Management adaptation of business association services: long-term stability 1783-2012 and ‘change points’ for Irish chambers of commerce

Bennett, Robert J.

Management adaptation of business association services: long-term stability 1783-2012 and ‘change points’ for Irish chambers of commerce

The Irish Journal of Management

Volume 35 (2016): Issue 1 (April 2016)

By:

Robert J. Bennett

Open Access

|Aug 2016

Figures & Tables

Chamber of commerce membership, staff, total income, and non-subscription income 1790-2012 for the four oldest chambers and Galway (from 1923). Financial figures in Euros at constant 2010 prices. (Sources: Local chamber records; Companies Registry Ireland; Limerick accounts; data on 1790-2005 available at UK Data Archive, SN6878 http://discover.ukdataservice.ac.uk/catalogue/?sn=6878&type=Data%20catalogue)

Three phases of chamber of commerce service development in Ireland, aligned to show continuities and service bundles after intervening ‘change periods’_

Phase 1: 1783-1835	Phase 2: 1850-1950	Phase 3: 1973-1998
• Lobbying	• Lobbying	• Lobbying
• Local promotion and improvements	• Local promotion and improvements	• Local promotion and economic
• Coffee house/reading room	• Library, document centre	development
• Information	• Information / Directories	• Advice and support
• Commercial arbitration	• Commercial arbitration up to 1920s	• Information / Directories
-	• Export missions and certificates from 1880s	-
-	• Workforce training	• Export & trade promotion/missions,
• Market management e.g. prices, standards, etc.		certificates
		• Workforce training
		• Community, EU and government partner
		• Business training / seminars
		• Training unemployed
		• Discount services

Index of chamber of commerce total income for three groups of 14 chambers 2001-2012; 2001 = 100_ (Source: Companies Registry and Limerick accounts)_

	2001	2003	2005	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012

Group 1

Cork	100	110	128	238	463	502	531	564	522
Dublin	100	167	423	450	517	523	479	486	475
Galway	100	150	160	200	303 1 Change in financial treatment of Galway airport receipts between 2007 and 2008.	299	212	202 2 Change of accounting year and disposal of airport in 2011.	342
Limerick	100	99	107	113	115	117	133	146	179
Waterford	100	103	154	97	272	211	179	171	143
Group 1 Average	100	126	194	220	334	330	307	314	271
Group 1 Average (excl. Galway)	100	120	203	225	342	338	331	342	330

Group 2

Clonmel	100	148	115	135	145	138	137	133	158
Drogheda	100	90	125	141	265	204	200	194	132
Dun Laoghaire	100	107	105	107	133	109	106	100	88
Sligo	100	110	140	250	260	279	244	256	151
Wexford	100	110	115	136	143	112	104	91	107
Group 2 Average	100	113	120	154	198	168	158	155	127

Group 3

Arklow	100	116	134	280	533	560	521	644	689
Ballinasloe	100	115	96	100	104	152	114	109	146
Clondalkin	100	173	193	184	220	131	82	98	96
Loughrea	100	100	278	257	307	213	115	140	86
Group 3 Average	100	126	175	160	291	264	208	248	254
Group 3 Average (excl. Arklow)	100	129	189	180	199	165	104	116	109
GNP 3 Irish GNP and government expenditure from 2001. Source: Central Statistical Office Ireland, series NQQ20 and NQQ21.	100	106	118	130	132	118	117	116	120
Government expenditure 3 Irish GNP and government expenditure from 2001. Source: Central Statistical Office Ireland, series NQQ20 and NQQ21.	100	130	147	181	192	198	170	166	164