-
1.
Communication
technologies
are
far
from
equivalent.
A
recent
study
comparing
honesty
across
a
range
of
different
media
revealed
that
people
were
twice
likely
to
tell
lies
when
using the phone than when communicating
via e-mail. It had previously been assumed that
people
would
be
more
inclined
to
fabricate
the
truth
when
using
e-mail,
due
to
the
remoteness of the
interaction making people more comfortable about
deceiving others. On
the contrary, it
seems that anxiety over the accountability
afforded by the recording of e-mail
exchanges
induces
greater
truthfulness.
However,
the
research
also
noted
that
people
are
much more likely to be
rude or insulting over e-mail, outweighing any
benefits of increased
honesty!
An implication of the study is that if
telephone conversations are recorded and people
are
aware of this fact, they are likely
to be more truthful over the phone.
T
People are unconcerned
about the repercussion of e-mail untruths.
F
It had been
assumed that people would communicate more
honestly when using e-mail than
when
using the telephone.
F
There is often considerable scientific
disagreement both about available reserves of
natural
resources
and
about
the
extent
of
environmental
damage
caused
by
particular
pollutants.
Even where the scientific evidence is
incontrovertible. There may be political conflict,
based
on
different
vested
interests,
over
the
degree
to
which
particular
environmental
controls
should
be
accepted.
Governments
may,
for
example,
refrain
from
introducing
effective
control if they fear these will
adversely affect company profitability or jobs,
even where the
environmental cost of
not introducing controls are considerable.
There is always scientific debate
around the facts regarding the reserves of natural
resources.
T
Very
rarely
is
there
conflict
over
the
degree
to
which
particular
environmental
controls
should be accepted.
F
Parties
with
a
vested
interest
are
more
influenced
by
politics
than
science
when
deciding
whether to
implement environmental controls.
C
Whilst
high
visibility
crime
such
as
night-time
drunken
disturbance
has
increased,
total
urban and rural crime, both reported
and unreported, has fallen over the last two
years, yet
paradoxically people feel
less safe, believing that the converse is the
case. This fall in crime
has
coincided
with
a
drop
in
the
number
of
police
officer
on
the
street.
A
citizen’s
fear
of
crime seems not to be a matter of
reality at all- the visibility of law enforcement
officials has
a greater impact on their
view of reality than hard facts.
Reducing the number of police officer
has led to a reduction in crime.
C
Crime statistics support
popular belief about the level of crime.
F
People feel
safer when there are more police on the street.
T
There
is
no
task
more
difficult
than
that
of
ensuring
the
education
of
children
in
modern
society. Not only
school, but also teachers and their roles have
changed out of all recognition
in the
past few decades, thanks to the impact on teaching
institutions by indoctrinating, and
2.
3.
4.
indoctrinated,
reformist
intellectuals
bearing
revolutionary
ideas.
To
the
perpetual
indiscipline
of
youth
has
now
been
added
the
indiscipline
of
parents,
many
of
whom
interpret
any
reports
of
wrongdoing
in
school
on
the
part
of
their
offspring
as
a
personal
affront,
or
as
the
manifestation
of
the
malice
of
teachers.
As
for
the
teachers
themselves,
whilst many are
respectable and learned men and women, who view it
as their vocation to
induct
their
charges
into
a
civilization
and
a
way
of
behaving,
others
attempt
to
influence
youth merely to
further their political or ideological ends.
Some of those working in
education have their own hidden agendas.
T
Teacher with
revolutionary ideas will attempt to influence
their pupils for their own political
ends. T
C
Some
teachers who report children of wrongdoing do so
because of malice, rather than nay
legitimate reason.
C
Last
week,
the
competition
commission
outlined
two
packages
to
regulate
the
sale
of
extended product
warranties, which provide repair/replacement for
faulty goods beyond the
manufacturer’s
original
guarantee.
