The following appeared as part of an article in a business magazine A recent study rating 300 male and female Mentian advertising executives according to the average number of hours they sleep per night showed an association between the amount of sleep t

The author of the article suggests that they should hire only people who need less than 6 hours of sleep per night for having a good business. He or she is providing the following evidence to support his or her claim; a study of 300 men and female advertising executives combined to compare their amount of sleep to the success of their firms. The reasoning of the argument is flawed, as it is based upon unsustained assumptions.

Firstly, the study doesn't give the exact number of males and females studied for the research which can give an accurate idea about what the required sleep is for success in the firm. Also, body habits and behavior are different from person to person so we can't compare males and females in such aspects. The study should have been done separately for men and female to get the relevant information.

Secondly, the studied results state that 6 hours of sleep per night is more than enough for higher profit margins and faster growth won't be able to justify everything. The evidence doesn't have the count or the size of the organization. On what are the basis of profit margins and faster growth are evaluated?
It can be different from business to business. All such organizations will have different profit margins and growth rates. Perhaps, they should add the figures which help the article.

The argument is weak since neither the conclusion sound nor is the suggestion legitimate. Had there been substantial evidence, perhaps, the argument would have sounded more credible, but if it's absent it sounds indefensible.