单选题· Read the text below about a European rail service and the questions below the passage.· For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer sheet for the answer you choose. {{B}}Success of New Rail Links in Europe{{/B}} The Eurostar company is now running frequent train services using the tunnel built beneath the sea between Britain and France. Millions of passengers have already travelled on Eurostar trains and there are now twenty services a day between London and Paris and nine between London and Brussels. Eurostar has already won 40% of all passengers from the UK to Paris and Brussels but further growth will depend on the business market. The early morning departure to Paris is proving popular, especially for business people from London who need to do a full day's work in the French capital. However. exactly how many of Eurostar's passengers are business travellers is unknown. While first-class accommodation has been 70% fill, many of these passengers are travelling on holiday: one travel agent estimates Eurostar has only 20% of the business travel market. Meanwhile, tour operators report a sharp rise in the sale of short trips to Paris. which, they claim, is largely due to the possibility of travelling by Eurostar. As Eurostar increases the frequency of daily journeys over the next year. it will need more business travellers than ever to fill its trains. However, business travel agents feel that some aspects of Eurostar service could be improved. According to one large business travel agent. "Eurostar's marketing has been poor and it needs to look more closely at doing commercial deals with large travel agents and corporations to become more attractive than airlines". British travel agents alone are now spending over ￡1 million a month with Eurostar. Naturally, they are expecting Eurostar to provide some good deals and flexible tickets. Eurostar is hoping to attract more customers as it expands its network of services. Already, train journeys between London and Paris stop at a few towns and cities enroute. There will also be daytime and overnight services front eighteen other British cities to Paris and Brussels, and planning is in progress for services from London to cities in Holland and Germany. Soon, many major towns and cities in Britain and other European countries will have regular direct connections within Eurostar's network. The demand for Eurostar is forcing airlines to use smaller planes on the London-Paris and London-Brussels service, two of the busiest air routes in the world. One British airline reports a 15% decline in ticket sales to both Paris and Brussels. The crucial marketing aspect in business travel is frequency, Rather than cut frequency, airlines have reduced the size of their aircraft to prevent further losses. However, the large airlines will find it easier to maintain their flight schedules by introducing lower capacity planes. Eurostar threatens mainly the smaller airlines, which already have fewer services and smaller planes.

单选题Writing Effective Job Descriptions A job description describes the major areas of an employee's job or position. A good job description begins with a careful (19) of the important facts about a job, such as the individual tasks (20) the methods used to complete the tasks, the purpose and responsibilities of the job, the (21) of the job to other jobs, and the (22) needed for the job. It's important to (23) a job description practical by keeping it dynamic, functional, and current. Don't get stuck with an inflexible job description! A poor job description will (24) you and your employees from trying anything new and (25) how to perform their job more productively. A well- written, practical job description will (26) you avoid hearing a refusal to carry out a relevant assignment because "It isn't in my job description. " Realistically speaking, many jobs are (27) to change due either to personal growth, organizational development, or the evolution of new technologies. (28) job descriptions will encourage your employees to grow within their positions and learn how to make larger (29) to your company. For example: Is your office manager stuck (30) ordering office supplies for the company and keeping the storage closet well stocked or is he (31) and implementing a system of ordering office supplies that promotes cost savings and (32) within the organization? When writing a job description, keep in mind that the job description will (33) as a major basis for outlining job training or conducting future job evaluations.

