Early in the development of a new product line, the critical resource is talent. New marketing ventures require a degree of managerial skill disproportionate to their short-term revenue prospects. Usually, however, talented managers are assigned only to established high-revenue product lines and, as a result, most new marketing ventures fail. Contrary to current practice, the best managers in a company should be assigned to development projects.
Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the author’s argument?
(A) On average, new ventures under the direction of managers at executive level survive no longer than those managed by lower-ranking managers.
(B) For most established companies, the development of new product lines is a relatively small part of the company’s total expenditure.
(C) The more talented a manager is, the less likely he or she is to be interested in undertaking the development of a new product line.
(D) The current revenue and profitability of an established product line can be maintained even if the company’s best managers are assigned elsewhere.
(E) Early short-term revenue prospects of a new product line are usually a good predictor of how successful a product line will ultimately be.
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D is not the obvious answer in the question. To quickly find the answer Negate D. If the profits cannot be maintained after reassignment of managers then its bad policy. Argument falls apart.
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D for me.

If company's profitability of an established product line can be maintained by assigning the company’s best managers elsewhere then the conclusion that the best managers in a company should be assigned to development projects is strengthened.

Sorry one liner.

Logical Negative: (D) The current revenue and profitability of an established product line CANNOT be maintained if the company’s best managers are assigned elsewhere. -----> This destroys the argument.

Hope this is clear.

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D it is as it proves that establish lines can work fine with / without best managers, so they can be used to develop new line of work.

D it should be!

Conclusion:
the best managers in a company should be assigned to development projects.

Argument:
talented managers are assigned only to established high-revenue product lines and, as a result, most new marketing ventures fail

To strengthen the conclusion we have to prove that by assigning the talented managers to other than well established product lines, the profit of the company is not getting hampered.

D clearly states that The current revenue and profitability of an established product line can be maintained even if the company’s best managers are assigned elsewhere.

D is correct

D is the straight ans..as othrs are not suitable.

I found it somewhat straight D.

another D