Test for Business English

Test 1 READING 1 hour PART ONE Questions 1-8  · Look at the statements below and at the five extracts on the opposite page from an article giving advice to people setting up a business.  · Which extract (A, B, C, D or E) does each statement (1-8) refer to?  · For each statement (1-8), mark one letter (A, B, C, D or E) on your Answer Sheet.  · You will need to use some of these letters more than once. 1. You should plan ahead in case a founder of the company chooses to leave it. 2. A company which is expanding today may not always continue to do so. 3.The distribution of equity among the founders can affect the smooth running of the business. 4. Your function in the organisation is different from that of the other managers. 5. Your method of running the business will have to be modified as your company develops. 6. Your business may evolve into a form that you are not satisfied with. 7. Delay offering employees a financial stake in the company. 8. You need to identify your per sonal strengths and weaknesses. A So you think you're an entrepreneur, and you want to start up a company. First, be sure you're really an entrepreneur, and not an inventor.Inventors come up with ideas, entrepreneurs make a business out of them: it's important to know where your abilities lie, as inventors can fail miserably at running a business. Also, you need to be confident that you can adapt your management style to meet new demands if your company is a success. Leading the management team of a growing business is very different from leading a newly founded company. B If your company proves successful, it will probably change out of all recognition, and may seem to possess a life of its own, with institutional shareholders, regulators and employees to consider as well as customers and bank managers.That is the time to consider how far the aspirations of the business you founded still mirror your own. If they have diverged widely, and you feel you have built just the sort of bus iness that you perhaps tried to escape from in the first place, it may be time to leave. C Bringing an idea to life requires an organisation. If you are going into business with your friends, make sure you treat them as professionally as you would your arms-length business partners, because the odds are that you'll fall out with them.It may not seem important at the start, but it will strengthen the company if you ensure that its constitution documents are designed with your specific business and circumstances in mind, and that they clearly establish what will happen in the event of a withdrawal from the business by one of the founding shareholders. D Think carefully about the capital structure of the business. You could be storing up a problem for the company in the future – for example, by allocating shares to founders in a way that could lead to a stand-off if they refuse to see eye to eye on key issues.Similarly, when you eventually recruit new senior team members, think carefully about what to offer them. Don't give away share options too early. As a rule of thumb, cash is sufficient reward for knowledge and skill. Keep equity up your sleeve for rewarding commitment. E As your business grows, you need to keep the right balance between management control and entrepreneurial spirit. Too much control, and the business will ultimately cease to grow. Too little, and growth could be unsustalnable.You'll need to employ managers, but remember that their job is to build the infrastructure to underpin a business that until now may have run on the basis of your salesmanship and excitement. The risk is to bring in managers who are too much like you, without the necessary experience of nursing a newly founded business through its evolution. PART TWO Questions 9-14  · Read this text taken from an article about marketing.  · Choose the best sentence from the opposite page to fill each of the gaps.  · For each gap (9-14), mark one letter (A-H) on your Answer Sheet.  · Do not use any letter more than once.How effective is your marketing? Gone are the days when companies had departments full of staff whose role nobody under- stood. Today we are all accountable and have to be able to demonstrate the value of our contribution to our businesses. And rightly so. But when it comes to marketing, what is effectiveness, how do you measure it, and why is its measurement so important? Businesses are starting to recognise the key marketing questions. Are we providing the right products for the right people at the right price? Are our brands better than those of our competitors? 9) That's because marketing is not the fluffy stuff that can be axed when the going gets tough – it is the essence of business. So if marketing is important, it follows that it pays to know if yours is working. The first stage in the process is understanding your current position. How successful is your brand today? What is your market share? You should equip yourse lf with some sound facts and figures on which to base your conclusions. (10) It could be simply to boost sales. You may want to reinforce your leadership in a market or trounce a competitive brand.Influencing future profitability, possibly by building a short-term brand share, may be a priority. A clear objective is essential. But how do you know if your marketing is achieving your goals? (11) Their success is not just related to how many boxes leave the factory. Effectiveness may not be tangible. It may be financial, it may not. ‘The brand' is an intangible asset, but it is now seen as an import- ant one. Quantifying the value of an intangible asset is a difficult, but not impossible, task. It is also necessary to evaluate both long-term effectiveness and the short-term outcomes of any campaign. 12) But the care of a brand is a marathon, not a sprint, and it is important not to lose sight of the long-term consequences. Choosing the right measurement tools to evaluate a campai gn is another important issue. (13) The accuracy they thus ensure should be consistent over time and correspond to the wider objectives of the business. Ultimately, marketing must deliver profit. The essential debate should no longer be about the importance of marketing, but what we should do to measure its effectiveness, and what measures will ensure survival. 14) But to others it is likely to be a controversial issue – and one which can produce responses leading to widely different directions for their enterprises. A Having done that, next comes establishing what it is that marketing activities should be achieving. B Because of this, you may want to generate return on investment, perhaps by raising the quality of your brand. C This shift in focus will be taken as read by the most successful businesses. D Addressing such issues should mean that profits take care of themselves.E Concerning the latter, it may be tempting to be seduced by efforts that yield quick results and sa tisfy investor pressure for immediate returns. F These should be precise and based on empirical data. G Good strategies are not necessarily linked to production or sales figures. H Today we are all accountable and have to be able to demonstrate the value of our contribution to our businesses. PART THREE Questions 15-20  · Read the following article about recruitment in the UK and the questions on the opposite page.  · For each question (15-20), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. graduate recruitment has a growing role.But companies need to know whether their recruitment staff who interview candidates for jobs really know what they're doing. Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), acknowledges that in a perfect world, the people who recruit graduates would have been in the role for some time building up workplace knowledge. He says the reality is that the high turnover of graduate recruitment managers in most blue chips me ans there is little continuity in how companies operate. ‘There's the difficulty in maintaining important contact with university careers departments, for example,' he explains. You need a depth of understanding to appreciate where the company is coming from and how it's progressing. ‘ We can identify two specialisms within the recruiter's role. Those that work on the recruitment and selection side need traditional human resources (HR) skills such as good interviewing technique, observation, common sense, objectivity, patience and listening skills. But increasingly there are those who take a strategic view and look more widely at how their company is represented in the marketplace. It's a clear advantage if you can identify with your target audience.Many young members of middle management are seconded into HR for a year because their firms feel they can identify with job-seeking graduates. Yet in an industry that has been revolutionised by the internet, privatised career services and rocketing numbers in higher education, it is questionable how relevant these managers' experiences are. Some high-fliers see a secondment to HR as a sideways move; a firm's HR function might not carry the same kudos as, say, the finance department, although obviously the recruitment and retention of staff is of crucial importance.Georgia de Saram, specialising in graduate recruitment at a law firm, is one of a new breed of young dynamic recruiters who see HR as their vocation rather than a transitory career move. ‘I was attracted to the profession because I enjoy working with people and it's an obvious follow-on from my anthropology degree,' she says. ‘In this capacity, you get to know people and they know you even though they might not know other people in the firm. ‘ As a recruiter, she sees herself as the interface between graduates and the firm that's looking to attract them?It's such a tug of war between law firms for the best trainees – o ften they'll turn you down in favour of an offer they've received from elsewhere. You need to be good at marketing your firm, to know what interests graduates and how you can reach potential employees, whether that's through virtual law fairs or magazines. ‘ A recent AGR survey suggests that the sectors in which there is less turnover of graduate recruitment managers are more successful in recruiting the graduates they want.The legal sector's sophisticated understanding of the market, for example, means they manage to recruit exactly the right number of trainees despite intense competition and thousands of applications. The people recruiting seem to build up a specialism and then pass on their knowledge and expertise to those new to the graduate recruitment sector. Jackie Alexander, an HR partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, feels that HR professionals are finally reaching board level and receiving the sort of acknowledgement they deserve. They are judged by the value they add t o the business,' she says, ‘and, as a professional services firm, the right people are our biggest asset. ‘ As Georgia de Saram points out: ‘From our company's point of v. iew, if I can't establish a rapport with a candidate and bring out their best, it might not be just their future but also ours that is at stake. ‘ 15. According to Carl Gilleard, many recruiters lack A. detailed knowledge of their sector. B. appropriate academic qualifications. C. understanding of graduates' expectations. D. experience of the companies they work for. 16.What change in the recruitment process is mentioned in the third paragraph? A. Recruitment staff are re-training. B. Broader approaches are being adopted. C. Traditional abilities are being given less value. D. Different interview processes are being used. 17. On what grounds are certain managers seconded to HR departments? A. It is believed that they will relate to potential recruits. B. It is thought that they will benefit most from new developments. C. It is assumed that they will be able to apply specialised knowledge. D. It is expected that they will take advantage of new promotion opportunities. 18.Which of the following areas does Georgia de Saram mention as an aspect of her work? A. representing her company effectively to its recruits B. increasing recruitment numbers at her company C. encouraging a wide range of company recruits D. influencing her company's recruitment policy 19. What was revealed about law firms in a survey? A. They are competing more effectively than before against other sectors. B. They prefer to retain trainees for extended periods wherever possible. C. They have managed to employ particularly knowledgeable HR staff. D. They appeal to those HR managers who are keen for promotion. 20.What point is made about recruitment in the final paragraph? A. New levels of qualification are being developed for it. B. It is now being perceived as key to increased profitability. C. Higher numbers of managers are being attracted to it. D. It is becoming central to a business's survival. PART FOUR Questions 21-30  · Read the article below about job satisfaction.  · Choose the correct word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D on the opposite page.  · For each question (21-30), mark one letter (A, B, C or D) on your Answer Sheet. How important is job satisfaction? At its most basic, a job is just a collection of tasks and duties.An employee's enjoyment of his or her job will thus (21) depend upon whether or not he or she is happy with the particular mix of tasks and duties (22) to that position. Naturally, each and every member of staff is different – some employees want to do easy, (23) tasks without any responsibilities at all, whilst others prefer challenging, varied ones and are pleased to accept any additional responsibilities offered to them. Of course, with a job there are more (24) in play than this: work conditions, pay, working relations and future prospects are (25) too.Nevertheless, tasks and duties are the central feature, and should therefore be considered as a separate (26) in themselves. So, how important is an employee's enjoyment of his or her individual (27) of tasks and duties? Most business owners and managers would (28) that it is very significant indeed. If a member of staff considers his or her tasks and duties to be too easy or unchallenging or, in contrast, too diverse or irksome, then he or she will feel dissatisfied, and all the inevitable knock-on effects will (29) themselves – absences, lateness, reduced work-rate and performance, conflict, low morale, or even resignations.Thus it is important that staff are well suited to their employment, that jobs are improved as far as possible and redesigned as and when necessary – all to (30) that your employees enjoy what they do. 21. A. highly B. largely C. extensively D. widely 22. A. devoted B. intended C. identified D. allocated 23. A. customary B. habitual C. usual D. routine 24. A. pieces B. roles C. factors D. parts 25. A. connected B. relevant C. appropriate D. related 26. A. result B. effect C. issue D. outcome 27. A. et B. order C. rank D. line 28. A. insist B. accentuate C. reiterate D. assent 29. A. uncover B. demonstrate C. unmask D. manifest 30. A. confirm B. ensure C. convince D. assure PART FIVE Questions 31-40  · Read the text below from a brochure.  · For each question (31-40), write one word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. Paragon: great business space A new concept for the twenty-first century, Paragon is a totally unique showpiece development of high-quality office and call centre buildings, hotel and leisure facilities.Many cities find (31) increasingly difficult to allocate office space, but the city of Wakefield is already ahead (32) the game with Paragon. Paragon offers an extensive parkland setting with low-density buildings, and room to expand in the future. Yet, (33) the vast majority of bu siness parks, Paragon has not been exiled to the distant edges of the city. Instead, this large site is only I km from the centre of Wakefield. This offers massive advantages: employees can easily walk or cycle to work, saving stress and pollution, and significantly cutting (34) on commuting time.There is (35) more driving along the motorway to distant outposts of business empires for the Paragon worker. But Paragon's location sacrifices nothing (36) terms of communications. It is perfectly placed for road and rail networks. A further attraction of Wakefield for Paragon is the ready avail- ability of a skilled workforce. (37) are more than 233,000 people available for work within an hour's journey, and an enormous catchment population of 20 million within two hours' travel.The city has a long history (38) an administrative centre, and its recent success in attracting top-name companies is evidence of its solid business credentials. Figures from the developers suggest that up (39) 5, 000 jobs could be available in the initial phase of its development, with more to follow, making it (40) of the most significant areas of employment in the region. PART SIX Questions 41-52  · Read the text below about IT training.  · In most of the lines (41-52) there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text.Some lines, however, are correct.  · If a line is correct, write CORRECT on your Answer Sheet.  · If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS on your Answer Sheet. IN-HOUSE IT TRAINING One of the most important things you should consider before implementing an IT training program is whether that the content is current, accurate 41 and easily be understood by trainees. In general, you should look 42 for a training program that has done an affiliation with industry 43 leaders. For example, a course on Windows 2000 should at least 44 be pproved by Microsoft. A course that has bee n co-developed in 45 this way ensures so that trainees will study relevant and correct 46 information. Also, take into your account the availability of practical 47 exercises. Many off-site, instructor-led programs which provide learning 48 labs for trainee practice, but take good on-site training courses can 49 include hands-on simulations that resemble to an actual networking 50 or desktop environment. This supply allows trainees to interact with 51 the programs without crashing down a live system.It also means that 52 trainees can study while at work so that less time is going missed, and production schedules are not interrupted. WRITING 1 hour 10 minutes PART ONE Question 1  · The graph below shows the turnover for three kinds of retail outlet, all owned by the same company, during a three-year period.  · Using the information from the graph, write a short report comparing the changes in turnover in the company's three types of outlet.  · Write 120-140 words. [pic] PART TW O Write an answer to one of the questions 2-4 in this part. Write your answer in 200-250 words.Question 2  · Your company would like to break into a new overseas market with your new range of sports goods. You have been asked by the Marketing Director to investigate ways of doing this.  · Write a report for the Marketing Director, including the following information:  · how you carried out your research into the market  · the existing competition  · your target customers  · ways of promoting the products in the new market. Question 3  · Recently you have become unhappy with a service that has been provided to your company for a number of years. You have decided to write a letter of omplaint to the service provider.  · Write your letter to the company that provides the service, including the following information:  · which service you are complaining about  · why you are dissatisfied with the service  · what action you want the service provider to take  · what you will do if there is no improvement in the service. Question 4  · Your Managing Director is considering how to improve the company's internal communications, and has asked you to write a short proposal giving your views on communication within your department.  · Write the proposal for the Managing Director: describing how communication currently takes place within your department  · pointing out the weaknesses of the present situation  · recommending one or two improvements that should be made LISTENING Approximately 40 minutes (including 10 minutes' transfer time) PART ONE Questions 1-12  · You will hear the founder of a company called Manshee talking to business students about its development.  · As you listen, for questions 1-12, complete the notes, using up to three words or a number.  · After you have listened once, replay the recording. THE DEVELOPMENT OF MANSHEE 1.The speaker had a problem finding †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. for his compute r. 2. Initially, the speaker bought from †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ businesses. 3. Four years after its launch, Manshee's †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. was ? 6 m. 4. The company grew rapidly without having †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5. The main factor in the company's decisions was the current month's †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 6. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. fell as a result of competition. 7. Manshee's consultants work mostly with †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 8. The consultants made Manshee's directors put their future †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. in order of priority. 9.The directors first focused on †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. and financial goals. 10. What the speaker feels was particularly valuable was the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ of the consultants' advice. 11. Manshee classifies it s customers on the basis of their †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12. The most successful division is the one working with the †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. sector. PART TWO Questions 13-22  · You will hear five different people talking about problems and responses to them in the companies where they work.  · For each extract there are two tasks. For Task One, decide which problem each speaker mentions from the list A-H.For Task Two, decide which response the company made to the problem from the list A-H.  · After you have listened once, replay the recording. Task One – Problems  · For questions 13-17, match the extracts with the problems, listed A-H.  · For each extract, decide which problem for the company is mentioned.  · Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A The directors' experience was narrow. B Certain products went out of fashion. C There was a reliance on poor-quality supplies. D There were conflicts between directors. E Too many new products were launched at the same time.F Reasons for previous success were misunderstood. G There was a failure to understand economic trends. H Some advisors made poor recommendations. 13. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 15†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 16†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 17†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Task Two – Responses  · For questions 18–22, match the extracts with the responses, listed A-H.  · For each extract, decide which response the company made to the problem.  · Write one letter (A-H) next to the number of the extract. A Large severance payments were made.B New shares were issued. C A takeover bid was accepted. D Low-cost products were introduced. E A partnership abroad was formed. F One division was sold off. G Some products were rebranded. H A cost reduction programme was introduced. 18†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 19†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 20†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 21†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 22†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ PART THREE Questions 23-30  · You will hear a discussion between two senior managers, John and Deborah, about an assistant manager, Colin, who has applied for a new post. For each question (23-30), mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer.  · After you have listened once, replay the recording. 23. The new post is being created as a result of A. plans to change corporate culture. B. criticisms of management practice. C. change s to overall company structure. 24. What reason has Colin given for applying? A. to have a more challenging role B. to make full use of his qualifications C. to raise his profile within the company 25. John was particularly impressed by the way Colin A. treated a dissatisfied client. B. responded to an unreliable supplier.C. dealt with an inefficient member of staff. 26. What current strength of Colin's does Deborah commend? A. his analytical skills B. his product knowledge C. his flexible approach 27. On a recent sales trip, Colin succeeded in A. improving the terms of a contract. B. identifying a new method of selling. C. making a number of new contacts. 28. In what area did Colin excel during recent training? A. team working B. report writing C. prioritising 29. What does Colin's reference say? A. He expects too much of others. B. His confidence will grow in time. C. He sometimes lacks objectivity. 