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Bill Cullen Email

2

Comments

  • #32
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,082 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Rozabeez wrote: »
    Fás are offering work experience to people on the dole, I agree that if it's suitable they should go for it.


    I disagree, if someone is making a profit from your work then they should pay you. Even if the employer paid half the dole and the state the other half it would be something.

    The state cant afford businesses wages. Personally I`ll go abroad and work rather than work for someone who wont pay me.


  • #33
    irish_goat
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 5,893 Mod ✭✭✭✭irish_goat


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I disagree, if someone is making a profit from your work then they should pay you. Even if the employer paid half the dole and the state the other half it would be something.

    The state cant afford businesses wages. Personally I`ll go abroad and work rather than work for someone who wont pay me.

    In the vast majority of cases if a business has the potential to make profit by hiring another worker they would probably just go ahead and do that rather than rely on a volunteer. Any business taking on volunteers for work experience probably isn't making much profit off that individual.


  • #34
    Norrdeth
    Closed Accounts Posts: 912 ✭✭✭Norrdeth


    Why would anyone volunteer for a business anyway?

    When you can volunteer for worthwhile causes; youth/social work, arts, poverty, environmental causes etc.

    Personally I wouldn't be comfortable devoting my free personal time and effort for someone's profit gain. At least you can have the motivation to work well in knowing you're doing something good for the community or the country, and know that you're not just the counter of someone else's pennies.


  • #35
    Effluo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭Effluo


    Norrdeth wrote: »
    Personally I wouldn't be comfortable devoting my free personal time and effort for someone's profit gain. At least you can have the motivation to work well in knowing you're doing something good for the community or the country, and know that you're not just the counter of someone else's pennies.

    Well experience is generally regarded as the most important factor when hiring for most jobs.

    An employer seeing that you worked previously for very little money will be impressed. Or at least I would


  • #36
    Ostrom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    Effluo wrote: »
    That video made me respect Bill Cullen a lot more than I used to and I really hope that you posting it here will get him more supporters rather than "haters".

    He's an amazing entrepreneur and he makes a lot of sense sometimes.
    We have it way better off now than we would have had back when he was our age which was his general point.


    On a side note, he's apparently helped out the Uni financially with some things and stuff like that. I think he launched his book here and I guess it's only natural that when it gets nominated for a reward the college would do whatever it could to help him out in return.

    Bill Cullen is commendable only in his consistent ignorance of the good fortune that brought him to where he is today. His success is due to hard work, chance encounters, and circumstances that dont repeat with any regularity for the rest of us. The man is an offensive sh*t merchant.

    Bill's 'support' of the college amounts to a yearly lecture to the business faculty where he reminds all present of how great he is. His groundless, hateful populism is an insult to the many equally hard working students now faced with limited employment opportunities. His ignorance is saturating, and his presence - let alone a formal message of support from our own president - is equally hateful.


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  • #37
    Effluo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭Effluo


    efla wrote: »
    Bill Cullen is commendable only in his consistent ignorance of the good fortune that brought him to where he is today. His success is due to hard work, chance encounters, and circumstances that dont repeat with any regularity for the rest of us. The man is an offensive sh*t merchant.

    Bill's 'support' of the college amounts to a yearly lecture to the business faculty where he reminds all present of how great he is. His groundless, hateful populism is an insult to the many equally hard working students now faced with limited employment opportunities. His ignorance is saturating, and his presence - let alone a formal message of support from our own president - is equally hateful.

    I have three letters...

    L... O... L!

    oh Efla we meet again.
    Firstly I know nothing of his support for NUIM and I don't really care, I just repeated what I had read.


    But, I'd love if you were to elaborate of how "circumstances that dont repeat with any regularity for the rest of us" made him turn around a dealership with an £18m debt into a company making €350m turnover a year.

    I personally find it very amusing and ironic that you call Dr. Cullen commendable for only how ignorant he is.

    Bill saw an opportunity for a Car dealership and made a go of it.
    He succeeded in that and maybe you think that it was easier to get a business going in the 70's Ireland than it is now?
    But i'm sure you'll find that we have many many more opportunities and a greater chance of business success than there was back in those days.

