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ArchieIndian
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I recently took my MGMAT. I need someone to grade my essays. Please find below the questions and my responses:
AWA ESSAYS: Analyze Argument
ESSAY QUESTION:
The following appeared in a corporate memorandum of a beverage manufacturer:
"Our promotional price reductions on energy drinks have been highly successful, as we have seen a dramatic increase in unit sales. Further, surveys of our consumers indicate that this promotion was favorably received by the majority of our customers. Therefore, to improve our company's profitability and enhance its perception in the eyes of consumers, similar price reductions should be offered on all drinks produced by our firm."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
YOUR RESPONSE:
The beverage manufacturer has reasoned out that the price reductions strategy has worked in its favor and that it has been well received by the customers. However, the conclusion has been reached without looking at a number of other points which determine a company's profitability. The memorandum fails to reason out the basic factors which led to the conclusion that the price reduction scheme was indeed profitable for the company. Also, profitability and perception in the eye's of the customer are entirely distinct issues and need to be addressed individually.
Firstly, The memorandum doesn't specify the climatic conditions, such as temperature, in which the promotional scheme was launched. A promotional scheme during summer would do much better than a scheme launched in the winters. The temperature is one of the basic factors to be considered while evaluating a scheme like this as has been neglected in the reasoning presented by the memorandum.
Secondly, the perception of the beverage in the eye's of the people depends a lot on the prices being offered by the company. People will usually give good reviews about the same product when they get it for lesser amount of money. The survey mechanism which led to the memorandum stating that the consumer perception of the company's beverage has improved needs to be put under the scanner. At times, cheaper products are also perceived as low quality products, in the long term, but consumed because of economic factors. Since, there is no discussion regarding the survey mechanism and the long term impact of the promotion, the memorandum fails to convince me.
Thirdly, the price of undertaking the promotion has never been discussed. Sometimes, beverage companies end up spending a lot on their promotions and then end up gaining much lesser. The price of the campaign undertaken must be considered as a factor before deciding on the profitability of the campaign.
Fourthly, local festivals have a huge bearing on the beverage sales. It is however, not discussed if the promotion was undertaken in a festive season. Such factors contribute a lot to the mood of the people and also to their spending.
Overall, the above four factors combine to make a think that the arguments in the corporate memorandum are not well reasoned and need a reconsideration. Also, many basic factors like climate, festival season, price of promotion as well as long term perception of the beverage in the eyes of the people need to be considered before commenting on the success of a promotion.
AWA ESSAYS: Analyze Issues
ESSAY QUESTION:
"Monetary compensation is the most powerful stimulus for improving employee productivity."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the position stated above. Support your viewpoint using reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
YOUR RESPONSE:
Monetary compensation is often considered the most powerful stimulus for improving employee productivity. However, I tend to disagree with the argument. There a lot of other factors which are as powerful as monetary compensation in driving employee productivity. Monetary compensation, although a factor, only contributes to a certain extent in improving employee productivity.
Monetary compensation is a huge factor, when the work being undertaken is just physical work and doesn't require application of one's creativity. Once, the monetary compensation has reached a certain level, people are more concerned whether they enjoy what they do. Once, people enjoy what they do, they are much more productive than when they are just paid for work which doesn't offer them engagement. Corporates have long understood the meaning of engagement and fun activities and are getting their employee's involved in such activities to improve their employee's productivity.
For example, when we look at an open source software movement such as Apache, we come to see how creative work gets the best out of the people. Apache, in effect doesn't employ anyone. People work in their offices for money, get back home and work for free for an open source movement like Apache. Money, in this case is not the driving force. Good Work is. The zeal to make something which helps the world gets them to work better.
Another example is the work environment provided by the employer. Certain employers are just fun to work with. They have an open, unrestrictive culture which helps the employee grow as a person overall. The best companies to work for list made by Forbes is a partially nice picture of the same. Companies which may not be the highest paying are at the top of the list. One thing in common in all these companies is the fun work environment.
One more factor which an employee looks at when he/she works for a company is his company's overall contribution to the society. Whether, he goes back home satisfied with the work he did, is very important to him. For too many days in a row if a person wakes up and feels that he is not doing what he is enjoying, soon enough he will be late to work. His productivity will go down. The employee must be able to take pride in what he/she does. Money becomes secondary when his/her pride is boasted by working.
Monetary compensation, although a powerful factor in improving the employee productivity, it can't be considered the most powerful. There are a number of other factors like employee engagement, good working conditions, pride in the work that one does etc. are as important as monetary compensation in keeping an employee highly productive. A balance among all these factors best helps in keeping an employee productive.
Please rate them so that I can prepare better. I have my GMAT on the 21st.
