ABSTRACT
The primary basis of a conflict of interests is the difference between the aims and objectives of the buyer and those of the seller. Such differences become even more evident when one of the parties, usually the seller, is a transnational corporation, and the buyer is a government or government-sponsored party. The interests of the parties are distinctly different in that whereas the seller, a transnational corporation, would be motivated by a profit-making attitude, the government or the government-sponsored party aims at attaining the greatest benefit for its country – monetary profit is not necessarily the main objective of such a buyer. In other words, differences in perception as to the purposes of selling and buying are at the root of a conflict of interests.
