Q.1 |
Fill in the blanks by
selecting the most appropriate word from the opinion provided in
each situation: (12) |
|
Without followers, there would be no leaders.
The concept of leadership, and the qualities needed for someone
to become a leader, can probably best be understood by studying
the __________________(1) between the leader and his or her followers. |
|
Good leaders have _____________(2) - the ability
to step into someone else’s shoes - because they are good
listeners. They are open, always willing to discuss and ____________________(3)
problems. |
|
Team-building is one of the top priorities
of effective leaders. They work at _______________(4) an environment
in which each team member, while contributing to the team effort
and to the purpose of the organization, is able to improve on their
own _________________________(5) |
|
Indeed, they are very good at ____________________________(6)
their staff, enabling each of them to become a creative and independent
team player. This way, every individual __________________(7) the
confidence and ability to ______________________(8) the kind of
decisions which will help the company ___________________(9) its
long-term goals. |
|
Good leaders are also inclusive, they like
to involve everyone - and they understand the importance of delegating
___________________________(10). |
|
Finally , they have more than just targets:
they have a ______________________(11). They can see clearly where
they would like the company to be in five or ten years’ time,
and they are able to _________________________(12) this to their
employees. |
|
| Sl.# |
(A) |
(B) |
(C) |
(D) |
|
contract |
relationship |
report |
friendship |
2. |
empathy |
charisma |
passion |
sympathy |
3. |
deal |
solve |
ignore |
grapple |
4. |
creating |
elaborating |
inventing |
designing |
5. |
achievement |
programme |
appraisal |
performance |
6. |
strengthening |
persuading |
caring |
empowering |
7. |
rebuilds |
gains |
restores |
wins |
8. |
do |
arrive |
make |
abide |
9. |
work |
score |
achieve |
kick |
10. |
energy |
aggressiveness |
informality |
authority |
11. |
vision |
sight |
view |
scope |
12. |
talk |
discuss |
communicate |
debate |
|
Q.2 |
Complete each sentence with the correct
form of the word in bold letters. Sometimes you will need to use
a negative form using a prefix (un-, dis-, de-) (05) |
|
1 |
SATISFY |
|
a |
Women are more _____________ with their
jobs than men in many countries. |
b |
Low pay and poor working conditions create ________________
workers |
c |
Small European countries are the top of job _______________
league tables |
|
2 |
MOTIVATE |
|
a |
What are the strongest __________________
factors in people’s lives? |
b |
Workers become ______________ if they work long hours
for low pay. |
c |
What was your ________________ for becoming a salesperson? |
|
3 |
FULFIL |
|
a |
Becoming Department Head was the _____________
of a lifelong ambition. |
b |
He ________________ his role as manager very effectively. |
c |
I feel ______________ in my job because I am not given
enough responsibility. |
|
4 |
INSPIRE |
|
a |
Javed was an ______________ business leader
who motivated employees. |
b |
He has been an __________________ to the new members
of staff. |
c |
After an ________________ launch, the new model quickly
failed. |
|
5 |
FRUSTRATE |
|
a |
You could see the _________________ building
up in the workforce. |
b |
I find talking to him ______________ because he never
listens to anything I say. |
c |
I felt so __________________ with their attitude that
I decided to resign. |
|
|
Q.3 |
Complete the telephone call with phrasal
verbs from the list below that mean the same as the words in brackets.
(13) |
|
CALL BACK |
CUT OFF |
GET BACK TO |
GET THROUGH |
BREAKING UP |
GO AHEAD |
GO OVER |
HOLD ON |
LOOK INTO |
PUT THROUGH |
RANG UP |
SORT OUT |
SPEAK UP |
|
|
Receptionist; Good morning, Media Solutions, how
can I help you?
Danish: Can you (1) ___________ me ____________
(connect) to Azra Naseem, please?
Receptionist: Of course, hold the line-I’m
sorry, caller, I can’t (2) _______________ (make contact)
at the moment, the line’s busy. Shall I ask her to (3) _________________
you ________________ (telephone again)?
Danish: It’s OK, I’ll leave a message.
Receptionist: OK, (4) ___________________(wait)
just a second while I look for a pen - Right, (5) ________________
(continue).
Danish: My name is Danish Ali, from Weston Security.
Ms. Naseem (6) ________________ me ____________ (telephoned) yesterday.
She wanted me to (7) ______________________ (investigate) the cost
of installing an alarm system for your premises. I said I’d
(8) ___________________ (telephone again) her today.
Receptionist: I’m sorry, Mr. Danish, the
line is very bad, can you (9) __________________ (talk louder) please?
Hello? Hello? I’m sorry, you’re (10)______________________
(having problems with the signal). Hello?
Danish: Sorry about that. I’m on a train
using my mobile and we were (11) ______________ (disconnected) in
a tunnel. Er, yes, as I was saying, I’ve managed to (12) ________________
something ______________ (organize).Can you tell her that I’ll
send her a quotation along with all the other details in the post?
Receptionist: Oh, right, can I (13) _______________________(check)
that again? Your name is Danish Ali, from Weston Security, and you’re
going to send some details about an alarm system in the post.
