Critical Thinking Scenario

Sally is a 34-year-old woman who works in the customer service department for a small company that sells printers. Her job involves speaking with customers and addressing their concerns for 8 hours a day. Unfortunately for Sally, customers only reach out to her department when there is an issue with their printers.

Once, after a long day of listening to customer complaints, she felt drained and agitated. She wanted to relax, so she went to dinner with some colleagues. The colleagues began discussing an issue at work that was causing friction between departments. Sally did not agree with her colleagues’ viewpoint on the causes of that friction, but she did not want to say anything because she felt she did not know enough about the topic. For the remaining part of the discussion, Sally nodded her head and appeared to agree with her colleagues to avoid confrontation. After this dinner, she decided not spend time with these colleagues outside of work anymore. Comment by Author: What barrier does this reflect? Comment by Author: What barrier does this reflect? Comment by Author: What type of communication style does this demonstrate?

The next day at work, Sally spoke with a customer who wanted to dispute the terms in the warranty for the product. The customer explained to Sally that he understood the terms of the warranty, but the printer was vital to his business. He explained how the ability to print materials equated to his ability to feed his family. He asked if there was any way Sally could help. Sally imagined herself in the customer’s position and decided to find additional options for the customer. In the end, Sally was able to de-escalate the situation and assist the customer. Comment by Author: How does this reflect emotion/reason being used?

This interaction with the customer led her to question their warranty, and she decided to speak with her manager to get it changed. She stated that the current warranty was inadequate because it did not provide customers with enough time to determine if the product would function appropriately. She provided supporting evidence to show that many printers failed only 1 month after the 1-year warranty expired. She also calculated the number of customers with failed printers that bought a replacement printer from the company she worked for. Sally proposed that the warranty be extended to 18 months. Unfortunately, her manager did not agree with her argument nor provide an argument against extending the warranty; instead, he asked, “How can you argue for a change in the warranty when you are late to work most of the time?” Sally decided she would continue to argue for changing the warranty with the company’s leadership, and, after several meetings, Sally was able to get her proposal approved and the warranty extended. Comment by Author: Evaluate this information to determine whether Sally’s argument about the warranty is valid or not. Comment by Author: What fallacy is reflected here?

You will take all you have learned and apply it to a real-world scenario for this assignment. Practicing your critical thinking skills in this way allows you to demonstrate what you have learned. Your ability to recognize and overcome the barriers to critical thinking, evaluate arguments, solve complex problems, and make decisions are skills you will use throughout your academic and professional careers. You will use these skills in your personal life too, whether you’re setting life goals or just living your best life.

Review the Critical Thinking Scenario online or read the Critical Thinking Scenario in Microsoft® Word.

Write a 350- to 700-word reflection on the scenario, using the Reflection Template. Read the template carefully before you start typing. It has important information about what to include in each paragraph. Be sure you demonstrate your critical thinking abilities in your responses to the questions and ensure your paper flows well from topic to topic.

Note: The Reflection Template is formatted for you. You do not need to make any changes to the format.