EC TEST 2 PART ONE Questions 1-8 © Look at the statements below and at the five extracts from an article on the opposite page about building effective teams in new compani * Which extract (A, B, C, D or E) does each statement (1-8) refer to? * For each statement (1-8), mark one letter (A, B, C, D or E) on your Answer Sheet. * You will need to use some of these letters more than once © There is an example at the beginning, (0). Example: 0 It can be easy for new companies to find staff. A B ¢C DE ——— 1 The company owner should focus on fostering team spirit. 2. Individual members of staff should be allowed to negotiate their own terms. 3 Employees should be encouraged to experiment. 4 Staff are likely to leave if they can't keep up with what is required. 3 Asystem for assessing, progress should be set up for staff. 6 A feature of new companies is that they are under-staffed. 7 Company owners should use external sources to help with some aspects of managing their team. 8 Employees can develop essential skills in new, expanding companies.ling 37 ‘Dream Team’ people only have one characteristic - they get stuff done, rather than finding excellent excuses for inactivity. In every start-up there are many more jobs than people to do them. Also there is no time to have meetings to discuss strategies for solving problems; people have to just get on and do things. Often they'll screw up the first time, and that is quickly forgiven in a start-up so long as they don’t keep making the same mistakes. I's easier to havea no-blame culture in a small organisation than a large one and people should be praised for ‘having a go’, even if the immediate consequences are less than ideal. In a fast-growing company, nobody is interested in problems, only solutions, and the ability to execute quickly and bounce back swiftly from setbacks, is vital for personal and business survival in entrepreneurial companies. This is also the perfect learning experience for those who have dreams of themselves becoming a cornerstone one day or even of starting their own company. Entrepreneurs attract ambitious people and, if left to their own devices, tend to hire in their own image so potential ‘Dream Team’ people are not difficult to identify. The problem is finding the ones that will fit in and deliver. My experience is that there is a strong element of ‘natural selection’ when entrepreneurs grow their organisations. There is rarely a formal recruitment or interview process, and if people do not shape up they tend to be out of the revolving door quite quickly. Most important from the entrepreneur's point of view is to develop and maintain the right culture, which is essentially tribal. This should be actively encouraged and overlaid with a few minor elements of process and procedure, It’s important to have formal, six monthly reviews with agreed targets, even if the playing field is changing on a daily basis. I’s an opportunity for both parties, senior and junior to take a breath, try and make sense of what is happening and set some objectives for the next few months. Remuneration is a tough issue and the wise entrepreneur gets advice and mentoring from people with specific expertise in the area, and who have been around the block several times. Then, the remuneration policy should be clearly and fairly executed, especially when shareholding or stock options are involved. There's nothing wrong with an ambitious employee coming to a manager and saying they should be paid as much as someone else, so long as they are willing to deliver as professionally and accept the same level of responsibility as the person they aspire to be.Reading. . BEC TESTA PART TWO Questions 9-14 Read this article in which a company owner talks about her best deal Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps. For each gap (9-14), mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning, (0). My Best Deal It’s not often that a television comedy programme can be credited with the beginning of a wonderful business relationship but for Sue Mitchells this is pretty much what happened. (0)... Keeping a sales relationship long term can be challenging in the fast-moving world of the film production industry where there is typically rapid staff tumover and ever- changing technology. Ms Mitchells, 38, is head of media client services for Ascent Media, a company that aims to be a one-stop shop for film and television production and employs 4,000 staff worldwide. ; (9) ...... . Her best deal came more than a decade ago when she was attending MIP TV, a conference in Cannes. (10) ...... .“I happened to bump into a client who I had known when I was at TVP, a company that was later bought by Ascent. She was moving to a new employer called VCI and suggested that | talk to the head of production there, (11) ...... It is such a competitive industry that I'm sure she would have been receiving lots of other calls but fortunately my acquaintance said she would arrange a meeting between all three of us.” When the trio did get together, Ms Mitchells recalls, the old and new connections combined: “We got on really well, ”’she says. “I listened to the production head saying what she was doing and what her problems were.” (12) .... The work involved streaming and encoding some archived content on to DVDs. VCI was looking for help on the production front and Ms Mitchells said Ascent could do exactly that. “One of the first programmes we worked on was a comedy programme. We were basically repackaging content.” (13) .......". As her business changed, we informed the head of production how we could support her, ” Ms Mitchells says. (14) “...... . This business will always be one that changes but this relationship has lasted the test of