The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food distribution company with food storage warehouses in several cities.” Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years in Palm City, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. This difference in pest damage is best explained by the negligence of Fly-Away.”

The following appeared in a memo from the vice president of a food distribution company with food storage warehouses in several cities.

“Recently, we signed a contract with the Fly-Away Pest Control Company to provide pest control services at our warehouse in Palm City, but last month we discovered that over $20,000 worth of food there had been destroyed by pest damage. Meanwhile, the Buzzoff Pest Control Company, which we have used for many years in Palm City, continued to service our warehouse in Wintervale, and last month only $10,000 worth of the food stored there had been destroyed by pest damage. This difference in pest damage is best explained by the negligence of Fly-Away.”

Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.

The vice president of a food distribution company, faced with the need to choose between two pest control companies, presents three arguments that, if true, indicate that Fly-Away is to blame. First, he states that Fly-Away has twice caused as much damage to food as Buzzoff, so that Fly-Away is at fault. Second, he states that Fly-Away began servicing the Palm City warehouse only last year, while Buzzoff has serviced it for many years. Finally, he states that Buzzoff charged a lower price than Fly-Away, implying that Fly-Away is more expensive. These arguments, however, are not supported by the facts. With only these two facts, there is no way to determine which company caused more damage. In addition, there is no evidence to suggest that Fly-Away is more expensive than Buzzoff. In fact, the two companies are in the same line of business, and it is likely that Fly-Away’s offering of a lower charge reflects an effort to win new business. However, this is not necessarily true of Buzzoff. That company may have chosen to reduce its charge in an attempt to win business, or it may have reduced its price in order to keep their existing clients. Because of these facts, it can be argued that Fly-Away is not at fault for the damage.