TERROR TACTICS

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time when a Californian firm posted dummy hand grenades to potential clients, warning them to 'arm' themselves.

Unable to see the funny side, however, were two businesses in San Jose which evacuated their buildings, and the police bomb squads which rushed to the scene.

According to The Recorder magazine, the rationale was that lawyers had to be edgy and aggressive to attract hi-tech businesses, but in a country where memories of the Unabomber are still fresh, perhaps it was not the brightest stunt ever.

A campaign to 'strike terror into companies you hope to do business with is crazy', one marketing guru told the magazine, showing how she got to where she is.