IMI Latest News

Sign up for an IMI Diploma before July 31st and receive a special 10% discount* off the normal and members fees listed.

As the economic situation continues to deteriorate, it has never been more important to expand your skills – not only to enhance the practical value you contribute to your organisation, but also to increase your personal marketability.

Through the IMI’s Master of Business framework (MoB), every IMI Diploma you complete also earns you the equivalent of one third of a Masters qualification. By completing any two IMI Diplomas and then writing a practically-focused business project, you will be awarded an accredited Master of Business qualification from Ireland’s only internationally ranked executive education school.

The selection of IMI Diplomas to choose from has never been wider and includes two exciting new additions – the Diploma in Leadership and the Diploma in Strategy.

The IMI Diploma's starting in October 2009 include;

Diploma in Management

Diploma in Executive Coaching

Diploma in Business Finance

Diploma in Strategic Human Resources Management

Diploma in Strategic Marketing Management

Diploma in Leadership

Diploma in Strategy

Generous subsidisation is available to eligible SMEs for IMI Diplomas in 2009-10 only.

Even if you aren’t an SME, you’ll still receive a 10% discount if you sign up for a Diploma before July 31st.

Don’t delay – contact our team at 1800 22 33 88 or email sales@imi.ie to learn more about how to take the next steps towards earning your Master of Business!

* Discount applies to Full and IMI Member Fees only.

THE HENLEY MBA AT THE IMI

The IMI is currently inviting applications for the Henley MBA which will begin in October 2009. This is the highest ranked MBA on offer in Ireland according to the Financial Times and the Economist.

To find out more about this programme join one of our Morning briefings.

These will take place from 08.00am to 09.00 am on:

Wednesday May 27

Friday June 12

Thursday June 25

Tuesday July 21

Click here for further information on the Henley MBA or  

FreeFone Deirdre Luby on 1800 22 33 88

Direct to (01) 207 8426

eMail sales@imi.ie

The Irish Management Institute has become the first Irish business school to be ranked as a top provider of Customised Executive Education, according to the Financial Times (FT) Executive Education Rankings.

In the past other Irish schools have been ranked for their MBA programmes.

The rankings published today place IMI in the top 65 providers of Customised Executive Education globally.

Customised executive education programmes are tailored to developing the capability of managers to address the unique challenges facing their organization.

“Gaining a deep insight into the client’s business and market challenges, and working collaboratively with their senior team at all stages of programme design, development and delivery are the keys to success in this kind of work” according to Tim Wray, Head of Executive Education at the IMI.

The Financial Times survey ranks executive programmes across a range of factors including faculty, teaching methods, programme design, facilities, new learning and value for money. Top ranked schools include Harvard Business School, Insead, and Wharton. The rankings are produced after a lengthy and rigorous process of evaluation among the companies involved and benchmarking against those other business schools assessed.

Almost half of the programmes run by IMI are customised programmes. The Institute’s client base includes a number of Irish and international companies such as CRH, Bord Gais, Dawn Meats, ESB, Glanbia, IBM, Kerry Group, LM Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, and Pepsi as well as public sector organisations such as Tourism Ireland.

IMI’s customised executive education programmes have a strong international flavour. The Institute draws upon a wide network of leading international faculty from top ranked business schools across the globe. Many of the participants are international and programmes have been delivered not only in Ireland but also in the US, Europe and most recently in North Africa.

According to Tom McCarthy, CEO of IMI this is an important breakthrough for Ireland Inc. “Recent research has clearly demonstrated that strengthening management capability will be a critical success factor in restoring Ireland’s competitiveness. This survey shows IMI is capable of playing a key role in ensuring this happens”.

Learn more about IMI Customised Executive Education.

View our ranking here and read the FT analysis of this year's rankings here.

The Deloitte Best Managed Companies awards programme, in association with Bank of Scotland (Ireland) Limited and sponsored by IMI has been developed to recognise Irish companies on the island of Ireland operating at the highest levels of business performance.

