Добавил:
Upload Опубликованный материал нарушает ваши авторские права? Сообщите нам.
Вуз: Предмет: Файл:
Чуркіна Англійська мова 2006 частина 2.doc
Скачиваний:
0
Добавлен:
01.03.2025
Размер:
3.85 Mб
Скачать

I. Make up situations of your own using the given words and word combinations

1. The charisma and skill of the chairperson (a matter of extending courtesy; a matter of procedure; be deemed impartial; chance of per­sonality clashes; charisma and skill of; go through; good chairperson; harmonious or strained; less personal; take sides in any dispute; to a large extent; to the chairperson; with regard to).

2. The use of a committee in business (be advocated; come together; consult directly with; deal with; different levels; from different departments and spe­cialisms; in business; joint consultation committee; management side; meet and confer; normal chain of com­mand; organizational hierarchy; problems of common concern; use of a committee; worker representatives).

3. The committee is a communication device (at the apex of; available facts; be determined by; be headed by; be responsible for; business transacted; committee members; comprises between; delegate the responsibility for; follow the order; in the agenda; large organization; non-critical areas; organizational hierarchy; set out; two-way flow of instructions).

4. Voting (be bound by; be laid down; by resigning; collective responsibility; find a seconder; for the decision; make the proposition; take place; terms of reference; under no circumstances; vote in favour; wording of the resolution).

5. Command meeting (be in no way comparable; be kept fully informed; call his subordinates together; coincide with; effective way; exchange ideas with; get down to; individual manager; regular basis; sell ideas to; solutions to problems; use the occasion; vehicle for).

II. Complete the open dialogue and learn it by heart

I.

J.

As a rule a committee normally comprises between three and twenty members.

I.

J.

The matter is that it is headed by a chairperson who has the power to control the discussion.

I.

J.

To my mind the effectiveness of any committee is inevitably determined by the actions of its chair­person.

I.

J.

I don't think so. In my opinion the charisma and skill of the chairperson will decide to a large extent how much work the committee does and whether relationships are harmonious or strained.

I.

J.

On the contrary. A good chairperson will insist that when any members speak their remarks are addressed to the chair.

I.

J.

Strictly speaking disagreements will be less personal when the arguments have to go through an intermediary and there will be less chance of per­sonality clashes.

I.

J.

As far as I know the committee allows people from different departments and spe­cialisms to come together to deal with problems of common concern.

I.

J.

As far as I am concerned the proceedings are required to follow the order set out in the agenda which is distributed to the members before the meeting.

I.

J.

I'm of the same opinion. Under no circumstances can voting take place unless a quorum is present.

I.

J.

The quorum will be laid down in the committee's terms of reference.

I.

J.

As a matter of fact the only way a member can avoid the collective responsibility for the decision is by resigning.

UNIT 7

THE OFFICE

BEFORE YOU READ

1. Do you agree that everyone involved in a business operation has to refer to the office from time to time? Why?

5. What do we mean when we say that the importance of the office is obvious?

READING TASKS

A. Understanding main points

Read the text below at the office and answer these questions, beginning your answers with the fol­lowing phrases: as a rule …; to tell the truth …; as far as I know …; the matter is that …; as far as I remember …; as far as I am concerned …; frankly/strictly speak­ing …; to make a long story short …

1. Who is the first to arrive at the office? Why?

2. Who creates the vital first impression which often determines whether the company gets the order or not?

3. What equipment is there on the typist’s desk?

4. What can the typist do with the help of the computer?

5. What other devices are there in the office?

6. What ways of sending letters can the secretary normally use?

7. Do you know what a telex is? Describe it.

8. What are the advantages of video-conferencing?

9. What changes have there already been in the tradi­tional patterns of employment due to new technology?

10. Do you agree that the role of the office will be changed rather than diminished whatever happens as a result of the new technologies? Why?

B. Understanding details

Mark these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Give your reason using the fol­lowing phrases: as a matter of fact ...; I don't think so …; I'm of the same opinion …; in my opinion …; on the contrary …; strictly speaking ...; to my mind ...

