Justin & Tom's negotiations

[Andrew Horn]

I didn’t have an opportunity to call in this week and I’m conscious this thought is about a week old but anyway….

There was a lot of comment on the FB page about the negotiations. It seems quite a few of us negotiate full time or as a significant part of our daily toil.

Several people made comments about Justin being emotional/losing it DURUNG the negotiations. I thought that was actually a perfectly reasonable approach. In negotiations it often pays to grab momentum; if you think your opponent is just flying a kite or can be brow beaten why not raise the tension, threatening to pull the deal to see if he backs down quickly? A bit like a bowler popping in a bouncer in the first over for a new batsman.

Tom was portrayed as having a good, calm measured style, but he wasn’t properly prepared. If he felt Justin was trying it on price wise, some objective third party information that he could discuss with Justin, giving him an opportunity to explain why Damara thought £1m was a fair price would have stood a better a chance than implying them of trying to screw Bridge Farm.

Where I think the script writers did Justin a great disservice was in the follow up scene with Lillian. Justin’s emotion was made real and not just explained as a negotiation tactic. He is portrayed as a successful businessman and would have taken it in his stride.

[Kosmo]

Justin is a pretty poor businessman and he breaks laws. He bought his part of BL illegally, he closed the cow park without involving the other BL Directors who thereby lost vast sums of money, he apparently did a deal with Brian (Chairman of BL) to sell him some land without either side getting proper advice; Damara is of such a size that before giving a subsidiary away (to Miranda) others would need involvement – particularly the bankers; first he did not want Brian involved appointing Annabelle as Chairman and then effectively blamed her for Charlie’s alleged incompetence – when he was not being told the truth by Rob (who was employed by Brian I would remind everyone), and then re-employed Rob to manage vast estates when he simply did not have the knowledge or experience. Justin offered to vastly overpay for Brookfield for no good reason and he obviously thought route B was going ahead at far too early a stage (how is the new by-pass coming along?).

Frankly the sooner Justin leaves for his new mega house in Walford the better. He is a cartoon.

[fatffriend]

Thank you, Andrew Horn and Kosmo. I do wonder how much we are expected to fill in the blanks between what we hear and hear reported.

[kiwi_listenerer]

Business seems to be done differently in Ambridge – major units get opened and closed at the drop of a hat, business plans and building plans happen in a week, builders are available to start tomorrow (unless you’re Lilian) and there is enough traffic passing by to support a farm shop and tea room.

[Kosmo]

I think the editor only has a very distant understanding of the real business world. And most farmers would know if their land was zoned for development and making sure they got a fair share of the spoils.

[Purple Pumpkin]

I think you guys are right that this storyline reveals a staggering lack of business nous, but then so does most of TA. Remeber that Tom came up with the fermeneted foods dea on a trip, a trip financed by his last-minute decision to submit a different application for a very competitive shceme that he almost fell into… I think that it’s becoming clear that as well as an agricultural story advisor, the scripts need a business story advisor. Are you free, Kosmo?

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