首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
•Read the article below about Smithson’s, a British department store, and the questions on the opposite page. •For each question
•Read the article below about Smithson’s, a British department store, and the questions on the opposite page. •For each question
admin
2010-01-22
46
问题
•Read the article below about Smithson’s, a British department store, and the questions on the opposite page.
•For each question 13-18, mark one letter(A, B, C or D)on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.
Department Store Magic
For most of the 20th century Smithson’s was one of Britain’s most successful department stores, but by the mid-1990s, it had become dull. Still profitable, thanks largely to a series of successful advertising campaigns, but decidedly boring. The famous were careful not to be seen there, and its sales staff didn’t seem to have changed since the store opened in 1908. Worst of all, its customers were buying fewer and fewer of its own brand products, the major part of its business, and showing a preference for more fashionable brands.
But now all the has changed, thanks to Rowena Baker, who became Smithson’s first woman Chief Executive three years ago. Since then, while most major retailers in Britain have been losing money, Smithson’s profits have been rising steadily. When Baker started, a lot of improvements had just been make to the building, without having any effect on sales, and she took the bold decision to invite one of Europe’s most exciting interior designers to develop the fashion area, the heart of the store. This very quickly led to rising sales, even before the goods on display were changed. And as sales grew, so did profits.
Baker had ambitious plans for the store from the start, ’We’re playing a big game, to prove we’re up there with the leaders in our sector, and we have to make sure people get that message. Smithson’s had fallen behind the competition. It provide a traditional service targeted at middle-aged, middle-income customers, who’d been shopping there for years, and the customer base was gradually contracting. Our idea is to sell such an exciting variety of goods that everyone will want to come in, whether they plan to spend a little or a lot. ’Baker’s vision for the store is clear, but achieving it is far from simple. At first, many employees resisted her improvements because they just wouldn’t be persuaded that there was anything wrong with the way they’d always done things, even if they accepted that the store had to overtake its competitors. It took many long meetings, involving the entire workforce, to win their support. It helped when they realised that Baker was a very different kind of manager from the ones they had known.
Baker’s staff policies contained more surprises. The uniform that had hardly changed since day one has now disappeared. Moreover, teenagers now get young shop assistants, and staff in the sports departments are themselves sports fans in trainers. As Baker explains, ’How can you see jeans if you’re wearing a black suit? Smithson’s has a new identity, and this needs to be made clear to the customers. ’She’s also given every sales assistant responsibility for ensuring customer satisfaction, even if it means occasionally breaking company rules in the hope company profits.
Rowena Baker is proving successful, but the City’s big investors haven’t been persuaded. According to retail analyst, John Matthews, ’Money had already been invested in refurbishment of the store and in fact that led to the boost in sales. She took the credit, but hadn’t done anything to achieve it. And in my view the company’s shareholders are not convinced. The fact is that unless she opens several more stores pretty soon, Smithson’s profits will start to fall because turnover at the existing store will inevitably start to decline.
According to the writer, many staff opposed Baker’s plans because
选项
A、they were unwilling to change their way of working.
B、they disagreed with her goals for the store.
C、they felt they were not consulted enough about the changes.
D、they were unhappy with her style of management.
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://jikaoti.com/ti/NsZYFFFM
本试题收录于:
BEC中级阅读题库BEC商务英语分类
0
BEC中级阅读
BEC商务英语
相关试题推荐
•Readthearticlebelowaboutthefunctionsofmoney.•ChoosethebestwordtofilleachgapfromA,B,CorD.•ForeachQue
•Readthearticlebelowaboutthefunctionsofmoney.•ChoosethebestwordtofilleachgapfromA,B,CorD.•ForeachQue
•Readthearticlebelowaboutthefunctionsofmoney.•ChoosethebestwordtofilleachgapfromA,B,CorD.•ForeachQue
•ReadthefollowingarticleaboutthefourPsofthemarketingmixandthequestionsthatfollow.•ForeachQuestion15-20,ma
•ReadthefollowingarticleaboutthefourPsofthemarketingmixandthequestionsthatfollow.•ForeachQuestion15-20,ma
•Readthetextbelowaboutcommunicatingingroups.•Inmostofthelines41—52thereisoneextraword.Itiseithergrammatica
Readthetextbelowfromareportaboutsalesfigures.Inmostlines(41-52),thereisoneextraword.Iteitherisgrammatically
Readthetextbelowfromareportaboutsalesfigures.Inmostlines(41-52),thereisoneextraword.Iteitherisgrammatically
Readthetextbelowfromareportaboutsalesfigures.Inmostlines(41-52),thereisoneextraword.Iteitherisgrammatically
随机试题
杨某3月1日为自己居住的房屋向保险公司投保当年的财产险,保险金额为8万元。同年7月4日晚,其子(11岁)一人独自在家,玩打火机时不慎引发大火,将房屋全部烧毁。保险公司在对杨某房屋毁损是否赔偿存在分歧,下列表述中哪些是正确的?()
()是指在损失发生时或之后,为缩小损失幅度而采用的各项措施,它是处理风险的有效技术。
港口与航道工程竣工验收中,施工单位提交的竣工资料应包括()。
根据《行政复议法》的有关规定,当事人认为具体行政行为侵犯其合法权益的,可以自知道该具体行政行为之日起()日内提出行政复议申请。
张某为筹款经商,以自有的价值20万元的设备为抵押,向甲银行贷款5万元,1个月后又以该设备为抵押,向乙银行贷款10万元,均未办理抵押物登记。如果张某到期不能还款,该设备拍卖所得为12万元,下列说法错误的有()。
EOS系统给零售业带来的好处是______。
核算人工成本的基本指标包括()
著作权属于何种权利类型?()
《红楼梦》第十四回讲到王熙凤协理宁国府,凤姐年纪轻轻,却能依靠“奖罚分明”把宁国府管理得井井有条。从管理学上看,王熙凤管理宁国府主要基于:
A、B、C、D、B
最新回复
(
0
)