industrial / Construction • Education / Training • Manufacturing • Healthcare •Tourism A Range of Communication Channels: • Case studies, articles and newsletters • Blogs, websites, email, social networks and viral campaigns • White papers and business, strategic and marketing plans • Product positioning statements, taglines and re-positioning copy • Direct mail marketing, brochures and leaflets • Video / Animation

Tom uses his considerable experience and skills to combine the rational with the

emotional, allowing customers to identify with product and service attributes. By

appreciating his audience, Tom delivers words that achieve specific objectives

across a wide mix of communications platforms.

Influenced by Business Practicality and Creative Passion

For over twenty years, Tom has owned and managed a number of successful

businesses within the marketing, property, media, and eCommerce sectors. He

applies this practical range of entrepreneurial and business knowledge to meet the

needs of his clients.

Tom’s educational background includes:

• BA, political science and theatre arts (Illinois Wesleyan University)

• MBA, marketing and finance (UCLA),

• MA, Communications and Product Adoption Strategy (Dublin City University).

Tom is a Produced Screenwriter and Published Novelist

Tom is also a published author and produced screenwriter. This blend of business

practicality with his love for the creative produces effective words and stories. His

ability to create words and stories are available to assist companies in achieving

diverse marketing missions. His credits include:

Published Novels & Non-fiction

Produced Film Films in Pre-production

For more information For more information on how your company can combine a passion for writing with business experience to achieve specific objectives, contact:

Tom Richards

Earthnet Eyeries County Cork Ireland / Dunshaughlin County Meath Ireland

Email: tomrichards@earthnet.ie · Tel: 011 353 27 74979 · 011 353 86 6004475

Hotfoot

No 1 Bestselling

Hotfoot 2 Lucky’s

Revenge

The Lost Scrolls of

Newgrange Top 10

Bestseller

The Den Adventure

A Survivor’s Guide to Living

in Ireland

Merlin

Case Study Samples by Tom Richards

Clients: • EMC

• Sybase IQ

• Smart Telecom

• Sage

The Challenge: Case studies must effectively showcase

products and services, creating stories that

engage readers while demonstrating benefit

relevance.

EMC: sought to increase its profitable solutions

capabilities within global markets (the Americas,

Europe, Middle East, Africa) by demonstrating

excellence.

Sybase IQ: desired to demonstrate powerful

product benefits by targeting a variety of

geographic markets and market sectors

throughout Eurasia

Smart Telecom: leveraged its leading-edge

technology in order to steal share from its

entrenched competitors

Sage: required case studies to demonstrate

how increased productivity and efficiency would

lead to high ROI by purchasing its product

The Results: All of the objectives outlined above were

achieved.

Al-Imam University EMC solutions support education excellence with cloud high performance and flexibility

ESSENTIALS Industry

Higher Education

Company Size

5,000 staff, 50,000 students, 20,000 distance learning students

Business Challenges

• Primary datacenter infrastructure lacked performance to support mission-critical applications and did not fully support virtualization

• Student lab stand-alone workstations lacked flexibility and agility to meet growing demand, did not support remote access, and were inefficient to manage

• Infrastructure incurred high operating costs

Solutions

Vblock Infrastructure Platform incorporating:

• EMC VNX unified storage

• EMC FAST Suite

• Cisco UCS blade servers

• Cisco networking components

• Citrix XenDesktop

• VMware vSphere

OVERVIEW Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University is one of the largest centers of higher learning in Saudi Arabia. Its wide-ranging curriculum, including computer sciences, engineering, languages, and economics, is a cornerstone of the country's knowledge-based economy. The university adopts new technologies to enhance education excellence, while also achieving its goals in light of Islamic teachings and values.

BUSINESS CHALLENGES Al-Imam University operates two sets of IT infrastructure to support vital operations. Its primary datacenter supports mission-critical applications including Oracle ERP, Microsoft Exchange, and Microsoft SQL Server. These applications, running on a variety of stand-alone servers and unified infrastructure, help staff to manage everything from student information to critical financial datasets. Separately, the university was supporting 40 student labs with stand-alone SUN Sparc workstations to deliver education materials and courses to students and teachers.

Unfortunately, the university was facing challenges. Primary datacenter storage systems were at end of life and could not provide required performance for mission-critical applications. In some instances, latency was running in excess of three seconds, yielding a poor user experience. Lack of centralized management also resulted in time consuming administration and an inability to maximize resource utilization.

The university's lab infrastructure lacked the flexibility and agility to quickly meet future expansion requirements. To accommodate additional students or labs, new stand-alone workstations would have to be ordered, configured, and deployed, an expensive and time-consuming task. Access was also limited to only eight hours per day, which hampered efficiency and productivity. Students and teachers could only obtain course materials by physically visiting labs because existing infrastructure did not provide remote access. Management was also costly and inefficient: each lab was assigned at least one full time technician to administer relevant systems.

Also, both sets of infrastructure were characterized by high costs for cooling, power, maintenance, and licensing fees.

To address these issues, Al-Imam University adopted next-generation cloud technologies developed by EMC.

SOLUTIONS Al-Imam University resolved its primary datacenter performance issues by consolidating its environment with EMC VNX unified storage integrated with flash drives and VMware.

To support its student lab environment, the university deployed a fully converged and pre-tested Vblock Infrastructure Platform incorporating an EMC VNX unified storage

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Primary data center incorporating:

• EMC VNX unified storage

• Oracle ERP

• Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server

Results

• Consolidated primary datacenter performance increase of 40 percent

• Fully supports virtualized environments

• Increased flexibility and agility allows university to expand to quickly meet new educational needs

• Anytime, anywhere remote access to student course materials

• 50 percent reduction in OpEx

system integrated with EMC FAST Suite (including FAST Cache and FAST VP) and flash drives, Cisco Unified Computing System blade servers, Cisco networking components, and VMware vSphere virtualization technology. Citrix XenDesktop delivers virtualized desktop infrastructure to lab students and staff.

VNX HIGH PERFORMANCE By consolidating its primary datacenter with VNX, the university is achieving high performance for mission critical applications, while also increasing resource utilization and management efficiency.

"We are experiencing up to forty percent performance increases, depending on the application, with VNX," Ahmed Fathy, Al-Imam University Systems Manager states. "The VNX also has internal deduplication and thin provisioning, which helps us to maximize resource utilization."

Mr. Fathy explains that the university will soon virtualize all Microsoft applications using VMware fully integrated into VNX. Using centralized management consoles, university IT staff can quickly spin up new virtual machines to meet new requirements. Centralized VNX testing and ongoing management is also more efficient than legacy systems. And the university can quickly scale up its VNX to meet growing data needs.

"VNX allows us to use it at file and / or block level," Mr. Fathy says. "It provides us with a highly-available, stable environment with automatic load balancing which increases performance. It is also simple to manage. What else could you need?"

FLEXIBILITY SUPPORTS EDUCATION EXCELLENCE As a critical component of the university's Vblock system, VNX also helps to drive a highly flexible, high performance VDI environment. "Each month, we must cater for an expansion in the number of labs that we manage, or the number of students who will participate in those labs," Mr. Fathy explains. "We convinced our managers that a VDI cloud solution would achieve our flexibility objectives, and also provide us with cost efficiencies."

"VNX allows us to use it at file and / or block level. It provides us with a highly-available, stable environment with automatic load balancing which increases performance. It is also simple to manage. What else could you need?" Ahmed Fathy Systems Manager, Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University

The university no longer has to purchase and deploy additional workstations to cater for growth. Instead, it creates new virtual desktops in minutes. Students and teachers can boot up almost instantly to access course materials from anywhere and at anytime. Eventually, the university's new infrastructure will support over 800 thin client devices.

"Students and teachers no longer have to be physically present in the lab to access course materials," Mr. Fathy notes. "They can access it from any location—inside or outside the university, even from home—and at anytime. This gives our people the flexibility that they need."

VDI HIGH PERFORMANCE VNX supports VDI high performance with integrated FAST Suite and flash drive technologies. Fully Automated Storage Tiering, including FAST Cache and FAST for

Virtual Provisioning, automatically moves in-demand virtual machines to high IOPS flash drives, then back to slower drives when demand cools. The result is the elimination of boot storms, and almost instant access to course materials by users.

Prior to deploying Vblock, the university used manual tiering processes which resulted in poor resource utilization. "Without auto-tiering, all data would remain on highly expensive disks," Mr. Fathy says. "But now with FAST Suite, I am saving a great deal of resource because Fully Automated Storage Tiering automatically assigns data to expensive drives only when required."

CENTRALIZED MANAGEMENT AND LOW COST By adopting VNX as part of its Vblock system, the university is significantly increasing management efficiency, while lowering costs. "With centralized management, we can easily expand the number of labs at any time," Mr. Fathy states. "With our older systems, we needed at least one technician to support each lab, but we were only providing students with eight hour-a-day access. Today with Vblock and VNX, we only require one technician for all of our labs, yet the infrastructure provides twenty-four hour access."

Other OpEx costs have also been reduced significantly. Mr. Fathy notes that the VDI environment requires only one-half the number of licenses compared to the older stand-alone configuration, while power and cooling costs have been reduced substantially.

"We now have a consolidated system which requires little power and cooling, and is simple to manage. We have also saved considerable space because of the smaller footprint. Overall, we have reduced operating costs by one-half in many instances," Mr. Fathy says.

