10. Listening.

What do you know about the LEGO toy manufacturing company?

1. Listen to 8 short extracts from a talk about the early history of the lego company. Match the extract with an event on the graph.

2. Listen again and answer these questions.

1. What sales terms did LEGO offer retailers on their original building bricks?

2. When Ole Kirk founded the company, what did it produce?

3. How old was Godtfred when he started working for the company?

4. What potential did Godfred see in the building bricks?

5. Why was the factory fire such a disaster?

6. Who was Alex Thomsen?

7. Where did the name LEGO come from?

8. What did the Danish toy trade magazine say about plastics?

11. Reading.

Read the description of shamrock organization.

The Irish management thinker, Charles Handy, believes that the traditional company is dying. In his book, The Age of Unreason, he says that today more and more people are working in “shamrock organization”.

Compare the shamrock organization with a traditional company. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a shamrock organization for the following?

12. Discussion. A company reorganization.

A traditional company has decided to reorganize as a shamrock organization in order to cut costs. Work in small groups and discuss these points. In each case give your reasons.

1. Which of these jobs should you keep in the core?

What other jobs should be in the core?

2. Is it better to use self-employed workers or a flexible labour force to do the non-core jobs?

3. Which of these functions should you keep in the core?

4. Which non-core functions should be done by self-employed workers and which by a flexible force?

5. In the business world which of the three groups do you think is growing most quickly? Give reasons for your opinion.

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