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States that Northern Ireland continues to be governed by Direct Rule from Westminster, with the Government in the Republic of Ireland able to influence that rule through the Anglo‐Irish Conference and the Secretariat located in Belfast. There are many questions emerging from the recent political history of Northern Ireland: the political implications of continued Direct Rule, the implications of any UK government withdrawal and the economic consequences of peace. The answers to many of the questions posed by its recent political history depends on the future political management of Northern Ireland.

Both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland governments recognise the current infrastructural deficits in their respective jurisdictions which, if not addressed, will undermine the future economic prosperity of both regions. This paper considers the adoption of a collaborative approach on the island to addressing the deficit, using public private partnerships (PPP) as the delivery vehicle. It presents a critical perspective of the challenges and opportunities posed by adopting such a cross‐border approach. Whilst PPPs have the potential to bring about North‐South co‐operation, bridge gaps in infrastructure capacity and facilitate the advancement of sectoral knowledge, their adoption on a cross border basis will require significant reorganisation and change at administrative and sectoral levels. This review concludes that governments and construction sector representatives in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have still some work to do in order to enhance the capability and readiness of public and private partners to evolve an all‐island PPP infrastructure development approach.

For a woman entrepreneur, the risks of starting and operating a business are increased by being in a male dominated arena, having few role models and lacking confidence in some business skills. To be successful she needs to establish a track record. Necessary education and business training should be obtained. Occupational experience in middle management or technical areas is beneficial. Before starting up the family situation should be assessed. A strong moral support system of family, friends, clients and business associates should be established. She must be determined to succeed and work hard in a professional manner. Research findings from a mail survey and personal interviews with a sample of women entrepreneurs in the US, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Northern Ireland are presented.

Social mobility has long been viewed as an integrative mechanism for societies. For example, whereas earlier American researchers saw opportunities for social mobility as a vital factor in promoting political stability and the maximisation of equality of opportunity, more recent British sociologists have noted the role of social mobility in legitimising inequalities and impeding class formation and class action. Despite this stress on the importance of social mobility for societal stability, however, there has been little sustained empirical study of the influence of marital homogany either in terms of societal integration or the reproduction of class relations. Yet, as Jones (1987) notes, this neglect of the issue is somewhat puzzling. Not only have earlier studies of class phenomena such as Sorokin (1927) and Schumpeter (1951) paid considerable attention to marriage and the family in relation to social stability, class formation and class cohesion, but, marital patterns, in terms of the economic and social resources of parents, are consistently emphasised as one vital factor in accounting for the subsequent occupational achievements of children (Hayes and Miller, 1991; Miller and Hayes, 1990; Abbott and Sapsford, 1987; Boyd, 1985; Dale et.al., 1985; Cooney et.al., 1982; Marini, 1980) and the political attitudes of households in general (Leiulfsrud and Woodward, 1988, 1987; Abbott, 1987; Britten, 1984).

Collaboration is now an important part of public sector management. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that have helped shape the relationships between public agencies involved in sports tourism.

Using critical case sampling 54 in‐depth interviews were conducted with public officials in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The authors have produced the “Theory of collaborative advantage in relation to sports tourism”. This model captures the dynamics of collaboration in the sports tourism policy arena. A total of 12 practitioner themes and four cross‐cutting themes were identified and although each theme and the issues and tensions identified within it can affect inter‐organizational relationships in a particular way, the model illustrates how each theme is interlinked and is part of a larger, more complex picture.

Like all empirical research, this paper has its limitations but if the issues that affect collaboration are not identified then they cannot be addressed. Although no two collaborative settings are the same, public sector managers need to be aware of the factors that affect, or may affect, inter‐organizational relationships so that they can pre‐empt problems and maximise the use of resources.

Hopefully this paper will, in some way, lead to better planning and management of sports tourism and encourage those involved in sports tourism policy to adapt a collaborative, rather than an isolated, approach.

This study has contributed to knowledge by providing a better understanding of the inter‐relationships in the sports tourism policy arena.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the self‐initiated repatriation experience of native professionals as they return to the labour market in the Republic of Ireland of their own volition and without the support of an employer.

