Test 2 READING 1 hour PART ONE Questions 1-8 ‘© Look atthe statements below and the five news items on various companies on the opposite page. ‘¢ Which report (A,B, ©, D or E} does each statement (1-8) refer to? ‘¢ For each statement (1-8), mark one letter (A,B, C, Dor E} on your Answer Sheet «You will need to use some of these letters more than once, 1 Thore is an example at the beginning (0) Example: 0. Some new premises are going to be opened. 11 This company reports not being able to pass on higher costs to its customers, {2 The sale of par ot a company has has an adverse affect on prot 3. This company’s response to fluctuations in sales has not had the desired effect, 4 Jobs have been lost because a company has ended one ofits activities. ‘5. There are fears about the impact of internal competition within the company. & This company has reported contrasting results from different parts of its operations. 7 This company has spent money on moving part ofits operation, 8 Efforts are to be made to turn around sales ata store, 40Reading a New Store Parkn's earch fora sie forts next store has ben ended by Marsdn's misfortunes, with Parkin sgreing to buy half ofthe laters Birmingham store fr 40m. Parkins min sore i in London, bit it pened its second, in Birmingham, thee year go, and his been seeking sitesi oer large cites, There was surprise that the new store, likely to open next year i 80 closet the existing or, where profits have so fr beaten Parkin’ sales targets, incase draws Costoners way from the existing outlet, Capacity Cut The packaging industry has typically suffered from a vicious cele, with rising prises leading to excess capacity which int lads wa collapse in prices, and Joison Keitley is no exception, The company hasbeen attempting wo stooth the boomybusteyele by beter pacity management but it admited ester cay that it hasbeen forced to make significant cuts to capacity because surprisingly sharp downturn in demand, The aoup now expects its second-half results ofall below expectations and warted of further problems on the horizon. c Hit by Higher Costs Higher rav-materal cost have reduced full year profits at Bonner’, the plates manafactars, ith ices of polyethylene, the main component ofits busines, rising 8% since last year Profits wore also held back by the disposal of is packaging division, which accounted for over half of tumover th previous year. Additional costs were incured by relocating the head ofce from Wrexham io Cadi and from reorganisation and redundancy init lates business. Bonners si that ding in the curent year has stato show, particularly in is Eaopean marks > ‘Surprise Fa | stars in rgionl sypermaket chain Coulson fell step yesterday ater the tier warned of loss at its biggest out, in Bristol. The warning was i trk contrast its trading statement thee months a0, hich reported ais in like-orike sales of $% in the preceding month. However, trading across the rest | ofthe ein, including seven ous bought last year from Laxona, showed a healthy improvement, The | company has promised to do all tcan to stem te docline ofthe last Tou weeks at the Brisa tet. ‘Modest improvement Dorcas Foods has posted a modest ise in interim profis, However, the company sys it has had to absorb increased costs at its Quality Sugar subsiry’and the impact of « margin squeeze wits Austrian baking operations. In sugar the continued strength of scling hs eapped pris and with Doeas’s move aut of sugarbcet refining. expenditure on redundancy is hwving a serious inpact. AC the same tine, floods in Austria have led io higher wheat pices, which in wen have reduced margins in the company’s baking operations. 4Test2 PART TWO Questions 9-14 «Read this article from the business pages of @ newspaper ‘© Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each ofthe gaps. ‘© For each gap (9-14), mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Shot «© Do not use any letter more than ones. «© There is an example atthe beginning (0) Despite the secent development of online recmitng, graduate job fis are still proving hugely popular in Britain with both employers nao antes. (O fl. Amy graduate with big 'mbions could be forgiven frdhinking thatthe north-west of England is the cente of the universe next Week. (9). AS Usual hey will all be looking forthe brightest, best and most suitable eraduates to employ. November 2 sces Expo Management (he finance, basness and management fi) and on November 3, Technology’ fo the Fate (he I, science and’ engineering fi). wil be Bel 0, Expo Management has also ‘expanded, to incorporate abroad range of ‘cares in business and management 36 Well the finance sector. Tere ae excelent transport Tinks from al parts of the country to where the fairs re being held. An accommodation Docking service is availble, and thee is plemy of entertainment on offer, High fliers of the future head for specialist fairs [Employers are keener than ever to take pat (19) sous Having sai that, employers use the