Writing Feedback / Follow it up with adequate facts ; Limiting inventory to increase profits [4]

The following appeared in a memo from the president of a chain of cheese stores located throughout the United States.

"For many years all the stores in our chain have stocked a wide variety of both domestic and imported cheeses. Last year, however, the five best-selling cheeses at our newest store were all domestic cheddar cheeses from Wisconsin. Furthermore, a recent survey by Cheeses of the World magazine indicates an increasing preference for domestic cheeses among its subscribers. Since our company can reduce expenses by limiting inventory, the best way to improve profits in all of our stores is to discontinue stocking many of our varieties of imported cheese and concentrate primarily on domestic cheeses."

In this memo the author seems to be biased towards domestic cheeses and the grounds on which he proposes the new plan of action are questionable. There are a number of flaws in the line of reasoning of the author, which must be addressed before accepting the proposal.

The claim of the author - "domestic cheeses being more popular than the imported ones" - is based on the sales of just one store. By no means can this figure be used to generalize the trend of sales throughout the chain of stores in the whole country. This preference for the domestic cheese in this particular region might not be reflected in the data of a different region.

Moreover the sales figures correspond to a store, which is the newest in the chain of stores in the country. It does not make much sense to plan the future course of action of the entire chain based on the sales of a new store as compared to the more established ones.

And the survey results, which the author cites to backup his/her claim, also do not deserve any merit. The survey, being conducted only among those who subscribe the concerned magazine, might not represent the bulk of the cheese consumers in the country. There might be a huge chunk of customers who might not bother to participate in such a survey, or for that matter, might not subscribe such a magazine at all.

Finally, though limiting the inventory results in the reduction of expenses, it is usually not the best way to increase profits. The preference for the domestic cheeses might not last long and the customers might revert back to the imported ones. Discontinuing the stocking of the imported ones might not guarantee the satisfaction of the customers and thus might affect the sales.

If the argument of the author is to receive any credibility, then he/she has to follow it up with adequate facts and address the fallacies indicated above. A decision of further plan of action must be based on a study of the trend of sales and the preference of the customers throughout the chain of stores in the country.

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Writing Feedback / Increased sales of leisure items. GRE(argument) [3]

The following appeared in a memorandum from a vice president of the Megamart department store chain.

"For the third year in a row, the average household income in our country has risen significantly. That prosperity means that families are likely to be spending more time and money on leisure activities. Megamart stores should therefore concentrate on enlarging and promoting its line of products typically used in leisure activities: athletic and outdoor equipment, televisions, gourmet cooking equipment, and luggage and travel accessories."

This proposal from the vice-president, which proposes for an increase promotion of stuff used in leisure activities, is not meritorious. There are a lot of fallacies in this line of reasoning which must be addressed.

The average household income in the country might have risen significantly over the past three years. But this gives just the average value. The Megamart department stores might cater the needs of those people whose income might not have risen significantly, or for that matter, might not have risen at all. There is no data, which shows the income of a particular locality or the degree of change of income over the years in the particular region where the department stores is located. The class of people whom the Megamart stores serve also needs to be specified.

It is a big blunder to generalize that a higher income will always incline people to engage themselves in leisure activities. There is a good possibility for people to wish and opt for a higher standard of living. Some might want to invest the increased income in their savings. There might also be cases wherein people might want to clear any past debts and not indulge in any leisure activities.

Even if we consider that most of them might want spend their time in leisure, they might want to indulge themselves in some constructive hobby, which might not require any stuff from the department stores at all. Also, there are many more items and equipments that people can make use of in their free time, than the list of items that the author has mentioned.

Therefore, this proposal from the author to concentrate on the sales of the products used in leisure activities is not adequately justified. It needs some strong corroboration from facts and figures to gain sufficient credibility. The present reasoning will not guarantee an increase in sales in these commodities.

Writing Feedback / The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves. [5]

The increasingly rapid pace of life today causes more problems than it solves.

A friend of mine made a statement - "The people of Bhutan are among the happiest people on this planet". Ever wondered why? The lives of these people are free of any trifles or stresses, which we have come to associate with a typical individual of this century. The Bhutanese still believe in leading a life according to the old norms. The rapid pace of life, which causes more problems than it solves - and I strongly advocate this statement - has certainly not found its way into their lives. And the result - a happy and a content life.

