English for business purposes. Учебное пособие

referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administrative officer (CAO) in some municipalities. However, in a technical sense, the term “city manager” as opposed to CAO implies more discretion and independent authority that is set forth in a charter or some other body of law, as opposed to duties being assigned on a varying basis by a single superior such as a mayor.

Most sources trace the first city manager to Staunton, Virginia in 1908. Some of the other cities that were among the first to employ a manager were Sumter, South Carolina (1912) and Dayton, Ohio (1914). The city manager, operating under the council-manager government form, was created in part to remove city government from the power of the political parties, and place management of the city into the hands of an outside expert who was usually a business manager or engineer, with the hope that the city manager would remain neutral to city politics.

As the top appointed official in the city, the city manager is typically responsible for most if not all of the day-to-day administrative operations of the municipality, in addition to other expectations.

Some of the basic roles, responsibilities, and powers of a city manager include:

–Supervision of day-to-day operations of all city departments and staff, directly and through department heads;

–Oversight of all hiring, firing, disciplining and suspensions;

–Preparation, monitoring, and execution of the city budget;

–Public relations, such as meeting with citizens, citizen groups, businesses;

–Operating the city with a professional understanding of how all city functions operate together to their best effect;

–Attends all council meetings, but does not have any voting rights.

The responsibilities may vary depending upon charter provisions and other local or state laws, rules, and regulations. In addition, many states, such as the states of New Hampshire and Missouri, have codified in law the minimum functions a local “manager” must perform.

In the early years of the profession, most managers came from the ranks of the engineering professions. Today the typical and preferred background and education for the

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beginning municipal manager is a master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) and at least several years’ experience as a department head in local government or as an assistant city manager. In 2015 more than 60 % of those in the profession had a MPA, MBA, or other related higher-level degree.

The average tenure of a manager is now 7–8 years and has risen gradually over the years. Tenures tend to be less in smaller communities and higher in larger ones.

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должностное лицо, внешний эксперт, совокупность правовых норм, представитель городской администрации, модель управления "совет-управляющий",

самостоятельный орган, взятый в отдельности руководитель, свобода действий,

главное уполномоченное должностное лицо, ежедневная административная деятельность, полномочия городского управляющего, руководители отделов,

временное отстранение от должности, профессиональное понимание, для достижения наилучшего результата, право голоса, положение устава, минимальное количество функций, предпочтительное условие, степень магистра, руководитель отдела, местный орган управления, средний срок пребывания в должности

3.1.7 Answer the following questions

1 What is a job title of an administrative manager in a council-manager form of city government?

2 What is the other name for a city manager?

3 What post implies more discretion and independent authority?

4 What was the reason to create a post of a city manager?

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5 What major do city managers usually obtain?

6 What are the typical responsibilities of a city manager? 7 What do the powers of a city manager include?

8 What do the roles of a city manager depend on?

9 What was a typical background of a city manager in the early days of the profession?

10 What is a preferred education for the beginning municipal manager today? 11 What is an average tenure of a manager?

3.1.8 Complete the following sentences using the text

1 A city manager is an administrative manager of a city in … .

2 A city manager, as opposed to CAO, has more discretion and … .

3 The duties of chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administrative officer are assigned by a single … .

4 The first cities to employ a manager were … .

5 The reason to create a post of city manager was to place management into the

hands … .

3.1.9 Read and remember the cliches for writing a summary

3.2 Decision making

3.2.1 Read the following words and word combinations. Mind their meaning

psychological perspective – психологическая точка зрения cognitive – когнитивный

normative – нормативный rational – рациональный environment – среда, окружение

invariable – неизменный, неизменяемый, постоянный

tacit assumptions – молчаливое допущение, предположение informed decision – обоснованные решения

naturalistic – натуралистический intuitive – интуитивный

ambiguity – двусмысленность, неопределенность, неясность simultaneously – одновременно, синхронно

to yield – производить, приносить, уступать, соглашаться paradox – парадокс

3.2.2 Read the text and be ready to answer the questions from exercise 3.2.3 Text A

Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes (cognitive process) resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. Every decision

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making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.

Human performance in decision terms has been the subject of active research from several perspectives. From a psychological perspective, it is necessary to examine individual decisions in the context of a set of needs, preferences an individual has and values they seek. From a cognitive perspective, the decision making process must be regarded as a continuous process integrated in the interaction with the environment. From a normative perspective, the analysis of individual decisions is concerned with the logic of decision making and rationality and the invariant choice it leads to.

At another level, it might be regarded as a problem solving activity which is terminated when a satisfactory solution is found. Therefore, decision making is a reasoning or emotional process which can be rational or irrational, can be based on explicit assumptions or tacit assumptions.

