Business and City Summary

SUPERVISORS 'UNDER-USED'

British industry's ability to compete is hampered by senior managers' failure to recognise the potential within their own workforces, according to research published today.

The report, Supervisory Roles, Responsibilities and Training in British Industry, which is backed by the CBI and the Management Charter Initiative, reveals widespread failure to harness the ability of the UK's 1.2 million supervisors to achieve continuous improvements in productivity and quality at every stage of the business process.

BUILDERS' PLEA

The Joint Taxation Committee, which represents the six main construction federations, calls in its Budget submission today for the Government to cut VAT on housing renovations and alterations, loosen means testing on house improvement grants and abolish testing for grants to disabled housing.

CREDIT CARD CALL

Gordon Brown, the Shadow Chancellor, demanded an immediate public inquiry into alleged overcharging by banks and building societies on their credit card interest rates.

ABBEY POLICIES

Abbey National is offering its own investment, pension and protection policies from today, following the expiry of its previous arrangement for selling Friends Provident products.

WORK PACKAGE

The TUC's Budget submission calls for an emergency work package alongside a medium- term strategy for full employment through investment-led recovery. It says the emergency work package would increase employment by 200,000 and create 500,000 extra training and work-experience places.

TODAY: 1.2.93

US and UK NAPM indices of activity in manufacturing order books (Jan). Robin Leigh- Pemberton and Helmut Schlesinger address annual dinner of the Overseas Bankers Club.

Interims: Barnato Exploration; CRT Grp; Ewart; Haynes Publishing Grp.

Finals: Bullough.

TOMORROW: 2.2.93

UK official reserves (Jan); German industrial production (Jan); US leading economic indicators (Dec).

Interims: Adscene Grp; Genbel Investments; Heiton Hldgs; Mhangura Copper Mines; YRM.

Finals: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya; Fyffes; Miskin Grp.

WEDNESDAY: 3.2.92

German manufacturing orders (Dec); overseas travel and tourism (Nov); advance energy (Dec); London sterling certificates of deposit (Dec); monetary statistics (including bank and building society sterling lending and M4 sectoral analysis) (Dec); bill turnover (Dec); sterling commercial paper (Dec); money market statistics (Dec).

Interim: Northumbrian Fine Foods.

Finals: Electrolux; Seacon Hldgs.

THURSDAY: 4.2.93

Interims: Bristol Channel Ship Repairers; Cook (DC) Hldgs.

Finals: Heavitree Brewery.

FRIDAY: 5.2.93

Insolvency statistics (Q4); Housing starts and completions (Dec); US employment.

Interims: Birse Group.