Whilst
warranty
sales
are
currently
highly
profitable,
with some
retailers attributing up to ?
of their
profits to this income stream, they are also
criticized for offering poor value for
money due to obscure clauses, which restrict
payment in
many, but the most unlikely
claim scenarios. The first package-to ban
retailers selling a full
warranty on
the day of purchase was condemned by all as
draconian-whilst the other, rather
milder, option of forcing retailers to
provide full information on warranty exclusions
and an
obligatory 60
–day
“cool
-
off” period for
customers, received a more balanced
hearing.
Because
no
one
believes
that
the
first
option
will
ever
be
implemented,
investors
and
analysts
ha
ve
focused
more
closely on the implication
of the
“milder” package. In
a
recent
leaked
research
note,
one
analyst
suggested
that
the
implementation
of
the
reform
in
the
second
package
would
place
a
staff-
training
burden
on
the
retailer, which
would
lead
to
a
significant increase in
the cost of warranty sales, and a predicted 20%
fall in actual sales.
“Cool
-
off”
periods are not currently offered by companies
selling product warranties.
T
It is likely
that neither package will be implemented.
C
Preventing
retailers from selling warranties on the day of
purchase of a product was felt to
be
too severe a restriction.
T
All
scientific
knowledge
is
provisional.
Everything
that
science
knows,
even
the
most
mundane
facts
and
long-
established
theories,
is
subject
to
re-
examination
as
new
information comes in. the latest data
and ideas are scrutinized the most. Some
recantations
will
be
unavoidable,
but
this
is
not
a
weakness
of
science,
but
rather
its
strength.
No
endeavor rivals science in its
incremental progress towards a more complete
understanding
of the observable
universe.
Science
improves
understanding
on
the
basis
of
leaving
unchallenged
those
theories
that
appear to work.
F
Some facts in
science cannot be challenged if any progress is to
be made.
F
5.
6.
That which is
not observable cannot be part of the domain of
science.
C
7.
The
Statute
on
workplace
safety
requires
that
an
employer
should
ensure,
so
far
as
is
reasonably
practicable,
the
health,
safety
and
welfare
at
work
of
all
full
and
part
time
employees,
and
also
those
not
in
direct
employment
who
may
be
affected
by
acts
or
omissions at work. However, it is also
the duty of employees to take reasonable care for
their
own health and safety and also
that of other persons who may be affected by their
acts or
omissions at work, for example
by complying with all notices on health and safety
that are
posted.
If a workplace visitor is hurt due to
an act of negligence by an employee then the
employee
may be held solely
responsible.
F
An employer has responsibility for the
safety of visitors to his factory.
T
Employees have
negligible responsibility for workplace health and
safety.
F
8.
Today’s
historians
aim
to
construct
a
record
of
human
activities
and
to
use
this
record
to
achieve a more profound
understanding of humanity. This conception of
their task is quite
recent, dating from
the development from 18
th
and early 19
th
centuries of
scientific history,
and cultivated
largely by professional historians who adopted the
assumption that the study
of
natural,
inevitable
human
activity.
Before
the
late
18
th
century,
history
was
taught
in
virtually no schools, and it did not
attempt
to provide
an
interpretation
of human
life
as a
whole. This is more appropriately
the function of religion, of philosophy, or even
perhaps of
poetry.
That which constitutes the study of
history has changed over time.
C
Professional historians did not exist
before 18
th
century.
C
In
the
17
th
century,
history
would
not
have
been
thought
of
as
a
way
of
understanding
humanity.
T
9.
Whilst
having
similar
effects
on
employees,
there
tend
to
be
major
difference
between
a
merger
and
an
acquisition.
In
an
acquisition,
power
is
substantially
assumed
by
the
new
parent
company.
Change
is
often
swift
and
brutal
as
the
acquirer
imposes
its
own
control
systems and
financial restraints. Parties to a merger are
likely to be evenly matched in terms
of
size,
and
the
power
and
cultural
dynamics
of
the
combination
are
more
ambiguous,
integration is a more drawn out
process.
