Success in Business System - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 08 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–34 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Questions 35–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Setting up systems based on an existing process
Two mistakes
Manager tries to:
- improve on the original process
- create an ideal 35 from the best parts of several processes
Cause of problems
- information was inaccurate
- comparison between the business settings was invalid
- disadvantages were overlooked, e.g. effect of changes on 36
Solution
- change 37
- impose rigorous 38
- copy original very closely:
- physical features of the 39
- the 40 of original employees
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | B | It's a less glamorous activity than pure innovation, but it actually happens more often, as a matter of fact | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that even though starting new things is more exciting, copying successful work actually happens more many times. Answer Explanation: The answer means that companies try to copy their old successes more many times than they try to start brand-new things. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker says that copying successful work happens 'more often' than 'pure innovation' (creating new things). While innovation is more 'glamorous' or exciting, business managers choose to repeat what already works to get better results more frequently. |
| Q32 | B | A host of studies confirm this, covering a wide range of business settings: branch banks, retail stores, real estate agencies, factories, call centres . . . to name but a few | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that many different studies agree on the same point and that these studies looked at many different kinds of businesses, such as banks, stores, and factories. Answer Explanation: The answer means that many different studies found the same results about success in business. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker mentions that "a host of studies confirm this," which means many different research projects found the same result: that most attempts to repeat a successful business process fail. This shows that the findings are consistent across different studies. While research happened outside the U.S., the transcript doesn't say "most" was done there, and it specifically says the research covered a "wide range" of settings, which means it was not limited to just a few contexts. |
| Q33 | B | Now, this approach can be used if you want to gain a rough understanding of a particular system, or understand smaller, isolated problems | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that talking to an expert works if you need a basic idea of how a system works or if you are looking at small, separate parts of a problem. Answer Explanation: The answer means that asking experts for advice is helpful only in specific situations. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the speaker explains that talking to an expert is a good idea when a manager needs a 'rough understanding' (a general idea) or wants to fix 'smaller, isolated problems' (specific, separate issues). This shows that while experts don't know everything about complex systems, their advice still has value in those specific 'circumstances'. |
| Q34 | A | Some may be difficult to describe – learned on the job and well known by workers perhaps, but impossible to describe in a way that's helpful | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that some pieces of information are known by the workers who do the job every day, but those workers cannot explain those details clearly to others. Answer Explanation: The answer means that workers often find it hard to put specific parts of their work into words for others to understand. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the speaker mentions that certain details within a business system are hard to explain. Workers might know how to do something because they learned it through experience, but they struggle to describe it in a way that helps a manager or expert understand the whole system. This makes the expert's knowledge incomplete because these specific details are never shared effectively. The transcript uses the phrases 'difficult to describe' and 'impossible to describe' to explain why this information remains hidden. |
| Q35 | combination | Another mistake is trying to use the best parts of various different systems, in the hope of creating the perfect combination | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that it is a mistake for a manager to take the best parts of different methods to try and create one perfect new way of doing things. Answer Explanation: The answer 'combination' means a single thing that is made by putting many different parts together. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is right because the text describes a mistake where managers try to take the best pieces from many different ways of working. They do this because they want to make one 'perfect combination' (or an ideal system), but this plan often fails and causes problems. Keywords here are 'best parts' and 'perfect combination'. |
| Q36 | safety | More typically, the advantages are real enough, but there are also disadvantages that have been overlooked. For example, the modifications might compromise safety in some way | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that there are often bad points that people do not see at first. It gives an example by saying that changes to a system might make it less safe for people. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'safety'. This means being protected from danger, harm, or injury. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'safety' because the talk explains that when managers change a process to try to make it better, they often ignore the bad points (disadvantages). A specific example given is that these changes (modifications) might put 'safety' at risk or make things less safe. The notes ask for an example of a disadvantage that was overlooked, and the speaker explicitly mentions safety in this context. |
| Q37 | attitudes | But the underlying problem has more to do with attitudes than the actual difficulty of the task, and there are ways of getting it right. These involve adjusting attitudes, first of all . . . being more realistic and cautious really | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the main issue isn't how hard the work is, but rather how people feel about it. To fix this, managers must first change their ways of thinking to be more careful and realistic. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the way people think, feel, or behave regarding a particular task or situation. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'attitudes' because the speaker explains that to successfully copy a business process, the first step in the solution is to change how people think about it. The speaker uses the word 'adjusting', which is a synonym for 'change', and directly links it to 'attitudes'. |
