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IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY

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Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney's southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country's high labour-cost structure . In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

The first of the initiatives was an organisational structure with only three levels of management - compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions , enabling a significant saving. This change also has other implications. Communication, both up and down the organisation, has greatly improved. Decision-making has been forced down in many cases to front-line employees. As a result, guest requests are usually met without reference to a supervisor, improving both customer and employee satisfaction.

The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some 'service' experience in order to minimise traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties.

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories . Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ' benchmarking '. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH's ability to improve productivity and quality.

The front office team discovered through this project that a high proportion of AHI Club member reservations were incomplete. As a result, the service provided to these guests was below the standard promised to them as part of their membership agreement. Reducing the number of incomplete reservations greatly improved guest perceptions of service.

In addition, a program modelled on an earlier project called ' Take Charge ' was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop horn both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.)

Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours, if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. If suggestions require analysis or data collection, the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations.

Although quantitative evidence of AHI's initiatives at SAH are limited at present, anecdotal evidence clearly suggests that these practices are working. Indeed AHI is progressively rolling out these initiatives in other hotels in Australia, whilst numerous overseas visitors have come to see how the program works.

This article has been adapted and condensed fem the article by R Carter (19%), 'Implementing the cycle of success: A case study of the Sheraten Pacific Division', Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 34(3): 111-23. Names and other details have been changed and report findings may have been given a different emphasis from the original. W eare grateful to Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources for allowing us to use, file material in this way.

Questions 1-5

Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1 The high costs of running AHI's hotels are related to their ...

A management.

D policies. Answer: C Locate

2 SAH's new organisational structure requires ...

A 75% of the old management positions.

B 25% of the old management positions.

C 25% more management positions.

D 5% fewer management positions. Answer: A Locate

3 The SAH's approach to organisational structure required changing practices in ..

A industrial relations.

B firing staff.

C hiring staff.

D marketing. Answer: C Locate

4 The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was ...

D 280. Answer: B Locate

5 Categories A, B and C were used to select...

A front office staff.

B new teams.

C department heads.

D new managers. Answer: B Locate

Questions 6-13

Complete the following summary of the last four paragraphs of Reading Passage 1 using ONE OR TWO words from the Reading Passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.

WHAT THEY DID AT SAH

Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a 6 exercise.

The information collected was used to compare 7 processes which, in turn, led to the development of 8 that would be used to increase the hotel's capacity to improve 9 as well as quality.

Also, an older program known as ' 10 ' was introduced at SAH. In this program, 11 is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible 12 suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to 13

6. Answer: benchmarking Locate 7. Answer: service delivery Locate 8. Answer: (performance) measures Locate 9. Answer: productivity Locate 10. Answer: (') Take Charge (') Locate 11. Answer: feedback Locate 12. Answer: employee(s') // staff Locate 13. Answer: 30 days Locate

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IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: Reading Answers

Cambridge 2 Academic Reading Test 2 – Passage 01: IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY with answers location, explanation and pdf summary.

IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: Reading Answers

IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY

Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

The first of the initiatives was an organisational structure with only three levels of management – compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions, enabling a significant saving. This change also has other implications. Communication, both up and down the organisation, has greatly improved. Decision-making has been forced down in many cases to front-line employees. As a result, guest requests are usually met without reference to a supervisor, improving both customer and employee satisfaction .

The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some ‘service’ experience in order to minimise traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties.

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘benchmarking’. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.

In addition, a program modelled on an earlier project called ‘Take Charge’ was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop horn both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.)

Although quantitative evidence of AHI’s initiatives at SAH are limited at present, anecdotal evidence clearly suggests that these practices are working. Indeed AHI is progressively rolling out these initiatives in other hotels in Australia, whilst numerous overseas visitors have come to see how the program works.

This article has been adapted and condensed fem the article by R Carter (19%), ‘Implementing the cycle of success: A case study of the Sheraten Pacific Division’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 34(3): 111-23. Names and other details have been changed and report findings may have been given a different emphasis from the original. W eare grateful to Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources for allowing us to use, file material in this way.

Questions 1-5

Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1. The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their …

A) management.

D) policies.

2. SAH’s new organisational structure requires …

A) 75% of the old management positions.

B) 25% of the old management positions.

C) 25% more management positions.

D) 5% fewer management positions.

3. The SAH’s approach to organisational structure required changing practices in ..

A) industrial relations.

B) firing staff.

C) hiring staff.

D) marketing.

4. The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was …

5. Categories A, B and C were used to select…

A) front office staff.

B) new teams.

C) department heads.

D) new managers.

Questions 6-13

Complete the following summary of the last four paragraphs of Reading Passage 1 using ONE OR TWO words from the Reading Passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.

WHAT THEY DID AT SAH

Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a … (6) … exercise.

The information collected was used to compare … (7) … processes which, in turn, led to the development of … (8) … that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve … (9) … as well as quality. Also, an older program known as … (10) … was introduced at SAH. In this program,… (11) … is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible … (12) … suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to …(13)….

