口语部分
Preparation for Part One (Interview)
In the first part of the test, the interlocutor addresses each candidate in turn and asks general questions. Candidates will not be addressed in strict sequence. This part of the test lasts about three minutes and during this time, candidates are being tested on their ability to talk about themselves, to provide personal information on their home, interests and jobs, and to perform functions such as agreeing and disagreeing, and expressing preference.
Sequence:
1. Introduction of people concerned 2. Marksheets required 3. Topics and Questions
Questions about candidates’ names and hometowns What‟s your name?
How to spell your name?
How do you spell your family name/surname/last name? Where are you from?
Would you say it‟s a good place to live in? (why) Do you like living in … ? (why)
Where would you rather live, … or …? (why)
Do you think it would be better to live in … or …? (why) Do you come from a large family or a small one? Can you tell me a bit about … in your family?
Questions about candidates’ identity --- work or study Do you work or are you a student? What do you do? What do you study? What‟s your major?
What do you like most about your job? What do you like most about your studies?
Questions about Candidates’ Preference Regarding Their Work or Study
Unit One A
Working with Other People
What kinds of people do you most like working/studying with? Why?
What do you think are the advantages of working in a team of colleagues? Why? (Is it a good thing to work or study with other people? Why/why not?)
What sort of skills do you think a manager needs? Why? (What kind of person is a good manager? Why?) Cooperate fully with each other; people Trust each other; Listen to different points of view; Talk openly and honestly with each other;
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advantages skills Offer help when others are under pressure; Work towards a common objective; Everyone makes an equal contribution to the team; The members share information effectively within the team. Team members take on responsibility and be accountable when things go wrong; Be able to discuss roles and allocate them to team members; Be able to help individuals develop within the team; Be able to listen to different points of view; Skills and Qualities for Work
Which specific skills will you need most in your career? Why? (Which skills are most important for your career? Why?) can work constructively with others on a common task Team work discussion to achieve mutually satisfactory resolution of Negotiating contentious issues choice of the best option from a range of alternatives Decision making both intra-personally and in relationships with others Resolving conflict convincing others of the validity of one‟s point of view Influencing Arguing for and/or justifying a point of view of course of action selection and use of appropriate methods to find solutions Problem solving Ability to work cross-culturally both within and beyond the nation ability to rank tasks according to importance Prioritizing What qualities does a good employee need to have? Why? (What should a good employee be like? Why?)
Which special qualities do you think a manager need to have? Why? (What kind of people should managers be?) awareness of own strengths and weaknesses, aims and values Self awareness confidence in dealing with the challenges that employment and life can Self-confidence throw up ability to work without supervision Independence ability to respond positively to changing circumstances and new challenges Adaptability ability to retain effectiveness under pressure Stress tolerance commitment to ongoing learning to meet the needs of employment and life Willingness to learn ability to take action unprompted Initiative To what extent is it important to train people in interpersonal skills? Why/why not? (Can people be trained to work well with other people?) Training people in interpersonal skills is extremely important and should be set as top priority. Most jobs are not performed in isolation and the need to interact is often essential. In fact, most failures in the workplace are not due to lack of technical ability, but rather to shortcomings in interpersonal competence. An individual may be a highly skilled worker. However if he or she cannot work well with other employees, chances for success are slim. Unit One B
Communication
Which method of communication do you like best---letters, phone calls or e-mail? Why? (Do you like communicating with other people by letter, phone or e-mail? Why?) I like to use e-mail to communicate with people in my work and study. E-mail can be used not only to 2 沪江剑桥商务英语网 http://www.hjenglish.com/subject/bec
exchange messages among co-workers and customers but also provide information automatically. You can also set up an autoresponder service that automatically receives a message and sends a document in reply. Replying automatically to e-mail is a great way to save time and money and it is much faster than communicating through snail mail. Do you think methods of communication at work will change in the future? Why?
(Do you think people will communicate in different ways at work in the future? Why? Why not?) Of course they will change in the future. The emergence of many new technologies will definitely create faster and more convenient communication methods. For example, the Internet will become an even bigger deal in the future than it is today. School children will access all the great works of literature ever written with the click of a mouse. Surgery will be performed via cyberspace. All transactions with the government will be conducted via your personal computer, making bureaucratic line ups a thing of the past. Do you think companies should be able to contact their staff outside working hours? Why or why not? (Is it a good idea for companies to be able to contact their staff outside working hours? Why/why not?) advantages Maintaining contact with employees outside working hours can make your employees feel valued and can help develop a close relation between employees and employer. It is a good staff motivation method. Many companies offer flexible working hours to their employees, which means some employees can work from home and some employees don‟t often appear at their workplace. Under such circumstances being able to contact their staff outside working hours will become extremely important to companies. disadvantages Interrupting employees‟ private lives; making them feel under pressure all the time; producing misunderstanding between employees and employer; Business and the Internet
Do you find the internet useful for your work or studies? Why/why not? (Does the internet help you in your work or studies? Why/why not?) The internet is very useful for my work. I can dial into my corporate network via modem, and download the data I need. I can create the requested document and e-mail it via the internet from my home computer. I don't have to return to the office to use a fax machine. By using wireless network technology I‟m able to connect a notebook computer with modem to my cellular phone! I even leave my home computer on-line so I can receive faxes on evenings and weekends. Do you think the internet will become more widely used by companies in the future? Why/ why not? (Will more companies use the internet in the future? Why/why not?) Yes, I think so. Information sharing will become extremely important to companies in the future. In order to gain information ASAP, company will more widely use the internet which can provide a comprehensive range of information on marketing, transporting, suppliers, staff training, technical assistance and support. Do you think the internet is an effective channel for marketing a company‟s products? Why /why not? (is the internet a good place for advertising products? Why/why not?)
Do you think other forms of advertising will continue to be more important than the internet? Why/why not? (Will other forms of advertising be mort important than the internet in future? Why/why not?)
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By exploiting the amazing power of the internet, your on-line advertisement is able to reach hundreds of thousands of people and perhaps even millions around the world. On-line advertising is simple and quick process for your target customers. Just a few clicks of a button is all it takes. And that simplicity means your target customers are more likely to come back again and again! Unit Two A
Entertaining Business Clients
Do you enjoy eating in restaurants? Why/why not? (Do you like eating in restaurants? Why/why not?)
What type of restaurant would you take business visitors to? Why? (What type of restaurant is best for business visitors? Why?) Atmosphere Restaurants are always magnificently decorated and enveloped in elegant and peaceful surroundings; Famous restaurants always have a complete service of accommodation, catering, Multi-entertainment, bodybuilding and business and convention facilities, which will functional definitely suit the needs of businessmen and business travelers. Comfort and Restaurants‟ well-trained staff provide all guests with their first-class service they need for a pleasant and cozy stay at the restaurants. The guests are ensured to feel at staff attentiveness home while staying at restaurants and when they leave, they will bring with them many happy memories. What kinds of entertainment do you think are most suitable for foreign business clients? Why/ why not? (What kinks of things do you think foreign business people like to see or do?)
Unit Two B
Sponsoring Popular Event or Personalities of Famous People
Are you influenced by company logos when you choose services or products? Why/why not? (is the image of company important when you decide what to buy? Why /why not?)
What kinds of popular events or personalities do you think companies should involve in sponsoring? Why? (What kind of people or events should companies support? Why?)
Do you think sponsoring sports events or personalities is the most effective form of advertising? Why/why not?
(Is supporting sports events or people a good way to advertise? Why/why not?)
Do you think companies will make more use of sponsorship in the future as a way of advertising? Why/why not?
