&8226;Read the article below which reviews a n...

&8226;Read the article below which reviews a new book on company planning.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the list on the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

Firms need a better way of planning

Nick Field, in his book Strategy Management, offers a new approach to help companies map out their future.

Many companies have lost the art of strategy-making. They spend too much time looking at process change, organisation and systems. They do not invest enough effort in determining where they want to be in their markets and how they are going to beat their competitors They have got things out of balance. In many companies, the development of strategy is in crisis.

In a recent magazine poll, only six per cent of executives rated their company highly for long-term planning skills. (8) If this figure is accurate, it is not surprising that 29% of the FTSE 100 companies failed to achieve real sales growth between 1992 and 1996, when takeovers are excluded from the figures.

There can be no doubt about the value of effective strategy-making. Recent research has shown that what are described as 'visionary' companies - those with clear strategies for the future - deliver higher shareholder returns. They are less at risk from short-term earnings pressures because they know - and they can convince others - that they will survive these.

(9) Times have changed. The big company of today is not being defeated by another big company but by the small companies. So how do they do it? And where do companies that are failing in this respect turn? If a company accepts that their strategy development is not 'the best in the class', if they acknowledge that they need to do more to map out their future, influence rather than be influenced, shape their market instead of being shaped by it, how should they take on this strategy-making challenge? Field's book Strategy Management puts forward a new approach to help companies rediscover the power of forward planning. (10) The book is straightforward to understand and use, and offers practical and specific directions. Research and empirical testing have proved that it can be useful in all areas of industry and should be of value to any company.

The approach put forward is based on two key building blocks, the first being that any company considering its future must have a commitment to win. (11) The second building block is competitive advantage. The author defines four prime areas that differentiate organisations and influence purchase decisions. These are 'the performance of the product or service, sold at the most attractive price, with extraordinary levels of service and strong emotional values.' It may require only one of these areas to produce a competitive advantage. Take Coca-Cola for example. (12)

Companies can explore how to win by building on their commitment and working around this approach to identify which one or more of these four sources of advantage will lead to success.

A Clear guidelines are given on how to become involved with customers and build new forms of competitive advantage.

B Through the brand name, the company has established a relationship with customers' feelings that has made the product highly successful,

C Another survey estimated that only one in ten companies had the information they needed to make strategic decisions.

D Lacking any debate about the future, these are typically reduced to a once-a-year form-filling exercise.

E If this comes across forcefully enough rivals will see it and go elsewhere, believing the market will be taken over by another.

F In the past, it was generally believed that the scale of the company was the most significant factor.

G They do not invest enough effort in determining where they want to be in their markets and how they are going to beat their competitors.

(8)

&8226;Read the article below about the history of IBM.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap 8--12, mark one letter (A--G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

IBM was established in the state of New York on June 15, 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company. But its origins can be traced back to 1890, when the United States was experiencing waves of immigration. The U.S. Census Bureau knew its traditional methods of counting would not be adequate for measuring the population, so it sponsored a contest to find a more efficient means of tabulating census data. The winner was Herman Hollerith, whose Punch Card Tabulating Machine used an electric current to sense holes in punch cards and keep a running total of data. Capitalizing on his success, Hollerith formed the Tabulating Machine Co. in 1896.

(8) The combined Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co., or C-T-R, manufactured and sold machinery ranging from commercial scales and industrial time recorders to meat and cheese slicers and, of course, tabulators and punch cards.

Thomas J. Watson joined the company as general manager in 1914, when the diversified businesses of C-T-R proved difficult to manage. Watson boosted company spirit with employee sports teams, family outings and a company band. He preached a positive outlook, and his favorite slogan was "THANK". (9) He understood that the success of the client translated into the success of his company, a belief that, years later, manifested itself in the popular saying, "Nobody was ever fired for buying from IBM."

Within 11 months of joining C-T-R, Watson became its president. The company focused on providing large-scale, custom-built tabulating solutions for businesses, leaving the market for small office products to others. During Watson's first four years, revenues doubled to $ 2 million. He also expanded the company's operations to Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. (10)

During the Great Depression of the 1930s, IBM managed to grow while the rest of the U.S. economy struggled. Watson took care of his employees. (11) While most businesses had shut down, Watson kept his workers busy producing new machines even while demand was slack. Thanks to the resulting large inventory of equipment, IBM was ready when the Social Security Act of 1935 brought the company a landmark government contract to maintain employment records for 26 million people. It was called "the biggest accounting operation of all time, " and it went so well that orders from other U.S. government departments quickly followed.

