Cambridge IELTS 8 Listening Test 3
4 parts · 40 questions · 30 minutes
An enquiry at a letting agency
Questions 1–3
Complete the form below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
Rented Properties — Customer's Requirements
Name: Steven Godfrey
Example — No. of bedrooms: four
Preferred location: in the (1) ………………………… area of town
Maximum monthly rent: £ (2) …………………………
Length of let required: (3) …………………………
Starting: September 1st
Questions 4–8
Complete the table below. Write ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
| Address | Rooms | Monthly rent | Problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakington Avenue | living/dining room, separate kitchen | £550 | no (4) ………………………… |
| Mead Street | large living room and kitchen, bathroom and a cloakroom | £580 | the (5) ………………………… is too large |
| Hamilton Road | living room, kitchen-diner, and a (6) ………………………… | £550 | too (7) ………………………… |
| Devon Close | living room, dining room, small kitchen | £ (8) ………………………… | none |
Questions 9–10
Choose TWO letters, A–E. Which TWO facilities in the district of Devon Close are open to the public at the moment?
9. Facility selection (lower letter)
A museum
B concert hall
C cinema
D sports centre
E swimming pool
10. Facility selection (higher letter)
A museum
B concert hall
C cinema
D sports centre
E swimming pool
A radio programme about the National Arts Centre
Questions 11–16
Complete the notes below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE
Well known for: (11) …………………………
Complex consists of:
• concert rooms
• theatres
• cinemas
• art galleries
• public library
• restaurants
• a (12) …………………………
Historical background:
• 1940 – area destroyed by bombs
• 1960s–1970s – Centre was (13) ………………………… and built
• in (14) ………………………… – opened to public
Managed by: the (15) …………………………
Open: (16) ………………………… days per year
Questions 17–20
Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
| Day | Time | Event | Venue | Ticket price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday and Tuesday | 7.30 p.m. | 'The Magic Flute' (opera by Mozart) | (17) ………………………… | from £8.00 |
| Wednesday | 8.00 p.m. | (18) ………………………… (Canadian film) | Cinema 2 | £ (19) ………………………… |
| Saturday and Sunday | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. | (20) ………………………… (art exhibition) | Gallery 1 | free |
A tutorial about work experience in South America
Questions 21–26
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
21. Paul decided to get work experience in South America because he wanted
A to teach English there.
B to improve his Spanish.
C to learn about Latin American life.
22. What project work did Paul originally intend to get involved in?
A construction
B agriculture
C tourism
23. Why did Paul change from one project to another?
A His first job was not well organised.
B He found doing the routine work very boring.
C The work was too physically demanding.
24. In the village community, he learnt how important it was to
A respect family life.
B develop trust.
C use money wisely.
25. What does Paul say about his project manager?
A He was better at academic work than management.
B He was very helpful in a number of ways.
C He was a gifted manager.
26. Paul was surprised to be given
A a computer to use.
B so little money to live on.
C an extension to his contract.
Questions 27–30
What does Paul decide about each of the following modules? Choose the correct letter, A, B or C, next to Questions 27–30.
Decision
A He will do this.
B He might do this.
C He won't do this.
27. Gender Studies in Latin America
28. Second Language Acquisition
29. Indigenous Women's Lives
30. Portuguese Language Studies
A lecture on copying business processes
Questions 31–34
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
31. Compared to introducing new business processes, attempts to copy existing processes are
A more attractive.
B more frequent.
C more straightforward.
32. Most research into the repetition of success in business has
A been done outside the United States.
B produced consistent findings.
C related to only a few contexts.
33. What does the speaker say about consulting experts?
A Too few managers ever do it.
B It can be useful in certain circumstances.
C Experts are sometimes unwilling to give advice.
34. An expert's knowledge about a business system may be incomplete because
A some details are difficult for workers to explain.
B workers choose not to mention certain details.
C details are sometimes altered by workers.
