mbmedina

TASK: The following was presented as part of a business plan by Apex Corporation. "To answer the increased demand for artisan coffee, Apex Corporation is releasing a new line of coffee, "Gourmet Select." Apex Corporation will first introduce the coffee into major supermarkets, where it hopes word-of-mouth advertising will sustain sales. After a few months Apex Corp. will run an advertising campaign aimed at television and radio while simultaneously releasing the brand to several major chain restaurants. Based on this strategy, Apex Corporation hopes to make "Gourmet Select" one of the top sellers in the coffee market." Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on these assumptions and what the implications are for the argument if the assumptions prove unwarranted. RESPONSE: While the business plan presented by Apex Corporation demonstrates some merit, there are certain flaws that need to be addressed to better strengthen the plan towards success. The basic foundation of the plan repeatedly states that the success of its strategies is merely based on their "hope" to make their coffee brand "one of the top sellers in the coffee market." Most noticeably, in order to substantiate their strategy claims, it would help their case to provide any previous research or statistics accumulated from other products either in the market or through company surveys to prove that their assumptions of verbal marketing and certain social media tactics are appropriately supported and can be followed through to achieve success. The business plan assumes that through initial "word-of-mouth" marketing and introducing their product at the supermarket level, it would effectively lead to strengthen their campaigning efforts through television, radio, and in major chain restaurants. There is no further information on their reasoning for pursuing this form of advertising in terms of effectiveness, successes, or comparisons to strategies of other similar coffee products. As the company's statement mentions that the need for artisan coffee products has grown, but there is no substantial evidence to support this claim. In order for the above assumptions to better support the business plan, the company should include specific evidence in relation to the statistics on the demand for artisan coffee; the various types of artisan coffee already existing in the market; their coffee competitors tactics and how their presented strategies would triumph over the campaigns of other coffee products; and, if they have had similar products previously, their methods of utilizing such data to ensure the success of this new line of coffee. Overall, the business plan provided by the Apex Corporation provides an optimistic outlook on their "Gourmet Select" coffee brand, but this naitivity will only get the brand so far. By conducting research to provide further concrete information on comparing their planned strategies for "Gourmet Select" to other currently existing marketing campaigns, the Apex Corporation will be better for it.

Task: The best leaders are those who encourage feedback from the people whom they lead. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. Response: While some may argue that it would be in the best interest for all involved to abstain from allowing feedback from followers to their leader, however, by receiving such criticisms, both positive and negative, the leader would not only be able to better serve his or her people, but he or she would also exhibit the persona of a true leader. By permitting such feedback, the leader also encourages a more leveled relationship with those he or she leads as well as implies more equality amongst them and less of a hierarchy. Such resultant qualities are very important for more effective and efficient leadership, which would lead to the best of all leaders. By opening the current of feedback from the main leader with his or her followers, a better relationship is built in the group because there would be more of an sympathetic perspective on all levels. This can be supported by the basic understanding of teamwork. Teamwork can only arise if all members in the group truly work together, which takes a certain amount of trust between members, including the leader. If most of the responsibility was directed to the leader versus being equally spread among all group mates, the result would most likely not be as proficient or efficiently completed. In working together, consistent and continuous communication and discussion of what is working in the team and what is not is crucial to the overall effectiveness of completing a task; this includes the discussions with the team leader. A substantial amount can be done with more than one mind, which allows for individual development on both sides-the leader and his or her team. In addition to having trust between members, a sense of equality amongst all members is also essential to providing the best leadership one can. This is one of the most foundational points on which our country, the United States, stands upon, a democracy. While we are lead by a distguished individual-the President-to carry out certain responsibities, the basis in which our leader takes action considers the opinions of the people. Only then will the President act on behalf of our needs. By having a leader who is open to hearing from the people, there is the sense of equality among all people, both with the President and the people.

TASK: Recent incursions by deep-sea fishermen into the habitat of the Madagascan shrimp have led to a significant reduction in the species population. With the breeding season fast approaching, the number of shrimp should soon begin to increase. Nonetheless, the population should not return to the levels before the fishing boats arrived. Because this trend is expected to continue over the next several years, the Madagascan shrimp will quickly become an endangered species. Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument. RESPONSE: While the claim that Madagascan shrimp population will become an endagered species is supported by certain evidence, the evidence provided is insufficient to uphold the claim well and is presumptive, at best, without a strong basis. The assumption that the presence of deep-sea fisherman in the shrimp's habitat serves as the primary reason for the endangering species of Madagascan shrimp is, generally, a weak point on its own and should be further evaluated. The presumtive connection between the presence of the fishermen and the decreasing number of shrimp does not have any evidence to support its own claim, other than the observations from "recent incursions." Further information needed to substantiate this assumption should include specific statistical comparisons demonstrating the data collected on the population of shrimp before and after the fishing boats were present in the shrimp's habitat. If data were collected in this timespan and follows after the claim to prove that there has been a "significant reduction in the species population," this would be beneficial analysis to strengthen the overall claim. Also, an examination of the Madagascan shrimp's habitat during this time period as well could also provide insight into the decreasing population due to any environmental changes--water temperature fluctuations--or presence of other man-made factors, such as chemicals or garbage. The claim itself disregards any other external or internal factors, which could either support or disprove the claim entirely, based on the research conducted. If traces of such environmental or man-made factors than fishing boats were found, a whole new and improved claim would be made to describe the reasons for the decreasing population of shrimp. While the excerpt includes basic conclusions based on observation, the general idea is not supported adequately to provide credible information. By including further insight from appropriate research and data collection, the overall claim that the decreasing number of Madagascan shrimp is due to the presence of fishing boats, eventually becoming endangered, would be reorganized and strengthened immensely.