IBM's size and success inspired numerous anti-trust actions. A 1952 suit by the Justice Department, settled four years later, forced IBM to sell its tabulating machines--at the time, IBM offered them only through leases--in order to establish a competing, used-machine market. Another federal anti-trust suit dragged on for thirteen years until the Justice Department concluded it was "without merit" and dropped it in 1982. (12) .

A IBM was among the first corporations to provide group life insurance, survivor benefits and paid vacations.

B IBM is the most prominent casualty of the technology spending freeze, but others are suffering as well.

C In 1911, Hollerith's company was merged with two others, Computing Scale Co., of America and International Time Recording Co..

D But its origins can be traced back to 1890, when the United States was experiencing waves of immigration.

E IBM's competitors filed 20 anti-trusts during the 1970s and none succeeded.

F In 1924, to reflect C-T-R's growing worldwide presence, its name was changed to International Business Machine Corp., or IBM.

G Watson also stressed the importance of the customer, a lasting IBM principle.

(8)

&8226;Read the article below about video games.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

Strong players

Video games let you escape into an alternative reality -- something gaming firms know about at first hand. For as other technology firms face stagnant or shrinking markets, the video-games industry seems to inhabit a parallel universe. It has had a bumper year, maybe the best it ever will. Global sales of games software and hardware will exceed $31 billion this year. This summer, UBS Warburg invested 17% of its model technology portfolio in two games publishers, Electronic Arts and Activision. Gaming, it seems, is recession-proof.

The industry is booming because it has its own cycle, as one generation of hardware succeeds another every few years. (8) Games consoles are flying off the shelves. The current line-up is of Sony's PlayStation2, the market leader by far, plus Microsoft's Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube, which are fighting for a distant second place.

Each gaming boom is bigger than the last. Children who have grown up with games keep on playing, which expands the market. It also increases the players' average age: the average American gamer is 28. (9) This shift is reflected in the rise of "mature"-rated games, which now account for 13% of the American market, up from 6% in 2001.

(10) Many observers are optimistic about the prospects for games sales next year, particularly in America. But the figures suggest that 2002 was the peak of the cycle, and that the market will shrink next year. Other observers expect console sales to grow only slightly next year.

Things will then cool off until the next generation of consoles appears in 2005. The next peak is not expected until 2007. (11) Both are dwarfed by console gaming at the moment, but are the focus of much activity, and could provide recurring revenues to help smooth out the industry's cyclical nature.

Online gaming has got off to a small but promising start in recent weeks with the release of adaptors that link consoles over the Internet. In America, Microsoft sold 150,000 starter kits for its "Xbox Live" service within a week of its launch last month. Sony says it has signed up 175,000 subscribers to its rival online service, launched in August. Both services will launch in Europe next year.

Gaming on mobile phones is also taking small but crucial steps forward. Today's phones mostly have one or two simple games built in. The latest handsets have colour screens and can download software remotely. (12) Games take roughly a minute to download, but adding one to a handset is almost as easy as downloading a new ringing tone or screen logo. It is predicted that mobile-gaming revenues will reach $3.5 billion in the next five years; other estimates are higher.

A Older players tend to have more disposable income to spend on games than do teenagers.

B Their processing power matches that of the arcade-game machines of the 1980s, so classic games run well.

C But how much longer will the good times last？

D That cycle, unrelated to the broader economic cycle, is now at or near its peak.

E But the industry has two new tricks up its sleeve, in the form. of online and mobile gaming.

F They are so wisely designed that they can be connected to any game machines.

G It has had a bumper year, maybe the best it ever will.

(8)

&8226;Read the article below about the life cycle of a condensed employee.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the list (A-G) to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap (8-12), mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

A CONDENSED EMPLOYEE LIFE CYCLE

An employee life cycle is the steps the employees go through from the time they enter a company until they leave. Often Human Resources professionals focus their attention on the steps in this process in hopes of making an impact on the company's bottom line. That is a good thing for them to do. Their goal is to reduce the company's cost per employee hired.