"Vblock with VNX gives us the best performance for our needs compared to any other competitor. This was one of the many reasons we chose this infrastructure."

CONTACT US To learn more about how EMC products, services, and solutions can help solve your business and IT challenges, contact your local representative or authorized reseller—or visit us at www.EMC.com.

www.EMC.com

EMC2, EMC, the EMC logo, [add other applicable product trademarks in alphabetical order] are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. VMware [add additional per above, if required] are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc., in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. © Copyright 2012 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. <insert date MM/YY> Customer Profile <insert part number as H####> EMC believes the information in this document is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice.

Sector: Financial Services Spot Light on the Company Founded in 1944 as Turkey’s first full service private bank, Yapi Kredi has experienced robust growth due to sustainable value generation. This financial services leader, with total assets of over US$70 billion, serves over 6 million retail and corporate customers. It reaches a vast target audience through its 860 retail branches in Turkey, as well as international subsidiary operations in The Netherlands, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Switzerland, and an offshore banking unit in Bahrain. The Challenge Yapi Kredi Bank needed to improve accessibility and query speeds to its immense amounts of information produced daily from 25 disparate operating systems. Implementation Deployment of Sybase IQ onto existing IBM AIX machines, and rolled out across the branch network, while minimising CPU and data storage requirements. Key Benefits

• Delivers 154% return on investment • Results in 63% database

compression • Uses three CPUs, compared to

Oracle’s 12 • Reduces query times from days to

minutes • Reduces staff and energy costs • Handles 5.5 TB of data

“Yapi Kredi Bank chose Sybase IQ to improve the accessibility of our Bank’s customer data, giving employees in over 860 branches the ability to perform complex ad hoc queries rapidly and easily, while also lowering data storage costs.” With queries taking up to 24 hours to process, andimmense quantities of data being pulled from more than 25different operating systems, Yapi Kredi Bank adoptedSybase IQ to significantly reduce processing times byimproving accessibility to data and query speeds. Theresult: 154% ROI in 10 months. Yapi Kredi Bank has always focused on customers’ needs by providing exceptional service levels and competitive product offerings. To enhance that mission, the company planned to implement its vision of originating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) activities directly from the 860 branches. Realisation of this vision depended on the bank’s ability to manage the immense amounts of information produced in its daily operations. To do this, it needed to find an alternative to its current system, one that would achieve a smooth, fast migration path and deploy into production quickly. Having used an Oracle data warehouse for their analytical CRM and credit card business lines, the bank noticed that the upgrade requirements of the system kept exceeding all estimations and budget allocations to produce pre-tuned query results. Queries could crawl at a snail’s pace with processing times taking up to 24 hours, while ad hoc queries were so problematic that they were not run. To turbo-charge its analytics, Yapi Kredi chose Sybase IQ to improve access to its customer data while also reducing data storage costs. To meet Yapi Kredi’s needs, a professional team of Sybase IQ consultants partnered with Bank staff to help architect the system and answer technical questions that arose during the project. Over a six-month period, Sybase IQ developed an in-house ETL (extract/transfer/load) tool that converted data from the legacy Oracle database to meet Sybase IQ requirements. Within eight weeks, Yapi Kredi was able to migrate an in-house-developed Oracle/SQL-based data warehouse to Sybase IQ. To ensure a smooth transition, Yapi Kredi kept the Oracle system running as a backup measure. Just 3 months after the first phase production rollout, the Oracle system was retired.

The results illustrate the revolutionary benefits of Sybase IQ: “When we implemented Sybase IQ, we knew that our vision to increase the volume and effectiveness of the bank’s customer marketing campaigns could be realised,” Yapi Kredi General Manager of Technology Management Alpaslan Ozlu states. “With Sybase IQ, querying speeds now take minutes rather than hours due to the solution’s column-based architecture. Its unique compression capabilities have reduced disk space requirements by 63 percent, giving us significant cost savings. Because of these benefits, the bank has been able to re-deploy staff to other critical tasks. The solution has also resulted in significant infrastructure and energy savings because it uses only three CPUs rather than the old system’s ten. Our analysis shows that Sybase IQ will quickly pay for itself with an ROI of 154 percent.” Due to their innovative solution and the astounding results, Yapi Kredi Bank

received Computerworld's "Best Practices in Business Intelligence" award for "Creating a BI Vision and Strategies for Improved ROI." Since its deployment, Sybase IQ has been rolled out across the Bank’s branch network, enabling Yapi Kredi management to effectively implement its Customer Relationship Management strategy. “Sybase IQ’s architecture and superior design has helped to future-proof the bank’s vision,” Alpaslan Ozlu states. “Its unique flexibility, data accessibility, and querying performance means that questions and programmes that we have not yet even thought of can be accommodated with ease. Now, Sybase IQ gives us instant data access, no matter what the query. For those reasons, Sybase IQ and the information that it delivers provides us with real competitive advantage.”

A Smart Case Study

A Smart Decision CPL, the leading provider of temporary staff in Ireland, recently chose Smart Telecom’s Next Generation Network technologies to help drive its critical telecommunications requirements. In this interview with CPL IT manager Keith O’Connor, we learn how Smart Telecom’s flexible and reliable capabilities have substantially increased the productivity of this growing company. About the Company Established in 1989, CPL has quickly grown to become Ireland’s leading recruitment agency, and largest provider of temporary staff. Each year, over twenty thousand temporary employees and nine thousand permanent employees are placed with almost four thousand client companies. Now trading on both the Irish and London Stock Exchanges, CPL has grown quickly: over the past five years revenues have increased almost four-fold, from €52.4 million in 2003 to €194.5 million in 2007. With a head office in Dublin, and fourteen additional offices located throughout the country – as well as London – voice and data telecommunications are critical to the continuing growth of the company. CPL relies on its telecommunications capabilities not only to provide exceptional service levels to its end clients and recruitment candidates, but also to power a variety of Internet-driven in-house administrative capabilities including many accounting functions.

The Challenge In order to facilitate continuing growth through exceptional service levels, CPL IT Manager Keith O’Connor searched for additional telecommunications capabilities and infrastructure that would increase reliability and flexibility. ‘Our primary server is located at our Dublin head office,’ he explains. ‘Each of our fourteen offices countrywide, as well as our London office, access that server through telecommunications infrastructure and technology. For that reason, it is imperative that our telecom infrastructure is reliable. We recognised that in order to provide redundancy and backup, we required an additional telecommunications provider who could partner with us to increase flexibility and reliability, at reasonable cost. ‘We also hoped to achieve increased in-house productivity through additional Internet speed and reliability. We contacted Smart Telecom. They understood exactly what we required and provided us

with exceptional reasons why we should choose them.’ The Solution Smart Telecom’s Next Generation Network Smart Telecom is Ireland’s fastest growing telecommunications service provider. Already providing the telecommunications needs for hundreds of businesses, government offices, and households throughout the country, Smart Telecom has made a commitment to supply exceptional, state-of-the-art infrastructure and technologies – as well as knowledgeable advice – to help customers increase productivity and efficiency, while minimising telecommunications costs. Smart Telecom’s Next Generation Network (NGN), the result of a significant investment by Smart Telecom in the latest telecommunications technologies, facilitates exceptional voice, Internet/data, VoIP, and video traffic through its wholly owned network of fibre and unbundled exchanges, as well as licensed microwave access and network management and processes. This investment allows Smart Telecom to offer next generation telecommunications technologies to small, medium, and large businesses, as well as households and other organisations, nationwide. Based on state-of-the-art high-speed packet network design that requires only a single node on the customer’s premises to simultaneously handle voice, data and video communications, Smart Telecom technology provides robust telecommunications reliability, flexibility and speed. This network also facilitates the very latest communications applications including VoIP and IPTV.

Benefits of a Smart Telecom solution include greater speeds by eliminating contention, greater responsiveness to customer needs, greater reliability due to ongoing investment in new and independent telecommunications infrastructure, greater value for money thereby providing exceptional returns on investments as well as lower operating costs, and higher levels of flexibility. The Flexibility of Smart Telecom Solutions CPL has enjoyed astounding benefits from the Smart Telecom solution from the very beginning of their relationship, as Keith explains. ‘Smart Telecom ran dedicated fibre directly into our head office, a benefit that we very much appreciate,’ he states. ‘Moreover, they did so within days of our order. Installation of the solution was quick and uncomplicated. ‘We’ve had the Smart Telecom solution for about a year now and we’ve enjoyed substantial benefits. First, the system is exceptionally cost effective due to low installation costs and the fact that we do not have to pay a monthly fee. Second, and because Smart Telecom has invested in their own telecommunications infrastructure, we now have our own fibre. This capability eliminates contention, meaning that we don’t share a line with anyone else. For that reason, our Internet speeds have improved considerably. For instance, when ‘pinging’ from our server in order to test Internet connectivity speeds, that speed has proven ten times greater than other Internet ISP solutions. ‘This speed, and the reliability that the system offers, has also helped CPL to enhance its productivity. Because our Internet capabilities are faster, our staff can work more quickly, thereby

