The survey shows that the real challenge for corporate governance to work in any organisation lies in developing the right culture and behaviours. Delegates attending a major EU Corporate Governance conference, facilitated by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, as part of the Irish Presidency, were strongest in endorsing this view across a wide range of opinions canvassed in a special survey prior to the event.

The conference takes place at the Convention Centre in Dublin today and tomorrow 16 and 17 May. The event is supported by PwC, Arthur Cox and The Irish Stock Exchange. The survey was carried out by Amarach Consulting on behalf of the conference and its organisers.

An equally strongly-held view concerned the need to re-direct the focus of risk management: away from excessive risk avoidance in favour of pursuing worthwhile opportunities for expansion and growth.

Speaking at the survey launch, Richard Bruton T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, said: “It is vital that we learn from past regulatory failings, so that at the EU and national levels we have a robust and fit for practice corporate governance regime. This regime must be effective but also meet the realities of the business world. It is crucial to strike the appropriate balance so we do not stifle innovation, entrepreneurship and job creation.”

“Given the huge potential of the EU Single Market to boost economic growth and create jobs, the Irish Presidency has prioritised the implementation of the outstanding pieces of Single Market legislation. Effective rules for company law and good corporate governance are essential for the efficient management of this Single Market.”

Also speaking at the survey launch, Bob Semple, Partner, PwC, said: “It’s hardly surprising that the focus in recent years has been on managing downside risk. But if we are to avoid excessive risk-avoidance, it will be essential to identify attractive opportunities for growth – whether in new markets or in new products and services. The right ‘Tone from the Top’ – one that promotes appropriate behaviours – will provide the leadership to pursue the right strategies.”

Delegates strongly endorse the view that corporate governance requirements in the EU, properly implemented, should stimulate competitiveness and growth. But opinion was sharply divided on whether corporate governance could be legislated for – whereas a clear majority (77%) believed that EU initiatives on Corporate Governance should aim at a new drive to encourage general adoption of best practices in all Member States. Delegates were also against forcing greater diversity in Boards (in terms of gender, geography, race etc) through mandatory minimum levels.

A large majority (82%) are of the view that the approach to corporate governance should be changed to prioritise substance over form and that that more meaningful disclosures specific to the company should replace boilerplate corporate governance reporting. This is consistent with the UK’s Financial Reporting Council’s views about the ‘fungus of boilerplate reporting’ and the desirability of more meaningful disclosure.

More transparency and shareholder influence on remuneration

Two-thirds of respondents agree that more transparency is needed concerning remuneration of individual directors. At the same time, a majority (64%) also agree that shareholders need more influence over remuneration policies and disclosures.

Finally, there was strong support (67%) for the view that the corporate governance role of Audit Committees should not be expanded without providing guidelines on minimum training for members of Audit Committees. Bob Semple added: “at a time when the expectations of Audit Committee Members have never been higher, it is timely to reflect on any unmet training needs”.

Brian O’Gorman, Managing Partner, Arthur Cox concluded: “Harmonisation of company law and corporate governance across Europe has been difficult to achieve. It was interesting to see that 48% of respondents to the survey believed that good corporate governance cannot be legislated for. This finding evidences a recognition amongst many that changing mindsets is harder than changing laws and that recommendations may be preferable to hard law in facilitating changes in corporate governance. By contrast, in relation to company law harmonisation, perseverance will deliver a significant prize for the EU if the barriers to cross-border operations can be removed, such as through the introduction of a Directive or Council Regulation to permit the transfer of seat between Member States.”

The second Microsoft/Amárach Cloud Index stands at 3.6 out of 10, up from 3.2 last year. This is based on the mean score for all responses to a question relating to those organisations’ current adoption of Cloud computing. This suggests a steady increase in Cloud implementation across organisations in Ireland. Particularly pronounced is the increase in the average score among organisations with between 5 and 50 employees, which has moved from 2.4 last year up to 3.8 this year.

