单选题 Problems in the IT industryIn the information technology industry, it is widely acknowledged that how well IT departments of the future can fulfil their business goals will depend not on the regular updating of technology, which is essential for them to do, but on how well they can hold on to the people skilled at manipulating the newest technology. This is becoming more difficult. Best estimates of the current shortfall In IT staff in the UK are between 30,000 and 50,000, and growing.And there is no end to the problem in sight. A severe industry-wide lack of investment in training means the long-term skills base is both ageing and shrinking. Employers are chasing experienced staff in ever-decreasing circles, and, according to a recent government report, 250,000 new IT jobs will be created over the next decade. Most employers are confining themselves to dealing with the immediate problems. There is little evidence, for example, that they are stepping up their intake of raw recruits for in* house training, or retraining existing staff from other functions. This is the course of action recommended by the Computer Software Services Association, but research shows its members are adopting the short-term measure of bringing in more and more consultants on a contract basis. However, this approach is becoming less and less acceptable as the general shortage of skills, coupled with high demand, sends contractor rates soaring. An experienced contract programmer, for example, can now earn at least double the current permanent salary.With IT professionals increasingly attracted to the financial rewards and flexibility of consultancy work, average staff turnover rates are estimated to be around 15%. While many companies in the financial services sector are managing to contain their losses by offering skilled IT stall 'golden handcuffs' - deferred loyalty bonuses that tie them in until a certain date - other organisations, like local governments, are unable to match the competitive salaries and perks on offer in the private sector and contractor market, and are suffering turnover rates of up to 60% a year.But while loyalty bonuses have grabbed the headlines, there are other means of holding on to staff. Some companies are doing additional IT pay reviews in the year and paying market premiums. But such measures can create serious employee relations problems among those excluded, both within and outside IT departments. Many Industry experts advise employers to link bonuses to performance wherever possible. However, employers are realising that bonuses will only succeed if they are accompanied by other incentives such as attractive career prospects, training, and challenging work that meets the individual's long-term ambitions.This means managers need to allocate assignments more strategically and think about advancing their staff as well as their business. Some employers advocate giving key employees projects that would normally be handled by people with slightly more experience or capability. For many employers, however, the urgency of the problem demands a more immediate solution, such as recruiting skilled workers from overseas. But even this is not easy, with strict quotas on the number of work permits issued. In addition, opposition to the recruitment of IT people from other countries is growing, as many professionals believe it will lead to even less investment in training and thus a long-term weakening of the UK skills base.

单选题A Where do you buy your clothes? Well, most of us shop at traditional retailers with increasingly frequent trios to discount stores and Internet. And most of the superrich and trendy buy directly from designers like Gucci, Armani and Chanel. But lately their shopping habits and ours have been converging. Bonita Carol reports that many of the fashion elite are coming out of the closet and going straight to K Mart. Take a peek inside fashion editor Christy Ferrel''s closet, and you''ll find couture side by side with K Mart. B Fashion reporter Jerry Agins calls the trend "cheapskate chic": the regent fashionable wearing Sears shoes, Wal-Mart pants and Target sweaters, proudly pairing them with designer labels. The whole trend of "cheapskate chic" is a lot of affluent people are now shopping differently, and they''re just like everybody, they''re decorating their homes, they''re spending a lot of time in stores like K Mart and Wal-Mart. And you''re in there once or twice a week, so while you''re in there picking up paper towels and toilet paper and toothpaste, you happen to kind of wander about the fashion aisles. C A watershed event occurred when Sharon Stone wore that Gap T-shirt at the Oscars. She looked terrific. Everybody wondered what she had on and later they found out that she had on that $ 22 Gap turtleneck and that really resonated with a lot of consumers. Stores like the Gap, Sears, K Mart and target are taking full advantage, offering fashion mavens that perfect denim jacket or pair of jeans, T-shirt or little black dress or top to make them match with high fashion. D Retail Watcher said mass merchants are benefiting greatly from this "cheapskate chic" trend. In 1998 mass retailers such as K Mart, Wal-Mart and Target accounted for 43% of all apparel sold. And that''s up from 38% five years earlier. And these stores are stealing away customers from more upscale boutiques. In Target''s case, or as the fashionably in crowd call it "Tarzhay", about 80% of its customers are college educated and have a medium household income of $ 47, 000. Maybe that''s why Target''s offering Kashmir sweaters for the first time. 0. Most of exclusive stores are not competitive at present. (D)

