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Файл:Тhe base of english skills development. Учебное пособие
.pdf
Southern Hemisphere summer comes in winter, so their
academic year is divided in absolutely logical order. Yes, this
looks a little bit confusing.
All traditions are unique and sometimes even shocking.
But others may think the same about our traditions and
characteristic traits. The only thing we know for sure is that all
traditions are like habits and people in those countries can
hardly imagine their living without them. Of course, there are
much more interesting facts about education, and we will try to
collect all of them for you next time.
https://unplag.com/blog/amazing-facts-education/
Text 3
“Intercultural communication” has become one of the
“hottest” labels of our times, but more and more people are
becoming aware of the fact that “soft skills” are no substitute
for technical know-how, and that without that knowledge they
have little chance of succeeding in the global village. All
international business activity involves communication. Within
the international and global business environment, activities
such as exchanging information and ideas, decision making,
negotiating, motivating, and leading are all based on the ability
of managers from one culture to communicate successfully
with managers and employees from other cultures.
Communication does not necessarily result in understanding.
Cross-cultural communication continually involves
misunderstanding caused by misperception, misinterpretation,
and misevaluation. When the sender of a message comes from
one culture and the receiver from another, the chances of
accurately transmitting a message are low. Foreigners see,
interpret, and evaluate things differently, and consequently act
upon them differently. In approaching cross-cultural situations,
one should therefore assume difference until similarity is
proven. It is also important to recognise that all behavior makes
171
sense through the eyes of the person behaving and that logic
and rationale are culturally relative. In cross-cultural situations,
labeling behavior as odd usually reflects culturally based
misperception, misinterpretation, and misevaluation; rarely
does it reflect intentional malice or pathologically motivated
behavior. Unwritten rules reflect a culture's interpretation of its
surroundings.
Text 4
Cultural Differences
Is the sun red or yellow? Should you crack a joke in a
business presentation? Are such questions important? Is it only
language you need to learn?
International business people often invest time and
money in improving their knowledge of foreign languages in
order to be able to communicate with colleagues from around
the world. Language, of course, is vital, but it is only half the
problem.
There are hidden rules for playing the game of doing
business with people of other cultures. It is all to easy to "put
your foot in it" by making mistakes which can upset your
foreign counterparts.
An American, greeting a mid-European businessman by
saying "Hi Dieter, great to meet you!" may not be favorably
regarded in a country where more formal modes of address are
usual.
In the West, business cards are given a cursory glance
and pocketed. In Japan, they are highly regarded, looked at
closely and left on the table during a business meeting.
In Britain, most business presentations would include a
joke. In many other countries, this would be unheard of. Will
you cause offence if you refuse to eat something generally
regarded as inedible in your country? Your counterpart may be
watching your reaction when he offers you this local delicacy.
172
Small talk and relationship building are considered
highly important in some parts of the world; talking about the
weather, the wine and the local area come before business. In
other places, people get down to business immediately. It is
important to know the way things are usually dealt with in your
host country. Problems arise because we see things differently.
It helps to be aware of how other nationalities perceive certain
things.
The Japanese see the sun as red. It is an important
national symbol which appears on their flag. When Japanese
children paint pictures, they paint a red sun. European and
American children paint the sun yellow. When children travel
and see the sun painted in a different colour, they are surprised
and find it very strange.
Adults find these differences harder to accept. Both
sides may feel uneasy because they are unsure of the rules of
the game in the opposite culture.
It is, however, very dangerous to have stereotyped
views of what the other culture is like. Such views are often
narrow and can cause criticism and intolerance. "A little
knowledge is a dangerous thing" and can encourage you to
make predictions about what will happen in your business
transactions. If your ideas are too narrow, you may be surprised
at all the people you meet who do not fit into your pattern and
who behave differently from the way you predicted they
would.
Our ideas then, have to be flexible and constructed from
thorough research and observation. We should also recognise
that it is not only people's national background that influences
their behaviour and personality, but also their particular
regional background, their personal background and their
company culture.
Гришаева, Е. Б. Английский язык: межкультурная
коммуникация. Версия 1.0 [Электронный ресурс]
173
Text 5
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations describes the various methods a
company uses to disseminate messages about its products,
services, or overall image to its customers, employees,
stockholders, suppliers, or other interested members of the
community. The point of public relations is to make the public
think favorably about the company and its offerings.
