Английский для социологов: Учебно-методическое пособие

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Ò.Í. ÀÑÒÀÔÓÐÎÂÀ

ÀÍÃËÈÉÑÊÈÉ ÄËß ÑÎÖÈÎËÎÃΠÓ÷åáíî-ìåòîäè÷åñêîå ïîñîáèå

Âîëãîãðàä 2004

Ðåöåíçåíòû: ä-ð. ôèëîë. íàóê Â.È. Êàðàñèê ä-ð. ôèëîë. íàóê Í.Ë. Øàìíå Ïå÷àòàåòñÿ ïî ðåøåíèþ Ó÷åíîãî ñîâåòà ôàêóëüòåòà ëèíãâèñòèêè è ÌÊÊ (ïðîòîêîë ¹ 1 îò 15.09.2003 ã.)

Ò.Í. Àñòàôóðîâà Àíãëèéñêèé äëÿ ñîöèîëîãîâ: Ó÷åáíî-ìåòîäè÷åñêîå ïîñîáèå. — Âîëãîãðàä: Èçä-âî ÂîëÃÓ, 2004. — 104 ñ. — (Ó÷åáíî-ìåòîäè÷åñêèé êîìïëåêñ «Ïðîôåññèîíàëüíàÿ ìåæêóëüòóðíàÿ êîììóíèêàöèÿ». «Àíãëèéñêèé äëÿ ñîöèîëîãîâ» ÿâëÿåòñÿ ñîñòàâíîé ÷àñòüþ ó÷åáíî-ìåòîäè÷åñêîãî êîìïëåêñà «Ïðîôåññèîíàëüíàÿ ìåæêóëüòóðíàÿ êîììóíèêàöèÿ», ðàçðàáîòàííîãî â ñîîòâåòñòâèè ñ òðåáîâàíèÿìè (ôåäåðàëüíûé êîìïîíåíò) ê îáÿçàòåëüíîìó ìèíèìóìó ñîäåðæàíèÿ è óðîâíþ ïîäãîòîâêè äèïëîìèðîâàííîãî ñïåöèàëèñòà (áàêàëàâðà, ìàãèñòðà) ïî öèêëó «Îáùèå ãóìàíèòàðíûå è ñîöèàëüíî-ýêîíîìè÷åñêèå äèñöèïëèíû» ãîñóäàðñòâåííûõ îáðàçîâàòåëüíûõ ñòàíäàðòîâ âûñøåãî ïðîôåññèîíàëüíîãî îáðàçîâàíèÿ âòîðîãî ïîêîëåíèÿ è ñòàâèò öåëüþ: ïîçíàêîìèòü îáó÷àåìûõ ñ êàòåãîðèàëüíûì àïïàðàòîì ñîâðåìåííîé ñîöèîëîãèè è ñîöèàëüíîé ýêîíîìèêè íà îñíîâå àíãëîÿçû÷íûõ òåêñòîâ; ïîìî÷ü èçó÷èòü àíãëîÿçû÷íóþ òåðìèíîëîãè÷åñêóþ ñèñòåìó ýêîíîìè÷åñêîé ñîöèîëîãèè; ñôîðìèðîâàòü ó îáó÷àåìûõ íàâûêè è óìåíèÿ ìåæêóëüòóðíîé (èíîÿçû÷íîé) êîììóíèêàöèè â ðàìêàõ äåëîâûõ êîíòàêòîâ è ïðîôåññèîíàëüíîé ñôåðû (ñîöèàëüíàÿ ýêîíîìèêà).

© Ò.Í. Àñòàôóðîâà, 2004 © Èçäàòåëüñòâî Âîëãîãðàäñêîãî ãîñóäàðñòâåííîãî óíèâåðñèòåòà, 2004

CONTENTS

UNIT 1. COMMUNICATION IN CROSSCULTURAL Professional Interaction ................................................... 4 Boardroom Culture Clash ................................................ 7 Socio-Cultural Stereotypes ............................................ 19 UNIT 2. MANAGEMENT STYLES ..................................................... 30 She is the Boss ............................................................. 32 UNIT 3. ENTERPRENEURS ............................................................. 43 Are You an Entrepreneur? ............................................ 59 UNIT 4. ECONOMIC ISSUES. AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE ...................... 62 The Death of Economics .............................................. 63 UNIT 5. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS ............................... 75 Is Big Business Antagonistic to Nature? Environmental Ethics ................................................... 80 ANSWER KEYS ............................................................................... 95

UNIT 1. COMMUNICATION IN CROSSCULTURAL

PROFESSIONAL INTERACTION In intercultural communication people meet with a lot of problems across culture nature. Understanding what the aspirations of people in different cultures are is important. It’s very important to be as openminded as you possibly can. You come across different kinds of cultures and they affect business in different ways. You should be aware of a number of things: there are different attitudes towards work, time, towards resolving problems, working in teams and so on. In an AngloAmerican culture, they emphasise action, doing things and achieving things. But when you’re dealing with people who are much more comfortable with consensus, in discussion, then you shouldn’t dismiss that as time-wasting. You should have a very open attitude to how people approach work. The simple things like inappropriate food, alcohol, etc. are much easier to deal with than these more subtle things. To be more marketable in today’s economy you have to develop cross-cultural awareness and ‘your attitude’ (ability to see things through your partner’s eyes). Every country has its own customs. Also you shouldn’t assume that because you understand the culture of the capital city you also understand the culture in the provinces and other areas in the country. For example, in Colombia where you have a very sophisticated group of people working in Bogota, their lifestyle, their way of life, their culture if you like is quite different from, for example, one of the provinces a long way from the city where the Government and the Government culture in the capital has had very little chance to spread. When speaking about different nations we use stereotyped definitions. Do you agree with the definitions given below? What definitions could you add? How could you define your nationality? The Germans — hardworking, ambitious, successful, aggressive, arrogant, etc. The Japanese — successful, ambitious, clever, hardworking, etc. The Americans — successful, ambitious, aggressive, modern, etc. –4–

The British — boring, humorous, arrogant, aggressive, etc. The French — stylish, modern, arrogant, humorous, lazy, etc. The Italian — lazy, stylish, helpful, humorous, aggressive, etc. Have you personally noticed any differences in the way business people behave themselves in other countries? What nationalities do you tend to associate with the following characteristics ? 1. They insist on sticking to a strict agenda. 2. They can’t see any further than next month’s sales figures. 3. They like to get to know you before they do business with you. 4. They’re pretty disorganized as a rule. 5. They avoid confrontation at all costs. 6. It takes a while to win them over. 7. They keep changing their minds. 8. They say what they mean and they mean what they say. 9. They seem to argue for the sake of arguing. 10. They tend to dominate meetings. 11. They see meetings as an opportunity to exchange information and share ideas. 12. They see meetings as an opportunity to get things moving. Read the descriptions of some different social and business customs. Can you identify which nationality group they refer to? Match each descri ption with one of these nationalities: the Japanese

the French

the Germans

the Italians

the British

the Spanish

A. They are happy to borrow manners and style from anywhere as long as it is useful and, above all, elegant. They love new things and their homes and offices are full of gardgets. Interactive video telephones, high speed trains, and modern architecture cause excitement not shock.

! 2. The Germans ! 1. The French

3. The Japanese

4. The British –5–

! !

B. They leave work as punctually as they arrive and rarely take work home. They work hard, but statistically they put in fewer hours than fellow Europens.

! 2. The Germans !

! 4. The Japanese !

1. The Spanish

3. The British

C Lunches and dinners are an important part of business life. They are used to create apersonal relationshi p, and to make sure that people can trust each other. Until the coffee is served, they must not discuss business. 1. The Japanese 2. The Italians

! !

! 4. The British ! 3. The Spanish

D. It is impolite to be exactly on time. For social occasions this means arriving between ten and twenty minutes after the arranged time. Sometimes invitations specify, for example, ‘Come at 7.30 for 8.00’, which means you must not arrive later than 7.50.

! 2. The Germans !

! 4. The British !

1. The Japanese

3. The Spanish

E. They regularly word on Saturdays, don’t often take more than week’s vacation, and count sick days as holiday.

! 2. The British !

! 4. The Japanese !

1. The Italians

3. The Germans

F. The backbone of the economy is the thousands of small and medium sized private firs in the north. Their owners prefer –6–

independence, and it is more profitable to keep things in the family, pay workers in cash, and employ people who are officially selfemployed, in order to make bigger profits and avoid strikes.

! 2. The Spanish !

! 4. The Japanese !

1. The French

3. The Italians

Do you agree with the above given analysis? Why/Why not? How dangerous is it to stereotype people in this way? Now compare your opinions with those in the article given below. BOARDROOM CULTURE CLASH. AN UNPREDICTABLE AFFAIR Try to put pressure on a Japanese in a negotiation and you will be met with stony silence. Hold an informal fact-finding meeting with a German and you can expect a battery of searching questions. Disagree with the French on even a minor point and they will take great pleasure in engaging in spirited verbal combat. Doing business across culture can be an unpredictable affair. CULTURAL AWARENESS Most of us prefer to do business with people we like, and it should come as no surprise that the people we like tend to be like us. So whilst we may dispute the accuracy of cultural stereotypes, it is generally agreed that good business relationshi ps are built on cultural awareness. Across national frontiers ‘nice guys’ do more business than nasty ones. But what constitutes nice-guy behaviour in a boardroom in Miami is not necessarily what they expect in Madrid. THE US PERSPECTIVE For instance, most Americans will insist on the hard sell. It’s not enough that you want to buy their products, you must let them sell them to you. They have to report back to superiors who will be as interested in how the deal was struck as the result. Systems and procedures matter to Americans.

–7–

THE SPANIARDS TRUST YOU The Spanish, on the other hand, are unimpressed by the most meticulously prepared meeting and pay much more attention to people. In this they are more like the Arabs or the Japanese. In the Middle and Far East business is built on trust over a long period of time. Spaniards may come to a decision about whether they trust you a little sooner. ANIMATED ITALIANS Italians too tend to feel that the main purpose of meetings is to assess the mood of those present and reinforce team-spirit. There may well be a lot of animated discussion at a meeting in Italy, but the majority of decisions will be made elsewhere and in secret. SCANDINAVIANS WANT RESULTS Strangely enough, Scandinavians are rather like Americans. They value efficiency, novelty, systems and technology. They are firmly profit-oriented. They want results yesterday. SUCCEED WITH THE GERMANS Don’t be surprised if the Germans start a meeting with all the difficult questions. They want to be convinced you are as efficient and quality-conscious as they are. They will be cautious about giving you too much business until you have proved yourself. They will demand prompt delivery and expect you to keep your competitive edge in the most price-sensitive market in Europe. Succeed and you will enjoy a long-term business relationshi p. ADVERSARIAL MEETINGS The French will give you their business much more readily. But they will withdraw it just as fast if you fail to come up with the goods. Meetings in France tend to be adversarial. Heated discussion is all part of the game. Germans will be shocked to hear you question their carefully prepared arguments. The Spanish will offer no opinion unless sure of themselves, for fear of losing face. But French executives prefer to meet disagreement head on, and the British tendency to diffuse tension with humour doesn’t go down too well. PRISONERS OF OUR CULTURE Ask yourself whether meetings are opportunities to network or get results. Is it more important to stick to the agenda or generate new ideas? Is the main aim of a meeting to transmit or pool information? –8–

It all depends on where in the world you hold your meeting and whether you belong to an individualistic business culture like the French, Germans and Americans or to a collective one like the British, Japanese and Greeks. Indeed, who knows to what extent our views are our own and to what extent culturally conditioned? For in business, as in life, «all human beings are captives of their culture»

.

1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. FIND ENGLISH

EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT.

(1) îêàçûâàòü äàâëåíèå íà êîãî-ëèáî; (2) ïðîâîäèòü âñòðå÷ó ñ êåì-ëèáî; (3) îñïàðèâàòü òî÷íîñòü êóëüòóðíûõ ñòåðåîòèïîâ; (4) äåëîâûå îòíîøåíèÿ; (5) çàêëþ÷àòü ñäåëêó; (6) òùàòåëüíî ïîäãîòîâëåííàÿ âñòðå÷à; (7) ñòðîèòü äåëî íà äîâåðèè; (8) ïðèõîäèòü ê ðåøåíèþ; 9) óêðåïëÿòü êîìàíäíûé äóõ; (10) îæèâëåííàÿ äèñêóññèÿ; (11) âûãîäíî îòëè÷àòüñÿ îò êîíêóðåíòîâ; (12) âñòðå÷àòü ðàçíîãëàñèÿ âî âñåîðóæèè; (13) ñíèìàòü íàïðÿæåíèå þìîðîì, (14) çàëîæíèêè ñâîåé êóëüòóðû.

3. MATCH THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT AND TRANSLATE THEM.

1) quality-conscious 2) adversarial meeting 3) to come up with the goods 4) to lose face 5) head-on

6) to go down well/ badly with smb. to share it 7) to network

a) to produce smth. esp. when pessured or challenged b) thinking that quality of goods is very important c) in a direct and determined way d) to be accepted or not accepted by smb. e) interact with others in order to exchange information and develop useful contacts f) to put it all together in order g) to stop having one’s credibility

–9–

8) to pool information

h) involving or characterized by conflict or opposition

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Which of the following points support the opinions expressed in the article? 1. In meetings the French tend to be more aggressive than the Germans. 2. The Arabs have nothing in common with the Japanese. 3. The French generally don’t appreciate the British sense of humour. 4. The Spanish are rarely hesitant in cross-cultural meetings. 5. The Americans and Scandinavians value a methodical approach. 6. The Germans want quality at any price. 7. The British tend to be more individualistic in business than the Germans. 8. In business the Italians are more or less like the Spanish. b) What Well, Well, Well,

are your own views on each of these points? personally, I think ... if you ask me ... I reckon ...

c) Look back at the last three paragraphs in the article. Find the expressions which mean: 1. to compare favourably with your competitors 2. to do as you promised 3. to react strongly tî differences of opinion

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) The following business verbs are listed in the order in which they appeared in the article. Use these verbs to make up word combinations with nouns from the text, translate them and learn ten most useful by heart. BUSINESS VERBS NOUNS 1. hold a meeting 2. disagree on 3. build – 10 –

4. report back to 5. strike 6. come to 7. reinforce 8. withdraw 9. question 10. offer 11. diffuse 12. get 13. generate 14. transmit 15. pool b) Complete the sentences below using words from the following list. Referring back to the article will help you with some of them. market profit

price quality

client technology

cost

1. We’re a firmly .......... oriented company, so the bottom-line for us is not how big our market share is but how much money we’re going to make. 2. Even at low prices inferior products won’t sell in such a .......... conscious market. 3. The market’s far too .......... sensitive to stand an increase in service charges. 4. We’re constantly forced to respond both to changing customer needs and to what our main competitors are doing in a .......... driven business such as this. 5. The customer always comes first. We’re a very .......... centred company. 6. In a .......... led business, such as ours, it’s vital to plough profits back into R.&.D. 7. If the price of materials goes up any more, production will no longer be .......... effective. c) Read the passage and fill in the blanks with the words in the table: agenda, agree, decisions, follow, opinion, partici pants, prepared, roposal, spontaneous, views, waste – 11 –

There are many different sorts of business meeting, and how the partici pants behave varies from country to country.In France meetings are generally used for briefing and coordination rather than discussing (1) ... and making decisions. They follow a detailed (2) ... and comments are well thought out rather than (3) ... . The same is true at formal meetings in Germany, where you should be well (4) ... if you wish to express an opinion. In the UK, on the other hand, (5) ... often arrive at meeting unprepared, and papers distributed before the meetings will not be read.. This does not prevent anyone from expressing his opinion or putting forward a (6) ... . Everyone is expected to contribute their (7) .… .. . In Italy meetings seem to be the most informal in Europe. They don’t usually (8) ... an agenda and people often come and go as they please. In fact, sometimes Italian meetings are more like a social gathering, used to reinforce a sense of togetherness. It’s very different in Spain, where meetings do little to create a team spirit. The Spanish prefer to be independant and make (9) ... on their own. Meetings are often a (10) ... of time because it is impossible to get everyone to (11) ... . d) Use the words from the box in the sentences below: average, considered, summarize, persuade, profit, reviewing, significant, long-term There was a (1) ...… rise in the prices of raw material last month. It’s not last and it’s not slow. It’s just (2) ...… . But the contract is a bit out of date so we are (3) ...… it. It won’t show a (4) ...… for a year or two. It’s a (5) ...… investment. We spent hours negotiating the new terms but we couldn’t (6) ... the other side to change their mind. They (7) ... the new terms at their meeting but decided against them. In conclusion let’s just the main points.

– 12 –

6. GRAMMAR

WORK

a) In a delicate negotiation you do not always say exactly what you think! You need to be able to express yourself diplomatically, to make your point firmly but politely. Match what you think with what you say: WHAT YOU THINK

WHAT YOU SAY

1. We are unhappy with this offer.

a. Unfortunately, we would be unable to accept that.

2. We are dissatisfied.

b. With respect, that’s not quite correct.

3. We can’t accept it.

c. I’m sure we don’t need to remind you of your contractual obligations.

4. You said there would be a discount.

d. We’re rather surprised you expect us to cover the costs.

5. Don’t forget your obligations.

e. We would find this somewhat difficult to agree to.

6. We want a guarantee.

f. We were rather hoping to finalize the deal today.

7. We won’t agree to this.

g. I’m sorry but we’re not very happy with this offer.

