590

2. For your career

In small groups read and discuss the tips for applicants and recruiters. Share your findings with others.

1) Tips for applicants

•Your first job is critical. Choose it carefully. Gather as much information as you can regarding what you will be expected to do, whom you will work with, and how your boss will deal with you.

•You are responsible for your career. Only you can determine whether a particular organisation suits

you.

•Advancement usually takes longer than anticipated. Organisations change but often more slowly than planned.

101

•Being mobile – ready to leave a job or an organisation when appropriate – along with being a good performer and being visible help ensure you of having many career opportunities.

2) Tips for recruiters

•Written letters of reference tend to contain little information. Try to generate your own sources of information, and telephone rather than write.

•Look for time gaps in resumes or on applications. Check on them during the interview. Reference checking in these areas is particularly helpful.

•Keep comprehensive records when recruiting and selecting, particularly for important jobs. You may have to defend yourself against charges of discrimination.

•One of the best ways to improve the selection process is to accurately describe the job to applicants. Most interviewers do not really interview; instead they tend to “sell” the job.

CASE

Study and discuss this case paying special attention to the questions below it.

Now for the People

The Baumbeck Corporation is a speciality design and manufacturing firm located on the West Coast. Over the last five years, the company has expanded its market from a five-state region to the entire nation. The corporation’s CEO feels that if the firm continues this blanket approach to the market, it can achieve an annual sales increase of 20 percent for at least the next decade.

Two months ago Baumbeck bid on a large government contract and yesterday learned it had won the bidding. The contract calls for the design, manufacture, test and delivery of specialised telecommunication equipment. This equipment is very sophisticated, and while the firm had the expertise for the initial proposal, it is not capable of designing the final specifications. Nor it is currently able to provide the appropriate tests to ensure that the various subsystems of the equipment all work as they should. This problem does not upset the CEO, however. He feels that the most important objective – securing the contract – has been attained. Now the focus of attention can swing to obtaining the needed personnel.

The company knows what it has to do. Fifteen new engineers must be hired within the next six months. The initial hirings must be among those who have had experience in the design of telecommunication systems. Baumbeck realises that there is a shortage of these people but also knows that the firms against which it competed for the contract have such people. There are others located in the large aerospace firms.

The company would also like to hire one or two professors of engineering for a two-year stint. These professors, it feels, will provide both theoretical insights and a fresh approach to the design of the subsystems. The president and head of engineering both believe that some of the most creative thinkers in systems design can be found in universities. “If nothing else,” the engineering vice-president has commented, “they will give us a new look at things and, I believe, help us better understand how to design these subsystems most efficiently.”

The remainder of the new workforce to be hired will have to be obtained from competitive firms. The company’s initial plan is to try to identify some of these individuals and contact them privately. If this approach does not work, a broader approach will be used.

1.How should the firm go about recruiting the experienced telecommunication engineers? The college professors? The other engineers?

2.If the firm were to obtain a pool of applicants in each of the three groups, how could it select the best ones? Explain.

3.Make up a recruitment action plan for the company.

102

Appendix 1

READING COMPREHENSION

READING COMPREHENSION 1

1.Read the article and the questions to it.

2.For each question 1–5, choose ONE answer (А, В, С or D).

The Schools Approach

(From M. Mescon. Management. New York, USA)

Four distinct schools of management thought evolved during the first half of the 20th century. In chronological order they are the scientific management school, the administrative school, the human relations and behavioural school, and the management science (quantitative) school. The strongest adherents of each at one time believed that they had found the key to attaining organisational objectives most effectively. Later studies and breakdowns in application proved that many of their answers to management problems were at best partially correct in certain limited situations. Yet, each of these schools has made a lasting contribution to the field. Even the most progressive contemporary organisation still uses some concepts and techniques originated by these schools. The goal here is to help you appreciate the evolutionary nature of management thought and recognise that techniques that worked in one time and place do not always work in another. Further, it should be understood that the schools overlap in theory and in practice, and within an organisation you can find elements of all the approaches.

Scientific Management (1885–1920)

Scientific management is most closely associated with the work of Frederick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry L. Gantt. These writers of the scientific management school believed that by using observation, measurement, logic, and analysis, many manual tasks could be redesigned to make their execution far more efficient. The first phase of the scientific management approach was to analyse a job and determine its basic components. Taylor, for example, painstakingly measured the amount of iron ore and coal a man could lift with shovels of varying size. The Gilbreths invented a device called a microchronometer which they used in combination with a motion picture camera to determine exactly what motions were made in performing a task and how much time each took. Based on this information, the job was redesigned to eliminate wasted motion and employ standardised procedures and equipment to the greatest degree possible. Taylor discovered, for example, that the maximum amount of iron ore and coal could be moved if every worker used a shovel with a 21-pound capacity. In comparison to the earlier system in which each worker provided his own shovel, the gain in output was phenomenal.

