(1) In the 1990s, the furniture company Herman Miller developed a revolutionary new chair with an adjustable lower back and breathable upholstery (2) But consumer focus groups derided it failing to understand the design's innovations, only the bold decision of Herman Miller executives to release the chair anyway allowed it to become a success. (3) The popular writer Malcolm Gladwell has
provided a competing introduction to the focus group, a research technique in which groups of consumers are asked detailed questions about a new product. (1) As an accurate assessment of the
effectiveness of focus groups, however, Gladwell's story has some shortcomings
(5) As journalist Liza Featherstone explains in Divining Desire: Focus Groups and the Culture of Consultation the social role of focus groups has changed over time in response to political and
economic developments (6) According to one executive interviewed by Featherstone, "You can't use focus groups to create an idea... a focus group would create an Edsel (7) The executive
refers to a famously unsuccessful 1957 car model whose shortcomings were blamed on the development team's excessive use of focus groups (8) But, as Featherstone shows, focus groups
actually rejected some features that spelled the Edsel's doom, including the name, which group members thought sounded too much like Weate." (9) Other features, such as the unpopular design
of the car's body, were not subject to focus group research at all (10) Overall, it may be that a truly unfortunate name is what actually contributed to the Edsets failure.
(11) Whether or not focus groups could have saved the Edsel, it is clear that they produced useful feedback. (12) Seen in this light even the focus groups used by Herman Miller come off better.
their reservations about the unusual chair design did correspond to low initial sales figures before the product became a hit (13) As Eric L Johnston argues, Gladwell criticizes focus groups for
failing to predict the future, something that should not be expected of them (14) Ultimately, focus groups are just one component in a company's decision-making process, and they should never
be treated as a magical elasir not a substitute for sound business decisionsJohnston asserts.
Sube
The writer is considering adding the following sentence after sentence 11.
Focus groups are best understood as sources of potentially valuable information, not as the final word on consumer response.
Should the writer add this sentence?
Yes, because it introduces a counterargument to the claim made in sentence 11 that is rebutted in the rest of the paragraph
B Yes, because it provides commentary that connects the claim in sentence 11 with the evidence about focus groups provided in sentence 12
No, because in interrupts the discussion of how focus groups provide information with unnecessary details about consumer response.
D
No, because it makes the argument of the passage less convincing by insisting that there is only one way to view focus groups