http://www.urch.com/forums GMAT Analysis of an Argument essays. en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:23:05 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.urch.com/forums/tm_images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.urch.com/forums http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128722-please-rate-my-argument-essay-1st-only-week-d-day.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:23:41 GMT ARGUMENTS *“Over 75% of the households in Parksboro have Jacuzzi bathtubs. In addition, the average family income in Paksboro is 50% higher than the national average and a local store reports record high sales of most costly brands of hair and body care products. With so much being spent on... ARGUMENTS
“Over 75% of the households in Parksboro have Jacuzzi bathtubs. In addition, the average family income in Paksboro is 50% higher than the national average and a local store reports record high sales of most costly brands of hair and body care products. With so much being spent on personal care, Parksboro will be a profitable location for new Luxe Spa- a saloon that offers premium services at prices that are above average”

The author asserts that Parksboro will be a profitable location for luxury spa – Luxe Spa. The author line of reasoning is that the average family income in the Parksboro is 50% higher than the national average income. Also, the author mentions that over 75% of the households in Parksboro have Jacuzzi bathtubs and record high sales of expensive hair and body products at a local store. The author’s argument depends on number of unconvincing assumptions which makes it wholly unpersuasive.

First, the author commits “Fallacy of Faulty analogy” where author assumes that more spending on expensive hair and body also confirms high spending on saloon. However, this cannot be plaintively assumed. For example, a family who is already spending more on the hair and body products may not be ready to spend at an expensive saloon. Moreover, the high number of Jacuzzi cannot guarantee more spending on the saloon.

Second, the author assumes high average income of the Parksboro family to support his argument. However, the average income is not a true indicator of the income of the all families. Author has to give more statistical data for the income of the Parksboro families. The high income can be concentrated among few families. There is no surety that such families are also ready to spend in saloons. Author has to support his argument by the survey of the interests of the high spending families of the Parksboro.

Third, the author has to provide data of the existing saloons in the Parsboro. If there are already many saloons in the Parksboro, it will not be a wise decision to open a new saloon. Author has to provide detailed evaluation of the profits of the existing saloons, if any in the Parksboro.

In sum, author argument is unconvincing. Author has to give further statistical data of the income of the families, provide survey of the interests of the Parksboro families and present the evaluation of the business success of the existing saloons of the Parksboro.

THANKS ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument vineet.b5 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128722-please-rate-my-argument-essay-1st-only-week-d-day.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128698-please-rate-my-1st-essay.html Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:15:11 GMT The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter. “While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The... The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter.

“While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies’ property taxes, since sending goods by rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one thing, trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them amore cost-effective and environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist, increases in rail traffic would not require building new lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens.”


The argument concludes that the Government should reduce the property tax paid by rail road company as in authors view it is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation as compared to Highway shipping.The author support the above claim by giving example of trucking companies that deliver good pay only a portion of maintenance costs and no property tax.The author supports railways by claiming that they consume less fuel and so they are environment friendly and cost effective.Additionally author claims that no new rail line would be need to handle increase in traffic.The argument is full of gaps and loop holes as it presents fragmentary evidences.Neither are the premises convincing nor is the conclusion compelling.The argument is evidently a result of hasty generalization.

Firstly the author commits a faulty analogy by saying that since the trucking company does not pay property tax, it should be reduced for rail companies also but fails to analyze the reason for property tax in case of railways.For example the infrastructure and maintenance cost for railways is far higher than that of highways.

Secondly authors takes many subjective factors in to accounts like railways should be used because they are fuel efficent and environment friendly but does not consider the factors about the reach of railways in all part of the country.Also the author does not consider the nature of good that cannot be carried by railways.Example perishable goods like milk, vegetables, fruits etc.The author fail to compare the time taken by railways and the trucks.

Finally the author supports the railways on claim that no additional rail line would be required to handle additional traffic but ignore the factors like requirement of warehouse, number or rail coaches and additional employee cost.Thus this point actually weakens the argument.

The argument is full of speculation as the author has assumed lot of data.The author's inability to fortify the argument is evident from the vague language used, wrong analogy and ignorance of certain factors in supporting the claim.Had the author considered the views presented above the argument would have rendered irrefutable, the argument in current form does not provide holistic picture. ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument ketan811 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128698-please-rate-my-1st-essay.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128567-please-read-rate-memorandum-written-managing-director-exeunt.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:49:23 GMT The following appeared in a memorandum written by the managing director of the Exeunt Theater Company: “Now that we have moved to a larger theater, we can expect to increase our revenues from ticket sales. To further increase our profits, we should start producing the plays that have been most... The following appeared in a memorandum written by the managing director of the Exeunt Theater Company:
“Now that we have moved to a larger theater, we can expect to increase our revenues from ticket sales. To further increase our profits, we should start producing the plays that have been most successful when they were performed in our nation’s largest cities. In addition, we should hire the Adlib Theater Company’s director of fund-raising, since corporate contributions to Adlib have increased significantly over the three years that she has worked for Adlib.”

