128. The following appeared in a letter from the owner of the Sunnyside Towers apartment complex to its manager.
"One month ago, all the showerheads in the first three buildings of the Sunnyside Towers complex were modified to restrict maximum water flow to one-third of what it used to be. Although actual readings of water usage before and after the adjustment are not yet available, the change will obviously result in a considerable savings for Sunnyside Corporation, since the corporation must pay for water each month. Except for a few complaints about low water pressure, no problems with showers have been reported since the adjustment. Clearly, modifying showerheads to restrict water flow throughout all twelve buildings in the Sunnyside Towers complex will increase our profits further."
Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.
The owner of the apartment complex suggests the manager should modify showerheads in all buildings to reduce water usage and thus increase profit. The argument used in support of such suggestion, however, needs further evaluation, because some crucial evidences were not included. Some of the evidences needed are the actual cost of modification, the actual usage of water before and after, and the effects of the complaints.
The owner here did not present actual water usage before and after the modification. This evidence is one of the most important in determining the effectiveness of the modified showerhead. If the water usage indeed decreases significantly after the adjustment, then the argument is strengthened. On the contrary, if water usage changes little, then the suggestion of applying the modification to all buildings is groundless.
In addition to change in water usage, the cost of modifying the showerheads should be included in the argument. If the money spent on adjusting showerheads is substantial and not likely to be compensated by saving on water in the near future, then such modification will not possibly increase profit, hence weakening the argument.
Also the owner indicated some complains about low water pressure. He did not go into details of the seriousness and magnitudes of the complaints. The attitudes of the tenants, or costumers, are important determinant of profit. If they are not satisfied with the water pressure and decide to move to other apartments, then the owner will certainly lose more money than he can save on water.
Before the manager makes the decision of adjusting all showerheads, he or she should discuss the importance of these evidences with the owner.
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发表于 2012-9-21 01:37:49
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