argument182 互拍,留连接

OddflyerUID: 209689

182Butter has now been replaced by margarine in Happy Pancake House restaurants throughout the southwestern United States. Only about 2 percent of customers have complained, indicating that 98 people out of 100 are happy with the change. Furthermore, many servers have reported that a number of customers who still ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. Clearly, either these customers cannot distinguish margarine from butter, or they use the term "butter" to refer to either butter or margarine. Thus, to avoid the expense of purchasing butter, the Happy Pancake House should extend this cost-saving change to its restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well.

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The author recommends the Happy Pancake House(HPH) to replace butter with margarine in order to save the expense, and to extend this change to HPH's restaurants in the southeast and northeast as well. To support the recommendation, the author cites the facts: (1) after this change, only 2% customer complains about the implementation; (2) a number of customers who still ask for butter do not complain when they are given margarine instead. After a close scrutiny, I found several flaws in this argument.

First of all, the fact that only 2 percent customers complain about the change does not mean that other 98 percent customers are content. It is entirely possible that most of them can not distinguish the butter from the margarine, and if they have been told the truth, they would not be content, and still ask for butter. If so, the author' recommendation would be not convincing at all.

Secondly, the author unfairly reasons that the customers who do not complain when they are given margarine instead of butter cannot distinguish the butter or use the term 'butter' to refer to butter or margarine. Perhaps these customers consider the process of demand would cost too much time, and they are unwilling to do so. If it is the truth, these customers will be gradually discontent with HPH's service, and HPH will lose customers as well, and the author's recommendation would cost lost to HPH.

Last but not least, even assuming that all foregoing assumptions are correct, the author unfairly generalizes that customers in other place will act the same. It is equally possible that customers in other place like butter very much, the recommendation would serious damage HPH’s sales and profits. The author fails to provide evidence to show these customers have the same appetite as the southern people does, which make the recommendation unconvincing.

In sum, the argument is not persuasive as it stands. To strengthen it, the author should provide evidence to show that whether customers in PHP are content with the change. To determine whether the customers in other place also like the change, the author should provide a survey about this.

[ Last edited by staralways on 2005-8-7 at 22:28 ]