London Chamber of Commerce and Industry International Qualifications

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English for Business Level 2

Past Papers 2011

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2041/2/11 Page 1 of 7 ASE 2041 2 11 1

Series 2 Examination 2011

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES

The time allowed for this examination is 2 hours 30 minutes.

Answer all 3 questions. Candidates should note that they are required to answer only one option in Question 1.

All questions must be clearly and correctly numbered but need not be in numerical order.

Credit will be given for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Adequate and appropriate communication is required rather than a particular number of words.

When you finish, check your work carefully.

The use of standard English dictionaries and cordless non-programmable calculators is permitted. Candidates whose first language is not English may use a bilingual dictionary.

ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS Level 2 Wednesday 6 April Subject Code: 2041 Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes

2041/2/11 Page 2 of 7

QUESTION 1 Answer ONE of options (a), (b) or (c): Option (a) Setting You are a self-employed guide in a town, a city (or other geographical area) that you know well. A business associate of yours says, “Why don‟t you write a leaflet about yourself, outlining the skills that you offer to visitors; perhaps tell them where in your area they should visit, or why they would enjoy a visit there ... Include anything that would make potential clients choose you as their guide ... I‟m sure you will get more business with an informative and lively leaflet.” After a short pause, you agree and add, “I think I should concentrate on what I can do for clients ...I can offer to find suitable accommodation... hotels etc ...advise them where best to eat ...” “Yes ... now you are being positive about the idea! Make the leaflet as clear as you can and write it in connected English. You don‟t want to write one of those leaflets that scatter words and phrases around the page! Don‟t forget that you need to tell people how to contact you! Think about other information you need to include ... possibly the languages you can speak and ... I‟m sure you will know what is useful and likely to attract custom.” Task Write the leaflet.

(Total 40 marks)

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Option (b) Setting The Business Training Gazette (BTG), a magazine for anyone involved in training people for careers in the business world, invites entries for a competition. Here is the advertisement for the competition:

UNIFORM or NON-UNIFORM - which is best for business?

Recently we published an article written by one of our readers; she described how she worked

in the offices of an engineering firm. Part of her article read:

When I started working here, we came dressed in any way we liked. Then it was decided that we should all wear a uniform, and the arguments began:

“We don‟t meet the public – nobody should tell us what to wear! My clothes don‟t affect the standard of my work; I talk to clients on the phone. They don‟t know, or care about, what

clothes I‟m wearing!”

“I think that wearing a uniform creates a working atmosphere. You know ... dress smartly – think smartly!”

At BTG we received many phone-calls, emails and letters on the subject. In fact the interest

was so great that we decided to hold a competition for the best article on

UNIFORM or NON-UNIFORM which is best for business?

Write an article of about 4 or 5 paragraphs.

Send us your entries by the end of this month and try to win a 3-year subscription to BTG.

Task Write the article.

(Total 40 marks)

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Option (c) Setting A week ago you were interviewed for a promotion at Silverton Computer Industries, Sydney, Australia. This morning you received a letter saying that your application and interview were successful. The new job starts on 1 September 2011.You immediately contact Silverton Computer Industries and accept the job. When you arrive at your current place of work, Radcliffe Computers (also in Sydney), you tell a colleague your good news. Here is part of the conversation: Colleague: I‟m really happy for you. You deserve it. How long have you been here at

Radcliffe? I remember you came as a trainee technician ... let me think ... in 2002. You‟ve worked hard and been promoted twice - Team Leader now, aren‟t you? Oh, we shall have to have a party to celebrate your success ... everyone will be sorry to see you go, but happy that you have been so successful. Is it a big promotion?

You: Oh, yes, „big‟ in many ways ... much more money ... more responsibility – I shall

be a departmental head – enormous potential for even further promotion and training – some of it at Sydney University. Just think – I shall be able to study for a B.Sc. degree part-time with all expenses paid by Silverton and I shall also receive my salary while I‟m studying. It will take 5 years to complete.

Colleague: It sounds wonderful. I don‟t suppose there‟s a job for me at Silverton, is there?

You both laugh.