Commonly used tools of public relations include news releases,
press conferences, speaking engagements, and community
service programs.
Although advertising is closely related to public
relations—as it too is concerned with promoting and gaining
public acceptance for the company's products—the goal of
advertising is generating sales, while the goal of public
relations is generating good will. The effect of good public
relations is to lessen the gap between how an organization sees
itself and how others outside the organization perceive it.
Public relations involves two-way communication
between an organization and its public. It requires listening to
the constituencies on which an organization depends as well as
analyzing and understanding the attitudes and behaviors of
those audiences. Only then can an organization undertake an
effective public relations campaign.
Many small business owners elect to handle the public
relations activities for their own companies, while others
choose to hire a public relations specialist. Managers of
somewhat larger firms, on the other hand, frequently contract
with external public relations or advertising agencies to
enhance their corporate image. But whatever option is chosen,
the head of a company is ultimately responsible for its public
relations.
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Text 6
GOALS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
Some of the main goals of public relations are to create,
maintain, and protect the organization's reputation, enhance its
prestige, and present a favorable image. Studies have shown
that consumers often base their purchase decisions on a
company's reputation, so public relations can have a definite
impact on sales and revenue. Public relations can be an
effective part of a company's overall marketing strategy. In the
case of a for-profit company, public relations and marketing
should be coordinated to be sure they are working to achieve
the same objectives.
Another major public relations goal is to create good
will for the organization. This involves such functions as
employee relations, stockholder and investor relations, media
relations, and community relations. Public relations may
function to educate certain audiences about many things
relevant to the organization—including the business in general,
new legislation, and how to use a particular product—as well
as to overcome misconceptions and prejudices. For example, a
nonprofit organization may attempt to educate the public
regarding a certain point of view, while trade associations may
undertake educational programs regarding particular industries
and their products and practices.
Text 7
PRODUCT PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public relations and marketing work together closely
when it comes to promoting a new or existing product or
service. Public relations plays an important role in new product
introductions by creating awareness, differentiating the product
from other similar products, and even changing consumer
behavior. Public relations can help introduce new products
175
through staging a variety of special events and handling
sensitive situations. For example, when the Prince Matchabelli
division of Chesebrough-Pond's USA introduced a new men's
cologne, there were twenty-one other men's fragrances being
introduced that year. To differentiate its new offering, called
Hero, Prince Matchabelli created a National Hero Awards
Program honoring authentic male heroes and enlisted the
participation of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America to lend
credibility to the program. Similarly, when Coleco introduced
its Cabbage Patch Kids dolls, public relations helped increase
awareness through licensed tie-in products, trade show
exhibits, press parties, and even window displays in Cartier
jewelry stores.
Public relations is often called on to give existing
products and services a boost by creating or
renewing visibility. For example, the California Raisins
Advisory Board organized a national tour featuring live
performances by the California Dancing Raisins to maintain
interest in raisins during a summer-long advertising hiatus. The
tour generated national and local publicity through media
events, advance publicity, trade promotions, and media
interviews with performer Ray Charles. Other public relations
programs for existing products involve stimulating secondary
demand—as when Campbell Soup Co. increased overall
demand for soup by publishing a recipe booklet—or
identifying new uses for the product. Public relations can
interest the media in familiar products and services in a number
of ways, including holding seminars for journalists, staging a
special media day, and supplying the media with printed
materials ranging from "backgrounders" (in-depth news
releases) to booklets and brochures. Changes in existing
products offer additional public relations opportunities to focus
consumers' attention. An effective public relations campaign
176
can help to properly position a product and overcome negative
perceptions on the part of the general public.
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Op-
Qu/Public-Relations.html
Text 8
Relationship Between PR and Marketing
Marketing is the activity of getting a product or service
ready for the market. This means it must meet real consumer
needs, there must be a demand for it and there must be a
market for it; if the product doesn’t meet these criteria, the
marketing department must change it until it does. Depending
on the type of company, its experience on the market and its
budget, the marketing department may already exists and be
involved in the product development process, or it may be
created later on and handed the product as it has been thought
of by developers.
Marketing tasks can sometimes be difficult, especially
when dealing with past communication problems with
consumers or when the product does not meet any consumer
needs. This means creating a market is only possible by
completely repositioning it and targeting different consumer
segments.
Public relations are in charge of keeping a two-way
relationship between clients and producers. This department’s
activity must cover everything under the broad definition of
keeping a good image for the public. This can mean answering
clients and solving problems and past dissatisfaction with the
producing company. The tone and the message conveyed by a
company are decided in this department.
PR manages the reputation of a product and the
company’s relationship with the press, and they must often get
public attention without necessarily paying for everything.
Enough well-constructed events and some well-written press
177
releases can get a company the coverage it needs without
having to buy media space.
Marketing vs Public Relations
So what is the difference between marketing and public
relations?
In the big economic order of things, marketing is the
department that establishes the entire business strategy in
matters of product, market and consumers. Public relations are
in charge of dealing with the consumer segment and managing
the reputation of the brand.
Marketing can set a communication goal, and PR must
reach it. They have their own strategies and tactics. Also,
marketing usually needs very quantifiable results for its
processes, whereas PR strategies can work, fail or have results
after a very long run.
In matters of timing, marketing is short-lived. It is
involved in the beginning with making strategies. PR is a
constant and long-term endeavor by comparison.
http://theydiffer.com/difference-between-marketing-
and-public-relations/
Text 9
The Evolution of Public Relations in Russia
by Marina Maslovskaya
The public relations sector in Russia is relatively young
and significantly differs from PR in Europe and the US. It
came into existence in the turmoil of the early 1990s and had to
develop during a period of smear campaigns, when politicians
and corporations used PR instruments to discredit their rivals.
The people’s trust in public relations was undermined in
the very beginning by such campaigns: “PR specialist”
virtually became a swear word as well as a synonym to “liar.”
However, the relative stability that was established in the early
178
2000s triggered further development of the public relations
sector in a more positive direction.
Universities opened PR departments that trained highly
qualified specialists, and public relations management became
a respectable profession. By that time, PR agencies gained
enough experience to develop a PR ethics code. Now, the
public relations sector in Russia has finally been established,
and a strong professional community has been formed.
The average annual growth of this market segment is
approximately 30%, mostly due to new PR products that are
being introduced to the market. Several years ago, public
relations in Russia mostly implied working with the mass
media, holding press conferences and corporate events, while
today it involves creation of well-thought communication
strategies, reputation research, social media marketing and
other up-to-date techniques.
However, there are some problems in Russian PR
market. One of them is that many companies confuse PR with
advertising, and their marketing department employees also
perform the functions of public relations managers. Moreover,
such employees often have to achieve marketing objectives set
forth by company management, and nobody cares whether
such goals are what the company actually needs.
In this situation, it is virtually impossible to work out
and consistently implement a good public relations strategy.
Consequently, such companies can lose valuable market
opportunities.
A good number of businesses still prefer to use the
services of specialized PR agencies, but the mentality of
Russian customers complicates cooperation: they expect an
overnight miracle and quickly become disappointed. Their
motto is: “We want it to be done yesterday, perfectly and
inexpensively!”
179
Our customers often want to have everything at once.
Very few of them understand that their goal cannot be achieved
in a week. Most people think that PR means publications in top
publications, high brand awareness and increased sales; in fact,
implementation of a public relations strategy is a slower
process and takes at least half a year.
If a company is developing dynamically, and if it takes
part in various field-specific events, releases new products,
tries to be closer to the target audience and actively informs the
public about it, such a company is on the right track. With the
help of a competent PR specialist, it will achieve the desired
results: a good reputation, loyal customers, and higher profit.
To sum up, the public relations sector in Russia has
significant potential for further development. The analysis of
its peculiarities has shown that foreign PR companies can enter
the Russian market and successfully compete with Russian
agencies, if their high prices are justified by the rational
approach, reliability and efficiency.
Text 10
A Brief History of Banks
By Tim Lambert
The Beginning of Banks
The idea of banks began as long ago as 1,800 BC in
Babylon. In those days moneylenders made loans to people.
In Greece and Rome banks made loans and accepted deposits.
They also changed money. (In the Bible Jesus famously drove
the money changers out of the temple in Jerusalem).
However with the collapse of the Roman Empire trade
slumped and banks temporarily vanished. However banking
began to revive again in the 12th and 13th centuries in the
Italian towns of Florence and Genoa.
In the 16th century a German family called the
Fuggers from Augsburg became very important bankers.
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