Check out your IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY reading answers below with locations and explanations given in the text.

1. C 8. (performance) measures 2. A 9. productivity 3. C 10. (‘) Take Charge (‘) 4. B 11. feedback 5. B 12. employee(s’) // staff 6. benchmarking 13. 30 days 7. service delivery

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IELTS Academic Reading: Cambridge 2 Test 2 Reading passage 1; IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY; with best solutions and best explanations

This Academic IELTS Reading post focuses on solutions to IELTS Cambridge 2 Reading Test 2 Reading Passage 1 titled ‘ IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY’ . This is a targeted post for IELTS candidates who have big problems finding out and understanding Reading Answers in the AC module. This post can guide you the best to understand every Reading answer without much trouble. Finding out IELTS Reading answers is a steady process, and this post will assist you in this respect.

IELTS Cambridge 2 Test 2: AC Reading Module

Reading Passage 1: Questions 1-13

The headline of the passage: IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY

Questions 1-5: Multiple choice questions

[This type of question asks you to choose a suitable answer from the options using the knowledge you gained from the passage. Generally, this question is set found as the last question set in most passages so you should not worry much about it. Finding all the answers for previous questions gives you a good idea about these questions.]

Question no. 1: The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their ______.

Keywords for the question: high costs, running, AHI’s hotels, related to,

The answer is in the first paragraph. First, look at the first few lines, “Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff , 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff . .. .. .”

Then, in lines 11-16 of the same paragraph, the writer says, “ . . . . Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure . .. .. .”

Here, high labour-cost structure = high cost of staff,

So, the answer is: C (staff)

Question no. 2: SAH’s new organisational structure requires _______.

Keywords for the question: SAH’s new organisational structure, requires,

The answer can be traced from the final lines of paragraph no. 1 and the first few lines of paragraph no. 2. Let’s have a look.

In the final lines of the first paragraph, the writer says, “ .. . … In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH .”

Here, some new policies and practices at SAH = SAH’s new organisational structure,

Then, at the beginning of the second paragraph, the writer says, “ The first of the initiatives was an organisational structure with only three levels of management – compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions , enabling a significant saving. .. … ..”

Here, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions = 75% of the old management positions,

So, the answer is: A (75% of the old management positions.)

Question no. 3: The SAH’s approach to organisational structure required changing practices in _________.

Keywords for the question: SAH’s approach, organisational stricture, changing practices,

In the third paragraph, the writer says in the beginning, “ The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. . .. .”

Here, The hotel = the SAH, a different approach = changing practices, selecting employees = hiring staff,

So, the answer is: C (hiring staff.)

Question no. 4: The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was ______.

Keywords for the question: total number, jobs advertised, SAH,

The answer can be found in lines 8-10 of paragraph no. 3, where the writer says, “ . … .. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH . .. … .”

Here, 120 jobs initially offered at SAH = 120 jobs advertised at the SAH,

So, the answer is: B (120.)

Question no. 5: Categories A, B and C were used to select ______.

Keywords for the question: Categories A, B, and C, used to select,

The answer can be found in paragraph no. 4, “A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members. ”

So, the answer is: B (new teams.)

Questions 6-13: Summary completion

[In this kind of questions candidates are given a summary for one, two or three paragraphs with some fill in the blanks questions. Candidates need to find out the related paragraphs by correctly studying the keywords from the questions. Then, they should follow the steps of finding answers for fill in the gaps.]

Title of the summary: WHAT THEY DID AT SAH

Question no. 6: Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a _________ exercise.

Keywords for the question: teams of employees, selected, different hotel departments, participate, exercise,

At the end of paragraph no. 5, the writer mentions the selection of employees from different hotel departments, “ . . .. . For example, when office staff are away on holidays during quiet periods of the year, employees in either food or beverage or housekeeping departments can temporarily fill in.”

Here, food or beverage or housekeeping departments = different hotel departments,

Then, take a look at these lines of paragraph no. 6, “ . .. .. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘ benchmarking ’ . .. .. . ..”

So, the answer is: benchmarking

Questions no. 7, 8 & 9: The information collected was used to compare 7. ________ processes which, in turn, led to the development of 8. ________ that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve 9. _________ as well as quality.

Keywords for the questions: information collected, used to compare, processes, led to, development, used to increase, hotel’s capacity, improve, as well as quality,

Take a look at the these lines of paragraph no. 6, “ .. . . The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality .”

Here, resulted = led to, greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve = increase the hotel’s capacity to improve, and quality = as well as quality,

So, the answers are:

(a range of) service delivery
(performance) measures
productivity

Question no. 10: Also, an older program known as _______ was introduced at SAH.

Keywords for the question: older program, known as, introduced at SAH,

In paragraph no. 8 of the text, the writer says in the beginning, “ In addition , a program modelled on an earlier project called ‘ Take Charge ’ was implemented .