You: Well, you never know! Seriously though, what do I do now? Colleague: What do you mean? You: Do I write a letter of resignation ... or what? Colleague: Ah ... yes ... the policy here at Radcliffe is to write a memo to the Head of Human Resources, Mrs Jenny Sault. You need to tell her the details of your new job ... why you applied for it etc ... when you want to leave Radcliffe ... you know the sort of thing ... be as precise as you can be ... By the way, it‟s usual to say how happy you have been here at Radcliffe, how much help you‟ve had etc ... Task Write the memo.

(Total 40 marks)

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QUESTION 2 Setting Mr Colum Gorman is Head of Customer Services at the Head Office of Dunbrody Electronics, Ardkeen Shopping Centre, Waterford, Ireland. This morning he gave you a letter and said, “Have a look at this and sort out the problem, please. I think Mrs Neruda may have exaggerated her difficulties, but we can‟t endanger our reputation for good customer service by saying so. Be as tactful and as helpful as possible ... It‟s possible we have sold the radio to cover the cost of the repair! Since Mrs Neruda has contacted us by letter, write a letter in reply.” Here is Mrs Neruda‟s letter:

12 Coach Road Gorey County Wexford Telephone 053 942 1695 4 April 2011 Customer Services Dunbrody Electronics Ardkeen Shopping Centre Waterford Dear Sir or Madam In June of last year, I took my radio, an Askam Fidelity 1675, to my local Dunbrody Electronics store for repair. I was told that the repair would cost me thirty euros (€30) plus the cost of the parts. A few weeks later I received a phone-call from your store in Gorey saying that my radio was ready for collection. However, because of illness I was at that time unable to collect the radio. Following my illness, I stayed with my daughter at her home in France until May of this year. Last week, I decided to go to Gorey and collect my radio. I was astonished to find that your shop there had closed and a notice on the door told customers to contact Dunbrody Head Office with any queries they may have. That is what I am now doing. I would like my radio returned to me but I have no intention of travelling to Waterford to collect it. If I did that, my return journey would be over 100 miles! If you can tell me how much I need to pay you, I shall send you a cheque. Yours faithfully

Magda Neruda Magda Neruda (Mrs)

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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QUESTION 2 CONTINUED You check in your firm's filing system and find that Mr Gorman was right to think that the radio might have been sold. Here is part of the file:

Customer Mrs Magda Neruda

June 10 2010 Dunbrody Store - Gorey Branch - Askam Fidelity 1675 accepted for repair - €30 plus cost of parts

June 11 2010 Customer advised by phone - repair = €30 + €20 = €50 if collected (additional €5 if delivered) Customer accepted estimate and "will collect"

June 17 2010 Customer advised by letter - radio ready for collection

July 15 2010 Postal reminder sent to customer – offer of delivery for €5

October 20 2010 Postal reminder sent to customer + request for contact to make arrangements to pay for repair and informed that goods not collected after 6 months may be sold by Dunbrody to recover costs

November 22 2010 Phone-call by Dunbrody – message left on answer-machine asking Mrs Neruda to contact Letter sent to Mrs Neruda – reminder of sale of goods uncollected after 6 months

January 12 2011 Final postal reminder sent stating that the Gorey Branch will be closing and that the radio will be sold in the „closing-down‟ sale in February – unless Mrs Neruda contacts before the sale

February 18 2011 Radio – Askam Fidelity 1675 sold - €36

You decide to offer to supply Mrs Neruda with a used Askam Fidelity 1775 Radio (a more recent model) at a cost of €50 including a guarantee for 6 months, delivered to her home free of charge. Task Write the letter.

(Total 30 marks)

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QUESTION 3 (In answering Question 3, remember that it is very important to use your own words whenever possible, and to organise the list of main points in a logical way.) Setting You are a management trainee at a large local business. At the end of her introduction to the training Mrs Nazim, Head of Human Resources, issues the following advice on taking notes in lectures. She says, “You need to practise your note-taking skills. Write a list of the main points from this advice-sheet.”

