Часть I. Management (менеджмент)

Text I

1. Read the text

MAYOR

1. Mayor is the head of a municipal government and is usually the chairman of the municipal council and of the council executive committee. He may fulfill the roles of chief executive officer, ceremonial figurehead, and local agent of the central government. In a more recent system of municipal management – the council-manager system – the mayor's role is much reduced; he serves essentially only as head of the council. Whatever the form of local government, the mayor's role may be said to rest largely on his relationship to the council and to the central government.

2. Mayors are either appointed or elected. In Europe, until the middle of the 19^th century, most mayors were appointed by the central government. With the rise of representative government, more countries adopted the practice of electing the mayor. This practice takes a variety of forms. In most European countries, the local council elects the mayor from its members; usually he is the leader of the majority party. In Switzerland, Canada and the Philippines, most mayors are popularly elected.

3. In countries where the mayor is an agent of the central government, as in France, the mayor is usually the actual as well as the nominal head of the local government. In other words, his position is generally determined by the central government, and he has much greater executive powers than the council. As an agent of the central government, the mayor is the mainspring of the municipal administration and the focal point of policy.

4. With the development of popularly elected municipal councils, most mayors have taken on a dual role, serving not only as chief executive officer of the municipal administration but also as agents of the central government charged with such functions as maintaining public order, security, and health. In the United States, the central government never did control the cities directly and mayors were either elected by the populace at large or chosen by a city council whose members were also so elected.

2. Translate the following words and word combinations:

Ceremonial figurehead; local agent; relationship; to appoint; leader of the majority party; mainspring of the municipal administration; chief executive officer; central government; populace.

3. Answer the following questions:

1. Is mayor the head of a municipal government?

2. What role may mayor fulfill?

3. Are mayors appointed or elected?

4. In what countries are mayors elected?

Text II

1. Read the text

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES

1. The American belief in «free enterprise» has not precluded a major role for government, however. Americans at times have looked to government to break up or regulate companies that appeared to be developing so much power that they could defy market forces. They have relied on government to address matters the private economy overlooks, from education to protecting the environment. And despite their advocacy of market principles, they have used government to nurture new industries, and even to protect American companies from competition,

2. As the sometimes inconsistent approach to regulation demonstrates, Americans often disagree about the appropriate rote of government in me economy. In general, government grew larger and intervened more aggressively in the economy from the 1930s until the 1970s.

3. But economic hardships in the 1960s and 1970s left Americans skeptical about the ability of government to address many social and economic issues. Major social programs – including Social Security and Medicare, which provide retirement income and health insurance for the elderly – survived this period of reconsideration. But the growth of the federal government slowed in the 1980s.

4. The pragmatism and flexibility of Americans has resulted in an unusually dynamic economy. Change – whether produced by growing affluence, technological innovation, or growing trade with other nations – has been a constant in American economic history. The once agrarian country is now far more urban – and suburban – today than it was 100, or even 50, years ago. Services have become increasingly important relative to traditional manufacturing. In some industries, mass production has given way to more specialized production that emphasizes product diversity and customization. Large corporations have merged, split up, and reorganized. New industries and companies that did not exist at the midpoint of the 20^th century now play a major role in the nation's economic life.