Questions 35–40
Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Setting up systems based on an existing process
Two mistakes
Manager tries to:
• improve on the original process
• create an ideal (35) ………………………… from the best parts of several processes
Cause of problems
• information was inaccurate
• comparison between the business settings was invalid
• disadvantages were overlooked, e.g. effect of changes on (36) …………………………
Solution
• change (37) …………………………
• impose rigorous (38) …………………………
• copy original very closely:
– physical features of the (39) …………………………
– the (40) ………………………… of original employees
Answers
1. central
2. 600
3. 2 years
4. garage
5. garden
6. study
7. noisy
8. 595
9. concert hall
10. swimming pool
11. classical music
12. bookshop
13. planned
14. 1983
15. City Council
16. 363
17. Garden Hall
18. Three Lives
19. 4.50
20. Faces of China
21. to learn about Latin American life.
22. tourism
23. His first job was not well organised.
24. develop trust.
25. He was very helpful in a number of ways.
26. a computer to use.
27. C
28. A
29. B
30. C
31. more frequent.
32. produced consistent findings.
33. It can be useful in certain circumstances.
34. some details are difficult for workers to explain.
35. combination
36. safety
37. attitudes
38. controls
39. factory
40. skills
Explanations
- 1. central
- 'WOMAN: What about the location? MAN: It'd be nice to be central.' The preferred area is central.Common trap: The agent replies that most four-bedroom houses are 'in the suburbs' — that is what is available, not what he wants.
- 2. 600
- 'We'd like something around £500 a month, but we could go up to £600 if we have to. But we can't go beyond that.' The maximum is £600.Common trap: £500 is said first but is what they would like, not the maximum the form asks for.
- 3. 2 years
- 'We're at college here for two years, and we don't want to have to move during that time if we can avoid it.'Common trap: 'The minimum let is six months' is mentioned in the same exchange, but that is the agency's rule, not what he requires.
- 4. garage
- 'There's this one in Oakington Avenue, at £550 a month... It doesn't have a garage, though you can park in the road.' The problem is that there is no garage.Common trap: 'You can park in the road' softens it, but the missing feature is the garage.
- 5. garden
- 'Oh, and there's a big garden. MAN: I don't think we could cope with that, to be honest. We'll be too busy to look after it.' The garden is too large for them.Common trap: 'Plenty of space for parking' is praised in the same turn — it is an advantage, not the problem.
- 6. study
- 'Then there's this older house in Hamilton Road: living room, kitchen-diner, and it has a study.'Common trap: The living room and kitchen-diner are in the same list but are already printed in the cell.
- 7. noisy
- 'WOMAN: Towards the western end. MAN: Oh, that'll be very noisy. I know the area.' The problem with Hamilton Road is the noise.Common trap: 'Pretty lively' is the agent's kinder word for the same thing in the next turn, but the printed cell reads 'too ___'.
- 8. 595
- 'It's got a living room, dining room and small kitchen, and it's 595 a month.'Common trap: £550 and £580 belong to the earlier houses and are already printed in the rows above.
- 9. concert hall
- 'In fact the swimming pool's already opened, ahead of schedule' and the existing concert hall is still in use — the plan to replace it with a larger one is only 'due to start next year'. So the two facilities open at the moment are the concert hall (B) and the swimming pool (E).Common trap: Every option is mentioned, but three are not open yet: the sports centre is 'under construction', the only cinema 'closed down last year', and the museum it is being converted into is still 'in the process' of conversion.
- 10. swimming pool
- 'In fact the swimming pool's already opened, ahead of schedule' and the existing concert hall is still in use — the plan to replace it with a larger one is only 'due to start next year'. So the two facilities open at the moment are the concert hall (B) and the swimming pool (E).Common trap: Every option is mentioned, but three are not open yet: the sports centre is 'under construction', the only cinema 'closed down last year', and the museum it is being converted into is still 'in the process' of conversion.
- 11. classical music
- 'It's famous throughout the world as one of the major venues for classical music.'Common trap: The Centre is 'much more than just a place to hear concerts', but what it is famous for is classical music.
- 12. bookshop
- 'Under a single roof it houses concert rooms, theatres, cinemas, art galleries and a wonderful public library, as well as service facilities including three restaurants and a bookshop.' Everything else in the list is already printed, so the missing facility is the bookshop.Common trap: 'Three restaurants' is in the same list but restaurants are already printed before the gap.
