BEC高级真题第3辑精听.doc

BEC高级真题第3辑精听:Test1-Part One(1)Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Im honoured to have this opportunity to talk to you. Eight years ago, I bought my first computer, but I soon discovered that where I lived, it was difficult to find accessories for that particular make. That made me realise that other people must have the same problem. Then I found that foreign magazines contained plenty of advertisements of mail order companies, so I started buying spare parts and things that way and selling them on to my friends at a small profit. That was how my company, Manshee, was born. Four years later, Manshee was making a profit and had reached a turnover of six million pounds. We had four directors - myself and three of my friends - plus a staff of seventeen. The culture was young and the working environment didnt have any structure. The company just grew and grew with its own momentum, and everything we did seemed to strike lucky. If we needed to buy some equipment or redecorate the sales office, we decided yes or no in isolation, only taking the short term - usually the cash flow for that month - into account. However, the market became increasingly cut throat, and that led to falling margins. We realised, rather unwillingly, that the time had come to structure our future, but we didnt really have much idea how to set about it. So we went to a firm of consultants who specialise in helping small businesses, and it proved a turning point. They insisted that we four directors sit down and rank our investments in order of importance for the coming years. It seems obvious now, but wed never realised the value of doing it before. Test1-Part One(2)Initially, we set out strategic and financial targets for the next three years, and now were pleased with just how many of those objectives weve met. The value of bringing in outside expertise was that it gave us objectivity. Its so easy to take things for granted, and to go on in the same mindset. Using consultants meant we received invaluable advice on our business priorities. Planning has allowed us to make notable improvements. For instance, by segmenting our customer base, we realised that we could put our customers, currently in excess of a thousand, into four distinct groups, according to their buying behaviour. That made us realise we could increase sales if we allocated different people to deal with each group. So we set up four specialist divisions, and the most successful one has increased its sales by over 20%, and thats the division involved with the training sector.Were signing off the next plan for growth. People are sometimes concerned that planning leads to rigidity, but we certainly dont find that it stops us from being as flexible as we need to be. Thank you.Test1-Part Two(1)Speaker OneWoman: Well, now its all over, I can only hope weve learnt the right lessons from the experience. Although the consultants at the time urged caution, the board were sure of the plan after all, it was the sort of thing theyd pulled off before and ploughed ahead with the launch of the new division. But the board wouldnt accept that the predicted boom in these new overseas markets was bound to be unstable because of likely fluctuations in currency rates and share prices, and thats where it all came unstuck.They reacted sensibly, though, and now we have established a good joint venture there, which is a better bet than going it alone, or slashing costs all over the place and laying people off in a panic.Test1-Part Two(2)Speaker Two Man: In the end, youd have to say we had a lucky escape I mean, it could have been a lot worse. Its very difficult to know where your brand is really positioned., weve always accepted that our research almost inevitably will be running a bit behind. Consumer tastes change so quickly these days, and thats where we suffered, and lost market share. The directors, once it was clear what was happening, attacked the problem and looked at various options. They could have looked to generate revenues with a share issue, but I think they were right to go for clipping back by reducing expenditure wherever possible youre better placed to re- group with a tight ship. The plans to develop higher quality products for the future look pretty plausible now.Test1-Part Two(3)Speaker Three Woman: Well, I now know to take all this talk about the importance of communication skills seriously. I used to think it was all rather woolly, but when youve seen the damage misunderstandings can do. I suppose the board was a grouping of people with such strong backgrounds individually that each of them expected to be top dog, and that it was perhaps inevitable that theyd clash over what direction the company should go in. Anyhow, it looked very grim for a while but, in the end, two of them took the pretty sizeable payoffs they were offered and moved on. From our point of view, at least it saved us from the prospect of the group being split up and the shares sold off.Test1-Part Two(4)Speaker Four Man: We were all extremely glad to see the back of that particular episode in the companys history. I know theres quite a trend to constantly reviewing your sourcing in the search for cost savings, but it was crazy to move over to such an untried firm. The trouble was we were getting nearly all our parts from them, so everything was leaving the factory here with faulty components, with appalling results. We should have listened to the consultants, but on this one we thought we knew better. It got so bad that predatory offers were being made for the division, and we had to think hard about how to save the brands reputation. Raising fresh capital through new shares was the right way to go and enabled us to cover the losses we made in sales.Test1-Part Two(5)Speaker Five Woman: I sometimes really do think that the people who know