CITY DIARY

Team building is big business, and the world of corporate motivation gets ever more elaborate. Top executives used to meet at a luxury retreat to "get to know one another" and "brainstorm". Now, however, more exciting prospects are required ... enter corporate tank team building. The specialist events company MotivAction has leapt in to fill this breach by launching MilitaryAction. It offers the chance to handle Chieftain, Sherman and Centurion tanks and other weapon carriers. Participants also learn to handle weapons in a simulated military exercise aimed at teaching battle skills in which they come under "enemy fire". Things are indeed tough in today's business world, but isn't this a bit extreme?

Small matters like disgrace, resignation and the collapse of Barings, where he was chief executive, have clearly done little to deflate the confidence of Andrew Tuckey, better known to his colleagues as "Teflon". The floor plan for Barings' new headquarters at 60 London Wall, to be occupied in the autumn, is still reserving an office for Mr Tuckey.

This move has prompted some debate amongst staff. Maybe he has insights into the Bank of England report on Barings that other mortals do not. Indeed Andrew Tuckey was once tipped as a possible Governor. It appears he has still not given up.

With the furore surrounding the mysterious $20bn bid for Chrysler by Lee Iaccoca and the reclusive Kirk Kerkorian in April, other goings-on at one of the manufacturer's plants have passed unnoticed.

For the past year, one of Chrysler's plants has been under the intensive gaze of a team of undercover private eyes, hired by the company itself. As a result of the investigation, the plant was raided and fourteen suspects arrested. Another five have also found themselves under lock and key.

The local police chief said the workers would be charged with the sale of marijuana and cocaine on company property.

The age of the 19 suspects ranges from 20 to 60 years of age. All have now been fired, according to Chrysler.

Were Iaccoca's bid to have succeeded, he no doubt would have found reason to ensure the miscreants received some advice in the form of one of his books: Talking Straight.

It seems that confusion still reigns abroad over the identity of Lloyd's of London. The latest edition of the German news magazine, Focus, features a story on the losses of German Names.

Published by Burda, which launched Focus two years ago against the established news weekly Spiegel, the magazine has sometimes had difficulty in getting its facts right. The Lloyd's article is accompanied by two pictures: a full shot of the distinctive Lloyd's building on Lime Street and another inset picture which is captioned "lacklustre brand name: Lloyd's". The inset picture however shows not Lloyd's but the name plate of Lloyds Bank on Threadneedle Street.

Merger mania rules OK at the Annual Building Societies Conference which comes to a close in Birmingham today. When not tripping over corporate finance executives, up from the City to offer merger advice, the frenzied talk is of who is next to merge with whom - or not, as the case may be.

Such is the mania that staff at the Hove branch of the Woolwich tried to open an account with the Alliance & Leicester because they heard the two were to merge.

Further to our call for additional F adjuncts for the Firkin chain of pubs, one entry so far stands out.

It comes from DDG Brand Guardians, which specialises in inventing company names. They suggest the Fido & Firkin for any location near Battersea Dog's Home, the Fetish & Firkin for anywhere in Soho, and the Franglais and Firkin for Folkstone at the entrance of the Channel Tunnel.

Anyone who thinks they can do better should fax their entry to 0171 293 2098/2096.