English for crisis management. Учебное пособие

3 Unit 3. Types of Major Crises

3.1 Pre-text exercises

3.1.1 Practise the reading of the following words

Accident, earthquake, typhoon, hurricane, physical, counterfeiting, malicious, rumours, personnel, graph.

3.1.2 Memorize the following words and word-groups from the text:

natural disaster – природное бедствие; explosion – взрыв;

depending on – в зависимости от;

man-made or human-caused crises – кризисы, связанные с деятельностью человека;

human resource crisis – кризис, связанный с потерями человеческих ресурсов; breakdown – поломка;

slander – клевета;

plant disruption – срыв в работе завода; market crash – крах рынка;

decline in earnings– снижение заработка; counterfeiting – подделка;

workplace violence – насилие на рабочем месте; kidnapping – похищение людей;

to tamper with sth – вносить самовольные изменения во что-либо.

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3.1.3 Find out English or Russian equivalents for the words and word-groups given below:

3.1.4 Form adjectives according to the model and translate them into Russian:

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3.1.5 Check if you remember the meaning of the following verbs:

3.2 Text A Types of Major Crises

3.2.1 Read text A Types of Major Crises and try to understand it to be able to do the assignments that follow

Research demonstrates that all crises can be sorted into two general classes: natural disasters and man-made or human-caused crises. The first class includes floods, earthquakes, fires, typhoons, hurricanes and explosions.

The other class can be divided into different categories depending on the causes. These include physical, economic, criminal, informational, reputational and human resource crises. A brief survey of the categories give an idea of each of them.

For instance, physical crises involve breakdown of key equipment major plant

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disruptions, etc.

Economic crises involve labour shortages, market crashes, major decline in earnings etc. Criminal crises involve counterfeiting, workplace violence, terrorism, corruption, kidnapping, etc.

Informational crises involve lost or falsely represented information, tampering with computer records, etc.

Reputational crises involve slander, gossip, malicious rumours, damage to corporate reputation, etc.

Human resource crises involve rise in absenteezm and accident loss of key personnel, rise in vandalism, etc.

These categories may be represented in the figure given below:

3.3 Text B

3.3.1 Read the text and suggest a title for it

Product tampering does not apply only to food or pharmaceutical organizations. All organizations are vulnerable to a form of product tampering that applies specifically to them. For instance, computers are a necessary part of every organization. The true value of computers is the information that they contain about customers and other key stakeholders. For instance, a person or persons gaining access to and tampering with an organization's

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key records could seriously affect that organization's products and services. An interesting example is the famous French author of encyclopedias, Larousse. As it is known, the French are avid collectors and eaters of mushrooms. At special times of the year, they go into the forest with their Larousse encyclopedias at their side. In one section of the encyclopedia there are two facing pages. One side has pictures of the mushrooms that are safe to eat, and the other side has pictures of the unsafe mushrooms. For some unknown reason, the labels on the two pages in one book were reversed. Thus, the safe mushrooms were labeled unsafe, and vice versa. This is a prominent example of product tampering. The moral should be absolutely clear: One ignores all or any major types of crises at one's peril.

Note to the text:

Larousse encyclopedias – знаменитый французский энциклопедический словарь, опубликованный Ляруссом. Содержит сведения по всем отраслям знаний

3.3.2 Choose the right title for the text:

-pictures of the mushrooms;

-the moral of product tampering example;

-the value of computers;

3.3.3 Find in the text the English equivalents for the following Russian wordgroups:

-съедобные/несъедобные грибы;

-подлинная ценность;

-на свой страх и риск;

-страницы, расположенные друг против друга;

-получить доступ к чему-либо;

-подделка очень важных записей;

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-серьезно повлиять на что-либо;

-названия, данные в обратном порядке.

3.3.4Translate the sentences with these word-groups into Russian

3.3.5Find out in the text adjective or participles used with the nouns given below:

pages; author(2); moral; organizations(2); reason; example(2); collectors; mushrooms(2); part.

3.3.6 Comment on and develop the following statements

-Computers are a necessary part of every organization.

