Question

Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.
More people signed up for Harvard’s online courses in a year, for example, than have attended the university in its 377 years of existence. In the same spirit, there are more unique visits each month to the WebMD network, a collection of health websites, than to all the doctors working in the United States. In the legal world, three times as many disagreements each year amongst eBay traders are resolved using ‘online dispute resolution’ than there are lawsuits filed in the entire US court system. On its sixth birthday, the Huffington Post had more unique monthly visitors than the website of the New York Times, which is almost 164 years of age. The British tax authorities use a fraud-detection system that holds more data than the British Library (which has copies of every book ever published in the UK). In 2014, the US tax authorities received electronic tax returns from almost 48 million people who had used online tax preparation software rather than a tax professional to help them. The architectural firm Gramazio & Kohler used a group of autonomous flying robots to assemble a structure out of 1500 bricks. The consulting firm Accenture has 750 hospital nurses on its staff, while Deloitte, founded as an audit practice 170 years ago, now has over 200,000 professionals and its own full-scale corporate university set in a 700,000-square-foot campus in Texas.
The author of the above paragraph is trying to conclude something by citing different pieces of evidence. What could the author be trying to prove?

• A. How old firms are dying.
• B. How new organizational forms are emerging
• C. How professionals are getting replaced by technology
• D. What old firms can do to survive.
• E. How automation is taking away jobs traditionally done by humans.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

The passage discusses several instances where traditional practices or institutions are being surpassed by new forms of organization or methods that leverage technology and innovation. Here, we identify the core theme that the author conveys through these examples. Let us analyze each example provided in the passage:

1. The number of people enrolling in Harvard’s online courses in a single year exceeds the total enrollment in the university’s history. This highlights a shift towards online education, indicating new educational organizational forms.
2. WebMD's network of health websites receives more unique monthly visits than all doctors in the United States combined. This suggests the emergence of online health information platforms that compete with traditional medical consultations.
3. The use of online dispute resolution on eBay resolving more disputes than the US court system exemplifies a new form of legal resolution emerging within the digital marketplace.
4. The Huffington Post, an online news platform, surpasses the New York Times in unique monthly visitors, reflecting the rise of digital media forms over traditional print media.
5. The British tax authorities' use of a fraud-detection system with more data than the British Library points to an evolution in data management and fraud detection methodologies, a form of organizational innovation.
6. A significant number of US taxpayers used online software for filing returns rather than consulting tax professionals, illustrating a shift towards self-service and online tax processing systems.
7. Gramazio & Kohler’s use of autonomous robots for construction demonstrates innovation in architectural technology and engineering processes.
8. Accenture and Deloitte expanding beyond their traditional business areas to include healthcare staff and education respectively, show diversification and the emergence of comprehensive service firms.

The author uses these examples to depict how new organizational forms are emerging across various sectors, challenging and sometimes surpassing traditional methods. Therefore, the correct conclusion that the author aims to prove is: How new organizational forms are emerging.

Answer 2

The passage provides several examples illustrating trends in various fields such as education, healthcare, legal, media, and tax systems. The common theme among these examples is the emergence of new ways of doing things, primarily driven by technological advancements and innovative practices.

• The dramatic increase in Harvard's online course enrollments compared to its historical attendance over 377 years highlights the shift towards digital education platforms.
• WebMD's higher monthly unique visits compared to all US doctors demonstrates the growing reliance on online health resources over traditional consultations.
• In the legal realm, the frequency of online dispute resolution on platforms like eBay surpasses the number of US court cases, underscoring a move towards alternative dispute resolution methods facilitated by technology.
• The Huffington Post's success in terms of web traffic relative to the New York Times indicates a transformation in media consumption, favoring digital news outlets over traditional newspapers.
• The British tax authority's use of an advanced fraud-detection system points to the innovative use of data beyond traditional means, drawing a comparison to the vast information held by the British Library.
• The mention of electronic tax returns being filed via online software instead of through tax professionals shows a significant shift towards digital solutions for financial services.
• The architectural firm Gramazio & Kohler's use of autonomous robots to construct structures exemplifies innovative approaches in the field of architecture and construction.
• The evolving roles within firms such as Accenture and Deloitte—where non-traditional roles like nurses and educational facilities are present—demonstrate new organizational structures.

All these instances point to the broader conclusion that the author is emphasizing: how new organizational forms are emerging, driven by technological innovation and digital transformation across various sectors.