Here, In addition = Also, a program modelled on an earlier project = an older program, called = known as, was implemented = was introduced,

So, the answer is: ‘Take Charge’ / Take Charge

Question no. 11: In this program, __________ is sought from customers and staff.

Keywords for the question: sought from customers and staff,

Take a look at lines 3-5 of paragraph no. 8 where the writer says, “ . .. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop from both customers and employees . . . . .”

Here, Take Charge = this program, loop from both customers and employees = sought from customers and staff,

So, the answer is: feedback

Question no. 12: Wherever possible _________ suggestions are implemented within 48 hours.

Keywords for the question: wherever possible, suggestions, implemented, within 48 hours,

Again, take a look at lines 5-18 of paragraph no. 8 where the writer says, “ . .. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff . These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.) Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours , if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. .. .. . .”

So, the answer is: employees / employees’ / staff

Question no. 13: Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to _________.

Keywords for the question: other suggestions, investigated, feasibility, for a period, up to,

In paragraph no. 8, the final few lines say, “. . . . … If suggestions require analysis or data collection , the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations.”

Here, suggestions require analysis or data collection = other suggestions are investigated,

So, the answer is: 30 days

Click here for solutions to Cambridge 2 Test 2 Reading Passage 2

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IELTS Academic Reading # 38 - Implementing the Cycle of Success

Ielts academic reading passage: implementing the cycle of success - a case studfy, implementing the cycle of success: a case study.

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Implementing The Cycle of Success A Case Study

Implementing the cycle of success a case study ielts reading passage with answers, implementing the cycle of success: a case study.

Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

The first of the initiatives was an organisational structure with only three levels of management – compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 percent fewer management positions, enabling a significant saving. This change also has other implications. Communication, both up and down the organisation, has greatly improved. Decision-making has been forced down in many cases to front-line employees. As a result, guest requests are usually met without reference to a supervisor, improving both customer and employee satisfaction.

The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some ‘service’ experience in order to minimize traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties. IELTSXpress.com

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

Another major initiative by SAH was to adopt a totally multi-skilled workforce. Although there may be some limitations with highly technical jobs such as cooking or maintenance, wherever possible, employees at SAH are able to work in a wide variety of positions. A multi-skilled workforce provides far greater management flexibility during peak and quiet times to transfer employees to needed positions. For example, when office staff are away on holidays during quiet periods of the year, employees in either food or beverage or housekeeping departments can temporarily The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘benchmarking’. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.

In addition, a program modeled on an earlier project called ‘Take Charge’ was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop from both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.) Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours, if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. If suggestions require analysis or data collection, the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations. IELTS XPRESS

Although quantitative evidence of AHI’s initiatives at SAH is limited at present, the anecdotal evidence clearly suggest that these practices are working. Indeed AHI is progressively rolling out these initiatives in other hotels in Australia, whilst numerous overseas visitors have come to see how the program works.

[This article has been adapted and condensed from the article by R. Carter (1996), ‘Implementing the cycle of success: A case study of the Sheraton Pacific Division’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 34(3): 111-23. Names and other details have been changed and report findings may have been given a different emphasis from the original. We are grateful to the author and Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources for allowing us to use the material in this way.]

Questions 1-5 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet. ielts xpre ss

1. The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their ______

A. management. B. size. C. staff. D. policies.

2. SAH’s new organisational structure requires _________

A. 75% of the old management positions. B. 25% of the old management positions. C. 25% more management positions. D. 5% fewer management positions.

3. The SAH’s approach to organisational structure required changing practices in __________

A. industrial relations. B. firing staff. C. hiring staff. D. marketing.

4. The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was ___________

A. 70 B. 120 C. 170 D. 280

5. Categories A, B and C were used to select _________

A. front office staff. B. new teams. C. department heads. D. new managers.

Questions 6-13 Complete the following summary of the last four paragraphs of Reading Passage using ONE OR TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet. IELTSXPress

WHAT THEY DID AT SAH

Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a 6. __________ exercise. The information collected was used to compare 7. __________ processes which, in turn, led to the development of 8. __________ that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve 9. __________ as well as quality. Also, an older program known as 10. __________ was introduced at SAH. In this program, 11. __________ is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible 12. __________ suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to 13. ___________

Implementing The Cycle of Success A Case Study Reading Answers

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6. benchmarking

7. service delivery

8. (performance) measures

9. productivity

10. Take Charge

11. feedback

12. employee

13. 30 days

Also Check: Company Innovation IELTS Reading Passage with Answers

Implementing The Cycle of Success A Case Study Reading Answers Explanation

1. The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their …

Answer: staff Supporting Sentence : Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. Keywords : high cost, running, AHI, hotels Keyword Location : Paragraph 1st, 5th line Explanation : This is the correct option as it is mentioned in the passage that one of the reasons that AHI fails to give maximum profit is due to its high pay staff members. ieltsxpress.com

2. SAH’s new organisational structure requires …

Answer: 75% of the old management positions. Supporting Sentence : Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions, enabling a significant saving. Keywords : SAH, new, organizational, structure Keyword Location : Paragraph 2nd, 2nd line Explanation : The passage mentions that AHI’s new policy changed the organizational structure at SHI according to which the management position was cut down by 25 per cent. This means that SHI would operate with 75 percent of the old management positions. Therefore, it is the correct option.