Speaking this morning at Microsoft’s Business Leaders’ Summit in The Aviva held during National Cloud Week 2013, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD said: “Cloud computing is an area which we have targeted as part of our Action Plan for Jobs, and since taking office we have put in place a series of changes to support growth in this sector. In 2013 we are implementing a range of further measures, including trebling the number of Government-supported companies providing services from cloud platforms.

“The findings published today by Microsoft and Amárach, showing that over half of Irish companies have deployed cloud solutions in their businesses, are very welcome. Substantial progress is being made in this area, but we must do more if we are to capitalise fully on the opportunities that the cloud offers to the Irish economy. I am determined that, through continued strong implementation of our plan, we can build on this progress to help create the jobs we need”.

National Cloud Week, organised by Microsoft, is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of Cloud and to encourage organisations in the public and private sector to deploy cloud solutions to facilitate growth and drive efficiencies. Running since Monday 6th May until tomorrow Friday 10th May each day focuses on different sectors where cloud is already having an impact.

Launching the findings of the Microsoft/Amárach Cloud Index, Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland, said: “In this year’s Index we see a great deal of evidence that the Irish discourse about the Cloud is maturing. The Microsoft/Amárach Cloud Index, which is based on organisations current adoption of cloud computing, stands at 3.6 out of 10, up from 3.2 last year.  This is good progress on a year ago but what I think is very important for us to look at this year is not why people are choosing the Cloud but instead, what are the barriers that are preventing more people to pilot and ultimately move to the cloud. This National Cloud Week, we have hosted a series of events and launched initiatives aimed at deepening the conversation about the Cloud and encourage the deployment of the Cloud by organisations both in the private and Public Sector.”

“We are seeing that managers accept the cost saving and productivity message yet the areas of privacy and security continue to be a concern.  As a leader in Cloud we, along with our colleagues in industry partnering with Government, have a responsibility to educate people about these areas to help them understand that the risks are similar to any on premises solution that they might already deploy.

“There are many positives that we can take from the Index. We can see that an encouraging 40% of those who haven’t adopted the Cloud yet are planning to pilot it in areas such as email and document storage. We look forward to continuing to work with organisations throughout the country to help move Ireland further into the Cloud. I would also like to recognise the continued work of the Government in prioritising Cloud as a central tenet of its economic recovery efforts. The prioritisation of Cloud in the Action Plan for Jobs document published earlier this year reinforces the contribution that Cloud can make to the job creation priority.”

The Index found that cost reduction remains the number one reason given for switching to the Cloud – as well as workforce mobility, efficiency and ease of maintenance. The trend within private sector firms of all sizes and in the public sector is unquestionably towards even greater Cloud computing usage.

The Index shows a far greater uptake among the private and public sector organisations surveyed in April 2013 compared to a similar survey conducted a year ago. Key findings include:

• 54% of IT decision makers at those firms said they had deployed cloud solutions in their organisations, up from 37% last year.
• 64% of Cloud-adopters said their expectations had been met by the technology.
• An increase in uptake was particularly evident among companies with between 5 and 50 employees, where 53% are now using the cloud – up from just 21% one year ago.
• IT decision makers overwhelmingly said the top benefit of adopting the Cloud is the cost saving it allows, followed by greater workplace mobility and efficiency.
• 67% said that Cloud Computing could help them address the external and business challenges they are facing – up from 55% in 2012.
• Among those who haven’t deployed the Cloud in their organisations, 4 in 10 intend to engage in a pilot programme within the next nine months.
• Cloud-based email and document sharing are the primary solutions organisations are considering adopting.
• 45% said Government guidelines would help them as they contemplate Cloud adoption.
• Asked to determine the primary barrier to Cloud deployment, 57% of IT decision makers pointed to security concerns and 29% to privacy, demonstrating a significant increase on last year’s findings of 39% and 25% respectively.
• The Index also revealed that 48% of those surveyed see the Cloud as a business imperative, rather than simply as an IT solution. This number reflects the fact that the Cloud is now enabling businesses which operate in areas that are completely removed from the IT sector to achieve efficiencies and operate in a superior way.