helping us to increase efficiency. That efficiency is also enhanced by the Smart solution’s reliability: in the year that we’ve been using Smart Telecom telecommunications capabilities, we have never experienced any Internet downtime. ‘In short, the Smart Telecom solution is reliable, flexible, and fast.’ Support Enhancing Reliability Keith also praises Smart Telecom’s support team and their ability to understand CPL’s real needs. ‘Smart Telecom’s Network Operations Centre, and the professionals that work there, provides exceptional service to its customers,’ he states. ‘They have taken the time to truly understand our business and our ongoing needs. Over the months, they have developed real, personal relationships with us. Because I know that they understand our business, I know that they will recommend solutions that are appropriate for us.’ Keith is also impressed with their ability to pre-empt problems, and to offer additional solutions that improve reliability and productivity. ‘Recently, a telecommunications power cable in our office had been pulled by accident,’ he explains. ‘We hadn’t noticed. But someone at Smart Telecom had because we received a phone call from them informing us of the problem. That sort of commitment to customer care is appreciated. The people at Smart Telecom act as true partners in our business.’ Smart Telecom also recommends advanced state-of-the-art telecommunications applications as they become available, and when they are appropriate. ‘Smart Telecom is fantastic when it comes to new technology,’ Keith states. ‘For

instance, they recently recommended a new capability – EFM (Ethernet in the First Mile). This technology has allowed us to transform two existing standard copper wires into high-speed, 100 Mb telecommunications pipelines through the use of a small modem. And additional technologies, such as their Luminous Light Unit, allows us to integrate a variety of technologies including fibre or DSL as a single integrated unit. ‘These capabilities help us to quickly back-up data. They reduce other costs in that we no longer absolutely require VPN’s, firewalls, routers, or other third party hardware. Instead, we have a single solution that seamlessly consolidates our telecommunications traffic, no matter if that traffic is voice or data. ‘In short, the support and advice received from Smart Telecom has been perfect.’ Would Recommend Keith recommends Smart Telecom solutions to other Irish businesses. ‘Smart Telecom provides an independent telecommunications infrastructure that not only provides redundancy, but that also increases speed, flexibility, reliability, and productivity, all on a cost-effective basis. ‘I definitely recommend them to other businesses. We made the right decision to work with Smart Telecom, and from the start we’ve been very impressed with their solutions and capabilities.’ For more information CPL For more information on CPL and their commitment to the professional placement of permanent, contract,

and temporary staff, contact them at www.cpl.ie, or contact any of their offices: Dublin Office email: info@cpl.ie, Tel: 01 614 6000 Limerick Office email: info@limerick.cpl.ie, Tel: 061 317377 Cork Office email: info@cork.cpl.ie, Tel: 021 494 4860 Galway Office email: info@galway.cpl.ie, Tel: 091 509740 CPL Midlands email: midlands@cpl.ie, Tel: 044 45222 Smart Telecom For more information on Smart Telecom’s Next Generation Network, and our range of Voice, Broadband, and state-of-the-art telecommunications solutions, contact us. Tel: 01 4699300, email: info@smarttelecom.ie, Web: www.smarttelecom.ie

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About the Company Donegal-based McMenamin Engineering has experienced exponential growth since its establishment in 1986 by Seamus McMenamin. Originally established to serve the structural fabrication requirements of Ireland’s agricultural sector, the Group’s successful expansion strategy propelled it into a variety of markets:

McMenamin Engineering Ltd utilises cutting edge design and CNC capabilities to expedite the professional fabrication, erection, and sheeting for commercial and industrial builds ranging from warehouse requirements, to retail, leisure, government, and showroom installations. Mantis Cranes Ireland Ltd and Mantis Cranes (UK) Ltd design, build, sell, and rent self-erecting

and city tower cranes for Irish and UK construction requirements, as well as for global markets. The success of the Group’s full service capabilities can be attributed to one over-riding mission: a provision of excellence. Les McAndrew, the group’s financial controller, explains. ‘Our company has always prided ourselves on the highest levels of customer service,’ Les states. ‘That commitment to excellence runs right through the group. Every project that we design and build; every crane that we manufacture in our Donegal plant and deliver to site; from the smallest to the largest project; our company is guided by that one over-arching mission.’ That commitment to excellence also provides a vision for the future. ‘Up until a few months

ago, the group invested heavily in innovative technologies including the very latest CNC design and manufacturing equipment,’ Les says. ‘However, it is no secret that today’s economy represents a challenging time for everyone in our industry. For that reason, we are targeting international markets to diversify our customer base. We recognise that the quality of our products and services can meet the needs of a global audience. ‘By looking to a global market, we firmly believe that we are positioning ourselves for success as the world economy recovers. And we know that by doing so, our company, our employees, and our suppliers will also benefit.’

Integrated Sage 50 Poised for the Future

The McMenamin Group is Ireland’s pre-eminent crane manufacturers, structural engineers, andproviders of metal fabrication and cladding solutions for the commercial and agricultural industries.Here, we see how this prestigious group is poised for economic recovery with the assistance of apowerful Sage 50 integrated accounting and job costing solution.

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The Challenge: Gaining Real Time Information When the company was first established, accounting and job costing was done manually. ‘McMenamin’s first projects met smaller agricultural requirements,’ Les explains. ‘In those early years, all accounting, finance, and job costing activities were recorded using a manual system. While that worked effectively during the early days, the company’s rapid growth, and the establishment of its other companies – Mantis Cranes and Mantis Cranes UK – required a more sophisticated solution. ‘What we required was a solution that would provide standard accounting and management reporting capabilities, but as importantly, would also enable us to closely monitor costs and profitability for each job undertaken by each of our companies. ‘We also required a solution that could consolidate company financials. In other words, we wanted it all: we wanted a system that would allow us to view accounting data at a group level, but that would also allow us to drill down into each company within the group, and then drill down even further: to each cost for each project undertaken by each company.’ The Solution: Integrated Sage 50 with Sage Job Costing

The company approached Synergy Network Ltd, the Sligo-based Sage Business Partner, with their aspirations and plans. James Doyle, Synergy Network managing director, explains: ‘When the McMenamin’s first approached us back in 1997, we recognised their tremendous potential for growth. For that reason, we knew that the company required a highly flexible, robust, yet easy to use solution that could grow as quickly as their aspirations. We also knew that they required a capability that would help them to increase productivity and efficiency.’ To meet the group’s requirements, Synergy Network recommended Sage 50. A number of years later, that initial solution was integrated with Sage Job Costing. Sage 50 is Ireland’s most popular accounting and management software solution. Developed specifically to meet the needs of growing small and mid-sized companies, Sage 50 incorporates a wide range of functionalities including multi-company/multi-currency capabilities, nominals, cash book, invoicing, VAT tracking and analysis, ROS (Revenue On Line), debtor and creditor analysis, purchase and sales orders, comprehensive management reporting, and many other functions. Intuitive and easy to use, the solution enables company managers to keep their fingers on the pulse of their businesses through exceptional drill down

capabilities. The McMenamin Group’s Sage 50 solution was also integrated with Sage Job Costing. This comprehensive job costing capability enables companies to track all costs associated with specific projects including third party costs, overheads, costs of materials, and similar. Comprehensive analysis and cost tracking enables managers to monitor ongoing costs in real time, while protecting valued profitability. Additionally, complete integration increases productivity by eliminating double-entry requirements. The Significant Benefits ‘Our integrated Sage solution has proven more than adequate to meet our needs,’ McMenamin Group’s Les McAndrew states. ‘It has proven extremely flexible, and has grown as we’ve grown. Its easy-to-use functionality has helped us to increase our productivity and efficiency, and its reporting capabilities provide us with the critical data to monitor the group’s – and individual companies’ – current financial situation, while also helping us to plan for the future. ‘The Sage 50 solution also helps us to meet compliance requirements such as end of year and period accounting, and VAT requirements. ‘Sage Job Costing, integrated into Sage 50, provides a powerful capability, and we use this facility for every contract that we undertake – both big and small. Job Costing enables us to

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allocate all relevant costs to each specific project. This enables us to stay abreast of anticipated project costs in order to protect profitability. ‘Job Costing also provides us with a comprehensive archiving capability that enables us to store complete project cost histories. This facility will help us to develop future budgets by providing us with detailed data regarding past job costs. In other words, and rather than picking a figure out of the air when we’re bidding on a new project, we can look back to see exactly what a similar project cost, how much time it took, and how much resource was required. This capability will help us to bid intelligently, competitively, and yet profitably.’ Les is also impressed with the ongoing support that the Group receives from Sage Business Partner Synergy Network. ‘Synergy has been with us since the initial Sage 50 implementation over ten years ago,’ he explains. ‘They are one of the primary reasons for the success of the solution because they took the time to understand our business and our commitment to the future. As an example of their high levels of service is the fact that James Doyle, the managing director of Synergy Network, firmly believed that the group could benefit by integrating Sage Job Costing into the original Sage 50 solution. He took the time to explain its capabilities and how it would help the company. The result is an integrated solution that meets our exact requirements.

‘I know that if we experience any type of problem at all, Synergy Network are only a phone call away.’ Would Recommend Les McAndrew recommends the integrated Sage 50 solution without hesitation. ‘I have already recommended Sage 50 and Sage Job Costing to other companies, and will continue to recommend it,’ Les concludes. ‘Sage 50 has been developed with the same philosophy with which our group has always prided itself: a commitment to excellence. ‘This solution’s capabilities has significantly contributed to the success of the McMenamin group of companies. Those same benefits will also help us to reap benefits as we look to the future, and the recovery of the global economy.’

