BEC剑桥高级英语听力原文(手录)

BEC剑桥高级英语听力原文(手录)BEC剑桥高级英语听力原文(手录)BEC剑桥高级英语听力原文(手录)BEC剑桥高级英语听力原文(手录)编制仅供参考审核批准生效日期地址：电话：传真:邮编:1.1ThefutureofhumanresourcesIthinktheproblemisthatinthelastfifteenyears,employershaven'tshowntheiremployeesmuchloyalty.They'vehiredandfiredprettymuchatwill,accordingtowhetherthemarketdictatedthattheyneedtoincreaseorreducetheworkforce.Theflipsideofthisisthatemployeesnow,particularlythoseinthe25to35agegroup,don'tfeelmuchloyaltytotheiremployereither.Developingstrategiestoholdontohighlyskilledandhighlyqualifiedpeoplehasbecomethenumberonepriorityinhumanresources-inallbigcompanies,infact.There'snodoubtthatinthenexttenyearstherewillbeamoveawayfromtheninetofiveoffice-basedmodelofwork.Infact,it'salreadyhappeningwithwomen,whooftenfinditchallengingtobalanceworkanddomesticschedules.Thiscouldmeanmore'teleworking',inotherwordsworkingathomeandbeinglinkedtotheofficebycomputer;oritcouldmeanshorterworkingweeksorjustmoreflexiblehours,Unlesscompaniesofferthesepossibilities,alotofpeoplewilllookforalternativetypesofwork.Companiesarefindingthatgraduatesandschoolleaversaren'twellenoughpreparedforworkinglife.Thisisgoingtodrivetwochanges,Ithink.Oneisagreaterco-operatingbetweencompaniesanduniversitiesorcollegestoensurethatatentryleveltothecompany,peoplehavetherightskills.We'llalsoseemoreinvestmentincorporatetraining-corporateuniversitiesandsoon-sothatemployees'skillscanbemouldedtotheneedsofthecompany.Asthebirthratedecreasedandlifeexpectancyincreases,therewillbeshortagesinthejobmarket.Consequently,alotofex-employeeswhothoughttheyhadfinishedtheircareersat60orwhatever,willbecalledbacktowork.Thiswillsuitthecompanies,butitwillsuittheemployeestoo,becausetheirpensionswillprobablybeinadequatetofundtheirlongerretirement.Atthemomentpeopleintheir50sand60sare,onthewhole,verypoorlyvaluedincompanies.Firmswanttorecruityoungeremployeeswhoarecheapertoemployandmoreadaptabletoachangingbusinessenvironment.Butasthesupplyoftheseyoungerworkersdriesup,we'llhavetoconsiderolderstaffdifferently.Ihopethatinfuturethewisdomandexperienceofthisgroupwillbecomemorevalued.1.2AnenvironmentaccidentJ=JournalistS=SpokespersonJ:So,canyoutellmehowthishappened?S:Well,itwasaveryunfortunatecombinationofevents.Asyouknow,weatherconditionshavebeensevereintheeasternAtlanticforthelastcoupleofdays.Theship'scaptainreportedthattheshipwasintroubleat11pmlastnightandwasorderedtomakeforportasquicklyaspossible.At2:30pmhereportedthatshewasgroundedonsomerocksjustofftheCornishcoast.J:Butthisisn'tthefirsttimethisparticularshiphasbeeninanaccident.isit?S:Shehasbeeninvolvedintwoincidentsinthepast,butthesehadnothingtodowithhersea-worthiness,Sheisawell-maintainedshipinexcellentworkingorderwithanexperiencecrewonboard.J:Andwhatareyouintendingtodotolimitthedamagetotheenvironmentnow?S:Unfortunately,whileconditionsremainsohostile,thereisverylittlewecando,butthemomentthestormssubsidewewillbemountinganoperationtotransfertheoilofftheshipusingtugs.J:Doyouthinkthatthiskindofaccidentisacceptable?S:Ithinkitneedstobeputintoperspective.Accidentsatseaarefarlesscommonthanrailorroadaccidents.Theproblemisthattheyattractmuchmorepublicity...J:Well,yes,Whicheverwayyoulookatit