-One ignores all or any major types of crises at one's peril.

3.3.7 Retell the text including the answer to the question

- Why is it dangerous to ignore any of the major types of crises?

3.4 Assignments

3.4.1 Answer the following questions

1What general classes can all crises be sorted into?

2What do natural disasters include?

3How can man-made crises be classified depending on the causes?

4What category of crises do terrorism and corruption belong to?

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3.4.2 Match the words and word-groups to their Russian equivalents:

3.4.3 Match the words and their definitions (one item has been done for you):

3.4.4 Make up sentences with Passive Voice using the following verbs:

-to demonstrate;

-to represent;

-to give;

-to include;

-to sort into;

-to involve.

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3.4.5 Read the text and fill in the gaps with suitable words from the box

1 Types of potential crises … fires and natural disasters. A fire or … disaster is a common type of crisis. The … of fire is great for several reasons. It may be … by smoking. Many residents smoke in their rooms where it is not easy … their smoking. A few may have difficulties remembering to put their … out end inadvertently (нечаянно) and drop them. Preventive measures include education, reminders, and staff … of the buildings: e.g. staff can discuss fire … in house meetings and conduct regular fire … with residents.

2 Certain areas of the country are more prone (предрасположены) to natural … than others. These disasters may include hurricanes, floods … and others. Each residential place should have programs to provide staff with adequate measures … crises.

to handle; earthquakes; safety; to include; cigarettes; to monitor/monitoring; disasters; risk; trainings; natural; caused.

3.4.6Translate the text given above into Russian in written form

3.4.7Speak in detail about the types of major crises using the figure in text A and the one given below. Mind the verbs associated and used with the noun “crisis”

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3.4.8 a) Translate the following English sentences with the verbs given above

1)Crisis causes serious problems.

2)The practice of CM attempts to avoid or manage crisis situations.

3)All the actions undertaken for overcoming the crisis should be thoroughly

analyzed.

4)Crises are easier to manage when staffs feel competent and supported.

5)If you don’t prepare for a crisis, you will take more damage.

6)When dealing with crises, there is a need for immediate response.

7)Assessing the crisis situation is the first step that can not be taken in advance.

8)Special programs should provide staff with training structure to handle crises.

9)To forecast exactly what type of crises can occur is practically impossible.

10)Many crises that could potentially develop can be prevented.

11)For a resident who has experienced a crisis the time period after the crisis is

crucial.

12)In the acute stage of crises the main point is to control a crisis as much as you

can.

13)There are many ways to get help to prevent crisis situations.

14)The plan will assist people to manage crises to the greatest extent possible.

15)To handle a crisis a dedicated CM team should be gathered.

b) Make up sentences of your own with some of the verbs associated with the noun “crisis”

3.4.9 Compose a story about any natural disaster you have heard/read or the one that occurred within your lifespan.

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3.5 Text C Kidnapping

3.5.1 Scan the newspaper item to get an idea of the way kidnapping really happens

The four had planned to visit a group of Muslim religious leaders in Baghdad. They were about 100 metres from the entrance to the mosque where the meeting

was to take place when they were abducted.

The kidnappers published a video shown worldwide by Arab satellite channel in which they claimed the hostages were spies. They threatened to kill all hostages unless the US freed all Iraqi prisoners held in the US by December, 10.

More than a month passed until the next word from the kidnappers. On January, 28, 2006, the channel broadcasted a video showing the four hostages alive, dated January, 21. The captorts stated that the US had one last chance to free all Iraqi prisoners or the hostages would be killed.

On March, 10, the body of one hostage was found in a garbage dump in Baghdad, killed by gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

On March, 23, 2006, the three surviving hostages were rescued from a house near Baghdad by a multinational force. The three hostages were in good medical condition. None of the kidnappers were found in the house.

On December, 8, 2006, the three ex-hostages held a press conference in London.

Notes:

Muslim – the Islam religion followed in the Arab world;

Baghdad – the capital of Iraq;

Mosque – a building in which Muslims say their prayers.

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