SECTION A In this section you will hear a
mini-lecture. You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY. While listening, take notes
on the important points. Your notes will not be marked, but you will need them
to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture. When the lecture is over,
you will be given two minutes to check your notes ,and an other ten minutes to
complete the gap-filling task on ANSWER SHEET ONE. Use the blank sheet for
note-taking. How Market Leaders
Keep Their Edge Research finds that there are three methods
with which big companies keep their advantages, and researchers name them three
different value disciplines. 1. Discipline of 1
Excellence:
1. _____ The company wins through
cost. These companies usually try to provide customers with 2
and 2.
_____ easy service, or both. They may also try their best to cut
cost. Price/Costco is an example. 2. Discipline of Product 3
:
3. _____ This kind of companies usually win with
product. These companies attract customers mainly by continuously 4
their product or services.
4. _____ In order to achieve this purpose, they have to
challenge themselves in three ways: a) They must be 5 ;
5. _____ b) They must
commercialize their 6 quickly;
6. _____ c) They must keep 7
7. _____ 3. Discipline of
Customer Intimacy: Companies of this kind mainly win with intimate
8
8. _____ Intimate customer
relation is like the relation between close neighbours. These companies
usually try to provide what a particular customer wants rather than what
the 9 wants in general.
9. _____ These companies
regard it important to understand customers and their need.
10 is the greatest assets to these companies. What they value is
10. _____ not instant profit,
but relationships. Cable & Wireless is an example of this type of
companies.