Christina manages the accounting department of a consumer electronics firm. she recently sent in a request to purchase 50 new computers for her accounting staff because the computers they are working on are outdated. michael was given the task of choosing the supplier and purchasing the products. since michael is not as knowledgeable about computers, he turns to phillip, who works in it, for advice. phillip knows all about the latest computers, systems, and software. with phillip's , michael looks at the alternatives and selects dell as their supplier.

assume that lenovo wants to reach the deciders and purchasers in christina's organization because it would like to supply the next order of computers. before they can reach michael, however, they must first schedule an appointment with his secretary who has worked at the firm for 20 years. it would be wise for lenovo not to underestimate the secretary as she most likely acts as a