I’ve made the decision!!! I'll have my coffee without milk this morning!

Section E. Join the halves

On the left of the page are the first halves of sentences. On the right are the second halves of the sentences, though not in the same order. Pair the halves and then write your own list of the completed sentences.

When you are building a team to take your company on to bigger and better things		and your company's performance will suffer.
First you make your decision, based on facts wherever possible,		but we are doing better than our competitors.
The basic question is not are we doing better than last year		so a manager would be wise to take their views into account.
Innovation should always be customer-driven		when a new work flow been introduced.
A decision will usually have to be carried out by subordinates		you have to be sure you are choosing the right people.
A golden rule is to be objective		and then you put the ideas into practice.
The personnel manager may face a difficult task		and that means finding what the customers need.
You need to know what models are available		before a decision can be made rationally.
Make a wrong appointment to a key post		so they can be recommended for pay increases and/or promotions.
An office manager would benefit from an early feedback		and so a manager must avoid being swayed by emotions.
Typing pool supervisors should know which members of their staffs are working well		before you can make up your mind which word processor to buy.
A variety of data usually needs to be analysed		when a number of first-class candidates are short- listed for a job.

Section F. Summarising

Give the following passage an appropriate title and summarise it in Russian in about 150 words.

So you fancy yourself as a manager? You are not alone in having that ambition. What does it mean to be a manager? I suppose the first thought that comes to mind is that a manager gives orders and tells other people what to do. That is partly true. But it is not quite as simple as that. In fact, managers have to take orders as much as anyone else. The term “executive” actually implies executing orders, orders perhaps not under their power to influence.

Every business has to decide where it is going. What it is trying to achieve. Words like objectives and targets are used in management theory. Whether these targets are related to items such as sales or budgets, they are broken down into sub-targets as they go further down the organisational hierarchy. The managers at the various levels in the structure are given these targets or objectives to achieve. Sometimes they are given considerable freedom to achieve the targets in the way they see best. Sometimes their independence is limited, perhaps very limited.

Subject to these constraints a manager has certain clear-cut functions. First, he has to plan, to look ahead, to anticipate. When you drive a car you look as far ahead as you can to see what hazards lie ahead. If you see some children playing in the road ahead you start to slow down, check your breaks are working and generally watch for trouble. What would you think of a driver who kept his eyes on the road, six feet in front of his bonnet? A manager who is able to anticipate problems has more chance of coping with them.

Another function of managers is to control. We have already seen that managers are expected to achieve targets of some sort or another. The manager has to keep these targets clearly in mind when he is involved in the decision-making process. Progress towards the targets needs to be monitored and any deviations corrected. It is a bit like the captain of a liner sailing across the Atlantic to New York. Every now and again he will check to see whether or not the ship is on course. If it is beginning to drift to port or starboard he has to bring it back onto course. That is what we mean by control.

Managers are expected to get results of one sort or another, in one way or another, but they get their results through people. The manager of the England football team never kicks a ball in an international football match, but he is expected to get the best out of his team. Everyone in the team is expected to co-operate to get the ball in the back of the opposing team's net. All have to be persuaded to pull together – in the same direction. In management terminology this aspect of a manager's work is called co-ordination.

Section G. Opposites and synonyms

Complete the following table

Part of speech	Word	Synonym	Opposite
noun	inquest
verb	manage
adjective	accidental
noun	co-operation
verb	propose
noun	purpose
verb	control
adjective	dynamic
adverb	rationally
noun	subordinate
verb	object
verb	persuade
verb	inform
adjective	strict
adverb	appreciatively
adjective	supportive
verb	anticipate
adjective	sensitive
verb	monitor
verb	confer
noun	information

Section H. Meanings

First, read the passage below. Then, explain the meanings of the words and phrases which have been highlighted.

Markets and Technologies

In order to be successful a firm has to identify unsatisfied needs within society and then proceed to satisfy them. Some would say businesses create needs by various forms of advertising, in order to satisfy them subsequently. Examples of this are the frivolous demand for chocolate Easter eggs and greetings cards and flowers for Mothers' Day.

