Иностранный язык в сфере профессиональной деятельности (Intercultural Business Skills). Учебное пособие по английскому языку

3.Was language a problem in their meetings?

4.What were some of the problems the two teams had with each other?

Complete the following chart:

Plans

Deadlines

Schedules

12. Answer the following questions and share your answers with a partner.

1. Why do you think the Italian team often changed their software plans? 2. Why do you think the Italian team missed the deadlines?

3. Why do you think the Swiss team refused the Italian team’s new ideas? 4. Why do you think the Swiss team required fixed deadlines?

13. Problem Solving: Information Gap. Divide the class into two groups: A and B. Group A reads the Italian cultural information in Appendix Activity 1. Group B reads the Swiss cultural information in Appendix Activity 2. After reading the information, complete your part of the following chart. Next, find a partner from the other group and ask questions to complete the chart:

DISCUSSION

14. Go back to your groups, look at the completed chart, and discuss the following.

1.Now that you have more information about both cultures, do you want to change any of your answers from Making Inferences ? Discuss your changes if any.

2.What difference between the two teams has the most serious effect on this project?

3.The following are four possible solutions. Which of the four do you like best? Or, come up with a solution of your own. Consider the following issues as you make your decision:

– quality of product;

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–financial cost of the solution;

–amount of time needed for the solution;

–further international business opportunities;

–feasibility (is it really possible?).

15. What are the positive and negative consequences of each solution? Why is the solution you have chosen the best? Discuss your answers in groups.

1.The Italian company decided that it would be easier to have another Italian company complete the project rather than continue to work with the Swiss company. It found an Italian software and engineering company whose credentials were good although not as good as those of the Swiss software company.

2.The Italian company agreed to never modify the plans and to meet all deadlines. In other words, they would adopt the Swiss company’s business practices.

3.The Italian and Swiss teams decided to live for a short period of time in each other’s countries. In this way they could learn to appreciate the time value differences in each country and learn more about each other’s cultures.

4.The Swiss company agreed to forget the deadlines and be more flexible with the original specifications. In other words they would adopt the Italian company’s business practices.

5.Your own solution.

SPEAKING

16. Answer the questions.

1.Identify three differences among the schedules including your own. Can you explain some of the reasons for the differences in these schedules?

2.In your country, do business places such as those selling clothing and food have the same schedules as business of; if not, how are they different?

3.In businesses in your country, do you have to have breaks? What kind of businesses? When are the breaks and how long are they? What do you do during breaks?

4.What kind of schedule do you personally prefer? Why?

5.In what ways do different work schedules affect business communication (telephone and fax) between international companies?

17. Imagine that the Italian company and the British company above agree to work on a project. After two month the two companies begin to have problems communicating with each other. The British company cannot get in touch with the Italian company in the afternoon hours when they most need to communicate. The Italian company cannot get in touch with the British company during the evening hours when they need to communicate. What are some solutions to this communication problem?

WRITTEN REFLECTION

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18. Write up a time management plan.

1. In the actual solution to the case the two companies planned to continue working together once they had learned about each other’s time management styles. To what extent do you think the two companies had to adapt to each other’s cultures? Write up a time management plan for the companies to follow when working together. Your plan must include compromises between the Italian and Swiss time management styles. To help you organize your plan, review the issues in the chart above. When you have finished, share your plan with the class.

19. Complete business schedules. Read the three completed schedules.

Most companies have daily and weekly work schedules that determine when the company is open and closed, when employees have lunch, and when the employees can take break. These schedules vary within countries, but there are general times that may apply to many companies within one culture. The following schedules (Figure 2) are typical workday schedules of small business in several cities around the world.

1.And stimulating. I felt pleasantly stretched. But then the pressure became too much and I felt overworked.

2.And under a lot of stress. I found travelling very tiring. I was overwhelmed by my work. I started getting bad headaches, and I’m sure they were stress-induced.

3.Challenging to change professions in this way, but now I feel the stress again! I must do something to avoid burning out.

4.Hi, my name’s Piet. I’m an engineer, or I was. I worked for a Dutch multinational for 10 years. I was based here in Holland, but my work involved a lot of travelling, visiting factories. At first I liked my job: it was very rewarding.

5.So, when I was 35, I made a change. I started a little wine shop in Amsterdam, working on my own. Now, after five years, I have 6 employees. At first it was 2.

3. Study the following extracts and translate the expressions in italics into Russian.

WHEN STIMULATION TURNS TO STRESS

“In the last few years there has been more and more administrative work, with no time for reading or research. I felt pressure building up. I began to feel overwhelmed by work: I felt as if I wasn’t able to do it. I was under stress; very worried about my work. I became ill, and I’m sure this was caused by stress: it

was stress-induced.

Luckily, I was able to deal with the stresses and strains (pressures) of my job by starting to work part-time. I was luckier than one of my colleagues, who became so stressed out because of overwork that he had a nervous breakdown; he was so worried about work that he couldn’t sleep or work, and had to give up. He’s completely burned out, so stressed and tired by his work that he will never be able to work again. Burnout is an increasingly common problem among my colleagues.”

DOWNSHIFTING

Many people want to get away from the rat race or the treadmill, the feeling that work is too competitive, and are looking for lifestyles that are less stressful or completely unstressful, a more relaxed ways of living, perhaps in the country. Some people work from home to be near their family and have a better quality of life, such as more quality time with their children: not just preparing meals for them and taking them to school, etc.

Choosing to live and work in a less stressful way is downshifting or rebalancing, and people who do this are downshifters.

