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Chemicals firm Roche and beer giant Interbrew were fined a combined £140 million by the European Commission last week for price-fixing and anti-competitive activity. Roche was penalised for its role in a cartel that colluded in the price of citric acid in the early 1990s, which also involved US food firm Archer Daniels Midland.

Paper and Print Europe_3

BT gives Brown warning_3

Sir Peter Bonfield, chief executive of BT, has warned the government to stop meddling in its business after chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown said he wanted to cut the cost of using the Internet.

Drivers under pressure_3

Company car drivers and hauliers are suffering most from fuel prices hitting new highs, according to a report from fleet management company Arval Phh. It says that fuel is the second highest cost after personnel and that its cost differential with the rest of the world means that UK business competitiveness is being eroded.

Small firms in euro no_3

Many small companies can see no benefit in the UK adopting the euro, a new report has disclosed. The 2001 Reuters Survey found that 58 per cent of the 296 companies questioned thought they would not benefit from the UK joining the euro. About 73 per cent said sales would stay the same if the UK joined and 65 per cent believed profits would remain unchanged.

Gas prices set to fall_3

Gas prices are predicted to keep falling in the coming weeks to less than 17p/therm by September. Prices reached record highs in April this year - with prices on the spot market reaching 24p/therm - but falling demand is expected to bring rates down.

Payment guide for SMEs_3

The Better Payment Practice Group (BPPG) has devised a 12-step collection process for small to medium-sized enterprises to avoid late payment. The guidance is a response to a study of more than 1,000 firms by the Credit Management Research Centre. It found that less than half of invoices for businesses in manufacturing, wholesale and financial services are paid on time.

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Intro

Avoiding discrimination

Can you tell me whether it is a good idea to ask on our agency application forms whether potential workers are disabled or not? I have done so in the past, but I have been informed that it could prove to be discriminative?
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Stand up and be counted_3

It is the duty of an accountant to expose corruption. The profession must make a stand and confront the issue