Business Diary: For directors in the fast lane

Director, the monthly magazine published by the Institute of Directors for its members, is always full of eye-catching articles and interesting opinions, whether or not you're a high-flying business executive yourself. Still, one cannot help feeling that the magazine is sticking two fingers up to the latest fevered debate about executive pay with the car review published in its December issue, out this week. It extols the virtues of the Lamborghini Aventador. The keys can be yours for a mere £201,900.

Now it's TUI's turn to suffer some uncertainty

Thomas Cook was furious when, at the height of its financial problems last month, rival travel company TUI placed an advert telling holidaymakers they would be in "safe hands" with the German-owed firm. But it turns out that not everyone is in safe hands at TUI – the communications team will be wondering about their future after the sudden departure of their boss, director Christian Cull.

Knight's own pay is a mystery

Angela Knight, the chief executive of the British Bankers Association, has been back in action over the past few days defending bonuses and the banks in general after a quiet few weeks by her standards. But here's a question for Ms Knight and her colleagues at the BBA: what sort of bonuses do they earn, if any? We ask because the BBA's annual report is far less candid on the subject of remuneration than the publications of her members. It contains not a word on the subject.

Retailers thank the strikers

This is not a political statement, but we can't help noticing that despite the predictions that last week's public sector strike over pensions would cause huge damage to the economy, one particularly beleagured sector may actually have got a lift from the industrial action. Leading retailers report that footfall in their shops was up 20 per cent on Wednesday, compared to a typical mid-week day.