A17【自由女神小组第十三次作业】

hemaUID: 2190745

17The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Walnut Grove town newspaper.

"Walnut Grove's town council has advocated switching from EZ Disposal (which has had the contract for trash collection services in Walnut Grove for the past ten years) to ABC Waste, because EZ recently raised its monthly fee from $2,000 to $2,50 0 a month, whereas ABC's fee is still $2,000. But the town council is mistaken; we should continue using EZ. EZ collects trash twice a week, while ABC collects only once. Moreover, EZ—which, like ABC, currently has a fleet of 20 trucks—has ordered additional trucks. Finally, EZ provides exceptional service: 80 percent of respondents to last year's town survey agreed that they were 'satisfied' with EZ's performance."


In this letter, the author claims that it is wrong for the Walnut Grove’s town council to advocate switching from EZ Disposal to ABC Waste. As the author suggest the fact that even the EZ Disposal recently raised its monthly fee from $2000 to $2500, and ABC Waste kept $2000, EZ Disposal collect trash twice a week while the ABC Waste collect once. The author also cites the facts that EZ Disposal currently has a fleet of 20 trucks and has ordered additional trucks. However, close scrutiny of each of these facts reveals that none of them lend credible suppose to the recommendation,

First of all, the author cites the fact that EZ Disposal recently raised its monthly fee from $2000 to $2500, and ABC Waste kept $2000, EZ Disposal collect trash twice a week while the ABC Waste collect once. Therefore we can not just make a conclusion because of these. The author does not give out other possible information about the detailed collect work of the two companies. It is highly possible that sorts of the trash the ABC collected are much more than the EZ, or there is no need to collect the trash for twice a week. In this case, the behave that the town council chooses the ABC Waste for their serve is a very correct decision.

Secondly, the author concludes that the EZ is much stronger than ABC as EZ has a fleet of 20 trucks and also has ordered additional trucks. However, the author does not tell us the current number of the additional trucks, also he does not tell us the condition about the ABC. Lacking further information, it is equally possible that the number of the additional trucks is just one, or the ABC also ordered additional trucks. If this, ABC will be as strong as EZ.

Thirdly, the author cites a survey that 80 percent of respondents to last year’s town survey agreed that they were satisfied with EZ’s performance. However the letter does not tell us that what the respondents are. I do not think we can trust the survey while the almost of the respondents are the customers of the MZ At that condition, the may choose the MZ because they know little about the ABC. Moreover, the respondents are almost the dependents of the employees in MZ, they surely choose the EZ’s performance. Lacking the information about the respondents, it is impossible to assess the results.

In conclusion, the recommendation is not well supported. To convince that the town council should continue choose the MZ for its trash collect serves but not ABC Waste, the author would have to provide clear evidence that EZ is much stronger than ABC. To better evaluate the recommendation, I would need more information about the respondents and about the trucks the two have.