The following appeared in a speech by a stockholder of Consolidated Industries at the company’s annual
stockholders meeting: “In the computer hardware division last year profits fell significantly below projections,
the product line decreased from 20 to only five items and expenditures for employee benefits increased by
15%. Nevertheless, Consolidated’s board of directors has approved an annual salary of more than $1 million
for our company’s chief executive officer. The present board members should be replaced because they are
unconcerned about the increasing costs of employee benefits and salaries in spite of the company’s problems
generating income. Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. in your discussion be sure to analyze
the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what
questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might
weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument,
what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better
evaluate its conclusion.