- 13. planned
- 'It was planned in the 60s, built in the 70s and eventually opened to the public in 1983.' The 60s–70s covers planning and building; 'built' is already printed.Common trap: 'Built' appears in the same sentence but is already printed after the gap.
- 14. 1983
- '...and eventually opened to the public in 1983.'Common trap: 1940 (the bombing) and the 60s/70s are in the surrounding lines and are already printed.
- 15. City Council
- 'It is not privately owned, like many arts centres, but is still in public hands - it's run by the City Council.'Common trap: The National Symphony Orchestra and National Theatre Company are named next; they were involved in planning and are based there, but do not run it.
- 16. 363
- '...and as the Centre is open 363 days of the year, there are plenty of performances to choose from.'Common trap: 1983 and 1940 are the other numbers in this part; the figure asked for is the days per year.
- 17. Garden Hall
- 'It's in the Garden Hall and tickets start at only £8.00.' The venue for 'The Magic Flute' is the Garden Hall.Common trap: Cinema 2 and Gallery 1 are the venues for the other two events, already printed in the rows below.
- 18. Three Lives
- 'You might like to see the new Canadian film which is showing on Wednesday evening at 8pm in Cinema 2. And that's called "Three Lives".'Common trap: 'Faces of China' is the other title in this part, but that is the art exhibition at the weekend.
- 19. 4.50
- 'It's had fantastic reviews and tickets cost just £4.50, which is a reduction on the usual price of £5.50.'Common trap: £5.50 is in the same sentence but is the usual price, not what tickets cost this week.
- 20. Faces of China
- 'It's a collection of Chinese Art called "Faces of China" - that's in Gallery 1.'Common trap: 'Chinese Art' describes the collection; the exhibition's actual title is 'Faces of China'.
- 21. to learn about Latin American life.
- 'Well, as I'm combining Spanish with Latin American studies, my main idea was to find out more about the way people lived there. My spoken Spanish was already pretty good in fact.' Finding out how people lived = learning about Latin American life.Common trap: The interviewer's own question suggests fluency in Spanish, and Paul did end up teaching English — but neither was his reason for going.
- 22. tourism
- 'Yes, getting involved in building projects was an option. Then there was tourism - taking tourists for walks around the volcanoes - which I actually chose to do, and then there was work with local farmers.' Of the three options he originally chose tourism.Common trap: Construction and farming are both named in the same sentence, and the interviewer's question offers construction first — but only tourism carries 'which I actually chose to do'.
- 23. His first job was not well organised.
- 'Because I never really knew whether I'd be needed or not... I wanted to do something that had more of a proper structure to it, I suppose. I get de-motivated otherwise.' Not knowing whether he was needed, and wanting proper structure, means the job was not well organised.Common trap: 'Difficult physically' appears in the same turn but he immediately rules it out with 'I was certainly fit enough'.
- 24. develop trust.
- 'It was difficult at first to be accepted by the locals... What struck me was that when people became more comfortable with me and less suspicious, we really connected with each other in a meaningful way.' Overcoming suspicion to connect meaningfully is about developing trust.Common trap: He mentions making friends with 'two of the families' and the villagers asking how much his clothes cost — close to the family and money options, but neither is what he says he learnt.
- 25. He was very helpful in a number of ways.
- 'PAUL: Yes and he gave me lots of advice and guidance.' That is what Paul says about the manager; asked separately whether he was good at managing, Paul says 'That wasn't his strong point!'Common trap: 'More interested in the academic side of things' tempts A, but being more interested in academic work is not the same as being better at it; and 'That wasn't his strong point' rules out C.
- 26. a computer to use.
- 'And they gave me all the equipment I needed... even a laptop. WOMAN: You didn't expect that then? PAUL: No.' The laptop is the thing he did not expect.Common trap: The seven dollars a day and the extension from three to six months are both mentioned nearby, but it was his parents who were surprised at the extension, and he calls the food 'amazing really', not surprising.
- 27. C
- 'WOMAN: ...Women are increasingly occupying positions in government and in other elected leadership positions in Latin America. I think you'd find it interesting. PAUL: If it was to do with people in the villages rather than those in the public sphere, I would.' The module is about the public sphere, so he won't do it (C).Common trap: The tutor recommends it warmly ('I think you'd find it interesting'), and Paul's 'I would' sounds like agreement — but it is conditional on something the module is not.
