Your business week: White collar crime and ecotourism conferences

Dell and Abercrombie & Fitch among companies reporting results

Monday

Results: Hewlett Packard.

Indicators: Irish labour costs (Q3); UK distributive trades (Nov); German business climate, current conditions and expectations (Nov).

Meetings: Image Businesswoman of the Year Awards (Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4).

Tuesday

Results: Dell Technologies, Cranswick, Greencore Group, UDG Healthcare, Abercrombie & Fitch.

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Indicators: Irish overseas travel (Oct); UK finance mortgage approvals (Oct); German consumer confidence (Dec); US wholesale inventories (Oct), house price index (Sep), consumer confidence (Nov).

Meetings: Cyber Expo Ireland (Irish Management Institute, Sandyford Road, Dublin 16); Dublin Chamber's Developing Tourism in Dublin briefing with Fáilte Ireland (Dublin Chamber, Clare Street, Dublin 2).

Wednesday

Results: Build-A-Bear.

Indicators: US GDP growth (Q3), personal income and spending (Oct), corporate profits (Q3), PCE price index (Oct).

Meetings: Inspiring Sustainable Tourism (Croke Park, Dublin 3); Corporate Crime & Regulation Summit (Convention Centre Dublin).

Eco-tourism in focus at conference

The concept of eco-tourism and the ability for green credentials to benefit every sector is growing quickly. And it is about more than just carbon-taxing airfares. Its complexities and the rapid pace of its message will be discussed at the Inspiring Sustainable Tourism conference on Wednesday.

"It's kind of catching fire in the same way that the whole concept of sustainability is," explains Ciara Myburgh of hosts Sustainable Travel Ireland (the soon to be rebranded identity of the former Eco Tourism Ireland).

“Consumer interest is going up big time but consumer awareness on how to do it is still very low. Businesses realise that this is coming and it’s coming faster than expected. So it’s about how to market yourself to these customers.”

The rate of tourism sustainability is based on a number of factors – environmental impact of course, but also visitor experience, business sustainability and community. Put more simply, as Myburgh does, it is the marriage of corporate and environmental responsibility, an ever more present philosophy.

This year's inaugural conference, expecting about 150 representatives from tour operators, public sector bodies and local authorities, is unlikely to be the last. Speakers include Ryanair chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs and environmental scientist Dr Cara Augustenborg.

Experts gather for white collar crime conference

White collar and corporate crime has entered a new era of enforcement with greater regulation, increasing awareness and the rise of the whistleblower. Ahead of its first conference on the subject, A&L Goodbody notes that media scrutiny has never been sharper, nor corporate reputation more important.

Business crime may be easy to discuss in broad terms but Wednesday's event has the draw of four of Ireland's top experts in the area – Derville Rowland, director general of financial conduct at the Central Bank of Ireland; Ian Drennan, director of corporate enforcement; Pat Clavin, head of the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab); and Pat Lordan, head of Garda national economic crime and cyber crime bureaus.

Of particular focus will be the role of regulators in the area of individual responsibility, and personal sanctions. Experts will also address the risk of exposure for senior individuals and how this can be managed in practice, as well as the role of organisational culture.

Thursday

Results: Virgin Money UK.

Indicators: Irish retail sales index (Oct); Euro zone loan growth and money supply (Oct), economic, industrial and services sentiment (Nov), business and consumer confidence (Nov), consumer inflation expectations (Nov); German inflation (Nov).

Meetings: Irish Waste Management Conference (Croke Park, Dublin 3).

Friday

Indicators: Euro zone inflation (Nov), unemployment (Oct); UK consumer confidence (Nov), Nationwide housing prices (Nov), net lending to individuals (Oct), consumer credit (Oct), mortgage lending and approvals (Oct); German unemployment (Nov), import prices (Oct).

Meetings: Leveraging Big Data for Better Healthcare with Francesca Colombo, head of health at the OECD (Institute of International and European Affairs, North Great George's Street, Dublin 1).