A MIXED ECONOMY
The United Stales is said to have a mixed economy because privately owned businesses and government both play important roles. Some of the most enduring debates of American economic history focus on the relative roles of the public and private sectors.
The American free enterprise system emphasizes private ownership. Private businesses produce most goods and services, and almost two-thirds of the nation's total economic output goes to individuals for personal use (the remaining one-third is bought by government and business). The consumer role is so great that the nation is sometimes characterized as having a "consumer economy."
3. This emphasis on private ownership arises, in part, from American beliefs about personal freedom. From the time the nation was created, Americans have feared excessive government power, and they have sought to limit government's authority over individuals including its role in the economic realm. Americans generally believe that an economy characterized by private ownership is likely to operate more efficiently than one with substantial government ownership.
4. When economic forces are not regulated, Americans believe supply and demand determine the prices of goods and services. Prices tell businesses what to produce; if people want more of a particular good the price of the good rises. That catches the attention of new or other companies that, sensing an opportunity to earn profits, start producing more of that good. If people want less of the good, prices fall and less competitive producers either go out of business or start producing different goods. Such a system is called a market economy. A socialist economy is characterized by more government ownership and central planning. Most Americans are convinced that socialist economies are less efficient because government, which relies on tax revenues, is far less likely than private businesses to take note of price signals or to feel the discipline imposed by market forces.
'A Mixed Economy: The Role of the Market', www.economics.about.com
1. Определите, является ли утверждение:
The US Government has always tried to restrict private ownership
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
2. Определите, является ли утверждение:
Socialist economies proved to be ineffective all over the world
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
3. Определите, является ли утверждение:
The role of consumers is extremely important for American economy
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
4. Определите, является ли утверждение:
In the USA most goods and services are produced by privately owned enterprises
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
Personal freedom and free enterprise system are inseparable.
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
A socialist economy is not so effective as a market economy.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
What makes American companies start producing more goods?
a) Government contractual work. c) An opportunity to earn profits.
b) Competition with foreign companies. d) Demand for the particular goods.
8. Определите основную идею текста:
a) American economic history. c) A socialist economy versus capitalist economy.
b) The role of the market in a mixed economy. d) American system of supply and demand
CITY MANAGER
1. City Manager is the principal executive and administrative officer of a municipality under a council-manager system of local government. Under such a form the voters elect only the city council, which appoints a city manager to administer municipal affairs under its supervision. The council acts only collectively, and its individual members, including the mayor, have no administrative functions. The city manager, subject to the general supervision of the council, is in full charge of the administration of municipal affairs. He prepares the budget, appoints and dismisses personnel, directs the work of municipal departments, and attends council meetings in which he presents recommendations on municipal business and takes part in the discussions.
2. The council-manager plan was devised and first advocated in the United States by the National Short Ballot Organization, which proposed to improve local and state government by reducing the number of elected officials. In 1913 Dayton, Ohio, was the first large city to adopt the plan. It spread quickly after that as the plan was adopted in many cities in the United States and Canada as well as in Ireland, Norway, Sweden and some other western countries.
3. Advantages of the council-manager plan are said to be that it provides for a shorter ballot by reducing the number of elected officials; that it unifies authority and political responsibility in the council; that it centralizes administrative responsibility in an administrator appointed by the council; and that it reduces the number of patronage jobs.
4. Some criticisms of the plan are that the city manager usually comes from outside the city and, being an outsider, he is therefore unfamiliar with the problems of the city; that it places too much power in the hands of one person; that it promotes a middle-class orientation to efficiency rather than to need; and that the purely bureaucratic administration of the city may be unresponsive to the demands and problems of the people.
‘City Manager’, Encyclopedia Britannica Deluxe Edition, 2004, CD-ROM
Определите, является ли утверждение:
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
1. A city-manager is elected by direct voting of the local residents
2. The council-manager management model is used not only in the USA but also in some European countries.
3. A council individual member hasn't got any administrative functions
4. Only residents of the state can be appointed city-managers by the local council
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The aim of the institution of the city-management is to improve the work of government.
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
Shortcomings of the city-management model.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
What are the disadvantages of the city-manager system?
a) An outsider is not familiar with the problems of the city.
b) A city-manager's term in office is not limited.
c) A city cannot fire a city-manager.
d) Citizens cannot make a city-manager resign from his post.
