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  3. As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially becau

As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially becau

admin2023-02-19  12
问题     As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially because it appears people who set realistic goals actually work more efficiently, and exert more effort, to achieve those goals.
    What’s far less understood by scientists, however, are the potentially harmful effects of goal-setting.
    Newspapers relay daily accounts of goal-setting prevalent in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street, yet there has been surprisingly little research on how the long-trumpeted practice of setting goals may have contributed to the current economic crisis, and unethical (不道德的) behavior in general.
    "Goals are widely used and promoted as having really beneficial effects. And yet, the same motivation that can push people to exert more effort in a constructive way could also motivate people to be more likely to engage in unethical behaviors," says Maurice Schweitzer, an associate professor at Penn’s Wharton School.
    "It turns out there’s no economic benefit to just having a goal—you just get a psychological benefit" Schweitzer says. "But in many cases, goals have economic rewards that make them more powerful."
    A prime example Schweitzer and his colleagues cite is the 2004 collapse of energy-trading giant Enron, where managers used financial incentives to motivate salesmen to meet specific revenue goals. The problem, Schweitzer says, is the actual trades were not profitable.
    Other studies have shown that saddling employees with unrealistic goals can compel them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when Sears imposed a sales quota on its auto repair staff. It prompted employees to overcharge for work and to complete unnecessary repairs on a companywide basis.
    Schweitzer concedes his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that commends the many benefits of goal-setting. Advocates of the practice have taken issue with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-prescribed.
    In a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Locke writps: "Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot thrive without being focused on their desired end results any more than an individual can thrive without goals to provide a sense of purpose."
    But Schweitzer contends the "mounting causal evidence" linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help spotlight issues that merit caution and further investigation. "Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects," he says.
    "Goal-setting does help coordinate and motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful oversight, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harm the organization," Schweitzer says.
What does Maurice Schweitzer want to show by citing the example of Enron?
选项 A、Businesses are less likely to succeed without setting realistic goals.
B、Financial incentives ensure companies meet specific revenue goals.
C、Setting realistic goals can turn a failing business into success.
D、Goals with financial rewards have strong motivational power.
答案D
解析 根据题干中的the example of Enron定位至第6段第1句。题目询问Maurice Schweitzer引用安然公司的例子想要说明什么。结合上文，引用安然公司的例子是为了说明第5段末句(But转折处)的观点，即在很多情况下，目标带来经济回报，从而使这些目标更有效。D项“带有经济奖励的目标具有强大的激励力量”是这一句的同义改写，financial相当于原文的economic。A项“企业如不制定切实可行的目标更不可能成功”，其中setting realistic goals在第1段提到，但是这不是例证要支持的观点；B项“财政激励措施确保企业实现特定的收入目标”，错在ensure companies，第6段第1句说的是motivate salesmen；安然公司已经倒闭了，因此C项“建立切实可行的目标让失败的公司走向成功”不对。②例证所支持的观点往往在前后出现，解题关键是读懂相关的句子。
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