During
an
acquisition,
there
is
often
more
overt
conflict
and
resistance
and
a
sense
of
powerlessness.
In
mergers,
because
of
the
prolonged
period
between
the
initial
announcement and full integration,
uncertainty and anxiety continue for a much longer
time
as the organization remains in a
state of limbo.
There tends
to be a major power difference between parties in
an acquisition.
T
Mergers and acquisition tend to have
distinctly
different
impacts
on employees.
F
Mergers yield a shorter period of
anxiety and uncertainty amongst
employees.
F
10.
11.
12.
13.
Management
is, in effect, the catalyst that is essential for
converting the resources and raw
material
inputs
of
the
operation
into
valued
outputs
and,
in
the
process,
ensuring
that
stakeholder
needs
are
satisfied.
Managers
represent
the
critical
factor,
which
economists
refer
to
as
“enterprise”,
without
which
the
other
factors
(land,
labor
and
capital)
cannot
function. Managers are effectively the
custodians
of the organization’s
resource, responsible
for
deciding
what
the
resources
should
be
used
for,
how
best
to
use
them,
and
to
which
customers the outputs should be
targeted.
Stakeholder needs
are best served through the creation of valued
outputs.
C
Management has at least two major but
different responsibilities.
T
Managers must decide how
best to handle all the resources
at
their disposal.
T
There
is
no
doubt
that
vegetarian
food
can
be
healthier
than
a
traditional
diet
–
indeed,
research has demonstrated that
vegetarians are less likely to suffer from heart
disease and
obesity than those who eat
meat. One long-standing concern about a vegetarian
lifestyle is
the risk of failing to
take in enough protein. However, historical
calculations as to the amount
of
protein
needed
for
a
healthy
lifestyle
have
recently
been
shown
to
overestimate
the
quantities needed, and if vegetarian
select their food carefully they should be able to
meet
their protein needs.
A balanced diet is more likely to
promote health than any particular food or food
group in
isolation.
C
Too much
protein in the diet can lead to heart disease.
C
Over time the
recommendations as to what constitutes a healthy
balanced diet have changed.
C
Water,
the
most
common
liquid
used
for
cleaning,
has
a
property
called
surface
tension.
Molecules in the body of the water are
surrounded by other molecules, but at the surface
a
“tension” is created as molecules are
only surrounded by other molecules on the
waterside.
This tension inhibits the
cleaning process, as it slows the wetting of
surface due to tension
causing
the
water
to
bead
up.
This
is
where
water
droplets
hold
their
shape
and
do
not
spread.
For effective cleaning to take place “surface
tension” must be reduced so that water
can
spread.
Surface-active
agents,
or
surfactants,
are
chemicals,
which
are
able
to
do
this
effectively.
Surface-active agents, or surfactants,
are only used for cleaning.
C
Water is the
only known liquid used for cleaning. F
If surfactant chemicals are added to
water when cleaning a surface, surface tension
will occur.
F
The
molecules on the waterside hinder the cleaning
process. T
The
biggest
risk
facing
the
world’s
insurance
companies
is
possibly
the
rapid
change
now
taking
place
within
their
own
ranks.
Sluggish
growth
in
core
markets
and
intense
price
competition, coupled with shifting
patterns of customer demand and the rising cost of
losses,
are threatening to overwhelm
those too slow to react.
14.
15.
16.
Insurance companies are experiencing a
boom in their core markets.
F
Insurance
companies are competing to provide best prices to
customers.
T
Insurance companies are coping well
with increased price competition and rising
losses.
F
Short-sightedness
is
to
a
large
extent
inherited,
its
incidence
varies
from
one
family
to
another. The reason behind the link
between the common incidence of short-sightedness
and
high intelligence is unclear.
