We all know that the job of the company is to maximise shareholder return. How many companies resist the temptation to offshore part of their operation in order to keep jobs at home in the face of a short term gain from closing a division and flogging off the buildings? Is it possible that long term returns would benefit by staying in the UK by avoiding potential unseen issues of being abroad ? Perhaps a company should justify an offshoring move as having to be “material” to the profitability before jumping ship. Long term it is often a folly to have gone abroad. Has anybody counted the cost of lost business for firms with call centres in places that looked good at the time until customers got fed up of speaking to Timbuctoo ? Mind you sloppy service allows comptitors to step in and that is healthy for consumers. I think the problem lies in the fact that everybody wants a boost to the share price on their watch, be it the director of the company or the CEO of a major investment firm holding shares in that company. And let’s not forget the workers and the unions .They often need to learn the meaning of flexibility and sacrifice for the greater good. But let’s not forget some of the red tape shackles that Labour introduced and are too hot to repeal. So hot in fact I can’t mention them.