For more information For more information on the McMenamin group of companies and their commitment to excellence, contact them: McMenamin Engineering Ltd Tel: +353 74 9149362 Email: sales@mcmenaminengineering.ie Web: www.mcmanaminengineering.ie Mantis Cranes Ireland Ltd Tel: +353 74 9149981 Email: info@mantiscranes.ie Web: www.mantiscranes.ie Mantis Cranes UK Ltd Tel: +44 139 8748962 Email: info@mantiscranes.co.uk Web: www.mantiscranes.co.uk Synergy Network Ltd For more information on Synergy Network Ltd, contact them: Tel: 071 9146815 Email: sales@synergynet.ie Web: www.synergynet.ie Sage For more information on Sage 50, Sage Job Costing, and our complete range of integrated accounting, management, and job costing solutions, contact us: 1890 882060

Article & Ghost Writing Samples by Tom Richards

Clients: • Brightidea

• Intel

• EBS Educational Building Society

• IMI Irish Management Institute

The Challenge: Any article must be written appropriately to

achieve its objective as well as its medium:

Brightidea: the CEO of this innovation

company required a hard-hitting Forward

(ghost-written by Tom) for the specialist book on

collaboration, Midnight Lunch: The 4 Phases of

Team Collaboration Success from Thomas

Edison’s Lab’ by Sarah Miller Calidcott. Intel: desired to reinforce its commitment to

Irish education following its billion dollar

investment.

The EBS: wanted to educate its targeted

consumer base to cross-sell investment

products.

The IMI: this leading professional training

organisation was asked to contribute its

experience and knowledge to an Irish business

newspaper in a series of articles, all ghost-

written by Tom

The Results: All of the objectives outlined above were

achieved.

FOREWARD

When I first met Sarah at the summer 2001 Birds of a Feather Innovation Leaders Meeting hosted by Kraft, I was immediately struck by the relevance of her teachings. As a co-founder of a company that focuses on tools to harness innovation, I was captivated by Sarah’s lecture. Her understanding of innovation practices used by Thomas Edison, and the links between those practices and today’s urgent need to continually innovate, sheds light on how some of the world’s most revolutionary inventions came to be. And critically, how Edison’s practices might be successfully replicated. In Midnight Lunch, Sarah brings Edison’s timeless collaboration formula to the fore. She advances the rapidly changing innovation framework by providing deep insight into Edison’s proven collaboration processes. Importantly, her teachings allow innovation practitioners to apply those proven practices. Sarah notes that Edison emphasized collaboration as a discovery learning process. Rather than adopting a training-focused or task-focused orientation, collaboration for Edison was highly hands on, experiential, and project driven. His teams learned

through interaction with their colleagues, allowing them to unlock their own innate creativity and enhance ideas through collaborative adaptation. Sarah shows how to apply Edison’s undeniably brilliant insight into the collaborative process. Sarah’s insights could not come at a better time. Those companies that successfully innovate continue to flourish. But companies that fail to innovate risk their very survival. Almost 50 percent of companies that made the 1999 Fortune 500 list (238 companies to be exact) were absent from the 2009 list due to dramatic falls in revenues. Extend that history and the results become even more onerous: only 71 companies listed as part of the original 1955 Fortune 500 have survived to grace today’s 500. The world has become a tougher place and the corporate playing field is littered with companies that failed to make the grade through successful innovation. I think of Blockbuster, Eastman Kodak Company, Borders, and Hostess Brands as recent examples. To survive, companies can no longer rely on past successes. Rather, surviving in an ever-changing global economy requires continual, effective, culturally-embedded innovation. The constant search for good ideas must be an everyday strategic commitment that is focused on tactical objectives. Sarah’s concept of ‘metalogue’ found in the second half of her book– a method of inquiry for exploring diverse conversations and the context around those conversations – speaks to the need for focused collaboration. Technological advancements and digital links among individuals around the world allow companies to activate innovation processes on an iterative basis. Sarah’s metalogue is closely tied to and reflects The Innovation Grid, a concept that has been successfully developed at Brightidea. The Grid, touching almost every part of the world, is a movement to create online channels of deep communication and collaboration resulting in a future marketplace of new ideas. The Grid provides methods to predictably repeat the innovation process by allowing companies to focus collaborators on specific use-case objectives. If you look closely, you can see people and their businesses building dynamic pieces of this Innovation Grid in many different places: from start-ups like Kickstarter and 99Designs to established companies such as GE and P&G who are fostering open innovation. But where do good ideas come from? How do companies develop innovations that drive future brand loyalty, market share, and profitability? The innovation process is a creative activity. What Edison seems to have realized is that first, everyone is creative and second, that if properly nurtured, the most important assets of a company – its employees and customers – can generate a constant stream of good ideas. To do so, companies must develop a culture that nurtures creativity, listens to feedback, and strives to apply the good ideas that percolate upward like so many diamonds. People can be taught to innovate. They can be taught to recognize the creative gifts that they have been given, and to apply those gifts. All they need is leadership and direction. Years ago, Lee Iacocca significantly contributed to Ford, and created the innovative pony class of automobile at the same time, by directing his team to contribute good ideas that would lead to the Ford Mustang. IBM applied frameworks of innovation to transform itself from a product led company to an organization that is primarily service driven. Apple re-invented itself as a consumer electronics company when for years it had relied on personal computers as its main source of revenue. In each case, employees were motivated to work collaboratively to brainstorm creative ideas, learn from each other’s diversified skill bases and backgrounds, and apply those to products and services that they believed would be successful in the marketplace. In recent years, infrastructure to frame, nurture, and positively motivate innovation has significantly improved. Companies no longer need a factory floor or physical data center to innovate. Instead, we are now moving to a framework of ‘meta innovation’, a process that is innovating ways in

which we all innovate. Online collaboration, social media innovation processes, and cloud-based capabilities (such as Brightidea’s Innovation Grid) allow companies to reach out to employees, customers and other stakeholders to encourage creativity and idea generation within a focused framework. Using meta innovation tools, companies can crowdsource, track a variety of innovation metrics from idea generation to social interactions to implementation rates and a host of other insights, all wrapped around a particular product, service, or challenge-focused topic. If Edison were alive, he would be fascinated by the evolution of the innovation process. Using these new tools, we enjoy higher levels of innovation predictability, which Edison would have applauded. Edison would also have been fascinated by the Internet as a method of encouraging collaboration in ways never before possible. He would have viewed the scale of innovation activities such as GE’s Ecomagination Challenge, which links well over 90,000 online collaborators to solve specific innovation challenges, with amazed satisfaction. But despite the opportunities that the Internet offers, Edison would still insist that collaboration cannot be unstructured. Rather, focused conversations, leadership, and direction are necessary to produce great, successful, market-changing ideas. Sarah understands this process. She adeptly delves into Edison’s true collaboration formula, empowering companies to better use collaboration as a disruptive creative tool. Midnight Lunch is a fitting and timely vehicle that sets the stage for individuals and companies, allowing them to successfully incorporate collaboration into the innovation framework.

Matthew Greeley Chief Executive Officer and cofounder, Brightidea San Francisco, CA

Science is Super! A Continuing Report on

Intel’s Involvement in Irish Education Intel Ireland co-sponsored the Young Scientists Exhibition, recently held at the RDS, Dublin. Now we find out why Intel hopes that young people everywhere will say ‘Science is Super!’

Intel has co-sponsored the Young Scientists Exhibition for three years. Their Maths, Physics and Chemistry Prize not only identifies up-and-coming talent, but also motivates young people to excel in these fields. In 1997 Sarah Flannery won with her Internet-related encryption research. Her Intel prize included a trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair – an international showcase for emerging young scientists – held in Fort Worth, Texas for both herself and her teacher. In 1999 she went on to win the over-all Young Scientist prize. And she has travelled extensively, giving talks on her research all over the world. But a child doesn’t have to be a science super star to have fun in science, or to participate in the Young Scientists Award. Frank Turpin, Intel manager for education in the community, explains: “We want kids to recognise that taking maths and the sciences in school can lead to a very real and rewarding career, and that they shouldn’t give it up. So many children stop taking these courses in secondary school, and what they don’t realise is that this can close career doors early on. We hope that they’ll keep those doors open.” Intel’s involvement in the Young Scientists Exhibition grew out of a genuine concern for the shrinking numbers of students currently taking

maths and science-related subjects in school. The company’s objectives are simple: to encourage student – and teacher – participation not only in the Exhibition, but to help students to realise that science can be both fun and rewarding. For many years Ireland’s science-related educational prowess was well-regarded throughout the world. Its stream of bright young talent brought companies, including Intel, to this country. But recently, interest in maths and the sciences is on the wane. Significantly less students are taking these courses now, compared to what they did even a few years ago. This is leading to a shortage of engineers and qualified technicians, a situation that most thought unthinkable. By helping to sponsor the Young Scientists Exhibition Intel is hoping to reverse this trend.

