1. C
The hotel’s profit difficulties are linked to Australia’s high labour costs. This makes staff the relevant cost, rather than the number of hotels or a marketing policy.
Implementing the Cycle of Success Reading Answers and Explanations
Check all 13 answers for Implementing the Cycle of Success: A Case Study, with paragraph references and explanations of the hotel’s recruitment, benchmarking and feedback systems.
Cambridge IELTS 2 · Academic Reading Test 2 · Passage 1
Answer table
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | C |
| 2 | A |
| 3 | C |
| 4 | B |
| 5 | B |
| 6 | benchmarking |
| 7 | service delivery |
| 8 | (performance) measures |
| 9 | productivity |
| 10 | Take Charge |
| 11 | feedback |
| 12 | employee(s) / staff |
| 13 | 30 days |
Answer explanations
Paragraph numbers below refer to Passage 1 in the linked practice test.
2. A
The new structure has 25% fewer management positions. That leaves 75% of the previous number; the question asks for the number remaining.
3. C
The new organisation needed a different approach to selecting employees and stated its recruitment preferences in advertisements. This concerns hiring staff.
4. B
The hotel advertised 120 positions. The management and shift-leader roles were mostly filled by transfers and should not be added to the advertised total.
5. B
Applicants were placed in categories A, B and C, then department heads and shift leaders combined them into prospective teams.
6. benchmarking
Employees from interacting departments compared service processes through a benchmarking exercise.
7. service delivery
The benchmarking process compared service delivery processes. Use the two-word answer that fits the summary’s word limit.
8. (performance) measures
The comparison resulted in performance measures. The answer key permits measures alone or performance measures.
9. productivity
The resulting measures helped improve productivity and quality. Quality is already printed, so the missing word is productivity.
10. Take Charge
Take Charge is the earlier programme used as a model for the hotel’s feedback system.
11. feedback
The programme creates a feedback loop involving customer comments and employees’ suggestions.
12. employee(s) / staff
The passage says employee suggestions are implemented within 48 hours where possible. This identifies whose suggestions the summary asks about.
13. 30 days
Suggestions that need analysis or data collection can be investigated for 30 days. Include days; the separate 48-hour period concerns implementation, not this investigation.