人民邮电版 剑桥bec真题集第四辑 阅读真题TEST 3 解析.docVIP

Part1 人邮第四辑真题TEST 3 READING PART 11 ?? ???the failure of a company to set its prices appropriately2 ?? ???a context that makes it difficult to increase prices3 ?? ???the consequences of companies trying to conceal their approach to pricing4 ?? ???the means by which a company ensured precision in the prices it offered5 ?? ???the fact that companies can learn about the effects of a price reduction6 ?? ???the first sector to price products according to how much customers were prepared to spend7 ?? ???the widespread use of rough guidelines to determine prices Getting the price rightA、Chief executives need to pay more attention to pricing, according to Roberto Lippi of the Apex Group, a consultancy that offers advice on pricing strategy. He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised countries makes raising prices tough, but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies. He gives the example of the airlines, which, with their minimum stay requirements and massive premiums for flexibility, led the way in sorting customers into categories, based on their willingness to pay.B、The key to pricing is to avoid alienating customers. As Lippi points out, once a bad price has been established, it can be very difficult to turn the situation around. He gives the example of a consumer goods company that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly. In contrast, he cites the case of a Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representatives laptop, enabling them to provide consistent and accurate price quotes. To help staff with this innovation, the company also created a new post of director of pricing strategy.C、Many of todays managers have the benefit of modern technology to help them with pricing. Supermarket chains, for example, can easily track customers elasticity - how their buying habits change in response to a price rise or a discount. But although a company can now measure this