仿制-糖块
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF MEETING
One aspect of business life which many
managers are unhappy with is the need to attend
meetings.
Research indicates that
managers will spend between a third and a half of
their working lives in
meetings.
Although
most
managers
would
agree
that
it
is
hard
to
think
of
an
alternative
to
meetings, as a means of considering
information and making collective decisions, their
length and
frequency can cause problems
with the workload of even the best-organised
executives.
Meetings work best if they
take place only when necessary and not as a matter
of routine. One
example of this is the
discussion of personal or career matters between
members of staff and their
line
and
personnel
managers.
Another
is
during
the
early
stages
of
a
project
when
the
team
managing
it need to learn to understand and trust one
another.
Once it has been decided that
a meeting is necessary, decisions need to be taken
about who will
attend and about the
location and length of the meeting. People should
only be invited to attend if
they
are
directly
involved
in
the
matters
under
discussion
and
the
agenda
should
be
distributed
well in advance. An agenda is vital
because it acts as a road map to keep discussion
focused and
within the time limited
allocated. This is also the responsibility of the
person chairing the meeting,
who should
encourage those who say little to speak and stop
those who have a great deal to say
from
talking too much.
At the end of a well
organised meeting, people will feel that the
meeting has been a success and be
pleased they were invited. They will
know not only what decisions were made but also
the reasons
for these decisions.
Unfortunately, at the end of a badly organised
meeting those present will leave
feeling that they have wasted their
time and that nothing worthwhile has been
achieved.
Much together has been given
over the years to ways of keeping meeting short.
One man who has
no intention of
spending half his working life in meeting is
Roland Winterson, chief executive of a
large manu
facturing company.
He believes that meetings should be short, sharp
and infrequent. “I
try to hold no more
than two or three meetings a week, attended by a
maximum of three people for
no longer
than half an hour,” he says. “They are clearly
aimed at achiev
ing a specific
objective,
such as making a decision or
planning a strategy, and are based on careful
preparation. I draw up
the agenda for
every meeting and circulate it in advance; those
attending are expected to study it
carefully and should be prepared to
both ask and answer questions. Managers are best
employed
carrying out tasks directly
connected with their jobs not attending endless
meetings. In business,
time is money
and spending it in needless meetings that don?t
achieve anything can be very costl
y.
Executives should follow the example of
lawyers and put a cost on each hour of their time
and
then decide whether attending a
long meeting really is the best way to spend their
time.”
13.
What do most managers think about
meetings?
A.
Meetings take up most of their working
life.
B.
Meetings allow them to monitor
decision-making.
C.
Meetings prevent them from establishing
a routine.
D.
Meetings are the only way they know of
achieving certain objectives.
14.
According to the writer,
an example of a valuable meeting is one which
A.
allows
colleagues to achieve a better working
relationship.
B.
requires managers to discuss staffing
needs with personnel.
C.
selects a suitable group of people to
work together as a team.
D.
encourages staff to present ideas on
improvements in management.
15.
According to the writer
the agenda is important because it
A.
is seen by everybody before
the meeting.
B.
helps to give direction to the
discussions.
C.
contains items of interest to all those
present.
D.
shows who should speak at each stage of
the meeting.
16.
The writer says that people leaving a
well organised meeting will understand
A.
the reason
for their invitation to attend.
B.
how the decisions taken
were relevant to them.
C.
the importance of proposals under
discussion.
D.
why certain courses of action were
agreed upon.
17.
What does Roland Winterson say about
the meetings that he organises?
A.
He aims to hold them on a
regular basis.
B.
He ensures they have a definite
purpose.
C.
He
requires his managers to draw up the agenda.
D.
He uses them
to make decisions about strategy.
18.
What is Roland
Winteson?s opinion about meetings?
A.
They ban be a
bad use of a manager?s time.
B.
Their
importance is often underestimated.
C.
They frequently result in
wrong decisions.
D.
Their effectiveness could be improved
with better planning.
Morning, noon and night The long-hours
culture at work
Working an eight-hour
day is a luxury for most professional people.
Nowadays, the only way to
guarantee an
eight-hour working day is to have the kind of job
where you clock on and off. Those
professionals who have managed to limit
their hours to what was, 20 years ago, the average
do not
wish to identify themselves. “I
can quite easily achieve my work within a normal
day, but I don?t
like to draw attention
to it,” says one sales manager. “People looked at
me when I left at 5 o?clock.
Now, I put
paperwork in my bag. People assume I?m doing extra
hours at home.”
