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A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers.  The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.
Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
  • a)
    Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.
  • b)
    A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.
  • c)
    A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.
  • d)
    Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.
  • e)
    Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revea...
A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers.  The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.
Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?
Argument Analysis
 
Pre-Thinking
Conclusion Clarification
The conclusion stated in the argument is “currently it makes sense for them (companies) to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.”
Pre-Thinking Approach
Let’s see how we can make the conclusion less believable.  To do so, we will look at the logical structure, focusing on linkage 1 and the conclusion.  Note that linkage 1 links few facts that the author uses to base his/her recommendation (conclusion) on.   Since the recommendation says that companies should ONLY focus on online presence, the way to falsify the conclusion will be to show that companies shouldn't focus only on online presence i.e. they should use other means as well to create maximum awareness.
Linkage#1
Weakener: What if there is some other factor that too can substantially create product awareness? Since the objective is to “create maximum awareness”, leaving out an important means to create awareness would weaken the argument.
  • Instance: Banner Advertisements have been found to be a key source of product awareness for around 23% of Ringlandian shoppers.
Weakener 2: What if OS do not create significant product awareness even though 1/3rd Ringlandian shoppers go online before making a purchase? We see that this weakens the argument.
  • Instance: Most Ringlandian shoppers who use OS to fetch product information do so only to validate their almost finalized purchasing decision. (product awareness created by some other means, OS used only for validation)
With this understanding lets evaluate the option statements.
Answer Choices
A
Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The recommendation is based on the fact that 1/3rd of the shoppers in Ringland go online before making a purchase. Therefore, the existing scarcity of social media consumers has no impact on the conclusion.
B
A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.
Correct
This option tells us that OS do notcreate product awareness for a significant proportion of people who go online before making a purchase. This option matches the 2nd weakener in our pre-thinking analysis.
C
A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.
Incorrect - Irrelevant 
Like choice A, this choice too is irrelevant for the same reason.
D
Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.
Incorrect - Irrelevant 
The recommendation is only for those companies that intend to create product awareness.
E
Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
This option talks about future options that are not relevant to the current scenario since the conclusion starts with “currently it makes sense for them (companies)”.
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Most Upvoted Answer
A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revea...
Explanation:

Impact of Option B:
- Option B weakens the argument because it shows that word-of-mouth recommendations are still a crucial factor in the purchasing decisions of Ringlandian shoppers.
- If people are going online after receiving recommendations from friends and family, it suggests that word-of-mouth plays a significant role in creating awareness about products.
- This means that companies should not solely focus on increasing their online presence and should also consider strategies to encourage positive word-of-mouth recommendations.

Relevance to the Argument:
- The argument assumes that online presence is the most important factor in creating awareness among Ringlandian shoppers.
- However, if word-of-mouth recommendations are still influential and lead people to search online for more information, then companies should consider both aspects in their marketing strategies.

Conclusion:
- Option B weakens the argument by highlighting the continued importance of word-of-mouth recommendations in the shopping habits of Ringlandian consumers.
- Companies should not disregard the power of word-of-mouth and should incorporate strategies to leverage both online presence and positive recommendations from friends and family.
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A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers. The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers. The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers. The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers. The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
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As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. 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As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. 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As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. 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As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice A recent study by Dealson on the shopping habits of Ringlandians revealed that word-of-mouth is a key source of awareness for almost 38% of Ringlandian shoppers. The study also revealed that one in every three shoppers in Ringland goes online to the company website before making a purchase. As word-of-mouth recommendations can’t be directly influenced by companies, currently it makes sense for them to focus solely on increasing their online presence in order to create maximum awareness of their products.Which of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?a)Social media consumers are very few in Ringland as the country has had a ban on various networking sites for the past five years.b)A significant proportion of people went online to gather information about the products after receiving recommendations about those products from friends and family.c)A significant number of people don’t have access to the internet in Ringland.d)Not all companies need awareness among the kind of shoppers studied; some companies make products that are utilized by other businesses as raw material.e)Several business-solution firms are working on a more efficient way to influence word-of-mouth recommendations.Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
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