30.What support will the successful candidate receive? A. contact with an in-house advisory body B. performance appraisal meetings C. coaching from a consultant SPEAKING 16 minutes SAMPLE SPEAKING TASKS PART ONE In this part, the interlocutor asks questions to each of the candidates in turn. You have to give information about yourself and express personal opinions. PART TWO In this part of the test, you are asked to give a short talk on a business topic. You have to choose one of the topics from the three below and then talk for about one minute. You have one minute to prepare your ideas.A Customer relations: the importance to a company of reliable customer opinions of products B Staff development: the importance to a company of developing effective career plans for staff C Business strategy: how to maintain the confidence of company shareholders PART THREE In this part of the test, you are given a discussion topic. You have 30 seconds to look at the task prompt, an example of which is below, and then about three minutes to discuss the topic with your partner. Af ter that, the examiner will ask you more questions related to the topic. For two candidatesTravelling to Work Your company's location in a busy city centre means that staff often complain about the time taken to get to work. You have been asked to make some recommendations. Discuss and decide together:  · whether it would be better for staff to use public or private transport  · what the effects might be of allowing staff to work flexible hours. For three candidates Travelling to Work Your company's location in a busy city centre means that staff often complain about the time taken to get to work. You have been asked to make some recommendations. Discuss and decide together: whether it would be better for staff to use public or private transport  · what the effects might be of allowing staff to work flexible hours  · what other measures the company could take to deal with the situation. Follow-on questions  · Would you be willing to spend a long time travelling to work eve ry day? (Why? /Why not? )  · Should companies provide staff with financial assistance if they have long journeys to work? (Why? /Why not? )  · What do you think influences a company's decision to be located in a busy city centre? (Why? )  · What effect do you think technology will have in the future on where people do their work? Why? )  · What could be the long-term effects of changes in the hours people work and where they work? (Why? ) Test 1 Reading Part 1 1. C 2. E 3. D 4. E 5. A 6. B 7. D 8. A Part 2 9. D 10. A 11. G 12. E 13. F 14. C Part 3 15. D 16. B 17. A 18. A 19. C 20. D Part 4 21. B 22. D 23. D 24. C 25. B 26. C 27. A 28. A 29. D 30. B Part 5 31. IT 32. OF 33. UNLIKE 34. DOWN 35. NO 36. IN 37. THERE 38. AS 39. TO 40. ONE Part 6 41. BE 42. DONE 43. CORRECT 44. CORRECT 45. SO 46. YOUR 47. WHICH 48. TAKE 49. TO 50. SUPPLY 51.DOWN 52. GOING Test 1 Writing Question 1 Sample A The development of the turnover of FROZEN FOOD Ltd. The following report describes the chan ges in turnover by type of retail sector over the three years periods 2000 to 2002. In all three years the turnover made by supermarkets was the highest of all three retail outlets. Department stores remained the second greatest before small shops-outlets. The turnover reached by supermarkets increased steadily over the three years and was ? 80m in 2002. The turnover of department stores was? 50m in 2000 but fell to ? 35m in 2001. In 2002 it remained steady to the previous year.After a loss in 2001, the small shops-outlets reached again a higher level but could not reach the ? 30m turnover of 2000. Band 3 All the content points are included and, despite minor grammatical errors and several lexical errors, there is reasonable control overall. It is a well-organised answer with an adequate range of language and fits the descriptors for band 3. Sample B Below is a report on the changes in turnover for three kinds of retail outlet, owned by one company, over a three-year period. The ove rall highest turnover of eighty million pounds was obtained by supermarkets in 2002.On the other hand, the smallest turnover was made in small shops in 2001. Over the year 2000, a turnover of fifty million pounds was reached in department stores, whereas it then plumetted to about thirty-five million pounds in 2001 and maintained this position throughout 2002. The supermarkets turnover rose steadily from 2000, reaching its peak in 2002 with eighty million pounds. Clearly, small shops had the smallest turnover altogether. Thirty million pounds in 2000, a noticeable drop to twenty million in 2001 and a slight increase of five million in 2002.In conclusion, the highest results were achieved by supermarkets, followed by department stores and then small shops. Band 4 This answer shows an accurate and natural use of language with a good range of structures and vocabulary. The slightly awkward organisation and the minor omission of a starting point for supermarkets prevent it from being a band 5. Question 2 Sample C Ways of break into a new market. The aim of this report is to present some ideas of the actions to be taken in order to succed penetrating the new overseas market.First of all, it is fundamental hiring a well- known Marketing Research company in order to get all the information about the market of sport goods in that place. After that we need to know own competitors their strenghth and weaknesses, in that way we can find our posibilities and opportunities against them. The company have to build an diferencial advantage. Another important issued is our target customers, people interested in sports and health and also the kind of sports that it can be done in that place, it is vital information that the company need to know before go to the new market.For our brand, we need to be agressive in our publicity campaign, by TV, making promotions and offering discounts in first purchase. In conclusion, the company need to have the certainty that there are opportu nities in that market and then gain all the weapons to have a good performance with caracteristics differents from the competitors and good publicity. In short time become market lider in sports good. Band 2 This answer contains some irrelevance as the candidate has written a proposal rather than a report. This, combined with the number of errors, results in a band 2. Sample D Report concerning a new overseas market IntroductionThis report sums up the results of my investigation in overseas markets, according to what was demanded by the Marketing Director. Findings Staying a few weeks in this part of the World allowed me to collect precious information about the market, buying habits, competitors, and to gather complete figures and statistics. I could carry out a market research interviewing potentials consumers on the street or even in sports shop. Then I had the opportunity to test local competitors' products and to visit production premises. Furthermore, I analysed the data and f ound out two mains competitors, X and Y, who both shares half of the total market.The others competitors are small companies representing few percentage of global sales. Finally, teenagers are the biggest consumers. In fact, 30% of them buy regularly sports articles, while adults declare only buying once a year. Therefore, the main target profile would be a 15-year-old to 25-year-old male. Conclusions In my opinion, this market would be a great change for the development of the company and I then recommand breaking into it. Recommandations I suggest carrying out an advertisement campaign in order to make them know their is a new competitor.Then consumers are attracted by sales promotion like price reductions and I propose launching our products this way. Last but not least, we could starting offering three products to the price of two. Band 3 This is a generally well-organised answer with good use of cohesive devices. The candidate uses an adequate range of structure and vocabulary with a number of minor, mainly non-impeding, errors. Question 3 Sample E Dear Mr Smith, I am writing to express my concern about your poor delivery service. First and foremost, not only arrive the orders late, but they are also damage.Secondly, when we telephone your office to resolt the issues, the dutty person is always busy on the phone. Although his secretary takes our mesages and tells us that he is calling back, we never recieve his call. Finally, it is not surpriced to have problems with your invoices (suplements and extra-services which are inclueded in our contract with your company). Because of this, I have extra-cost in telephone calls and paper work. I will be grateful, if you do delivery the orders on time and in perfect conditions. Moreover, I will be easy to contact to you, if you do have more staff. And finally, it is important to issue correct invoices.As a result of your poor service, I think it is only fair, if your company starts to improve. If I do not see any i mprovements, I will be forced using another suplieyer. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours sincerely, Amparo de la Iglesia Band 2 All the content points are included and the answer is clearly organised with a good opening and closing. However, the number of basic errors means this is a band 2 rather than a band 3. Sample F Dear Mr Smith, We have been using your company for a number of years, however, recently we have experienced some problems with the quality of products and delays in delivery.As our customers have been devoutedly visiting our shop for years purchasing the best quality products, we feel obliged to make some remarks. Not only have we notice that the date for which dairy products should be consumed was extended but also in some yogurts we found that the labels describing the content were misleading. A cherry yogurt turned out to be a strawbery one. Furthermore, bottles of milk were not sealed properly which resulted in leaking and making the milk go off qui cker. On top of everything, there have been delays in delivery if not a non-delivery that occured already a few times.We trust you will give this matter your immediate attention and that everything will get back to normal, as we would still like to use your service. We hope it is just a temporary disposition. Sadly, however, we have to state clearly, that if no improvement will be made both with the quality of items and delivery we will have to change the supplier, for our customer sake and our reputation. Yours sincerely, Aneta Mroczek Band 4 This is an ambitious attempt at the task, showing fairly natural use of language, despite a number of non-impeding errors. It is well organised and cohesive. Question 4 Sample GI have carried out a research about company's internal communications and show you our study methods and our findings. METHODS 1. We designed a paper to cover all kinds of questions which may show company's internal communications. Then we selected a team in charge of t he whole process of implemetion the survey. 2. We chosed some people random who come from different departments to have a panel to express themselves freely regarding the topic. Then, we had a good record and notes of that. And some of them provide some useful suggestions. On the whole, the methods we conducted the program are scientific and effective.FINDINGS 1. Most of staff think we should improve company's communications. 2. The causes of preventing internal communications are as followed below: 1. Different departments seldom exchange informations about what they are doing now and what are their newly outcome and something like that. 2. Different team rarely cc e-mail to other relative team of other staff to share their informations. 3. The time to express oneself is too limited and everyone is just oriented to their own job itself and seldom share resources. 4. The activities which are attended by different departments or different teams are not common.PROPOSALS To respond the above problems and findings, I will propose as below. 1. To CC e-mail each other in the internal company which include not only in the department but among departments. 2. To exchange information among different departments and different teams oftenly. In order to achieve this goal, we can organize different activities to creat a atmosphere for them. Such as a panel, a training class, a outdoor travel and so on. 3. To open a company know-how discussion or training routinely to let every staff have a strategic idea and a long-term eyesight. Band 1There is considerable irrelevance in this answer and a serious lack of control. An appropriate format is used, but the lack of cohesion and non sequiturs (e. g. in ‘Finding' number 3) result in a very negative effect on the reader. Sample H Making communication better We have 10 people working in our admin department. All kind of communication between each other is very important and it needs to be quick and affective. At the moment w e do send Emails for sharing happening in every day basis. We also have a weekly meeting where some of us get together and look over the subjects from previous week and also make plans for the up coming ones.There is also someone there to make notes which will be typed over to correct minutes and sent to everybody who attended the meeting. My concern is that on those meetings we don't have the whole admin team present and therefore many times we have talked on the behalf of the ones who are not attending. This kind of communication might bring miscommunication to place. To resolve this matter I think that we should have everybody on that weekly meeting to get correct information from the right people. At least it is worth to have a go. Best regards, Kaie Sirak Band 2 This answer contains frequent errors, which sometimes obscure communication.The content points are all covered but not dealt with in depth. The end is particularly weak, leaving a negative impression on the reader. Over all, it fits more of the descriptors for band 2 than 3. Test 1 Listening Part 1 1 ACCESSORIES 2 MAIL(-)ORDER 3 TURNOVER 4 (A/ANY) STRUCTURE 5 CASH FLOW 6 (PROFIT) MARGINS 7 SMALL BUSINESSES/SMALL COMPANIES/SMALL FIRMS 8 INVESTMENT(S)(PLANS) 9 STRATEGIC (TARGETS)/ STRATEGY/STRATEGIES 10 OBJECTIVITY 11 BUYING BEHAVIO(U)R(S) 12 TRAINING Part 2 13. G 14. B 15. D 16. C 17. F 18. E 19. H 20. A 21. B 22. F Part 3 23. C 24. C 25. A 26. B 27. B 28.C 29. A 30. A Tapescript Listening Test 1 This is the Business English Certificate Higher 3, Listening Test 1. Part One. Questions 1 to 12. You will hear the founder of a company called Manshee talking to business students about its development. As you listen, for questions I to 12, complete the notes, using up to three words or a number. