PART THREE
Questions 13-18
Read the article below about managing a small business and the questions on the opposite page.
For each question 13-18, mark one letter (A,B,C or D) on your Answer Sheet, for the answer you choose.
The Difficulties Of Managing A Small Business
Ronald Meers asks who chief executives of entrepreneurial or
small businesses can turn to for advice.
“The organisational weaknesses that entrepreneurs have to deal with every day would cause the managers of a mature company to panic, ” Andrew Bidden wrote recently in Boston Business Review. This seems to suggest that the leaders of entrepreneurial or small businesses must be unlike other managers, or the problems faced by such leaders must be the subject of a specialised body of wisdom, or possibly both. Unfortunately, neither is true. Not much worth reading about managing the entrepreneurial or small business has been written, and the leaders of such businesses are made of flesh and blood, like the rest of us.
Furthermore, little has been done to address the aspects of entrepreneurial or small businesses that are so difficult to deal with and so different from the challenges faced by management in big business. In part this is because those involved in gathering expertise about business and in selling advice to businesses have historically been more interested in the needs of big business. In part, in the UK at least, it is also because small businesses have always preferred to adapt to changing circumstances.
The organisational problems of entrepreneurial or small businesses are thus forced upon the individuals who lead them. Even more so than for bigger businesses, the old saying is true – that people, particularly those who make the important decisions, are a business’s most important asset. The research that does exist shows that neither money nor the ability to access more of it is the major factor determining growth. The main reason an entrepreneurial business stops growing is the lack of management and leadership resource available to the business when it matters. Give an entrepreneur an experienced, skilled team and he or she will find the funds every time. Getting the team, though, is the difficult bit.
Part of the problem for entrepreneurs is the speed of change that affects their businesses. They have to cope with continuous change yet have always been suspicious about the latest “management solution”. They regard the many offerings from business schools as out of date even before they leave the planning board and have little faith in the recommendations of consultants when they arrive in the hands of young., inexperienced graduates. But such impatience with “management solutions” does not mean that problems can be left to solve themselves. However, the leaders of growing businesses are still left with the problem of who to turn to for advice.
The answer is horribly simple: leaders of small businesses can ask each other. The collective knowledge of a group of leaders can prove enormously helpful in solving the specific problems of individuals. One leader’s problems have certainly been solved already by someone else. There is an organisation called KITE which enables those responsible for small businesses to meet. Its members, all of whom are chief executives, go through a demanding selection process, and then join a small group of other chief executives. They come from a range of business sectors and each offers a different corporate history. Each group is led by a “moderator”, an independently selected businessman or woman who has been specially trained to head the group. Each member takes it in turn to host a meeting at his or her business premises and, most important of all, group discussions are kept strictly confidential. This encourages a free sharing of problems and increase the possibility of solutions being discovered.
13. What does the writer say about entrepreneurs in the first paragraph?
A. It is wrong to assume that they are different from other managers.
B. The problems they have to cope with are specific to small businesses.
C. They find it difficult to attract staff with sufficient expertise.
D. They could learn from the organisational skills of managers in large companies.
14. According to the second paragraph, what has led to a lack of support for entrepreneurs?
A. Entrepreneurs have always preferred to act independently.
B. The requirements of big businesses have always taken priority.
C. It is difficult to find solutions to the problems faced by entrepreneurs.
D. Entrepreneurs are reluctant to provide information about their businesses.
15. What does the writer say about the expansion of small businesses?
A. Many small businesses do not produce enough profits to finance growth.
B. Many employees in small businesses have problems working as part of a team.
C. Being able to recruit the right people is the most important factor affecting growth.
D. Leaders of small businesses lack the experience to make their companies a success.
16. What does the writer say is an additional problem for entrepreneurs in the fourth paragraph?
A. They rely on management systems that are out of date.
B. They will not adopt measures that provide long-term solutions.
C. They have little confidence in the business advice that is available.
D. They do not take market changes into account when drawing up business plans.
17. What does the writer say the members of the KITE organisation provide?
A. Advice no how to select suitable staff.
B. A means of contacting potential clients.
C. A simple checklist for analyzing problems.
D. Direct experience of a number of industries.
18. The writer says that KITE groups are likely to succeed because
A. members are able to elect their leader.
B. the leaders have received extensive training.
C. members are encouraged to adopt a critical approach.
D. information is not passed on to non-members
PART FOUR
Questions 21-35
Read the text below, which gives advice about job interviews.
