29% increase in student demand at UCG

Ireland\u27s demographic structure is such that demand for university places from 18-year-olds will continue to grow for at least a decade. In this we differ from other EC countries. CAO figures for 1990 support this interpretation. First-preference applications for university entrance next autumn are up by 5.2 per cent on last year. This figure hides great variations between institutions. Thus, the demand at University College Galway is extraordinarily high at 29.2 per cent over the 1989 figure. Indeed, UCG applications account for 41 per cent of this year\u27s increased national demand for student places

Using focus groups in studies of ISD team behaviour

This paper discusses an innovative focus group approach used to study an Information Systems Development (ISD) environment. The research had to cope with the application of a broad framework, untested in practice, seeking to elicit potentially highly sensitive opinions and judgments in a highly pressurised, time-restricted environment. The researchers¿ design of the focus groups is discussed along with an evaluation of the final approach used. The paper concludes with a set of issues for future researchers to consider when designing focus groups for their own studies, along with a set of lessons learned and recommendations arising from the research team¿s experience in this study