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  3. As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially becau

As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially becau

admin2019-05-04  85
问题    As anyone who has tried to lose weight knows, realistic goal-setting generally produces the best results. That’s partially because it appears people who set realistic goals actually work more efficiently, and exert more effort, to achieve those goals. What’s far less understood by scientists, however, are the potentially harmful effects of goal-setting.
   Newspapers relay daily accounts of goal-setting prevalent in industries and businesses up and down both Wall Street and Main Street, yet there has been surprisingly little research on how the long-trumpeted practice of setting goals may have contributed to the current economic crisis , and unethical behavior in general.
   "Goals are widely used and promoted as having really beneficial effects. And yet, the same motivation that can push people to exert more effort in a constructive way could also motivate people to be more likely to engage in unethical behaviors," says Maurice Schweitzer, an associate professor at Penn’s Wharton School.
   "It turns out there’s no economic benefit to just having a goal—you just get a psychological benefit," Schweitzer says. "But in many cases, goals have economic rewards that make them more powerful."
   A prime example Schweitzer and his colleagues cite is the 2004 collapse of energy-trading giant Enron, where managers used financial incentives to motivate salesmen to meet specific revenue goals. The problem, Schweitzer says, is the actual trades were not profitable.
   Other studies have shown that saddling employees with unrealistic goals can compel them to lie, cheat or steal. Such was the case in the early 1990s when Sears imposed asales quota on its auto repair staff. It prompted employees to overcharge for work and to complete unnecessary repairs on a companywide basis.
   Schweitzer concedes his research runs counter to a very large body of literature that commends the many benefits of goal-setting. Advocates of the practice have taken issue with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-prescribed.
   In a rebuttal (反驳) paper, Dr. Edwin Locke writes: "Goal-setting is not going away. Organizations cannot thrive without being focused on their desired end results any more than an individual can thrive without goals to provide a sense of purpose."
   But Schweitzer contends the "mounting causal evidence" linking goal-setting and harmful behavior should be studied to help spotlight issues that merit caution and further investigation. "Even a few negative effects could be so large that they outweigh many positive effects," he says.
   "Goal-setting does help coordinate and motivate people. My idea would be to combine that with careful oversight, a strong organizational culture, and make sure the goals that you use are going to be constructive and not significantly harm the organization," Schweitzer says.
What do advocates of goal-setting think of Schweitzer’s research?
选项 A、Its findings are not of much practical value.
B、It exaggerates the side effects of goal-setting.
C、Its conclusion is not based on solid scientific evidence.
D、It runs counter to the existing literature on the subject.
答案C
解析 本题的题干明确询问赞同目标设立的一派人士(advocates)如何看待Schweitzer的调查。原文第七段第二句提到：Advocates of the practice have taken issue with his team’s use of such evidence as news accounts to support his conclusion that goal-setting is widely over-prescribed．后文又引用对方的话mounting causal evidence，仔细研读这些内容，可以看出赞同设立目标的人士质疑的是Schweitzer提出的evidence，而不是质疑该观点是否有实际价值，即选项[A]，或者夸大了目标设立的副作用，即选项[B]。另外，我们从原文中可以发现：Schweitzer concedes his research runs counter to a very large body ofliterature…其中的concede表示同意，也就是说他本人认可目前的研究发现结果与主流观点不一样，所以选项[D]不攻自破。故答案为选项[C]。
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