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

If the answer to this question is “yes,” go back to what you were doing. You will have affirmed your choice of activities and made your decision consciously, the key element in time management.

If you want or need to do it but not right now, put it off and do something with a higher degree of time sensitivity. That way you’ll avoid getting caught in deadline pressure later.

And if you neither want nor need to be doing it, now or ever STOP!

It may seem amazing to you, but if you stick with the “want/need” question for 21 days (same satisfaction-guaranteed deal as with the vacations), you really will catch yourself doing things you can’t justify doing on any grounds, and you’ll find yourself shifting activities to better serve your needs.

This simple question can make a tremendous positive difference in the way you live.

Why you’ll never be able to “find” time. Time only needs “managing” because we don’t seem to have enough time to do everything we want and need to do. In particular, we never seem able to “find time” for those important but not urgent activities.

Stop looking. You’ll never find time. It isn’t lost. You’re living it. You have to consciously decide to live it in certain ways and not others. You have to make time by taking it away from one activity and giving it to another.

Conscientious and creative use of the to-do-list can help here. If you want to exercise three times a week, if you need to do some long-range career and financial planning, if you care enough about another human being to want to nurture your relationship, you will schedule time for these things. Otherwise, you may not “get to them,” and even if you do, you’ll give them only your leftover time, when energy and focus are at their lowest.

You can make time for the important things in life by reducing time spent on the items in the last category, the “neither important nor urgent but just a lot of fun” area. But you shouldn’t wipe this area out completely (even if you could) lest life become one long dental appointment. I often work two crossword puzzles a day. I used to justify the “waste” of time on the grounds that I am, after all, a writer. Words are my tools (as well as one of my passions). Crossword puzzles expand my vocabulary.

I’ve stopped trying to justify crossword puzzles. I work them because they’re fun for me. That’s enough. But when I need to make time for something else I can cut them out.

You can also create time for yourself by slicing some of that “urgent but not important or even a lick of fun” stuff out.

1.According to the text 11, why does time need managing?

2.Can we “make time”?

3.How can we “find time”, “gain control of our time”?

COMPREHENSION

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they live. They say that the total budget _________7 ( split) equally between the UK government and the industry.

DISCUSSION

15. Answer the questions.

1.Do people in our country tend to follow time-management techniques? Why? Why not? How does it characterize a “national character”?

2.What can you say of other nationalities?

3.What’s your own opinion, can time-management be helpful?

4.What are your current priorities and how do you schedule your time?

16. Prepare a report on time-management tips. Add your ideas how to manage

time.

SPEAKING

18. What do you think is happening here?

A Belgian manager working in Thailand is unhappy that his secretary regularly arrives at work at least 30 minutes, and sometimes as much as one hour, late for work. He knows that the traffic in Bangkok is bad, but this is getting ridiculous. One morning, when she arrives late again, he explodes in front of the others in the busy office. He then takes her aside and tells her that if she can’t get to work on time she may risk losing her job. She responds by handing in her resignation.

Comments

The manager has made a number of mistakes, by not understanding that in some cultures it is not acceptable to criticize people in front of others. This is because a public telling-off leads to a “loss of face”. It can also be unacceptable to show emotion at the workplace. Although there are always going to be times when criticism is necessary, in this cultural context, direct criticism, even in a one-to-one situation, is not acceptable. Verluyten, who has carried out research into indirectness and conflict avoidance amongst executives in a range of countries, suggests that there are three ways of dealing with die situation:

1.Blur the sender. This means that you don’t criticize the person directly, but do so through a friend or colleague.

2.Blur the receiver. This means that you mention the problem in front of the whole group, rather than picking out an individual.

3.Blur the message. This could mean talking about a hypothetical case, or asking indirect questions, such as “Do you still live out of town?” or “How is the baby?” It might even involve giving excessive praise – the secretary would then know that something was wrong.

19. Read the short case study, then answer the questions.

Paul Matthews, the Marketing Manager of a British producer of computer games, was hoping to break into the Spanish market. He had already been

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visited by Javier Ramirez, an Account Executive from a top Spanish advertising agency. Paul Matthews had been impressed by Ramirez’s ideas and air of efficiency. Having agreed to use Ramirez’s agency, Capo Promociones, he set up a meeting in Madrid the following month at which Javier Ramirez would present firm proposals for a Spanish launch.

When Matthews arrived at Capo Promociones’ office, he was met by Javier Ramirez and Elena Espiga, who would be helping to launch the computer games on the Spanish market.

During their presentation, Matthews was surprised to find that various people kept coming into the room to ask questions unrelated to the topic under discussion and Ramirez took several telephone calls. When Ramirez was on the phone, Elena Espiga continued the presentation competently and obviously had plenty of ideas about promotional methods in the Spanish market. However, neither of the Spaniards would commit themselves on the question of an exact launch date or on the schedule of advertising events leading up to the launch.

