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Centre National de l'Evaluation, des Examens et de l’Orientation

Session 2017
1
Sujet 4
Toutes les filières du BTS Commercial
Filière: Durée: 2 Heures
(MT- PME- CG- TC- MC- GA)

Épreuve de: La langue Anglaise Coefficient: 10

Management in Germany and Britain

1- A study comparing Britain and German approaches to management has revealed the deep gulf which separates
managerial behavior in many German and British companies. The gap is so fundamental, especially among middle
managers, that it can pose severe problems for companies from the two countries which either merge or collaborate.
The findings are from a study called “managing in Britain and Germany” carried by a team of German and British
academics from Manheim University and Templeton College Oxford.

2-According to the academics study, the differences are shown most clearly in the contrasting attitudes of many
Germans and Britons to managerial expertise and authority. German managers, both top and middle, consider
technical skills to be the most important aspect of their jobs. They also consider that they earn their authority with
colleagues and subordinates from the ‘expert knowledge’ rather than from their position in the organizational
hierarchy. In contrast, British middle managers see themselves as executives first and technicians second. As a result,
German middle managers may find that the only people within their British partner companies who are capable of
helping them solve routine problems are technical specialists who do not have management rank.

3-Other practical results of these differences include a greater tendency of British middle managers to regard the
design of their departments as their own responsibility, and to organize them more frequently than what happens in
Germany. German middle managers can have “major problems in dealing with this”, the academics point out, since
British middle managers also change their jobs more often. As a result, UK organizations often undergo more or less
constant change.

4-Of the thirty British middle managers in the study, thirteen had held their current jobs for less than two years,
compared with only three in Germany. Many of the Britons had also moved between unrelated departments or
functional areas, for example from marketing to human resources. In contrast, all but one of the Germans had stayed
in the same functional area. Twenty of them had occupied their current positions for five years or more, compared
with only five of the Britons.

5-The researchers almost certainly exaggerate the strengths of German pattern; its stability helps to create the rigid
attitudes which stop many German companies from adjusting to external change. But the authors of the report are
correct about the drawbacks of the more unstable and less technically- oriented British pattern. And they are right in
concluding that the two countries do not merely have different career systems but also different ways of doing
business.
I-COMPREHENSION 14 POINTS

A. Fill in the chart with information from paragraph 2 and 3 about the main differences between German
and British managers : 4 points

GERMAN BRITISH

1. -- 1.
1. ……………………………………… 1. …………………………………..………..
……………………………………… ……………………………………………
2. ……………………………………… 2. ……………………………………………
……………………………………… ……………………………………………
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B. Answer these questions : 3 points

1. Which group of managers did the study focus more on?

………………………………………………………………………………………………….…………
2. How many British and German managers kept their present posts less than two years?
………………………………………………………………………………………….…………
3. What prevents German companies from adapting to change?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...

C. Find in the text words that mean the same as: 4 points

1. profound (paragraph 1): ……………………………….…….….

2. co-workers ( paragraph2) : ………………………………….…..
3. duty (paragraph 3): …………………………………………….
4. Strict (paragraph 5): ……………………………….………..….

D. What do the underlined words in the text refer to ? 3 points

1. their (paragraph 2) : ……………………………………………...

2. them (paragraph 3): ………………………………………..….….
3. they ( paragraph 5): ……………………………………...……….

LANGUAGE : 14 POINTS

A. Rewrite these sentences as suggested. 3points

1. The businessmen have settled the matter in due time.

-The matter……………………………………………………………………………………………
2. The bank overcharged the client because he didn’t pay his installment.
-If ………………………………………………………………………………..……………….…..
3. “Let’s start a new training course.”
-The manager suggested ………………………………………………………………………..……

B. Put the verbs between brackets into the correct tense or form. 2 points

1. I (work) ……………………….. on a plan to reduce production costs before I changed my job two years ago.
2. I need (hire) ………………………… a new chief marketing officer before leaving the company.

C. Complete these sentences with the right word from the list below: 5 points.

Suppliers- venue- refund- bulk- shortlist- booming- subsidiaries

1. This year business is……………………....……thanks to foreign investment.

2. The interviewer decided to……………………………..……five candidates out of twenty.
3. You will get a ……………………………..……. only if you return the goods in the original packaging.
4. Samsung is one of the leading …………………….………….of smart phones all over the world.
5. IKEA has several …………………………….…………… all over the world.
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D. Match these words with their definitions: 4 points.

1-receipt A-buildings and lands owned by a business or a company. 1-……….

2-tariff B-money owed by a person or an organization to another. 2-……….
3-bargain C-document that shows that goods have been paid for. 3-……….
4-premises D-tax on import from another country. 4-……….
5-perks E-a sum of money for a specific purpose. 5-……….
6-debt F-something additional to a regular wage or salary. 6-……….
7-headquarters G-something sold cheaply. 7-……….
8-fund H- main office or main building of an organization. 8-……….

III-COMMUNICATION: 12 POINTS
A. Complete the following conversation with the appropriate expressions. 4 points

Boss: What do you think about this year’s sales figures?

Sales Manager: ..............................................................................., they have decreased sharply.

Boss: What do you suggest?

Sales Manager: ...........................................................opening new outlets in other cities? Do you agree?
Boss: .................................................................., but it will cost much. What do you advise me to do?
Sales Manager: ......................................................reduce the price of our merchandise.

B. Writing : 8 points

You are Rajae Fikri ( [email protected]), the sales manager at Magi Net .

You have recently purchased 100 laptops from Proximo company. Write an email to the

general manager ( [email protected]) complaining about the following:

 Late delivery
 Some damaged laptops
 Faulty characteristics
 Overpriced shipment cost

Ask for immediate replacement of the damaged products and free of charge delivery.
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Fom …………………………………………………………………………
[email protected]

To ………………………………………………………………………..
[email protected]

Subject ………………………………………………………………………
Replacing the Faulty Goods

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Dear General Manager,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I am writing this email to bring your attention that I am not satisfied with the last order I received
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
from your Proximo company.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I have recently purchased 100 laptops from your company and I noticed some inconvenience,
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
including late delivery, some faulty laptops with faulty characteristics. Moreover, the shipment of
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
these items was costly. Hence, I ask you nicely to replace the damaged goods with the delivery
being free of charge.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I expect the replacement to take place as soon as possible.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
I am looking forward to hearing your response.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Yours sincerely,
Rajae Fikri
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The sales Manager
.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
at Magi Net
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
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