THE selfish practices of David Brent, star of BBC TV show The Office, is a reality in business and threatens companies' competitiveness, a report has claimed.

Companies risk losing business because of a "sloppy" approach to winning clients, the report said.

Telecoms firm BT said research among managers showed that many were reluctant to share information with colleagues.

The research said that spoof character Brent's actions were more prevalent than many people believed.

Many managers took their business contacts with them when they left companies, the report said.

Paul White, of BT, said: "Business managers have to stop treating their colleagues with suspicion, end the office blame culture and start focusing on their real competitors - other firms.

"Sharing the right information at the right time is crucial to getting the best results, but it seems that too few businesses are encouraging their staff to do this."