Whom would you trust as most reliable? Discuss the credibility and authority of each individual or group listed with regard to the following issue:You have saved up for a vacation and are considering taking a cruise on a cruise ship. You are unsure whether this would be the right kind of vacation for you and, if it is, what kind of cruise would be best for you and your budget.a. a travel agentb. a cruise line representativec. a friend who has been on a cruised. a newspaper travel writer

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Notice that there are two issues at stake, not just one: whether to take a cruise and which cruise. We'd trust (d) first on both issues if you are fortunate enough to talk with him or her personally (and not just by letter to the paper). After that, we'd trust (c) and (a) more or less equally on the first question (one knows you, and one knows cruises) and (a) on the second question; (b) could be expected to be biased in favor of a particular line, we'd think.