GMAT Essays (AWA)

"Furniture Depot employed our internet advertising company to help. Since then its sales increased by 10% over last year's totals. Furniture Depot's success demonstrates how using our internet services can increase your profitability."

In the preceding statement, the internet advertising company claims that Furniture Depot had a 10 percent increase in sales because Furniture Depot used their internet services. Though this conclusion may have merit, the internet advertising company presents a poorly reason argument based on a questionable assumption that it is entirely due to their internet services that Furniture Depot gained the increase in sales.

The primary issue of this reasoning lies on the unsubstantiated premise that Furniture Depot did nothing else to increase its sales apart from employing the services of the internet advertising company. However, Furniture Depot might have significantly cut costs over the last year due to change in supply or reduction in labour costs. This weakens the argument by failing to provide explication of the link between Furniture Depot's increase in sales and the employment of the internet company's services.

In addition, there is utter lack of evidence that Furniture Depot did, in fact, gain a 10 percent increase in over last year's total. The internet advertising company has not shown any financial statements to prove the 10 percent increase. They might just be saying that Furniture Depot accumulated this 10 percent increase only to create appeal to businesses. Again, the premise lacks evidentiary support causing us to reject this conclusion.

In sum, the internet company's argument is based on them stating that Furniture Depot gained 10 percent increase in sales over last year's totals and this gain was because Furniture Depot employed the internet advertising company. However, there is no evidence of a link between the supposed increase in sales and the advertising company's services and neither is there evidence to show that Furniture Depot did accumulate a 10 percent increase in sales. If the internet advertising company hopes to do a better job at convincing other businesses to employ their services, they will need to present more evidence to right these flaws.

Thanks a lot Katherine for your help. I had a 5.5 in the exam