Of more local interest, Intel Ireland is working closely with Leixlip-based schools in order to encourage participation. Karina Howley of Intel’s Public Affairs explains: “Last September we invited eleven ‘link’ schools to participate in a pre-exhibition workshop,” Karina stated. “These workshops were designed to help schools and their teachers and students to understand the requirements for the Young Scientists Exhibition, and to help them design their projects. Five students and a teacher from each school were invited along. “At the workshop, the 1998 Intel winner, Sean Foley, gave a talk on his project, the support that he received, and the fun that he had both during his research and the Exhibition. And Dr. Tony Scott, a respected UCD-based educator, gave participants some idea of what judges were looking for in a good project.” The results of the workshops were overwhelming. Nine projects from local schools were entered into the 1999 Young Scientists Exhibition. Cathal Travers, principal of Confey College in Leixlip, was enthusiastic regarding his school’s participation. “We gained enormously by entering our students into the Young Scientists Exhibition,” Mr Travers stated. “This is active learning, and the research and creative skills that are part of the programme are life-enhancing. We’re grateful to Intel.” Daithi Mac An Aircinn, Head of Science at Colaiste Chairian, a local school who also participated, agrees:

“It was a fantastic experience for our participants. The Young Scientists Exhibition gives our youngster adults an opportunity to do something in science and to receive recognition, regardless of whether they win an award or not.” But this is only a start. Frank Turpin remains circumspect on the prospect for maths and the sciences in this country, particularly in the shorter-term. “Children aren’t taking science and maths in school for a number of reasons. First, the points system and the shortage of college places have made the points race even more competitive. To maximise points, kids are opting out of maths and science, thinking that they’ll do better in ‘softer’ subjects. “And the curriculum has broadened. Kids today have an ever-increasing range of subjects to choose from. While this is a good thing, it does have an impact on the number of children choosing to stick with science. “Perhaps most importantly,” he adds, “Kids aren’t hooked into science from an early age. The government hasn’t invested properly in labs and related equipment in many years. And some teachers simply don’t take the time to make science fun. “Kids are the losers and so are we,” Frank states. Then he grins. “What I hope that they all realise is that science can be incredibly fun.” And looking at Frank, a qualified scientist who seems to enjoy life immensely, I become an instant convert.

Steps to saving for your

Children’s Education

Sending one child to university or other place of higher education is expensive. And sending more than one child on the same journey can seem more than a little daunting. However, with some careful planning sooner rather than later parents and guardians of university-bound children can avoid a significant amount of financial pain and worry.

The following steps provide you with a simple financial approach to planning for the financial requirements of your children’s education.

Step One Understanding the Cost The cost of higher education in Ireland is getting more expensive. While it still represents exceptional value for money when compared with other domiciles such as the United States (where a four-year university degree can cost parents well over €100,000), a recent report by the Union of Students in Ireland states that a year’s university education (including fees, room & board, books, and miscellaneous expenses) can cost up to €7,000 per annum. Assuming that a child undertakes a four-year degree course, total education expenses can approach €30,000. These costs may increase substantially in future years not only due to inflation but also because the Irish government may increase fees. Recent discussions from Ireland’s Department of Education suggests that the government may decide to stop sub-venting University fees at some future point. If this occurs, Ireland’s parents will have to pick up the costs – and those costs could be massive: up to an additional €2,000 (or more) per annum. Parents of young children often do not adequately plan – or save – for their children’s education. This is understandable: for parents of a two-year-old baby, the prospect of university education some fifteen years in the future can seem impossibly remote. However, those years will slip by quickly. Parents of young children must make the decision to save now if they are to be adequately prepared for future educational financial requirements. Step Two Defining the Goal This step is a natural by-product of Step One. Having made the decision to save, parents must now decide how much they need to save.

a. Determining the Financial Goal & Adjusting for Inflation

Our suggestion is to adjust the current cost by a 3 percent annual inflation rate, compounded by the number of years until your child (or children) might begin their education. (Note that inflation may move up or down over those years.)

As an example, let’s take a family with a single child who is two years old. The child will, in all likelihood and should they choose to, start college at eighteen, or 16 years hence. The present cost of a four-year education today is €30,000. Therefore, the cost in 16 years at a 3 percent annual compounded inflation rate is €48,140.

That figure represents your financial goal, and what you probably need to save if you, as parents, are intending to cover all costs.

From this figure, you can choose to subtract any lump-sum inheritances, gifts from grandparents or other sources, or contributions that you will want your child to make toward their education. Going back to the illustration above, and taking deductions into account, the net financial goal might be: Total Anticipated Education Cost €48,140

(less)

Grandparent Gift (€ 5,000) Child contribution @ €100 per month for each month of a four-year degree, 8 months per year (€ 3,200) Total Cost to Parents €39,940

b. Determining How Much You Need to Save Each Month Having determined your financial goal of €39,940, and having made the decision to save regularly between now and the start of your child’s university life, you can determine exactly how much you need to save for each and every month. A financial tool can be used to determine this figure. Essentially, this tool makes a couple of assumptions: the total amount you intend to save, how frequently you intend to save, and the interest rate achieved over the savings period. By applying this tool, and based upon these assumptions, you can quickly determine how much you will need to save each month. Using our example, we know that our parents desire to save a total of €39,940. They intend to save an equal amount each month over 16 years. We will also be conservative and assume that they will receive a net compounded rate of return on their savings of 4 percent. Using the financial calculator (which you can find at http://investopedia.com/calculator/MortgagePayments.aspx,) our parents need to save €280/month.

Step Three: Choosing Your Savings Plan Having determined how much you need to save each month to achieve your goal, you now need to choose a savings investment method that will maximise your financial return. As noted above in our calculation, we have chosen to be conservative by choosing a compounded rate of return of 4 percent per annum. However, by employing a number of financial strategies you may be able to achieve a significantly higher rate of return on your monthly fixed investment. Some options include:

a) Long-term managed investment plans – a wide number of investment programmes are available. These include investment solutions that can:

• Provide you a guaranteed rate of return on investments over a fixed period, or

• Allow you to invest directly in a mix of stocks, cash, and other financial instruments.

b) Shorter-term investment plans – these savings plans can give a reasonable return on investment, while protecting your principal.

c) Property investments – you might also consider investing in property. You can do

so either through:

• Direct property investment – by purchasing a site or home, or • Indirect property investment – through a variety of property investment

programmes. Additionally, you can also consider direct investment in stocks, gilts, bonds or other financial instruments. You should recognise that each type of investment that you consider carries specific risks and potential rewards and should therefore be considered carefully. You might also consider discussing your plans with a qualified financial advisor. The BANK NAME provides such advice. These individuals will help you to think through not only the goals that you are considering, but also the financial solutions that you might consider to help you to achieve those goals.

Step Four Monitoring Your Investment and Anticipated Costs Finally, as the years pass you should closely monitor the value of your investment, comparing it to most recent costs for university education. In this way, you can adjust your educational savings programme in light of currently available information. This will allow you to make additional decisions, helping you to avoid unpleasant surprises as your child approaches university age. It’s never too late to start an educational savings programme. For more information, contact your BANK NAME Financial Advisor and begin planning for your children’s education. For more information The Union of Students in Ireland often provides up-to-date information regarding education costs. Visit them at www.usi.ie While every effort has been taken to ensure that the facts contained within this article are true at the time of going to press, the EBS and its agents can not be held responsible for its content.

Coaching for the Future By Georgina Corscadden IMI Irish Management Institute In our final article on Hi-Tech Hi-Growth industries, the IMI’s Georgina Corscadden illustrates how effective coaching can reap significant future benefits for those willing to understand this human process. Let’s start with a sporting analogy. Your team is poised to make the cut into the European Cup quarterfinals through a combination of skill and technical brilliance. All you have to do is win this next match. The game has reached the interval, the score is level, and your players are exhausted from their efforts. They need to go that extra mile. In the changing room, they look to you for inspiration. What do you, as their manager, tell them now? Do you go back to basics, plugging away at the technical capabilities that brought them this far? Or do you give them something else? You look down on this group of hopeful,

aspiring, intelligent team of young people and know that the outcome of the match in large part depends on what you’re going to say in the next few moments. Irish hi-tech, hi-growth companies are playing for incredibly high stakes. Most have achieved what they have through technical brilliance. But like talented football teams, the competition is getting tougher, and leaders often wonder what they can do to get even more out of their people. One answer is effective coaching. Coaching is usually a one-to-one process that helps to identify the aspirations and talents within particular individuals, and nurtures those for the benefit of all within an organisation. Effective coaching is future focused and concerned with the development of the entire individual. It can foster an environment of stability, loyalty and knowledge-sharing that will not only

help a company to achieve shorter-termed goals, but that leads to constant innovation that can breed future champions. A Call for Coaching Why should any company consider the establishment of a coaching programme? Scott Eckert, managing director of Dell Computers’ Bray facility, states that coaching isn’t an option but a requirement. “Dell’s key priority is to develop our people fast enough to keep pace with our rapid growth rate and to take advantage of exciting market opportunities. To do this, we need to ensure that all employees reach their full potential. This can only be provided through effective coaching.” Ireland’s hi-tech, hi-growth businesses are populated by a generation of bright young people who, because of the intensive nature of the industry, are asked to take up

responsibilities early and hit the ground running. While these people undoubtedly have the technological know-how, they must also quickly learn leadership, communication and management skills that traditionally came only with years of experience. Unfortunately, neither they nor the companies that they work for have the luxury of such time. Coaching recognises people for what they are: a company’s most important asset. By focusing on employees’ talents and ambitions, and by providing them with support to achieve their aspirations, businesses will create a human environment that goes beyond short-term results. A coaching programme fosters a forward-looking attitude leading to future success. Who, Me Coach? Unlike mentoring, where the mentor usually has a similar background to those individuals being mentored, a coach does not necessarily have the same expertise as his or her student. An effective coach not only uses their on-the-job experience to advise their ward, but their life-experience as well. A good coach becomes a sounding board; a mirror, a ‘best-buddy’ to those that she is coaching. She comes to understand not only where their student is now – what raw talents and experience the student possesses – but also helps the student to identify his or her true aspirations. Most importantly, the coach

