GMAT Essays (AWA)

Topic
"The common notion that workers are generally apathetic about management issues is false, or at least outdated: a
recently published survey indicates that 79 percent of the nearly 1,200 workers who responded to survey
questionnaires expressed a high level of interest in the topics of corporate restructuring and redesign of benefits
programs."
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc


Essay:
In the preceding statement, the author claims that the claim that workers are generally apathetic about management issues is false, or at least outdated. Though the author's claim may have merit, the author presents a poorly reasoned argument based on questionable assumptions and premises for which we cannot accept his argument as valid.

The primary issue with the author's reasoning lies with his unsubstantiated premise. He states that the claim that workers generally apathetic about management issues are false and outdated but fails to provide evidence that compares data over time to show a change in thinking in regards to the workers. If the author presented information on survey's conducted over a period of time that shows an increasing trend in favor of management issues, he's claim would have substantial merit. The author attempts to strengthen his argument with a study that was published recently. Unfortunately there are more than a few issues to take with this study. The reader is not made aware of when the study was conducted and therefore could have been outdated itself. The study also suffers what seems to be a limited sample size as the reader is not made aware of the total number of workers asked to take the survey. The author's premise, the basis for his argument, lack any legitimate evidentiary support and renders his conclusion unacceptable.

The secondary point of concern is with the author's unproven assumptions. The conclusion states that workers are not or no longer apathetic towards management issues, but only presents a survey that addresses corporate restructuring and benefits redesign. Management issues encompass much more than the two items covered in the survey and without addressing more specific management issues, the author fails to fully explicate the link between management issues and corporate restricting or benefits redesign.

If the author provided more evidence supporting his claim and properly explicated and addressed the assumptions his argument would be much stronger.
In conclusion, the author's illogical argument suffers from unsubstantiated claims and assumptions for which the consequence is an invalid conclusion. In order to change the reader's mind, he would need to clearly explicate his assumptions and provide substantial evidentiary support to his claim.