Working conditions.

The people who run a company are known as the management. I he mans gement is made up of individual managers. The managers are usually appointed to their posts (or positions) by the board of directors; The board is the collective name for directors. If a manager is appointed to a higher posit on/post in the firm, he is promoted (he is given promotion). When someone is promoted he usually receives a pay rise:

The men who actually produce the goods in the assembly piant (or. factory) are known as the workers (or labour force). The men working on the shop floor in the factory operate the machinery (or equipment). Workers who have specialized skills or who are trained to operate soph stieated equipment are called skilled workers. If the company needs to mere ise its labour force, it tries to recruit new workers to work on the shop floot They might undertake a recruitment programme and they will hire workers who apply for jobs. The workers are normally paid wages for working a certain number of hours each week. Wages are paid Weekly (a manager's salary is normally paid monthly). If a worker Works тоге than his n quired number of hours, he works overtime, and he is paid at overtime rates Which are higher than the normal rate(s) of pay. Some factories operate a shift system. The men work 8-hours shifts throughout the 24 hours so that the assembly plant operates all the time.

Most of the workers belong to a trade union. The union represents the men ;m<l negotiates (enters into negotiations) with the management on their behalf. If there is a labour problem or industrial unrest, the union shop steward might enter into negotiations with the management on behalf of the fiten. Industrial unrest is frequently about pay or working conditions. The union might negotiate a pay rise or a bonus payment for increased productivity, for example. Firms often also give a bonus at Christmas.

If someone wants to leave his job he must give notice. Workers normally give at least a week’s notice. Managers usually Work one or three month's notice. If someone leaves work for good because he is old. he retires. Someone who retires (goes into retirement) after working for a firm for a long time is normally given a pension. This pension is regular payment for, him to live on in his retirement.

Agents.

An agent is a company (or person) acting on behalf of or representing another company. There is a lot of documentation (paperwork) involved in arrar ging the transportation of exported goods. An agent who handles the documentation, and transportation of exported goods is called an import agen; or a forwarding agent. The forwarding agent arranges the transportation of the goods from the factory or warehouse to the quay or to the airport. Goods are sometimes stored in a warehouse until they are sent (or despatched) to the buyer. When they arrive in the importing country they may then be stored in a warehouse until the buyer has paid for them. The warehouse charges are called storage costs.

The import agent is responsible for arranging the dispatch / dispatch of the goods from their point of arrival in the importing country (the quay or the airpcrt) to the buyer and for arranging the documentation. The main documents involved in exporting goods are the Bill of Lading (if the goods are shipped) or Airwaybill (if the goods are despatched/dispatched by air), the .customs declaration form, the insurance certificate and sometimes a certificate of origin. The Bill of Lading has three main functions: (1) it is a receipt for the goods signed by the shipping company; (2) it is a contract between the shipping company and the forwarding agent; and (3) it is the title document which proves ownership of the goods. The contract between the forwarding agent and the airline is called the Airwaybill. The form which shows the value of the goods for taxation purposes is called the customs declaration form. The document which proves where the goods were originally sent from is called the certificate of origin.

Before an import agent agrees to represent an exporting company, he must be sure that the company can guarantee continuous production, that they can maintain high quality, that they can provide an adequate supply of spare parts and that they will keep delivery dates. In other words, when a company guarantee continuous production they promise that production will not stop; its products will always be good (the company must maintain high quality); if any of the goods need replacement parts, the company will be able to supply enough spare parts; and the company will deliver the goods when promised (they must keep delivery dates).