Unit-2-test.pdf

Unit 2 Information Progress Test

Name: __________________________

Part 1 Reading

Task 1

8 Points

Look at the statements below and the extracts from an article on Virtual

Organizations. Which section (A, B, C, D or E) does each statement 1–8 refer to?

For each statement 1–8 mark one letter (A, B, C, D or E).

You will need to use some of the letters more than once.

1 In order to succeed, VOs need to find ways of solving difficulties that arise when

different companies, who deal with things in diverse ways, must solve problems

together.

2 The security of any company can be compromised by new communication tools.

3 Some companies can find it difficult to keep pace with advances, to the

disappointment of new and younger employees.

4 One of the essential components of building a successful virtual team has been the

understanding of the methods available to contact each other, and the effective use of

these.

5 If companies do not respond to the development of international links they will lose

their competitiveness and subsequently fail.

6 More mature employees have sometimes found themselves at a disadvantage

because of the speed of change in the modern workplace.

7 Because VOs cannot exist physically in the same place, problems arise of how to

build understanding between the different companies.

8 VOs owe their existence to the improvements in modern electronic forms of contact.

As the global business environment grows more competitive, many firms are joining

forces with a series of other firms, creating a number of independent alliances which

have been called virtual organizations. This has only been made possible by advances in

information and communication technologies where working relationships can be built

and trade practised with no physical contact.

The Business Upper Intermediate Tests / Unit 2 1

Forming virtual organizations (VOs) involves developing strategies to deal with the

problems of working within inter-organizational teams. Certain skills have been

identified as important by universities developing these systems, and these have been

listed as critical thinking, analytical methods, ethical problem solving, stakeholder

analysis and writing policy.

A problem that has been identified as a potential barrier to effective communication has

been the issue of trust between new team members, and a lot of this has been related to

understanding how communication and product development can work effectively in a

virtual workspace. The ease of access to and the comprehension of the scope of the

communication tools available are key to developing a successful team.

In studies of VOs and other advances in the business world it is undoubtedly the more

youthful workers who are adapting to such rapid changes in the workplace. Their ability

to embrace change and adjust to technological forms of communication gives them an

enormous advantage over their more mature colleagues. Young people entering the

workplace today have grown up with modern technology and are fully accustomed to

using it. In fact in some workplaces, they may even feel they are taking a technological

step backwards when facilities which they are used to having are not available, like

wireless devices. They automatically use these devices as a means of multi-tasking.

But even great new technology has its downsides, as security becomes more and more

threatened by ungoverned use. Instant Messaging (IM) has seen rapid growth in the

office workplace, and has been praised for its speed and usefulness, as it is much faster

than e-mail and the phone for quick queries between office locations. However,

information that is shared via IM can be stored and read by others, and it has been

suggested that company security policies which exist for telephone and radio

communications should also be developed for instant and text messaging. Network

management tools exist to detect and control IMs and other peer-to-peer connections. It

also has the ability to block specific features that could possibly leave users open to

security vulnerabilities.

The Business Upper Intermediate Tests / Unit 2 2

Task 2

7 points

Choose from the list of words below to complete the text. You will not need all

the words.

It is with regret that I have to tell you we are far from satisfied with the after-sales

service and support we have received from your company. Our company is small,

with no in-house IT department, so we rely on you to maintain our computing

systems.

Since asking you to (1) _________ our operating system we have had nothing but

problems. Our entire system keeps on (2) ________ because of incompatible software

applications provided by you. This causes serious delays as our staff can do little

when the whole system (3) ________ . Despite your firewall protection, a serious

(4) _______ has entered the network, causing enormous damage, and several

important documents have been (5) _________ , which has had severe financial

implications for us.

Our original plans were to purchase further hardware from you to help mobilize our

workforce, such as (6) ________ , and to (7) _________ a wireless connection

through your company, but in light of our experiences we do not intend to proceed

with this until you can demonstrate a great improvement in your services.

hard-disc failure ▪ server ▪ upgrade ▪ advance ▪ fall down

set up ▪ bug ▪ application ▪ deleted ▪ install

PCs ▪ crashing ▪ virus ▪ goes down ▪ palmtops

The Business Upper Intermediate Tests / Unit 2 3

Part 2 Writing

Task 1

15 points

Write an email based on the following brief. Write about 50–60 words.

You are away at a conference, but there was a request form that went round asking for

IT upgrades. You have realized that you have forgotten to submit your form, and you

want your colleague to give in a hand-written emergency request. It will mean more

work for her, but if you miss out on the upgrade you will have to wait six months for

the next one. Your workload has increased recently and you need to have a palmtop.

Write a polite request to your colleague asking her to do this for you and explaining

why.

To: Clara Brooks

Cc:

Subject: Upgrade emergency!

The Business Upper Intermediate Tests / Unit 2 4

Task 2

5 points

Re-write these sentences using the words given. The first one has been done for

you.

0 If there was a takeover, lots of people would lose their jobs (in the event/would be)

In the event of a takeover, many jobs would be lost.________________________

1 Please remember to sign in when you arrive at reception. (Staff/reminded)

__________________________________________________________________

2 If sales do not improve immediately, it will severely affect our profits.

(forthwith/affected)

__________________________________________________________________

3 We need to solve our cash-flow problems, so we thought we could sell off some of

our assets. (with a view to alleviating/sold off)

___________________________________________________________________

4 Please remember to switch off all the machinery when you have finished.

(imperative/switched off)

___________________________________________________________________

5 Thank you for continuing to work hard for us. (continued/is appreciated)

____________________________________________________________________

The Business Upper Intermediate Tests / Unit 2 5

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