levie4

Chapter Listing | Return to 1997 Topical Index

Table 1 indicates that a higher proportion of French firms grew substantially than either Irish or Scottish firms. The range of the French sample is also much higher, but a few larger outliers are to be expected in a larger sample size. Comparing medians, and proportions at a relatively low cut–off point, such as 100 or 200 employees, reduces the outlier problem. There appears to be a trend of an increasing proportion of larger firms in Ireland and Scotland over time, although the median firm size in Scotland decreased between the 1973–1987 cohort and the 1987–1992 cohort, while the median firm size in Ireland increased. This may reflect the business cycle. In 1992, the United Kingdom was in recession, while the Irish economy was growing. In 1987, the opposite was the case.

TABLE 1
The sample: descriptive statisticsFrance Ireland Scotland Total

Nation	France	Ireland	Scotland	Total
1973–92 sample
no. of firms	288	49	44	381
mean size	121	93	92	114
median size	85	72	82	82
range	950	277	162	950
mean age (years)	12	13	12	12
% employing 100-199	35	20	39	33
% employing 200+	12	6	5	10
1973–87 sample
no. of firms		35	28	63
mean size		83	87	85
median size		69	76	70
range		225	128	225
mean age (years)		9	9	9
% employing		20	36	27
100–199		3	0	2
% employing 200+		3	0	2
1978–92 sample
no. of firms		28	29	57
mean size		102	84	93
median size		73	68	73
range		208	153	208
mean age (years)		10	9	9
% employing 100–199		29	31	30
% employing 200+		7	3	5

Top of page | Chapter Listing | Return to 1997 Topical Index