книги / Business English for Students of Technical Universities

Stage 1: GROWTH THROUGH CREATIVITY. During the first stage of growth, entrepreneurs with new ideas create products or services for which there is a market. Their businesses tend to be small. They usually lack formal structures, policies, and objectives. The company founder is involved in every aspect of the business and makes all decisions.

During this stage of development, management skills are much less important than they are later on, because there are very few employees to manage. Having an idea that appeals to consumers is very important.

Stage 2: GROWTH THROUGH DIRECTION. Once a company grows, it enters the second stage of its growth cycle. During this stage, the company grows in size, and the company founder is no longer solely responsible for all decision making. Instead, the company relies on professional managers. The managers are responsible for various functions, including planning, organizing, and staffing.

As a company grows, its managers usually create written policies, procedures, and plans. They establish rules and systems for hiring, firing, and rewarding employees. They set up systems for communicating information among employees. They set up financial controls, which determine how much each department can spend. Employees who once were able to make decisions spontaneously must now follow formal rules.

Stage 3: GROWTH THROUGH DELEGATION. Sometimes a company’s structure becomes too rigid, and decision making becomes too centralized. Lowerlevel employees feel left out of the decision-making process. Top executives find themselves too far removed from the customer to make good decisions. To deal with these problems, companies often move to the next stage of the organization life cycle, stage 3.

In stage 3, businesses delegate more responsibility to lower-level employees in an attempt to decentralize decision making. Delegating authority helps businesses in two ways. First, it motivates people at lower levels, whose jobs become more interesting. Second, it allows senior executives to devote more of their time to long-term management issues, such as what kinds of products their companies should offer five and ten years down the road.

As it can be seen, businesses grow for many reasons and in many different ways. Figure 8 illustrates the growth of one company through the three stages.

A company’s organizational structure must adapt as the company grows and different skills are needed at each stage of the cycle. Look at how the needs of Apple Computer have changed over time.

71

STAGE 1

When a company is young, it depends heavily on creativity. Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak were technical geniuses who had a brilliant idea for a userfriendly desktop computer. They turned this idea into a multimillion dollar company by introducing the Apple II computer in the 1970s.

STAGE 2

As a company grows, it needs managers with excellent managerial skills. To continue to grow, in the 1980s Apple Computer replaced its co-founder, Steven Jobs, with a professional manager. The new chief executive officer, John Sculley, helped introduce the company’s Macintosh computer.

STAGE 3

In the third stage of the organizational life cycle, managers learn to delegate authority. In 1996, company founder Steven Jobs returned to Apple as interim chief executive officer in an effort to breathe new life into a company that had fallen on hard times. Apple’s organizational structure allowed it to introduce several important products in the 1990s, including the iMac.

Figure 8. Changing the Nature of a Company’s Organizational Structure

Task 3. Match the following English words and word combinations on the left with their Russian equivalents on the right:

1) to go through a) этапы жизненного цикла

2) a company founder is involved in b) следовать формальным правилам

72

Task 4. Fact and Idea Review: answer the following questions on the Text D:

1)How does the company change from the Stage 2 to Stage 3?

2)Explain the growth of a company through direction.

3)What problems of relationships in a company can be solved on Stage 3?

4)What are the main factors that influence the choice of organizational structure?

5)How can you explain the role of creativity during the growth of a company?

6)True or False: Delegating authority in a company interferes businesses.

Task 5. Look through the Figure 8 and make up a short story about the company mentioned in the flowchart using additional info from the Internet.

Text E: BUSINESS CAREERS IN FOCUS: Management Model

Task 1. Read the text without a dictionary and complete the tasks given after it:

A Talk with Chairman Bill Gates on the World Beyond Windows

BusinessWeek speaks to Bill Gates about the company’s sweeping reorganization.

Q: Microsoft’s financials have never looked better. So why reorganize?

A: Companies fail when they become complacent and imagine that they will always be successful. So we are always challenging ourselves: Are we making what customers want and working on products and technologies

they’ll want in the future? Are we staying ahead of all our competitors? Are we organized most effectively to achieve our goals? Even the most successful companies must constantly reinvent themselves.

Q: What are the three key principles of reorganization?