,it'saPRdisasterforyourcompany,isn'titS:AsI'vesaid,thistypeofincidentdoesattractalotofmediaattention.Ijusthopethatthepubliccansee...2.1ThePeopleSofttakeoverCOMMENTATORIthinkyoucouldsumupPeopleSoft'sapproachtotheiremployeeslikethis:"Wewantyoutobehappy,wewantyoutodothethingsyou'vegoodatandthatyouenjoydoing.'VeryfewbigITconsultingcompaniesarelikethat.Theyusuallythrowpeoplestraightinatthedeepend:putthemonjobswheretheydon'tnecessarilyhavemuchskillorexperience,arguingthatit'sgoodforthemtolearn.ButIthinkthatalthoughtheyhavetalkedalotaboutcaringfortheirpeopleandhavingfun,PeopleSoftputalotofresponsibilityonthemtoo.Liketheyweresaying,'Here'sajobyoucandoandwillenjoydoing,butyou'llbeaccountablefortheresults.'Toenforcethattheygenerallystartedpeopleonlowsalaries-andImeanlow-andexplainedthatgreaterrewardswouldcomeintime.Infairness,itwasdirectandhonest.InDecember2004,whenOracletookover,alotofemployeesdecidedtoleave.Forastart,thefeelingwasthattheirapplicationsjustweren'tasgoodasPeopleSoft's-infacttheywereprobablyjustmoredifficulttouse-andsecondlypeoplethoughtthatOracledidn'trespectemployeesasmuch.TheCEOofPeopleSoft,DaveDuffield,hadaverypaternalisticapproach-heusedtosignhisemails'DAD'(whichwerehisinitials).Itwasn'twell-paidworkbutpeoplefeltvalued,whichisoftenmoreimportant.Alsotherewasarelaxedatmospherearoundthecompany.Themomentthemergerwasannounced,thatkindofevaporated.Itseemedtobecometense,peoplewonderingifthenewCEOwasgoingtoliveuptohisreputationforwieldingtheaxe.And,inretrospect,youwouldhavetosaytheywererighttobeworried!INDUSTRYANALYSTOraclegetsalotofflakbecauseofitsaggressivegrowthstrategy,buti'mafraidinthissectoronlythebigguysaregoingtosurvive.ThemergerwithPeopleSoftwasabusinessnecessity.Itdidn'thappenbecausethetwocompaniesweresoalike-theircultureswereverydifferent.AtOraclethere'sagreatersenseofurgency...It'sastressfulenvironment,buttherewardsarehuge.Iknowsomerepstherewhoaremakingmillionsofdollars.Sure,ifyoudon'tcutit,you'vetoastprettyfast,butthat'sbusiness.It'ssurvivalofthefittest.Thedifferencesreallycomefromthenatureofthetwobusinesses.Oracle'scoreproductisdatabasesandwithdatabasesthecustomeroftenmakeadecisionwhethertobuyornotinamatterofweeks.WithERPapplications,whichismorePeopleSoftterritory,youcanbeindiscussionswithcustomersformonths,analysingtheirneedsandthenproposingtherightsolutionbeforeasaleisagreed.Sothatnaturallymakesforadifferentculture.Theotherthingisthatthemergerhappenedreallyquickly-likemarryingbeforeyou'vereallygottoknowthebride.So,ofcoursepeopleareuncertain.Ithinkintheend,though,asbothsetsofemployeesadapttoeachother'swayofworking,thingswillsettledown.2.2FallingsharesCEOok,hieveryone.I'llmakethisbrief,becauseIhaveanothermeetingtogetto,butwhatIhavetosayisnolessimportantforbeingshort.Asyouknow,inourthree-yearplanwehadatargetof20%growthbytheendofthisyear.Asthingsstand,we'vegoingtobequiteabitshortofthat-tradingcircumstanceshaven'tbeeneasy.Andunlesswedosomethingaboutitinthenextfewmonths,theconsequencesonoursharepricecouldbeprettysignificant.Themarketsarealreadygettingabittwitchyasyouwillhavereadinthefinancialpress.It'sunrealistictothinkthatwearegoingtotradeourwayoutofthis.Alltheindicationsarethatthemarketisgoingtoremainflatforatleastthenexttwelvemonths.So,whatIneedyoutodoistocomeupwithsomepossibletargetsforacquisition.We'relookingforamedium-sizedbusiness,reasonablywellestablishedinthemarket.Itdoesn'thavetobeatoybusiness,butitmustberelated...inotherwordsintheleisureretailsector,becausethatiswhereourexpertiseis.Idon'tneedtotellyouyourjobs,Iknowyou'llbediscreet,butdogetonwithit-time'snotonourside.I'llscheduleameetingforamonth'stimetohearwhatyou'vecomeupwith.3.1DealingwithproblemsCCO=CallcentreoperatorC=CustomerCCO:Hello,PencoTelecommunications.C:Atlast.Iwasjustabouttohangup.I'vebeenonthephonefortenminutesgoingthroughvariousoptions...NoneofwhichIwanted.CCO:Idoapologizeforthewait.sir.HowcanIhelpyouC:I'vebeenwaitinginalldayforanengineertocomeandrepairmyline.Hewasduetocomeatteno'clockthismorning...It'snowthreeintheafternoon.Itelephonedattwelveo'clockandoneofyouroperatorspromisedtocallmeback,butshehasn't.I'vewastedmydaywaitingaroundandworsethanthatIstillcan'treceiveanycalls.CCO:I'mverysorry.CanihaveyournumberandI'lllookintoitstraightawayC:Yes,it's01889245624.CCO:Ok.Onemoment-I'mgoingtoseewhotheengineeristhathasbeenassignedtothejob...Ok,Ihavehisnumber.I'mgoingtoputyouonholdandtrytofindoutwhat'shappened.C:Pleasedon'tdisappear.Asisaid,ittookmetenminutestogetthroughinthefirstplace.CCO:Don'tworry,I'llcomestraightbacktoyou.Onemoment...Right,I'mafraidhehasbeendelayedonanotherjob.Heapologisesfornotcallingyousooner.Henormallyworksuntil5pmbuthe'sofferedtoworklaterthiseveningtofitinyourjob.Hecanbethereby6pm.Wouldthatbeconvenient?C:No,itwouldnot.I'mgoingouttothecinemathisevening.CCO:Iquiteunderstand.Inthatcase,I'mgoingtohavetoreschedulehimforanotherday.CanyoutellmewhenwouldbeconvenientC:Well,firstthingtomorrowmorning,but...CCO:I'llseewhatIcando.PleasejustbearwithmeforamomentwhileIspeaktohimagain...Rightthat'sarrangedfortomorrowmorningatnine.C:That'sallverywell,ButwhatamIsupposedtodointhemeantimeCCO:Doyouhaveamobilephone,sirC:Yes.CCO:WhatIcandoistodivertanycallscomingintoyourofficenumberontoyourmobilephoneuntilyourlineisrepaired.WouldthatbeacceptabletoyouC:Isupposeso.WhencanyoudothatCCO:Ifyou'dliketotellmeyourmobilenumber,IcangetthatactivatedimmediatelyC:Ok,thenumberis...3.2ExampracticeIimaginemostofyouareheretodaybecauseyouwanttofindoutmoreaboutthejobofacoach.Someofyouwillbescepticalaboutitsbenefits,otherswillhavealreadystartedmakingacareeroutofcoaching.Imyselfhavebeenacoachsincethelate90s,butouracademywassetupmorerecentlyin2004inresponsetoademandformoreformaltraininginthefield.Weareaprivateinstitutionanddon'trelyonanygovernmentfunding.Ouraimwastotrytoprofessionaliseanindustrywhichuntilthenhadbeen,inthiscountryatanyrate,aratherdisorganisedandunregulatedindustry.Wenowhaveover450membersandruntwelvecoursesayearinvarioustypesofcoaching.Theserangefromdayseminarsforpeoplewhoarealreadypractisingascoachestofour-weekcoursesorthebeginner.SowhatisacoachexactlyWell,therearemanydifferenttypesofcoachofferinghelpinmanydifferentaspectsofbusinessandpersonallife:fromfinancialormanagementcoachingthroughtoparentcoachingandwork-lifebalancecoaching.Butthebasicprinciplesremainthesamewhateverthefield:usingsimplepsychologyandsimpledirectiontohelppeopletobelieveinthemselvesandtoachievetheirgoals.Thegreatthingaboutcoachesisthatnotonlydotheyhelpyoutoidentifyyourgoalsandtheobstaclestoachievingthem,buttheystaytherecheeringyouonfromthesidelines.Inotherwords,theyalwayshelptheclientstolookforward.Thisisveryunliketraditionalcounselling,whichtendstofocusmoreonpasteventsandmistakesandhelpingthepersontogetoverthesebeforetheycanmoveon.I'mgoingtoshowyouashortfilmofacoachingsessioninamoment,butbeforeIdo,Iwilljustmentionsomethingabouttherewardsofthejob,andthequalificationsandresourcesthatyouneedforitbecausethesearequestionsthatwillbeconcerningmanyofyou.Therewards:Well,jobsatisfactionis,ofcourse,veryhigh.Imean,howoftendoyoucomehomefromworkandareabletosay,'wow,Ireallymadeadifferencetosomeone'slifetoday'

Astofinancialrewards,sessionswithcoachesusuallystartatabout￡70perhourbutexperiencedcoachescanearnanythingupto￡400perhour.Astoqualifications,youwillneedtofollowanaccreditedcoachingcourse,suchastheoneswerunhereattheacademy,andalsoyouwillneedconsiderableexperienceinthefieldthatyouarecoachingin.Ifyoudon'thavethisbackgrounditwillbedifficultfortheclienttohaveconfidenceinyou.WhatelsedoyouneedtosetupasacoachMostcoachingisdoneattheclient'sofficeorhome,butsomecoachesalsoseepeopleattheirownhomes.Infactthere'snoneedalwaystomeetface-to-face.Iknowofseveralcoacheswhoconductsessionbyphoneoronline,evensometimesbytextmessage...4.1SalestechniquesSarahWemakefinancialsoftwareformedium-sizedcompanies.Competitionisstrong-notnecessarilypricecompetition,becauseinoursector,quality,reliabilityandservicearefarmoreimportantfactors.Weuseasalestechniquethat'scalled'relationshipselling'.Inotherwords,wespendalotoftimegettingtoknoweachprospect'sindividualneeds:theirbusinessprocesses,theirstrategicaims,andum...Alsotheissuesandconstraintstheyface.Theideaisthatthecustomerseesusasapartner,someonewho'sgoingtoworkwiththemandhelpthemfindthebestsolutionfortheirbusiness.Workingthisway,therearetimeswhenIhavetofreelyadmittopeoplethatourproductsmaynotbebestsuitedtotheirparticularneeds,buttobehonestI'dmuchprefertobedoingthatthanusingsomehard-selltechniquetopushsomethingIdon'treallybelieveinmyself,youknow...PresenterThankyou,Sarah.Now,DaleFreidman,Iknowyouhaveaverydifferentapproach...DaleIwouldsayso,yes.Inmylineofbusiness,it'sallaboutperceivedbenefits-therearesometangibleoneslike,forexample,useofnaturalingredientsinourdeodorants,buteveryoneintheindustrycopiesideas,soit'sdifficulttosustainanykindoftechnicalcompetitiveadvantageforlong.So,IusealotofanecdoteswhenIsell;Itellstories,getpeoplelaughing,Myapproachisdirect-Iguesssomemightsaypushy,butIgetresults.Idealonlywiththedecisionmaker,who'sgenerallyabuyerforachainofstores.You'dbeamazedhowmuchtimepeoplewastetalkingtothewrongguy.Ialwaysstartbypresentingthemwiththemostexpensiveoptions,becausethisincreasesouraveragesales,andassoonasIgetabuyingsignalfromthem-itcouldbeanything,youknow,justaquestionlike'What'syourmostpopularproduct

'-Imoveinandclosethesalebydiscussingquantitiesrequired,specialdeliveryarrangements,favorablepaymentterms,thingthatmakethemfeelthey'regettingaddedvalue...

