Share

Mpumelelo Mkhabela | BHP's bid for Anglo: A test of South Africa's corporate clout

accreditation
Share your Subscriber Article
You have 5 articles to share every month. Send this story to a friend!
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
loading...
Loading, please wait...
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article
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)
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.

Read this for free
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Try our free 14-day trial
Already a subscriber? Sign in
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Which national coalition government would you prefer?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
ANC + DA
87% - 5486 votes
ANC + MKP
3% - 168 votes
ANC + EFF
3% - 217 votes
ANC + 6-7 small parties
7% - 427 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.81
-0.0%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.39
+0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.51
-0.0%
Rand - Yen
0.12
-0.3%
Platinum
1,044.30
-0.0%
Palladium
903.50
0.0%
Gold
2,327.02
-0.1%
Silver
30.41
+0.1%
Brent Crude
81.11
-1.0%
Top 40
70,455
-0.7%
All Share
76,704
-0.6%
Resource 10
61,314
-0.9%
Industrial 25
106,760
-1.0%
Financial 15
16,479
-0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE