Практический курс английского языка = Practical Course of English for Students of Economics. Учебное пособие для студентов экономических специальносте

3. Her personality—how well she projects the type of person she is, in her behavior and expression of attitudes and feelings toward others.

A woman who wants to get ahead in business has to look smart if she doesn’t look like a manager, she’s never going to become a manager. She also has to learn the language of business, by reading business magazines. She should get some knowledge of the management function so she can communicate with her boss and with others in the managerial ranks.

Q.What fields do you see as offering special promise for women?

A.The whole computer field is an exciting one, because it is still a relatively nontraditional area for women. Sales jobs can be marvelous for women. I was surprised to learn recently that many women are doing well selling industrial equipment. Accounting and other financial services arc a promising area, since they require skills that are easily transferable from one industry to another,

Q.What about the young woman high school or college graduate who doesn’t really want a career or even a job— she just wants to marry and raise a family. Is that bad?

A.I’d say it’s bad in the sense that she needs to develop skills that will enable her to go out and earn a living if she has to. Her husband may leave her, divorce her, die of a heart attack, or become handicapped so that he can’t work. She no longer can take it for granted that she’s going to be cared for all her life.

15. A. Complete the table, then mark the stress.

B. Complete the following sentences using one of the words from the table.

1. It was a great … to win the company’s prize for excellence. 2. This is a really difficult job at times. I’d like a bit of … from my boss occasionally. 3. I hate having meetings with Alan. He’s always aggressive and… . 4. I don’t like working on my own, I need other people to … with. 5. It’s impossible … to events, but you can influence them.

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16. In each set of words, cross out the word that does not have a similar meaning to the first. Compare your answers with another student. Discuss why the words are similar.

17.* Render the following sentences into English.

1. Формирование среднего класса как условия стабилизации общества, невозможно представить без участия женщин. 2. Женщины чаще появляются в рекламных роликах в образах экономных домохозяек, в сюжетах о безработице, социальной незащищенности, бедности. 3. Все чаще повторяемый призыв вернуть женщин к домашнему очагу и «природному предназначению» можно считать началом постсоветского домостроя, следствием определенной гендерной метаполитики. 4. Предвзятое отношение к сильным, деловым женщинам сохранилось и сегодня. 5. Сама аcсиметрия привилегий, оправдывающая и даже культивирующая “мужской” эгоизм и осуждающая “женский”, еще раз подтверждает тот факт, что слабое развитие женского предпринимательства обусловлено не столько экономическими, сколько “гендерно-по- литическими” причинами – принципом распределения власти в обществе. 6. Достижения женщины во многом обусловлены ее настроенностью на успех. 7. Человеческие отношения не подвластны законам жесткой бинарной логики, однако их можно корректировать и развивать, и в этом отношении женщина эффективно реализует культивируемые воспитанием навыки общения и обаяния, нередко добиваясь результатов более высоких, чем мужчина.

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18.* Render the following passage in English (10–15 sentences) using active vocabulary.

Феминизм наступает

Сегодня специалисты пришли к мнению, что в будущем бизнес должен стать менее иерархичным, более гибким и подвижным. Согласно последним исследованиям, лучший менеджер новой генерации умеет хорошо слушать, мотивировать и поддерживать своих работников. Высококлассные менеджеры – основа успеха любой фирмы. И важно выявить те особые черты руководителей женского бизнеса и вторых лиц российских и совместных фирм, которые способствуют достижению успеха. В условиях избытка квалифицированной рабочей силы на рынке труда именно женщине труднее найти работу, тем более ей трудно стать предпринимателем или управляющим фирмы, когда безопасность и финансовое регулирование предприятий обеспечиваются с помощью криминальных структур. Несмотря на это женский менеджмент активно набирает силу не только в торговле, сфере услуг и финансов, которые в России традиционно считались женскими отраслями, но и в таких типично мужских секторах, как машиностроение, строительство, связь и др. В этом случае они, как правило, занимают вторые позиции в фирме, принимая на себя всю тяжесть управления внутренней жизнью организации.

Женское предпринимательство в России многообразно по форме и способам бизнеса. По оценкам специалистов Института социологии РАН, женщины-менеджеры возглавляют или входят

всостав руководства примерно 20 процентов бизнес-организаций. По этому показателю Россия несколько отстаёт от индустриальных стран, где доля женщин, занимающих административные и менеджерские позиции, составляет 28 процентов, хотя опережает Южную и Восточную Азию (соответственно 3 и 1 процент), Латинскую Америку и Африку (8 и 10 процентов). По результатам обследования социальных процессов в малом предпринимательстве, репрезентативном для России, среди руководителей предприятий только 18 процентов женщин, причем половина из них заняты в торговле и общественном питании, 1/4 – в промышленности и строительстве. Среди руководителей женщины составляют 54 процентов только в сфере жилищно-коммунального хозяйства и бытового обслуживания населения, 30 процентов –

вздравоохранении, физической культуре и социальном обеспечении, очень мало женщин-руководителей в таких отраслях, как транспорт (5 процентов), строительство (7 процентов) и наука

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(11 процентов). Однако в российском бизнесе есть и исключения. Так, из девяти членов правления «Интерроса» – пять женщин: административный директор, финансовый директор, его заместитель, директор по корпоративным связям и директор по корпоративному управлению.

;Speaking

1.How does the position of women in the US/UK compare with the position of women in your country?

2.How do you feel about opportunities for women?

3.Make mini-presentations on one of the following topics. Feel free

to state your personal opinion.

• The role of women in management.

• Managerial prospects for women.

• The employment of women – past, present and future.

4.How does Sweden’s progress towards women’s equality compare with that in your own country?

5.Are there certain jobs which are inappropriate for women to do? If so, which are they?

6.When advertising a job vacancy, employers should be allowed by law to state their preference regarding the sex and age of applicants. To what extent do you agree with this view?

7.‘For many women, the ideas of feminists are profoundly disturbing and even positively harmful.’

8.When advertising a job vacancy, employers should be allowed by law to state their preference regarding the sex and age of applicants. To what extent do you agree with this view?

9.Imagine that in the group with which you are now studying, there are probably people from several countries. In these countries, what changes in company attitudes towards women are taking place?

10.Should it be a legal obligation for each company to reserve one seat on its board for a woman so that the interests of the female employees in the company would be safeguarded?

11.What is the style of male and female managers in companies in your country?

12.Do you think there is a difference in style between men and women or is any difference usually because of personality?

13.Do you know any men who have a ‘female’ style of working? or women who have a ‘male’ style of working?

14.Do you find it easier to work with men or women? Why?

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; Writing

Express your opinion on the following (150–200 words)

a)The sad truth is that women are still by no means equal in the job market – they may well, in fact, be losing ground.

b)Women, as well as men, have compelling economic reasons for working.

c)A reordering of the economy to provide full and equal employment for women – and for men – will benefit society.

d)For hundreds and thousands of women full employment is not a slogan. It’s a passport to dignity and hope.

e)Women have come a country mile, no doubt about it, since the days when the job world was an all-male preserve.

f)The earnings gap between men and women has actually narrowed over the past few years.

g)Women are still concentrated in the traditional fields of clerical and service work.

h)Women need and deserve well-paying and meaningful jobs.

i)Greater availability of day-care centers (nurseries) help women with young children to perform successfully in their jobs.

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PART II

Unit I

M A N A G E M E N T

;Lead-in

1.What does the term “management” mean? Give some words or ideas as they come into your mind.

2.Which of the following qualities, in your opinion, are the most important to make a good manager? a) being decisive; b) being efficient; c) being able to communicate with people; d) being able to inspire and lead people; e) being authoritative; f) being competent; g) having good ideas. Are there any other qualities that you think should be added to this list?

3.Which of these qualities can be acquired? Which ones are in-born?

