The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of marketing at Dura-Sock, Inc.
"A recent study of our customers suggests that our company is wasting the money it spends on its patented Endure manufacturing process, which ensures that our socks are strong enough to last for two years. We have always advertised our use of the Endure process, but the new study shows that despite our socks' durability, our average customer actually purchases new Dura-Socks every three months. Furthermore, our customers surveyed in our largest market, northeastern United States cities, say that they most value Dura-Socks' stylish appearance and availability in many colors. These findings suggest that we can increase our profits by discontinuing use of the Endure manufacturing process."
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.
The marketing vice president's suggestion addresses the stopping of the Endure manufacturing process based on findings from a recent study with customers and a survey to customers from northeastern United States. To evaluate this recommendation, several questions must be addressed.
Firstly, as no data is given of the first study mentioned, we would need to ask which kind of study was carried out: The study may have been done by one or several surveys to the customers or perhaps the study was done based on selling statistics of the company which did not address any customer survey, or even both, surveys and company data are used to develop the study. Had the study not used any data from surveys, the study could not be valid enough to strengthen the author's argument, as consequence of/for not addressing customers opinion.
Furthermore, even considering that at least one survey was carried out in the study we would need to ask which number of customers were used as a sample and whether these customers are varied regarding social circumstances, gender, age and so forth. This need of evidence of the scope and validity of a survey is also presented for the survey mentioned later in the text, which we do not have any data of (we actually do not even know if this survey was part of the aforementioned study or not). Unless the surveys are proved to be fully representative and valid, the author should not back his or her argument with them.
Moreover, building upon the implication based on the mentioned study that customers purchase socks averagely every three months, the author infers that customers do not give importance to the tested durability of the socks. Nevertheless, we would need to ask how many socks do they buy at each purchase: Perhaps they do not buy a lot because they are just replacing a few of them of their wardrobe., maybe the oldest ones, which already have more than two years even if they have purchased lately other socks.
However, it is true that marketing the Endure process may not be necessary if any evidence was presented regarding that the Endure process does not need more marketing as it is already widespread and more evidence regarding that most customer's principal reason of purchasing new socks is the stylish appearance, as the author mentions rather than needing new socks to replace the old ones. This is because customers who usually purchase for stylish appearance might be more likely to have the wardrobe rife of divergent socks and, therefore they may use a particular sock fewer times a year, which would result in a lesser concern about durability of the socks.
Comments
Essay evaluation report
Attribute Value Ideal
Final score: 3.0 out of 6
Category: Satisfactory Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 11 15
No. of Words: 448 350
No. of Characters: 2143 1500
No. of Different Words: 205 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.601 4.7
Average Word Length: 4.783 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.611 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 141 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 107 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 75 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 55 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 40.727 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 17.232 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.636 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.403 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.699 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.208 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 5 5
Grammar and spelling errors:
Line 1, column 68, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
...ts suggestion addresses the stopping of the Endure manufacturing process based on findings...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 3, column 476, Rule ID: POSSESIVE_APOSTROPHE[2]
Message: Possible typo: apostrophe is missing. Did you mean 'authors'' or 'author's'?
Suggestion: authors'; author's
...d not be valid enough to strengthen the authors argument, as consequence of/for not add...
^^^^^^^
Line 5, column 146, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...which number of customers were used as a sample and whether these customers are v...
^^
Line 7, column 497, Rule ID: WHITESPACE_RULE
Message: Possible typo: you repeated a whitespace
Suggestion:
...years even if they have purchased lately other socks. However, it is true that...
^^
Line 9, column 36, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
.... However, it is true that marketing the Endure process may not be necessary if any evi...
^^^^^^^^^^
Line 9, column 121, Rule ID: A_INFINITVE[1]
Message: Probably a wrong construction: a/the + infinitive
...y evidence was presented regarding that the Endure process does not need more marketing as...
