Responding to Martin Brinks’ inaugural CMJ article (that asked if corporate mediation was a prospect for the legal department and for organisations as a whole) Anna Doyle responded with a resounding affirmative. A professional career that has spanned over four decades took her on a route through national and international public services, working in areas as diverse as promoting legislation for social justice to supporting the safety of air navigation. Her first-hand experience of the challenge of responding to the ups and downs of daily working life in a multi-cultural setting has opened up new frontiers in awareness of the value of conflict resolution. Her work at EUROCONTROL has pioneered the role of corporate mediator and has embedded mediation and ethics in organisational life in a way that aims to bring added value and promote shared insight.

This article proposes mediation models in business school curriculum and for business implementation as part of risk assessment, risk management and conflict mitigation procedures. Through a solution-focused approach, the article sets forth a new methodology known as Economic Efficiency through Mediation (“EEM”) to combat asymmetric information risks and provide early conflict resolution pathways. EEM aims to act as a hedge instrument for commercial stakeholders facing uncertainty, imbalances in analyzing data, making decisions, and conflict challenges to their systems. EEM is a risk mitigation procedure for the business community to adopt and business schools to include in risk assessment and risk management programs. The EEM model will help improve efficiency, functionality and fluidity in the market place.