For years, one of Ireland's strongest exports was its graduates. This strength then became a key factor in attracting major companies to Ireland and setting up operations here. Now, with many of those companies jumping ship in favour of lower wages elsewhere, questions marks have been placed over the quality of an Irish education

1. Name of your business?
The Marketing Crowd
2. Location?
Killorglin, County Kerry

A new website has been set up by Cork businesswoman, Mary O'Riordan, giving people greater access to soft furnishings. The site, perfectcurtains.com, specialises in custom made curtains, allowing shoppers to choose from a wide selection of styles online and at the same time, giving people up to 30 per cent off ordinary retail prices.

Back to basics
While Twitter and Facebook are white-hot right now, businesses should spend most of their time and energy getting their website into shape. When it comes down to it, your website is a property online you have full access to and control of. You can use your website as the core part of your online business with places like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other online spaces tieing back into it.

The Entrepreneurial and Social Society (E&S) at UCC in association with the Cork City and County Enterprise Board is hosting its first ever Innov8@UCC week which finishes tomorrow (Friday). The society has already attracted such illustrious names as horse-racing supremo JP McManus, Cork hurling legend Donal Og Cusack and former Irish rugby international Frankie Sheahan who all spoke about the business of sport.

Fleming Construction expressed their extreme disappointment at last week's decision in the Supreme Court to reject their restructuring plan. The decision may now result in the loss of over 100 jobs at the Bandon-based construction firm. The action of the High Court overturned a positive decision of the High Court last November that set in motion plans to save the firm and give creditors a chance to recoup some of the money owed to them.

A diverse range of business training programmes and seminars will be held throughout this month as part of Cork Enterprise Month. The initiative is a joint collaboration of the Cork County & City Enterprise Boards (CEBs). It is aimed to promote and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation while helping micro-enterprises thrive and develop in this new economic reality.

The new €1.6 million research and development operation of aviation service provider, PAS Technologies, has been officially opened in Cork. It is hoped the new operation will create ten new high-value positions. PAS Technologies deal in the repair, refurbishment and remanufacture of components of gas turbine engines used in the utilities and power generation sectors.

Two Cork companies, Qumas Limited and the Barry Group, have been named among the winners of the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Award. In total, 20 companies were recognised at an awards gala dinner in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, which was attended by the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD, on 5 March 2010.

www.showerdome.ie
Appearance: 4/5
User-friendliness: 4/5
Usefulness: 4/5