ADVICE-SHEET 1

Note Taking Although the emphasis of our management training programme is on practical work, there is a strong theoretical element. Some of this will mean that you listen to lectures given by experts in several areas of management. The aim of a lecture is to arouse your interest in a subject. It is not intended to give you all the possible information on a topic. You are therefore advised to take notes during a lecture, and to follow these up with additional reading after the lecture. Your lecture notes are important, because they will form the basis of revision for the examination at the end of the course, but we emphasise that the lectures will not contain all the information you will need to know. Lecturers‟ styles vary, and you will have to modify your note-taking approach. Most lecturers speak from their notes and use audiovisual aids, emphasising and summing up major points. Some will give out handouts to which you can usefully add your own notes. Do not expect a lecturer to dictate, and do not attempt to write down every word a lecturer says. Listen, understand the main points, and then write them down as briefly and as clearly as you can. Note taking is like most communication in business: it needs to be accurate and as short as possible while remaining understandable. Very few lecturers like being disturbed by questions during the lecture, but most are approachable immediately after when you can ask for further explanation or clarification of a point. It is important that you go back through your lecture notes on the day of the lecture when it is still fresh in your mind. Add any essential points. Take special care to read through any additional information that a lecturer may have handed out. You will probably not have read it fully during the lecture. Diagrams are best understood and remembered if you redraw them yourself, even if you have a printed copy.

Task

Write a list of the main points from the advice sheet.

(Total 30 marks)

2041/3/11 Page 1 of 7 ASE 2041 3 11 1

Series 3 Examination 2011

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES

The time allowed for this examination is 2 hours 30 minutes.

Answer all 3 questions. Candidates should note that they are required to answer only one option in Question 1.

All questions must be clearly and correctly numbered but need not be in numerical order.

Credit will be given for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Adequate and appropriate communication is required rather than a particular number of words.

When you finish, check your work carefully.

The use of standard English dictionaries and cordless non-programmable calculators is permitted. Candidates whose first language is not English may use a bilingual dictionary.

ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS Level 2 Wednesday 1 June Subject Code: 2041 Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes

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QUESTION 1 Answer ONE of options (a), (b) or (c): Option (a) Setting You work at Greenlawns Hotel, Lichfield, England. The Manager, Mrs Guyatri Cheema, gives you the following notes and says, “Please use the notes to write a leaflet about the hotel. Put the ideas into a sensible order and remember I do not like leaflets that have words scattered over the page! Write in good, connected English, please ... I‟m sure I don‟t need to tell you that the leaflet should encourage people to come here ... holidays ... business trips ... conferences ... parties ... weddings ...dances ... etc.” Here are Mrs Cheema‟s notes:

Greenlawns Hotel

Highley Road Lichfield WS14 3AG

Phone 01384 753421 Email greenlawns@btinternet.com

Website www.greenlawnshotel.co.uk

Open 365 days every year

Hotel (+ Restaurant) – simply relax or explore Central England

60 en-suite bedrooms and 20 suites (lounge, bedroom and bathroom) - all with FREE high-speed internet access, television + 24 hour room-service.

Award winning restaurant - superior food. 24-hour room service available.

Swimming pool, modern gym, sauna, gardens, tennis courts.

Several air-conditioned venues for your private party, wedding reception.

Delightful gardens for great wedding photographs etc. CONFERENCES.

Conference room, meeting rooms . Broadband.

Gardens, free car park, tennis courts.

Hospitality – service - you will enjoy your visit and you will make Greenlawns your first choice. PLEASE ADD FURTHER INFORMATION IF YOU WISH.

Task Write the leaflet.

(Total 40 marks)

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Option (b) Setting Mrs Stanisława Duda is the Manager of Manor Close, a 3-storey block of apartments for elderly people. She says, “You know how unreliable the residents‟ lift has become. You wrote a memo to all our residents saying that we would need to have it fully serviced and important parts replaced. Well, the job is being done in September of this year. Following advice we have been given, we have decided to install a second lift as well. Can you write a notice about the work that will be done and explain some of the help we shall offer to residents? I‟ve written some notes to help you. See if you can make sense of them.” Write the notice in paragraphs and full sentences please, and make the message very clear. Here are Mrs Duda‟s notes:

Notice

(Place notice in several places including Residents’ Lounge and Cafeteria)

Lift to be repaired.

