Английский для менеджеров
..pdfexist.
Saturday became part of mу regular work schedule as a young salesman. And when a snowstorm hit mу region, it was an opportunity, not an obstacle. The idea that mу rivals would be hiding from the elements gave me the impetus to push mу product. It is amazing how receptive a buyer could be when the snow was waist-deep and I was the only friendly face he'd seen all day.
If you're opening your own business, you'll lose the security of paycheck and the company benefits you take for granted. And there will be other changes in your life-style. You might not get home for dinner; relaxing weekends may be few and far between. I've even seen entrepreneurs whose marriages fell apart because they forgot about their spouses. That's one sacrifice I don't recommend!
4.Do I recognize opportunity? This is a key. Get used to examining all angles of a proposition. Ask, "How can this work for me?"
I learned this the hard way. When I was with Playtex I met an inventer who showed me two pieces of nylon fabric and demonstrated how they adhered without hooks, zippers or snaps. All I could think about was the lack of applicability for our brassiere business.
That product was Velcro. And not a day goes by when I don't see it used somewhere.
5.Am I decisive? You'd better be. As an entrepreneur, you're on your own. And you're going to encounter situations where time isn't on your side. At Lever Brothers we were launching a new product, an improved wrinkle cream. We planned a major promotion in Ohio stores, with a famous makeup man flying in from New York to apply the gook. But he suddenly became ill and couldn't come.
What do I do now? I thought. So I spent the next 24 hours in a crash course in makeup, using a secretary as a guinea pig. Poor woman. I practiced until her face was raw.
My moment of truth came with mу first customer, the wife of a store president. 1 applied the product and she left without comment. Two days later she came back. Her husband had liked the results so much that she wanted more. Developing a quick, positive response to adversity had saved an important promotion campaign.
6.Am I willing to lead by example? You can't ask your troops to give their ail if your idea of a rough day is two hours in the office and six on the golf course. I never ask an employee to do something l'm not willing to do, and I work even harder than they do.
By now you should have some idea if you have what it takes to, be an entrepreneur. So mention some of the rewards for your sacrifices. You'll find satisfaction in creating something out of nothing. You'll gain a positive sense of self. And of course, there are financial rewards.
But it's not easy. Are You An Entrepreneur?
QU. Do you have what it takes to be an Entrepreneur? to start your own business?
ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEUR?
The crucial factor in a business ~ especially when it is just starting up - is the calibre of the person, or people, in charge.
A new business is, essentially, as good as the person who is masterminding the strategy. Too often the role of entrepreneur is confused with that of a manager. A business requires the skills of both, but it is of paramount importance that management ability is not confused with entrepreneurial skills. More to the point: a manager should
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not delude himself that he is an entrepreneur.
This quiz is designed to help you gain some idea of the extent of your potential.
UNIT 3
Reading
Who would you rather work for?
A. Discuss these questions.
1. Which would you prefer to work for?
a)a male boss
b)a female boss
c)either - you don't have a preference
2 Do you think your response to question 1 is a typical one?
B.Read the first paragraph only of both articles. What is the main point made by the writer in each case?
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C.Work in pairs. One of you reads article A. The other reads article B. Summarise each paragraph in a single sentence of no more than 15 words.
Then give an oral summary of the whole article to your partner.
Article A
WHO WOULD YOU RATHER WORK FOR?
Women are more efficient and trustworthy, have a better understanding of their workforce and are more generous with their praise. In short they make the best managers, and if men are to keep up they will have to start learning from their female counterparts, a report claims today.
The survey of 1,000 male and female middle and senior managers from across the UK is an indictment of the ability of men to function as leaders in the modern workplace.
A majority of those questioned believed women had a more modern outlook on their profession and were more open minded and considerate. By way of contrast, a similar number believe male managers are egocentric and more likely to steal credit for work done by others.
Management Today magazine, which conducted the research, said that after years of having to adopt a masculine identity and hide their emotions and natural behaviour in the workplace, women have become role models for managers.
The findings tally with a survey of female bosses carried out in the US. A five year study of 2,500 managers from 450 firms found that many male bosses were rated by their staff of both sexes to be self-obsessed and autocratic. Women on the other hand leave men in the starting blocks when it comes to teamwork and communicating with staff.
In Britain more than 61% of those surveyed said men did not make better bosses than women. Female managers use time more effectively, with many of those surveyed commenting that juggling commitments is a familiar practice for women with a home and a family.
Female managers also appear to make good financial sense for penny-pinching companies: most people, of either sex, would rather ask for a rise from a man.
"If men want to be successful at work they must behave more like women," said the magazine's editor, Rufus Olins. "Businesses need to wake up to the fact that so-called feminine skills are vital for attracting and keeping the right people. In the past women who aspired to management were encouraged to be more manly. It looks now as if the boot is on the other foot."
