Sligo, Ireland (PRWEB) August 20, 2008 -- cpdwise.com, an emerging provider of online business and finance courses, today announced the top reasons consumers are turning to online courses for their learning needs.

With customers from over twenty countries including, the UK, USA, Australia, Brazil, Singapore, Barbados, Bahrain, UAE, South Korea and Ireland cpdwise.com is well positioned to understand why so many are choosing to learn online.

Diarmuid O'Donovan founder of cpdwise.com commented: "it's all about saving learners' time and money while offering immediate and user friendly access to a wide range of learning resources".

cpdwise.com customers are seeing time savings by been able to access courses at any time. Eliminating travel delays and queuing are also seen as major added benefits.

cpdwise.com customers are saving money by been able to select to do only the individual courses that meet their learning objective. Additional savings are been made in travel and subsistence expenses.

cpdwise.com customers are commenting that it is only online that it would it be possible to access such a wide range of courses just when you want to. Where else would it be possible to do an anti-money laundering, emissions trading or project management course at two a.m.?

Many customers of cpdwise.com are accountants who are required by their professional bodies to partake in a prescribed amount of CPD annually; the ability to access courses at times that suit them is particularly welcomed by this group. As one member of ACCA put it "I used cpdwise for all of my verifiable ACCA CPD hours last year. Not only was it very easy to access and use but the variety of courses is extensive. I was able to dip in and out of all the courses at times that suited me which didn't impact on my job. I found the keeping of records and certification of completed courses very useful for completing my CPD Return to the ACCA"

Diarmuid added "in these times of tighter budgets, organisations big and small are recognizing the benefits of been able to purchase such focused online courses individually and without the need for a long-term commitment".

About cpdwise.com

cpdwise.com provides online business and finance e-Learning courses to both individual users and corporate clients. cpdwise.com is particularly focused at offering accounting and finance professionals immediate access to high quality, focused, competitively priced e-Learning, which progresses their career aspirations and is CPD for ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI, CIMA and CIPFA and other professional bodies.

Copyright © cpdwise.com 2008

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Podcasts are a great way to listen to and discover new music, but that's only a part of their story. Podcasts can also be a great source of information on any number of business and finance topics. Many enthusiastic members of the business community are now podcasting, as well as some extremely well respected institutions, such as the Harvard Business School and Stanford University.

Whatever role you have in business, keeping up to date with current thinking has long been recognised as vital to success. If you are in a regulated financial services sector or a member of a professional body, your regulator will likely have recognised your need to continually learn and implemented a system of CPD (Continuing Professional Development), CPE (Continuing Professional Education), or Life Long Learning. Generally CPD schemes require a mix of structured and informal learning. Structured CPD includes attendance at an evening class or undertaking an e-Learning course, such as the online finance courses offered by cpdwise.com. Informal CPD includes such diverse activities as reading magazines or watching DVDs.

By implementing a formal system for recording and reporting on CPD, regulators are simply defining a structure for activities that business people and finance professionals have always done on their own initiative. So with or without a formal system of CPD in place there is a consistent demand for business learning, both formal and informal.

To meet the demand for business learning and CPD for accountants there are numerous magazines, books and other media dedicated to every conceivable finance and business related topic. But now there's a new entrant in the field of informal business learning, the Podcast.

Podcasts are generally associated with music, but this new breed of podcast offers anyone with an interest in knowing more about business the opportunity to learn from some of the world's most respected business leaders.

Some of the best business podcasts on the web include Harvard Business Review Online’s HBR Ideacast, which features "breakthrough ideas and commentary from leading thinkers in business and management", and the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders lecture series from Stanford University, a series of in-depth lectures presented by some of the most innovative business thinkers, recorded at Stanford.

Looking at matters from a UK perspective, smallbizpod.co.uk, "the UK's first small business podcast" features interviews and advice for small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs. Mind Your Own Business Podcast, at myobpod.com, discusses, analyzes and delivers powerful insights into such essential topics as marketing, branding, growth, success, motivating staff, work-life balance, and business finance.

Based in the US the venturevoice.com podcast takes a more personalised approach, covering how entrepreneurs build their businesses and live their lives.

These podcasts are amongst the best available on the web right now. Their promoters regularly and consistently produce new shows. Each has interviews with some of the most interesting doers, thinkers and commentators in the business world. Between them, they provide a very balanced diet of strategic and practical business knowledge.

The depth, variety, and standard of these freely available podcasts dedicated to business, finance and entrepreneurship offers anyone with an interest in business an ideal source of mind opening and intellectually stimulating life long learning.

