Английский

For example, many employers are reluctant to o er a job to a woman of child-bearing age. Their explanation is that she will probably soon take maternity leave. In such cases, candidates can take legal action against employers suspected of discrimination. But not every lawyer can prove that their client is right, and candidates may fear gaining a reputation as a confrontational worker. It takes a lot of nerve and demands strength of mind. Recruitment agencies advise candidates to spend their time and e ort looking for a di erent job with a suitable corporate culture.

The shortage of qualified personnel, however, is forcing employers to broaden the age requirements of candidates.

“Some consulting companies make it their practice to take on recent graduates of higher educational institutions who have no work experience. These former students are easily taught and do not have the disadvantage of having been trained to another company's corporate standards”, said the managing director of Inter Comp St. Petersburg.

“Of course, only companies with a developed system of teaching and training and with a well-established corporate culture can a ord to do so. Other employers have to take on ready talents whatever their age”, she said.

In addition, the population crisis is leading to a shortage of young employees and pushing up the average age of potential workers. In Europe, employees in their fifties and sixties are valued no less than their younger counterparts. Experience has shown that companies that are able to overcome all age stereotypes and use opportunities to transfer experience to the younger generations will only gain from doing so.

But most long-term job hunters are still either young people with no experience or skilled people in their forties.

The task facing employers interested in creating e ective teams is to organize production in such a way that experience and young enthusiasm work together for the same goal.

Words to be memorized:

To seek — искать

Generation — поколение

Balance –равновесие

Employer — работодатель

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MODULE III

WORLD ECONOMICS. CUSTOMS ROLE

Text 1

Integration and Competitiveness

Recent research by the World Bank and others shows that participation in world trade tends to boost growth, and that countries that have integrated rapidly into the world economy also tended to record the highest growth rates. Rapidly integrating countries experienced annual GDP growth three percentage points higher than slow integrators. Integration refers to trade integration as well as openness to foreign direct investment (World Bank 1996).

This outcome should not come as a surprise. Integration brings with it exposure to new technologies, designs, and products. It also enhances competition. With world trade growth expanding more than twice as rapidly as growth of world gross domestic product (GDP) over the past decade, the potential rewards from participating in world trade are evident. Such participation is predicated on the availability of good quality products o ered at competitive prices. In this regard, a trade regime that tenders low protection to domestic producers contributes to the enhancement of an economy’s competitiveness because it forces domestic producers to align their costs with those in the rest of the world. Nevertheless, an open trade regime will only foster competitiveness when other accompanying policies are in place.

Over the past 20 years, average tari s have been cut by half in developing countries and nontari import barriers have been sharply reduced (World Bank 1996). Yet, for many developing countries, this has not necessarily led to substantial trade integration. Worse still, the poorest countries in the world, particularly those of SubSaharan Africa, lost market share during the 1990s. Such events were in part brought about by the failure of developing countries to produce the types of goods that would generate the most rapid export growth. Another impediment was the maintenance by other countries of a range of import barriers to products that Sub-Saharan

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African countries produce, including agricultural and textile goods. Import barriers include export subsidies, high tari s, and stringent rules of origin. A poorly functioning trade logistics environment, as well as the combination of factors that make up the transaction costs — the cost of clearing customs, transport costs, non-customs trade documentation requirements, and unenforceability of legal trade documents (World Bank 2003) — also contributed to the failure of many developing countries to integrate successfully into the world economy.

Words to be memorized:

To tend to — обслуживать, предлагать, подавать заявку (на коммерческий конкурс)

To boost –поддерживать, поднимать, повышать Outcome — итог, последствие, результат

Exposure — подвергание какому-то воздействию, контакт To tender — предлагать, предоставлять, оплачивать

To enhance — enhancement — увеличивать, усиливать, улучшать; повышение, прирост, улучшение

To predicate — утверждать, заявлять Domestic — внутренний, отечественный

To contribute — contribution — способствовать, содействовать; пожертвование, взнос, вклад

To align — выравнивать, равняться на, поддерживать To foster — поощрять, побуждать, стимулировать

To accompany — сопровождать, сопутствовать Average — средний, обычный

To reduce — reduction — понижать, сокращать, уменьшать; уменьшение, сокращение

To bring about — вызывать

Impediment — помеха, преграда, препятствие

To maintain — maintenance — поддерживать, сохранять, защищать; сохранение, поддержка

Stringent — строгий, обязательный, точный Origin — происхождение, источник

Transaction — сделка, соглашение, урегулирование спора путем соглашения сторон

Customs clearing — таможенная обработка

Unenforceability — отсутствие оснований для иска, невозможность быть принудительно осуществленным

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Tasks:

I.Questions:

1)How does participation in world trade a ect the economy of a country?

