Planet Business

Compiled by Laura Slattery.

Quote of the Week . . .

"I noticed that I had no BIK [ benefit in kind] so I inquired as to why I didn't have a BIK because I assumed I had a car. It turns out I don't even have a car from Independent News & Media. Now there's a headline for you." - Sir Anthony O'Reilly finds out who doesn't pay for his car.

3.5The number of years over a lifetime that European workers spend dealing with irrelevant e-mails. A third of messages read and sent are considered a complete waste of time, according to a survey of senior managers commissioned by Plantronics.

300 millionThe number of people worldwide who access the internet through broadband. No figures are available for the number of unsolicited phone calls or junk mail leaflets from companies claiming to be broadband providers.

6.2%The continent-wide economic growth rate in Africa this year, according to the World Economic Forum, up from 5.5 per cent last year. But the rest of the world is still moving faster.

Good Week

Sir Alan SugarFinally found someone to work for him at Amstrad, hiring Simon Ambrose after three months of professionally blunt performances on The Apprentice under the spotlight of millions.

IkeaThe Swedish flat-pack furnishers received approval from An Bord Pleanála to build a 30,000sq m store - the largest retail outlet in the State - in Ballymun.

Long-haul air passengersDishevelled jet-lag veterans can expect less tedious connections and more non-stop flights, as Boeing confirmed that its new long-range 787 jet will come into service next year.

Bad Week

International banksCitigroup, UBS, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley face charges over their involvement in the 2003 bankruptcy of Italian dairy firm Parmalat. The firm accuses the banks of being aware of its perilous financial state, yet continuing to earn money through commissions.

Kristina GrimesNot only was the Irish candidate on The Apprentice fired in the series finale of "the job interview from hell" in favour of a less experienced younger man, but fellow contestant Katie Hopkins accused the saleswoman of the heinous crime of wearing patchily applied fake tan.

SonyThe dean of Manchester Cathedral wants the company to apologise and withdraw Resistance: Fall of Man, a PlayStation 3 game that uses the cathedral as the setting for a gun battle. Sony did not seek permission to recreate the building's interior.

Quote of the week 2 . . .

"You go and ask 100 women in the street whether they would like me to deal with it that way, or whether they would like me to be condescending, follow all the rules in an eco-friendly green office, with six human resources officers around me. I'll tell you what, they would all say: 'you are right Sir Alan, I appreciate you asking me the question'."

- Sir Alan Sugar defends questioning a female candidate (Ms Hopkins again) about her childcare arrangements