British Telecommunications Plc believes in anticipating trouble and heading it off where possible: it brings out full-year figures today and expects plenty of flak in the press over the profits of UKP95 a second claim, so it is arming staff with a few more per second figures to throw back in the faces of insensitive hacks – such as that it pays the government nearly UKP40 a second in taxes and dividends, is investing UKP74 a second, and pays out UKP139 a second in wages and salaries; all this is contained in a chirpy Freefone newsline for staff – anyone can listen in if they can get hold of the number, and may well wonder why it takes two people to deliver a mere three or four items of news and comment.