4.In your opinion, what type of managers is better: a) “strong”, who motivates by putting pressure on his executives; b) “friendly”, who motivates his executives being in warm relationship with his subordinates; c) some other type.

;Reading

Text 1

Read the following text, find the key words, use them while answering the question put in its title.

Is Management a Science or an Art?

Science has a body of theory, operational definitions, systematic data collection, and objective analysis. Scientists attempt to leave a clear record of their progress and methodology so that others can “climb on their shoulders” to probe still farther into the unknown. Art, on the other hand, is more subjective than science: artists rely more on impulse, intuition than do scientists.

The question here is, does the practice of management demand the objective rationality of the scientist or the subjective feelings of the artist?

Management as a science. There are those who firmly believe that management is a science. In fact, the word science has been in the management vocabulary for a long time. Briefly, scientific management was an early twentieth-century school of management thought based in part

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on systematic time and motion studies. Early proponents of scientific management boasted that their approach replaced subjectivity, intuition, and seat-of-the-pants management with objectivity and scientific methodology. In defense of the scientific position, one writer said, “Management is already a field of knowledge, and is becoming a science because the interrelationships involved are being explained systematically and the emerging theories are being tested and improved by logic and the facts of life.”

Management as an art. Those who practise management on a daily basis often claim that management is an art. Advocates of this position contend that good management is based on common sense and intuitive “gut” feelings. One manager argued: Without that clear vision that underlies all good art, the manager’s components are merely isolated bits and pieces. As with the other arts, there are no objective criteria by which the manager can judge whether one arrangement is superior to another. The criteria he uses to select a configuration are subjective.

A compromise view. Both sides present convincing arguments. Managers can learn from both scientists and artists. A continuum with pure art on one end and pure science on the other end helps underscore the value of a compromise. In regard to the day-to-day practice of management, each extreme has its shortcomings. Visionaries may lose touch with practical considerations while pursuing ideals; technicians may become so preoccupied with detail and methodology that they fail to put things in the proper perspective. Recognizing that the practice of management is both an art and a science, the successful manager strikes a workable balance by relying on subjective feelings or on objective scientific techniques and data as the situation warrants. For example, all the management science techniques available today may prove useless in the face of a personality conflict. In contrast, guesswork is no match for statistical quality control techniques. Only through experience can effective managers learn when to use scientific objectivity and when to rely on their judgement or intuition.

Text 2

Read the following text and be ready to discuss each managerial function.

Managerial Functions

For more than half a century, the functional view has been the most popular approach to describing what managers do. It has been popular because it characterizes the management process as a sequence of rational steps. Henry Fayol, a French industrialist turned writer, became the father of the functional approach in 1916 when he identified five

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managerial functions: planning, organizing, command, coordination, and control. Fayol claimed that these five functions were the common denominators of all managerial jobs, whatever was the purpose of the organization. Over the years Fayol’s original list of managerial functions has been updated and expanded by management scholars. Here is a brief overview of eight managerial functions which describe what managers do.

•Planning. Commonly referred to as the primary management function, planning is the formulation of future courses of action. Plans and the objectives on which they are based give purpose and direction to the organization, its subunits, and contributing individuals.

•Decision making. Managers choose among alternative courses of action when they make decisions. Making the correct decision in today’s complex world is a major management challenge.

•Organizing. Structural considerations such as the chain of command, division of labor, and assignment of responsibility are part of the organizing function. Careful organizing helps ensure the efficient use of human resources.

•Staffing. Organizations are only as good as the people in them. Staffing is recruiting, training, and developing people who can contribute to the organized effort.

•Communicating. Today’s managers are responsible for communicating to their employees the technical knowledge, instructions, rules and information required to get the job done. Recognizing that communication is a two-way process, managers should be responsive to feedback and upward communication.

•Motivating. An important aspect of management today is motivating individuals to pursue collective objectives by satisfying needs and meeting expectations with meaningful work and valued rewards.