8. Определите основную идею текста:
a) The main models of city-management.
b) The birth of the city-management system.
c) Disadvantages of municipal government systems.
d) Authority and political responsibilities.
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN INDIAN FOREST SERVICE
1. The success of an organization depends on the capacities and capabilities of its personnel. Unless an organization devotes enough resources on the development of its human resource, it would not get the required output from its personnel. An organization's commitment to the development of human resource has to be reflected in its policies, procedures, practices, customs and ideals.
2. Regular annual recruitment to the service is done through a separate all India competitive examination open to only graduates from science and technology backgrounds. The number of candidates recruited fluctuates from year to year. There had been heavy intake to the service from 1984 to 1987, when about 600 candidates were selected for appointment.
3. The syllabus and pattern of training is reviewed after about a decade. Such revision is necessary to keep the training process up to date, improve its quality and meet new challenges. The present of training was introduced during 1994 and which consisted of the five phases during the probation period of three years. The five phases included are: the foundational course, 'on-the-job training' of the probationer, an advanced management phase. During the course 34 subjects with 1418 classroom lectures, and field exercises are covered. About 180 days are spent on field tours to different parts of India.
4. Since 1986, the Government of India has been enhancing the efforts of the State Governments for capacity building of Indian Forest Service officers through sponsoring of short-term refresher courses for officers of various seniorities. State governments also organize courses for participation in various short-term refresher courses within India and abroad. From 1998 to 2004, Government of India have decided to regularly organize short duration (23 weeks) promotion linked training courses on Advanced Forest Management (AFM) for the officers in their 10th, 17th and 21st years of service.
http://ifs.nic.in/rt/inservice
1. Определите, является ли утверждение:
Only young specialists in science and technology can take part in competitive examination.
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
2. Определите, является ли утверждение:
The number of candidates recruited does not vary from year to year.
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
3. Определите, является ли утверждение:
From 1984 to 1987 it was very difficult for the Indian Government to find candidates for an appointment to Indian Forest Service
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
4. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
Human resources are a very important component of any organization.
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The structure of the course of studies.
6. Ответьте на вопрос:
What does the training course consist of?
a) It provides lectures for the students.
b) The trainees have to combine their everyday work and studies.
c) Senior trainees give lectures to the freshers.
d) It foresees both lectures and field training.
7. Определите основную идею текста:
a) There is a great demand for working force in Indian Forest Service.
b) Recruitment, induction and in-service training in Indian Forest Service.
c) The needs of the Indian Forest Service.
d) The goals and structure of the professionally oriented post graduate course for would-be forest servicemen.
TIPS FOR A YOUNG MANAGER
1. The first steps to becoming a really great manager are simply common sense; but common sense is not very common. The major problem when you start to manage is that you do not actually think about management issues because you do not recognize them. Things normally go wrong not because you are stupid but only because you have never thought about it Management is about pausing to ask yourself the right questions so that your common sense can provide the answers.
2. When you gain managerial responsibility, your first option is to do what is expected of you. You are new at the job, so people will understand. You can learn (slowly) by your mistakes and probably you will try to devote as much time as possible to the rest of your work (which is what your were good at anyway). Those extra little "management" problems are just common sense, so try to deal with them when they come up.
3. Your second option is far more exciting: find an empty telephone box, put on a cape and bright-red underpants, and become a SuperManager. When you become a manager, you gain control over your own work; not all of it, but some of it. You can change things. You can do things differently. You actually have the authority to make a huge impact upon the way in which your staff work. You can shape your own work environment
4. In a large company, your options may be limited by the existing corporate culture – and my advice to you is to act like a crab: face directly into the main thrust of corporate policy, and make changes sideways. You do not want to fight the system, but rather to work better within it. In a small company, your options are possibly much wider (since custom is often less rigid) and the impact that you and your team has upon the company's success is proportionately much greater. Thus once you start working well, this will be quickly recognized and nothing gains faster approval -than success. But wherever you work, do not be put off by the surprise colleagues will show when you first get serious about managing well.