3. The SAH’s approach to the organisational structure required changing practices in…

Answer: hiring staff Supporting Sentence : The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. Keywords : SAH, approach, organizational, structure, changing Keyword Location : Paragraph 3rd, 1st line Explanation : This is the correct option as the passage mentions that due to implementation issues issued by AHI, SAH had to follow the guidelines which included changes in the working staff capacity of the hotel and a different approach in the hiring process of working capacity. The new staff recruitment focused on prior service experience.

4. The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was …

Answer: 120 Supporting Sentence : Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. Keywords : jobs, advertised, SAH Keyword Location : Paragraph 3rd, 4th line Explanation : This is the correct option as the passage states that over 7000 applicants applied for 120 recruitment vacancies at SAH.

5. Categories A, B and C were used to select…

Answer: new teams Supporting Sentence : Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Keywords : categories, select Keyword Location : Paragraph 4th, 5th line Explanation : This is the correct option as the passage mentions that the new recruitment process divided the candidates into three groups based on their leadership skills, following abilities and a blend of both the qualities. A new team was established drawing candidates from all three categories to create a balance.

6. Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a _______ exercise.

Answer: benchmarking Supporting Sentence : SAH management concluded this would first require a process of “benchmarking”. Keywords : teams, employees, hotel, department, participate Keyword Location : Paragraph 6th, 2nd line Explanation : The passage mentions that the most helpful technique for cost-cutting at SAH was to offer better customer service and for this a benchmarking exercise was conducted by selecting teams of employees from various departments of the hotel and were asked to interact amongst themselves to measure and enhance the performance.

7. The information collected was used to compare _______ process

Answer: service delivery Supporting Sentence : The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. Keywords : information, collected, used, compare, process Keyword Location : Paragraph 6th, 3rd line Explanation : The passage mentions that the benchmarking exercise was carried out by SHA primarily to check upon the service delivery for the customers to improve it. Hence, it is the correct answer.

8. in turn, led to the development of ______

Answer: performance measures Supporting Sentence : This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.| Keywords : development, process, information Keyword Location : Paragraph 6th, 5th line Explanation : The passage mentions that the benchmark exercise which was carried out by teams of employees of the hotel through interaction was done to bring changes in the customer service which in turn improved the performance of the hotel. Therefore, it is the correct response.

9. that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve ______ as well as quality.

Answer: productivity Supporting Sentence : This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality. Keywords : increase, hotel, capacity, improve, quality Keyword Location : Paragraph 6th, 5th line Explanation : The passage mentions that the benchmark exercise which was carried out by teams of employees of the hotel through interaction was done to bring changes in the customer service which in turn improved the productivity of the hotel. Therefore, it is the correct response.

10. Also, an older program known as _____ was introduced at SAH.

Answer: ‘Take Charge’ Supporting Sentence : In addition, a program modelled on an earlier project called ‘Take Charge’ was implemented. Keywords : program, introduced, SAH Keyword Location : Paragraph 8th, 1st line Explanation : To improve and generate profits, SAH has followed the policies and measures implemented by AHI. One such measure was ‘Take Charge’ which is based on a feedback mechanism from both employees and customers to enhance performance and therefore profit. Hence, this is the correct response.

11. In this program, ______ is sought from customers and staff.

Answer: feedback Supporting Sentence : Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop for both customers and employees. Keywords : program, introduced, SAH Keyword Location : Paragraph 8th, 2nd line Explanation : The passage mentions that the ‘Take Charge’ program is based on receiving feedback from both employees and the customers and the suggestions are taken into consideration to improve the quality of the services offered by SAH. ieltsxprss.com

12. Wherever possible _____ suggestions are implemented within 48 hours.

Answer: employee’s/ staff Supporting Sentence : Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours, if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. Keywords : suggestions, implemented, within, 48 hours Keyword Location : Paragraph 9th, 1st line Explanation : The passage mentions that the new program launched at SAH includes seeking feedback and suggestions from the customers and employees. The suggestions are then implemented on a fast-track basis wherever possible to improve overall functioning. Hence, it is the correct response.

13. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to ______

Answer: 30 days Supporting Sentence : If suggestions require analysis or data collection, the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations. Keywords : suggestions, investigated, feasibility, period Keyword Location : Paragraph 9th, 2nd line Explanation : The passage mentions that one of the ways to improve SAH functioning includes the implementation of the ‘Take Charge’ program which seeks feedback and suggestions from customers and employees and implements them at the earliest. In cases where implementation can not take place within 48 hours, the team members of the program have to suggest alternatives within 30 days. Therefore, “30 days” is the correct option.

