单选题 · For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. SHOPPERS on Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season in America, which falls on November 27th this year, are notoriously aggressive. Some even start queuing outside stores before dawn to be the first to lay their hands on heavily discounted merchandise. Last year berserk bargain-hunters in the suburbs of New York City trampled a Wal-Mart employee to death. Despite the frenzy at many stores, however, the recession appears to have accelerated the pace at which shoppers are abandoning bricks and mortar in favour of online retailers—e-tailers, in the jargon. So this year Black Friday (so named because it is supposed to put shops into profit for the year) also marks the start of many conventional retailers' attempts to regain the initiative. E-commerce holds particular appeal in straitened times as it enables people to compare prices across retailers quickly and easily. Buyers can sometimes avoid local sales taxes online, and shipping is often free. No wonder, then, that online shopping continues to grow even as the offline sort shrinks. In 2008 retail sales grew by a feeble 1% in America and are expected to decline by more than 3% this year, according to the National Retail Federation, a trade body. In contrast, online sales grew by 13% in 2008 to over $141 billion and are predicted to grow by 11% in 2009, according to Forrester, a consultancy. Online-only shopping sites such as Amazon and eBay, two e-commerce giants, have thrived in the downturn. Amazon's sales rose to around $5.5 billion in the third quarter of the year, up by almost 30% from a year before. Listings, chiefly from commercial vendors, have surged so rapidly on eBay that its website briefly crashed on November 21st. The range of items available online is also growing. Amazon has started selling groceries. Consumer-goods companies such as Procter & Gamble (P & G) are encouraging the sale of things like nappies (diapers) and laundry detergent online. At the opposite extreme, the internet is also being used to sell luxury goods. Fabergé, a defunct jewellery-maker known for its gem-encrusted eggs, relaunched in September. It will not open any shops but will instead operate only online. The shift in spending to the internet is good news for companies like P & G that lack retail outlets of their own. But it is a big concern for brick-and-mortar retailers, whose prices are often higher than those of e-tailers, since they must bear the extra expense of running stores. Happily, however, conventional retailers are in a better position to fight back than last year, when overstocking forced them to resort to ruinous discounting. Inventories are about 15% lower this year. Some big retailers, such as Saks and Target, have recently reported rising revenues and margins. The concept of "multichannel" shopping, where people can buy the same items from the same retailer in several different ways—online, via their mobile phones and in shops—is gaining ground, and retailers are trying to encourage users of one channel to try another. Growing online traffic may actually increase sales in stores too. According to a spokesman for Macy's, a department-store chain, every dollar a consumer spends online with Macy's leads to $5.70 in spending at a Macy's store within ten days, because consumers learn about other products online and come into stores to look them over before buying them. Many online retailers offer tools that let people locate the nearest outlet that has a given item in stock. Retailers are also trying to make shopping seem fun and exciting to counteract the economic gloom. One common tactic is to set up "pop-up" stores, which appear for a short time before vanishing again, to foster a sense of novelty and urgency. Following the lead of many bricks-and-mortar outfits, eBay recently launched a pop-up in New York where customers could inspect items before ordering them from kiosks.

单选题 ·You will hear five reporters, reporting daily business news. ·For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, decide which industry they reported from the list A-H. For Task Two, choose the summary of the business news from the list A-H. ·After you have listened once, replay the recording. {{B}}Task One—The industries they reported{{/B}} ·For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the industries, listed A-H. ·For each extract, choose the industry reported. ·Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A oil industry B high-tech industry C fireworks industry D retailing industry E movie industry F automobile industry G gas industry H manufacturing industry

单选题Susan packs goods on an assembly fine. She is paid a different amount each month, depending on her output. By what method of remuneration is Susan paid?