单选题Developing a Mission Statement A company mission statement can be a powerful force to clearly define your company's purpose for existence. In the beginning, your company was formed to accomplish something that did not exist in the marketplace, or to do a better job than existing companies. What was that special purpose? Small companies seldom take the time to discuss or write out their company mission, but they should. It will pay measurable financial dividends over time. The commitment to formulating a company mission can be critical to your company's success. It helps keep management focused on preserving or strengthening the company's unique competitive niche. It can also prevent panic and unwise marketing or spending responses to meet an indirect thrust by competitors into your market. The most successful company missions are measurable and definable project statements with emotional appeal that everyone knows and can act upon. For example, a mission to "be the best health-care provider in the world" for a multinational Health Maintenance Organisation sounds good. But a simple mission statement from Honda "Beat GM!" is better because it's a project statement that can be measured every day by every employee. Mission statements can also affect company strategies and tactics. If Honda Motors were to change its mission to "Beat Toyota!", different strategies would be called for, along with different geographic tactics in sales. advertising, and distribution of cars. How important is it to define your company's mission? Consider a famous U.S. refrigerator manufacturer whose sales were growing only at the rate of new home-building during the 1950s. They undertook a year-long project to define whether they were in the business of building refrigerators to preserve food or in the business of food preservation. They decided they were in the business of food preservation, which got them eventually into new product and business areas such as artificial atmospheres (e. g., nitrogen for fresh fruit preservation, freeze-drying technologies) and increased their sales from hundreds of millions of dollars to several billion dollars by the 1980s. Mission statements can be difficult to write. Companies spend months and years attempting to clearly define the best mission statement for current circumstances. Companies that have a clear vision and management that can articulate it and communicate it to all employees, have the basis for a call-to-action mission statement. A call-to-action mission statement provides key attributes that are often missing in other company mission statements. First, it elicits an emotional, motivational response in company employees. Second, it is easily understood and can be transferred into individual action every day. Third, it is a measurable, tangible goal. Last, it is firmly rooted in the competitive environment in which the company operates. A good mission statement provides vision and direction for the company for at least 10 to 20 years and should not have to be revised every few years with changes in the company's environment. But the company mission statement must be revised if it is no longer appropriate or has lost significance or relevance.

单选题FAMILY BUSINESSESMany people at some stage in their lives consider setting up a business with their partner or other members of their family. The idea may seem very appealing, but the reality of working with someone close to you can often create unforeseen problems. 80% of family-run businesses think that when times get tough, love, romance or family bonds will see them through. But the fact is that although 70% of businesses are family-run, only 40% of these companies survive into the second generation.Why do so many family businesses fail? While money has traditionally been thought of as the root of all difficulties, the major problem is much more basic. In businesses which don't have family tie or relationships, people find it easier to communicate and to say what is on their mind. In contrast, with family businesses, people often make the mistake of thinking they know what views other family members have without actually discussing with them. There is one strategy which should be employed in all family businesses to protect future problems. As time goes by, one partner may lose interest or not work as effectively as they are expected to. If each partner's responsibilities are identified from the start so that they know exactly what is required of them, difficulties are less likely to arise as the business develops. It is also recommended to ask yourselves a few "what if" questions before starting a family business. For example, what if one Of the partners brought a friend into the business and the others didn't like this person? What would you all do? To avoid this kind of situation, you should talk it over amongst yourselves. This sort of research can make you aware of both your own attitudes and the attitudes of the other members of the family before problems actually occur.Contracts are another potential problem area. Too many family businesses are run on the most informal terms. People often think it an insult to ask a relative to sign a contract outlining the terms of a business venture. But you should treat the family business like any other business and get a professional to draw up a contract. Whether the business is profitable or not, it is supposed that the shares and who owns them must be clearly defined and written into a formal agreement. It must also be clear who is running the company. Some family businesses take a vote on every decision. Perhaps this exercise in democracy should be applauded, but it created so many complications that in the end the business failed. Even a small committee can sometimes be too large. In matters affecting the entire company, only one of you should be the decision maker. He or she doesn't have to be the largest shareholder, but should be the one best able to lead the business.Another type of problems arises when a relative decides to join an already established business. In these cases, you should do everything you can to avoid favouritism. It is important to avoid putting him straight into any kind of managerial position. Instead, encourage him to learn not only the company but the people who make it work by working on the shop floor on the assembly line. They have to prove to be a valuable asset not to the family but to the business.

单选题Why did even long distance phone companies offer credit cards?