From the Guardian
WHICH BOSSES ARE BEST?
How do you like your boss? Sympathetic, empowering and not too busy, probably. They will be aware of the pressures of your job, but delegate responsibility where appropriate. They will be interested in your career development. Oh, and, preferably, they will be male.
In a survey for Royal Mail special delivery, a quarter of secretaries polled expressed a preference for a male boss. Only 7% said they would prefer a woman. The future of management may be female, but Ms. High-Flier, it seems, can expect little support from her secretary.
One should not, of course, assume that all secretaries are female, but women still make up the overwhelming majority. So it makes uncomfortable reading for those who like to believe that a soft and cuddly sisterhood exists in the previously macho office environment, where women look out for their own. The findings also raise questions
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about neat predictions of a feminized future for management, where 'womanly' traits such as listening skills, flexibility and a more empathetic manner will become normal office currency.
Business psychologist John Nicholson is surprised by the survey's findings, asserting that 'the qualities valued today in a successful boss are feminine, not masculine'. He is emphatic that women make better bosses. "They listen more, are less statusconscious, conduct crisper meetings, are much more effective negotiators and display greater flexibility."
They are also considerably more common than they used to be. According to information group Experian, women are no longer scarce in the boardroom - they occupy a third of the seats round the conference table. Women directors are still relatively uncommon in older age groups, but among young directors the proportion is growing.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that a reluctance to work for a woman may be more a question of management style than substance. "It's just women bosses' attitude," says Martha, a PA for 25 years who has worked predominantly for women, including a highprofile politician. "It's something women have that men don't. when they are critical they are much more personal, whereas men sail through not taking a blind bit of notice."
Sonia Neill, a former secretary at Marks and Spencer, has experienced power struggles between women even where there was a significant disparity in status. "Women either find it awkward to give you work or they try to assert themselves by giving you really menial tasks. Men never do that."
From the Guardian
D.Find words in the articles with the following meanings.
Article A |
Article B |
1.people with the same jobs as each (paragraph 1)
2.a clear sign that a system isn't working (paragraph 2)
3.thinking only about yourself (paragraph 3)
4.giving orders without asking others for their opinions (paragraph 5)
5.wanted to achieve an important goal (paragraph 8)
6. aspects of a person's character (paragraph 3)
7. absolutely convinced (paragraph 4)
8.based on stories about personal experience (paragraph 6)
9.a difference between things (paragraph 7)
10.behave in a determined way (paragraph
7)
E.From the two texts, find as many characteristics as possible that are attributed to female managers.
F.Which ideas expressed in the two articles do you agree with? Do you find any of the ideas surprising?
STYLES OF EXECUTION
1. Before you read the text discuss these questions.
1.Based on your experience or what you may have read, how do you think British and German managers would differ in their approach to management?
2.Do they have different career systems and different ways of doing business?
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STYLES OF EXECUTION
Christopher Lorenz looks at the contrasting attitudes between German and British managers
A study comparing British and German approaches to management has revealed the deep gulf which separates managerial behaviour 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 out by a team of German and British academics from Mannheim University and Templeton College, Oxford.
The differences are shown most clearly in the contrasting attitudes of many Germans and Britons to managerial expertise and authority, according to the academics. This schism results, in turn, from the very different levels of qualification, and sorts of career paths, which are typical in the two countries.
German managers – both top and middle - consider technical skill to be the most important aspect of their jobs, according to the study. It adds that German managers consider they earn their authority with colleagues and subordinates from this ―expert knowledge‖ rather than from their position in the organisational hierarchy.
In sharp 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. Such an approach is bound to raise status problems in due course.
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 reorganise them more frequently than 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 organisations often undergo ―more or less constant change‖.
Of the thirty British middle managers in the study, thirteen had held their current job 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.
The researchers almost certainly exaggerate the strengths of the German pattern; its very 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, in effect, different ways of doing business.
Financial Times
2. Mark these statements Y(true) or F(false) according to the information in the text.
1.Mergers between British and German companies rarely succeed.
2.The study mainly concentrated on middle managers.
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3.Both German and British managers consider technical skills to be very important.
4.German managers prefer working with technicians in British companies.
5.British managers are very concerned about their executive status.
6.There is much more change in British companies than in German companies.
7.German companies are strong and successful because of the way they are organized.
3.Discuss these questions.
1.In your opinion does the article suggest that one country's approach to management and organization is better than the other's?
2.Pick out some extracts from the article which make positive or negative comments about British or German approaches.