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Implementing The Cycle Of Success: A Case Study IELTS Reading Answers

Updated On Mar 05, 2022

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Implementing The Cycle Of Success: A Case Study IELTS Reading Answers

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The Academic passage ‘ Implementing The Cycle Of Success: A Case Study ‘ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. If you want more passages to solve, try taking one of our IELTS reading practice tests .

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IELTS Reading Test 34

IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY

Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

The hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some ‘service’ experience in order to minimise traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties.

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘benchmarking’. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.

In addition, a program modelled on an earlier project called ‘Take Charge’ was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop from both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.)

Questions 1—5 Choose the appropriate letters A—D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1 The high costs of running AHIs hotels are related to their A management B size C staff D policies

2 SAH’s new organisational structure requires A 75% of the old management positions B 25% of the old management positions C 25% more management positions D 5% fewer management positions

3 The SAH’s approach to organisational structure required changing practices in A industrial relations B firing staff C hiring staff D marketing

4 The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was … A 70 B 120 C 170 D 280

5 Categories A, B and C were used to select… A front office staff B new teams C department heads D new managers

Questions 6-13 Complete the following summary of the last four paragraphs of Reading Passage 1 using ONE OR TWO words from the passage.

What they did at SAH Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a (6)……………………….. exercise. The information collected was used to compare (7)……………………… processes which, in turn, led to the development of (8)………………………… that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve (9)……………………… as well as quality. Also, an older program known as (10)…………………… was introduced at SAH. In this program, (11)……………………….. is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible (12)…………………….. suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to (13)…………………………

Cambridge IELTS Test 1 to 17

READING PASSAGE 2

The discovery that language can be a barrier to communication is quickly made by all who travel, study, govern or sell. Whether the activity is tourism, research, government, policing, business, or data dissemination, the lack of a common language can severely impede progress or can halt it altogether. ‘Common language’ here usually means a foreign language, but the same point applies in principle to any encounter with unfamiliar dialects or styles within a single language. ‘They don’t talk the same language’ has a major metaphorical meaning alongside its literal one.

Although communication problems of this kind must happen thousands of times each day, very few become public knowledge. Publicity comes only when a failure to communicate has major consequences, such as strikes, lost orders, legal problems, or fatal accidents — even, at times, war. One reported instance of communication failure took place in 1970, when several Americans ate a species of poisonous mushroom. No remedy was known, and two of the people died within days. A radio report of the case was heard by a chemist who knew of a treatment that had been successfully used in 1959 and published in 1963. Why had the American doctors not heard of it seven years later? Presumably because the report of the treatment had been published only in journals written in European languages other than English.

Several comparable cases have been reported. But isolated examples do not give an impression of the size of the problem — something that can come only from studies of the use or avoidance of foreign-language materials and contacts in different communicative situations. In the English-speaking scientific world, for example, surveys of books and documents consulted in libraries and other information agencies have shown that very little foreign-language material is ever consulted. Library requests in the field of science and technology showed that only 13 per cent were for foreign language periodicals. Studies of the sources cited in publications lead to a similar conclusion: the use of foreign- language sources is often found to be as low as 10 per cent.

The language barrier presents itself in stark form to firms who wish to market their products in other countries. British industry, in particular, has in recent decades often been criticized for its linguistic insularity — for its assumption that foreign buyers will be happy to communicate in English, and that awareness of other languages is not therefore a priority. In the 1960s, over two-thirds of British firms dealing with non-English-speaking customers were using English for outgoing correspondence; many had their sales literature only in English; and as many as 40 per cent employed no-one able to communicate in the customers’ languages. A similar problem was identified in other English-speaking countries, notably the USA, Australia and New Zealand. And non-English-speaking countries were by no means exempt-although the widespread use of English as an alternative language made them less open to the charge of insularity.

The criticism and publicity given to this problem since the 1960s seems to have greatly improved the situation. Industrial training schemes have promoted an increase in linguistic and cultural awareness. Many firms now have their own translation services; to take just one example in Britain, Rowntree Mackintosh now publish their documents in six languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Italian and Xhosa). Some firms run part-time language courses in the languages of the countries with which they are most involved; some produce their own technical glossaries, to ensure consistency when material is being translated. It is now much more readily appreciated that marketing efforts can be delayed, damaged, or disrupted by a failure to take account of the linguistic needs of the customer.

The changes in awareness have been most marked in English-speaking countries, where the realisation has gradually dawned that by no means everyone in the world knows English well enough to negotiate in it. This is especially a problem when English is not an official language of public administration, as in most parts of the Far East, Russia, Eastern Europe, the Arab world, Latin America and French speaking Africa. Even in cases where foreign customers can speak English quite well, it is often forgotten that they may not be able to understand it to the required level — bearing in mind the regional and social variation which permeates speech and which can cause major problems of listening comprehension. In securing understanding, how ‘we’ speak to ‘them’ is just as important, it appears, as how ‘they’ speak to ‘us’.