Scientific management did not ignore the human element. An important contribution of the school was the systematic use of financial incentives to motivate people to produce as much as possible. They also allowed for rest and unavoidable delays, so that the amount of time estimated for a job was fair and realistic. This enabled management to set standards of performance that were attainable and give added pay to those who exceeded the minimum. A key element in this school was that people who produced more were rewarded more. Scientific management writers also recognised the importance of selecting people physically and mentally suited to their work, and they emphasised training.

Scientific management also advocated the separation of thinking and planning – managerial work – from the actual performance of tasks. Taylor and his contemporaries recognised, in effect, that the work of managing is a distinct specialty and the organisation as a whole would benefit if each group concentrated on what they did best. This approach contrasted sharply with the old system in which workers planned their work themselves.

1. Which of the following best summarises the opening paragraph?

A.It is only opponents of scientific management that claimed to know how to achieve goals efficiently.

B.The solution of management problems offered by different schools approaches is suitable for all cases.

C.Ideas produced by schools of management have never been used by companies and enterprises.

D.Each school of management developed a set of principles that contributed to theoretical and practical management.

2. In the second paragraph, the writer explains that

A.scientific management approach has changed the working procedure and increased workers’ daily output manifold.

B.managers only used their life experience and intuition to make workers perform more efficiently.

C.a microchronometer designed by the Gilbreths showed the amount of load a worker was able to lift and move.

D.Frederick W. Taylor redesigned the jobs by introducing strict discipline and punishment for workers who did not follow the prescribed procedure.

3. In the third paragraph, the writer makes it clear that

A.financial incentives were not regarded as a motivator for workers to produce more.

B.scientific management used a system of benefits and extra payments to reward people who performed efficiently.

103

C.introducing job standards did not contribute a lot to increasing a worker’s pay.

D.scientific management completely neglected the role of the human factor and did not provide any to workers. 4. In the last paragraph, the writer says that

A.management plays a specific role in the performance of an organisation.

B.making a plan and achieving real objectives is a unified function of any department in an organisation.

C.scientific approach to management inherited a lot from the planning systems that used to be popular in the

past.

D.scientific management suggests that workers should make their own plans and carry them out independently. 5. According to the article,

A.the human relations and behavioural school is the youngest of all management theories.

B.the emergence of scientific management school dates back to the early 19th century.

C.scientific management is thought to be the starting point for the development of management theory.

D.a lot of French scientists are associated with the elaboration of managerial ideas and statements.

READING COMPREHENSION 2

1.Read the article and the questions to it.

2.For each question 1–5, choose ONE answer (А, В, С or D).

(From Richard D. Lewis. When Cultures Collide. London, UK.)

The United States of America has the world’s biggest economy – four times greater than anyone else’s (with the exception of Japan) and ten times bigger than that of Russia. America is first in volume of trade, first in industry, first in food output and first in aid to others. They spend much, too, being the top consumers of energy, oil, oil seeds, grain, rubber, copper, lead, zinc, aluminium, tin, coffee and cocoa. They have the four busiest airports in the world and fly three times more passenger miles than anyone else. They have the world’s longest road network and longest rail network. They own more cars, telephones, refrigerators, television sets, dishwashers and microwave ovens than any other people.

They are the top tourist spenders and also gross the biggest tourist receipts (twice as much as popular France, in the second place). The USA leads the rest of us as water users, polluters and consumers of newsprint. They also have the highest rates of divorce and murder. American businesspeople have the reputation of being the toughest in the world, but they are, in many respects, the easiest to deal with. That is because their business philosophy is uncomplicated. Their aim is to make as much money as they can as quickly as they can, using hard work, speed, opportunism, power (also of money itself) as the means towards this end. Their business decisions are usually not affected by sentiment and the dollar, if not God, is considered at least almighty. This single-minded pursuit of profit results in their often being described as ruthless.

Northern Europeans are well placed to deal with Americans successfully. Their reputation as straightforward managers is well-received by the open, frank Americans, who often get seriously irritated by what they see as the “devious” manners of Latins and Orientals.

At meetings, Americans show the following tendencies:

•They are individualistic; they like to do it alone without checking with head office. Anything goes unless it has been restricted.

