WaveRider Communications Inc.: The Sparta Deal

The vice-president international of WaveRider Communications, a developer of wireless information technology, was working out a deal for a Spanish partner to sell US$21 million of WaveRider's products into the Spanish market over the next two years. After months of negotiation, a memorandum of understanding was signed and he was looking forward to the final agreement within the next 30 days and finalizing the ground-level support that needed to be in place to facilitate the working relationship between the two companies. He hired a consultant who worked in Spain for a number of years to be the company's contact in Spain. To move towards the signing of the final agreement, the vice-president needed to decide on how best to manage and work with this company over the next few months and over the longer term.