UNIT 4
HOW DOES THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS WORK? |
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Communication can be thought of as a process or flow. |
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Communication problems occur when there are deviations or |
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blockages in that flow. Before communication can take place, a |
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purpose, expressed as a message to be conveyed, is needed. It passes |
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between a source (the sender) and a receiver. The message is encoded |
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(converted to symbolic form) and is passed by way of some medium |
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(channel) to the receiver, who retranslates (decodes) the message |
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initiated by the sender. The result is a transference of meaning from |
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one person to another.3 |
communication |
Exhibit 12-1 depicts the communication process. This model is |
process |
made up of seven parts: (1) the communication source, (2) encoding, |
The transferring |
(3) the message, (4) the channel, (5) decoding, (6) the receiver, and |
and |
(7) feedback. |
understanding of |
The source initiates a message by encoding a thought. Four |
meaning |
conditions affect the encoded message: skill, attitudes, knowledge, |
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and the social-cultural system. |
encoding |
Our message in our communication to you is dependent upon our |
The conversion |
writing skills; if the authors of textbooks are without the requisite |
of a message |
writing skills, their messages will not reach students in the form |
into some |
desired. One's total communicative success includes speaking, |
symbolic form |
reading, listening, and reasoning skills as well. As we know, our |
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attitudes influence our behavior. We hold predisposed ideas on |
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numerous topics, and our communications are affected by these |
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attitudes. Furthermore, we are restricted in our communicative |
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activity by the extent of our knowledge of the particular topic. We |
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cannot communicate what we don't know, and should our knowledge |
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be too extensive, it's possible that our receiver will not understand |
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our message. Clearly, the amount of knowledge the source holds |
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about his or her subject will affect the message he or she seeks to |
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transfer. And, finally, just as attitudes influence our behavior, so does |
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our position in the social-cultural system in which we exist. Your |
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beliefs and values, all part of your culture, act to influence you as a |
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communicative source. |
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The message is the actual physical product from the source. "When |
message |
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we speak, the speech is the message. When we write, the writing is |
A purpose to be |
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the message. When we paint, the picture is the message. When we |
conveyed |
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gesture, the movements of our arms, the expressions on our face are |
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the message."4 Our message is affected by the code or group of |
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symbols we use to transfer meaning, the content of the message itself, |
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and the decisions that we make in selecting and arranging both codes |
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and content. |
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The channel is the medium through which the message travels. It is |
channel |
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selected by the source, who must determine which channel is formal |
The medium by |
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and which one is informal. Formal channels are established by the |
which a |
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organization and transmit messages that pertain to the job-related |
message travels |
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activities of members. They traditionally follow the authority |
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network within the organization. Other forms of messages such as |
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personal or social, follow the informal channels in the organization. |
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The receiver is the person to whom the message is directed. |
decoding |
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However, before the message can be received, the symbols in it must |
A |
receiver's |
be translated into a form that can be understood by the receiver. This |
translation of a |
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is the decoding of the message. Just as the encoder was limited by his |
sender's |
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or her skills, attitudes, knowledge, and social-cultural system, the |
message |
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receiver is equally restricted. Accordingly, the source must be skillful in writing or speaking; the receiver must be skillful in reading or listening, and both must be able to reason. One's knowledge, attitudes, and cultural background influence one's ability to receive, just as they do the ability to send.
The final link in the communication process is a feedback loop. "If a communication source decodes the message that he encodes, if the message is put back into his system, we have feedback."5 Feedback is the check on how successful we have been in transferring our messages as originally intended. It determines whether understanding has been achieved.
ARE WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS MORE EFFECTIVE
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THAN VERBAL ONES?
Written communications include memos, letters, e-mail, organizational periodicals, bulletin boards, or any other device that transmits written words or symbols. Why would a sender choose to use written communications? Because they are tangible, verifiable, and more permanent than the oral variety. Typically, both sender and receiver have a record of the communication. The message can be stored for an indefinite period of time. If there are questions about the content of the message, it is physically available for later reference. This feature is particularly important for complex or lengthy communications. For example, the marketing plan for a new product is likely to contain a number of tasks spread out over several months. By putting it in writing, those who have to initiate the plan can readily refer to the document over the life of the plan. A final benefit of written communication comes from the process itself. Except in rare instances, such as when presenting a formal speech, more care is taken with the written word than with the oral word. Having to put something in writing forces a person to think more carefully about what he or she wants to convey. Therefore, written communications are more likely to be well thought out, logical, and clear.
The main purpose of communication is to get a message from a sender to a receiver the way the sender intended it to be understood. International symbols transfer meaning and understanding. The red circle, for example, means "No," such as no drinking, no dogs, no biking, or no skating.
Why we are poor listeners?
•Why, then, are we poor listeners? The following factors may give us some indication:
•We perceive listening to be passive and find concentration difficult.