    How someone can take all credit from someone as successful as Bill other than saying, he's "hardworking".
    It must only be an Irish thing.
    Gosh we hate our own don't we? Lets all have a pop at Bono while we're at it :p


  • #38
    Kiwi_knock
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,470 ✭✭✭Kiwi_knock


    Effluo wrote: »
    Gosh we hate our own don't we?
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055845646
    The views in this thread seem to echo your point.
    Regardless to what I feel about Cullen I do not especially care that I received the e-mail. Cullen has links with us so the University are only protecting that link by sending us out that e-mail


  • #39
    Ostrom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    Effluo wrote: »
    I have three letters...

    L... O... L!

    oh Efla we meet again.
    Firstly I know nothing of his support for NUIM and I don't really care, I just repeated what I had read.


    But, I'd love if you were to elaborate of how "circumstances that dont repeat with any regularity for the rest of us" made him turn around a dealership with an £18m debt into a company making €350m turnover a year.

    Delighted.

    Quite simply, Bill's warped sense of reality implies that there are an infinite number of outcomes such as his awaiting all who choose to work as hard as he. Of course the real world doesn't work like that - there aren't as many positions waiting to absorb those who try hard enough. For most of us, hard work is not enough - it takes a decent measure of good fortune, chance encounters, personal and international circumstances, the failures of others (most of which he ironically mentions in his book). Bill's particular story is unique. Impressive, but hardly replicable to the extent he assumes.
    Effluo wrote: »
    I personally find it very amusing and ironic that you call Dr. Cullen commendable for only how ignorant he is.

    Its the grovelling that gets me most - the most amusing part of that email was the quote from 'Dr. Micheal Smurfit' (you may not remember the brief media exchange some years ago). It is convention for a recipient of an honorary doctorate not to use the title - 'Dr'. Its this general culture of deference that's starting to get to me - especially in the sense you use it, what exactly about that was ironic? Is the irony of our president openly groveling to Professor Aherne and Dr. Cullen lost on you?
    Effluo wrote: »
    Bill saw an opportunity for a Car dealership and made a go of it.
    He succeeded in that and maybe you think that it was easier to get a business going in the 70's Ireland than it is now?
    But i'm sure you'll find that we have many many more opportunities and a greater chance of business success than there was back in those days.

    Exactly. Bill's is a phenomenal success story, but his rantings are just one more flashing sign directing us to look away from the real issues, fixing blame on the easiest, most visible culprits.
    Effluo wrote: »
    How someone can take all credit from someone as successful as Bill other than saying, he's "hardworking".
    It must only be an Irish thing.
    Gosh we hate our own don't we? Lets all have a pop at Bono while we're at it :p

    I'll have a go at the edge maybe. Too much delay


  • #40
    Rozabeez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,878 ✭✭✭Rozabeez


    I don't think the negative attitude towards Bill Cullen can be put down to 'Irishness' tbh. His attitude and personality are very hard to like, have you read the book, Effluo? Read it, then get back to this.


  • #41
    Effluo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭Effluo


    Rozabeez wrote: »
    I don't think the negative attitude towards Bill Cullen can be put down to 'Irishness' tbh. His attitude and personality are very hard to like, have you read the book

    I don't like his personality either and your dead right he's not a very likable guy.
    But at the same time i'm not stupid or ignorant enough to think that all his business successes only came from the fact that he is a hardworker and the rest just happened by chance.
    efla wrote: »
    Quite simply, Bill's warped sense of reality implies that there are an infinite number of outcomes such as his awaiting all who choose to work as hard as he. Of course the real world doesn't work like that - there aren't as many positions waiting to absorb those who try hard enough. For most of us, hard work is not enough - it takes a decent measure of good fortune, chance encounters, personal and international circumstances, the failures of others (most of which he ironically mentions in his book).
    Efla you putting into dispute the whole point of business as a study.

    Everything happens for a reason!

    And of course his story may not be completely followable, but the idea is that you look at his experiences and learn from them. Business is not a strict science. There never is only 1 stone wall correct path, there is no guaranteed formula for success, but at the end of the day everything happens for a reason and if you have a good enough business plan and execute it well, you will most probably succeed.


    What I found ironic was you saying the only commendable property of Bill Cullen was his ignorance, while at the same time you are clearly ignoring everything that makes him a great entrepreneur.


    efla wrote: »
    Exactly. Bill's is a phenomenal success story, but his rantings are just one more flashing sign directing us to look away from the real issues, fixing blame on the easiest, most visible culprits.

    Bill wasn't having a go at anyone as far as I noticed. He was just trying to motivate them to not be relying on a new government to change anything and do whatever they can to improve their employability and to take the initiative.
    "They're all the same" was one of my favorite quotes from his little speech when referring to the gov.