faire inorder to make contact with the specific kinds of graduates they ae looking 10 recruit, (92) er However, all graduates visting the fais withthe right skills and motivation are likely to got a very positive response from employer. Preparation isthe key to geting dhe most from these firs and visitors should have done thet homework (78) sun Its sensible to exploit this opportunity by coming armed with a good this year the fais” organisers have intodoced a new support facility. (4) son By visting hype [Link], they wil gt instant access 10 the full ist of exhibitors and thee vacancies, as well a links to their company websites. With the world of business changing and expanding so rapidly, ambitious graduates wil ind that ime spent at the fairs makes an excelent investment in their future 2Example: ‘A. Toy are koon for graduates to make use ‘lth innovation Belore they attend the fairs. B Graduates can take advantage ofthese to {ensure that they know how to make the ‘bos applcatons possible in the wooks fol. lowing the fairs. © The latter, ony afew years od, has proved ‘0 successful that this year ithas doubled In size: it now plays host to more than 40 comployers, D_ In particulary, tis those with technical qual- ‘ications who are most sought attr. Reading Alter al, they may not have anther chance to see sucha huge range of prestigious ‘employers under one root ‘The reasonis tha is where a [Link] lst of employers wil be seting up their stands atte start of November's round of graduate fas, ‘This enthusiasm means thatthe prospects {or graduate job-hunters are excelent at the momen: ‘As a result they are gtting bigger and bigger eact time they hit the road again. “aTest2 PART THREE ‘Questions 15-20 ‘¢ Read the article below about management styles and the questions on the ‘opposite page. «For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A,B, C or D} on your Answer Sheet. ‘General he cle of ay fan can be desea 18 principally tetova, pooped sytem orientate. Tht st the behaviour dat the manages exhibits to emphasis one af thee the approaches leadership snl manapeent In sucess where leader Ship action octet cate ie penraly oven by one or & ana of managers ho preset Song vis forthe a ea by example, The caps ison sting things done om ving fr flange Steh ede conntty Fnfaneenrgytoghout the fm snd reinforce hough ering that emphasises individ set, showin inate, taking cos fred ks and ening inv ‘up and eu, Is 2 yamie fale tht ress ovals ting moat ne tothe hal lenge of te basins ad Being sling to take om esponsltes, ten Beyond what it considered thir noa oe “The downside ita the ppronch cam be somewhat oe te ‘overlooking the ned for str od oie ties an taking for grand ht peple ie allven by aaeme of halle th ek ithe stows and ick ing rovthsbodovethe me considered ‘deol, When overdone, ‘Sowentaion tecones “are 4 ‘avi mers dieenese in suatooe ad peopl Succes people ena cu tore derive fr Headers tt tei people to be realy ake ‘esprit anthen vet the ‘ihe Sock ims dle eon Sly down afar as posible ‘They ae wot the “oH chek recheck it double check ital then heck i agin oe is types of Cultus. They empower ined people and test them 10 bud ‘ty in They ask pope tomake Asis nd expec ta odo 0. TE te decison prove wrong the ‘expen ir ua the Ds fr Teaming ater tia oii or Ponen. They emphasise com tment nd mt oppo fered tough ining that oes com os an when ode re omit, on endersanding sd ‘oops hat pple eo al However peopled cults sue tat war and coy They respect peopl, suppor them ad Sevelptem ba hey expect hen ‘operon If peplfa opt texpectons ater proper ing invesment, appropiate eps ae tates The wm of pope responsibility not appopately ‘gtd sficient hls for eg. io peopl eso poor france. Bly giving people Fee than ty can hale witht fropety preparing them, tnd wiht providing aut spot i they ily aller lead oe tues focus 00 ung 10 deat systematically with ecing pod Ihave their fet onthe ground: 8 most rznsations, 85 of whats ‘vented fim Kaows this. So ts prowedues handle the route Feaving managers tose te eet 0 a 20% af he on tht trode ther expertise ‘Theessenoe of sues sytem viens ce abi ad issptems Soc oyanistins end to have song corporat clus tl peice ur by nt ro efor being len the igh to soesion an! cree. Bu sven Mat, chery procene ie op for alton and proves! The ralebook rely mates, butts at st stone ay frm the le ‘ook, itive Hey char ‘eis tits inve in astong ‘eam exvrmen. People const ‘whee posible and ae inl Asin only hen tim,6 6 ” 2 1° 20 Reading ‘According to the text, a company that has an action-orientated approach to management is ikely © ‘A accept that some initiatives will be more successful than others. B view staff in terms oftheir personal achievements. © emphasise the importance of staff input into strategy. D expect staff to work extra hours without remuneration Which of the following does the writer consider @ disadvantage of action orientated management? ‘A Itattracts people who are unreliabl Bt focuses too heavily