Before one starts to argue about why modernization is important and how it has influenced our higher standard of living, we need to be clear on one issue, the basic one. What is it that we seek the most in our lives? Is it a villa having a sea view to live in or an air-conditioned Mercedes to drive? We don't mind any of these, but these luxuries don't guarantee the thing we are desperately looking for - satisfaction.

Let us consider this from the perspective of a human life cycle. Most people still concur that the happiest period in a person's life is usually the childhood. A child doesn't have to care about a deadline on Monday morning or a properly prepared presentation so that he doesn't incur a huge loss. A child is not aware of the increasing demands an adult faces in his/her day-to-day life. And not surprisingly, a child is happy.

The advent of mass media and its contemporary scientific miracles has certainly shortened the time to convey a piece of information and the subsequent actions that need to be taken to survive in the cut-throat competition in the world. But it has also shortened the time one spends with his/her family. The time the person cherishes the most and yet cannot have it. This scientific advancement has been increasingly creating a divide within a family. It's a different matter that we have chosen to ignore it.

And not to mention the stress and fatigue related disorders that an individual in a growing economy has to face. We might have more to spend than ever before, but we also have less time than ever before to enjoy. What good is an increased lifespan if we have forgotten the true meaning of life?

I am usually asked why I prefer to stay in a lowly paid research sector, while the greener pastures of finance and marketing are still open to me. My answer is quite simple. My income from the research sector is far greater than the possible income from other so called 'highly paid' sectors. Might not be in monetary terms, but it certainly pays me more in terms of the satisfaction and contentment.

The scientific revolution might have had a novel intention - to make this world a better place to live in. But that intention has certainly given way to a rat race, a race where there can be no winners. At the end of the day, all that matters is, if we have achieved what we wanted to. Like the Bhutanese, I want to lead a life where I don't have to compete at each step. I want to lead a life where I can achieve what I cherish the most - 'PEACE'.

Writing Feedback / Replacement of the president of a company because of low profits (GRE argument) [3]

The following recommendation was made by the Human Resources Manager to the board of directors of the Fancy Toy Company.

"In the last three quarters of this year, under the leadership of our president, Pat Salvo, our profits have fallen considerably. Thus, we should ask for her resignation in return for a generous severance package. In Pat's place, we should appoint Rosa Winnings. Rosa is currently president of Starlight Jewelry, a company whose profits have increased dramatically over the past several years. Although we will have to pay Rosa twice the salary that Pat has been receiving, it will be well worth it because we can soon expect our profits to increase considerably."

This proposal recommending the replacement of the President of the company is not based on substantial data. The author has made his/her proposal based on assumptions rather than concrete facts. There are a lot of fallacies, which need to be considered for this argument to receive any credibility.

A leader - in this case Pat salvo - cannot change everything by herself. Though presiding over a company is a matter of huge responsibility and the president ought to take the blame for the failed performance of the company, the successful functioning of the organization is possible only with the help of a cooperative support staff. Instead of firing the president of the company, a sincere effort needs to be put up to revamp the support staff. The president might turn out to be a better leader in the presence of the new staff.

Recommending the resignation of the current president and appointing the new lady in her place might turn out to be a huge blunder. For once, the recommended candidate for the post has served as the president of a company, which targets an entirely different set of consumers. These two companies' markets and products are very different and a comparison of the profits of these two cannot be made the basis for this recommendation.

Moreover, emphasizing my earlier point, the increased profits of the Starlight Jewelry might have to do with an extremely competent support staff. Rosa might enjoy the cooperation of her subordinates to a great extent and that might be the main reason for the company's success. If this cooperation is not seen in her tenure at Fancy Toy, it might not help much in increasing the profits, which was the main reason for her appointment.

The author is also speculating an increase in the profits of the company on Rosa's appointment. It might as well turn out that the company might plunge into heavy losses due to her incompetence or lack of coordination with her subordinates. The proposed raise in the salary for this post might not serve its purpose at all.

