Breakfast Business

A run through of some of the business stories today with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

 From the moment the clocks went back and the nights started drawing in, many of us started thinking about security and alarms.  And just as retailers prepare for the busy Christmas season, my next guest makes much of his new business in the Winter months.  Formerly known as telecom PhoneWatch, then Eircom PhoneWatch, and now just PhoneWatch, they almost have a monopoly in this country for monitored alarm systems. Joining Joe this morning to discuss the workings of the company was Eoin Dunne the chief executive of Phonewatch.

My next guest thinks there may be as many as 200,000 Irish people who have worked in the UK and be entitled to part or even a full British state pension. The deadline has been extended but the window to apply won't stay open forever.  Mel Morgan from the website UKStatePensionAbroad.com joined Joe this morning to discuss further. 

A look at today's business papers and websites with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

 A successful economy is built on many things:  education, natural resources, infrastructure, and government policies.  But it also thrives on confidence and there are fears that the disgraceful scenes on the streets of Dublin could dent that trust and confidence that this is a nice place to live. To discuss this further was David Broderick the Director of the Small Firms Association.

We discuss the huge role played by social media and technology in spreading disinformation and being difficult to tame.  Speaking to Joe this morning was Mike Harris the Partner for Forensics and Cyber with Grant Thornton.

A run-through of some of the business stories today with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

We talked to a lot of entrepreneurs on this show and we like to think we support up-and-coming businesses. So when we spoke to Sam Moffat in Monaghan from Moffat Automated Storage over the summer, we knew he had a good business. And that was confirmed last night when he won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. Sam joined Joe this morning on the show.

This week it was confirmed that PRSI will go up steadily over the next few years.  Ostensibly it's to pay to keep the state pension retirement age at 66 but in reality will cost workers and especially employers additional money.  It comes as auto-enrolment starts next year and compulsory holiday pay the burden of which will fall heavily on the shoulders of SMEs.  Joining Joe this morning was Neil McDonnell, Chief Executive of ISME which launches its Christmas Shop Local campaign today.

A look at today's business papers and markets with economist Austin Hughes.

We all know that Ireland is a knowledge-based economy and thx to that we’ve enjoyed very low unemployment and high wages.  But the downside of that is that our workforce will need constant upskilling or topping up of what we can do in our jobs and that is not cheap for companies or employees. The UCD Professional Academy has a study out and Siobhan McAleer the interim CEO of UCD Professional Academy brought us the findings.

 How loyal are you to your favourite brands and how much do you trust big companies when they say they're Green or caring for local communities? It appears that there may be a growing cynicism among consumers and not just in Ireland.  The global advertising giant Havas has conducted a worldwide survey and they found that     71% of people are tired of brands pretending they want to help society when they just want to make money.  There are plenty of other interesting and sometimes contradictory findings.  Speaking to Joe this morning Chris Upton is the boss of Havas Dublin. 

Joe Lynam takes a look at today's business papers and websites.

Last week we spoke to the Central Bank of Ireland about its new individual accountability Framework which will place far more personal responsibility on company directors for wrongdoing within their businesses.  The new rules stem from the fact that very few people went to jail after the financial crisis which drove the rest of the country to the brink of financial ruin.  To discuss these new rules, Joe was joined on the show by Patricia Callan the chief executive of Financial Services Ireland, and  David Naughton who is with the law firm LK Shields. 

A run-through of some of the business stories today with Newstalk Business Editor Joe Lynam.

The boss of the biggest AI wizkid on the block was unceremoniously fired on Friday, then there were rumours that he had been rehired and then yesterday it was confirmed that he was definitely going to Microsoft. But that wasn’t the end of it as we will discover. It all shows how unsettled things are in the AI space as everyone jostles to establish themselves on this new frontier.   Joe spoke to Jeanne Kelly the founder of the legal consultancy Browne Jacobson.  

4 years ago a dollar could buy you 35 Argentine Pesos.  Now it’ll buy you 350.  Inflation in the South American nation is at 150% and GDP is shrinking rapidly.  That’s the economic backdrop and the possible reason why Argentina voted to elect a self-described anarcho-libertarian Javier Milei who wishes to burn down the central bank. Jon Farmer is Editor-in-chief, Latin America Weekly Report joined Joe on the show to discuss economics in the South American Nation,

A run-through of some of the business stories today with Newstalk's Business Editor Joe Lynam.

The more astute and observant among you may have noticed new bins in Dublin airport this week.  They’re smart bins that run on solar power and crush rubbish down to allow 10 times as much waste as other bins.  They also communicate with the airport authorities to let them know when or whether they need to be emptied.They’re from a Mayo-based company called PEL and they’re in demand all over Europe.  Tommy Griffith is the Chief executive of PEL  and Tommy told Joe all about the company.

With journalists being sued by elected Irish politicians, there is increasing pressure on the government to protect free speech from improper use of the already very expensive legal system. These are often referred to as SLAPPs or ‘strategic lawsuits against public participation’ and these often vexatious lawsuits can bankrupt newspapers or human rights groups just to defend an article or an opinion.  The EU is preparing a Directive to ban the practice, which Ireland would then have to implement, but it will come too late for some companies. Mark Tottenham presents the legal podcast The Fifth Court.