LANGUAGE EXPANSION

4. Correct the mistakes in italics in the following article.

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1.“Bite the bullet”: This idiom means to endure a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and determination, even though it may be challenging.

2.“Break a leg”: This idiom is commonly used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance or competition. It implies wishing the person success and a great performance.

3.“Cost an arm and a leg”: This idiom means something is very expensive or costs a lot of money.

4.“Piece of cake”: This idiom is used to describe something as very easy or straightforward.

5.“Spill the beans”: This idiom means to reveal a secret or confidential information, often unintentionally.

A. “__________!” – the director said to the actors before they went on stage. B. Despite being nervous, she ____________ and went on stage to give her presentation. C. After studying for weeks, the final exam turned out to be a

_________ for her. D. John accidentally _____________ about the surprise party I was planning for Sarah. E. The designer handbag she bought

_____________________, but she loved it.

II

1.“Put all your eggs in one basket”: This idiom means to invest all your resources, time, or effort into a single thing, which can be risky.

2.“The ball is in your court”: This idiom means it’s someone’s turn to take action or make a decision.

3.“Call the shots”: This idiom means to be in charge or have the power to make decisions.

4.“Think outside the box”: This idiom means to think creatively, differently, or innovatively.

5.“Get the ball rolling”: This idiom means to start or initiate something.

6.“Cross that bridge when you come to it”: This idiom means to deal with a problem or situation when it arises, rather than worrying about it in advance.

A. Diversifying your investments can reduce risk. Remember, don’t

__________. B. There may be challenges along the way, but let’s focus on the present. We can _____________. C. As the project manager, it’s our responsibility to ____________ and keep the team on track. D. Before we

________________ on this project, let’s establish clear objectives and assign roles. E. We have presented our proposal, and now _____________. We await your decision. F. To solve this problem, we need to ____________________

and explore unconventional solutions.

III

1. “A picture is worth a thousand words”: This idiom means that a visual image can convey a complex idea or emotion more effectively than words alone.

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2.“Rome wasn’t built in a day”: This idiom means that complex or important things take time to achieve and should not be rushed.

3.“Throwing in the towel”: This idiom means to give up or surrender, often used in the context of overcoming challenges.

4.“Hold your horses”: This idiom means to be patient or wait before taking action or making a decision.

5.“In a nutshell”: This idiom means to summarize or present something concisely.

6.“Barking up the wrong tree”: This idiom means to pursue the wrong course of action or direct one’s efforts in the wrong direction.

A. Building a successful business requires patience and perseverance. Remember, ________________. B. As you can see from this graph, the decline in sales over the past year is quite significant. Remember,

_____________________. C. If you think I took your pen, you’re

___________________. I haven’t seen it. D. ________________, let’s hear all the options before making a final decision. E. ______________, our research findings indicate a clear correlation between customer satisfaction and increased sales. F. Despite facing numerous setbacks, we should not consider

______________. Let’s keep pushing forward and find a solution.

Remember to use idioms appropriately and ensure they fit the context of your presentation or speech. Using idioms can add depth and color to your language, making your presentation more engaging.

DISCUSSION

7. Answer the following questions as a class.

1.Are you working now? How many hours a week do/will you work?

2.How many hours a week does a businessperson usually work in your country? Is that too much time, too little time, or just about right? Why?

3.How much vacation time does a businessperson usually get in your country? Is that too much vacation, too little, or just about right? Why?

4.Would you ever bring work home with you from the office? Under what circumstances?

5.In your opinion, what kind of jobs require more company time? What jobs require minimal company time?

6.What percentage of a seven-day week do you dedicate to company

time?

7.What is more important to you, company time or personal time? Why?

READING

8. Read text 9, answer the questions.

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action or illness. But, again, the data are mixed. Between 1995 and 2000 the number of hours worked by employees in the developed economies increased. Some skeptical researchers claim that the hours of work lost through enforced redundancies have been absorbed by the increased hours of survivors. This may account for the increase in reported levels of stress.

So where does this leave us? What is self-evident is the way statistics are manipulated to support conflicting claims about imbalance and levels of stress. Individuals are presented as pawns in a game beyond their control.

In fact, on average, executives are working marginally longer hours than six years ago. It is also true that more executives are reporting high levels of stress than a, decade ago. An inability to get the, work/life balance right is a recurring explanation for rising stress levels. The cost of success does not appear to have been reduced since Evans and Bartlome asked their interesting question.

However, if these conclusions suggest clarity, the stress literature is full of fog. So while it is fashionable to blame corporations, let us acknowledge an important and neglected fact about individuals. No statistics are available to separate those who thrive in a business and accept the disruption to their private and public lives, from those who feel trapped and resent the imbalance.

The former is a significant minority. Just how minor is difficult to establish. Guilt tends to make managers, whose lives are unbalanced, lie. Few would admit that their career and the resultant imbalance are much more interesting to them than the spouse and the family. Yet their behaviour shows this to be the case far more often than published statistics suggest.

Running a business offers a unique opportunity to express one’s talents. Why do we expect those who thrive on it to apologise for it, to pretend they should be doing something else?

Conversely, those who really do enjoy it must recognise they are in a minority. Despite their best attempts to encourage others to maintain a balance between work and leisure, levels of stress among their staff are rising. If they want people to work for them in the future they must adjust their expectations.

1.Who are workaholics? What is your attitude to such people? Do you consider yourself one?

2.Why can’t people find a balance between their home life and the demands of a job?

3.Must the cost of success be really so high?

4.Do all people spending the most of time at work need help? How can they be helped?

5.Can this problem be solved at all?

COMPREHENSION

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