About cpdwise.com

cpdwise.com provides e-Learning business and finance courses online to both individual users and corporate clients. cpdwise.com is particularly focused at offering accounting and finance professionals immediate access to high quality, focused, competitively priced e-Learning, which progresses their career aspirations and meets the CPD requirements of professional bodies such as ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI, CIMA and CPA.

Contact www.cpdwise.com

Copyright © cpdwise.com 2007

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Sligo, Ireland, 25 September 2007 - Diarmuid O'Donovan founder of cpdwise.com has been nominated for an Irish Internet Association (IIA), Net Visionary Award in the Educational Contribution category.

IIA Net Visionary awards are amongst the most respected Internet awards in Ireland. The award honours individuals for their contribution to the Irish Internet Industry. Nominations or made by colleagues, clients, and peers.

Voting is open to the public and industry professionals from Ireland and around the world by visiting http://www.netvisionary.ie/vote2007.html  . This years voting commenced on 24 September 2007 and will continue until 19 October 2007. The winners will be announced on 15 November 2007.

O'Donovan commented, "I feel this award nomination provides me with the opportunity to reflect on the progress of cpdwise.com and thank all our customers, suppliers and partners for their support in getting cpdwise.com to where it is today."

About cpdwise.com

cpdwise.com provides e-Learning business and finance courses online to both individual users and corporate clients. cpdwise.com is particularly focused at offering accounting and finance professionals immediate access to high quality, focused, competitively priced e-Learning, which progresses their career aspirations and meets the CPD requirements of professional bodies such as ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI, CIMA and CPA.

Copyright © cpdwise.com 2007

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The EU European Trading System is a cap and trade scheme and is the largest GHG emissions trading schemes in the world. In this system a cap is set on the total amount of emissions allowable by those sectors that are subject to the scheme. Allowances (permits) are then allocated to individual emitters or installations with the total number of allowances adding up to the cap.

Several nations now adhere to the legally binding measures of what is known as the Kyoto Protocol. The treaty was able to begin enforcing regulations in February, 2005. The Protocol targets six main GHGs; carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. Industry, agriculture and deforestation are considered the sources of theses gases. Carbon dioxide is now the most traded greenhouse gas because of wide global production.

Countries complying with their commitment to the Protocol use three specific methods; they can accomplish the reduction in emissions in their own countries, implement projects or programs in other countries leading to reductions or purchase emissions allowances from countries that have exceeded their specific commitment under the scheme.

The Kyoto Protocol's goal is to cut emissions by at least 5% in the period 2008-2012. The European Union has committed to reduce GHG emissions by 8%. The EU ETS set out a trading emissions framework in two phases, the first being a pilot phase starting in 2005 and ending in 2007 and the second phase covering the period 2008 to 2012. The scheme covers only carbon dioxide in the first phase but anticipates other GHGs to be included in later phases. The EU ETS is the first international trading system for carbon dioxide in the world and covers around 12,000 energy-intensive installations.

In terms of continued global support, the price of carbon will continue to be a key issue. The effect of weather patterns on energy prices can also effect GHG emissions. The ETS must monitor the continuous effects of weather to allow for allowance deficits and allowance surplus in any given time frame. These signals will determine the status of the market.

There has been a softening of the terms surrounding the larger power companies which causes more discretion on the part of environmentalists and under developed countries whose emissions are fewer than that of the larger companies. However, the larger entities seem to be benefiting more from the market.

Supply and demand could also be significantly effected should the United States deem the ETS successful in the first phase and ratify the Kyoto Protocol by the second phase. The market will fluctuate and given the complicated workings of the protocol, changes may be implemented effecting the market worldwide.

GHG emissions is an ongoing consequential issue and the key players, power companies, governments, politicians and environmentalists will always have a large role to play in the daily workings of the market. It is said that emissions prices will continue to rise and fall and the fundamental workings and behavior of participating entities may continue to be obscure. It is a global problem that in order to be globally successful must also be politically acceptable. It is therefore important to keep abreast of all issues in the market.

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This article is provided by www.cpdwise.com. cpdwise.com provides e-Learning finance courses online and commodities and emissions online courses.

Fell free to re-print this article subject to the following. This article must be published without editing, all links must remain live, this recourse box or about the author box and copyright notice must be published with the article. This article cannot be used in spamming campaigns.

Copyright © cpdwise.com 2007

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August 18, 2007, Sligo, Ireland. cpdwise.com a Sligo, Ireland based e-Learning provider and developer of online finance courses announces that clients from as far apart as the UK and Australia are taking advantage of business and finance e-Learning courses to maintain and enhance their core finance and business skills.