Therefore, the board of directors needs to consider all these possibilities before giving a nod to this proposal. On part of the author, he/ she has to provide enough data supporting his/her recommendation for it to gain some merit.

Writing Feedback / Clearview town mayoral election (GRE argument) [3]

The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Clearview newspaper.

"In the next mayoral election, residents of Clearview should vote for Ann Green, who is a member of the Good Earth Coalition, rather than for Frank Braun, a member of the Clearview town council, because the current members are not protecting our environment. For example, during the past year the number of factories in Clearview has doubled, air pollution levels have increased, and the local hospital has treated 25 percent more patients with respiratory illnesses. If we elect Ann Green, the environmental problems in Clearview will certainly be solved."

The author has made some very critical assumptions to substantiate his/her view. But there are some serious flaws in this line of reasoning which needs to be addressed for this argument to be credible.

The author has stated that Frank Braun and the other members have not done a good job in protecting the environment. While this being a serious issue, there might also be a possibility that, this council might have done a better job in other aspects of the administration of the town like improving its infrastructure. Not voting in favour of the present council just based on this argument might not be the right decision.

The facts, which the author has provided to support his/her view, are also flawed. The number of factories might have increased two-fold, but the increase in the air pollution levels and the respiratory illnesses might have been caused because of some entirely different reason. There might be a possibility of increase in the number of vehicles in the town thus polluting the environment to a greater extent. The increase in the respiratory problems might also have been caused because of some other reasons such as increase in smoking practices among the citizens

Moreover, there is no clear-cut evidence, which suggests that Ann Green or the new council members will do any better than the present members in protecting the environment. It might as well turn out that the new council might fare worse than the present one in terms of the administration of the town.

Thus, in order to ratify this argument, the author has to include adequate facts and figures, which will support his/her stand on the issue. Substantial data regarding the credentials of the recommended candidate and the party and the flaws of the current council needs to be provided for this argument to be meritorious.

Writing Feedback / Scandals -whether in politics, academia, or other areas-can be useful. GRE(Issue) [6]

Scandals-whether in politics, academia, or other areas-can be useful. They focus our attention on problems in ways that no speaker or reformer ever could.

Recently, a judge of the local anti-corruption court in the state of Karnataka in India resigned, stating lack of cooperation from the government in punishing the wrongdoers within the administration. Surprisingly, this act on part of the judge managed to garner immense support form all corners of the region in pressurizing the government to act against its own officials. This scandal, to a certain extent, was able achieve what years of emphatic speeches from eminent reformers could not - punish the corrupt. Scandals, in certain ways can definitely be useful.

Not many would want to be caught in a society with scandals endemic to it. But sometimes, these turn out to be the only means to achieve what we actually strive for - a just and a corrupt-free society. Be it the sex scandal involving a well-known spiritual guru, human trafficking being carried out on the pretext of charity or the illegal mining activities in the remote parts of the country, these scandals have turned out to be the sole forms of attention seekers to a particular cause.

Scandals need not always involve corruption or violation of some law. These also include negligence, ineffectiveness in the enforcement of the guidelines and anything which is creating a rift in the society. In my institute, there was always a dearth of infrastructure and quality when it came to health-care. Years of efforts to bring it to the notice of the administration did not reap any benefits. The death of a student because of negligence of the hospital staff was an apt wake up call. It shook the entire institute, but this event also forced the think-thank of the administration to take the required steps so that such a thing wouldn't happen in the future.

On the other hand, scandals do come with its obvious share of terrifying consequences. The very belief of the people on the entire system will be shaken even if one questionable link is exposed. The match-fixing gate in cricket shook the entire world and the gentleman's game has never been seen again with the same awe and respect as before. One more instance being, the lack of proper protective equipment for the commandos in the recent 26/11 Mumbai attacks. It did a great damage to the belief of the common man in the government and the police.

Though scandals are something people would generally not want to be associated with, let alone being part of it, it has its own share of usefulness as well as the undeniable consequences. It should be the ultimate aim of the society to strive so that one doesn't have to be dependent on these scandals to heed to a certain cause.

Writing Feedback / Major cities should receive all the financial support they need. GRE(issue) [3]

"Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive, because it is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated."

