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A code of conduct between software suppliers and the IT industry is needed to stamp out software malpractice, according to John Lister, European IT director at retailer Tesco. He claimed many companies were being “stiffed” - charged additional costs by software firms for making small changes to their software, such as changing the number of users.

Ofgem sets out plans_2

Energy regulator Ofgem has set out its new year’s resolutions in a corporate and budget plan. These include ensuring efficient trading in wholesale gas and electricity, managing the move to competitive supply markets, improved regulation of monopoly businesses and social and environmental action. For a copy of the plan, visit www.ofgem.gov.uk or call 0116 277 2617.

The Evolving Bargain_2

Willis Emmons Harvard Business School Press, £25.99 Rating: 4/5

Cowboys under attack_2

The government is offering builders a £350 incentive to sign up to its scheme to get rid of cowboy contractors. The scheme provides a guarantee against shoddy workmanship. But contractors claim the scheme is still too expensive and the construction boom means that there is enough work for both good firms and cowboys.

FTA launches website_2

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has launched a website, www.44tonnes.com, to provide information on the 44-tonne weight limit for trucks on UK roads which starts this month.

League table planned_2

Contractors are to be included in league tables for the first time in a bid to bring greater transparency to the construction industry. Warwick Manufacturing Group will compile the tables from clients’ and suppliers’ feedback. Rankings will be dependent on supply chain management, health and safety and continuous improvement.

Tesco takes on Levis_2

UK retailer Tesco is fighting for changes to the European trademark law at the European Court of justice as part of its battle to legally sell Levi Strauss clothes. Tesco wants the right to buy discounted Levis bought outside the European Union from suppliers in Canada, the US and Mexico. It wants to reverse a ruling disallowing the trade in so-called parallel imports.

NAO backs MoD buying_2

International co-operation on defence equipment procurement has been given a cautious seal of approval by the National Audit Office in its report, Maximising the Benefits of Defence Equipment Co-operation. In 1998-99, the Ministry of Defence spent 13 per cent, or £1.3 billion, of its equipment budget on 64 co-operative equipment programmes involving 19 countries.

China in market boom_2

China could have 12 business-to-business marketplaces by the end of the year, according to ChinaEB, an e-commerce company set up by the State Council Development Research Centre last May.

Delphi plant warning_2

Delphi, the world’s largest automotive components group, is reconsidering the future of its Luton chassis plant after its main customer, Vauxhall, decided to halt car assembly at its own plant in the town. Industry figures show a 20 per cent drop in UK car production in February. Delphi has become the first large parts group to warn of a knock-on effect from Vauxhall’s Luton closure.