Английский язык 3,5 года / Английский язык / Лариса Анато / 48

Раздел IV

Вариант 2

Managing the Future

What does it mean "managing the future"? It means paying attention to the past, to the present, and to past and current patterns of change in the world around you. In managing the future, understanding and initiating action are top priorities. Constant innovation and improvement are valuable action steps. Relying solely on the past is neither possible nor good business. Using a past orientation results in missing opportunities and not keeping up with changes in today's emphasis on the customer. The past-oriented manager wants to attract and retain customers, but fociises on other parts of the business: the accounting system, tax laws, the source and flow of available raw materials.

One future-oriented company that respects and has learned from the past and appreciates its founder is McDonald's. This fast-food firm knows that the past can't be repeated. This firm is in constant search of innovations to remain competitive, to build on its past reputation, and to improve its position in holding off more and more competitors. McDonald's innovations include the Big Mac, the Egg McMuffin, etc.

McDonald's keeps innovating and improving and learns from the past because it can't afford to be lazy and nonresponsive. The competition is too fierce and

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Контрольные задания

opportunistic. The firm responds to its changing external and internal environment with new products, environmentally friendly waste products, improved service and better ways of doing business.

Whether McDonald's Corporation founder Ray Kroc ever studied or considered the historical roots of management isn't known. However, by reviewing Kroc's style and strategies, we get the impression that he used the past as a way of learning how to manage his and McDonald's future.

Kroc was an innovator who favored taking action to stay ahead of the competition. The firm's history clearly shows that his insistence on quality has become a part of McDonald's internal cultural fabric.

Ответьте на вопросы:

1. What are top priorities in managing the future?

2. What is the difference between a past-oriented company and a future-oriented company?

3. Why is McDonald's a success?

4. Who was McDonald's Corporation founded by?

5. What has become a part of McDonald's internal cultural fabric?

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