单选题DearShareholders,2001wasachallengingbutsuccessfulyearforourcompany.Wewere(19)byoneofthemostbrutalglobaleconomiesindecades,aswellasbythe(20)ofthetragedyofSeptember11.Butourpeople(21)remarkablytothesechallenges.Thankstothecontinuousupgrading,(22)andexpansionofourmodelrange,wewereabletoincreaseourshareofagenerallydecliningworldautomotivemarketfrom13.1%to13.5%.Sales(23)increasedby6.5%to88.5billion.Theprofitbeforetaxof4.4billionincreasedbyadisproportionatelyhighamount,(24)thepreviousyear'sfigureby18.6%.In2001we(25)eightnewmodelsandintroducednumerousnewengine(26)andequipmentdetails.Wewillcontinuetoexpandglobalmarket(27)inthecomingmonthsandaddtoourmodelrangewithproducts.Inorderto(28)thecompetitivenessofourcompany,inthenextfiveyears,weplantoInvest31.2billionin(29)assetsintheAutomotiveDivision.Theaverageinvestmentratiooverthenextfiveyearswillbereducedfrom8.1%to6.7%,whichisatthelevelsofoarcompetitors.Withour(30)brandandproductportfolio,ourskilledand(31)workforce,ourcommercialstrengthandourfocuson(32)business,weexpecttomakefurthermarketshamgainsforthecomingyear,whilekeepingoarcompetitivepositionstrong.Wethereforeaskyouonceagaintoplaceyour(33)inusasyouhaveinthepast.Yourssincerely,J.O'NeilJ.O'NeilChairman

单选题The Role of Price What is price? Price is often said to be the amount of money people must have to get something (19) .That is to say, we take prices as a formal (20) indicating the quantities of money needed to acquire a given quantity of goods or services. When a loaf of bread is (21) as $0.50, it means the seller provides one loaf of bread and the buyer (22) $0.50. If a seller wishes to change prices, what can he do? There are several ways to do that. Suppose when there is a (23) of sugar cane, there will be an increase in the price of sugar. (24) the seller can change the price by increasing the quantity of money to be given by the buyer. This is the first way. The second way to change price is to change the quantity of goods and services. If the quantity of a product remains (25) , but the quality has been decreased, then the price has (26) increased. This is the third way. Price can also be changed by offering discounts, (27) goods or services. (28) this case, the actual price of goods is reduced. There are also some other ways to change prices. which either increase prices or reduce prices. Price (29) play a major role in a market economy. When demand for a product or service is greater than the supply, buyers (30) the price up. If costs remain unchanged, the higher price (31) greater profits and the producers are able to (32) in resources to produce even greater quantities of the product. On the other hand, if supply is greater than demand, there are (33) to decrease prices and reduce output. These pressures lead producers to put their resources into other uses.

单选题·Look at the guidelines below about staff appraisal.·Choose the best word from the opposite page to fill each gap.·For each question 19-33 mark one letter A, B, C or D on your Answer Sheet. {{B}}Staff Appraisal{{/B}}Management and staff have agreed to put in place (example) a company-wide system for staff appraisal. Each member of staff will meet at least once a year with their manager to discuss and assess the employee's performance and to complete an appraisal form.Staff appraisal interviews are a valuable means of{{U}} (19) {{/U}}between managers and subordinates: they ensure that an organization develops its human{{U}} (20) {{/U}}and that employees get maximum job{{U}} (21) {{/U}}The guidelines below have been drawn up in order to assist in this{{U}} (22) {{/U}}The Appraisal InterviewThe main{{U}} (23) {{/U}}of the interview is to{{U}} (24) {{/U}}employees be as effective as possible in their present jobs. It{{U}} (25) {{/U}}the manager and subordinate the opportunity to review past and present job performance together, and to{{U}} (26) {{/U}}for the future.First Stage—Preparation for the interviewBefore the appraisal interview the manager and subordinate should{{U}} (27) {{/U}}the specific areas for discussion and agree on a time-period which the appraisal should{{U}} (28) {{/U}}(normally 12 months).Second Stage—At the interviewIf necessary the employee and manager should{{U}} (29) {{/U}}to last year's appraisal and decide whether key aims and targets have been achieved. They should{{U}} (30) {{/U}}on aims for the future appraisal period and how performance should be judged.Third Stage—Assessment of performanceThe appraisal document should be completed by the manager after the interview. It should then be discussed with the employee before the{{U}} (31) {{/U}}signing.It should include:a) Areas of the employee's work where there have been failures.b) Areas where there have been prominent successes.c) An assessment of the employee's{{U}} (32) {{/U}}to organize and plan his or her time, and to make the most efficient{{U}} (33) {{/U}}of resources.

