The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods:
"Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits."
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.
Write the essay now!
- The following appeared in the opinion column of a financial magazine:"On average, middle-aged consumers devote 39 percent of their retail expenditure to department store products and services, while
- The following appeared in an article in a college departmental newsletter:"Professor Taylor of Jones University is promoting a model of foreign language instruction in which students receive 10 weeks
- The following appeared in the editorial section of a daily newspaper:"Although forecasts of presidential elections based on opinion polls measure current voter preference, many voters keep changing t
- The following appeared in a speech by a stockholder of Consolidated Industries at the company's annual stockholders' meeting:"In the computer hardware division last year, profits fell significantly b 100
- The following appeared in a speech delivered by a member of the city council:"Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein High School went on to attend a college or univer