Positively the Index highlights that the Cloud is also creating new business opportunities. For example, Big Data is an emerging field linked to Cloud computing which is following a similar path to the Cloud; that is, from being a highly specialised service used by a few select technology-oriented firms to a democratized tool deployed by a wide sweep of businesses. 39% of IT decision makers told us they are already using data analytics, and 6 in 10 of these believe that it could be improved if it was delivered as part of an existing or new cloud service used by their organisation.

The result: by 2026 we’ll have a population over 5 million, according to the latest CSO forecasts. It depends on the outlook for fertility and emigration, of course:

View our recent presentation here.

A video of the talk is also available here.

Key findings include:

One in four people would be pushed into arrears on their bills if the household income was to fall by just €50 a month.

One in 10 has cancelled car insurance in the last year, citing an inability to pay.

Health insurance has been ditched by one in five people in the past 12 months.

In a survey of more than 1,000 people, Amarach found that a quarter of households report that their income is less than €2,000 a month after tax.

Some 18pc of households have between €2,000 and €3,000 a month to live on, with 10pc getting by on less than €1,000.

The survey found that incomes are so tight that the property tax is set to push many households into the red.

Bills of between €200 and €600 for a full year will hit households hard. This year, half the tax will have to be paid by the summer.

The survey found that one in five households expects to pay between €100 and €200 in property tax this year. Another 16pc are set to pay up to €300.

Close to three out of four retailers are now seeing customers buying more items on special offer. Retailers also said that they are seeing an increase in customers visiting their store more often in an attempt to manage their spending more carefully through the week by spreading out their spending and visits. Close to two thirds of retailers said that they are responding to customer demand by discounting more items. However despite some of the most difficult trading conditions in decades retailers remain optimistic.

The research forms part of a series of outlook reports for the SME sector being launched today by AIB. The first report, in association with retailers’ representative organisation, RGDATA focuses on the retail convenience sector. This report, was launched by AIB Director of Personal, Business and Corporate Banking Bernard Byrne and Director General of RGDATA, Tara Buckley. The report highlights the importance of the independent retail sector to local economies around the country, pointing out that the sector is often the largest employer in many local communities.

The planned series of outlook reports will help to inform AIB of the issues facing businesses around Ireland and the bank will use these findings to work with customers in the future.

Many retailers are testing new ways of keeping and growing their customer bases, according to the report, which also found that engaging customers through social media and loyalty schemes are being considered more frequently by a majority of retailers. Many retailers pointed out however that reducing staff levels and product ranges risks undermining the shopper experience to the point where they don’t come back, no matter how low the prices.

Retailers indicated that they are keen to switch from survival mode to thriving mode and they say in the report that they “can’t just keep on doing the same things”. Retailers said they are experimenting with new ways of engaging with customers and suppliers by combining the best of the ‘new’ (e.g. social media) and the ‘old’ (helpful customer service).

More than half of retailers surveyed said they are planning to expand their operations in the next three years while more than one in five said that they expect their business to eventually be taken over by a family member. Despite the challenging economic environment retailers remain optimistic with almost half of retailers surveyed around the country expect their business to recover with the next one to three years. The survey also found that less than 5% of retailers surveyed expect a recovery in the Irish economy in the next year while 65% said it would take at least five years for a recovery.

More than half (57%) of retailers said they saw their turnover decrease between 2011 and 2012 while 16% reported an increase. The reduction in profit margin was the main concern facing most retailers (23%) followed by wage costs (22%) and competition from larger outlets like the larger supermarket chains (17%).

4 golden rules of understanding humans:

1) People don’t know, what they don’t know. (To get it right, you’ll need to repeat this a few times while pausing deliberately at the comma!)

2) People don’t do what they say, or say what they do.

3) People know what they dislike, but often can’t articulate what they like.

4) People often can’t distinguish between their wants from needs, as well as why they need it in the first place.

First up is David Field from Eason – we have several more interviews with Ireland’s challenger brands and businesses in the pipeline – more anon.