The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.

"Many other companies have recently stated that having their employees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly improved productivity. One graduate of the course was able to read a 500-page report in only two hours; another graduate rose from an assistant manager to vice president of the company in under a year. Obviously, the faster you can read, the more information you can absorb in a single workday. Moreover, Easy Read would cost Acme only $500 per employee—a small price to pay when you consider the benefits. Included in this fee is a three-week seminar in Spruce City and a lifelong subscription to the Easy Read newsletter. Clearly, to improve overall productivity, Acme should require all of our employees to take the Easy Read course."



Acme Publishing, like all companies, should always be open for new ways in which to increase worker productivity. The Easy Read Speed Reading Course may be such a way. However, there are a few problems that must be addressed before Acme decides to pay for the course.
First, the speed with which one reads is only part of the equation. What is perhaps most important is how much information the reader gleamed from the report. Is the person as knowledgeable about the subject when the report is read in two hours as he or she is in three hours of reading? Typing profienciency is not evaluated just on the time it takes to write a paragraph, but also on the number of mistakes the individual makes. There is no point in having a worker who learns less, faster.
Acme should also question the career of the graduate who rose from assistant manager to vice president in under a year. Was their quick rise due to the course, or due to their own, previous attributes? Correlation does not necessarily mean causation. How were they performing before the graduated? Did their workload improve? Also, while the course may have allowed that person to read faster and thus accomplish their work faster, it did not give the individual charisma, leadership, or innovative ideas. It is highly doubtful that the course taught him or her so much.
Finally, the recommendation only gives the accounts of two graduates. What about the other graduates. Surely there have been more than just two, and if the course is as effective as the recommendation says, the other graduates must be seeing similar results. Further inquiries should be made.
Furthermore, is 500 words in two hours a significant increase? How long, on average, does it take to read a 500 report? A difference of only fifteen to twenty minutes is probably not worth the time and money. A difference on an hour, however, could be beneficial. Again, more information is needed.
If Acme does decide to follows the recommendation, then there is still the issue of how the company will pay for it. How much will it cost to pay for all of our employees? Will all new coming employees receive this training as mandatory? This could be very expensive. Perhaps the company should only pay for part of it with paid time off as an optional way for employees to improve themselves. This could also allow upper management to single-out which individuals are dedicated to their career and will put in the extra effort if promoted. Another option would be to pay for only management to attend the course to increase their efficiency.
Acme Publishing should take this recommendation seriously. If true, it could provide significant benefits and allow for a more profitable future. However, the company should also be wary of false advertising. Intense research should be done before any costly decision is made.