Reading 1 hour

PART ONE

Questions 1 – 8

l         Look at the sentences below and at the five extracts from a book about staff appraisals and feedback on the opposite page .

l         Which new item (A, B, C ,D or E) dose each statement 1 – 8 refer to ?

l         For each statement 1 – 8 , make one letter(A, B, C ,D or E) on your Answer Sheet .

l         You will need to use some of these letters more than once .

1 Genuine feedback would release resources to be used elsewhere.

2 Managers are expected to enable their staff to work effectively.

3 Experts are unlikely to facilitate a move to genuine feedback.

4 There are benefits when methods of evaluating performance have been negotiated.

5 Appraisals tend to focus on the nature of the face-to-face relationship between employees and their line managers.

6 The idea that employees are responsible for what they do seems reasonable.

7 Despite experts’ assertion, management structures prevent genuine feedback

8 An increasing amount of effort is being dedicated to the appraisal process.

A

       Performance appraisal is on the up and up. It used to represent the one time of year when getting on with the work was put on hold while enormous quantities of management hours were spent in the earnest ritual of rating and ranking performance. Now the practice is even more frequent. This of course makes it all the more important how appraisal is conducted. Human resources professionals claim that managers should strive for objectivity and thus for feedback rather than judgement. But the simple fact of the matter is that the nature of hierarchy distorts the concept of feedback because performance measure are conceived hierarchically. Unfortunately, all too many workers suffer from the injustices that this generates.

B

       The notion behind performance appraisal- that workers should be held accountable for their performance-is plausible. However, the evidence suggests that the premise is wrong. Contrary to assumptions appraisal is not an effective means of performance improvement- it is judgement imposed rather than feedback, a judgement imposed by the hierarchy. Useful feedback , on the other hand, would be information that told both the manager and worker how well the work system functioned, and suggested ways to make it better.

C

       Within the production system at the car manufacturer Toyota, there is nothing that is recognizable as performance appraisal. Every operation in the system has an associated measure. The measure has been worked out between the operators and their manager. In every case, the measure is related to the purpose of the work. That measure is the basis of feedback to the manager and worker alike. Toyota’s basic idea is expressed in the axiom “bad news first” . Both managers and workers are psychologically safe in the knowledge that it is the system- not the worker –that is the primary influence on performance. It is management’s responsibility to ensure that the workers operate in a system that facilitates their performance.

D

       In many companies , performance appraisal springs from misguided as assumptions. To judge achievement, managers use date about each worker’s activity, not an evaluation of the process or system’s achievement of purpose. The result is that performance appraisal involves managers’ judgement overruling their staff’s, ignoring the true influences on performance. Thus the appraisal experience becomes a question of pleasing the boss, particularly in meetings, which is psychologically unsafe and socially driven, determining who is “in” and who is “ out”.

E

       When judgement is replaced by feedback in the true sense, organizations will have a lot more time to devote to their customers and their business. No time will be wasted in appraisal . This requires a fundamental shift in the way we think about the organization of performance appraisals, which almost certainly will not be forthcoming from the human resources profession.

PART TWO

Questions9– 14

l         Read the text , which describes the experience of a company that has made big changes in its office procedures

l         Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.

l         For each gap 9– 14, mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet.

l         Do not use any letter more than once.

l         There is an example at the beginning.(0)

Beyond paperwork

       The Danish electronics manufacturer, Oticon, is a leader in the move towards the paperless office, In their cafeteria a huge glass pipe runs from ceiling to floor. When the mail comes in, it is immediately scanned into the computer, shredded, and thrown down the tube to the general cheers of the employees. (0) Having all mail and memos available only as computer files to be read on the screen makes it easy to dispense with large physical storage spaces for people who work at desks (9)

       Changing over to the paperless office required a rapid increase in computer literacy, but rather than set up a corporate training programme they turned the problem over to employees. Eight months before the system was installed , they offered each employee a powerful personal computer for use at home in exchange for training themselves to use it. (10)

       The big change was not the move from paper memos to computer messages. Oticon realised that the more radical transformation is from written to verbal communication.(11) that adds up to a large number of face-to-face exchanges, a big improvement over memos and the occasional multi-hour sit-down consultation typical of the old culture. People do not send each other memos, they talk. As the CEO puts it, “ We have jumped through the memo wall and gone right to action.”

