But when you’re a public company, that kind of statement and the slump in the share price brings the vultures hovering, and ITL could well become a bid target: despite its woes, Norsk Data A/S, with UKP200m in the bank and anxious to expand in the UK, is not out of the question – but there is also gossip of ICL Ltd looking for some kind of a deal with Norsk Data that might lead to it taking a stake in the Norwegian company, perhaps in a similar manner to its relationship with Regnecentralen A/S of Denmark, where it now has 50% (CI No 1,026).