But more typical is Mark, who works as
an account manag
er. He says, “My
contract says I work
from
9
until
5
with
extra
hours
as
necessary.
It
sounds
as
if
the
extra hours are
exceptional.
In
fact ,my job would be
enough not only for me, but also for someone else
part-time. The idea of an
eight-hour
day makes m
e laugh!” He says he has
thought about going freelance but realises that
this doesn?t guarantee better working
hours.
Professors Cary Cooper, occupational
psychologist at the University of Manchester, is
the author
of the annual
Quality of Working Life
survey. The most recent survey found that 77% of
managers
in Britain work more than
their contracted hours, and that this is having a
damaging effect on their
health,
relationships
and
productivity.
Professor
Cooper
is
critical
of
the
long-hours
culture.
He
says
that while bosses believe long hours lead to
greater efficiency, there is no evidence to
support
this. “In fact, the evidence
shows that long hours make you ill.”
There are, he says, steps
that can be taken. One is to accept that the in-
tray will never be empty.
“There are
always things to do. You just have to make the
rule that on certain days you go home
early.” Prioritising work and doing
essential tasks first helps, he says. He also
thinks it?s time to
criticize bad
employers and unreasonable term
s of
employment. “By all means, show commitment
where necessary but when expectations
are too high, people have to begin saying openly
that they
have a life outside of
work.”
Personal
development
coach
Mo Shapiro
agrees
that
communication
is
important.
Staff
need
to
talk to managers about the working
practices within a company. Both parties should
feel that the
expectations are
realistic and allow them to have responsibilities
and interests outside work. She
recongnises, however, that in many
organizations
the response might well
be, “If you want more
interests outside
work, then find another job.”
She
believes
that
senior
staff
have
a
duty
to
set
an
example.
“I
recently
worked
for
a
firm
of
solicitors where the
partners started at 7.30am. What kind of
mes
sage is that to send to the staff?”
She believes there is no shame in
working sensible hours
–
in fact quite the reserve. “Some people
might
be
in
at
7.30am
but
will
be
doing
very
little.
You
can
work
really
hard
from
9
to
5
and
achieve the same. If you find it
difficult to achieve an eight-hour day, there is,
as a last resort, the
old trick of
leaving your jacket on your chair and your
computers switched on, even after you have
left the building.”
13.
What does
the writer say in the first paragraph about people
who work an eight-hour day?
A.
They are reluctant to admit
to this.
B.
They
are disliked by their colleagues.
C.
They are limited to certain
professions.
D.
They often catch up on work in the
evenings.
14.
What does Mark
say about his work?
A.
His main concern is job security.
B.
Too much of
his time at work is wasted.
C.
The terms of his contract
are misleading.
D.
He objects to being given other
people?s work.
15.
What does Cary Cooper say about recent
trends in the workplace?
A.
He believes that a long working day is
counter-productive.
B.
He has doubts about the results of the
Quality of Working Life
survey.
C.
He says that employers should accept
the link between working hours and safety.
D.
He argues
that further research is needed into the
relationship between work and health.
16.
How does Cary Cooper
think people should deal with the requirements of
the workplace?
A.
Obtain help in negotiating terms of
employment.
B.
Let people know when demands are
unreasonable.
C.
Delegate the less important work to
other staff.
D.
Accept that the modern workplace is a
competitive place.
17.
What
does Mo Shapiro see as a problem for employees
today?
A.
They
lack the communication skills that modern business
requires.
B.
Many employers would not regard
requests for shorter hours favourably.
C.
Most
employers do not want to be responsible for the
professional development of staff.
D.
They have difficulties
adapting to the rapid changes occurring in working
practices.
18.
What does Mo
Shapiro think about present working hours?
A.
In many
companies senior staff need to work a long day.
B.
The best
staff are efficient enough to finish their work
within eight hours.
C.
There are too many staff deceiving
employers about their hours of work.
D.
Top executives should use
their influence to change the long-hours culture.
PART THREE
Questions 13-18
?
Read the article below about managing a
small business and the questions on the opposite
page.
?
For each question 13-18, mark one
letter (A,B,C or D) on your Answer Sheet, for the
answer
you choose.
The
Difficulties Of Managing A Small Business
Ronald Meers asks who chief executives
of entrepreneurial or
small businesses
can turn to for advice.
“The
organisational weaknesses that entrepreneurs have
to deal
with every day would cause the
managers
of
a
mature
company
to
panic,
”
Andrew
Bidden
wrote
recently
in
Boston
Business
Review
.