单选题 Cruise Ship Holidays Passengers on cruise ship holidays, as they are (0) on TV programs and films, usually appear to be both rich and elderly. Such people do not, however, accurately represent the 6.8 million (19) who took this kind of holiday last year. Over the last few years the world cruise industry has concentrated on (20) to younger, less wealthy people, giving them a/an (21) more like a floating disco than the traditional quiet holiday on a luxury ship. Even families with young children are no longer so (22) on cruise ship. Partly as a result, the number of passengers taking a cruise has increased by a/an (23) of 8.5 % a year since 1990. Cruise Star is now the world's (24) cruise line. The other two major companies are Intersail and Seaways. Together these three carry (25) half the world's cruise passengers and (26) almost all the industry's profits. For the 30 or so smaller firms, life is much tougher. That is because (27) size brings so many benefits to the large firms. They can negotiate bulk discounts on (28) such as food and fuel, and even, if they order enough of them, on ships. A secondary (20) for the smaller operators is that they cannot spread overheads such broadly marketing. A significant part of the cost of (30) people on a cruise happens before they go on board the ship. The three large companies between them spend more than $ 100 million a year on TV (31) in America. They (32) armies of salesman. Delivering passengers to the ship is part of package deal and, once again, (33) means savings: Cruise Star is the biggest single buyer of airline tickets in America.

单选题I am very happy to be invited to write this reference on behalf of Mr Lee Su Lai. Mr Lee has worked in my company for twelve years and I have much pleasure in recommending him highly for the (21) of Deputy Production Manager in your new company. He is (22) qualified and he has a great deal of experience which should be very (23) for the post for which he has applied. Above all, I have long been (24) by Mr Lee's general attitude to his work. Whenever a problem (25) he always seeks a positive solution. Moreover, his (26) to find such a solution willpower (27) his success as he simply refuses to recognize the (28) that there is no answer. Mr Lee is also able to turn what appears to be a disadvantage into a chance to (29) himself and the company. For example, if he receives a letter of (30) from a customer, he seems able to reply in such a way which not only (31) the customer but increases his (32) in the company. Two years age, when a serious fire (33) most of the spinning section in our main factory, Mr Lee took the opportunity to re-design the (34) of the entire area and order safer and more (35) machinery, doubling our previous output.

单选题 People Express People Express, founded in April 1981, grew rapidly on the basis of low fares and no-frills service. It soon became a leading airline and (19) changed the industry as firms constantly engaged in price wars to lure passengers. Then, People Express' bubble (20) because it overexpanded, consumer complaints mounted and other airlines matched its fares on popular routes. In 1986,People Express (21) hundreds of millions of dollars and was forced to sell out to Texas Air, the owner of Continental and Eastern Airlines. In early 1987,Texas Air (22) People Express into its Continental division and industry observers believed (23) the costly fare wars would be ended. They could not have been more wrong. To stimulate business for its (24) Continental Airlines, Texas Air instituted a new low fare category (25) MaxSaver. The fare offered prices that were up to 40 per cent lower than" supersaver" rates offered …28…all airlines. For example, the round-trip MaxSaver fare from New York to Houston was $79. The MaxSaver fares were immediately matched by all major airlines, (26) feared losing business. While MaxSaver rates were low, they also had restrictions. Tickets could not be (27) or flight times modified after purchase. Passengers would have to stay over either a Saturday or Sun- day. Reservations had to be made at least two days (28) ,and there were limited seats available. Three weeks after MaxSaver rates were (29) American Airlines announced plans to raise its discount fares and require 30-day (30) purchasing for its lowest fares. It felt it could not continue at the rates in effect. However, just 10 days (31) American Airlines had to revise its plan. Texas Air refused to abandon the MaxSaver fare; it even extended the (32) pro- gram into the busy summer season. Competitors went along and the price war raged on, (33) an executive's that "nobody's cost structure can survive MaxSave./