Questions 14-17 Complete each of the following statements (Questions 14-17) with words taken from Reading Passage 2. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

14 Language problems may come to the attention of the public when they have………………………..such as fatal accidents or social problems. 15 Evidence of the extent of the language barrier has been gained from……………………….of materials used by scientists such as books and periodicals. 16 An example of British linguistic insularity is the use of English for materials such as…………………. 17 An example of a part of the world where people may have difficulty in negotiating English is………….

Questions 18-20 Choose the appropriate letters A—D and write them in boxes 18-20 on your answer sheet.

18 According to the passage, ‘They don’t talk the same language’ (paragraph 1), can refer to problems in … A understanding metaphor B learning foreign languages C understanding dialect or style D dealing with technological change

19 The case of the poisonous mushrooms (paragraph 2) suggests that American doctors … A should pay more attention to radio reports B only read medical articles if they are in English C are sometimes unwilling to try foreign treatments D do not always communicate effectively with their patients

20 According to the writer, the linguistic insularity of British businesses … A later spread to other countries B had a negative effect on their business C is not as bad now as it used to be in the past D made non-English-speaking companies turn to other markets

Questions 21-24 List the FOUR main ways in which British companies have tried to solve the problems of the language barrier since the 1960s. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

21………………………………. 22……………………………… 23………………………………… 24………………………………..

Questions 25 and 26 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet.

25 According to the writer, English-speaking people need to be aware that… A some foreigners have never met an English-speaking person B many foreigners have no desire to learn English C foreign languages may pose a greater problem in the future D English-speaking foreigners may have difficulty understanding English

26 A suitable title for this passage would be A Overcoming the language barrier B How to survive an English-speaking world C Global understanding – the key to personal progress D The need for a common language

What is a Port City?

A A port must be distinguished from a harbour. They are two very different things. Most ports have poor harbours, and many fine harbours see few ships. Harbour is a physical concept, a shelter for ships; port is an economic concept, a centre of land-sea exchange which requires good access to a hinterland even more than a sea-linked foreland. It is landward access, which is productive of goods for export and which demands imports, that is critical. Poor harbours can be improved with breakwaters and dredging if there is a demand for a port. Madras and Colombo are examples of harbours expensively improved by enlarging, dredging and building breakwaters.

B Port cities become industrial, financial and service centres and political capitals because of their water connections and the urban concentration which arises there and later draws to it railways, highways and air routes. Water transport means cheap access, the chief basis of all port cities. Many of the world’s biggest cities, for example, London, New York, Shanghai, Istanbul, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Jakarta, Calcutta, Philadelphia and San Francisco began as ports – that is, with land-sea exchange as their major function – but they have since grown disproportionately in other respects so that their port functions are no longer dominant. They remain different kinds of places from non-port cities and their port functions account for that difference.

C Port functions, more than anything else, make a city cosmopolitan. A port city is open to the world. In it races, cultures, and ideas, as well as goods from a variety of places, jostle, mix and enrich each other and the life of the city. The smell of the sea and the harbour, the sound of boat whistles or the moving tides are symbols of their multiple links with a wide world, samples of which are present in microcosm within their own urban areas.

D Sea ports have been transformed by the advent of powered vessels, whose size and draught have increased. Many formerly important ports have become economically and physically less accessible as a result. By-passed by most of their former enriching flow of exchange, they have become cultural and economic backwaters or have acquired the character of museums of the past. Examples of these are Charleston, Salem, Bristol, Plymouth, Surat, Galle, Melaka, Soochow, and a long list of earlier prominent port cities in Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.

E Much domestic port trade has not been recorded. What evidence we have that domestic trade was greater at all periods than external trade. Shanghai, for example, did most of its trade with other Chinese ports and inland cities. Calcutta traded mainly with other parts of India and so on. Most of any city’s population is engaged in providing goods and services for the city itself. Trade outside the city is its basic function. But each basic worker requires food, housing, clothing and other such services. Estimates of the ratio of basic to service workers range from 1A to 1:8.

F No city can be simply a port but must be involved in a variety of other activities. The port function of the city draws to it raw materials and distributes them in many other forms. Ports take advantage of the need for breaking up the bulk material where water and land transport meet and where loading and unloading costs can be minimised by refining raw materials or turning them into finished goods. The major examples here are oil refining and ore refining, which are commonly located at ports. It is not easy to draw a line around what is and is not a port function. All ports handle, unload, sort, alter, process, repack, and reship most of what they receive. A city may still be regarded as a port city when it becomes involved in a great range of functions not immediately involved with ships or docks.

G Cities which began as ports retain the chief commercial and administrative centre of the city close to the waterfront. The centre of New York is in lower Manhattan between two river mouths, the City of London is on the Thames, Shanghai along the Bund. This proximity to water is also true of Boston, Philadelphia, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Yokohama, where the commercial, financial, and administrative centres are still grouped around their harbours even though each city has expanded into a metropolis. Even a casual visitor cannot mistake them as anything but port cities.

Questions 27-30 Reading passage 3 has seven paragraphs A-G. From the list of headings below choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-E. Write the appropriate numbers (i-viii) in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet. NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.