(Do you think that in the future more companies will support sports events or people to advertise products? Why /why not?) creating and reinforcing existing brand images; advantages supporting the launch of new products; being used to associate brands with aspirant and successful characteristics; being designed to be covert and „subliminal‟ The effect of sponsorship equates that of advertising; Formula One International; Big boat sailing; Basketball; Football; Ice events hockey; Horse jumping;
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Unit Four A
Advertising
Are you influenced by advertisements when you choose a product or service? Why? (Do advertisements help you to decide what to buy? Why/why not)
Do you think there should be a limit on the amount of advertising on TV? Why or why not? (Do you think there‟s too much advertising on television? Why/why not?) Giving target customers direct impression of the products and thus shortening Advantages their selection process; Giving target customers specific information and details about products for them to select and compare and thus making their purchasing more convenient; Disadvantages Too much information on the same kind of products makes it difficult for customers to make decision; Dishonest or distracting information misleads customers and makes them suffer a financial loss. Unit Four B
Company Celebrations
What events do you usually celebrate in your family? Why/why not? (Do you celebrate any special days in your family? And how?)
What kinds of occasions do you think companies ought to celebrate? Why? (Which events should companies celebrate? Why?)
How important is it to involve all staff in company celebrations? Why? (Is it important to include all staff in company celebrations? Why?) Company’s anniversaries Making use of the celebration to advertise or promote company‟s /Company’s success in products or services /Making use of the celebration to expand operations /Company’s company‟s brand names and fame and to gain more publicity; relocation Company’s introduction of new employees /Important holidays or festivals Unit Five A
The Workplace
Is it important to you what type of building you work? Why/why not? (Is the place where you work/study important to you? Why/why not?)
P61 it‟s not what you are, it‟s where you are.
What kinds of facilities do you think should be available in an office building? Why? (What kinds of facilities would you like to have in an office building? Why?)
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Making use of the celebration to improve the relations among employees/between different departments/employees and employers/ Making use of the celebration to accelerate or reinforce the form of corporate culture and to produce a harmonious environment in the company; 沪江剑桥商务英语网 http://www.hjenglish.com/subject/bec
Do you think companies should provide sports facilities for their staff? (Should companies have sports facilities for their staff? Why/why not?)
Do you think people work better in an office alone or sharing with other people? Why? (Is it better to work alone in an office with other people? Why? Cost-effective; saving actual expenses; advantages being able to bring each member work and collaborate on projects; allowing for enhanced communications among individuals; employees‟ being able to enjoy a close working relationship; disadvantages Having to tolerant differences and separate personal relations; employees‟ being unable to concentrate on work or tasks due to constant interruptions or trifles; violating the privacy and other rights of individual employees or ethics of their profession; Unit Five B
Work and Home
Which would you rather live in---a house or an apartment? Why? (Would you prefer to live in a house or an apartment?)
Are there any advantages in working from home rather than an office? Why or why not? (Is it better for people to do their work at home or in an office?) Less travel and exposure to accidents to and from work. advantages For Less interruption by fellow employees. A lot of people can get more employees done working at home than in their employers‟ office. Cuts car expenses and less upkeep needed for car. For the self-When you start a home-based business you do not create additional employed or expenses like day care, meals, parking, dry cleaning, gasoline, home-based etc. So you get to keep every penny that you earn. business The tax advantages of a home-based business are literally unbelievable. A home-based business has a different set of rules then any other kind of business. Your expenses are immediately reduced because you have no additional rental expense. Your heat, lights, gas, and any other expenses are already budgeted for. So the cost of is dramatically reduced from those of someone who does it away from home. Do you think our homes or offices will change in the future because of technology? Why/why not? (Will technology change our homes or offices in the future? Why/why not?) Future Office Technology Reasons for change 6
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A touch screen allowing the office dweller to adjust with the touch of a finger, the room temperature, air flow and lighting, as well as to check planning calendars and communicate with co-workers. A video projector that displays images on walls, floors, desktops and other surfaces, and wireless sensors that allow a user's finger to act as a cursor. A computer A more sophisticated and compelling voice-you can talk to recognition technology. (and listen to) Interactive, automated office Corporations and midsized businesses want to increase employee collaboration, utilize space better and attract and retain workers in the future. The wireless Wireless technologies such as GPRS and 3G workplace Voice-recognition devices are available today but not widely used. More and more consumers will start to deal with them at companies' automated call centers. GPRS and related third-generation wireless communications will become affordable and available to every business, home and convention center that wants it, further enabling workers to make network and Internet connections while traveling or working at home. Unit Seven A
Work and Sport
What types of sports do you enjoy watching or playing? Why? (Which sports do you like watching or playing? Why?) sports reason Basketball; football; volleyball; Watching or playing these sports help me to foster a spirit of teamwork. I‟m able to learn how to achieve my own goal in a team or how to success through teamwork or job-sharing. I‟m also able to develop my interpersonal skills and learn how to cooperate with other team members. These skills and techniques are very useful in my future jobs. What the benefits of physical exercise for people who work? Why? (Is physical exercise good for people who work? Why/ why not?) Routine physical exercise does more than just help the body lose weight and look better. It also stimulates the release of chemicals which counteract working people‟s depression, anxiety and a general feeling of helplessness. The productivity of employees can receive a boost by encouraging routine physical exercise. Fittest employees who always conduct physical exercise have 1/8 as many injuries as the least-fit, and unfit employees have twice the injury costs. Employees who are members of the company's fitness center have lower average annual health care costs in contrast to non-member employees. Unit Eight A Hotels
What kind of accommodation do you usually stay in when you go on holiday? Why?
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(Do you stay in a hotel or an apartment when you are on holiday? Why?)
What kinds of facilities do you think hotels ought to provide for business people? Why? (What kinds of facilities should hotels have for business people? Why?)
Do you think companies should pay for their staff to stay in expensive hotels on business trips? Why/why not?
（Should people stay in expensive hotels on business trips? Why/why not?）
Unit Eight B
Staying in Hotels on Business
How do you feel about being away from home on business? Why?
(Do you feel happy about staying away from home on business? Why /why not?)
Do you think it is an advantage to stay in a large international hotel rather than a small hotel when on business? Why /why not?
(Is it better to stay in a large international hotel or a small hotel for business? Why/why not?) Do you prefer to stay in a hotel on your own or with colleagues? Why? (Is it better to stay in a hotel on your own or with colleagues? Why?)
Unit Nine A
Work Patterns
How important is it to you to have flexible working hours? Why/why not? (Is it important to be able to choose your working hours? Why/why not?) Do you work more effectively at certain times of the day? Why/ why not? (Do you work better at different times of the day? Why /why not?)
Do you think the companies should control the number of extra hours their staff work? Why/ why not? (Should companies decide how many extra hours their staff work? Why /why not?) Do you work faster when you have to meet a deadline?
(Do you work faster when you have to finish your work by a certain time? Why/why not?)
Working and Studying Abroad
Would you like to work or study abroad in the future? Why or why not?
(Do you want to work or study in another country in the future? Why/why not?)
Do you think companies can benefit from their staff working or studying abroad? Why/why not? (Is it good for companies if their staff work or study in another country? Why/why not?) Keep managers and executives current on the latest technologies and best practices in global business. Provide trainees with the skills they need in global business and equip them with the experience necessary to succeed in the global marketplace. Staff are able to gain experience and obtain skills that they may not have the chance to learn in their home country and absorb different values and come to better understand international expectations. For business professionals, an international education — particularly through life experience — creates an understanding that differences among people can be life-enhancing, and makes the transition into foreign markets much more successful. What kind of help should companies give to staff who are going abroad to work or study? Why? (How can companies help their staff before they work or study in another country? Why?) Career Opportunities
What would your ideal job be? Why?