then works with the student to help them achieve those aspirations. In doing so, the process can quickly take a company forward toward its next major triumph. Like a great football manager, an effective coach forms an unbreakable bond with the individual that she is coaching. Successful coaching goes beyond trust. Rather, it becomes a relationship of mutual respect and understanding that fosters a willingness on the part of the student to believe that they can conquer seemingly insurmountable goals, one step at a time. The Chaos of Change “We’re riding the chaos of change,” says Cognotec’s Head of Global Human Resources Colm Gorman. “Each day brings something different. For this reason we have to be fleet of foot. With fewer management layers, increasing responsibilities for all, and a fairly unstructured environment, we need individuals to feel good about making decisions in a hi-risk marketplace.” Decision-making can be a high-stress process, particularly in highly pressured technology environments. Effective coaching helps to alleviate the stress by providing an emotional and experiential backstop. Those being coached know that they have a friend on their

side that is willing to listen to a problem, help talk through various options, and put aside their own ego in order to truly help. An effective coach gives their student permission to ramble, dream and vent their frustrations. They are the catalysts that help students to unscramble confusing tasks into easy-to-understand blocks of simple steps. Like a football manager, they recognise that a winning goal is made up of a sequence of events – a dribble, a volley, a final score. Good coaches help students to gain a different perspective on problems by allowing them to back away from a difficult situation and look at it with new eyes. The Human Connection Today’s rough and tumble world of technology and high growth industries is rapidly maturing. Like any teenager, these companies – and the people who work within them – sometimes need a great deal of encouragement, direction and, if you will, unconditional love in order to grow and mature. Coaching helps to facilitate that process. It provides a level of connection that recognises employees not only as intelligent technologists, but also as real human beings. Coaching fosters a sense of worth that reaches beyond an employee’s remuneration package by clearly demonstrating a

company’s interest in and value of their employees. Coaching helps to put the human soul back into business. It allows all of us – both those being coached and those coaching – to reach even deeper in order to achieve that next winning goal. END

White Paper Sample by Tom Richards

Client: Sage Ireland

The Challenge: Within uncertain times, reinforce Sage’s

significant value as a reliable source of financial

knowledge, thereby motivating SME accounting

software solutions sales.

The Results: established critical goodwill and loyalty within

the existing customer base to protect recurring

income; contributed to increased sales by 3%

within negative market conditions

(The complete white paper is available upon request)

whitepaperthe

surviving the credit crunchNews reports regularly explain the"credit crunch" in terms of the USsub-prime mortgage sector, the plightof international banks and erraticbehaviour of capital markets. Buttightening economic conditions havea direct impact on small businesses.Loans and overdrafts are moredifficult to negotiate, interest rates arehigher and it gets harder and harderto get debtors to pay up.

This Sage whitepaper explains how equipping your business with suitablefinancial systems will help you cope not just with current financial difficulties,but for the years to come.

on

Contents

1 How you can respond to the credit crunch

2 Cost cutting tips

3 Cash management tips

4 Reporting and forecasting tips

5 Choosing software to help you survive the crunch

whitepaperthe

on surviving the credit crunch

1

The most dramatic effect of the credit crunch is theincreasing number of company failures. But creditspecialists indicate this also points to a sharp rise inthe number of firms delaying payments or seeking toextend their credit terms to three and four months, ormore.

Businesses caught in the squeeze have a few simple things they can do tomaintain a healthy financial condition:

Cut costs - reductions can be sought in running costs and overheads, forexample through better management of stock.

Reduce debtors and manage cash better - many successful smallbusinesses manage cash first, and then worry about profit. Taking a moresystematic approach to debtors helps cash flow, reducing the need for bankoverdrafts and loans. Monitoring how the cash position is changingcompared to your plans and forecasts can alert you to problems before theyget out of hand.

Review your processes - are they as effective and economic as they could be?

Make time to chase debts (many small businesses do not do this)

Sage has experience supporting hundreds of thousands of businesses withsoftware and advice. The suggestions and checklists in this paper are based ontechniques that have worked for other companies and are backed with featuresbuilt directly into Sage accounting applications to help companies control theircosts and cash flows.

How you can respond to the credit crunch1

whitepaperthe

on surviving the credit crunch

2

The easiest way to tighten your financial belt is to look atdiscretionary costs such as entertainment. Review youroutgoings to find unnecessary costs and look at suppliercontracts for opportunities to renegotiate.

If you are a stock-based business, a lot of your working capital can be tied up instock. Take a disciplined approach to managing your stock. Being able to keeplevels to a practical minimum will save you money. If cash is particularly tight,consider discounting the price of excess stock to reduce your holdings andgenerate cash. If you’re a service based business, you may want to considertracking your jobs and setting more accurate budgets etc.

How Sage 50 can help:

New in Sage 50 v2009! Improved and prioritised payments canhelp you to get discounts and benefit from better prices. The Prioritise Payments feature in Sage 50 Accounts allows you to work with suppliers, displaying all of the information you need including contacts, disputes invoices, aged debt, etc. Planning yourcash flow ahead can save money for your business.

Invoice data entered into the system will let you analyse costs andoverheads to identify budget overruns and potential areas forsavings.

An effective stock management module to record receipts andissues, helping you maintain control over inventory.

Cash flow forecasts can be built by drawing on data from previousfinancial years and year-to-date figures

Setting and reviewing budgets - stock, sales, purchases, jobs

Project Costing

Cost cutting tips2

whitepaperthe

on surviving the credit crunch

White Paper Sample by Tom Richards

Client: Vielife

The Challenge: Vielife, a wellness and healthcare organization,

desired to increase market penetration within a

number of geographic markets

The Results: Through extensive research, the white paper

demonstrated how companies could quickly

establish wellness programs to gain competitive

advantage, increase employee resilience, and

subsequently increase productivity and

efficiency. Returns on investment were also

used to entice prospective customer action.

(The complete white paper is available upon request)

Building Blocks to Better Resilience with VieLife

Companies gain competitive advantage by building higher levels of employee

wellbeing

Executive Summery The world of work is changing. We are entering the Human Age where human potential will be the major agent of economic growth. However, that potential is being challenged by three key factors: talent shortage, ageing and non-communicable diseases, all of which are intricately connected. Employers are uniquely positioned to encourage and improve health and general well-being among employees. A workplace wellness strategy, established to consider these bio-psycho-social interdependencies, can help to attract and retain talent, reduce the impact that ageing and lifestyle disease have on absenteeism and presenteeism and also reduce rising healthcare-related costs. By most definitions, wellness is thought of narrowly as encompassing only physical and psychological health. In the workplace, more often than not, it is considered a

non-core HR or welfare responsibility with a focus on reactive illness management. Due to this definition, wellness has a limited appeal as a strategic investment and attracts little sustained attention from senior organisational leaders. To deliver sustainable, measurable returns on investment, wellness in the workplace must be understood as a broader construct of complex and diverse influences. While clearly significant, both physical and psychological health are by no means the only determinants of wellness. The true potential of wellness can only be realised when it is embedded within an organisation’s core business strategy and valued by leaders, operational managers and employees alike. Taking a strategic, whole-systems approach ensures that initiatives to enhance physical and psychological well-being, are shaped, augmented and prioritised with key employee engagement and organisational factors in mind. Today a wide range of poor lifestyle behaviour including poor nutrition, poor sleep and low levels of physical activity are affecting employee wellbeing, leading to an inability to cope with life’s stresses. Those unable to cope well, and suffering from poor levels of general physical and emotional wellbeing, are more likely to suffer from higher levels of sickness and absenteeism, while being less likely to perform effectively at work. By building workforce resilience, employers can help their employees to cope more effectively with stress. Organisations – both public and private – intervening early with Workplace Resilience and Wellbeing programmes and Employee Assistance Programmes positively affect employee resilience levels. Employees engaging in such solutions are given tools which allow them to bounce back from life’s adversities, realising increases in productivity and efficiency levels. Employees area also able to make better at-work decisions, while decreasing illness and absenteeism, and minimizing latent business costs. Additionally, organisations nurturing employee resilience benefit from increased competitive advantage, an increased ability to innovate and higher levels of employee engagement with associated increases in performance and, where relevant, profitability. This paper focuses on how low resilience levels can affect individuals, the factors that lead to low resilience and actions that employers can take to build resilience within their workforce. Those actions emphasise the adoption of good sleep, exercise, diet, and rest as well as stress management resilience and wellbeing programmes, and Employee Assistance Programmes. These actions help employees cope better with high levels of pressure and life’s many issues.

A White Paper Sample by Tom Richards

Client: Meritec (Lighting solutions designer)

The Challenge: Establish Meritec, a newcomer to Ireland’s

lighting design and solutions sector, as a leader

within its field; communicate effectively to

commercial property contractors and architects

in order to motivate incorporation of professional

lighting design solutions within the early stages

of any build.

The Results: This paper was one of a series of Knowledge

Leader White papers commissioned by the

company. Architects responded well to these

papers; enquiries increased by 50 percent

(albeit off of a low initial base). Meritec is

continuing to prosper even in the face of difficult

economic conditions.

