Argument Type - The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing. "During the past year, Quiot Manufacturing had 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant, where the work shifts are one

The following appeared in a memo from a vice president of Quiot Manufacturing.

"During the past year, Quiot Manufacturing had 30 percent more on-the-job accidents than at the nearby Panoply Industries plant, where the work shifts are one hour shorter than ours. Experts say that significant contributing factors in many on-the-job accidents are fatigue and sleep deprivation among workers. Therefore, to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot and thereby increase productivity, we should shorten each of our three work shifts by one hour so that employees will get adequate amounts of sleep."

Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted.

Composition:

In this memo, the writer recommends to shorten each of their three work shifts by hour in order that employees will get adequate amounts of sleep thus the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot would be reduced and thereby increase productivity. Based on the assumptions that the reason of fewer on-the-job accidents of the nearby Panoply Industries plant than Quiot Manufacturing owed to the shorter work shifts of the Panoply Industries plant, and it seems that the longer work shifts of Quiot Manufacturing lead to workers' fatigues and sleep deprivation which seems the significant factors contributed to the on-the-job accidents, the writer made such a recommendation. Although it seems reasonable at first glance, in fact it is ill-conceived and reasons are as follows.

In the first place, the writer seems to assume that it is the longer work shifts of Quiot Manufacturing that made on-the-job accidents there were more than Panoply Industries plant. However, there may be other factors that contribute the result. It is possible that rather than working in the nearby Panoply Industries plant which may more safer, working in Quiot Manufacturing is more dangerous that always have on-the-job accidents in itself. In addition, it is very possible that rather than Quiot Manufacturing, the Panoply Industries plant was good at taking measures to protect workers which contributed to fewer on-the-job accidents than Quiot. All these lead the assumption that it is the longer work shifts in Quiot Manufacturing that made on-the-job accidents are more than Panoply Industries plant to an assertive one.

In the second place, the writer makes an assumption that it was the longer work shifts of Quiot that made workers there are fatigue and sleep deprivation which always resulted in on-the-job accidents, thus shorten work shifts would provide workers more time to have a good rest, and on-the-job accidents would naturally fewer. However, there is no information that workers are fatigue and sleep deprivation. Even if workers are fatigue and sleep deprivation, there is no evidence that the reason is the longer work shifts. Since it is very possible that some workers who needn't to work in the night, playing overnight which is easily making them tired, and it has nothing to do with the longer work shifts. Therefore, it is unfair to say that the longer work shifts contributes to the workers' seemly fatigues and sleep deprivation.

Finally, the writer positively assumes that shorten each of their three work shifts by one hour would reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at Quiot and thereby increase productivity. However, the writer did not consider the consequence of shorten work shifts. As the writer's assumption that workers were fatigue and lack of sleep, if shorten work shifts, it is very possible that some workers would have more time to play outside the work which may easily make them be more tired, thus there may be more on-the-job accidents. Therefore, shorten work shifts doesn't necessarily reduce on-the-job accidents thus neither would it increase productivity.

In conclusion, the ill-conceived assumptions that it is the longer work shifts of Quiot Manufacturing that made workers there are fatigue and sleep deprivation thus contributing to more on-the-job accidents there lead the writer's recommendation to shorten work shifts to an unconvincingly reasonable one.

Time: 35 min
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