Английский язык. Лобакина Е.В - 17 стр.

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 General Mills gets a large number of letters              on     the    same    subjects.
Nevertheless, Irma makes sure her staff pays attention to the individual variations in
each. They have found that the most important thing in answering any inquiry is truly
to answer it. So Irma and her staff make a point of thinking about each inquirer as an
individual. As she says, “We try to address every person’s particular needs.”
 And yet, respondents must answer similar inquiries in a consistent fashion. To achieve
precisely this mix of individuality and consistency, General Mills has developed a
computerized system of 1,200 sample paragraphs. Working with word processors, Irma
explains, “respondent can pull paragraphs and then customize them for each individual
consumer.” Approximately 80 percent of all correspondence can be answered this way.
“But we leave in enough variables so that any letter you receive from us will not sound
like a form letter.” And letters are all hand-signed by the respondent.
 The average turnaround time for a letter is three to five days. If a response is going to
take longer, “we often just call up the consumer in the meantime,” says Irma.
 The 20 percent of the letters that are composed оf scratch obviously require more time
and effort. At weekly meetings, the respondents confer about unusual letters,
evaluating the inquirers` needs and deciding on the basic thrust of the replies. To be
certain the responses are acceptable to General Mills’ management, the correspondents
check out company policy with other parts of the corporation and consult the
company`s published guidelines.
 Armed with the necessary information and policy guidelines, the respondents answer
the nonroutine letters in a style suited to their subject matter. For example, a man who
lamented, tongue in cheek, that his Nature Valley Granola didn`t sign and dance, even
when he shone a flashlight on it, received a similarly whimsical response. A complaint
about a TV special, on the other hand, received a thoughtful, positively phrased
explanation of the sponsorship decision, together with an assurance that the writer`s
concern had been conveyed to those responsible for advertising.
 The respondents have worked for General Mills an average of 10 to 11 years, and
most have a homemaking background. A knowledge of recipes although helpful, is not
critical. What is most important is the ability to write a letter that responds to the
recipient`s needs.

Ex.4. Comprehension. Answer the following questions.

1)     What does General Mills mean? What is it?
2)     What is the main subject of the letters addressed to General Mills?
3)     What is the most important thing in answering any inquiry?
4)     What has General Mills developed and why?
5)     Do they always answer in a written form?
6)     What do they confer about at weekly meetings?
7)     Explain the meaning of the following phrases:
-      few requires as much research as the one from Leadville
-      recipe performance
-      to answer similar inquires in a consistent fashion
-      average turnaround time for a letter