7 First, they were told that all staff had a ...for stress management. 8 They were given a ' ...' to help them recognise likely stress points. 9 They were taught to select the right, so -called ... to cope with stress. 10 Most people felt the focus on t h e ...of stress was worthwhile. 11 D iscu ssin g... enabled participants to see how they could help staff.
Outcome
1 0 8 L is t e n in g
PART TWO
Questions 13-22
• You will hear five people talking about custom er relations.
• For each extract there are two tasks. For Task O ne, decide which custom er relations strategy each person adopted from the list A -H . For Task Two, decide what each speaker says has been the main benefit of a focus on custom er relations, from the list A -H .
• You will hear the recording twice.
T A S K O N E - S T R A T E G Y A D O P T E D
• For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the custom er relations strategy, listed A -H . • For each extract choose the custom er relations strategy adopted by each person.
• Write one letter (A -H ) next to the num ber of the extract.
1 3 ... A Ensure all custom er docum entation is clear. B Provide a helpful after-sales service.
1 4 ... C Make sure staff are well informed about the products
1 5 ...
D O ffer custom ers that little bit extra.
E Ensure staff behaviour does not give offence. 1 6 ... F Try to explain any problem s clearly.
G Provide easy-to-use feedback forms.
1 7 ... H Try to see the company from the custom er's position.
T A S K T W O - M A I N B E N E F I T
• For questions 18-22, match the extracts with the main benefit that has been gained by a focus on customer relations, listed A -H .
• For each extract, choose the main benefit each speaker describes. • Write one letter (A -H ) next to the num ber of the extract.
1 8 ... A increased staff satisfaction B reduced marketing costs 1 9 ... C higher profit margins
2 0 ... D increased custom er retention rates E a stronger position in the m arket place 2 1 ... F more accessible systems
G a more flexible organisation
2 2 ... H products that m eet market needs better
PART THREE
Questions 23-30
• You will hear two m anagers called M ark and Pam, who are attending the sam e conference, discussing the problem s of staff retention.
• For each question 23-30, m ark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. • You will hear the recording twice.
23 In M ark's view, what part does m oney play in retaining staff? A It lessens in importance as people achieve more senior posts. B It becomes m ore attractive when living costs increase. C It has to be accom panied by valuable benefits.
24 Which non-material advantage does Pam think might help to keep staff? A pleasant colleagues
B a sense of com m unity C a com fortable office
25 Mark refers to som eone who has worked with him for years to suggest that A public awards are a good way to m otivate staff.
B workmates need to show they value each oth er's work. C big prizes serve to make people much more competitive. 26 What do Pam and Mark both think about managers today?
A They are so overworked that they can't oversee their team properly. B Training has m ade them more aware of their support role.
C An unhelpful attitude often leads to staff resignations.
27 Mark thinks that the flexibility most people would value is being able to A organise their work time round the family.
B take a period of time off unpaid to go travelling. C transfer their work entirely to their home.
28 In Pam 's view, how would staff feel about being asked to do more training? A They would only consider it if the com pany paid the fees.
B They could object to having to give up som e of their free time. C They might welcom e it if it helped to develop their career path.
29 According to Mark, what should concern a company if staff keep jobs for som e time? A Boredom may make them careless in the way they work.
B They may need extra challenges to m aintain their com mitment. C They may become too well-established and prove hard to dismiss. 30 What solution does Pam suggest to the problem of blocked promotion?
A Offer short fixed-term contracts to some senior staff. B Introduce a system in which som e m anagerial posts rotate. C Second some staff to other com panies on a tem porary basis.
\ E C T E S T 4 F u r t h e r p r a c t i c e a n d g u i d a n c e 111
F u r t h e r p r a c t i c e f o r L i s t e n i n g P a r t s O n e , T w o a n d T h r e e E X A M I N F O R M A T I O N
Look at this list o f exam tips and decide which part o f the Listening Test each tip refers to. 1 Decide whether to attem pt both tasks during the first listening.
2 Check that you have spelt the answers correctly. 3 Write clearly using capital letters.
4 Underline key words in the three options.
5 Read the instructions above the task very carefully. 6 If you are not absolutely sure of the answer, guess.
A D E T A I L E D S T U D Y P a r t O n e
Answers that are written incorrectly will not be awarded a mark. It is therefore very important to check that you know how to spell com m on business words.
Look at these sentences. There is a mistake in each one. Identify the mistake and correct it. 1 The personal department keeps records of absences through sickness. 2 1 think the principal function of a Line M anager is to supervise their team. 3 You'll find the printer cartridges in the stationary cupboard.
4 The company nearly went bankrum pt last year.
5 The core com petencys are all explained in the staff manual. 6 His secreatarial skills are definitely above average.
7 We need to find sufficient accom odation for our conference delegates. 8 It's time to prepare for the annual staff apraisals.
9 Journalists have to take care not to infringe the copyw rite laws. 10 Inefficency creates a lot of unnecessary expense.
P a r t T w o
Check what the focu s o f each task is before you listen and note the verb tense which is used. Look at the instructions fo r Part Two now on page 108.
1 W hat is the focus for Task One?
2 Is this task focused on a past, present or future action? 3 What is the focus for Task Two?
4 Is this task focused on the past, present or future? 5 What are the two key words in this task?
112 F u r t h e r p r a c t i c e a n d g u i d a n c e B E C
Now look at the tapescript below and follow the instructions.
6 Underline the two sentences that provide the answ er to Task One. 7 Select the correct option from the Task O ne list.
8 Circle the distractors for Task One.
9 Put a line through the phrase that rules out those distractors. 10 Underline the answer for Task Two.
11 Circle the distractor for Task Two.
12 Put a line through the phrase that rules out that distractor.
We trade in a competitive area, so we decided to try to give our company a bit o f an edge by focusing on customer relations. We brainstormed some options and then analysed how viable they were. Some important items like the brochures and customer response questionnaires had recently been revised so those were put on one side. Someone suggested that sales sta ff could be encouraged to imagine how they'd feel if they were purchasing goods from us - how they'd prefer to be treated. We decided to try that and
it made a difference. After six months it was clear that the balance sheet looked much healthier. We also expect our advertising budget next year to be lower than in previous years, but time will tell on that one. Nouj try a similar procedure with another o f the Part Two tapescripts on page 161.