II. Письменно своими словами изложите основное содержание текста

на русском языке.

III. Задайте к тексту 6 – 7 вопросов разного типа.

THE CHANGING ROLES OF MANAGERS

(1) An early definition of management, which is still widely accepted, is “the art of getting things done through other people”. One time it suggested the idea that all managers were bosses, and their job was to watch people over and tell them what to do to be sure they really did their work properly. Bosses tended to reprimand those who didn’t do things correctly, and generally acted stern and “bossy”.

(2) Nowadays managers are changing their approach to management. Managers of today are educated to lead, guide and coach employees rather than to boss them around. They emphasize teamwork and cooperation rather than discipline and order - giving. Managers in many high - tech and progressive firms are friendlier, dress more casually, and generally treat employees as partners but not as disobedient workers. Many managers today believe that they are part of a team. They enjoy new responsibility and flexibility coming with more open and casual management systems. There appeared the concept of “management by walking around” which encourages managers to get out of their offices periodically and circle among the employees and customers. They interact with workforce and customers to learn their needs, wants and suggestions. Some managers stick to making decisions basing on the support of other group members because the feeling of shared responsibility is satisfying to many people.

(3) The major reason of change is the need to respond better to customers to be able to produce and sell new products quickly. Some companies even instituted staff units whose mission is to anticipate and implement changes in its structure and technology. So, modern managers have to be able to effectively manage a change as it significantly affects the work and well –being of organizations.

(4) The changing roles of managers are explained by many reasons: global competition, acceleration of technological change, deregulation and threat of takeover. As a result the nature of management careers is changing. New machines and new processes have altered the way in which many products are manufactured.. Computers have made possible both high- speed data processing and the solution of complex production problems.

(5) Sometimes, internal processes operating inside the firm or organization demand changes in management styles. The changing roles within the organization can be traced to processes and people. Processes need new approaches to decision-making, communications and interpersonal relations roles. Very often managers have to change their roles because decisions are not being made, are made too late, or are of poor quality. Tasks are not undertaken or not completed. As a result, a customer order is not filled, an invoice is not filed, or a supplier is not paid. Low levels of morale and high levels of absenteeism and turnover are also symptoms of problems inside the organization that must be solved. These problems demand new organizational design, different managerial style, implementations of new methods and machines as well as new grouping of jobs in the department and different manager – subordinate relations. Practically, the new roles of managers result in changes in career patterns, wages, and promotion procedures, interpersonal relations and in generally higher prestige for those working in an organization.

(6) The changing in managerial roles is inseparable from the time those changes are undertaken at. For example, in the early 1980s an intensifying competition made managers restructure their organizations and find new ways to strengthen the competitiveness of their companies. The increasing government regulation in such areas as industrial pollution and employee safety required major changes in management practices in the 1990s. Globalization of business in 2000s raised the important question of how to effectively manage a multinational environment.

(7) Building a career in management today often means assuming more personal responsibility and professional risk in dealing with issues of entrepreneurship and globalization. For tomorrow graduates it means that managerial careers demand a new kind of person able in multiple ways to innovate, create, motivate and lead.

Примечаниe:

stick to (v) придерживаться

shared responsibility совместная, коллективная ответственность

institute (v) учредить

takeover (n) зд. поглощение одной компании другой.

data processing обработка данных

absenteeism (n) невыход на работу, прогулы

turnover (n) текучесть кадров

Контрольная семестровая работа 6

Вариант 1

Text A.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

(1) Human resource management (or personnel management) is the process of evaluating human resource needs and people to fill those needs. For years, the personnel department was viewed more or less as a clerical function responsible for record-keeping, screening applications and finding people when necessary. Nowadays, the functions of personnel managers involve many administrative duties such as recruiting, hiring, training, evaluating as well as compensating and motivating people. The activities of men and women in the personnel department have been greatly influenced by the changes in law. Legislation has made firing, hiring, promotion, and employee - management relations in general very complex. Thus, the job of human resource management (HRM) has taken on an entirely new role in an organization and has become so important that it is no longer the function of just one department; it is the function of all managers. In the nearest future it may become the most important function, as it is responsible for the most critical resource – the people.

(2) As in all types of management, human resource management begins with planning. There are six steps in human resource planning: 1) preparing forecasts of future human resource needs; 2) preparing human resource inventory that includes ages, names, education, capabilities, training, specialized skills;3) preparing job analysis which results in job descriptions (specifying the objectives of the job, the type of work to be done, the responsibilities and duties) and job specifications (indicating the qualifications, education, skills, etc., required of a worker to fill specific jobs) 4) assessing future demands in workforce; 5) assessing future supply, as the labour force is constantly shifting; 6) establishing a plan for recruiting, hiring, educating, and developing employees.

(3) Among the set of activities of a personnel manager are recruitment, selection, performance appraisal, employee training and development. Recruitment is the set of activities used to legally obtain a sufficient number of the right people at the right time. The primary objective of recruitment is to attract the best-qualified applicants to fill vacancies. There are many ways to find staff for job vacancies. These include advertisements, public and private employment agencies, management consultants, professional organizations and other sources.

(4) Selection is a process of gathering information to decide who should be hired. Background investigation, which involves screening applications to find the right person for the job, is an important element in selection process. This process helps assure that the people the organization hires are competent in all relevant areas, including education, communication skills, experience and health.

(5) Many companies are getting much more involved in continuing education and development programs for their employees. Training and development include all attempts to improve employee performance by increasing an employee ability to perform through learning. Training typically improves job skills of operating employees, whereas developing programs are more typical for managerial positions.

(6) Employee performance appraisal is another responsibility of human resource managers. They evaluate the level of performance of employees against established standards to make decisions about promotion, compensation, additional training, or firing. The primary purpose of conducting a performance appraisal is to increase employee performance.

Примечание:

human resource management управление персоналом

fill the needs удовлетворять потребности

screen applications просматривать заявления в поиске

нужных кандидатов

employee - management relations отношения между рабочими и руководст-

вом

job description должностные инструкции, характер

выполняемой работы

job specification квалификационные требования

(к исполнителю определенной работы)

labour force рабочая сила, рабочие; численность

работающих на предприятии

performance appraisal оценка деятельности (выполнения работы)

background investigation изучение личных дел претендентов на

рабочее место

trial period испытательный срок

ЗАДАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ

9. Составьте словарь неизвестных вам терминов, употребляемых

в тексте.