Previous generations thought that eyes could
become strained by
years
spent
poring
over
books,
but
a
few
decades
ago
the
popular
medical
view
was
that
short-sighted
people
gravitated
towards
the
library
because
they
found
it
hard
to
excel
at
sports. Recently there
has been partial support for a theory that high
intelligence and short-
sightedness may,
in fact, be part of a genetic package.
The genetic link between intelligence
and short-sightedness has recently been disproven.
F
People from all
families stand at an equal chance of being short-
sighted.
F
Intelligence is to a large extent
inherited.
C
The cosmic microwave background (CMB)
radiation is the afterglow from the Big Bang, and
weak
as
it
may
be
today,
these
primeval
microwaves
hold
valuable
information
about
fundamental
properties
of
the
early
universe.
Slight
differences,
or
anisotropies,
in
the
brightness
and polarization of the CMB reveal clues about the
nature of the primeval plasma:
that
the
discrepancies
exist
at
all
shows
that
the
plasma
was
not
perfectly
uniform.
The
variations
in
the
brightness
seen
in
the
CMB
reflect
differences
in
the
density
of
the
primordial
plasma,
whereas
the
anisotropic
polarization
reveals
information
about
the
dynamics
of
the
early
universe,
such
as
the
movement
of
material
and
the
number
of
gravitational waves. The CMB, however,
is not the only source of polarized microwaves and
the
cosmological
polarization
must
thus
be
measured
at
different
wavelengths
so
as
to
isolate them from
foreground signals.
The
anisotropies of the CMB show solely that the
primordial plasma was not uniform.
F
The
polarization of cosmic microwaves is measured at
different wavelength so as to separate
the foreground from the background
signals.
T
Through studying the cosmological
microwaves, one may learn about the forces of
gravity in
the early universe.
T
Internet experts are warning of a new
multitude of extremely dangerous computer viruses
that
have
recently
been
causing
devastation
and
could
potentially
cripple
entire
global
computer
systems.
These
viruses
can
replicate
thousands
of
copies
within
hours
and
are
capable of extirpating security
software that, in turn, enables hackers to
appropriate control
of
the
machines.
Criminal
gangs
can
then
establish
bank
accounts
using
stolen
identities,
sabotage
a
company’s
computer
system
and
extort
money
for
its
restoration,
and
sell
computers
that
have
been
interfered
with
on
the
black
market.
Computer
users
are
often
advised to refrain from opening
suspicious program attached to the emails and to
continually
update their security
software.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Internet
experts are advising computer users to replace
their software if they suspect it has
been tampered with.
C
For
most people, any reference to hypnosis brings to
mind images of individuals involved in
amusing, and often out of character,
behavior. However, hypnosis is also a topic of
scientific
research.
Research
by
scientists
over
the
last
few
decades
has
revealed
ways
in
which
memory
processes,
and
processes
involved
in
pain
perception
can
be
changed
using
hypnosis. It has also been found that
hypnotic suggestions can regulate activity in
identifiable
sections
of
the
brain
and
can
contribute
to
the
effective
management
of
cognitive
conflict.
Findings from several related brain
imaging studies, for example, have suggested that
people
under hypnosis cab exhibit
reduced level of brain
activity
in both visual area and the
anterior
cingulate cortex. Disparate
research has already established the role of these
brain structures
in the monitoring the
cognitive conflict.
Workers
are
becoming
increasingly
concerned
about
company
relocation
due
to
its
association with
employee distress and isolation, which can be
caused by issues such as the
management
of property transitions and loss of community
ties. Furthermore, moving home
can put
a strain on worker’s financial resources and close
relationships, especially for those
working parents who
may feel
guilty about
moving children to new
schools. Regardless
of
the
disruption created, some individuals are very
willing to relocate, due to the potential for
enhanced career prospects and long-term
financial stability.
Some
people may feel guilty about the consequences of
relocating.
T
Company
relocation has increased.
C
The potential benefits of job
relocation are seen, by some, to be worth the
associated distress
and strain.
