EVERY WEEKEND, TheJournal.ie gives its readers the chance to put their feet up and take a look back at all the goings-on from the world of business.
Once again it’s time to delve deep inside The Briefcase for the important – and sometimes less-important – financial news that has come out this working week:
Cadbury’s parent company is changing its production lines – and over 200 Irish jobs will be cut. Mendelez will close its Tallaght plant, which make Trident gum, completely in 2016 and also trim staff from its factories in Rathmore and Coolock. The changes come as it stops making the Pink Snack and shifts TimeOut production to Poland
Economist David McWilliams described why he made a late-night dash for biscuits in the midst of the banking crisis. The commentator told the Oireachtas banking inquiry then-finance minister Brian Lenihan was making an impromptu visit to talk about the country’s dire economic state and he recommended a bank guarantee, among other things. And there was a slightly awkward moment when McWilliams played a clip of himself from 2003 for the second time to some frustrated TDs
Some controversial ads – and marketing tactics – caused a stir. Two commercials, one UK TV ad for mobile company Kazam and a poster for Belgian cycling race E3 Harelbeke, were branded sexist, while closer to home Dublin’s Charleville Lodge Hotel took a page out of the Michael O’Leary book of promotion with a Facebook rant that recommended people complaining about its rates for the nights of the Ed Sheeran concerts should try homeless shelters instead
Nick Leeson remembered his panic 20 years ago when he brought down the 232-year-old Barings Bank. The original “rogue trader” described sitting down with his sons to take them through the events of 20 years ago, when as a 28-year-old he racked up about $1.4 billion in losses at the UK’s oldest investment bank
Greece’s stance on dealing with the troika has softened a lot. The country brokered a four-month extension to its bailout after agreeing a vaguely-worded set of proposals, which even hawkish German lawmakers were willing to support
Irish banks are back in the black. Both the Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank released their annual figures for last year, which showed both turned their first profits since before the financial crisis. Bank of Ireland wrote up 50% more loan business in 2014 than the previous year
Apple announced a massive new data centre would be built in Ireland. One of the first two such hubs the tech giant planned to set up outside the US will take shape in Athenry, Co Galway as part of a €1.7 billion outlay
Ireland’s big four energy firms were accused of “fleecing” customers. The accusation came at a Transport Committee hearing, where the heads of Energia, Electric Ireland, Airtricity and Bord Gáis Energy were forced to explain why they hadn’t passed on wholesale energy price drops to the public
It’s always good to see technology being put to the right use – for improving lives and the like. Which is why it was so satisfying that Sky Sports’ GAA team flew the flag for the media this week, as pointed out by our friends at The42.
The channel’s pundits used their SkyPad technology to dissect the relationship of Antrim Footballer Kevin O’Boyle after his nuptials the previous weekend.
“This time he seems to have scored a cracker and raised the green flag.” Nice one, lads.
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