Who’s Who in the Company

Harper, Ambrose - Board of Directors’ Chairman

Grant, Wingate - late Managing Director, Hector Grant’s father

Grant, Hector - present Managing Director – the executive director in charge of the day-to-day running of the company

Wiles, Pete - Production Manager – executive in charge of production of goods in the factory; son of Mr. Grant’s sister - Hector Grant’s nephew, later Director

Martin, John - Sales Manager – executive in charge of promoting sales of the firm’s goods

Corby, Elizabeth - Hector Grant’s efficient secretary

Fielding, Ted - Works Manager

Buckhurst, William - Company Secretary, F.C.A. (a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants)

Thorn, Christopher - Management Trainee.

Mr. Roberts - Representative of Brown & Johnson, Insurance Adjusters Mr. Baker - Chief Clerk in the General Office

Fenella - inexperienced shorthand typist Jane - secretary of Peter Wiles

Mr. Windsmore - applicant for a job of an advertising manager Harvey, Joanna - Advertising Manager

Mr. Scott - representative of Smith-Weston Consultants Ltd. Ian Hampden, Ian - Personnel Manager

Green, Jack - Shop steward

Smith - an operative

Mr. Brewer - Bank Manager

Mr. Wentworth - the owner of the rival company (mattress-makers) Mr. Brent - Chief Auditor

Donald Kennet - a clerk

M.Shuttleworth - Sales Representative

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The History of the Company

Phrase list

Practise the pronunciation of the following words and word combinations; quote the sentences in which they are used in the text. Consult a dictionary and translate them into Russian.

Managing Director

Production Manager Sales Manager

To be in one’s fifties To be semi-retired

To attend the board meetings To put the business on its feet

To capture a contract to supply somebody with something Happy coincidence

To turn something into success or failure To give somebody a higher command To land one’s contract

To catch fire in a government department

To destroy a number of irreplaceable documents To manufacture items of office equipment Filing cabinets

To list in the catalogue To run a business

To join the company To be adventurous

To treble one’s business

To increase profitability and competitiveness To have experts on the staff

To hire expert advice from outside consultants and bureaux To be aware of the more sophisticated techniques Electronic data processing

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Task 1 Exercise 1

Give the English equivalents for the following word combinations:

Exercise 2

Match the phrases on the left with an appropriate explanation on the right.

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Task 2

Exercise 1

You are going to listen to the introduction to the course. Before you listen to the abstract look at these statements. After you have listened to the abstract determine whether these statements are true (T) or false (F). Explain why.

1.The company of Harper & Grant Ltd. was started forty-two years ago by Ambrose Harper and Hector Grant.

2.Ambrose Harper’s son Hector is the present Managing Director. He is in his fifties (aged between forty and fifty).

3.Though the Chairman of the company, Ambrose Harper, is old and semi-retired, he still attends the board meetings and keeps an eye on the business.

4.At the beginning of its activity Harper & Grant Ltd. produced wastepaper baskets made of cane or straw.

5.Wingate Grant managed to put the business on its feet when he captured a big contract to supply government offices with steel wastepaper bins.

6.Mr. Grant Senior used to tell the story that once a cane wastepaper basket had caught fire in his office and a number of irreplaceable documents were destroyed by the fire. After that he decided to make steel wastepaper bins for offices.

7.Nowadays Harper & Grant Ltd. manufacture different items of office equipment: not only desks, chairs, cupboards, filing cabinets but also smaller objects, such as filing trays, stapling machines and so on. All in all there are fifty-six various items listed in their catalogue.

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Exercise 2

Listen to the introduction to the course. Fill in the spaces in the sentences below with the words actually used.

The firm has a history of … … … . Hector Grant firmly believes that he knows the best way … … . However, his nephew Peter Wiles (son of Mr. Grant’s sister), … …

…six years ago and is … …, and John Martin, … … years ago to be … …, are more adventurous. They want … … … over the next few years and are certain that, with …

…… and increased …, they can achieve this.

Modernising a business … … … and … is a complicated affair. It requires a … … which is aware of such aids and tools of efficiency as … … …, O.R. (… …), D.C.F. (… … …), budgetary control, … …, P.E.R.T. (… … and … …), automation, etc.

Exercise 3

Listen to the introduction to the course. All the remarks are mixed up. Put them in the order they appear in the abstract. Use the grid below.

A … On the other hand, it is important that members of a firm’s management are aware of the more sophisticated techniques they might call on to solve particular problems.

B … But Harper & Grant Ltd., like their rivals, must get right up-to-date and enlarge their business.

C … A small business cannot possibly afford to have on its staff experts in every modern management technique.

D … Inevitably while this changeover from the old way to the new is taking place, there are often difficulties and conflict.

E … It usually hires expert advice from outside consultants and bureaux.

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