(What kind of job would you like to do most? Why?)
Do you think all companies ought to provide training opportunities for staff? Why/ why not?
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(Should all companies offer training to staff? Why/why not) Training is valuable to your staff. Increased knowledge and skill makes them more productive in their workplace and thus more valuable. As they grow in knowledge or skill, they make themselves more marketable should they ever want to look for a better job, either in or outside their company. Training helps keep your staff motivated and breaks up their normal routine. Some people sit in the same office for years doing the same things over and over. Training can help them get beyond the daily routine and perhaps energize them to do better work. Is the opportunity to work in another country important to you? (Would you like to work in another country?) Starting a Job or Course
Did you enjoy your? first day at work or college? Why/why not? (Did you like your first day at work or college? Why/why not?)
What do people need to know when they start a new job or course? Why? (What is it important to know when they start a new job or course? Why?)
What do you think companies ought to do to help employees on their first day at work? Why? (How should companies help employees on their first day at work? Why?)
Unit Nine B
Job Interviews
Can you tell me about a successful interview you have had? (Why do you think you were successful?)
Do you think interviews are the best methods of judging applicants‟ suitability for a job? (Are interviews the best way to decide whether a job applicant is suitable?) How do you prefer to prepare for an interview?
What do you think creates a good or bad impression at an interview? How do you prefer to deal with stress before and during an interview? Career Development and Management
How ambitious are you for your career? Why/why not?
(What do you hope to achieve in your career? Why/why not?)
Do you think that you are or would be a good manager? Why/why not? (Is it easy to be a good manager? Why/ why not?)
Would you rather be a manager in a small company or a large corporation? Why? (Would you prefer to be a manager in a small or large company? Why?) Would you like to be the head of your own business? Why/why not?
(Do you want to be in charge of your own business one day? Why /why not?)
*Supplementary Questions for You to Prepare
Free Time
Do you have much free time?
Do you find you have much free time? How do you spend your free time? What do you do in your free time? What‟s your hobby? Why do you like…?
Is there any particular reason why you enjoy…?
When did you first take up/start …? (why did you start then?) Transport
How did you come here today? How did you travel to the test? Did you come here by bus?
If you could travel by any form of transport you want, what would you choose? (why) Which form of transport would you like to travel by?
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How do you think you will travel to work in (15) years‟ time? How do you think you will travel to work (15) years from now? Training Course
What kind of training course have you ever taken? Have you ever taken any training course?
What do you think is most important when you choose a training course? What do you usually expect from a training course? Future Plan
What would you like to do after you finish your studies? What‟s your future plan?
What are you doing now for the preparation of your future plan? What if you failed to find a job as a …?
What would you do if you couldn't find a job as a …? Teamwork
What kinds of people do you most like working/studying with? What do you think makes a good team? What is a good team?
Do you think you work in a good team?
What do you think are the advantages of working in a team of colleagues? Why? Preparation for Part Two (Mini Presentations)
The second part of the test is a “mini-presentation”. In this part, the candidates are given a choice of topic and about one minute to prepare a piece of extended speech. After each candidate has spoken, their partner will be invited to ask a question about what has been said. Directions:
Short presentation Sequence:
1. A choice of 3 topics
2. Preparation for one minute 3. Give a one-minute presentation
4. Partner’s question after presentation
Task Sheet 1
A: What is important when selecting applicants for a job or employees for promotion? Suggestion:
●Work experience; ●Personal qualities; Education background; Current position;
Business achievements;
B: What is important when choosing a new supplier? Suggestion:
●Prices and discounts; ●Reputation;
Punctuality of delivery; Scope of business;
C: What’s important when aiming to improve production quality? Suggestion:
●Up-to-date equipment ●Staff training
Research and Development Customer feedback
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Task Sheet 2
A: What's important when preparing for a job interview? Suggestion:
●Studying the job advertisement ●Finding out about the company Psychological preparation Clothes Manner
B: What's important when deciding whether to attend a conference? Suggestion: ●Venue; ●Speakers; Content; Schedule;
Accommodation;
C: What's important when developing new products? Suggestion:
●Market Research ●Costs Involved Trial production Customer feedback
Task Sheet 3
A: What's important when selecting a job to apply for? Suggestion: ●Salary
●Career opportunity Additional benefits
Instructions for applying Responsibilities of job Working hours
B: What's important when choosing a magazine to buy regularly? Suggestion: ●Contents ●Cost
Title of magazine Availability
Its contributors
C: What's important when choosing a business book to study from? Suggestion: ●Topics ●Writer Price Suppliers
Date Available
Task Sheet 4
A: What's important when giving a presentation? Suggestion:
●Type of audience ●Equipment needed Length
Assistant Required
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Reason for the presentation
B: What's important when choosing a business course to attend? Suggestion: Content Cost Type
Qualifications offered Course leaders Fees
C: What's important when choosing a language course? Suggestion:
●Length of course ●Cost Title
Entry requirements Course leaders
Task Sheet 5
A: What's important when deciding which type of company you would like to work for? Suggestion:
●Opportunities for staff training ●Foreign travel Type of products Location of premises Main activities Number of staff
B: What's important when choosing a magazine to advertise a product or service in? Suggestion:
●Cost of advertising ●Type of readers Contents
Price of magazine Number of readers
C: What's important when planning business trips? Suggestion: ●Purpose
●Travel arrangements Length Destination
Accommodation arrangement
Task Sheet 6
A: What's important when choosing a conference center? Suggestion: ●Facilities ●Location
Type of events organized Accommodation
Transport connections Charges
B: What's important when choosing a business journal? Suggestion:
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●Topics included ●Cost Editors Availability Intended readers
C: What's important when choosing a business training course? Suggestion: ●Topics ●Venue
Suitable applicants Dates Speakers
Task Sheet 7
A: What's important when choosing the location for a new factory? Suggestion:
●Transport connections
●Availability of workforce in area Location Cost to rent Space available Date of completion
B: What's important when choosing a training video? Suggestion: ●Topics covered ●Cost Title
Distributor Availability
C: What's important when planning a business trip? Suggestion: ●Schedule
●Contact person
Transport arrangement Accommodation
Task Sheet 8
A: What's important when deciding whether to apply for a new post? Suggestion: ●Location
●Career prospects
Place where it is advertised Company information
B: What's important when organizing an in-house training course? Suggestion: ●Course content
●Participants selected
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Course leaders Cost involved
C: what’s important when recruiting senior staff? Suggestion:
●Recruitment agencies ●Financial incentives Requirements from them Posts for them
Task Sheet 9
A: What's important when attending an interview? Suggestion:
●Appearance of applicant
●Applicant‟s knowledge of company Punctuality
Promises from company
B: what’s important when planning market research? Suggestion:
●Types of questions ●Type of people
Ways of information feedback Analysis of current complaints
C: what’s important when predicting profits? Suggestion:
●Current sales figures ●Market trends
Technology development Changes of social codes
Task Sheet 10
A: what’s important when deciding whether to obtain a further qualification? Time commitment required Suggestion: ●Career benefits
●Profession concerned Loss of experience
B: what’s important when placing a newspaper advertisement? Suggestion:
●Newspaper sales figures ●Cost of advertising Newspaper circulation Readers
C: what’s important when considering whether to invest in technology? Suggestion:
●Benefits to the company
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●Cost involved
Development and research Innovation
Task Sheet 11
A: what’s important when planning a presentation? Suggestion:
●Finding out about the audience ●Researching the topic
To practice the presentation before giving it Different types of equipment
B: What’s important when aiming to improve customer service? Suggestion: ●Staff training
●Customer satisfaction surveys Prices and discounts Rewards for customers
C: What’s important when managing a project? Suggestion:
●Encouraging teamwork ●Keeping to schedule Motoring progress Staff training
Task Sheet 12
A: What’s important when motivating staff? Suggestion:
●Financial benefits
●Career development opportunities Training opportunities Social events
B: What’s important when dealing with competition? Suggestion: ●Pricing policies
●Advertising strategies Customer service
A wide range of goods or services
C: What’s important when planning health and safety training? Suggestion: ●Selecting topics
●Selecting staff to attend Length Re-training
Task Sheet 13
A: What’s important when choosing new office equipment?