•Leading. Managers become inspiring leaders by serving as role models and adapting their management style to the demands of the situation.

•Controlling. When managers compare desired results and take the necessary corrective action, they are keeping things on track through the control function. Deviations from past plans should be considered when formulating new plans.

Text 3

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow it.

Frederick W. Taylor: Scientific Management

Present writers generally credit Frederick W. Taylor with first focusing attention on an analysis of the tasks and responsibilities of the firstline supervisor within the organization. Beginning with his employment

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in Midvale Steel Works in 1878, Taylor placed new emphasis on the job of the manager. It was his idea that the planning and performance of the task should be separated, the operator being held responsible for performance, while management assumed the responsibility for planning.

The task of planning as conceived by Taylor involved several key points. First, Taylor believed it necessary for management to investigate thoroughly all of the variables and components involved in the performance of each task. Second, as a result of this investigation, management would be able to select the single most effective method to be used in the performance of a given task. Third, in Taylor’s opinion the responsibility of management did not end with the development of a standard method for each job; in addition, it was now necessary for the manager to select workers who were both mentally and physically capable of performing each specific task within the factory. Finally, the integration of capable men and most effective method was undertaken by management through the proper training of the workers in the method to be utilized.

As a result of the manager’s planning and training activities, Taylor believed it would now be possible for management to achieve lower labor costs as well as increased productivity. This would be possible because the value of the worker’s output increased at a faster rate than his piece work wages. In Taylor’s opinion, the ability to pay these increased wages would serve to spur worker efforts to increase output to an even greater level and bring about still lowers costs and increased productivity. It seems that Taylor’s philosophy of motivation was rooted in the concept of the “economic man”, and it was therefore mainly through economic incentives that management could appeal to the workers to achieve greater levels of productivity.

Perhaps the most important contribution of Taylor, however, was in bringing a specific definition and function to the discipline of management. Based upon the work of Taylor and of other writers of the scientific management school, there began to evolve a set of responsibilities and functions specifically associated with the practice of management. The principles of scientific management may be summarized as follows:

1.Management is a separate and distinct activity.

2.First-line supervision is basic.

3.Management function include: examining variables involved in the task; developing the most effective methods; selecting workers according to the psychological and physiological requirements of the job; training workers in the most effective methods.

4.Productivity increases mean higher wages for the worker.

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1.What do present writers credit F.W. Taylor with ?

2.What are the main principles of scientific management?

3.What are the key points the task of planning involves as conceived by F.W. Taylor?

4.How did scientific management change industrial management?

5.Comment on the concept of the “economic man”.

6.Speak for or against F.W. Taylor’s principles.

Text 4

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow it.

Management by Objectives

Management by objectives (MBO) is a comprehensive management system based on measurable and participatively set objectives. MBO has come a long way since it was first suggested by Peter Drucker in 1954 as a way of promoting managerial self-control. In one form or another, and under various labels, MBO has been adopted by many organizations around the world. In fact, it is difficult to find a public or private organization of any significant size that has not tried some variations of the MBO theme.

The common denominator that has made MBO programs so popular in both management theory and practice is the emphasis on objectives that are both measurable and participatively set. Unfortunately, as pointed out by a management consultant, a gap exists between MBO theory and practice: “ Today, MBO is being used as an exploitive, manipulative management control mechanism as often as liberating, humanistic philosophy of management. It seems to be venerated more by its abuse than for its proper use”. Whether properly or improperly applied, MBO is by far the most widely used planning aid.

Originally characterized as a relatively simple performance appraisal technique, MBO evolved into a more complex planning and control tool and eventually into a comprehensive management system. According to one recognized expert on MBO: Within the past few years MBO has emerged as a system designed to integrate key management processes and activities in a logical and consistent manner. These include the development of overall organizational goals and strategic plans, problem solving and decision making, performance appraisal, executive compensation, manpower planning, and management planning and training.

Proponents claim that when MBO is applied as a comprehensive management system, it becomes an integral part of the manager’s job.

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