Home | General Info | Getting In | Policies | Calendar | Contact Info | Handouts | Teams | OAP | Grading |
Quote of the Day
"I get by with a little help from my friends." ~ The Beatles
Summary
Startups need all the help they can get. Choosing your stakeholders and negotiating critical relationships with an ecosystem of partners (suppliers, distribution partners, and others) can make or break your company. More often than not startups have little leverage in their relationships, so skill and tenacity are crucial. Intellectual property may be your primary bargaining chip. In this case study we will relive Steve Perlman's harried and complicated negotiations in the creation of WebTV. WebTV was a big idea that brought together top tier venture capitalists, big name consumer electronic companies, and leading technology companies. And as this case will demonstrate, to understand the course of these relationships one must consider the past experience of the entrepreneur as well as the contemporary psychology of the marketplace. There is always more than meets the eye.
Required Readings (Policy on Required Readings.)
Study Questions (Policy on Study Questions.)
Team Online Assignment (Policy on Online Assignments.)
Construct a negotiating scenario for guiding discussions with Sony. What are the three most important terms that WebTV should request, in order of priority? What should their walk away position be? What are the three most important terms that Sony will ask for, in order of priority? Recommend and justify a course of action for WebTV if they walk away.