8. We’re shocked you expect us to cover the costs.

h. Actually, we were hoping for a slightly more substantial rebate/ discount.

9. That’s wrong.

i. I’m afraid you don’t seem to understand

10, We want a bigger rebate.

j. We understood there would be a discount.

11. We must finalize the deal today.

k. We would need some sort of guarantee.

12. You obviously don’t understand.

1. We’re not completely satisfied.

– 13 –

13. We can’t negotiate the price.

m. We will if we have to (but if you insist ...).

14. We don’t want to pay that.

n. Something in the conditions has to change.

15. We can’t agree that o. We can negotiate everything as it stands. else. b) Find in the above right colomn (What You Say) wordssofteners which help to make your language less direct and more diplomatic. 1. What is the purpose of expressions like unfortunately and I’m afraid? 2. What is the difference between unhappy and not very happy dissatisfied and not completely satisfied? Notice the pattern. How would you change these: bad

unprofitable

unpopular

false

3. What is the effect of using would in sentences a, e, and k? What is the difference between that’s a problem, and that would be a problem? Notice we use we would be unable to instead of we can’t …... . 4. How do words like quite, rather, slightly, and somewhat change the effect of what you say? Do you know any other words like these? 5. What is the difference between You said and We understood in 4-j? 6. What is the effect of using seem in sentence 12-i? Write another sentence using seem in a similar way. REMEMBER 1. Unfortunateiy and I’m afraid warn the other person that bad news is coming. 2. Not very / completely / entirely + a positive adjective sounds friendlier than lots of negative adjectives. Examples: not very good, not very profitable, not very popular, not entirely true . 3. That would be a problem in fact means the same as That’s a problem, but it sounds less direct. Using would suggests that the problem might be solved: That would be a problem ... unless we can find a solution. – 14 –

4. Quite, rather, slightly and somewhat are softeners which make bad news sound better. 5. You said there would be a discount makes it sound as if you lied! We understood there would be a discount means it may just be a misunderstanding. 6. You don’t seem to understand is strong language but less offensive than You don’t understand. It allows the possibility that you might understand. c) Now change the following rather direct remarks into ones which are more diplomatic. The words in brackets will help you. 1. You said the goods were on their way. (understood) 2. We’re unhappy about it. (sorry but / not very) 3. That’s a bad idea. (might / not very) 4. This is most inconvenient. (afraid / might / not very) 5. We can’t accept your offer. (unfortunately / unable) 6. We want a bigger discount. (hoping / slightly) 7. Your products are very expensive. (seem / rather) 8. We must reach agreement today. (actually / rather hoping) 9. It’ll be unmarketable.(unfortunately / would / not very) 10. There will be a delay. (afraid / might / slight) 11. You must give us more time. (actually / appreciate / a little more) 12. You don’t understand how important this is. (respect / don’t seem / quite how) 13. Don’t forget the terms of the contract! (sure / don’t need / remind) 14. We’re getting nowhere! (afraid / don’t seem / very far) d) Conditional Sentences 1. The Sales Manager of the company is always very optimistic and expresses the conditions below as if they were all real possibilities. Follow this example. Condition I make Harris a good offer e. g. If I make Harris a good offer 1. We get the contract

Result He gives us the contract he will give us the contract It gives us money to spend on advertising.

– 15 –

2. We spend the money on capital investment. 3. We beat our competitors now. 4. We increase spending on advertising. 6. We increase sales. 7. We reduce costs. 8. We introduce an up-to-date product. 9. We prolong the contract. 10. We delay.

It provides strength against inflation. Our figures rocket next year. We increase sales. We make a profit. We are in stronger position. We become more competitive. We have profit in hand. We are too late.

2. The Finance Manager of the company is on the contrary a very cautious person and expresses the conditions with some doubt. Now follow this example. Condition We get the contract e. g. If we got the contract

Result We have difficulties in fulfilling it we would have difficulties in fulfilling it.

1.We spend the money on advertising. 2.We don t increase our market share now. 3.We increase our market share now. 4.Our figures rocket. next year. 5.Our sales don’t increase difficulties. 6.We delay. 7.We get a new manager. 8.We increase our spending. 9.We increase the order. 10. The manager is in.

We lose it. We go into a decline. We still need to invest. I am able to retire. We are in serious financial We don’t get the contract. He opens new subsidiaries. We are in some difficulties. They reduce the price. He can clear up all the questions.

– 16 –

3. Two managers are discussing whether or not to invest in more capital equi pment. One is in favour of the idea, the other is against.Study their reasons and produce their arguments. e. g.If we bought more equi pment, we would produce more goods. In favour: more equi pment → more goods → lower price → more profit Against: more equi pment → bigger premises → higher costs 4. The Sales Manager of a company producing motor cars is writing a report to the Managing Director explaining the reasons why the first half of the year has been unhappy. e. g. We would have sold 3.000 cars if we hadn’t had a strike. January — strike February — shortage of raw materials March — price rise April — inceased competition from Japan Go on and give 5 more reasons.

5. COMPLETE

THE SENTENCES USING THE REQUIRED FORM OF

THE VERBS IN BRACKETS:

1. If I (get) an order there, it (open up) a new market for us. 2. If Newtech (not give) us the letter of guarantee, it (be) harder to do business with them. 3. If the goods (load) quickly, we (receive) them by now. 4. He (leave) Moscow tonight if he (get) the necessary documents. 5. If you (can extend) the guarantee period, we (place) an order with you. 6. If you (increase) the numbers of trucks bought from us, we (reduce) the price by 5 per cent. 7. We (send) you our contract, if you (agree) to these terms and conditions. 8. If your offer (receive) last week, we (accept) it. 9. If they (admit) this fact, their whole case for the campaing (collapse).

– 17 –

10. If judgment (be not given) according to the rules, we never know what its legal consequences (be).

6. DISCUSS a) How do people generally prefer tî conduct meetings in your country? Use as many of the word combinations above as you need to talk about exchanging information, opinion giving, voicing disagreement, making decisions, getting results, sticking to agendas, diffusing tension etc. b) Put the following factors into what you consider to be their order of importance for the company. Give your reasons: a. market trends b. the price factor c. client needs d. profit levels e. quality control f. technological lead g. cost control

7. DISCUSS Do you take part in meetings in English with native speakers? Do you find the native speakers tend to dominate or do they make allowances for the fact that some partici pants are speaking aforeign language? Is it different when you do business in English when only nonnative speakers are present? Which do you prefer?

8. GROUP DISCUSSION a) Generalizations about nationalities and national characters are usually not welcomed, even when they are basically accurate. There are many difficulties with summarizing American or British ways of life and attitudes. Whereas, for example, Italians or Germans form a largely homogeneous society: white, Christian, speaking one language, Americans do not — they are not ‘normally’ white, most of them are Christians, but America cannot be called ‘a Christian country’. English is the common language by use but it is not the national – 18 –

language by law. Englishmen are much less self-conscious about their nationality than Scotsmen, Irishmen or Welshmen. But the Irish are desperately afraid of being laughed at; Scots are more frank in the expression of opinion and in the display both of anger and sentiment; and the Welsh prefer to live in small groupings — they are countrymen, not townsmen and the family is the centre of Welsh life. And whereas a country like Britain exhibits considerable variation in climate and landscape, the differences across the continental US are extreme. Less apparent at first thought is that much of what was once said to be typically British or American is often no longer just British or American. Analyse the chart describing basic mutual and discriminating parameters of British and American cultures: history, religion, philisohpy, social models, socio-cultural, psychological, communicative and behavioural characterictics. Discuss them in the group. SOCIO-CULTURAL STEREOTYPES Common origins

Language: English

History

New country Opportunity Enterprise Present and future oriented

Religion: Protestant Calvinist Non-conformist Philosophy: Pragmatic Empirical Inductive: Observe facts Person-oriented (not idea oriented)

Role / Models

Self-made man Enegry Enterpreneur Baseball player President John Wayne US

Behavioural Characterictics

Individualistic Non-conformist Energetic: friendly Game-oriented: win Informal Self-promoting Competitive Maximizing

P E R F O R M A N C E

UK Old Empire Responsibility administration; Order; Past and present oriented

Group-oriented Conformist Reserved: shy Problem-oriented: Squire solve it Gentleman Self-depricating: we Cricketplayer Semi-formal Monarch Laurence Olivier Collaborative Minimizing – 19 –

R A N K

b) Match the strategy of ‘handling’ to the socio-cultural stereotypes. Give your reasons. HOW TO HANDLE THEM STRATEGY A

STRATEGY B

* Reflect their energy — be bold and open! * Be informal — relax! * Use first names! * Open up: talk about your family; tell stories! * Be competitive but remember: they will be friendly even after a hard game.

* Be low-key: approach them * Warmly but positively! * Collaborate! * Be a problem solver! * Smile! Do not be competitive or argumentative! * Don’t talk about families, politics or religion.

Language cannot be separated from culture. Even if you speak perfectly but argue or negotiate according to the rules of your own culture you may not achieve your communicative aims. Study ABC (simplest facts to be learnt first) of Anglo-Saxons di plomacy. Is it universal? If not, try to work out ABC of di plomacy for your nation. Why are generalizations about nations or national characteristics dangerous? ABC OF ANGLO-SAXONS DIPLOMACY • Anglo-Saxons

are always positive before giving negative answer. Say ‘YES’ before ‘no’! AGREE before disagree. ‘YES, but ’… is a very classical model. • Find three positive points to say before you deliver your negative point. • Show respect for the person before you disagree with the idea. • Establish your credibility by showing that you understand both sides of the argument. • When you give the negative argument, minimize it. c) Get acquainted with cultural values most important for successful crosscultural business communication. There are many socio-cultural assumptions that may lead to crosscultural communication problems. These assumptions include – 20 –

attitudes to time, space, the individual or group activity, relationships between superiors and subordinates, negotiating style, etc. Some cultures tend to be collectivist and others individualist. In a collectivist culture this means that group harmony generally takes precedence over individual performance and needs. Examples of collectivist cultures are Japan, Indonesia, Portugal, etc. Examples of individualist countries are the United States, Italy, etc. The distribution of power within the companies will also vary from culture to culture. In cultures with a low power distance, for example, Sweden and the United States, there is relatively little emphasis on status. In cultures with a high power distance, such as Mexico and Indonesia, position and status play a more important role in working relationshi ps. It must be remembered, of course, that within any culture there will be variations in power distance from company to company. The combination of many of these attitudes and assumptions influences the way in which people behave in specific situations such as negotiating. The chart below compares seven main cultural groups — the Japanese, the Americans, the British, the Germans, the French, the Russians and the Arabs — in terms of four key areas: emotions, decision — making, social interaction and negotiating strategy. Emotions

Decision making Social interaction the Japanese

Emotions are valued but ,must be hidden. Self control is highly valued: no argumen-tation. Respect, patience modesty

Decisions are made by the group rather than individuals

Emotions are not highly valued

Team work gives input to decision makers. Decisions are made quickly

Face-saving is very important choice is often made to save someone from embarassment

Negotiating Strategy

To reach agreement in harmony and consensus without direct pressure. This is the reason why negotiaitons take much longer

the Americans

Face-saving does not openly matter. Choices are made on a cost / benefit basis. Little emphasis on status

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To be strong is highly valued. Pressure tactics are often used. Arguments are made in an impersonal and based on facts way

Emotions

Decision making Social interaction the Germans

Suppressions of personal relationship beneath the subject

Well prepared to negotiations. Try to win argument before it begins

Establish social relationship

Group oriented in making decisions

Emotional sensitivity is higly valued

Better discuss partner s offers than make their own

Emotion when arguing

Usually have no options. Members are less independant in making decisions than Americans

Focus on the person

Avoid confict. Never say «NO»

Negotiating Strategy

they will say Emphases on logic «NO» if necessary. & argumentation. Often agressive

the British

semi-formal, colaborative

To solve the problem like gentlemen

the Russians

Interaction can be emotional. Strict hierarchical relation-ships between superiors and subordinate

No risk taking, restricted initiative. More attention to general goals & less to ractics

the French

Enjoy a warn interaction as well as lively debate

To be well prepared and win intellectual argument

the Arabs

Group harmony. To establish trust Much emphasis on and build positive statue atmosphere

GROUP DISCUSSION 1. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with information given in table A. Try to prove your statements. Analize the table of cultural differences in: Table A BELIEFS AND BEHAVIOURS 1. Human nature

Basically evil

Mixture of good and evil

Basically good

2. Relationship Man subjugated by Man in harmony of man to nature nature with nature

Man- the master of nature

3. Sense of time

Future-oriented

Past-oriented

Present-oriented

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4. Activity

Being: stress on who you are

Growing: stress on Doing: stress self-development on action

5. Social

Authoritarian

Group-oriented

Individualistic relationships

Fill in the chart below with characteristics analized in Table A and discuss it in the group. British Americans Japanese YOU 1 2 3 4 5

When the groups have finished, focus the discussion on the following questions: — What new facts did you learn about communicative behaviour in the UK, in the US, in your own country? B. NEGOTIATING STYLE Negotiating style is determined by attention given to different stages of negotiating by different nations. The Japanese treat the negotiating process as a ritual in which the princi ple of harmony is uppermost.This requires the careful and painstaking establishment of good personal relationshi ps as the first step in the process. The Japanese ask a lot of questions in order to detect points of weakness and they rarely make important decisions or concessions during the negotiations. Direct pressure is rarely used, and they will not respond to pressure tactics.Because of the need for behind-the-scene consensus and harmony-building activities, negotiations with the Japanies take much longer. Americans tend to use a highly individualistic and informal style of negotiation in which straight speaking and pressure tactics are important. Negotiation is seen as a competitive process of offer and counter-offer, and decisions can be made quickly, often at the negotiation table itself. The British tend to emphasise the establishment of sociable and sensitive relationshi ps and to see the negotiating process itself in terms of problem-solving rather than hard bargaining and strong strategy. – 23 –

Individuals can have different negotiating styles and differ in the emphasis placed on particular stages of the negotiation. There are cultural differences too. A German buyer usually moves directly from the relationshi p building phase to the bidding phase without agreeing procedure or exchanging information. While this is a rather extreme example, German negotiators often move to the bidding phase sooner than may be expected by the other side. Different national cultures place different emphases on the main selling features of a product or service. The advertisement designed for a British target audience, stresses personal service and benefits to the customer. The advertisement for designed for a German target audience talks about technical features and exemplifies these features by quoting relevant facts. Clearly, when preparing for an international negotiation, it is important to take into account differences of this kind. This is particularly important when working out the focus of questions to establish customer needs.An American or British buyer may expect lots of questions from the seller before any presentation of benefits is made. A German buyer may expect a clear and factual presentation of technical features supported by concrete examples but relatively few questions about needs. Attitude towards the importance of written documents vary widely. While most cultures expect to sign a written contract at the close of a negotiation in some cultures written records will be produced and signed at earlier stages — e. g. after initial proposals have been made at the bidding stage. In cultures in which a lot of emphasis is placed on written agreement, negotiations tend rely heavily on the use of legal experts throughout the negotiation. This is particularly true of American negotiations. The charts below show negotiating styles in terms of: 1. strategies: CHART 1 AMERICA

To enjoy the spot and win the game

BRITAIN

FRANCE

To solve To win the problem intellectual like argument gentlemen

GERMANY

To win argument before it begins

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JAPAN

To reach agreement in harmony and consensus

ARABIA

To know the person and establish trust

2. attention to different stages of negotiating: CHART 2 Socialising

Socialising

Socialising

Socialising Fact-finding Socialising

Fact-finding

Fact-finding Fact-finding Socialising Proposing

Bargaining

Proposing

Bargaining

Fact-finding

Bargaining

Bargaining

Proposing

Fact-finding

Proposing

Settling

Settling

Settling

Settling

Proposing

Proposing

Settling

Settling

3. direct vs indirect fact presentation: CHART 3 Direct

the M iddle W ay

Indirect

Facts, logic, argument

Separate the content and the person

Respect, positive atmosphere, consensus

USA Germany

France

Italy

Mexico Britain

Spain

Arabia Portugal

– 25 –

Japan

CONTENT PERSON • Focus on the subject • Suppression of personal relatiobshi ps beneath the subject • Emphasis on logic and argumentation • Say NO if necessary

• Focus

on the person of subject beneath

• Submersion

person • Build

positive atmosphere

• Never say NO • Avoid conflict

Discuss negotiating styles of different nations in Chart 1, 2, 3. Where could you place your country? C. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP Different cultures place varying degrees of emphasis on the importance of relationshi ps building.In many Middle Eastern countries no business can be done until a relationshi p of mutual trust and confidence has gradually been built up between the two parties. By contrast, in Finland, small talk before a negotiation is generally kept to aminimum, and most of the relationshi p building will take place afterwards, in a restaurant or sauna. In many cultures people find it easier to build a relationshi p with a potential business partner in a social setting. This is particularly true of many European cultures, such as Spain, France and Great Britain. But it’s bad manners to discuss business at social occasion in India. The practice of immediately handling over a business card is most common among the Japanese. It has the advantage of helping you to remember unfamiliar names and to understand better the role and status of the members of the other negotiating team. However, in other cultures, for example, Germany, it’s more common to exchange business cards at the end of a meeting. In many cultures the giving of gifts is seen as a way of helping the negotiation to run smoothly, but in others it may be interpreted as corruption or bribery. While the exchange of company gifts, such as inscribed pens or, lighters, is acceptable in most cultures, other gifts or complimentary services could lead to problems. You have to give your present in public in the Middle East to show it’s not a bribe, but it’s good manners to give your present in private in Asia. You