4.2AsalesforecastAnkeReiglIseveryoneready

Good,thenI'llbegin.Ok...Well,basedonaveragegrowthinsalesoverthelasttwoyearsandgiventherelativelystablestateofthemarketatthemomentasfarascompetitionisconcerned,we'reforecastingafairlymodestincreaseinthefirstquarter,about2to3%.Weexpectthistorisetobetween7and10%inthesecondandthirdquarters,afterthelaunchofthenewslow-releaseversionofthedrug.Marketingtellsme-thanks,Wernerforyourhelpwiththis...

WernerYou'rewelcome.AnkeReigl...Thatdemandforthisversionisstrongandshouldbereflectedinsalesmoreorlessimmediately.Sothat'sthebasicpicture.TherearejustacoupleofmonthlyvariationstothistrendwhichI'llexplainnowIfyoulookatthegraph,you'llseethatinMarchlastyearsaleswetupquitesharplyandthatthefigurepredictedforthisyearismuchlower.ThereasonforthisisthatBayerhaddistributionproblemsandweren'tabletosupplytherequiredquantitiestotheircustomers.Wewerefortunate,becausewewerecartingextrastockandwerefortunate,becausewewerecarryingextrastockandwereabletotakeadvantageofthesituation.Ithinkit'sworthnothingthatdisruptionsinthesupplychaincanaffectanyoneanditreallydoespayforustoholdareasonableamountofstockinreserveforeventslikethese.Asyouknow,salesgenerallydeclineinAprilandMat-it'sjustaseasonalfactor-burasIalreadymentioned,thelaunchofthenewversionthisyearisexpectedtoboostthemconsiderably,especiallyinAprildirectlyafterthecampaign.They'lldropbackalittleafterthat,butinJulywe'llhavetheusualearlysummerphenomenonwhendistributors...5.1AcultureofdebtEconomistPerhapsthegreaterlegacyofFederalReserveChairmanAlanGreenspanisthewayhetransformedpeople’sattitudetocreditanddebt.DuringhistermofofficenotonlythenationaldebtofAmerica,butalsopersonaldebt,increasedsubstantially.SincetheGreatDepressionofthe1930s,peopleinAmericahavebeennaturallyreluctanttoborrowmoney.Butforthisgeneration,intheUSandincreasinglyglobally,debthasbecomerespectable.Fromanearlyage,youngpeopletakeoutloanstopaytheirwaythroughcollegeandborrowingagainstequityinrealestateisnowatrecordlevels.Re-mortgagingyourhomewasunheardofgenerationsago:asecondmortgagewasanindicationofahouseholdintrouble.Buttodayitisroutine.Allthisispossiblebecausecreditiseasyandinterestratesarelow.Banksareencouragedtolend,andoftendosoirresponsibly.Insomestatesit’spossibletogeta100%mortgage–inotherwordswithnodown–payment–equivalenttofourtimesacouple’scombinedannualsalary.Themarketisconstantlycomingupwithnewfinancialproductsandnewwaysofextendingcredittoordinarypeople.GeneralMotors,whoseautomotivebusinessisindecline,nowsellshomeequityloansthoughasubsidiary:it’stheonlypartofcompanythathasbeenconsistentlyprofitableinrecentyears.Thereasonforthisboominmoneylendingisclear–tofundconsumerspending.Aslongaspeoplearespending,economicgrowthcontinues.Inothermoreconservativeborrowingcultures,likeGermany,economicgrowthhasslowedbecauseintimesofuncertaintypeopletendtosavetheirmoney,ratherthanborrowingandspendingtomakethemselvesfeelbetter.SodoestheaccumulatingdebtmatterSomesaythataslongasassetvaluesrisefasterthandebt,there’snoproblem.In2005Americansweretwelvetrilliondollarsindebt,buttheirpersonalassetsstoodat64trilliondollars.Othersarguethatwearesittingonatime-bomb.Assetvaluewillnotcontinuetoriseindefinitelyandwhentheycrash,millionsofpeoplewillbeplungedintonegativeequity.Liabilitiesremainthesamebutassetscangoupanddowninvalue.Thiswasthecasewithstockmarketvalues,whichsawsharpfallsaround2000.Crisiswasavertedonlybecauseinvestorsmovedtheirmoneyintorealestate.FormillionsofAmericansthisonlyconfirmedthecultureAlanGreenspanhadbeenpromoting–debtisgood.Andifheturnsouttobewrong–well,weallhadfuninthemeantime.5.2discussingcostsCA=CostaccountantGM=GeneralmanagerCALook,we’vegottodosomething.Doingnothingisnotanoption.Ourmarginswilljustgetsqueezedmoreandmore.GMOk.Whatdoyousuggest?CAPersonally,I’drecommendcuttingthewagebill–eitherbylayingsomepeopleofforbyfreezingsalaries.GMNeitherofwhicharegoingtobeverypopularoptions.CANo,butthealternativesareprobablyworse:reducingmaterialcostswilldefinitelyhaveanimpactonproductqualityandcuttingbackonadvertisingexpenditureisonlyashort-termsolution–itwillhurtusinthelongrun.GMNo,Iseethat.Whataboutadministrativecostsorotheroverheads

Insteadofcuttingstaff,wecouldtryanddosomethingaboutgettingourenergybillsdownforexample.

