Such was the heady feeling of success that HMV would get together all of their store managers and head office staff for a three day "conference" every year, which was two and half days of fun and partying and a half day of presentations by the board.

BBC: HMV: How the top dog lost its bite

Airline staff at head-office received an e-mail telling them to collect their belongings and go home.

BBC: Belgian national airline bankrupt

The memo from the party's head office to its MPs, peers and staff says they should criticise not just the Labour opposition but their Conservative coalition partners in the year ahead.

BBC: Britain moving in 'right direction', says Cameron

Another palace insider, Leonora de Jesus, has vacated her office as head of the Presidential Management Staff, and is waiting to take over a housing department to be created this year.

CNN: Reinventing Estrada

In addition to losing their Christmas bonus, staff at Sainsbury's head office will lose their additional earnings related bonus scheme.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Sainsbury's 'us and them' bonuses

Former staff at the company's head office in Knowsley, Merseyside, and at a central London store will now receive compensation of eight weeks' pay.

BBC: Ethel Austin

At all banks there is a struggle between head office, which wants to centralise processes, and local staff who are in thrall to the demands of local officials and industrialists and who disobey their branch managers on whom they depend for their promotions at their peril.

ECONOMIST: China's banking industry

T-Mobile has 6, 500 staff in Britain, about 2, 000 of whom work at its Borehamwood head office in Hertfordshire.

BBC: Mobile phone giant denies pension risk