Change in Business Organizations Reading Answers
The IELTS Reading section includes mainly passages with questions relevant to the given passages which students need to answer within 60 minutes. The IELTS exam consists of four sections of reading, writing, listening and speaking through which students' skills in the language are judged. The IELTS Reading section requires students to efficiently read the given passage and answer the questions with precision. IELTS academic reading passage includes different types of questions that students need to answer and have higher proficiency. Students can consider practicing for the reading section from IELTS reading practice papers and enhance their skills. For candidates’ practice, Change in Business Organizations Reading Answers can be useful which includes the following questions:
- Choose the correct letter
- Matching
- Complete the summary
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Change in Business Organizations Reading Answers
A
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 labor) 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 a little more than subsistence level.
B
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.
C
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 the 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 the effort being put into increasing production through more effective and efficient production processes.
D
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.
E
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 served 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.
F
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, Nadler 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 of damaging gale-force winds brings the need for rebuilding that takes the opportunity to incorporate new ideas and ways of doing things.
G
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 has SEVEN paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G.
Question 14. Some specific predictions about businesses and working practices.
Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: By 2020, the nine-to-five rat race will be extinct and present levels of self-employment will have changed. 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.
Keyword: 2020, nine-to-five, extinct, self-employment, workforce, temporary workers, flexible, traditional office, work from home.
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Line 4-5
Explanation: This paragraph predicts how by the end of 2020, there will be a drastic change in not only the manner of work but also in the labor force across the globe. Most of the employees will be hired on a temporary basis and work from home will be quite common.
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Question 15. Reference to the way company employees were usually managed.
Answer: B.
Supporting Sentence: Demand and supply were predictable, enabling companies to structure their organizations along mechanistic lines, that is as systems of strict hierarchical structures and firm means of control.
Keyword: Demand, supply, predictable, companies, structure, organizations, mechanistic lines, systems, hierarchical, firm, control
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 4
Explanation: This paragraph explains how different companies managed their firms in a mechanical way by establishing a solid hierarchical system.
Question 16. A warning for business leaders.
Answer: G.
Supporting Sentence: The organizational world is changing at a fast rate. It is crucial that organizational managers and decision makers are aware of, and able to analyze the factors which trigger organizational change.
Keyword: Organizational, world, changing, fast rate, managers, decision makers, aware, analyze, factors, trigger, change.
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Line 5
Explanation: This paragraph warns all business managers and leaders to be knowledgeable about the reasons for the dynamic character of the management system in the world.
Question 17. The description of an era notable for the relative absence of change.
Answer: A.
Supporting Sentence: The winds die down to give periods of relative calm, periods of relative organizational stability.
Keyword: Winds, die, periods, calm, organizational stability
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Line 2
Explanation: This paragraph talks about occasional periods characterized by the presence of a stable organizational structure.
Question 18. A reason why customer satisfaction was not a high priority.
Answer: C.
Supporting Sentence: The most disturbing environmental influence on organizations of this time was the demand for products, which outstripped supply. Apart from any technical difficulties, Ford did not have to worry about customers’ color preferences.
Keyword: Disturbing, environmental, influence, organizations, time, demand, products, outstripped, supply, technical difficulties, customers, color, preferences
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Line 2, 4
Explanation: This paragraph explains how the manufacturers were least concerned about consumer satisfaction due to excessive demand for commodities.
Questions 19-23:
Look at the following characteristics (Questions 6-10) 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.
List of Periods:
The Agricultural Age
The Industrial Age
The Neo-Industrial Age
Question 19. A surplus of goods.
Answer: C. The Neo-Industrial Age
Supporting Sentence: In the neo-industrial age, technological advancements brought about increased productivity, supply overtook demand.
Keyword: Neo-industrial age, technological advancements, increased productivity, supply, demand
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Line 2
Explanation: With the development of technology during the neo-industrial age, the supply of commodities exceeded the demand for the same.
Question 20. An emphasis on production quantity.
Answer: B. The Industrial Age
Supporting Sentence: For organizations, supplying these in ever increasing numbers became the aim.
Keyword: Organizations, supplying, increasing, numbers, aim
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 3
Explanation: The different firms belonging to the Industrial era mainly focused on the production of commodities in large quantities.
Question 21. The proximity of consumers to workplaces.
Answer: A. The Agricultural Age
Supporting Sentence: Wealth was created in an agriculturally based society, influenced mainly by local markets (both customer and labor).
Keyword: Wealth, created, agriculturally based society, influenced, local markets
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Line 4
Explanation: During the Agricultural age, the creation of wealth in the society was primarily done through the local markets.
Question 22. A focus on the quality of goods.
Answer: C. The Neo-Industrial Age
Supporting Sentence: In the neo-industrial age, people became more discriminating in the goods and services they wished to buy.
Keyword: Neo-industrial Age, discriminating, goods and services, buy
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Line 2
Explanation: During the Neo-Industrial Age, the consumers became more rational and gave great value to the quality of the commodities.
Question 23. New products and new ways of working.
Answer: B. The Industrial Age
Supporting Sentence: A series of inventions and innovations that reduced the number of people needed to work the land.
Keyword: Series, inventions, innovations, reduced number, people, work, land.
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 3
Explanation: The technological developments during the Industrial Age resulted in the introduction of a modern system of commodity production.
Questions 24-26:
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Businesses in the 21st 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.
Question 24:
Answer: temporary
Supporting Sentence: In 20 years time, 20-25 percent of the workforce will be temporary workers.
Keyword: 20 years, 20-25 percent, workforce, temporary workers
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Line 5
Explanation: By the end of 2020, it has been predicted that a majority of the labor force will be hired on a temporary basis.
Question 25:
Answer: home
Supporting Sentence: In 20 years time, 50 percent will work from home in some form
Keyword: 20 years, 50 percent, work from home
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Line 5
Explanation: By the end of 2020, it is predicted that a majority of the labor force will be working from their respective dwellings.
Question 26:
Answer: factors
Supporting Sentence: It is crucial that organizational managers and decision makers are aware of, and able to analyze the factors which trigger organizational change.
Keyword: Crucial, organizational, managers, decision makers, aware, analyze, factors, trigger, change.
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Line 5
Explanation: All business managers and leaders must be knowledgeable of the varied reasons that might affect the dynamic character of the management system across the globe.
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