[originaltext]W: Sounds good. That kind of responsibility can be intimidating i

W: Sounds good. That kind of responsibility can be intimidating if you are dropped into it without any sort of assistance, especially if you are the first member of your family to get into university.
M: Yes, indeed it can. That was what happened to me. My parents were entirely supportive, but they simply had no idea what the experience of university study was like. It took me several months to find my feet. That’s why I was keen to get involved in the orientation project.
W: So what do you get out of your involvement?
M: As I said, I learned how to identify the problems, and to talk about them in terms that newcomers to the university could understand—or at least, I got to be much better at it! It’s actually quite a difficult thing to do.
W: Can you tell me, in just a sentence or two, how you see a career in Management?
M: Essentially I see Management as an activity that involves problem solving, and communication. A manager identifies and resolves increasingly complex and significant problems as his career develops and he has to communicate adequately the solutions he finds. He has to be able to find a suitable form of words to communicate to his superiors, his colleagues, and increasingly as he gains experience, with the people junior to him.
W: Yes, I’d agree with you there. And you imply, Mr. Phelps, that he has to be a team worker. Yet you claim that you can work independently. Can you reconcile these two claims?
M: I think so. I don’t see them as contradictory when I say that I can work independently I mean that I’m a self-starter. If I see that something needs doing I like to check first that it does fall within my terms of reference, and then to get on with it. Of course you have to be careful that you don’t tread on someone else’s patch if you do that. I’m afraid I’ve learnt that the hard way.
W: Mr. Phelps, have you any questions for us?
M: Do you think there may be opportunities in future for today’s recruits to work—for a time—elsewhere than Hong Kong? I’m very keen to see something more of South East Asia and I’m especially interested in the possibility of Japan.
W: I think the future prospects for people joining us now are very good indeed. Anything further Mr. Phelps?
M: No, thank you. And thanks for the opportunity of the interview. I do hope I’ll hear further from you.
W: Well. We usually expect to be in touch with successful applicants within a week. Thank you for coming in. It’s been good to talk to you.
6. Why does Mr. Phelps join the orientation project?
7. According to Mr. Phelps, what is not a feature of a good manager?
8. How does Mr. Phelps see the conflict between working in a team and working independently?
9. Where are Mr. Phelps keen to work?
10. How soon can Mr. Phelps know the result?