    I would also like to point out that the woman banging on about the government claps herself after speaking lol


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  • #42
    Coles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,025 ✭✭✭Coles


    I have mixed feelings about this 'work experience/work for nothing' scheme.

    1) IF it benefits the 'employee' then it favours those from a wealthy background who can afford to be sudsidised by family members. Anyone else would just have to get a low paid job.
    2) It gives an unfair advantage to the employer over competing companies, encouraging them to either lower their pay to existing employees or to ensure that any future employees are 'employed' through this scheme.
    3) If a company is in receipt of state aid or is profiting from state subsidies then they should be obliged to create permanent employment rather than undermine the employment of others.

    As for voting for Bill Cullen's book? Why would anyone vote for it without reading it? And for the head of the college to call for students to vote for a book without reading it is a bit odd.


  • #43
    evercloserunion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,889 ✭✭✭evercloserunion


    I hate this idea that if you make a bit of cash for yourself in Ireland you're allowed to be an arrogant mouthy pr*ck and say whatever you want to people and still expect respect. People talk about the Irish frowning upon success but think that's the case at all. In other countries, people are allowed to criticise the rich if they are deserving of criticism, I don't see why it shouldn't be the case here.


  • #44
    Rozabeez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,878 ✭✭✭Rozabeez


    evercloserunion wrote: »
    I hate this idea that if you make a bit of cash for yourself in Ireland you're allowed to be an arrogant mouthy pr*ck and say whatever you want to people and still expect respect. People talk about the Irish frowning upon success but think that's the case at all. In other countries, people are allowed to criticise the rich if they are deserving of criticism, I don't see why it shouldn't be the case here.

    That's a very good point right there. Take a look at Ben Dunne and Margaret Heffernan - Mr.Dunne is pretty much hated by the entire country, and Margaret Heffernan is commended for her hard work.

    But don't get me started on Bob Geldof :D


  • #45
    Effluo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭Effluo


    evercloserunion wrote: »
    I hate this idea that if you make a bit of cash for yourself in Ireland you're allowed to be an arrogant mouthy pr*ck and say whatever you want to people and still expect respect.

    No-one ever said that, although I get where you're coming from.

    All the same if you're just referring to the video I don't think he said anything particularly bad to anyone, unless you're a political party of course. :D


    On the whole working for companies with very little pay...
    Ofc it's always going to be the employees choice if they want to do it or not, everyone has a free will... If the the employee thinks that they'd like to get some experience to increase their own knowledge in a particular sector better, but the company cannot afford to keep them on full time, then I think it's a great idea.

    I mean these things are not a new concept, apprenticeships are pretty much the same thing. You go and learn a trade while you may not be getting paid a lot of money, you learn a lot and gain a lot of experience.


  • #46
    Ostrom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    Effluo wrote: »
    Efla you putting into dispute the whole point of business as a study.

    Everything happens for a reason!

    And of course his story may not be completely followable, but the idea is that you look at his experiences and learn from them. Business is not a strict science. There never is only 1 stone wall correct path, there is no guaranteed formula for success, but at the end of the day everything happens for a reason and if you have a good enough business plan and execute it well, you will most probably succeed.


    What I found ironic was you saying the only commendable property of Bill Cullen was his ignorance, while at the same time you are clearly ignoring everything that makes him a great entrepreneur.

    This thread isn't about Bills personal business skills, it is about his warped impression of reality. The man has not had to spend a day of his latter years (note: latter - the world is a difference place now) in the circumstances of those he looks down. I don't know if you saw his guff on the late late last night (he manages to weasel in the 'look where I came from' every time). It's a different story when you're sitting at home with an unemployed partner wondering what you're doing wrong. There are no doors to bang on, no bit jobs, there isn't anyone to 'sell yourself' to. All the hard work and good intentions in the world will not create positions - there is nothing to exploit. Equally, not everyone will have access to the things required for small business start up - who will they sell to? Who will give SME credit to someone long-term unemployed with no capital? How can you exploit a stagnant market? How can you overcome the issue of effective demand?

    It is different for people like us, we are young, educated, coming from one of the best academic institutions in the country with experience, references from senior lecturers, opportunities for networking and research, access to public funding - public discourse is dominated by people like us, who quite honestly - like Cullen - have no idea how drastically things have changed for everyone else in so short a space of time. It is disheartening in the extreme, and the man - and his kind - are an insult to the people who sustained us for the past decades.
    Effluo wrote: »
    Bill wasn't having a go at anyone as far as I noticed. He was just trying to motivate them to not be relying on a new government to change anything and do whatever they can to improve their employability and to take the initiative.
    "They're all the same" was one of my favorite quotes from his little speech when referring to the gov.

