The following appeared in a memorandum written by the assistant manager of a store that sells gourmet food items from various countries:
"A local wine store made an interesting discovery last month: it sold more French than Italian wine on days when it played recordings of French accordion music, but it sold more Italian than French wine on days when Italian songs were played. Therefore, I recommend that we put food specialties from one particular country on sale for a week at a time and play only music from that country while the sale is going on. By this means we will increase our profits in the same way that the wine store did, and we will be able to predict more precisely what items we should stock at any given time."
My Essay:
The author of the preceeding passage makes a prediction regarding the profit and sales trends of a certain gourmet food store. Although not without merit, the author's conclusion is based on a faulty premise and lacks the evidence necessary to validate his claim.
The primary issue with the author's prediction is the assumption that the phenomenon observed in the wine store can be duplicated in the food store. In fact this cannot be done without providing additional information. The behavior of wine shoppers that may have been influenced by the type of music playing in the wine shop, has no relevant bearing on the behavior of food shoppers. Most consumers shop for wine without having a clear idea of what type of wine they will purchase. Alternatively food shoppers, even gourmet food shoppers, come to the store with an intent to buy a certain food item, thus will be significantly less inclined to be influenced by music.
The secondary issue with the author's conclusion is that it makes an assertion regarding projected profits based on the observation in the wine store. This assertion is unsubstantiated in the passage. Assuming that shopper behavior can be influenced by the type of music playing provides no evidence to suggest that profits will increase as a result of that change in behavior. Furthermore the passage includes no information regarding increases in sales as a result of this strategy.
The assistant manager's conclusion could have been more convincing had he or she provided some additional information. Specifically, citing similar observations in food stores or restaurants could have shown how music can influence not only wine shoppers but also food shoppers. Establishing a connection between food shopping and music is critical to convey this argument effectively. Moreover, the assistant manager's assertions regarding profit require empirical data. For example, the reader of this memo would have been interested in learning whether similar food establishments have seen increases in profit due to the strategy outlined by the assistant manager.
Even though the memo referenced in the above passage raises some interesting observations and a corresponding conclusion it falls short of convincing the reader. It is based on a wrong premise and lacks data to support the central conclusion.
"A local wine store made an interesting discovery last month: it sold more French than Italian wine on days when it played recordings of French accordion music, but it sold more Italian than French wine on days when Italian songs were played. Therefore, I recommend that we put food specialties from one particular country on sale for a week at a time and play only music from that country while the sale is going on. By this means we will increase our profits in the same way that the wine store did, and we will be able to predict more precisely what items we should stock at any given time."
My Essay:
The author of the preceeding passage makes a prediction regarding the profit and sales trends of a certain gourmet food store. Although not without merit, the author's conclusion is based on a faulty premise and lacks the evidence necessary to validate his claim.
The primary issue with the author's prediction is the assumption that the phenomenon observed in the wine store can be duplicated in the food store. In fact this cannot be done without providing additional information. The behavior of wine shoppers that may have been influenced by the type of music playing in the wine shop, has no relevant bearing on the behavior of food shoppers. Most consumers shop for wine without having a clear idea of what type of wine they will purchase. Alternatively food shoppers, even gourmet food shoppers, come to the store with an intent to buy a certain food item, thus will be significantly less inclined to be influenced by music.
The secondary issue with the author's conclusion is that it makes an assertion regarding projected profits based on the observation in the wine store. This assertion is unsubstantiated in the passage. Assuming that shopper behavior can be influenced by the type of music playing provides no evidence to suggest that profits will increase as a result of that change in behavior. Furthermore the passage includes no information regarding increases in sales as a result of this strategy.
The assistant manager's conclusion could have been more convincing had he or she provided some additional information. Specifically, citing similar observations in food stores or restaurants could have shown how music can influence not only wine shoppers but also food shoppers. Establishing a connection between food shopping and music is critical to convey this argument effectively. Moreover, the assistant manager's assertions regarding profit require empirical data. For example, the reader of this memo would have been interested in learning whether similar food establishments have seen increases in profit due to the strategy outlined by the assistant manager.
Even though the memo referenced in the above passage raises some interesting observations and a corresponding conclusion it falls short of convincing the reader. It is based on a wrong premise and lacks data to support the central conclusion.