       On the eighth of August 1991 , the company left their old wood-panelled offices .(12) Since then they have cut in half the “ time to market” on new products. The following year, sales and profits grew more than ever before. (13) in fact, despite a downsizing of 15 per cent employee satisfaction is hitting record highs.

       Oticon has created an organizational pattern that supports great freedom iof action for individuals and terms. They have tied it together with a minimum hierarchy.

The first clear results to show up were in the greater efficiencies generated by the fact that less time needed to be spent on management activities . (14) they also have some investment in the success of the project they choose. Oticon has succeeded in breaking the mould mould and taking a lead in non-bureaucratic organizational design.

Example :

A This saving was possible because when people have real choice in the nature of their jobs, they commit themselves to being responsible for their areas of choice.

B They were headed for a new building and a new era in communication.

C Instead, they have large private areas on their hard disks for their correspondence.

D In spite of this, the physical office layout at Oticon is one of its most charming features.

E Over 90 per cent accepted , and they organized a club to help one another learn.

F To facilitate this, the on-site coffee bars have now become the venue for about twenty meetings a day, averaging ten minutes and 2.7 participants each.

G So, are people happy with the change”

H Only about ten documents a day, items like legal contracts, escape this treatment.

PART THREE

Questions 15– 20

●Read the following article about the development of the knowledge economy 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. 

There have long been markets in tin, cocoa, silver and the like. There used to be security in thinking that somewhere there was a product, something you could touch and see. Now there are new markets in abstractions, trade in ideas and knowledge. Everyone has knowledge but there used to be no way t o trade it ------except through jobs. That simple fact of economic life was the basis for white collar employment for centuries. The whole job culture grew up because there was no alternative way to sell knowledge , other then the worker or manager providing, for a fixed price, his or her knowledge to an employer to own or control. The quantity of knowledge provided has typically been measured in time.

But today we stand at the thresh-old of a new era. The information economy has matured and become smarter. According to many business commentators, we are now living in a knowledge economy . There has always been a market for knowledge , of course. The publishing industry is based on it. But today the internet is making the distribution of knowledge ever easier. The days when the publisher decided what got published are over. Anyone with a Pc and a modem can talk to the world. This is reducing the friction in the knowledge economy.

  Everyone has knowledge of whatever industry she or he is in. say you are a computer dealer, for example. Over the years your have complied a list of the ten best lowest price places to buy wholesale computer equipment. Now you can sell your knowledge to newer, younger computer dealers who have no way to build up this knowledge without losing thousands of pounds finding it out the hard way. Until now, such knowledge remained securely locked in the recipient’s head ,accumulated and then worthlessly withered away. This no longer needs to be the case. Such knowledge can be sold via websites.

Knowledge has a distinct advantage in today’s marketplace. It’s a renewable resource. Better yet, its worth actually increases, . “knowledge is the only asset that grows with use. “ observes Scanford University Professor Paul Romer. But what exactly is knowledge and how can it be packaged to trade on an open market” “ knowledge is experiential information, intelligence applied thorough and gained from experience.” Say Josenph Pine and James Gilmore in their book The Experience Economy.

The value of knowledge often depends on variables such as time and the credibility of the seller.Certian knowledge may have a very limited shelf life. In sights concerning how to set up an internet business in one country, might be worth a fortune on one day and nothing the next , depending on changes in government policy. Markets in knowledge will be significance for one thing. They represent one of the most original uses of the web technology. In some corner of the globe there is a company wanting to source plastic widgets from Poland, and somewhere else another company that wishes to set up a plastics factory there. It’s simply a case of connecting the two.