List of Headings i. A truly international environment ii. Once a port city, always a port city iii. Good ports make huge profits iv. How the port changes a city’s infrastructure v. Reasons’ for the decline of ports vi. Relative significance of trade and service industry vii. Ports and harbours viii. The demands of the oil industry

27 Paragraph B 28 Paragraph C 29 Paragraph D 30 Paragraph E

Questions 31-34 Look at the following descriptions of some port cities mentioned in the passage. Match the pairs of cities (A-H) listed below with the descriptions. Write the appropriate letters A-H in boxes 31-34. NB There are more pairs of port cities than descriptions so you will not use them all.

31 required considerable harbor development 32 began as ports but other facilities later dominated 33 lost their prominence when large ships could not be accommodated 34 maintain their business centres near the port waterfront

A Bombay and Buenos Aires B Hong Kong and Salem C Istanbul and Jakarta D Madras and Colombo E New York and Bristol F Plymouth and Melaka G Singapore and Yokohama H Surat and London

Question 35-40 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement agrees with the information NO if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage

35 Cities cease to be port cities when other functions dominate. 36 In the past, many port cities did more trade within their own country than with overseas ports. 37 Most people in a port city are engaged in international trade and finance. 38 Ports attract many subsidiary and independent industries. 39 Ports have to establish a common language of trade. 40 Ports often have river connections.

Show Answers

1. C 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. benchmarking 7. service delivery 8. (performance) measures 9. productivity 10. take charge 11. feedback 12. employee 13. 30 days 14. major consequences 15. surveys 16. sales literature 17. eastern europe 18. C 19. B 20. C 21. training 22. translation services 23. language course 24. glossaries 25. D 26. A 27. ii 28. i 29. v 30. vi 31. D 32. C 33. F 34. G 35. no 36. yes 37. no 38. yes 39. not given 40. yes

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Implementing the Cycle of Success – A Case Study – IELTS Academic Reading Passage

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on the Reading Passage below:

IMPLEMENTING THE CYCLE OF SUCCESS: A CASE STUDY

W ithin Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. In order to develop an economically viable hotel organisation model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

T he first of the initiatives was an organisational structure with only three levels of management – compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 percent fewer management positions, enabling a significant saving. This change also has other implications. Communication, both up and down the organisation, has greatly improved. Decision-making has been forced down in many cases to front-line employees. As a result, guest requests are usually met without reference to a supervisor, improving both customer and employee satisfaction.

T he hotel also recognised that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some ‘service’ experience in order to minimize traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties.

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

A nother major initiative by SAH was to adopt a totally multi-skilled workforce. Although there may be some limitations with highly technical jobs such as cooking or maintenance, wherever possible, employees at SAH are able to work in a wide variety of positions. A multi-skilled workforce provides far greater management flexibility during peak and quiet times to transfer employees to needed positions. For example, when office staff are away on holidays during quiet periods of the year, employees in either food or beverage or housekeeping departments can temporarily The most crucial way, however, of improving the labour cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘benchmarking’. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.

T he front office team discovered through this project that a high proportion of AHI Club member reservations were incomplete. As a result, the service provided to these guests was below the standard promised to them as part of their membership agreement. Reducing the number of incomplete reservations greatly improved guest perceptions of service.

I n addition, a program modeled on an earlier project called ‘Take Charge’ was implemented. Essentially, Take Charge provides an effective feedback loop from both customers and employees. Customer comments, both positive and negative, are recorded by staff. These are collated regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. Just as importantly, employees are requested to note down their own suggestions for improvement. (AHI has set an expectation that employees will submit at least three suggestions for every one they receive from a customer.) Employee feedback is reviewed daily and suggestions are implemented within 48 hours, if possible, or a valid reason is given for non-implementation. If suggestions require analysis or data collection, the Take Charge team has 30 days in which to address the issue and come up with recommendations.

A lthough quantitative evidence of AHI’s initiatives at SAH is limited at present, the anecdotal evidence clearly suggest that these practices are working. Indeed AHI is progressively rolling out these initiatives in other hotels in Australia, whilst numerous overseas visitors have come to see how the program works.

Questions 1-5 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1. The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their ……. A. management. B. size. C. staff. D. policies.

2. SAH’s new organisational structure requires ……. A. 75% of the old management positions. B. 25% of the old management positions. C. 25% more management positions. D. 5% fewer management positions.

3. The SAH’s approach to organisational structure required changing practices in ……. A. industrial relations. B. firing staff. C. hiring staff. D. marketing.

4. The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was …….. A. 70 B. 120 C. 170 D. 280

5. Categories A, B and C were used to select…….. A. front office staff. B. new teams. C. department heads. D. new managers.

