Category Archives: Negotiation

Was the price of Five OK! for Desmond? ...

On the face of it, the takeover of Channel Five by Richard Desmond for a price of £103.5 million is a great example of two well-matched parties ending up with an agreement that suits both of them. . However, dig a little deeper and it would appear that Five’s owners, RTL, have got the better [...]

“Mandelson dominates the Field with a brilliant Third Man and a couple of Slips…. ...

The publication of Peter Mandelson’s memoirs of New Labour, “The Third Man” gives a fascinating insight into the mind of a great negotiator. It also reveals that even this master negotiator has some weak spots. Peter Mandelson has successfully negotiated his way through more than a dozen years of Labour being in power, displaying enormous deal-making [...]

Allies to soldier on in search of peace-deal ...

Are we any closer to a peace deal in Afghanistan? Probably not, though it’s no surprise to find the beleagured Allies wishing and hoping that a deal was possible after a month in which Nato troops suffered their worst ever losses (102 brave men killed in June). The problem is that the ingredients for a [...]

Can The Odd Couple save the Euro? ...

What next for the Euro? As forecast in this blog, the Euro-zone countries have been forced to stump up a massive rescue package in order to avert a sovereign debt crisis in Greece and other Euro-zone countries. Will that be enough? Possibly not, if the continuing state of unease displayed by the financial markets is [...]

Paralysed England need new Backbone to move on ...

The debate over whether Fabio Capello should stay or go has obscured the real reason why England lost so badly to Germany and crashed out of the World Cup. It is a feature of any negotiation that winners have a positive attitude. This is a feature of traditional business negotiations and [...]

Can BSkyB resist Rupert’s Bear-hug? ...

The proposed deal for News Corp to buy out the other existing shareholders at BSkyB throws up some interesting scenarios in relation to the participants’ needs and how they can best be met. A quick look at the needs, bargaining power and behaviour patterns on all sides suggests that a deal will be forthcoming. But [...]

No substitute for cash; why the Glazers’ goal is to keep possession at Man Utd ...

The true and parlous picture of Manchester United’s debts has become a little clearer over the past few weeks. The highly leveraged takeover of the club by the Glazer family has turned the club from one of the wealthiest in the world into a beast burdened by over US$720 million of debt. The club has [...]

Heavy Turbulence grounds British Airways Negotiations ...

Another week of turmoil at British Airways, involving record losses of over £500 million, more industrial unrest with Unite, and culminating in a near-riot by bitter airline staff at ACAS on Saturday night. This dispute has now been running for over 15 months. This is highly unusual in post-Thatcher Britain, with all its obstacles against Union-organised [...]

Is it Cesc Mate for Arsenal? ...

Who holds the aces in the three-way negotiation between Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona? Ultimately, outstanding footballing talent carries a huge amount of bargaining power, but the two football clubs involved still hold some powerful cards. There is of course a 3-way negotiation going on. In the negotiation between Fabregas and Barcelona, Fabregas holds the ‘market power’ [...]

Dont Rock The Vote ...

So, the Tories have struck their deal with the Lib Dems. Now the question is “will it last?” As suggested in my last blog, each of David Cameron and Nick Clegg has focused on the other’s personal needs for achievement, belonging and reassurance to help close the gap between the organisational “wants” of the two sides. [...]