Choose the best work from A, B, C or D on the opposite page to fill each gap.
For each question 21-35, mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer Sheet.
Success often (example) ┄┄┄on your performance at an interview. For those who are well prepared, it can be a positive 21 ┄┄┄but for others it can be a terrifying time. Love them or hate them, though, your 22 ┄┄prospects are largely dependent on your interview 23 ┄┄┄. It’s not unusual for a company to have fifty or sixty applicants for a job, so if you are asked to 24 ┄┄┄an interview, you are a serious contender being seriously considered for the post.
Usually companies give you at least a day’s 25 ┄┄┄of an interview, so use that time to prepare yourself well Read through the job 26 ┄┄┄and any other information sent to you, and 27 ┄┄┄answers to as many questions as you can think of.
At the interview try to present a ‘pleasant’ version of yourself. You need to 28 ┄┄┄the employer that you can do the job, but you mustn’t 29 ┄┄┄over-confident. Being pleasant, however, doesn’t mean that you should agree with everything that the interviewer says. Most companies want to 30 ┄┄┄someone with his or her own opinions.
It’s also important to make 31 ┄┄┄that you really listen to what is being asked. In your preparation you will have rehearsed answers to a number of imaginary questions, but you must tailor your response to 32 ┄┄┄the question.
It’s worthwhile spending a few moments after the interview analysing your 33 ┄┄┄.You can do this best before you know the 34 ┄┄┄. What aspects of the interview went well? What do you need to 35 ┄┄┄? What would you do differently next time?
Interview Success
PART FOUR
Question 21-35
Read the letter below.
Choose the best word from A, B, C or D on the opposite page to fill each gap.
For each question 21-35, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.
Dear Miss Brown,
Thank you for your letter of 5 October, concerning (example) ┄┄goods purchased in our store in Basingstoke.
I am very sorry indeed that you were not satisfied with the celebration chocolates that you bought from our store. I can 21 ┄┄ your disappointment when you discovered that the chocolates were not as shown on the 22 ┄┄and were, in 23 ┄┄, all the same shape.
Our company is always trying to improve the 24 ┄┄of its merchandise, and we are very unhappy when one of our products does not 25 ┄┄satisfaction.
The manufacturers of our chocolates have 26 ┄┄guidelines for production, which should 27 ┄┄instances such as this from happening. Obviously our checking and packing procedures were not 28 ┄┄, and we will discuss this with the manufacturers.
In the 29 ┄┄, I regret the disappointment you were 30 ┄┄. As a gesture of goodwill, I have pleasure in refunding the 31 ┄┄of the chocolates, and enclose a gift voucher that you can 32 ┄┄in our Basingstoke branch.
Thank you for bringing this matter to our 33 ┄┄. I hope any future purchases you may 34 ┄┄at our stores will be up to our 35 ┄┄high standards.
Yours sincerely,
A N Ferguson
A N Ferguson
Customer Relations
21. A. know B. distinguish C. understand D. recognise
22. A. packaging B. layer C. parcel D. envelope
23. A. point B. fact C. honesty D. detail
24. A. worth B. goodness C. quality D. grade
25. A. meet B. supply C. present D. give
26. A. straight B. pure C. immediate D. clear
27. A. prevent B. avoid C. forbid D. contain
28. A. followed B. admitted C. confirmed D. engaged
29. A. while B. meantime C. period D. space
30. A. brought B. caused C. effected D. produced
31. A. cost B. money C. amount D. bill
32. A. employ B. operate C. apply D. use
33. A. view B. attention C. sight D. regard
34. A. move B. have C. make D. do
35. A. ordinary B. usual C. common D. natural