Indicater.com is a good example of a knowledge trader. It is targeted at food service managers throughout the hospitality industry. “we started with the context rather than extracting money from suppliers. “ explains founder Mike Day. “ we offer food service professionals interactive support to increase sales and profits. People don’t want another one-dimensional site full of advertising that doesn’t help them to do their job more effectively . it has to be customised offering real solutions to real problems. “ the site’s features include access to online training and a tariff tracker to restaurants can check prices throughout the sector.

15. what point is made in the first paragraph?

A Interest in commodity markets has decreased.

B Overall levels of expertise have improved.

C Opportunities to exploit your knowledge were limited in the past

D External market forces have meant knowledge is underpriced.

16 what are we told about the current impact of the internet in the second paragraph?

A publishers benefit from their exploitation of the internet.

B the internet has made it easier to analyse business trends.

C It is difficult to calculate the true economic value of the internet.

D the internet facilitates the development of the knowledge economy.

17 In the third paragraph, what does the writer say about knowledge?

A Acquiring knowledge can be expensive

B The most valuable knowledge concerns IT

C Trading knowledge raises issues of security.

D New businesses find it hard to trade in knowledge.

18. What point is made about knowledge in the fourth paragraph?

A It provides specialist information

B Its appeal lies in its exclusivity

C it can generate new ideas

D Its value accumulates.

19 which application of knowledge does the writer regard as particularly useful?

A analyzing manufacturing trends

B introducing compatible parties

C interpreting time constraints

D advising on legislation

20 what key feature is provided by Indicater.com?

A approaches that reflect the provider’s own experience

B access to appropriately trained potential employees.

C advice which directly benefits the bottom line

D advertising which is carefully targeted

PART FOUR

Questions 21 -30

l         Read the text below about the improved performance of a car company.

l         Choose the best word to fill each gap from  (A, B, C or D) on the opposite page.

l         For each question 21-30,mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.

l         There is an example at the beginning, (0)

l          

Improved performance at Carter& Sons

       There was good news in Carter & Sons’ annual (0) yesterday. Three years of restructuring (21)  in an upbeat statement from the company in advance of the official announcement of its interim (22) due early in August. The chairman, David Carter, reported a “ strong start to the year”, which, although helped by a rather weak (23) period last year, highlighted the logic of refocusing the group on growth sectors. Three years ago the company (24) a review of all its operations in view of the serious financial difficulties that it was (25) As a result of this, its car (26) business was sold to an American group, and its car sales and repair divisions were (27) down so as to allow the company to (28) on the sale of vans and heavy goods vehicles. Three new showrooms have been opened in the UK and Ireland , and the sales (29) has more than doubled in the last two years.

       Growth in business across the group has gone up by almost 12 per cent in the first half of the year. This should reassure investors that Carter & Sons is now on (30) to deliver increased earning in the years ahead.

21 A terminated             B culminated          C accomplished             D completed

22 A economics             B finances       C outcomes                  D results

23 A relative                  B alike                   C comparative               D equivalent

24 A commissioned       B assigned             C delegated                   D appointed

25 A dealing                  B facing                C undertaking               D withstanding

26 A additions               B extras                C accessories                D supplements

27 A scaled                  B marked               C slowed                     D put

28 A emphasise             B concentrate         C specialize                   D strengthen

29 A bonus                   B pack                  c force                         D band

30 A way                      B path                   C road                          D track

PART FIVE

Questions31-40

l         Read the article below about changing your career

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

l         There is an example at the beginning, (0) .

Time for a new career

       “losing your job isn’t the end of the world: it gives you’re the chance the a new beginning (0) says Caroline Poole, 30, Who was made redundant (31) her role as head of marketing campaigns with an insurance group two years ago. The news was a blow, especially after a successful nine-year career with the business, but she was determined to see redundancy (32) a positive force for change.

       (33) it seemed a tough lesson at the time, redundancy was the catalyst that redirected my career, “ says Caroline “It gave me the break I needed to understand (34) my career objectives lay.”