1. Very few people involved in a business operation have to refer to the office from time to time.

2. The Company Secretary arrives latest.

3. There are not very many tasks undertaken in the office.

4. Receptionists create the vital first impression which often determines whether we get the order or not.

5. Technology never affects the whole of business, especially the office.

6. The computer can print many separate copies of a letter and put a different name and address on each one.

7. The quickest way of sending photo messages is by post.

8. The introduction of robotic production lines in factories and new technology in offices will change the way people work.

9. Whatever happens as a result of the new technologies, the role of the office will never be changed.

10. We can expect a cen­tralisation of decision-making powers, with the office becoming even more emphatically the very hub of the business.

AT THE OFFICE

Everyone involved in a business operation has to refer to the office from time to time. In the first few minutes of the day the office comes alive. The salesperson telephones from a customer's shop to find out some details about prices, or discounts, or delivery dates. A customer telephones to find what has happened to the order he sent in last week. The short-listed applicants for the new Quality Control Manager's job turn up for their interviews with the Personnel Manager. The Company Secretary arrives earlier than usual to ask whether the Agenda for the Board of Directors' Meeting later in the day has been typed yet. And the office junior brings in the morning mail which he has opened and sorted, and which needs to be distributed to the various managers. There is a great variety of tasks undertaken in the office and the staff engaged in these operations need to know a great deal about the business. When customers visit the of­fice, they naturally expect the staff who deal with them to be knowledgeable. They expect their enquiries to be dealt with courteously, promptly and competently. Receptionists may occupy a comparatively low position in the organizational hierarchy, but they create the vital first impression which often determines whether we get the order or not.

The importance of the office is obvious. It is the hub of the communications network for the whole organization. Technology affects the whole of business, not least the office, and the concept of a completely paperless office is beginning to emerge. On many exec­utives' desks there are keyboards or other devices to communicate with the computers which control all the electronic devices in the office. Electronic files are replacing conven­tional filing cabinets, and intelligent facsimile and copying machines are appearing to­gether with a variety of printers able to print anything from letter-quality characters to four-colour diagrams. Telephone systems are now incorporating a host of facilities from an answering service to video-conferencing.

On the typist’s desk there is usual office equipment, such as a telephone, a computer, and filing trays for letters and papers. She doesn’t use electronic typewriters or manual type­writers any more, she uses a com­puter with a word processor and a printer. With this computer she can type a letter, and then see what she has typed on an electronic screen, and correct any mistakes before the printer types the letter. The computer can print many separate copies of a letter and put a different name and address on each one. If she has to do some calculations, she uses an electronic calculator, and there is a photocopier in the office for making copies of letters and other papers. Letters are normally sent by post, but if it is necessary to send a written message quickly then it is possible to use the telex. This is a machine like a typewriter: a message is typed, and then another telex machine somewhere else receives the message and types it out again some time later. A fax machine is more popular now. It makes copies and sends it to any other fax machine you like. Messages can be writ­ten by hand or typed, and include drawings. A fax machine is connected or combined with a telephone. The quickest way of sending photo messages is by E-mail.

Video-conferencing involves executives separated by hundreds and perhaps thousands of miles, discussing problems face-to-face on television screens. This in turn conjures up the notion of clerical workers performing many of their daily tasks away from the office, so that offices of the future are not only going to be paperless. They are also going to occupy less space, require fewer staff and allow much shorter working weeks.

These changes will affect a large number of people. The introduction of robotic production lines in factories and new technology in offices will change the way men and women work, and the roles they expect to fulfil. There have already been great changes in the tradi­tional patterns of employment due to new technology, and this seems likely to continue, with implications for both sexes.

Whatever happens as a result of the new technologies, the role of the office will be changed rather than diminished. Most office workers of the future will find themselves seated at multi-function work stations able to exercise control over routine purchases, sales, market research, production runs and accounting procedures. In other words, we can expect a cen­tralisation of decision-making powers, with the office becoming even more emphatically the very hub of the business.