Argument117 [Jet小组] 第九次作业

滴滴雨儿UID: 2392741

题目：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."
字数：472          用时：0:30:00          日期：2008-2-21

In order to make more profits and become the most profitable component of their stores, the business manager of Valu-Mart stores suggests that they should increase the stock of home office machines at all Valu-Mart stores. At the first glance, the suggestion seems appealing. However, after further consideration, the argument contains several facets that are questionable.

To begin with, there's no evidence about how the survey was conducted. We don't know the exact number of the respondents and what their occupations are. This information is indispensable before drawing the conclusion that what Valu-Mart stores should do with their stock next. The survey doesn't tell us whether these respondents need home office machines or not since we don't know if they are only sending emails at home. Even if their work at home need to use home office machines, we even don't if they already have them since they only said that they are required to take more work home not they never work at home before. Besides, the number of the respondents are important for we need to know how much people are actually required such home work. If only 20 people has involved in this survey, then 14 people's answer cannot make a big difference on Valu-Mart stores home office machines' stock. Furthermore, no evidence shows that all of the Valu-Mart stores need to increase the stock of home office machines. We don't know where those respondents work and where they live, and we are even not sure whether they will buy home office machines at Valu-Mart stores since there is no evidence show that there is only Valu-Mart stores supply home office machines.

To increase the stock of office supplies such as paper, pens, and staplers is also lack of evidence. Employees are required to take more work home doesn't indicates that the need of office supplies is increased. Probably the employers ask their employees to take more work at home in order to reduce spends at offices thus much less office supplies will be purchased.

What's more, even if the increase of home office machines and office supplies make great profits, we can still not draw the conclusion that the office-supply departments will become the most profitable component of the Valu-Mart stores. As a common sense, all the business managers at different departments will do their best to find ways to improve their profits. It is easily to know that the other departments of Valu-Mart stores may make great profits and we don't know which one will be the most profitable department.

To make the argument more convincing, the business manager should provide more evidence about how urgently they need the home office machines and office supplies. Increasing the stock of these goods so hastily without the necessary information may lead to a serious situation and decline the profits.