Danish: That’s right. Thank you for your
help. Goodbye.
|
Q.4 |
Match words from List A and B to make
word partnerships, adding the word OF if necessary. (10) |
|
| LIST - A |
ACTION |
ADMISSION |
CONTINGENCY |
| DAMAGE |
FLOW LEGAL |
LOSS |
| PRESS |
SPEED PRESS |
|
| LIST - B |
ACTION |
CONFERENCE |
CONFIDENCE |
INFORMATION |
PLAN |
LIABILITY |
LIMITATION |
PLAN |
RELEASE |
RESPONSE |
|
|
| Complete these sentences with the word
partnerships you have matched. |
1 |
How quickly a crisis is
reacted is known as the __________________________. |
2 |
In a breaking crisis, management may
speak to the media in person at a(n) __________________. |
3 |
Alternatively,they may have a written
statement which is given to the media in the form of a(n)
____. |
4 |
During the crisis, management may choose
to keep customers or employees up to date with a regular_______________________. |
5 |
A strategy for dealing with a crisis
is a (n) ______________________. |
6 |
A backup strategy is a(n) ______________________. |
7 |
The risk of being taken to court is
the threat of ________________________. |
8 |
An acceptance of responsibility in
a crisis is a (n) __________________. |
9 |
Following a crisis, a company may suffer
a decline in loyalty from its customers, or a (n) _________
in its product or service. |
10 |
Minimising the negative of a crisis
is known as ____________________. |
|
Q.5 |
Governor State Bank of Pakistan, Dr.
Shamshad Akhtar, while addressing the 56th Annual General Meting
of the Institute of Banker Pakistan (IBP) talked about Basel-II
implementation. Given below is an extract from her speech. |
|
“Such a large and diverse portfolio of
risks gives a vivid description of the complexity of risk management
as a subject. Yet these risks are far from being independent and
require a holistic approach for their mitigation and management.
It is both the financial institutions’ and the regulators’
responsibility to achieve an optimal management of these risk. We
have an intrinsic interest in the financial health of each institution
because all these institutions together define the financial stability,
smooth functioning of the payment system, and eventually promote
economic growth.”
You are required to prepare an explanatory note
for the senior management of your bank covering key issues raised
in the said extract. (10)
|
Q.6 |
Strategic alliances are key to the
survival of technology companies and they greatly benefit other
business sectors. Read this article and answer the questions. (20) |
|
Of all the trends sweeping across the business
landscape, few will have more of an impact on companies than strategic
partnerships. We have all seen the power of ‘partnering’
in almost every industry. The revival of the US automotive industry,
which was partly the result of co-operative agreements with Japanese
car makers, is a good example. We have also witnessed the disastrous
effects of ‘going it alone’ - the US steel industry
almost collapsed because it failed to ally itself with strategic
players. The information technology (IT) industry is no exception.
Not only does it encourage business relationships, it also develops
tools, such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) technology, that
facilitate business partnerships in other markets.
Strategic partnerships also promote the development
of technologies that would not, or could not, be developed by manufacturers
working independently. Strategic alliances will create new playing
fields for enterprises. Those companies involved in strategic alliances
will benefit greatly from the standards and economies of scale that
result. On the other hand, industries that insist on keeping a ‘hands-
off’ relationship between suppliers, customers and competitors
will be left behind.
Why is all this good for the client? Because strategic
alliances enable user organizations to develop critical standards,
create new markets, jointly fund large efforts in their common interests,
quickly respond to new opportunities, and share information. Customers
today are not well served by vendors operating in a vacuum, and
increased competition has made users much more demanding.
Consider the IT industry: from the early 1960’s
through the 1980’s, account control was the name of the game.
Clients were locked into a particular supplier’s systems.
Their choices were limited, and they had little, if any, control
over price increases. Eventually, computer users rebelled. The world
of open systems, in which customers became empowered to exercise
much wider freedom in selecting hardware and software vendors, killed
the practice of account control forever.
But open systems were a two-edged sword. On the
upside, freedom of choice presented great opportunities for large-scale
savings. On the downside, clients had to become in-house systems
integration experts as they tried to cope with multiple IT providers
who rarely, if ever, talked to one another.
Over time, users began insisting that vendors co-operate
among themselves to guarantee that computer systems, networks, applications
and databases could be managed together. They needed to be certain
that the hardware and software they licensed operated together flawlessly.
