MATCHING (TYPE 2)

• Read the article below about management styles.

• Choose the best sentence (A–G) to fill each of the gaps.

• For each gap 1–5, mark one letter (A–G).

• Do not use any letter more than once.

• There is an example at the beginning.

A. But there are many more companies where managers claim to believe in their
people but micromanage and insist things be done their way.

B. They do not need to be ordered about and are naturally inventive, looking for
the best ways to get work done.

C. Nevertheless most managers tend to be Type X these days.

D. However, there are differences between parenting and management.

E. If we want to find an effective way of treating our staff like adults, perhaps
we should turn to an expert in dealing with children.

F. These take up a lot of time and managers, therefore, find themselves unable
to do a good job.
G. There are two accepted ways to deal with this

Link for further reading: Authoritative and authoritarian parenting.

[Link]

Types of parenting types: [Link]

parenting-styles-1095045
 MATCHING (TYPE 1)

• Look at the statements below and the comments made by team-building

experts.
• Which section (A, B, C, or D) does each statement 1–7 refer to?
• For each statement 1–7, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D).
• You will need to use some of these letters more than once.

Example: Team members lacked the desire to continue working. D

1. Staff and employers disagree about the value of specific training.

2. The leader behaved in an unacceptable way.
3. Disagreements jeopardised the final outcome of project.

4. A company regretted not using experts.

5. Problems should be resolved by the whole team.
6. Team members were not guided by their team leader.
7. Team members were against the idea of the project.

A Teamwork is about getting different people with different skill sets

working cooperatively and efficiently. A company I worked with had
disorganised and indecisive leaders who set unrealistic goals so that team
members found it impossible achieve the required results. Things went
badly wrong on a very important project, and conflict amongst the team
threatened to damage the entire project. Luckily, I was called in to help
just in time and made sure that the leader addressed the situation by
involving the whole team, and we succeeded in saving the project.
B We organise team-building events to improve a company’s team spirit.
One company said their staff were unenthusiastic about these and saw
the previous training as a waste of time, whereas the company believed
 it was a practical way to develop loyalty and trust between team
members. We explained to the company that perhaps they had chosen
the wrong type of activity in the past, as some outdoor physical activities
may be totally unsuitable for certain staff members. We spoke to the staff
involved and suggested a less physical team-building event, which was
very successful.
C I remember one company that was notorious for choosing poor team
leaders and they might have avoided the failures had they chosen better.
For one project, the team was chosen, seemingly at random, to prepare
the way for setting up a new factory overseas. The leader was
inexperienced and uncommunicative, and everyone worked
independently. Although the objectives had been clearly set out, many
team members hated the plan from the start so were uncooperative. The
company wished it had called us in earlier.
D In one company the team leader only chose people who were his close
associates. He should have chosen them according to their skills and
ability to work in a team. Furthermore, he failed to give team members
enough time to complete tasks, putting them under extreme pressure
and leading to serious mistakes. He then threatened staff with demotion
if they failed and promptly succeeded in demotivating the whole team.
Leaders need training in the necessary skills of managing, and that
company should have chosen a more competent team leader.
 CLOZE READING (4 OPTIONS)

• Read the article below about dealing with finances.

• Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D.

• For each question 1–15, mark one letter (A, B, C or D).

• There is an example at the beginning.

Dealing with finances

Financial advice always advocates that you don’t put all your (0) C in one
basket – in other words, you spread the risk, but for many companies that is not
easy. Poor (1) …... has caused many a company to go into (2) ….... They tell us
that we have to speculate to (3) …..., but most companies are not able to (4)
…... big risks. Companies need to be fully aware of the assets and (5) …... and
especially any bad (6) ….... There are many other things which have to be taken
into account: (7) …... payments on any loans and (8) …... repayments for any
monies borrowed against property. It is vital for the finance department of any
organisation to allocate realistic (9) …... and even more important for employees
to ensure that they do not overspend.

Furthermore, limited organisations also have to pay (10) …... to

shareholders every year, (11) …... on the success of the company. Anyone who
invests in a business wants to ensure they get a good (12) …... on that investment
 and when companies are not doing well, they may start selling shares, making the
situation even worse. When companies need support, investors are often not
prepared to throw good money after (13) ….... There is no (14) …... that they
will make money, it is always a risk. Although it is ideal to always be in the (15)
…..., many businesses have to operate owing money, especially in the first few
years of business.

0. A ideas B plans C eggs D food

1. A equity B capital C collateral D cashflow

2. A bankruptcy B administration C liability D collapse

3. A accumulate B acquire C invest D accrue

4. A make B do C take D have

5. A debts B liabilities C debtors D capital

6. A deposits B charges C debts D subsidies

7. A credit B share C return D interest

8. A mortgage B overdraft C dividend D warranty

9. A loans B instalments C subsidies D budgets

10. A shares B dividends C fees D grants

11. A regarding B according C depending D concerning

12. A return B charge C interest D collateral

13. A poor B wrong C weak D bad

14. A warranty B guarantee C promise D agreement

15. A red B black C dark D pink

 PROOFREADING

• Read the text below about customer service.

• In most of the lines 1–12 there is one extra word. This 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, TICK (√) the line.

• If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS.

• The exercise begins with two examples.

 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

• Read the article below about men and women management.

• Then answer the questions with NO MORE THAN SIX WORDS.