单选题 ·You will hear five different people talking about their jobs. ·For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, decide what their jobs are from the list A-H. For Task Two, choose the attitudes of the speakers towards their jobs from the list A-H. ·After you have listened once, replay the recording. {{B}}Task One-Jobs{{/B}} ·For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the jobs, listed A- H. ·For each extract, decide what the job the speaker is talking about. ·Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A lawyer B manager C secretary of boss D driver E engineer F secretary of R & D G accountant H shift supervisor

单选题Starbucks Because of rapid globalisation over recent years, the competition around the world becomes more intense, especially for the service industry with the similar products. The most critical point for business to succeed is not only the quality of products they supply, but also the atmosphere of cooperating and the amount from yield of teamwork in retail sales. The employees who always deal with customers and can realise what customers really need are first-line staff. Therefore, it turns to be essential for companies to motivate, reward and train their employees to be the best quality personnel. Starbucks began by three friends, Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker, who knew each other in the University of Seattle. In 1971, the first name of their store is "Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice" in Seattle, Washington's Pike Place Market. Starbucks Corpotation, the most famous chain of retail coffee shops in the world, mainly benefits from roasting，selling special coffee beans and various kinds of coffee or tea drinks. It owns about 4,000 branches in the whole world. Moreover, it has been one of the most rapidly growing corporations in America as well. The reasons why Starbucks is worldwide popular are not only the quality of coffee, but also its customer service and cozy environment. Starbucks established comfortable surroundings for people to socialise with a fair price, which attracts consumers of various ages to get into the stores. Besides, it is also noted for its satisfaction of employees. Starbucks is one of the optimal business models for cooperation and teamwork. Teamwork can not only construct a small social structure in orgunisation for employees to socialise, but also is a composite of various kinds of members who are equipped with different background of skill and knowledge on account of the mission. Each member plays an important role in the teamwork; therefore, everyone in that team can meet his need for getting acquainted with different colleagues and learn new skill from each other. Thus the definition of teamwork is a social system including more than three people in an organisation or context. These members identify others as one member of the team and they have the same goal. The managers in Starbucks treat each workpeople equally and an of the staff are called 'partners', even the supervisors of each branch are so called as well. In order to narrow the gap between managers and employees, they also co-work with the basic level staff in the front line. Due to this, they can maintain a good management system and create a much closer and more familiar atmosphere than other places, which makes not only employees enjoy their job but also customers affected by their enthusiasm. Starbucks has a well-organised communication channel for employees. It places a great importance on labours. For example, managers plan the working hours per worker and arrange the schedule of time off, and meet their requirements according to their wants. There are interviews every week to see what employees' need is. A special survey called "Partner View Survey" is taken off approximately every two years. The managers can receive feedbacks through the event on which part should be improved or what issue should be paid more attention to. The partners have the right to figure out what is the best policy for them, and the directors show a respect for each suggestion. Starbucks even wants every employee to join in making and developing plans, then achieving their goals all together. As a result, the policies and principles are communicated between all staff, and there is no limitation in employees' personal opinions. For this reason, business could improve, even innovate their strategies by different ideas.

单选题·Read the following article about real-time information and the questions on the opposite page.·For each question 15-20, mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. Over the past several years, I have interviewed dozens of senior executives of Fortune 1,000 companies and asked two questions: "Is there information that would help you run your company far better if you had it in real time, and, if m, what is it?" Without exception, they answered yes to the first question, then ticked off the one to three items they wanted. Dave Dorman at AT&T said he wanted real-time customer transaction information, such as contract renewals and cancellations. Rick Wagoner at GM wanted real-time progress reports on new vehicle development. Others on his senior team wanted certain narrowly defined data on product quality and productivity. Dick Notebaert at Qwest wanted customer satisfaction numbers. The CEO of a well-known services business wished he had real- time transaction volume data on a limited group of his best customers, while the CEO of an events business wanted to see minute-by-minute tracking of how much show-floor space has been sold.Oddly, though, very few of the executives I've spoken with receive the real-time information they say they could use (notable exceptions include some of the executives mentioned above, who now get their data). Why aren't they getting it? Clearly, these managers could direct corporate resources toward acquiring any data sets they wanted. The answer is that neither they, nor those who support them, are asking the fight questions. Although they agree, when prompted, that they need real-time information, in practice their reflex is to respond to business events after the fact rather than detect them as they unfold. Instead of asking, "How can we react faster?" they should be asking, "What real-time information will allow us to detect critical events the instant they occur?"The danger in asking the latter question, of course, is that the executive may quickly drown in a torrent of data. The solution is to carefully identify the precise and minimum information that's required — only those data that would cause the executive to change a judgment or a course of action (what accountants would call "material" information). Examples might include real-time sales results, new customer sign ups, shifts in petroleum prices, or any information that, if instantly available, would keep a CEO from getting in trouble with the board. My research suggests, and interviews with CEOs confirm, that one needs to receive only a very small amount of information in real time to avoid trouble or exploit an opportunity.Here's an example. In eBay's early days, the company often received complaints about offensive items that were put up for auction, especially those tied to tragic news events. Maynard Webb, eBay's chief operating officer, told me that, in response, a team was created to conduct real-time news monitoring and to warn executives when problem items appeared. This real-tree detection and rapid response strategy have paid off in many instances, most notably after the collapse of the World Trade Center and the shuffle Columbia disaster. Webb and other senior executives were notified immediately when offensive items appeared (World Trade Center rubble showed up just 20 minutes after the first tower fell), and they had them removed before eBay's 1range could be harmed.If you're not tracking real-time information already, start. Don't assume that it's too granular to merit your attention, that me else in the company is already monitoring it, or that it simply doesn't exist. Identify what it is that you need. Then ask for it.