This
seems
to
suggest
that
the
leaders
of
entrepreneurial
or
small
businesses
must
be
unlike other managers, or
the problems faced by such leaders must be the
subject of a specialised
body of
wisdom, or possibly both. Unfortunately, neither
is true. Not much worth reading about
managing
the
entrepreneurial
or
small
business
has
been
written,
and
the
leaders
of
such
businesses are made of flesh and blood,
like the rest of us.
Furthermore,
little has been done to address the aspects of
entrepreneurial or small businesses that
are
so
difficult
to
deal
with
and
so
different
from
the
challenges
faced
by
management
in
big
business. In part this
is because those involved in gathering expertise
about business and in selling
advice to
businesses have historically been more interested
in the needs of big business. In part, in
the
UK
at
least,
it
is
also
because
small
businesses
have
always
preferred
to
adapt
to
changing
circumstances.
The
organisational
problems
of
entrepreneurial
or
small
businesses
are
thus
forced
upon
the
individuals who lead
them. Even more so than for bigger businesses, the
old saying is true
–
that
people, particularly th
ose
who make the important decisions, are a business?s
most important asset.
The research that
does exist shows that neither money nor the
ability to access more of it is the
major factor determining growth. The
main reason an entrepreneurial business stops
growing is
the lack of management and
leadership resource available to the business when
it matters. Give an
entrepreneur an
experienced, skilled team and he or she will find
the funds every time. Getting the
team,
though, is the difficult bit.
Part of
the
problem
for
entrepreneurs
is
the
speed of
change
that affects
their
businesses.
They
have
to
cope
with
continuous
change
yet
have
always
been
suspicious
about
the
latest
“management solution”. They regard the
many offerings from business schools as out
of date even
before they
leave the planning board and have little faith in
the recommendations of consultants
when
they
arrive
in
the
hands
of
young.,
inexperienced
graduates.
But
such
impatience
with
“management solutions”
does not mean that problems can
be left
to solve themselves. However,
the
leaders of growing businesses are still left with
the problem of who to turn to for advice.
The
answer
is
horribly
simple:
leaders
of
small
businesses
can
ask
each
other.
The
collective
knowledge of a group of leaders can
prove enormously helpful in solving the specific
problems of
individuals. One leader?s
problems have certainly been solved already by
someone else. There is
an
organisation
called
KITE
which
enables
those
responsible
for
small
businesses
to
meet.
Its
members, all of whom are chief
executives, go through a demanding selection
process, and then
join a small group of
other chief executives. They come from a range of
business sectors and each
offers a
different corporate history. Each group is led by
a
“moderator”, an independently
selected
businessman or woman who has
been specially trained to head the group. Each
member takes it in
turn to host a
meeting at his or her business premises and, most
important of all, group discussions
are
kept
strictly
confidential.
This
encourages
a
free
sharing
of
problems
and
increase
the
possibility of solutions being
discovered.
13.
What does the writer say about
entrepreneurs in the first paragraph?
A.
It is wrong
to assume that they are different from other
managers.
B.
The
problems they have to cope with are specific to
small businesses.
C.
They find it difficult to attract staff
with sufficient expertise.
D.
They could learn from the
organisational skills of managers in large
companies.
14.
According to
the second paragraph, what has led to a lack of
support for entrepreneurs?
A.
Entrepreneurs have always
preferred to act independently.
B.
The requirements of big
businesses have always taken priority.
C.
It is
difficult to find solutions to the problems faced
by entrepreneurs.
D.
Entrepreneurs are reluctant to provide
information about their businesses.
15.
What does the writer say about the
expansion of small businesses?
A.
Many small businesses do
not produce enough profits to finance growth.
B.
Many
employees in small businesses have problems
working as part of a team.
C.
Being able to recruit the
right people is the most important factor
affecting growth.
D.
Leaders of small businesses lack the
experience to make their companies a success.
16.
What does the writer say
is an additional problem for entrepreneurs in the
fourth paragraph?
A.
They rely on management systems that
are out of date.
B.
They will not adopt measures that
provide long-term solutions.
C.
They have little confidence
in the business advice that is available.
D.
They do not
take market changes into account when drawing up
business plans.
17.
What
does the writer say the members of the KITE
organisation provide?
A.
Advice no how to select suitable staff.
B.
A means of
contacting potential clients.
C.
A simple checklist for
analyzing problems.
D.
Direct experience of a number of
industries.
18.
The writer
says that KITE groups are likely to succeed
because
A.
members are able to elect their leader.