According to Diarmuid O'Donovan, CEO of cpdwise.com the reasons why e-Learning meets, so well, the finance professionals need for Continuing Professional Development CPD include "the ability of e-Learning to deliver results for the individuals learning objective, provide the information required immediately, at a reasonable cost and without the need to travel"

The practicalities of an ever changing business and regulatory environment requires individuals engaged in all sectors of industry, practice, public financial services sectors continually update their existing knowledge and gain expertise in new areas. In recognition of the professionals need and the need of end users of all forms of financial information and services for confidence in the information and services provided by advisors and service providers, many financial regulators and professional bodies have made undergoing and recording at least specified minimum amount Continuing Professional Development CPD annually, mandatory.

The terminology used by different regulators and professional bodies varies. But whether it is called CPD, Continuing Professional Education CPE or Life Long Learning the reasons for the introduction mandatory CPD are the same, being the financial professionals need for knowledge and the end users need for confidence.

With so many different regulators and professional bodies overseeing financial service professionals and services it is not only the title given to mandatory CPD schemes that vary. Other variables include the number of CPD hours sometimes referred to as CPD units, the definition of breakdown of the CPD requirement into verifiable and un-structured CPD and even what constitutes CPD.

For the accountancy profession, the International Federation of Accountants issued International Education Standard for Professional Accountants 7 to ensure that all 150 plus of its member bodies introduced CPD schemes of comparable standards. IES 7 did not impose a one size fits all approach to CPD, but provided the framework and principles upon which each body could devise their own unique scheme. When listed the types of activities that could constitute CPD, IAS 7 specified that any "could be carried out using electronic means and e-learning opportunities".

According to Diarmuid O'Donovan, CEO of cpdwise.com, for the professional Accountancy body of which he is a member, ACCA "learning activities may contribute to ACCA members' CPD requirements unit scheme when the member can indicate how their participation helped them to maintain or develop business and or financial knowledge and skills relevant to their individual role and career aspirations. Given that each members role and career aspirations are different for each learning activity they undergo, regardless of provider, ACCA members must decide on the relevance of that activity to them. Further more to constitute verified CPD proof of participation in the activity must be maintained."

Using a fully standards compliant Learning Management System, similar to the ones used by International organisations, large corporations and universities cpdwise.com provides an extensive range of online finance courses and the proof of completion required for the professionals finance CPD records.

ABOUT US

Diarmuid O'Donovan FCCA founded cpdwise.com in Sligo, Ireland. cpdwise.com provides e-Learning business and finance courses online to both individual users and corporate clients. cpdwise.com is particularly focused at offering accounting and finance professionals immediate access to high quality, focused, competitively priced e-Learning, which progresses their career aspirations and meets their professional bodies CPD requirement.

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Missing work to attend a training session is becoming outdated now that the Internet is cultivating a new way to learn on your own time. It is E-learning, a training method that works with your busy schedule, budget and skill level. Here are some of the benefits of online training compared to that crowded classroom.

There are no geographic barriers with E-learning. You don't have to take the course offered by your local college; you can choose from thousands of courses in your subject area from providers all over the world. Instruction is delivered in multiple learning styles allowing you to choose the one course that's right for you.

E-learning courses adhere to your schedule, not the learning provider's. You can do your learning at home, at work, in the coffee house, or anywhere else the internet is available. Often, course materials can even be downloaded and printed for offline study. You can spend less time on areas you already know well, and as much as you need to on material that is new to you.

Costs can quickly mount up when attending classes. Aside from the inevitable cost of the course itself, there are the often forgotten costs of travel - fuel, vehicle maintenance, and even parking all add to your overhead. Not to mention that important call you missed by being at the college instead of in the office.

Interactivity in E-learning takes many forms. There may be a multiple-choice test at the end of each topic, quizzes scattered through the subject matter, or an overall test at the end. Whichever form taken, these dynamic quizzes provide you with instant feedback, so you are aware of which areas you know well, and which you may need to review again. And with most E-Learning, there is no need to retake the whole course - just redo the area you were weakest on, retake the test, and move on - confident in your knowledge of the subject matter.

E-learning allows you to choose topics of interest to you. Studies show that students have a higher retention of material when the subject is of greater interest.

You can make mistakes and try again with E-learning. You decide where the error was and how to correct it. If you are wrong again, you just try again. The embarrassment of failure in front of a group is gone. The computer won't judge you. Courses are constantly being updated and changed in real time. This helps you to acquire the most accurate information on any given subject.

Have you ever walked around a university campus and seen the hundreds of cars in the car park, and thousands of students from all over the world? Imagine if they could all just stay home and learn. They could - but who would deny young people the fun of college life. You, however, can save yourself the petrol, diesel or jet fuel costs and associated carbon emissions by getting yourself a quality education while sitting at your desk - or lounging on your sofa!

