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14 Feb 2022, 03:55
Kudos
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Production manager: Our warehouses have a total of 5,000 employees working to ensure daily on-time package delivery based out of 200 facilities nationwide. Of these 5,000 employees, approximately 5 percent are absent on any given workday. Even with these regular absences, our on-time delivery rates are better than ever. Therefore, we should be able to lower staffing by 250 employees and experience no decrease in service.
The production manager’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of these grounds?
A. He confuses the definitions of absent and unemployed.
B. He fails to justify an assumed change in absenteeism.
C. He takes for granted that every employee’s level of service is identical.
D. He overlooks the fact that some absences are more justified than are others.
E. He ignores the possibility that absences may be unevenly distributed at the company.
The production manager’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of these grounds?
A. He confuses the definitions of absent and unemployed.
B. He fails to justify an assumed change in absenteeism.
C. He takes for granted that every employee’s level of service is identical.
D. He overlooks the fact that some absences are more justified than are others.
E. He ignores the possibility that absences may be unevenly distributed at the company.
14 Feb 2022, 03:55
Kudos
Bookmarks
Official Solution:
Production manager: Our warehouses have a total of 5,000 employees working to ensure daily on-time package delivery based out of 200 facilities nationwide. Of these 5,000 employees, approximately 5 percent are absent on any given workday. Even with these regular absences, our on-time delivery rates are better than ever. Therefore, we should be able to lower staffing by 250 employees and experience no decrease in service.
The production manager’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of these grounds?
A. He confuses the definitions of absent and unemployed.
B. He fails to justify an assumed change in absenteeism.
C. He takes for granted that every employee’s level of service is identical.
D. He overlooks the fact that some absences are more justified than are others.
E. He ignores the possibility that absences may be unevenly distributed at the company.
Choice A: No. The term unemployed is not an issue in the argument.
Choice B: Yes. The argument assumes that upon releasing 250 employees that there will be no further absences that could negatively impact service levels.
Choice C: No. The argument does not assume that every employee’s level of service is identical.
Choice D: No. That some absences are more justified than others has no impact on the validity of the conclusion.
Choice E: No. That absences may be unevenly distributed at the company has no impact on the validity of the conclusion.
Answer: B
Production manager: Our warehouses have a total of 5,000 employees working to ensure daily on-time package delivery based out of 200 facilities nationwide. Of these 5,000 employees, approximately 5 percent are absent on any given workday. Even with these regular absences, our on-time delivery rates are better than ever. Therefore, we should be able to lower staffing by 250 employees and experience no decrease in service.
The production manager’s argument is most vulnerable to criticism on which of these grounds?
A. He confuses the definitions of absent and unemployed.
B. He fails to justify an assumed change in absenteeism.
C. He takes for granted that every employee’s level of service is identical.
D. He overlooks the fact that some absences are more justified than are others.
E. He ignores the possibility that absences may be unevenly distributed at the company.
Choice A: No. The term unemployed is not an issue in the argument.
Choice B: Yes. The argument assumes that upon releasing 250 employees that there will be no further absences that could negatively impact service levels.
Choice C: No. The argument does not assume that every employee’s level of service is identical.
Choice D: No. That some absences are more justified than others has no impact on the validity of the conclusion.
Choice E: No. That absences may be unevenly distributed at the company has no impact on the validity of the conclusion.
Answer: B
24 Aug 2025, 04:44
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Bunuel
Don't know where you got this question, because both B and D are equally important scenarios, equally likely scenarios that can hurt their on-time delivery rates. Clearly, one cannot be assumed to be "more vulnerable" than the other. If anything, he says that approximately 5 percent are absent, which means he is aware of the +/-250 factor, at least to some extent. But he still doesn't address the fact that even with 250 absentees, uneven distribution can affect a particular facility.
