[a习作temp] argument147【clover】第一次小组作业 by mintsh [复制链接]

argument147:The following appeared in an editorial in a business magazine.
"Although the sales of Whirlwind video games have declined over the past two years, a recent survey of video-game players suggests that this sales trend is about to be reversed. The survey asked video-game players what features they thought were most important in a video game. According to the survey, players prefer games that provide lifelike graphics, which require the most up-to-date computers. Whirlwind has just introduced several such games with an extensive advertising campaign directed at people 10 to 25 years old, the age-group most likely to play video games. It follows, then, that the sales of Whirlwind video games are likely to increase dramatically in the next few months."

    The editorial predicts that the sales of Whirlwind(W) video games will soar in the following few months which of deep reflection unfolds several flaws. To substantiate the argument, the editorial resorts to the result of a recent conducted survey to find out customers’ preference on games and would introduce such games through an advertising campaign aimed at people of specific age. However, these evidences cannot lead to the prediction when some problems occur in the whole deduction.

   First, the survey of video-game players might have not presented accurate information about the players’ actual preferences on the games. The editorial provides no background of respondents such as their ages, the total number of interviewees and whether they have ever bought goods produced by companies similar to W. If the aggregate subjects add up to less than 20, we had better view the outcome as somehow specious one. And just like the gap among different generations, players of different ages are likely to show distinct tastes on games. With the void data of age, the result can hardly indicate the general situation of the entire age groups. Therefore, the editorial needs more details to support the survey’s legitimacy.

   Second, to design video games completely according to customers’ tendency gripped from the inquiry is unwarranted in two aspects below. On one hand, the most important character for games is not identical with the most important facet the consumers care most in bargain. For instance, the price, the quality, the brand and so forth also serve as a crucial part in the selection process. On the other hand, the editorial mentions a subtle point that the lifelike graphics require the most up-to-date computers which increases the uncertainty of the prospect of newly-tapped video games. Evidently, a technical relationship between these games and the most advanced computer determine a tight relationship on sales tool. We cannot expect tremendous sales of games when the most advanced computers are far from covering people’s daily lives. Bluntly put, the designation of new products based on the tendency of customers will somewhat malfunction under certain circumstances.

    Third, not ample proofs are available to verify the efficiency of the advertising campaign even though it is tailored to certain age groups. Advertising floods all over the world we live in and a remarkable part of people have felt bored by the continuous advertisements nearly everywhere they go. Nowadays, the majority usually take a quick glimpse and then concentrate on their own stuffs again and the main idea highlighted by the advertisements is seldom cared if not entirely neglected. Perhaps, it goes same for the video games’ advertising. Even assuming the success of advertising campaign, what if the sales rooting in the campaign? Great as the interest of the young spurred up is, the 10-25 years old people often cannot afford the prohibitively expense price of the new series. If so, the sales will be badly influenced. Since the editorial fails to take these aspects into account, I cannot be convinced that the advertising campaign can result in the growing sales.

    Finally, the real reason that why the sales of W video games have slumped for the past two years has not been figured out and thus there are a lot possibilities while the editorial only focus on one of those possibilities. The one turns out to be that the W video games’ s products did not meet the demand of market quite well. However, quantities of possibilities could be supposed to explain the decline in sales. For example, probably, the whole nation has fallen into an economic regression and the demand diminished to a great extent. Furthermore, the higher pricing on the homogeneous products than other competitors may impose negative impact on the sale. Unless valid evidence is supplemented to support the argument, I simply cannot accept the two-year decline is attributable to the correct understanding of customers’ preference other than for other reasons.  

    In conclusion, the editorial is unconvincing as it stands. To strengthen the argument, the survey’s creditability shall be ensured by the supply of more background and the preference concluded from the survey of customers resembles unable to instruct the designation of products because of its ambiguous effect on future sales. Aside from these two points, the efficiency of advertisement to sales’ elevating is worth confirming since the cost on it will be a big deal. Lastly, the decline in sales can stem from any possible reasons, the editorial had better carry out religious investigation into the phenomenon.

argument147【clover】第一次小组作业 by mintsh