HIGH-RANKING business managers and Kenyan war tribes do not usually mix yet the manager of a Watford company recently found himself face to face with Masia warriors.

Tim Benwell, sales director of Hamerville Magazines, joined other managers in a Hampshire field to dance to Masai music, study the Masai way of life and learn new business management techniques taught by specially hired Masai warriors in a training seminar.

Mr Benwell, from Watford, said: "The Masai warriors' way of life is completely alien to Western society, but if you could cherry-pick bits of their ideas and thoughts, it would come into very good use for business management."

The contrast between Mr Benwell and the Masai warriors, who earn £100 a month living off their cows and goats, was, to say the least, noticeable. While the Masai warriors wore tunics and carried cow-hide shields and long spears, Tim styled a pin-stripe suit and tie.

And the recreated Iron Age settlement was a far cry from Mr Benwell's office in Regal Way.

Anthony Willoughby, the organiser of the trip and manager of Territory Mapping, said: "Civilisation only exists by making people feel focally inadequate.

"We hope to do this to business managers on our trips by making them analyse their position and map out their territory of customers."