least about a company are the people who run it. thats why theres such an industry in advising on and supplying the skills for managing change. We went along assuming that we were selling well because of what we saw as our core qualities but we were wrong. It was just that we happened to have got our pricing right, so when we changed that, it all started falling apart. Things got decidedly grim for a time, and drastic action was required. A merger was considered, and an aggressive takeover had to be fought off. In the end, it was easier to accept an offer for the Budget Products Division, and avoid major redundancies, than to go on trying to keep the whole thing afloat.Test1-Part Three(1)Man: Well, Deborah, we need to think about the candidates whove put in applications for the post of area manager.Woman: Yes, John, its an exciting new role, and it fits in with the strategy development plan.Man: Quite. Its part of a logical progression in our approach to management, carefully consolidating our skills base. It should mean a new chain of command, but based on tried and tested methods., well be stronger as a result.Woman: Well thats the idea. Now, the first one thats come in is from Colin.Man: The assistant manager for the south-east?Woman: Yes. Colins clearly keen.Man: But of course, its an attractive proposition.Woman: And I think thats whats drawn him. Hes said his current post is demanding as well he might but that hes keen to position himself in the spotlight here. Reading between the lines, I think the alternative, as he sees it, is to move sideways to IT, which is where his background is. It would be a shame to lose someone like him . hes hungry.Man: Yes, its a genuine application. Hes a serious contender. I was struck recently. I think it was last month., by his problem- solving abilities. He was passed a complaint it wasnt really his problem at all but he took it up anyway, about some faulty goods wed supplied, apparently. I think he saw it as an efficiency issue, and so relevant to any responsible person here. And he reacted really well, so that the customer went away happy after all. Test1-Part Three(2)Woman: Right, and that suggests the qualities that are most germane to the job. Ultimately, I suppose, were looking for a level of adaptability that its fair to say someone in his position may not have had the chance to really demonstrate yet., but his familiarity with the goods we produce is second-to-none, so I think the signs are there that he may become an astute analyst and problem-solver.Man: Thats certainly encouraging. And its not just in the office that hes been looking good. I sent him abroad as part of that group a few weeks ago. The basic brief was to secure a continuation of the Asian contract. To be honest, that was a bit of a given, and what I was really hoping for was something extra. And sure enough, he clearly really worked on all our contacts out there, and he came back with some great new insights into how we might be able to develop bulk sales direcdy through warehouses, rather than through the standard agency channels.Woman: Oh right, interesting I missed the de- brief on that one. But I do know he went on a training course not so long ago, and clearly reaped the benefits there. The content was mundane enough -how to produce effective reports or somesuch but he identified the points that really mattered, and saw that what it actually addressed was how to order the most pertinent facts for delivery to a team.Man: So, its good news all round?Test1-Part Three(3)Woman: Lets look at what his reference has to say. He does have shortcomings, of course. His confidence is very strong, almost to a fault, you might say, which could lead to difficulties on the patience front., just because he gets the point quickly doesnt mean hes entitled to think everyone else does, that they share the same conclusions., others may be behind in terms of objectivity, still grappling with issues that impact personally on themselves.Man: Hmm, thatd certainly be something to watch, I guess. Still, were not looking for perfection, are we? And were not going to be setting up a lone operator.Woman: Oh, far from it. Whoever gets the job will be well backed up. I was talking to the consultants the other day, and they were quite critical of our reliance on checking performance through the one-to-one appraisal system, so its been decided that this new post will be linked into the cross-departmental advisory group that was set up a few months ago, and benefit from dealing with them and getting their input. That should help quite a bit.Man: That makes a lot sense. Well, lets talk about some of the other candidates.Test2-Part One(1)Man: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Factories of the Year award. My name is Jonathan Hargreaves, and Im Chief Executive of the Institute of Production Research, which organised these awards, in association with Barrington Business School. Im delighted to introduce to you the schools professor of manufacturing science, Jacqueline Allen, who again chaired the panel of judges. Jacqueline.Woman: Thank you, Jonathan, and good morning, everyone. This years search for the Factories of the Year has produced a bumper crop of outstanding winners, which is very welcome proof that the old economy isnt dead, but is emerging revitalised from its recent problems. As ever, we initiated our search for the best by sending each participating factory a questionnaire. This consisted of fourteen pages and probably more questions than the recipients would have liked. From their answers, each factory was assessed on a basket of performance criteria.Test2-Part One(2)Some of these were immediately measurable, like handover times, which of course can have a big impact on productivity and which are showing a healthy tendency towards being shortened. Another was