5.1. Remember the word combinations with the noun ‘stress’:

Stress factor — something that causes stress

Stress symptom — a sign that someone is under stress Stress toll — the total amount of damage caused by stress Stress management — ways of dealing with stress

Stress industry — term used by critics to refer to counsel-ing, research, etc. done in relation to stress.

Note: ‘stress’ and ‘pressure’ are both countable and uncounta-ble: you can also talk about ‘the stresses and pressures’ you are under.

The most common causes of stress are:

heavy loads: too much to do in the limited time available office politics: problems with colleagues who above all,

want to advance their own position. These people like playing politics.

role ambiguity: responsibilities are unclear.

lack of management support: managers do not provide the necessary help and resources.

effort-reward imbalance: not getting sufficient recogni-tion or pay.

home-work imbalance: not enough time for family, per-sonal interests, etc.

5.2. Answer the questions:

a) Which two of the causes of stress in Exercise 5.1 are spe-cifically mentioned in the article above (Text 5)?

b) Do you think that working 66 hours a week is always stressful? Why? / Why not?

c) What are the main causes of stress in your job or the one you would like?

d) How do you combat stress?

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6. QUALITY OF LIFE

Text 6

Read the text and pay attention to the vocabulary in bold type: Some people are workaholics — they think about very little

except work. Others are increasingly looking for quality of life: less commuting, more time with their families, etc. Journalists write about people downshifting or rebalancing their lives. They may work part-time, work from home, move to the country and so on.

In a recent survey:

95 per cent of homeworkers said they have a better work-life balance or home-work balance than when they were in-company because they can spend more time with their families and on leisure activities.

82per cent said they have more autonomy and independence: theyareabletoorganizetheirworkandtheirtimehowtheywant.

But in the same survey homeworkers also complained that: there is no boundary between work on the one hand and

personal life on the other — the two overlap (73 per cent)

they feel lonely and isolated because they are out of contact with others and don’t have colleagues around them (57 per cent).

6.1. Match the statements (1–4) to the findings in the survey given in Text 6:

a. Sometimes I wish I was working every day as part of a team in an office.

b. Yes, I see much more of my children.

c. Yes, my boss isn’t breathing down my neckthe whole time. d. I work in the living room, and the work is always there,

waiting. I can’t get away from it.

6.2. Answer the questions:

1. Who are workaholics?

2. What do some people understand by quality of life? 3. What is downshifting?

4. Who are homeworkers?

5. What do homeworkes complain about?

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UNIT II. COMPANIES

1. WHAT IS A COMPANY?

Text 1

Read the text and explain the word combinations in bold type:

Generally, a company is a form of business organization. There are various types of companies that can be formed in

different jurisdictions, but the most common forms of company (generally formed by registration under applicable companies legis-lation) are:

A company limited by shares. The most common form of company used for business ventures. Specifically, a limited com-pany is a company in which the liability of each shareholder is lim-ited to the amount individually invested with corporations being the most common example of a limited company. This type of compa-ny is common in England.

A limited-liability company. ‘A company — statutorily authorized in certain states — is characterized by limited liability, management by members or managers and limitations on owner-ship transfer’, i. e. L. L. C.

A company limited by guarantee. Commonly used where companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The members guarantee the payment of certain (usually nominal) amounts if the company goes into insolvent liq-uidation, but otherwise they have no economic rights in relation to the company. This type of company is common in England.

A company limited by guarantee with a share capital. A hybrid entity, usually used where the company is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return. This type of company may no longer be formed in the UK, although provisions still exist in law for them to exist.

An unlimited liability company. A company where the liability of members for the debts of the company are unlimited. Today these are only seen in rare and unusual circumstances.

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