单选题Forms of Business Ownership A business may have a small beginning as a sole proprietorship, later expand into a partnership, and finally become a corporation. Many corporate giants started as sole proprietoriships. Sole Proprietorships The oldest, most common form of private business ownership is the sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is a business owned and managed by one individual. That person may receive help from others in operating the business but is the only boss; the sole proprietor is the company. Typically the sole proprietor owns a small service or retail operation, such as a roadside produce stand, hardware store, bakery, or restaurant. The sole owner, often sided by one or two employees, operates a small shop that often supplies goods to a group of regular customers. The capital (money) needed to start and operate the business is normally provided by the owner through personal wealth or borrowed money. The sole proprietor is usually an active manager, working in the ship every day. He or she controls the operations, supervises the employees, and makes the decisions. The managerial ability of the owner usually accounts for the success or failure of the business. Many people desire to be their own boss. A sole proprietorship accomplishes this goal; it has other advantages as well. Sole proprietorship is the easiest way to start a business. The sole owner has all profits earned or losses by operation. Another advantage of the proprietorship is that the business pays no income tax. It is also easy to close a business. A sole proprietorship also has disadvantages, for example, unlimited liability, difficulty in raising capital, limitations in managerial ability, demands on time, difficulty in hiring and keeping high achievement employees, and etc. Partnerships There are three major types of partnerships. A general partnership is a business with at least one general partner who has unlimited liability for the debts of the business. A limited partnership has at least one or more limited partners. The joint venture is a special type of partnership established to carry out a special project or to operate for a specific time period. The advantages of a partnership include the following: more capital, combined managerial skills, ease of starting, tax advantages. and etc. The disadvantages of a partnership include the following: unlimited liability, disagreements among partners, investment withdrawal difficulty, limited capital and etc. Corporations Some industries, such as automobile manufacturing, computer manufacturing, oil refining, and natural gas production, require millions of dollars to operate a business. Typically such vast sums of money are put together by attracting many investors. The unincorporated forms of business--the proprietorship and the partnership do not attract investors who do not want to make decisions or to be actually involved in managing the firm. The corporation, by contrast, provides a form of business ownership in which owners spread over a wide geographical area can hire professional managers to operate the business. It has the legal rights of an individual: it can own property, purchase goods and services, and sue other persons or corporations. The advantages of a corporation include the following: limited liability, skilled management team, transfer of ownership, greater capital base, and etc. the disadvantages of a corporation include the following: difficulty and expenses of starting, lack of control right to the operation, government involvement, lack of personal interest, double taxation, credit limitations.

单选题The reinforcement theory that motivates employees by encouraging them to behave in a manner that avoids unfavorable consequences is ______ reinforcement.

单选题When firms delegate more authority to their employees, this strategy is referred to as ______

