Chatting to a taverna keeper during my recent holiday abroad, we discussed the secret of his success. “First, good meat, fresh vegetables, good chef; second, satisfied customers; then the money comes.” But if he went after the money first, if he cut corners to increase his profits, he’d be “like all the others” – he waved his hands towards the nearby tavernas, clearly struggling – and go out of business. A similar point was made in a review of UK equity markets conducted by Professor John Kay, of the London School of Economics, for the Government two years ago. He contrasted two statements of basic company policy posted by the one-time chemical giant, ICI, the first in 1987, which said: “ICI aims to be the world’s leading chemical comp