•They introduce informality immediately: take their jackets off, use first names, discuss personal details, e.g. family.

•They give the impression of being naive by not speaking anything but English and by showing immediate trust through ultra-friendliness.

•They use humour whenever they can, even though their partner fails to understand it or regards it as out of place.

•Time is always money. “Let’s get to the point.”

•They try to extract an oral agreement at the first meeting. “Have we got a deal?” They want to shake hands on it. The other party often feels the matter is far too complex to agree on the spot.

•Uncle Sam is the best. But successful negotiating must enter the cultural world of the other party. Many Americans see the USA as the most successful economic and democratic power and, therefore, they assume that American norms are the correct ones.

1. Which of the following best summarises the opening paragraph?

A.The Japanese economy cannot catch up with the American one.

B.Americans only lead the world in terms of consuming goods of mass demand.

C.Americans only lead the world in terms of consuming industrial goods.

D.The USA is a leader in terms of both consumer and industrial goods. 2. In the second and third paragraphs, the writer emphasises the fact that

A.business people in the USA have always been tough to deal with.

B.American’s business idea is quite straightforward – to make big money within the shortest possible time.

C.Americans are sometimes sentimental in making decisions.

104

D. the USA business people like to deal with Latins and Orientals.

3.In the enumeration of American tendencies, in the last paragraph, the writer explains that A. Americans stick to very formal dress and behaviour at meetings.

B. Americans speak a lot of foreign languages while communicating with people of different nationalities. C. US businesspeople are very reserved in terms of humour and joking.

D. Americans do not belong to particularists.

4.In the last paragraph, the writer also says that

A.American business people do not like to get to the point immediately during negotiations.

B.Americans are not quick in making decisions: they need a lot of time to think them over.

C.Americans consider their country to be the best and most successful economy in the world.

D.Americans often doubt whether their life standards are the most correct ones.

5. According to the article,

A.the US is a country with the world’s most powerful economic system.

B.the USA consumes less oil, energy, non-ferrous metals than Japan or Russia.

C.Americans do not think that the dollar is almighty.

D.Americans are very formal, unfriendly and are difficult to deal with.

READING COMPREHENSION 3

Read the article and the questions to it.

1.Read the article and the questions to it.

2.For each question 1-5, choose ONE answer (А, В, С or D).

Concept of Organising

(From M. Menson. Management. New York, USA)

The Unity of Command Principle

The chief executive of an organisation must organise various activities of the organisation into distinct divisions, departments, services, or units and assign duties accordingly. Supervisors are placed in charge of each of the departments, and their authority relationships are defined. This means that supervisors must know exactly who their bosses and their subordinates are. To arrange authority relationships in this fashion, management should follow the principle of unity of command. Unity of command means that there is only one person in each organisational unit who has the direct authority to make certain decisions appropriate to the position. It means that each employee has only one immediate supervisor, that is, only one boss to whom the employee is directly accountable.

The Span of Supervision Principle

The establishment of departments and the creation of several managerial levels are not ends in themselves; actually, they are the source of numerous difficulties. Departments are expensive; they can involve large sums of direct and overhead expenses. The more departments and levels that are created, the more problems that may be encountered in communication and coordination. Therefore, there must be valid reasons for creating departments and levels. The reasons usually are associated with the span of supervision principle, which concisely states that there is an upper limit to the number of subordinates a supervisor can effectively manage. Often this principle is known as span of managerial responsibility, span of management, span of authority, or span of control. It is preferable to use the term span of management or span of supervision, since these definitions are most meaningful.

Practicing supervisors know that they can effectively supervise only a certain number of employees. Since no one can manage an unlimited number of people, top management must organise divisions and departments as separate areas of activities over which middle-level managers and supervisors are placed in charge. Authority is delegated to the middle managers, who in turn will redelegate authority to supervisors, who in turn will supervise the employees. If a manager could supervise a hundred or more employees effectively, each of the one hundred subordinates would report directly to that manager and their different activities would not have to be grouped into departments. But, of course, this is impossible.

As one of the five basic functions of managers at all levels, the organising function requires that every manager be concerned with building, developing, and maintaining working relationships that will foster achievement of the organisation’s objectives. Although organisations may have a variety of objectives and may operate in many kinds of environments, the application of basic concepts of organising is universal.