There will be inconvenience – SORRY!

We can organise ordering/delivery of grocery (if wanted) (and anything else

you need) – deliver to your door (if wanted). Tell your relatives/visitors what is

happening. We have given you warning of the inconvenience already – memo.

Anyone likely to have great difficulty – we shall put them (residents) up in a

hotel (free).

Second lift also being installed (HUGE JOB!) – Safety/fire advice - therefore

work necessary. During repair + installation of lifts - work also on Residents’

Lounge – work likely to take (at least) 4 weeks. Stairs unaffected – BUT noise

from work – dust etc - Kept to minimum but will happen – Work begins

September 22 2011.

Manager’s Office + Gymnasium + Residents’ Cafeteria WILL NOT BE

AFFECTED. Workers’ vans, cars, lorries etc WILL take up parking space –

Problem? - See Manager.

Task Write the notice

(Total 40 marks)

2041/3/11 Page 4 of 7 ASE 2041 3 11 1

Option (c) Setting You are Senior Manager in a large commercial business. The Company Secretary (CS) asks to see you to talk over how various departments organise their departmental meetings. Here is part of your conversation: YOU As you know, it‟s part of the Senior Manager‟s job to attend departmental meetings. I don‟t go to all the departmental meetings, but I try to visit each of them at least once every three months or so – sometimes more often. CS That‟s fine; no-one should expect you to attend every meeting. It would be impossible anyway ... What worries me is that I don‟t think some of the meetings are well organised ... They don‟t follow the recommended pattern ... or even discuss all the issues that should be discussed ... I‟m afraid that some Heads of Department try to finish early. YOU I know, and some don‟t even check if everyone who should attend has bothered to do so. It‟s essential that all meetings have a list of those attending and a list of apologies... CS ...with the reason for not attending also being included in the minutes. That brings me to the point of this chat. I would like you to write a memo to all heads of department telling them that we think many meetings are held properly, but some are not! There must always be a basic pattern that we all follow. We‟ve already mentioned some of the things we expect. Let‟s make a few notes of items that must also be mentioned in the memo.

Here is the list of points which you and the Company Secretary agree might be included in the memo:

ORGANIZE MEETINGS EFFICIENTLY

Start on time (don’t wait for those who are late). (Heads of Department are never late!!!!)

Build idea of departments as teams. Always review items from previous minutes.

End meeting with summary of main decisions, and items to be followed up (and who will do the follow up work)

Chairperson – usually Head of Department (encourage everyone to participate).

Send out agenda early – at latest, one week before meeting.

Send relevant decisions etc to all who apologized (copy to Senior Manager!)

Keep to the agenda.

Task

Write the memo. (Total 40 marks)

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QUESTION 2 Setting

Mr William Burgess is the Editor of The Devon and Exeter Gazette, a newspaper that serves the whole of Devon. He asks you to reply to the following letter, which he has received. He says that he is very keen to help Mrs Foxton. “We need to talk with her about the possibility of her writing a series of articles for us. She‟s an expert in local history and that‟s a subject that the Gazette has ignored recently. Perhaps her contacting us about this other matter is exactly the introduction we need. Suggest she gets in touch with us ... preferably by phone: 01392 272466 to make an appointment. I‟d like it if both you and I could meet her.”

3 Byrnecroft Lane Devon Exeter EX4 8JL 1 June 2011 The Editor The Devon and Exeter Gazette 134 - 138 Main Street Devon Exeter EX1 3AG Dear Sir or Madam I wonder if you can help me. I am writing a book and need to research the recent history (1950 to present day) of Crediton, which, as you know, is only about 7 miles from Exeter. I believe that you have copies of the Gazette going back to the 1930s. Would it be possible for me to have access to them? It would help me considerably. Also would you give permission for me to quote from the Gazette, and possibly to use photographs from your newspaper to illustrate my book? I look forward to your reply and hope that you can support my project. Yours faithfully

Angela Foxton Angela Foxton (Mrs)

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

2041/3/11 Page 6 of 7

QUESTION 2 CONTINUED

Mr Burgess later sends you the following email:

From editor@DEGazette.org To deputyeditor@DEGazette.org Date 1 June 2011 Subject Mrs Foxton _________________________________________________________________________________ Hi I‟ve been thinking – we can give permission for Mrs Foxton to use any of our material (articles, letters to the editor, photographs etc), but we have to insist that it is made clear in the book that each item is the copyright of the Gazette. Let her know how keen we are to help her. (We can even offer a small office here in which she can work.) Regards William

Task Write the letter.

