TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC KINH TẾ TP.

HCM ĐỀ THI GIỮA HỌC PHẦN

KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ KINH TẾ HỌC KỲ ĐẦU – NĂM: 2024
MÔN THI: KỸ NĂNG ĐỌC TATM 4
Thời gian làm bài: 60 phút

PART 1: Read the article below about exporting and decide whether it is Yes, No, or Not
Given.
Many firms fail because when they begin exporting, they have not researched the target markets
or have not developed an international marketing plan to be successful. A firm must clearly
define goals objectives and potential problems. Secondly it must develop a definitive plan to
accomplish it's objective regardless of problems involved. Unless the firm is fortunate enough to
possess a staff with considerable expertise, it may not be able to take this crucial first step
without qualified outside guidance.
Often top management is not committed enough to overcome the initial difficulties and financial
requirements of exporting. It can often take more time and effort to establish a firm in a foreign
market than in domestic one. Although the early delays and costs involved in exporting may
seem difficult to justify when compared to established domestic trade, the exporter should take a
more objective view of this process and carefully monitor international marketing efforts through
these early difficulties. If a good foundation is laid for export business the benefits derived
should eventually out-weigh the investment.
Another problem area is in the selection of foreign distributor. The complications involved in
overseas communications and transportation require international distributors to act with greater
independence than their domestic counterparts. Also, since a new exporter's trademarks and
reputation is usually unknown in the foreign market. Foreign customers may buy on the strength
of distributing agent's reputation. A firm should therefore conduct a thorough evaluation of the
distributor's facilities, the personnel handling its account and managements methods employed.
Another common difficultly for new exporter is the neglect of the export market once the
domestic one booms: too many companies only concentrate on exporting when there is
recession. Others may refuse to modify products to meet the regulations or cultural preferences
of other countries. Local safety regulations cannot be ignored by exporters. If necessary
modifications are not made at the factory, the distributor must make them, usually at a greater
cost and probably not as satisfactorily. It should also be noted that the resulting smaller profit
margin makes the account less attractive.
If exporters expect distributing agents to actively promote their accounts they must be trained
and their performance must be continually monitored. This requires a company's marketing
executive to be located permanently in the distributor's geographical areas until there is sufficient
business to support the representative. The distributor should also be treated on an equal basis
with domestic counterparts for e.g. special discount offers, sales incentive programmes and
special credit terms should be available.
Considering a joint venture or licensing agreement is another option for new exporters. However,
many companies still dismiss international marketing as unviable. There are a number of reasons
for this. There may be import restrictions in the target market. The company may lack sufficient
financial resources or its product line may be too limited. Yet many products that can compete on
a national basis can be successful in the majority of world markets. In general, all that is needed
for success is flexibility in using the proper combinations of marketing techniques.
1. According to the writer, firms thinking about exporting should get professional advice. T
2. If sufficient preparation is undertaken, the exporter will be successful in the long term. T
3. A firm must possess a staff with considerable expertise to overcome the initial difficulties and
financial requirements of exporting. F
4. An exporter should choose a distribution who is well-established in the target market. T
5. It is easier for well-known firms to select a foreign distributor than other ones. NG
6. New exporters often make the mistake of ignoring the export market when their product is
selling well at home. T
7. For a distribution to be successful, the exporter must give the same export as to domestic
agents. T
8. Joint ventures or licensing agreements are always considered by new exporters. F
9. According to the writer, some companies are reluctant to export because the importation of
certain goods is controlled. T
10. Many exporters can be successful in the majority of world markets because of high demand
for their products. NG

PART TWO: Read the following articles.

For each question, choose one correct letter (A, B, C or D).

Anna Wintour
60 Minutes’ Morley Safer interviews Vogue’s Editor in her first lengthy U.S. T.V. profile.
She is said to be the most powerful woman in fashion and she does nothing to dispel that belief.
Her name is Anna Wintour, a name that strikes terror in some and loathing in others. It should
also be said she commands a loyal band of friends and admirers.

‘The blurb on your unauthorized biography reads ‘She’s ambitious, driven, needy, a
perfectionist’. Accurate?’ 60 Minutes correspondent Morley Safer asked Wintour.

