BEC口语话题.docx

1、BEC口语话题1、Customer Relations: how to maintain customer interest in a companys productsAs is know to all, it is very important for a company to maintain customer interest in their products. I think a company should try every possible way to retain its current customers.First, it should always make sur

2、e that it provides its customers with quality goods and after-sales service. Second, it should lay enough emphasis on the feedback from its current customers and take prompt action to take care of their needs and demands. Third, if possible it may provide some incentives to its old customers. For ex

3、ample, it can grant a certain discount to them if their purchases reach a certain amount. Apart from all these, a company should design strategies to attract new customers and create transactions with them, to expand their customer base, so to speak. These strategies include product diversification

4、and upgrading.All in all, a company should try its utmost to keep its current customers satisfied with its products and services, and at the same time it should stay ahead of the market through product and pricing strategies.2、How to fill a key vacancyIn order to fill a key vacancy, a company will u

5、sually follow the same standard procedure.It will begin by producing an accurate job description of what it would like the successful candidate to do. From this, it can then produce a profile of this ideal candidate, which is a list of skills, experience, attributes and so on.Having produced this pr

6、ofile, the company must then decide on the best recruitment method to capture a candidate with this profile. This might be an internal advertisement or an external advertisement in a newspaper, on the Internet say, even an agency or perhaps a headhunter.Having decided on the best recruitment method,

7、 the advertisements are then placed or the headhunter contacted and a list of candidates will be then drawn up to be put through the companys recruitment processes. This might be interviews, psychometric tests or even hand-writing analysis. This will then produce the ideal candidate for the company.

8、The company will then have to negotiate terms with this candidate and, hopefully, this will result in terms which are both affordable for the company and attractive enough to get the candidate they want.Background Information3、Career Planning: how to assess the career opportunities provided by diffe

9、rent types of companiesCareer PlanningEven after a job is offered and accepted, career decisions must be made. On-the-job experience may affect the desired path. Aspiring to achieve a position above the present position is natural. The planned career path to that position may involve either a series

10、 of promotions within the firm or switching to a different firm. While planning a career path is a useful motivator, the plans should be achievable. If everyone planned to be president of a company, most plans would not be achieved. This can cause frustration. A preferable career path would include

11、short-term goals, since some ultimate goals may take twenty years or longer. The use of short-term goals can reinforce confidence as goals are achieved.Career Development: the importance of acquiring a range of skills throughout your careerIt is important a person to have a range of skills in the co

12、urse of his career development. When he has a range of skills, he is obviously more competitive than those who dont and therefore has more chances of promotion. And it will be easier for him to find a job outside his company if he is not satisfied with his present job. In addition, a person with a r

13、ange of skills is more likely to work his way up to the top of the corporate ladder.4、Human Resources: how to provide effective support for new members of staffTraining: The importance of a continuous programme of staff training within a companyStaff Management: how to achieve and maintain high moti

14、vation among a workforceMotivating Employees: Employees tend to be more satisfied with their jobs if they are provided (1) compensation that is aligned with their performance, (2) job security, (3) a flexible work schedule, and (4) employee involvement programs. Firms should offer job security, comp

15、ensation that is tied to employee performance, more flexible work schedules, and more employee involvement programs. To the extent that job satisfaction can motivate employees to improve their performance, firms may be able to a higher production level by providing greater job satisfaction.5、Marketi

16、ng ResearchManagers cannot always wait for information to arrive in bits and pieces from the marketing intelligence system. They often require formal studies of specific situations. For example, Toshiba wants to know how many and what kinds of people or companies will buy its new superfast laptop co

17、mputer. Or Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, needs to know what percentage of its target market has heard of Barat, how they heard, what they know, and how they feel about Barat. In such situations, the marketing intelligence system will not provide the detailed information needed. Managers wi

18、ll need marketing research.We define marketing research as the systematic design, collection, analysis, and reporting of data and findings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing an organization. Every marketer needs research. Marketing researchers engage in a wide variety of activities, r

19、anging from market potential and market share studies, to assessments of customer satisfaction and purchase behavior, to studies of pricing, distribution, and promotion activities.A company can conduct marketing research in its own research department or have some or all of it done outside. Although

20、 most large companies have their own marketing research departments, they often use outside firms to do special research tasks or studies. A company with no research department has to buy the services of research firms.6、Marketing: the importance of packaging products appropriatelyIn recent times, n

21、umerous factors have made packaging an important marketing tool. Increased competition and clutter on retail store shelves means that packages now must perform many sales tasks-from attracting attention, to describing the product, to making the sale. Companies are realizing the power of good packagi

22、ng to create instant consumer recognition of the company or brand. For example, in an average supermarket, which stocks 15,000 to 17,000 items, the typical shopper passes by some 300 items per minute, and 53 percent of all purchases are made on impulse. In this highly competitive environment, the pa

23、ckage may be the sellers last chance to influence buyers. It becomes a five-second commercial. The Campbell Soup Company estimates that the average shopper sees its familiar red and white can 76 times a year, creating the equivalent of $26 million worth of advertising.7、Market Research: the importan

24、ce of doing market research before launching a new productSales: How to sell a product effectively in international marketsProduct Promotion: the importance of selecting appropriate members of staff to attend exhibitionsCommunication: the importance in business of maintaining contact with clientsPub

25、lic Relations: the importance of adequate supervision and training of staff who deal with the public8、Management: How to run a meeting successfullyTransport Management: the importance to a business of an efficient public transport systemAny distribution of products from producers to wholesalers or f

26、rom wholesalers to retailers requires transportation. The cost of transporting some products can exceed the cost of producing them. An efficient form of transportation can result in higher costs and lower profits for the firm. For each form of transportation, firms should estimate timing, cost, and

27、availability. This assessment allows the firm to choose an optimal method of transportation. The most common forms of transportation used to distribute products are truck, rail, air, water, pipeline.Transport Management: the importance of using environmentally friendly means of transport whenever po

28、ssible9、Health & SafetyEmployee Safety: Firms ensure that the workplace is safe for employees by closely monitoring the production process. Some obvious safety precautions are to check machinery and equipment for proper working conditions, require safety glasses or any other equipment that one can p

29、revent injury, and emphasize any special safety precautions in training seminars.Firms that create a safe working environment prevent injuries and improve the morale of their employees. Many firms, such as Allied Signal, now identify workplace safety as one of their main goals. Levi Strauss and Comp

30、any imposes safety guidelines not only its U.S. facilities but also on Asian factories where some of its clothes are made. Starbucks Coffee Company has developed a code of conduct in an attempt to improve the quality of life in coffee-producing countries.10、Life Skills: the importance of being able

31、to cope with stress in a jobTechnology: the importance of training staff in how to use new technology when introducing it into the workplace.art TwoIn this part each candidates task is to choose one topic from a set of three, and to talk about it for one minute. Candidates have one minute in which t

32、o prepare and should use this time to make brief notes. The other candidate listens to the talk and is invited to ask one or two questions at the end. Candidates may make notes while listening to their partner. Each candidate is given a different set of three tasks from which to choose.General procedureA choice of three different topicsOne minute preparation while making notesA/B starts with the other listening-one minuteQuestion asked1. Customer relation: the importance of offering incentives to customersOff