Discuss how well reasoned… etc.


The Exeunt Theater’s managing director states that moving to a larger theater will increase revenues and producing plays that have been successful in larger cities will increase their profits even more. Although at first this argument may seem convincing, after taking a closer look at the statements that have been made it is safe to say that the author has based his or her conclusion on several flawed assumption.

To begin with, the author assumes that moving to a larger theater would automatically mean that there will be a larger audience. To make this assumption several things have to be taken into account such as ticket prices, the location, the demographic population and the like. Moreover, the managing director must think about the kind of plays that are going to be shown in that theater and whether or not there will be a wide audience for those kinds of plays.

Secondly, the author assumes that plays that have been successful in other parts of the country will thrive in this new theater when that might not necessarily be the case. He or she does not mention the demography of the area where this new theater is going to be located, which has great relevance to the prosperity of the theater. For example, the Action-Adventure movie, G.I. Joe is the kind of movie that was produced to target the population aged between 15 and 40. If this movie were to be shown in an area where mostly elderly people live there would be a definite decline in profits. Moreover, he or she failed to consider the culture of the people of that area. We can take Ethiopia for an example, there are different ethnic groups living in different regions of the country. Although these ethnic groups may not have cultures that differ greatly, there are cultural norms that may be acceptable in one area and offensive in another.

Thirdly, the managing director assumes that when the director of fund-raising was hired by Adlib, Adlib received corporate contributions as a result of her employment. He or she does not mention how or why it received contributions. The simultaneous occurrence of the two events could just be a coincidence or the Adlib Theater may have received contributions for some other reason.

Lastly, even though the director’s efforts brought about an increase in contributions in the last three years, the assumption that that trend will continue in the upcoming years is irrational, because as time passes changes occur sometimes for the better and sometimes for worse. Furthermore, the Adlib Theater may have been the only successful task the fund-raising director may have achieved.

In conclusion, the managing director of Exeunt Theater must provide the information necessary to strengthen the conclusions he or she made. He or she must thoroughly research the demography of the area where the new theater is going to be opened, investigate the work of the fund-raising director Adlib hired, find out what kind of work she did for Adlib and see whether hiring her would be right for the Exeunt Theater Company.




Please give your much needed suggestions!!! Thank you! ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument Infinite7 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128567-please-read-rate-memorandum-written-managing-director-exeunt.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128543-american-english-british-english.html Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:39:11 GMT Hi everyone, I will soon sit the exam in the UK, and I was wondering if my AWA essays should be written in American English or British English? Thanks for your help! Hi everyone,

I will soon sit the exam in the UK, and I was wondering if my AWA essays should be written in American English or British English?

Thanks for your help! ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument iamito http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128543-american-english-british-english.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128494-please-read-rate-memorandum-human-resources-department-homestyle.html Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:40:10 GMT The following appeared in a memorandum from the human resources department of Homestyle, a house remodeling business:
“This year, despite Homestyle’s move to a new office space, we have seen a decline in both company morale and productivity, and a corresponding increase in administrative costs. To rectify these problems, we should begin using a newly developed software package for performance appraisal and feedback. Managers will save time by simply choosing comments from a preexisting list: then the software will automatically generate feedback for the employee. The human resources department at CounterBalance, the manufacturer of the countertops we install, reports satisfaction with the package.”
Discuss how well reasoned… etc
__________________________________________________ ____________
The author presents an argument, stating that even after Homestyle’s move to a new space has increased costs. The author also believes that installing a certain software will solve most of the company’s problems. However, he or she came to a conclusion failing to take some factors into consideration and making faulty assumptions. I will address these issues in detail below.

One invalid assumption in the argument is the one where the author believes a software will solve most of the company’s management issues. That is a fallacy that many company’s believe and end-up with a lot of problems. A soft ware maybe able to appraise and give feedback on someone’s work but it lacks the emotional aspect of appraisal so it would lack some abilities such as the ability to appraise the quality of work an individual brings to the table, an employee’s personality, the effort and sacrifices an employee makes for the good of the company, etc… Hence, softwares are not as reliable as human beings to take such measures.

Second, the author mentions the fact that there is low morale and productivity and assumes that a software would solve those problems. Unfortunately, the use of a program can only go so far. These problems come about as a result of the employee’s dissatisfaction with his or her job. It is the manager’s duty to deal with issues employees may have such as grievances, employees with children, working environments, and so on.

Finally, an illogical comparison is made between the companies Counterbalance and Homestyle. There is no mention about what kind of difficulties the other company is dealing with. To make such a comparison the author must research and identify the similarities between the two business enterprises. Moreover, solutions that apply for one company may not apply for another.