WHAT THEY DID AT SAH

Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a . ….. (6) ……. exercise. The information collected was used to compare …… (7) …… processes which, in turn, led to the development of …… (8) …… that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve …… (9) …… as well as quality. Also, an older program known as …… (10) …… was introduced at SAH. In this program, …… (11) …… is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible ….. (12) …… .suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to ……. ( 1 3 ) ……

Answer: 1. C 2. A 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. benchmarking 7. (a range of) service delivery 8. (performance) measures 9. productivity 10. Take Charge 11. feedback 12. employee(s’) / staff 13. 30 days

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Ielts reading – implementing the cycle of success, implementing the cycle of success a case study.

Within Australia, Australian Hotels Inc (AHI) operates nine hotels and employs over 2000 permanent full-time staff, 300 permanent part-time employees and 100 casual staff. One of its latest ventures, the Sydney Airport hotel (SAH), opened in March 1995. The hotel is the closest to Sydney Airport and is designed to provide the best available accommodation, food and beverage and meeting facilities in Sydney’s southern suburbs. Similar to many international hotel chains, however, AHI has experienced difficulties in Australia in providing long-term profits for hotel owners, as a result of the country’s high labour-cost structure. In order to develop an economically viable hotel organization model, AHI decided to implement some new policies and practices at SAH.

The first of the initiatives was an organizational structure with only three levels of management – compared to the traditional seven. Partly as a result of this change, there are 25 per cent fewer management positions, enabling a significant saving. This change also has other implications. Communication, both up and down the organization, has greatly improved. Decision-making has been forced down in many cases to front-line employees. As a result, guest requests are usually met without reference to a supervisor, improving both customer and employee satisfaction.

The hotel also recognized that it would need a different approach to selecting employees who would fit in with its new policies. In its advertisements, the hotel stated a preference for people with some ‘service’ experience in order to minimize traditional work practices being introduced into the hotel. Over 7000 applicants filled in application forms for the 120 jobs initially offered at SAH. The balance of the positions at the hotel (30 management and 40 shift leader positions) were predominantly filled by transfers from other AHI properties.

A series of tests and interviews were conducted with potential employees, which eventually left 280 applicants competing for the 120 advertised positions. After the final interview, potential recruits were divided into three categories. Category A was for applicants exhibiting strong leadership qualities, Category C was for applicants perceived to be followers, and Category B was for applicants with both leader and follower qualities. Department heads and shift leaders then composed prospective teams using a combination of people from all three categories. Once suitable teams were formed, offers of employment were made to team members.

Another major initiative by SAH was to adopt a totally multi-skilled workforce. Although there may be some limitations with highly technical jobs such as cooking or maintenance, wherever possible, employees at SAH are able to work in a wide variety of positions. A multi-skilled workforce provides far greater management flexibility during peak and quiet times to transfer employees to needed positions. For example, when office staff are away on holidays during quiet periods of the year, employees in either food or beverage or housekeeping departments can temporarily The most crucial way, however, of improving the labor cost structure at SAH was to find better, more productive ways of providing customer service. SAH management concluded this would first require a process of ‘benchmarking’. The prime objective of the benchmarking process was to compare a range of service delivery processes across a range of criteria using teams made up of employees from different departments within the hotel which interacted with each other. This process resulted in performance measures that greatly enhanced SAH’s ability to improve productivity and quality.

[ This article has been adapted and condensed from the article by R. Carter (1996), ‘Implementing the cycle of success: A case study of the Sheraton Pacific Division’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 34(3): 111-23. Names and other details have been changed and report findings may have been given a different emphasis from the original. We are grateful to the author and Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources for allowing us to use the material in this way.]

Questions 1-5 Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

1. The high costs of running AHI’s hotels are related to their ……. A. management. B. size. C. staff. D. policies.

2. SAH’s new organizational structure requires ……. A. 75% of the old management positions. B. 25% of the old management positions. C. 25% more management positions. D. 5% fewer management positions.

3. The SAH’s approach to organizational structure required changing practices in ……. A. industrial relations. B. firing staff. C. hiring staff. D. marketing.

4. The total number of jobs advertised at the SAH was …….. A. 70. B. 120. C. 170. D. 280.

5. Categories A, B and C were used to select …….. A. front office staff. B. new teams. C. department heads. D. new managers.

Questions 6-13 Complete the following summary of the last four paragraphs of Reading Passage 38 using O NE OR TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet. WHAT THEY DID AT SAH Teams of employees were selected from different hotel departments to participate in a . ….. (6) ……. exercise. The information collected was used to compare …… (7) …… processes which, in turn, led to the development of …… (8) …… that would be used to increase the hotel’s capacity to improve …… (9) …… as well as quality. Also, an older program known as …… (10) …… was introduced at SAH. In this program, …… (11) …… is sought from customers and staff. Wherever possible ….. (12) …… .suggestions are implemented within 48 hours. Other suggestions are investigated for their feasibility for a period of up to ……. ( 1 3 ) ……

Answers – Section 1

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Implementing the Cycle of Success – A Case Study Reading Questions and Answers

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IELTS Reading Passage – Implementing the Cycle of Success – A Case Study

Implementing the Cycle of Success – A Case Study