FACOLTA DI ECONOMIA - SEDE DI BIELLA CORSO DI LAUREA IN ECONOMIA AZIENDALE MODELLO A ESONERO DI INGLESE - II ANNO

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1 FACOLTA DI ECONOMIA - SEDE DI BIELLA CORSO DI LAUREA IN ECONOMIA AZIENDALE MODELLO A ESONERO DI INGLESE - II ANNO Nome dello Studente: Data: Totale / 60 VOTO: /30 LISTENING You will hear a part of a presentation given at a business management conference. The speaker describes a management case. You will hear the recording twice. A Write a short answer to each of the questions below. 1) What was the business activity of the company in the case? 2) How many shops belonged to the company? 3) What was the title of the head of the company? 4) Were the shopkeepers also shareholders in the company? B Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. 5) Which word best describes the way that meetings were run in the past? a) authoritarian b) easygoing c) efficient 6) A new head was brought in because. a) profits were low. b) the company was nearly bankrupt. c) the former head had retired. 7) The new head.. a) had worked in this field of business before. b) already worked for this company. c) was well known for making tough decisions. 8) The shopkeepers were not happy because the new head. a) wasn t strong enough. b) wasn t very friendly. c) didn t consult them about new decisions. Esonero II anno 1

2 9) At the extraordinary meeting. a) the atmosphere was very relaxed. b) people were very quiet. c) the board of management was replaced. 10) After the extraordinary meeting. a) radical changes were implemented. b) people continued to be unhappy. c) the policies didn t change very much. B READING Have you got what it takes to start your own business? How do you really make it happen? How do you raise the money? 11. Chidi Ngwaba says funding a business yourself with savings is a bit like having a baby. I feel like we re living in a dream. Their dream was to open a place selling healthy fresh-cooked, vegetarian food. 12. Their cash has stretched to employing a team of people to run their company, Plant and they hope to have three more outlets by the end of the year. The Ngwabas believe they have no direct competition. I think it s something new, Ms Ngwaba says confidently. If things don t work out, they ll sell their house and move in with their parents. The need to feel safe and the fear of failure can often stop people taking their first steps towards starting up a business. But according to Simon Woodroffe, founder of the restaurant chain YO! 5 6 Sushi, it is the fear of not following your dream which moves people. 13. When I ask him whether now is a difficult time to start a business, Mr Woodroffe says: It s always the right time to start a business. With YO! Sushi now quite stable, Mr Woodroffe is starting new ventures. 14. Similarly motivated is Mark Blandford, founder of online agency Sportingbet. Sportingbet went live in October 2008, with no customers and no turnover. Today he says: We re a profitable dot.com. His expected turnover this year is 927 million. And his advice for would-be entrepreneurs? Have a vision, spot a new niche and be sufficiently convinced to go for it 100%. 15. A banker s advice would centre more on researching your idea and on drawing up detailed business plans. You probably need both to get started. From the Guardian B Complete the article with the following sentences. There is one extra sentence that doesn t fit. a b c d e f YOTEL! And Body YO! Are coming soon. If you don t get a bank loan you will regret it forever. It s not the advice a bank would offer. Is there anywhere you can go for help? Neither Chidi nor his wife, Uchenna, has any experience of food, other than eating it. It is better to try and fail than never to have tried, he believes. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the following: Ex: finding money to start a company (paragraph 2) funding a business 16) sales channels (paragraph 3) 17) an action with no success (paragraph 4) 18) value of goods or services sold by a business (paragraph 5) 19) have imagination and a clear purpose (paragraph 6) 20) preparing an accurate programme for a business (paragraph 6) Esonero II anno 2

3 C LANGUAGE IN USE 1 Fill in the numbered gaps with the appropriate words. You need one word for each gap. Catherine had a busy day (21) work yesterday. She (22) trying all morning to negotiate a deal worth $90,000 with BAB, (23) important new customer. But the BAB buyer demanded immediate delivery. Catherine s company does (24) have enough goods in stock to meet an order so quickly. She telephoned several different warehouses, but none of them could supply the goods (25) time. Then, at 4 p.m., just when Catherine was losing hope (26) getting the deal, her telephone rang. It was John, one of (27) colleagues from (28) sales department. He told her that CCI, an existing customer, was (29) problems with the computer system at their warehouse, and they wanted (30) postpone delivery of a big order scheduled for the next day. So Catherine was able to send the CCI delivery to BAB instead and close the deal. Choose the correct answer from a, b or c. 31 All sales staff get a at Christmas and it doesn t matter how much they sell. a) loyal b) bonus c) pay 32 The organisational in our company is like a pyramid. a) status b) subordinate c) hierarchy 33 I like meetings where everyone is relaxed. a) unformal b) informal c) disformal 34 Our market has fallen by 3% this year. a) place b) share c) leader 35 You need to cut your spending. We re on a really budget. a) finance b) tight c) borrow 36 I got my first job with the company on their graduate trainee. a) placement b) location c) scheme 37 You ll need to an interview after you apply. a) invite b) attend c) wait 38 After university I had to pay off my. a) debts b) accounts c) discounts 39 Many online banks are trying to protect customers from and theft. a) premiums b) claims c) fraud 40 I ve asked three times for my money back but they still refuse to give me a. a) return b) satisfaction c) refund Esonero II anno 3

4 2 Read the article below about an organisation which supports small businesses and mark one letter (A, B, C or D) to choose the correct word to fill each gap. Small businesses are being invited to join Smallbook Business Alliance (SBA). The Alliance, (41) currently has more than 70 members, was launched four years ago in order (42) support local businesses. SBA President, Helen Smith, said: 'SBA can make (43) real difference to small firms. By (44) real business experiences, companies find they are in a better position to deal (45) the challenges facing them.' Informal meetings (46) held for business owners twice a month. In addition to these there are a (47) formal events organised by SBA, with a guest speaker present at (48) event. The next meeting takes place on 21 st April. The topic is the business fair (49) to take place in the city in July. Helen Smith said: 'We (50) it to be a very popular event indeed.' 41 a) which b) who c) that d) whose 42 a) for b) to c) of d) so 43 a) the b) any c) a d) no 44 a) sharying b) share c) shared d) sharing 45 a) by b) from c) with d) of 46 a) will b) are c) have d) were 47 a) bit b) little c) a lot d) few 48 a) each b) some c) all d) any 49 a) schedule b) scheduling c) scheduled d) schedules 50 a) think b) expect c) decide d) prepare D WRITING 10 marks You organised the conference at the Modern Hotel, for your company, but it didn't go well, for the reasons given below. Write a letter (120 to 150 words) to the manager of the hotel complaining about the problems you had and asking for a discount on the bill. Suggest a figure for this discount. Restaurant slow service (give an example) Conference facilities equipment out of order (give details) Swimming pool closed some days Satellite TV only French language channels available Smoking many guests smoked in non-smoking areas Esonero II anno 4

5 KEY Esonero ii anno Listening: CD2 Track 28 Market Leader Intermediate 1. nationwide group of flower shops 2. about president 4. yes 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. c 9. c 10. c 11 d 12 e 13 f 14 a 15 c 16 outlet 17 failure 18 turnover 19 vision 20 draw up detailed business plans 21 at 22 was 23 an 24 not 25 in 26 of 27 her 28 the 29 having 30 to 31 b 32 c 33 b 34 b 35 b 36 c 37 b 38 a 39 c 40 c 41 a 42 b 43 c 44 d 45 c 46 b 47 d 48 a 49 c 50 b Esonero II anno 5