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You now have forty-five seconds to read through the notes.. [pause] Now listen, and complete the notes. [pause] Man: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm hono ured to have this opportunity to talk to you.Eight years ago, I bought my first computer, but I soon discovered that where I lived, it was difficult to find accessories for that particular make. That made me realise that other people must have the same problem. Then I found that foreign magazines contained plenty of advertisements of mail order companies, so I started buying spare parts and things that way and selling them on to my friends at a small profit. That was how my company, Manshee, was born. Four years later, Manshee was making a profit and had reached a turnover of six million pounds. We had four directors – myself and three of my friends – plus a staff of seventeen.The culture was young and the working environment didn't have any structure. The company just grew and grew with its own momentum, and everything we did seemed to strike lucky. If we needed to buy some equipment or redecorate the sales office, we decided yes or no in isolation, only taking the sh ort term – usually the cash flow for that month – into account. However, the market became increasingly cut throat, and that led to falling margins. We realised, rather unwillingly, that the time had come to structure our future, but we didn't really have much idea how to set about it.So we went to a firm of consultants who specialise in helping small businesses, and it proved a turning point. They insisted that we four directors sit down and rank our investments in order of importance for the coming years. It seems obvious now, but we'd never realised the value of doing it before. Initially, we set out strategic and financial targets for the next three years, and now we're pleased with just how many of those objectives we've met. The value of bringing in outside expertise was that it gave us objectivity. It's so easy to take things for granted, and to go on in the same mindset.Using consultants meant we received invaluable advice on our business priorities. Planning h as allowed us to make notable improvements. For instance, by segmenting our customer base, we realised that we could put our customers, currently in excess of a thousand, into four distinct groups, according to their buying behaviour. That made us realise we could increase sales if we allocated different people to deal with each group. So we set up four specialist divisions, and the most successful one has increased its sales by over twenty per cent, and that's the division involved with the training sector.We're signing off the next plan for growth. People are sometimes concerned that planning leads to rigidity, but we certainly don't find that it stops us from being as flexible as we need to be. Thank you. [pause] Now listen to the recording again. [pause] That is the end of Part One. You now have twenty seconds to check your answers. [pause] Part Two. Questions 13 to 22. You will hear five different people talking about problems, and responses to them in the companies where they work. For each extract there are two tasks. Look at Task One. For each question 13-17, decide which problem each speaker mentions, from the list A-H.Now look at Task Two. For each question 18-22, decide which response the company made to the problem, from the list A-H. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You now have thirty seconds to read the two lists. [pause] Now listen, and do the two tasks. [pause] Speaker One Woman: Well, now it's all over, I can only hope we've learnt the right lessons from the experience. Although the consultants at the time urged caution, the board were sure of the plan – after all, it was the sort of thing they'd pulled off before – and ploughed ahead with the launch of the new division.But the board wouldn't accept that the predicted boom in these new overseas markets was bound to be unstable because of likely fluctuations in currency rates and share prices, and that's where it all came unstuck. They reacted sensibly, though, and now we have established a good joint venture there, which is a better bet than going it alone, or slashing costs all over the place and laying people off in a panic. [pause] Speaker Two Man: In the end, you'd have to say we had a lucky escape – I mean, it could have been a lot worse. It's very difficult to know where your brand is really positioned.. we've always accepted that our research almost inevitably will be running a bit behind. Consumer tastes change so quickly these days, and that's where we suffered, and lost market share. The directors, once it was clear what was happening, attacked the problem and looked at various options. They could have looked to generate revenues with a share issue, but I think they were right to go for clipping back by reducing expenditure wherever possible – you're better placed to re- group with a tight ship. The plans to develop higher quality products for the future look pretty plausible now. [pause]Speaker Three Woman: Well, I now know to take all this talk about the importance of communication skills seriously†¦ I used to think it was all rather woolly, but when you've seen the damage misunderstandings can do†¦ I suppose the board was a grouping of people with such strong backgrounds individually that each of them expected to be top dog, and that it was perhaps inevitable that they'd clash over what direction the company should go in. Anyhow, it looked very grim for a while but, in the end, two of them took the pretty sizeable payoffs they were offered and moved on. From our point of view, at east it saved us from the prospect of the group being split up and the shares sold off. [pause] Speaker Four Man: We were all extremely glad to see the back of that particular episode in the company's history. I know there's quite a trend to constantly reviewing your sourcing in the search for cost savings, but it was crazy to move over to such an untried firm. The trouble was we were getting nearly all our parts from them, so everything was leaving the factory here with faulty components, with appalling results. We should have listened to the consultants, but on this one we thought we knew better.It got so bad that predatory offers were being made for the division, and we had to think hard about how to save the brand's reputation. Raising fresh capital through new shares was the right way to go and enabled us to cover the losses we made in sales. [pause] Speaker Five Woman: I sometimes really do think that the people who know least about a company are the people who run it†¦ that's why there's such an industry in advising on and supplying the skills for managing change. We went along assuming that we were selling well because of what we saw as our core qualities – but we were wrong.It was just that we happened to have got our pricing right, so when we changed that, it all started falling apart. Things got decidedly grim for a time, and drastic action was required. A m erger was considered, and an aggressive takeover had to be fought off. In the end, it was easier to accept an offer for the Budget Products Division, and avoid major redundancies, than to go on trying to keep the whole thing afloat. [pause] Now listen to the recording again. [pause] That is the end of Part Two. [pause] Part Three. Questions 23 to 30. You will hear a discussion between two senior managers, John and Deborah, bout an assistant manager, Colin, who has applied for a new post. For each question 23-30, mark one letter (A, B or C) for the correct answer. After you have listened once, replay the recording. You have forty-five seconds to read through the questions. [pause] Now listen, and mark A, B or C. [pause] Man: Well, Deborah, we need to think about the candidates who've put in applications for the post of area manager. Woman: Yes, John, it's an exciting new role, and it fits in with the strategy development plan. Man: Quite. It's part of a logical progression in our app roach to management, carefully consolidating our skills base.It should mean a new chain of command, but based on tried and tested methods.. , we'll be stronger as a result. Woman: Well that's the idea. Now, the first one that's come in is from Colin†¦ Man: The assistant manager for the south-east? Woman: Yes. Colin's clearly keen†¦ Man: But of course, it's an attractive proposition. Woman: And I think that's what's drawn him. He's said his current post is demanding – as well he might – but that he's keen to position himself in the spotlight here. Reading between the lines, I think the alternative, as he sees it, is to move sideways to IT, which is where his background is.It would be a shame to lose someone like him †¦ he's hungry. Man: Yes, it's a genuine application. He's a serious contender. I was struck recently†¦ I think it was last month.. , by his problem- solving abilities. He was passed a complaint – it wasn't really his problem at al l – but he took it up anyway, about some faulty goods we'd supplied, apparently. I think he saw it as an efficiency issue, and so relevant to any responsible person here. And he reacted really well, so that the customer went away happy after all. Woman: Right, and that suggests the qualities that are most germane to the job.Ultimately, I suppose, we're looking for a level of adaptability that it's fair to say someone in his position may not have had the chance to really demonstrate yet.. , but his familiarity with the goods we produce is second-to-none, so I think the signs are there that he may become an astute analyst and problem-solver. Man: That's certainly encouraging. And it's not just in the office that he's been looking good. I sent him abroad as part of that group a few weeks ago. The basic brief was to secure a continuation of the Asian contract. To be honest, that was a bit of a given, and what I was really hoping for was something extra.And sure enough, he clearly really worked on all our contacts out there, and he came back with some great new insights into how we might be able to develop bulk sales directly through warehouses, rather than through the standard agency channels. Woman: Oh right, interesting – I missed the debrief on that one. But I do know he went on a training course not so long ago, and clearly reaped the benefits there. The content was mundane enough – ‘how to produce effective reports' or some such – but he identified the points that really mattered, and saw that what it actually addressed was how to order the most pertinent facts for delivery to a team.Man: So, it's good news all round? Woman: Let's look at what his reference has to say. He does have shortcomings, of course. His confidence is very strong, almost to a fault, you might say, which could lead to difficulties on the patience front.. , just because he gets the point quickly doesn't mean he's entitled to think everyone else does, that they share the same conclusions.. , others may be behind in terms of objectivity, still grappling with issues that impact personally on themselves. Man: Hmm, that'd certainly be something to watch, I guess.Still, we're not looking for perfection, are we? And we're not going to be setting up a lone operator. Woman: Oh, far from it. Whoever gets the job will be well backed up. I was talking to the consultants the other day, and they were quite critical of our reliance on checking performance through the one-to-one appraisal system, so it's been decided that this new post will be linked into the cross-departmental advisory group that was set up a few months ago, and benefit from dealing with them and getting their input.That should help quite a bit. Man: That makes a lot of sense. Well, let's talk about some of the other candidates†¦ [pause] Now listen to the recording again. [pause] That is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer S heet. [pause] Note: Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute . remaining. That is the end of the test.

