anandnk wrote:
Mr.Blatt: Expert consultants are sought after by management because they help executives make better decisions. That is why they are worth the substantial fees they charge.
Ms. Fring: Nonsense. Expert consultants are hired in order to enable executives to avoid responsibility. The more the experts cost, the more they can be blamed when things go wrong.
Which one of the following, if it occurred, would be the strongest evidence favoring Ms.Fring's position over Mr. Blatt's position?
Mr Blatt's position - Expert consultants are hired to provide expert advice
Ms Fring's position - Expert consultants are not hired to provide expert advice, rather they are hired to push the blame on when something goes wrong. In addition to that, the charge is directly proportional to the blame.
(A) A company that is trying to decide whether to move its manufacturing plant hires an expensive expert to conduct a cost/benefit analysis.
- This suggests that the consultants are hired for theur expert opinion
- Weakens F's position
(B) Two competing companies faced with very similar problems adopt different solutions.
- Does not strengthen / weaken either persons' claims.
- In such a scenario we can also say that no consulatants were hired.
-Wrong
(C) A successful firm of expert consultants seeks to increase its volume of business by reducing its fees, but its volume of business drops.
- F says that more the consultants are paid more they can be blamed for a failure.
- In case if the consultants reduce their fees, the companies will not be able to blame a lot on the consultants. Hence, lesser number of companies decide to hire those consultants
- Correct
(D) An expert consultant builds up a successful business by charging clients a substantial percentage of the amount an independent assessor judges that the consultant saved the company.
- In negates F's position.
- This states that the opinion of the consultant in fact helped the company. As per F's position the consultant must be blamed for the companies failures.
- Wrong
(E) A company follows a consultant's advice to open two new stores, but both stores are only marginally profitable at first.
- Weakens F's position
- To support F's position, the company must endure a loss and then blame the loss on the consultant
-Wrong