2)Does integration refer to trade integration only?

3)How does integration a ect competition?

4)What trade regime enhances an economy’s competitiveness?

5)What countries lost market share during the 1990s?

6)What brought about their economic decline?

7)What do import barriers include?

8)What factors make up the transaction costs?

II. Translate from Russian into English:

1)Объем валового внутреннего продукта стран, быстро интегрирующихся в мировую торговлю, выше чем у стран, которые медленно включаются в мировую экономику.

2)Интеграция означает не только участие в мировой торговле, но и открытость иностранным капиталовложениям.

3)Под интеграцией подразумевают открытость новым технологиям, проектам, продукции.

4)Интеграция означает доступность новой продукции высокого качества при конкурентных ценах.

5)Режим свободной торговли стимулирует конкуренцию.

6)Чтобы усилить конкурентоспособность экономики необходимо ввести такой режим торговли, который заставил бы отечественного производителя равняться на лучшую продукцию.

7)Ряд стран установили барьеры на импорт продукции из стран Южной Африки.

8)Импортныебарьерыподразумеваютсубсидиинаэкспорт,высокие тарифы и строгие правила в отношении страны-производителя.

9)Таможенные барьеры также могут быть помехой для интеграции в мировую торговлю.

Text 2

Customs today

The increases in world trade of recent decades have placed increasing demands upon customs. In 2002, over US$10 trillion worth of goods crossed international borders. Every shipment passed through customs control at least twice, once on export and once on import,

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making customs a key factor in the international supply chain and in the global economy. Customs needs to adjust to new ports of entry and additional hours of service, and their job is made more complex by a number of regional and bilateral trade agreements. Frequently, there is no corresponding increase in customs sta ng and resources to keep pace with the increased workload and more complex environment. Often, customs is not provided with the technological resources to facilitate and secure international supply chains, to keep pace with the billions of dollars spent by industry.

Faced with these challenges, many customs administrations struggle to meet all of these demands and priorities. Often, they focus on revenue collection and ad hoc priorities that are championed by the most vocal and influential interest groups. Some, however, strive to meet these challenges head on, and revisit how their administrations are designed and how they function.

In view of customs’ unique position at a country’s borders, its management must satisfy both domestic and international constituencies. On the international front travelers, businesses, and international air, sea, and land carriers expect services that are uniform, predictable, easy to use, and consistent with international standards and conventions. Organizations such as WCO, the WTO, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (CEFACT), and UNCTAD have set standards for the most critical customs functions. The most important ones are the following:

1)The Revised Kyoto Convention (International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures) provides the framework for processing goods in international commerce.

2)The International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System provides the framework for classifying all merchandise in international trade.

3)The Agreement on Customs Valuation (ACV) provides the framework for determining the customs value of goods in international trade.

4)The Agreement on Rules of Origin is the WTO initiative to develop a system for standardizing the rules of origin of internationally traded goods.

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Words to memorize:

Bilateral — двусторонний Chain — цепь, система, сеть

To adjust — приспосабливаться, подгонять Revenue — государственные доходы; выручка

Ad hoc — устроенный для данного случая; случайный, спонтанный Head on — держать курс на

To revisit — пересматривать, перерабатывать Constituency — клиентура

Consistent with — совместимый, согласующийся Carrier — перевозчик, курьер

Predictable — предсказуемый

To process — оформлять документы, обрабатывать информацию Framework — структура, система взглядов, рамки

Merchandise — товары

Commodity — товар, продукт для продажи

Tasks:

1. Questions:

1)What does customs need to adjust to?

2)What factors make its job more complex?

3)How do customs administrations struggle to meet new demands?

4)What problems do many of them face?

5)What international organizations have set standards for the most critical customs functions?

6)What are these functions?

2. Translate from Russian into English:

1)Рост международной торговли предъявляет все больше и больше требований к таможенным службам.

2)Таможня играет ключевую роль в международной сети поставок и глобальной экономике.

3)Множество двусторонних и региональных торговых договоров усложняют работу таможни.

4)Очень часто таможенным службам не хватает персонала и ресурсов, чтобы справиться с растущей нагрузкой.

5)Технические ресурсы могли бы помочь ускорить и усовершенствовать сеть международных поставок.

6)Часто таможенные службы видят свою главную задачу в пополнении государственных доходов.

