AWA - CAT #5
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14 Dec 2016, 10:40
Can someone please look over my AWA and advise on areas where I can improve?
The following appeared in an article in a consumer-electronics magazine:
"Company X's latest model of digital camera to be released next month, the TR12, is being promoted as the most portable, user-friendly digital camera available, and also an excellent bargain. It can be expected to live up to these claims, because Company X's previous model, the TR11, was universally lauded as setting the standard in these areas last year."
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.
The author claims that because Company X's previous digit camera model was universally lauded as setting the standard in various areas, its newest model will meet the same expectations. I intend to argue the author's argument is flawed in the following two ways: (1) he assumes the market will be the same when the model is introduced, and (2) he assumes the product will meet, if not, exceed, consumer expectations.
The author assumes Company X will not have any significant competition when it introduces its latest model. This is faulty logic because in reality competitors enter a market where there is interest from the consumer and potential to make profit. For example, when Apple introduced the iPhone, other cellphone companies entered the market after the products release. Competitors may bring better features to the market with the same product than what Company X's is proposing in its newest model and they could do so at a lower cost. Assuming the market will be the same is not the only flaw in the author's argument. He also fails to take consumers' expectations into consideration.
If a product does not meet or exceed consumers' expectations, the results could be disastrous for a company. The author fails to consider the possibility that the newest model may not excite buyers as the original had. For example, there are no significant differences between iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c, aside from color. Revolutionary thinking that can be transformed into a product excites buyers because it is new and provides benefits other products cannot provide or cannot provide as efficiently. Therefore, a product will not always meet/exceed the profitability of its sister product and failing to mention this weakens the author's claim.
The author presents an argument that because a company's original product was successful, its follow-up product will enjoy just as much success. This is faulty logic as he fails to assume competitors may have entered the market since the initial product's release and provide a newer product that provides better benefits than Company X is proposing. It also fails to acknowledge that the company's newest model may not excite consumers' to the same degree as the initial model. If the company cannot maintain or exceed consumers' expectations, subsequent models will not enjoy the same level of profits as the first. Failure to address these two flaws leaves the author's argument vulnerable. Acknowledgment and discussion would lend support and make his statements more credible.