The main difficulty facing businesses, however, is that their markets are constantly changing. Consider the firms which were making gas mantles in the early years of the twentieth century. Their future looked assured. London and all other western cities were lit by gaslight. Then came the switch to electricity and gas mantles had become museum pieces almost overnight. There was a similar situation with the textile called rayon. Up to the middle of the twentieth century it was the fashion for western ladies to don rayon stockings. Then nylon was developed and the market for rayon stockings completely disappeared. At the present time we are seeing typewriters giving way to electric typewriters, giving way to word processors, and we wonder what is the next in line. Likewise accounting machines gave way to mainframe computers which are now being revolutionised by the microchip*. Markets and technologies are forever changing and the successful business is the one which can keep abreast of the changes.

The moral for the modern firm is to be forward looking, anticipating and projecting trends, forestalling problems by foreseeing them. Questions need to be constantly posed. What are we producing now? What should we be producing next? What changes need to be made? What are our competitors up to at home and overseas? What is happening to the markets for our goods? Should we be diversifying our products? Where do they stand in their life cycles? What resources (including human resources) do we need to carry out our plans and how are we going to obtain these resources? To survive in business we need to be eternally vigilant.

Section I. Write a report

You are the Personnel Assistant to Sally Forster, Personnel Director at Beauty Unlimited. It has been suggested that the company set up a suggestion scheme whereby employees are encouraged to put forward their ideas for improving any aspect of the work. Mrs. Forster has indicated that she would be prepared to ask the directors for a contribution of up to ₤10,000 in the first twelve months of the scheme and she is now asking you to write a brief but formal report (up to 200 words) indicating the likely value of the scheme to the company. She is envisaging setting up a special committee to vet any proposals put forward but admits she has an open mind on the subject at present. She is hoping you will come through with some ideas.

There are approximately 500 workers employed at the factory. Most of them are women under the age of 30. The company uses mass production techniques to produce a range of beauty aids from hair dyes to cleansing creams.

Section J. Complete the sentences

Complete the following sentences using your own words.

1. Businesses will flourish ...

2. An aspiring manager should learn ...

3. Businesses are often affected by situations ...

4. By anticipating problems ...

5. The decision-making process ...

6. If we can minimise our costs ...

7. The good manager is one who ...

8. The most valuable subordinate is the one who ...

9. When a business is faced with falling sales it can either ...

10. If only one member of staff can be promoted ...

11. If a member of staff is consistently late ...

Section K. Vocabulary

evaluation	feasibility	flexible	frivolous	criteria
ineffective	projection	redundancy	bureaucracy	options
emphasis	competitive	co-operative	discretions	autocratic
supportive	analytic	deviation*	permissible	complex
hazardous	subordinate	implement	anticipation	remedial

Match the words listed above with the dictionary definitions which follow.

1. Capable of adaptation to changing situations.

2. This type of manager tends to make decisions without referring to those affected by them.

3. An objective and rational approach.

4. A weighing up of the pros and cons in a given situation.

5. A situation where an employee is no longer required by the employer.

6. The type of management which is both caring and helpful.

7. Risky, as when sailing in uncharted waters.

8. A description of a problem with many aspects to be brought into account.

9. A look forward in an attempt to spot future threats or opportunities.

10. To put a decision into effect.

11. Someone who is below another in the organisational hierarchy.

12. The alternatives available to one in the decision-making process.

13. Certain delegated powers given by a manager to his staff.

14. Stress laid on or importance attached to a particular aspect of a problem.

15. The type of action which is intended to solve a problem.

16. Something which is allowed.

17. Light-hearted and of no great consequence.

18. Factors to be brought into account when deciding on a course of action.

19. A study which helps to determine whether a particular course of action is possible or not.

20. The treatment of data so as to determine what is likely to happen in the future.

21. The type of person who is prepared to work with others in order to reach a mutually desired target.

22. An organisation which is governed by the strict application of unbending rules.

23. A movement away from the chosen path.

24. Describing a solution which does not produce the desired result.

25. The type of person or organisation that likes to be in front.

Section L. Conference (role-play)

Your task: Prepare a talk on a topic related to making decisions in business, e.g. “Involving subordinates into decision-making” (use the text below and the tips to it in the sub-section “Your views”). Speakers will produce their talks in English while some students will act as interpreters and interpret the conference for the Russian-speaking delegates.

