Office day on Comart Company plans concluding with the need for large investments for future products as the EEC talks fail and agricultural subsidies continue

Early to the office and the early part of the day sorting out my papers of yesterday and today and actioning the items arising. Then to have individual meetings with John and Derek reviewing the problems and priorities of Marketing and Purchasing respectively. After lunch to make arrangements for a meeting later today to review the conclusions of our visits to Comdex and chase up visit reports in preparation.

The meetings after hours and well into the evening concluding that Comart should push ahead on a high risk plan to bring innovation across all product lines within the year and including the launch of a workstation by September 1984. The consequences require large financial investments and nothing less than a full blooded total company plan to achieve it. Late home with Diana already in bed and nobody able to spend time bringing in the ducks to my disappointment. News today of total failure in the EEC Summit talks with the next meeting not due until March and little agreed. We are now still supporting the Agricultural surpluses with no agreement to increase sources of revenue – a formula for bankruptcy until compromise is reached. To bed with much left undone in view of tomorrow’s absence from the office.