MTR Pharmaceuticals Jessica is chief information ofcer at Omega Pharmaceuticals, a large US-based company. In an industry where it generally takes $500 million and 10 to 12 years to bring a new drug to market, companies such as Omega are always looking for ways to increase productivity and speed things up. After about eight months on the job, Jessica suggested to company president Andrew that Omega implement a new global knowledge-sharing application that promises to cut development time and costs in half. Andrew presented the idea to the board of directors, and everyone agreed to pursue the project. He has asked Jessica to investigate rms that could assist Omega's IT department in developing and implementing a global knowledge-sharing application that would be compatible with Omega' 5 existing systems. Andrew explained that he wants to present the information to the board of directors for a decision next month. Jessica identied three major rms that she believed could handle the work and took a summary of her ndings to Andrew's ofce, where she was greeted by Karen, who served as the executive assistant to Andrew. The relationship between Karen and Andrew was proper, but no one in the company could understand why Karen was working there 7 her lack of talent and experience made her a liability more than a help. Karen was very deferential to Andrew but condescending to everyone else. Karen was a constant source of irritation among managers throughout the company, but there was no doubt that the only way to get to Andrew was through Karen. Karen took the information from Jessica and promised the president would review it within two days. The next aemoon, Andrew called Jessica to his ofce and asked why AZB, a small local consulting rm, was not being considered as a potential provider. Jessica was surprised AZB was known primarily for helping small companies computerize their accounting systems. She was not aware that they had done any work related to knowledge-sharing applications, particularly on a global basis. Upon further investigation into the company, she learned that Karen's uncle I owned AZB, and things began to fall into place. Fortunately, she also learned that the rm did have some limited experience in more complex applications. She tried to talk privately with Andrew about his reasons for wanting to consider AZB, but Andrew insisted that Karen participate in all his internal meetings. At their most recent meeting, Andrew insisted that AZB be included for possible consideration by the board. During the next two weeks, representatives from each company met with Andrew, his two top executives, and the IT staff to explain their services and give demonstrations. Jessica had suggested that the board of directors attend these presentations, but Andrew said they wouldn't have the time and he would need to evaluate everything and make a recommendation to the board. At the end of these meetings, Jessica prepared a nal report evaluating the pros and cons of going with each rm and making her rst and second-choice recommendations. A2B was dead last on her list. Although the rm had some excellent people and a good reputation, it was simply not capable of handling such a large and complex project. Jessica offered to present her ndings to the board, but again, Andrew declined her offer in the interest of time. \"It's best if I present them with a nal recommendation; that way, we can move on to other matters without getting bogged down with a lot of questions and discussion. These are busy people.\" The board meeting was held the following week. Jessica was shocked when the president returned from the meeting and informed her that the board had decided to go with A2B as the consulting rm for the knowledge-sharing application. Questions 1. Explain why the board of directors nally chose AZB as the provider? {200 words +/ 10%). 2. Discuss the types, sources, and relative amount of power (1.4:, legitimate, reward power, coercive, expert, and referent power) of Jessica, Andrew, and Karen, in this Case. (400 words, +/- 10%). 3. How might Jessica have increased her power and inuence over this decision? (400 words, +/ 10%). 4. The statement 'power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely' (Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth century) is often true. However, leaders, like Jessica, might have to increase their power to reach organisational goals. What are the ethical concerns that Jessica should have during the process of increasing her power and inuence