Ms Michele Connolly:

It is incumbent on us to look at the facts of any situation, to prepare a detailed analysis for our client - from financial and non-financial perspectives - and to give it the results of that analysis. It would not be in our long-term interests to give poor advice. It is incumbent on us to give to our client the best advice on what is better in the longer term, not just what is best in the short term. It would ultimately damage our reputation if we were to say, "Let us stick with the original option because that is the option on which we originally advised."