Official Solution:
Several internet-based companies that use open-source software for their day-to-day operations have been surprised at the degree to which volunteer contributions increase productivity. At the same time, the overall profits of most of these companies have increased, since a much smaller percentage of overall revenue per working hour must be directed toward salaries. Beginning internet companies should imitate this successful model by hiring only a small core staff and leaving the rest of the tasks to volunteers.
Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that a beginning internet company can best increase its profitability by relying on volunteer labor?
A. Internet companies can also increase profitability by paying lower salaries to more full-time employees.
B. Cash flow in internet companies is very different from cash flow in traditional companies, so that not all bookkeeping procedures apply.
C. Internet companies often perform tasks that are highly specialized, and volunteers are not always able to complete necessary portions of projects.
D. The average number of hours worked by a volunteer at an internet company is already greater than the average number worked by volunteers at traditional companies.
E. Volunteers often hold other full-time jobs, making their actual financial contributions to internet companies difficult to calculate.
Situation:In order to increase profits, beginning internet companies should hire few staff and rely on volunteers for the bulk of tasks.
Reasoning: Which most clearly shows a problem with relying on volunteer labor? The advantages of volunteer labor come in terms of both productivity and profit. If, however, the presence of volunteers can be shown to actually
damage one of these goals, then the soundness of the model proposed by the plan will be seriously undermined.
A. This option does not speak directly to the question of whether volunteers are best for a beginning company.
B.
Bookkeeping procedures are not mentioned in the passage; this statement is out of scope.
C. CORRECT. This option directly undermines the suggestion that volunteers are good for all starting internet businesses by describing a situation in which volunteers could actually
undermine productivity.
D. The
average number of hours worked by volunteers has no impact on the soundness of the plan. Also,
traditional companies are not mentioned in the passage.
E. The passage is concerned primarily with the
productivity contributions of volunteers, which translate into financial contributions. The fact that volunteers hold other jobs would have more impact on the volunteers
themselves than it would on the finances of the internet company.
Answer: C
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