Change in business organization IELTS Reading Answers

Sep 1, 2023

Change in business organization IELTS Reading Answers is a general reading subject that explores Change in business organization. Change in business organization IELTS reading answers have a total of thirteen questions. The specified topic generates a single type of question: True/False/Not Given. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Change in business organization IELTS Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Question

Change in Business Organization IELTS Reading Answers

The forces that operate to bring about change in organizations can be thought of as winds which are many and varied - from small summer breezes that merely disturb a few papers, to mighty howling gales which cause devastation to structures and operations, causing consequent reorientation of purpose and rebuilding. Sometimes, however, the winds die down to give periods of relative calm, periods of relative organizational stability. Such a period was the agricultural age, which Goodman (1995) maintains prevailed in Europe and western societies as a whole until the early 1700s. During this period, wealth was created in the context of an agriculturally based society influenced mainly by local markets (both customer and labour) and factors outside people's control, such as the weather. During this time, people could fairly well predict the cycle of activities required to maintain life, even if that life might be at little more than subsistence level.
To maintain the meteorological metaphor, stronger winds of change blew to bring in the Industrial Revolution and the industrial age. Again, according to Goodman, this lasted for a long time, until around 1945. It was characterized by a series of inventions and innovations that reduced the number of people needed to work the land and, in turn, provided the means of production of hitherto rarely obtainable goods; for organizations, supplying these in ever increasing numbers became the aim. To a large extent, demand and supply were predictable, enabling companies to structure their organizations along what Burns and Stalker (1966) described as mechanistic lines, that is, as systems of strict hierarchical structures and firm means of control.
This situation prevailed for some time, with demand still coming mainly from the domestic market and organizations striving to fill the 'supply gap'. Thus the most disturbing environmental influence on organizations of this time was the demand for products, which outstripped supply. The saying attributed to Henry Ford that 'You can have any color of car so long as it is black', gives a flavor of the supply-led state of the market. Apart from any technical difficulties of producing different colors of car, Ford did not have to worry about customers' color preferences: he could sell all that he made. Organizations of this period can be regarded as 'task-oriented, with effort being put into increasing production through more effective and efficient production processes.
As time passed, this favorable period for organizations began to decline. In the neo-industrial age, people became more discriminating in the goods and services they wished to buy and, as technological advancements brought about increased productivity, supply overtook demand. Companies began, increasingly, to look abroad for additional markets.
At the same time, organizations faced more intensive competition from abroad for their own products and services. In the West, this development was accompanied by a shift in focus from manufacturing to service, whether this merely added value to manufactured products, or whether it was service in its own right. In the neo-industrial age of western countries, the emphasis moved towards adding value to goods and services - what Goodman calls the value- oriented time, as contrasted with the task- oriented and products/services- oriented times of the past.
Today, in the post-industrial age, most people agree that organizational life is becoming ever more uncertain, as the pace of change quickens and the future becomes less predictable. Writing in 1999, Nader and Tushman, two US academics, said: Poised on the eve of the next century, we are witnessing a profound transformation in the very nature of our business organizations. Historic forces have converged to fundamentally reshape the scope, strategies, and structures of large enterprises. At a less general level of analysis, Graeme Leach, Chief Economist at the British Institute of Directors, claimed in the Guardian newspaper (2000) that: 'By 2020, the nine-to-five rat race will be extinct and present levels of self-employment, commuting and technology use, as well as age and sex gaps, will have changed beyond recognition. According to the article, Leach anticipates that: 'In 20 years time, 20-25 percent of the workforce will be temporary workers and many more will be flexible, ... 25 percent of people will no longer work in a traditional office and ... 50 percent will work from home in some form. Continuing to use the 'winds of change metaphor, the expectation's of damaging gale-force winds bringing the need for rebuilding that takes the opportunity to incorporate new ideas and ways of doing things.
Whether all this will happen is arguable. Forecasting the future is always fraught with difficulties. For instance, Mannermann (1998) sees future studies as part art and part science and notes: 'The future is full of surprises, uncertainty, trends and trend breaks, irrationality and rationality, and it is changing and escaping from our hands as time goes by. It is also the result of actions made by innumerable more or less powerful forces. What seems certain is that the organizational world is changing at a fast rate - even if the direction of change is not always predictable. Consequently, it is crucial that organizational managers and decision makers are aware of, and able to analyze the factors which trigger organizational change.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 14-18
Reading Passage 2 has SEVEN paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information?

Ques:14 Some specific predictions about businesses and working practices

Answer: F
Supporting statement: “... Poised on the eve of the next century, we are witnessing a profound transformation in the very nature of our business organizations.....”
Keywords:
Keyword location: para F, line 4-5
Explanation: The passage begins by acknowledging that in the post-industrial age, organizational life is becoming more uncertain due to the quickening pace of change and the decreasing predictability of the future.

Ques:15 Reference to the way company employees were usually managed

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...enabling companies to structure their organizations along what Burns and Stalker (1966) described as mechanistic lines, that is, as systems of strict hierarchical structures and firm means of control....”
Keywords: structure, firm
Keyword location: para B, line 6-9
Explanation: According to the passage, the Industrial Revolution introduced inventions and innovations that reduced the need for manual labor on the land and enabled the production of goods that were previously scarce.