– 26 –

mustn’t give cutlery in Latin America because it suggests that you want to cut off the relationshi p.You mustn’t give aclock in Chinabecause the Chinese word for clock is similar to the word for funeral. It is to research the attitudes to gifts in any country before entering into negotiations there. The amount of touching acceptable in different cultures also shows great variation and depends on the gender of the participants.You have to shake hands when you are coming or going in Russia, Germany, but in Britain you usually only shake hands when you meet someone for the first time. Latin American cultures permit more physical contact between men than, for example, European cultures. The distance at which two people stand from each other also differs. In Arab and Latin- American cultures, people generally stand closer together when talking than European or Americans do. It is certainly prudent to avoid controversial topics at the early stage of negotiations. However, the conventional «taboo» topics of politics and religion may be acceptable if you concentrate on information-gathering type questions (who/what/how) rather than questions which may imply comment or criticism. Americans usually mean «Yes» when they nod their heads. An English person probably just means «I understand», and an Asian is just showing interest. «Come any time» means «I want you to visit me» in India. If you don’t suggest a time and arrange a visit immediately, an Indian will think you are refusing the invitation. But if an English person says «Come any time», they will think you are bad-mannered if you start fixing a date. GROUP DISCUSSION Interview two or three students in your group to find out their answers to the following questions. Note down the individual speakers’ answers: 1. When introducing yourself to someone you don’t know at a party, what do you usually say? 2. When you are introduced to a man of your age or younger/ what do you usually say? 3. When you are introduced to a woman of your age or younger/ what do you usually say? 4. When you are being introduced to someone, do you usually shake hands? – 27 –

5. What are some topics you might talk about immediately after an introduction? 6. Do you prefer going out with a group of friends rather than with one or two friends? Lead a short discussion and focus on the following questions: — In which situations is behaviour in your own country similar or different from behaviour in the UK, the US, in your own country? D. WHAT CAN HELP YOU TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS OF SEPARATION IN CROSSCULTURAL INTERACTION 1. According to Dr. Leonard Zunin during the first four minutes together people decide whether or not they want to become friends:’Every time you meet someone in a social situation, give him your undivided attention for four minutes.A lot of people’s whole lives would change if they did just that». When we are introduced to new people, the author suggests, we should try to appear friendly and self-confident(1). In general,’people like people who are like themselves’. On the other hand, we should not make the other person think we are too sure of ourselves(2).It is important to appear interested and sympathetic, realise that the other person has his own needs,fears and hopes(3). That is not the time to complain about one’s health or mention faults one finds in other people (4). It is not the time to tell the whole truth about one’s opinions and impressions (5). These first four minutes together should be treated with care. If there are unpleasant matters to be discussed they should be dealt with care (6). 2. Studying a foreign language can help you to overcome problems of separation in international business. First, it gives one a skill to practical use when travelling, reading or working at a job that requires translating. Such a situation may happen to you. If you went to Britain, for example, you would want to be able to order food and read signs. Second, it introduces you to another culture — not just to external customs but also to the forms a culture thinks in. The structure of language and the way it names things reveal much about national character. Language mistakes can cause problems when we’re doing business with people from other countries. But communication can also break down when we misunderstand the way another culture works. – 28 –

The third thing language study does for you is improving your logical thought processes. As in a few other kinds of study (math, logic or computer science), it gives your brain invaluable exercise in analysis and classification, permanently changing the very way you think. The fourth benefit naturally follows — improved ability in English grammar and in learning other languages in the future.Obviously, then, everybody should sign up at once for a language of his or her choice. The world is ready to applaud your joining the «international set». Discuss: 1. What are the six rules that a businessman should keep in mind when he meets someone in a social situation? 2. Which of the rules do you find especially useful? 3. Which of the rules do you follow? 4. What other rules could you offer? 5. What are the four benefits of foreign language learning? 6. Which of them do you think is the most important? 7. What other benefits of language learning can you add?

UNIT 2. MANAGEMENT STYLES

The same or different? Do men and women bring different: qualities to business or is it nonsense tî talk about male and female management styles? Mark the following management qualities: M (man), W (woman) or M / W according to whether you think they are more typical of men, more typical of women or shared by both. 1. Being able to take the initiative. 2. Being a good listener. 3. Staying calm under pressure. 4. Being prepared to take risks. 5. Being conscientious and thorough. 6. Having good communication skills. 7. Being energetic and assertive. 8. Getting the best out of people. 9. Being independent and authoritative. 10. Being supportive towards colleagues. 11. Being able to delegate. 12. Motivating by example. 13. Having a co-operative approach. 14. Being single-minded and determined. 15. Being a good time-manager. Now select what you consider to be the five most important qualities in any manager and prioritize them in order of importance. 1. ........................ 2. ........................ 3. ........................ 4. ........................ 5. ........................ MEN and WOMEN do things differently. There are, of course, exceptions to every generalisation, including this one. Cristina Stuart is managing director of Speakeasy Training, a consultancy that runs – 30 –

courses for men and women working together. Here she describes a few key differences between the sexes in the workplace. 1. WORKING TOGETHER The male approach to business is competitive, direct and confrontational. The end justifies the means 1. Personal status and a focus on the individual are important. The female method is collaborative, collective action and responsibility are more important than personal achievement. Lateral thinking 2, as well goodwill and the well-being of the individual, are also of great importance. 2. TAKING PROBLEMS The male approach is to go to the heart of the problem, without taking into account secondary consideration. The female preference is to look at various options. 3. BODY LANGUAGE Male body language tends to be challenging. Female body language tends towards self-protection. A stereotypical female pose is sitting cross-legged; the male sits with legs apart to give an impression that he is in control. Male behaviour can include forceful gestures for example banging a fist on the desk for effect. The female style does not usually include aggressive gestures 4. LANGUAGE The male way of speaking does not encourage discussion. Women tend to welcome other’s opinions and contributions more. 5. CONVERSATION Men like to talk about their personal experiences and achievements or discuss ‘masculine’ topics such as cars or sport. Women tend to talk about staff problems and personal 6. MEETINGS If woman does not copy the male confrontational style, she is often ignored. __________ the end justifies the means: it doesn’t matter what methods you use: success is the only important thing. 2 lateral thinking: thinking a creative way, making unusual connection. 1

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7. SELF-PROMOTION Men find it easy to tell others about their successes. Women tend to share or pass on the credit for a success. 8. HUMOUR Men’s humour can be cruel — a man’s joke usually has a victim. Female humour is less hurtful. A woman often jokes against herself. 9. CAVEAT Many men have a female style of working. Equally many women have a male approach, as Ms Stuart says. Many of the current management theorems — flatter organisations 3, empowerment, managing by consensus 4 — have a female style to them. Discuss Does your choice indicate a male- or female-oriented view of management ability? Is it a fairly balanced view or rather heavily biased? Which of these qualities do you think you possess yourself? How do your views compare with those expressed in the article, She’s the Boss? SHE IS THE BOSS Business was invented by men and to a certain extent it is still «a boy’s game». Less than 20 % of the managers in most European companies are women, with fewer still in senior positions. Yet in Britain one in three new businesses are started up by women and according to John Naisbitt and Patricia Auburdene, authors of Megatrends 2000', since 1980 the number of self-employed women has increased twice as fast as the number of self-employed men. THE GLASS CEILING SYNDROME Is it just a case of women whose career progress has been blocked by their male colleagues — the so-called ‘glass ceiling syndrome’ — __________ flatter organisation: organisations in which there are fewer managers and people have equal status. 4 managing by consensus: managing by getting everyone to agree. 3

– 32 –

being forced to set up their own businesses? Or do women share specific management qualities which somehow serve them better in self-employment? As many as 40 % of start-ups fold within their first two years, but the failure rate of those run by women is substantially lower than that. It’s hardly surprising, therefore, that though male bosses tend to be reluctant to promote women, male bank managers seem only too happy to finance their businesses. THE RODDICK PHENOMENON Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop empire, is the perfect example of the female entrepreneur with her company growing from zero to £ 470 million in its first fifteen years. Perhaps the secret of her success was caution. Rather than push ahead with the purchasing of new shops, Roddick got herself into franchising — the cheapest way to expand a business whilst keeping overheads down. Caution, forward planning and tight, budgeting seem to be more female characteristics than male. They are also the blueprint for success when launching a new company. MORE SENSITIVE When women join an existing company, it’s a different story. Less ruthlessly individualistic in their approach to business, women are more sensitive to the feelings of the group or team in which they work. They are generally more cooperative than competitive, less assertive, less prepared to lead from the front. Though they usually manage their time better than men and may even work harder, they are much less likely than their male counterparts to take risks. And, above all, it is risk-taking that makes corporate high fliers. As one male director put it: «I’m not paid to make the right decisions. I’m just paid to make decisions». BETTER COMMUNICATORS It’s an overgeneralization. of course, but it remains true that men will more readily take the initiative than women. The female style of management leans towards consensus and conciliation. Women seem to be better communicators than men — both more articulate and better listeners. And perhaps it is women’s capacity to listen which makes them particularly effective in people-oriented areas of business. In any mixed group of business people the ones doing most of the talking will almost certainly be the men. But perhaps only the women will really be listening. – 33 –

THE NEW ACHIEVERS And, as companies change from large hierarchical structures to smaller more flexible organizations, the communication skills and supportive approach of women are likely to become more valued. It was predominantly men who profited from ‘the materialistic 80s’, the age of the achiever. But it will be women who achieve the most in ‘the caring 90 s’ and beyond.

1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT

2. FIND ENGLISH

EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT

(1) îäíî èç òðåõ ïðåäïðèÿòèé; (2) ñèíäðîì ñòåêëÿííîãî ïîòîëêà; (3) ñàìîçàíÿòîñòü; (4) ñîðîê ïðîöåíòîâ íîâûõ ïðåäïðèÿòèé ñâîðà÷èâàþòñÿ â òå÷åíèå ïåðâûõ äâóõ ëåò; (5) ðóêîâîäèòåëè ìóæ÷èíû íå î÷åíü îõîòíî âûäâèãàþò æåíùèí; (6) ÿðêèé ïðèìåð æåíùèíû-ïðåäïðèíèìàòåëÿ; (7) íàêëàäíûå ðàñõîäû; (8) ïðîãðàììà óñïåõà; (9) êîíêóðåíòîñïîñîáíûé; (10) íàïîðèñòûé, íàñòîé÷èâûé; (11) ðèñêîâàòü; (12) ÷åñòîëþáåö; (13) ñîãëàñèå è ïðèìèðåíèå; (14) ÷åòêî ñôîðìóëèðîâàííûé; (15) èåðàðõè÷åñêàÿ ñòðóêòóðà; (16) îòíîñèòüñÿ ñ ïîíèìàíèåì è ïîääåðæêîé; (17) ïðîÿâëÿòü èíèöèàòèâó; (18) ‘ãóìàííûå 90 å’.

3. MATCH THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT AND TRANSLATE THEM

1) the glass ceiling syndrome a) it’s not always the case 2) it’s hardly surprising b) it’s not the same thing at all 3) a high flier c) permission given to another business person to sell a company’s products 4) overheads (esp. Br. English) d) a person who is or has the potential to be very successful 5) ruthless e) someone who is very successful in their work or studies 6) assertive f) it’s to be expected

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7) it’s an over generalization g) cruel, not caring if he harms other people in order to get what he wants 8) entrepreneur h) behaving in a confident and determined way 9) achiever i) a case of women whose career has been blocked by their male colleagues 10) franchise j) someone who sets up a business taking on greater than normal financial risks 11) it’s a different story k) money that a business has to spend on rent, electricity, etc.

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Which of the following points support the opinions expressed in the article? 1. Women are at least as entrepreneurial as men. 2. Most female managers prefer task-based jobs to people-centred ones. 3. Women tend to be more conscientious than men. 4. Women who do succeed in business have to become even more ruthless than men. 5. Men aren’t as financially aware as women. 6. Women are more likely to be the managers of the future than men are. b) Do you find yourself mostly agreeing or disagreeing with the article? What is your score on this scale: I totally agree! 10 There’s some truth in it. 5 It’s utter rubbish! 0 Compare your views with those of your groupmates. c) Match each of the words on the left with a word on the right and translate the phrases.There are some alternatives but there’s only one way to match all nine. 1. senior a. budgeting 2. career b. structures 3 forward ñ. taking – 35 –

4. tight 5. risk 6. high 7. hierarchical 8. flexible 9. communication

d. progress e. organizations f. positions g. skills h. planning i. fliers

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) All the words below are often used with the word company. Add the missing vowels and add some more words. Referring back to the article will help you. 1. r_n 2. l_ _n c h 3. s _ t _p 4. f_ r m 10. h _ l d _ n g 5. j _ _ n a 11. p _ r_ n t company 6. l _ _ v _ 12. s_ b s _ d _ _ r y 7. s _ l l _ f f 8. w _ n d _p 9. f l _ _ t b) Which of the above verbs mean: 13 to start up a company 14. to close down a company 15. Which of the two adjectives mean the same thing? What is the connection with the third? c) One of the words in each list below is not used with the word staff. Which one? VERBS recruit take off headhunt

train lay off

develop dismiss

take on poach

ADJECTIVES Full-time permanent administrative

part-time temporary

– 36 –

half-time extra

d) Which of the above verbs mean: 1. to hire … .......... 2. to fire…… .......... Two of the verbs above mean to hire another company’s best people. Which two? 3. .............................. Which is the less offensive term7 4. .............................. e) The adjectives listed below describe some of the positive qualities of good managers. Translate them and change each adjective into its opposite by adding un-, in-, im-, ir- or dis-. Mind the patterns to help you decide which prefix to use: un- is by far the most common negative prefix; in- is the second most common; im- usually precedes a word beginning with a ‘p’; ir- usually precedes a word beginning with an ‘r’. Which adjectives do not follow the main pattern? co-operative decisive responsible competitive sincere practical communicative sensitive supportive assertive articulate discreet skilled intelligent patient loyal creative reliable consistent rational committed approachable honest UNINIMIRDISf) Find at least one adjective from the listed above to describe the following managers: 1. She always means what she says. She’s totally ...................... – 37 –

2. He always says what he thinks. He’s very .......................... 3. She’s very good at expressing herself. She’s extremely ..................... 4. You can depend on him. He’s very .......................... 5. Her door is always open if you’ve got a problem. She’s very ....................... 6. His job comes first. He’s totally ....................... 7. She is quick to help colleagues and subordinates. She’s extremely ..................... 8.He doesn’t go around gossi ping behind people’s backs. He’s very ........................ 9. She doesn’t let her emotions interfere with her work. She’s very ........................ 10. He always works to the same high standard. He’s extremely ....................

6. DISCUSS 1. Are the high-fliers the individualistic risk takers or the grouporiented communicators? How about the people in senior positions? 2. Would you like your boss to be he or she? Why? Give your reasons. 3. Do you generally prefer to work for a man or a woman, or does it not make any difference? 4. What kind of staff appraisal and development programme does your company have? 5. Do successful companies generally prefer tî fill posts internally or to bring people in from outside? 6. Are top people headhunted? 7. What’s the ratio of male to female employees in companies you know? Is it different at management level? Is your boss male or female?

– 38 –

7. GRAMMAR

WORK

Complete the following dialogue by adding the missing prepositions: over round in

between with about

out of for

from to up on

Underline any fixed expressions from the dialogue which you think you could use yourself. Reproduce the dialogue. À. David? Â. Yeah? À. I wonder if I could have a word (1) ......you (2) ...... that job in R&D? Â. Er, sure. What’s (3) ...... your mind? À. Well, you know that Deborah Norman’s applied (4) ...... it, I suppose? Â. Naturally. I interviewed her. In fact, she and Robert Fry both came (5) ...... extremely well, I thought. To tell you the truth, we’re going to find it pretty difficult to choose (6) ...... them. À. That’s what I thought. Only I think I should warn you (7) ...... Deborah. Â. Oh, really? À. Yeah. I mean I don’t want to interfere (8) ...... your selection procedure, or anything. It’s (9) ...... to you to make (10) ...... your own mind (11) ...... the sort of person you want for the post. Â. John, will you just get (12) ...... the point? What’s Deborah been (13) ...... to? À. Oh, it’s nothing like that. Â. Because I know she’s got a reputation (14) ...... being a bit over-assertive at times. À. Yeah, but it’s not that that I object (15) ...... so much. I reckon she believes (16) ...... what she’s doing — even if nobody else does. No, it’s just that I know you want to make our internal training more cost-effective and I really don’t think you can rely (17) ...... someone like Deborah Norman to carry (18) ...... your programme of economy measures, that’s all. Â. I see. And what makes you think that, John?

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À. Well, for one thing, she’s always insisting (19) ...... bringing (20) ...... outsiders to run most of the seminars. You know how expensive that can be. And for another, she’s all (21) ...... setting (22) ...... some sort of joint venture with MP Associates — more outsiders! I’ve been opposed (23) ...... this all along, as you know. And so has Robert. He’s quite capable (24) ...... running things himself. Â. Ah hah. That’s what this is all (25) ....... is it? You don’t like the idea (26) ...... Deborah taking control away (27) ...... you and Robert. Well, I’m glad we had this little chat, John. I’ll certainly bear it all (28) ...... mind when we make our final decision (29) ...... who gets the post. À. Thanks, David. I knew you’d come (30) ..... to our way of thinking on this. I mean Deborah’s very talented. I’d be the first to admit it. And I’d hate to think anything I’d said had spoilt things (31) ...... her. Â. Oh, don’t worry John. It hasn’t. You can bet (32) ...... that.