(Total 30 marks)

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QUESTION 3

(In answering Question 3, remember that it is very important to use your own words whenever possible, and to organise the list of main points in a logical way.) Setting A local college has asked you to talk to students of Business Studies about what businesses can do so that their customers are satisfied with the services they receive. In a magazine, you read the following extract from an article and decide to write a list of its main points to help you in planning your talk.

TAKE THAT ‘EXTRA STEP’.

Successful business relies on good customer service. If you‟re a skilful salesperson, you can sell anything to anyone - once. But it will be your approach to customer service that decides whether or not you‟ll ever be able to sell anything else to that person. How do you go about giving good customer service? Firstly, you have to remember the main motto, which is: “You will be judged by what you do, not by what you say you will do.” Words are easy but helpful actions are much more difficult and, at the same time, much more effective in impressing customers. Another important piece of advice is, “Don‟t make promises unless you will keep them”. Notice that I did not say „plan to keep them‟, but „will keep them‟. If you say, “Your new office furniture will be delivered on Tuesday”, make sure it is delivered on that day. Listen to your customers. Show them that you are listening by making the appropriate responses, such as suggesting possible solutions to a problem or giving sensible advice to guide a customer‟s decision in such a way that he or she feels that your advice is genuine, and not based on what you want to sell to him or her. Make sure you train your staff to be helpful and to know everything about what you supply, or sell ... I always remember being in a supermarket and looking for an ingredient. I had forgotten its name. One of the supermarket‟s assistants not only worked out what I was searching for, but she actually took me to the place where it was displayed. Genuine advice and real help. That‟s right – I still shop at that same supermarket.

Task Write the list of the main points from the article.

(Total 30 marks)

2041/4/11 Page 1 of 7 ASE 2041 4 11 1

Series 4 Examination 2011

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CANDIDATES

The time allowed for this examination is 2 hours 30 minutes.

Answer all 3 questions. Candidates should note that they are required to answer only one option in Question 1.

All questions must be clearly and correctly numbered but need not be in numerical order.

Credit will be given for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Adequate and appropriate communication is required rather than a particular number of words.

When you finish, check your work carefully.

The use of standard English dictionaries and cordless non-programmable calculators is permitted. Candidates whose first language is not English may use a bilingual dictionary.

ENGLISH FOR BUSINESS Level 2 Monday 7 November Subject Code: 2041 Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes

2041/4/11 Page 2 of 7

QUESTION 1 Answer ONE of options (a), (b) or (c): Option (a) Setting You are the Senior Marketing Manager of Zealfood Ltd., a large food processing company in New Zealand, which sells its products nationwide. Your company is about to produce a new range of special fruit jams. Your marketing team has done a survey of 2000 customers in supermarkets throughout the country, to find out how popular these new jams might be. The customers were asked to taste six jams, and then to say whether they liked each one very much, quite liked it, did not like it, or were not sure. They were then given a free pot of jam of their choice to take home. Here are the results of the survey:

JAM % liked very much

% quite liked

% did not like

% not sure Number of pots taken home

Raspberry 42 33 13 12 425

Blackcurrant 37 29 14 20 410

Damson 31 13 22 34 190

Gooseberry 15 16 52 17 50

Plum 28 38 10 24 380

Apricot 46 25 15 14 545

You present these figures to the Managing Director, and the following conversation takes place: You: We need to decide which one of these six jams should be marketed first. We should

choose the most popular one; I suggest we do this by adding the first two columns together. After that, perhaps a month later, we can then market the second most popular.