单选题Speaking Your Customers" Language Modern international trading practices are highlighting the growing importance of language training. Modern-day business really does transcend national barriers. Thanks to sophisticated IT and communications systems, businesses can now market their products on a truly global scale. The world is indisputably becoming a smaller place, as service and manufacturing companies search the international marketplace for new suppliers and clients. Businesses must, however, be aware that once they expand the area in which they operate, they face increased competition. The standard and quality of their goods become increasingly important in keeping up with competitors. But most of all, it is the service element accompanying the goods which is crucial to a company"s success in a particular market. This new philosophy has led to many companies, some of which have even offered products of a lesser quality, gaining success overseas. Although globalisation may, in some senses, have brought national economies closer together, societies around the world still have radically different expectations, processes and standards. These are not a function of economic change, but are more deep-rooted and difficult to alter. They can be a major problem for businesses expanding abroad, with the greatest obstacle of all being the language barrier. If you have to deal with clients, suppliers and distributors in a range of countries, you will not only need the skills to communicate with them, you will also need to reconcile any national biases you have with the diverse ways of doing business that exist around the globe. The value of effective communication is not to be underestimated. New technology such as videoconferencing and email has played a part in making the communication process easier, and it may also be possible that the introduction of language interpretation software will help with some global communications problems. But, of course, it is the human element of the communication process that is so vital in business, especially in negotiations, presentations and team-building. It is essential for managers to meet regularly with staff, customers and partners, so that issues can be discussed, messages communicated and feedback obtained. The value of well-organised language training is immense, and can bring benefits to all levels and departments within a multinational organisation. Unfortunately, however, many organisations have a very narrow view when it comes to training of any kind. Often, an urgent requirement has to be identified before training is authorised. Then, a training company is employed or a programme is developed in-house, the team is trained, and that is seen as the end of the matter. However, the fact remains that training programmes are effective only if they are relevant to a company"s broader, long-term needs. They should be regarded as an investment rather than a cost. Changes in expectations and attitudes are certain to continue for companies that trade globally. Although such companies are not yet faced with their international partners and clients demanding that business be conducted in their mother tongue, they realise that overseas competition is increasing fast. If these companies want to continue to achieve success on the international trading circuit, they must be prepared to adapt to situations and speak the local language. If not, someone else will.

单选题Readthearticlebelowaboutacompanythatsellshouseholdproducts.ChoosethebestwordtofilleachgapfromA,B,CorDontheoppositepage.Foreachquestion(19-33),markoneletter(A,B,CorD)onyourAnswerSheet.Thereisanexampleatthebeginning(0).DAC'sMarginsHitinBattleoftheBrandsInasurprisetradingstatement,DACHouseholdProductsyesterdaygave(0)___C___oflowermarginsandweakprofitsgrowth.Sharesinthecompanyslumpedby22pto459pafterDACsaidthatitsforecastofdouble-digitearningsgrowthin2009hadbeen【C1】______tolowsingledigits.Thecompany【C2】______thatithadfailedtospendenoughonpromotingitsownbrandsandconcededthatitsmarketshareinIndiawasunderassaultfrom【C3】______discountingbyvariouscompetitors.Itsmajorrival,KCProducts,isofferingbigpricediscountstoattractconsumersfromDACbrands,whichhavetraditionally【C4】______thehouseholdproductssector.DACalsopredictedadownturninconsumer【C5】______andstrongpricecompetitioninEurope,andsignalledthatitwasmaking【C6】______foranexpensivebrandsbattle.DAC'schairman,DavidChan,saidthatsalesvolumeshadbehavedaspredicted,butthatwavesofdiscountingandstorepromotionsfromrivalshadadversely【C7】______priceforecasts.Asa【C8】______thecompanynowneededtoincreaseinvestmentinadvertisingandintroducekeenerpricing.DAChaduntil【C9】______soughttoincreaserevenuegrowthatthesametimeasimprovingprofitmargins.However,Chanconfirmedthatmarginswouldbe【C10】______asDACincreasedspendingonadvertisingandpromotionto【C11】______thoseproductsunderattackfromcompetingbrands.Thiscommitmentmeans【C12】______thelong-termhealthofthebusinessaheadofthe【C13】______.ofshort-termfinancialtargets,'hesaid.RudyMitcham,DAC'sfinancedirector,saidthatthecompany'srecentcost-cuttingprogrammewouldbe【C14】______.tohelpfinancetheincreasedspending,althoughhedeclinedtorevealthe【C15】______.amountofmoneyitwouldinvestinadditionaladvertisingandpromotion.Example:AadviceBcautionCwarningDthreat

