LISTENING 1:

Minutes of senior management meeting - 2/4/88 - 11.30

Subject: Staff morale Present: Don Aiken, Patricia White, Jonathan Laidlaw, William Cooper

D.A. wanted to know if the staff were happy, and if not, what could be done about it?

P.W. thought that morale was very low at present. Some people were worried that they might be
made redundant/they might lose their jobs.

J.L. pointed out another problem affecting morale - the company's labour turnover was very high
last year - 16%.

D.A. added that last year the company lost more working hours than ever before because of
absenteeism.

W.C. reminded us that in his department there had been two strikes by the machine-shop
workers, a lot of complaints about working conditions and a fight on the shop floor.

P.W. suggested carrying out an opinion survey to find out what the staff think about
management, with questions such as: Are you satisfied with your job and working conditions?
What do you think of your superior? Do you have enough responsibility in your work?

W.C. agreed with P.W. He said it would show that management were concerned about staff
feelings and problems - so it would be good for morale.

J.L. also liked P.W.'s idea, but stressed that the answers to the survey should be confidential. If
not, people wouldn't feel free to speak the truth, and the data wouldn't be of any use.

D.A. noted J.L's point and said that we must bear it in mind when the survey is prepared.

LISTENING 2:

1. On, whole

2. mean, fact

3. getting at

4. food, thought

5. getting picture
6. come up with

7. going wrong

8. of any use

LISTENING 3:

MEMORANDUM

To: George Holbrook

From: Vanessa McIntyre

Subject: Test marketing and launch of Krackle

Ralph Harris has just informed me that the Krackle biscuit will not be ready for test marketing by
January.

Apparently, this regrettable delay has been caused by technical problems. Ralph says that they
still haven't managed to develop a biscuit which crackles when you bite into it.

Ralph now estimates that his department will not have solved this problem satisfactorily until the
end of March. Naturally, this will make it impossible for us to get it on the market by June.

In view of these unfortunate circumstances I would suggest that our best course of action would
be to postpone the launch until next September.

Could we meet to discuss this as soon as possible?

LISTENING 4:

1. run up against

2. tried, out

3. get, on, No Way

4. cut corners

5. fix up, with

LISTENING 5:
1. She is unhappy about her boss, Edward's lack of organisation, which makes him 'impossible to
work for'.

2. Friday was the deadline for submitting the report for the following Wednesday's board
meeting

3. Marion had to go in to work on Sunday to get the report ready on the word-processor for
Monday morning.

4. 1, At the end of each day he makes a list of the things he has to do the following day.

2, He always does the important jobs first - he never puts them off.

3, He always works on the important jobs until he's finished them.

4, He shuts himself in his office when he's working on a difficult problem and doesn't let
anyone disturb him.

5, He makes a lot of telephone calls, rather than sending memos.