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BEC Vantage

READING AND WRITING


1 hour READING

PART ONE Questions 17


G G G G

Look at the statements below and the book reviews on the opposite page. Which book review (A, B, C or D) does each statement 17 refer to? For each sentence 17 choose one letter (A, B, C or D). You will need to use some of the letters more than once. Example: 0 This book would be of special interest to a Training Manager. 0 A B C D

1 Your company wants to sell its products through its website. 2 The company intends to improve its data storage and retrieval systems. 3 Personnel have to provide seminars for staff involved in operating new equipment. 4 A mail order company is looking for new ways to sell direct to customers. 5 The company is setting up joint ventures with overseas companies. 6 Marketing have to investigate new export markets for the companys products. 7 Management are unhappy at the lack of cooperation between various departments.

A WHEN CULTURES COLLIDE by Richard D Lewis

This book provides information about the culture and attitudes of many countries. The author believes that business travellers need to gain insights into different cultures and values so that they can relate to their hosts and avoid misunderstandings. Take, for example, different concepts of time. If you believe in punctuality and that time is money, you may have a hard time in countries where these values dont apply.

B FACILITATING LEARNING ORGANISATIONS by Victoria J Marsick & Karin E Watkins

In a fast-changing world, businesses must learn to adapt. This book discusses the requirements for successful learning: creating continuous learning opportunities, such as promoting enquiry and encouraging team learning. Learning is the sharing of knowledge, which means encouraging people to talk to one another. They emphasise the need for feedback, i.e. promoting dialogue within organisations; and leadership, i.e. selecting individuals who can devise and implement learning systems. C DO IT SMART by Rolf-Dieter Kempis & Juergen Ringbeck

There are two IT issues: how much it should cost, and its effect on a companys profitability. The authors investigated several companies, and found that the effect of investment in IT on profitability ranged from spectacular to minimal. They offer seven rules to identify the most effective means of using IT, so this book will help anyone with responsibility for IT policy and expenditure.

D THE CLICKABLE CORPORATION by Jonathan Rosenoer et al

This book discusses what works and what doesnt work on the internet. Some sectors, like books and travel, have had great success. Others who have taken up e-commerce are struggling, mostly because they are spending more than they earn while they build up the necessary infrastructure. The elements of successful e-commerce include providing good information; offering a wide choice; making e-shopping convenient and secure; and enabling the customer to save money.

PART TWO Questions 812


G G G G G

Read the article below about Ugandan women farmers. Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill in each of the gaps. For each gap 812, choose one letter (AG) . Do not use any letter more than once. There is an example at the beginning (0).

CD HELPS UGANDAN WOMEN FARMERS Ugandan women are becoming better farmers thanks to an interactive CD-ROM. The CD gives advice about ways to improve their crops and livestock and how to market what they produce. It also helps the women to think about new products they can make D and sell. (0) ............. The first women that used the CD have shown many other women farmers in the region what they can do if they try. The use of the CD-ROM has been encouraged by Nakaseke Telecentre that lies in a region about 50km north of the Ugandan capital, Kampala. The Telecentre Co-ordinator, Rita Mijumbi, said that, at first, the idea was to use the internet and e-mail simply to get information for farmers. (8)............. It also helps them to think about what else they can produce, and how to co-operate with friends and neighbours to get more out of their small farms. The women find their way round the CD using a mouse, and advice is given in the womens native language. (9)............. When first introduced to the computer, many of the women were afraid of doing something wrong and took time to get over their fear. (10)............. Many of their children are also keen to learn how to use the computer and are being encouraged to read so they can find out more. As well as acting as a teaching centre, the Telecentre is also helping the farmers get better prices for their produce. (11)............. But at the Telecentre they can check with markets in Kampala to find the proper price for what they sell. Rita Mijumbi said that, at first, the husbands of many of the women farmers would not allow their wives to go to the Telecentre, because they thought that it was a waste of time. (12)............. When the women go back home, they talk about these ideas, they talk about the CDROM, she said. The men now realise that something good can come out of this: the women are not just gossiping or going out to look for other men!