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Suggestion:
●Price and discounts ●Brand names
Consulting staff before buying After-sales service
B: What’s important when entertaining foreign business clients? Suggestion:
●Venue for entertainment ●Cultural differences
Information about the client Cost of entertaining them
C: What’s important when aiming to reach new markets? Suggestion:
●Market research ●Advertising Cost involved
Competitor‟s products
Task Sheet 14
A: What’s important when choosing a management training course to attend? Suggestion:
●Program contents ●Length of course
Reputation of the course provider Formal qualification offered
B: What’s important when relocating a business? Suggestion:
●Local workforce available ●Location of site Transport network The costs involved
C: What is important when advertising a new product? Suggestion: ●Target markets ●Choice of media Timing Cost
Task Sheet 15
A: What’s important when starting a new job? Suggestion:
●Knowledge of company procedures ●Help from company staff Training
Ability to use company equipment
B: What’s important when selecting staff for marketing trips abroad?
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Suggestion:
●Position in the company
●Previous experience of other countries Foreign language skills Social activities
C: What’s important when aiming to reduce production costs? Suggestion:
●Efficiency of production line ●Cost of raw materials Shift work
Monitoring overheads
Task Sheet 16
A: What’s important when choosing people to work in teams? Suggestion:
●Variety of experience ●Personal qualities Qualifications
Your own impression
B: What’s important when dealing with a heavy workload? Suggestion:
●Time management ●Sharing tasks Technology used
Assistance from colleagues
C: What is important when developing new products? Suggestion:
●Market research ●Pricing
Product testing
Competition from other products
Task Sheet 17
A: What’s important when being interviewed for a job? Suggestion:
●Information about the company ●Personal appearance Self-confidence
Questions asked by candidates
B: What’s important when exhibiting at trade fair？ Suggestion:
●Quality of display ●Staff selected
Written information for visitors Feedback from visitors
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C: What’s important when introducing a reward system for staff? Suggestion:
●Purpose of the reward system ●Types of reward offered
Kinds of achievement to reward Ensuring fairness
Task Sheet 18
A: What’s important when entertaining clients? Suggestion:
●Types of activities ●Cost Venue
Company personnel involved
B: What’s important when choosing retail premises to rent? Suggestion: ●Location
●Length of contract Cost
Condition of the premises
C: What’s important when deciding on packaging for products？ Suggestion: ●Image
●Production process Cost of packaging
Market research to carry out
Task Sheet 19
A: What’s important when selecting staff for promotion? Suggestion:
●Attitude to work ●Current performance Their ambition Appropriate skills
B: What’s important when considering a career change? Suggestion:
●Further study or training
●Opportunities for future promotion Financial rewards
Flexible working arrangements
C: What’s important when planning an advertisement campaign? Suggestion:
●Market research
●Selecting appropriate media
Task Sheet 20
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A: What’s important when choosing transport for a business trip? ●Convenience
●Cost-effectiveness ●Comfort
B: What’s important when aiming for promotion? Suggestion:
●Quality of performance ●Company loyalty
Gaining extra qualifications Skills and personal qualities
C: What’s important when exporting goods services for the first time? Suggestion:
●Personal contacts ●Professional advice Target country A preliminary trip
Preparation for Part Three (Collaborative Task and Discussion)
The third part of the test is a two-way conversation (three-way in a three candidate format) between candidates. The interlocutor gives candidates a topic to discuss. The candidates are asked to speak together for about three minutes. The interlocutor will support the conversation if appropriate and then ask further questions related to the main theme.
Directions:
1. 30 seconds task reading and thinking 2. 3 minutes discussing 3. No writing
1. Export office
Your company has decided to open an export office in order to deal with an increase in orders from abroad. This office will be responsible for the company‟s exports, and will be visited by foreign representative. ●What kinds of jobs will be available in the new office ●What training will be needed for these jobs
2. Cost cutting
Your company has decided to try to reduce costs. You have been asked to investigate the possibility of cutting the financial costs of operating your department. ●Which are the areas where costs could be cut? ●What problems might arise from cutting costs?
3. New factory
Your company is expanding and wants to open a new factory in another area. You have been asked to consider where the best place would be to locate it.
●What factors need to be considered in choosing a good location ●Which of these factors are the most important to consider
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4. Staff recruitment
Your factory urgently needs to recruit a large number of temporary staff in order to fulfill an unexpected order. The staff needs to be ready to start work as soon as possible. ●What you need to do in order to find suitably skilled staff?
●What type of induction program the new staff will need before they start work?
5. Customer complaints
Your manager is not satisfied with the way staff reacts to complaints from clients about products or services. You have been asked to suggest how this could be improved.
●How the company can make effective use of will be available in the new office? ●What training will be needed for these jobs?
6. Modernization Program
You work for a large company which has decided to introduce a program of modernization and improvement. You are involved in setting up this program.
●How to prepare staff for major changes within the company
●What other factors have to be considered when introducing major changes in a company
7. Language Courses Abroad
Your company has offered you the opportunity of attending a sixmonth English language course abroad. You have to decide whether to accept, and are therefore going to attend a meeting to find out more about the offer.
●What the advantages are of learning languages abroad
●What plans you will have to make for work and home if you go away for a long period
8. Potential Supplier
A potential supplier will soon be visiting you at your workplace. You think this supplier and the products or services or services they offer could be very important for the future of your company. ●What you need to find out about the supplier and the products or services before the visit ●How you could entertain the supplier the negotiations
9. Foreign Business Travel
Your company has decided that it needs to introduce a clear policy on foreign business travel. You have been asked to help draw up the guidelines.
● What the various reasons are why members of a company make business trips abroad
● In what ways a company might be affected if the number of foreign business trips was reduced
10. Company Directory
Your company is going to be included in an international directory of all the types of businesses operating in your country. You have been asked to write a brief profile of your company for the directory. ● What information you will include about your company ● How the directory would be useful to companies
11. Business Presentation
a local business college has asked your company to give a short presentation to a group of young business students about the work of one of the departments in your company. You are in charge of organizing the presentation.
●Which department would be the most interesting for the students to hear about
●Which methods or aids could be used to make the presentation interesting for young people
12. Working from Home
Your company is considering allowing some employees to work from home for part of the working week. Your managing director has asked you to write a report on this proposal.
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●Which employees this system would be most suitable for
●How technology could help to make the system of working from home effective
13. Office Space
Your company‟s offices have become too small. However, because of their excellent location, many of the staff are opposed to moving. You have been asked to suggest ways of solving the problem of lack of office space.
●How new technology could help to solve this problem
●How staff could be persuaded to move to a new location if necessary
14. Community Relations
Your company has recently moved and would like to establish a good relationship with the local community. You have been asked for some suggestions on how to do this. ●What types of activities the company could become involved in ●How these projects could benefit both the company and community
15. Health and Safety
Your company intends to carry out a health and safety review of its premises. You have been asked to make the preparation for the review.
Which aspects of health and safety should be included in the review How to ensure that the review runs smoothly
16. Teamwork
Your company is keen to encourage staff to work together in teams. You have been asked to suggest ways in which this could be implemented.