A mixed methodology was employed to gather the data. In total, 40 responses were received from an initial open solicitation calling for research participants. Following a short survey receiving 34 responses, individuals who had returned without the aid of an employer to the Republic of Ireland and were willing to participate in further research were invited to participate in either a focus group discussion or in‐depth individual interviews. Ultimately, there were seven participants in the focus group and eleven individual in‐depth interviews.

The study found that the experiences of those in this study returning of their own volition and those of the more traditional repatriate do not seem to differ significantly across the facets of adjustment relating to adjustment in the general home country environment and adjustment to home country nationals, although subtle variations may be found. The main differences may be found when one investigates the facet of adjustment to work. Given that those returning of their own initiative are not returning to a position within a parent company, they must seek out their own employment. This adds a further source of stress and upheaval to an already difficult repatriation process.

This is an exploratory study and hence requires further empirical verification. Nonetheless the study provides some useful signposts for future study in the area.

This research is unique in that it bridges a significant lacuna in the existing international human resource management literature by concentrating on the self‐initiated repatriation experience (SRE). This research is all the more important given that increasing numbers of individuals have returned to Ireland to seek work at their own discretion with the advent of the Celtic Tiger.

With more than 160,000 carers in Ireland, there is a considerable need to provide support and coping strategies to reduce the burden of care on both the individual and the economy. Government policies are increasingly involving carers within health services, as they provide real‐life insights into the needs of service users and carers. Further, healthcare professionals and carers can benefit from training delivered by the carers themselves.The current report was a highly successful initiative where carers and professionals from both sides of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland worked together effectively to deliver an 11‐week programme of support to carers of those with mental health problems. This innovative initiative aimed to achieve health gain and social well‐being in the border areas, as well as to build constructive partnerships. The participants were relatively inexperienced in delivering training prior to the training course, but acquired the skills and knowledge needed with the help of a detailed training manual and three follow‐up supervision days.The training trainers' course and subsequent caring for carers programme elivered by carers from both sides of the border were successful initiatives in bringing together people from both sides of the political divide in Northern Ireland, and in linking them with people from the Republic of Ireland.

The island of Ireland lies in the Atlantic Ocean separated from its neighbour Great Britain to the east by the Irish Sea. Ireland itself is divided geographically and politically, with the six northern counties forming part of the United Kingdom with Great Britain, and the remaining 26 counties constituting the territory of the Irish Republic. The Republic has a total land area of nearly 7 million hectares and a population of around 3 million people.

Evaluates how economic co‐operation can be organized for the mutual advantage of the two economies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The methodological approach adopted by the authors explores the dynamics of market design within the two transitional economies and examines how they could contribute to the performance of an all‐island economy. The emphasis is on public utilities, electricity and telecommunications as sources of inter‐firm synergies. At a time when many European countries are moving towards greater integration, it is imperative that the two economies on the island of Ireland integrate in order to realize competitive advantages. Integration may not be the panacea for solving specific economic problems such as unemployment or housing shortages, however, it will solve the problem of diseconomies of small scale which impair the competitiveness of commercially oriented public utility firms on the island. The politics is not about the spoils of a united Ireland but the gains from participation in an integrated Europe. The primary objective is in realizing the economic reality of all‐island commercial activities which will dissipate rents, eliminate inefficiencies, create incentives and release real economic growth.

The purpose of this paper is to present a view of how a retail chain store and its marketing strategies impacted on shopping habits in twentieth century Ireland.

Primary and secondary sources include company documents, oral history and press reports. Background social, political and economic factors are considered in conjunction with the methods this firm used to build customer-driven managed marketing systems and teams of good staff relationships.

Woolworth's Irish stores responded to changing tastes and needs of consumers throughout Ireland. The Irish market required skilful techniques to overcome widening divisions within customer profiles to accommodate increasing north-south and urban-rural patterns. Welcomed by shoppers of all ages and genders, this firm's contribution to Ireland's retailing and wider commercial scene was innovative, popular, flexible and influential.

The overview of this well-known retail chain store's experience in twentieth century Ireland can provide scholars with building blocks on which to expand knowledge and develop further understanding of a largely un-tapped field of research within the history of marketing in Ireland.