CAI’vealreadydoneasmuchasIcaninthoseareas.Ihavethoughtaboutthisalotandforme,theonlyrealsolutionistotacklelabourcosts.Itmaybepainful,buttheadvantageofitwouldbethat,oncedone,wecouldgetbacktoconcentratingonselling.GMOk,Ihearwhatyou’resaying,butIthinkitmightcreatemoreproblemsthanyouthink.I’mgoingtogoawayandthinkaboutit…seeifthereisanacceptablewayofdoingit.5.3Matchingweareaccusedfrequentlyofdoingnothingabouttheageingpopulationandtheconsequentholeinpensionfunds.Butyouhavetounderstandthat,atthemomentatanyrate,therearenopopularsolutionstothisproblem.Eitherweraisetheretirementageorweincreasetaxesonworkingpeople.Neitheroftheseisavotewinner.Ithinkalotofusingovernmentarehopingthatifwejustholdonabit,thensoonerorlateranothersolutionwillpresentitself.5.4ExampracticeIdon’tbelieveinthecapitalmarkets.Forastarttheyareunpredictableandforanotherthing,noteveryonehasthepossibilitytotakesuchriskswiththeirmoney.Ihavealwaysbeenoftheviewthatyoupaytaxesthroughyourworkinglifeinordertoenjoycertainbenefitsfromthestateandcertainprotectionagainstdifficulttimes.Forexample,incaseofunemploymentorsicknessorforyourretirement,forthatmatter.SowhenIretire,Iwillliveonwhatthegovernmentisduetogiveme.IfIcan’taffordcruisesintheCaribbean,thenthat’stoobad.I’mveryluckytohaveworkedinthecivilservice,whichhasitsownpensionscheme.Mysalaryhasneverbeenasgoodasitmighthavebeenintheprivatesector,butyouacceptthatwhenyouworkforapublicservice.Whatyoudogetisjobsecurity,longerholidays,goodmedicalinsuranceandanexcellentpension.Mypensioniscalculatedasapercentageofmyfinalsalary.That’sveryrareintheprivatesector.Usuallyprivatecompaniestakeyouraveragesalaryoveraperiodof,say,twentyyears.SoallinallIexpecttobeverycomfortablewhenIretire,evenifIhaven’thadthatmuchdisposableincomeduringmyworkinglife.Peoplethinkthatasacompanydirector,I’mboundtohaveallsortsofprivilegedpensionbenefitsandcompanyschemesgoingon–somespecialexecutiveplan.Butit’snotthecase.WehaveacompanyschemeforallouremployeesbutIdon’tactuallyparticipateinit.Instead,I’veputmostofmymoneyinalong-termsavingsaccount,thatgivesagoodrateofreturnifyoukeepitinforlongenough.ItseemsbizarreIknow,butImakefarmorethanIneedtospendandIguessI’mnaturallycautiouswithmymoney.There’sasaying–Idon’tknowwhoby–thatyoushould‘inivestinland,becausetheydon’tmakeitanymore!