● How to convince staff of the advantage of teamwork ● How to evaluate the results of the company's policy 17. Staff Fitness
Your company is keen to have a fit and healthy workforce. You have been asked to suggest ways in which this could be achieved.
● What the advantages are to a company of having a fit and healthy workforce
● What facilities a company should provide in order to encourage staff to be fit and healthy
18. Investing in Staff Training
Your company has recently had a problem with staff leaving the company shortly after completing training courses. You have been asked to write a report for senior management on this situation. ● How to encourage staff who have undertaken training courses to stay with the company ● How to ensure that a company benefits from providing a range of facilities for its workforce
19. Corporate Entertainment
Your company is keen to establish a policy for entertaining important clients.
You have been asked to make recommendations for a policy for corporate entertainment. ● What are the advantages and disadvantages to a company of entertaining clients ● What are the criteria for selecting entertainment for clients
20. Staff Retirement
Your company wants to introduce a program to help staff prepare fully for retirement. ● What practical preparations staff need to make for their retirement
● What the advantages and disadvantages are to a company of staff retiring
21. Promoting Tourism
An international conference on tourism will held soon. You have been appointed to a committee which will make recommendations on how your region should be promoted at the conference.
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●Which types of tourist attractions and facilities generate most income from foreign visitors? ●How other attractions and facilities should be promoted effectively to foreign visitors?
22. Recruitment Video
Your company wishes to recruit more young business graduates. You have been asked to produce a recruitment video, which will be used to attract more job applications from business students. ●What types of information about the company to include in the video? ●Which members of staff should be involved in making the video? 23. Foreign Workers
Your company has recently singed an agreement with a foreign company, which means that foreign business people will be working in your company for short periods. You have been asked to help with preparations for their arrival.
●How to familiarize foreign business people with the working practices of your company? ●What arrangements need to be made for the foreign staff for outside working hours?
24. Newspaper Article
A local newspaper is planning a series of articles about successful companies in the area, including your company. You have been asked to communicate with the newspaper about the content of the article on your company.
●What kinds of information about the company should be included? ●How the company could benefit from the newspaper article?
25. Program for New Staff
The manufacturing company you work for would like to introduce a full program of training for new staff. You have been asked to help prepare the program. Discuss the situation together, and decide:
What should be covered by the training program?
How else new staff can be helped to settle into their jobs as quickly as possible?
.What was your first day at work /college like?
What advice would you give to a new colleague joining your company or college?(Why?) Should all staff continue to receive training after they join a company?(Why /Why not?) Is there any training that you would like to receive?(Why /Why not?)
Why is it important for staff to receive feedback on their performance at work?
How shou1d a company deal with a member of staff whose performance is poor?(My?)
26. Company Dress Code
Your managing director is unhappy with the general standard of dress among staff. Your have been asked to make recommendation about introducing a dress code or company uniform.
●What the advantages and disadvantages of having a company uniform would be? ●What kind of dress would be appropriate for staff in different types of jobs?
.Interlocutor:[Select one or more of the following questions as appropriate, to redress any imbalance or to broaden the discussion.]
What do you think about people wearing uniforms at work?
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Do you think it is important what people wear to work?
Do you think business dress is becoming less formal nowadays? What other kind of rules for staff should company have?
Is there any rule you would like to change or introduce at your place of work or study?
Do you think relationships between employers and staff will change in the future?
27. Company Video
The manufacturing company you work for is planning to make a video to show to potential customers and investors.
You have been asked to help with planning the video. Discuss the situation together, and decide:
Which department and activities in the company should be included in the video? Which company personnel should appear in the video?
Interlocutor:[Select one or more of the following questions as appropriate, to redress any imbalance or to broaden the discussion.]
.If you were asked to appear in a company video, would you be happy to do so?(Why /Why not?) Why do you think a company video might be a good idea?
Are there my disadvantages m investing in a company video?(Why?)
In what other ways can companies promote themselves to potential customers?(Why?) What other methods can companies use to attract potential investors?(Why?) why is image important to companies?
28. Opening a Branch Abroad
The retail company you work for has decided to open a branch abroad for the first time You have been asked to help with the planning of the new branch. Discuss the situation together, and decide:
What staffing arrangements might be necessary for the new branch?
Which information about premises in that country it would be useful to find out about?
Interlocutor:[Select one or more of the following questions as appropriate, to redress any imbalance or to broaden the discussion.]
What other preparations might be necessary before opening a branch abroad?(Why?) What are the advantages to company of employing local staff?
What advantages c0111d there be for a company in transferring staff between branches in different countries?
If you were offered a job in a new branch abroad, would you be happy to accept it?(Why / why not?) How can good communication links be maintained between a new branch and the head office?
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.How can companies help staff to settle into a new country?
29. Entertaining Foreign Clients
Your company is entertaining a group of foreign clients for three days, including one non-working day. You have been asked to plan a program for the visit.
Discuss the situation together, and decide:
What kinds of activities would be suitable for the visit?
What information it would be useful to how about the clients before finalizing the program?
Interlocutor:[Select one or more of the following questions as appropriate, to redress any imbalance or to broaden the discussion.]
.What kinds of arrangements need to be made before foreign visitors arrive? (Why?)
Are there any disadvantages for a company in having a visit from foreign clients?(Why /Why..not?) Where would you take foreign visitors in your home town?(Why?)
Would you enjoy looking after business visitors for a few days?(Why /Why not?) What problem might there be when socializing with foreign business people?(why?) What are the long---term benefits of establishing personal contacts with foreign clients
30. Work Experience Program
the manufacturing company you work for has decided to offer a two-week work experience program for small group of students from a local business college. You have been asked to help with the preparation for this program.
●What kind of work experience the company might offer ●How the participants should be selected
Interlocutor:[Select one or more of the following questions as appropriate, to redress any imbalance or to broaden the discussion.]
What other preparations would the company need to make before receiving work experience students? What are the advantages to a company of offering a work experience program to business students? What do you think is the most useful kind of work experience for business students? What help would you give a student on their first day of work experience? Which areas of business would you like to have more experience of? In what ways can business develop close links with the community?
31. Company Directory
Your company is going to be included in an international directory of all the types of businesses operating in your country. You have been asked to write a brief profile of your company for the directory. ● What information you will include about your company ● How the directory would be useful to companies
Appendix: Model Answers to Part Two
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Task Sheet 1
A: What is important when selecting applicants for a job or employees for promotion?
I believe it is very important for employers to observe the applicants‟ or employees‟ interpersonal skills when they make their selection. We cannot just witness the academy award performance of the applicants or employees. We need to ask questions regarding the applicant‟s interpersonal relationships with people in other social and civic situations. Most jobs are not performed in isolation and the need to interact is often essential. In fact, most failures in the workplace are not due to lack of technical ability, but rather to shortcomings in interpersonal competence. An individual may be a highly skilled worker. However, if he or she cannot work well with other employees, chances for success are slim. This is especially true in today‟s world with increasing emphasis being placed on the use of team.
B: What is important when choosing a new supplier?
I think reputation is an important element we have to consider when we choose a new supplier. The supplier we are going to cooperate with should be an established partner who can provide the specialist expertise and applications our business needs. He can back-up his service and his partners' applications with a flexible range of products.
If our supplier enjoys a high reputation, he will guarantee his services, preferably through a service level agreement that sets out availability, performance levels and response times. And will have the financial stability to guarantee the future of his service.
Generally speaking if our business is growing, we need to look for scalability. A suppler with high reputation has the capability to offer services that can grow as our business expands - without costly reconfiguration or upgrades.
C: What’s important when aiming to improve production quality?