单选题In 1998, 25-year old John Stewart was found redundant. He was left with a compensation (19) of ￡5,000 and a determination to be his own (20) As a supporter of his local football club, he had often helped them by maintaining and repairing their seating. He now (21) to set up his own company and make a (22) out of his hobby.His first (23) was to get 1,000 brochures printed, (24) the two main services which he could (25) repair and maintenance. He sent these brochures to amateur and professional football clubs, and other similar (26) such as hockey clubs.The week after completing the mailing was the worst of his life. He had no responses at all. Then a letter arrived from Scotland inviting him to give a (27) for a pre-season check of a football club's seating. He arrived in Scotland in three hours; by the end of the afternoon he had signed the (28) to do the work. For￡500 the club had its seating made good, and on arriving home three days later, John worked (29) that he had made a ￡250 (30) The next four weeks were extremely busy, as club after club (31) John to work for them. He priced each job in the same way as the first, working out all the direct (32) then adding 100%. Money started to flow in and John bought a van and rented a factory unit on an industrial estate near his house.Then in late August the phones stopped (33) as the pre-season work dried up. John realised that he needed longer-term work and decided to move into the manufacture of seating for new sports stadiums and the replacement market.

单选题 Service production Services are not purchased from a supplier and stored on a shelf until ordered by the customer. Instead, they are manufactured or produced after they axe requested by the customer. This in itself sets service retailing apart from goods retailing and places the retailer in the channel as the manufacturer as well as the retailer of the service being sold. The placement of the retailer as the product of the service carries with it all the problems associated with the manufacture of goods -- research and development, scheduling, raw materials acquisition, quality control and service consistency throughout various branch store operations. The improvement or upgrading of services must be done by the retailer. Constant monitoring of completion and decisions on improving aspects of the service, as well as research into the satisfaction customers are experiencing with their purchases, are part of service management. Scheduling of services retailing presents a dual problem, If the service is performed on a good owned by the customer (china repair, silver polishing, etc.), the production process can be scheduled in an orderly flow of first in, first out. The craftsperson focuses on one item and, when finished with it, moves to the next. The scheduling process is more complicated where the service involves the individual (legal services, beauty care, driving lessons, and the like). With these types of service, production and consumption take place at the same time. A scheduling of customers is required to maximize the production capabilities of the service offering. The driving instructor who has no student must sit idle. Greater attention may then be required in scheduling services, especially those involving the customer. In the retailing of men's suits, the quality control activity is left to the manufacturer, while in the retailing of services, the involvement with quality control standards rests with the retailer. Customers purchasing a shirt at the man store expect the same quality when they purchase an identical, shirt at a branch store. This consistency in quality is assumed with goods retailing. The consistency of quality in service retailing is much more in doubt. The driving instructor at one store may be very different from an instructor at another store within the same, retail chain. The involvement of the craftsperson in the production process for custom draperies may also differ within the same retail store. To ensure the consistency of a service, the store must establish procedures and policies which can be implemented throughout each branch store within that chain. Central training may be the best way to accomplish this consistency. It is of course possible that a customer may develop a preference or loyalty to one specific craftsperson, but the development of loyalty to the store with consistency of the production process is a more healthy loyalty t9 cultivate. In this area, the store may try to develop a strong brand- name recognition for its service. A faulty product may be covered under the manufacturer's liability, yet the retailer, when becoming the manufacturer’s must be aware of the sole liability associated with the service. Other than the liability of faulty mw material, there is no other recourse for the retailer to turn to. Store-liability coverage should be considered, and most likely increased, especially for those services performed on the individual (beauty services, dental treatments ).