At the end of the meeting, despite being impressed by Capo Promociones’ ideas, Matthews had second thoughts about his decision to place his business with them. These were his thoughts after the meeting:

It’s impolite to allow all these interruptions in a meeting. Why won’t they commit themselves to a firm launch date?

What underlying cultural differences do Paul Matthews’ thoughts illustrate?

Now read the comments in the summary.

Comments: Cross-cultural summary

Many people in Mediterranean cultures, such as Spain, have a different attitude to time than those in English-speaking countries and Northern Europe. In a polychronic culture, such as Spain, Italy or Greece, there is a high tolerance for many different things happening at once and so meetings may be interrupted by telephone calls and people dropping in with questions.

In contrast, people from a monochrome culture such as Britain, Germany or North America, dedicate blocks of time to a certain task or meeting and have a very low tolerance for interruptions and diversions within that block of time.

Differing attitudes to time in polychronic and monochronic cultures also underlie Paul Matthews’ worries about the launch date. In a monochronic culture, great emphasis is placed upon deadlines and schedules, and efforts are made to adhere to these. In a polychronic culture, attitudes to time are much more flexible, people live much more in the present and, where possible, avoid being tied down to specific dates in the future.

Time: Monochrome and Polychrome Time. There are many kinds of time systems in the world, but two are most important to international business. We call them monochrome and polychrome time. Monochrome time means paying attention to and doing only one thing at a time. Polychrome time means

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being involved with many things at once. Like oil and water, the two systems do not mix.

Monochrome time is scheduled and compartmentalized, making it possible for a person to concentrate on one thing at a time. In a monochrome system, the schedule may take priority above all else and be treated as sacred and unalterable.

Monochrome time dominates most business in the United States. While Americans perceive it as almost in the air they breathe, it is nevertheless a learned product of northern European culture and is therefore arbitrary and imposed. Other Western cultures – Switzerland, Germany, and Scandinavia in particular – are dominated by the iron hand of monochrome time as well. German and Swiss cultures represent classic examples of monochrome time. Still, monochrome time is not natural time; in fact, it seems to violate many of humanity’s innate rhythms.

In almost every respect, polychrome systems are the antithesis of monochrome systems. Polychrome time is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of many things and by a great involvement with people. There is more emphasis on completing human transactions than on holding to schedules. For example, two polychrome Latins conversing on a street corner would likely opt to be late for their next appointment rather than abruptly terminate the conversation before its natural conclusion. Polychrome time is experienced as much less tangible than monochrome time and can better be compared to a single point than to a road.

Pastand Future-Oriented Countries. It is always important to know which segments of the time frame are emphasized. Cultures in countries such as Iran, India, and those of the Far East are past-oriented. Others, such as that of the urban United States, are oriented to the present and short-term future; still others, such as those of Latin America, are both pastand present-oriented. In Germany, where historical background is very important, every talk, book, or article begins with background information giving an historical perspective. The Japanese and the French are also steeped in history, but because they are highcontext cultures, historical facts are alluded to obliquely. At present, there is no satisfactory explanation for why and how differences of this sort came about.

The Importance of Proper Timing. Choosing the correct timing of an important event is crucial. Certain times of the day, month, or year are reserved for certain activities (vacations, meal times, etc) and are not ordinarily interchangeable. In general in northern European cultures and in the United States, anything that occurs outside of business hours, very early in the morning, or late at night suggests an emergency. In France there are times when nothing is expected to happen, such as national holidays and during the month of August, when everything shuts down for vacations.

In the US the short business lunch is common and the business dinner rarer; this is not so in France, where the function of the business lunch and dinner is to create the proper atmosphere and get acquainted. Relaxing with

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business clients during lunch and after work is crucial to building the close rapport that is absolutely necessary if one is to do business.

Appointments. Since time is highly valued in both Germany and the United States, the messages of time carry more weight than they do in polychrome countries. Waiting time, for example, carries strong messages. In the US only those people with very high status can keep others waiting and get away with it. The waiting-room message is a double-edged sword. Not only does it communicate an attitude towards the visitor, but also it reveals a lot about the individual who has kept a visitor waiting. In monochrome cultures such as those in the US and Germany, keeping others waiting can be a deliberate putdown or a signal that the individual is very disorganized and can’t keep to a schedule. In polychrome cultures such as those of France or Hispanic countries, no such message is intended.

20. Write an Essay “How I Personally Manage My Time”.

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situation) towards a cleaner environment 2 able to decide sth quickly and with confidence decisive management ◊ The government must take decisive action on gun control - compare indecisive>decisively adv.

de′cisive step (=an important action) that will change confidence decisive management ◊ The government must take decisive action on gun-control – compare indecisive ◊ decisively adv.

decisiveness noun [U] = decision 2.

