Английский для магистрантов. Практикум-1

This month we look at a question which is being asked with increasing frequency. What are the issues of concern around providing Internet access for government staff?

Problem: I am a manager in a government office that has recently been “wired” so that each employee has access to the Internet. At present staff can surf the net, and use electronic mail. It has come to my attention that one of our staff has been spending inordinate time on the Internet, and there has been a suggestion that he has been accessing “adult sites” while at work. Do you have any comments or suggestions?

Answer: More and more government organizations are installing Internet access for staff, and this question will become more common. How do you regulate usage without making the technology useless? In fact, what degree of regulation is appropriate?

In general terms, let’s remember that the Internet allows communication and research to be done from the office. Second, its valuable contribution will be in the ease that communication can occur with colleagues, and members of the public. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast set of rules. In the situation described above, there are several concerns. Probably the most serious is the possibility that the Internet is being used to access pornographic material, at the taxpayer’s expense. Clearly this is a serious concern because of the additional responsibilities and obligations public servants have, compared to other sectors. While few are aware of it, access to web sites can be monitored, and an individual who goes to such sites can be identified by the web site owner.

Since most government staff has identifiers that indicate they are government staff, we must realize that such behaviour is not “secret”. There is a potential for public embarrassment. For those reasons, even leaving aside moral and ethical issues, staff should be clear that Internet access brings responsibility. We recommend that an Internet usage policy be drafted (usually called an Acceptable Use PolicyAUP). As with any policy, staff should be actively involved in determining what is and is not acceptable behaviour on the Net. That is probably the clearest of the issues related to the problem given.

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The next issue is the lack of productivity that occurs if staff spends inordinate amounts of time surfing the Net. In the specific case outlined, the individual was spending as much as three hours at a time, apparently doing non-work related things. Some people advocate that the employer become a policeman, monitoring access electronically (which is technically possible), and enforcing rules harshly. There are others that suggest that the real issue lies elsewhere, and monitoring and enforcement don’t address them. Putting aside the pornography access, one obvious question that comes to mind is whether the individual in question is able to meet his or her job obligations while also spending a good deal of time on unproductive activities. If the answer is no, then there is a clear performance problem that should be dealt with by focusing on the job tasks that are not getting done, or objectives and deadlines not meant. This would be the same, if the person was spending large amounts of time on the telephone, on personal calls.

If the employee is able to complete all job tasks and still “waste time” on the Internet, then the question shifts to whether the individual has sufficient work to do. And that, again, is an issue unrelated to the Internet, itself. Besides, monitoring use may not add value to the organization, and can create a climate where people will be fearful to use the Internet, even for legitimate reasons.

In the extreme cases of abusive behaviour such as accessing pornographic material, harassing other Internet users, or conducting political activities during work hours, it may be necessary to use stronger methods, including monitoring of log files, followed by appropriate disciplinary actions. Otherwise we suggest that the time issue be handled like any other time issue. Rather than considering the time spent on the Internet, a better focus is on the productivity of the staff member1.

4. Объясните значение понятий, взятых из статьи упр. 3, на английском языке:

to be available, abuse, to abuse, to escalate, the issue of concern, to be wired, to surf the net, inordinate amounts of time, to access adult sites,

1 http://work911.com/articles/inabuse.htm

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at taxpayer’s expense, public embarrassment, acceptable behaviour, lack of productivity, to advocate, to harshly enforce rules, to have sufficient work, to waste time, to monitor behaviour, disciplinary actions.

5. Ответьте на вопросы:

1.Are you a fluent English speaker?

2.What assignments are the most effective for improving your language?

3.Does using a dictionary frequently enlarge your English vocabulary?

4.What world events are you concerned with?

5.What issues are you reluctant to discuss?

6.What are the most pressing issues you’ve read about recently?

7.Are you an intuitive person?

8.Can you predict the future of mankind?

9.What are the possible ways to prevent wars?

10.Have you ever doubt the existence of other civilizations?

11.Do you believe in people’s stories about viewing aliens?

12.What parts of the world would you like to visit? Why?

13.Have you ever been to Paris?

14.Would you like to see Seven Wonders of the World?

15.What are your life priorities?

6. Переведите словосочетания на английский язык. Составьте с ними предложения и коротко расскажите о мировых проблемах современности:

новости культуры, спортивные новости, экстренное сообщение, бегущая строка, серьезная проблема, голод в Эфиопии, беспорядки в Лондоне, встреча глав государств, переговоры о сотрудничестве, участие миротворцев, смена власти, члены Евросоюза,

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