Company. Human resources. Management

UNIT 1. A COMPANY AND ITS STAFF

Lesson 1

Task 1. a) Study the words which are often used to denote business entities:

1. Company [`kAmpəni] is the general word for an organization with a number of managers and employees. The word is often combined with other nouns.

E.g.	A new director of the company was introduced to the staff. I work for an insurance company.

2. Business [`bıznəs] is an organization that makes, buys or sells goods and provides services for money, especially one owned and run by one person or a small group of people (e.g. a family).

E.g.	She left to start her own catering business. He sold the business that his father and grandfather had built up.

3. Enterprise [`entəpraız] is a company or business, often a small one. The word “enterprise” is often used in government texts and business journalism.

E.g.	There are plenty of small industrial enterprises in the area. The country has been selling off its state enterprises.

4. Firm [fə:m] is a small, fairly specialized organization, especially one that sells professional advice or services.

E.g.	He works for a large New York law firm (a firm of architects; a firm of management consultants).

5. Corporation [ֽkO:pə`reı∫^ən] is a large company that employs a lot of people. Corporation is often used to talk about very large American business companies.

E.g.	The state-run sugar corporation needs investments. Some of the Hollywood studios were bought by big Japanese corporations.

6. Operation is a company or business involving many parts; one part of a large company or business.

E.g.	It’s a huge multinational operation. Network Computing Inc. plans to open a UK operation in Britain next year.

7. Practice is a business or place that offers professional advice or treatment, especially in law and medicine.

E.g.	She runs a successful law practice.

8. House (used in compounds) is a company involved in a particular type of business. House is used in compounds such as a / an fashion / publishing / software / investment / auction house.

E.g.	The publishing house made its name by encouraging first-time writers.

b) Use the above words in the sentences of your own.

Task 2. a) Mind the difference in meaning of the following words.

Which word?

Company vs. Campaign

[`kAmpəni] [<sub>(</sub>ֽ<sub>)</sub>kæm`peın]

a number of people gathered together; assembly; the fact of being with someone; companionship; a social visitor or visitors; guest or guests; a business enterprise; the members of an enterprise not specifically mentioned in the enterprise’s title; a group of actors, usually including business and technical personnel.

a series of coordinated activities, such as public speaking and demonstrating, designed to achieve a social, political, or commercial goal: e.g. a presidential campaign / an advertising campaign; (military) a number of complementary operations aimed at achieving a single objective, usually constrained by time or geographic area.

b) Which meaning of the above words is revealed in the following sentences?

1. Alex is a geologist employed by a big oil company. – Алекс геолог, який працює на велику нафтову компанію.

2. He is poor company. – Він нудний співрозмовник.

3. She joined the company in 1997. – Вона прийшла на роботу в компанію у 1997 році.

4. I enjoy the company of animals better than people. – Мені більше подобається бути серед тварин, аніж людей.

5. It has been a most successful political campaign. – Це була надзвичайно успішна політична кампанія.

6. It is alleged that a company used illegal methods to finance its campaign. – Стверджується, що компанія використовувала незаконні методи фінансування своєї кампанії.

7. It’s the first time a French company has put on this ballet. – Французька трупа вперше займається постановкою цього балету.

8. Two’s company, three’s a crowd. – Третій зайвий (у стосунках).

9. Local people have launched a campaign against the hospital’s closure. – Місцеві жителі розпочали кампанію проти закриття лікарні.

10. Some of the jokes weren’t really suitable for mixed company. – Деякі з жартів були зовсім недоречні в компанії, де були і жінки, і чоловіки.

11. Such behaviour is not acceptable in polite company. – Подібна поведінка неприйнятна у пристойному товаристві.

12. The UNO initiated the campaign against world hunger. – ООН ініціювала кампанію проти голоду в світі.

13. Things started to go wrong when he got into bad company. – Справи погіршилися, коли він попав у погану компанію.

14. This victory was the turning point of the campaign. – Ця перемога стала переломним моментом у військовій кампанії.

15. You’ve left the door open. Are you expecting company? – У вас відчинені двері. Чекаєте гостей?

c) Make up similar sentences of your own.

Task 3. Use the adjectives below with the words “company” / “campaign”. Which of the adjectives can be used with either of the nouns?

