2. 外语
  3. •Read the following article about real-time information and the questions on the opposite page. •For each question 15-20, mark o

•Read the following article about real-time information and the questions on the opposite page. •For each question 15-20, mark o

admin2014-02-15  11
问题 •Read the following article about real-time information and the questions on the opposite page.
•For each question 15-20, mark one letter (A, B, C or D ) on your Answer Sheet for the answer you choose.
      Over the past several years, I have interviewed dozens of senior executives of Fortune 1,000 companies and asked two questions: "Is there information that would help you run your company far better if you had it in real time, and, if m, what is it?" Without exception, they answered yes to the first question, then ticked off the one to three items they wanted. Dave Dorman at AT&T said he wanted real-time customer transaction information, such as contract renewals and cancellations. Rick Wagoner at GM wanted real-time progress reports on new vehicle development. Others on his senior team wanted certain narrowly defined data on product quality and productivity. Dick Notebaert at Qwest wanted customer satisfaction numbers. The CEO of a well-known services business wished he had real- time transaction volume data on a limited group of his best customers, while the CEO of an events business wanted to see minute-by-minute tracking of how much show-floor space has been sold.
     Oddly, though, very few of the executives I’ve spoken with receive the real-time information they say they could use (notable exceptions include some of the executives mentioned above, who now get their data). Why aren’t they getting it? Clearly, these managers could direct corporate resources toward acquiring any data sets they wanted. The answer is that neither they, nor those who support them, are asking the fight questions. Although they agree, when prompted, that they need real-time information, in practice their reflex is to respond to business events after the fact rather than detect them as they unfold. Instead of asking, "How can we react faster?" they should be asking, "What real-time information will allow us to detect critical events the instant they occur?"
     The danger in asking the latter question, of course, is that the executive may quickly drown in a torrent of data. The solution is to carefully identify the precise and minimum information that’s required — only those data that would cause the executive to change a judgment or a course of action (what accountants would call "material" information). Examples might include real-time sales results, new customer sign ups, shifts in petroleum prices, or any information that, if instantly available, would keep a CEO from getting in trouble with the board. My research suggests, and interviews with CEOs confirm, that one needs to receive only a very small amount of information in real time to avoid trouble or exploit an opportunity.
     Here’s an example. In eBay’s early days, the company often received complaints about offensive items that were put up for auction, especially those tied to tragic news events. Maynard Webb, eBay’s chief operating officer, told me that, in response, a team was created to conduct real-time news monitoring and to warn executives when problem items appeared. This real-tree detection and rapid response strategy have paid off in many instances, most notably after the collapse of the World Trade Center and the shuffle Columbia disaster. Webb and other senior executives were  notified immediately when offensive items appeared (World Trade Center rubble showed up just 20 minutes after the first tower fell), and they had them removed before eBay’s 1range could be harmed.
     If you’re not tracking real-time information already, start. Don’t assume that it’s too granular to merit your attention, that me else in the company is already monitoring it, or that it simply doesn’t exist. Identify what it is that you need. Then ask for it.  
The writer indicates eBay is a company that
选项 A、hates to sell goods related to tragedies.
B、has got many good detectives.
C、knows how to make good use of real-time information.
D、utilizes real-time information to build corporate image.
答案C
解析
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