(The complete white paper is available upon request)

Shedding Light on Lighting Design:

Increasing Productivity and Cutting Costs in Business Lighting systems used within business offices are under the spotlight. Appropriate lighting designs are now a vital component in the ergonomic revolution to ensure a proper office environment. As company executives begin to consider ergonomic factors in office productivity, lighting schemes are finally being recognised as a central component in maintaining comfortable working environments. Modern lighting design endeavours to ensure that each space, whether it is a boardroom, office or kitchenette, can take full advantage of innovative lighting resources and technologies. Lighting designs not only enrich the aesthetic appeal of any office area, but can also boost the ability of employees to perform given tasks, while also cutting energy-related costs.

Generally, most employers are unaware of how poor lighting can impair employee working capabilities. Badly designed lighting schemes can lower employee productivity and increase overall costs. Managers must take the lead and insist on proper lighting designs to be employed in office settings. By implementing appropriate lighting designs for office areas, employees can enjoy comfortable working areas and employers can benefit through increased productivity and lower costs.

Understanding the Problem: Lighting and Productivity

Managers must understand how poor lighting designs can affect their businesses before attempting to design and install new lighting systems. Unfortunately, the majority of employers lack useful knowledge regarding the benefits of professional lighting design and therefore spend a fraction of their budgets on this vital resource. In Kelly Sterk’s article Getting A Rise out of Productivity, this workplace researcher surveyed factors contributing to comfortable and productive office environments. He concluded that natural light, as well as appropriate lighting design, was essential in maximising employee productivity. This was backed up by a recent study, Lighting Quality and Office Work. The study, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, found that employee self-rated productivity was much higher with appropriate lighting designs. Architectural lighting designers take workflow requirements into consideration when designing office lighting solutions. These lighting designers have long known about the effects that ineffective lighting schemes have on employees. Lighting has been found to affect attention, vigilance, memory, creativity, mental occupation and comprehension. Therefore, the overall design of lighting schemes should be sculpted and personalised to meet specific employee preferences, vision, and workflow requirements. Personalised lighting design helps each worker to feel more comfortable and creates a welcoming and efficient atmosphere. Lighting architects employ a number of design options to achieve personalised lighting capabilities. One of these options is a three-lamp faced fluorescent light managed by remote controlled systems (IMAGE). These specialised lamps respond to levels of daylight, and dim or increase in intensity to fill lighting gaps. These systems also provide employees with manual control of lighting within personal workspaces. These capabilities improve employee satisfaction and complement task performance. Controlled lighting systems of this type cut down on excessive light use and help employees to focus on the given task. Computer-controlled lighting that also incorporates manual intervention, boosts employee productivity.

Web Application Samples by Tom Richards

Capabilities Tom manages the design, content creation, final implementation, SEO, and ongoing CMS administration by working closely with clients and web designers. Clients: • Advent (IT Software)

• Allaboutenergy (Energy Advice)

• ALP (Pre-insulated Ducting Manufacturer

& Designer)

• Meritec (Lighting Solutions)

• M&P Construction (Contractor)

• KNORR QuickSoup for Office (Unilever)

• PEG.ie

• Eyeries.ie

The Challenge Websites must not only engage visitors, but incite

action. Depth of content reflects product offers, and

supports navigation and customer needs

Advent: copy and content drove this company into

one of Ireland’s leading IT consulting co’s.

Allaboutenergy: depth of content established this

portal as an expert in energy matters. The site was a

finalist in Ireland’s Digital Media Awards

ALP: content launched this Italian manufacture of

pre-insulated ducting solutions into the Irish market.

The company quickly won hi-prestige contracts

Meritec: content led the design, reinforcing this

company as a Knowledge Leader in commercial

lighting solutions

M&P Construction: content proved critical in

moving this company’s turnover to over €50 million in

a 2 year period

KNORR QuickSoup for Office: eCommerce site

launched the product into the Irish market

PEG.ie: content guided navigation, empowering this

new eCommerce site to carve out share

Eyeries.ie: content promotes and motivates tourism

while acting as a community communications conduit

Web Application Samples by Tom Richards

Client : Advent (www.advent.ie)

Client : Allaboutenergy (www.allaboutenergy.ie)

Client : ALP (www.alpducting.ie)

Client : Meritec (www.meritec.ie)

Client : M&P Construction (www.mpconstruction.ie)

Client : KNORR QuickSoup

Client : PEG.ie (www.peg.ie)

Client : Eyeries.ie (www.eyeries.ie)

Blog Samples by Tom Richards

Clients: • Peg.ie

• Survivor’s Guide to Living in Ireland

The Challenge Blogs and other social networking media must

provide a dynamic resource to communicate

new information to consumers, while optimizing

website SEO. Tom writes and manages copy

and social networking sites to leverage

opportunities through compelling content.

PEG.ie: special offers and detailed content drive

customers to this online electronics store

Surviving Ireland: this amusing blog, full of

entertaining and informative content, compels

visitors to purchase. This blog has helped drive

sales of Tom’s non-fiction bestseller, ‘A

Survivor’s Guide to Living in Ireland’ into five

figures

Client : PEG.ie

Client : Surviving Ireland

click on image to visit site

Brochures, Direct Mail, and Other Sample by Tom Richards

Every client has a different requirement. Tom Richards combines his business

experience and passion for writing to meet those specific needs.

Brochures, Direct Mail and Other Samples Client: • Shell Oil

Ireland and UK

The Challenge To motivate Shell customers to order Home

Heating Oil through its national distributors,

thereby protecting market share and increasing

revenues

Results: 8 percent increase in revenues as a result of a

series of campaigns

Shell Toolkit 05 20/04/2005 12:33 Page 8

Brochures, Direct Mail and Other Samples Client: • One2One Design

Florida

The Challenge This design company desired to increase

market penetration within Florida’s financial

services industry. Tom Richards wrote content

that drove home this design agency’s marketing

and sales presentation.

Results: Significant increase in market share.

One 2 One BankingWinning Market Leadership through

Knowledge Leadership Strategiesand Effective Marketing Communication

One 2 One Banking

One 2 One BankingThe Competitive Challenge

Due to FDIC Regulations, most banks sell many of the same products and services. This can make it difficult to:

• Differentiate your bank from the competition

• Retain profitable customers

• Effectively cross-sell other products or services

• Maximize market penetration and subsequent profitability

One 2 One Banking

One 2 One BankingThe Competitive Edge

One 2 One Banking from 8vo Creative is a dynamic marketing communications, customer loyalty, and retention program that:

• Is designed and tailored specifically to achieve your Bank’s objectives

• Establishes your Bank as a Knowledge Leader within its target market

• Reinforces customer loyalty and customer retention

• Effectively cross-sells other Bank products and services

• Thwarts competitive initiatives

• Increases market penetration, share of market, and profitability for your Bank

One 2 One Banking

One 2 One BankingIncreasing Your Bank’s Moat

8vo Creative’s primary objective is to help turn your Bank into a

Knowledge Leader

Why? Because by doing so, your customers will recognise that your Bank offers Unique capabilities that may be difficult to find elsewhere.

As a Knowledge Leader, your Bank increases its Moat. That is:

Because your customers are more likely to seek advice and other Banking services from you, they are more likely to remain loyal to you

over the longer term – and are less likely to move to a competitor.

Brochures, Direct Mail and Other Samples Client: • Meritec

Ireland

The Challenge The first sample illustrates repositioning copy

that helped this lighting and audio-visual

company to take the leadership within its

industry. The second example shows content

that increased market penetration and sales

volumes for corporate audio-visual products and

services.

Results: The client has seen exceptional growth since

the execution of its repositioning strategy.

Sales increased by 12 percent following the

insertion of this sales flyer into national

newspapers.

OFFICEI N T E G R A T E D L I G H T I N G & A U D I O V I S U A L S O L U T I O N S F O R

Integrated Solutions from

Meritec help businesses and

public organisations, both large and

small, to increase productivity while

also maximising a company’s profes-

sional image. Meritec works closely

with our clients to design, specify,

and install integrated

solutions to meet exacting

requirements.

CONFERENCING SYSTEMS

AUTOMATED BOARDROOM SOLUTIONS

INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION SYSTEMS

Integrated Audio Visual & Lighting Control Solutions

Projecting Excellencein the Boardroom

Improving YourBoardroom Image

LCD ProjectorsThe new generation of

projectors from Hitachi meetthe diverse needs of business,

government bodies, andeducators. With Ultra Short

Throw technology onselected models, they offer

unparalleled clarity andbrightness, coupled with

industry leading practicality,portability and ease of use.

1800 517617For more information

O F F I C E • H O M E • E D U C A T I O N

Audio Visual Integration for Boardroom/Meeting/Training Rooms Projector Installations Plasma and LCD InstallationsVideo & Audio Conferencing SolutionsControl SystemsTV Distribution SystemsDigital SignageDynamic Data Driven Signage Solutions

In today’s economic climate, professional boardroom presentations can make the difference between winning and losing. Meritec designs, specifies, and installs integratedaudio visual boardroom solutions. We are leaders in the market in the following areas:

Hitachi projectors are the backbone of many Meritec Boardroom Audio Visual Solutions.Hitachi’s range of exceptional projectors ensures clear exact images. Add a professionalcable and signal management solution, as well as simple-to-use control systems and a fullyintegrated Audio solution, for a highly effective meeting/presentation space.

