Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has announced a study into what the Government believes is a "skills gap" among UK managers.

US management expert Michael Porter will examine the effect poor management performance has on the UK's productivity and competitiveness.

Ms Hewitt ordered the review against a backdrop of research which shows the UK is lagging behind the United States, Germany, Canada and France in management efficiency.

She said managers could benefit from sharpening their skills.

Professor Porter will collate and review existing studies of UK management practices and analyse the effects that managers have on productivity before publishing his findings early next year.

The study will feed into a wider multi-million-pound research initiative by the Economic and Social Research Council, headed by Professor Anne Huff.

The announcement came ahead of the publication of the Department of Trade and Industry's UK productivity and competitiveness indicators.

Ms Hewitt said: "The best UK managers are among the best in the world and can be found at the helm of first-class companies in Britain and overseas.

"But leading UK managers would agree with the growing body of evidence that suggests we could benefit from sharpening our management skills so we can reach our full potential in terms of wealth creation and prosperity.

"Good managers want their companies to operate more satisfactorily and this means getting the most out of people, processes and equipment."