B. the pressures of global competition

C. international recession

D. the drive for competitive advantage

2. Redundancy might force organizations to do the following except       .

A. delayering

B. downsizing

C. right-sizing

D. eliminating what are deemed to be necessary levels of management and supervision

3. The author of this passage might most likely disagree that       .

A. The introduction of new technology has contributed to redundancy.

B. Added value per £ of employment costs can be used to measure business performance.

C. Business process re-engineering techniques can be used for downsizing.

D. Benchmarking can’t be used for downsizing.

4. From the passage, we can infer that       .

A. More intense global competition has brought the pressure for improved performance.

B. Those who do not meet higher standards can still retain in the organization.

C. Performance management processes that are properly administered will not emphasize the weaknesses.

D. People had never left organizations voluntarily.

5. The reasons why people leave organizations voluntarily don’t include       .

A. They wish to further their careers.

B. They want to get more money.

C. They hope to take early retirement.

D. They are fed up with the way they feel they have been treated.

1.A   2.D   3.D   4.A   5.C

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All employees receive training and development. In the case of newly hired people, for example, on-the-job experience is emphasized. Employees in production firms are shown how the product is manufactured and are then put to work on the line. Workers in sales organizations are taught how the company sells its products and are then sent out into the field. This “hands on” method is fundamental to the Japanese approach and is used wherever they set up operations. In Japan, Sapporo Breweries puts new employees in retail outlets, handling the company’s beer and soft drinks and familiarizing them with the competitiveness of the industry. In the United States, Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation puts its new employees in retail and service outlets where they are taught to check and repair tires, work in the storage area, and deliver orders. In the latter case, these training techniques help account for the firm’s ability to increase its productivity by 65 percent since its acquisition form Firestone Tire & Rubber.

Another common approach, used in Japan, is to house all the new employees in company residences. This time period can be as short as one week or as long as six months. During this time the employees learn and experience social rules, etiquette, human relation, punctuality, and a series of other rules and procedures that they will need to make the transition to company life. These types of programs are designed to provide the desired attitude and teamwork that will be needed on the job.

Regular employees also receive training and development which teaches them how to apply skills to a variety of situations. One of the most common methods is job rotation that results in the workers learning how to do a number of different jobs. This, in turn, allows the company to shift workers to meet fluctuations in production and sales. The method is also viewed as useful in giving employees an overall view of the firm. Training in quality control is anothe