单选题A What is to happen about transport? Evidently there are huge and important changes in prospect. A decade or so from now, there will have been yet another transformation in the way in which people and their goods are moved from place to place. Old techniques are being faced with attenuation or even extinction, sometimes because better methods of traveling have come along but sometimes simply because the old methods have become intolerable. B The development of recent decades most obviously likely to be continued is the tendency for alternative methods of travel to coexist, and so to offer potential travelers a choice. Within large cities, underground transport is usually and alternative to several ways of traveling on the surface. Roads, railways and airlines are in competition, and there are still people who cross the North Atlantic by sea. (Most freight goes that way, of course.) C Oil tankers could decisively affect the pattern of petroleum distribution from the major oilfields and at the same time encourage the pipeline, which offers the simplest and often the cheapest means of bulk transport. Then, there is the Boeing 747 aircraft, which is likely to do for people what the huge takers will do for petroleum trunk be increasingly troublesome. All these changes, promised or merely possible in the pattern of transport, have in common what is, in the broadest sense, and economic stimulus. D Fast transport between cities separated by a few hundred miles is becoming urgently necessary in densely populated areas. The United States Government is financing a number of exploratory investigations bearing on specific problems linking the major cities on the Atlantic seaboard. However, it remains to be seen whether the result will really beyond schemes for patching up the existing railway network to some of the more ambitious schemes which are sometimes heard of—monorails, pneumatic tubes with trains inside, and deep bored tunnels intended to enable trains to oscillate from city to another with no expenditure of energy except for overcoming friction and air resistance. 0. The simplest and often least expensive way to transport bulk oil is by pipeline. (D)

单选题When do some less developed countries allow tax-free investment reserves?