| Q38 | controls | Secondly, they involve exerting strict controls on the organisational and operational systems | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that one way to fix the problem of copying processes is to use very strong rules (strict controls) on how the business works. Answer Explanation: The answer 'controls' refers to holding strong power or influence over how something is done to ensure it follows specific rules. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'controls' because the speaker identifies 'exerting strict controls' as a key part of the solution for successfully copying a business process. In the notes, the word 'rigorous' is used, which is a synonym for 'strict' used in the transcript. These controls are applied to systems to make sure everything is done the right way. |
| Q39 | factory / factories | Not merely duplicating the physical characteristics of the factory, but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that when copying a business, you should not only copy the look and physical shape of the factory building but also the special abilities of the people who worked there. Answer Explanation: The answer is factory, which is a building or place where many goods are made using machines. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is factory because the speaker discusses how to properly copy a successful business. To do it correctly, they suggest copying the original version exactly. This includes copying the physical traits or physical characteristics of the factory itself, along with the workers' skills. |
| Q40 | skills | Not merely duplicating the physical characteristics of the factory, but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that when trying to repeat a success, it is not enough to just copy the building or factory; you must also copy the same talents or skills that the workers used in the original location. Answer Explanation: The answer 'skills' refers to the special abilities or knowledge that workers have to do their jobs successfully. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'skills' because the speaker discusses how companies can successfully copy a business process. In the 'Solution' part of the talk, the speaker explains that managers must copy the original system exactly. This includes copying both the physical parts of the business and the specific abilities or 'skills' of the workers who made the first one successful. |
Transcript
Good morning, everyone. In the last few lectures I've been dealing with business finance, but now I'm going to move on to business systems. And in today's lecture I'm going to talk about what can go wrong when businesses try to copy their own best practices.
Once a business has successfully introduced a new process – managing a branch bank, say, or selling a new product – the parent organisation naturally wants to repeat that success, and capture it if possible on a bigger scale. The goal, then, is to utilise existing knowledge and not to generate new knowledge. It's a less glamorous activity than pure innovation, but it actually happens more often, as a matter of fact. However, surprisingly, getting things right the second time is not necessarily any simpler than it was the first time.
Now, there's been a lot of research into how companies can repeat their previous successes, and it certainly hasn't been confined to the United States. It seems that most large industries are trying to repeat their own successes, and manage the knowledge they've acquired – but even so it has been shown that the overwhelming majority of attempts fail. A host of studies confirm this, covering a wide range of business settings: branch banks, retail stores, real estate agencies, factories, call centres . . . to name but a few.
So why do so few managers get things right the second or third time? Let's consider one reason for failure – placing too much trust in the people who are running the successful operation, the 'experts' shall we say. Managers who want to apply existing knowledge typically start off by going to an expert – such as the person who designed and is running a successful department store – and picking their brains. Now, this approach can be used if you want to gain a rough understanding of a particular system, or understand smaller, isolated problems. The trouble is, even the expert doesn't fully grasp the whole thing because when it comes to complex systems, the individual components of the process are interwoven with one another. The expert never has complete access to the necessary information. And the situation's complicated even further by the fact that experts are usually not aware of their own ignorance. The ignorance can take various forms. For instance, a lot of details of the system are invisible to managers. Some may be difficult to describe – learned on the job and well known by workers perhaps, but impossible to describe in a way that's helpful. And there are some things that people know or do that they're not even aware of.
Now, let's consider two types of mistake that can occur when a manager actually starts to set up a duplicate system to replicate a successful process. Firstly, perhaps he forgets that he was just trying to copy another process, and starts trying to improve on it. Another mistake is trying to use the best parts of various different systems, in the hope of creating the perfect combination.
Unfortunately, attempts like these usually turn out to be misguided and lead to problems. Why? Well, for various reasons. Perhaps there weren't really any advantages after all, because the information wasn't accurate. Or perhaps the business settings weren't really comparable. More typically, the advantages are real enough, but there are also disadvantages that have been overlooked. For example, the modifications might compromise safety in some way.
So, what's the solution? Well, I don't intend to suggest that it's easy to get things right the second time . . . it's not. But the underlying problem has more to do with attitudes than the actual difficulty of the task, and there are ways of getting it right. These involve adjusting attitudes, first of all . . . being more realistic and cautious really. Secondly, they involve exerting strict controls on the organisational and operational systems. And this in turn means copying the original as closely as possible. Not merely duplicating the physical characteristics of the factory, but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had. Reliance on a template like this offers the huge advantage of built-in consistency.