ICBC/MARKET LEADER UPPER INTERMEDIATE

UNITS 11 - 14
TEST 4
NAME: …Claudia Magliona ………………….…………………………………
TEACHER: …Alex Maulén…................................. DATE: ...November 28 th .................

I. Reading. Read the article ‘Customised shops are bringing in the customers’ and identify the
paragraph (i-vii) in which you can find information about the following:
1. How US retailers are using information about their customers. (D)
2. Best Buy’s five main customer segments. (E)
3. The impact on sales of Best Buy’s new strategy. (G)
4. A comparison of the way different stores have been segmented. (F)
5. Best Buy’s objective for the next half year. (C)

a) Manhattan’s 23rd Street lies between New York’s fashion district, with its small stores
including flower shops and jewellers, and Chelsea, with its architects’ offices, advertising
agencies and upmarket apartments. So when the local Best Buy electronics store was trying
to identify its main customer groups, small business was an obvious choice. John Zittrauer, a
store salesman, estimates that one out of every three customers who enters the store has
some connection with small business.
b) This summer, Mr Zittrauer was designated as a ‘business technology professional’
after spending two weeks training to respond to the likely needs of individuals running a
business at home, or from a small office.
The store he works in has undergone drastic remodelling and now includes a
business help desk and a broader range of business software.
c) The changes are part of a broader strategy by Best Buy, the largest US retailer of
consumer electronics. Within six months, it plans to have over half of its 700 stores across the
US converted to what it calls its ‘customer centricity’ model. Each converted store will cater to
one or more of five distinct customer groups, with the appropriate store fittings – like the
business help desk – and product selections.
d) The strategy reflects a broader trend in the US retail sector. National retailers are
learning to analyse the vast quantities of data now available on their customers, allowing them
to adapt their stores and their staff to meet the tastes of the local market.
e) Best Buy first launched its ‘segmented’ store programme after two years of customer
research and testing that led it to identify its five target customer groups: business users, early
adopting people, older family males, affluent professionals and busy suburban women.
f) At the Manhattan store on 23rd Street, the other main focus group is ‘early adopting
people’: mostly young males who want the latest in personal technology. The recent store
conversion included installing two separate stations for testing computer games products. In
contrast, the Best Buy in the wealthy Long Island suburb of Huntington includes a carpeted
studio area for listening to top-of-the-range home entertainment systems and staff trained to
visit customers’ homes and advise them on planning and installing. Stores targeting the ‘busy
suburban woman’ include personal shoppers who can be booked in advance to offer shopping
advice.
g) The segmented stores have delivered rapid results; in its most recent quarter, the
converted stores delivered comparable sales growth of 9.4 per cent, against the 3.5 per cent
seen in the rest of the chain.

(5 marks)
II. Listening. A. Listen to the conclusion of a presentation and answer the questions below.
1. The presentation was about …
a) management styles
b) why companies fail
c) the importance of managing people

2. The speaker was addressing …

a) professional people running small firms
b) employees of small firms
c) trainee managers in a large corporation

3. What were the three main issues that were covered in the talk?
a) communication
b) consistency
c) context
d) content
e) control
f) cooperation
(5 marks)
B. Listen to the question and answer session that follows the presentation and answer the
questions below.
4 The first questioner wants to know …
a) what motivates employees
b) how to give staff the chance to improve themselves
c) how to reward staff for good work
5 The first questioner is …
a) polite
b) aggressive
c) unclear about what she wants to know

6 Tick one of the suggestions the speaker makes when answering the first question.
a) give people the chance to work overtime for more pay
b) help people who are inexperienced
c) offer financial rewards for good work

7 The second questioner …

a) disagrees with the speaker
b) asks for clarification
c) asks for more information
8 The second questioner is …
 a) polite b) aggressive c) vague

9 The speaker believes that …

a) you need formal training to become a good manager
b) you develop managements skills mainly through experience
c) different managers acquire skills in different ways

10 People who run professional services firms may find it difficult to

a) managing the business side
b) manage people
c) take time away from work for training