- 28. A
- 'PAUL: I hadn't thought about that. I'll put that down as a definite, then.' He commits to it (A).Common trap: He opens by asking 'Do you think I'd find that useful?', which sounds doubtful before he commits.
- 29. B
- 'PAUL: I thought so too, but I looked at last year's exam questions and that changed my mind. WOMAN: Don't judge the value of the course on that. Maybe, talk to some other students first and we can talk about it again later. PAUL: Okay.' The decision is deferred, so he might do it (B).Common trap: 'That changed my mind' sounds like a firm no, but the tutor talks him out of deciding and he agrees to revisit it.
- 30. C
- 'PAUL: My Spanish is good, so would I find that module easy? WOMAN: Not necessarily... PAUL: Well, I'd much sooner do something else, then.' He rules it out (C).Common trap: His good Spanish makes the module sound like an easy win until the tutor warns that Spanish can interfere with Portuguese.
- 31. more frequent.
- 'It's a less glamorous activity than pure innovation, but it actually happens more often, as a matter of fact.' Happening more often = more frequent.Common trap: 'Less glamorous' rules out A, and the next sentence says getting it right the second time 'is not necessarily any simpler', which rules out C.
- 32. produced consistent findings.
- 'A host of studies confirm this, covering a wide range of business settings: branch banks, retail stores, real estate agencies, factories, call centres...' A host of studies all confirming the same thing = consistent findings.Common trap: 'It certainly hasn't been confined to the United States' tempts A, but that says research is not only American, not that it was done outside it.
- 33. It can be useful in certain circumstances.
- 'Now, this approach can be used if you want to gain a rough understanding of a particular system, or understand smaller, isolated problems.' Consulting an expert is useful in those specific circumstances.Common trap: The passage is largely critical of relying on experts, which makes the negative options tempting — but the speaker says managers 'typically' do go to an expert, and never says experts are unwilling.
- 34. some details are difficult for workers to explain.
- 'Some may be difficult to describe - learned on the job and well known by workers perhaps, but impossible to describe in a way that's helpful.'Common trap: 'There are some things that people know or do that they're not even aware of' is close to B, but that is being unaware, not choosing not to mention.
- 35. combination
- 'Another mistake is trying to use the best parts of various different systems, in the hope of creating the perfect combination.' 'Perfect' is paraphrased as 'ideal'.Common trap: 'Systems' and 'parts' are both in the same sentence but are already printed in the note.
- 36. safety
- 'More typically, the advantages are real enough, but there are also disadvantages that have been overlooked. For example, the modifications might compromise safety in some way.'Common trap: 'Modifications' is the subject of the example sentence; what they compromise is safety.
- 37. attitudes
- 'But the underlying problem has more to do with attitudes than the actual difficulty of the task... These involve adjusting attitudes, first of all.' 'Adjusting' is paraphrased as 'change'.Common trap: 'Realistic and cautious' describes the new attitude rather than naming what has to change.
- 38. controls
- 'Secondly, they involve exerting strict controls on the organisational and operational systems.' 'Strict' is paraphrased as 'rigorous' and 'exerting' as 'impose'.Common trap: 'Organisational and operational systems' is what the controls apply to, not the answer.
- 39. factory
- 'Not merely duplicating the physical characteristics of the factory, but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had.' 'Characteristics' is paraphrased as 'features'.Common trap: 'Skills' in the same sentence is the answer to the next line, not this one.
- 40. skills
- '...but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had.'Common trap: 'Physical characteristics of the factory' opens the same sentence and belongs to the line above.
Audio transcripts
Part 1 — An enquiry at a letting agency
WOMAN: Good morning. How can I help you?
MAN: Hello. I'm interested in renting a house somewhere in the town.
WOMAN: Right. Could I have your name please?
MAN: Yes, it's Steven Godfrey.
WOMAN: And tell me how many bedrooms you're looking for.
MAN: Well, we'd need four, because I'm going to share the house with three friends.
