AWA 19

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.”

The argument in the article of the magazine devoted to regional life to look to the city of Helios for seeking new business opportunities is unconvincing because its conclusion depends on unsubstantiated assumption of exceptional history and performance of Helios in the field of manufacturing industry. Each of the following areas merit further explanation before it can be given any degree of credibility of its conclusion of corporations looking forward to Helios than any other city in the region.

Firstly, the article did not give any further information to consolidate its claim that the Helios’s unemployment rate was lower than the regional average, even during the recent recession. Additionally, one can question the contribution of the Helios towards the regional’s average unemployment if it was able to maintain its unemployment rate. Thus, it becomes difficult to say that Helios is the center of business prospects in the region. Additionally, one needs further unemployment data prior to the recession to consolidate the stand that the regional average was not equally bad.

Secondly, further information need to given to show that Helios is serious is expanding its economic base by attracting the companies that focus on research and development.

Thirdly, even if Helios might be seriously pursuing its goal of attracting research and development companies, but it might not be able to achieve its aim as it might lack the human and other resources necessary for the research and development to take place. For example, the general public of Helios might not be well educated and hence, may not suit to these kinds of jobs. Additionally, there might not be a good university that might support and encourage the world-class research and development in the Helios or its nearby regions. The environment may not be conducive for the corporations to do research and development in Helios in such circumstances.

Last but not the least, Helios might be a good destination for low-income jobs but not for specialized and sophisticated jobs like research and development, which, in turn, fail to attract the corporations interested in expanding its business for research and development.

Due to the many holes in the reasoning in the arguments of the report, it is difficult to take the arguments seriously. Unless further evidence surface in each of the areas discussed above, the given premises are insufficient proof that the conclusion drawn is viable.