TASK: Universities should require students to take courses only within those fields they are interested in studying. Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position. RESPONSE: While it may be beneficial in some ways to have students focus on their studies of interests at a University, the overall effect on the students would not meet their needs to "live," let alone amply succeed in today's society due to ever-changing demands of of our world. By restricting one's studies in higher education to one focus, the student would not be a well-rounded individual, which could serve detrimental when a related situation arises, as well as forces the assumption that the student would not be interested in any other field but one. In these two cases, following such a claim would ultimatley result to be costly to both the students and the world. In today's society, the needs of the people change daily, with no particular forewarning. In order for the needs to be better attended to, a variety of specialties need to be ready and accessible with experts in all types of fields. If higher education limited the field of study for a student to just one, the education for such individuals would also limit their opportunity in the world. For example, if a student were to only take courses in public health, he or she would not only need to take courses focused on public health theories, research and progress; to propoerly apply this field in the world, the student must simultaneously know the sociological trends in society as well as the various economic effects in the political and occupational world. Without such knowledge to tie basic public health studies, the conclutions and solutions to be made would not be well constructed and insuffient to tend to the public health issues, which would be financially costly for an unstable area of expertise. Individuals specializing in one field would not be able to adapt to other situations well due to their lack of being well-rounded, thus lacking their opportunity to succeed in their career. In conclusion, it may help drive one's career to have a focus in a specialty, but as long as their education is well-rounded. The world's demand are growing and malleable, which proves the need to be versatile in many disciplines of study, for the sake of the future. Limiting one's education is limiting the world's opprtunity to thrive and to live.

TASK: SuperCorp recently moved its headquarters to Corporateville. The recent surge in the number of homeowners in Corporateville proves that Corporateville is a superior place to live than Middlesburg, the home of SuperCorp's current headquarters. Moreover, Middleburg is a predominately urban area and according to an employee survey, SuperCorp has determined that its workers prefer to live in an area that is not urban. Finally, Corporateville has lower taxes than Middlesburg, making it not only a safer place to work but also a cheaper one. Therefore, Supercorp clearly made the best decision. Write a response in which you examine the stated and/or unstated assumptions of the argument. Be sure to explain how the argument depends on the assumptions and what the implications are if the assumptions prove unwarranted. RESPONSE: While the claim makes a mediocre attempt of proving that Corporateville is the best location for its headquarters, the presumptions of the increase in homeowners rsiding in Corporateville; the conclusion that its employees do not like living in an urban area, thus they would prefer to live in Corporateville; and the cost of living in Corpoateville is cheaper than its original location in Middlesburg have gaps in each of its points. The assumption that the high amount of homeowners in Corporateville makes the area "superior" does not have much to substantiate itself. A question that arises with this piece of information is the background of the area itself, in terms of living quality. While there may be a high amount of homeowners in the area, there may be other reasons why these people would choose to reside in the area that may not support that Corporateville is superior. An example may be that Corporateville may be located in a deserted area, far from any necessary resources, such as grocery stores, which would then presume this area would be a high cost residency than a "cheap" place to live due to the amount of gasoline, and other costs of living, that would be needed to travel or transport to other locations. Other factors, such as the area's socioeconomic status, has more of an impact that the claim leads on. Even though the business' employees have surveyed that they would prefer to live in a non-urban area, the claim fails to provide further information as to where the employees would rather live, as there are more than one form of residential areas, such as suburban or rural forms of living. The claims states very little about the employees' alternate and directly assumes that the type of area Corporateville is would be the employees' choice of environment. Complementing the argument made in the previous paragraph, little has been distinguished to support the type of living in Corporateville, other than it is supposedly urban and that there is a high number of homeowners in the area. Technically, by definition, the great presence of homes in a residential area would be more considered to be a suburban type area, and if the company's employees had answered a question in its survey about their alternative form of living, this point may have been proven should their choice be suburban area. The points made to support that Corporateville is the superior location for its business were made with little to no evidence to substantiate its case. More information about the employee survey or on the socioeconomic status of the area would help the claim be more clearly articulated and present a much stronger argument than it currently presents.

