Creating the Logistics Vision Nowadays,most companies are familiar with the idea of "mission statement"as an expression of setting a vision for the business.The mission statement seeks to define the pur-pose of the business,its boundaries and its aspirations.It is now common for organizations to have such statement for the business as a whole and for key constituent components.What some companies have found is that there can be significant benefits to defining the lo-gistics vision of the firm. The purpose of the logistics vision statement is to give a clear indication which business intends to build a position of advantage through closer customer relationship.Such state-ment is never easy to construct.There is always the danger that they will publish the ener-getic and encouraging declaration that give everyone a warm feeling but provide no guideline for action. Ideally the logistics vision should be built around the simple issue of"How do we intend to use logistics and supply chain management to create value for our customers?"To realize this idea will necessitate a detailed understanding of how customer value is created and deliv-ered in the market in which the business competes.Value chain analysis will be a fundamen-tal element in this investigation as will the definition of the core competencies and capabilities of the organization.Asking the question"What activities dowe excel in?"and"What is it that differentiates us from our competitors?"is the starting point for creating the logistics vision statement. Earlier,it was suggested that the three words"Better,Faster,Cheaper"summarizes the ways in which logistics vision statement can provide value for customers.The criterion for good logistics vision statement is that it should provide the road map for how these three goals are to be achieved． Questions:

Which element should a logistics mtssion statement focus on?( )

A:Transportation. B:Costs. C:Customers. D:Punctuality.

Creating the Logistics Vision Nowadays,most companies are familiar with the idea of "mission statement"as an expression of setting a vision for the business.The mission statement seeks to define the pur-pose of the business,its boundaries and its aspirations.It is now common for organizations to have such statement for the business as a whole and for key constituent components.What some companies have found is that there can be significant benefits to defining the lo-gistics vision of the firm. The purpose of the logistics vision statement is to give a clear indication which business intends to build a position of advantage through closer customer relationship.Such state-ment is never easy to construct.There is always the danger that they will publish the ener-getic and encouraging declaration that give everyone a warm feeling but provide no guideline for action. Ideally the logistics vision should be built around the simple issue of"How do we intend to use logistics and supply chain management to create value for our customers?"To realize this idea will necessitate a detailed understanding of how customer value is created and deliv-ered in the market in which the business competes.Value chain analysis will be a fundamen-tal element in this investigation as will the definition of the core competencies and capabilities of the organization.Asking the question"What activities dowe excel in?"and"What is it that differentiates us from our competitors?"is the starting point for creating the logistics vision statement. Earlier,it was suggested that the three words"Better,Faster,Cheaper"summarizes the ways in which logistics vision statement can provide value for customers.The criterion for good logistics vision statement is that it should provide the road map for how these three goals are to be achieved． Questions:

How should a logistics vision statement add value to its customers?( )

A:To provide cheaper services. B:To provide more choices for transportations. C:To communicate better with customers. D:To provide better,more cost-effective and punctual services.

Creating the Logistics Vision Nowadays,most companies are familiar with the idea of "mission statement"as an expression of setting a vision for the business.The mission statement seeks to define the pur-pose of the business,its boundaries and its aspirations.It is now common for organizations to have such statement for the business as a whole and for key constituent components.What some companies have found is that there can be significant benefits to defining the lo-gistics vision of the firm. The purpose of the logistics vision statement is to give a clear indication which business intends to build a position of advantage through closer customer relationship.Such state-ment is never easy to construct.There is always the danger that they will publish the ener-getic and encouraging declaration that give everyone a warm feeling but provide no guideline for action. Ideally the logistics vision should be built around the simple issue of"How do we intend to use logistics and supply chain management to create value for our customers?"To realize this idea will necessitate a detailed understanding of how customer value is created and deliv-ered in the market in which the business competes.Value chain analysis will be a fundamen-tal element in this investigation as will the definition of the core competencies and capabilities of the organization.Asking the question"What activities dowe excel in?"and"What is it that differentiates us from our competitors?"is the starting point for creating the logistics vision statement. Earlier,it was suggested that the three words"Better,Faster,Cheaper"summarizes the ways in which logistics vision statement can provide value for customers.The criterion for good logistics vision statement is that it should provide the road map for how these three goals are to be achieved． Questions:

