嘉文博译留学网- GMAT作文加油站

The following appeared in a memo to the Saluda town council from the town’s business manager.

“Research indicates that those who exercise regularly are hospitalized less than half as often as those who don’t exercise. B y providing a well-equipped gym for Saluda’s municipal employees, we should be able to reduce the cost of our group health insurance coverage by approximately 50% and thereby achieve a balanced town budget. ”

Instructions:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

Sample Essay

In this memo Saluda's business manager recommends that the town provide a gym for its employees as a means of balancing the town's budget. The manager reasons that since studies show that people who exercise regularly are hospitalized less than half as often than those who don't exercise, Saluda could save approximately 50% on the cost of its group health insurance coverage by providing its employees with a well-equipped gym. The savings on insurance would balance the town's budget. The manager's argument is unconvincing because it rests on several unsupported and dubious assumptions.

First, the manager assumes that Saluda's employees will exercise regularly if a well-equipped facility is provided for them. This assumption is questionable since the mere fact that a gym is made available for employee use is no guarantee that they will avail themselves of it at all, let alone on a regular basis.

Second, the manager assumes that Saluda's employees do not exercise regularly. Once again, the manager offers no support for this crucial assumption. Obviously, if all of Saluda's employees already engage in daily exercise, the hospitalization rate will be unaffected by equipping an exercise facility and no savings will be realized on the group health insurance.

Third, the manager assumes that there is a direct relation between the hospitalization rate for employees and the cost of their group health insurance such that a reduction in the hospitalization rate will result in a corresponding reduction in the cost of insurance. While this may turn out to be true, the manager has failed to offer any evidence for this claim.

Finally, the manager assumes that the cost of building a well-equipped exercise facility will not negate the savings realized on the group health insurance. Until evidence has been provided' to show that this is not the case, the manager's plan is unacceptable.

In conclusion, the business manager's proposal to provide an exercise facility as a means of balancing Saluda's budget is not convincing. To strengthen the argument, evidence would have to be provided for each of the assumptions listed in the previous analysis.

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-107

Topic:

The following appeared in a memorandum written by the assistant manager of a store that sells gourmet food items from various countries.

“A local wine store made an interesting discovery last month. it sold more French than Italian wine on days when it played recordings of French accordion music, but it sold more Italian than French wine on days when Italian songs were played. Therefore, I recommend that we put food specialties from one particular country on sale for a week at a time and play only music from that country while the sale is going on. By this means, we will increase our profits in the same way that the wine store did and we will be able to predict more precisely what items we should stock at any given time. ”

Instructions:

Sample Essay

As a means of increasing profits and more accurately predicting what items should be stocked, the assistant manager of a gourmet food store proposes that only music from a particular country be played during the period food items from that country are on sale. The basis for this proposal is the discovery by a wine store that sales of wine from a country increased when music from that country was played. The manager's proposal is questionable for several reasons.

First, the manager assumes that the sequence of sales experienced by the wine store reflects a general causal pattern. However, there is little evidence to support this assumption. While perhaps indicative of such a pattern, the wine store sales merely demonstrate a correlation between sales of wine from a country and the playing of music from that country. To establish a causal connection between these events it would be necessary to examine and eliminate other possible factors that might account for this phenomenon. In any case, it is highly questionable whether evidence gathered over a one-month period is sufficient to establish the general claim in question.

Second, the manager assumes that the wine store increased its profits by playing the appropriate music. However, this is not necessarily the case. It is consistent with the statement that the wine store sold more French than Italian wine on days when French music was played and vice versa when Italian music was played that no net increase in sales, and thus profit, was realized by this method. For example, it is possible that on days when French music was played seven bottles of French wine were sold and three bottles of Italian whereas the reverse was the case when Italian music was played, and that in both instances only 10 bottles were sold.

In conclusion, the manager's recommendation is based on two dubious assumptions. To strengthen the argument it would be necessary to provide additional evidence to support the claim that sales of an item are influenced by the type of music played. Additionally, the manager would have to provide evidence that the wine store increased its profits by playing the appropriate music.

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-108

Topic:

The following appeared in a memorandum from the director of research and development at Ready-to-Ware, a software engineering firm.