单选题· Read the article below about job satisfaction and employee morale.· Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.· For each gap 8-12, mark one letter (A-G) on your Answer Sheet.· Do not use any letter more than once. {{B}} Service production{{/B}} Services are not purchased from a supplier and stored on a shelf until ordered by the customer. Instead, they are manufactured or produced after they axe requested by the customer. This in itself sets service retailing apart from goods retailing and places the retailer in the channel as the manufacturer as well as the retailer of the service being sold. The placement of the retailer as the product of the service carries with it all the problems associated with the manufacture of goods -- research and development, scheduling, raw materials acquisition, quality control and service consistency throughout various branch store operations. The improvement or upgrading of services must be done by the retailer. Constant monitoring of completion and decisions on improving aspects of the service, as well as research into the satisfaction customers are experiencing with their purchases, are part of service management. Scheduling of services retailing presents a dual problem, If the service is performed on a good owned by the customer (china repair, silver polishing, etc.), the production process can be scheduled in an orderly flow of first in, first out. The craftsperson focuses on one item and, when finished with it, moves to the next. The scheduling process is more complicated where the service involves the individual (legal services, beauty care, driving lessons, and the like). With these types of service, production and consumption take place at the same time. A scheduling of customers is required to maximize the production capabilities of the service offering. The driving instructor who has no student must sit idle. Greater attention may then be required in scheduling services, especially those involving the customer. In the retailing of men's suits, the quality control activity is left to the manufacturer, while in the retailing of services, the involvement with quality control standards rests with the retailer. Customers purchasing a shirt at the man store expect the same quality when they purchase an identical, shirt at a branch store. This consistency in quality is assumed with goods retailing. The consistency of quality in service retailing is much more in doubt. The driving instructor at one store may be very different from an instructor at another store within the same, retail chain. The involvement of the craftsperson in the production process for custom draperies may also differ within the same retail store. To ensure the consistency of a service, the store must establish procedures and policies which can be implemented throughout each branch store within that chain. Central training may be the best way to accomplish this consistency. It is of course possible that a customer may develop a preference or loyalty to one specific craftsperson, but the development of loyalty to the store with consistency of the production process is a more healthy loyalty t9 cultivate. In this area, the store may try to develop a strong brand- name recognition for its service. A faulty product may be covered under the manufacturer's liability, yet the retailer, when becoming the manufacturer’s must be aware of the sole liability associated with the service. Other than the liability of faulty mw material, there is no other recourse for the retailer to turn to. Store-liability coverage should be considered, and most likely increased, especially for those services performed on the individual (beauty services, dental treatments ).

单选题Gianni Agnelli, Chairman of Fiat, Italy's largest private industrial corporation, is known in Italy as the lawyer, because he trained in law at Turin University. Though A he has never practiced, his training may be useful. On April 17th Mr. Agnelli admitted to a group of Italian industrialists in Venice (19) Fiat had been (20) in some corruptions in Italy. On April 21st, Fiat's lawyers and Cesare Romiti, its managing director, met Milan magistrates to (21) the firm's involvement in bribery to win business from state-owned companies. Fiat is not the (22) Italian company caught up in Italy's increasing political corruption scandal. According to the latest figure, some 200 businessmen and politicians were sitting in prison (23) a result of judicial inquiries into kickbacks paid to politicians by firms. Hundreds more are still (24) influence of Fiat, (25) sales are equal to 4% of Italy's home product, the scandal at the company has (26) the industrial establishment. Though neither Mr. Agnelli (27) Mr. Romiti has been (28) of wrong doing, several other senior Fiat managers have allegedly been involved in paying kickbacks to win state-owned contracts. (29) arrested include Francesco Mattiol, Fiat's finance director, and Antonio Moscon, the (30) head of its Toro insurance branch. (31) men have been (32) about their previous roles on the board of Cogefar-Impresit, Fiat's construction subsidiary. Last May, Enzo Papi admitted paying a 1.5 million-dollar bribe for a contract (33) to Milan's underground.

单选题Mr.BristowwouldliketodealwiththematternowbecauseKeithtoldhimthecase______.

单选题20 … an English course can be an interesting experience. A. To assist B. To attend C. Attending D. Assisting

单选题 · Read the article below about exporting and the questions. · For each question (13-18), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. {{B}}Problems Potential Exporters Are Facing{{/B}} Many firms fail to succeed, because when they begin exporting they have not researched the target markets or developed an international marketing plum. To be successful, a firm must clearly define its goals, objectives and potential problems. Secondly, it must develop a definitive plan to accomplish its objectives, regardless of the 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 the 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 outweigh the investment. Another problem area is in the selection of the 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 are usually unknown in the foreign market, foreign customers may buy on the strength of the distributing agent's reputation. A firm should therefore conduct a thorough evaluation of the distributor's facilities, the personnel handling its account, and the management methods employed. Another common difficulty for the new exporter is the neglect of the export market once the domestic one booms, too many companies only concentrate on exporting when there is a 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 continually monitored. This requires a company marketing executive to be located permanently in the distributor's geographical region. It is therefore advisable for new exporters to concentrate their efforts in a few geographical areas until there is sufficient business to support a company representative. The distributor should also be treated on an equal basis with domestic counterparts. For example, 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.