B.
the leaders
have received extensive training.
C.
members are encouraged to
adopt a critical approach.
D.
information is not passed
on to non-members
Department Store Magic
For
most of the 20
th
century Smithson?s was one of Britain?s
most successful department stores,
but
by the mid-1990s, it had become dull.
Still profitable, thanks largely to a
series of successful
advertising
campaigns, but decidedly boring.
The famous were careful not to be seen
there, and
its
sales
staff
didn?t
seem
to
have
changed
since
the
store
opened
in
1
908.
Worst
of
all,
its
customers were buying
fewer and fewer of its own-brand products, the
major part of its business,
and showing
a preference for more fashionable brands.
But now all this has changed, thanks to
Rowena Baker, who became Smithson?s
first
woman Chief
Executive
three
years
ago.
Since
then,
while
most
major
retailers
in
Britain
have
been
losing
money, Smithson?s
profits have been rising steadily.
When Baker started, a lot of
improvements
had
just
been
made
to
the
building,
without
having
any
effect
on
sales,
and
she
took
the
bold
decision to invite one of Europe?s most
exciting interior designers to develop the fashion
area, the
heart of the store.
This very quickly led to
rising sales, even before the good on display were
changed.
And as
sales grew, so did profits.
Baker
had
ambitious
plans
for
the
store
from
the
start.
?We?re
playing
a
big
game,
to
prove
we?re up there with the leaders in our
sector, and we have to make sure people get that
message.
Smithson?s
had
fallen
behind
the
com
petition.
It
provided
a
traditional
service
targeted
at
middle-aged,
middle-
income customers, who?d been
shopping there for years, and the customer
base
was
gradually
contracting.
Our
idea
is
to
sell
such
an
exciting
variety
of
goods
that
everyone will
w
ant to come in, whether they plan to
spend a little or a lot.? Baker?s vision for the
store
is
clear,
but
achieving
it
is
far
from
simple.
At
first,
many
employees
resisted
her
improvements because
they just wouldn?t be persuaded that there was
anything w
rong with the
way
they?d always done things, even if they accepted
that the store had to overtake its competitors.
It took many long meetings,
involving the entire workforce, to win their
support.
It helped when
they realized that Baker was a very
different kind of manager from the ones they had
known.
Baker?s staff policies contained
more surprises.
The uniform
that had hardly changed since day
one
has now disappeared.
Moreover, teenagers now get young shop
assistants, and staff in the
sports
departmen
ts are themselves sports fans
in trainers.
As Baker
explains, ?How can you sell
jeans if
you?re wearing a black suit?
Smithson?s has a new identity, and this
needs to be made
clear
to
the
customers.?
She?s
also
given
every
sales
assistant
responsibility
for
ensuring
customer satisfaction, even if it means
occasionally breaking company rules in the hope
that this
will help company profits.
Rowena
Baker
is
proving
successful,
but
the
City?s
big
investors
haven?t
been
persuaded.
According to retail analyst
,
John Matthews, ?Money had already been invested in
refurbishment of
the store and in fact
that led to the boost in sales.
She took the credit, but hadn?t done
anything
to achieve it.
And in my view the company?s
shareholders are not convinced.
The fac
t is that
unless
she
opens
several
more
stores
pretty
soon,
Smithson?s
profits
will
start
to
fall
because
turnover at the
existing store will inevitably start to
decline.?
13.
According to the writer, in the
mid-
1990s Smithson?s department
store
A.
was making a loss
14.
15.
16.
17
18.
B.
had a problem keeping staff
C.
was unhappy
with its advertising agency
D.
mostly sold goods under the
Smithson?s name
According to
the writer, Smithson?s profits started rising
three years ago because of
A.
an
improvement in the retailing sector
B.
the previous work done on
the store
C.
Rowena Baker?s choice of
designer
D.
a change in the products on sale
According to Rowena Baker, one problem
which Smithson?s faced when she joined was
that
A.
the number of people using the store
was failing slowly.
B.
its competitors offered a more
specialized range of products.
C.
the store?s prices were set
at the wrong level.
D.
customers were unhappy with
the service provided.
According to the
writer, many staff opposed Baker?s
pl
ans because
A.
they were unwilling to change their way
of working.
B.
they disagreed with her goals for the
store.
C.
they
felt they were not consulted enough about the
changes.
D.
they
were unhappy with her style of management.
Baker has changed staff policies
because she believes that
A.
the corporate image can be
improved through staff uniforms.