WOMAN: Okay, there are several of that size on our books. They mostly belong to families who are working abroad at the moment. What about the location?
MAN: It'd be nice to be central.
WOMAN: That might be difficult, as most houses of that size are in the suburbs. Still, there are a few. What's your upper limit for the rent?
MAN: We'd like something around £500 a month, but we could go up to £600 if we have to. But we can't go beyond that.
WOMAN: Do you know how long you want to rent the house for? The minimum let is six months, as you probably realise.
MAN: We're at college here for two years, and we don't want to have to move during that time if we can avoid it.
WOMAN: Right. And how soon do you want to move in? All our lets start on the first of the month.
MAN: Well, as soon as possible, really, so that means September 1st.
WOMAN: Okay, let me have a look at what we've got ... We have photographs of all the houses on our books, so you can get an idea of what they're like. There's this one in Oakington Avenue, at £550 a month. Combined living room and dining room, with a separate kitchen. It doesn't have a garage, though you can park in the road.
MAN: Ah, we'd prefer to have one, if possible.
WOMAN: Right. Then have a look at this house, in Mead Street. It's got a very large living room and kitchen, bathroom, cloakroom ...
MAN: How much is it?
WOMAN: That one's 580. It's very well furnished and equipped. It also has plenty of space for parking, and it's available for a minimum of a year. Oh, and there's a big garden.
MAN: I don't think we could cope with that, to be honest. We'll be too busy to look after it.
WOMAN: Okay. Then there's this older house in Hamilton Road: living room, kitchen-diner, and it has a study. 550 a month.
MAN: That looks rather nice. But whereabouts in Hamilton Road?
WOMAN: Towards the western end.
MAN: Oh, that'll be very noisy. I know the area.
WOMAN: Yes, it's pretty lively. Some people like it, though. Well, what about this house in Devon Close?
MAN: That looks lovely.
WOMAN: There's a big demand for houses in that area, so prices tend to be quite high. But this one hasn't been decorated for a few years, which has kept the rent down a bit. It's got a living room, dining room and small kitchen, and it's 595 a month. I think it would suit you, from what you've said.
MAN: It sounds fine.
MAN: Why's that part of town so popular?
WOMAN: Well, there's a big scheme to improve the district, and it'll soon have the best facilities for miles around.
MAN: What sort of thing?
WOMAN: There's a big sports centre under construction, which will be very impressive when it's finished. In fact the swimming pool's already opened, ahead of schedule, and it's attracting a lot of people.
MAN: What about cinemas: are there any in the area?
WOMAN: The only one closed down last year, and it's now in the process of being converted into a film museum. The local people are trying to get a new cinema added to the scheme.
MAN: I think I heard something about a plan to replace the existing concert hall with a larger one.
WOMAN: Ah, that's due to start next year.
MAN: Well it sounds an interesting area to live in. Could I go and see the house, please?
WOMAN: Yes, of course.
Part 2 — A radio programme about the National Arts Centre
Hello, and welcome to Focus on the Arts. I'm your host - Dave Green - and this is your very own local radio programme. Every Friday evening we put the spotlight on different arts and culture facilities, and look at the shows and events that are on offer in the coming week.
And today the focus is on The National Arts Centre. Now, if you don't already know it yourself, I'm sure you've all heard of it. It's famous throughout the world as one of the major venues for classical music.
But did you know that it is actually much more than just a place to hear concerts? The Centre itself is a huge complex that caters for a great range of arts. Under a single roof it houses concert rooms, theatres, cinemas, art galleries and a wonderful public library, as well as service facilities including three restaurants and a bookshop. So at any one time, the choice of entertainment there is simply enormous.
So, how did they manage to build such a big arts complex right in the heart of the city? Well, the area was completely destroyed by bombs during the war in 1940. So the opportunity was taken to create a cultural centre that would be, what they called: 'the City's gift to the Nation'. Of course it took a while for such a big project to get started, but it was planned in the 60s, built in the 70s and eventually opened to the public in 1983. Ever since then it has proved to be a great success. It is not privately owned, like many arts centres, but is still in public hands - it's run by the City Council. Both our National Symphony Orchestra and National Theatre Company were involved in the planning of the project, and they are now based there - giving regular performances every week - and as the Centre is open 363 days of the year, there are plenty of performances to choose from.