COMPANY	CAMPAIGN

1. affiliate;	3. election;	5. anti-drug;	7. unlimited;	7. manufacturing;
2. holding;	4. political;	6. insurance;	8. marketing;	10. advertising.

Task 4. a) The words below frequently occur after “COMPANY”.

officer man doctor COMPANY car bull spying union secretary

b) Which of the above word-combinations means:

• a car that a company provides for an employee to use;

• a specialist who is employed to manage a company during a period of financial difficulty; a physician employed by a company to look after its staff and to advise on health matters;

• a person who has an official position in a company and represents a company in its activities;

• a person in a company, usually chosen by the directors, who has various legal duties, such as looking after the company’s official documents and arranging company meetings;

• an organization that a company forms for its employees to represent them when dealing with the managers;

• an employee who puts allegiance to the company for which he works above personal opinion or friendship;

• illegal activity of finding out valuable information which is intellectual property of a company (know-how, research developments, etc.) in behalf of another organization or group of people;

• a private detective or a guard working for a company?

c) Translate into English.

1. Приватний детектив або охоронець, який працює на приватну фірму.

2. Профспілка компанії (профспілка, яка створюється з ініціативи власників підприємства, і членом якої може бути співробітник лише даного підприємства; така профспілка часто створюється з метою запобігання організації профспілки самими співробітниками або навіть для боротьби з незалежними профспілками).

3. Фанатично відданий фірмі співробітник; “гвинтик” (людина, яка розчиняється в компанії, організації, куди прийшла працювати); лизоблюд, угодовець (співробітник, який завжди займає сторону роботодавця).

4. Секретар компанії (співробітник адміністративного апарату); керуючий справами фірми.

5. Посадова особа компанії, член керівництва компанії (наприклад, один із директорів компанії).

6. Шпіонаж у бізнесі.

7. Службовий автомобіль, автомобіль компанії.

8. “Лікар компанії” (особа, що спеціалізується на аналізі та усуненні проблем компанії, яка переживає кризові явища); особа, яку вводять до складу правління для порятунку компанії від банкрутства; лікар компанії (надає медичні послуги працівникам і керівникам компанії).

Task 5. Translate into Ukrainian paying attention to the words in italics.

1. The perks (= extra benefits of a job) include a yearly bonus and company car.

2. As Britain’s top company doctor he is brought in to rescue failing firms.

3. He was appointed company secretary last year.

4. The form must be signed by a company officer, such as a director or company secretary.

5. The company bull asked what we were doing there.

6. Though illegal, company spying is widespread in business.

7. Company unions are not independent organizations like normal unions.

8. He has never been a company man.

Task 6. Translate into English.

1. Секретар компанії розпочав збори.

2. Я ніколи не стану “гвинтиком” у компанії.

3. Це один із найбільш впливових посадовців у компанії.

4. Профспілка компанії представляє інтереси її співробітників.

5. Я користуюсь службовим автомобілем – це одна із пільг моєї роботи.

6. Приватний детектив фірми виявися причетним до шпіонажу у бізнесі.

7. Шпіонаж у бізнесі приносить прибутки одним компаніям і шкоду іншим.

8. Він один із найбільш ефективних антикризових менеджерів (“лікарів компанії”).

Task 7. Think and answer.

1. What is a company secretary responsible for?

2. What qualifications should a company doctor possess?

3. Are company unions made up solely of company men?

4. Are company bulls always involved in company spying?

5. What are the advantages of being a company union member?

6. How do responsibilities of a company secretary differ from those of a personal secretary?

7. In most organizations a company car is one of the perks available only to company officers, isn’t it?

Task 8. Say what you know about:

1. Tasks of a company doctor.

2. Reasons for company spying.

3. Challenges of being a company bull.

4. Responsibilities of a company secretary.

5. The importance and goals of company unions.

6. Advantages / disadvantages of being a company man.

Task 9. Take into account the two meanings of “COMPANY OFFICER”.

1. молодший офіцер (офіцер сухопутних, морських або військово-повітряних збройних сил, що має звання капітіна або лейтенанта);

2. працівник (приватної) компанії; посадова особа компанії; член керівництва компанії (наприклад, один із директорів компанії).

Task 10. Study the following words.