‘What makes a great manager’, www. project-management-blog.com/2006/05/
Определите, является ли утверждение:
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
1. The larger the company the easier it is to conceal a managerial mistake.
2. Even ill a large company a new manager can try and introduce changes he finds to be necessary.
3. Common sense can always help a manager in solving various vital issues.
4. Colleagues will never put up with wrong decisions taken by the young manager.
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
A good manager is the creator of his working environment.
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
First think then do.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
What should a manager do if he wants to realize his ideas?
a) He should wait and see if somebody else will suggest the same.
b) He should not argue but put his ideas into practice.
c) He should consult his seniors.
d) He should study international experience.
8. Определите основную идею текста:
a) What makes a great manager?
b) Common sense and managerial competence.
c) Knowledge of human nature can help a young manager.
d) Corporate policy is a problem for a young manager.
AMERICAN ECONOMY
1. In every economic system, entrepreneurs and managers bring together natural resources, labor, and technology to produce and distribute goods and services. But the way these different elements are organized and used also reflects a nation's political ideals and its culture.
2. The U.S. is often described as a "capitalist" economy, a term coined by 19th-century German economist and social theorist Karl Marx to describe a system in which a small group of people who control large amounts of money, or capital, make the most important economic decisions. Marx contrasted capitalist economies to "socialist" ones, which vest more power in the political system. Marx and his followers believed that capitalist economies concentrate power in the hands of wealthy business people, who aim mainly to maximize profits; socialist economies, on the other hand, would be more likely to feature greater control by government, which tends to put political aims – a more equal distribution of society's resources, for instance – ahead of profits.
3. While those categories, though oversimplified, have elements of truth to them, they are far less relevant today. If the pure capitalism described by Marx ever existed, it has long since disappeared, as governments in the United States and many other countries have intervened in their economies to limit concentrations of power and address many of the social problems associated with unchecked private commercial interests.
4. As a result, the American economy is perhaps better described as a "mixed" economy, with government playing an important role along with private enterprise. Although Americans often disagree about exactly where to draw the line between their beliefs in free enterprise and government management, the mixed economy they have developed has been remarkably successful. The basic ingredients of the U.S. economy are its natural resources and labor. It is these two basic ingredients that determine the health of any economy.
"How American Economy Works”, www.economic5.about.com
Определите, является ли утверждение:
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
1. Industrialized countries limit any concentration of power in the hands of the selected k few.
2. The US Government tries to avoid interfering into the economic situation in the country.
3. Karl Marx had no idea of the so-called 'mixed economy'.
4. Both the US government and private business play an important role in the economy of the USA.
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The American economy of today can hardly be described as a 'pure capitalist economy".
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The term 'capitalist economy' was introduced by a German scientist.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
What did Karl Marx study?
a) A 'capitalist' economy.
b) A 'socialist' economy.
c) The difference between capitalist and socialist economies.
d) A 'mixed' economy.
8. Определите основную идею текста:
a) Karl Marx and his economic views.
b) America's economy of today.
c) The role of the government in a socialist economy.
d) The role of the government in a capitalist economy.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES
1. The American belief in "free enterprise" has not precluded a major role for government, however. Americans at times have looked to government to break up or regulate companies that appealed to be developing so much power that they could defy market forces. They have relied on government to address matters the private economy overlooks, from education to protecting the environment. And despite their advocacy of market principles, they have used government to nurture new industries, and even to protect American companies from competition.
2. As the sometimes inconsistent approach to regulation demonstrates, Americans often disagree about the appropriate role of government in the economy. In general, government grew larger and intervened more aggressively in the economy from the 1930s until the 1970s.
3. But economic hardships in the 1960s and 1970s left Americans skeptical about the ability of government to address many social and economic issues. Major social programs – including Social Security and Medicare, which provide retirement income and health insurance for the elderly – survived this period of reconsideration. But the growth of the federal government slowed in the 80s.
4. The pragmatism and flexibility of Americans has resulted in an unusually dynamic economy. Change – whether produced by growing affluence, technological innovation, or growing trade with other nations – has been a constant in American economic history. The once agrarian country is now far more urban – and suburban – today than it was 100 or even 50 years ago. Services have become increasingly important relative to traditional manufacturing. In some industries, mass production has given way to more specialized production that emphasizes product diversity and customization. Large corporations have merged, split up, and reorganized. New industries and companies that did not exist at the midpoint of the 20th century now play a major role in the nation's economic life.