A manager’s organising function consists of designing a structural framework that is grouping and assigning activities into distinct areas (departments, units, services, teams, etc.) so that activities can be effectively executed. Organising also includes the establishment of formal authority and responsibility relationships among the various activities and departments. In order to make such a structure possible, the manager must delegate authority throughout the organisation as well as establish and clarify authority relationships among the departments.

1.Which of the following best corresponds to the opening paragraph? A. Heads of departments are usually referred to as lower level managers.

B. Staff authority implies the direct vertical relationships between bosses and subordinates. C. It is a top manager’s duty to decide on departmentalising various activities.

D. To arrange line authority relationships management should observe the principle of division of labour.

2.In the second paragraph, the writer explains that

A. the more managerial levels in an organisation, the easier coordination of all activities.

105

B.span of control refers to the number of people when one manages directly.

C.large sums of expenses are the main reason for creating departments and levels.

D.there is no need to establish departments and levels as they cause many problems and are expensive. 3. In the third paragraph, the writer makes it clear that

A.the number of people that one person can manage directly in an efficient way is practically unlimited.

B.delegation of authority flows down through managerial levels to immediate superiors at the lowest level.

C.practice proves efficiency of managing a considerable number of people without grouping their activities into

departments.

D. a series of superior-subordinate relationships is an informal channel determining authority and responsibility. 4. In the last two paragraphs, the writer suggests that

A.the use of main organising conceptions depends on the objectives of the organisation.

B.the aim of the organising function is to achieve objectives through authority relationships.

C.it is only the top managers’ task to maintain favourable working relationships.

D.it is enough only to put individual jobs together in units or departments for a company to be effective.

106

5. According to the article,

A.authority is just the right to command other people that can be easily delegated to lower levels of management.

B.to decide on the optimal number of jobs in a particular department is enough for designing a structural framework.

C.the organising function implies dividing tasks into jobs and functions and delegating authority to attain organisational objectives.

D.unity of command means that all employees work as a unified whole.

READING COMPREHENSION 4

1. Read the article and the questions to it.

2. For each question 1–5, choose ONE answer (А, В, С or D).

The Hierarchy of Human Needs

(From T. Haimann. R. Hilgert. Supervision:

Concepts and Practices of Management. Ohio, USA.)

Psychologists who study the subject of human behaviour and personality are generally convinced that all behaviour of human beings is caused, goal-oriented and motivated. Stating this more broadly, there is a reason for everything that people do. People constantly are striving to attain something that has meaning to them in terms of their own particular needs and in terms of how they see themselves and the world in which they exist. Often we may not be directly aware of why we behave in a certain manner, but even so there are subconscious motives that govern the way we behave when confronted with certain situations.

One of the most widely accepted theories of human behaviour is that people are motivated and influenced by certain well-defined and more or less predictable needs.

Negative Motivation

When the higher level needs of human beings are not satisfied on the job, many workers resort to behaviour patterns which usually are detrimental to their performance and to the performance of the organisation. A typical approach for frustrated employees is to resign themselves to just “getting by” on the job. This means that the employees simply go through the motions and put in time without trying to perform in other than an average or marginal manner. They look for personal satisfactions off the job and are content to do only enough to draw a paycheck.

Another approach is for employees to adopt what some writers call “detour behaviour.” These employees find things which constantly distract them from doing the job, and at times they even try to “beat the system.” They often are absent, tardy, or break the rules as a way of trying to get back at situations which they find frustrating.

Still other employees who are frustrated adopt behaviour which is aggressive and which ultimately may cause them to leave the job situation. By aggression is meant such conduct as fighting, negative attitudes, and temper outbursts. When the situation gets too bad for some employees, they quit or almost force their supervisors to fire them because of their poor performance.

All of these types of reactions to frustrating situations are undesirable. Costs of employee turnover, absenteeism, tardiness, poor performance, and generally unsatisfactory conduct on the job can be extremely high to an organisation. The most promising supervisory approach for dealing with frustrating job situations is to seek sound solutions to problems by providing more opportunities for positive motivation. In other words, supervisors and their organisations must make major efforts so that both the lower level and higher level needs of employees are satisfied on the job.

1. Which of the following best summarises the opening and the second paragraphs?

A. Psychologists state that human behaviour, as a rule, is spontaneous and never related to the circumstances. B. People’s goal is to achieve something that is meaningful for their future career.

C. The way we behave is never governed by subconsiousness. D. Needs are the strongest motivator of human behaviour.

2. In the third paragraph, the writer explains that

A. employees never strive to achieve the top level needs.

B. employees’ dissatisfaction with their jobs does not contribute to the organisation performance. C. employees’ usual approach to their jobs is to perform in a highly efficient manner.