To conclude, there are some assumptions that have been made to build this argument, which make the conclusion inevitably flawed. The author must take the qualities a manager has into consideration and make further research on how the computer program solved the problems Counterbalance was facing, understand how similar these problems are to those of Homestyle, and see how the solution can be implemented. If these details are included in the memorandum he or she would have a solid argument.


Please post your needed comments on my essay! Thank you! [bounce] ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument Infinite7 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/128494-please-read-rate-memorandum-human-resources-department-homestyle.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127693-please-rate-essay-memorandum-vice-president-gigantis.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:37:49 GMT The following appeared in a memorandum from the Vice President of Gigantis, a development company that builds and leases retail store facilities:
“Nationwide over the past five years, sales have increased significantly at outlet stores that deal exclusively in reduced-price merchandise. Therefore, we should publicize the new mall that we are building at Pleasantville as a central location for outlet shopping and rent store space only to outlet companies. By taking advantage of the success of outlet stores, this plan should help ensure full occupancy of the mall and enable us to recover quickly the costs of building the mall.”

Discuss how well reasoned…..
__________________________________________________ ____________________


The Vice President of Gigantis introduces an argument that makes a conclusion based on faulty premises. Hence, I find that the argument is fundamentally flawed. I will provide details and suggestions on how the argument can be solidified.

Firstly, the argument states that sales have increased over the past five years at outlet stores and assumes that that same success will continue to occur. The author does not provide any proof as to how the company will continue to prosper or why the company was successful. Even though, those details were provided the author fails to consider changes that may happen in the future, such as strikes, inflation, a recession, Gigantis’s future prospects, etc…

Secondly, the author assumes that the new mall that is being built as a central location in Pleasantville is going to grow. But if this building is built in a place where people have low disposable incomes then the probability of success of this business is going to be low and, hence, top selling outlet stores will look for other buildings to rent. Moreover, the argument does not mention why renting space to outlet stores only is going to make this company successful. The author should provide reasons why outlet stores are a better investment than other stores.

Finally, the Vice President assumes that thriving outlet stores will as an advantage will ensure full occupancy of the mall and help them quickly recover the costs. The author again leaves out some key issues such as the exact area where mall is going to be opened, the consumer’s disposable income around that area, inflation, etc… The Vice President further assumes that the mall will be fully occupied. He did not consider whether all those business enterprises are willing to rent a space in the building to make such a statement. They may have other better opportunities that they would want to take advantage of that Gigantis doesn’t provide.

To conclude, the Vice President should provide further information on the future plans of the company and investigate how and why the company can thrive. Furthermore, more information should be provided about exactly where this mall is going to be opened, the target market of this company, the disposable income of the people around that area, more research must be done on the outlet stores’ and other companies that would provide better opportunities than Gigantis would. With these details included in the argument the statement will be strengthened and more compelling. ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument Infinite7 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127693-please-rate-essay-memorandum-vice-president-gigantis.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127669-6-essay.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:35:25 GMT Hello everyone.

Below is my essay for one of the issues.

Any chance this is enough to earn a 6?

Any form of feedback would be appreciated.

"All companies should invest heavily in advertising because high quality advertising can sell almost any product"

Discuss the extent to which you agree or....



Most financial managers, whether at large corporations or small businesses, must decide on the level of advertising, if any, they wish to invest in. One school of thought on this issue is that all companies should invest heavily since high quality advertising can sell almost any product. While it is true that heavy advertising benefits many companies, I disagree that all companies should invest heavily. I believe that many factors contribute to this decision and companies in different circumstances should adopt different advertising strategies.

First, the type of product or service that a company offers should play a significant role in the level of advertising that a company chooses to invest in. Different products require different marketing strategies and hence different levels of advertising. For instance, a large car manufacturer would require a combination of radio, television and print advertising to be most successful. On the other hand a government-run institution such as a public library would benefit very little from heavy advertising, if any at all. Furthermore, different companies require different types of advertising and since different forms of advertising are not equally expensive, it is likely that some companies can achieve their advertising goals without incurring heavy expenses.

Second, the stage in the business cycle that a company is in should also play a role in the decision concerning the amount of funds allocated to advertising. A company in the early stages of its business life cycle may choose to invest heavily up to a certain point to create awareness of the product. Once that product is well established in the market, the company may benefit more from allocating more resources to functions other than advertising. Perhaps at a certain stage, a company would benefit most from adopting a mass scale production strategy that would require cutting costs; heavy advertising at this stage would go against the company’s goals.

