CL4/VDU 1 ANNO

READING COMPREHENSION/ WRITING SECTION 30/05/2002

Read the following article and answer the questions.

She’s the Boss

Business was invented by men and to a certain extent it is still “a boy’s game”. Less than 20% of the managers in most European countries are women, with fewer still in senior positions.

Yet in Britain (1) ______and according to John Naisbitt and Patricia Auburdine, authors of ‘Megatrends in Business’, since the late 1980s the number of self-employed women has increased twice as fast as the number of self-employed men.

Is it just a case of women whose career progress has been blocked by their male colleagues – the so-called ‘glass ceiling syndrome’ – being forced to set up their own businesses? Or do women share specific management qualities which somehow serve them better in self-employment? As many as 40% of new businesses close down within their first two years, but (2) ______. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that although male bosses tend to be reluctant to promote women, male bank managers seem only too happy to finance their businesses.

Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop empire, is the perfect example of the female entrepreneur with her company growing from zero to £470 million in its first fifteen years. Perhaps the secret of her success was caution. Rather than push ahead with the purchasing of new shops, Roddick got herself into franchising – the cheapest way to expand a business while keeping overhead costs down. Caution, forward planning and tight budgeting seem to be more female characteristics than male. They are also the blueprint for success when launching a new company.

When women join an existing company, it is a different story. Less ruthlessly individualistic in their approach to business, women are more sensitive to the feelings of the group or team in which they work. They are generally more co-operative than competitive, less assertive, less prepared to lead from the front. Although (3) ______, they are much less likely than their male counterparts to take risks. And, above all, it is risk-taking that makes corporate high fliers. As one male director puts it: “I’m not paid to make the right decisions. I’m just paid to make decisions.”

It is an over-generalisation, of course, but it remains true that men will more readily take the initiative than women. The female style of management leans towards consensus and conciliation. Women seem to be better communicators than men – both more articulate and better listeners. And perhaps it is women’s capacity to listen which makes them particularly effective in people-oriented areas of business. In any mixed group of business people (4) ______. But perhaps only the women will really be listening.

And, as companies change from large hierarchical structures to smaller more flexible organisations, the communication skills and supportive approach of women are likely to become more valued. Business is still predominantly a man’s domain, but (5) ______in the 21st century.

Write all answers on the blank answer-sheet provided, and not on this question-sheet. In order to earn maximum points, you should give answers which are both complete and to the point; and you should use your own words wherever possible.

  1. The following expressions have been removed from the text. On your answer sheet, indicate where you think they should go by linking the letters to the numbers.

a)they usually manage their time better than men and may even work harder

b)it may well be women who bring the greatest changes to how business is conducted

c)the failure rate of those run by women is substantially lower than that

d)one in three new businesses is started up by women

e)the ones doing most of the talking will almost certainly be the men

  1. Why does the author say that business is “still ‘a boy’s game’”?
  1. What two possible explanations are given in the passage for the increase in the number of self-employed women in Britain?
  1. “...male bank managers seem only too happy to finance [women’s] businesses.” What leads the author to make this observation?
  1. What, in the author’s opinion, may have been the key to the phenomenal growth of The Body Shop empire? Give a complete answer.
  1. List the factors cited as being particularly important when setting up a company.
  1. According to the passage, what area of business are women especially suited to, and why?
  1. “A woman’s place is in the home.” Discuss. Your answer should be approximately 80-100 words in length.

Sample Answers

  1. 1-d, 2-c, 3-a, 4-e, 5-b.
  1. The author says that business is “still ‘a boy’s game’ ” because the vast majority of managers in most European countries are men.
  1. First, the author says that women who start up their own businesses may be forced to do so after their career progress has been blocked by male colleagues. The other possible explanation is that women may have management qualities which make them more suited to self-employment.
  1. The author makes this observation because, although 40 per cent of new businesses close down in their first two years, businesses started up by women have a much lower failure rate.
  1. The author says that caution may have been the key to the success of The Body Shop empire. Anita Roddick, the founder, decided not to purchase new shops, but chose to go into franchising, and so was able to expand her business with relatively low overhead costs.
  1. The author maintains that the most important factors when setting up a new company are caution, forward planning and tight budgeting.
  1. In the author’s opinion, women are particularly suited to people-oriented areas of business, as they seem to be better listeners, and generally better at communicating, than men.