delivery reliability, a high score in which is essential for any customer-led organisation.Other criteria which we considered were less tangible, but no less important for that. We took staff morale very seriously, because if its poor it can have measurable results such as high staff turnover and a high accident rate. And if a business cant easily handle change, it may well create more problems than it solves, and its future is unlikely to be secure.The next step was for the panel of judges to assess the results and devise a shortlist. We then visited these factories. I must say, I found it fascinating to see so many factories in action. As a result of these visits, we came up with the three winners in each category.The factories that emerged from this process shared some familiar characteristics. Impressive people-management practices, for a start.Test2-Part One(3)A determination among the factorys management team not to be second best, for another. And acting on the realisation that clever initiatives dont count if they dont further a factorys mission. No successful factory can, for a moment, forget its customers, whether theyre internal to the company or external.As ever, new trends emerged: an outstanding level of competence in supply-chain management, as well as in manufacturing, is increasingly important. The links between a factory, its suppliers and its customers can make or break an operation.This years winners also demonstrate the importance of optimising the movement of goods and people around the factory. Confused, muddled-looking factories underperform, while successful ones use signs to help staff and visitors find the best route to their destination. And allowing goods or materials to get lost in some dusty corner of the warehouse is unacceptable: the problem of tracking components as they move through production has led to a number of developments, of which electronic tagging is one of the most exciting.Now Id like to turn to the individual categories.Test2-Part Two(1)Speaker OneWoman: Well, there seem to be more and more fairs, dont there? And all apparently quite unmissable, which is fine, except I do actually have an office, and do need to get things done. So I try to be a bit selective. I try to make sure Ive got my own agenda clear about what I want from a fair. With this one, for example, I wanted to see how our goods match up against our main rivals, by looking at theirs as if I were an ordinary customer., noting the specifications and so on. basic market research, really. And it was interesting, gave me some ideas to take back to the office. Some of the brochures and other literature that I picked up at this one were quite striking, very high quality, and that alone made it worthwhile.Test2-Part Two(2)Speaker TwoMan: For me, fairs are a vital part of business life., where else do you get manufacturers, suppliers, agents, everyone all milling around together? Its certainly a great audience for the sort of talk I was there to do, and it meant I was able to communicate our values and commitment to service. Those are things our suppliers need to understand, so that we can get a full circle of quality from components to delivery and after-sales. And of course, I also had plenty of time to look around, do some networking. I realised there are places we havent considered as markets that we should be looking into. The currency situation means our prices could be very attractive outside our domestic markets and get us good sales. So, all very worthwhile.Test2-Part Two(3)Speaker ThreeWoman: These fairs are getting so big., its frustrating because you waste a lot of time just navigating your way around. I actually wonder how useful they really are in terms of achieving sales. Still, I have to say, that it gave me an idea for a couple of features we could incorporate into our main model, which would make it more attractive, I think. So that was a bonus, and to some extent made up for my disappointment about not securing a new representative, which had been my aim. I did talk to a couple of promising people who cover the Pacific Rim, but there were a lot of complications, different expectations. I realise its going to take a while before we can reach a concrete agreement and build a solid marketing strategy there.Test2-Part Two(4)Speaker FourMan: To be honest, I relish opportunities to get out of the office from time to time., it refreshes the mind, and you can get insights into what youre really doing. Im pleased this time, because Ive come back with the realisation that we can save quite a bit on packaging - our new range of products are selling well, and in fact were getting bigger orders than we forecast, and the agents are very optimistic., which all means we dont need to package up units individually, and thatll be quite a saving. Its important, because its getting increasingly competitive all the time, with new products coming out almost every month. The other thing Ive been trying for is better components, and thats why my plan for the fair was to identify new manufacturers of processors, because Im not happy with our present source.Test2-Part Two(5)Speaker FiveWoman: Its amazing the way the industry is developing I was walking around remembering such fairs just, say, five years ago, and thinking of how many of the products simply didnt exist then. One of the effects of all this constant innovation is that to stay competitive you have to keep finding different marketing angles. Thats what I was looking for, some kind of fresh approach to expanding our customer base. In the office, I tend to become absorbed in staffing issues, so I need to get out among customers and competitors. Anyway, while I was there I spotted a way of getting value out of our database. Theres software available now which would enable us to analyse customer preferences and provide pinpoi