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Balancing two options by multiple opposing arguments, alternatives to "on the one hand ... on the other hand"

English Language & Usage Asked by Przemyslaw Remin on December 21, 2020

Is it possible to use the construction on the one hand … on the other hand with multiple complex arguments supporting two opposing options? I have doubts. Usually it looks like this:

"On the one hand, she is a good cook, on the other hand, she constantly smells of burned fat. So it is one to one."

I have a bit complex mathematical optimization problem and I would like to state it clearly:

"The most profitable inventory level requires balancing losses in storage costs, product obsolescence, and capital employed on the one hand against lost sales opportunities due to insufficient product availability on the other hand."

So I am balancing excessive inventory costs against insufficient inventory risks. I have doubts if using "hands" metaphor is appropriate at all. In my home language we have a useful metaphor of a weighing pan:

balancing on the one scaleagainston the opposite scale

By using this metaphor we can stuff the scales with numerous things without losing clarity.

2 Answers

Perhaps the following?

The most profitable inventory level requires finding the best compromise between losses in storage costs, product obsolescence, capital employed and lost sales opportunities due to insufficient product availability.

Answered by Rosie F on December 21, 2020

Balancing already suggests scales, so even your home language metaphor is redundant. Similarly, you don't need any hands at all:

The most profitable inventory level requires balancing [this] against [that].

The most profitable inventory level requires balancing losses in storage costs, product obsolescence, and capital employed against lost sales opportunities due to insufficient product availability.

Your [this] and [that], though, complicate the sentence. Maybe you can tighten things up a bit (and move capital employed so employed doesn't try to be a verb):

The most profitable inventory level requires balancing storage cost losses, capital employed, and product obsolescence against lost sales due to insufficient inventory.

Finally, I think this is what you're actually trying to say:

Finding the most profitable inventory level requires weighing storage cost losses, capital employed, and product obsolescence against lost sales due to insufficient inventory.

Answered by Tinfoil Hat on December 21, 2020

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