Ex. 2. Translate paragraph 4 in writing. Ex. 3. Read the text again and choose the correct alternative for each of the following questions:

1. What makes a manager valuable to an organisation?

1. An ability to earn money.

2. An ability to provide a lot of goods and services.

3. An ability to make decisions.

2. What is the most important in making decisions?

1. A manger's intuition.

2. A manager's scientific knowledge.

3. A manger's experience.

4. All of them.

3. After gathering and studying information managers make decisions don't they?

1. Yes, they have everything they need.

2. No, first they ask their workers for advice.

3. No, first they develop and evaluate all alternatives.

Ex. 4. Put 5-7 questions on the text so that they cover its content. Text 7. Plans and planning process

1. The objectives of an organisation exist in a hierarchy¹. Plans to meet the objectives also have different levels. a) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Strategies are overall guides to courses of action taken to meet long-range² objectives. Strategies serve as long-range guides and are determined by high-level management. A paper manufacturer might decide that it could best maintain high sales by providing fast delivery that its competitors. It might then adopt³ the strategy of always delivering⁴ sooner than the other paper companies.

2. Tactics are specific planned actions needed to support strategies. Tactics usually concentrate more on short-term⁵ goals and are often developed by low-level managers. The paper manufacturer might take changes in its shipping⁶ room, use different shipping methods for certain orders, change package⁷ sizes or shapes, or make any number of other moves to support its strategy of quick delivery.

3. Most organisations maintain overall plans for three-month and one-year periods. b) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. In spite of how difficult it is to make accurate protections about the future, long-range planning helps to establish objectives that aid in decision making.

4. Plans at any level can be developed effectively by following a process that brings together relevant information and uses careful analysis to set goals and find ways of meeting the goals. The use of the following specific planning steps is often helpful:

– Determine objectives. c) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. A company's goals depend partly on the philosophy and general attitudes of its owners and managers.

– Establish strategies and tactics. Once goals have been established, the means for achieving them are developed in much the same way that any other decisions are made. Managers study relevant information, propose and evaluate alternative courses of action, and choose a specific set of actions to take.

– Set a timetable⁸. d) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Timing should be influenced by (a) the availability of funds, (b) the work force and other resources, (c) the urgency⁹ of the planned actions, (d) how fast plans can be implemented¹⁰, and (e) the extent and kind of social or economic changes.

– Check plans for specificity, flexibility, and feasibility¹¹. Specificity insures that planned actions are defined clearly enough to be put into operation and that results are measurable in some way for success to be judged. e) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Plans should never lock managers into certain patterns and role and rob them of their ability to react to changing conditions. Feasibility is the extent to which plans are practical and attainable, given the resources an organisation has to work with. The best plans for new marketing or production methods, for example, are worthless¹² if a company cannot afford¹³ to pay for them.

– Integrate with reporting and control system. The final step is critical to success. The whole purpose of planning – and of management in general – is to reach objectives. f) _ _ _ _ _ _ _. Methods must be used that will clearly show the outcome of plans that have been put into effect. This information will help to make sure that plans are in fact being carried out and also serves as fundamental data for the continuation of the planning process.

Notes: 1) иерархия; 2) долгосрочный; 3) выбирать; 4) доставка; 5) краткосрочный; 6) погрузка, перевозка груза; 7) упаковка; 8) определить график; 9) срочность; 10) внедрять; 11) осуществимость; 12) бесполезный; 13) позволить себе.