A department in charge of finding new ideas
research + development — Research and Development
A person in charge of a company
managing + director = Managing Director
a firm which owns subsidiaries
a department in charge of finding and increasing the number of customers
a factory or a plant
department in charge of recruitment, training, and personnel
the administrative and central building of a company
the value of a public company is quoted here
the total sales of a company for a year
the department of a company which is in charge of external communication
E
xercise
10. Read the interview with a manager. What can you say about his
company and his position in it.
Interviewer: And now, could you give us a few details about your job?
Frank Senders: Well, I joined the company as General Manager in 1996, so I've been working for Gruver Huberth since then. My main job responsibility as General Manager is for the management team — that's the five managers who are in charge of the different departments — finance, production, marketing, sales, and human resources. My job involves a lot of meetings. I have weekly meetings with managers in the Barcelona office and monthly meetings at the company's headquarters in Belgium. I don't get out of the office as much as I'd like to, but I usually manage to spend two or three days a month travelling to different areas of Spain, to meet the sales teams and to visit customers.
I: What qualities do you think are important for your job?
FS: Well, first I think you need to have a lot of patience and you need to be very flexible. Then it's very important to be a good communicator and to be able to motivate people. And because change happens so quickly today, you have to be good at taking decisions very quickly, too. Another quality I think you need in a global company is the ability to think globally, and of course, you need to have a good level of English!
I: Which aspect of your job do you like most?
FS: Well, the part I find most interesting is the marketing, because it's very creative. I also enjoy working with a team and really like being part of an international group and working with different nationalities.
I: Is there any aspect of your job that you don't like?
FS: Yes, I don't like the long hours — working 10 or 12 hours a day and I dislike firing someone — that's always very difficult.
I: Lastly, could you tell us what perks come with your job?
FS: Mmm... I have a company car, a BMW... I also get private health insurance and life assurance but there isn't a company pension scheme. I get a bonus of between 20% and 40% of my salary — the actual percentage depends on performance — and everybody in the company gets vouchers for lunch. We don't have our own sports facilities but one evening in the week the company has the use of all the facilities at a sport centre. Oh, I get another useful perk — the company also pays my private telephone bill. That's something not many companies do.
Would you like to have a similar job?
What is good and what is bad about this work?
What personal qualities should one possess to success on such position?
III. Speaking
Exercise 11. Work in groups. Think about department you would like to work in. Draw an organization chart. Use the phrases of Ex 8. and the following phrases to give a short presentation about your department.
Describing the activity of a department
My department deals with / is responsible for marketing / administration, etc.
We organize tests / studies / research.
W
e
work with customers / suppliers
/ subsidiaries /
other companies in the group.
Describing the staffing of a department
There are…… people in the department.
………is in charge of the department.
I am one of the managers / technicians / secretaries / engineers.
My job involves…..
Describing the equipment / premises of a department
We have a large office / three laboratories / a small building.
We use computers / fax / e-mail a lot.
We have a well-equipped laboratory / a lot of technical equipment.
IV. Listening
Exercise 12. Listen to the text about International Business Styles. Paragraphs 1-9 contain advice for business leaders. Choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph from the list below.
a. A leader should be a good teacher and communicator.
b. A leader must manage time and use it effectively.
c. A leader must have technical competence.
d. A leader must provide vision.
e. A leader must be visible and approachable.
f. A leader should be introspective.
g. A leader should be dependable. h. A leader should be open-minded.
i. A leader should have a sense of humour.
1. In large organizations, leaders should spend no more than four hours a day in their offices. The rest of the time, they should be out with their people, talking to lower-level employees and getting their feedback on problem areas. They should be making short speeches and handing out awards. They should be travelling widely throughout their organizations.
2. The best leaders are those whose minds are never closed and who are eager to deal with new issues. Leaders should not change their minds too frequently after a major decision has been made, but if they never reconsider, they are beginning to show a degree of rigidity and inflexibility that creates problems for the organizations.
3. Executives must take a disciplined approach to their schedules, their post, their telephone calls, their travel schedules and their meetings. Staying busy and working long hours are not necessarily a measurement of leadership effectiveness.
4. Leaders may run efficient organizations, but they do not really serve the long-term interests of the institution unless they plan, set goals and provide strategic perception.
5. The leader must be willing to pass on skills, to share insights and experiences, and to work very closely with people to help them mature and be creative.
6. Leaders should let people know that life is not so important that you can't sit back occasionally and be amused by what is happening. Laughter can be a great reliever of tension.
7. Reliability is something that leaders must have in order to provide stability and strength to organisations. Leaders must be willing to be flexible but consistency and coherence are important elements of large organizations.
8. Leaders must not only understand the major elements of their businesses but must also keep up with any changes.
9. Leaders should be able to look at themselves objectively and analyse where they have made mistakes and where they have disappointed people.
feedback — зворотній зв'язок mature — витривалий, зрілий
rigidity — непохитність, твердість consistency — логічність, щільність
executive — виконавчий reliever of tension — той, що знімає напругу
perception — відчуття, сприйняття coherence — узгодженість, узгоджений insight — проникливість, інтуїція