第一篇ARGUMENT，望批评指正

以下是引用jacky1986在2007-10-6 18:58:00的发言：
AA072 “Local clothing stores reported that their profits decreased, on average, for the three-month period between August 1 and October 31. Stores that sell products for the home reported that, on average, their profits increased during this same period. Clearly, consumers are choosing to buy products for their homes instead of clothing. To take advantage of this trend, we should reduce the size of our clothing departments and enlarge our home furnishings and household products departments."

 

Based upon two reports, one from the local
clothing stores saying that their profits decreased during the three months
between 8.1st and 10.31th(use more formal writing) and the other from the home-use products stores
saying that their profits increased during the same period, the arguer
concludes that their store should increase the size of home furnishings and
household products departments and decrease that of their clothing departments.
Specifically, the arguer reasons that the trend of local market is revealed in
the two reports, so the store should take the advantage of it. This line of
reasoning suffers flaws from several aspects.

 

In the first place, the report from the
stores of home-use products is open to question. The arguer never address that
these stores are local stores. Given that they are stores in neighbor(ing) states,
the contrast between the two reveals nothing. Moreover, even though the stores
are local, the arguer never mentions whether the home-use products are exactly
the home furnishings and household products, they may be other home-use
products such as televisions, so it is hasty for the arguer to make the
conclusion to enlarge the their so-called home products department.
 

In the second place, the trend of the
market may change in the following period. The arguer fails to provide evidence
to support his projection that this trend will sustain. It is also reasonable
to assume that this trend will change because the customers have done their
shopping of home products in that three-month period as their local tradition
and they will begin their another habit of shopping clothing in November and
December to prepare for the Christmas Day.

 

In conclusion, this argument is not
convincing as it stands. To strengthen the arguer should provide detailed
information about the stores and their products range. In addition, the arguer
should provide more evidence to support his projection that this trend is going
to sustain.