on controversial isu. © It gives out the wrong kind of message to new recut 1D _ It makes a questionable assumption about human sehaviour. Unlike action-oriontated companies, those who favour people-orientated management ‘A ko9p a watchful eye on what their employees do. Baro unwilling to tolerate errors of judgement. © are sensitive to individual differences. D__ see indecision as a positive feature. ‘According to the text, which type of person may under-perform in a people- ‘orientated company? ‘Aan intoligent person who lacks stimulation Ba naw member of staff who is keen to learn new skills © anew employee who is given a challenging role Dan individual who learns less quickly than others In the writer's view, the systom-orientatod approach is Visionary, realistic, uninspiring outdated. ooe> Ina system-orientated culture, employees are encouraged to share ideas. not expected to criticise colleagues. trained to focus on self-improvement. not allowed to challenge company policy. pomp 4sTest2 PART FOUR. ‘Questions 21-30 ‘* Read the article below about customer relationship management ‘© Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, Cor Don the ‘opposite page. ‘¢ For each question (21-80), mark one letter (A,B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. ‘© There is an example at the beginning (0). 46 In today’s fast-moving market, it is a simple (0)... that products are con- stantly being replaced by something new. For companies large and small, the most important real (21) soon with measurable, long-term value is loyal, one-to-one customer relationships. However, despite their importance, they do not (22) ‘on any company’s balance sheet. If company lost 10% of its inventory to theft, it would react, swifly, but ifthe company loses 10% of its customers, this may not be 23) In this age of product (24) veo 5 in Which the market fails to perceive any profound difference between products or companies, effective management of customer relationships is critical in achieving a competitive (25) Delivering quality service and achieving hiigh customer satisfaction have been closely (26) to profits, and consequently the 27) nn all Customer Relationship Management companies are uying to make is 10 provide more internal and extemal customer relationship focus. By (28) sw available information tech- nology, leading companies have already shortened process and response times, increasing customer satisfaction. But companies must make a profit © survive, so telling a chief executive to feus more on customers, through the use of expensive information technology, may fall on deaf ears unless it can be demonstrated that such investments will be (28)... in terms of revenue, market share and profits Certain companies are responding to this new customer focus by completely (30) their traditional financial~ only” measurements of corporate performance, and seeking new ways of measuring customers’ perceptions and expectations,Reading a [Ppasca 21k work ah set Drona 22 A wunot Bou —€ witeout —-B showy 22 A daca —@ rapnded contd —D_deinguisnd 24° niece, @ sinloriy —€ aneemant conection 2 A uhoity command € aivanage —D_paferonce 28 A joned fined aesciad—Bcambiad a Aan fucision € maton saamen 28 A pring coping € expoing B_baefing 28 A corwad Bremond Cpa 0 cup 20 A motiing & ending € ehuising D_overauingTest 2 Pa RT FIVE, Questions 31-40 ‘© Read the article below about working abroad for your company. ‘© For each question (31-40), write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet ‘© There is an example atthe beginning (0) samo (2) [5] 48 JUsT HOW FAR WILL YOU GO FOR YOUR Jos? These daa res many companies reir more tfc ‘pond ore tne worig sre on bse en, Gime a tsk of te wand cover etoromie sobaiaton Tete 2) sor mars lave hat ving «9 be more important tan eer 2 ‘recast be goby mob over tenet ve ers. Amour young mangers ar aro nereaigy resing chinernatona experience exanalhey waeoget nye near the boardroom of» modern, scent company Be) na downside to chi Amory oftop manager thy ae now ening rake he pesca Senfeor tvoted in meting the demand) Severe Shores Gl ne the sippy of gobaly mobi ‘tarts ae tendon on he de “he soliton dt a now 5) ommonlce a tation heres inde te ot tee frm seebment. Imemasons)‘tommsag” “hing {Gay coe home bur ting egy around he world "is now the. norm for many maragers, A {3h comps are tan kw top fo fay Sif © eve home nce twee fom wort drotier continent Airnes haw recited the end tnd re aaptng their sender to seconmodste the “francs of staly erasing bers fbsness pope trvling om shorten agate by ‘ecg checkin terran cheng ae hi Howereritrnsing ts bese 39) or nteven ts ana toa comming sre tone templyee lan are sey srging co bance | thetompesng demands of work a ye ~~ a |Reading PART Six Questions 41-52 '¢ Read the text below from a report about sales figures. «Ii most lines (41-52), there is one extra word, It either is grammatically Incorrect ‘or does not fitin with the senso ofthe text. Some