The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine devoted to regional life:
"Corporations should look to the city of Helios when seeking new business opportunities or a new location. Even in
the recent recession, Helios’s unemployment rate was lower than the regional average. It is the industrial center of
the region, and historically it has provided more than its share of the region’s manufacturing jobs. In addition, Helios
is attempting to expand its economic base by attracting companies that focus on research and development of
innovative technologies."
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
My Response:
The author argues that Helios has a lower unemployment rate than the regional average and is looking to expand its economic base therefore, companies who are looking for business opportunities should locate in Helios. Although the argument has some merit, it has several flaws that undermine and weaken the author’s conclusion. First, the author assumes that unemployment rate is the only factor that companies consider when looking for business opportunities. Moreover, the author assumes that unemployment rate is the only indicator of a recession and that assumption creates a flaw in the reasoning. Finally, the author assumes that all the companies reviewing his report operate in the R&D and technology industry.
First, the author assumes that low unemployment rate is the only motive for a company to locate in a specific region. This assumption weakens the conclusion because it does not take into account that there are many other factors that a company considers before locating a particular region including good infrastructure, availability of resources and many others.
Second, the author mentions that even in during the recession, Helios unemployment rate was lower than the regional average. This reasoning is flawed because the author fails to mention the real unemployment figure. What if the regional unemployment rate average is 30% or higher? This means that Helios could have an average of 29 % which is still high and is unattractive for businesses.
Third, the author mentions that Helios wants to attract companies that work within the R&D and technology industry and then makes a conclusion that any company should consider to locate in Helios. The conclusion is flawed because the author assumes that all the companies reading his report focus on R&D and innovative technologies. The conclusion would be improved if the author concluded that companies within the field of R&D and innovative technology specifically, should consider locating in Helios.
In conclusion, the author’s argument is flawed due to the reasons mentioned in the paragraphs above. The author would substantially improve the argument if he successfully includes other factors and indicators that make Helios a business attraction, also through indicating a realistic and measurable unemployment rate that can provide a clear evidence of and reasoning for his argument.