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Nov 2007:30 AM PST
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Learn what truly sets the UC Riverside MBA apart and how it helps in your professional growth
04 May 2017, 11:59
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"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."
The argument states that the TR12 will live up to the Company’s claims based on the fact that the previous model TR11 was universally lauded. There are several issues with this line of reasoning and the purpose of my analysis is to highlight the weaknesses in the argument and demonstrate how it could be strengthened. First I will discuss the errors in reasoning and the faulty assumptions intrinsic in the argument. Followed by recommendations on how to improve the strength of the argument.
Firstly, the argument assumes that past performance is indication of future success. This is a common fallacy and experience has shown this line of reasoning to be quite costly and counterproductive. Basing future events on the past is lazy and unproductive for many reasons. One of those reasons is that the circumstances and market conditions that resulted in TR11 could actually be the very reasons that might produce in TR12’s failure. Predicting market conditions and the behavior of consumers is a complex field of study, and predictions based on these factors always carry a high risk of failure.
Second, the argument falsely equates a marketing claim with a factual claim. There is no evidence provided by the argument aside from stating TR11’s success as a contributing factor for why the TR12 will be successful. The argument uses a claim made by a biased source that is invested in the success of the product to reach the conclusion that the new model will set industry standard. Most companies make claims about their products that are later found to be inaccurate and often exaggerated in an attempt to boost sales of that product. For this reason, the claim made by the Company can not be taken at face value.
Third, the argument fails to provide any real evidence about its affordability, portability and user-friendliness. It provides no benchmark on which to measure whether the camera will be more affordable than similar models, it also fails to provide any evidence regarding the competition and other models in the market. It fails to list and describe any features that will further improve on the current standard set by TR11. Furthermore to strengthen the argument, the author needs to provide benchmark statistics and data about the validity of these claims, and how the new model will attempt to achieve its goal. Perhaps the argument could include independent verifiable opinion of technology critics and experts in the field on the validity of these claims. And the argument can include any data gathered from focus groups and share the experience of those individuals.
To conclude, the argument upon a closer look fails to provide the necessary evidence to accept the conclusion of the author. The premises stated do not naturally lead to the conclusion and require further clarification and data to support the conclusion.
Wrote in 25 minutes. Let me know how I did! Thank you!
The argument states that the TR12 will live up to the Company’s claims based on the fact that the previous model TR11 was universally lauded. There are several issues with this line of reasoning and the purpose of my analysis is to highlight the weaknesses in the argument and demonstrate how it could be strengthened. First I will discuss the errors in reasoning and the faulty assumptions intrinsic in the argument. Followed by recommendations on how to improve the strength of the argument.
Firstly, the argument assumes that past performance is indication of future success. This is a common fallacy and experience has shown this line of reasoning to be quite costly and counterproductive. Basing future events on the past is lazy and unproductive for many reasons. One of those reasons is that the circumstances and market conditions that resulted in TR11 could actually be the very reasons that might produce in TR12’s failure. Predicting market conditions and the behavior of consumers is a complex field of study, and predictions based on these factors always carry a high risk of failure.
Second, the argument falsely equates a marketing claim with a factual claim. There is no evidence provided by the argument aside from stating TR11’s success as a contributing factor for why the TR12 will be successful. The argument uses a claim made by a biased source that is invested in the success of the product to reach the conclusion that the new model will set industry standard. Most companies make claims about their products that are later found to be inaccurate and often exaggerated in an attempt to boost sales of that product. For this reason, the claim made by the Company can not be taken at face value.
Third, the argument fails to provide any real evidence about its affordability, portability and user-friendliness. It provides no benchmark on which to measure whether the camera will be more affordable than similar models, it also fails to provide any evidence regarding the competition and other models in the market. It fails to list and describe any features that will further improve on the current standard set by TR11. Furthermore to strengthen the argument, the author needs to provide benchmark statistics and data about the validity of these claims, and how the new model will attempt to achieve its goal. Perhaps the argument could include independent verifiable opinion of technology critics and experts in the field on the validity of these claims. And the argument can include any data gathered from focus groups and share the experience of those individuals.
To conclude, the argument upon a closer look fails to provide the necessary evidence to accept the conclusion of the author. The premises stated do not naturally lead to the conclusion and require further clarification and data to support the conclusion.
Wrote in 25 minutes. Let me know how I did! Thank you!
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