We should attach great importance to R&D when we aim to improve production quality.
Any far-sighted entrepreneur will have to acknowledge that in today‟s competitive market, a business can only survive by improving production quality. We therefore should recognize the importance of innovation and development and set up a research and development department in our company, staffed with experienced researchers and engineers trained to develop the latest technology in the industry.
With all this modern technology, we will be able to increase productivity, maximize production output and enhance the quality of our products. Thus, we will able to undertake complex production process and ensure that the products‟ quality meets our clients‟ expectations.
In our move to be more globally competitive, we should strive to achieve internationally recognized quality standards through R&D.
Task Sheet 2
A: What's important when preparing for a job interview?
The interview itself is an exercise in two-way communication between the recruiter and you. Therefore the first important step when preparing for a job interview is to study the job advertisement. You should read the job description carefully and understand the content.
Your next step is to find out all you can about the company. Information may be available from the business pages in various newspapers, trade publications and company annual reports, as well as the
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University College library. As a bare minimum you should know what products the company produces or the services it provides and where it is located.
As far as dress is concerned, be neatly and conservatively dressed. Your manner and attitude should reflect the type of person you are or would like to be. Recruiters are generally quite good at detecting the person who \"puts on an act\
B: What's important when deciding whether to attend a conference?
When you decide to attend a conference you must first check the quality of the speaker. That is to say the speakers invited to deliver speeches during the conference should be qualified. If the conference organizers select the right keynote speakers they will have an excellent way to begin their conferences and create excitement for their attendees. Qualified speakers can help a lot to set the tone of the conference on a high level.
From the audience’s points of view, qualified speakers are good at defining what the message of the event will be and creating excitement for the remainder of the conference topics. Well-known speakers also can draw attendees and boost attendance. Even the portion of the audience who might not hold the same interests as the majority still will be interested in what the speaker has to say.
A conference equipped with wisely selected speakers must be an excellent one.
C: What's important when developing new products?
In my opinion market research should be the first consideration when we develop new products. Our customers‟ tastes and requirements have to be taken into account if our new products are not to be left unsold. That is to say our new products need to be available in the right quantity, at the right place, at the right price and at the right time. When developing new products, we should ask ourselves: “what do customers need which they do not already have?” and “in what form would they prefer the goods (or services) which they are persistently missing?”. We need to approach these problems sensitively by conducting market research. In fact a business can only survive if it is able to anticipate the needs of consumers and continue to do so.
Task Sheet 3
A: What's important when selecting a job to apply for?
B: What's important when choosing a magazine to buy regularly?
C: What's important when choosing a business book to study from?
Task Sheet 4
A: What's important when giving a presentation?
We should first pay attention to the types of our audiences. Generally speaking our audiences can be divided into several types during the presentation. Some audiences are experts in the sub-area we are talking about, some are experts in the general area, and others know little or nothing. Therefore when we give the presentation, Most audiences should be addressed in layers. That is to say we must decide who is most important to us. For example, we can pitch the body to experts, but make the forecast and summary accessible to all. Thus we can ensure everyone during the presentation is satisfied to get what they want and they will all regard our presentation fruitful and effective.
B: What's important when choosing a business course to attend?
Considering the type of the course and deciding which type suits you is very important when you choose a business course to attend. You should first consider the type, namely the session format when choosing
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sessions to attend. Conferences typically offer a variety of session formats--such as presentations, workshops, demonstrations, and progressions that each require or invite different levels of attendee participation. Therefore, you should first examine the types of sessions at the conference, and choose ones that suit your preferences and needs.
Deciding the appropriate type in advance can help you find out what prerequisite knowledge you need for each session, and you can do your homework ahead of time, if necessary. You will get more out of a session if you have the knowledge base expected, rather than trying to catch up during the session itself.
C: What's important when choosing a language course?
Length of course is one of the most important considerations in choosing a language course.
When we attend a language course, assimilating new information, repetition and reinforcement are imperative for us. Therefore we need much more time and opportunities to think out questions or do tasks. A course at appropriate length also can give us opportunities to reinforce or correct our own errors and work out solutions.
Another reason for a language course to have an appropriate length is that if the course is too short we cannot have enough time to digest all the knowledge we‟ve learned. Just as an athlete must rest to let their muscles grow and their skill level increase, so must a language student rest, contemplate and digest new information so that a solid base will form on which to build further learning. Thus we can have a fresh and eager mind to acquire more information.
Task Sheet 5
A: What's important when deciding which type of company you would like to work for?
B: What's important when choosing a magazine to advertise a product or service in?
When you choose a magazine to advertise your products or services in, you should first ensure that the readers of the magazine are your target audience. Always ask yourself such a question: who and where are the people you want your advertisement to reach? You should take time to carefully define your audience and select the right magazine which will have stronger appeal to your target audience than others. Narrowing down your audience will help you make wise and cost-efficient choices during the selection. For example, if you are a provider of a pet product you should choose magazines for pet owners to advertise in. In addition, you can also look for special ad placements, such as placing an ad in a special, one-time feature section on pet ownership published by the local newspaper.
Only in this way can you make your advertisement effective and your investment a reword one.
C: What's important when planning business trips?
The most important thing you will have to do when planning business trips is to fully understand your purpose or target of your trips. You have to know what you are doing, what is your business doing, what is your company doing, what's its ambitions, what's its hopes, its aspirations and you have to have a very, very clear idea about that. If you don't know that you shouldn't be going anywhere.
You should set targets for the trip. If you have staff or you yourself are going, you should have a clear set of targets that you wish to achieve. You should always ask yourself how many successful meetings you want to achieve during the trip; when you want to conclude a business deal and how to clarify certain positions about your markets.
In this way you will make your trip the most rewarding one.
Task Sheet 6
A: What's important when choosing a conference center?
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B: What's important when choosing a business journal?
From my point of view choosing a business journal means choosing the right editors. Business journals often attract their readers by hiring famous editors to write comments or columns for them. With specialty topics in business, these editors can develop smart, sophisticated, timely business journalism on a daily and weekly basis. They will be able to help the journal‟s reporters to define their beats, outline and execute coverage that meets or exceeds the best standards in the business. Furthermore famous editors are themselves professionals in business field who have extensive knowledge or experience in business and demonstrated ability to develop strong beat.
Backed up by famous editors the business journal will definitely have a large circulation and cover a variety of business domains, which will suit the needs of every businessman. C: What's important when choosing a business training course?
We should first gain the information about the speakers to see if he or she is qualified to instruct the course.
As instructors during the course, speakers should be able to transfer knowledge on a wide variety of business domains. The strength of an instructor-led course comes primarily from the instructor in front of the students, since it is the instructor's ability to transfer knowledge that can really deliver the value of the class. Therefore we should make sure they are experts or professionals in business domains before we choose the course. Besides, we should look for certified speakers with profound teaching experience. Not all the specialists can make themselves clear in the training course. The speakers should be able to communicate with their students during the course and help them to progress.
Task Sheet 7
A: What's important when choosing the location for a new factory?
From my point of view, we should first find out whether there is a transport connection near the target area before we decide the location. It is obvious that nowadays transport plays a very important role in a business‟s operation. The world of business needs a transport system if it is to function effectively. On the one hand, raw materials have to be bought to our new factory for processing. Very often those materials need to be imported from other areas. The resources of our factory can be made available to us so long as there are the necessary means of transport.
On the other hand, during the production process transport is important. The work flow will be designed to ensure that the materials being processed travel the shortest possible distance along the factory floor.
Therefore our new factory should locate at a transport connection. It might be a railway connection, a seaport or an airport.
B: What's important when choosing a training video?
C: What's important when planning a business trip?