    Not directly, but try to empathize. How would you imagine it feels to have spent every day of the last six months glued to internet jobsites, walking the streets for adverts, grabbing voluntary work, personalizing CV's for jobs that probably didn't exist anyway? Being made feel like scum for claiming your social insurance contributions - hard earned and paid in precisely for something like this?


  • #47
    DingChavez
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 647 ✭✭✭DingChavez


    Bill Cullen seems to be under the impression everyone in the world wants to be a businessman.


  • #48
    evercloserunion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,889 ✭✭✭evercloserunion


    DingChavez wrote: »
    Bill Cullen seems to be under the impression everyone in the world wants to be a businessman.
    Quite true, Bill chose his calling based on what would make him money, some people might have a particular profession or role that they aspire to which would throw up problems which he never had to face.


  • #49
    deelite
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭deelite


    I'm not a student (I'm a stay at home mum no college education) I just came across this thread by accident. I've watched the Frontline and last nights Late Show - both featuring Mr. Cullen. If I was a student I would do what Mr. Cullen suggests and start "knocking on doors" and offer to work for free for a week and I would organise it so that there would be a queue of students/unemployed knocking at Mr. Cullen's Car Place and that woman from Avoca - could you just imagine their faces when scores of people turn up - unannounced looking for work.

    Working for free is what teenagers do in the transition year in secondary school and for the record I know of at least 10 TY students who have been knocking on doors and offering to work for free - but to no avail.


  • #50
    CnaG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 433 ✭✭CnaG


    That's brilliant! Flashmob looking for work at Bill Cullen's place anyone?


  • #51
    deelite
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭deelite


    CnaG wrote: »
    That's brilliant! Flashmob looking for work at Bill Cullen's place anyone?

    Can I come please thanx.:D


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  • #52
    Ostrom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    deelite wrote: »
    Can I come please thanx.:D

    I'm in!


  • #53
    Effluo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭Effluo


    efla wrote: »
    This thread isn't about Bills personal business skills, it is about his warped impression of reality.

    Well actually you stated that the only commendable thing about his how ignorant he is. That he was hardworking and just lucky to get where he is today.

    Ofc this thread is also about his skills! You made it about his skills when you made that ridiculous statement!

    I was arguing otherwise. How could this thread not be about his personal skills!??

    efla wrote: »
    The man has not had to spend a day of his latter years (note: latter - the world is a difference place now) in the circumstances of those he looks down. I don't know if you saw his guff on the late late last night (he manages to weasel in the 'look where I came from' every time). It's a different story when you're sitting at home with an unemployed partner wondering what you're doing wrong. There are no doors to bang on, no bit jobs, there isn't anyone to 'sell yourself' to. All the hard work and good intentions in the world will not create positions - there is nothing to exploit. Equally, not everyone will have access to the things required for small business start up - who will they sell to? Who will give SME credit to someone long-term unemployed with no capital? How can you exploit a stagnant market? How can you overcome the issue of effective demand?

    It's silly to think that everyone in all of Ireland can make it big by starting a successful business or even get a job simply from working hard.

    But it's equally silly to say that's it's impossible for anyone to do it.

    The whole idea of the panel last night on the late late was to talk about the damning negativity which many people seem consumed with right now. You obviously missed the message, that things really are not as bad as some people are making it out to be and we should keep on working at whatever we can and not lay down.

    I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that someone was implying that people on the dole are scum.

    Sure there's more unemployment now than there was a few years ago, but there will always be business opportunities no matter how bad it gets.


  • #54
    Mr. SS
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 283 ✭✭Mr. SS


    People need to stop moaning. I have three jobs lined up for the summer, I can't be that f**kin amazing. On the other hand, the majority of my friends from home are sitting on their hoops doing two/maybe three days of work while claiming the dole. They don't want a job, they've never had it better and I'm paying for it.
    When I finish this year if I dont find a job in three months I'm outa here, I wudnt stay and sponge. The netherlands has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, coming into summer they will be looking for lots of english speakers for tourism and its not a million miles away. Leave if your not happy.


