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After a decade of economic growth, the Republic of Ireland is enjoying higher employment figures than at any time since it was founded. Its living standards, measured by GDP and GNP per capita, exceed the European Union average, and its government debt is now the second lowest in the Euro zone.
However, as Jim Dunne of Enterprise IG points out, this is no time for Ireland to rest on its laurels. Its cost base has increased dramatically, and China, India, and Eastern European countries are beginning to give Ireland a run for its money. Most important, Dunne continues, “Ireland's success to date has been achieved mostly in the operational aspects of manufacturing and services rather than in knowledge of customers, markets, and product development. It is foreign-owned businesses in Ireland that account for most of our exports and that, for the most part, produce goods and services that were researched and designed elsewhere, to satisfy market requirements that were specified elsewhere, and that are sold by other people to customers with whom the Irish operation has little contact and over whom it has little influence.”
Dunne points out that Ireland is certainly not without its successful brands: Waterford Crystal, Baileys Irish Cream, Guinness, Riverdance, and so on. However, most of these, he points out, are personality- or celebrity-based, and don't involve product innovation. To succeed in the years to come, Ireland will need to become a world-class innovator.
Dunne offers a list of must do's that he believes will help achieve a more innovative culture in Ireland. First, of course, “brand Ireland” must have a single voice that will promote the country as a center of innovation and of product and service development. At the same time, much more attention must be paid to patents, trademarks, copyrights, and the skills to manage them. Also, Dunne writes, “We need to organize our resources and capabilities to excel in a number of critical business areas and sectors, such as food, tourism, financial services, information and communications technology, and life sciences…. We need to integrate design and design management into these projects.” There need to be more Irish-based design businesses to develop the skills and capabilities that will be needed, and the education of design professionals must include business and design management skills.
Dunne concludes, “We need to progress from our happiness in celebrating 'made in Ireland' to a position of joy in being able to celebrate 'imagined in Ireland,' 'invented in Ireland,' 'created in Ireland,' and 'designed in Ireland' with more and more frequency.”
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