In India, the city of Bangalore - now called Bengaluru - is an apt example to consider in this issue. It has received all the financial support required from the government which has till now conveniently ignored the development of other regions in the state. Within a couple of decades, this city has reached the pinnacle of being the called the Silicon valley of India and is on par in prominence with the metropolitan cities of the country. But it has also reached a point of saturation in terms of the resource consumption - be it land, water or other basic amenities. And the other regions are nowhere up to the standards to share the burden. This is a classic case of the consequences of concentrating the government aid on a particular city neglecting the progress of other villages, towns or smaller cities. Though the governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support, they must not fail to bring the other cities and towns to the same standards.

No doubt the cities are the technological and the financial hubs of the country and their progress is important for the overall growth of the nation as a whole. But one must also ensure the equity in this economic growth. The average income and the standard of living might go up. But, one must make sure that it is not the case of the rich becoming richer and the poor staying the same. Apart for the financial support, what the cities need is a proper enforcement of this aid.

In a country like India, close to three-fourths of the regions are still classified under the rural domain. Also the rural areas are the hubs of the diverse set of cultural values that this country is known for. In order to preserve this culture, it is important for these regions to flourish under the country's administration. Not many might know, but many languages in this country have literally gone out of existence because of the large-scale urbanization and because of that many traditional practices have failed to survive. Apart from boosting the economy, it is also important to preserve these traditional values, which this country is actually known for.

And also, one must not forget the discontent that might arise within the people if their progress is not kept in mind. People lose faith in the government and this leads to the terrifying consequence of a possible uprising. The Naxalite menace in India is once such revolution that as risen out from the dissatisfaction of the rural people. They are basically tribesmen whose needs have been ignored by the administration in favour of the progress of the major cities and this has forced them to take up the arms against their own government. Such an uprising can be avoided if proper steps are taken at a very early stage to tackle the inequity in resource distribution.

To summarize, cities do deserve an adequate attention from their respective governments in terms of monetary grants and the infrastructure required. But not at the cost of the well being of all the people under the governance. Ultimately, it must be the development of the entire nation that must be important and not of a distributed chunk of regions.

Writing Feedback / Kalinese artists (GRE argument) [3]

Collectors prize the ancient life-size clay statues of human figures made on Kali Island but have long wondered how the Kalinese artists were able to depict bodies with such realistic precision. Since archeologists have recently discovered molds of human heads and hands on Kali, we can now conclude that the ancient Kalinese artists used molds of actual bodies, not sculpting tools and techniques, to create these statues. This discovery explains why Kalinese miniature statues were abstract and entirely different in style: molds could only be used for life-size sculptures. It also explains why few ancient Kalinese sculpting tools have been found. In light of this development, collectors should expect the life-size sculptures to decrease in value and the miniatures to increase in value.

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The author has referred to some important discoveries in this argument. But the inferences, which he/she has made, are seriously flawed. There might be a completely different angle to these discoveries that needs to be considered.

The realistic depiction of the human bodies by the Kalinese artists might have been the result of years of practice in this art. Molds of human heads and hands might have been used but there is no clear indication as to the extent of this usage. The author generalizes this technique of art for all the artists on the Kali Island. The realistic depiction of the human bodies by the Kalinese artists might have been the result of years of practice in the art of sculpting.

Also, the exact time-line of the discovered molds is not considered. If at all the molds were used by these artists, then sufficient evidence needs to be provided which confirms the same. It might as well turn out that the statues under consideration were from an entirely different period from than that of the molds.

The miniature statues might as well turn out to be the creation of an entirely different set of artists, possibly even from a different age, thus portraying a different style. Lack of miniature molds might not have anything to with these statues being abstract or different in style.

Even if molds were used for making the life size statues, there is no reason as to why one has to expect a decrease in their value. There might be many art-lovers who give more importance to the finish of the work rather than the technique used. They might consider these statues to be equal to or even more valuable than the miniature ones.

Therefore, it will be a huge blunder to readily accept the author's argument without considering the fallacies indicated. On part of the author, he/she has to corroborate his/her stand on the issue with accurate facts for this argument to be convincing.