Pervasis Case Study

Pervasis Receives Orphan Drug Designation in Europe for Vascugel ® to Prevent Arteriovenous Access Failure in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis Cell-Based Therapy Aims to Regulate the Body’s Healing Response, Promoting Vascular Repair, Reducing the Need for Repeat Surgical Procedures and Improving Patient Outcomes Cambridge, Mass. , March 1, 2011 — Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for Vascugel ® for the prevention of hemodialysis vascular access failure in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).The designation follows a positive opinion from The Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) within the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier this year. Vascugel is a novel endothelial cell-based therapy that aims to regulate the body’s healing response following surgical interventions to create vascular access which are necessary for ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis.By p romoting and enhancing vascular repair, Vascugel reduces the need for repeat surgical interventions and improves overall patient outcomes. ESRD is an advanced and irreversible condition treated mainly by hemodialysis or kidney transplantation. It is estimated that more than 250,000 ESRD patients in the EU receive hemodialysis, a blood purification therapy designed to replace critical kidney functions – such as filtering waste.Orphan Drug Designation by the EC provides regulatory and financial incentives for companies to develop and market therapies that treat a life-threatening or chronically debilitating condition affecting no more than five in 10,000 persons in the European Union (EU). In addition to a 10year period of marketing exclusivity in the EU after product approval, Orphan Drug Designation provides companies with scientific advice and regulatory assistance from the EMA during the product development phase, direct access to centralized marketing authorization, as wel l as reductions in certain fees. We are committed to bringing Vascugel to patients with end stage renal disease who currently must endure serious complications and repeat surgical procedures so they can continue to receive life-saving hemodialysis treatment,† Frederic Chereau, president and chief executive officer of Pervasis. â€Å"Receiving Orphan Drug Designation in the EU is an important step, as it will help to advance the development process, and enhance our ability to deliver our novel cellbased therapeutic approach to address this significant unmet medical need. Vascugel has demonstrated proof of concept in two Phase 2 clinical trials involving patients with ESRD who require a permanent arteriovenous (AV) access in order to undergo hemodialysis. In these trials, Vascugel exhibited an excellent safety profile, and encouraging efficacy trends were observed, including improved duration of patency (or unimpeded blood flow) and a delay in time to first intervention as comp ared to placebo. In 2009, Pervasis received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Vascugel in patients with ESRD. Pervasis announced last month that the FDA had granted Fast Track review status for Vascugel. Last year, Pervasis reached an agreement with the FDA for a Phase 3 clinical trial of Vascugel under the Agency’s Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) procedure, whereby FDA formalized its agreement that the design of the Phase 3 trial was acceptable to support a regulatory submission seeking new drug approval.Failure of Hemodialysis Access Points Leads to Poor Outcomes During hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body, filtered through a dialyzer, or artificial kidney, and then returned to the body. Patients must undergo a surgical intervention to create a vascular access that enables blood to flow from the body to the dialyzer and back to the body. AV fistulae (created by directly joining an artery and vein) and AV grafts (created u sing a synthetic tube to join an artery and vein) are the two primary types of hemodialysis access.Due to an inflammatory cascade triggered by surgical intervention, the vascular access often has difficulty healing, and quickly become unusable or clot rapidly, prompting the need for additional, recurring surgeries to create a new access which can lead to multiple complications. Up to 60 percent of all arteriovenous (AV) grafts require re-intervention after one year. 1, 2 AV access failure is the most common reason for hospitalization among hemodialysis patients and can lead to anemia, infection, weight loss, jaundice, prolonged bleeding, and other serious complications. Vascugel ® – Combating Inflammation and Promoting Healing Pervasis’ novel approach to cell therapy uses adult-differentiated allogeneic endothelial cells (donor endothelial cells with a highly targeted biologic function) embedded in a polymer matrix to enhance the body’s natural healing respons e. The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that lines the interior surface of blood vessels in the body. Endothelial cells are critical to tissue repair and health, and have a well-understood role in regulating many of the body’s healing processes, including those associated with vascular repair.Vascugel, which utilizes Pervasis’ patented endothelial cell-based platform, is placed on the outside of the blood vessel at the AV access site during the surgical intervention to create the access. The endothelial formulation in Vascugel secrete several factors that combat inflammation and promote proper vascular healing, reducing thrombosis (or clotting) and the formation of intimal hyperplasia, or a thickening of the blood vessel wall in response to injury. After approximately four to eight weeks, Vascugel is safely resorbed by the body.Pervasis’ other areas of clinical investigation include improving outcomes in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) follow ing surgical procedures such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasties (PTAs) with stenting, the failures of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. Earlier this year, Pervasis announced it has also embarked on an oncology development program using its proprietary endothelial cellbased platform to prevent solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease. About Pervasis Dixon et al.DAC Study Group. Effect of dipyridamole plus aspirin on hemodialysis graft patency. N Engl J Med. 2009; 360: 2191-2201. 2 Hayashi et al. Vascular access for hemodialysis. Nat Clin Pract Nephrol 2006; 2: 504-513 3 Castner D. Recommendations for tracking arteriovenous access complications using a charting-by-exception model. Anna Journal, 1998; 25(4): 393-396. 1 Pervasis Inc. is a clinical stage company that is developing groundbreaking endothelial cellbased therapies designed to regulate the body’s natural healing and repair processes in various critical therapeutic areas.The company has initially focused on developing therapies to improve the outcomes of common vascular interventions, such as arteriovenous access, angioplasties, stent placements, and peripheral and coronary bypass grafts – the failure of which result in serious complications and a significant increase in medical costs. The company’s lead program, Vascugel ®, has demonstrated proof of concept and safety in two Phase 2 clinical trials.Pervasis is also applying its endothelial cell-based platform technology to develop an oncology therapy focused on preventing solid tumor growth, cancer recurrence and metastatic disease, as well as products for inflammatory disease and orthopedic injury. Pervasis is a privately held company with funding from Flagship Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and the Richter Family Fund. For more information, please visit www. pervasistx. com. This news release contains certain forward-looki ng statements that involve risks and uncertainties.Such statements are only predictions and the company's actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such differences include the timing of clinical trials, the risk that products that appeared promising in early research and clinical trials do not demonstrate safety or efficacy in clinical trials and the risk that the company will not obtain approval to market its products. Company Contact: Margaret O’Toole Pervasis Therapeutics, Inc. 617-871-1201 [email  protected] com Media Contact: Liz Falcone Feinstein Kean Healthcare 617-256-6622 liz. [email  protected] com

Drop Out of High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Drop Out of High School - Essay Example These charts all appear to be from this reference: Bridgeland, J. M., Dilulio, J. J. and Morison, K. B. (2006). The silent epidemic perspectives of high school dropouts. Washington, D.C.: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 56 Obtaining a high school diploma is extremely important to an American’s chances of having a solid foundation for achieving professional success. This is because an Americans’ financial stability and professional achievement have always been dependent on the education they have received (Shore, 2003). â€Å"High school graduation captures both the cognitive and the noncognitive attributes that are important for success in adulthood, and it is usually a minimum requirement for engaging in further training and higher education† (Levin, 2009, p. 8). Furthermore, a high school diploma is the least one can show future employees that shows one’s capabilities, especially if one is not able to complete a degree in higher education. Not being able to show a high school diploma to a future employer may insinuate that that person lacks the drive to succeed. The fact that a high school diploma is the most basic of requirements for employment is augmented by the increasingly competitive market and the ongoing recession that has made securing employmentconsiderably more difficult. This is evidenced in the report compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2010a), which states that in January of this year, â€Å"thirty states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 9 states registered rate decreases, and 11 states had no rate change.† A report released in July 2010 shows how the unemployment rate has remained unchanged across all states at 9.50%, despite the current federal administration’s campaign to control the onslaught of an economic depression (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010b).  

