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Samaritan" (Fuller 1991:91) will never criticise or disagree with you, but will also not
accept anytbing you offer.
Fuller (1991:91) suggests tbat the way to handle this person is to make him
"focus on the facts" no matter how long it may take instead of falling prey to his
assurances of the best deal for you. In short, it is not advisable to accept favours at the
bargaining table, because that may backfire on you.
The take-it-or-Ieave-it approach
This is the approach where your opponent wants you to accept his offer or
forget about negotiating. Fuller (1991:91) suggests three ways to circumvent this. The
first one is to ignore this pressure and keep on talking. Ifyour adversary is serious then
he will desist from further persuasion. You can also suggest that the negotiations be
called off if your alternatives are better and let him contact you when he wants to
resume negotiations. If he does then you are already at an advantage. Another ploy
would be to invent a competitor who will give you a better deal. This will show how
serious your opponent is about his ultimatum. This will also show that you can take a
stand and stick to it.
Mr Nelson Mandela made a surprise speech at the first session of CODESA at
the World Trade Centre in Kempton Park, South Africa on 20 December 1991 in
reaction to the speech by the then State President of South Africa, Mr F.W. De Klerk.
He was reacting to Mr De Klerk's surprise attack on the ANC after he had requested
and had been allowed to speak last on that occasion. According to Mr Mandela they
had been discussing the night before until about 20h20, but Mr De Klerk had not hinted
that he would attack the ANC. That to Mr Mandela showed a lack ofmoral standards
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