What should a logistics mission statement provide?( )

A:Management encouragement. B:A design of new methods to apply to customer satisfaction. C:Some detailed actions to undertake to obtain more market share. D:An outline of actions for goals to be achieved．

The Workers" Role in Management

    Traditionally, it has been the workers" role to work and management"s role to manage. Managers have planned and directed the firm"s operations with little thought to consulting the labor force. Managers have rarely felt compelled to 1obtain the workers" opinions or to explain their decisions to their employees. At most, companies have provided"suggestion boxes" in which workers could place ideas for improving procedures. In recent years, however, many management specialists have been arguing that workers are more than sellers of labor一they have a vital stake in the company 2 and may be able to make significant contributions to its management. Furthermore, major company decisions profoundly affect workers 3 and their dependents. This is particularly true of plant closings, which may put thousands on the unemployment lines. Should workers, then, play a stronger role in management?

    Workers should have a role in management. At the very least, the labor force should be informed of major policy decisions (A common complaint among rank-and-file workers is the lack of information about company policies and actions). Between 1980 and 1985 about five million workers were the victims of plant closings and permanent layoffs, often with no warning. At least 90 days" notice ought to be given in such instances so that workers have time to adjust. Management should consult workers before closing a plant, because the workers might be able to suggest ways of improving productivity and reducing costs and might be willing to make concessions that will help keep the plant operating.

    It should become a general practice to include work&s in some managerial decision making 4. There ought to be representatives of the workers on the firm"s board of directors or other major policymaking groups. if rank-and-file workers are given a voice in 5 the planning and management of the work flow, they will help to make improvements, their morale will rise 6, and their productivity will increase. As a further incentive, they must be given a share in the company"s profits. This can be done through employee stockownership plans, bonuses, or rewards for efficiency and productivity. Finally, when a plant can no longer operate at a profit, the workers should be given the opportunity to purchase the plant and run it themselves.

 

词汇：

suggestion box 意见箱，建议箱

concession /kən"seʃən/ n．让步

dependent /di"pendənt /=dependant n．受扶养者，受扶养的家属

employee stockownership 雇员持股权

layoff /"leiɔf/ n．停工，停歇；临时解雇（期）；失业期

 

注释：

1.    Managers have rarely felt compelled to...：管理者们很少觉得应该……。feel compelled to do 的意思是“觉得被迫干……”，在本文拟译为“觉得应该……”更合适些。

2.    ... they have a vital stake in the company:……他们对公司有很大的利害关系。have a stake in 的意思是“对……（或在……方面）有利害关系”。例如：Each of us has a stake in the outcome of the conference.会议结果对我们每一个人都有利害关系。 这个短语也有“……有股份”的意思。例如：They have a large stake in the oil industly．他们在石油业有大量股份。

3.    rank-and-file workers：普通工人

4.    managerial decision making：管理决策的制定

5.    give sb. a voice in：在……方面给某人发言权，即发表意见的权利。例如：His parents give him "voice in almost anything．几乎任何事情他父母都让他有发言权。

6.    ... their morale will rise:……他们的士气会增加

Since policy decisions are business secrets of a firm, workers should not be informed of them.

A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned

To carry out a company's rules and regulations, administrative personnel must know ______.

A:to be firm B:being firm C:what to be firm D:how to be firm

Computer programmer David Jones earns ￡35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank prepared to let him have a cheque card (支票卡). Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18.
The 16-year-old works for a small firm In Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David’s firm releases two new games for the home computer market each month.
But David’s biggest headache is what to do with his money. Despite his salary, earned buy inventing new programs, with bonus payments and profit-sharing, he cannot drive a car, buy a house, or obtain credit cards (信用卡).
He lives with his parents in Liverpool. His company has to pay ￡150 a month in taxi fares to get him the five miles to work and back every day because David cannot drive.
David got his job with the Liverpool-based company four months ago, a year after leaving school and working for a time in a computer shop. "I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs," he said.
"I suppose ￡35,000 sounds a lot but I hope it will come to more than that his year." He spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother ￡20 a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
"Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school," he said. "But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway."
David added: "I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement (退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear./

Why does David think he might retire early （　）

A:Because you have to be young to write computer programs. B:Because he wants to stop working when he is a millionaire. C:Because he thinks computer games might not always sell so well. D:Because he thinks his firm might go bankrupt.