^^^^^^^^^^
Transition Words or Phrases used:
actually, also, first, firstly, furthermore, however, if, may, moreover, nevertheless, regarding, so, then, therefore, at least, kind of, it is true
Attributes: Values AverageValues Percentages(Values/AverageValues)% => Comments
Performance on Part of Speech:
To be verbs : 22.0 19.6327345309 112% => OK
Auxiliary verbs: 16.0 12.9520958084 124% => OK
Conjunction : 13.0 11.1786427146 116% => OK
Relative clauses : 13.0 13.6137724551 95% => OK
Pronoun: 28.0 28.8173652695 97% => OK
Preposition: 51.0 55.5748502994 92% => OK
Nominalization: 12.0 16.3942115768 73% => OK
Performance on vocabulary words:
No of characters: 2192.0 2260.96107784 97% => OK
No of words: 447.0 441.139720559 101% => OK
Chars per words: 4.90380313199 5.12650576532 96% => OK
Fourth root words length: 4.59808378696 4.56307096286 101% => OK
Word Length SD: 2.66857280642 2.78398813304 96% => OK
Unique words: 216.0 204.123752495 106% => OK
Unique words percentage: 0.48322147651 0.468620217663 103% => OK
syllable_count: 700.2 705.55239521 99% => OK
avg_syllables_per_word: 1.6 1.59920159681 100% => OK
A sentence (or a clause, phrase) starts by:
Pronoun: 5.0 4.96107784431 101% => OK
Article: 4.0 8.76447105788 46% => OK
Subordination: 4.0 2.70958083832 148% => OK
Conjunction: 1.0 1.67365269461 60% => OK
Preposition: 1.0 4.22255489022 24% => More preposition wanted as sentence beginning.
Performance on sentences:
How many sentences: 11.0 19.7664670659 56% => Need more sentences. Double check the format of sentences, make sure there is a space between two sentences, or have enough periods. And also check the lengths of sentences, maybe they are too long.
Sentence length: 40.0 22.8473053892 175% => The Avg. Sentence Length is relatively long.
Sentence length SD: 91.1375311646 57.8364921388 158% => OK
Chars per sentence: 199.272727273 119.503703932 167% => OK
Words per sentence: 40.6363636364 23.324526521 174% => OK
Discourse Markers: 13.4545454545 5.70786347227 236% => Less transition words/phrases wanted.
Paragraphs: 5.0 5.15768463074 97% => OK
Language errors: 6.0 5.25449101796 114% => OK
Sentences with positive sentiment : 3.0 8.20758483034 37% => More positive sentences wanted.
Sentences with negative sentiment : 4.0 6.88822355289 58% => More negative sentences wanted.
Sentences with neutral sentiment: 4.0 4.67664670659 86% => OK
What are sentences with positive/Negative/neutral sentiment?
Coherence and Cohesion:
Essay topic to essay body coherence: 0.174927081638 0.218282227539 80% => OK
Sentence topic coherence: 0.0774574328298 0.0743258471296 104% => OK
Sentence topic coherence SD: 0.0732976694279 0.0701772020484 104% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence: 0.117742019987 0.128457276422 92% => OK
Paragraph topic coherence SD: 0.0629040311867 0.0628817314937 100% => OK
Essay readability:
automated_readability_index: 22.0 14.3799401198 153% => OK
flesch_reading_ease: 30.88 48.3550499002 64% => OK
smog_index: 8.8 7.1628742515 123% => OK
flesch_kincaid_grade: 18.9 12.197005988 155% => OK
coleman_liau_index: 12.03 12.5979740519 95% => OK
dale_chall_readability_score: 9.05 8.32208582834 109% => OK
difficult_words: 97.0 98.500998004 98% => OK
linsear_write_formula: 17.5 12.3882235529 141% => OK
gunning_fog: 18.0 11.1389221557 162% => OK
text_standard: 18.0 11.9071856287 151% => OK
What are above readability scores?
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Rates: 66.67 out of 100
Scores by essay e-grader: 4.0 Out of 6
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Note: the e-grader does NOT examine the meaning of words and ideas. VIP users will receive further evaluations by advanced module of e-grader and human graders.