Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THIS YEAR’S VIOLENT winter storms cost eircom €10 million in one-off network repair costs, the telecoms operator said today.
The group reported a five per cent drop in revenues for the first quarter of the year to €315 million, which it blamed on the repair costs.
Profit before deductions was stable at €119 million for the first three months of the year, with the company again blaming the poor winter weather for the lack of growth.
Job cuts
Employee numbers at the former semi-state giant continue to drop in line with a cost cutting plan. Just over 1,700 workers left the group since the start of 2013, with a further 200 set to exit before the end of this year.
Operating costs have come down by €100 million, while the telecoms operator was forced to make a provision of €7 million to pay a fine threatened by the regulator for failing to fix faulty phone lines.
Flotation on the cards
The company also indicated that it is still poised to go ahead with its planned floatation on the stock exchange, which would be its third listing in fifteen years.
The group chief financial officer Richard Moat said: “In conjunction with our advisors, we are now exploring a number of strategic options with a view to further strengthening the financial position of the company.”
Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs were appointed to advise on listing options last month.
Eircom also said that it has successfully rolled out 4G super-fast mobile internet to 50 per cent of customers, and has increased its bill pay user base to 39 per cent from 31 per cent last year.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
We should ask Google how much Corporation Tax they pay in Ireland. That would stump them.
Or how many people they employ?
Very good!
I told my interviewer I was surprised and I was expecting one… She waved her hand and said that’s google USA and she didn’t bother with that kind of crap
Did u get the job?
Fruitcakes.
Some of them aren’t that mad. Some of them are just logic. That one about the eight balls is straightforward.
Put three balls on each side of the scales. If they balance, then the heavier ball is one of the other two – weigh them and see which is heavier. If they don’t balance, take the three from the heavier side. Put one of each of those on each side (it doesn’t matter which ones) as your second weighing and you’ll find the heavier ball – if they balance, the other ball is the heavier one. Simples.
Could you not just put 4 balls on one side and 4 on the other ?
Interviewer:why does this company need an engineer?
Me:i don’t know,you put the ad in the paper.
Strangely enough i never heard back from them!
4 the answer is always 4
Nah is 5 now. They changed it.
That’s mad ted
The lunatics are running the asylum folks
Id cry!
Got asked the manhole question in an interview for a a job in intel in 1993. Interviewer dint know the answer but I did.
Its so it won’t fall into the hole. Manhole cover if square or rectangular could easily be manipulated to fall into the hole, but if its circular 7t is by definition the same size all around so it won’t fall in……simples!
Got asked the “why are manhole covers round?” question in an interview a few years ago. Said “because the manholes are, they wouldn’t fit if they were square”. Didn’t get the job.
There are multiple answers to that question – because roundness means they can be put in in any direction, increases standardisation and reduces costs, like ships portholes round objects are the most resilient to pressure and won’t bend or break as easily as angled objects. There are a few more but there’s no single right answer as long as you show logic.
Oxbridge use similar method of questioning, although I understand that their questions are actually answerable and test lateral thinking.
One of the best ones I’ve come across is: “What does a perm do?”
They do the same as a temp but with more security..
Triona, with the greatest of respect, what relevance do that have to my comment?
Henry, it makes your hair curly.
Same as a hair do?
Perm/temp!
Geddit?!
She was referring to permanent and temporary employment.
Sorry, I was being a bit dense. I see what Triona was doing now. :P
#TimeToGoHome
Damocles, one could also argue that they provide a social structure to females of a certain age. By getting a perm, they are accepted into their circle of friends, by conforming to the norms expected of them, thereby obtaining a sense of belonging. It could be said that perms fulfil a rung of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs–social acceptance. :)
There was a fad for blokes getting perms too.
Glad I missed that…
Frankly all a perm does is make your hair curly.
Your answer is to the question, “What effect might a perm have?”, You’re over thinking the question.
Well the question was “what does a perm do?” not what are the effects of a perm or why do people get perms. A perm itself doesn’t actually do anything, its just a way of styling your hair.
Damocles – exactly!
I probably am, Damocles, but sure, it makes for an interesting discussion!
John, it depends on how one interprets “do”. ;)
Yeah, one thing I noticed from students at Oxford and Cambridge is that they might be formidable in their fields but ask them to organise a weekend of entertainment and accommodation for 20 to 30 spods from across the country and it all goes to pot.
Lol, Im guessing you didnt make it into Oxbridge then Henry?!
They weren’t on my list, Sarah Sue! :) But who knows, maybe in the future!
I was interviewed for a place in Oxbridge. There were no brainteasers, only questions relevant to the course I was applying to. Didn’t get it though :(
About time!
Surely the smartest thing to do is to whip out the old iPhone and google the answers? I mean do they really want to employ people who will waste time reinventing wheels?
I used to always score top marks in ‘test your IQ’ books because the answers were always in the back and I copped on after the first one.
This is all well and good from google but they should also perhaps think about cutting down the amount of times they interview someone. I mean, what new information are you going to learn from a candidate at interview 6?! It’s a ridiculous policy.
Sounds like they should recruit some “People Operations” staff who have a clue – ex Head of Human Resources.
I think the hands of a clock cross each other 22 times a day.
24 times. Once every hour – 12 o clock, five past one etc. etc.
Isn’t the answer 23? For example, if your first cross over point is 12am, your 24th would be the following 12am, which is technically on a different day.
Round manhole covers cannot fall into the manhole they cover.
Cool is old fashion share it on facenorris.com is the way I say cool
have your say