Monday, October 21, 2013

How to analyze an essay topic

How to analyze an essay topic.
Here is one

The following appeared as part of a memo from the manager of an automobile manufacturing company.

Because the demand for our automobiles is expected to increase dramatically, we need to open a new manufacturing plant as soon as possible in order to continue o thrive. Our marketing projections indicate that 80 million people will want to buy our automobiles. Yet our existing plant can only produce 40 million automobiles. The new plant can be opened on a part time
basis, with workers from our existing site rotating responsibilities, until an operational staff can be trained. A major airplane manufacturer was extremely successful using this rotating strategy when it opened its new plan five years ago.

Preliminary notes
How dramatic is the increase? the analogy is faulty- comparison between airplane manufacturing and automobile manufacturing- does rotation work strategy work here? Marketing projections can be exaggerations- ill defined premises- how did the company estimate the demand, can the volume increase achievable in the given time. How realistic is the projection? Is there no completion for the company?


Flaws in the argument.
80million want to buy our autombile.(on what basis the projection is made).
Are current Workers willing to work extra time(an assumption is made).
Follow the airplane manfacturers strategy(faulty analogy may not work).
Undermining competitors marketing strategy.
Assumes the markets wont change.
...

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