8. DISCUSS How are people appointed in many companies? Are there clear guidelines on how to come to a decision about who to recruit? How were you yourself or your friends recruited? DISCRIMINATION Accept

1. SYSTEMS ANALYST Reasons The applicant is a 36 year old woman returning to work after giving up her previous job to start a family three years ago. She is well qualified for the post and much more experienced that any of the other applicants. She is, however, a little out of touch with the latest developments in the industry you work in and would require some retraining. Most of the other applicants are younger men. 2. MARKETING DIRECTOR The applicants is a 29 year old woman. On paper Reasons she looks impressive and at interview she came across very well indeed. In terms of experience and expertise, she is clearly the best person for the post. There s only one problem: the job is in a country where women do not have equal status with men and where very few women hold management positions at all, let alone senior ones such as this.

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Reject

Call for second interview

Accept

Reject

Call for second interview

3. PRODUCTION MANAGER Reasons The applicant is a 44 year old woman. You have recently interviewed twenty people for a very responsible post within your company and she is one of the two on your final shortlist. The other most promising candidate is a 29 year old man. On balance, you think the man would probably be the better choice but, at present, your company has only appointed three female managers out of a total of thirty two and you are under a lot of pressure from the personnel department to exercise positive discrimination in favour of women. Reasons 4. MANAGEMENT TRAINER The applicant is a 31 year old man. The company you represent runs assertiveness training courses for women in management and at the moment you have an all-female staff. Whilst the applicant has an excellent track record in management training with mixed groups, you have some doubts about his credibility running seminars exclusively for women, some of whom tend to see male managers more as an obstacle than an aid to their progress. You re also concerned about how the rest of the staff will react to him.

Have you ever found yourself in a similar position to one of those above? What did you do?

9. WRITE A FOLLOW-UP LETTER Choose one of the situations above where you decided to reject the applicant and write a letter to the person concerned explaining your decision. You may find the notes below helpful. Notes: Dear ….......... Thank / application / this post. Whilst / impressed / qualifications and experience / and /

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performance / interview / regret / inform / this occasion / not successful. As you know / large number / applications / this post / and / standard / applicants / extremely high. Should not feel / non-selection / due / failings / on your part. I wish you every success / future career. We / put / details on file / shall consider you / suitable Yours sincerely …..........

UNIT 3. ENTERPRENEURS

How to make a million Trying to make your first million? Then forget about drive, initiative and ingenuity. And don’t let anyone tell you it’s about putting in an 18-hour day, having a sudden stroke of genius or beating the system as you work your way to the top. For statistically speaking, your chances of making a fortune will largely depend on how fortunate you are in the first place. According to all the surveys, here are four sure-fire ways of getting rich: 1. START OFF RICH. It’s depressing but true that half of Britain’s 95,000 millionaires were born into wealthy families and so were a quarter of those who head the country’s largest corporations. When you’re rich already it takes a special kind of person not tî get richer. 2. DO BADLY AT SCHOOL. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin, is the classic case, leaving school at 16 to start a mail-order record company and ending up running his own airline, publishing, broadcasting, construction and holiday empire. He’s not alone. Almost two thirds of the UK’s top earners finished their education early. And the studious graduate is less likely to be found staying at the Hilton Hotel than applying for a job in its kitchens. 3. LOSE A PARENT. Amazingly, only 5 % of successful entrepreneurs had both parents present throughout their childhood. Perhaps a lack of parental control gives you the toughness, resilience and independence you need to make it on your own. 4. BE BEAUTIFUL. Silly as it sounds, good looks really do get you places, both in terms of career and marital prospects. If you are too pretty, however, people may tend to assume that you’re nice but stupid and pass you over for promotion. – 43 –

So what can you do if you’re born poor and ugly, pass all your exams and have parents who look as though they’ll make 90......? What do you think is the secret of success? List your ideas. Then read two articles, ENTREPRENEURS and FEAR, GREED AND DEDICATION. Define the approach to the problem in both of them. Which one is closer to your perception of the phenomenon of entrepreneurshi p. 1. ENTREPRENEURS «The ultimate risk is ... not taking a risk.» Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes — the dynamic, the cautious and the greedy. But all of them hold an equal fascination for us. How do they do it? What’s their secret? Some of the world’s biggest corporations would like to know too. For entrepreneurism is in. And these days everyone wants to be an entrepreneur. But an entrepreneur is not what you are, it’s what you become, and real entrepreneurs exist only in retrospect. At first, nobody takes them seriously. They’re crackpots. dreamers, unemployables. And by the time they’ve finally earned the respect of the business community, they’ve already made it.So cancel the classes on entrepreneurshi p and throw out your business plan. For the road to entrepreneurial success can’t be mapped out in advance. You get there one sale at a time. In the beginning only the entrepreneur needs to see the goal, nobody else. And the goal is quite simple: you get an idea; you identify your customer; you make a sale. Then you make another and another and another until your office in the spare bedroom has turned into the tower block in Manhattan you always wanted. Forget about marketing strategy at this stage. What you need first is a steady cashflow. Bide your time. Focus on the little things. That’s how it works. Big companies are just small companies that got bigger. Take Richard Branson, for instance. For the founder of Virgin, the first ten years were a struggle, with his company suffering some cashflow problems until as late as 1980. By then the Virgin Group was running 80 different operations, none of them making large amounts

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of money and some of them losing money hand over fist. Yet in 1992 Branson’s music business alone sold for £ 560 million. Or take Nicolas Hayek, the man who invented the Swatch and brought the Swiss watch-making industry back from the dead. Hayek took on Japanese market leaders, Seiko and Citizen, and beat them on quality and price. Today he sells 28 million Swatches a year and has built a £1.6bn company in the process. The Swatch is a 20th century icon. And, incredibly, though the price on a new one has never increased, some or the highly collectable early designs are now classed as art and fetch more than £ 20,000 — not bad for a plastic watch! So what is it that makes a good entrepreneur? Clearly, not the same thing that makes a good manager. For good managers tend to come from fairly conventional backgrounds. They’re the bright kids everyone knew would do well, born organizers, who rise through the ranks to reach the top of large corporations. But the budding entrepreneur is more likely to be an outsider, a troublemaker, a rebel, who drops out of college to get a job, discovers a flair for building companies from nothing, gets bored quickly and moves on. Most of all, they’ll be a master of risk-management. For risk doesn’t mean the same thing to the entrepreneur as it does to the rest of us. The king of corporate raiders, Sir James Goldsmith, sums it up best: «The ultimate risk,» he says, «is not taking a risk.» And that’s probably how he got to be a dollar billionaire. 2. FEAR, GREED AND DEDICATION (THE OBSERVER) ‘Fear, greed, dedication and luck — all play their part. The rest follows’. Last week I discussed the reasons for businesses going bust and concluded that the ultimate problem often lies in the fact that the founder of the business is not cut out to start up and develop his own operation. Sometimes this is due to a lack of knowledge, skill or business experience; sometimes to personal weaknesses. So let us attempt to analyse the character traits of an entrepreneur. Although entrepreneurs are a diverse species, there are clearly some common factors.Permit me to quote from The British Entrepreneur— – 45 –

a study prepared by accountants Ernst and Young and the Cranficid School of Management. «Not all entrepreneurs are cast in the same mould. Indeed it would be an extremely dull world if they were. Almost by definition they defy categorisation. «Some have a strong sense of humour, some none; some thrive on publicity and adulation, others are virtual hermits; some have an overwhelming need for power, others for creativity; some need the trappings of wealth, others lead very simple lives. Whatever the difference is, there is one factor which all successful entrepreneurs have in common — they and their firms are always on the move». It must be appreciated that management skills can be learned whereas entrepreneurial ability is a matter of flair; either you have it or you don’t. Business requires both skills, the flair of the entrepreneur and the solid competence of the manager. It is dangerous to generalize but some of the characteristics of the entrepreneur, in contrast to the manager, are: belief in himself and his business; belief in wealth and material gain; and belief in delegation. Entrepreneurial talent and management skills may not both be present in the one person. This may lead to the idea of partnershi p and, indeed, as the business flourishes and expands, the creation of a management team. The British Enterpreneur encompasses the results of a survey of the views of owner-managers of the top 100 entrepreneurial firms in the UK. One of the questions asked was «what are the critical factors for success?» The answers came under three main headings: Marketing: A unique product; an innovative approach; a good fundamental idea; aggressive sales and marketing strategies; active selling; quality; price; heavy marketing investment. Management: Dedicated senior management; hard work and commitment of staff; tight financial controls; cash flow; investment for the long term; regular views and overhaul of the management structure; disci plined and cost effective management of employees; unwavering and total support from initial backers.

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Personal: Vision; hard work; concentration; flexibility; persistence; ability to reñognise opportunities. The owner-managers were asked about their personal life and family background. Many came from families where the father had some form of small firm or self-employment background and the mother was a full time housewife. It was interesting to note that not one was an only child and more than half came from families with more than two children. The previous survey, in 1988, revealed that the group showed low educational attainments, 45 per cent having left school at the age of 16 and very few having any post-school qualifications. The 1989 list reveals somewhat greater academic attainments but apart from the obvious value of management skills which result from taking MBA, few of these owner-managers saw any relationshi p between educational achievements and their current success. There is a misconception that successful entrepreneurs fail a number of times before making the breakthrough. Not true with this sample, where only 20 per cent had started more than one business. The average age of the entrepreneurs when they started their first business was 32, while the youngest was 24. Presumably they had gained valuable skills and product knowledge between school and start-up. On the other hand, the majority had started businesses which bore no commercial relationshi p to their previous employment. All rather confusing. Perhaps we should dwell on the wisdom of Sir James Goldsmith: ‘First you must have the appetite to succeed — ambition. When you have no ambition you are dead. You have to be willing to work. You have to be ready to let go of a smart, safe, socially acceptable job in pursuit of your objective. Fear, greed, dedication and luck — all play their part. The rest follows». Brian Jenks is the partner responsible for private companies at Touche Ross

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1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXTS

2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS

IN THE TEXTS

Text 1: (1) íàäåæíûé; áåçîøèáî÷íûé ñïîñîá; (2) íåíîðìàëüíûé, ÷îêíóòûé (÷åëîâåê); (3) c êàæäîé ïðîäàæåé; (4) áûñòðî ïîòåðÿòü äåíüãè; (5) âîçðîäèòü; (6) êîíêóðèðîâàòü ñ âåäóùèìè ÿïîíñêèìè êîìïàíèÿìè; (7) îáíàðóæèòü ñêëîííîñòè (÷óòüå) ê ÷åìó-ëèáî; (8) íàñêó÷èòü; (9) òðàäèöèîííûå ïðîèñõîæäåíèå è áèîãðàôèÿ; (10) ìàêñèìàëüíûé ðèñê. Text 2: (1) îáàíêðîòèòüñÿ; (2) áûòü ñîçäàííûì äëÿ ÷åãîëèáî; (3) íåäîñòàòîê çíàíèé, óìåíèé è äåëîâîãî îïûòà; (4) áûòü â ïîñòîÿííîì äâèæåíèè; (5) ìàòåðèàëüíàÿ âûãîäà; (6) ïåðåñìîòð ñòðóêòóðû óïðàâëåíèÿ; (7) ïðåäâèäåòü âîçìîæíîñòè; (8) ïðåäïîëîæèòåëüíî; (9) àêàäåìè÷åñêèå äîñòèæåíèÿ; (10) ñïîíñîð, ïîðó÷èòåëü; (11) ñîçäàâàòü ïî îäíîìó îáðàçöó.

3. MATCH THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT AND TRANSLATE THEM.

1) resilient. 2) pass smb over. 3) to fascinate. 4) unemployable. 5) bide your time. 6) to take on smb. 7) icon. 8) flair

a) to attract or interest very much. b) wait until the right time to do smth. c) attention that smb. gets from newspapers, television, etc. d) ignore the claims of smb. to advancement e) openly resist or refuse to obey. f) who prefers to live away from other people. g) ability to do things very well. h) able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

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9) publicity

i) smth. that many people connect with an important idea. j) excessive admiration. k) to compete or fight against smb. l) not able or likely to get paid employment because of a lack of skills or qualification.

10) hermit 11) to defy 12) adulation

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Which of the following topics does the article discuss? 1. The hero-status of the entrepreneur. 2. How to get rich quick. 3. Goal-setting. 4. Perseverance. 5. Enterprising managers. 6. What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? 7. Are fear, greed and dedication pre-requisies for entrepreneurial success? b) As business editor on an evening newspaper, you prepared the following notes on Brian Jenks’ article for use in your ‘comment’ section. On re-reading your notes, however, you discover that they are not accurate. Read the article and correct them. Notes: 1. it is difficult to categorize entrepreneurs. 2. entrepreneurs have nothing in common with each other. 3. successful entrepreneurs never stand still. 4. it is possible to learn how to be a manager, but entrepreneurs need flair. 5. entrepreneurs believe in themselves, like to make money, don’t like delegating work. 6. some of the critical factors for entrepreneurial success according to The British Entrepreneur include: a unique product, effective management, aggressive sales/marketing, ability to recognize opportunities, cash flow. 7. many of the owner-managers surveyed in The British Entrepreneur were only children whose father owned a small – 49 –

firm or was self-employed and whose mother was a housewife. 8. few of the entrepreneurs questioned saw a link between academic achievement and entrepreneurial success. 9. most of the entrepreneurs surveyed had started several businesses before becoming successful. 10. the majority of survey respondents had started businesses which were a direct extension of their previous employment. c) Interviews In groups, spend 10 minutes preparing a set of questions about the articles to ask the other groups. Use these question starters: 1. What exactly .......... ? 2. What should you .......... ? 3. According to the article, how would you go about .......... ? 4. What’s the reason behind .......... ? 5. What’s wrong with .......... ? 6. What problems .......... ? 7. Do you happen to remember .......... ? 8. In what ways .......... ? 9. What’s the connection .......... ? 10. What do you understand by .......... ? d) Find the Expressions Look back at the article. Find the words and expressions which mean: 1. popular, fashionable 2. looking back 3. mad or eccentric person 4. succeeded 5. losing money rapidly 6. revived 7. fought against 8. a classic image of the time 9. climb the corporate ladder 10. the would-bc entrepreneur 11. a natural skill or talent 12. a person who launches hostile takeover bids Find in the texts and learn by heart: 13. 6 words you want to use more often. 14. 6 word-combinations you may need with their equivalents in Russian. – 50 –

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) Put the following entrepreneurial qualities into what you consider to be their order of importance. To be an entrepreneur you need: a) drive b) intuition c) determination d) ingenuity e) dynamism f) initiative g) dedication h) guts i) faith j) the killer instinct b) Which five of the above can you express by using an adjective? To be an entrepreneur you need to be: 1. ......................... 2. ......................... 3. ......................... 4. ......................... 5. ......................... Now match the other five with the definitions below: 6. To be an entrepreneur you need to have energy and motivation. 7. To be an entrepreneur you need to have courage. 8. To be an entrepreneur you need to come up with ideas and make decisions on your own. 9. To be an entrepreneur you need to be prepared to destroy your competitors if necessary. 10. To be an entrepreneur you need to believe in yourself. c) Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Complete the Entrepreneurial Indicator’ below using the following words: plan make stamina building sacrifices thrive suggestions

open goals handle

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dealing cope taking minded

reliant starter adapting

THE ENTREPRENEURIAL INDICATOR Score yourself according to how true the statements below are for you: 1. I like to . all my own decisions. 2. I am a self . 3. I am totally self . 4. I .. on competition. 5. I m good at to change. 6. I always . well ahead. 7. I have a flair for teams. 8. I m quite capable of with complex issues. 9. I can .. a fair amount of stress. 10. I can . with uncertainty and ambiguity. 11. I have the physical . to work long hours. 12. I am quite single about my work. 13. I m no stranger to risk .. . 14. I m always .. to other people s .. 15. I m prepared to make to achieve my ..

YES 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 4

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

..NO 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Work out your score and check it in the answer key. How did you do? Does the test above take a different view of entrepreneurial skill from the article? d) Complete the quotes Complete the following quotations on success: 1. Success is getting what you want. Happiness is .......... what you .......... . 2. Success comes to those who are too .......... to look for it. 3. Success is one .......... inspiration and ninety-nine .......... perspiration. 4. There are no rules to success that will work .......... you do. 5. Many of men owes his success to his .......... wife, and his second ........... to his success. Do you agree? Do you have a favourite quotation of your own?

6. DISCUSS These days a lot of companies try to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit inside their organizations. They talk about the ‘entrepreneur’ or – 52 –

enterprising manager with the intuition and nerve to take their company into the 21st century. Do you think entrepreneurism can work within a corporation? Can a manager ever be an entrepreneur?

7. GRAMMAR

WORK

a) Reporting verbs help you to summarize later something you heard and said. Match what was actually said to the later report. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)

What was said Report It’s absolutely vital that a) She raised the issue of we expand. expansion. If you ask me, it’d be b) He stressed the importance madness to expand. of expansion. Can we look at c) She questioned the need for the possibility of expanding? expansion. So, just to sum up ... d) He outlined the proposed plans for expansion. Very briefly, what we e) She argued that expansion plan to do is this ... would be disastrous. Are you sure this expansion f) He recapped on the main is absolutely necessary? points of the plan.

b) Match the following ways of reporting in a similar way: 1) Actually, it’s true that we’ve gone some way already. 2) I’m afraid I’m still not convinced. 3) OK, OK. Nobody said it was going to be easy.

a) He reaffirmed his position on expansion.