单选题Debunking Negotiation Myths Before developing a more effective negotiation strategy, we need to dispel several faulty assumptions and myths about negotiation. These myths hamper people"s ability to learn effective negotiation skills and in some cases reinforce poor negotiation skills. A pervasive belief is that good negotiation skills are something that people are born with, not something that can be readily learned. This is false because most excellent negotiators are self-made. In fact, there are very few naturally gifted negotiators. We tend to hear their stories, but we must remember that their stories are selective, meaning that it is always possible for someone to have a lucky day or a fortunate experience. This myth is often perpetuated by the tendency of people to judge negotiation skills by their car-dealership experience. Whereas purchasing a car is certainly an important and common type of negotiation, it is not the best context by which your negotiation skills can be judged. The most important negotiations are those that we engage in every day with our colleagues, supervisors, coworkers and business associates. These relationships provide a much better index of one"s effectiveness in negotiation. In short, effective negotiation requires practice and feedback. The problem is that most of us do not get an opportunity to develop effective negotiation skills in a disciplined fashion, rather, most of us learn by doing. As the second myth reveals, experience is helpful, but not sufficient. We have all met that person at the cocktail party or on the airplane who boasts about his or her great negotiation feats and how he or she learned on the job. It is only partly true that experience can improve negotiation skills; in fact, native experience is largely ineffective in improving negotiation skills. There are three strikes against natural experience as an effective teacher. First, if a person does not know how well he or she has performed in the negotiation, it is nearly impossible to improve performance. For example, can you imagine trying to learn mathematics without ever doing homework or taking tests? The second problem is that our memories tend to be selective, meaning that people tend to remember their successes and forget their failures or shortcomings. This is, of course, comforting to our ego, but it does not improve our ability to negotiate. Finally, experience improves our confidence, but not necessarily our accuracy. People with more experience grow more and more confident, but the accuracy of their judgment and the effectiveness of their behaviour do not increase in a commensurate fashion. Overconfidence can be dangerous because it may lead people to take unwise risks. The third pervasive myth is that effective negotiation necessitates taking risks and gambles. In negotiation, this may mean saying things like "this is my final offer" or "take it or leave it" or using threats and bluffs. This is what we call a "tough" style of negotiation, Although these negotiators are rarely effective, we tend to be impressed by the tough negotiator. An interesting exercise is to ask mangers and anyone else who negotiates to describe their approach to negotiating. Many seasoned negotiators believe that their negotiation style involves a lot of "gut feeling", intuition, and "in-the-moment" responses. We believe that this type of intuition does not serve people well. Effective negotiation involves deliberate thought and preparation, and it is quite systematic.

单选题I will always remember my mother"s last few days in this world. On February 14th, 2000, my class went on a field trip to the beach. I had so much fun. When we returned to school, my teacher told me to go to the headmaster"s office. When I got into the office, I saw a police officer. Suddenly I realized something was wrong. The police officer told me what had happened and we went to pick my sister up. After that, we went to the hospital and waited. Time went slowly. Finally, we got to see our mother. It was terrible. On the next day, the headmaster came and told my two teachers what had happened. I was taking a rest that day. I knew it had something to do with my mother. I kept thinking that she either died or had gotten better. How I wished that she had gotten better. When my teacher took me outside, my sister ran up to me. She started crying, "She"s gone. Teresa, mommy"s gone. She"s dead." I couldn"t believe it. We jumped into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Most of my family were there. The silence was terrible. I knew I had to say goodbye. Today when I look back, I still miss my mother very much, but I know that I will live. My mother was a strong mother, who had the biggest heart. My mother was an angel walking on the earth. I will always remember her as living. When someone is asked who their hero (英雄) is, they usually say someone famous, like Michael Jordan or Britney Spears. When someone asks me who my hero is, I tell them, my mother. My mother lives every day. That is what makes her a true hero.

单选题Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a factor contributing to the spread of employment?

单选题·Read the following letter.·Choose the best word to fill each gap.·For each question (19 -33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet.·One answer has been given as an example. Most managers make decisions under conditions of risk. and the managers at Super Drinks are no exception. With 10 percent of the domestic soft-drink market under its {{U}}(19) {{/U}} the company has now {{U}}(20) {{/U}} its horizons and moved into the wine industry. Having {{U}}(21) {{/U}} ＄110 million buying the Taste Wine corporation. Super Drinks are currently in the process of {{U}}(22) {{/U}} to the wine business the same tools that have made coke a popular soft drink in the world -- money, muscle and marketing. The firm is trying to {{U}}(23) {{/U}} its newly acquired wine business to the soft-drink mold that has proved {{U}}(24) {{/U}}. Can Super Drinks make this {{U}}(25) {{/U}} pay off? The company is optimistic. For example. while Taste grossed only ＄65 million the year it was {{U}}(26) {{/U}}, Super Drinks' executives believe it will gross over ＄1 billion by the end of the 2010s. nearly 15 times Taste's current {{U}}(27) {{/U}}. On the other hand. there are several things that Taste has going for. One is the Super Drinks' money and management expertise that are available for this wine {{U}}(28) {{/U}} The other is that while Taste, in the past, {{U}}(29) {{/U}} only the New York table wine business and produced sweeter wines that {{U}}(30) {{/U}} less than 10 percent of the domestic market, the Taste wine brand was the most commonly {{U}}(31) {{/U}} of all. Building on these {{U}}(32) {{/U}}, the management hopes to. via effective decision making, make Taste wine almost as {{U}}(33) {{/U}}as Super Drinks.

