Business tools

文章大意

两位商科学生Frances和Sam与导师讨论用于分析公司的不同商业理论工具，包括PEST分析、drill down方法、PMI分析、帕累托分析和SWOT分析，比较了各自的适用性、优缺点及使用感受。

题目与答案

1. PEST analysis
   • It can save a business time and effort
   • It gives you a visual guide
   • It took a long time to do
   • It was difficult to apply
   • It was not suitable for their study
   • It was very easy to use

   答案：It was not suitable for their study

   原文定位：But I felt it focused too much on the big picture and was unsuitable for our company

   同义替换：「not suitable for」↔「unsuitable for」

2. Drill-down method
   • It can save a business time and effort
   • It gives you a visual guide
   • It took a long time to do
   • It was difficult to apply
   • It was not suitable for their study
   • It was very easy to use

   答案：It took a long time to do

   原文定位：I enjoyed using the drill down method. It was painstaking to do, and we seemed to be working on it for ages

   同义替换：「It took a long time to do」↔「working on it for ages」

3. PMI analysis
   • It can save a business time and effort
   • It gives you a visual guide
   • It took a long time to do
   • It was difficult to apply
   • It was not suitable for their study
   • It was very easy to use

   答案：It was very easy to use

   原文定位：Yes, I much preferred doing the PMI analysis. It was so straightforward to break down into its three components;you don't need any special training at all. Anyone can use it

   同义替换：「very easy to use」↔「straightforward」

4. Pareto analysis
   • It can save a business time and effort
   • It gives you a visual guide
   • It took a long time to do
   • It was difficult to apply
   • It was not suitable for their study
   • It was very easy to use

   答案：It can save a business time and effort

   原文定位：If they apply Pareto analysis, they would see that by focusing on the critical twenty percent of their problems, they could generate eighty percent of the benefits. This would allow them to work faster, and it also reduces their workload

   同义替换：「save a business time and effort」↔「reduces their workload」

5. SWOT analysis
   • It can save a business time and effort
   • It gives you a visual guide
   • It took a long time to do
   • It was difficult to apply
   • It was not suitable for their study
   • It was very easy to use

   答案：It would suit any sized business

   原文定位：my favorite was the SWOT analysis;It works in large and small companies and even down to departmental level

   同义替换：「suit any sized business」↔「works in large and small companies」

6. 26 Which of the manufacturing company`s strengths do the students feel will be the most useful in the future?
   • the reputation of the company
   • the experience of the employees
   • the commitment of the management

   答案：the experience of the employees

   原文定位：And the company has quite a lot of staff who have previously worked for distribution companies. So the knowledge is already there. That was something we didn't expect to find and is probably going to help them the most to achieve their goals

   同义替换：「experience」↔「knowledge」，「employees」↔「staff」

7. 27 According to the tutor, which business opportunity did Frances and Sam overlook?
   • seeking better deals with suppliers
   • expanding the business overseas
   • distributing competitors` products

   答案：expanding the business overseas

   原文定位：You didn't consider the potential for establishing an offshore division

   同义替换：「overlook」↔「didn't consider」，「opportunity」↔「potential」，「expanding overseas」↔「establishing an offshore division」

8. 28 What threat to the manufacturing company was the tutor impressed that they had identified?
   • increased competition in this market
   • their technology going out of date
   • new legislation being introduced

   答案：new legislation being introduced

   原文定位：I was really pleased to see that you considered how the government's planned environmental policy could really affect the viability of this venture. With this law being introduced next year, they might need to find new ways of using their existing technology

   同义替换：「legislation」↔「policy」，「impressed」↔「really pleased to see」，「threat」↔「affect」

9. 29 What does Sam think he learned most from the assignment?
   • the importance of selecting the right tool
   • the cost of making a successful company
   • the difference between theory and practice

   答案：the difference between theory and practice

   原文定位：It was great to study the different tools in books, but applying them in the real world was much harder than I thought

   同义替换：「most」↔「great」，「theory」↔「study the different tools in books」，「practice」↔「applying them in the real world」

10. 30 What does the tutor think the report still needs?
    • a final recommendation
    • a better structure
    • more detailed information

    答案：a final recommendation

    原文定位：You've got the format correct with the necessary headings, et cetera, and you've got sufficient details under the different headings. Just remember to state whether or not you think the company should go ahead with the new venture