       Working with a consultant, Caroline explored a number of work options that oppealed to her. She also took advantage of workshops on issues (35) as setting up your own business, and managing your finances. A key consideration for her was (36) easy it would be to balance working in London with home life 100 kilometers away.

       She was encouraged to network (37) other marketing professionals and via this route made contact with a communications agency. She took time out to go travelling , and on her return was offered a role in the agency. (38) was proof to her that she still had marketable skills.

       Two years (39) from redundancy, Caroline is planning another career break . “ The experience of redundancy has made me view my options with more confidence. I now know that I can dictate my own career path, even (40) it were to mean resigning first and then taking time to find the right direction” she says.

Part Six

Questions41 - 52

l         Read the text below about a learning scheme

l         In most of the lines 41 - 52 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect of does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines, however,are correct .

l         If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.

l         If there is an extra word in the line ,write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet .

l         The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00) .

Learn your lesson

0 Almost all schemes which claim to be able to transform /25 into / 175 overnight

00 are scams, to be put straight into the dustbin. The exception, however, it may

41 be a little-known new initiative from the government which also effectively does

42 just that. The Individual Learning Account scheme is by the latest government

43 scheme to persuade us of the value of whole life-long learning. The first million

44 people to apply –and there appears to be a long way to go before this limit is

45 reached---are eligible for a /150 grant towards the costs of studying ,but provided

46 that they contribute at least / 25 of their own money . Even the offer covers

47 training courses which are obviously work-related but it also extends to more of

48 recreational activities . Whilst there will not be government money to encourage

49 you, for example, to do an evening class in the cake decorating, there could be

50 assistance if you are planning to update on your internet skills. There is also

51 the opportunity to benefit in future years from 20 per cent off the cost of training

52 for IT courses, the discount goes up to 80 per cent , a measure of the government’s

Enthusiasm in ensuring we are prepared for the digital world.

Writing 1 hour 10 mimutes

Part one

Question 1

●The bar charts below show levels of wheat production and wheat prices in a European country for the period 1990-2000.

●Using the information from the bar charts, write a short report summarizing the changes in production and prices between 1990 and 2000.

●write 120-140 words.

Wheat production and prices

Part two:

●Write an answer to one of the question 2-4 in this part. Write your answer in 200-250 words.

Question 2

● You have recently attended the following one-day courses:

Developing Your Potential

Trends in Electronic Commerce

Managing People

Reducing Costs

       Your company’s training Manager has asked you to write a short report about the training.

●Write the report for the Training Manager:

.describing the two courses which you found most useful

.explaining how you benefited from them

.outlining the specific training courses your would like to attend next year

.giving reasons why these courses would be useful to you

Question 3

● Your manager has asked you to contact a local business school, inviting their students to apply for a three-month work placement in your company.

●Writing a letter to the Principal of the business school:

.introducing your company and the idea of the placement

.describing what work the placement would involve

.explaining what skills and qualities the successful applicant should have saying how the placement would benefit the applicant.

Question 4

● The Sales Director of your company wants to improve customer service and believes that this can be achieved by extending the opening hours of the Sales Department. He has asked you to write a proposal concerning improvements in customer service.

Write a proposal for the Sales Director:

. ● sumnmarising current problems concerning customer service

. ●evaluating the Sales Director’s suggestion

. ●presenting one or two other measures which could be taken

. ●giving reasons for your preferred course of action.

Listening

approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes’ transfer time)

Part one:

Question 1-12

●You will hear a consultant giving a talk to a group of UK business people about exporting to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

.● As you listen, for questions 1-12. complete the notes, using up to three words or a number.

.●After you have listened once, replay the recording.

Exporting to the UAE

General introduction

1           UAE commercially important because of its_____________________

2           Acts as distribution centre for_____________________

3           UAE legal system has changed through simplification of__________

What are UAE business people like as customers?