The programme seeks to identify best managed companies through an evaluation process that extends far beyond financial results.

To be considered for the award, companies must participate in an application process involving two separate phases.

Find out more about the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Awards.

The first European SME Week takes place from May 6th to 14th 2009.

Organised by the European Commission the aim of the week is to promote entrepreneurship across Europe and to inform entrepreneurs about support available for them at European, national and local level.

Find out more about SME Week here.

One Irish event is being organised online by smallbusinesscan.com. 

SMALL BUSINESS CAN ! - GET A THOUSAND SAVVY BUSINESS EXPERTS TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

Smallbusinesscan.com is a new interactive online resource launched to help the 250,000 SMEs across the island of Ireland beat the downturn.

During SME week they are inviting all small businesses and entrepreneurs on the Island of Ireland to ask the 1,000 plus registered members to answer their key start up and growth challenge questions.

This is an independent website established by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, which aims to help businesspeople grow their enterprises by sharing knowledge, experience and contact networks. Smallbusinesscan.com is open to all businesses and subscription is completely free. The website is powered by Ulster Bank and IMI is a resource partner along with Newstalk 106-108 fm and The Belfast Telegraph.

Find out more about IMI's SME Programmes including the Business Development and Grow Your Business Programmes.

Other SME Week Events in Ireland.

Cost reduction is considered to be the single biggest item on the agenda of CEOs. Yet in management literature it is often the missing chapter with minimal helpful advice offered. The topic is best addressed by understanding the diverse approaches of leading practitioners in the field.

The IMI is hosting a one day conference on Tuesday, April 28th which will enable CEOs, Directors, General Managers as well as Financial Controllers explore the themes and understand the practical issues involved in Strategic Cost Reduction for the post-Tiger Irish and global context. Leading practitioners will also showcase their experiences in constructively reducing costs in a range of sectors from industry to public administration.

Find out more about the event and how to book a place here.

Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Strategic Cost Reduction - Cutting costs without killing your business, by IMI Faculty members Dermot Duff and Tim McCormick, published in March 2009.

NATIONAL LEADERSHIP FORUM PUTS FORWARD RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PUTTING IRELAND BACK ON TRACK

The IMI’s National Leadership Forum has devised a set of recommendations among which is an immediate initiative to enhance Brand Ireland and to move the international promotion of Ireland from an over-focus on low taxes as the country’s primary advantage.

The day-long think tank which brought together nearly 100 top business and civic leader has produced its set of recommendations for Government to implement in the short-term to put Ireland back on track. The think tank was opened on Friday April 3rd by the Taoiseach, Mr Cowen who then answered questions from delegates, who then spent eight hours discussing the options.

Watch An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen's Opening Address to the Forum here followed by a question & answer session with Olivia O'Leary and delegates here.

Dr Tom McCarthy, CEO of the IMI, said the Forum showed the commitment of Irish business and community leaders to work for Ireland Inc’s betterment. “People want Ireland to get back to business quickly and to rebuild ethical standards. Business wants the Government to articulate a clear plan of action to address the fiscal, banking and competitive challenges and they hope this will start with this week’s Budget,” Dr McCarthy said.

The top recommendations from the Forum are:

Government must articulate a clear plan of action to address the fiscal, banking and competitive challenges. The Government must ‘nail the bottom’ on the financial crisis, otherwise Ireland remains an easy target for international media sensationalism. Government must give clear indications that it has costs and expenditure under control;

Areas of opportunity in the Smart Economy should be identified and people should be assigned and resourced to bring these ideas forward.