单选题Charlie Has a Chance to Get AheadCharlie is employed known an accountant in a small assembly plant in the Midwest. In his seven years at Astro-Technology, he has become (19) with most of the 200 employees and enjoys the (20) of his office and the company attitude toward him. However, in the past three years, he has not received a promotion, and there is little chance for one in the near future. The raises he has (21) have not kept up with inflation. He has discussed the situation frequently with his wife, Rita, who is. working as a personnel officer at a research firm in town.Although Rita has never told Charlie, she feels that her job has more status than his (22) Charlie earns slightly more than income, she has more flexible hours, more holidays with pay, better company fringe benefits, and apparently more status when the two companies' organizational charters are (23) Rita enjoys her present position and the salary she receives.The two daughters are doing well in grammar school and are active in girl scouts and the 4H Club.A month ago Charlie (24) a new position for an accountant in their home office in Dallas. He knows that his company has a (25) of promoting from within, and his supervisor feels that he would have a good chance of getting the position. It would mean an immediate 15 percent (26) in pay; more prestige, because he would have a private officer and more (27) for promotions. He applied for the position, but was afraid to tell his wife. When the interview was (28) he informed Rita that he had to go to Dallas for a seminar.Charlie was (29) with Dallas and the possible neighbourhoods his family could select to make their home. The home office was impressive! Dark walnut and chrome were everywhere, and the personnel in the office were very friendly. After a tour of the facility he had an interview with five managers.A week later he was (30) that he was one of the three finalists. He was excited and eager to accept the position if it was offered him. That night, when he told Rita, she Was (31) The move would mean they would have to leave their lovely home that they had been remodeling over the last seven years. The girls would have to find new friends.Finally and most (32) could Rita find a job as good as the one she has? It seemed unfair to force her to move and give up a good job, just so Charlie could satisfy his own (33) It turned into a real argument. Charlie wanted to move and Rita did not. Charlie was saying that he is a striver and Rita was saying she is happy with their status in life.

单选题Office Angels Employment Agency 14-16 Lockhart Road Wan Chai Hong Kong Tel 532 4365 Fax 532 4111 Dear Client, Office Angels is advising businesses at as far ahead as possible to ensure guaranteed staff cover during holiday periods. There is now a (19) shortage of skilled secretarial and administrative staff and this is (20) to get worse in the next twelve months. Businesses which require staff with experience of specialist computer applications are the most at (21) . You are advised to (22) our agency well before the staff are actually needed to be certain of filling gaps with adequately (23) personnel. If you don't, it's almost (24) that you will be left without the skills needed to (25) your office running smoothly. The (26) for the shortage of secretarial staff appears to be a combination of two (27) There has been an (28) in demand for secretarial services over the last few years, and at the same time there has been a (29) of students deciding to choose secretarial studies. Office Angels Agency would (30) to emphasize that businesses should not underestimate the difficulty of (31) experienced temporary staff. It is also necessary to make the (32) that businesses should be prepared for the fact that they may have to pay more for this kind of (33) in the future.

