At a departmental meeting, someone proposes simplifying the reimbursement process. The manager says: "This process has been used for ten years and nothing major has ever gone wrong, and the company's performance has been growing steadily these years, so it proves there's no problem and no need to change." Which of the following evaluations is the most accurate?

Answer: D

• AThe old method has passed the test of time, so it's definitely more reliable than the new proposal.✗ Wrong. This treats the appeal to tradition in the stem as a valid reason—the fact that a practice has existed for a long time only shows it has existed for a long time; duration itself does not refute a new proposal.
• BThe company's performance growth shows that all decisions, including the process, are correct.✗ Wrong. This is an appeal to overall success—the organization's overall good performance does not mean every specific decision is correct; growth may come from market, sales, or other factors unrelated to the process.
• CThe manager just doesn't want the trouble of changing and is using the company's achievements to silence the proposer.✗ Wrong. This attacks the motive—speculating about the manager's self-interest does not evaluate the argument itself; even if the motive is suspect, whether the process should be changed still needs a direct answer.
• DNeither the long usage nor the good performance proves that the process is still reasonable now.✓ Correct. "Used for ten years" is an appeal to tradition, and "performance growth" is an appeal to overall success; both sidestep the key question of whether the process fits current conditions. The real comparison should be between the benefits and costs of keeping versus reforming.