‘Ithinkthat’sgoodadvice.Around2004therestartedtobealotofstoriesinthemediaaboutcompanypensionsandprivatepensionsnotdeliveringthebenefitstheyhadpromised,mainlybecausetheywerelinkedtostockmarketinvestments.AtthatpointIdecidedtowithdrawmymoneyfrommyownprivatepensionandputitintoproperty.IfiguredthatifIboughtasmallofficebuilding,thenbythetimeIreachedretirementage,Iwouldhavepaidoffthemortgageandcouldliveofftherent…sothat’swhatIdid.Irealizedquiteearlyonthatmystatepensionwasn’tgoingtobesufficient,soItookoutaprivateonewhenIwasabout30.Itworkslikeamanagedinvestmentfund–amixtureofblue-chipstocks–soIdon’treallyhavemuchsayinhowthemoneyisinvested.Unfortunately,likealotofprivatepensionschemes,ithasn’treallyperformedaspredicted.Ithinktheprojectedgrowthratewasbetween8and12%andit’sgrownatabout4.5%,whichisn’tmuchaboveinflation.Therearesignsthatthestockmarketsaredoingalittlebetternow,soI’mhopefulthatinthelongrunIwillhavereasonablefundsformyretirement.WouldIadviseanyonetodothesame…withhindsight,probablynot.6.1AcontracttosupplyB=BarbaraP=PaulBParagon.CanIhelpyouPHello,isthatBarbaraBYes,speaking.PHi,Barbara,thisisPaulfromA1FlooringinLondon.I’mjustcallingtodiscusstheextensionofourcontractfornextyear.Isthisagoodmomentforyou

BYes,asgoodasany,Iguess.LetmejustgetapenandpapersoIcanmakesomenotes…Ok,sowherehavewegotto

PWell,firstthegoodnews.TheKliklaminateflooringhasbeengoingreallywellhere–you’llprobablyhavenoticedthatfromtheorderbookinthelastsixmonthsorso.Customersreallyloveit:thefeedbackwe’vehadhasbeenexcellent.BThat’sgreat.PItisgood.Ihavetosay,I’mnotsosurprised–it’sanexcellentproduct,veryhighqualityandthepricereflectsthatofcourse.Whichbringsmeontomynextpoint.Now,I’mnotaskingforbettercommission–we’reokonthat–butwhatwouldreallyhelpismoreseasonaldiscountingfromyourend.WhatImeanis,reductionsthatwecouldpassstraightontoourcustomers.Generally,werunsalesinJanuary,springandlatesummerandatthemomentParagon’sproductsaretheonlyonesthatdon’tfeature.Isupposeyoucouldsaythatgivesthemacertainexclusivityintheeyesofthecustomer,butatthesametime…BIcanseethelogicofwhatyou’resaying,andI’venodoubtitwouldhelpsales,butwhatyoumustunderstandisthatit’sverydifficultforustohaveapolicywithyouthat’sdifferentfromallourothercustomers.Letmethink…whatIcouldsuggestisthatwetryandfeedyoumorediscountedstockwhenwearecomingtotheendofaparticularproductline.Icanspeaktothebossaboutthat.PWell,couldyoualsomentiontohimtheprincipleofseasonaldiscounts,becauseIthinkitwouldgenerateevenmoreinterestintheproducts.BAllright,Iwill…butI’mnottoooptimistic.Arethereanyotherpoints

PYes,thereisoneotherproblem,whichisthatwhenweplaceanorder,it’squiteoftenthecasethatyoudon’thaveexactlywhatwewantinstockandyouofferusasubstituteinstead.Letmegiveyouanexample:wewantengineeredwoodflooringinanaturaloakandyouonlyhaveitinastainedoak.Onthewholewetrytobeflexible,butit’ssomethingwhichseemstobehappeningmoreandmore–andwhatworriesme.BIdounderstand,Paul,andIapologise.It’ssomethingwhichwearetryingtosolve.Butit’snotreallyaproblemofourownmaking.It’saresultofshortageinrawmaterialanddelaysfurtherupthesupplychain.Wedotry