In the end, systems integration became such a daunting
task that many customers began relying on a few, loyal, hand-picked
vendors. In return, the best hardware and software suppliers transformed
their relationships with clients into much more than buying/selling
agreements. They formed complex, strategic partnerships with their
fellow suppliers.
|
|
1 |
Complete these expressions with words
from paragraph one and related words. |
|
a |
If you decide to
work closely with someone, you a ________ yourself
with them. |
b |
Someone you work with is an a___________
or p____________. |
c |
Another name for alliance is
a p____________________. |
d |
The adjective related to ‘co-operation’
is co _________________. |
e |
If you don’t co-operate
with anyone, you go _______________________. |
|
2 |
Which three industries present good
examples of strategic alliances at work are mentioned specifically
in the first paragraph? |
3 |
What are the two advantages for companies
belonging to an alliance? What is the disadvantage of not
belonging? (paragraph two) |
4 |
What are the five advantages for customers
who work with companies that are part of alliances? What
effect has this had on customers? (paragraph three) |
5 |
True or False (paragraphs four and
five) |
|
a |
From the 1960’s
to the 1980’s, most companies had only one computer
supplier. |
|
b |
Companies at that time could
easily change suppliers. |
|
c |
Most companies still have the
same relationship with their computer system supplier.
|
|
d |
Customers are much freer to choose
the system they want. |
|
e |
This has its advantages and disadvantages. |
|
f |
At first, when a company had
several system suppliers, these suppliers often communicated
with each other. |
|
|
6 |
Find words in the last two paragraphs that mean |
|
a |
sellers of computers (7 letters) |
b |
systems of computers working together (8 letters) |
c |
jobs that computers are used for (12 letters) |
d |
large amounts of information held on computer (9 letters) |
|
7 |
Which of these things are not mentioned in the last two
paragraphs? |
|
Computer systems users: |
|
a |
insisted that system suppliers work together |
b |
insisted that their systems work perfectly |
c |
Started to buy equipment instead of licensing it |
d |
Found that system integration was easy |
e |
Were willing to pay more for systems that worked perfectly |
f |
Were a factor in encouraging systems suppliers to
form alliances |
|
|
Q.7 |
Which one of these business situations
would worry you most? Why?
Answer in one paragraph of not more than 150 words. (10) |
|
a |
You read in the paper that your bank will probably
be merging with another bank. |
b |
You keep your job after a merger, but you are in a less
powerful position. |
c |
Your bank has to relocate to the other side of the city. |
d |
You are asked to relocate to a dangerous foreign country. |
e |
You are promoted but are now in charge of a hostile workforce. |
f |
You have to move from an open plan office to sharing your
boss’s office. |
g |
You have to work with a completely new computer system. |
h |
You have to decide who to make redundant in your new department
after a merger. |
|
Q.8 |
You organized the conference at the
Modern Hotel but it did not go well. Write a letter (150 to 200
words) to the manager of the hotel complaining about the problems
you had and asking for a discount on the bill. Suggest a figure
for this discount. (10)
|
Q.9 |
CASE STUDY - YOUR OWN BANK (YOB) (10) |
|
BACKGROUND
‘We constantly review our business in order
to provide customers with excellent service at competitive prices.
As part of our major reorganization, we’ve been looking at
the cost of customer services. We have a range of options. We can
make changes in-house, outsourcing call centres to areas within
Pakistan or outsource off-shore to low-cost countries such as Sri
Lanka.’ Ghulam Hussain, Chief Executive, Your Own Bank (YOB)
The Chief Executive made the statement above to
a group of investors three weeks ago. YOB lost Rs. 11.5 billion
last year because it invested in unprofitable areas of business.
Since then YOB has carried out a major review of its operation.
It has concluded that :
1. customers believe YOB is charging too much for
its services.
2. YOB no longer has the image of ownership which is close to its
customers and understands their needs.
3. the bank needs to reduce costs to boost its profits and share
price.
To cut costs and increase efficiency, YOB is now
considering a number of options concerning the location of its call
centres. YOB has approximately 2,500 employees working in three
large call centres located in different cities of Pakistan. The
bank’s headquarters are in Karachi. There are four options
that the directors of the bank are considering.
OPTION ONE: KEEP THE CALL CENTRES IN-HOUSE
Keep the call centres in their present locations
but try to reduce costs by:
- using more part-time employees
- reducing the hours of business of the centres
- increasing the targets for the number of calls handled per hour
Estimated cost of running the centres for the next
five years Rs 8 billion. Estimated savings by introducing changes
above Rs. 3 billion
OPTION TWO: OUTSOURCE THE CALL CENTRES TO A COMPANY
BASED IN SOUTH AFRICA
Use Resource Plc, a Cape Town firm. They can set
up the call centres in Cape Town and run them.
- the firm has an excellent reputation for reliability
and good service
- it has a lot of experience in running centres
Cost of the contract with Resource Plc to run the
call centres for the next five years: Rs. 8 billion
OPTION THREE: OUTSOURCE THE CALL CENTRES TO A COMPANY
BASED IN DUBAI
Use Orion Plc, a UAE firm
- the firm is new; its managers are young
- it has several contracts with big companies
- it is experienced in running call centres
- some customers have complained in newspapers that the lines are
always busy
Cost of the contract with Orion Plc to run the
call centres for the next five years : Rs . 10 billion
OPTION FOUR : OUTSOURCE THE CALL CENTRES TO A COMPANY
BASED IN SRI LANKA
Use X- source Sri Lanka, a company based in Colombo
- X-source Sri Lanka is expanding fast
- it has contracts with several large companies
- it has no problems hiring staff and its costs are low
Cost of the contract with X-source Sri Lanka to
run the call centres for the next five years: Rs 5.5 billion
Question: Consider the advantages and disadvantages
of each option. Then write a short report to the Chief Executive
giving both a summary of the four options and your recommendations.
|
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