Tesco falls from CSR grace

Tesco has fallen from its pedestal as Britain's "most admired" company because of weak ratings on corporate social responsibility.

This year's most esteemed firm is confectionery and drinks giant Cadbury-Schweppes, according to an annual poll conducted by Management Today magazine.

Four-time winner Tesco slipped to fourth place, behind Unilever and BP, in the survey, which polls members of the largest companies across 22 sectors.

BT wins Intentia deal

BT has won a three-year outsourcing contract to manage mobile phone services for enterprise software provider Intentia.

The deal will cover countries where lntentia uses more than 100 mobile phones.

BT will analyse contracts and negotiate with local operators, as well as supply the company with services and tools to measure and evaluate mobile traffic. The first four countries covered by the contract are Sweden, Denmark, France and Germany.

MFI plans to reduce costs

Furniture chain MFI has announced it is seeking to make savings of 40 million from its non-frontline UK retail and group functions.

Reduced indirect spending as well as renegotiated logistics costs are included in the company's cost-cutting plans.

Job losses and reduced consulting and marketing expenditure will also be felt at the retailer, which has struggled to turn around problems in its supply chain systems.

Brown banks on savings

In his pre-budget report speech, Gordon Brown claimed that the government had achieved 2 billion of procurement savings. He also highlighted an additional one third of a billion pounds saved in a deal struck for the purchasing of NHS drugs. He said that the implementation of the Gershon review had cut 9,000 civil service posts, while more than 4,000 have been relocated.

China in 'buy local' policy

The Chinese government has ordered its departments to buy domestic software where possible. An official blasted foreign software as too costly.

The move means Chinese software producers could have a boom in sales. The draft comes as the Beijing Municipal Government is set to buy 1.9 million worth of Microsoft software.

Consultants cash in

The Department for Work and Pensions has spent a record of more than 413 million on consultancy in the past financial year, a 44 per cent increase over the previous one.

The bulk - 307 million - went to management and IT consultancies. Department figures show lawyers and accountants pocketed 54 million.

HSBC's carbon-neutral bid

HSBC has committed to becoming carbon-neutral by 2006, meaning it will contribute nothing overall to carbon dioxide emissions, a major factor in harmful greenhouse gases.

The bank said that last year its CO2 emissions calculated from electricity, natural gas, fuel and oil as well as from business travel were 550,000 tonnes.

NAO looks at PFI sales

Government watchdog the National Audit Office will investigate the selling by contractors of their share in private finance initiative projects.

The study will look at refinancing where the contractor sells its equity in projects based on projected income. Contractors say it gives them a cash injection so they can bid for and build more PFI projects. Critics argue the profits are too great.

LU sources parts from eBay

Purchasers at a London Underground maintenance firm have been forced to source ageing spare parts on auction website eBay.

Tube Lines, a consortium that manages the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, said it has bought old computer chips and other equipment that is now out of stock.