(See task sheet 5 c)
Task Sheet 8
A: What's important when deciding whether to apply for a new post?
B: What's important when organizing an in-house training course?
The content of the course is very important when we organize an in-house training course. We must choose the appropriate content to suit the need of the participants. Even a perfectly conceived training program can fail if we cannot convince the participants that the content of the course is systemically selected. Participants
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must believe that the training course has value and will help them achieve their personal and professional goals. The credibility of the course may depend on the content that can let the participants know the objectives programs and medias of the course before the course begins. Therefore, we as organizers of the training course must first ensure that the content of the course is what our participants want.
C: what’s important when recruiting senior staff?
Hiring an established recruitment agency to work for you is very important when you recruit senior staff. Recruitment agency is a kind of organization that can seek the most qualified senior staff available for a specific position. In your recruitment efforts you can use a recruitment agency to locate experienced senior staff. Most recruitment agencies normally develop a close relationship with their clients. They will acquire an intimate knowledge of your organization, your corporate culture, your structure and the position to be filled in your company. The recruitment agency‟s representatives often visit their client‟s offices and interview the company‟s management. This enables them to gain a clear understanding of your company‟s goals and the job qualifications required. After obtaining some information they can contact and interview potential candidates, check references, and refer the best-qualified person to you for your selection decision, which will make your recruitment process far more effective and efficient.
Task Sheet 9
A: What's important when attending an interview?
Appearance is very important to an applicant when he or she attends an interview.
If you are an applicant remember two important things: first dress smart. Don't underestimate the power of your professional appearance. This is the first time the interviewer will see you and, like it or not, what you wear could affect your chances of proceeding to the next round of interviews.
Second, make the best first impression. The interview begins as soon as you arrive at the company. Keep in mind that you may be evaluated just as much in the waiting area as in the interview itself. Make sure you are friendly to the receptionist, office assistant, or anyone else who may greet you before and after the interview. Usually executives will consider their administrative assistant's opinion of job candidates an important part of the selection process for positions at all levels. If you are discourteous to a receptionist or anyone else at the company, it will negatively impact your chances of getting the job. B: what’s important when planning market research?
I think we should first work out the appropriate types of questions when we plan market research. For example, one of the ways of carrying out market research is to send questionnaires through the post to a variety of people we think might be interested in our product or service. Distance is no problem because there is a standard postal charge, and the people receiving the questionnaire can take their time to answer it. Personal interviews are an alternative method of conducting market research. These can be carefully designed so that set procedures are carried out. The interviewer approaches a person in the street, or in their home or office, and asks a series of set questions. The answers to the questions are carefully recorded. C: what’s important when predicting profits?
You should establish a monitor system in the first place to detect any possible cashflow gap which will occur during your production and operation. This system can calculate the balance between your income and expenditure on a daily base. And should there be any sign of cashflow problems the system will warn your staff to do something about it before hand.
In order to achieve the accuracy you must set up a report system which demands every manager report the current financial status of his or her departments. The information will be collected everyday for you to take consideration.
Task sheet 10
A: what’s important when deciding whether to obtain a further qualification? B: what’s important when placing a newspaper advertisement?
C: what’s important when considering whether to invest in technology?
Task sheet 11
A: What’s important when planning a presentation?
When you are planning a presentation, you should first find out some information about your audience. To
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be effective, your talk must be delivered at a level that is appropriate for your audience. You must analyze the background and expectations of the audience to deliver the take-away message in the most effective manner. This may mean modifying the take-away message, if the concepts involved are beyond the level of your audience. Knowing your audience, you can begin to decide how much background material is needed to deliver your take-away message effectively. Your audience will influence your choice of vocabulary (technical jargon) and may even influence how you dress!
B: What’s important when aiming to improve customer service?
We should carry out customer satisfaction surveys. The purpose of the customer satisfaction surveys is to provide our company with the information necessary to evaluate performance and customer needs. The data also helps determine required updates/upgrades purchases of new equipment, which is critical to our efforts to track and improve customer satisfaction.
Furthermore we can find out from customers how they rate the services and support provided by us. We can document where customers are satisfied along with where they are dissatisfied and to identify where applicable what causes this disappointment in the customer experience.
Finally we can use this data to help prioritize the service areas in need of improvement in the future. C: What’s important when managing a project?
To manage projects involves heavy workload and requires much of the company‟s energy and human resource. However by using teamwork we can make this complicated work become simple and easy. First when we set up a project-oriented teamwork all members of the projects are united and work in a teamwork spirit. That means they work more systemically and coordinate more with each other. As leaders we won‟t worry about the time we will have to waste on the coordinating procedures anymore. Second by using teamwork we can create a sound and effective communication with the project and monitor the communication between members as well as the communication between boss and subordinates. Third in a team everyone tries to help others in their work and a lot of problems can be solved quickly after they occur. The managers can thus save the energy and time for trouble-shooting.
Task sheet 12
A: What’s important when motivating staff?
I think financial benefits play a very important role in staff motivation. As managers we should treat our employees as valuable members of our team and pay them a salary that reflects their worth. To some extend, money can be the main motivator for staff to do an excellent job. A poor salary will ensure that you lose good staff, and that leads to higher staff turnover.
Therefore we must ensure that financial benefits are available to our staff members in relation to their expected contributions. Furthermore we should consider our staff‟s real performance expectations and work processes and then use pay to reinforce what is important, without harming the rest of performance.
B: What’s important when dealing with competition? Pricing policies
Advertising strategies Customer service
A wide range of goods or services
C: What’s important when planning health and safety training?
Task Sheet 13
A: What’s important when choosing new office equipment?
There are three important points you should consider when you choose new office equipment.
First, discounts. Aggressive discounting is rampant in the office equipment dealer channel. Even if you are buying only one piece of furniture, you can still expect to receive about a 30 percent discount off the suggested retail price. As the volume of your purchase increases, the discount should continue to increase to nearly half the original list price
Second, be careful where you shop. If you've never heard of the vendor before and if they offer prices that sound too good to be true, be on your guard. Take steps to verify that the company is legitimate, that the
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quality of the goods they sell meets your requirements, and that they are indeed authorized to sell the products they offer.
Third, industry standards. The products you are going to buy have to meet or exceed certain industry standards. They must have been subjected to a series of tests for durability. B: What’s important when entertaining foreign business clients? Venue for entertainment Cultural differences
Information about the client Cost of entertaining them
C: What’s important when aiming to reach new markets?
Market research is our top priority when we aim to reach new markets.
First, Market research enables us to better understand how consumers use a product or service and how they regard the product or service. Market research also determines the types of people most likely to buy our new products-namely our target market.
Second, before reaching new markets, we usually have limited budgets so knowing who is most likely to buy a particular product helps us spend our budget more efficiently. Market research is used after the advertising has run and seeks to determine how well our potential consumers remember the advertising message and how persuasive it was.
Task Sheet 14
A: What’s important when choosing a management training course to attend? (see task sheet 6 c)
B: What’s important when relocating a business?
I think the quality of the local workforce is very important when we relocate our business. We should relocate a business to the place where the workforce is highly educated. If we choose the location where we can only hire mediocre or poor performers, we cannot be successful long even if we have perfect plans, a sound organizational structure, and finely tuned control system.
Besides, the location we are going to select should provide direct access to our market. It must have a great airport or seaport that goes anywhere and it should be more centrally located. We won‟t worry about flying for long hours to our market.
C: What is important when advertising a new product?
You must first consider the choice of media first. Different types of media have different effects and advantages. Which type of the media to choose is dependent on the purposes you want to achieve.
