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In recent years, Western
business managers have been
heeding the exhortations of busi-
Line ness journalists and academics
(5) to move their companies toward
long-term, collaborative “strategic
partnerships” with their external
business partners (e.g., suppliers).
The experts’ advice comes as
(10) a natural reaction to numerous
studies conducted during the past
decade that compared Japanese
production and supply practices
with those of the rest of the world.
(15) The link between the success of
a certain well-known Japanese
automaker and its effective
management of its suppliers, for
example, has led to an unques-
(20) tioning belief within Western
management circles in the value
of strategic partnerships. Indeed,
in the automobile sector all three
United States manufacturers and
(25) Most of their European competitiors
Have launched programs to reduce
Their total number of suppliers and
Move toward having strategic
Partnerships with a few.
(30) However, new research con-
cerning supplier relationships in
various industries demonstrates
that the widespread assumption of
Western managers and business
(35) consultants that Japanese firms
manage their suppliers primarily
through strategic partnerships is
unjustified. Not only do Japanese
firms appear to conduct a far
(40) smaller proportion of their busi-
ness through strategic partnerships
than is commonly believed, but
they also make extensive use of
“market-exchange” relationships,
(45) in which either party can turn to
the marketplace and shift to dif-
ferent business partners at will,
a practice usually associated
with Western manufacturers.
The passage is primarily concerned with
- examining economic factors that may have contributed to the success of certain Japanese companies
- discussing the relative merits of strategic partnerships as compared with those of market-exchange relationship
- challenging the validity of a widely held assumption about how Japanese firms operate
- explaining why Western companies have been slow to adopt a particular practice favored by Japanese companies
- pointing out certain differences between Japanese and Western supplier relationships
C
According to the passage, the advice referred to in line 9 was a response to which of the following?
- A recent decrease in the number of available suppliers within the United States automobile industry
- A debate within Western management circles during the past decade regarding the value of strategic partnerships
- The success of certain European automobile manufactures that have adopted strategic partnerships
- An increase in demand over the past decade for automobiles made by Western manufacturers
- Research comparing Japanese business practices with those of other nations
E
The author mentions “the success of a certain well-known Japanese automaker” (lines 15-17) most probably in order to
- demonstrate some of the possible reasons for the success of a certain business practice
- cite a specific case that has convinced Western business experts of the value of a certain business practice
- describe specific steps taken by Western automakers that have enabled them to compete more successfully in a global market
- introduce a paradox about the effect of a certain business practice in Japan
- indicate the need for Western managers to change their relationships with their external business partners
B
Which of the following is most clearly an example of the practice referred to in lines 38-49 of the passage?
A department store chain that employs a single buyer to procure all the small appliances to be sold in its stores.
An automobile manufacture that has used the same supplier of a particular axle component for several years in a row.
A hospital that contracts only with union personnel to staff its nonmedical positions.
A municipal government that decides to cancel its contract with a waste disposal company and instead hire its own staff to perform that function.
A corporation that changes the food-service supplier for its corporate headquarters several times over a five-year period as part of a cost-cutting campaign.
E
答案是C。E。B。E没错吧？
[此贴子已经被作者于2005-7-8 6:56:35编辑过] | 
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发表于 2005-1-19 14:40:00
一個關鍵字 "for example" 說明這段作者是要用來舉例子支持前一句所講過的論點,所以 "cite a specific case" 是合理的