Employees are one of a company's largest expenses these days. Unlike other major capital costs (buildings, machinery, technology, etc.) human capital is highly volatile. You, as a manager, are in a key position to reduce that volatility using the condensed employee life cycle of HIAR (pronounced hire) —Hire, Inspire, Admire, and Retire.

Hire: This first step is probably the most important. It is important to hire the best people you can find. (8) The cost of replacing a bad hire far exceeds the marginal additional cost of hiring the best person in the first place.

Inspire. Once you have recruited the best employees to come to work on your team, the hard part begins. You have to inspire them to perform. to their capabilities. (9) That is where you will get their best effort and their creativity which will help your organization excel.

Admire. Once you have hired the best employees and have challenged and motivated them, you cannot relax. (10) The same attention you should pay to their work assignments, to their satisfaction levels, to their sense of being part of a great team needs to continue for as long as they are in your group. As soon as you start to slack off, their satisfaction and motivation will decrease. If you don't do something, they will become disenchanted and will leave. They will become part of the "employee turnover" statistic you were trying to avoid.

Retire: This is when you know have been successful. When employees see your company as the employer of choice, they will join you. (11) As long as you continue to inspire, motivate, and challenge them, they will continue to contribute at the high levels you need in order to beat your competition. They will be long-term employees even staying with you and your company until they retire. (12) You will attract and retain second and even third generation employees.

A．This is not a time to be cheap.

B．When they recognize you as a good boss and a real leader, they will stay around.

C．To the extent that you can be a good boss, you can keep employees, keep them happy, and reduce the costs associated with employee turnover.

D．Their goal is to reduce the company's cost per employee hired.

E．The biggest mistake a manager can make is to ignore employees.

F．You have to challenge and motivate them.

G．They will refer other quality employees to your company, including their relatives.

(8)

&8226;Read the article below about the importance of staff appraisals.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap (8-12), mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

&8226;There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Staff appraisals

Good preparation for staff appraisals can pay dividends in terms of staff loyalty and satisfaction Many managers, particularly those running smaller companies, feel they are too busy to give their employees appraisals, and many staff clearly dread them. (0) G .They provide the opportunity for the manager to have one-to-one discussions with an employee and find out about any concerns, as well as identifying training needs and discovering career aspirations. They can make a staff member feel valued and so build loyalty.

The annual appraisal can either be a rewarding or painful experience. According to research carried out among 500 employees, the standard office appraisal is far from perfect. (8) The possible outcome for the company is even worse; up to a quarter of employees will look for a new job within two weeks of a bad appraisal and 40% within a month.

The quality of the appraisal lies with how the boss decides to carry it out. When it is done well, employees are able to use the feedback they receive to improve their performance. (9) So how should a constructive appraisal be carried out？ According to Andrew Gillingham, a consultant trainer, appraisals can be manager -led. with the appraiser preparing a document and sharing it with the employee. Establishing training needs and motivating the employee towards bigger and better things are part of this process. (10) .In both cases, Gillingham believes that the effectiveness of the appraisal discussion can determine the performance of the company.

Gillingham believes that anyone who thinks it's just the employee who doesn't like the appraisal experience has got it wrong. Too many managers regard appraisals as a waste of time. (11) Managing people is a difficult matter, and without the necessary training, many managers try to avoid the uncomfortable issues that often need to be discussed at appraisals.

Gillingham believes that calling the process an appraisal may be unhelpful. (12) In either 'case, it is important to ensure that the meeting is successful and results in better quality management. Gillingham firmly believes that the main thing is to emphasise an open communications ethos in the workplace that gives staff a chance to talk about issues and feel valued.

A. Alternatively, managers may want the employees themselves to evaluate their work performance.

B. In larger companies, the people likely to do something with this information will be found in the HR department.

C. Problems such as rushing through the appraisal and being appraised by a manager who doesn't understand the employee's role were common concerns.

D. Arguably, 'performance review' is more appropriate since it helps create correct expectations from the meeting and indicates what will happen.