Create Business Brand Ireland, marshalling resources to articulate an aligned message that will sustain Ireland’s position as a good place to do business; Establish a Cross Agency Roadshow and mobilise around this to enhance Brand Ireland with a carefully targeted plan for a domestic and international audience that will show Ireland is open for business;

Government must provide clear signals of rebuilding the regulatory environment and get credit flowing through the banking system; Move away from low tax as being the primary advantage for Ireland internationally, bring focus to our successes and new sources of competitive advantage;

Government and business leaders lead by example to rebuild ethical standards; Business lobbies have to be encouraged to actively promote the highest levels of corporate governance;

Put senior public and private sector people together on advisory boards to run Government Departments;

Business must embrace Europe and fly the flag for Lisbon.

Business leaders need to engage with the media, not be afraid of the media;

On the Public Service, the Forum recommended that:

Government must stop rewarding non-performers; benchmark against standards in performance not just remuneration;

Public procurement has to be used to force competitiveness in the Public Service;

The cost of Government has to be tackled in this and future Budgets;

Create a programme of mobility between the public and private sectors at middle management levels;

Aggressively reduce over-regulation and red tape;

Decision-making in the Public Service has to be speeded up and a sense of urgency of service response to its customers instilled, with pre-determined timeframes for decisions and responses

On Business the Forum recommended:

Business leaders have to get down into the trenches and be open and honest about their own situation, particularly finances and work with employees to generate and develop solutions;

Target Irish multinational superstars who are good on innovation to start new businesses here and link them to the education system;

Invest in management development and Create opportunities to infuse and share ideas between public and private sector managers, providing organisations with the frameworks, management tools and skills to enable them to build their organisations;

Bring learning from highly competitive sectors to those sectors that are not typically competitive using MNC's to mentor SMEs on Management practice and capability;

Within companies, create a safe forum for the exploration of ideas.

OVER HALF OF BUSINESS LEADERS SAY RESTORING CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC FINANCES TOP PRIORITY – IMI survey Friday, April 3, 2009

Nearly 52% of the country’s leaders say restoring confidence in public finances and the financial system should be Ireland’s top short-term priority, according to a survey by the Irish Management Institute (IMI). The survey of delegates attending the IMI’s National Leadership Forum also found over 48% believed driving innovation was the most important issue in the medium term.

Speaking from the Irish Management Institute’s (IMI)’s National Leadership Forum, Dr Tom McCarthy, CEO of the IMI, said the survey findings would inform discussion at the event which was designed to work as a think-tank to produce real solutions to tackle the economic crisis. “Our survey has shown that the country’s leaders are naturally very concerned about the public finances but still see the importance of innovation to boost growth as we move forward. These findings dovetail with the direction plotted by the government’s Smart Economy vision.”

“As leaders of organisations, small or large, public or private, we are all acutely aware of the challenges we face in the current economic situation. Our intention today in coming here is to facilitate the peer consultation which will support you in facing these challenges.

Our aim in bringing together your collective wisdom, is that, by working together we can learn from each other and formulate a number of practical steps that can be taken over the coming months to help us manage our way out of recession.”

Dr Phil Nolan, IMI Chairman, highlighted that while many international aspects of the current crisis were out of our control, the importance of leadership to productivity remained critical. “To paraphrase Stewart Friedman, Professor of Management at the Wharton School at U Pennsylvania, a useful vision has to be rooted in your past, address the future, and deal with today's realities…. leadership is critical here. The direct correlation between management capability and business success has long been recognised. This is where the IMI has a role to play and where all the delegates gathered here today have an opportunity to collaborate and help turn our country’s fortunes around.”

Chaired by broadcaster Olivia O’Leary, the Forum, at the IMI’s Conference Centre in Sandyford, was opened by An Taoiseach Mr Brian Cowen TD followed by Dr Tom McCarthy, CEO of the IMI and economist, who initiated debate on what measures need to be considered to boost Ireland’s recovery and long-term growth. Professor Rita McGrath of Columbia University, who works extensively with leadership teams in Global 1000 companies seeking to hone their ability to drive strategic growth, explored how Ireland can move forward through ‘Discovery Driven Strategy’.

