A)meet the needs of consumers B)suit all kinds of products C)enhance the market position of products pre 45. The author is critical mainly of A)dishonest packaging B)inferior packaging C)the changes in package size D)exaggerated illustrations on packages Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work-force skills, American firm s have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual resp Labour is simply another factor of production to be hired-rented at the lowest possible cost-much as one buys raw materials or equipment The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer(CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human- resource management is central-usually the second most important executive, after the Ceo, in the firms hierarchy While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work forces, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much mor narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the ba background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany(as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United Stated. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can,'t effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear 46. Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in American A)They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills B)They see the gaining of skills as their employees own business C)They attach more importance to workers than equipment D)They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition 47. What is the position of the head of human-resource management in an American firm? A)He is one of the most important executives in the firms B)His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introducedA) meet the needs of consumers B) suit all kinds of products C) enhance the market position of products D) introduce new products 45. The author is critical mainly of __________. A) dishonest packaging B) inferior packaging C) the changes in package size D) exaggerated illustrations on packages. Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage: If sustainable competitive advantage depends on work-force skills, American firm s have a problem. Human-resource management is not traditionally seen as central to the competitive survival of the firm in the United States. Skill acquisition is considered an individual responsibility. Labour is simply another factor of production to be hired-rented at the lowest possible cost-much as one buys raw materials or equipment. The lack of importance attached to human-resource management can be seen in the corporate hierarchy. In an American firm the chief financial officer is almost always second in command. The post of head of human-resource management is usually a specialized job, off at the edge of the corporate hierarchy. The executive who holds it is never consulted on major strategic decisions and has no chance to move up to Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By way of contrast, in Japan the head of human-resource management is central-usually the second most important executive, after the CEO, in the firm's hierarchy. While American firms often talk about the vast amounts spent on training their work forces, in fact they invest less in the skills of their employees than do either Japanese or German firms. The money they do invest is also more highly concentrated on professional and managerial employees. And the limited investments that are made in training workers are also much more narrowly focused on the specific skills necessary to do the next job rather than on the basic background skills that make it possible to absorb new technologies. As a result, problems emerge when new breakthrough technologies arrive. If American workers for example, take much longer to learn how to operate new flexible manufacturing stations than workers in Germany (as they do), the effective cost of those stations is lower in Germany than it is in the United Stated. More time is required before equipment is up and running at capacity, and the need for extensive retraining generates costs and creates bottlenecks that limit the speed with which new equipment can be employed. The result is a slower pace of technological change. And in the end the skills of the population affect the wages of the top half. If the bottom half can't effectively staff the processes that have to be operated, the management and professional jobs that go with these processes will disappear. 46. Which of the following applies to the management of human resources in American companies? A) They hire people at the lowest cost regardless of their skills. B) They see the gaining of skills as their employees' own business. C) They attach more importance to workers than equipment. D) They only hire skilled workers because of keen competition. 47. What is the position of the head of human-resource management in an American firm? A) He is one of the most important executives in the firms. B) His post is likely to disappear when new technologies are introduced