The following appeared in a memo from the marketing director of Top Dog Pet Stores.

"Five years ago, Fish Emporium started advertising in the magazine Exotic Pets Monthly. Their stores saw sales increase by 15 percent. The three Fish Emporium stores in Gulf City saw an even greater increase than that. Because Top Dog has some of its largest stores in Gulf City, it seems clear that we should start placing our own ads in Exotic Pets Monthly. If we do so, we will be sure to reverse the recent trend of declining sales and start making a profit again."

In this memo, the author has observed that all those exotic pet stores which published an advertisement in “Exotic Pets monthly” have seen a tremendous increase in sales. The author also wants to give an advertisement in this monthly to promote his store and possibly reverse the trend of declining sales. At once, the author’s claim is plausible, however, there is a lot of ambiguity in his claim.
Firstly, the author says that the Fish emporium made 15 percent after giving an advertisement in Exotic Pets Monthly, however, he fails to show any concrete proof or documents pertaining to his statement. Moreover, there could be multiple possibilities for the rise in profit made by Fish Emporium. What if they have published in some other agency that is more accessible to the masses of the society? The author didn’t take this hypothesis in his memo.
Secondly, the author compares the sales from Top dogs to Fish Emporium. Top Dog is known for dogs and Fish emporium is known for fishes. Who other than the author would compare the sales of dogs to fishes? Both are two different pets and the sale of one should not be compared to the other.
Thirdly, the author fails to mention the economic background of the city. The author has to evaluate the average income of the people and can they afford exotic dogs when compared to exotic fishes. The author didn’t take this hypothesis into the account.
Finally, the author should have also considered if there are any competitors for Top dog or it’s the monopoly in the city. If they have competitors, the author should compare the sales of Top Dog to its competitor and should evaluate the business model if they are successful compared to Top Dog. Once again, the author didn’t take this hypothesis into consideration.
In conclusion, the author didn’t submit any documents or proof to weigh his memo. Moreover, he didn’t take various hypothesis which is mentioned above in his consideration. It can be said that the author’s claim is fallacious can be repudiated. Nevertheless, giving an advertisement in the Exotic Pet Monthly may alleviate their loss if not reverse their trend.