Australian executives reportedly held meetings with various stakeholders in South Africa after their initial R720 billion bid for Anglo was rejected by the company’s Board. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Mpumelelo Mkhabela delves into the intricate negotiations between the BHP Group and Anglo-American, writing that the increasing sophistication of deal-making among global companies requires states like South Africa to sharpen their side of corporate diplomatic capabilities.
In their book, Rival States, Rival Firms: Competition for world market shares, John Stopford and Susan Strange make an important observation about what they called “corporate diplomacy”.
They argue that diplomacy is not confined to state officials who globetrot capitals to persuade each other on various foreign policy issues. Business executives are also involved in bargaining, or corporate diplomacy, with states in foreign jurisdictions.
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