Example:

A But the CD goes much farther than that: it gives the women farmers practical advice on how to increase crop yields and how to manage livestock. B Computer literacy is now a compulsory subject in many schools. C These women are mostly uneducated, so you actually find that many of them cannot even read in their own language, said Ms Mijumbi, but the CD-ROM is linked to sound so they can listen if they cannot read, and get the message that way. D Since it was introduced the CD has been a huge success and has helped to improve the living standards of those who have used it. E Before now farmers had to rely on information from travelling traders about prices. F But success has changed the mens attitudes. G But now many are regular visitors to the Telecentre and are keen to learn more.

PART THREE Questions 1318


G G

Read the article below about foreign investment in India and the questions on the opposite page. For each question 1318, choose one letter (A, B, C or D) . FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN INDIA
India is the worlds second largest emerging market after China. But it is a country that is often overlooked by investors in favour of its neighbours to the east. It offers a wonderful business opportunity as a country that was hardly affected at all by the southeast Asian crisis of the nineties. It has a population of 910 million people 16 per cent of the worlds population and a growing professional and commercial middle-class. But the level of foreign direct investment (FDI), as a percentage of total global investment, stands at only 0.5 per cent. This figure does not reflect the countrys capacity, its well-developed institutions, the widespread use of English, its highly-educated labour force, or its achievements in sectors from software and engineering to medicine and film-making. This is partly because the economy remains highly regulated, state dominated and protected. In fact, the country only started on a process of liberalisation and globalisation a few years ago. India introduced a change of policy in 1991 to provide a more welcoming approach to overseas investors, including an agreement that profits could be taken out of the country. Foreign investors usually apply to the Royal Bank of India. Most sectors of industry receive automatic approval, as long as the foreign investment in the Indian company is not more than 50 per cent. Some restrictions apply if the limit is reached, except in sectors where technology transfer is possible, that is, where the foreign company can provide expertise that is lacking in the local company. Most multinationals have some presence in the Indian market, but it is very small compared to the capital flows into China. Indias poor performance in this area is largely due to a bureaucratic system of rules and regulations, in particular the requirement that foreign investors must find a local partner in order to ensure the survival of the domestic companies during the change from a closed to an open economy. While many projects are delayed because of bureaucracy, the depressed level of the local stockmarket offers a good opportunity for investors looking to invest in companies which are finding it difficult to finance their future growth. The government is encouraging such investment by allowing venture capital groups to invest up to 20 per cent of their allocated funds in the equity of any single company. Investing directly into India remains complicated as it has to be approved by both the central government and local authorities in the relevant state. The central government deals with longterm industrial issues, financial regulation and so on, while the state authorities deal with the practical side, approving the site, providing the environmental clearances and infrastructure such as power and water. But all in all, the future looks bright for foreign investment. Investors can reach a large market where labour is cheap and highly-skilled, where language is not a problem, and where local companies are eager to get involved in joint ventures. There are opportunities for investment in many sectors, including infrastructure, food-processing, pharmaceuticals and, above all, in software development, a field in which India has become a world leader in the last decade. The country is now the largest software exporter after the USA, exporting nearly $2.5 bn of software services last year.

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Why have foreign investors tended to ignore India in the past? A B C D It It It It has too many rules and regulations. is heavily overpopulated. has developed its industry without outside help. was not considered part of south-east Asia.

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A foreign company can invest more than 50 per cent in a local company if it A B C D applies to the Royal Bank of India. provides special knowledge. shares the profits with the local company. helps Indias export trade.

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Joint ventures between foreign and local companies provide a way to A B C D help to protect local companies. develop an open economy. attract foreign investment. compete more effectively with China.

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Foreign venture capital is important for India because A B C D the stock market is performing badly. foreign companies must invest a minimum of 20% in a local company. local companies lack the resources to develop without it. bureaucratic controls are holding up many projects.

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Which of these is dealt with by state authorities? A B C D agreeing the financial arrangements finding a suitable site providing essential services approving the scheme

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Which of the following makes India attractive to foreign investors? A B C D Its workforce is well-trained and labour costs are low. It is a country where everyone speaks English. It has an excellent infrastructure (roads, services, etc). It is a major exporter of goods and services.

PART FOUR Questions 1933


G G G G

Read the article below about using unpaid leave to cut costs. Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D. For each question 1933, choose one letter (A, B, C or D) . There is an example at the beginning (0).