单选题·Read the text bel6w about a successful company.·Choose the correct word A, B, C or D on the opposite page to fill each gap.·For each question (19-33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. Since HBC Leather Goods was formed in 2000. the company has reported one success story alter another. The company, which has become known for its top{{U}} (19) {{/U}}leather goods,{{U}} (20) {{/U}}its new collection last month at the May Hotel in London. It was{{U}} (21) {{/U}}by more than 300 people. For the first time the collection included smaller{{U}} (22) {{/U}}such as purses, wallets arm gift sets. The{{U}} (23) {{/U}}of HBC' success is the strength of the sales team, and it is{{U}} (24) {{/U}}that by the end of this year there could be well over three thousand salespeople world-wide selling HBC products. To{{U}} (25) {{/U}}the top sellers, HBC is offering them an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas in America in July. Managing director Peter White says that the five-day holiday will{{U}} (26) {{/U}}all flights as well as meals and hotel accommodation. Trips to the top shows and the Grand Canyon will also be{{U}} (27) {{/U}}. Mr. White says that the{{U}} (28) {{/U}}has had an enthusiastic{{U}} (29) {{/U}}. from the sales force, and will{{U}} (30) {{/U}}a continued increase in sales. The restructuring of the company's price range, which has{{U}} (31) {{/U}}in 70% of their goods now being priced under ￡ 30. will also{{U}} (32) {{/U}}sales. The new price range is{{U}} (33) {{/U}}at customers with a few spare pounds in their pockets making an impulse purchase.

单选题· Read the article below about losing an accent to achieve success, and the questions on the opposite page.· For each question 18--18, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose. {{B}} LOSING AN ACCENT TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS{{/B}} It was painful for Irwin Layton to warn one of his recently promoted managers that he had to correct his speech--or it could cost him his career. The word "voltage" came out of Edwin's mouth sounding like "woltage", and "this" sounded like "dis". This often resulted in mistakes being made in the shipments he ordered. "I was really forced into submission. They said, 'Either you improve your accent or your chances of getting promoted to senior management won't be good,'" said Edwin. Edwin is a junior manager making $ 51,000 a year at a manufacturing company in Mountain View. Despite of mixed feelings, he hired a speech coach to help him out. He is not alone. Accent reduction is rapidly turning into a major business for speech coaches in the Bay Area and other large cities. Young, first-generation foreign professionals in America hoping to improve their careers appear to make up the majority of those paying to get rid of their accents. "I have people whose command of English is good--they've gone to universities here in the United States, but when they go into the workplace, they are held back," said Arthur Compton, founder of the Institute of Language & Phonology in San Francisco. Edwin said he was embarrassed and tried to ignore incidents throughout his career when colleagues would point out his accent and do imitations of his pronunciations for fun. Edwin's experiences early in his career made him very sensitive to the problems he faced with his accent, and, like many others, he compensated by pushing himself to great extremes in education. "I felt that just because I had an accent, some people thought I was stupid," Edwin said. "They lost patience. They did not want to wait to listen for what I was trying to say. It made me feel so bad. I knew I had so much to offer--my primary motive for working there was to do what I could to improve the company. Yet, none of that seemed to matter to them because they didn't have patience." Speech coaches and many other professionals say that some Americans have a prejudice against those who speak with an accent. Losing an accent is hard work. Each language has certain sounds, as we can tell from the many different alphabets, that are just not found in other languages. We learn as babies to make these sounds by moving the lips, mouth, and tongue muscles in set patterns. So a speech coach tries and resets these patterns for people who speak other languages. For 13 weeks, and at a cost of $ 795, Edwin spent an hour each week with a speech instructor, pronouncing, over and over again, compound words such as "zookeeper", preposition phrases such as "in regard to", as well as words such as "this" and "voltage", all the while looking into a mirror at his mouth. Seeing himself allowed him to have a visual image to go along with the sounds he was making. "When class was over, I was exhausted," he said. But following the long procession of lessons, he improved by 78 percent, received a healthy injection of confidence, and admitted that he should have done it sooner. His boss, Layton, called it a "win-win" situation, and is so enthusiastic that he is sponsoring a second employee in the program.