lines, however, are correct. «Ifa line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet, «© If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on ‘your Answer Sheet «© The oxorcise begins with two examples (0 and 00) exampiee [2] [e] [5] [fe Alter six successful quarters of sales in the Seattle ares, results for the last quarter wore disappointing too. General soles were down | 16 per cent, on average, across our nine area stores, While as | noted in my last roport it is my view that some ofthis downturn ean then be attributed to layoffs at IMP plc, which, as you know, itis the area's largest employer. During the quarter, IMP ple gave layoff notices to something in the ragion of 5 per cont part of its workforce. But it would be dangerous, 1 believe, {0 assume that our sales slump is due simply to such layoffs. In the same period of time, two powerful competitors - as SaveMarts and Bargain Buys - opened a total sum of eight stores within our main catchment ‘area. However, the grand openings of these stares were accompanied by their heavy advertising of sales items. | recommend that @ thorough 2esessaraessse assessment of how the impact of such competition upon our sales. '52 Equipped with this detailed knowledge, we would scarcely be in a position to id 4” review our current strategy.Test 2 WRITING 1 hour 10 minutes PART ONE Question 1 «© The chart bolow compares the numbers of male and female executives in different age ranges in Star World, a large IT company. ‘© Using the information from the chart, write short raport comparing the ages of the male and female executives within the company. ‘¢ Write 120-140 words. STAR WORLD EXECUTIVE STATISTICS - AGE AND GENDER. « ae .* Pena ! ies 3 fo a ® ola eas on soso” S060” ao” TO ‘Age Group 50Writing PART TWO Write an answer to one ofthe questions 2-4 inthis par. Writs your answer in 200-250 words Question 2 ‘© You recently attended an annual conference related to your company’s line of business. Your Managing Director has asked you to write areport on the conference and its usefulness to the company. ‘¢ Write the report for the Managing Director, including the fellowing information: + brief overview ofthe conference content and speakers + an assessment of the opportunities to make business contacts atthe conference ‘+ fecommendlations concerning the company’s participation in the conference in future years, Question 3 «© This is part ofa letter your organisation has received from students at a local college: | our msc rect we ae tying how hs ty bunts am he | prosarce of ergnsatons such a ours We wuld be gt or some inormaton rom youn is conection ‘© Write your letter of reply to the students: «thanking them for their letter and introducing yourself + explaining some ways in whieh the chy benemts from the presence ot your ‘organisation ‘outlining ways in which your organisation aims to help the city more in the future ‘suggesting a visit to your organisation and why such a vsit would be useful ‘Question 4 ‘© The company you work for has decided to join @ scheme inwhich members of staff exchange places for six months with people from other companies overseas. The Chief Executive has asked you ta suggast wrich members of staff should be the frst to take part in this scheme and why. ‘© Write your proposal forthe Chief Executive: ‘+ suggesting which members of staff should be chosen and why thay are suitable {+ describing what their current responsibilities are + explaining what these staff could learn from the exchange scheme + outlining the benefits to the company as a whole of is peticipation in the scheme, stTest 2 LISTENING — Approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes’ transfer time) PART ONE: Questions 1-12 ‘¢ You will hear a speaker giving a group of managers advice on how to run a project ‘¢ As you listen, for questions 1~12, complete the notes using up to three words or umber. «After you have listened once, replay the recording. JNNING SUC UL PROJECTS 1. tis important to allow sufficient time for the 2 Make sure that you establish a that is both sensible and ‘manageable. 3. Always focus on the situation, 4 Persuade your staff of the value of .. to the project. 5 Competent... important for monitoring the project. 6 Keeping staff informed will enable them to understand the 5 they have made. 7 Meetings with staf from different departments May aecunwnnwn tHE project. 8 Ensure that you when things go wrong, You need to be ready to adapt if your client's are modified. 10 Encourage a8 MUCH cn as possible. 11 Be prepared 10 nnn 88 the market shift 12 Hire people who can be easily... it necessary. 2Listening PART TWO Questions 13-22 «You will hear five diferent people talking about the companies they work for. «© For each extract, there are two tasks. For Task One, choose the recent change in the company the person mentions from the list A-H. For Tesk Two, choose the strength of the company the person mentions from the list A-H. ‘After you have listened once, replay the recording, ‘Task One ~ Recent change in the company ‘© For questions 13-17, match the extracts withthe recent changes, listed ACH. « For each extract, choose the change in the company the person mentions «© Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. 