Text III: Management

Management is the art and science of making appropriate choices. To one degree or another we are all involved in management and are constantly making decision concerning how to spend or use our resources.

Management plays a vital role in any business or organized activity. Management is composed of a team of managers who are in charge of the organization at all levels. Their duties include making sure company objectives are met and seeing that the business operates efficiently. Regardless of the specific job, most managers perform four basic functions. They are planning, organizing, directing and overall controlling.

Planning involves determining how these goals can best be achieved. Managers evaluate alternative plans before choosing a specific course of action and then check to see that the chosen plan fits into the objectives established at higher organizational levels. Planning is listed as the first management function because the others depend on it.

However, even as managers move on to perform other managerial functions, planning continues as goals and alternatives are further evaluated and revised.

Organizing, the second management function, is the process of putting the plan into action. This involves allocating resources, especially human resources, so that the overall objectives can be attained. In this phase managers decide on the positions to be created and determine the associated duties and responsibilities. Staffing, choosing the right person for the job, may also be as part of the organizing function.

Third is the day-to-day direction and supervision of employees. In directing, managers guide, teach, and motivate workers so that they reach their potential abilities and at the same time achieve the company goals that were established in the planning process. Effective direction, or supervision by managers requires daily communication with employees.

In the last management function, controlling, managers evaluate how well company goals are being met. In order to complete this evaluation, managers must look at the objectives established in the planning phase and at how well the tasks assigned in the directing phase are being completed. If major problems exist and goals are not being achieved, then changes need to be made in the company’s organizational or managerial structure. In making changes managers might have to go back and replan, reorganize, and redirect.

In order to adequately and efficiently perform these management functions, managers need interpersonal, and technical skills. Although all four functions are managerial duties, the importance of each may vary depending on the situation. Effective managers meet the objectives of the company through a successful combination of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling.

1. Active Vocabulary

Nouns and Noun Phrases

course – направление; ход; линия поведения

degree – степень

to one ~ or another – в той или иной степени

duty – (служебная) обязанность

employee – служащий

evaluation – оценка, определение

goal – цель, задача

objective – цель

skill – умение, сноровка

staff – служащий персонал

supervision – надзор, наблюдение

team – команда, бригада

Verbs and Verbal Phrases

achieve – достигать

be composed of – состоять из

be in charge of – быть ответственным за что-либо

check – проверять

complete – заканчивать, завершать

depend (on) – зависеть от чего-либо

determine – определять, устанавливать

establish – устанавливать, основывать

fit (into) – годиться, подходить

guide – руководить

involve – включать в себя, вовлекать

list – вносить в список

perform – выполнять

reach – достигать

revise – исправлять, пересматривать

vary – изменяться, разнообразить

Adjectives and Adverbs

appropriate – подходящий, соответствующий

constantly – постоянно

day-to-day – ежедневный

efficient – квалифицированный, эффективный

interpersonal – межличностный

major – основной, главный

overall – общий

vital – жизненно важный

Conjunctions

concerning – относительно, в отношении

however – однако

in order to – чтобы

regardless of – невзирая на что-либо

2. Passive Vocabulary

allocate – распределять

assign – определять, назначать

attain – достигать

Class Vocabulary Exercises

1. Repeat and translate into Russian

1. the following words with the stress on the first syllable:

manager, business, duty, company, vary, management, level, process, adequately, technical, overall, allocate, vital

2. the following words with the stress on the second syllable:

objective, activity, compose, determine, efficiently, controlling, require, directing, regardless, successful, assign, resource, attain, evaluate, associate, effective, alternative, importance, especially, establish

3. the following words with two or more stresses:

managerial, evaluation, responsibility, employee, organizational, interpersonal, communication, suppression

II. Repeat and translate into Russian the following sentences

1. Often a team of managers rather than an individual works on a

particular project.

2. Most managers perform four basic functions.

3. Managers evaluate plans before choosing a specific course of action.

4. The chosen plan is to fit into the company objectives.

5. Organizing is the process of putting the plan into action.

6. Staffing is considered a managerial duty.

7. One of the roles of a supervisor is to direct workers in order to maximize their skills and increase their efficiency.

8. Managers should determine duties and responsibilities of their employees.

lll. Form and translate into Russian

1. nouns of the following verbs using suffixes –ion, -ee, -ment, -er, -ation

manage, establish, organize, employ, achieve, evaluate, supervise, combine, associate

2. verbs of the following nouns

performance, combination, evaluation, redirection, employer, establishment, communication, guidance, achievement