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Survey shows 33% of firms don’t monitor what is said about them online

A new survey shows that one third of Irish companies are ignoring their online reputations and not monitoring what is being said about them online.

According to CPL’s latest Employment Market Monitor, 45% of those companies who said they do monitor their online reputations said that they encouraged positive online reviews to drown out any negative postings.

The survey shows that 3.5% of companies said they would try to take down any negative comments, while 17% said they would do nothing.

Only 20% said they would talk to an employee if they made a negative comment.

The survey also reveals that email was cited by 23% of employers as the biggest distraction in the workplace, despite its role in increased productivity. Bosses felt that email was a bigger problem for productivity than mobile phones, texting and social media.

Meanwhile, the monitor also found that employers are aware that 80% of their staff are not taking their full holiday entitlement, despite Ireland having the second lowest annual leave allowances in Europe.

For more on this article, please visit: RTE Business News

Ireland’s online retailers missing out on international sales

New research from PayPal suggests online shoppers are holding back from making international purchases due to the potential cost of return shipping and Irish online businesses are paying the price.

The research conducted by Ipsos MORI shows that online shoppers in some of the world’s top online export markets including the US, China and European neighbours like France and Spain would be more likely to buy from international sites if they had the option of free return shipping.

Over a 12-month period, some 20% of Irish online shoppers who made purchases from sites outside Ireland have purchased an item on an international website that, when it arrived, wasn’t as described.

However, just 9% returned a cross-border purchase for not matching the website’s description. Forty five per cent of Irish online shoppers said they would be more likely to buy from a website in another country if it had the option of refunded returns.

The sample of 29 global markets showed that just over a third (35%) of online shoppers said the cost of return shipping deterred them from making more purchases on international websites.

PayPal has today announced that it is launching a new service that will cover return shipping costs for businesses and their customers. From today, PayPal customers in eligible markets can avail of the Refunded Return Service. Customers who pay with PayPal in Ireland now have the option to claim back the cost of returning unwanted goods worldwide up to the value of €30.

It is hoped the service will provide a boost to Irish online retailers who can now increase their focus on international markets without worrying that customers will be put off by the potential costs of returning goods.

For more on this article, please visit: Business World

Majority of Irish workers over 35 regret not starting pension saving earlier

Sixty six per cent of Irish people believe that it is wise start a pension in their 20s according to a survey of 1000 people throughout Ireland. The survey was commissioned by regulated renewable energy fund provider, Greenroom Investments and conducted by IReach.

The results indicate that many people in their 30s saddled with substantial mortgage and childcare payments regret not starting a pension in their 20s when they had considerably more disposable income.

Greenroom Investments claim that with up to half of workers in their 20s being offered employer-sponsored pension schemes in public sector or large companies, it appears that the vast majority of the remaining young workers left to their own devices chose not to start a pension.

For more on this article, please visit: Business World

Multinationals must pay tax where they earn profit

Multinational companies must pay taxes where they earn profits and stop using aggressive tax optimisation schemes, the European Union’s Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Monday.

Moscovi told French radio RTL that the EU had to put a stop to the way companies pay little or no tax in the countries in which they operate, by using subsidiaries in other countries set up specifically for tax reasons. “It is vital that multinational companies pay their taxes where they generate profits,” Moscovici said, adding that a draft directive on the taxation of multinationals was now with the EU’s Council of Ministers.

The European Parliament estimates that tax avoidance by multinationals costs European Union countries some €70 billion per year in lost revenues. The current Dutch presidency of the EU has put tax issues at the top of its economic agenda. EU officials have said this tax avoidance legally exploits loopholes in tax legislation that they now want to close.

Moscovici said the draft directive proposes an entry tax as well as an exit tax on corporate earnings being moved to low-tax countries, so that taxation levels are similar to the country in which the profit was earned. “I want us to agree the entire fiscal package that is now with the Council of Ministers and I hope agreement can be found in the first half, under the Dutch presidency,” Moscovici said.

Moscovi said Europe needs fiscal reporting country by country, so that authorities have access to tax and accounting data of multinational companies in all of the EU countries in which they operate. He added citizens and the media should also have access to these data. “I am favour of total transparency for these accounting and fiscal data,” he said.

Last month, EU finance ministers backed new rules under which their countries would exchange information on the tax affairs of multinationals, obliging these firms to disclose data on revenues, profits and taxes to the administrations of all EU countries where they operate. That data would then be exchanged between the 28 EU states. The rules are expected to be formally adopted by June and will require the unanimous approval of all 28 EU states.

Article source: Irish Times

The 10 toughest and most bizarre job interview questions revealed in new research

We’ve all been asked tough questions at job interviews which have left us scratching our heads before answering.

However, new research has revealed the UK’s top ten toughest, and most bizarre, that have left jobseekers downright puzzled.

Glassdoor, the jobs and careers marketplace, has whittled down tens of thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates over the past year, which have been highlighted in an annual report.

The list features some of the most challenging, unexpected, and odd questions job candidates should be prepared to answer during any job interview this year, said the careers site, and has been designed to help applicants stay one step ahead in today’s tough job market.

The top 10 toughest interview questions:

1) “Which magic power would you like to have?” – Topshop, sales assistant job candidate

2) “If you were a fruit, what kind would you be and why?” – Topdeck Travel, trip leader job candidate

3) “If you could have dinner with three actors that are no longer living, who would you pick?” – BlackBerry, commercial director job candidate

4) “How many hours would it take to clean every single window in London?” – IBM, IT role job candidate

5) “How do you get an elephant in a fridge?” – Gemalto, software engineer job candidate

6) “If the time is quarter past three, what is the angle measurement on the clock?” – Standard Bank Group, product control leader job candidate

7) “If you had three minutes alone in a lift with the CEO, what would you say?” – Network Rail, management accountant job candidate

8) “How many people born in 2013 were named Gary?” – BT, senior proposition manager job candidate

9) “What will you be famous for?” – EY, director job candidate

10) “How many nappies are purchased per year in the UK?” – Aviva Investors, graduate programme job candidate

For more on this article, please visit: Irish Independent

Ibec warn on Brexit risks for Irish business

The threat of the UK leaving the EU, along with other economic headwinds, means the Irish business environment will be less benign and increasingly uncertain over the coming months according to Ibec.

The group have today published their latest Quarterly Economic Outlook which predicts economic growth of 4.6% this year and 3.9% in 2017.

Ibec claim the exchange rate is the most immediate risk. They claim that in the aftermath of a possible Brexit the sterling/euro exchange rate is likely to move toward or above parity. This would leave Irish firms selling into the UK market 30% less competitive by June than they were in January through exchange rate movements alone.

Furthermore, they claim any new UK-EU arrangements may undermine free trade. An agreement they say would take at least two years, but is likely to take much longer. This would bring a level of uncertainty for Irish firms exporting to Britain in the short term impacting on employment, investment and export plans.

Ibec believe the risk to trade flows has been underestimated because of the very significant knock on impact that changing investment patterns could have on trade. They say Ireland’s  investment-friendly business model is particularly exposed.

The report also finds that there are potential opportunities for Ireland from a Brexit. UK-based corporates and financial sector firms will need a home within the European single market. Ibec believe Dublin may be in a prime position to benefit.

However, Ibec also believe Brexit would also mean that the UK would no longer be subject to state aid rules when competing for FDI or encouraging indigenous business. The UK government might introduce enhanced business and investment supports in order to prevent capital flight and attract FDI.

For more on this article, please visit: Business World