Job Turnover in Irish Manufacturing 1976 -2006

While growth in output and employment remains relatively strong in the Irish economy, there has been considerable focus recently on some high-profile job losses, particularly in the manufacturing sector. This paper places these developments within a broader context and shows that aggregate changes in the net number of jobs arise from large numbers of firms both increasing and decreasing employment simultaneously at all points in time. Even at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom when employment grew by 8 percent, this was the result of 15 percent growth in jobs by expanding firms offset by 7 percent of positions being eliminated in firms that were contracting their workforces. One important feature of job flows is that they may contribute to productivity growth by allowing movements from low to high productivity firms. To a degree, this reflects the re-allocation of jobs from declining sectors to expanding sectors, but this is not a comprehensive explanation. A significant factor underlying job flows is the reallocation within sectors from under-performing firms to expanding firms. This study also shows that productivity growth is, on balance, positive for employment growth, as it results, more often than not, in increased employment and higher earnings rather than job losses. On the other hand, these calculations also show how hard it is for policy-makers to identify firms that will be employment and productivity growth winners.

Job Turnover in Irish Manufacturing 1972–2006

With the recent slowdown in global economic growth, there has been considerable focus in Ireland on some high-profile job losses, particularly in the manufacturing sector. This paper places such developments into a broader context and shows that aggregate changes in the net number of jobs arise from large numbers of firms both increasing and decreasing employment simultaneously at all points in time. Even at the height of the Celtic Tiger boom when employment grew by 8 per cent, this was the result of 15 per cent growth in jobs by expanding firms offset by 7 per cent of positions being eliminated in contracting firms. One important feature of job flows is that they may contribute to productivity growth by allowing movements from low to high productivity firms. To a degree, this reflects the re-allocation of jobs from declining sectors to expanding sectors, but this is not a comprehensive explanation. A significant factor underlying job flows is the reallocation within sectors from under-performing firms to expanding firms. This study also shows that productivity growth is, on balance, positive for employment growth. On the other hand, these calculations also show how hard it is for policymakers to identify firms that will be employment and productivity growth winners.

Wage Setting and Wage Flexibility in Ireland

This paper presents results from a survey of Irish firms which was carried out in late 2006 and early 2007.

How Do Firms Set Prices? Survey Evidence from Ireland

Despite the importance of understanding and estimating the “stickiness” of prices of goods and services, empirical assessment of price setting behaviour by firms has remained relatively limited. This is the first paper to provide detailed information on the pressures, manner and frequency with which Irish firms adjust their output prices. Using survey information from almost a thousand Irish firms, we present a number of stylised facts on price setting behaviour. One of the first of these relates to the level of control firms have over their pricing strategy – the most common approach for firms is to set a price based on costs and a self-determined profit margin. However, one-third of firms said that their price was set primarily by following that of their closest competitors. The perceived intensity of competition was found to be one of the most significant factors in determining the price-setting approach and is also a central factor in determining price changes

Attacks on midwives, attacks on women’s choices

Nadine Edwards, Jo Murphy-Lawless, Mavis Kirkham and Sarah Davies ask whether recent attacks on midwives are a Human Rights issu

CLA - A Health-Promoting Component of Animal and Milk Fat

End of Project ReportTeagasc acknowledges with gratitude financial assistance for this project from the Dairy Levy Fund and by the EU (Concerted Action FAIR-CT98-3671 and SM & T4 CT97-2144).In the recent past, there has been considerable interest in the potential health-promoting properties of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a fatty acid produced naturally in ruminant animals. CLA has been shown to be a very effective anti-cancer agent in animal models and cell culture studies, as well as being capable of retarding the initiation and progression of heart disease (atherosclerosis). It has also been shown to have potential as a growth promoter and is capable of improving feed efficiency. Hence from a human health viewpoint, it appears desirable to increase CLA levels in foods to protect against disease and enhance general health and well-being. The primary sources of CLA are animal fats (including dairy fats) derived from ruminant animals while vegetable fats and oils contain significantly lower levels. This project was aimed at enriching the CLA content of dairy foods through animal dietary manipulation, and milk fat fractionation.Dairy Levy FundEuropean Unio

