Irish Retail Research Articles

Prevalence and Number of Salmonella in Irish Retail Pork Sausages

A national Salmonella control program in the pork industry was enacted in Ireland in August 2002. This study was undertaken as part of a larger project investigating the role of pork as a source of human salmonellosis in Ireland. The objective of this survey was to assess the prevalence of Salmonella in Irish pork sausage at retail level. Samples, comprising branded prepacked sausages and loose sausages from supermarket meat counters and butcher shops, were collected from selected retail sites in four cities from October to December 2001 and from June to August 2002. A three-tube most-probable-number method was used to enumerate Salmonella in a selected number of samples that were positive by enrichment. Salmonella serotypes were detected in 4.4 and 1.7% of samples at each of the respective sampling periods, a level similar to those reported in other U.S. and U.K. studies. Isolates were characterized by serotype, phage type, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Eighteen (70%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, and 15 (58%) were resistant to four or more antimicrobials. Most of the isolates exhibited resistance to tetracycline. Five different phage types were detected. DT104 was the predominant phage type among Salmonella Typhimurium isolates. This study revealed that multidrug-resistant salmonellae are present in a proportion of Irish sausages and that further risk analysis work is necessary in order to quantify the risk posed to public health.

Comparing student employment in French and Irish retailing

In this article the importance of students as staff in a selection of multi‐national stores in France and Ireland is compared. The employment of students was significantly lower in the French than Irish stores, and it is argued, using the work of Rubery and Gadrey et al., that this is related to cross‐national differences in the organisation of retailing in each country; in particular the skills sought of staff, their wage costs, and the organisation of working hours. The combination of these factors results in students being sought‐after employees in the Irish retail system, while in the French retail system students are rarely viewed as an effective labour source.

The determinants of retailers' margin related bargaining power: evidence from the Irish food manufacturing industry

This paper investigates the determinants of retailers' margin related bargaining power in the context of food retailer-manufacturer relationships. The study is based on an empirical analysis of 97 trading relationships between Irish food manufacturers and their Irish and British retail customers. It complements earlier research, focused mainly on structural characteristics of the industries, by integrating product and relationship characteristics into the analysis. Using measures based on manufacturers' perceptions, the study finds that retailers' margin related power over food manufacturers is positively related to the importance of economies of scale in manufacturing, retail concentration and own brand penetration of the market. The results also show that retailers' margin related power increases as product shelf-life increases and as manufacturers' specific investments increase.

A survey on the incidence of Campylobacter spp. and the development of a surface adhesion polymerase chain reaction (SA-PCR) assay for the detection of Campylobacter jejuni in retail meat products

A rapid and sensitive method for the detection of Campylobacter in meat products was developed.Campylobacter were isolated from a range of Irish retail meats (n=80) and poultry (n=100) samples by direct plating on Campylobacter Selective Agar (CCDA, Oxoid). A total of 30·5% of samples tested positive forCampylobacter and Campylobacter jejuni was the most commonly identified species. The pathogen was detected in 39 (65%) poultry, 12 (60%) offal and 4 (20%) minced beef samples examined. Estimates derived from direct plate counts ranged from log100·7 to log102·75 cfu g−1. The data from this study was used in the development of a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of Campylobacter in poultry. A rapid method was developed based on an initial sample enrichment for 24 h in Campylobacter Enrichment Broth (CEB), recovery of the pathogen from the enriched sample by surface adhesion onto a polycarbonate membrane, phenol:chloroform extraction of DNA from the adherent bacteria, and PCR analysis using primers specific for the flagellin A gene (present in C. jejuni and C. coli). The developed surface adhesion PCR (SA-PCR) technique had a detection limit of log104–5 and could be completed within 29 h. Results from SA-PCR analysis of a number of retail samples (n=50) correlated favourably with traditional plate culture results, i.e. 34 samples were found to contain Campylobacter by both methods.

The incidence and antibiotic resistance profiles of Salmonella spp. on Irish retail meat products

Irish retail meat (n=74) and poultry samples (n=106) were tested for the presence of naturally occurring Salmonella spp. The pathogen was detected in 28 poultry (n=106), two pork (n=22) and one cooked meat samples (n=20) examined. Salmonella was not isolated from minced beef or lamb samples tested. Initial counts on samples ranged from 0 to log102·5 cfu g−1. The most commonly isolated serotype was S. bredeney accounting for 48·4%, followed by S. kentucky (35·5%) and S. enteritidis (6·5%). Salmonella spp. (n=31) isolated from food products were also examined for antibiotic resistance. A total of 155 strains (five strains from each isolate) were tested for resistance to 26 antibiotics using the Bauer method. The percentage of samples showing antibiotic resistance amongstSalmonella isolates were as follows: Riampicin (100%); Tetracycline (92·92%); Oxytetracycline (86·26%); Sulphamethoxazole (86·25%) and Streptomycin (80·92%).

Cutting at the Wrong Edge: Gender, Part-Time Work and the Irish Retail Sector

Part-time work has often been championed as a mechanism for facilitating women's entry into the labour force. Research based on large scale surveys has theorised that employers and women employees can both benefit from part time work. Ethnographic research, on the other hand, has often focused more on the difficult working conditions for part time workers. This paper combines data from a quantitative survey carried out at national level and a locally based qualitative study to examine these issues. It shows that in the retail sector part time work does not just contribute to bringing women into the labour force. It also serves to marginalise them within the labour force. It also shows that forms of part time work being adopted are those most suitable to employers rather than those which might be of use to both employers and female employees. Finally, while women have often chosen to work part time, the conditions of part time workers studied are deteriorating.

Creating sustainable competitive advantage through marketing information system technology: a triangulation methodology within the banking industry

The intensity of competition has increased within the retail banking industries in virtually all developed economies. Creating a sustainable competitive advantage, therefore, has become of paramount importance. One way through which retail banks have sought to create this sustainable competitive advantage has been the utilisation of information technology to support the marketing function. In light of this, this paper hypothesizes that marketing information system technology can leverage this sustainable competitive advantage ahead of other marketing technologies which bank management have implemented or are thinking of implementing. An analysis of the current use of marketing information system technology, however, reveals low levels of sophistication throughout the UK and Irish retail banking industries. Given this fact, the factors involved in successfully implementing marketing information system technology are presented. Empirical evidence was drawn from 48 postal questionnaires conducted in the UK and Ireland and ten case studies undertaken in the UK, USA and Australasia. Results show that marketing sophistication, organisational size, and previous implementation experience were all critical factors in a successful implementation process.