time. Having the same person still at the company, has enabled us to expand and develop through emerging technologies.”Reading 39 Example: FG oH ——— ‘A She kindly agreed to give me some details of this lady. B_ However, Ms Mitchells’ relationship is still going strong. C_Ittumed out that VCI was doing a lot of work repackaging media content. D She has worked for the group for 13 years, mostly in sales. E One of the things that’s been vital is that we spent a lot of time giving her company staff training and technical training because the industry changes rapidly with emerging technologies F This initial work went on and the relationship between the companies deepened. More than a decade later, they still work together. “The UK TV industry is a very social industry and everyone seems to know each other,” she says. Winning some production work on archived material of a BBC comedy series for her company Ascent Media set in motion a connection that has now lasted more than a decade. Before you check your answers to Part Two, go on to pages 40-41.40 Further practice and guidance _ BEC TEST, Further Practice for Reading Part Two EXAM INFORMATION Part Two of the Reading Test is a text with gaps where six sentences have been removed. You are given seven sentences to fill six of the gaps (one of the sentences is not needed). There is also an example. You have to match each gap with the sentence that fits both meaning and structure A DETAILED STUDY ‘The texts in this part always contain a line of thought or a narrative where one idea, fact or event is linked logically to the one before or after it. First, read the text and the sentences in order to understand the line of thought. Look for meaning, but also look out for single words and short phrases such as * pronouns, eg. it, their, him + demonstratives, e.g. this, those * linking words and phrases, e.g. However, In contrast, Additionally * comparisons, e.g. better than, prefer (one thing to another) «referring nouns, e.g. This situuation/problemissue/relationship Consider how they link one idea to another. Also look for other elements of the text that demonstrate cohesion such as’ + Atopic sentence summarising what is to come, e.g. ‘There can be several reasons why people do not always like travelling abroad on business. Managers should take employees’ concerns on this issue seriously and investigate the reasons ... etc. + Asummary sentence followed by an example or explanation. Saving costs in training can be achicved relatively simply. One way is to get employees to mentor each other ... etc. 1 First try to understand the line of thought int the text. Read the article on page 38 and put the following inorder of when they are mentioned. a Ms Mitchells met a former client. b VCIneeded some help. ¢ Actient set up a meeting for Ms Mitchells. d- Ms Mitchells trained staff at VCI. e What Ms Mitchells does now. Ms Mitchells helped VCL & A former client gave Ms Mitchells useful contact details h_ Ms Mitchells met a former client and a new contact i Ms Mitchells went to Cannes. 2 What do the words or phrases in italics in the following sentenc text refer to? They are all taken from the 1... for Sue Mitchells tis is pretty much what happened. 2... where there is typically rapid staff turnovereveryone seems to know each other, ” sie says. She was moving to a new employer 3 4 5... I'm sure she would have been receiving lots of other calls 6 When the trio did get together ... 7 The work involved streaming and encoding .. 8 MsMi ‘Match the tao halves of these extracts by joining the underlined words and phrases to their reference. What other words help you to connect the extracts? hells said Ascent could do exactly that. 1 Although I sympathise with the situation _a_ we will be able to get through more 2 The director wasn’t in b However, we need to consider 3 This issue is ¢ it cannot be allowed to continue 4 By running sessions at the same time d Those who aren't should see me. 5 Not everyone is eligible. € so I spoke to his secretary. 6 It’s excellent in some res pects. £ the problem which concerns me Now look at items A-G and answer the questions. This exercise helps you to relate the items to their proper place in the text. (Remember one item does not belong in the text). Remember you need to check any references after the gap as ivell as before the gap A. She kindly agreed to give me some details of this lady. Who does this lady refer to? B_ However, Ms Mitchells’ relationship is still going strong. What does However relate to? C It turned out that VCI was doing a lot of work repackaging media content. Which situation does It turned out ... refer to? D._ Ms Mitchells, 38, is head of media client services for Ascent Media, a company that aims to be a one-stop shop for film and television production and employs 4,000 staff worldwide. Is this sentence an introduction to someone or extra information about someone? E_ This business will always be one that changes but this relationship has lasted the test of time. What is this relationship? F The initial work went on and the relationship between the companies deepened. More than a decade later, they still work together. What kind of information would you expect to follow this sentence? G “The UK TV industry is a very social industry and everyone seems to know each other,” she says. What kind of information would you expect to follow this sentence? Now check your answers to these questions and look back at your answers to Part Two of the Reading Test.42 Reading, 2 PART THREE Questions 15-20 * Read the following extract from an article about using customer magazines for marketing, and the questions on the opposite page. * For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. How