Ques:16 A warning for business leaders

Answer: G
Supporting statement: “...it is crucial that organizational managers and decision makers are aware of, and able to analyze the factors which trigger organizational change....”
Keywords: crucial, decision
Keyword location: para G, line 7-9
Explanation: The paragraph contains a warning for business leaders regarding the challenges of predicting and navigating the future. It acknowledges that forecasting the future is difficult and that the future is full of surprises, uncertainties, trends, and trend breaks.

Ques:17 The description of an era notable for the relative absence of change

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “....Sometimes, however, the winds die down to give periods of relative calm, periods of relative organizational stability....”
Keywords: calm, stability
Keyword location: para A, line 5-6
Explanation: The paragraph describes an era characterized by a relative absence of change, specifically referring to the agricultural age.

Ques:18 A reason why customer satisfaction was not a high priority

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...disturbing environmental influence on organizations of this time was the demand for products, which outstripped supply. ....”
Keywords: demand, outstripped
Keyword location: para C, line 2-5
Explanation: The paragraph states that demand during this time came mainly from the domestic market, and organizations were primarily focused on filling the supply gap to meet the overwhelming demand for their products.

Questions 19-23
Look at the following characteristics (Questions 19-23) and the list of periods below. Match each characteristic with the correct period, A, B or C. Write the correct letter, A, B or C.
NB: You may use any letter more than once.

Ques:19 A surplus of goods.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “..neo-industrial age, people became more discriminating in the goods and services they wished to buy and, as technological advancements brought about increased productivity, supply overtook demand....”
Keywords: services, overtook
Keyword location: para D, line 2-5
Explanation: As technological advancements and increased productivity led to greater production capabilities, companies found themselves with more products than the domestic market could absorb.

Ques:20 An emphasis on production quantity.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...turn, provided the means of production of hitherto rarely obtainable goods; for organizations, supplying these in ever increasing numbers became the aim. ...”
Keywords: production, obtainable
Keyword location: para B, line 5-6
Explanation: The passage indicates that during the industrial age, there was a strong emphasis on increasing production quantity. The inventions and innovations of the time allowed for greater efficiency and productivity in manufacturing processes.

Ques:21 The proximity of consumers to workplaces.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...During this period, wealth was created in the context of an agriculturally based society influenced mainly by local markets (both customer and labor) and factors outside people's control, such as the weather...”
Keywords: context, influenced
Keyword location: para A, line 8-9
Explanation: In an agriculturally based society, people's livelihoods were closely tied to the land and local markets. They lived in close proximity to their workplaces, which were often related to agricultural activities.

Ques:22 A focus on the quality of goods.

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “...In the neo-industrial age of western countries, the emphasis moved towards adding value to goods and services...”
Keywords: emphasis, services
Keyword location: para E, line 5-6
Explanation: The passage suggests that in the neo-industrial age, there was a shift in focus from solely manufacturing products to providing value-added services. This change occurred as organizations faced more intense competition from abroad for their own products and services.

Ques:23 New products and new ways of working.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...enabling companies to structure their organizations along what Burns and Stalker (1966) described as mechanistic lines, that is, as systems of strict hierarchical structures and firm means of control...”
Keywords: structure, hierarchical
Keyword location: para B, line 6-7
Explanation: It was characterized by numerous inventions and innovations that revolutionized production processes, leading to increased efficiency and reduced dependence on manual labor.

List of periods

The agricultural age.
The industrial age.
The neo-industrial age.

Questions 24-26
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Businesses in the 21^st century It is generally agreed that changes are taking place more quickly now, and that Organizations are being transformed. One leading economist suggested that by 2020, up to a quarter of employees would be 24 ................. and half of all employees would be based in the 25._______ Although predictions can be wrong, the speed of change is not in doubt, and business leaders need to understand the 26 ................. that will be influential.

Ques: 24

Answer: TEMPORARY
Supporting statement: “...'In 20 years time, 20-25 percent of the workforce will be temporary workers and many more will be flexible, ... 25 percent of people will no longer work in a traditional office and...”
Keywords: flexible, traditional
Keyword location: para F, line 12-13
Explanation: It is anticipated that in 20 years' time, around 20-25 percent of the workforce will consist of temporary workers. This suggests a significant shift in the nature of employment, where a larger portion of the workforce will be engaged in temporary or contract-based work arrangements rather than traditional long-term employment.

Ques: 25

Answer: HOME
Supporting statement: “...25 percent of people will no longer work in a traditional office and ... 50 percent will work from home in some form...”
Keywords: traditional, home
Keyword location: para F, line 12-13
Explanation: It is anticipated that in 20 years' time, around 50 percent of people will work from home in some form. This prediction suggests a significant increase in remote work opportunities and a shift away from traditional office-based work environments.

Ques: 26

Answer: FACTORS
Supporting statement: “...Consequently, it is crucial that organizational managers and decision makers are aware of, and able to analyze the factors which trigger organizational change....”
Keywords: decision, factors
Keyword location: para G, line 7-9
Explanation: As long as the winds of change keep blowing, organisations are going to face new problems and chances. Business leaders need to know about these things and think about how they will affect their market, employees, and business models.

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