Cable Management Solutions

Cable management systems such as the ExtronHideaway® HSA 400 enhance audiovisual board-room solution’s design by providing inconspicuouscomputer-video connector access and control. Designed for easy mounting into virtually any tablesurface, the HSA 400 fits nearly flush with thetabletop, storing connectors out of sight.

Meritec are Ireland’s leaders in integrated AudioVisual Solutions. Established in 1994, ourclients include Eircom, the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Irish Times, the Health Service Executive, Irish Life & Permanent, Ernst & Young, and many more. Let Meritec help you to achieve excellence in the Boardroom.

ULTRA PORTABLE AT A GLANCE

Lightweight, compact designsPowerful performance Excellent image qualitySmall footprintShort throw lenses on selected models

INSTALLATIONAT A GLANCE

Industry-leading brightnessHigh resolution image projectionInterchangeable lenses on some modelsRange of connectivity optionsEase of use

EDUCATION AT A GLANCE

Ultra Short Throw image onselected modelsExcellent picture qualityRange of connectivity optionsBuilt in security featuresEase of use

MULTI-PURPOSE AT A GLANCE

Ultra Short Throw technology onselected modelsExcellent picture qualityRange of connectivity optionsBuilt in security featuresReduced fan noise

PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATION SERIES AT A GLANCE

Interchangeable lensesHigh resolution image projectionIndustry-leading brightnessEase of Use

EXTRON HSA 400

Call today for more information and be entered into a draw for a free Projector!

Meritec Leaflet rough:Layout 1 10/12/2008 11:39 Page 1

HITACHI’S EXCEPTIONAL RANGE OF PROJECTORS MEETS THE PROJECTIONREQUIREMENTS FOR BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT BODIES AND EDUCATORS.

Enhancing Professional Presentations with Hitachi Projectors

CP-X467with Free Lamp*

CP-A100

CP-X807

1800 517617For more information

Meritec Presentation Products, 9 Bray South Business Park, Killarney Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. 1800 517617

CP-X417with Free Lamp*

Product Specifications & Features:

3000 ANSI Lumens with Optical Zoom, XGAFull connectivity including HDMIQuick Start & Instant Off Auto Vertical KeystoneInput Source Naming7W Audio OutputWhiteboard Mode & Blackboard Mode

Product Specifications & Features:

3500 ANSI Lumen with Optical Zoom, XGAFull connectivity including HDMIQuick Start & Instant Off Fast & Easy Wireless networkInput Source NamingMy ButtonWhiteboard, Blackboard & Greenboard Mode

Product Specifications & Features:

5000 ANSI Lumens with Optical Zoom, XGAFull connectivityQuick Start & Instant Off Input Source NamingWired LANNetworking CapabilitiesWhiteboard Mode & Blackboard Mode

BRIGHT PROFESSIONAL PROJECTORS

BRIGHT PROFESSIONAL PROJECTORS

SHORT THROW PROJECTORS

This exceptional projector delivers a 60” projection screen at only 42cm. This allows the projector to be sited very close to the screen, eliminating shadowing while increasing flexibility. Short throw technology revolutionises the use of projectors in business and education.

World's first high performance free shaped lens

Ultra Short Throw - 42cm for 60"

Full Connectivity

Easy Maintenance

Brightness:

Normal Mode - 2500 Lumens

Whisper Mode - 2000 Lumens

Network capability – LAN through RJ-45

Enhanced Security

CP-X1 with USB Slot

LIGHT PORTABLEPROJECTORS

The perfect fusion of features and performance for the professional on the move, the CPX1 is the ultimate portable projector for the mobile business consumer. This exceptional projectorcombines stunning features with powerful performance in a lightweight and compact design.

2000 ANSI Lumens, XGA

PC-less presentation via USB Flash Drive

Lightweight design (less than 1.7g)

Quick Start and Instant Off

Resolution Preset

Whiteboard/Blackboard Modes

Full Connectivity

Short throw lens via USB

Projectors From €480

IDEAL FOR LARGER VENUES, THESE AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS COUPLE HIGH PERFORMANCE WITH ADVANCED NETWORKING CAPABILITIES AND SIMPLE USER FUNCTIONALITY.

Deluxe Insta-TheatreThe ultimate mobile screen erectsfrom its own casing.Quick & simple set-up!Sleek design with a unique pneumaticscissors mechanism for raising and lowering the screen surface.

Contact us for more information on our Integrated AV & Lighting Control Solutions or for additional

details on our comprehensive product rangePhone: +353 1 274 3060

Fax: +353 1 274 5577e-mail: info@meritec.ie

Web: www.meritec.ie* Limited Offer

CALL NOW FOR A DEMONSTRATION AND BE ENTERED INTO A DRAW FOR A FREE PROJECTOR!

Visit our website for case studies, white papers, and comprehensive information on our range of services: www.meritec.ie

Meritec Leaflet rough:Layout 1 10/12/2008 11:39 Page 2

Brochures, Direct Mail and Other Samples Client: • Garcia Media

The Challenge This leading newspaper and magazine redesign

company sought to expand in Ireland and the

UK. Tom developed a wide range of content to

assist with their launch in these markets.

Results: Garcia Media quickly won a number of new

clients, including the UK’s Kent Messenger.

Compelling Business Writing A Portfolio of Successful Writing Experience

Animation & Storytelling

by Tom Richards

Animation & Storytelling Samples by Tom Richards

Client: • Allaboutenergy

The Challenge Targeting the UK and Irish Youth market, this

energy advice organisation desired to do

something just a bit different. Through a

compelling and entertaining story line, Tom

brought the organization’s desire to educate this

difficult target audience to life.

Client : Allaboutenergy.ie

click on the image to view animated short

Story and screenplay by Tom Richards © Copyright Allaboutenergy.ie 2008.

Client: • Johnson & Johnson

The Challenge: To significantly increase purchase at point of

sale while reinforcing brand values.

The Results: Partnering with this international company, Tom

developed a unique Personalized Storybook,

‘Sue the Two Headed Roo & You!’ Sales of

J&J’s baby products increased by almost 10

percent during the promotional period.

Project: The Adventures of Sue the Two Headed Roo

And You! (sample pages)

Compelling Business Writing A Portfolio of Successful Writing Experience

Feature Films:

Marketing Plans & Electronic Press Kits by Tom Richards

Feature Films: Marketing Plans & Electronic Press Kits by Tom Richards

The Challenge Independent Feature Film makers take high

risks to finance and distribute their projects.

Tom provides assistance with compelling

content.

Marketing plans: Tom combines his passion

for feature films with his marketing experience

to produce strategic marketing plans that result

in finance and distribution.

EPKs: Tom writes and directs all elements for

successful Electronic Press Kits. This includes

content and the production and editing of

trailers, B-Rolls, cast/director interviews &

transcripts, and ancillary marketing collateral.

The Results: Finance and distribution through compelling, yet

rational, materials that powerfully communicate

the premise of the project. Depth of materials

adds richness and texture to increase the

probability of success for producers and film

makers in the marketplace.

A Marketing communications company

A Strategic Marketing Plan for

Dirty Ratsby John Dawson

Earthnet, Unit 8D, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 801 1400 Email: info@earthnet.ie

A Marketing communications company

Earthnet, Unit 8D, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 801 1400 Email: info@earthnet.ie

Contents

Content Page

Introduction 3

Synopsis 8

Talent Information 11

Project Attributes 12

The Package 16

Target Marketing & Brand Positioning 18

Positioning Opportunities 22Exploitation, Geographic Considerations, ComparableBox Office

SWOT Analysis 26

Key Marketing Tools 31

Content Page

Strategic and Tactical Marketing Programmes 34

Awareness & Motivation 37

PR/EPK 44

TXT-Based Marketing 45

Traditional Activities 47

Product Development

& Exploitation 48

Summary of Pre-Release Phase Activities 53

Promotional Activities at Release 54

Conclusions 56

Contact Information 60

A Marketing communications company

Introduction

Earthnet, Unit 8D, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 801 1400 Email: info@earthnet.ie

A Marketing communications company

Earthnet, Unit 8D, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 801 1400 Email: info@earthnet.ie

Earthnet, a marketing communications and strategic planning company, was commissioned to produce a comprehensive marketing plan based on a draft screenplay of John Devon’s Dirty Rats.

The objectives of this Plan are to develop substantial preliminary marketing strategies and tactics to support the release of this film in the domestic, European, and North American markets.

Additionally, this Plan recommends other activities that will lead to the profitable development of activities within a range formats including DVD, 3rd Small Screen, and related activities.

Introduction

A Marketing communications company

Earthnet, Unit 8D, Dunshaughlin Business Park, Dunshaughlin, County Meath, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 801 1400 Email: info@earthnet.ie

The distinctiveness of this project and the development of the Marketing Plan is characterised by the implementation of ‘integrated marketing’: that is, the early linkage of production, marketing and sales activities, as well as all others involved in the release of the film which, in turn, leads to greater long-term possibilities and more cost-effective strategies that will lead to a successful release.

In the process of developing the project, the limitations of itsmarketing, particularly through the P+A Financing, will be pointed out and the problems of positioning Dirty Rats in the theatrical, video and DVD markets will be defined.

Introduction