D. employees try to satisfy personal needs inside the organisation.

3. In the fourth and fifth paragraphs, the writer makes it clear that “detour behaviour” is A. doing things that make the job attractive and efficient.

B. obeying the rules of an organisation.

C. adopting aggressive conduct connected with quarrels, poor relationships, etc. D. looking for distractors from regular activities to avoid frustration at work. 4. In the last paragraph, the writer says that

107

A.employees’ poor performance and conduct do not cost much to a company.

B.the most reasonable solution of the poor job situation is dismissals.

C.avoiding negative motivation seems to be proper solution of the problem.

D.both the lower and the higher level needs can be met at work without supervisors’ efforts. 5. According to the article,

A.positive motivation provides more opportunities for creating a better job behaviour.

B.people are not influenced by their needs.

С. organisations and supervisors are unable to deal with frustrating job situations.

D.there is no sense in managers’ attempts to arrange conditions for employees to feel satisfaction at work.

READING COMPREHENSION 5

1.Read the article and the questions to it.

2.For each question 1–5, choose ONE answer (А, В, С or D).

Management and Production

(From M. Menson. Management. New York, USA.)

Management and Production

In order to reach goals, all managers face the challenge of planning, organising, influencing, and controlling to produce some type of product. Naturally, these products vary significantly from organisation to organisation. For example, it is the purpose of managers in automobile factories to produce cars, of managers in hospitals to produce healthy people, and of managers in universities to produce educated individuals.

Production is simply defined as the transformation of organisational resources into products. As used in this definition, organisational resources are all assets available to a manager to generate products; transformation is the set of steps necessary to change organisational resources into products; and products are various commodities aimed at meeting human needs. Figure 1 summarises what constitutes organisational resources, transformation and products as well as the relationships among them.

108

Figure 1. Production variables and relationships among them

From this discussion it is easy to see the importance of management being continually aware of the status and use of organisational resources. These resources are of four basic types: (1) human resources, (2) monetary resources, (3) raw materials resources and (4) capital resources. Human resources are the people who work for an organisation. The skills they possess and their knowledge of the work system are invaluable to managers. Monetary resources are amounts of money managers use to purchase goods and services for the organisation. Raw materials are ingredients acquired to be used directly in the manufacturing of products. For example, rubber is a raw material that a company like would purchase with its monetary resources and use directly in the manufacturing of tires. Lastly, capital resources are the machines an organisation uses during the manufacturing process. Modern machines or equipment can be a major factor in maintaining desired production levels, while worn-out or antiquated machinery can make it impossible for an organisation to keep pace with competitors.

Operations Management

The process of managing production in organisations is commonly called operations management. Operations management can be defined as the performance of the managerial activities entailed in selecting, designing, operating, controlling, and updating productive systems. These activities can be categorised as being either periodic or continual. The distinction between periodic activities and continual activities is based upon the relative frequency of the occurrence of each; periodic activities are performed from time to time and continual activities are essentially never ending. Although this list of activities is not meant to be exhaustive, their performance in the relative frequencies implied in Figure 2 will increase the probability of efforts in operations management being successful.

109

Figure 2. Major activities performed to manage production

Operations management activities

1. Which of the following best summarises the opening paragraph?

A.To produce goods a manager only has to cope with issues of financing the process.

B.The term “product” implies physical consumer goods.

C.All managerial functions are subordinated to making a product.

D.Controlling is a primary condition of effective production.

2. According to the second paragraph and Figure 1,

A. people can’t be included in organisational assets available to generate products.

B.production is a process of transforming inputs into outputs.

C.production variables imply only financial resources.

D.transformation process only means assembling goods/services. 3. In the third paragraph, the writer explains that

A.the most valuable type of resources for managers is monetary.

B.obsolete capital resources may lead to a company’s failure to compete.

C.capital resources include machines, equipment, money and raw materials.

D.human resources are secondary as compared to non-human resources. 4. In the last paragraph and Figure 2, the writer makes it clear that

A.operations management includes selecting, designing and upgrading productive systems as well as their

operating and controlling the output.

B. continual activities last usually for a one-year period.

С. selecting involves mainly finding qualified specialists for a production process. D. it is not the task of production managers to monitor product quality.

5. According to the article,

A.the priority of production managers is to control the final results.

B.for a company to be ahead of competitors all types of resources are to be taken care of.

C.inventory management is the duty of marketing managers.

D.the difference between periodic and continual operations management activities is vague.

110