What action would you recommend for O’Hara and why? REfernce Case: Ergomica Grow

Question

What action would you recommend for O’Hara and why?

REfernce Case: Ergomica Growth and Solltram Hotels

A senior manager at Ergonomica Consulting was under pressure to demonstrate to her client Solltram Hotels that the hotel's investment in LED lighting would provide a payback. Winning the client's buy-in would lead to an extension of the contract with the client, development of a new specialist practice area within Ergonomica Consulting, improvement of the manager’s chances of promotion, and the cementing of her reputation. However, at a critical moment, the manager discovered that a previously hidden error in her main spreadsheet, which contained over two million data points, had resulted in her overestimating the cost savings for the client. Should she conceal the mistake and win the important contract, improving her chances of promotion? Or should she own up to the mistake and risk losing the account, her promotion, and her reputation?

Learning Objective:

This case is appropriate for courses in management consultancy, ethics in business, and supply chain management. The case discussion and analysis are designed to help students achieve the following objectives:

Understand the broad range of competencies required in consulting, and how these competencies have to be applied at the right time during the lifecycle of an assignment with a client;

Gain insight into how human error can creep into projects where large amounts of complex data are being handled by individual consultants without oversight from others;

Learn about the evolving nature of a relationship between a consultancy firm and a client firm; and

Learn that trust can be hard to earn, but easy to lose.

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

I would recommend O'Hara to own up her mistake and ask for apologies to the client about her mistake and would get some time to rectify that mistake and provide it to the client as soon as possible.She should not conceal her mistake for getting promotions or for winning the contract,this is against the business ethics.She may win the contract now by concealing the mistake and get promotion but later on at any point of time the mistake may be revealed and she may be fired or depromoted.Instead of facing this situation she should honestly accept her mistake and rectify it with full responsibility.This action of accepting would show her honesty and her commitment towards the work.This honesty and commitment may bring promotion instead of concealing the mistake and later paying for it.She should not be selfish by concealing her mistake and getting promotions rather she should accept her mistake honestly and gain the trust of the clients.Once trust is broken it cannot be regained.So gaining trust from clients is very important in dealing business or contracts with them.Once trust is gained then even the mistakes doesnot matter and the clients may accept it even if you ask some more time to rectify your mistake.

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