E. This is mainly because they have not been shown how to carry out appraisals properly.

F. But all too often, the format of the appraisal doesn't allow this.

G. But this can be avoided and, given a more positive attitude from participants, appraisals can prove enormously useful for all involved.

(8)

•Read the article below about customer services．

•For each question 23-28 on the opposite page．choose the correct answer．

•Mark one letter(A，B，or C)on your Answer Sheet．

Providing Superior Customer Service

You can use customer service as a powerful way to set yourself apart from your competition．It's one of the strengths a small business has，and by emphasizing customer service，you can compete with larger companies who may offer more variety，lower prices，and other perks you can't afford．Here are four maxims to help make sure you leverage your small business status to provide the best customer service possible．

If a customer has a problem．apologize and fix the problem．Make sure to let customers let off their grievances，even if you are tempted to interrupt and over a refund creates ill will．Keep in mind that a complaint about your company is an opportunity to turn the situation around and create a loyal customer．Obviously，some customer requests are too outrageous to comply with．If that's the case．do your best to offer a moderate，appealing alternative．

Ask your customers to rate your service on a regular basis．This can be done via a short questionnaire included with every product sold or mailed to key clients．Keep the questionnaire short so that it is not a burden for customers to complete．Always let customers know the purpose of the survey is to serve them better．If they fill out thesurvey and have no problems，it is a reminder of what good service you offer．If issues do arise，they can be addressed．

You must be flexible when it comes to your customers and clients．This means doing a project for a client in a pinch，having an early morning meeting even if you like to sleep in，and meeting on Saturday even if you usually reserve your weekends for yourself．

Flexibility can also mean getting information for your client，even though it may not be in your area of expertise．Say，for example，you're catering a wedding and your client needs information on Irish wedding customs．It's just as easy to make a call to your local library and fax the information to your client as it is to say‘I don't know anything about that．’And making that extra effort will ultimately pay off with a very satisfied customer．

Make your customers believe they are important to you by always appearing to go the extra mile．Build a little cushion into a deadline and deliver early．

The author believes that small businesses

A．can provide better customer service．

B．are able to offer Iower prices．

C．have higher business status．

&8226;Read the article below about money management in Britain．

&8226;For each question 31-40．write one word in CAPITAL LETTER on your Answer Sheet.

Younger people are more likely to talk about their money issues than their elder counterparts，it has been revealed．Saga Personal Finance has found that 14 percent of over-50s are happy to talk about their finances ln (31) ，compared to 21 percent of under.50s．People (32) ．claimed they are unwilling to discuss money openly said they believe those matters should stay private(50 percent)and a tenth explained it was (33) they were embarrassed about their financial situation．Around half of the under-50s said they were happy to (34) ．money with their friends，whereas this fell to 30 percent among the older group．It was also revealed that 71 percent of Brits in a relationship have a separate current (35) ，explaining that they want to keep their money apart as the main (36) ．Nearly a fifth claimed it was because they did not want to take responsibility (37) ，someone else's spending and 12 percent explained this was a good way to avoid arguments regarding finances．However，15 percent of couples said they argue about money more than any (38) ．issue，with one in four having a row about it several (39) a month．It was also interesting to find out that arguments regarding money appear to occur more between couples who have been together a while， (40) may be because they feel more comfortable bringing up the‘sticky’issue．

(31)

&8226;Read the article below about problems of motivation at work.

&8226;For each question (31-40), write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.

Regain your motivation

Getting out of bed to go to work is one of life's lesser pleasures. (31) great the job is, most of us struggle on Monday morning. But when that feeling stretches through the entire week, something deeper may (32) wrong. Sometimes it's tempting to dismiss feelings of boredom or frustration (33) part of working life. But if you're constantly feeling uninterested, you need to ask yourself some questions.

Demotivation isn't just caused by major setbacks, like being passed (34) for promotion, or refused a salary increase, but can be a product of far more subtle aspects. Try to define the most important aspects of your job for you personally - and (35) action if you feel things aren't right. Talk to agencies or headhunters about your skills and find out (36) you're worth on the open market.