MD: Excellent. I think we also need to decide if there are any of the six that were not popular,

and should not be marketed. You: You’re right. It’s obvious from the figures. MD: I’d like you to write a report for me, to present to the Board of Directors. Give a brief outline

of what your team did to obtain the information, and make some recommendations. To make the report easier, call the first jam on the list, Raspberry, Jam A, and so on, down to Jam F. We should market just four of the jams, introducing the first one next March, and then one a month until June. If there were any that were equally as popular, according to the percentages, make your judgement based on the number of free pots that were taken home.

Task Write the report.

(Total 40 marks)

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Option (b) Setting The word globalisation is used to refer to the growing practice of international companies expanding their trade and influence even more widely across the world, sometimes to the extent of setting up their own shops, factories and businesses in more and more countries. Recently, the magazine, Global Review Worldwide has received a number of letters from readers, some which argue that globalisation is a very bad thing, some which write about the benefits. The editor of the magazine decides to put a notice at the front of this month’s edition inviting readers to enter a competition on the topic. Task Write the article.

(Total 40 marks)

Global Review Worldwide

Do you think globalisation is a good or a bad thing? Some of our readers have told us that they think globalisation harms our planet. These are just a few of the things they say:

Local producers find it hard to compete All over the world, everywhere looks like everywhere else American products and the English language dominate

However, some readers say that globalisation brings benefits. They say such things as:

it brings access to new medicines, better farming methods, greater prosperity it improves employment and education prospects it creates better export opportunities

But what do you think? We want to hear from you! Please write an article for us. Can you think of some other benefits or problems – not just the ones we have listed above? We will print the best 10 that we receive. The writers of those 10 published articles will all receive a year’s free subscription to our magazine. Remember: your article can argue for or against globalisation.

Your article should be 4 or 5 paragraphs long.

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Option (c) Setting

You work as the Personal Assistant to Andy Hardy, the Managing Director of Brighter Solutions, a new IT company. This morning, he receives an email from the National Health and Safety Executive. He is told that three inspectors will be coming to do a Health and Safety inspection of your business tomorrow. Here are the details of the information he receives as an attachment to the email: We shall be concentrating on five aspects of Health and Safety, looking at them in detail:

1. Use of computers in the office 2. Cleanliness in the workplace 3. First Aid and Accident Policies 4. Electrical Safety and Fire Precautions 5. Toilet, wash and rest facilities

We hope that we shall not find anything seriously wrong, but if there is anything that needs to be improved, we shall inform you at the end of the inspection, and then give you three months to put it right. We plan to arrive at 9 o’clock, and shall be finished by the end of the afternoon, probably by 4 pm at the latest. You will not need to arrange lunch for us. We shall bring our own food, but it would be good if we could eat our lunch with your staff. We look forward to meeting you and your staff tomorrow. Mr. Hardy calls you into his office and gives you a detailed outline of the information he has just received from the inspector. He then says to you: “I want you to write a memo to all our staff. Tell them that we shall be having our first health and safety inspection tomorrow. You can say that the inspectors will definitely look at the first three items on the list, because they involve every staff member. We don’t need to mention the last two things on the list, as they are the responsibility of the management. Tell the staff that they should be aware of their Health and Safety responsibilities, in case an inspector talks to them. And please say that all staff should look around their work spaces, and make sure that they are working in a tidy, clean and safe environment. Also mention that we will receive a feedback of the inspection at the end of the day, but don’t say that we will have three months to put things right. I am confident that the inspectors will not find any serious faults. In the memo, explain that the inspectors will be with us from 9am to 4pm, and will be having their lunch with us in the staff canteen. Would you finish the memo by telling everyone that there is nothing to worry about? Word it as you think fit.” Task Write the memo.