•The average person speaks at a rate of 130 words per minute and thinks at a rate of 500 words per minute. In consequence, our minds jump ahead of what is being said.
•We listen selectively and shut out anything we regard as unimportant.
•Lack of interest in the subject of conversation lends itself to 'mental walkabout'.
•The listener is tense with emotion, which impairs the ability to listen.
•The listener's mind is full of concerns which cause a block.
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•Physical noises intrude and detract from the speaker, e.g. music, television, other people's conversations, traffic noises.
•The listener is mentally preparing what he is going to say rather than concentrating on what is being said.
•The listener has some hearing impairment or is unwell.
•The listener uses a different vocabulary to the speaker and has a different understanding and perception.
•The listener has preconceived ideas which he or she is desperate to retain.
How can we improve our listening? |
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We can do this in the following ways: |
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(a) By |
recognising |
that |
listening |
is |
an |
active, |
not |
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passive, activity.
(b)By physically attending, which involves:
• facing the speaker squarely
• good eye contact
• open posture
• leaning towards the speaker
• being relatively relaxed.
(c)By mentally clearing the mind of our own emotional agenda and personal concerns.
(d)By ensuring the environment is conducive to listening and free from distracting noises and interruptions.
(e)By psychologically attending, which means concentrating on three things:
•what is being said
•how it is being said
•what is not being said.
(f)By reflecting
(g)By summarising
(h)By asking questions.
How do we use non-verbal communication?
Most of us consciously use non-verbal communication to support our verbal messages.
As a speaker we use NVCs to:
•emphasise meanings (gestures, facial expressions, etc.)
•encourage the listener to listen (eye contact, head and body movements, etc.)
•signal we are about to stop talking (raised eyebrows, head movements, etc.)
We also use NVCs consciously as a listener to:
•encourage the speaker to talk (nods, eye contact, tilting the head to one side, etc)
•break into the conversation without actually interrupting (leaning forward, making a hand gesture, taking a deep breath through the mouth as if about to start talking, etc.)
We also observe the NVCs of the speaker to 'read' the underlying message, feelings, and so on. Whilst much of the non-verbal behaviour we exhibit is done consciously some is spontaneous and unconscious. Perhaps these are the most telling 'signs' to watch for as an interviewer. Check whether the NVCs are congruent with the
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words that are being spoken - if not, probe for more information. An extreme example would be someone saying 'Yes' while shaking their head! Conflicting behaviours of this type happen more often than you would imagine.
Sometimes people use NVCs in place of speaking. For instance, you may have observed a reticent person in a committee meeting who, when asked for his/her views, 'pulls a face' in preference to actually talking. These signals provide an ideal opportunity to draw a person into the conversation. It would be foolish to assume that these 'signals' could be read accurately every time, so do ask for clarification: 'What do you mean by that', or, 'John, are you not happy with that or, 'What's the problem?-'
Different NVCs communicate different messages. Below are a number of common behaviours. The column on the left encourages openness, trust and a relaxed but purposeful interaction; the column on the right encourages defensiveness, mistrust, anxiety and negative interactions. Be aware of their effects (particularly if you exhibit these) on others, and adopt the appropriate behaviours.
Do: |
Don't: |
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Have an open posture |
Cross your arms |
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Smile |
Frown or scowl |
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Maintain eye contact; |
Look away or stare at the person |
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look at the person |
Slouch in your chair; hide behind your |
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Sit forward |
desk; place your feet on desk or table |
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Display a relaxed |
Appear tense or nervous |
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appearance |
Clench your fists; have your hands in your |
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Display open palms |
pockets; have your hands hidden; point |
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Stay attentive and relatively still |
with one finger |
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Have legs uncrossed |
Chew your pencil; fidget |
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Cross your legs |
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Note the importance of the eyes and the hands in the messages we convey. |
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READING |
A. Recent trends in business have been towards |
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Communication problems |
larger and larger organisations. This has |
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many advantages but can also present |
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for effective |
communication |
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within an organisation. |
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For what reasons can communication |
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targer |
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organisations? |
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HARD SELL AROUND THE PHOTOCOPIER
Sociologists have long recognised that businesses of less than 200 individuals can operate through the free flow of information among the members. Once their size exceeds this figure, however, some kind of hierarchical structure or line management system is necessary to prevent total chaos resulting from failures of communication. Imposing structures of this kind has its costs: information can only flow along certain channels because only certain individuals contact each other regularly; moreover, the lack of personalised contacts means that individuals lack that sense of personal commitment that makes the world of small groups go round. Favours will only be done when there is a clear quid pro quo, an immediate return to the giver, rather than being a matter of communal obligation. Large organisations are less flexible.
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