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7)Многие таможенные управления пытаются справиться с новыми задачами, пересматривая структуру своих служб.

8)На международном уровне пассажиры, бизнесмены, перевозчики грузов по воздуху, морю и суше предполагают, что им придется столкнуться с обслуживанием, которое будут вести по международным стандартам.

9)В свете своей специфической роли на границе таможня должна удовлетворять требованиям как своего государства, так и международной общественности.

10)Новый договор в Киото предусматривает единую систему обработки товаров в мировой торговле.

Text 3

Human resources in Customs Management.

Good management of human resources is probably the single most important issue that a ects the e ciency and e ectiveness of customs, irrespective of its organizational structure.

This cannot be overemphasized as all aspects of customs management and customs clearance, including the application and maintenance of modern information technology (IT), will require that sta is qualified to operate the existing systems e ciently and to prepare the existing services for the introduction of new processes and techniques. In doing so, sta must be attuned to developments in international trade logistics and must adjust to shifts in emphasis with respect to customs mandate.

Historically, customs work consisted of the manual labor of inspecting cargo, vessels, and passengers, and patrolling long stretches of border between ports of entry. Customs management was close to higher ranking government o cials, while its sta was often poorly educated, trained, and compensated. This arrangement undermined professionalism and integrity in customs.

Increasingly, government services are being held to higher standards. The imperatives of a globalized economy on customs have become clear. A modern customs administration, responsible for protecting and representing the government at its country’s borders and points, must use a professional workforce and an enabling technolo-

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gy to accomplish its mission. Managing human resources at customs can be broken down into several phases:

* Defining the desired sta profile.

Some of the major services required of customs, and the professional qualifications essential to fulfilling these requirements, include

(a) enforcement of domestic laws and regulations at borders; (b) implementation of modern customs clearance processes; (c) maintenance of open communications with the trading community; (d) enforcement of laws relating to intellectual property rights, security, drug tra cking, and, eventually, labor and human rights; (e) collection and dissemination of international trade statistics; (f) management of customs’ human resources

*Establishing a recruitment process that ensures that customs has the desired sta on board.

*Training incumbent sta to maintain skill levels

*Ensuring that the compensation package enables customs to motivate and retain staff

*Ensuring that poor performance and integrity failures are promptly sanctioned

Words to be memorized:

To overemphasize — придавать чрезмерное значение Application — применение, использование

Attuned to — подготовленный, приспособленный Adjust — улаживать, приспосабливаться

Manual — ручной, физический Vessel — корабль, судно

Stretch — участок, отрезок, пространство; период

Rank — to rank — высокое социальное положение; занимать высокое социальное положение

Integrity — честность Increasingly — все более и более

Imperatives — задачи, обязательства

To enable — enabling — давать возможность — облекающий правом, уполномачивающий

To accomplish — совершать, выполнять, достигать

Profile — характеристика, облик, совокупность параметров Drug tra cking — контрабанда наркотиков

Eventually — в конце концов, в конечном итоге

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Dissemination — рассеивание, распространение

Recruitment — набор, наем, вербовка

Incumbent — занимающий должность

Failure — неспособность, неудача, провал

Promptly — быстро, сразу, прямо

Tasks:

I.Questions:

1)What does e ective customs management require from its sta ?

2)What did customs work involve in the past?

3)What factors undermined professionalism and integrity of customs workers?

4)What is a customs administration responsible for?

5)What phases can managing human resources at customs be broken into?

III. Translate from Russian into English:

1)Управление персоналом влияет на эффективность работы таможни, независимо от ее организационной структуры.

2)Использование и поддержание современных информационных технологий требует от таможенных служащих умения эффективно использовать эти технологии.

3)Таможенные служащие должны соответствовать требованиям, которые предъявляют к ним изменения в международной логистике.

4)В прошлом работа таможенника заключалась в физическом досмотре грузов и патрулировании тех участков границы, где возможно проникновение.

5)По своему социальному положению начальники таможенной службы были равны высокопоставленным правительственным чиновникам.

6)Однако, таможенные служащие были плохо образованы, плохо обучены и низко оплачиваемы.

7)Необходимо обучать персонал тем навыкам, которые от них требует занимаемая должность.

8)Бесчестность и нерадивое исполнение своих обязанностей должны немедленно подвергаться наказаниям.

9)Выполнение профессиональных обязательств требует от таможенников защиты интеллектуальных прав, безопасности, трудовых норм и прав личности.

10)Препятствование контрабанды наркотиков представляет одну из самых важных задач таможни сегодня.

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