argument117 为我所用小组第九次作业

guoshishuoUID: 2467577

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."
WORDS: 462          TIME: 00:29:32          DATE: 2008-4-2 19:38:17

The author recommends that they should increase stock of office supplies and thus their office-supply departments will become the most profitable component. To support her recommendation, she cites facts such as over 70 percent of the respondents to a survey have reported that they have to take more work home than before. However, I find some logical flaws in this argument, which render it unconvincing.
To begin with, the author has cited the result of a survey to bolster her recommendation. But she fails to provide any information about the participants of the survey and their ages, jobs and so on. If the number of participants is small, it might be an insufficient sample to draw any reliable conclusion that many people are really required to take more work home than before. What's more, it is entirely possible that those who often complain about their jobs are more inclined to respond to the survey, which will make the result of it unconvincing. And if one of the scenarios is true, the author's recommendation about the increasing of office supplies might be untenable.
Secondly, even if there are lots of people who take more work home from the workplace, it is of little indication that they need home office machines. The author overlooks the possibility that they actually have these kinds of machines at home and thus they do not need new machines. Also, perhaps the kind of work they take home can be accomplished only by computer. If this is the case, then the increasing of office machines will probably raise their costs such as the storing fees, not to mention bringing them profits.
Thirdly, even I concede that former assumptions are true, the author still cannot convince me that the increase of stock of office machines and office supplies will make their office-supply departments become the most profitable component of their stores. Whether those products will sell well or not depends on several factors such as service, prices and brands. Without considering these factors, the author cannot simply come to the conclusion that the office machines and supplies will be popular. Moreover, the author has not offered any information about other departments of the stores. Perhaps the products of other departments are more popular or profitable. Thus, the office-supply departments will not be able to be the most profitable component of their stores.
In conclusion, the argument suffers from the logical flaws and is consequently unconvincing. To better bolster it, the author should provide more evidence to substantiate that a large number of people are taking their work home and they will buy office machines and office supplies. Also, she needs to prove that through increasing stock of those products will make their office-supply departments become the most profitable ones in their stores.