Vodafone has reached an agreement to sell Apple’s popular iPhone in the UK.
The announcement follows news that network operator Orange had secured a similar agreement with Apple. The deals mark an end to the exclusive UK arrangement between O2 and the US technology firm, which has been in place since 2007.
Vodafone says users can register an interest online, with the handsets becoming available to customers from early 2010. Orange said its customers would be able to buy the phone" later this year" but did not specify a date or pricing.
Vodafone is one of the biggest mobile operators in the world with an estimated 300 million customers world wide, making it the second largest carrier after China Mobile. The agreement sees both Orange and Vodafone selling both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
A spokesperson for Vodafone said the firm was" delighted" at securing an agreement with Apple and that the phone was going to be primarily for existing Vodafone customers. This is a different model from that adopted by O2, which used the iPhone as an incentive to attract new customers.
O2 has offered the handset in the UK since its launch in 2007. In February, it said it had sold more than one million of the handsets. The launch of the latest iPhone 3GS in June significantly boosted sales, with many stores running out of stock. The phone has also allowed the firm to win subscribers from other networks, according to analysts.
Dave McQueen, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media told BBC News said that the smartphones-which have the ability to surf the web and send e-mail-has put a burden on the O2 network. "IPhone users to tend to use data quite extensively-perhaps more than anticipated," he said.
O2 will continue to sell the handset in Britain, alongside iPhone rival the Palm Pre. The Palmphone, described by some as an "iPhone killer", will be available exclusively to O2 from 16 October. O2 said that it always knew that its exclusive deal was for "a limited period of time".
In countries where exclusive deals still persist, such as the US, some customers choose to "unlock" their phones using third party software so they work on an unlicensed network. However, Apple has warned that the practice can cause "irreparable" damage to a handset and has engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse, releasing periodic software updates which prevent unlocked phones from working correctly.
What agreement did Vodafone reach with Apple

A:To sell iPhone in the US. B:To sell MacBook in the UK. C:iPhone is available exclusively to Vodafone in the UK. D:To sell iPhone in the UK

Vodafone has reached an agreement to sell Apple’s popular iPhone in the UK.
The announcement follows news that network operator Orange had secured a similar agreement with Apple. The deals mark an end to the exclusive UK arrangement between O2 and the US technology firm, which has been in place since 2007.
Vodafone says users can register an interest online, with the handsets becoming available to customers from early 2010. Orange said its customers would be able to buy the phone" later this year" but did not specify a date or pricing.
Vodafone is one of the biggest mobile operators in the world with an estimated 300 million customers world wide, making it the second largest carrier after China Mobile. The agreement sees both Orange and Vodafone selling both the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.
A spokesperson for Vodafone said the firm was" delighted" at securing an agreement with Apple and that the phone was going to be primarily for existing Vodafone customers. This is a different model from that adopted by O2, which used the iPhone as an incentive to attract new customers.
O2 has offered the handset in the UK since its launch in 2007. In February, it said it had sold more than one million of the handsets. The launch of the latest iPhone 3GS in June significantly boosted sales, with many stores running out of stock. The phone has also allowed the firm to win subscribers from other networks, according to analysts.
Dave McQueen, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media told BBC News said that the smartphones-which have the ability to surf the web and send e-mail-has put a burden on the O2 network. "IPhone users to tend to use data quite extensively-perhaps more than anticipated," he said.
O2 will continue to sell the handset in Britain, alongside iPhone rival the Palm Pre. The Palmphone, described by some as an "iPhone killer", will be available exclusively to O2 from 16 October. O2 said that it always knew that its exclusive deal was for "a limited period of time".
In countries where exclusive deals still persist, such as the US, some customers choose to "unlock" their phones using third party software so they work on an unlicensed network. However, Apple has warned that the practice can cause "irreparable" damage to a handset and has engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse, releasing periodic software updates which prevent unlocked phones from working correctly.
What does the agreement between Apple and Vodafone denote

A:Vodafone is stronger than O2. B:It marks an end to the exclusive UK agreement between O2 and US technology firm. C:O2 didn’t sell iPhone well. D:Apple didn’t do well in the US.