T
Political, economic and demographic
developments are combining to increase the wealth
of
individuals leading economies. These
individuals take a much more active role in
managing
their
personal
financial
affairs
and
in
determining
how
their
assets
should
be
invested
for
their long-term benefit. As a result,
we are seeing the emergence of a new market,
consisting
of
so-
called
“
afflue
nt
individuals”.
This
structural
trend
is
set
to
continue
and
will
provide
significant
opportunities
for
financial
services
providers.
This
band
of
individuals
has
traditionally been dominated by old
money inheritance, a
nd this will remain
a factor,
but the
rise
of
new
affluent
money
is
increasing
as
individuals
benefit
from
higher
salaries
and
compensation in the form of stock
options. These new affluent individuals are also
creating
wealth as small business
entrepreneurs.
Affluent
individuals
want
to
manage
their
own
assets
rather
than
use
financial
service
providers.
C
Individuals cannot become “affluent”
through inheriting old money.
F
Inherited old
money will be completely replaced by new affluent
money.
F
At the moment of GTC, like other
European producers, is able to relieve at least
some of its
over-capacity by exporting,
partly to Central America. A decade from now, that
region will be
21.
22.
23.
largely
self-sufficient
and
trade
will
be
starting
to
flow
the
other
way.
However,
for
GTC
investors,
the
comp
any’s
recent
restructure
could
herald
better
times.
The
group’s
lack
of
focus and lack-lustre returns have been
much criticized of late.
Central America will, in the future,
begin to export less to Europe.
F
Central
American producers will find a ready market for
their products in Europe.
C
Restructuring generally produces an
increase in profitability.
C
The
increasing
fragility
of
the
rural
economy
will
be
the
biggest
challenge
facing
country
communities over the next ten years.
Agriculture, which accounts for a quarter of rural
job, is
in decline. Tourism provides no
more than half this number of job. The rural
manufacturing
sector, however, has
grown over last ten years. Despite this, it still
employs fewer than one in
twenty people
living in rural area, and is threatened by
companies based in industrial areas,
which benefit from access to a larger
skilled workforce and better transportation
networks.
Industries based
in rural areas benefit from better transport
links.
F
Manufacturing provides the fewest jobs
in the countryside.
C
The manufacturing sector is likely to
be the main source of employment for rural workers
in
the future.
C
Industries based in rural areas suffer
from poorer transport links.
T
In
recent
years,
many
issues
have
been
considered
when
attempting
to
ameliorate
the
wellbeing
of
patients
and
the
efficiency
of
hospital
administration.
Patients
have
often
complained about
endless waiting lists, low standards of
cleanliness, poor hospital food, and
unsatisfactory doctor-patient
communication and now, according to an expert from
a leading
image
consultancy,
doctors’
dress
codes
and
their
general
appearance
must
come
under
close
scrutiny.
Of
healthcare
professionals
have
an
unwashed
appearance,
dirty
nails
or
unkempt
hair, this exudes the impression of recklessness,
wearing red reminds patients of
blood,
and
power
dressing
is
discouraged
because
patients
may
feel
undermined
and
less
relaxed. Although
campaign groups approve of healthcare
professionals leading by example
with
high standards of hygiene in hospitals, some
individuals argue that this potential new
image legislation is merely a case of
jumping on the bandwagon of the current media
trend
for home and lifestyle makeovers.
Individuals have argued
that the current media trend for lifestyle
makeover is direct result of
the
concern over the image of new legislations.
F
New hospital
legislation states that healthcare professionals
must have clean fingernails.
T
It is always
preferable for healthcare professionals to wear
blue instead of red.
C
One
of
the
great
paradoxes
of
entrepreneurship
is
that
entrepreneurs
must
develop
the
capacity
to
engage
the
urgent
with
the
emergent.
Routine
pressures
force
us
to
allow
the
urgent to dominate us,
quarterly reports, market share, and tangible
return on investment
become paramount
in this paradox, emergent (strategic) issues are
often lost.