It can be all (37) easy to blame your job when you feel demotivated - when it can be just as easily down to you, as Sally Martin, a fundraising manager for a charity, discovered. 'I had started to resent my job, the fact that I had no perks, no chances to travel - (38) from visiting other dingy offices for meetings. But then some friends were talking about how superficial they felt their jobs were, and I suddenly realised I couldn't say that about my job. In fact, I really felt (39) was a point to it. I remembered that's why I'd taken it in the (40) place' So remember; always give your old job a chance before starting to search for a new one.

(31)

&8226;Read the article below about the importance of human resource (HR) management.

&8226;Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

&8226;For each gap (8-12), mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.

&8226;Do not use any letter more than once.

Human resource management

It is nearly a century since the car manufacturer Henry Ford said, 'You can destroy my factories and offices, but give me my people and I will build the business right back up again.' In the light of this statement, it is odd that people management has taken so many years to move up the agenda. But a few business theorists are beginning to argue that managing people well can add more to the bottom line than anything else.

Mike Manzotti, a leading American author in this area, has strong views about the growing importance of human resources in today's business world. (8) . A company with high staff commitment, for example, has an asset that its rivals find hard to copy. Research in Britain would appear to support this notion. A recent business school survey into the performance of eight multinationals found that people management could be the most decisive factor in a company's performance. Another study indicated the same thing in medium-sized manufacturing firms. (9) . After all, how can an organisation evaluate the commitment of its staff?

For this reason, the researcher George Hessenberg argues that a scientific approach is needed. He feels that when HR professionals suggest changing an organisation's compensation structure or being more selective in recruiting, they are asking for things that require resources. (10) .

Some new approaches are emerging that attempt to do just that, including the scheme devised by consultants Couze Jordan. The scheme, which covers communication, recruitment, and use of resources, predicts that significant improvements in these areas achieve an increase in shareholder value of up to 30 per cent.

Another programme, launched by James Lester, an independent human resources expert, approaches the problem from a perspective that is designed to appeal to a wide range of managers. (11) . Both, he argues, involve appropriate decisions being made about the allocation of resources within a particular budget.

Lester's expertise enables him to carry out an organisational audit for his clients to identify which areas of HR are in most need of improvement. This is because there is no point in businesses spending large amounts without knowing if the investment is worthwhile. (12) . Lester's advice, however, is for companies to think twice before hiring people, since it is vital they assess whether they are getting value for money.

A But the findings are inconclusive because of the difficulty of collecting reliable evidence.

B He argues that the role of a skilled, motivated and flexible workforce has become more significant as traditional sources of competitive advantage diminish.

C For example, a common mistake is to spend a fortune on recruitment to cover up for deficiencies in training.

D However, most leading experts in the field believe that there is sufficient evidence to support this model of workplace dynamics.

E He compares the positive use of human resources to effective fund management, as this is something that senior executives can relate to.

F He believes, however, that the only way they will gain approval for these potentially expensive initiatives is to have some data that demonstrates positive financial benefits.

G In the light of this statement, it is odd that people management has taken so many years to move up the agenda.

(8)

？Read the article below about relationship and productivity.

？For each question 31-40, write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet.

Doing Favours at Work

Productivity rises when workers help each other more. Francis Flynn, of Columbia University's business school, studied 161 engineers working for a telecoms firm near San Francisco. They work in eight teams, but each individually sorts (31) detailed engineering problems sent in from around the country. Mr. Flynn asked each employee to report how (32) he swapped help with each member of the team and who had given relatively more in their exchanges. Thus, he looked separately at the frequency with (33) individual workers made such swaps and at how one-sidedly generous they were. He also asked employees to rate how highly they regarded one (34)

Mr. Flynn correlated the answers he got with information from the firm on employees' productivity. He found that generous employees who got little (35) exchange were well-regarded by colleagues. Employees who helped colleagues generously but did not receive help in return were less productive. Those who received as well as gave (36) relatively more productive, particularly those who helped each other most often. A pattern of frequent giving and receiving boosted (37) productivity and social standing.

Why (38) productivity rise when employees frequently swap help？ Mr. Flynn has two explanations. First, as employees learn more about the resources they can offer each other, they develop a more-efficient pattern of requesting and giving help. Second, helpful employees learn to trust each other more, and become willing to do bigger favours because they feel more sure (39) the likelihood of reciprocation. And, of course, it is nicer to work with helpful people (40) with the other sort.

(31)