In the past, companies were virtually alike in terms of how they

managed these activities. Meetings, memos and managers were relied

upon heavily. The pace was not usually too fast, and there was

lots of paper.

But one of the lessons from Darwin is that the excellence of an

organism's nervous system helps determine its ability to sense

change and quickly respond, thereby surviving or even thriving.

Today, new «digital nervous systems» are based on electronic

communications tools that help corporations maintain themselves,

defend from dangers and take advantage of opportunities rapidly.

The Internet and intranets are essential.

You can easily bring the people you need together electronically,

even if they are all over the globe. The people in the company

can gain a common understanding of what is going on. They can

exchange ideas easily.

Perhaps the single most important element of a digital nervous

system is a customer database. Having all your information about

customers in one place gives you the tools to analyze and make decisions.

It empowers you to be highly responsive to customers

needs.

Microsoft's system is far from perfect, but it improves as the

company takes better advantage of technology. Its annual budgeting

process used to take three months. Microsoft invented a new

process around electronic forms on the company's intranet.

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The budget cycle is now a very tense three-week period. The

company's digital system lets everybody see immediately what the

other people in the company are planning. The managers see comparisons

of sales and expense forecasts relative to market size in

other divisions and regions. The product groups see the numbers

organized by product. The subsidiaries see the numbers geographically.

The finance people see them in on a profit-and-loss basis.

In other words, information can automatically be analyzed and

compared and summarized and brought to the attention of the people

who need to know about it.

B. Подберите к каждому слову или словосочетанию в колонке А соответствующее

по значению из колонки В.

А В

1. take smb. to do smth

2. get rid of

3. vital

4. corporate

5. do alike

6. compile

7, be alike

8. memo

9. pace

10. respond

11. thrive

12. empower

13. take advantage

14. subsidiary

C. Заполните

control

feel,

virtually

. a. use for one's own benefit

b. be successjful, prosper

с act in answer to

d. necessary for living

e. need, require

f. give power to act

g. in the same way

h. be similar

i. controlled by a larger company

j . collect (information) and arrange it in a list

k. note for future use

1. belonging to a corporation or group

m. become free of

n. move at an unhurried rate

пропуски синонимами.

realize

determine

allow

at once

excellent

most important ...

similar

protect

D. Составьте возможные словосочетания из глаголов в колонке А и существительных

из колонки В:

1. compile

2. take

3. manage / organize

В

a. information

b. understanding

c. decisions

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4. store / exchange / analyze d. ideas

5. make e. workers, activities

6. gain f. advantage

7. exchange g.a budget

E. Составьте возможные словосочетания прилагательных из колонки А и

существительных из колонки В.

А В

1. annual а. forms

2. vital b. budget

3. digital с. understanding

4. common d, communications tools

5. electronic e. step

6. paper and electronic f. system

F. Заполните пропуски, образуя составные слова, общеизвестные словосочетания

или термины. Запомните их.

profit and ... market...

three-week ... ... group

... forecast paper ...

expense ... ... people

Упражнение 1. A. Назовите 10—15 ключевых слов и словосочетаний на

тему «Electronic communication tools».

8. Speak about:

The role and importance of electronic communications tools in

a modern company organization.

Text 4

Что такое логистика? Каковы последние направления в этой области?

А. Прочитайте текст и постарайтесь догадаться о значении следующих

слов: retrieve у storage, package of services, to contract, totality.

Flexible Logistics Systems

Several organisations are expanding beyond their national borders

as a strategy to improve competitiveness and their ability to offer

diverse products to an expanded market. Many companies have

become very proficient at supplying products throughout the world.

The task requires not only the ability to recognize opportunities,

but also an information system to co-ordinate the supply of goods

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and materials to places where they are needed throughout the

world.

Logistics is supply, distribution and replacement of materials,

goods and personnel. It is a problem for all organisations, both

public and private. For instance, there were tremendous logistics

challenges of moving the US military ~ army, navy, and air force

— to carry out the military operations called «Desert Storm», problems

which were even more complex when other nations belonging

to the United Nations assisted with the operations. Large logistical

problems are faced by relief agencies which are trying to give public

assistance to people during emergencies.