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本帖最后由 cyct 于 2010-2-8 18:38 编辑
第三次作业,大家狂拍哈
TOPIC: ARGUMENT117 - The following is a memo from the business manager of Valu-Mart stores.
"Over 70 percent of the respondents to a recent survey reported that they are required to take more work home with them from the workplace than they were in the past. Since Valu-Mart has not seen impressive sales in its office-supply departments in the past, we should take advantage of this work-at-home trend by increasing at all Valu-Mart stores the stock of home office machines such as printers, small copy machines, paper shredders, and fax machines. We will also increase stock of office supplies such as paper, pens, and staplers. With these changes, our office-supply departments will become the most profitable component of our stores."
WORDS: 496
TIME: 01:39:19
DATE: 2010-2-7 17:39:51
Based on a survey, which indicates that over 70 percent of the respondents are required to take more work home with them than they were in the past, the business manager of Valu-Mart stores (VM for short) decides to increase the stock of home office machines and office supplies in order to make the office-supply departments become the most profitable component of the stores. However, the business manager of VM overlooks the reliability of this survey and other possible explanations affecting the outcome and may, therefore, lead to invest in the wrong way and lost the actual opportunity to get profit.
Merely based on the survey, the business manager makes the relative strategy, while the survey itself contains several problems. First, the survey does not provide any information about where this survey was conducted, which means the result of this survey can not directly reflect the real condition of VM's target customers. It is possible that the market where VM located is significantly different from the market where the survey was conducted. In addition, no evidence is provided that whether the respondents are representative. What do they do? How many of them? It is possible that the individuals investigated are more likely to take work with them from the workplace. Even if that is the case, how many of them will actually need the home office machines at home, which is also not provided in this survey. Before the business manager draw a conclusion that a work-at-home trend is coming, a more detail and specific investigate of target customers is needed.
Even if the survey indicates the coming of work-at-home trend, merely depend on increasing the stock of home office machines, the business manager can not ensure its profit without considering other possible explanations. No evidence can be seen that the customers will choose VM's products, including the type or the quality. And are there any competitors? Perhaps several other competitors have already focused on this market and gotten a majority of market share, and therefore reduces the sales of VM. Furthermore, the habit of customers might change during these years, especially influenced by the trend of Green. The individuals in the office are prefer paperless office, and thus more computer or other electronic products are needed rather than office machines and supplies, which will dramatically decrease the market share of conventional office machines and so does the profit. Besides, the management of VM itself is also needed to take into account, such as the cost of product, employee and the like. Without considering all the above mentioned possible alternatives, the manager can not assert that the office-supply department will become the most profitable component of VM.
To sum up, before the business manager decide to take a new strategy on office-supply department, a more specific survey on the preference of customers and the overall market share are needed. Meanwhile, the manager should also take into account its management and the competitor in the market, all of which will help the manager lead to the success. |
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