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- 12
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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."
TIME: 00:30:00 DATE: 2007-7-22 23:00:36
By giving evidence that 70 percent of the responds to a survey are required to take more work at home, and that the sales in office-supply has no impressive increase; the author concludes that there is a trend to work at home and suggest the shop to change the structure of goods in office-supply. From the first glance, the assertion seem to be sound, however, after cognitive thinking, it is not that convincible.
Firstly, the survey cited by the author is insufficient for supporting that there's a work-at-home trend, especially in the area where the shop is located. The total number of the survey is unknown, if the survey is based on only 100 people, then for a city of 10,000 people, the result is not convincible. What's more, if the survey is done where the companies of information technology are gathered, it might constitute more people working in IT rather than other occupations, therefore it can not represent the whole working class. What’s more, even if the survey can prove that there is such a trend, if the survey is not done where the shop is located; we can not guarantee that in the area of the shop, the conclusion still holds. Hence, before more details has know for the survey, we cannot draw the conclusion of such a trend in the area of the shop.
Secondly, Even if the trend existed, there is no impressive promotion in the sales in the past doesn’t suggest it's due to such a trend. Based on this, then the suggested adaptation of the supply is not convincible. Maybe the time that there is no impressive promotion in the sales is quite short, and can be temporary fluctuate. Or maybe the change is due to the depression of the economy in such time. So, the author doesn’t offer information showing direct cause-and-effect relationship between the trend and the sales, so the suggestion is not convincible.
What's more, even if the trend affected the sales of the shop, we are not reasonable to deduce that such changes in goods-supply will reach maximum profits. It is quite possible that such a trend is not a decisive factor for the rise of the sales. For example, maybe the shop is near to a school or university where there are more students than working class, and therefore printers and fax machines are not in high demand and the office-supply department of the shop should bringing more textbooks. Therefore, before knowing more details showing that such changes can result in most profits, the suggestion is not convincible.
In summary, before doing the final decision of change the structure of the goods-supply, the author should provide more information about the survey to convince the trend, more information to show that the trend is the main cause of the non-increase of the sales and more evidence to support that such a change will result in maximum profits. |
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