4           Usually very well informed about______________________________

5           Dislike______________________________concerning delivery and performance of goods

6           Demand high standards of______________________________   service

7           People expect a ______________________________in the UAE

Methods of selling in the UAE

8           Recommended first step : attend a____________________

9           Most exporters begin by selling direct to____________________in the UAE

10       To supply a government organization your need a____________________

11       The problem with a joint venture is that it is an ____________________

12       You need 5 years’ experience before you open a ____________________  in the UAE

Part two

Question 13-22

●You will hear five different people talking about the relocation of their business premises

●For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, chose the reason given for deciding to relocate the company premises from the list A-H. for Task Two, choose the problem described that arose after the relocation from the list A-H

Task One – Reason

13_______________

14_______________

15_______________

16_______________

17_______________

A cope with increased orders

B to accommodate new equipment needs

C to share premises with new parent company

D to improve public relations

E to reduce overheads

F to make more efficient use of space

H to be nearer suppliers

Task two:

For questions 18-22, match the extracts with the problems, listed A-H

For each extract, choose the problem that arose after the relocation

Write one letter (A-H)next to the number of the extract.

18 _______________

19_______________

20_______________

21_______________

22_______________

A unfavourable publicity

B dismissal of manager

C decrease in productivity

D staff transport difficulties

E inadequate staff facilities

F too few new staff recruited

G increase in communication costs

H lack of time for training

Part three

Question 23-30

You will hear two managers, a man called Kevin and a woman called Juliet, discussing candidates they have just interviewed for a job.

23 Having interviewed all the candidates, Kevin says it’s difficult to

A remember particular individuals

B maintain objective standards about them

C relate them to their CVs

24 Kevin and Juliet agree that Michael White is unsuitable because he

A has changed his job so often

B doesn’t have the right qualifications

C showed the wrong attitude in the interview

25 Juliet says the psychological profile test is useful for showing how people will

A respond to working in teams

B react to tight deadlines

C develop as managers

26 Why does Kevin think the case study exercise is a reliable test?

A It puts candidates in a realistic situation

B It shows that priorities candidates have

C it requires candidates to think quickly.

27 The most important aspect of the job that the candidates have been interviewed for is

A setting up a new department

B co-ordinating different projects

C implementing policy changes

28 Kevin and Juliet wanted the Development Manager to be present because he

A needs more experience at interviewing

B will be working with the successful candidate

C was the person who wrote the job description

29 The deciding factor in choosing Elaine Harris for the job is her

A attitude to work

B knowledge of business

C specialized experience

30 What dose Juliet think is most difficult about interviewing candidates?

A remaining enthusiastic throughout the process

B having to think about different things at the same time

C weighing up the consequences of her decisions

Speaking  16 minutes

Part one:

In this part, the interlocutor asks question on a number of work-related and non-work related subjects to each candidate in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions.

Part two:

The candidate chooses one topic and speaks about it for approximately one minute. One minute’s preparation time is allowed.

A Communication skills : the importance of foreign language training for selected employees

B advertising: how to select a suitable agency to handle a company’s advertising

C finance: how to decide whether to float a company on the stock market.

Part three:

In this part of the test, candidate are given a topic to discuss and are allowed 30 seconds to look at the prompt card,, before talking together for about three minutes. Afterwards, the examiner asks more questions related to the topic.

For two candidates

Staff Relocation

You company needs to relocate several members of staff to a new branch opening in another part of the country. You have been asked to submit ideas on how to make relocation attractive to staff:

Discuss, and decide together:

●Which types of financial incentives the company could offer to staff

●What information staff would need to know about the new location.

For three candidates

Staff relocation

Your company needs to relocate several members of staff to a new branch opening in another part of the country. You have been asked to submit ideas on how to make relocation attractive for staff

Discuss, and decide together:

●Which types of financial incentives the company could offer to staff

●What other types of incentives might be important

●What information staff would need to know about the new location

Follow-on questions

●What other assistance might be necessary for staff who are relocating? Why ?

●How could staff who are unwilling to relocate be encouraged to do so?

●What do you think influences a company’s choice of location for its branches? Why

●What are the implications for company organization of having branches in different places? Why

●Do you think there will be greater international expansion of companies in the future ? why? Why not?