4) Look, just how far have you gone with this? 5) You’ve done your homework, I’ll grant you that. 6) I can only repeat that expansion is essential.

b) She demanded to know how far their plans had gone. c) He confirmed that the programme was already under way. d) She conceded that the plan was well — researched. e) She still doubted whether any expansion was possible. f) He admitted that expansion would be difficult.

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Look carefully at the word which follows a reporting verb: confirm that, doubt whether. c) Now report the following remarks made by the Finance Director (FD) or the Managing Director (MD). Learn and try to use the language given. 1. MD: It’s crucial that we form (stress / importance) a strategic alliance with the Japanese. 2. FD: Look, what I want to know (demand / know) is how the project is going to be financed? 3. MD: Are you certain we need (question / need) to raise extra capital? 4. FD: OK, I grant you it’s going (concede / to take an injection of cash injection of cash) at the outset. 5. MD: Let me say again how (reaffirm / position) important it is that we team up with the Japanese. 6. MD: OK, I’ll just run through (recap / main points) the main points. d) In English verbs are frequently combined to make more complex expressions. To do this you need to know how to form the second verb. For example: They refused to buy from us. They delayed buying from us. We persuaded them to buy from us. I recommend you buy from us. Complete the following sentences using the appropriate form of the second verb. 1. We can’t afford .......... (take) any risks. 2. We risk .......... (lose) everything if we fail. 3. Everything will be OK providing we manage .......... (get) financial backing. 4. We can’t really avoid .......... (involve) the shareholders. 5. I’d recommend .......... (concentrate) on cashflow to begin with. 6. Would you mind .......... (run) your eye over these figures? – 54 –

7. it’ll involve .......... (sacrifice) a lot. 8. Everything appears .......... (be) all right. 9. I tend .......... (agree) with you. 10. We used .......... (work) in different departments, but now we work together. 11. Are you used to .......... (take) the initiative or do you wait to be told what to do? 12. I strongly advise you .......... (get) professional advice. 13. Have you considered .......... (draw) up a provisional business plan? 14. Surely you don’t expect us .......... (pay) for this ourselves! 15. If we do something about it now, it’ll save us .......... (have) to sort it out later. 16. I suggest we .......... (meet) at eleven. 17. We stopped at 11 .......... (have) a break. 18. Thankfully, they’ve stopped .......... (send) us their damned publicity leaflets. 19. Don’t forget .......... (do) that report. 20. I’ll never forget .......... (meet) them for the first time. e) You’ll need to decide the connecting preposition and use the correct form of the verb. 1. Actually. I’m thinking ...... ........... the company. (leave) 2. Thank you ...... ........... to meet us at such shore notice. (agree) 3. Fortunately, we succeeded ...... ........... the deadline. (meet) 4. I don’t believe ...... ........... too much notice of our competitors. (take) 5. Let’s just concentrate ...... ......... what we do best. (do) 6. I don’t blame him ...... ........... up on his own. (start) 7. I won’t prevent you ...... .......... ahead if you want to.(go) 8. I warned you ...... ........... on too much work too quickly. (take) 9. Success depends ...... ........... in the right place at the right time. (be) Underline the whole verb phrase in each example. Underline all the fixed expressions you think you could use yourself. f) Relative clauses Study these examples. Then complete the list in the box by writing a suitable conclusion for each statement. Text 2 will help you.

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.......... a unique product that wi!l appeal to the customer. .......... an innovative approach which allows for ñreativity. .......... senior management whose commitment to the firm is strong. Critical factors for success include: 1. a good fundamental idea which .......... . 2. active selling that .......... . 3. backers whose .......... . 4. aggressive marketing strategies that .......... . 5. tight financial controls which .......... . 6. staff whose .......... . 7. the ability to recognise opportunities which .......... . 8. a management structure that .......... .

8. ROLE

PLAY

Do you attribute any of your own success to being in the right place at the right time? Business Venture (= a new activity that involves taking risks) How would you like to launch your own business? Your objective is to come up with a good idea for a new small enterprise and to persuade the other members of your study group (your financial backers) that your venture is the most likely to succeed. You can capitalize on your own professional experience or go for a totally new departure. It’s up to you. STEP 1 Working in small groups, draw up a provisional business plan to present to the rest of your class. You may find the checklist helpful when organizing the relevant information. Do not worry about detailed cashflow forecasts at this stage, but try to antici pate any questions you may be asked about your business venture. STEP 2 When the other groups present their business plans you should use your list of antici pated questions to ask them to give further details, back up their proposals or explain anything which is unclear. STEP3 Hold a short meeting with the rest of your class to decide on which business venture will get the financial backing. Put this to a vote.

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Obviously, you may not vote for your own idea, but should choose what you consider to be the best idea after your own. BUSINESS PLAN CHECKLIST The Nature and Objectives of the Business • What will be your main business activity? • What is your own professional background? • Roughly how will the business be structured? • Do you have an overall vision for the company? Personnel Approximately how many people will the company employ and in what capacity?

•

The Product \ Service in Relation to the Market • What is the state of the market? Growing, static. • How will your product \ services be positioned? Up — or downmarket? • Who will be your target customers? • How will be your major competitors? • How will you market your products or services? Trade press? Mass media? Word or mouth? Premises • Where will the company be located? Why? • What kind of property will you require? Offices, factories? Leased or purchased? Equi pment Required • What general trading equi pment, if any, will you require? Vehicles, computer hardware? • What manufacturing equi pment, if any, will you require? Machinery, tools? Sales Forecasts • What are your sales target for year one? • What kind of distribution network, if any, will you require? Financial Profile Roughly how much in the way of funds will you need?

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9. ROLE-PLAY:

MEETING

Work in groups of four as two pairs, taking it in turns to play the entrepreneurs and the small business advisers. Read your rolecards and prepare for your meetings carefully. ENTREPRENEURS Decide on an idea (produce or service) for a new business that you would like to start up. Draw up an outline business proposal, inventing any information you wish, and decide how you will present it to your bank. Your bank’s small business advisers have agreed to meet you and provide some preliminary feedback on your ideas, an opinion — in princi ple — on the feasibility of raising finance to get your business off the ground, and some advice on how to proceed. Try to present your case persuasively and expect to face some probing questions. You should be prepared to provide some basic information on the following: your planned product service (descri ption, name, key features, sales/profit, potential); the market you are targeting (nature, size, competition); your marketing approach, financing, business structure, location; your expertise etc. But do not worry too much about specific details at this stage. SMALL BUSINESS ADVISERS You have an appointment — an informal exploratory meeting — with two bank customers to discuss an idea they have for a new business. Your role is to provide some preliminary feedback, an opinion — in princi ple — on the feasibility of raising finance, and some advice on how to proceed. Ask pertinent questions about their planned product/ service (descri ption, name, key features, sales/profit potential); the market they are targeting (nature, size, competition); their marketing approach; their business structure, location etc. Try to probe their determination capacity to succeed, but don’t worry too much about specific detail at this stage. If you think the idea has merit and they have the experience ability to make a good of it, suggest they draw up a more detailed proposal, providing more information on e.g. projected start-up costs and overheads; turnover and profit forecasts; loan requirements; antici pated repayment terms’ period and anything else you feel you might need to provide the bank with adequate security for any money you might advance.

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10. A QUESTIONNAIRE

ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENUR? The crucial factor in a business — especially when it is just starting up — is the calibre of the person, or people in charge. A new business is, essentially, as good as the person who is masterminding the strategy. Too often the role of entrepreneur is confused with that of a manager. A business requires the skills of both, but it is of paramount importance that management ability is not confused with entrepreneurial skills. More to the point: a manager should not delude himself that he is an entrepreneur. This questionnaire is designed to help you gain some idea of the extent of your potential: 1. Do you prefer to work on your own, with as little outside direction as possible? a) yes b) usually c) no 2. Do you feel, given well-defined criteria and adequate resources, you will produce a favourable result? a) yes b) usually c) sometimes 3. Do you find a limited working environment frustrating? a) very b) usually c) can cope 4. If something you are involved with goes wrong, do you feel personally responsible? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 5. Do you suggest changes in operations which involve you? a) often b) sometimes c) seldom 6. Do you enjoy working with other people? a) usually b) sometimes c) seldom 7. Do you enjoy assessing risks and acting on your assessments? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 8. Do you apply yourself equally to all tasks you face? a) yes b) usually c) no 9. Are you content with your achievements to date? a) yes b) generally c) no – 59 –

10. Are you content with your present lifestyle? a) yes b) generally c) no 11. Do you care what your friends and business associates think of you? a) yes b) sometimes c)no 12. Do you have a clear idea of what you want to do over the next three years? a) yes b) reasonably clear c) no 13. Do you think you have control over and can influence your future? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 14. Do you put your failures behind you? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 15. Are you outspoken — sometimes to your detriment — about what you think? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 16. Do you believe you are adequately compensated for work you have done? a)yes b) sometimes c) no 17. Do poor working conditions affect your performance? a) yes b) sometimes c) no 18. Do your goals and aims have the support of your family and those close to you? a) yes b) usually c) no 19. What level of growth potential do you think the free enterprise system has? a) unlimited b) limited c) very little 20. If the situation is not conducive to your plans, do you: a) carry on regardless? b) wait for it to improve? c) adjust your plans? Scoring for «Are you an entrepreneur?» 1. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1. 2. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1. 3. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1.

6. a) l; b) 2; c) 3. 7. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1. 8. a) l; b) 2; ñ) 3.

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4. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1. 5. a) 3; b) 2; c) 1. 11. à) 3; b) 2; ñ) 1. 12. à) 3; b) 2; ñ) 1. 13. à) 3; b) 2; ñ) 1. 14. à) 1; b) 2; ñ) 3. 15. à) 3; b) 2; ñ) 1.

9. 10. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

à) a) à) à) à) à) à)

1; 1; 1; 1; 3; 3; 2;

b) b) b) b) b) b) b)

2; 2; 2; 2; 2; 2; 1;

ñ) ñ) ñ) ñ) ñ) ñ) ñ)

3. 3. 3. 3. 1. 1. 3.

Rating Yourself: OVER 55: You probably know exactly what you intend to do — if you have not already started on it .And the chances are that you did not need the confirmation of this questionnaire to reassure you about your entrepreneurial drive. But since you appear to have the motivation and attitudes to succeed, make sure you seek out expert advice before you go any further. 50 TO 55: You are on your way. A full profile of your personality would probably place you firmly in the ‘likely to succeed’ category. 45 TO 50: The ability, the motivation and the attitudes to win through are probably there. But there is also the possibility of a lack of commitment in some areas. Perhaps family responsibilities give rise to caution: perhaps you are not committed to the accumulation of wealth. More likely, you are already in a job and, not being an intending entrepreneur, lack the clarity of goals. 40 TO 45: Definite need for close reappraisal if you are intending to launch yourself forth as an entrepreneur. Perhaps your skills are more management orientated? Or perhaps acooperative or partnershi p would be more suitable? BELOW 40: A decided scepticism, even lack of belief in the system is indicated here. You may be highly skilled, but are perhaps unwilling — or unable — to do battle as a business entrepreneur.

UNIT 4. ECONOMIC ISSUES. AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

We live in uncertain times, both politically and economically. In your view, what are the greatest threats to the world economy and societies? • political instability • racial tension • mass unemployment • hyperinflation • massive trade deficits • cheap labour markets • poverty in the Third World • the debt crisis • the North-South divide • the East-West divide • the collapse of communism • environmental damage • a population explosion • an ageing population • under-employment • trade wars Write down here what you consider to be the four key global issues from the list above or choose others that you believe to be even more important. What do you think their economic implications might be? GLOBAL ISSUES

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

1. ...................

.................................

2. ...................

.................................

3. ...................

..................................

4. ................... …

.................................

Mark on the map the countries or geographic areas you think will have the most direct or indirect impact on the global economy over the next five to ten years. North, Central, Latin America7 The EU? Central Europe? The former Soviet Union countries? The Middle East? Africa? The Far East? The Pacific Rim? Can you justify your view?

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Compare your views with your groupmates and those expressed in the article, The Death of Economics. THE DEATH OF ECONOMICS THE

WORLD ECONOMY IS FALLING APART.

AND NO ONE HAS A CLUE — LEAST OF ALL THE ECONOMISTS. Whereas, in the past, supply and demand usually had a way of evening themselves out, we now swing from hyperinflation to soaring unemployment as slump follows boom. The once predictable business cycles which drive the market economy have gone completely out of control. The economic statistics issued by governments every month seem more unreliable than ever. And, for the first time, politicians have started talking about ‘the death of economies’.

WHAT’S GOING WRONG

RECESSION AND COLLAPSE For all its industrial might, the United States can do nothing to close its trade gap with Japan. And yet, in spite of a healthy trade surplus, Japan is itself sliding deeper into recession. In Germany it’s the same story. And almost before their economies have had a chance to recover from years of communism, many of the former Soviet bloc countries are on the verge of economic collapse.

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THE UNEMPLOYED UNDERCLASS But it isn’t cri ppling deficits in the West and post-communist chaos in the East which pose the greatest threat to the world economy. Neither is it the global arms build-up, political instability in the Third World or the Latin American debt crisis. No. The single biggest economic disaster at the end of the 20th century is the emergence throughout the industrialized nations of a vast and permanent underclass of unemployed. CHEAP LABOUR FROM THE EAST In the EU, official figures put the number of unemployed at more than five times what it was 20 years ago. In Central and Eastern Europe wages have fallen so far behind escalating inflation that immigration controls in the West have had to be tightened to prevent an influx of workers from the East. But this hasn’t stopped Western companies exploiting cheap labour in Eastern Europe and putting their own employees out of work. THE WORKING POOR In the USA, where unemployment benefit is cut after six months and staying out of work is not an option, they claim to be creating jobs, but only at the cost of falling real incomes. For in many of the inner cities of the USA they have something approaching a Third World economy with millions of people working for far below the minimum wage. In Japan too the problem is not so much unemployment as under-employment, with many of the Japanese, in fact, in low-paid dead-end jobs. If Europe has a growing army of unemployed, Japan and the States now have an army of working poor. THE DISADVANTAGED MINORITY The consequences of this are far-reaching. It goes without saying that a consumerist society depends on a plentiful supply of consumers. But consumers need to be earning money in order to consume. Eventually, a disadvantaged minority will undermine the whole social system. THE MYTH OF ECONOMIC GROWTH Over the past decade it has been popular to talk about economic growth as if it were the answer to all our problems. But, even if there were any evidence that economic growth naturally leads to lower unemployment, which there isn’t, the rate of growth amongst

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the world’s richest nations has actually been steadily declining since the 1960 s. ECONOMICAL WITH THE TRUTH Current government figures point to an economic recovery. But can we trust government figures? If they say our balance of trade has improved, how do we know that it is true? If you were the government, the pound was fragile and the announcement of a bad trade deficit could cause it to collapse, what would you do? Spend a billion supporting sterling or put out a set of massaged figures? As journalist Richard Northedge puts it, «it’s often easier to be economical with the truth than truthful about the economy».

1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT

2. FIND ENGLISH

EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT

(1) âûðàâíèâàòü; (2) êîëåáàòüñÿ ìåæäó ãèïåðèíôëÿöèåé è ñòðåìèòåëüíî ðàñòóùåé áåçðàáîòèöåé; (3) âíåçàïíûé ñïàä (äåëîâîé àêòèâíîñòè) ñìåíÿåòñÿ åå áûñòðûì ïîäúåìîì; (4) âûéòè èç ïîä êîíòðîëÿ; (5) ñïàä è ðàçâàë; (6) ëèêâèäèðîâàòü äåôèöèò òîðãîâîãî áàëàíñà; (7) ïðåäñòàâëÿòü óãðîçó; 8) íèçøèå ñëîè îáùåñòâà; (9) áåçðàáîòíûå; (10) çàðàáîòíàÿ ïëàòà îòñòàåò îò ðàñòóùåé èíôëÿöèè; (11) íàïëûâ ðàáî÷èõ; (12) âûãîíÿòü ñëóæàùèõ ñ ðàáîòû; (13) ïîñîáèå ïî áåçðàáîòèöå; (14) çà ñ÷åò ïàäåíèÿ ðåàëüíûõ äîõîäîâ; (15) ìèíèìàëüíàÿ çàðàáîòíàÿ ïëàòà; (16) íåïîëíàÿ çàíÿòîñòü; (17) íèçêî îïëà÷èâàåìàÿ áåñïåðñïåêòèâíàÿ ðàáîòà, (18) ðàáîòàþùàÿ áåäíîòà; (19) äàëåêî èäóùèå ïîñëåäñòâèÿ; (20) ïîòðåáèòåëüñêîå îáùåñòâî.

