Question

Difficulty: EasyPrinciple - Justify

The new administrative software update reduces the time it takes for employees to process customer requests by 20 percent. Therefore, the company should mandate that all employees install the new software update immediately.

Which one of the following principles, if valid, most helps to justify the reasoning above?

  1. A company should mandate the installation of any software update that reduces the time it takes to process customer requests.Answer
  2. B
    A company should mandate a software update only if it reduces customer processing time by at least 20 percent.
  3. C
    If a software update does not reduce the time it takes to process customer requests, a company should not mandate its installation.
  4. D
    Companies should prioritize the speed of processing customer requests above all other business concerns.
  5. E
    Software updates that alter how employees interact with customers should generally be delayed to ensure system stability.

Answer

The principle stating that a company should mandate the installation of any software update that reduces the time it takes to process customer requests.
The correct answer acts as a perfect logical bridge between the evidence and the conclusion. By stating that ANY software update reducing processing time should be mandated, it triggers directly off the stated premise to absolutely guarantee the conclusion.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the argument's premise.
Premise: The new software update reduces the time it takes for employees to process customer requests.
Understanding the evidence provided is the first step in analyzing the argument structure.
2
Identify the argument's conclusion.
Conclusion: The company should mandate that all employees install the update immediately.
The conclusion is the destination that the premise must logically reach.
3
Identify the logical gap between the premise and the conclusion.
Gap: The argument assumes that simply because an update reduces processing time, the company is justified in mandating it.
To justify the conclusion, we need a rule that perfectly bridges this gap.
4
Select the conditional principle that connects the premise to the conclusion.
The correct principle must be: 'If an update reduces processing time (premise), then the company should mandate its installation (conclusion).'
This 'If Premise, then Conclusion' structure logically guarantees the outcome, fulfilling the 'Justify' question task.

Key Concept

Principle - Justify: Bridging Premise to Conclusion

Alternative Method

You can visualize this as a math equation: Premise + Principle = Conclusion. Here, (Reduces Time) + (If Reduces Time -> Mandate) = (Mandate).
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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