B.
the previous rules were not
fair to customers.
C.
customers should be able to identify
with the staff serving them.
D.
employees should share in
company profits.
What problem does John
Matthews think Smithson?s is facing?
A.
More money
needs to be invested in the present store.
B.
The company?s
profits will only continue to rise if it
expands.
C.
The refurbishment of the store is
proving unpopular with customers.
D.
Smithson?s shareholders
expect a quick return on their
investments.
GETTING THE BEST OUT OF MEETINGS
Many people feel that meetings are a
complete waste of time and try to avoid them.
However,
they
don?t have to be, as long as a
few rules are (19) …… Meetings are very
rarely held without at
least
one
day?s
(20)
……
This
is
because
the
first
rules
is
that
all
the
participants
need
to
(21) …… for the meeting,
not just the Chair.
Being
asked to (22) …… a meeting means you are
seen a
s having something to
(23) …… , so make sure this is the case.
You should also ensure
that any item you want to discuss is
put on the agenda.
If you
are planning to (24) …… an issue
you
know
is
difficult,
find
out
before
the
meeting
if
you
have
any
(25)
……
for
your
point
of
view.
If you are the Chair, there
are three other (26) …… rules.
Firstly, respect your participants by
being
punctual,
always
starting
and
ending
on
time.
If
you
don?t,
they?ll
spend
the
(27)
……
meeting
looking
at
their
watches
and
wondering
how
late
you?re
going
to
(28)
……
them.
Secondly,
(29) …… a meeting only when it is absolutely
necessary.
Look closely at
what you
want to (30) …… in the
meeting.
If your aim is to
complete a task that requires (31) …… or no
discussion,
ask
yourself
whether
e-mail
or
the
phone
could
do
the
job.
Finally,
invite
only
as
many
people as are needed to get the job done.
Don?t, however, exclude
people who may be able
to (32) …… the
best ideas, just because of their (33) …… in the
organization.
19.
A. observed
B. watched
C. seen
D. copied
20.
A. instruction
B. direction
C. notice
D. advice
21.
A.
prepare
B. arrange
C. order
D. manage
22.
A.
occupy
B. place
C. attend
D. enter
23.
A. send
B. transfer
C. pass
D. offer
24.
A. launch
B.
raise
C. bring
D. lift
25.
A. assistance
B.
protection
C. confirmation
D.
support
26.
A. chief
B. key
C. top
D.
high
27.
A. entire
B. absolute
C. major
D. contain
28.
A. restrict
B. limit
C. keep
D. contain
29.
A. tell
B. do
C.
make
D. call
30.
A.
acquire
B. achieve
C. reach
D. possess
31.
A. small
B.
little
C. tiny
D. short
32.
A.
contribute
B. subscribe
C.
insert
D. serve
33.
A.
scale
B. degree
C.
rank
D.
priority
Re:
Removal of business equipment from Singapore to
Hong Kong
Thank you for
your
telephone enquiry.
I am writing to
provide
you with the quotation that you
requested.
21
┈
┈
┈
addition
to
this,
I
am
including
further
details
of
our
service.
The
price
is
22
┈
┈
┈
on the items that you mentioned in your phone cal and will, of course, vary if you decide
to add extra items or
23
┈
some.
In
order
to
keep
the
cost
as
low
as
24
┈
┈
┈
< br>,
we
will
move
your
equipment
when
it
is
most
convenient
for
us.
We
will
try
to
25
┈
┈
┈
your
move
with
those
of
other
clients
who
ask
us
to
transport
goods at around the same time.
I am
sure
you will
26
┈
┈
┈
that if we were
to make a
special trip just for your
equipment the cost would be much
27
┈
┈
┈
. This
means that
28
┈
┈
┈
you
requested
a
move
on
23
June,
this
precise
date
may
not
be
possible.
However,
we
regularly
transport
goods
29
┈
< br>┈
┈
Singapore
and
Hong
Kong,
and
we
would
30
┈
┈
┈
to
be
able
to
move
your equipment within
two or three days of your requested date.
The
31
┈
┈
┈
does
not
include
packing.
I
understand
that
you
prefer
to
32
┈
┈
┈
out
your
own
packing since
33
┈
┈
┈
of your
equipment is quite fragile.
I
hope
that
these
initial
details
meet
with
your
34
┈
┈
┈
,
and
ask
that
you
do
not
hesitate
to <
/p>
35
┈
┈
┈
us if you require any further advice.
Yours sincerely,
Dave Ring
Dave Ring
Transport Manager
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