  • #55
    evercloserunion
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,889 ✭✭✭evercloserunion


    Mr. SS wrote: »
    People need to stop moaning. I have three jobs lined up for the summer, I can't be that f**kin amazing. On the other hand, the majority of my friends from home are sitting on their hoops doing two/maybe three days of work while claiming the dole. They don't want a job, they've never had it better and I'm paying for it.
    When I finish this year if I dont find a job in three months I'm outa here, I wudnt stay and sponge. The netherlands has the lowest unemployment rate in Europe, coming into summer they will be looking for lots of english speakers for tourism and its not a million miles away. Leave if your not happy.
    Yeah there are tons of jobs about, everyone else is just lying :rolleyes:

    Seriously, recessions do not happen because large numbers of people simultaneously decide that they can no longer be arsed working. You have to accept that, while some people are hardworking and fortunate enough to find work in this kind of climate, not everyone is so fortunate.

    It's great that you can just take off to the Netherlands in search of work, some people have families to support or are otherwise tied to Ireland, maybe they can't afford to support themselves while they search for work in another country. You have to stop generalising your own peachy experience onto a population of people who, statistically speaking, are unlikely to share your experience.


  • #56
    Mr. SS
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 283 ✭✭Mr. SS


    evercloserunion wrote: »
    Yeah there are tons of jobs about, everyone else is just lying :rolleyes:
    I never said that now! just that its not the end of the world.
    evercloserunion wrote: »
    Seriously, recessions do not happen because large numbers of people simultaneously decide that they can no longer be arsed working. You have to accept that, while some people are hardworking and fortunate enough to find work in this kind of climate, not everyone is so fortunate.
    Yeah, I never said everyone, just people I know.
    evercloserunion wrote: »
    It's great that you can just take off to the Netherlands in search of work, some people have families to support or are otherwise tied to Ireland, maybe they can't afford to support themselves while they search for work in another country. You have to stop generalising your own peachy experience onto a population of people who, statistically speaking, are unlikely to share your experience.
    Statistically speaking, students (as this is a college forum) have very little substantial ties to Ireland. I never suggested families should uproot or generalised my thoughts on them, just young students like me, who are statistically far more likely to be reading this thread.


  • #57
    Beau
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,095 ✭✭✭Beau


    Loads of jobs going in Bank of America if anyone wants a reference (graduating and graduates only I'm afraid).

    Citi are also employing a lot too.


  • #58
    Kiwi_knock
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,470 ✭✭✭Kiwi_knock


    Young and unemployed? Willing to work for free? Most likely you will not end up with a job.
    It is just me or is Bill's idea strangely similar to the concept of The Apprentice.


  • #59
    princess_calico
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 373 ✭✭princess_calico


    Mr. SS wrote: »
    People need to stop moaning. I have three jobs lined up for the summer, I can't be that f**kin amazing. On the other hand, the majority of my friends from home are sitting on their hoops doing two/maybe three days of work while claiming the dole. They don't want a job, they've never had it better and I'm paying for it.


    You're one of the lucky few! I've work experience the length of my arm and have glowing references from restaurants, clothes shops, gift shops, chinese take away, publishing company, a playschool and I've worked with a newspaper and a magazine. I've worked with other companies for the experience, without pay and I have been a volunteer with New Dawn for about two years now, doing most of their promotional work and a lot of fundraising coordination.
    I will work ANYWHERE that I can get a job- but at the moment there is nothing there! I have bombarded all of Gorey with CV's as that's where I'm going to be over the summer. There's no point trying anywhere further afield since I have no way of getting there because the public transport in Gorey is a sham. It's hard enough for me to get into the town (I live in a village about 8 miles away) so I can't depend on it.
    I agree with what you're saying about the spongers that don't want to work or have no intentions to. I've been working since I was 14, during school terms and over holidays, often working two jobs at a time- but at the moment there is nothing available.
    To prove my point, a cinema is opening on the 11th June in Gorey. They received over 1,000 CV's including many from people with PHDs and Masters and most of them didn't even get an interview because nearly every job went to TY students. They had 40 interviews for 25 positions and every TY that got an interview got a job.

    So apologies that some of us are moaning, but we're trying to cope with reality.


  • #60
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,082 ✭ [Deleted User]


    yup people with Phds went for jobs at the cinema in Gorey
    http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/rush-for-25-cinema-jobs-2182620.html


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  • #61
    Mr. SS
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 283 ✭✭Mr. SS


    Beau wrote: »
    Loads of jobs going in Bank of America if anyone wants a reference (graduating and graduates only I'm afraid).

    Citi are also employing a lot too.
    Citi group are employing people on the dole


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