So, to give you some idea of what's on, and to help you choose from the many possibilities, we've made a selection of the star attractions.
If you're interested in classical music, then we recommend you go along to the National on either Monday or Tuesday evening at 7.30 for a spectacular production of 'The Magic Flute' - probably the most popular of all Mozart's operas. It's in the Garden Hall and tickets start at only £8.00, but you'll have to be early if you want to get them that cheap! And remember, it's only on for those two evenings.
For those more interested in the cinema, you might like to see the new Canadian film which is showing on Wednesday evening at 8pm in Cinema 2. And that's called 'Three Lives'. It's had fantastic reviews and tickets cost just £4.50, which is a reduction on the usual price of £5.50. So, it's really good value, especially for such a great movie.
But you can see the centre's main attraction at the weekend, because on Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 10 pm, they're showing a wonderful new exhibition that hasn't been seen anywhere else in Europe yet. It's a collection of Chinese Art called 'Faces of China' - that's in Gallery 1 - and it has some really fascinating paintings and sculptures by leading artists from all over China - and the good news is that it is completely free, so don't miss it!
So why not go along to the National Arts Centre next week for one - or all - of these great events - and you can always pick up a programme and check out all the other performances and exhibitions on offer, or coming soon, on almost every day of the year.
Next week we'll be looking at the new Museum of Science ...
Part 3 — A tutorial about work experience in South America
WOMAN: I've been reading your personal statement, Paul. First, let's talk about your work experience in South America. What took you there? Was it to gain more fluency in Spanish?
PAUL: Well, as I'm combining Spanish with Latin American studies, my main idea was to find out more about the way people lived there. My spoken Spanish was already pretty good in fact.
WOMAN: So you weren't too worried about language barriers?
PAUL: No. In fact, I ended up teaching English there, although that wasn't my original choice of work.
WOMAN: I see. How did you find out about all this?
PAUL: I found an agency that runs all kinds of voluntary projects in South America.
WOMAN: What kind of work?
PAUL: Well, there were several possibilities.
WOMAN: You mean construction? Engineering work?
PAUL: Yes, getting involved in building projects was an option. Then there was tourism - taking tourists for walks around the volcanoes - which I actually chose to do, and then there was work with local farmers.
WOMAN: But you didn't continue with that project. Why not?
PAUL: Because I never really knew whether I'd be needed or not. I'd thought it might be difficult physically, but I was certainly fit enough ... no, I wanted to do something that had more of a proper structure to it, I suppose. I get de-motivated otherwise.
WOMAN: What do you think you learned from your experience? It must have been a great opportunity to examine community life.
PAUL: Yes, but it was difficult at first to be accepted by the locals. It was a very remote village and some of them were reluctant to speak to me - although they were always interested in my clothes and how much I'd had to pay for them.
WOMAN: Well, that's understandable.
PAUL: Yes, but things soon improved. What struck me was that when people became more comfortable with me and less suspicious, we really connected with each other in a meaningful way.
WOMAN: You made good friends?
PAUL: Yes, with two of the families in particular.
WOMAN: Good. What about management. Did you have a project manager?
PAUL: Yes and he gave me lots of advice and guidance.
WOMAN: And was he good at managing too?
PAUL: That wasn't his strong point! I think he was often more interested in the academic side of things than filing reports. He was a bit of a dreamer.
WOMAN: And did you have a contract?
PAUL: I had to stay for a minimum of three months. My parents were surprised when I asked to stay longer - six months in the end. I was so happy there.
WOMAN: And did anything on the administration side of things surprise you? What was the food and lodging like?
PAUL: Simple ... but there was plenty to eat and I only paid seven dollars a day for that which was amazing really. And they gave me all the equipment I needed ... even a laptop.
WOMAN: You didn't expect that then?
PAUL: No.
WOMAN: Well, I'll look forward to hearing more.
WOMAN: But now let's look at these modules. You'll need to start thinking about which ones you'll definitely want to study. The first one here is Gender Studies in Latin America.
PAUL: Mmm ...