单选题The United States has long imported its food and fuel, its cars and clothes. Now the faltering economy has sparked a push for another type of import: shoppers. For the first time, lawmakers, businesses and even White House officials are courting consumers from cash-rich countries such as China, India and Brazil to fill the nation's shopping malls and pick up the slack for penny-pinching Americans. They are wooing travelers with enticements such as coupons, beauty pageants and promises of visa reform. The payoff, they say, could be significant: 1.3 million new jobs and an $ 859 billion shot in the arm for the economy over the next decade. "They're their own little stimulus program, " said David French, senior vice president for government relations at the National Retail Federation, a trade group. The trend underscores the depth of the United States' reliance on countries once considered to be at the bottom of the glob al totem pole. The nation already counts on China and other countries to manufacture its goods, creating a $ 45 billion trade imbalance that is paid for with money borrowed from their coffers. Now officials are encouraging foreign travelers to buy some of those products back — and a growing number are happy to oblige. Guo Hui, 37, who lives in Beijing, recently returned home from a two-week tour of Yellow- stone National Park, Houston and Los Angeles. He estimated he spent $ 2,000 to rent a car and pay for gas and lodging for himself and his wife. Then there was the Ed Hardy T-shirt, the Apple laptop, the HP laptop, even baby food and formula for his child, totaling an additional $ 6, 000. Still, Guo said prices are significantly cheaper than in China — a pair of Adidas sneakers costs only $ 25 at a U. S. outlet mall. "For that price in China, you can't even buy counter feits, " he said. In contrast, spending by American shoppers — long considered the engine of the nation's economy — has slowed to a crawl as families struggle under high unemployment rates and de pressed home prices. The U. S. gross domestic product last year grew an anemic 3 percent, while China's and India's shot up 10 percent. Brazil's clocked in at about 7.5 percent. Those shifting dynamics have spawned a movement to encourage foreigners to spend their newfound wealth in the United States, placing the country in the unfamiliar role of supplicant. Over the summer, President Obama's jobs council deemed international travel among the "low hanging fruit" for stimulating the economy. The Corporation for Travel Promotion, a public-private partnership created by Congress last year, will announce next month the first U. S. advertising campaign to promote the nation as a tourist destination. Rebecca Blank, the acting commerce secretary, called tourism a key component of "America's exports success story. /

单选题Which of the following methods of remuneration is not an incentive-based scheme?

单选题Additional privileges given to high-level employees, such as a company car or membership in an exclusive club, are known as ______

单选题Task One-Job ·For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the people, listed A-H. ·For each extract, decide which job each speaker was interviewed for. ·Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A marketing manager B computer programmer C secretary D personnel management assistant E engineering manager F maintenance supervisor G finance director H quality control manager

单选题In general, for whom are alliances beneficial?

单选题In the first paragraph, "stock-in-trade" means ______.

单选题According to the fourth paragraph, one disadvantage of alliances foreseen by the critics is that air travel may be more expensive as a result of ______.

单选题The great strength of the theories of Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin is that they identify with precision the specific benefits of international trade. Common sense suggests that some international trade is beneficial. For example, nobody would suggest that Iceland should grow its own oranges. Iceland can benefit from trade by exchanging some of the products that it can pro duce at a low cost (fish) for some products that it cannot produce at all (oranges). Thus, by engaging in international trade, Icelanders are able to add oranges to their diet of fish. The theories of Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin go beyond this commonsense notion, however, to show why it is beneficial for a country to engage in international trade even for products it is able to coproduce for itself. This is a difficult concept for people to grasp. For example, many people in the United States believe that American consumers should buy products produced in the United States by American companies whenever possible to help save American jobs from foreign corn petition. Such thinking apparently underlay a 2002 decision by President George W. Bush to protect American steel producers from competition from lower cost foreign producers. The same kind of nationalistic sentiments can be observed in many other countries. However, the theories of Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin tell us that a country's economy may gain if its citizens buy certain products from other nations that could be produced at home. The gains arise because international trade allows a country to specialize in the manufacture and ex port of products that can be produced most efficiently in that country, while importing products that can be produced more efficiently in other countries. So it may make sense for the United States to specialize in the production and export of commercial jet aircraft, since the efficient production of commercial jet aircraft requires resources that are abundant in the United States, such as a highly skilled labor force and cutting-edge technological know-how. On the other hand, it may make sense for the United States to import textiles from China since the efficient production of textiles requires a relatively cheap labor force and cheap labor is not abundant in the United States. Of course, this economic argument is often difficult for segments of a country's population to accept. With their future threatened by imports, U. S. textile companies and their employees have tried hard to persuade the government to limit the importation of textiles by demanding quotas and tariffs. Although such import controls may benefit particular groups, such as textile businesses and their employees or unprofitable steel mills and their employees, the theories of Smith, Ricardo, and Heckscher-Ohlin suggest that such action hurts the economy as a whole. Limits on imports are often in the interests of domestic producers, but not domestic consumers.