There are a number of benefits for managers when they allow their subordinates to participate in the decision-making process. Two heads are better than one, even if the manager has more experience than his subordinates*. Of course it is by no means certain that the manager will have a better idea than his subordinates. Today’s subordinate is tomorrow’s manager.

One of the functions of management is to motivate, and one of the ways to motivate subordinates is to feed their egos. It charges their motivation batteries when their manager asks them what they think, or what course of action they would recommend. It helps to develop self-confidence which is so vital to someone who is new to the game of business.

Along the same lines, participation can be seen as a training device. Few people are born with a genius for decision-making. Most of us need our talents cultivating. But it is not just a question of managers nurturing the talents of their subordinates. The managers are judged by their ability to comply with targets set, and they can only achieve their targets with the aid of their subordinates. The last thing a wise manager wants is a poorly trained team.

Finally, in a democratic society, people expect to be consulted with regard to matters which will affect them. The workplace is no exception. Many societies now enjoy a reasonable degree of political democracy and are moving towards the next stage in the process – industrial democracy – including supervisory boards of directors, works councils and various types of co-ownership. The only questions remaining, in fact, are “how far?” and “how fast?”

Your views

1. What do you see as the merits and demerits of allowing subordinates to participate in the decision-making process?

2. To what extent do you think employees should have a say in the running of a business?

3. Do you think there should be workers/directors on the boards of limited companies?

4. Do you think employers should operate a “full disclosure policy" so far as their employees are concerned? What are the dangers?

5. How far do you think industrial democracy can, and should, be introduced?

6. Which groups in society benefit if a business succeeds, and which groups lose if it fails?

Section M. Home translation

Your task: Give full written translation of the text with analysis of translation techniques. Pay special attention to the highlighted words and phrases. While translating, complete your glossary on the topic.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

Family Business Decisions The successful entrepreneur Gerry Harvey (of Harvey Norman fame) recently bet $100m that he would double Coles Myers profits within three to five years. Nobody has been game to take his bet. Gerry started by selling vacuum cleaners door to door. Then with his brother he started the first store in 1961. Having gone well, the business was sold to Bond in 1982. When Bond then promptly sacked him, Gerry started Harvey Norman that very same year. Harvey Norman went public in 1986, and now has at least 147 stores in Australia and New Zealand, with 15 in Singapore. Market capitalisation is 4.4 billion. The drive and focus that makes for a successful entrepreneur often becomes an Achilles heel, a real disadvantage when the company goes public. Having been like a benevolent dictator surrounded by family and supporters, such entrepreneurs often find it extremely hard to share the responsibility for management. Other examples include: Publishing and Broadcasting Limited Frank Lowry's Westfield Holdings Gandel Retail Trust. Two others who resisted the temptation to go public include: Richard Pratt (of Visy fame) Bruce Gordon (with WIN television). In short, the business world admires the self-made businessperson but the market benchmark remains shareholder value. Serious or sustained drop in shareholder value means the king has to negotiate an important transformation or transition. Researching Australia's top 500 private companies, Gome (2000) found 340 of them to be family-owned businesses. Of these, one out of 10 have some succession plan in place [succession refers to who will take over after you, and usually includes other crucial roles or positions in the company as well]. Nobody relishes the thought of planning for when they are gone, but there is compelling reason to do so: 60% of these organisations will be changing hands in the next six years, due mainly to founders' deaths. Without succession planning, disputes and turmoil commonly occur. For long-term survival, the saying in the US is from "family owned and operated" to "family owned and professionally managed". Australia is seen (by Adelaide wool and leather processing giant Raymond Mitchell) as about 30 years behind the US in specialist support for family business, and about 10 years behind Western Europe in such matters. Nevertheless, between Melbourne and Sydney can be found 120 family business specialists, whether in accounting, law, psychology, or management research, training or advice (Gome 2000). Several universities are also now active in this area. This is sure to be a growth area.

Section N. Summarising

Read the following texts and summarise them in Russian.

Text 1