3. MATCH THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT

1. trade surplus 2. massage v

a) put in an unfavourable position b) cause severe and disabling damage to 3. put out information/statistics c) lying or deliberately withholding information

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4. economical with the truth 5. disadvantage v

6. myth 7. cri pple v 8. government cover-ups 9. outlook

d) produce information/statistics for people e) the amount by which the value of the country’s exports exceeds the cost of its imports f) manipulate (figures) to give a more acceptable result g) an exaggerated or idealized conception of a person or thing h) the prospect for the future i) government’s attempt to conceal the truth about a mistake or crime

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Which of the following topics does the article discuss? 1. The boom-bust economy 2. American foreign policy 3. Global recession 4. Political extremism 5. Re-training the unemployed 6. Consumerism 7. The black economy 8. Government cover-ups b) What are your personal reactions to the article 1. What interested me was ............ ? 2. What surprised me was ............. ? 3. What shocked me was .............. ? 4. It annoyed me that .................. . 5. I wasn’t aware that .................. . 6. I’m not sure about .................. . c) Find the words and expressions in the article 1. no one has any idea 2. industrial strength 3. are on the point of economic collapse 4. severe deficits 5. to be made stricter 6. a mass entry 7. jobs without prospects – 66 –

8. it’s obvious 9. the pound is in a weak position d) Read the text again. Find and learn by heart: 10. ten words you may need to use more often. 11. five word combinations you may need, with their equivalents in Russian. 12. three longer expressions with their equivalents in your own language.

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) Complete the following notes on the article. THE DEATH OF ECONOMICS 1. The world economy is .......... apart. 2. No one has a .......... what’s going wrong. 3. Supply and demand always used to .......... themselves out. 4. We now swing from hyperinflation to soaring .......... . 5. Government economic .......... are more unreliable than ever. THE WORLD ECONOMY 6. The US is unable to .......... its trade gap with Japan. 7. Japan and Germany are sliding deeper into. 8. The former Communist countries are on the verge of economic .......... . UNEMPLOYMENT 9. Unemployment poses the greatest .......... to the world economy. 10. Western companies are exploiting cheap .......... in the East. 11. In the USA and Japan people are employed at well below the minimum. 12. The consequences are far- .......... . ECONOMIC

GROWTH

13. Contrary to popular opinion, economic growth is not the .......... . 14. Economic growth amongst the world’s richest nations has been .......... since the 60 s. – 67 –

15. Current government figures point to an economic ............ but they can’t be trusted. b) Complete these words by adding the vowels. Each word can follow the adjective, economic. 1. g r _ w t h

2. _nd_c_t_rs

3. ñ r_ s _ s

4. f_r_c_st

5. f_r c_ s

6. t h _ _ r ó

7. P-l-cy

8. _ _tl_ _k

9. r_c_ss__n

10. m__s_r_s

11. d_v_l_pm_nt

12. r__n

13. r_f_rm

14. s t r_ t _ g ó

15. r_c_v_ry

16. _ n _ _ n

17. s_nct__ns

18. _ _ d

c) Now complete the following sentences using the words from the previous excercise: 1. Economic .......... such as the rate of inflation and the level of unemployment, are the signs that economists look for to help them produce their economic .......... . 2. Economic .......... is what a country faces if it builds up too great a national debt. 3. The prospects for a country’s economic future might be called its economic. 4. During a period of economic .......... the government is forced to take strong economic .......... to revitalize the economy. 5. Despite all the talk of political and economic .......... Europe seems more divided than ever. d) Here are some or the most common expressions you need when reading or listening to business news. Try to learn their opposites as well. Choose verbs from the boxes which are the opposite of those on the left. close relax

impede break off 1. nationalize 2. increase 3. go into 4. damage 5. tighten

scrap come out of

cut harm

improve privatize

INDUSTRY SOCIAL BENEFITS RECESSION INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IMMIGRATION CONTROLS – 68 –

6. set up 7. widen 8. enter into 9. promote 10. bring about help neglect

adopt launch

AN INVESTMENT PROGRAMME THE TRADE GAP NEGOTIATIONS / TALKS OUR IMAGE ABROAD ECONOMIC RECOVERY put off reduce

divide pay off

push up resist

11. raise TAXATION 12. unite PUBLIC OPINION 13. bring down UNEMPLOYMENT 14. hit THE UNEMPLOYED 15. give in PRESSURE 16. attract FOREIGN INVESTORS 17. come under AN ATTACK 18. accumulate DEBTS 19. abandon A POLICY 20. invest in EDUCATION e) Now complete the following newspaper headlines using words from the previous exercise. The abbreviations marked * are explained below. 1. Britain set to come out of ........... before rest of Europe, promises Chancellor. 2. Widening..........must be closed, says DTI *. 3. Unions furious as Employment Minister cuts ........... for outof-work . 4. Montreal relaxes .......for French-speakers. 5. Third World investment programme ........... 6. Europe sinks deeper into 7. Football hooligans can only harm ............warns Home Secretary. 8. Washington resists........... tî intervene in North Korea. 9. British Euro-Skeptics will put off............ warn CBI *. 10. MEPs * come under........... in Brussels corruption scandal. 11. Socialists prioritize bringing down ....... 12. ........... united on Northern Ireland. __________ * DTI = Department of Trade and Industry * CBI = Confederation of British Industry * MEP = Member in the European Parliament – 69 –

f) Do you know these abbreviations? 1. AGM 5. NAFTA

2. IMF 6. GATT

3. GNP 7. RPI

4. GDP 8. VAT

What abbreviations do you see regularly at work?

6. DISCUSS How strong is the economy in your country? Would you say it was about to enter a period of growth or decline?

7. GRAMMAR

WORK

a) Many prefixes in English have a specific meaning. Match up the following with their meanings: PREFIX 1. pre2. post3. pro4. anti5. non6. ex7. neo8. multi-

MEANING a. in favour of b. many c. not d. new e. before f. against g. former h. after

b) Which of the prefixes above commonly precede the following words? 1. European 9. fascist 2. industrial 10. essential 3. nuclear 11. media 4. lateral 12. payment 5. wife 13. specialist 6. conformist 14. government 7. terrorist 15. national 8. communist era 16. war c) The words in capitals can be used to form another word which will fit in the space. Complete the sentences in this way. ECONOMICS 1. She’s a leading .......... . – 70 –

2. You can call it being .......... with the truth, if you like. I call it lying! 3. We need to think of practical ways in which we can .......... . POLITICS 4. Politics is too serious a matter to be left to the .......... . 5. The whole thing is .......... motivated. 6. They’ve .......... the issue by involving the government. d) Using the statistics below, complete these sentences describing a country’s economic situation: GDP Inflation Unemployment Population

1980

1990

Now

3yrs from Now

$ 61 bn 21 % 6% 34 m

$ 130 bn 16 % 12 % 32 m

$ 98 18 % 15 % 36 m

$ 80 23 % 20 % 39 m

1. Since 1980 GDP .............................................................. 2. Between 1980 and 1990 GDP more than ........................... 3. But for the last ...... years GDP ............................................... 4. Over the next 3 years GDP.................................................... 5. There’s been a 2 % rise ....................................................... 6. Inflation is expected ........................................................... 7. Compared with 1980, the 1990 inflation figure .................... 8. Unemployment has been ..................................................... 9. The most dramatic rise in unemployment ........................... 10. Over the next 3 years unemployment ................................ 11. Compared with ..... years ago, the unemployment situation ... 12. In terms of population, the overall trend ............................ 13. In spite of a fall of 2 m ........................................................ 14. The rise in population is expected ..................................... 15. Overall, the country is in a worse economic situation than .................... 16. The outlook for the next .....................................................

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e) Cross out the words-intensifiers which don’t fit in the quotes from a political speech: 1. honestly I thoroughly believe that I was right, genuinely 2. totally I utterly refuse to accept that, sincerely 3. deeply I completely regret having to do that, profoundly 4. distinctly I clearly remember the occasion, firmly 5. categorically I freely admit I was to blame, openly If you have done that correctly, you should have crossed out five words which will fit into the quotes below: 6. I .......... agree with what they say. 7. I .......... deny having said that. 8. I .......... hope that we can reach some sort of agreement. 9. I .......... approve of what they’re trying to do. 10. I .......... maintain that we did the best we could.

8. DISCUSS Do you have strong political views? Is there anything you’re strongly in favour of or violently opposed to? Are politicians really strangers to the truth? Would you like to see more honesty in politics? Think of your strong belief, hope, memory or regret about your country which you don’t mind sharing with your groupmates.

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9. ROLE

PLAY

ELECTION CAMPAIGN COUNTRY PROFILE Study the map below, which depicts the fictitious state of Deltaland and its neighbouring countries. Using the economic statistics from the previous exercise and the information shown here, draw up a profile of the country. What do you think are its economic, social and political prospects? Things you might consider include: • the country’s princi pal industries • its transport system and infrastructure • the location of industrial and commercial centres • natural resources • environmental hazards • demographics • the threat of war from a hostile foreign power political unrest at home • the Northwest-Southeast divide OUTLINING PROPOSALS We are committed to ... . Above all, we must …... . Unless we ... Basically, what we’re proposing is ... . In no circumstances must we allow ... If elected, we aim to ... by ... . We need to be thinking in terms of ... . We see no alternative but to ... . A vote for us will mean ... . POLITICAL STRATEGIES In two weeks time the troubled country of Deltaland is to hold a general election. What political parties do you imagine would exist in such a country? A right wing or nationalist party? A left wing socialist or communist party? A liberal democratic party? A green party? Work in groups, each representing a different political party. First, hold a strategy meeting to decide on your general policies. Then, in note form, put together a manifesto. Finally, give a five-minute election broadcast to the nation outlining what measures you intend to take to rebuild your country, if elected.

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THE GENERAL ELECTION Hold the election. You should vote for the party whose policies (apart from those of your own party) you most strongly support. Announce the winning party and interview them on their election victory.

CLIMATE: Sub-tropical Road and rail links Mountain range Rivers Lakes

UNIT 5. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS

1. A NEW APPROACH TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. What is the purpose of a business? Is it just to make as much profit as possible for its shareholders? Or does a business have a wider responsibility to help solve society’s problems? This is a very controversial topic. Thirty or so years ago, discussions of social responsibility were of three types. Firstly, there was a lot of talk about how business people should behave in their work. Should they have the same ethical standards — the same princi ples — as they had in their private life? A question which was often discussed was: should an executive offer a bribe to secure a contract when he knew that his competitors were likely to do so? Secondly, people discussed the social responsibility of business towards its employees. They were interested in how organisations could improve the working conditions of their employees. Finally, social responsibility included the idea that business people should contribute to cultural activities. They should support activities like music festivals and art exhibitions. Executives were also expected to serve on educational committees, hospital boards, and so on. In other words, they had to take an active part in the life of their community. These days, there is a new approach to social responsibility. Many people say that a business should try to meet the needs and interests of society. It has an obligation to help solve the problems of society. Because of this new concept, society expects more from its business organisations. For example, pressure is put on businesses to provide a safer environment. A chemical company, therefore, is not only expected to meet government standards regarding pollution, it must take steps to reduce pollution to as low a level as possible — even if this means reduced profits. These days, businesses are expected to show social responsibility in all kinds of ways. They are urged to provide safer products; to protect and respect the environment; to hire more people from minority groups; to offer work opportunities to unemployed youngsters; to oppose – 75 –

racial discrimination and at all times to behave with integrity. The list is endless. An example of the new approach can be found in banking. Some well-known British banks have had pressure put on them to stop doing business in South Africa. This is because many of their customers are opposed to South Africa’s policy of Apartheid. For example, in 1986 Barclays Bank withdrew its business from South Africa. Similarly, a few years ago, some Swedish companies were criticised for taking part in an electrical power project in Africa. The project was located in a country which was then a Portuguese colony. Some Swedish newspapers accused the companies of ‘supporting Imperialism’. The new concept of social responsibility means that businesses and business people must have integrity. They must deal honestly with their employees, and with the outside world. As Sir John Clark of the Plessey company says, ‘I attach more importance to integrity than to ability.’ Successful companies are very sensitive if their integrity is attacked. They usually respond sharply. Some time ago, an English health inspector found fault with the standards of hygiene in a Trusthouse Forte hotel. Lord Forte was most upset by the inspector’s accusations. Making no attempt to plead guilty and by so doing avoid publicity, the Trusthouse Forte Group fought the case in the courts. It also advertised in several national newspapers to give its side of the case. The integrity of the shoe-making firm, Clark’s, was recently questioned. To make its shoes, Clark’s were using leather cured by sperm-whale oil. Conservation groups heard about this and put pressure on the company to stop using such leather. They even talked of boycotting the company’s shoes. At first, Clark’s said that it had no control over leather provided by its suppliers. However, a little later, the Chairman Daniel Clark gave a direct order that the company should only buy leather cured without sperm whale oil. He also invested in testing equi pment to ensure that supplies of leather were free from this type of oil. A lot of business people agree with the ‘wider’ concept of social responsibility. They accept that businesses should help to solve social problems — even if their businesses did not create them. And even if the social actions do not bring profits. There are, nevertheless, some famous people who are against the new approach one of these is Milton Friedman, an American economist who won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976. Milton – 76 –

Friedman believes that business has only one social responsibility. That is ‘to use its resources and energy in activities designed to increase its profits as long as it stays within the rules of the game ... and engages in open and free competition, without deception and fraud.’ Friedman says that a business’s social responsibility is ‘to make as much money for its shareholders as possible’. Another famous person makes a similar point, Ian MacGregor has been chief executive of large organisations like British Steel and the National Coal Board. He says that a business’s first priority is to create wealth. Many companies, he believes, have a concept of social responsibility which distracts them from this task. It is certainly true that social actions cost money. And businesses have to bear that cost often by raising prices, lowering wages or having less profit. Someone has to pay for the social actions in the end — it may be the customer, the employee or the shareholder. Of course, by showing social responsibility, the company may well benefit in the long run. A spokesman for the Rank-Xerox company spoke recently of the wide range of social projects Rank-Xerox were engaged in: grants of equi pment to universities; information technology projects and seminars: training programmes in universities and schools; career seminars; sponsorship of art competitions etc.The spokesman said that the social projects were «an integral part of the company’s business strategy». They were not some sort of charity work which would get a brief mention in the company’s annual report. Being a large organisation, Rank-Xerox had many contacts with government departments and other groups in society. And, since it was a knowledgebased company, it needed to hire highly skilled people. Its social programmes were ‘critical to its success’. There was no doubt that, in the long run, these activities were profitable to the organisation. To what extent is ecology an economic issue or to what extent is economics an ecological one we shall discuss a little further, in the article Is Big Business, by Definition, Antagonistic to Nature?

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1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT.

2. FIND ENGLISH

EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT.

(1) ñîöèàëüíàÿ îòâåòñòâåííîñòü; (2) îòâå÷àòü òðåáîâàíèÿì è èíòåðåñàì îáùåñòâà; (3) ïðåäëîæèòü âçÿòêó äëÿ ïîëó÷åíèÿ êîíòðàêòà; (4) ðåøàòü ïðîáëåìû îáùåñòâà; (5) ñíèæàòü óðîâåíü çàãðÿçíåíèÿ (îêðóæàþùåé ñðåäû); (6) áðàòü íà ðàáîòó áîëüøå ïðåäñòàâèòåëåé íàöèîíàëüíûõ ìåíüøèíñòâ; (7) ïðåïÿòñòâîâàòü ðàñîâîé äèñêðèìèíàöèè; (8) âåñòè ñåáÿ ÷åñòíî; (9) ïðèçíàòü ñåáÿ âèíîâíûì; (10) íåñòè ðàñõîäû; (11) áëàãîòâîðèòåëüíîñòü.

3. FIND

WORDS OR PHRASES IN THE TEXT WHICH MEAN THE

SAME AS THE FOLLOWING:

1. standards of moral behaviour 2. something offered or given to persuade somebody, usually to do something wrong 3. the natural conditions (air, water and land) in which we live 4. strongly against 5. refusing to buy or persuading people not to buy 6. dishonesty or trickery 7. criminal deception 8. make people well-off, prosperous 9. in the end, ultimately 10. vital

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Decide whether the following statements are true or false. 1. Nowadays business organisations are expected to have more social responsibilities than they used to. 2. It is accepted that a company should not lose profits in order to become socially responsible. 3. Some Swedish companies were criticised because they expressed unpopular political opinions. 4. Trusthouse Forte took legal action in order to protect the reputation of its hotels.

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5. Milton Friedman suggests that a company does not Q Q need to show integrity, provided that it competes freely. 6. Ian MacGregor says that some organisations do not make as much profit as they could because they have wrong ideas about social responsibility. 7. Rank-Xerox has a large programme of social projects because it believes that these will improve its image and reputation with the public. 8. It is probably in the long-term interests of a business to show a strong sense of social responsibility. b) Put 5 questions to the text.

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) Match the following verbs with the correct nouns. e. g. 7—f VERBS

NOUNS

1. offer 2. pull 3. solve 4. bear 5. secure 6. take 7. turn 8. put 9. meet 10. make

a. the cost b. a contract ñ. strings d. a point e. a problem f. a blind eye to g. a need h. pressure on i. a bribe j. steps to

Now choose four of the above phrases and make your own sentences to show their meaning. e. g. The government turned a blind eye to the pollution of the river caused by the factory. b) Complete the following sentences with suitable prepositions. 1. The company were accused (1) ... polluting the environment and were criticised (2) .... doing so. Naturally, they were upset (3) ... the charge and denied responsibility. 2. The government has brought (4) a… new law to protect minority groups. The aim of the law is to prevent employers (5) ... discriminating (6) …such groups. – 79 –

3. We are engaged (7) ... many programmes which help the community. For example, schoolchildren benefit (8)... the training programmes we run, and from the equi pment we have provided them (9).… 4. Our management is strongly opposed (10) ... expenditure on social programmes and objects (11) .... people putting pressure (12) ... the company to contribute more (13)… society. 5. We pay li p service to the ideaof social responsibility but really we are only interested (14) ... making a profit. Nothing must distract us (15) ... that purpose. c) Idiomatic uses of run in the long- run Rewrite the following sentences without changing their meaning. Replace the words in italics with verbs from the list and make any other necessary changes. run up

run up against

run down

run out of

run out

run through

1. We won’t meet that urgent order unless we speed up production. We have little time left. 2. Can we review the plan for the sales campaign, please? 3. We won’t be able to launch the product in February. The Design Department have met some technical problems. 4 Our firm is gradually reducing its marketing operation in the Far East. 5. This contract comes to an end next month, then we’ll have to renew it. 6. They have incurred so many debts that they’ll have to close down. 2. IS BIG BUSINESS ANTAGONISTIC TO NATURE? (ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS) Can Business be Green? And how important is the role of business in protecting or destroying the environment? Does the international business community really have a responsibility to sustain the natural resources it commercially exploits? Or is that a matter for the world’s politicians to sort out?