In conclusion, while some may argue that heavy advertising is appropriate for all companies, I take a different stance – I believe that each company should decide on the appropriate level based on many different factors including the type of product offered and the stage in the business life cycle. While I do believe that heavy advertising benefits many companies, I nevertheless disagree that all companies should invest heavily in advertising. ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument mntrlgmat http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127669-6-essay.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127625-need-comments-manhattan-essay.html Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:18:07 GMT

• "Art and music have long been understood to have therapeutic effects for individuals who suffer from either physical or mental illnesses. However, most doctors rarely recommend to patients some form of art or music therapy. Instead, doctors focus almost all of their attention on costly drug treatments and invasive procedures that carry serious risks and side-effects. By focusing on these expensive procedures rather than low-cost treatments such as art and music therapy, doctors are doing a disservice to their patients and contributing to the rising cost of health care in the United States."
  Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
  
  YOUR RESPONSE:
• The argument states that doctors are doing a disservice to their patients and contributing to the rising cost of health care in the United States, because doctors rarely recommend to patients some form of art or music therapy. The author's line of reasoning is that doctors focus almost all of their attention on costly drug treatments. The argument is unconvincing for several reasons. The argument omits some important concerns that must be considered to substantiate the argument.
  
  First of all, the argument is based on a questionable assumption that art or music therapy will cure the physical or mental illnesses in a short period as taken by the drugs to cure the physical or mental illnesses. However, that cannot be assumed. Studies suggests that art or music therapy takes several years to cure a patient who suffer from physical or mental illnesses, whereas the drug treatments cure a patient in a short period of time.
  
  Secondly, the argument assumes that art or music therapy can cure all the forms of physical illnesses. It is well known that by art or music therapy can cure only certain forms of physical illnesses, so the argument is unreasonable if all of the drug treatments involve illnesses which cannot be cured by art or music therapy.
  
  Finally, the author fails to consider that sometimes art or music therapy may not cure the patient even after proper treatment. Because of the unknown result after several years of treatment, relatives of the patients prefer drug treatments to the patients so the result of treatments could be known in a short period of time.

Thus the argument is not completely sound. The evidence in support of conclusion that doctors rarely recommend art or music therapy is not reasonable. Ultimately, the argument might have been strengthened if the author of magazine has stated that doctors suggest drug treatments for illnesses which can be easily cured by art or music therapy and it is sure that those illnesses will be completely cured by art or msic therapy. ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument vgmat_24 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127625-need-comments-manhattan-essay.html http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127316-please-read-argmument-speech-stockholder-consolidated-industries.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:30:06 GMT 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 below projections, the product line decreased from 20 to only 5 items, and expenditures for... 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 below projections, the product line decreased from 20 to only 5 items, and expenditures for employee benefits increased by 15 percent. Never the less, Consolidated’s board of directors has approved an annual salary of more than $1 million for our company’s chief executive officer. The present board members should be replaced because they are unconcerned about the increasing costs of employee benefits and salaries, in spite of the company’s problems generating income.”

Discuss how well reasoned… etc.
__________________________________________________ __
The author of the speech presents an argument, which seems like a solid one, raising some valid points. However upon closer examination of the statements that have been made I believe that the argument is unconvincing. And with some detailed explanations I shall make some helpful suggestions to strengthen the argument.


Firstly, the stockholder assumes that increase of expenditures for employee benefits led to the subsequent decrease of the company’s profits. There are many other reasons that could have brought about that result such as a recession, more competitors, rising cost of making the product, etc…


Second, the assumption that a decrease in the product line would decrease profits is unreasonable. The company could have decreased its product line to cut back on the cost of producing its other products. Or the company could simply be producing a four-in-one product to increase its sales or to be more competitive in the market.


Thirdly, the stockholder assumes that the Consolidated’s board of directors made an unreasonable decision in approving the company’s chief executive officer’s increased salary, saying that the present board members are not concerned about the rising costs of employee benefits. The board members may have taken those costs into consideration and still given the chief executive officer his or her promotion. That particular employee could be a very valuable employee that Consolidated Industries needs and intends to keep. We could take Jamie Dimon for an example; Mr. Dimon is a CEO at JP Morgan, who worked very hard towards taking over Bear Stearns. A transaction which would normally take a month, Jamie and his colleagues had completed in forty eight hours. Having taken this big risk and become successful, Mr. Dimon is now called America’s most important banker. The CEO of Consolidated may have made a decision that will, in the long-run, benefit the company.


To conclude, the stockholder makes some assumptions that clearly make the argument unconvincing. If he or she were to revise his or her statements and investigate the exact reason behind why the profits of the business enterprise fell, why the company now produces fewer products, and why Consolidated industries decided to give the CEO a promotion, so that the stockholder can support his or her conclusions.
_______________________________________
Please rate my essay and give me suggestions on what I can improve on. Thank you all! :tup: ]]> GMAT AWA: Analysis of an Argument Infinite7 http://www.urch.com/forums/gmat-awa-analysis-argument/127316-please-read-argmument-speech-stockholder-consolidated-industries.html