Logical decision making is an important part of all science-based professions, where specialists apply their knowledge in a given area to making informed decisions. For example, medical decision making often involves making a diagnosis and selecting an appropriate treatment. Some research using naturalistic methods shows, however, that in situations with higher time pressure, higher stakes, or increased ambiguities, experts use intuitive decision making rather than structured approaches, following a recognition primed decision approach to fit a set of indicators into the expert’s experience and immediately arrive at a satisfactory course of action without weighing alternatives. Recent robust decision efforts have formally integrated uncertainty into the decision making process. However, Decision Analysis, recognized and included uncertainties with a structured and rationally justifiable method of decision making since its conception in 1964.

A major part of decision making involves the analysis of a finite set of alternatives described in terms of some evaluative criteria. These criteria may be benefit or cost in nature. Then the problem might be to rank these alternatives in terms of how attractive they are to the decision maker(s) when all the criteria are considered simultaneously. Another goal might be to just find the best alternative or to determine the relative total

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priority of each alternative (for instance, if alternatives represent projects competing for funds) when all the criteria are considered simultaneously. Solving such problems is the focus of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) also known as multi-criteria decision making (MCDM). This area of decision making, although it is very old and has attracted the interest of many researchers and practitioners, is still highly debated as there are many MCDA / MCDM methods which may yield very different results when they are applied on exactly the same data. This leads to the formulation of a decision making paradox.

3.2.3 Answer the following questions according to the text 1 What is decision making?

2 From what perspectives has human performance in decision terms been the subject of active research?

3 Why might decision making be regarded as a reasoning or emotional process?

4 What science-based professions can logical decision making be an important part

of?

5 What analysis does a major part of decision making involve?

6 What area of decision making has attracted the interest of many researchers and practitioners?

7 What leads to the formulation of a decision making paradox?

3.2.4 Match the words in column A with those in column B

3.2.5 Find the synonyms to the words

Mental, several, normative, legal, reasoning, goal, values, cognitive, some, rational, needs, expert, solution, professional, approach, method, purpose, decision

3.2.6 Find in the text the words which have an opposite meaning

Physical process, irrational, explicit, certainty, loss, historically, academicians,

vague

3.2.7 Complete the following sentences using the text 1 Decision making can be regarded as … .

2 Every decision making process produces … .

3 From a cognitive process, the decision making process must be regarded as … . 4 Logical decision making is an important part of … .

5 Decision Analysis recognized and included … .

6 A major part of decision making involves the analysis of … .

7 The goal might be … or … .

3.2.8 Translate the sentences from Russian into English

1 Принятие решений можно рассматривать как ментальный процесс,

результатом которого является выбор курса действий среди нескольких альтернатив.

2 Возможности человека в вопросах принятия решений были предметом активных исследований с нескольких точек зрения.

3 С психологической точки зрения необходимо рассматривать индивидуальные решения в контексте набора потребностей, предпочтений и ценностей человека.

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4 С когнитивной точки зрения процесс принятия решений следует рассматривать как непрерывный процесс, интегрированный во взаимодействие с окружающей средой.

5 С нормативной точки зрения анализ отдельных решений связан с рациональностью и логикой принятия решений.

6 На другом уровне решение проблемы можно рассматривать как деятельность, которая прекращается, когда будет найдено удовлетворительное решение.

3.2.9 Complete the following phrases according to the text 1 … analysis

2 pros and …

3 … standards

4 Benjamin …

5 tentative …

6 conflict …

7 … making

8 … steps

9 … of divination

10 … techniques

3.2.10 Fill in prepositions or adverbs if necessary to differentiate between – различаться, отличаться

to be deducted from – вычитать, отнимать, удерживать to use towards – употреблять, использовать

to evaluate for – оценивать

1. It is important to differentiate …. problem analysis and decision making. The concepts are completely separate from one another.

2. Problem analysis must be done first, then the information gathered in that process may be used …. decision making.

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3. Something can always be used to distinguish …. what has and hasn't been effected by a cause.

4. Causes to problems can be deducted …. relevant changes found in analyzing the problem.

5. The tentative decision is evaluated …. more possible consequences.

3.3 Problem Analysis vs Decision Making

3.3.1. Read the text and be ready to answer the questions

1 Why is it important to differentiate between problem analysis and decision making?

2 What steps does problem analysis include?

3 What features of decision making do you know?

4 What decision making techniques people use in everyday life?

5 What stages are important for the decision-making process to begin? 6 What steps one can take to get the best possible solution?

Text B

It is important to differentiate between problem analysis and decision making. The concepts are completely separate from one another. Problem analysis must be done first, then the information gathered in that process may be used towards decision making.

Problem Analysis

•Analyze performance, what should the results be against what they actually are.

•Problems are merely deviations from performance standards.

•Problem must be precisely identified and described.

•Problems are caused by some change from a distinctive feature.

•Something can always be used to distinguish between what has and hasn't been effected by a cause.

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