Does an individual who has no hope of recovery have the right to Essay

Does an individual who has no hope of recovery have the right to decide how and when to end their life - Essay Example The English case law clearly established that actively hastening the death of a patient by means of medical intervention is illegal and unlawful1. The United Kingdom is preparing the ground work to make assisted suicide legal. This move has been opposed by many doctors and medical practitioners. The British Medical Association opposed the government’s initiative. The proposed Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill would have permitted physicians to prescribe and administer lethal dosages of drugs to patients suffering from terminal illnesses. However, that Bill was rejected by the House of Lords. Nevertheless, Church leaders fear that this Bill could made law in the next attempt to pass it. According to Lord Joffe, only six hundred fifty people would be allowed to undergo assisted suicide, every year, but it was predicted that there would be more than fifteen thousand people seeking such a death, on an annual basis. Critics claim that the law is pushing terminally ill patients who think that they will be a burden on their family members, to seek assisted suicide. Some hospitals still employ the ruse whereby, patient s would be asked to utilise a tick a box and die scheme in the event of their becoming physically incapacitated2. Euthanasia and assisted suicide are controversial medical practices, and they are surrounded by ethical arguments. Although euthanasia is an ethical and moral issue, under certain circumstances, such as terminal illnesses, unbearable pain and other extreme conditions; physicians and medical practitioners are to be allowed to perform it on their patients, subsequent to providing the necessary information to their patients. These patients, after obtaining such information that had been provided by their doctors, can decide to die with dignity by choosing the circumstances and time of their death. In physician assisted suicide, doctors administer

Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Aristotle - Essay Example These are essentially two different systems believing and advocating in values that are quite different. They are not absolute systems, and hence might have their share of problems. Yet, Aristotle insists on comparing the voids between both theories as the same, by exemplifying that "all existing things do not have the same elements", thereby propagating the fact, that these two theorists may not have explained the concept in entirety. Precisely this last criticism by Aristotle also ironically becomes a criticism for his own critique. He questions in the book, "If forms are numbers, in what sense will they be causes. If ideas are numbers, how are they composed." This is precisely the point. The two theories are not compatible with each other, and hence their criticism on parallel grounds is also uncalled for. There is much more to their concept when taken individually, when taken both in forms of theory and practice even today. However, making a critical comparison of two notions, one of whom represents a numerical construct, while other propagates the concept of ideas as forms, seems harsh. The possible reason why this might have been done by Aristotle in the first place, is because he may be looking for 'voids' which have not been explained by these two great thinkers, so that when he would explain his own notions, they would be an 'addition' to the bank of knowledge, and not just a concurrence. Question 2 Both Aristotle (in Metaphysics Book I) and Lucretius (in On the Nature of the Universe), stress upon the usages of the sensory means for the processes and possibilities of gaining knowledge. They believe, that it is through the senses, that knowledge is gained, or simply, information about the... Both Aristotle (in Metaphysics Book I) and Lucretius, stress upon the usages of the sensory means for the processes and possibilities of gaining knowledge. They believe, that it is through the senses, that knowledge is gained, or simply, information about the outside world comes inside. The importance and value of every sense are unique in its own right, as elaborated by both, in that the domain of the eye cannot be overtaken by the ear. Aristotle puts forth the point that â€Å"all men naturally desire knowledge. [However there exist] degrees of intelligence, sense-perception, memory, experience, art, and experience†. This variation in processes of acquiring knowledge actually points out to the ability to gain, assimilate and reproduce knowledge. He went on to describe four kinds of ‘cause’, namely: formal, material, efficient and final. On the other hand, Lucretius also explains the nature of â€Å"vision, hearing, taste, and smell†, and the way things enter the mind and how the mind works. He explains at length the processes through which he believes information goes into the mental system, and also how each sense is performing their task in an exclusive way. However, there are certain variations between both schools of thought when it comes to the connotation of the truthfulness of the knowledge gained. Aristotle believed, that â€Å"wisdom is the knowledge of certain causes and principles†. He tried to present a rationale for the wise man, in that there would be an innate ability to reason better than the rest.

Working in Partnership in Health and Social Care Essay - 2

Working in Partnership in Health and Social Care - Essay Example Analyzing the two crises, the paper relies on various theoretical models of partnerships working with health and social care in order to understand the various factors that caused the lapses and thus draw a viable conclusion. Secondly, the paper draws various recommendations based on the crises of how future problems can be evaded. The recommendations give guidelines on how working partnerships working with health and social care can be explored, developed and implemented in future. The health and social care services provision remains one of the most important sectors in the government. The efficiency with which these services are provided by the various government establishments ensure that people remain healthy and that they play a huge role in the economy of the country. It is crucial for people to access quality and efficient services. However, when these services lack or their provision is poor, there is a lot of failures both in the government and the management of the service s. One of the major factors that can aid efficient and quality delivery of services is forming partnerships working with health and social care. These partnerships play a major role in ensuring that various players that include the services users, professionals and organizations aid one another in a mutual relationship that is beneficial to all. The lack of partnerships working with health and social care is a prerequisite for disasters in health and social care services provision. One of the underlying factors in provision of quality health and social care services is the partnership that patients, professionals and authorities can forge. The Mid Staffs Hospital scandal at the Stafford Hospital and the death of a man with learning difficulties put the spotlight on the type and quality of health and social care given to people in hospitals and at home. Further, the two cases point towards a need to have a working relationship between various organizations and persons that are in nee d.

Service Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Service Management - Essay Example The organizations that deal in banking, hospitality and consultancy amongst others are all included in the services sector (1). The importance of services in the industrialized economies has constantly been ignored. There are many services in that are not taken in to account, mainly in the agricultural and the industrial sector, which are not viewed as contributors of services to the economies. However, they contribute to the service sector in an unseen manner (2). Consumers are usually concerned with the amount of satisfaction derived from the services offered. It is important for service providers to understand that value is of utmost importance if they have to excel in the business of service marketing. The service perspective is important in the accomplishment of satisfaction amongst the consumers. This is an aspect of marketing whereby marketers ensure that a number of services are provided for the customers to make a choice. This is important for the business in order to ensure that it has a competitive advantage over other service providers, thereby increasing the sales volume. Service perspective involves the engagement of people who are capable of offering the most efficient services to customers in order for them to get motivated to come back for more. This is a significant tool for ensuring that customers build trust in the service provider. Apart from increasing the competitive advantage of the service provider, it helps in encouraging the customers to buy more and also encourage new customers to the business. The reputation of the business is improved, and customers do not complain in regard to the services offered to them. Adopting the service perspective is significant in reducing the cost of production, since acquiring new customers is usually difficult and costly. It therefore plays a significant role in maintaining

How to do service learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How to do service learning - Essay Example As explained by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, â€Å"Service-learning is a teaching and learning methodology which fosters civic responsibility and applies classroom learning through meaningful service to the community. The strongest service-learning experiences occur when the service is meaningfully immersed in ongoing learning and is a natural part of the curriculum that extends into the community† (Public Instruction). Having clearly understood the meaning, it is important to know how this can be implemented. So what do we do for service learning? Service learning is not a skill that can be learnt in one day, it is something which needs to be incorporated over the years. To implement service learning into a program a few basic steps can be incorporated into normal working, I will list these first and then explain each of the points: Okay, the first essential element that is found in the incorporation of service learning is to explain the positive aspects of teaching and helping others. Assisting fellow workers and students and explaining the benefits of service learning is the first step of incorporating service learning. Here it is essential to explain to others the strong characteristic traits and also to highlight the positives of helping others (Watts). Here it is essential to also provide knowledge for healthy decisions. By taking the above steps, it helps in laying the foundation for service learning. Following this, the next step that needs to be incorporated is to successfully connect with the prospective partners and to find the right charities and service based organizations. Here it is essential to get in touch with the local authorities and the organisations and to get into some form of contracts of working together on various charitable goals (Kaye). Here it is important to set u goals for the youth to be able to achieve. By doing

Osteoporosis drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Osteoporosis drugs - Essay Example There may be a lot of drugs already with established names and quality assurance but CalciD-Bifos can boast of the complete elements needed for osteoporosis and as an introductory product, a low cost that makes it affordable to a larger scale of customers. Low cost and quality seldom go together so that the success of the product is solely dependent on these factors. With the rising awareness of people and attention to their health, the need for osteoporosis drugs would be highly feasible. This will not only be true to older customers but to the young also because the drug can be used as a preventive measure so that a wide array of customers is foreseen. Osteoporosis drugs are often expensive so that the low cost of CalciD-Bifos will be a big factor to its success. Many people would be able to afford and avail of it especially for the prevention of the said disease to prevent more expensive treatments. To reach this goal, there will be advertisements on all media available to inform the people of the existence of the drug and its