11 The questioner wants to know …

a) the number of small firms in the UK
b) the number of partnerships that fail each year
c) the proportion of small firms that perform badly because they have poor managers

12 When the second questioner asks another question, the speaker …

a) gives a satisfactory answer
b) answers impolitely
c) is unable to answer
(6 marks)
III. Grammar & Vocabulary. A. Make sentences using the linking words below. Remember to
use correct punctuation. Choose 4.
Although / despite / however / in addition / whereas
1. _Although the presentation was organized, the people in the room were very bored
2. _Despite our effort to win, we lost the competition at the last minute.
3. _The cake was delicious, however, the frosting was very sour
4. _In addition to my new bed, I bought a new lamp.
(4 marks)
B. Complete the text below using the correct form of the verb in brackets.
_Being__ 1 (be) part of a team is much more interesting than __working______ 2 (work) alone. For
one thing, different team members can alternate job tasks. So if one person doesn’t want ___to do
______3 (do) the same task, he or she can stop ___doing ____________ 4 (do) it and let someone
else take over. By _developing____ 5 (develop) skills in a variety of tasks, each team member is able
___to expand______ 6 (expand) their range of experience, which can be useful when someone wants
___to apply_____ 7 (apply) for jobs.

(7 marks)

C. Re-write the sentences below using the words in brackets.

1. We will definitely have the results by Friday. (We are certain …)
We will certainly have the results by Friday.
2. It is likely that our profits will fall in the next quarter. (probably)

Our profits will probably fall in the next quarter.

4. Maybe our competitors will launch their product first. (It is possible …)

It is possible that our competitors will launch their product first.

5. I doubt whether anyone will notice the mistake. (It is unlikely …)

It is unlikely that anyone will notice the mistake.

6. I’m afraid it will be impossible for me to get to the meeting. (There’s no chance …)

There is no chance for me to get to the meeting.

(5 marks)
V. Writing. Read the first paragraph of a summary of a consultants report below, and the notes
underneath it. Then write the rest of the summary using the sub-headings and information
given. You should write about 200 - 250 words.
A comparative study of team-work in Hungary and Japan
Background
Company X (Japanese) and Company Y (Hungarian) are to set up a joint venture in which a team of
software engineers from each company will work together to build a state-of-the-art computer-aided
design system. Consultants & Co were requested to carry out a study into the working patterns of
teams in each company.
Purpose
Identify areas of difference  possible friction?
Make recommendations (how to improve cooperation between teams?)
Method
Two week study period: consultants followed teams, observed patterns of communication and
decision-making.
Findings
Hungarian team Japanese team
work as individuals work as a group
engineers specialized engineers more generalized
meetings rare meetings frequent
communication via email or through team brainstorm ideas together
leader
communication face-to-face
leader coordinates and directs.
decisions by consensus.

CONCLUSION
Very different!  Serious problems possible  joint venture at risk.
Important to establish common approach
(10 marks)
Company`s Joint Venture: Hungary and Japan
Executive Summary
Company X (Japanese) and Company Y (Hungarian) are to set up a joint venture in which a team of
software engineers from each company will work together to build a state-of-the-art computer-aided
design system. Consultants & Co were requested to carry out a study into the working patterns of
teams in each company.
Findings:
1. The Hungarian team Works as individuals, however, the Japanese team works as a group.
2. The Hungarian team has specialized engineers, and the Japanese team has generalized
engineers.
3. The Japanese team has frequent meetings in addition to brainstorming ideas together while
the Hungarian team barely has meetings.
4. The Hungarian Team communicates via email or through the team leader while the Japanese
communicate face to face.
5. In the Hungarian team, the leader coordinates and directs, however, In the Japanese team the
decisions are made by general agreements.
Conclusions:
1. As we can see, they have very different management styles, and this could lead to a risky joint
venture.
2. Although they are very different, the two styles seem to work very well for each group, so that
doesn’t mean that there is a wrong style in this Joint Venture.
3. It is important to establish a common approach. They can mix the two management styles
together and create a system that can benefit the company.
4. The two group workers are very hard workers, and they have loyalty towards the company so
they will be able to manage these changes and find a solution.

Total Score: 42 marks