Economist: Every business strives to increase its productivity, for this increases profits for the owners and the likelihood that the business will survive. But not all efforts to increase productivity are beneficial to the business as a whole. Often, attempts to increase productivity decrease the number of employees, which clearly harms the dismissed employees as well as the sense of security of the retained employees.Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the economist’s argument?
(A) If an action taken to secure the survival of a business fails to enhance the welfare of the business’s employees, that action cannot be good for the business as a whole.
(B) Some measures taken by a business to increase productivity fail to be beneficial to the business as a whole.
(C) Only if the employees of a business are also its owners will the interests of the employees and owners coincide, enabling measures that will be beneficial to the business as a whole.
(D) There is no business that does not make efforts to increase its productivity.
(E) Decreasing the number of employees in a business undermines the sense of security of retained employees.
A. This is not the conclusion and is clearly extreme. On the LSAT, every statement should be taken literally—even in exaggerated cases. If applied broadly, this choice becomes unreasonable, which the author would not support.
B. Correct. This statement captures the author's conclusion accurately. The phrase “not all… are beneficial” aligns with “some measures… fail,” meaning the author is asserting that some productivity efforts are not good for the business.
C. The author never claims this. It overreaches and generalizes beyond what’s supported. The author may believe that in some instances, the interests of employees and business owners align.
D. This just restates part of the argument's opening using a double negative. It’s a premise, not the main point—just background that supports the conclusion.
E. This is a supporting detail, not the conclusion itself. The author uses it to build up to the main point: that some productivity measures might actually be bad for the business overall.
