单选题 Though not the ideal shape for a Christmas stocking , this slim little volume could nevertheless make a welcome seasonal gift. Launched in Britain at the end of October, and covering just under 100 pages (with paragraphs inset almost to the middle of the page) , it is not much more than an extended essay. But it presents an interesting idea eloquently and clearly, offering digestible brain food amid a surfeit of turkey and television.
The author, Gerard Fairtlough, was a senior executive With Shell for many years before he left in 1980 to found a new biotechnology company called Celltech--recently bought by UCB, a Belgian group, for over
$ 2 billion. He knows how businesses are run--both well-established organisations, such as Shell, in which it can be hard to see an alternative to "the way things are done around here", and new start-ups, where the founders' enthusiasm can evaporate if it has to be corralled into an organogram.
The author's thesis is that we are all addicted to hierarchy--partly because that is how we are hardwired, as are our simian cousins, but also because we do not realise there are other ways to run organisations. "The hegemony of hierarchy, "writes Mr. Fairtlough, "makes us think the only alternative is disorganisation… we only compare hierarchy with anarchy or chaos."
There are, he says, two alternatives to hierarchy (hence the title of the book). One is heterarchy; the other, "responsible autonomy". Heterarchy is the form of structure commonly found in professional service firms, the partnerships of accountants or lawyers in which key decisions are taken by all the partners jointly. With responsible autonomy "an individual or a group has autonomy to decide what to do, but is accountable for the outcome of the decision. ""Accountability, " says Mr. Fairtlough, "is what makes responsible autonomy different from anarchy."
The author says that hierarchy is so entrenched it will take years before there is any significant change. But he perhaps gives too little credit to the many companies that have moved (and are still moving) along the spectrum from hierarchy to responsible autonomy. BP, for example, a huge multinational, has managed to devolve authority to much smaller units in recent years and has decimated the staff in its headquarters. Toyota, likewise, evolved towards greater autonomy as it discovered that the only effective way to carry out its famous" just-in-time" system of stock control was by delegating responsibility for ordering stock to the person closest to the coal face. The fact that these are among the most successful companies in the world today strengthens Mr. Fairtlough's case.
The author has not just written a book, he has also set up a publishing firm to produce it. But Triarchy Press is not a vanity publisher. It exists because Mr. Fairtlough believes that traditional business-book publishers are too focused on engineering bestsellers. He wants Triarchy Press to provide a sort of transition, a way books can test the water, at tow cost, to see how the public responds. If they get a warm reception they can subsequently be given the full publishing treatment. The danger is that the public will not notice. For first they have to find their way to a website: www. TriarchyPress. co. uk.

单选题 When the book reviewer talks about the book, he is
[A] in favor of it. [B] slightly critical of it.
[C] strongly critical of it. [D] indifferent to it.

单选题 Which of the following is NOT true about Gerard Fairtlough?
[A] He is quite experienced in running organisations.
[B] He is against the traditional way of running businesses.
[C] He was quite familiar with the topic of hierarchy.
[D] He began to work for large companies after his business closed down.

单选题 According to the book reviewer, what is the practical situation of the structure of companies?
[A] Hierarchy is not the only way.
[B] Many companies have found other alternatives.
[C] It will take a long time to change the existing structure.
[D] Heterarchy seems to be better than responsibly autonomy.

单选题 The phrase "test the water" in the last paragraph probably means
[A] ask questions. [B] check answers. [C] have a try. [D] cross a river.

单选题 Which category of writing does the review belong to?
[A] Narration. [B] Description. [C] Persuasion. [D] Exposition.