TASK: Technology, while apparently aimed to simplify our lives, only makes our lives more complicated. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position. RESPONSE: In a sense, technology has played a major part in simplifying people's lives by lessening the time spent on basic human needs; however, the paradigm from self-dependency to technological reliance has further complicated our lives as human beings. This can be examined through consistent experiences when there are technological difficulties as well as the degradation of people's abilities to perform basic human tasks with minimal use of technological devices, which ultimately enhances people's reliance on technology and diminishes their self-sustainability. Every time there is a malfunction in technological systems, people tend not to know how to deal with the issue due to their lack of understanding the basic machinery. This would occur when, for example, a computer has a virus and displays a blacked out screen. To my knowledge, the typical person would simply press buttons with very little luck in fixing the problem, leaving the person to flustered and forcing him or her to communicate with a technological expert. Now, what should have been an efficient task has turned into a time and money wasting experience. This is not to say that once the piece of technology is fixed, this ends all problems; it most likely will be the first of many. Such experiences happen with every piece of technology that people utilize daily--such as cookware, transportation means or simple communication devices. While people would try to tend to the problem, the time that they could have spent on the task could have been better spent by attempting the task using basic human skills and techniques, which would depend on technology, minimally or not at all.Technology continuously corrupts one's once daily habits by restricting our use of basic human skills-like handwriting or conducting research through books-by relying on technology, which further complicates our human experiences. Technology has proven to assist in simplifying our human existence in many ways, but it has also displayed to be too complicated for most people to truly use, let alone understand, especially without the appropriate guidance or expertise. When an issue arises with any form of technology, people often shrug and "give up" on their means of technology without any strategy.

Task: The Following report appeared in the newsletter of the West Meria Public Health Council. "An innovative treatment has come to our attention that promises to significantly reduce absenteeism is our school and workplaces. A study reports that in nearby East Meria, where fish consumption is very high, people visit the doctor only once or twice per year for the treatment of colds. Clearly, eating a substantial amount of fish can prevent colds. Since colds represent the most frequently given reason for absences from school and work, we recommend the daily use of Ichthaid--a nutritional supplement derived from fish oil--as a good way to prevent colds and lower absenteeism." Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument. RESPONSE: While the claim presented in the report provides a public health related concern, the evidence presented is not sufficient to uphold the claim itself. Such assumptions--such as the relationship between high fish consumption and doctor’s visits and the rate of absenteeism and colds will decrease by taking a dietary fish supplement--must be further substantiated before such a claim can be viable. The first assumption--that high fish consumption attributes to the amount of doctor’s visits people have annually--is barely explained. In order to uphold this piece of information, more information on the people of East Meria should be conveyed--the population of East Meria, number of physicians present in the area, number of people that visit their physician for a cold compared to all other visits. Many other factors can attribute to the low number of doctor’s visits to seek treatment for colds, such as over-the-counter medication, access to nearby physician, or healthy nutrition habits. Each would have an effect as to why a person may not visit a doctor for a cold. Secondly, the claim that taking a fish supplement will decrease the likelihood of getting a cold, thus decreasing the rate of absenteeism has gaps in itself. Relevant evidence should be presented in terms of the statistics of absenteeism in East Meria, the causes of absenteeism, and more information on the the effect of the fish supplement on the common cold. This claim also disregards any provided information from employees or youth that claim an “excused absence” specifically due to the common cold. Without the indicated information to substantiate a relation between the two, the claim is incomplete. The relationship between intaking a dietary fish supplement and prevention of the common cold needs more than mere assumptions to be considered viable. While this claim leads to a short term solution, it is too incomplete to determine any true effects.

Issue Task Prompt: Claim: Governments must ensure that their major cities receive the financial support they need in order to thrive. Reason: It is primarily in cities that a nation's cultural traditions are preserved and generated. Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim and the reason on which that claim is based. RESPONSE: While it would be beneficial for major cities to receive such support from the government, the narrowed vision to sustain certain major cities rather than the nation as a whole would only ensure the stabilization and investment to limited cultural traditions, neglecting to uphold other cultures. By allocating their financial support to certain major cities, government diminishes their ability to provide for its jurisdiction as a whole, which puts a limitation on diversity and freedom in its nation. To place all resources to preserve the major cities’ cultures would ignore all other forms of cultures not prominent in that particular city, ultimately driving its people to live in a grayscale society. With this basis, this claim would run parallel to cultural discrimination which kills any and all opportunity to experience traditions that one may not know of. As a government governing over a nation, such as the United States, by restricting the cultural palate of its residents would be as America was before its revolution--non-existent freedom. In summary, if a government decides to financially support its major cities solely to preserve its cultural traditions, this government would not be fit to govern in this or any generation. As history has demonstrated, time and time again, when one part is supported and the other are not, revolution is bound to happen; unless there is a balance. To put all one’s bets on one limits the opportunity for all.