首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Richard Wood started the internet company, Bookstore, because he felt According to Richard Wood, what has been an important ele
Richard Wood started the internet company, Bookstore, because he felt According to Richard Wood, what has been an important ele
admin
2010-01-24
79
问题
Richard Wood started the internet company, Bookstore, because he felt
According to Richard Wood, what has been an important element in Bookstore’s success?
Woman: Good morning, Richard. Now, in 1994 you were a computer science graduate with a good job working for an investment company . . . and then you started Bookstore. Why?
Man: Well, I was thirty and settled at work, but then I came across a report predicting annual internet growth at 2,300%. The figure was like an alarm clock ringing in my head. I started to think about the regrets I might have at eighty. I realised I probably wouldn’t even remember the things that seemed important in my thirties (like getting my end-of-year pay bonus. But I’d definitely tell myself I’d been a fool to ignore the internet.
Woman: How did you go about choosing a product?
Man: Well, I drew up a list of twenty products, from clothes to gardening tools, and from that I got a shortlist of five, and then I assessed them. I thought about market growth in different countries and I also did some research into suppliers. But there were other important factors as well. I wanted a product that didn’t retail for too high a figure. I thought that since many people would be buying from the internet for the first time, they might be afraid to take a risk with large amounts of money.
Woman: And what made you decide on books?
Man: Well, basically, I found out that books had an eighty-two billion dollar market world-wide. There’s also a high demand for CDs - a product I nearly went for - but with books there’s a much wider choice. There’re 3 million items in the book category, but only 300,000 in CDs. This choice meant the capabilities of the computer - in organisation and selection - could be put to good use.
Woman: Bookstore has certainly been very successful. Why do you think that is?
Man: Well, it’s not been easy. For the first five years, it was a struggle raising funds and developing the right software. The ideas weren’t the difficult bit. If you and I sat down here for an hour, we’d come up with a hundred good ideas. The hard bit is making those ideas work. There are several key elements, which for me were research, recruiting the right staff, and prioritising.
Woman: And you’re satisfied with your customer growth?
Man: Well, it was a bit slow at first but then it picked up and from May ’97 we started to see our greatest growth. We went from a hundred and twenty million dollars annual sales revenue to two hundred and thirty million dollars by the end of that year, and from 340,000 customers to 15 million. 58% of them were repeat customers. By ’98, sales had reached almost three hundred and ten million dollars.
Woman: And is Bookstore’s success reflected in its profits?
Man: Well, at the moment we’re focusing on introducing ourselves to customers and we spend a lot on advertising. Anything else would be a poor management decision. But, of course, it’s reflected in our final figures. It’s not unusual for a four-year-old company like ours to be in an investment cycle. What is more unusual is for a young company like Bookstore to be sold on the stock market, which happened in July ’97.
Woman: Bookstore is well-known for its high- quality customer service. What is the secret of your success in this area?
Man: Well, firstly our books are delivered fast and any complaints are dealt with by email and what’s important is that the email is always answered in a friendly way, with the emphasis on ’the customer is always fight’. In fact, customers sometimes feel guilty about complaining because Bookstore staff are so helpful! Regular customers are recognised when they go to our website, and we suggest titles to them, based on their previous purchases.
Woman: Do you think Bookstore offers a better service than its competitors?
Man: Well, yes. We’d been in the market for about two years before most of our competitors started so we had a head start and although some have caught up now, we’re still cheaper. Our book price includes tax and delivery. Most of our competitors’ prices don’t. But what’s more important is that Bookstore has a talented, hard-working staff. As an incentive, everyone’s offered shares in the company and this helps to create a sense of ownership. We provide a better service because of that.
Woman: Thank you, Richard. It was very interesting to talk to you...
选项
A、attracting good personnel
B、the many new ideas that were generated
C、his knowledge of computer software
答案
A
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/TUzO777K
本试题收录于:
BEC中级听力题库BEC商务英语分类
0
BEC中级听力
BEC商务英语
相关试题推荐
YouwillhearaninterviewwithanHRdirectorabouttheintroductionofaflexibleworkingscheme.Foreachquestion23-30,ma
You’llheararadiointerviewbetweenajournalistandtheCEOofamotorcompany.Foreachquestion23—30,markoneletterA
AMALDEXLIMITEDBriefingnotesforStaffonParkHotelConferenceArrangementsforStaff:1.Staffcanparkinthecarparkloca
•YouwillhearaconversationbetweenSuzanne,apersonnelmanager,andKevin,herassistant,aboutrecruitingnewstafffora
•YouwillhearaconversationbetweenSuzanne,apersonnelmanager,andKevin,herassistant,aboutrecruitingnewstafffora
Oliviaandherbrothersoldofftheirsoftdrinkcorporation,because
AnswerONEoftheQuestions2,3or4below.1.Question2•ManyChinesepeoplearethinkingofestablishingtheirownsmallbus
Becauseofincreasedbusinessinyourdepartment,youbelievethatyouneedtorecruitanadditionalreceptionist,andhavebeen
Answeroneofthequestions2,3or4below.Question2Yourdepartmentisinchargeoffinanceofthecompany.Tosimplifythe
Ifsustainablecompetitiveadvantagedependsonworkforceskills,AmericanfirmshaveaproblemHumanresourcemanagementisno
随机试题
王国维在《人间词话》中指出“明月照积雪”、“大江流日夜”、“中天悬明月”、“长河落日圆”等,“此种境界,可为千古壮观”。这里他从外在形式上分析的审美形态是()
散文的特点就在于以自由灵活的形式,达到________的审美特色。
患者,女,46岁。反复上腹部疼痛5年,近几日上述症状再发,疼痛位于上腹中部,多在进餐后出现,2~3小时后逐渐缓解,下次进食后疼痛再次出现,并有反酸、嗳气。最可能的诊断是
医生初诊一名已确诊的晚期肝癌患者,他妥当的做法应是
在一定范围内通过研究使用药物的每个人的全部资料,以提供没有偏性的抽样人群,而计算药物不良反应发生率通过独特方式把各种信息连接起来,以发现与药物有关的事件
LIMS就是完成与实验室活动密切相关,用于收集、处理、记录、报告、存储或检索实验室活动数据和信息。是实验室活动及其管理的信息化工具。()
我国现在的政策规定,事业法人可用自有资金、流动资金和有权自行支配的预算外资金进行证券投资。()
固定制造费用的能量差异是()。
Manyareawareofthetremendouswasteofenergyinourenvironment,butfailtotakeadvantageofstraightforwardopportunities
近几天没有在家,去南方【143】了一个评审会,会中与一些评委在酒后【144】了一些感受,对我有启发的是:应先考虑好“失”,然后再去“得”。
最新回复
(
0
)