Minister's Forerword
Introduction
Credits
Acknowledgements
Deloitte & Touche
PROJECT OBJECTIVE
ESTABLISH EBUSINESS SUPPORT CENTRE FOR SMES
Deloitte & Touche are chartered accountants, registered auditors and management consultants. Deloitte & Touche advise a range of distinguished blue chip and technology companies on eBusiness strategies. The firm conducts continuous research on electronic commerce and recent publications include The eBusiness Tidal Wave and Selected eBusiness Issues.
Business Case for eCommerce Infrastructure Project
Deloitte & Touche identified the need to establish an eBusiness Support Centre to provide an information structure for Irish businesses, to provide them with a network of contacts and links, advice and briefings on new eBusiness developments and to make available practical and applied assistance to SMEs in implementing their own eBusiness solutions. One of the objectives was to make this support centre accessible to all SMEs, not exclusively those with high-end technology businesses.
eBusiness Solution
Deloitte & Touche has invited an impressive list of educational establishments to lend their support to the project. The participation of University College Dublin, University of Limerick, University College Cork, NUI Galway, Dublin Institute of Technology and Waterford Institute of Technology will ensure that the best combination of advice and assistance is available to SMEs throughout Ireland.
The Deloitte & Touche eBusiness Support Centre makes its services available free of charge to SMEs. The range of services provided includes the availability of meeting rooms and presentation facilities at Deloitte & Touche offices and access to expert eBusiness advice.
A cycle of information briefings has already taken place and will be repeated. These include:
- Breakfast briefings in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford
- A series of briefings and lectures in conjunction with the IMI
- Lecture to SMEs in Limerick area at University of Limerick
- AEYLS lecture in conjunction with Department of Foreign Affairs
- An on-line survey of companies using UCD’s business services
Who Will Benefit from this eCommerce Infrastructure Project?
Deloitte & Touche have issued an open invitation to all SMEs interested in eBusiness to avail of the services of the eBusiness Support Centre. Unsurprisingly, demand has been high and companies who have benefited so far include:
Eurotransitions
Ennis Information Age Town
Fexco
Reflexite Ltd
VHI
Encounters 2000
E4 Group
Navan Carpets
The Irish Examiner
Irish Management Institute
Parallel Internet
X Communications
eDivert
"Business is Business - the ‘e’ should be silent. And in the real world it is. The real world of the Internet is not ‘the latest fad’. In the real world, your customers can now purchase goods from any other part of the world.
The eBSC will provide small and medium enterprises with vital initial advice on how to navigate in this new but all too real world.
Deloitte & Touche are delighted that so many of our respected Universities and Colleges are involved in this project and we look forward to developing these relationships through the eBSC"
Ronan Nolan
Partner, Deloitte & Touche
Contact:
Peter Nolan
eBusiness Support Centre
Deloitte & Touche Management Consultants
Deloitte & Touche House
Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin 2
Tel: + 353 1 417 2807
www.deloitte.ie
peter.nolan@deloitte.ie