“The package of benefits and incentives that Ready-to-Ware offers to professional staff is too costly. Our quarterly profits have declined since the package was introduced two years ago at the time of our incorporation. Moreover, the package had little positive effect, as we have had only marginal success in recruiting and training high-quality professional staff. To become more profitable again, Ready-to-Ware should, therefore, offer the reduced benefits package that was in place two years ago and use the savings to fund our current research and development initiatives.”

Instructions:

Sample Essay

In this memorandum the director of research and development of Ready-to-Ware recommends reducing the benefits package offered to employees as a means of in- creasing profits and funding current research and development initiatives. The director's line of reasoning is that quarterly profits have declined because of the current benefits package and can be increased by reducing it. Moreover, the director argues that the benefits package had little effect in recruiting and training high-quality employees. The director's argument is questionable for several reasons.

To begin with, the director's reasoning is a classic instance of “after this, therefore because of this" reasoning. The only evidence put forward to support the claim that the introduction of the benefits package is responsible for the decline in quarterly profits is that the profits declined after the package was introduced. However, this evidence is insufficient to establish the causal claim in question. Many other factors could bring about the same result. For example, the company may have failed to keep pace with competitors in introducing new products or may have failed to satisfy its customers by providing adequate support services. Until these and other possible factors are ruled out, it is premature to conclude that the introduction of the benefits package was the cause of the decline in profits.

Next, the director assumes that the benefits package currently offered is responsible for the marginal success Ready-to-Ware has experienced in recruiting and training new high-quality professionals. However, no evidence is offered to support this allegation. Other reasons for Ready-to-Ware's failure to attract high-quality professionals are not considered. For example, perhaps Ready-to-Ware is not a cutting edge company or is not regarded as a leader in its field. Until these and other possible explanations of the company's marginal success at recruiting and training employee are examined and eliminated it is folly to conclude that the benefits package provided to the professional staff is responsible.

In conclusion, the director has failed to provide convincing reasons for reducing the benefits package Ready-to-Ware currently offers its professional staff. To further support the recommendation the director would have to examine and eliminate other possible reasons for the decline in Ready-to-Ware's quarterly profits and for its lack of success in attracting high-quality professionals.

GMAT ARGUMENT类作文范文-109

Topic:

The following appeared as a memorandum from the vice-president of The Dolci Candy Company.

“Given the success of our premium and most expensive line of chocolate candies in a recent taste test and the consequent increase in sales, we should shift our business focus to producing additional lines of premium candy rather than our lesser-priced, ordinary candies. When the current economic boom ends and consumers can no longer buy major luxury items, such as cars, they will still want to indulge in small luxuries such as expensive candies. ”

Instructions:

Sample Essay

In this memorandum the vice president of Dolci recommends changing the company's focus to the production of premium high-priced candy products. In support of this proposal the vice president points to the success of Dolci's expensive line of chocolate candies in a recent taste test and the increase in sales following the test. An additional rationale for the change in focus stems from the speculation that consumers will continue to purchase expensive candies when they can no longer afford major luxury items. The vice president's proposal lacks cogency for three reasons.

First, the fact that the premium line of chocolates met with success in a recent taste test is scant evidence of the claim that this line of candies will continue to be successful in the future. To warrant this inference the vice president must assume that the taste test was representative of consumers' candy preferences in general. Unfortunately, the vice president has failed to provide evidence for this crucial assumption.

Second, the vice president assumes that the increase in sales experienced after the taste test was brought about by sales of the premium candies. However, the only indication that this was the case is the fact that the increase in sales followed the taste test. Unfortunately, this evidence is insufficient to establish the causal claim in question. While temporal precedence is one of the conditions required to establish a causal relationship between two events, by itself it is not a sufficient condition.

Finally, while the vice president's speculation about future sales of premium candies may turn out to be correct, no evidence has been provided to support this prediction.
In conclusion, the vice president has not made a convincing case for the recommendation to shift Dolci's business focus. To further support this proposal the vice president would have to provide evidence that the taste test was a reliable indicator of consumer's candy preferences, as well as evidence that the increase in sales was due to the sales of premium candies. Moreover, supporting evidence would be required for the prediction that consumers will continue to buy premium candies in the event of an economic downturn.

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