IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 20 January
20-01-2011
by Sylvia Leatham
Valeo to create Galway jobs | Quest to seek 150 staff in Cork
The Irish Independent reports that two former bank workers are appealing a decision to fire them after they circulated emails containing pictures described by the bank's counsel as "extreme and revolting porn". Sarah Murray and Sarah Rooney, who were employed by the ICS Building Society, claim a culture of passing around "jocular" emails existed at the company before they were dismissed and that they were targeted because they were both junior and female. The two were part of a group of 10 who were disciplined after management at the bank found they had circulated emails that the financial institution said were in breach of its guidelines.
The paper also says that multinational car technology firm Valeo is to announce the creation of 100 Irish jobs on Friday. The Galway-based firm will also invest an additional EUR17 million in a research and development programme at its Tuam base. Enterprise Minister Batt O'Keeffe will confirm later this week that recruitment for the high-end jobs will begin immediately, bringing employment at the plant to over 300. The company, which is headquartered in France, develops and manufactures systems that use cameras to make parking easier for drivers.
In more jobs news, the Irish Examiner reports that cloud computing and data management firm Quest Software is to announce the creation of 150 jobs in Cork on Thursday. Quest Software is to set up an international shared services centre and it is expected the new jobs will come on stream over the next three years. The jobs being created will be in finance, software renewals, sales and software development. The investment is expected to have the potential to grow to 300 jobs over the next three years, according to industry sources.
The paper also says that Visa expects its super-fast debit card to be launched in the Irish market this year, allowing small transactions be completed in one fifth of a second. Cardholders will be able to pay for transactions under EUR15 by swiping their card, rather than entering a PIN. Visa Ireland said that people would have to check in with their bank if more than EUR45 was used on the card, which would avoid issues with theft. The company expects these cards in the Irish market towards the end of 2011.
The paper also notes that Leaving Certificate higher maths results could be a prerequisite for embarking on teacher training courses, if proposals from the profession's regulator body are adopted. The suggestion from the Teaching Council that the entry level maths requirements should be raised is part of a draft policy it has circulated on teacher education. The council believes there should be greater focus on literacy and numeracy in initial teacher education and throughout teachers' professional development.
The paper also says that a group of Benedictine monks based at Glenstal Abbey, Limerick, have developed an iPhone app. Following a chance encounter with businessman Dermot Desmond at a wedding, Fr Simon Sleeman took on the challenge of getting the religious community its very own app. The free app provides the latest news from the abbey, the daily prayer, a selection of Gregorian chants and quotes from the Rule of St Benedict.
The Financial Times reports that HP board members who took office after the departure of CEO Mark Hurd will oversee a new investigation of the circumstances that led to his exit, the company said in a court filing. The inquiry was disclosed in a case brought by HP shareholders, who argue that company money was wasted when Hurd was given up to USD40 million in a severance package. Although the court document does not name the directors who will oversee the new inquiry, only two have joined the company since Hurd left: new chief executive Leo Apotheker and venture capitalist Ray Lane.
The paper also notes that a strong performance by online payments division PayPal raised eBay's numbers above expectations in the last quarter of 2010. However, the internet auction firm continued to show only slow progress in turning round the traditional auction and other e-commerce businesses that make up its marketplaces division. John Donahoe, chief executive, said he was not "not happy with where we are in the US", but he said the company was "on track" with its turnaround plans. eBay posted a 5 percent increase in revenues to USD2.5 billion. Net income rose 24 percent to USD559 million, or USD0.52 a share.
According to the Wall Street Journal, mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has recorded net profit and sales for the fourth quarter well below expectations. The company posted net profit of EUR8 million for the three months to 31 December, after a EUR167 million net loss a year earlier. Sales fell to EUR1.53 billion from EUR1.75 billion, and the company posted an operating profit of EUR39 million, after a EUR181 million loss a year earlier. Sony Ericsson shipped 11.2 million handsets in the quarter, a year-on-year decrease of 23 percent. The numbers were weaker than expected on almost all metrics, including unit sales, selling price and earnings, said analyst Greger Johansson at Redeye.
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