2. Compare the use of the verbs do and make.

The use of the verbs make and do often causes difficulties for learners of English. As a generalisation, we can say that make means to bring into existence (like making things in a production department) or to produce a result (e.g. make a profit, make changes), and do means to perform an action (e.g. to do an exercise, to do your homework):

3. Complete the following sentences with the correct form of either make or do, and one of the words or expressions from the boxes above. Translate them into Russian.

1.Janine, can you try to ____ me ____ with my dentist for this afternoon,

please?

2.Michael, can you ____ me ____? I need to borrow a car.

3.No, we don’t know what went wrong yet, but we’re ____ some ____ .

4.He said I wasn’t working hard enough and I’d really have to ____

an ____ .

5.I can’t tell you now, but we expect to ____ a ____ early next week.

6.We’re ____ much ____ than last year; we’re definitely ____ progress.

7.We spent three days ____ ____ to the warehouse roof after the storm last week.

8.We ____ a lot of ____ in Japan, and since the profit margin is high, we

____ lot of ____ .

9.I checked the figures last night and found that I’d ____ a lot of ____ .

10.It’s either one or the other. You’ll have to ____ a ____ .

4. Consider the following word combinations in italic with “work”.

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If you work or have work, you have a job. Work is also the place where you do your job. Here are some phrases with “work”:

I.– Hi, I’m Frank. I work in a bank in New York City. I leave for work at

7.30every morning. I go to work by train and subway. I get to/arrive at work at about nine. I’m usually at work till six. Luckily, I don’t get ill very much so I’m not often off work.

II.The economy is growing fast and more people are in work than ever before. The percentage of people out of work has fallen to its lowest level for 30 years.

Compare types of job and types of work.

A full-time job is for the whole of the normal working week; a part-time job is for less time than that.

You say that someone works full-time or part-time. A permanent job does not finish after a fixed period; a temporary job finishes after a fixed period. You talk about temporary work and permanent work.

Nature of work:

… (+noun)

e.g.

...human contact …long hours

…team work, etc.

My work involves…

… (+V-ing)

e.g.

… solving problems … travelling a lot

… dealing with customers, etc.

All these words are used in front of “job” and “work”:

–satisfying, stimulating, fascinating, exiting: the work is interesting and gives you positive feelings;

–dull, boring, uninteresting, unstimulating: the work is not interesting;

–repetitive, routine: the work involves doing the same things again and

again;

–tiring, tough, hard, demanding: the work is difficult and makes you

tired.

5. Complete the text with correct prepositions.

Rebecca lives in London and works in public relations. She leaves home

(1) _______ work at 7:30 a.m. She drives (2) _______ work. The traffic is often bad and she worries about getting (3) _______ work late, but she usually arrives

(4) _______ work at around nine. She finishes work quite late, at about eight. “Luckily, I’m never ill,” she says. “I could never take the time (5) _______

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work”. She loves what she does and is glad to be (6) _______ work. Some of her friends are not so lucky: they are (7) _______ work.

6. Five people talk about their jobs. Match the jobs (a–e) to the people (1–5) and put the words in brackets into the correct grammatical forms.

a)accountant; b) post-woman; c) flight attendant; d) software developer;

e)teacher

1.Obviously, my work involves _______ (travel) a lot. It can be quite physically _______ (tire), but I enjoy _______ (deal) with customers, except when they become violent. Luckily, this doesn’t happen often.

2.I like _______ (work) with figures, but my job is much less _______

(bore) and routine than people think. The work _______ (involve) a lot of human contact and teamwork, working with other managers.

3.Of course, it involves getting up quite early in the morning. But I like

_______ (be) out in the open air. And I get a lot of exercise!

4.You’ve got to think in a very logical way. The work can be mentally

_______ (tire), but it’s very satisfying to write a program that works.

5.I love my job. It’s very _______ (stimulate) and not at all _______

(repeat): no two days are the same. It’s good to see the children learn and develop.

LANGUAGE EXPANSION

7. Paraphrase the following statements using the words in brackets.

1.I’m Ann. I work in a public library in the afternoons from two until six. (I / job) – I have a part time job.

2.My brother works in an office from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (he / job) –

3.Our mother works in a bank from eight till five every day. (she / work) –

4.I’m Denis and I work in a cafe from 8 p.m. until midnight. (I / work) –

6.My sister works in local government and she can have this job for as

long as she wants it. (she / job) –

7.Our son is working on a farm for four weeks. (he / job) –

8.Our daughter is working in an office for three weeks. (she/work) –

8. Grammar Review: In the following sentences put the verbs in brackets into an appropriate tense.

1.If they got to know him better they (find) he’s not so bad after all.

2.You will see an improvement in your working relationships if you (follow) some basic rules.

3.If he (look) me in the eye when we talked, I’d have a much better idea of what he really thought.

4.If they’d both made more of an effort, they (get on) much better

together.

5.You spend a lot of your time talking to people if you (work) in an

office.

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