Writing

7. Answer the following questions:

1. What is strategic management?

2. What are two main approaches to strategic management?

3. What are major sources of error?

4. What business-level competitive strategies do you know?

8. Complete the following sentences using the contents of the text.

1. It is the process of … policies and plans … .

2. … is Google.

3. Corporate strategy refers … .

4. Many companies feel that … .

5. A technological strategy is focused on … .

9. Make a plan of the text.

10. Write a summary of the text.

Speaking

11. Work with your partner. Study the plan of the text. Discuss the gist of each paragraph.

12. Work in pairs. Correct wrong statements. Begin your answers with the following expressions:

– That’s right. – Exactly so. – Precisely so. – You are right. – I agree with you. – You are incorrect. – You are not right.

1. Strategic or institutional management is the conduct of drafting, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions that will enable an organization to achieve its long-term objectives.

2. In general terms, there are four main approaches, which are opposite but complement each other in some ways, to strategic management

3. The Sociological Approach deals primarily with human interactions.

4. Corporate strategy refers to the overarching strategy of the diversified firm.

5. Each functional department fails to do its part in meeting overall corporate objectives, and hence to some extent their strategies are derived from broader corporate strategies.

13. Look at the following speech patterns and match questions and answers. There are three groups of expression here, read them carefully and say which of them refer to formal style of speech, what are neutral, and which are informal.

Asking for reasons	Giving reasons
– What's the reason for ...? – I'd like to know the reason for ... – I find it interesting to know ... – How can you account for the fact … ? – Why are / do you ...?	– The basic reason is that... – Let me explain. You see ... – I think it is right for the following reasons ...
–Why do/don't you ...? – Can you explain why ...? – Why did it happen? – I wonder if...? – What's the point of ...?	– Well, ... you see... – Well, the thing is ... –... that's why ... – He's got a point. You see ... – The point is ...
– Why is that? –Tell me why ...? –What for...? –Why so...? –Why not...?	–Well, because ... – Because ... – If I could explain, ... – It's like this, you see ... –Why should I...?

14. Match the questions in A with the answers in B. Refer your answer to a particular situation (formal, less formal, informal).

a) What do you know about strategic management? (1) nothing? (2) everything? (3) much? (4)

b) Strategic Management is the process of specifying the organization's mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans, which are designed to achieve these objectives. – I’ve forgotten. – I’ve read the text and can explain everything. – I haven’t slept. – You were rude to me. – I work very hard.

15. Say what level of management you would prefer and why:

– strategic management; – corporate strategy; – business strategy;

– functional strategy; – technological strategy; – operational strategy.