Educator: It has been argued that our professional organization should make decisions about important issues--such a...

Naz on November 10, 2014

Our conclusion is: "This would not however be the right way to decide these matters."

Why? We are told that the vote of any given individual is much more likely to determine organizational policy by influencing the election of an officer than by influencing the result of a direct vote on a single issue.

Answer choice (C) states: "Important issues facing organizations should be decided by people who can devote their full time to mastering the information relevant to the issues."

We have not been given any information that would lead us to infer that officers who have been voted into office by members are people who can devote their full time to mastering the information relevant to the issues. If we are not told this, then we cannot infer it. Thus, (C) does not strengthen the argument because it is irrelevant.

Answer choice (E) states: "An organization's procedures for making organizational decisions should maximize the power of each member of the organization to influence the decisions made."

Well since the vote of any given individual is much more likely to determine organizational policy by influencing the election of an officer than by influencing the result of a direct vote on a single issue, electing an officer is going to maximize the power of each member of the organization to influence decisions made.

So, if answer choice (E) were true, then it would strengthen the conclusions that direct vote of all members should not be the way our professional organization should make decisions about important issues because that does not maximize the power of each member of the organization to influence the decisions made, which is what organizational decisions should do.

Hope that clears things up! Please let us know if you have any other questions.