Given its oblivious advantages and societies need to continually educate ourselves; E-learning has a lot to offer and will increasingly be embraced by educators and learners alike.

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(1888PressRelease) May 08, 2007 - As the business world gets more and more competitive, many professionals are compelled to spend a higher percentage of their time pursuing the daily tasks of their job or profession rather than adding relevant knowledge and skills for the future. Attendance at educational courses, or even half-day seminars, has become prohibitively expensive, not in monetary terms, but in terms of time lost at the desk or with clients. e-learning has evolved as a self-paced educational tool in a bid to use the time available to the busy professional in the most efficient way.

Self-paced online learning is the most relevant and important method available to professionals pursuing the objective of continuing professional development (CPD). However, many e-learning courses on offer take eons to complete and get certified. cpdwise.com, easily the best amongst the current career oriented e-learning portals, offers short and to the point e-learning courses. With modular learning and no fuss procedures, they do not take up too much valuable time. Imparting relevant knowledge through the multimedia route, cpdwise.com's interactive courses are compiled in an absorbing and pertinent style.

While learning at cpdwise.com is a pleasant and informative experience, enrolling is child's play. Payment is accepted in Euro, US dollars and Sterling, via credit card or Paypal. Payments are processed online so access to the course material is immediate. cpdwise.com offers courses in a wide range of domains from financial markets and business skills. These genres are the most competitive in any job market across the globe and the completion of cutting edge CPD sets a professional a breed apart.

CPD courses purchased from cpdwise.com are valid for one year giving the learner ample time to complete the course or revise and refresh their knowledge. Course layout is clear and intuitive. Modular and flowing, each course has been designed by professionals from relevant industries, ensuring the content is appropriate and geared towards advancing a professional career. With key concept testing after every chapter and a short test after each module, cpdwise.com's course design ensures that you understand the finer points and key concepts covered.

Continuing Professional Development is a requirement for many professionals across the span of their whole career. All relevant cpdwise.com courses are structured to meet the CPD guidelines of professional bodies such as ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI (Ireland), ICAS, CPA, ICAS and CIMA. With courses ranging across subject areas such as accounting, budgeting, investment, financial management and analysis, risk management, money laundering, commodities, project management, sales and business skills, cpdwise.com is focused on making the progressive professional the first among equals.

Opting for an e-learning course from cpdwise.com will benefit a professional through self-paced, to-the-point learning as per the CPD guidelines of accredited agencies or bodies, effectively driving your career ahead of the competition, whether in practice, financial services or industry.

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How did it all begin?

Since I first saw a computer with a colour monitor, twenty something years ago, I realized how IT could be used for training in general and in the training of accountants in particular. I was a student accountant at the time; but, the technology was just not widely enough available and the development times were just too long to build a sustainable business model. It’s amusing to think that now, more than twenty years later, cpdwise.com, an e-Learning business which I founded, is up and running and the courses provided are so well suited to accountants, banking, finance and business professionals

Who or what motivated you to start your business?

You spend so much of your life at work or thinking about work, I believe it is important to be doing something, you believe in, that challenges you, measures you and you enjoy. For me cpdwise.com meets those criteria.

An e-Learning portal for accountants and finance professionals

cpdwise.com is an e-Learning portal for accountants, banking, finance and business professionals. cpdwise.com is committed to offering on demand access to accountants, other finance professionals and anyone interested in business to a wide range of courses that enhance their knowledge base and meets their professional bodies CPE/CPD requirements.

As an accountant and a member of ACCA, I view the introduction of mandatory CPD/CPE by professional bodies, including ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI, AICPA, ICAS and CIMA as a system, formalizing the recording and reporting of learning activities, in which most conscientious accountants where already engaged.

With the flexibility of completing courses online, combined with typical course durations of one to three hour per e-Learning CPD/CPE course, cpdwise.com provides an excellent option for anyone with a busy life who is unable to locate appropriate courses at the time or location that suits them. In fact, there is no obligation to do the entire course in one sitting. The Learning Management System (LMS) at cpdwise.com allows you to restart any course where you last left it. In fact, for most courses, learners can return to the course as often as they like for 365 days.

cpdwise.com learners can be located anywhere in the world

cpdwise.com was founded and is based in Sligo. Its existence is a testament to how the internet empowers organizations and individuals, regardless of location. cpdwise.com learners can be located anywhere in the world, just as we at cpdwise.com are confident in our freedom to develop without geographical restrictions.