“Outline of the U.S. Economy”, usinfo.state.gov
Определите, является ли утверждение:
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
1. Americans expect their government to solve problems which private economy ignores.
2. Americans never doubt whether their government is capable of solving their social or economic issues.
3. Product diversity and customization are the main trends in the US economy.
4. It was not before the end of the 20th century that American economy stabilized.
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
Common sense of Americans brought about intensive economic development.
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
New companies are beginning to play the main role in the nation's economic life.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
What was the essence of the Social Security program?
a) Lower retirement age.
b) Retirement income.
c) Higher retirement age.
d) The right for Medicave.
8. Определите основную идею текста:
a) Turning into an industrialized power.
b) Free Enterprise and the role of Government in America
c) Economic hardships in the 1960s and 1970s.
d) Social benefits in the USA
CITY GOVERNMENT
1. City government is a system of governmental institutions that serve an urban area or urban municipality. Modem cities are almost always contained within the boundaries of national states, and their governments form parts of a larger constitutional regime that usually includes state or provincial governments and a national government.
2. A city government's most important functions are to provide law enforcement and fire prevention; elementary and secondary education; water supply, sewage, and refuse collection and disposal; construction, maintenance, and lighting of the streets; regulation of building safety and housing standards; the provision of public housing; various welfare services for the needy, health protection, medical care environmental services. Cities also provide museums, parks, playgrounds, and other recreational facilities. Public-utility services that supply water, electricity, gas, and public transport may be provided by a city government or by commercial companies regulated by the government.
3. City planning is another important function. City governments typically achieve their land-planning goals by enacting zoning laws that govern the use of land and buildings, the density of population, and the height, bulk, and spacing of structures. Planning also involves the use of subdivision controls, which subject the initial laying-out of vacant land to public regulation.
4. The mayor-and-council form is the oldest and most prevalent type of city government in the U. S. Both the mayor and council are elected directly by the voters. The mayor typically has strong administrative and executive powers, and he presides over the council and can veto its legislative acts. A newer type, the city-manager system, typically consists of a small elected council Hint passes ordinances, decides the budget, sets rates of taxation, and appoints a manager, who is in his turn responsible for the day-to-clay administration of the government.
'City Government', Encyclopaedia Britannica Deluxe Edition, 2004 CD-ROM
Определите, является ли утверждение:
a) истинным; b) ложным; c) в тексте нет информации
1. City planning is based on certain housing standards.
2. International cooperation is one of the most important functions of the city government.
3. Public-utility services are normally provided by either municipal of private companies.
4. The mayor-and-council form is comparatively new for the US.
5. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The main spheres of responsibility of a municipal government.
6. Укажите, какой части текста (1, 2, 3, 4) соответствует следующая информация:
The two main types of city management in the USA.
7. Ответьте на вопрос:
How does the mayor get his post?
a) The mayor is appointed by the president.
b) The mayor gets his post by right of succession
c) The mayor is elected in the result of direct voting.
d) The mayor is elected from one of the Congressmen.
8. Определите основную идею текста
a) City planning in USA
b) History of municipal management.
c) Problems of large towns.
d) City government and its functions.
ANSWERS:
A MIXED ECONOMY
1 – b; 2 – c; 3 – a; 4 – a; 5 – 3; 6 – 4; 7 – c; 8 – b.
CITY MANAGER
1 – a; 2 – a; 3 – c; 4 – b; 5 – 1; 6 – 3; 7 – a; 8 – a.
PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT IN INDIAN FOREST SERVICE
1 – a; 2 – b; 3 – c; 4 – b; 5 – 1; 6 – 3; 7 – d; 8 – d.
TIPS FOR A YOUNG MANAGER
1 – c; 2 – b; 3 – a; 4 – c; 5 – 3; 6 – 1; 7 – b; 8 – c.
AMERICAN ECONOMY
1 – b; 2 – b; 3 – a; 4 – c; 5 – 4; 6 – 2; 7 – a; 8 – d.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ISSUES
1 – c; 2 – a; 3 – c; 4 – b; 5 – 4; 6 – 4; 7 – c; 8 – c.
CITY GOVERNMENT
1 – c; 2 – c; 3 – a; 4 – b; 5 – 2; 6 – 4; 7 – c; 8 – d.