(Total 40 marks)

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QUESTION 2 Setting

You are the Managing Director of Autofine Components UK Ltd., a company which manufactures components for the auto industry. You recently held interviews for the post of Finance Director, and a new appointment has now been made. Today you receive the following letter, from one of the unsuccessful candidates:

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

52 Helmswood Avenue Rothersby Yorkshire LT25 1XP 18 November 2011 Mr D Lomax Managing Director Autofine Components UK Ltd Autofine House Bishops Hareton Lancashire BW4 1PQ Dear Mr Lomax Interviews for the post of Finance Director Thank you for interviewing me for the position of Finance Director at Autofine Components. I am sure that you will understand that I was naturally very disappointed not to be offered the job. I felt that I had a great deal of experience to offer your company, and so could not understand why I was not appointed. As you will have seen in my application, I have worked as a Finance Controller at Componental UK for the past ten years, and before that I spent five years working in the manufacturing section of the same company. In other words, I learned all about the manufacturing part of the company, before I was promoted to the Finance Department. I understand that it is your decision to appoint the candidate that you think is the right person for the job. However, I know the person whom you have appointed very well, and believe that my knowledge and experience are much greater than his, both of the auto components industry itself, and of the way that a successful finance department should work. Please would you be kind enough to let me know why I was not successful at your interview? This will help me when I apply for future posts. Yours sincerely

Andrew Roberts

Andrew Roberts

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QUESTION 2 CONTINUED

You call two of your fellow directors, who were also at the interview, into your office. This is an outline of the conversation between the Operations (Ops) Director, Human Resources (HR) Director and you: Ops Director: Well, I must admit that Andrew Roberts seemed, from his application, to be the best

person for the job. He is obviously very experienced, and understands the auto components industry very well.

H R Director: Perhaps that was part of his problem. He behaved at our interview as if he thought he

had already got the job. It is not very professional of him to suggest that we made the wrong appointment. We had a long discussion after the interviews were over, and I know that we appointed the best person.

You: Yes; and he told us how he would alter the Finance Department, before he even knew

how successful our Finance Team is already. H R Director: I think you should tell him that he needs to listen more carefully when he is asked

questions at an interview. He interrupted all of us quite a few times. He is obviously very enthusiastic, but I don’t think he is a good listener.

Ops Director: I was worried that he might upset the staff in the Finance Team. He needs to show that

he is more patient and understanding, when he deals with people that he is responsible for. His experience is no good, if he upsets valuable members of staff.

You: I shall write back to him immediately. I need to be careful about what I say. He has a lot

of experience, and a great deal of understanding of the auto components industry. But one of the things he also needs to understand is that a business works well if it is led well. I shall finish the letter by offering to talk to him on the phone, if he needs more information.

Task Write the letter.

(Total 30 marks)

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QUESTION 3

(In answering Question 3, remember that it is very important to use your own words whenever possible, and to organise the list of main points in a logical way.) Setting

You work for a large recruitment company that deals with the employment of people who do general work in offices, factories and shops. You have noticed that your company has made some bad staff appointments recently. You have discussed this with your colleagues, and have realised that this is because the company is not good at obtaining references on behalf of potential employees.

You read an article about the best way to request references. You decide to write a list of the main points from the article, which you can use in a discussion with your colleagues at the next staff meeting.

Task Write the list of the main points from the article.

(Total 30 marks)

Requests for references: how to get it right

It is very important, when you request a reference about a potential new employee or job candidate, to follow the correct procedures. It only takes a small amount of work and thought, but if you get it wrong, and end up by making a bad appointment, you could commit your organisation to a great many problems. When you seek a reference, you should ask permission of the person involved. Failure to do so undermines trust and confidence before the new person has even started the job. This sends a signal that the employer does not have proper standards. Failing to tell employees about information you hold on them also has implications in the UK under the Data Protection Act, and a person’s right of access to references. Being open and cooperative about seeking references displays trust, and demonstrates positive, high standards. Good work practice assumes that employees should always be informed clearly through appraisals and other processes about their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Employers should check with their lawyers before creating, adapting and using letters and forms which relate to references and recruitment. This is so that the law can be properly considered. International employment law varies around the world, and changes over time. When you request (and provide) a reference, always act within the relevant laws relating to discrimination (for example: gender, race, disability and age). You could create a template - a model outline - that seeks such information as: general character, attitude, personal integrity, reliability, calmness under pressure, ambition. If you do create such a template, you should show it to each job applicant. The reason is so that you can get their agreement that it is acceptable to send it to their referees or past employers. The template should be part of a letter, or be attached to a covering letter, and sent to the relevant reference provider. And don’t forget that you will invariably improve your response rates if you remember to send a stamped and addressed envelope with your reference request.