单选题 · Read the article below about cheap frills in flying. · Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D. · For each question (19-33), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. When is a low-cost airline not a 'no-frills' airline? When it adds frills, business travellers who have taken enthusiastically to value-for-money air{{U}} (19) {{/U}}are now being offered packages more commonly associated with mainstream airlines. To date, the attraction of no-frills airlines has been based on price; forget the more convenient departure points, creature comforts or ease of{{U}} (20) {{/U}}. Easyjet, Ryanair and Debonair have all undercut leading carriers by as{{U}} (21) {{/U}}as 70 per cent on high volume routes. However, in the wake of increased competition and aggressive price-cutting from mainstream airlines such as KLM UK, three no-frills airlines are changing tack. Virgin Express is{{U}} (22) {{/U}}legroom and is contemplating the{{U}} (23) {{/U}}of a frequent-flyer programme; Go, owned by British Airways, is wooing the business traveller; and Debonair is introducing a business class section next week. Debonair, based at Luton Airport, north of London, was launched just over two years ago and went into{{U}} (24) {{/U}}for the first time this summer. Even when it started, it{{U}} (25) {{/U}}itself slightly apart from its low-cost competitors by offering more seat comfort, a drink in-flight and a{{U}} (20) {{/U}}frequent-flyer scheme. Debonair's business class, called ABC, will give{{U}} (27) {{/U}}more privacy during the flight, a fully-refundable, flexible ticket, a free bar, a snack and a dedicated check in desk. Yet the{{U}} (28) {{/U}}will remain as much as 40 per cent below the average business class ticket price. Other low-cost airlines, however, are standing{{U}} (29) {{/U}}Even so, Easyjet, which markets itself on lowest price, no catering and direct sell, has now introduced a ￡10{{U}} (30) {{/U}}to allow its passengers to{{U}} (31) {{/U}}from one Easyjet flight to another. This is effectively a concession to the business traveller, who needs more flexibility. Attempts by Virgin Express, Go and Debonair to move upmarket are being{{U}} (32) {{/U}}by some as the beginning of a consolidation in the sector. With so much{{U}} (33) {{/U}}on price, it seems likely that some players in the low-cost airline business will fail to survive.

单选题There Are No Products—Only Services Take a step beyond "total quality" and "customer satisfaction". There's a new view of the relationship between suppliers and customers. The idea, as put by Rosabeth Moss Katner of the Harvard Business School: Think of every product you buy or sell as a service. In other words, look at what it does not what it is. That way, selling a product becomes only one of your opportunities to do something for your customers. Many companies are now offering additional services, particularly after-sales services, to increase the value of their products. This practice, often referred to as "bundling, "is an effective way to keep in contact with customers. Look at Toyota's Lexus. Thanks to a partnership with IBM, Lexus tracks every car on a national computer—your sedan's complete maintenance history is available to every dealer from Miami to Seattle. Why? Because Lexus doesn't want its relationship with you to end at the showroom door. At packaging Corp. of America, employees say they offer packaging solutions, not just packaging. Monte Hayman, a CEO, says: "It used to be that we made a product and looked for people to buy it. Then we started doing research to learn what the market wanted, and developed product for that. Today we're working with individual customers." Then there's unbundling, When you want to offer more products and services, but it isn't within your means to produce them yourself, you might decide to contract out stuff that you would never have let out of your sight before. IBM no longer handles its own warehousing. Two years ago it junked 21 parts warehouses in favour of half-a-dozen outside vendors. Commodore Business Machines goes further: In November it unbundled virtually all of its after-sales services for consumer products. Its partner is a new division of Federal Express called Business Logistics Services, Fed Ex mans a 24-hour help line for Commodore. If your computer needs to go to the shop, Fed Ex will pick it up the morning after you call, drop off a replacement, and often do the repairs at its Memphis hub. Customers never know they're dealing with Fed Ex employees, except for the delivery man. After a six-month trial, says Jim Reeder, Commodore's vice president for customer satisfaction, his company is offering better service at half the previous cost. This kind of collaboration is replacing competition in relationships with suppliers. Experts at the Cresap consulting firm call it "supplier integration". It elevates outsourcing from a mere cost-cutting measure to the level of strategy. The new goal is a win-win alliance, where suppliers get the security of a long-term relationship and customers get more say over their upstream processes. Companies that think of the products,they buy and sell as services can also discover new ways to market existing products. as Xerox did when it redefined its copier machine business as document processing. They study such questions as whether to share a single system to track purchase orders. There is a new slogan: "Suppliers and customers—one system, not two systems./