AWA ESSAYS: Analyze Argument
ESSAY QUESTION:
The following appeared in a corporate memorandum of a beverage manufacturer:
"Our promotional price reductions on energy drinks have been highly successful, as we have seen a dramatic increase in unit sales. Further, surveys of our consumers indicate that this promotion was favorably received by the majority of our customers. Therefore, to improve our company's profitability and enhance its perception in the eyes of consumers, similar price reductions should be offered on all drinks produced by our firm."
Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. Point out flaws in the argument's logic and analyze the argument's underlying assumptions. In addition, evaluate how supporting evidence is used and what evidence might counter the argument's conclusion. You may also discuss what additional evidence could be used to strengthen the argument or what changes would make the argument more logically sound.
YOUR RESPONSE:
The beverage manufacturer has reasoned out that the price reductions strategy has worked in its favor and that it has been well received by the customers. However, the conclusion has been reached without looking at a number of other points which determine a company's profitability. The memorandum fails to reason out the basic factors which led to the conclusion that the price reduction scheme was indeed profitable for the company. Also, profitability and perception in the eye's of the customer are entirely distinct issues and need to be addressed individually.
Firstly, The memorandum doesn't specify the climatic conditions, such as temperature, in which the promotional scheme was launched. A promotional scheme during summer would do much better than a scheme launched in the winters. The temperature is one of the basic factors to be considered while evaluating a scheme like this as has been neglected in the reasoning presented by the memorandum.
Secondly, the perception of the beverage in the eye's of the people depends a lot on the prices being offered by the company. People will usually give good reviews about the same product when they get it for lesser amount of money. The survey mechanism which led to the memorandum stating that the consumer perception of the company's beverage has improved needs to be put under the scanner. At times, cheaper products are also perceived as low quality products, in the long term, but consumed because of economic factors. Since, there is no discussion regarding the survey mechanism and the long term impact of the promotion, the memorandum fails to convince me.
Thirdly, the price of undertaking the promotion has never been discussed. Sometimes, beverage companies end up spending a lot on their promotions and then end up gaining much lesser. The price of the campaign undertaken must be considered as a factor before deciding on the profitability of the campaign.
Fourthly, local festivals have a huge bearing on the beverage sales. It is however, not discussed if the promotion was undertaken in a festive season. Such factors contribute a lot to the mood of the people and also to their spending.
Overall, the above four factors combine to make a think that the arguments in the corporate memorandum are not well reasoned and need a reconsideration. Also, many basic factors like climate, festival season, price of promotion as well as long term perception of the beverage in the eyes of the people need to be considered before commenting on the success of a promotion.
AWA ESSAYS: Analyze Issues
ESSAY QUESTION:
"Monetary compensation is the most powerful stimulus for improving employee productivity."
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the position stated above. Support your viewpoint using reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
YOUR RESPONSE:
Monetary compensation is often considered the most powerful stimulus for improving employee productivity. However, I tend to disagree with the argument. There a lot of other factors which are as powerful as monetary compensation in driving employee productivity. Monetary compensation, although a factor, only contributes to a certain extent in improving employee productivity.
Monetary compensation is a huge factor, when the work being undertaken is just physical work and doesn't require application of one's creativity. Once, the monetary compensation has reached a certain level, people are more concerned whether they enjoy what they do. Once, people enjoy what they do, they are much more productive than when they are just paid for work which doesn't offer them engagement. Corporates have long understood the meaning of engagement and fun activities and are getting their employee's involved in such activities to improve their employee's productivity.
For example, when we look at an open source software movement such as Apache, we come to see how creative work gets the best out of the people. Apache, in effect doesn't employ anyone. People work in their offices for money, get back home and work for free for an open source movement like Apache. Money, in this case is not the driving force. Good Work is. The zeal to make something which helps the world gets them to work better.
Another example is the work environment provided by the employer. Certain employers are just fun to work with. They have an open, unrestrictive culture which helps the employee grow as a person overall. The best companies to work for list made by Forbes is a partially nice picture of the same. Companies which may not be the highest paying are at the top of the list. One thing in common in all these companies is the fun work environment.
One more factor which an employee looks at when he/she works for a company is his company's overall contribution to the society. Whether, he goes back home satisfied with the work he did, is very important to him. For too many days in a row if a person wakes up and feels that he is not doing what he is enjoying, soon enough he will be late to work. His productivity will go down. The employee must be able to take pride in what he/she does. Money becomes secondary when his/her pride is boasted by working.
Monetary compensation, although a powerful factor in improving the employee productivity, it can't be considered the most powerful. There are a number of other factors like employee engagement, good working conditions, pride in the work that one does etc. are as important as monetary compensation in keeping an employee highly productive. A balance among all these factors best helps in keeping an employee productive.
Please rate them so that I can prepare better. I have my GMAT on the 21st.