WOMAN: It looks at how gender analysis is reconfiguring civil society in Latin America. Women are increasingly occupying positions in government and in other elected leadership positions in Latin America. I think you'd find it interesting.
PAUL: If it was to do with people in the villages rather than those in the public sphere, I would.
WOMAN: Okay. What about Second Language Acquisition?
PAUL: Do you think I'd find that useful?
WOMAN: Well, you've had some practical experience in the field, I think it would be.
PAUL: I hadn't thought about that. I'll put that down as a definite, then.
WOMAN: Okay. What about Indigenous Women's Lives. That sounds appropriate.
PAUL: I thought so too, but I looked at last year's exam questions and that changed my mind.
WOMAN: Don't judge the value of the course on that. Maybe, talk to some other students first and we can talk about it again later.
PAUL: Okay.
WOMAN: Yes. And lastly, will you sign up for Portuguese lessons?
PAUL: My Spanish is good, so would I find that module easy?
WOMAN: Not necessarily. Some people find that Spanish interferes with learning Portuguese ... getting the accent right too. It's quite different in a lot of ways.
PAUL: Well, I'd much sooner do something else, then.
WOMAN: Alright. Now, what we need to do is ...
Part 4 — A lecture on copying business processes
Good morning, everyone. In the last few lectures I've been dealing with business finance, but now I'm going to move on to business systems. And in today's lecture I'm going to talk about what can go wrong when businesses try to copy their own best practices.
Once a business has successfully introduced a new process - managing a branch bank, say, or selling a new product - the parent organisation naturally wants to repeat that success, and capture it if possible on a bigger scale. The goal, then, is to utilise existing knowledge and not to generate new knowledge. It's a less glamorous activity than pure innovation, but it actually happens more often, as a matter of fact. However, surprisingly, getting things right the second time is not necessarily any simpler than it was the first time.
Now, there's been a lot of research into how companies can repeat their previous successes, and it certainly hasn't been confined to the United States. It seems that most large industries are trying to repeat their own successes, and manage the knowledge they've acquired - but even so it has been shown that the overwhelming majority of attempts fail. A host of studies confirm this, covering a wide range of business settings: branch banks, retail stores, real estate agencies, factories, call centres ... to name but a few.
So why do so few managers get things right the second or third time? Let's consider one reason for failure - placing too much trust in the people who are running the successful operation, the 'experts' shall we say. Managers who want to apply existing knowledge typically start off by going to an expert - such as the person who designed and is running a successful department store - and picking their brains. Now, this approach can be used if you want to gain a rough understanding of a particular system, or understand smaller, isolated problems. The trouble is, even the expert doesn't fully grasp the whole thing because when it comes to complex systems, the individual components of the process are interwoven with one another. The expert never has complete access to the necessary information. And the situation's complicated even further by the fact that experts are usually not aware of their own ignorance. The ignorance can take various forms. For instance, a lot of details of the system are invisible to managers. Some may be difficult to describe - learned on the job and well known by workers perhaps, but impossible to describe in a way that's helpful. And there are some things that people know or do that they're not even aware of.
Now, let's consider two types of mistake that can occur when a manager actually starts to set up a duplicate system to replicate a successful process. Firstly, perhaps he forgets that he was just trying to copy another process, and starts trying to improve on it. Another mistake is trying to use the best parts of various different systems, in the hope of creating the perfect combination.
Unfortunately, attempts like these usually turn out to be misguided and lead to problems. Why? Well, for various reasons. Perhaps there weren't really any advantages after all, because the information wasn't accurate. Or perhaps the business settings weren't really comparable. More typically, the advantages are real enough, but there are also disadvantages that have been overlooked. For example, the modifications might compromise safety in some way.
So, what's the solution? Well, I don't intend to suggest that it's easy to get things right the second time ... it's not. But the underlying problem has more to do with attitudes than the actual difficulty of the task, and there are ways of getting it right. These involve adjusting attitudes, first of all ... being more realistic and cautious really. Secondly, they involve exerting strict controls on the organisational and operational systems. And this in turn means copying the original as closely as possible. Not merely duplicating the physical characteristics of the factory, but also duplicating the skills that the original employees had. Reliance on a template like this offers the huge advantage of built-in consistency.
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