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Nowadays, most of us are more or less aware of what we call environmental issues. How many of us conscientiously deposit our empty bottles at the bottle bank, save electricity by switching off lights, or make a big thing of using recycled paper — all in the belief that we are ‘doing our bit’ for the environment? But what impression are we actually making on the environment by doing so? Tragically, the answer is almost none. For even if every household in the world recycled practically everything it used, solid waste would be reduced by a mere 2 %. In global terms, that would make absolutely no difference whatsoever, because the real problem lies, not with the private individual, but with big business and the $ 21 trillion world economy. NO SOLUTIONS YET Business, just like everything else, depends upon the survival of the eco-system, and you would think it would be in the interests of commerce and industry to learn how to manage Corporation Earth. Yet the fact is that though business is the only mechanism powerful enough to reverse the current global trend towards ecological disaster, it has yet to come up with a practical plan to halt the destruction of the planet. POOR TRACK RECORD The track record of the world’s companies is poor. Whereas the Chernobyl disaster can perhaps be attributed to lack of funds and the antiquated technology of a crumbling Soviet regime, no such excuse can be offered in the case of Union Carbide. When the full horror of the chemical accident at Bhopal in India became apparent, the company, quite legally, liquidated a large portion of its assets in the form of shareholders’ dividends, thereby reducing the company’s compensatory liability to its 200,000 victims. And when the Exxon Valdez tanker ran around, tne Exxon company seemed more concerned to reassure the stock markets that its financial strength was undiminished than to console the Alaskans, whose livelihoods were wrecked by the catastrophic oil spill. LARGE SCALE POLLUTION General Electric has taken what some people call ‘corporate crime’ to even greater extremes. So much so, that it actually had its contracts suspended by the Pentagon. It stood accused, amongst other things, of bribery and insider trading, and of being one of America’s greatest – 81 –

toxic polluters. And one of its nuclear operations in Washington State alone has created sufficient radioactive pollution to charge 50 atom bombs of the kind dropped on Nagasaki during World War Two. MAKING CONSERVATION PROFITABLE The situation seems hopeless. But, as ecological expert, Paul Hawken, points out, if business is not only about making money, but also about sustaining life, then perhaps it really can make conservation profitable, productive and possible. And some say that, if they wanted to, the commercial powers could actually halt environmental degradation within as little as 20 years. For why must what is good for business always be bad for nature? SHORT-TERM GOALS The simple answer to that is that big business is, by definition, antagonistic to nature. Business is designed to break through limits, not respect them. It is about exploring, discovering, mining, extracting, and exploiting. It is quite definitely not about putting things back. Although, in the long term, a living rain forest is more profitable than a dead one, the goals of big business are notoriously short-term. And, contrary to popular belief, big business is not in decline. The largest one thousand companies in the United States still account for over 60 % of GNP, with modern telecommunications their global reach is almost complete. And what can the environmentalists do when our planet’s greatest enemy turns out to be the only force strong enough to save it?

1. READ

AND TRANSLATE THE TEXT

2. LOOK

BACK AT THE ARTICLE .

F IND

THE WORDS AND

EXPRESSIONS WHICH MEAN:

1. making our contribution 2. past performance 3. destroy jobs, means of living 4. persuading people to do what you want by illegal payment 5. illegal mani pulation of share price 6. opposed, hostile to – 82 –

3. MATCH THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR RUSSIAN

DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT AND TRANSLATE THEM INTO

1) ethics 2) integrity 3) liability

4) livelihood/s 5) assets 6) pollution 7) to run aground 8) to recycle 9) antiquated 10) conservation

a) to get stuck in water that is not very deep. b) damage caused to the environment by harmful chemicals and waste. c) the study of morals, values and choices an individual makes in relation to other people; rules or standards of conduct. d) the quality of being honest and having high moral princi ples. e) old-fashioned and not suitable for modern needs or conditions. f) what you do to earn money in order to live. g) something that a company owns, that can be sold to pay debts. h) legal responsibility for injury, damage or a debt. i) the protection of natural things such as wild animals, forests or beaches. j) to put used objects or materials through a process so that they can be used again.

4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) Which of the following viewpoints support those expressed in the article? 1. Environmental awareness is greater now than it used to be. 2. People are still largely unaware of the scale of the environmental problem. 3. Domestic recycling is a waste of time. 4. Without government support, the business community can do little to protect the environment. 5. The corporations of the world only step in to put things right after the disasters have already happened. 6. Green politics need not be a hopeless cause. – 83 –

7. Commercial gain and ecological balance are incompatible. 8. As our business culture changes, the environment will be given a higher priority. b) Do you find yourself mostly agreeing or disagreeing with the article? Indicate it by: I totally agree! There’s some truth in it. It’s rubbish! Because of these problems, there are many groups of people whose aim is conservation (= the protection of natural things, e.g. plants and animals). They are often reffered to as grees, e.g. «Greenpeace» and «Friends of the Earth». Where do you stand on green issues? Read the list of the Worst Dangers facing the planet, translate them into Russian and decide what, in your view, are the four major industrially created dangers facing the environment? • nuclear reactors • industrial emissions • the destruction of the rainforest • industrial waste • nuclear waste • carbon monoxide fumes from vehicles • oil spills at sea • chemical effluent • the greenhouse effect • the consumption of non-renewable energy • the use of non-biodegradable materials • car exhaust fumes • aerosol cans (usually called sprays) • cutting down tropical rainforestd (e. g. the Amazon) which increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 1. ................................. 2. ................................. 3. ................................. 4. ................................. Compare your views with those of your groupmates.

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c) Put up 5 questions to the text

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) In his book, The Ecology of Commerce, Paul Hawken outlines practical ways in which we might work our way back towards a sustainable economy. Complete the checklist below by selecting from the lists of words: technology

resources

consumption

hemisphere

Reduce (1) .......... of energy and natural (2) in the northern (3) .......... by 75 % . This is not as difficult as it sounds. We already have the (4) .......... to make things last twice as long with half the resources. war

inequality

employment

security

Provide secure (5) .......... for the whole populace. A sustainable economy without job (6) .......... would only lead to social (7) .......... and civil (8) .......... quality nature goods dynamics. Honour market princi ples. Since you cannot change the (9) .......... of the market, you have to operate within it. Taxing morality by charging higher prices for environmentally- friendly (10) ...... doesn’t work. It is basic human (11) .......... to shop around for the cheapest goods of comparable (12) .......... . earth

systems

restoration

programme

Extensive (13) .......... will be needed as it is simply too late to sustain what we have. As part of our overall economic (14) .......... we shall need to redesign all industrial, residential and transport (15) .......... so that everything we use comes from the (16) .......... and returns to it. acts

circumstances

society

users

Governments alone cannot create a sustainable (17) .......... . Everything largely depends on the daily (18) .......... of billions of ordinary people. Humans are not naturally wasteful and predatory, but intelligent (19) .......... who adapt to fit in with their (20) .......... . In a sustainable culture people would naturally conserve.

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b) Find in the article word-combinations with these lexical units, translate them into Russian and learn 10 of them. BUSINESS WORD-COMBINATIONS 1. environmental ................. 10. practical ................. 2. solid ................. 11. track ................. 3. global ................. 12. antiquated ................. 4. private ................. 13. financial ................. 5. big ................. 14. corporate ................. 6. world ................. 15. insider ................. 7. eco- ................. 16. commercial ................. 8. global ................. 17. environmental ................. 9. ecological ................. 18. global ................. c) Choose one noun to form a frequent word-combination with all the verbs in each example. Give their translation and English equivalents. resources

the environment

a promise

an issue,

power

a goal

pollution

a policy

1. protect / harm / threaten 2. control / create / cut 3. develop / exploit / tap 4. address / face / settle 5. make / break / keep 6. adopt / implement / abandon 7. set / achieve / reach exercise / wield / seize

6. DISCUSS What do you know about the following? Chernobyl The Union Carbide Company The Exxon Valdez Work in two groups. One group should make a list of the ways in which business inevitably harms the environment. The other should

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make the list of the measures that might be taken to restore the balance. Compare your lists. How environmentally sound is your country? What environmental problems does your country face? What are their causes? How do you think they could be resolved? Does Hawken’s blueprint for a better planet strike you as plausible or idealistic? Where would the motivation come from for the business community to change its attitude to ecology and commerce?

7. GRAMMAR

WORK

a) Form teams of 3 people. This activity is designed to help you use modal verbs more effectively, which show your attitude to events (must, may, might, will, would, can, could, shall, should, have to, need, etc). They are essential when you want to express doubt, certainty, degrees of ability and feasibility; they are also useful when you want to give advice or make suggestions. You have just 10 minutes to solve as many of the language problems as you can. At the end of the project you will be asked to report your findings. 1. In which of the following is spending more money an option? We mustn’t spend any more money on this. We don’t have to spend any more money on this. Which of the two sentences means almost the same as. «We don’t need to spend any more money on this?» 2. Which of the following is more likely to be my opinion? We must cut down on waste. We have to cut down on waste. Which of the two sentences above could mean: They’ve told us to cut down on waste! 3. In which of the following are you sure I finished the report? I didn’t need to finish the report today. I needn’t have finished the report today. 4. Which of the following is more diplomatic? That isn’t enough. That wouldn’t be enough. 5. What is the opposite of. That can’t be right! That can be right. That must be right. – 87 –

6. What is the opposite of. We should have known what would happen! We shouldn’t have known what would happen. We couldn’t have known what would happen. 7. Which of the following seems more certain? We could do it if we tried. We might be able to do it if we tried. 8. Which of the following seems more certain? If he calls, tell him I’m out. If he should call, tell him I’m out. 9. Do either or both the following refer to future time? You could ask her but she won’t know yet. You could ask her but she won’t help you. b) Now match up the sentences on the left with their equivalents on the right. 1) It’s necessary to take action. a) We should take action 2) If’s not necessary to take b) We could’ve taken action. action. 3) It would be a good idea c) We should’ve taken action. to take action. 4) It’s not possible for us d) We must take action. tî take action. 5) It’s possible we will e) We needn’t have taken action. take action. 6) It would have been a good f) We can’t take action. idea to take action. 7) It wasn’t a good idea to take g) We didn’t need tî take action. action, but we did. 8) It was possible for us h) We may take action. tî take action but we didn’t. 9) It wasn’t necessary to take i) We shouldn’t’ve taken action. action, so we didn’t. 10) It wasn’t necessary to take j) We don’t have to take action. action but we did. Have you ever been in the position at work where you should have taken some kind of action but didn’t? Or where you needn’t have taken the action you did?

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8. ROLE

PLAY

BACKGROUD STUDY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS According to Thomas Donaldson (1992), societies have the right to expect business to function ethically: «All productive organizations can be viewed as engaging in an implied contract with society. Corporations must have bestowed upon them by society ... authority to own and use land and natural resources. In return, society has the right to expect that productive organizations will enhance the general interests of consumers and employees. Society may also expect that corporations honor existing rights and limit their activities to accord with the bounds of justice». So, under this social contract between society and business, what rules guide business? If you watch television and movies and read newspapers, you may believe that all business leaders lie and cheat, want to destroy the environment, make any compromise for financial gain, and risk the lives and health of their employees and the public to make money. Frontpage news reports of illegal stock market trading and sweatshops make all business professionals appear to be greedy, selfish, money-hungry villains. Of course, this is not true. Business professionals have responsibilities to make decisions based on ethical princi ples. They also have a responsibility to the people who work for them and to society in general to provide employees with guidelines for making ethical decisions. In the 21st century, the role of ethics in international business transactions and interactions will receive more attention. Corporate leaders have discussed the adoption of an international code of business ethics. These leaders are concerned about ethical decisions and want to help employees learn to work in an ethical way. ETHICAL DECISION MAKING Ethical decisions are made by business leaders based on these considerations: • How employees feel fulfilled professionally • How customers can be satisfied • How profit can be assured for shareholders

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• How the community can be served many pressures affect business leaders. Ethical considerations are sometimes difficult for business leaders when they must choose among different priorities. Making decisions based on the needs of employees, customers, shareholders, and the community requires a good leader. All good leaders are interested in achieving ethical standards and in motivating employees to do what is right. There are laws that guide business leaders. Breaking laws can lead to arrest and imprisonment. For example, one company’s sales manager decided to discount prices of old fruit, which turned out to be contaminated. In the end, some children who ate the fruit got very sick with hepatitis A. The disease was traced to the company’s spoiled fruit, and several of the company’s leaders were indicted on criminal charges. Today the company no longer exists. But laws are not always enough to ensure that behavior is ethical. Individual leaders and their decision-making behaviors (ethical or unethical) set examples for employees. In the United States, anonymous surveys show that 30 percent of managers admit they have submitted inaccurate reports. Clearly, there is a need to develop ethical decision-making skills.

ON-THE-JOB ETHICAL CONFLICTS Four main ethical conflicts confront leaders and managers in business: 1. Conflict of interest — An individual may be able to achieve personal gain from a decision he or she makes. 2. Loyalty versus truth — An individual must decide between loyalty the company and truthful-ness in business relationshi ps. 3. Honesty and integrity — An individual must decide whether to be honest or lie, and whether to take responsibility for decisions and actions or blame someone else. 4. Whistle-blowing — An individual must decide whether to tell others (media or government authorities) about the unethical behavior of the company or institution. – 90 –

QUESTIONNAIRE

ON

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ETHICS

Answer the following questions by yourself 1. It is better to avoid conducting business outside one’s own country because of the complexities that occur across natural borders (yes, no, not sure) 2. Ethics is a philosophical issue, not a business issue (yes, no, not sure) 3. In business, keeping a code of ethics is like keeping wedding vows (yes, no, not sure) 4. It’s better not to think about ethics when you are making a business deal (yes, no, not sure) 5. International business ethics is a subject important to me (yes, no, not sure) PRACTICAL ACTIONS Task 1 Suppose you are a top executive for a multinalional organisation. You are sent out to run a subsidiary in a small African country. The subsidiary, a chemical manufacturing plant, has had poor results recently. Your job is to make it profitable again. Shortly after you take up your appointment, you realize that the plant is causing a lot of pollution. Fumes are pouring out of the old-fashioned chimneys and the wind blows them towards the nearby towns. In addition, chemical waste is finding its way into rivers and streams. To reduce all this pollution, you will need to spend a great deal of time and money. This may not, however, be necessary. Some of your managers, who are nationals of the country, tell you not to worry. They can ‘pull strings’ with government officials, so that the government will turn a blind eye to the pollution. Other foreign companies, say the managers, look after their pollution problem in this manner. 1. If you were the executive in this situation, what would do you? 2. What do you think most companies would do if faced by the same problem? Task 2 Work in groups. Each group should look at one of the situations below and decide what they would do. Think about what you would – 91 –

actually do if faced with such a dilemma. Try to reach a consensus before you finalize your decision. Report your decision to the other groups and be prepared to defend it. Then take a class vote on each issue discussed. THE TOBACCO COMPANY You work for a multinational tobacco company. In spite of the restrictions on tobacco advertising throughout Europe and the USA and a strong anti-smoking lobby, your company continues to gross in excess of $30 billion every year. You are, of course, aware of all the arguments against smoking, but you also firmly believe in freedom of choice and realize the huge social and financial benefits the tobacco industry has to offer, particularly in poorer countries. The World Health Authority is proposing to put a substantial “green tax” on cigarettes to offset the $60 billion a year tobacco use costs society in terms of medical bills, lost income and reduced productivity. This is bound to affect your sales and may result in widespread layoffs in the Latin American countries where most of your cigarettes are manufactured. You understand, however, that a major political figure in the United States has promised to plead your case with the W. H. 0.in return for sponsorshi p in his forthcoming election campaign. Decide your course of action. What reasons lie behind your decision? THE CHEMICAL COMPANY You work for the chemicals division of an American multinational. A recent explosion at one of your plants in India has resulted in millions of tonnes of toxic gases being released into the atmosphere. Hundreds of local workers employed at the plant were killed in the accident with thousands more suffering from severe chemical burns. But, with such high levels of contamination, the threat to the local community is even more serious. Over the next five to ten years the fatalities could run into tens of thousands. Obviously, a massive clean-up programme has already been put into effect, but there is still the matter of compensation for the victims and their families to be settled. Although you are well aware of the scale of the tragedy, you also have your shareholders to think of. As your Indian plant was inadequately insured, compensation claims could bite deep into company funds. You might even have to pull out of Asia altogether, which would mean thousands of job losses. Your – 92 –

lawyers inform you that there is a perfectly legal way of liquidating a large part of your assets and significantly reducing your liability. Decide your course of action. What reasons lie behind your decision? THE STEEL COMPANY You work for a large steel company in Germany which is currently planning to set up a new processing plant and have been informed that a suitable site in Portugal has become available at very reasonable rates. You are also well aware that local labour costs would be far lower than in Germany, especially as unemployment in the region is extremely high. Unfortunately, however the site is one of great scenic beauty and environmental importance. It is the natural habitat of many rare species of wildlife, which would almost certainly be harmed, if not totally destroyed, by the building of your plant. You would, in fact, meet very little opposition if you went ahead with your plans to build, for job creation is much higher on the agenda of the local government than conservation. Times are hard and your firm badly needs to cut costs wherever it can. But company image may be affected by any adverse publicity in the German press. Decide your course of action. What reasons lie behind your decision? THE FAST-FOOD COMPANY You work for the European Division of one ot the world’s biggest fast-food chains. In recent months you have found yourself the target of a vicious campaign by environmental groups concerning the amount of waste your company generates. In fact, your environmental record is no worse than that of any of your major competitors, but your international profile makes you easy to attack. Your marketing department is particularly concerned — the vast majority of both your customers and staff are teenagers and young adults, who tend to be the most environmentally aware members of society. Clearly, action must be taken before rhe protests get out of hand. One problem is that the polystyrene containers your company packages its meals in may be cheap and insulate the food well, but they take thousands of years to biodegrade. Although recyclable, they are frequently taken away by your customers and discarded elsewhere. The Environmental Defence Fund or EDF, has become so interested in your case that the story looks set to hit the news-stands any day now. Decide your course of action. What reasons lie behind your decision?