The emphasis of the day was on peer consulting around the challenges identified by a working group in advance and to tease out practical ways of managing through the current recessionary period to find a new equilibrium for the Irish economy in the medium to longer term.

Other contributors included Charles Butterworth, CEO of Vodafone, Professor Ciaran O’Boyle, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Don Thornhill, Chairman of the National Competitiveness Council, Barry Dempsey, Managing Director of Peter Mark and Dr Phil Nolan, Chairman of the IMI and former CEO of Eircom. The Forum was closed by Richard Olivier who spoke on the lessons of leadership which we can draw from the works of Shakespeare.

Dermot Duff and Tim McCormick, both members of IMI Faculty have written a book on how to cut costs without killing your business.

The new book Strategic Cost Reduction from ICAI Publishing, advises anyone who is considering or is about to embark on a course of major cost reduction in their organisation. It fits effective cost reduction into a wider strategic framework: the challenge being to radically reduce costs, while still surviving and prospering.

The main purpose of this book is to guide managers and expert advisers in applying strategic cost reduction in practice.

Having discussed cost reduction experiences with managers at different levels in a wide range of organisations, the authors present methods employed by the public as well as the private sectors. They also describe the tools used by businesses and organisations that have recently undertaken major cost reduction.

The authors:

Dermot Duff is a Management Specialist in Operations Management and directs a number of the IMI's SME Programmes. He specialises in the strategic development of entrepreneurial organisations. Dermot is a director of a number of leading companies, and has extensive experience in business and operations with companies such as Digital, and Alcatel in Holland He began his career as an Oil Exploration Engineer in Africa and the Middle East, and holds a BE (Eng) from University College Dublin and a M.Sc. (Mngt) from Trinity College Dublin.

Find out more about IMI's SME Business Development and Grow Your Business Programmes. Dermot also directs the IMI's Project Management Course.

Tim McCormick is a member of the IMI Associate Faculty. A chartered accountant Tim has worked in financial training since 1990. He is a non-executive director of a hedge fund. Prior to this he spent 17 years in investment banking. He has an MBA from INSEAD, qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in London and graduated with a primary degree in Economics from Trinity College Dublin.

Find out more about Finance for the Non-Financial Manager which Tim delivers.

Strategic Costs Reduction is published by ICAI Publishing and is priced at €19.95. Order online. 

Mr. Barry Dempsey has been elected Chairman of the Irish Management Institute Council following a ballot of Council members. 

Managing Director of Peter Mark since 2002, Mr. Dempsey will hold the post of Chairman of the IMI Council for a three-year term and will also serve as a member of the IMI Board.

“The IMI has been the principal source of world-class management and executive education for countless businesses through several economic and market cycles in the last 50 years. The Council is enthusiastic that the IMI’s delivery of leading-edge learning, development and innovation continues to support its members, and the Irish business community generally, in adapting to the present and anticipating the future,”  Mr Dempsey said on his election.

Congratulating Mr Dempsey, Dr. Phil Nolan, Chairman of the IMI Board, said: “Barry Dempsey’s wealth of experience and management knowledge will be invaluable to the IMI as it seeks to build on its reputation in these difficult economic times. I wish him every success.”

The Council is the advisory board of the IMI and is made up of leaders of indigenous and multinational companies, public sector organisations and enterprise stakeholders. In its capacity as advisory board, the Council acts as an expert network in advancing the practice of management in Ireland.

Mr Dempsey, a member of the Council of the IMI since 1996, graduated in Business Studies from the University of Manchester in 1986, and joined the Management Training program of Courtaulds Plc. He completed an MBA at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, in 1989. Mr. Dempsey was CEO of the Irish Cancer Society from 1997 to 2002 and has held executive positions encompassing finance, marketing, HR, operations and general management in Irish and UK manufacturing and retailing companies. As well as participating in a number of government and EU working groups and projects in the healthcare arena, Mr Dempsey was a Director of St. Luke’s Hospital, Dublin.