8 sun A Anew section was established B Existing premises were re-designed “ © Anew manager was appointed 1. D_Atraining programme was expanded, E The staff recrutment process was revised 6 F Some technology was updated New accountng procedures were introduced v H._ Employees were given input into a company system, ‘Task Two ~ Strength of the company ‘For questions 18-22, match the extracts withthe strengths af the eampany, listed ACH. «For each extract, choose the strength that each person mentions, «Write one letter (A-H) next to the number ofthe extract. WB on ‘A. staff promotion and incentives product innovation a publicity techniques Drange of services E pricing polices BV csv F customer relations G financial planning 2 recruitment and induction 3Test2 PART THREE ‘Questions 22-20 ‘© You will har two managors, Peter and Sarah, who are taking an MBA course, discussing their experiences and views of business. ‘2 For each question (23-80), mark one letter (A,B or G} forthe correct answer. «After you have listened once, replay the recording, 23 Peter and Sarah agree that the purpose oftheir current assignment is to A analyse failed strategies. B evaluate existing strategies © formulate new strategies. 24 What aspect of the course is Peter impressed by? ‘A the balance of theory and practice B the focus on individual needs © the expertise of lecturers 25 What feature of the course does Sarah find unsatisfactory? ‘A group discussions Beading requirements © timetable arrangements 26 What does Sarah enjoy sbout her current job? A working as part of a team B having contact with clients © running a series of projects 27 Inthe future, Peter would like to be involved in ‘A improving the quality of branded products. B planning stratogios for creating branded products. © increasing the appeal of branded products. 28 Sarah says the good thing about recruitment consultants is that they ‘A facilitate understanding ofthe jobs market. 1B maintain diverse contacts among potential employers. © encourage people to aim high s4Listening 29 Peter believes that working from home would A lead to greater creativity B increase productivity © suit some people more than others. 30 Potor and Sarah agree that businesses will be increasingly affected by ‘A technology-based knowladge management. B changes in customer expectations © regional differences in markets. You now have ten minutes to transfer your anewersto your Answer Sheet.Test 2 SPEAKING — 16 minutes PART ONE In this pan, the interlocutor asks questions to each of the candidates in turn You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions. PART TWO Inthis part of the test, you are asked to give a shor talk on a business topic. You hhave to choose one ofthe topics from the three below and then talk for about one. ‘minute, You have one minute to prepare your ideas. ‘Time management: the importance of planning work time effectively B Project development: how to ensure inter-departmental co-operation on new projects © Purchasing: how to evaluat nd select new projects PART THREE In this part ofthe test, you are given a discussion topic. You have 30 seconds to look at the task prompt, an example of which is below, and then about three ‘minutes to discuss the topic with your partner. After that, the examiner will ask you more questions relate 6 te pie Fortwo candidates Customer Base ‘The Finance Director of your company is concerned that the majority ‘ofits income comes ftom one main client. You have been asked to make recommendations on ways to expand your company's customer base, Discuss and decide together «© what the potential dangers are of having only one main cient «© how the company could try to gain aditional clients,Speatting For three candidates Customer Base ‘The Finance Director of your company is concerned that the majority ofits income comes om one main client. You have been asked to make recommendations on ways to expand your company’s customer base Discuss and decide together: (© what the potential dangers are of having only one main client { how the company could try to gain additional cients { how the company could ensure it maintains good relations with its main elient Follow-on questions ‘© What advantages could there be for companies of having 3 relatively small customer base? (Why?) '¢ When attracting new customers, how important is it for sompanies to give information about their existing clients? (Why Why not?) «© How can companies strengthen customer loyalty, apart irom | fering good customer service? ‘= How can companies which operate globally enoure conciatontly high levels of customer satisfaction? «¢ How can companies respond to increased competition from other companies? 7