Review Test 3 — Homework (Key)

1 Tutor: Well James, I've had a look over your case study and for a first draft, it looks promising.

2 James: Well, as you know, Furniture Rossi is an Australian company, still comparatively small compared to some of the high street stores, but it's got plans to expand into foreign markets. So I chose it for that reason. It's going through a transition - it's a family-run business aiming to build a global brand.

3 Tutor: All right, and you've made that clear in your writing. One thing, though, that I think you've overlooked is why Luca Rossi started a furniture company here in Australia in the first place.

4 James: Well, he'd just got an arts degree, hadn't he? And people were trying to talk him into an academic profession, but he wanted a practical job - something he thought would be more satisfying in the long run. His grandfather had been a craftsman.

5 He'd made furniture in Italy and he'd passed this skill on to Luca's father, and well, Luca thought he'd like to continue the tradition.

6 Tutor: Yes, that was the motivation behind his decision. And what was it, do you think, that gave Furniture Rossi a competitive edge over other furniture companies?

7 James: I wouldn't think it was price. It's always been at the higher end of the market, but according to my research, it was to do with the attitude of the employees - they were really focused on giving good customer service.

8 Tutor: Yes, Luca Rossi insisted on that. Their promotional campaigns also emphasized the fact that the wood only came from Australian forests, but that was the case with their rivals, too, so it wouldn't have made them stand out. OK, we'll have a careful look at the content of your case study in a minute, but I just want to make a general comment first, before you start writing your second draft.

9 James: OK.

10 Tutor: Yes, what I'd like to see more of is your opinion, a bit more critical thinking, rather than the bare facts. But it's good to see you've been careful with your referencing this time.

11 James: Thanks. And I read and re-read my work, so I'm pretty sure there aren't any errors with the language.

12 Tutor: Yes, it's fine. Oh, but there's one other thing I could probably mention at this point.

13 James: Yes?

14 Tutor: Well, at the end of term, you'll also be giving a presentation - also on Furniture Rossi.

15 James: Yes, I haven't given it much thought yet.

16 Tutor: understandably. But while you're writing the case study, I'd recommend you think about what kind of information would be suitable to use in your presentation. Remember - the last time you gave a presentation on a company, you spent a considerable part of the time providing the audience with financial data, but they probably needed to hear more about company strategy.

17 James: Yes, I did concentrate rather too much on the figures. I'll make sure there's a balance this time.

18 Tutor: Good. OK, so let's just think about the content of your case study - the history of Furniture Rossi. I see here in paragraph four you're talking about how Luca Rossi raised the capital for his new business venture - and then you're talking about the customer base growing much wider - but what was it that prompted this growth?

19 James: Well, that was to do with the quality of the furniture products that the company was selling. People loved that it was all hand-made and would last.

20 Tutor: And because demand from customers kept growing?

21 James: Well, then Rossi needed to take on more craftsmen so they could make sure the orders were ready on time, and then, he also had to set up two new warehouses to make distribution quicker.

22 Tutor: Yes. And from there, the company really grew. But think what happened next. They started looking at ways to increase their profits and called in a consultant. And what he saw immediately was that the infrastructure was completely outdated - they were paying three full-time admin staff just for data-entry.

23 So he recommended they upgrade their software programs, and that, in turn, cut operational costs and just speeded everything up.

24 James: I'm surprised they didn't get on to that earlier, but I suppose Luca Rossi was more interested in the design aspect, rather than the finance side of things.

25 Tutor: Yes, I imagine that's why he eventually turned the day-to-day running of the company over to his son. And in fact, it was the son, Marco, who persuaded his father to move on from traditional television advertising and go online instead.

26 James: I guess that's the best way to reach people.

27 Tutor: It can be, but initially, customers actually complained.

28 James: Why?

29 Tutor: Well, some users found it hard to find their way around the website - so they were getting frustrated and giving up. So then the company brought in a professional to improve it.

1 Clare: Hi, Grant. What sort of competition do you think we should organize?

2 Grant: Well, Clare, the open day committee was pretty clear on that - it must be something with youth appeal.

3 Clare: That makes sense - after all, most of the visitors will have just left high school.

4 Grant: Yeah, so I was thinking - technology.

5 Clare: Do you mean something which uses the latest technology - like an iPod?

6 Grant: Something like that but a bit more expensive maybe.

7 Clare: Fine. We could go into town now and buy it. I saw great deals advertised at the Rick Smith store.

8 Grant: Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that. A university purchase order will probably be arranged through the Resources and Supplies Section.

9 Clare: Well, that's settled then. What about the competition - is it going to be a game of skill or a guessing game or something else?

10 Grant: What do you think would work best?

11 Clare: I was thinking graduates of the Engineering Department could construct it as part of their contribution to Open Day.

12 Grant: How do visitors enter the competition on Open Day?

13 Clare: Well, firstly, they have to make their way to the 'portal photo booth' on campus.

14 Grant: Okay - a bit like a treasure hunt.

15 Clare: Yes, and then they get their photo taken stepping through the portal.

16 Grant: And they'll have to write down their details - you know, name, phone number, email... hang on... let's keep it simple - just name and email address should do.

17 Clare: then after, say the thirtieth of July, people can visit the university Facebook page and vote for their favourite photo. I think that should generate quite a bit of interest.

18 Grant: What about a cut-off date?

19 Clare: Of course... uh... most popular photo as of 5 pm on the tenth of August will collect the iPad.

20 Grant: And the winner will be notified by email.

21 Clare: And... winning photo will be enlarged and published in full colour on the university Facebook page.

1 The park itself belonged to a family called the De Quincies, who had made a lot of money from manufacturing farm machinery, and who also owned substantial stretches of forest land to the north of the park.

2 They built a house in the centre of the park, not far from where we're standing now.

3 The Anglia Sculpture Park isn't the only one in the country; several of the London parks sometimes display contemporary sculptures, and there are a couple of other permanent sculpture parks in England. But we're unique in that some of our sculptures were actually created for the sites they occupy here.

4 One of our most popular collections is Joe Tremain's 'burnt' sculptures. These are wood and stone sculptures that he's carved and marked with fire to illustrate the ferocity and intensity of the forces that have shaped our planet over millions of years.

5 To see some of the sculptures, you'll need to follow the path alongside the Lower Lake. We had to renovate this after the lake overflowed its banks a couple of months ago and flooded the area. The water level's back to normal now and you shouldn't have any trouble, the path's very level underfoot.

6 If you have time it's worth taking a look at the Centre itself. It's not possible to go upstairs at present as builders are working there adding another floor.

7 He was actually born in this part of England but he recently designed a museum in Canada that won a prize for innovation in public buildings.

8 If you want to get something to eat when you get back, like a snack or a sandwich, the Terrace Room is currently closed, but you can go to the kiosk and buy something then sit on one of the chairs overlooking the Lower Lake and enjoy the view as you're eating.

9 You might like to take a look at the Joe Tremain sculptures which are displayed on this side of the Upper Lake just behind the Education Centre and near the bridge.

10 One of our most popular exhibitions is the Giorgio Catalucci bird sculptures – they're just across the bridge on the north side of Lower Lake.

11 You could also go to the Garden Gallery. It's on this side of the Upper Lake – from the Visitor Centre you go to the Education Centre, then keep on along the path, and you'll see it on your right.

12 We also have the Long House – that's quite a walk. From here, you go to the bridge and then turn left on the other side. Soon you'll see a winding pathway going up towards the northern boundary of the park – go up there and you'll find it at the top.