Investigating the oronasal contributions to metallic perception

Metallic taints elicited when consuming food can be unpleasant for the consumer, and are therefore problematic to food manufacturers. Although metallic has been proposed as a taste in the past, evidence remains inconclusive. This study investigates the oral and nasal contributions to metallic perception using sensory evaluation and headspace analysis using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). When sniffing the headspace over divalent salt solutions some were discriminated from water. GC-MS did not detect volatiles in the sample headspace, one hypothesis being that sample volatiles react with phospholipids in the nasal cavity and it is lipid oxidation products which are perceived. Copper sulphate was reported as metallic when tasted with the nose occluded to eliminate retronasal perception, suggesting a gustatory or trigeminal mechanism may be involved. This work indicates orthonasal stimulation is involved in metallic perception, and contributes to the ongoing debate over metallic being a taste, trigeminal or flavour response

Photoinitiated polymerisation of monolithic stationary phases in polyimide coated capillaries using visible region LEDs

The spatially controlled synthesis of poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene dimethacrylate) monolithic stationary phases in polyimide coated fused silica capillaries by visible light induced radical polymerisation using a three-component initiator and a 660 nm light emitting diode (LED) as a light source is presented here

Semiparametric Analysis of Correlated Recurrent and Terminal Events

In clinical and observational studies, recurrent event data (e.g., hospitalization) with a terminal event (e.g., death) are often encountered. In many instances, the terminal event is strongly correlated with the recurrent event process. In this article, we propose a semiparametric method to jointly model the recurrent and terminal event processes. The dependence is modeled by a shared gamma frailty that is included in both the recurrent event rate and terminal event hazard function. Marginal models are used to estimate the regression effects on the terminal and recurrent event processes, and a Poisson model is used to estimate the dispersion of the frailty variable. A sandwich estimator is used to achieve additional robustness. An analysis of hospitalization data for patients in the peritoneal dialysis study is presented to illustrate the proposed method.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66008/1/j.1541-0420.2006.00677.x.pd

Factors associated with crisis pregnancies in Ireland: Findings from three nationally representative sexual health surveys

Background: Findings on the demographic and sexual health characteristics associated with the experience of a crisis pregnancy is important to inform the public health policy of a country, including Ireland. Findings from other jurisdictions have suggested that certain demographic groups are at risk for unintended pregnancies and the disparity between the groups have been growing in recent years. Ireland is a country which experienced much economic and societal change in the first decade of the 21st century, changes which are likely to have affected demographic variables pertaining to sexual health. The current study had two aims: to investigate changes in the socioeconomic characteristics associated with crisis pregnancies over a seven year period [2003 to 2010], and to investigate the recent [2010] socioeconomic risk factors associated with crisis pregnancies in Ireland. Methods: The study compared the results from 18-45 year old women using data from three broadly similar nationally representative Irish sexual health surveys carried out in 2003, 2004-2006 and 2010. Chi square analysis compared of the socioeconomic characteristics across the seven year period and found that a higher proportion of women with two or more children and women for whom religion was not important reported a crisis pregnancy in 2010 compared with earlier years. A logistic regression then investigated the sexual health history and socioeconomic factors associated with the experience of a recent crisis pregnancy using the most recent 2010 data. Results: Receipt of sex education and contraception use at first sex significantly predicted the experiencing of a recent crisis pregnancy. Younger women and those with a lower level of education were more likely to report having experienced a recent crisis pregnancy. Conclusion: Similar demographic groups are at risk for experiencing a crisis pregnancy in Ireland compared with international research, yet the disparities between demographic groups who have experienced a crisis pregnancy appear to be decreasing rather than increasing over a seven year period. Recommendations are made with regard to the provision of continued sex education throughout the lifespan, particularly for those women who are at an increased risk of experiencing a crisis pregnancy