‘Well, I am very driven by what I do. I am certainly very competitive. I like people who
represent the best of what they do, and if that turns you into a perfectionist, then maybe I am,’
Wintour replied.

Wintour is involved in every detail of the magazine: the clothes, editing the pictures and articles.
She is decisive, impatient and bears a look that says ‘I’m the boss, and you’re boring.’
‘An editor in the final analysis is a kind of dictator – a magazine is not a democracy?’ Safer
asked.

‘It’s a group of people coming together and presenting ideas from which I pick what I think is
the best mix for each particular issue, but in the end, the final decision has to be mine.’ Wintour
explained. ‘We’re here to work. There’s on-duty time and off-duty time, and we’re drawn
together by our passion for the magazine. If one comes across sometimes as being cold or
brusque, it’s simply because I’m striving for the best.’

‘It’s not like a tea party here. We work very hard,’ Vogue’s Editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley told
Safer. Asked what kind of boss she is, Talley told Safer, ‘Let’s say that Anna can be intimidating.
I think that’s her armor, to intimidate. To give the people the sense that she is in charge. She is
not a person who’s going to show you her emotions ever. She’s like a doctor, when she’s looking
at your work, it’s like a medical analysis.’

Vogue Creative Director Grace Coddington says, ‘I think she enjoys not being completely
approachable, you know. Just her office is very intimidating, right? You have to walk about a
mile into the office before you get to her desk, and I’m sure it’s intentional.’

Jim Buckmaster

What is the office atmosphere like?

‘We don’t really have the arcade games, fussball, ping-pong tables or that sort of thing, but I
guess it’s a cosy kind of non-corporate atmosphere, it just feels like you’re sitting in a house, and
there’s no dress code. I spent a lot of years working in organisations that were regimented and we
were told what to do in many different ways, and I developed a very anti-authoritarian mindset
by the time I was put in a position of authority. The last thing I wanted to do was reproduce all of
those things that I had disliked so much. Such that our employees aren’t really told what to do, or
when to do it, or when to come into work or what they can wear, and we don’t set deadlines at all
– unless they are set for us by some external force like a regulatory agency. I don’t think that
artificial deadlines are a good idea. They just create stress where it is not needed.’

So there is no management?
‘We do have a hierarchy, we do have managerial positions, but I personally don’t like trying to
impose my will on someone else or trying to hold it out that I’m in a position of authority. I hold
that in reserve as an absolute last resort, and certainly years go by when I don’t have to exert that
kind of authority.’

How do you motivate people?

‘One of the wonderful things about working at Craigslist is that the company philosophy and
approach is such that people generally feel very good about working there. Because we have a
non-traditional philosophy – it is very pubic-good centric – people feel good about coming to
work ... We’re very careful in hiring people who are talented and self-motivated. Then once we
have people who fit that description, I’ve always found that it is just a matter of letting them do
their work.’
And you really don’t hold meetings?
‘Of all the meetings that I’ve gone to in the past, virtually all of then, I’ve felt, were kind of
useless. I don’t like closed-door meetings because they always mean something bad is going to
happen.’

