Hardly, he retorts: a decade ago, Unilever had a huge computer network for sharing internal information.

ECONOMIST: Branded goods (1)

Of course, he retorts: that is just how things are in Colombia.

ECONOMIST: Guerrilla tactics

To criticism that Europe's labour and product markets are too rigid to cope with monetary union, he retorts that structural reforms, as in the Netherlands, will be hurried along.

ECONOMIST: Wim Duisenberg, in the rough

Dr Ng retorts that he is surprised Dr Lieu's paper got past the refereeing process.

ECONOMIST: Planck-scale physics

The family retorts that if his intentions were amicable, he would sell and go away.

ECONOMIST: Luxury goods