Women are calmer than men. They are more collaborative, and they dislike self-
promotion. It is all in their genes. Progressive thought once held that men and
women were essentially the same and that it was social conditioning that made
men aggressive and women cooperative.
Some writers still argue this way. In an article in The Harvard Business Review,
Alice Fagly and Linda Carli say the reason women managers generally adopt a
softer style is unlikely to be genetic. They do it because people react badly to
aggressive women and a collaborative approach is how female managers assert
their authority.
A new book, Why Women Mean Business, is bolder: biology matters, it says. The
authors, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland, approvingly cite recent
research showing men’s and women’s brains differ. This inevitably affects the way
they manage. ‘Why would differences in communication styles, biological rhythms,
and brain functioning (to mention only a few) stop just short of leadership styles?’
they ask.
If companies want to succeed, they will have to come around to women’s way of
doing things, the authors argue. Faced with falling populations, companies in
Europe will need more women in senior management. In the new knowledge-
based economy, they say, companies need collaborative managers who can
persuade people to work in teams. There is no need for women to change their
essential natures.

1. What are two reasons show that women are calmer than men?
2. What was the social conditioning made on men and women?
3. Why do women need to adopt a softer management style?
4. What did the two authors cite in the book “Why Women Mean Business”?
5. What do European companies need to do?
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 MULTIPLE CHOICES (4 OPTIONS)

• Read the article below about the Dixons Carphone merger.

• For each question 1–6, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) for the answer you
choose.

Dixons Carphone case study: the hard work after the merger fanfare

When Dixons Retail merged with Carphone Warehouse this year, the two electrical
goods retailers turned some of their outlets immediately into joint stores. They
decided to mark out Carphone areas with lighter coloured flooring, to distinguish
them from the spaces occupied by the legacy Dixons brands: Currys and PC World.
But Mr. James, Dixons Carphone's Chief Executive, now worries the flooring may
send the wrong message to staff and customers about a partnership he hopes will
be seamless.

It is just one tiny example of the many management challenges that groups face
as they enter the critical integration phase following a takeover or merger. Even
the most promising unions can be doomed by unanticipated culture clashes,
problems with combining systems, or tension at the top between executives who
suddenly find they have to share responsibility for businesses they once headed
outright.

Almost exactly a year ago, Mr. James, who headed Dixons before the merger, met
Andrew Harrison, his opposite number at Carphone Warehouse to discuss how
they could work better together. Mr. Harrison says the deal discussions began with
a vision of ‘what we wanted to achieve and a vision of where the world was going’.
It sounds corny but could be a good start. Using a sample of recent US and UK
transactions, Cass Business School found that mergers and acquisitions based on
clear strategic intent made up a far higher percentage of those that succeeded.
Dixons and Carphone had to accelerate when rumours of the impending deal
leaked in February. While the leak put short-term pressure on the two companies,
it also allowed them to be more open with staff and suppliers. The same Cass
research shows the importance of open communication, noting that two-thirds of
successful acquirers shared more detailed information in public announcements of
their plans.

By August, the two companies had gathered their 2,000 Store Managers together
for training and to get to know each other. Individual stores took responsibility for
briefing their own staff.

The retail infrastructure of the two companies is quite different, with Carphone
staff trained to sell mobile phone contracts, whereas Currys and PC World staff
are more used to selling hardware. At the moment, the staff are measured against
separate in-store targets. But Mr. James believes ‘selling intangibles’ will become
more important for the merged group, as it moves further into service, installation,
and maintenance of ‘connected’ homes and offices.

A less obvious, but potentially significant concern is how to bring different

warehouses, stock systems, and information technology into line, to ensure, for
instance, uniform pricing of the accessories. While Dixons Carphone was able to
decide not to rebrand, the merging of the two companies' logistical infrastructure
is unavoidable – and risky. To differentiate between their roles, Mr. Harrison takes
responsibility for the growth of businesses and innovation, while Mr. James has
day-to-day operational control of the group. Mr. Harrison also heads the single
team that now handles all global supplier relationships.

As the same former Dixons executive points out, whether the combined group can
win even better terms from suppliers than Dixons and Carphone did separately will
be critical to the deal's success.
However, in many mergers of equals, one side eventually emerges dominant. The
difference in corporate mergers is that plenty of people, including staff,
shareholders and customers, mind a great deal if the honeymoon period eventually
gives way to chaos and acrimony.

1. When the two companies merged,

A. all the stores included both companies.

B. staff worked in different colour coded areas.

C. Mr. James had anticipated problems with the color coding.

D. staff and customers received a personal message from the CEO.

2. According to the article, when companies merge

A. few problems occur in the early stages.

B. the sharing of responsibility must be clarified.

C. top executives find it easier than the rest of the staff.

D. bosses can often underestimate potential difficulties.

3. Before the Dixons Carphone merger, senior managers

A. discussed the sharing of power.

B. studied various mergers around the world.

C. agreed on future objectives.

D. based their plans on each company’s current vision.

4. According to the fourth paragraph, companies planning to merge should

A. share information with suppliers.

B. avoid rumours getting out about the merger at all costs.

C. introduce staff to each other at the earliest point.

D. ensure that training is provided for all staff.

5. Dixons and Carphone staff

A. are working towards the same goals.

B. need to focus on selling their own company’s products.

C. are being trained to sell each other’s products.

D. have different experience and skills.

6. One of the main problems facing Dixons and Carphone now is

A. the fact that prices have increased.

B. the integration of their distribution centres.

C. the two top executives are unable to share responsibility.

D. negotiating better deals with global suppliers.