Interpretations of our Culture and gender Essay Example for Free

Interpretations of our Culture and gender Essay Culture is a representation of many aspects ranging from indigenous practices, eating habits and even clothing, thus culture is expressed all the way through many and various ways, customs, habits and behaviors. Nevertheless culture is also identified through language. Culture and language are so intertwined and in that complexity, culture can neither be separated from language nor can language be separated from culture. The way people choose to use language in various phases of life affiliates them to a one specific culture from the other. In this context, cultures are very different from one another, for instance in some cultures women have no voice in society and there are roles that they are not allowed to play. However, (Embers 2007) note that, â€Å"it must not be forgotten that some people can create a class through stratification or class which may end in discrimination or segregation†. In this case there is class of the poor and another of the rich and through these classes; people develop a culture befitting them. In matters of sex or gender, some ethnic groups are very discriminative towards women and the class of women has been given lesser roles in society than men. Women do not make decisions or are not involved in decision making processes or procedures. However, it has dawned in many cultures that women play vital roles for the survival of many societies. Many rigid cultures that have rendered women voiceless have realized women at many a times make brilliant decisions than expected. So, what have they done? Women have been listened to and many have been given powerful leadership positions in such cultures to make impacting decisions. Currently, in many cultures women are leaders and they have performed. So far so good, there is no major disagreement and the way forward for many cultures is not to use gender or sex as a whip, but to be specific let girls and boys in any cultural setting get equal education, position and or all other favors, then give them equal opportunities. Reference: Ember, C. Ember, M. (2007). Cultural Anthropology, 12th Edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Models of Lesson Planning for Mathematics

Models of Lesson Planning for Mathematics Introduction Planning the word it contains more weightage as compared to any other word. We can only achieve any target often a proper planning strategy. In planning what is target to achieve is our goal with the available resources. Planning also plays an important role in teaching-learning process. While, doing a proper planning in teaching the class environment got relaxed, teacher enjoys the teaching because the atmosphere as well the situations are properly arranged. By doing an intelligent planning a teacher avoids frustrations. Classroom transactions are also got smooth by using the strategies in a proper manner. Planning for Instructional Process Need for Planning Teaching occupies the central core of your life as a teacher. The teaching includes instruction in classroom tutorials, laboratory, workshops, and excursions, etc. Where teaching is not just an activity to transfer the education to the student but it involves modification in the behavior of the student. While planning, teacher must keep in mind the emphasis may be given to equal Weightage to all the content, not that one should given more focus and other is ignored completely. Presentation of material in a logical, systematic, and effective way The planning must cover the adequate coverage of subject matter The objective may be achieved in the given time The time factor and effort must be low and relevant The strategies must involve maximum development of child in minimum resources Advantages of Planning Planning means systematic organization of subject matter, better utilization and proper presentation of the resource: It fosters self-confidence and pride in our work The aids are properly explained and used by teacher Planning for one subject helps in integrating with other subjects A wide development in thinking about teaching is helpful to bring an order of teaching. Strategies for Planning Systematic planning of teaching work requires systematic organization of time in the institution. This could be done on long term and short term basis. Long term Planning: Long term planning may be termed as academic work planning that is it for a whole which is to come yet. List of holidays for schools including restricted, gazettes etc. As well as the different program to be organize by the school in the coming year that is activities to be organized as per the festivals as well as the tour and trips for the students. All teachers are allotted with their concerned subjects to be taught by them for the whole year, so that teachers may frame out their plan according to their need. Such plan give a ordered and fresh look to teaching learning practice in school as it was organized at the beginning. Teachers also plan theory courses as well as for practical activities, projects, and science exhibitions etc. Now we can say that a yearly plan is based on course purpose, course concepts, units, lessons, and evaluation items. Short term Planning: There are the specific activities which are planned by teacher for making their teaching effective which includes framing the lesson plan, use of teaching aid, in between so that the time may be utilized properly while delivering the lesson. Deciding the time limit, appropriate examples, real life incidence, use of appropriate aid all are included in it. Designs of Lesson Planning Defining a Lesson The term lesson is described in many ways by different educationists or teachers. A teacher takes teaching as a job to cover syllabus in the classroom; every class has 6-7 periods in a day (in general, a period runs over 35-40 minutes). A lesson is defined as a blueprint, a guide map, a plan for action. Lesson is a sequencing of teaching acts or events or episode in organized manner to generate a learning environment for our students. The lesson contains topics and sub-topic with necessary contents to be taught to the students in the classroom. Definitions N.L.Bossing in his book â€Å"Teaching in Secondary Schools† proposes the following definition of a lesson plan: â€Å"Lesson plan is the title given to a statement of all achievements to be realized and specific means by which these are to be attained as a result of the activities engaged day to day under the guidance of the teacher.† The Dictionary of Education defines a lesson plan as a teaching outline of the important points of a lesson arranged in the order in which they are to be presented; it may include objectives, questions to be asked, references to materials, evaluation, assignments, etc. Now you must be clear in mind that lesson planning is a product of short term or micro level planning involving: Identification of definite objectives, Selection of appropriate content and activities, Selection of procedures and methods for presentation of the content, Selection of evaluation exercises and Selection of follow up activities, etc. Approaches to Lesson Planning Generally various approaches are used to make a lesson plan. These approaches are Herbartian approach, Unit approach, Evaluation approach, and Project approach. A brief description is provided:- Herbartian Approach is based on apperceptive mass theory of learning. All the knowledge and information is to be given from outside by the teacher because the student is considered similar to a clean slate. For the students, if an old knowledge makes a base for new knowledge (his previous knowledge or experiences), it may be acquired easily and retained for a longer period. Herbart has given five steps:- Introduction, Presentation, Organistation, Comparison, and evaluation. The main focus is on content presentation. Unit Approach of Morrison is based on unit transaction and planning. The Morrison’s lesson plan of teaching is cyclic; Morrison has given five steps for his ‘cyclephase’ of teaching:- Exploration, Presentation, Assimilation, Organisation, and Recitation. Evaluation Approach of B.S. Bloom in evaluation approach, education is objective centered not content centered. The focus in this approach is on objective based teaching and testing. It takes into consideration the learning objectives and teaching methods on the basis of the objectives and to assess learning outcomes. Then, a decision can be taken about objectives of learning are achieved or need to provide the revision. Project approach originated by Dewey and W.H.Kilpatrick stresses on group activity, social activity, self activity, and related to real life experiences. It is a pre-planned work completed by a person or group in social condition. Due to many reasons, it is not necessary that a lesson plan made by a teacher will be successful at every place and time. Many factors influence lesson planning such as Availability of teaching aids, Strength of students in the Class. Composition of the Class (Age wise). School Location (Area wise) The nature of the topic (Medium wise) etc. The list is not enough, few other factors from own experiences can be added. Writing a lesson Plan: Many written lesson plans are used by practicing teachers. A teacher needs some information about the class, students and their background before to attempt the lesson plan. In general, a Macro Lesson plan is divided into many stages/steps. We had introduced the approaches of lesson planning. Now, one can write a macro lesson plan based on different approaches. HERBARTIAN APPROACH The steps are given below: General information: regarding the topic, sub-topic, subject, time, class, and age level of children. Instructional Objectives (General Objectives and Specific Objectives): We know that at different grade levels, all subjects have general objectives, and specific objectives are written in behavioural terms. Specific Objectives focuses on the expected outcomes of teaching and the topic in a given time period. These specific objectives also known as instructional objectives, which are observable and measurable. It is required to identify the behavioural objectives and state these objectives in a clear and simple language. Instructional Aids: The development of a new lesson plan is based on the standard and knowledge of students. Instructional are used by the teacher to make understand the chapter or topic easily. One picture delivers the message of thousand words. Teacher assumes that the previous knowledge of students related to the content can test and teaching will become easy through aids. Introduction: in this step topic is introduced mainly through introductory questions or by creating the appropriate situations. New knowledge or information of students is linked with their previous knowledge by assuming and testing. Presentation: In presentation the ways of relevant content is presented. A teacher develops the lesson Plan by asking many questions and receiving responses presented by the students’. Students’ response helps the teacher for further presentation of the content. The presentation stage is interactive in the real classroom situation. It depends on teachers’ communication and teaching skills like questioning, explaining, giving demonstration and providing reinforcement on desirable student behaviour. Recapitulation: This step helps the teacher to find out the extent of learning that occurs during instruction. The teacher does this by asking several questions. This stage provides feedback to the teacher about the teaching learning process. Blackboard summary: In the classroom during the instruction, the board is used by the teacher to write the teaching points, summary and explanations. Board is used simultaneously when lesson is being delivered in the classroom. Home Assignment: At last, in the end of the teaching session, thought provoking, suitable questions or activities must be planned and given to the students. It gives a chance of revision or practice to the students. Home assignment also gives an opportunity to students to assimilate, whatever they have learned. 3. EVALUATION APPROACH The design of lesson plan according to this approach consists of three aspects: Input, Process and Output. Input: It contains the identification of objectives in behavioral terms. These are known as Expected Behavioural Outcomes (EBOs). During this the entering behavior of the learners is also identified. With the help of instructional objectives, the sequence of instructional procedure is determined. These objectives are classified into four categories: Knowledge, Understanding, Application and Creativity. These objectives can be transformed in behavioural terms. Process: This is an interactive stage when teacher actually communicating with students in the classroom. For effective presentation of the content, teacher has to choose different teaching strategies, audio-visual, and all support materials. Output: This aspect of instructional procedure refers to real learning outcomes (RLOs). This is equivalent to terminal behaviour which is measured by using oral and written questions. This aspect is considered for measuring of the desirable change in behaviour of students. Illustration of Lesson Plan Format of Presentation: Effective teaching needs proper planning, transaction in the classroom and feedback. Practically there are three stages of a planned lesson: Pre-active, Interactive, and Post- Active. Pre-active stage is a stage of planning before going to the classroom. The Interactive stage is a stage of interaction between teacher and students in the real classroom situation. Post active stage is a stage of self evaluation of our teaching work. There is not be a single format for writing a lesson plan because it varies from teacher to teacher and subject to subject, the only thing which can be suggested is that it should be a well-organised structure, it follows basic fundamental parts of a lesson. Some of the formats based on different approaches to lesson planning. Teachers’ are free to make changes according to the objectives you plan to achieve and the nature of the subject etc. (i) Herbartian Lesson Plan Format Subject: Date: Unit: School: Topic: Class: Duration: Period: General Objectives: Specific Objectives: Teaching Aids: Method: Previous Knowledge: Introduction: Statement of the Topic/Aim: Presentation or Development of the Lesson: OR Recapitulation: Black Board Summary: Home Assignment: Reference: Note: Order of S. No. 1 to 5 may be changed according to your needs. In presentation/development objectives, teaching-learning activities and evaluation are in relation to particular teaching point/content. If evaluation of students learning is done for each teaching act/episode, then you may ignore recapitulation at the fag end of the lesson. Black board summary should be developed as the lesson progresses. ii) Blooms or Evaluation Lesson Plan Format Subject: Date: Unit: School: Lesson: Class: Duration: Specific Objectives: Previous Knowledge: Introduction: Statement of the Topic/Aim: Presentation: 6) Evaluation: 7) Home Work: 8) References: Note The objectives are to be written in behavioural terms. The teaching activities are to be related to the learning structures. Black Board Summary should be developed as the lesson progresses. iii) RCEM Lesson Plan Format Date: Subject: School: Unit: Class: Topic/Lesson: Duration: Concepts : Teaching Aids : Previous Knowledge : Introduction: Statement of the Aim/Topic : Presentation: Black Board Summary: Home Assignment: References: Note RCEM is Regional College of Education, Mysore. Concepts are to be identified through content analysis. Black Board Summary to be developed as the lesson progresses. Characteristics of Lesson Plan You may plan your lesson based on any format discussed above, but a good lesson plan must have following characteristics: It must be flexible; Its contents are organized in the light of attainable objectives; It is rich with respect to students activities and evaluation exercises; It has link with the previous and future lesson; It includes relevant home assignment and activities for students.