The concept for cpdwise.com came by combining a number of my personal interests including: the internet, multimedia, learning and accountancy. One of the most exciting things about getting cpdwise.com up and running has been bringing together people and technology from across the globe. Providers of technology and expertise to cpdwise.com have come from Belgium, Chile, Germany, Jamaica, India, Turkey, the UK and the US and, of course, Ireland.

Future plans for cpdwise.com include broadening the range of courses provided, engaging with new subject matter experts, and developing more innovative ways of delivering CPD/CPE.

What are your top three tips for success?

People: Choose your partners and the people you work with carefully. The best people bring some skill to the business that you don’t have and most of all they share your vision and enthusiasm.

Planning: A carpenter would say, measure twice, cut once. This is good advice when starting any IT business. Mistakes made in designing your projects are costly, frustrating and time consuming to remedy.

Support: Most people are very positive to entrepreneurs starting new businesses. The people who give you the most support are often the ones you would have least suspected.

What business person do you most admire?

My Dad, Derry O’Donovan and his partner, Austin Jennings. Long before the tiger economy, they knew that Irish businesses could compete with the best in the world, win projects nationally and internationally and deliver outstanding results for clients. With belief, confidence, ability and friendship, the firm they founded Jennings and O’Donovan, won business and delivered successful projects here in Ireland, in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. When it comes to vision, they where both, along with the entire team at JO’D, decades ahead of their time. I often meet people who started their career with the firm and have gone on to the most interesting and impressive careers, but nearly without exception, they tell stories of their fond memories of their time with JO’D. Now, the firm is in the very capable hands of its new owners and management, David Kiely and Conor McCarthy and continues to make a massive contribution to the economy of the North West and is just as progressive and outward looking as ever.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in business today? Remember what JFK said: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

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SLIGO, IRELAND (PRWeb) March 28, 2007 -- www.cpdwise.com is committed to offering on demand access to professional accountants and other finance professionals to a wide range of courses that meet professional accountancy bodies CPE/CPD requirements. cpdwise.com launches its e-Learning portal, from their Sligo, Ireland base.

As an accountant and a member of ACCA, cpdwise.com’s CEO, Diarmuid O’Donovan, views the introduction of mandatory CPD/CPE by professional bodies associated with IFAC (including ACCA, ICAEW, ICAI, AICPA, ICAS and CIMA) as a system, formalizing the recording and reporting of learning activities, in which most conscientious accountants where already engaged.

With the flexibility of completing courses online, combined with typical course durations of one to three hour per e-Learning CPD/CPE course, cpdwise.com provides an excellent option for any accountant with a busy life who is unable to locate appropriate courses at the time or location that suits them. In fact, there is no obligation to do the entire course in one sitting. The Learning Management System (LMS) at cpdwise.com allows you to restart any course where you last left it.

e-Learning also offers accountants and finance professionals the broadest range of CPD/CPE learning activities with just a few clicks. e-Learning provides the only mechanism that can provide, in one place, on demand access to courses on topics as diverse as money laundering, data protection, macro economics, financial analysis, risk management, investment appraisal, technical analysis, portfolio theory, corporate finance, project management, commodities trading and investment appraisal.

cpdwise.com was founded and is based in Sligo, Ireland, Yeats’ country. Its existence is a testament to how the internet empowers organizations and individuals, regardless of location. www.cpdwise.com learners can be located anywhere in the world, just as we at cpdwise.com are confident in our freedom to develop without geographical restrictions.

O’Donovan says, “One of the most exciting things about getting cpdwise.com up and running has been bringing together people and technology from across the globe. Providers of technology and expertise to cpdwise.com have come from Belgium, Chile, Germany, Jamaica, India, Turkey, the UK and the US and, of course, Ireland.”

O’Donovan’s concept for cpdwise.com came by combining a number of his personal interests including: the internet, multimedia, learning and accountancy.

“Since I first saw a computer with a color monitor, twenty something years ago, I realized how IT could be used for training in general and in the training of accountants in particular. I was a student accountant at the time; but, the technology was just not widely enough available and the development times were just too long to build a sustainable business model. It’s amusing to think that now, more than twenty years later, cpdwise.com is up and running and the courses offered are focused at professionally trained accountants. I get a great sense of achievement every day I work on cpdwise.com.”

Future plans for cpdwise.com include broadening the range of courses provided, engaging with new subject matter experts, and developing more innovative ways of delivering CPD/CPE.

Contact:

Diarmuid O’Donovan, CEO
cpdwise.com
http://www.cpdwise.com

ITSBIC
Business Innovation Centre
Institute of Technology Campus
Ballinode
Sligo
Ireland

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