Planet Business

Laura Slatterytakes a sideways glance at business this week

The numbers

€2.97 million

Pay package received by Bank of Ireland chief executive Brian Goggin, 25 per cent less than his previous remuneration, as the bank's share price lost more than half its value due to the collapsing property market and the stubborn old credit crunch.

€1.04 million

Pay package received by C&C chief executive Maurice Pratt, 30 per cent less than his previous remuneration, after profits plummeted 37 per cent at the cider maker thanks to a spot of competition and a few rainy days last summer.

QUOTEOFTHEWEEK

"I will be doing things differently to Alan Sugar, who is rough and grumpy.  I like to encourage and nourish people." -Renault Ireland chairman Bill Cullen promises to be more polite to contestants on TV3's version of 'The Apprentice' than his gruff British counterpart.  Because being nice makes excellent television.

GOODWEEK

Sergey Brin

The co-founder of omnipotent internet behemoth Google is doing what any self-respecting billionaire would do: booking his ticket to the final frontier. Brin has invested $5 million (€3.24 million) in space tourism firm Space Adventures, with the money serving as a deposit for a seat on its 2011 private flight to the International Space Station, from where Brin will naturally seize control of all orbital satellites and announce his plans for Google Galaxy.

Ryanair

In a valiant bid to distract itself from record-high oil prices, the no-frills airline has launched Ryanairvillas.com. Property owners across Europe are "clambering" to advertise their empty villas on the website, according to Ryanair. Hmm, that Spanish property crash really was bad. Extra charges apply to people who bag the biggest bed, hang their wet towels over the balcony rail and hog the vibrating nozzles in the jacuzzi.

BADWEEK

Claire Young

The profit-spinning Superdrug haircare buyer - talented saleswoman, model of calmness and good humour - is this year's "should have won but didn't" runner-up on The Apprentice, after Sir Alan dismissed her as "a bit gobby" and hired CV-enhancer and "reverse pterodactyl" impersonator Lee McQueen, who won the £100,000 (€126,000) job over Young, Alex Wotherspoon (the sales world's David Beckham) and Helene "global pricing leader" Speight in this weeks final.

Switzerland

Not only were the Euro 2008 co-hosts knocked out of the football tournament, but Switzerland's second-largest bank, Credit Suisse, says hosting it will be about as helpful for the economy as the home crowd has been for team morale. Economists say the games will boost Swiss gross domestic product by just 0.1 per cent, or maybe 0.2 per cent if Dutch supporters suddenly realise they're wearing orange and need to stock up on sunglasses.