magazines get goods into bags 1 As resistance to junk mail grows, big businesses are being forced to come up with ever-smarter ways to encourage their customers to spend more. Whether they are using customer 5 magazines, e-mails or podcasts, the name of the game for businesses is to get close to their clientele, The sector that has benefited most from this shift is the contract-publishing sector, which produces own-brand magazines for businesses. While traditional forms of print media are having a tough time, this segment is flourishing. “Traditionally, the holy grail for businesses ‘was acquiring new customers. Now marketers are realising that it is about nurturing existing customers. Iti all about creating a dialogue with them, and that works in favour of customer magazines,” says Julia Hutchison, chief operating officer of the Association of Publishing ‘Agencies (APA), the industry body for customer magazines. 10 20 The grand illusion of customer magazines that they appear to be the opposite of junk mail ~ where the former are subtle and editorially driven, the latter are crude and direct. This has lead to some detractors claiming that customer magazines are the marketing equivalent of the wolf in sheep’s clothing — a cynical sales tool purporting to be a glossy magazine. Not so, say the publishers. "Customers acknowledge that they are being sold to. Our research shows that they are savvy,” says the APA’s Hutchison. Recent APA research shows that such magazines lead to an average sales uplift of 8 per cent. 25 0 But, in spite of magazine boom, the sector is already moving on. The latest buzz word in the customer magazine market is “segmentation”, This means that companies are slicing and dicing their databases and sending out specific information to particular demographics of customer, Targeted e-mail spam, podcasts and micro-sites are set to become the next growth area. “More and more companies are realising that having got their websites up and running, 40 7 % 90 is actually a pretty dead experience. The whole debate now is how we can get customers reading in a more exciting way,” says Mark Jones, editorial director of Cedar, So-called experiential marketing is widely seen as the next big thing. The thinking is that consumers can no longer be pigeon-holed in definable age brackets or social classes, meaning that businesses must appeal to their attitudes, experiences and emotions. “Marketing has moved beyond demographics”, says Cedar's Jones. However some publishing executives believe that the sector is getting “carried away” with digital and experiential marketing. “We have spent the past two years proving the success of customer magazines and, what, are we supposed to abandon ship now and say “Well actually digital is the way forward?",” says John Brown’s Hirsch. One example of a company that is using its customer data in a simple yet effective way is Tesco, the UK's largest retailer. Tesco has a database of 12m customers, all of whom use its Clubcard loyalty programme. Details of every single purchase have been collected, collated and crunched by Dunnhumby, a data company, Although Tesco has a customer magazine, the vast amount of Dunnhumby’s findings are used to identify shopping patterns and trends in Tesco’s stores. This emphasis allows Tesco and its suppliers to alter at short notice the mix of products that they offer to shoppers. ‘Tesco’s rationale for obsessively focusing, in on what is on its shelves is simple, says Edwina Dunn, who founded Dunnhumby: She says that if shelves are stocked with exactly what customers want, there is less need for fancy promotions to entice them into stores. “The thing, that everybody locks onto is communication with customers, Actually, that is not the most important element. The key element is getting the ranges right in the stores, Getting those right ‘means that customers will come back more,” says Dunn, Perhaps it really is that simple, after all.Reading 43 15 In the second paragraph, we learn that customer magazines have become a popular marketing technique because A_ people no longer want to read traditional magazines, B they offer a very direct form of communication. C they are an effective way of getting new customers. D new marketing techniques were needed in certain businesses. 16 What criticism do some people make of customer magazines? A. The articles are not as good as in traditional mag ines B They only contain advertising material. C. They deceive customers into buying products. D Customers should not be charged for them. 17 The fourth paragraph states that new developments will take place in order to A. direct marketing material at specific groups. B increase customer interest in company magazines. C deal with the fact that companies are updating their technology D_ make marketing material more engaging for customers. 18 According to the fifth paragraph some executives feel that experiential marketing A. should not replace other marketing methods. B can take too long to research and set up. C_ is only appropriate for digital marketing techniques. D may be the best way of targeting customers according to age. 19 ‘The writer introduces the example of the Tesco Clubcard in the sixth paragraph to show that A information collected on the card can be used in the magazines. B_ there are different ways of utilizing information from customers. C some companies have a range of marketing methods. D_ companies should respond quickly to customer needs. 20. What does Edwina Dunn say in the last paragraph? A. Retailers would like more communication with customers. B Special promotions could increase customer numbers. C Sales depend on product selection. D_ Returning customers are more important than new customers.