By: Dr. Bob March
Published in Dr Bob March's book "Chinese Negotiator"
Overview
HyperHawk, one of the world’s major providers of global supply management software and services, helps companies reduce costs through efficient product and services sourcing. It has handled more than $50 billion worth of products and services in the oil and gas, other natural resources, retail, transport, finance, and industrial sectors for customers including General Motors, Nestlé, Shell, Japan Energy, Mitsubishi, and Cadbury Schweppes.
Shanghai-based JJM, one of the biggest gaming and hospitality companies in Asia, is owned by Chinese businessman Tan Wu Bo.
This case study revolves around the period when JJM has been a HyperHawk client for six months, and the companies have signed an agreement to conducttwo projects. The first, completed in March 2005 and tremendously successful, saved JJM some $1 million, and the second one is set to start.Impressed with the results, JJM wishes to explore the possibility of other joint endeavours with HyperHawk.
To this end, a meeting is arranged between JJM’s Senior Vice-President of Finance Iris Ma and HyperHawk’s RegionalManaging DirectorDrake Dubois, and attended by JJM’s Vice-President for Procurement Henry Chow and HyperHawk Sales Group Director Layton Pang.
Ma is keen to explore more projects with HyperHawk and has tasked Chow to follow up with HyperHawk as soon as possible. The managing director of HyperHawk suggests that a session be arranged with key stakeholders from both companies to discuss and assess possible opportunities for other JJM projects.
The Scene
Ma and Chow agreed to the suggestion and asked that a proposal be submitted to JJM after the opportunity assessment meeting that was attended by Chow, his assistant Mary Xie, who is also the purchasing manager, and two members from HyperHawk. Both parties identified ten possible projects.
Xie asked for a proposal to be submitted to JJM through her, and