If you want to advertise your products on a regular basis, you can choose newspaper. The immediacy of a daily newspaper's news will cause readers to pick it up within a predictable time frame. So you so know when readers receive your messages.
If you want to make your advertisement relatively cost-effective, the internet is your best choice. The internet ad costs can be independent of the size of the audience. A Web presence will cost the same regardless of how many viewers your site has.
Task Sheet 16
A: What’s important when choosing people to work in teams?
We must see to it that the team members have a variety of work experience. Usually we build a team in order to manage a systematic project rather than a single one. Therefore we need specialists in many business domains, not professionals in just one field. For example, in order to build a team to develop our new products, we need members with various work background like production, pricing, advertising, purchasing and selling. If we only recruit members from advertising or purchasing department, we cannot accomplish the project at all.
B: What’s important when dealing with a heavy workload?
I think time management is very important when we deal with a heavy workload. We can apply time management skills to decide our work priorities and find out what to spend our time on. When facing a
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heavy workload we need to know our priorities and deadlines so that we can focus on what we need to do and find out what the key targets to be achieved are, and how achievement will be measured.
Time management skills also explain how to clarify our job with our employees, and concentrate on doing well in the areas he or she considers being most important. By concentrating on the right priorities we can ensure that our employees are always working as effectively as possible when dealing with a heavy workload.
C: What is important when developing new products?
Pricing is the most important consideration when we develop new products.
On the one hand, we should set our price at an appropriate level. We should not set the price too high without the consideration of the affordability of our customers. Unrealistic high price will undermine our customer base and make us loss loyal customers.
On the other hand, we should not attempt to gain business by slashing prices regardless of costs. The price level we set should at least include all the cost and investment and make us gain some margins. Short-term price slashing does not assure a way of gaining financial profits; it can only create a stormier business environment and cutthroat competition. We must avoid hostile price slashing. We must not damage our profession's reputation by sacrificing quality for price.
We should carry out an investigation or market research in the target market to see what price level can be accepted by our potential customers. Only in this way can we develop our new products successfully.
Task Sheet 17
A: What’s important when being interviewed for a job?
The interviewer will always ask you some general and detailed questions about the job you apply. Most of them are about the company which could be your future workplace. During the interview the interviewer will consider your answer and your feedback and make his or her own judgment on your quality and personality according to your answer. If you for example can demonstrate your understanding of what the company is dealing with and your idea of the company‟s future development you are very likely to be hired because your answers which contain plenty of information about the company show that you have taken this company and your future with it into serious consideration. Therefore it is important for you to get as much such information as possible.
B: What’s important when exhibiting at trade fair？
Your aim of exhibiting your products at the trade fair is to show your customers the high quality of your products through fine demonstration and careful explanation, which will only be achieved by selecting right staff to attend the trade fair. The staff you select should at least have a good understanding of the products you display. They must know the quality function description production packing and other important fields of your products. Besides they must have strong ability of promoting and marketing. These elaborately-selected staff can answer any kind of question produced by the customers about your products and can secure contracts with them skillfully, which will make your display a complete success.
C: What’s important when introducing a reward system for staff?
It is very important for you to ask yourself what you expect from the reward system when you consider the introduction. That is to say you must first make it clear the purpose of the reward system. Will it be used to stimulate your staff‟s morale or will it be used to keep your staff working with high efficiency. Without the understanding of these it is difficult for you to place the reward system at the right place. The staff will probably get confused or even annoyed with the system because you fail to explain to them the purpose of it. Besides a system without clear purpose won‟t achieve much as you expect it.
Task Sheet 18
A: What’s important when entertaining clients?
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We must choose appropriate types of activities to entertain different clients. Different clients have different tastes interests and hobbies. In order to make them feel satisfied and comfortable we must choose the activities they prefer and are interested in. For example if you find your client has a taste for art or music then take him or her to a concert. If he or she is a sports fan take him or her to the sports event. Besides we seek to find chances to do business with our clients while entertaining them. Therefore we must first create a sound environment in which we can discuss our business comfortably. Different types of activities can help us create different environments. No place is more suitable than a gulf course where you can possibly sign a contract successfully while enjoying playing games with your clients. And no place is more suitable that a stadium where you can negotiate the import of your sportswear while experiencing the excitement of the match.
B: What’s important when choosing retail premises to rent?
Location plays a very important role when we choose retail premises to rent. In fact the premises we choose will become our store shop or branch in the future. So it should be at least located in the downtown area or near the high-street facilities where we can easily find our customers and promote our goods. A good location itself is a good advertisement and can help us to increase our sales to a large extent. In addition a good location means an easy transportation which can make our goods delivery fast and convenient. We don‟t have to worry about any delay caused by isolated location of our shop.
C: What’s important when deciding on packaging for products？
The packaging of our products is in fact a kind of advertisement for our products. So when we decide on packaging for products we must first consider if the packaging can reflect the image of our products. It must best represent the quality of our products through its design and layout which can attract our customers to buy our products. The packaging should show the distinctive features of our products so that every customer can have a better understanding of our products after just taking a look at our products. And we should make sure that the customers can identify our products immediately through the packaging.
Task Sheet 19
A: What’s important when selecting staff for promotion?
The only criterion when we select staff for promotion is his or her performance. Performance demonstrates your employee‟s ability to sell products promote products communicate with your clients and deal with crisis. All of these abilities are what you and your company need in many fields of your business. Therefore when you promote an employee who might become the core of the management of your company it is important for you to consider his or her performance. In addition judging an employee by his or her performance in itself is also an universally-recognized rule applied by many companies in promoting their staff.
B: What’s important when considering a career change?
As an employee the opportunities you can get for future promotion from your career is very important and therefore should be your first consideration. For most of us who starts our career our dreams are all about getting promotions, taking more and more responsibilities and finally reaching the top of the management. In order to realize these dreams we employees need a company or an organization that can provide us with plenty of career opportunities and sound environment. In a company where such opportunities are rare it is impossible for you to realize your dream. In addition a lot of your precious time will be wasted. Remember: more opportunities better future.
C: What’s important when planning an advertisement campaign?
To select an appropriate media is the fist and most important step when we plan our advertising campaign. The success of our advertising depends on the effectiveness and the popularity of the media we choose to promote our products. This media must have a lot of audience or
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listeners and must be very influential. For example it should be a nation-wide or local newspaper with a large circulation. Only to choose this kind of media can we ensure that the greatest possible majority of people can have the access to our advertisement which will directly affect the sales of our products. In addition this kind of media usually has great influence on the public‟s opinion. Therefore they can help us to create a positive image of our products to the public.
Task Sheet 20
A: What’s important when choosing transport for a business trip?
There is an old saying in business. That is money matters. So you have to consider the cost that may occur when you select transport for your business trip. It is not wise to choose those transporting tools whose cost is beyond your budget. Expensive transporting tools can inevitably increase your cost even before you do a business, which will take up a large proportion of your budget or even make you fail to meet your targets. You should never allow this kind of cost to ruin your whole business.
B: What’s important when aiming for promotion?
If you want to get promotion it‟s important for you to show your employers the high level of your performance. The quality of performance is always used to test the ability of the candidates who will be promoted within the company so you must pay attention to your own performance such as your ability to communicate and co-operate with others; your ability to deal with the current job; your ability to control and manage your staff as well as your ability to handle crisis when they occur. Your employer will be satisfied if you can show him or her such your abilities and then you will get a better chance to be promoted.
C: What’s important when exporting goods services for the first time?
When we export goods or services for the first time we can contact people we know in the business circle. Being newcomers we might not have the established markets or channels for us to export goods or services. We can overcome the difficulty by communicating with our friends or acquaintances that are doing business now and familiar with the situation of the market you want to enter.
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