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THE DRINKS COMPANY You work for a mineral water company based in France. Chemists working in your research labs have recently discovered minute traces benzene in sample routinely taken from your bottles. You know benzene has been found to have carcinogenic properties, but frankly the amount of benzene in your mineral water is so minute that it presents no health hazard whatsoever. Nevertheless, if the story gets out, it could ruin you, especially as you have no idea how the water was contaminated in the first place. You could go public and try to limit the damage to your business or you could keep the whole thing quiet and continue to sell your mineral water until you’ve sorted out the problem yourself. Decide your course of action. What reasons lie behind your decision?

ANSWER

KEYS

UNIT 1. COMMUNICATION IN CROSSCULTURAL PROFESSIONAL INTERACTION 2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT (1) to put pressure on smb.; (2) hold a meeting with smb.; (3) dispute the accuracy of cultural stereotypes; (4) business relationshi ps; (5) strike a deal; (6) meticulously prepared meeting; (7) to build business on trust; (8) come to a decision; (9) reinforce team-spirit; (10) animated discussion; (11) to keep your competitive edge; (12) to meet disagreement head on; (13) diffuse tension with humour; (14) captives of their culture. 3. MATCH

THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR

DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT

1 — b; 2 — h; 3 — a; 4 — g; 5 — ñ; 6 — d; 7 — e; 8 — f. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) 1, 3, 5. c) (1) to keep your competitive edge, (2) to produce/do as you promised, (3) to meat disagreement head-on. 5. VOCABULARY WORK a) (1) a meeting; (2) a minor point; (3) good business relationshi ps; (4) superiors; (5) a deal; (6) a decision; (7) teamspirit; (8) their business; (9) their arguments; (10) an opinion; (11) tension; (12) results; (13) new ideas; (14) information; (15) information. b) (1) profit; (2) quality; (3) price; (4) market; (5) client; (6) technology; (7) cost. c) (1) views; (2) agenda; (3) spontaneous; (4) prepared; (5) partici pants; (6) proposals; (7) opinion; (8) follow; (9) decisions; (10) waste; (11) agree. d) 1 — significant; 2 — average; 3 — reviewing; 4 — profit; 5 — long-term; 6 — persuade; 7 — considered; 8 — summarize. – 95 –

6. GRAMMAR WORK a) 1—g, 2—1, 3—à, 4—j, 5—ñ, 6—k, 7—å, 8—d, 9—b, 10—h, 11—f , 12—i, 13—o, 14—m, 15—n. c) 1) We understood the goods were on their way. 2) I’m sorry, but we’re not very happy about it. 3) That might not be a very good idea. 4) I’m afraid this might not be very convenient. 5) Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept your offer. 6) We were hoping for a slightly bigger discount. 7) Your products seem rather expensive. 8) Actually, we were rather hoping to reach agreement today. 9) Unfortunately, it would not be very market-able. 10) I’m afraid there might be a slight delay. 11) Actually, we’d appreciate a little more time. 12) With respect, you don’t seem to understand quite how important this is. 13) I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of the terms of the contract. 14) I’m afraid we don’t seem to be getting very far. UNIT 2. MANAGEMENT STYLES 2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT (1) one in three businesses, (2) the glass ceiling syndrome, (3) self-employment, (4) as many as 40 % of start-ups fold within their first two years, (5) male bosses tend to be reluctant to promote women, (6) the perfect example of the female entrepreneur, (7) overheads, (8) the blueprint for success, (9) competitive, (10) assertive, (11) to take risks, 12) a high flier, (13) consensus and conciliation, (14) articulate, (15) a hierarchical structure, (16) supportive approach, (17) to take the initiative, (18) ‘the caring 90 s’. 3. 1—i, 2—f, 3—d, 4—k, 5—g, 6—h, 7—a, 8—j, 9—e, 10—c, 11—b. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK c)1—f; 2— d; 3—h; 4—a; 5—c; 6—i; 7—b; 8—e; 9—g. 5. VOCABULARY WORK a) 1) run; 2) launch; 3) set up; 4) form; 5) join; 6) leave; 7) sell off; 8) wind up; 9) float; 10) holding; 11) parent; 12) subsidiary. b) 13) launch, set up, form; 14) sell off, wind up; 15) a holding or parent company owns more than half the shares in each of its subsidiaries.

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c) take off, half-time; d) 1) recruit, take on; 2) lay off, dismiss; 3) poach, headhunt; 4) headhunt. e) UN- unco-operative, uncompetitive, uncommunicative, unsupportive, unassertive, unskilled, unintelligent, uncreative, unreliable, uncommitted, unapproachable; IN- indecisive, insincere, insensitive, inarticulate, indiscreet, inconsistent; IM- impractical, impatient; IR- irresponsible, irrational, but unreliable; DIS- disloyal, dishonest. f) 1) sincere; 2) assertive; 3) articulate; 4) reliable; 5) approachable; 6) committed; 7) supportive; 8) discreet; 9) rational; 10) consistent. 7. GRAMMAR WORK 1. with 2. about 3. on 4. for 5. over 6. between 7. about 8. in / with 9. up 10. up 11. about 12. to 13. up 14. for 15. to 16. in 17. on 18. out 19. on 20. in 21. for 22. up 23. to 24. of 25. about 26. of 27. from 28. in 29. about / on 30. round 31. for 32. on 9. WRITE A FOLLOW-UP LETTER (MODEL LETTER) Thank you for your application for this post. // Whilst we were impressed with your qualifications and experience, and with your performance at interview, we regret to inform you that on this occasion you have not been successful. // As you know, there were a large number of applications for this post and the standard of applicants was extremely high. So you should not feel that your non-selection was due to any failings on your part. // I wish you every success in your future career. We have put your details on file and shall consider you for any suitable vacancies that may arise in our company. UNIT 3. ENTERPRENEURS 1. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT Text 1: 1) sure-fire way; 2) crackpot; 3) one sale at a time; 4) lose money hand over fist; 5) bring back from the dead; 6) took on Japanese market leaders; 7) discover a flair to smth.; 8) get bored, 9) conventional background; 10) the ultimate risk. Text 2: 1) to go bust; 2) to be cut out for smth.; 3) lack of knowledge, skills and business experience; 4) to be always on the

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move; 5) material gain; 6) overhaul of the management structure; 7) to recognize opportunities; 8) presumably; 9) academic attainments; 10) initial backer;11) to cast in the same mould. 3. 1—h, 2—d, 3—a, 4—l, 5—b, 6—k, 7—i, 8—g, 9—c, 10—f, 11—t, 12—j. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) 1, 3, 4. b) not accurate: 5, 7, 9, 10. c) (1) is in; (2) in retrospect; (3) crackpot; (4) made it; (5) losing money hand over fist; (6) brought ... back from the dead; (7) took on; (8) a 20 th century icon; (9) rise through the ranks; (10) the budding entrepreneur; (11) a flair; (12) corporate raider. 5. VOCABULARY WORK b) 1) intuitive; 2) determined; 3) ingenious; 4) dynamic; 5) dedicated; 6) a; 7) h; 8) f; 9) j; 10) i. c) 1) make; 2) starter; 3) reliant; 4) thrive; 5) adapting; 6) plan; 7) building; 8) dealing; 9) handle; 10) ñîðå; 11) stamina; 12) minded; 13) taking; 14) open; suggestions; 15) sacrifices, goals. 51—75 You are no doubt already aware of your entrepreneurial flair. If you don’t already, you could almost certainly work for yourself. 26—50 You have some, but not all, of the skills needed to become an entrepreneur. You should consider your position carefully before launching into a business of your own. 0—25 No doubt, you are an excellent team-member and you would do well to stay where you are. The risks and demands of individual enterprise are not for you. d) 1) wanting, get; 2) busy; 3) per cent, per cent; 4) unless 5) first, wife. 7. GRAMMAR

WORK

a) 1—b, 2—e, 3—a, 4—f, 5—d, 6—ñ; b) 1—ñ, 2—å, 3—f, 4—b, 5—d, 6—à. c) 1) The Managing Director stressed the importance of forming a strategic alliance with the Japanese. 2) The Finance Director demanded to know how the project was going to be financed. – 98 –

3) The Managing Director questioned the need for extra capital. 4) The Finance Director conceded that it was going to take an injection of cash at the outset. 5) The Managing Director reaffirmed his position on the importance of teaming up with the Japanese. 6) The Managing Director recapped on the main points. d) 1) to take; 2) losing; 3) to get; 4) involving; 5) concentrating; 6) running; 7) sacrificing; 8) to be; 9. to agree; 10) to work; 11) taking; 12) to get; 13) drawing; 14) to pay; 15) having; 16) meet; 17) to have; 18) sending; 19) to do; 20) meeting. e) 1) of leaving; 2) for agreeing; 3) in meeting; 4) in taking; 5) on doing; 6) for starting; 7) from going; 8) about taking; 9) on being. UNIT 4. ECONOMIC ISSUES 2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT (1) even out; (2) swing from hyperinflation to soaring unemployment; (3) slump follows boom; (4) go completely out of control; (5) recession and collapse; (6) to close a trade gap; (7) pose a threat; (8) underclass; (9) the unemployed; (10) wages fall behind escalating inflation; (11) an influx of workers; (12) put employees out of work; (13) unemployment benefit; (14) at the cost of falling real incomes; (15) minimum wage/s; (16) under-employment; (17) a low-paid dead-end job; (18) the working poor; (19) far-reaching consequences; (20) a consumerist society. 3. MATCH

THE WORDS AND PHRASES ON THE LEFT WITH THEIR

DEFINITIONS ON THE RIGHT

1—e, 2—f, 3—d, 4—c, 5—a, 6—g, 7—b, 8—i, 9—h. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) 1, 3, 6, 8. c) 1) no one has a clue; 2) industrial might; 3) are on the verge of economic collapse; 4) cri ppling deficits; 5) to be tightened; 6) an influx; 7) dead-end jobs; 8) it goes without saying; 9) the pound is fragile.

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5. VOCABULARY WORK a) 1) falling; 2) clue; 3) even; 4) unemployment; 5) statistics; 6) close; 7) recession; 8) collapse; 9) threat; 10) labour; 11) wage 12) reaching; 13) answer; 14) declining; 15) recovery. b) 1) growth; 2) indicators; 3) crisis; 4) forecast; 5) forces; 6) theory; 7) policy; 8) outlook; 9) recession; 10) measures; 11) development; 12) ruin; 13) reform; 14) strategy 15) recovery; 16) union; 17) sanctions; 18) aid. c) 1) indicators, forecasts; 2) ruin; 3) outlook; 4) recession, measures; 5) union. d) 1) privatize; 2) cut; 3) come out of; 4) improve; 5) relax; 6) scrap; 7) close; 8) break off; 9) harm; 10) impede; 11) reduce; 12) divide; 13) push up; 14) help; 15) resist; 16) put off; 17) launch; 18) pay off; 19) adopt; 20) neglect. e) 1) recession; 2) trade gap; 3) social benefits; 4) immigration controls; 5) scrapped; 6) recession; 7) our image abroad; 8) pressure; 9) foreign investors; 10) attack; 11) unemployment; 12) public opinion. f) 1) annual general meeting; 2) International Monetary Fund; 3) gross national product; 4) gross domestic product; 5) North American Free Trade Agreement; 6) General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs; 7) retail price index; 8) value added tax. 6. GRAMMAR WORK a) 1—e 2— h 3—à 4—f 5—ñ 6—g 7—d 8—b. b) pro- / anti -European, nuclear, terrorist, fascist, government; antiwar; pre- / post- industrial, war; post-communist era; nonconformist, essential, specialist; ex- wife, terrorist, government; neofascist; multi-lateral, media, national c) 1) economist; 2) economical; 3) economize; 4) politicians; 5) politically; 6) politicized. d) (model answers) 1) has increased by over 50 %; 2) doubled; 3) has fallen; 4) is expected to fall by a further $12bn; 5) in inflation; 6) to rise; 7) was relatively encouraging; 8) steadily increasing; 9) was between 1980 and 1990; 10) is likely to be pushed up by a further 5 %; 11) is considerably worse; 12) is upward; 13) between 1980 and 1990, the population is now growing rapidly; 14) to continue over the next three years; 15) it was in 1990; 16) three years is not encouraging.

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e) 1) thoroughly; 2) sincerely; 3) completely; 4) firmly; 5) categorically; 6) completely; 7) categorically; 8) sincerely; 9) thoroughly; 10) firmly. UNIT 5. SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS Text 1 2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT (1) social responsibility; (2) to meet the needs and interests of society; (3) offer a bribe to secure a contract; (4) solve the problems of the society; (5) reduce pollution; (6) to hire more people from minority groups; (7) to oppose racial discrimination; (8) to behave with integrity; (9) plead guilty; (10) to bear cost; (11) charity. 3. FIND WORDS OR PHRASES IN THE

TEXT WHICH MEAN THE SAME AS

THE FOLLOWING

(1) ethical standards; (2) bribe; (3) environment; (4) opposed; (5) boycotting; (6) deception; (7) fraud; (8) create wealth; (9) in the long run; (10) critical. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK 1—T, 2—F, 3—F, 4—T, 5—T, 6—T, 7—T, 8—T.

5. VOCABULARY WORK a) 1— i, 2— c, 3— e, 4— a, 5—b, 6—j, 7—f, 8—h, 9—g, 10—d. b) (1) of, (2) for, (3) by; (4) out, (5) from, (6) against; (7) in, (8) from, (9) with, (10) to, (11) to, (12) on, (13) to, (14) in, (15) from. c) 1) ... We are running out of time. 2) Can we run through the plan? 3) …The Design Department have run up against some technical problems. 4) Our firm is gradually running down its marketing operation ... . 5) This contract runs out next month.… 6) They have run up so many debts. Text 2 2. FIND ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS IN THE TEXT 1) doing our bit; 2) the track record; 3) wreck livelihoods; 4) bribery; 5) insider trading; 6) antagonistic to. – 101 –

1. Match the words and phrases on the left with their definitions on the right and translate them into Russian. 1—c, 2—d, 3—h, 4—f, 5—g, 6—b, 7—a, 8—j, 9—e, 10—i. 4. COMPREHENSION CHECK a) 1, 2, 3, 6, 7. 4. VOCABULARY WORK a) 1) consumption; 2) resources; 3) hemisphere; 4) technology; 5) employment; 6) security; 7) inequality; 8) war; 9) dynamics; 10) goods; 11) nature; 12) quality 13) restoration; 14) programme; 15) systems; 16) earth; 17) society; 18) acts; 19) users; 20) circumstances. b) 1) issues; 2) waste; 3) terms; 4) individual; 5) business; 6) economy; 7) system; 8) trend; 9) disaster; 10) plan; 11) record; 12) technology; 13) strength; 14) crime; 15) trading; 16) powers; 17) degradation; 18) reach. c)1) the environment; 2) pollution; 3) resources; 4) an issue; 5) a promise; 6) a policy; 7) a goal; 8) power. 7. GRAMMAR WORK a) 1) We don’t have to spend more money on this is the answer to both questions (don’t have to = it’s not necessary) 2) We must cut down on waste is more likely to be my opinion (here, must = internal obligation). We have to cut down on waste might be an order from someone else. 3) I needn’t have finished the report, the use of the present perfect indicates that the report has been completed unnecessarily. 4)That wouldn’t be enough is more di plomatic. 5)That must be right.6) We couldn’t have known what would happen. 7) We could do it if we tried (here, could = would be able to). 8) If he calls, tell him I’m out (here, if he should call = if he happens to call) 9) You could ask her but she won’t know yet is clearly not about future time (here, won’t know = is certain not to know). You could ask her but she wont help you may be a prediction, but it is probably more of a descri ption of how unhelpful ‘she’ is: she’ll refuse to help you because she always refuses to help people (here, she won’t help you = she’s not ‘willing’ to help). b) 1—d; 2—j; 3—a; 4—f; 5—h; 6—c; 7—i; 8—b; 9—g; 10— e.

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