Vantage in Harvard Business Review

Turning Negotiation Into a Corporate Capability

Danny Ertel
May 1999

Every company today exists in a complex web of relationships, and the shape of that web is formed, one thread at a time, through negotiations. Purchasing and outsourcing contracts are negotiated with suppliers. Marketing arrangements are negotiated with domestic and foreign distributors. The contents of product and service bundles are negotiated with customers. Product development packs are negotiated with joint venture partners...