Reading Exercise # 6

Task 1: Remote Office Secretaries

We know that in modern businesses, there are times when the office is busy and times when it is
quiet. So how can you get all your work done during these busy periods? Hiring temporary staff is
always difficult because you may not have office space, and you cannot always be sure of the
standards. So why not give us a call? We can provide professional administrative and secretarial
support for your business. Our secretaries provide office support from fully equipped offices in their
own homes. They communicate with you using email, telephone, fax or post. You can even keep
track of what your secretary is working on using our 'Eagle Eye' software. You will be surprised at just
how many office jobs can be accomplished virtually! And the great thing about our Remote Office
Secretaries is that you only pay for the time it takes the secretary to complete the jobs that your
assign. This gives you great cost savings! There are no costs incurred advertising for temporary staff.
Plus, you don't have to pay the employee's annual leave, sickness cover and overtime payments. Our
hourly rates start at £20.00 an hour. Time is charged per minute, and you can hire out an office
assistant for a minimum of 1 hour. We can offer preferential rates for long-term projects and repeat
contracts. There may be additional charges for telephone charges if these exceed £5.00 per week. If
this isn't enticing enough, we can also offer you the following services: Overnight delivery services –
get those reports typed up so that they are available first thing in the morning! Event Organisation –
Leave all the planning to us, so that your staff can concentrate your current projects. Call us on
04855 758837 for more information about our services.

Are sentences 1-7 'Right' or 'Wrong'? If there is not enough information to answer 'Right' or 'Wrong',
choose 'Doesn't Say'

1. Businesses do not have to provide equipment for Remote Office Secretaries Right

2. Businesses can use a computer programme to see the secretary at work Right

3. The company 'Remote Office Secretaries' takes a percentage of each secretary's hourly
Rate Doesn't Say

4. Customers can hire a secretary for thirty minutes worth of work.Wrong

5. Customers who use this service regularly get a cheaper price Right

6. All telephone charges are included in the £20.00 per hour rate Wrong

7. The company uses secretaries living in different time zones to complete overnight work Doesn't Say
Task 2: Read the sentences below and the extracts from a text about branding. For questions 8-14,
choose which extract each sentence refers to. The extracts may be chosen more than once.

A:- Having a good brand identity is critical. It can not only position a company above its competitors,
but it also communicates to your customers the reason why they should choose you instead of your
competitors. But developing a strong brand image takes time, money and effort, and it involves
much more than redesigning a logo or developing a new tagline. Your new brand identity should
evolve from your previous identity. Be careful not to start from scratch and come up with something
completely new, as you may end up losing loyal customers who have forged emotion ties with your
product.

B:- It’s important to understand that changing the visual aspects of your company, your logo, your
packaging and so forth, you are not actually changing your brand identity. Your brand identity is the
promise a company makes to its customers – its features, quality, values and service support. Just
modernising visual image does not entail a change in brand values. Many companies, sadly, are led
to believe by branding agencies that visual changes will alter customer’s perception of their
products. But such changes only inform consumers that a company is concerned about how it looks.
At best, they will assume the company is modern; at worst they will accuse the company of
unnecessary extravagance.

C:- Successful branding may not be actually connected with the product at all, but may represent a
greater sense of purpose or a more satisfying experience. They may affirm that drinking a cup of
coffee can really make a difference, or that exercising may bring about a sense of challenge and
personal achievement. Many successful brands study emerging societal ideals and trends, so that
they can take advantage of how customers wish they could be. Then they push forward the message
that by using their product, their dreams can be fulfilled, and the customer can gain the lifestyle he
or she is looking for, be it a sense of glamour, freedom, popularity or self-satisfaction.

D:- Lack of consistency is probably the most common pitfall when it comes to designing an image for
your brand. You need to provide a consistent message in your proposals and presentations so that
your company develops credibility and gets noticed and remembered. To ensure that your branding
ins consistent, gather all the information that leaves your company, be it faxes, emails,
advertisements, invoices or packages. Examine them for discrepancies in your company’s image.
Doing so will also give you the chance to evaluate the image you are trying portray.

8. List of some items which should display your brand identity ………D……..

9. The difference between brand identity and logo design……………B…………

10. Brands which do not reflect the product itself ……C…………….

11. How companies are fooled by companies offering branding services ………B……..

12. What is involved in creating an image for your brand…………A………

13. Why companies study current social trends to develop a brand ……C…………….

14. A warning about redesigning your brand………A……………