11. How does Wintour approach decision-making at the magazine?

a. She leaves it to a democratic vote
b. She delegates all decisions to her team
c. She makes the final decisions after considering input
d. She avoids making decisions
12. How does Vogue’s Editor-at-large describe Anna Wintour's demeanor?
a. Warm and emotional
b. terrifying and responsible
c. Decisive and unsure
d. Interested and aloof
13. How does Grace Coddington describe Anna Wintour's approachability?
a. Completely approachable
b. Slightly intimidating
c. Partially open to interaction
d. Not completely approachable
14. What does the article reveal about Anna Wintour's involvement with Vogue?
a. She is not hands-on with the magazine
b. She oversees every detail of the magazine
c. She delegates all tasks to her team
d. She rarely interacts with the staff
15. According to the article, why does Anna Wintour strive for perfection?
a. To intimidate her team
b. To maintain a cold demeanor
c. To ensure the magazine's quality
d. To show her competitiveness
16. What best describes the office atmosphere at Craigslist?
a. Highly regimented with strict rules and dress code
b. Relaxed and non-traditional with no dress code or artificial deadlines
c. Focused on corporate structure and hierarchy
d. Stressful with strict management oversight
17. How does Jim view authority within the company?
a. Authority is exerted regularly and strictly enforced
b. Authority is rarely imposed and only used as a last resort
c. Authority is a core aspect of the company's philosophy
d. Authority is constantly emphasized in the office
18. How does the company's philosophy contribute to employee motivation according to the
article B?
a. By setting strict deadlines and expectations
b. Through a focus on public good and individual motivation
c. By enforcing traditional corporate practices
d. By restricting employee autonomy
19. According to article B, how are managerial positions viewed within the company?
a. They are used to exert authority on employees
b. They are necessary for maintaining hierarchy
c. They are imposed strictly on all employees
d. They are viewed with reserve by the speaker
20. What is the company's approach to employee autonomy?
a. Employees are closely monitored and instructed in detail
b. Employees are allowed to manage their own work
c. Employees must adhere to strict deadlines and rules
d. Employee motivation comes from external sources

PART 3: You are going to read an article about recruiting staff.

Ten sentences have been removed from the article.
Choose the best sentence from the list below to fill each of the gaps. For each gap 21 -25,
choose one letter (A to G).
FINDING THE RIGHT PEOPLE
When a small company grows, managers must take on many new roles. Besides the day-to-
day running of the business, they find themselves responsible for, among other things, relations
with outside investors, increased levels of cash flow and, hardest of all recruitment.
For most managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, the job of searching for,
interviewing and selecting staff is difficult and time-consuming. (0) ....G..... Interviewing, for
example, is a highly Skilled activity in itself.
‘We have found the whole process very hard,' says Dan Baker, founding partner of a PR
company. ‘In seven years we have grown from five to eighteen staff, but we have not found it
easy to locate and recruit the right people.' (21) ..... As Dan Baker explains, We went to one for
our first recruitment drive, but they took a lot of money in advance and didn't put forward
anybody suitable. In the end we had to do it ourselves.'
Most recruitment decisions are based on a pile of CVs, a couple of short interviews and two
cautious references. David Rowe, a business psychologist, studied how appointments were made
in five small companies. He claims that selection was rarely based on clear criteria. (22) .....This
kind of approach to recruitment often has unhappy consequences for both employers and new
recruits.
Small companies often know what kind of person they are looking for. (23)………
According to David Rowe, this means that small company managers themselves have to devote
more time and energy to recruitment. It shouldn't be something that is left to the evenings or
weekends.
Many companies start the recruitment process with over-optimistic ideas about the type of
person that will fit into their team. 'It's very easy to say you must have the best people in the top
positions,' says Alex Jones, managing partner of an executive recruitment company. 'But
someone who is excellent in one company may not do so well in another environment. (24) .....
You can never guarantee a successful transfer of skills.'
 Whatever the candidate's qualifications, their personal qualities are just as important since
they will have to integrate with existing members of staff. This is where, the recruitment industry
argues, they can really help.
According to Alex Jones, 'A good recruitment agency will visit your company and ask a lot
of questions. (25) ..... They can ask applicants all sorts of questions you don't like to ask and
present you with a shortlist of people who not only have the skills, but who are likely to fit in
with your company's way of doing things.'

A. A finance director in a big company, for example, will often make a terrible small
company finance director because he or she is used to having a team doing the day-to-day jobs.
24
B. More often than not, the people making the choice prioritised different qualities in
candidates or relied on guesswork. 22
C. Recruitment would seem an obvious task to outsource, but the company's experience of
recruitment agencies was not encouraging. 21
D. They need paying for that, of course, but you will have them working for you and not for
the candidate. 25
E. They are usually in very specific markets and the problem they face is that recruitment
agencies may not really understand the sector. 23
F. This means that companies cannot spend more than the standard ten minutes interviewing
each applicant.
G. Yet few are trained and competent for all aspects of the task.

BEC 2 - TEST 2 – PART 2