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By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations

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sleepynut

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19 Jan 2017, 21:58

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Hi all,
Why do we need to have an article "a" in "a company's managers"?
Isn't managers plural? I have never seen that we need an article for the possessive adjective ("a company's")

Please share your thoughts
Thanks

sayantanc2k

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20 Jan 2017, 22:14

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sleepynut

An article before a possessive refers ALWAYS to the possessive, NEVER to the noun. It is wrong to to use an article for a noun which has a possessive.

I want a book.... correct.
I want Anil's book... correct.
I want a Anil's book.. wrong.
I want a student's book.... correct ( "a" refers to student, not book).
I want a student's books... correct ( "a" refers to student, not books).

Therefore "a company's managers" is alright.

VKat

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04 Mar 2017, 00:37

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In option b, its (its short and long term goals)may refer to company's managers or copany's products, so it leads to ambiguity, please correct me if i am wrong..

and one more thing, why option'c' is wrong?

sayantanc2k

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04 Mar 2017, 02:00

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VKat

"It" is singular and hence cannot refer to "managers" or "products. "It" (its) unambiguously refers to "company" (company's).

Though C is grammatically alright, the use of passive voice and the placeholder "it" at the beginning of the sentence are necessary. B is a more direct way of expressing the facts stated.

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26 Sep 2017, 23:05

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a company???s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company???s products in order to meet its short and long term goals.
In (b) second its referring to which antecedent?

egmat

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27 Sep 2017, 03:38

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ramsahoo

Hello ramsahoo,

I will be glad to help you with this one.

Following is the sentence with correct answer choice B:

By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations, a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s products in order to meet its short and long term goals.

As highlighted, the above-mentioned sentence uses the singular possessive pronoun its only once. This pronoun correctly refers to the singular possessive noun company's because per the context of the sentence, by doing something specific, the managers of the company meet the short and long term goals of the company.

Hope this helps.

Thanks.
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08 Oct 2017, 10:30

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Can an expert pls help with this question.

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08 Oct 2017, 13:37

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doeadoer

Can an expert pls help with this question.

Dear doeadoer,

I'm happy to respond.

My friend, I am going to chide you. What you have asked is not a high quality question. it probably took you 15 seconds to write and post that question---virtually no engagement on your part. Think about what an expert will think when reading it. There are over three pages of comments in this thread, a ton of information. What parts do you understand? What parts don't make sense to you? Nobody reading your question would any idea. Asking a detailed thoughtful question will help an expert give you a more focused response, but more importantly, investing that energy into the process will enhance your own understanding and prepare you to receive any information more deeply. Students naively think that education is something that the experts do to them, and that the student's role is that of a passive recipient. In fact, education is something you do very much for yourself and by yourself, and we experts can only support you if you are doing the work yourself. One of the habits of excellent is the art of asking good questions. See:
Asking Excellent Questions
My challenge to you is to read that blog carefully and thoughtfully; then, come back to this thread, and analyze everything that every expert says in this thread, and think deeply about all of that. It may be that all this will be enough to answer your own questions, but if you still have a question, write the most detailed and thoughtful question you can, explaining everything your do understand and what still confused you. If you ask that excellent question, I will be more than happy to answer it.

Does all this make sense?
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08 Sep 2019, 09:04

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manoharpln

By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations, it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms.
a. it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms
Here, there is a gerund problem 'the short and long terms'.
b. a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s products in order to meet its short and long term goals

c. it can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the company’s products in order to meet its goals, both short and long term
There is unnecessary wording here at the end
d. it may be possible for company managers to determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s short and long term goals
Here, what does 'these' refer to in this sentence
e. managers at a company can determine how much effort ought to be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s goals in both the short and long term
Again, what does 'these' refer to

So, I will go with B

I dont understand why "a company's managers" is correct. Why do we use managers instead of manager?

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08 Sep 2019, 22:27

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theodosiusadi

I dont understand why "a company's managers" is correct. Why do we use managers instead of manager?

Hi theodosiusadi,

A company's manager seems to imply that there is only one manager in the company.

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10 Aug 2021, 10:34

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arkadiyua

A. it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms
the addition of both in long and short term is absolutely akward and distorts the meaning completely

B. a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s products in order to meet its short and long term goals
This conveys the intended meaning and the placement of goals is also perfect therefore let us hang onto it

C. it can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the company’s products in order to meet its goals, both short and long term
Similar reasoning as A

D. it may be possible for company managers to determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s short and long term goals
These products doesn't refer to anything but rather it's relatively vague and off target hence out

E. managers at a company can determine how much effort ought to be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s goals in both the short and long term
Similar reasoning as A
Therefore IMO B

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23 Aug 2023, 01:16

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arkadiyua

By applying optimization techniques commonly used to plan operations, it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms.

A. it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms

B. a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s products in order to meet its short and long term goals

C. it can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the company’s products in order to meet its goals, both short and long term

D. it may be possible for company managers to determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s short and long term goals

E. managers at a company can determine how much effort ought to be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s goals in both the short and long term

First we need to answer who is applying the techniques; and by that logic, A, C, D can be eliminated

A. it is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its goals in both the short and long terms
C. it can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the company’s products in order to meet its goals, both short and long term
D. it may be possible for company managers to determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s short and long term goals

The trick between B and E is attention to details. Notice how B makes it unambiguous by specifying the object 'company's products' as opposed to 'these' in E. Hence B is better.

B. a company’s managers can determine how much effort should be dedicated to each of the company’s products in order to meet its short and long term goals

E. managers at a company can determine how much effort ought to be dedicated to each of these products in order to meet the company’s goals in both the short and long term

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06 Oct 2023, 06:35

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parker

The possessive pronoun "its" here actually stands in for "company's":

Jane's father is going to the store. Her mother is also going to the store. CORRECT (possessive "Her"=possessive "Jane's")

Jane's father is going to the store. She is also going to the mechanic. INCORRECT (The possessive word "Jane's" CANNOT be the antecedent for the subject pronoun "she")

---

The pronoun "these" without an antecedent is a nice way to knock off D and E quickly. Another pronoun issue that no one's mentioned yet is the "it/its" issue. If you use the general "it" ("it is hard to run while balancing a bucket of water on your head") you cannot use "it" again to refer to a different antecedent in the sentence.

a) it (general!) is possible to determine how much effort ought to be devoted to each of a company’s products in order to meet its (specific-- the company's) goals in both the short and long terms

c) it (general!) can be determined by company managers how much effort ought to be devoted to each of the company’s products in order to meet its (specific-- the company's) goals, both short and long term

Therefore A and C are also out.

Based on pronoun issues alone you can lose A, C, D, and E!

egmat

" If you use the general "it" ("it is hard to run while balancing a bucket of water on your head") you cannot use "it" again to refer to a different antecedent in the sentence."

Is the above claim correct?

IlanaKM

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19 Oct 2023, 06:14

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Does GMAT accept a pronoun that addresses a possessive noun? - for example, Maya's cat is destroying *her* furniture.

Or like in this question - the company's products... *its* goals
thank you

KarishmaB

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19 Oct 2023, 06:50

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IlanaKM

Does GMAT accept a pronoun that addresses a possessive noun? - for example, Maya's cat is destroying *her* furniture.

Or like in this question - the company's products... *its* goals
thank you

Yes, it does. Though, look for a better option - a correct sentence in which the noun is not in possessive case but if you cannot find such a sentence, go with this. GMAT is quite tolerant to it.

Here is an official question where we see such a sentence: https://gmatclub.com/forum/among-the-ob ... 82658.html
Though this distinction is not being tested in this sentence. Every option has a possessive as the antecedent of 'her'.

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