The Effects of Subliminal Advertising Essay -- Marketing Advertising

Missing Example Figures The Effects of Subliminal Advertising The power of subliminal advertising in effecting consumers is still unproven. The concept of subliminal advertising is based on a "threshold". "This [is] thought to be a fixed point below which awareness does not extend." (Sutherland: p.30) If a word is flashed on a television screen for 50 milliseconds a person would not be conscious of it. If the time of the exposure is increased the word crosses the threshold and a person becomes consciously aware of the word. This process varies within the same person from day to day. For example, if a person is hungry while watching television, advertisements of food will be noticed more than if that same person just ate. Sometimes we are more alert than at other times. The effects of being tired, using drugs or alcohol can also vary when a stimulus is registered. This is an example of a subliminal advertisement. In the bottom of the glass it says "U BUY". This message subliminally tells the consumer to buy their certain product, hoping for their sales to increase. The notion of subliminal advertising grew within the 1950's. A man named James Vicary who inserted subliminal messages in movies "sparked the first large-scale subliminal scare, and his projections into the subconscious, though never documented or replicated, are still frequently cited as "evidence" of the insidious power of subliminals." (Subliminal Survives) Although sales of cola increased 18% and sales pf popcorn increased 58%, Vicary later downplayed the effectiveness of subliminal advertising due to the small amount of research he had collected from it. In the 21st century, subliminal messages are still thought to be us... ...inal Advertising) There are many positive aspects to some subliminal techniques. An example of this is tapes which aid people to loose weight or stop smoking. In turn, they have become a popular self-help fad. Subliminal advertising, wether it works or not, will no doubt be utilized indefinately by companies to advertise their products. Works Cited Elliston, Jon. March 25, 2001. Hidden Persuasion?. [on-line], xx. Available: www.parascope.com/articles/03971/sublim1.htm. Elliston, Jon. March 25, 2001. Subliminal Survives. [on-line], xx. Available: www.parascope.com/articles/0497/sublim6.htm No Author. March 14, 2001. Subliminal Advertising. [on-line], xx. Available: www.snopes2.com/business/hidden/popcorn.html. Sutherland, Max. 1993. Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer. Australia: Allen and Unwin Pty Ltd. The Effects of Subliminal Advertising Essay -- Marketing Advertising Missing Example Figures The Effects of Subliminal Advertising The power of subliminal advertising in effecting consumers is still unproven. The concept of subliminal advertising is based on a "threshold". "This [is] thought to be a fixed point below which awareness does not extend." (Sutherland: p.30) If a word is flashed on a television screen for 50 milliseconds a person would not be conscious of it. If the time of the exposure is increased the word crosses the threshold and a person becomes consciously aware of the word. This process varies within the same person from day to day. For example, if a person is hungry while watching television, advertisements of food will be noticed more than if that same person just ate. Sometimes we are more alert than at other times. The effects of being tired, using drugs or alcohol can also vary when a stimulus is registered. This is an example of a subliminal advertisement. In the bottom of the glass it says "U BUY". This message subliminally tells the consumer to buy their certain product, hoping for their sales to increase. The notion of subliminal advertising grew within the 1950's. A man named James Vicary who inserted subliminal messages in movies "sparked the first large-scale subliminal scare, and his projections into the subconscious, though never documented or replicated, are still frequently cited as "evidence" of the insidious power of subliminals." (Subliminal Survives) Although sales of cola increased 18% and sales pf popcorn increased 58%, Vicary later downplayed the effectiveness of subliminal advertising due to the small amount of research he had collected from it. In the 21st century, subliminal messages are still thought to be us... ...inal Advertising) There are many positive aspects to some subliminal techniques. An example of this is tapes which aid people to loose weight or stop smoking. In turn, they have become a popular self-help fad. Subliminal advertising, wether it works or not, will no doubt be utilized indefinately by companies to advertise their products. Works Cited Elliston, Jon. March 25, 2001. Hidden Persuasion?. [on-line], xx. Available: www.parascope.com/articles/03971/sublim1.htm. Elliston, Jon. March 25, 2001. Subliminal Survives. [on-line], xx. Available: www.parascope.com/articles/0497/sublim6.htm No Author. March 14, 2001. Subliminal Advertising. [on-line], xx. Available: www.snopes2.com/business/hidden/popcorn.html. Sutherland, Max. 1993. Advertising and the Mind of the Consumer. Australia: Allen and Unwin Pty Ltd.

The Paperless(?) Office :: essays research papers

The Paperless(?) Office 1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the paperless office?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many advantages to having a paperless office. One advantage is that companies are able to greatly reduce the amount of paper that they use. Not only does this help the environment, it helps cut costs within the organization. Companies are also able to improve service through implementing the paperless office. This is because communication is immediate and does not get lost in a pile of papers on someone's desk. A paperless office can also save the company money. This can be seen in the example of Washington Mutual Savings Bank of Seattle. The bank automated more than one-hundred different forms and estimates that they are saving upwards of one million per year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One disadvantage to having a paperless office is the issue security. How does a company make sure that only the eyes the document is intended for, are the only eyes that see it? Also how does a company know an electronic communication is authentic? Another issue is privacy. How does a company make sure that when an electronic communication is sent only the person it is intended for will read it? How does a company make sure private information does not make the evening news? 2. Are certain types of information more readily amenable to digital processing in a paperless office than others? If so, why; if not, why not?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It would seem that some types of information are better in paperless form, while some are not. Implementing an e-mail system can do wonders for companies. The e-mail sessions allow managers to get more information across to the employees and vice versa. This is a way to make sure everyone will access to the same information. A paperless office is a good way to send and receive reports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another area that is conducive to a paperless office is such companies that put large volumes of books and papers on CD-ROM. A single CD-ROM can hold a whole room full of books. This cuts down on the physical space a company must devote to paper storage. 3. How might book publishing change as the technology of the paperless office continues to develop? Will books become obsolete? Why or why not?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The book publishing industry will have to grow and change in relation to the changing technology. As the paperless office gains more and more popularity, one will begin to see more and more documents being on CD-ROM and also on the Internet.