CUTTING COSTS How can a company cut costs when business is poor? Companies in Silicon Valley, D California, have ............. up with a solution: forcing workers to take unpaid holidays, usually by adding unpaid days to a one-day national holiday like July the Fourth. Costconscious hi-tech firms are (19)............. the traditional one-day holiday to two days, or even a whole week, as they struggle to (20)............. from the current recession. Such action would have been (21)............. in the boom years of the late 90s when product demand went through the roof and workers worked for 18 hours a day and slept under their desks to (22)............. orders. But at the moment, a lot of big-name tech firms are asking, and in some cases (23)............. demanding, that thousands of workers take extra time off. It is (24)............. that simply switching off the lights and halting production will save about 1% of a companys (25)............. costs. Last year, a San Jose based company sliced $34m from its expense (26)............. by shutting down for the whole week of 4 July. Accountants say these forced vacations and plant shutdowns really help the companies in a number of (27)............. . First, when employees take unpaid leave, this immediately (28)............. running costs. Then, businesses can cut costs without cutting jobs, thereby saving expenditure on recruiting and training when business (29)............. up again. And of course shutdowns also save on energy costs. But not everyone is happy with the (30)............. of forcing workers to take unpaid time. In particular, there has been criticism from the unions, who (31)............. that workers are being forced to take a pay cut, and insist that unpaid leave should be on a voluntary basis only. But, despite these protests, firms are likely to continue as more and more of them realise the (32)............. of reducing their payroll costs without having to (33)............. sack employees.

Example: A turned B shown 0 A C put B C D come D

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

improving recover unobtainable meet also determined operated budget ways shortens picks practice defend profits presently

B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

opening survive unusable make quite considered operating account means deducts stands custom argue outcomes really

C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

extending improve unworkable reach still estimated operation return kinds controls pulls use propose benefits actually

D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

adjusting overcome unthinkable fill even guessed operative ledger methods reduces gets habit accuse values certainly

PART FIVE Questions 3445


G G G G

Read the article below about office design. In most of the lines 3445, there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. If a line is correct, write CORRECT. If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS. Examples: 0 00 C O O T R H R E E R C T

TRENDS IN OFFICE DESIGN


0 00 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 One of the problems that has arisen with the arrival of office technology is the number of cables surrounding each other persons workstation. This can quickly lead to untidy and even dangerous spaghetti junctions. Desk-cable systems offer many solutions, ranging from simple holes in the desk surface to hidden channels along of which cables run. But computer support staff must be able to get at the cables easily. In the latest system, all the whole desktop slides forward so the cables are easy to reach. The style and shape of desks themselves have been progressed from fixed rectangles to waveshaped components that they combine with other desks to provide larger working areas. After selecting the furniture and office equipment, you need to plan the office layout. The latest fashion is Feng Shui. Feng Shui states that for the design of a room or building will determine whether the people within will experience good luck, happiness and have even financial success. It is catching on in many companies, because of what it teaches is just the common sense design, covering features like lighting, colour schemes and the shape of the building and its content. For example, use vibrant lighting in rooms where dynamic active staff are needed.

WRITING

PART ONE
G

You are the Health and Safety Manager of a large company. There have been several accidents in the last year, and you want to call a management meeting to discuss the situation. Write a memo to all senior staff saying: G what the problem is G why you think a meeting is necessary G the time and place of the meeting. Write 4050 words. Memo To: From: Date: Subject:

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PART TWO
G G G G G

The company you work for is splitting in two and will move to two different premises in the same town. Your boss has put you in charge of the moving arrangements. Read the Siegel Removals advertisement that he has passed to you, on which he has already made some notes. Then, using all your bosss handwritten notes, write your letter to Susan Bunce. Do not include postal addresses. Write 120140 words.

Siegel Removals
OFFICE REMOVALS ANYWHERE ANYTIME
Extra for delivery to 2 destinations in same town? Member of Freight Removal Association? Please check

HAULAGE FULL

AND STORAGE

PACKING SERVICE AND WAREHOUSE REMOVALS

FACTORY

HI-TECH FULL
Full? Check exclusions

What about temperature control?

LOADS AND SINGLE ITEMS

DOCUMENT CRATE

STORAGE

Charges?
HIRE

Full insurance cover 24 hr service Free survey & estimates


OK, go ahead on this
Rossal House Oban Argyll PA39 1FF Tel 01631 908001

For more information, write to Susan Bunce or visit www.siegelmove.com

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