You will hear two managers, Peter and Sarah, who are taking an MBA course, discu

Man: Well, Sarah, what do you make of this assignment? Quite tough, isn’t it?
Woman: Hm, Peter, it’s not the easiest, that’s for sure! But this course was never going to be a holiday, was it?
Man: Definitely not! Anyway, the job this time seems to be pretty detailed, analytical. . .
Woman: Mm. But we have to be looking at the wider picture, don’t we? ... I mean, the strategies these organisations put in place . . .
Man: Yes, how they structure employees . . .
Woman: And it’s that aspect of organisations we’re supposed to be reviewing.
Man: Yup. I must say, I think the course in general is pretty well put together . . .
Woman: Yeah, the lecturing input’s pretty high standard, isn’t it?
Man: No better than I expected . . . though it’s probably a bit tipped in favour of the theoretical side, I’d say. But whatever, I do feel everyone’s particular situation’s taken account of, so we all feel it’s tailor-made for us, somehow, if you see what I mean.
Woman: Mm, I do, though I can’t say I’m entirely happy . . .
Man: Oh?
Woman: Well, we do all the reading - and I’ve learnt a lot from that in itself - and then get into our respective groups, but then I find we’ve all got different concerns. . .
Man: Contexts . . .
Woman: Yeah, yeah, that it doesn’t really gel, even in the two-hour slots they give us, which ought to be enough, surely.
Man: But don’t you find that’s true in any work situation?
Woman: Not necessarily, no. Well, er, perhaps I’m not at my best in teams, full stop. My motivation comes from seeing steps, you know? A line of particular projects coming up, and the challenge of knocking each one into shape and then going onto the next. I think that’s the best way to be satisfying client demand, whether you’re dealing directly with them or not. I used to be more face-to-face, but I have less of that now.
Man: That’s interesting, ’cause where I’d like to be further on down the line is in dealing with building up brand image for my company . . . you know, seeing what strategies can be put in place to increase the perceived quality of what you’ve got on offer ... so that’s similar to what you’re saying in some ways . . .
Woman: In some ways, yes. . . course, the question is, how do you get there?
Man: To the dream job . . .
Woman: I expect we both need to talk to a recruitment consultant in the near future.
Man: They are the ones with the contacts . . .
Woman: Mm-hm, yeah, but often in a specialised field ... I mean more that they’re in a position to make you see what employers actually require . . . you know, take you out of your dream world . . .
Man: Yeah . . .
Woman: . . . and get you into the business of focusing the value of what you offer more precisely onto what a company’s looking for. Though their commission can be sky-high.
Man: Yes! Do you know, another thing I’d be looking for is the chance to work from home more.
Woman: Escape commuting? Wouldn’t we all?!
Man: Seriously, don’t you feel it would do wonders for your output, that you’d just get more done in a day? Half the time, I feel exhausted before I even get to the office . . .
Woman: Oh, I know what you mean . . . But what about the energy you get from colleagues?
Man: Well, nothing can replace the creative buzz you get off interacting with them, really exchanging ideas . . . it’s only whether the price of that is worth it. . .
Woman: Mm . . . well, who knows what the future will hold for us? People are saying computer applications will mean more and more accuracy in harnessing relevant data.
Man: I’m not convinced ... I certainly think specialisation’s going to be the key, knowing your own region, and that comes from hands-on experience.
Woman: What’s special about it, yeah, sure, so how to focus your sales efforts accordingly . . .
Man: Mm, because customers will always respond to focused marketing.
Woman: Oh, absolutely. Anyway, what’s your view on . . .
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Now listen to the recording again.
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That is the end of Part Three. You now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to your Answer Sheet.
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Note: Teacher, stop the recording here and time ten minutes. Remind students when there is one minute remaining.
That is the end of the test.