argument14 球拍~

山山公主UID: 2717098

题目：ARGUMENT14 - The following appeared in a memo from the owner of Green Thumb Gardening Center, a small business serving a suburban town.

"There is evidence that consumers are becoming more and more interested in growing their own vegetables. A national survey conducted last month indicated that many consumers were dissatisfied with the quality of fresh vegetables available in supermarkets. And locally, the gardening magazine Great Gardens has sold out at the Village News stand three months in a row. Thus, we at Green Thumb Gardening Center can increase our profits by greatly expanding the variety of vegetable seeds we stock for gardeners this coming spring."

The argument above presents a sound case for arguing that if the Green Thumb Gardening Center expands the variety of vegetable seeds they can get their profits increased. However, there are some intermediate steps that they could take before jumping to the conclusion.

First of all, the author wrongly take the fact consumers' dissatisfied with the vegetable in supermarket as the reason why more consumers are interested in growing vegetable by themselves. By the way, the survey just reflect the circumstance in only one month, it cannot give the conclusion that people don't satisfy with the vegetable in supermarkets as a whole. In fact, there might be some alternative explanations. For example, a popular TV program about growing vegetable in your backyard can bring the planting storm across some districts. People who have watched the TV show may immediately but temporarily get the interest in growing their own vegetable. And the storm may pass away as time goes on or with the TV show getting over.

Subsequently, the fact the gardening magazine GG has a laudable sale seems support the author's conclusion, but it helps nothing, actually, if one takes the reason why the magazine is sold out into account. The enthusiasms of the consumers to planting vegetable may just make little contribution to the good sale. During the last 3 months, the publisher may have organized an activity which has a very high bonus, in which, to get the bonus, consumers may need to buy more magazines than usual. In that case, without any doubt, the publisher could get a better sale. Apart from making activities, the publisher may provide a series reports about some big news which is very welcoming locally. In order to get the current fresh news, more residents join in buying GG. Of course, the publisher may have some financial problem. To make it solved, they may cut down the amount of the magazines published. It will also lead to the apparently good sale.

Finally, the conclusion remains questionable, even if one accepts the survey results. The idea that the owner of GTGC tries to increase their profit by expanding the variety of seeds they stock has no sufficient evidence. There is no evidence that the low variety of the seeds should be the key point to the profit due to the analysis provided by the arguer. If the owner wants a higher profit he should not consider what he believes is correct but the consumers' will. In common sense, the variety should be limited due to the space limited, soil limited, technology limited and so on, which the consumers have as planting fans not professional planters. The owner should take the consumers' opinions into account, trying to know what the consumers prefer, whereas produce a sale list all by oneself.

In conclusion, the argument, while it seems logical at first, has several flaws as discussed above. The argument could be improved by providing evidence that the correlation is indeed a caused relationship that the lower quality of the vegetable available in supermarket causes the consumers' interest in growing their own vegetables. It could be more acceptable by providing a cogent conclusion.