A: First, our vision had always been a computer on every desk and in every home. But it was also clear that we needed to build on that vision. Although the PC is still at the heart of the computing, it is being joined by a large number of new devices – from palmsize PCs to smart telephones. At the same time, the Internet has changed everything by giving the world a level of connectivity that was undreamed of just five years ago. So we needed a new vision centred around the Internet.

73

Second, the new structure puts the customer at the centre of everything we do by reorganizing our business divisions by customer segment rather than along product lines.

Third, we’re now holding the leaders of our new business divisions accountable to think and act as they are independent businesses. That will give us even more flexibility to respond to changes in technology and the marketplace.

Q: Which three companies do you consider to be your biggest competitors today?

A: In 25 years in this industry, I have never seen so much competition in every single area. I can probably narrow today’s list down to IBM, Sun, AOL/Netscape, Novell, Linux, and Oracle.

There’s an unchanging competitor too—ourselves. Customers can choose whether to stay with the software they have or to upgrade to our new products. We have to ensure that all new releases are much, much better than our previous products. If they aren’t, customers won’t upgrade.

Task 2. Explain what Gates means when he states, “Even the most successful companies must constantly reinvent themselves”.

Task 3. As a manager at Microsoft, decide whether it would be best to use customer departmentation or product departmentation. Explain your opinion.

REFERENCES

1.Морозова Н. П., Чадина Л. К. Forms of Business Organization (Формы организации предприятий: английский язык): методические указания для студентов. – Кемерово: Кузбасский гос. техн. ун-т. 2000. – С .39

2.Leo Jones Richard Alexander New International Business English. – Cambridge University Press, 1997.

3.David Grant, Jane Hudson & Robert McLarty Business Results. Preintermediate. Student’s Book. – Oxford University Press, 2009.

4.Bill Mascull Business Vocabulary in Use. – Cambridge University Press, 2002.

5.Stephen P. Robbins Fundamentals of Management (8th Edition). – Prentice Hall; 180 70th edition (January 15, 2012).

6.http://pvkketcho.pbworks.com/f/Chapter13_Org_Structure.pdf.

74

MODULE II. BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

FOR PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC PURPOSES

UNIT 3. BUSINESS RELATIONS

PART 1. JOB HUNTING

Turning your Passion into your Job is easier than finding a Job that matches your Passion.

Seth Godin

Task 1. In pairs, discuss the following questions:

•Where would you start looking for a job?

•Which of following methods would you consider to use?

a)job agencies

b)newspapers and magazines

c)networking

d)in internet

e)cold calling

Task 2. Match the terms on the left to their definitions on the right:

7)references g) an official request for something, usually in writing

8)keep track h) knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or

experience of a particular thing

75

Task 3. Read the following text and compare its main ideas with your answers given in Task 1.

How to find a job?

Are you looking for a new job? What’s the best way to start a job search, find companies who want to interview you, and get hired?

Here are six steps you can take to find a new job.

1. Find the Best Job Listings

What are the best sites to use to find job openings fast? Check out the best job search engine sites, job banks, company websites, networking sites, niche job sites, and sites listed by type of job. Also, consider working with a recruiter to maximize your opportunities.

2. Keep Your Job Search Focused

Use the job search engines to find jobs by using keywords that match your interests and the location where you want to work. Narrowing your search criteria will help you focus your job search and will give you more relevant job listings to review and fewer non-relevant job listings to weed through.

3. Build Your Professional Brand

Create profiles on LinkedIn and other networking sites. A strong personal brand that portrays you in a professional light will provide recruiters, employers, and contacts with a strong positive impression of you as a candidate they should be interested in.

4. Connect With Your Contacts

Now that you’ve created profiles on networking sites, start using them. Connect with everyone you know, because you never know which contact may be able to help you with your job search or put you in touch with someone who can. If you’re a college graduate, check out the networking opportunities available for alumni from your university.

5. Create a List of Companies You’d Love to Work

Do you have a list of companies you would like to work for? If not, it’s a good idea to research company information and create a list of companies to target in your job search. All the information you need is available on the web, and it’s easy to find detailed information about potential employers online. Once you have a list of dream employers you’d love to work for, you can do some special outreach to get your application noticed. You may even be able to sign up to get email notifications for new job openings immediately after they are posted.

76

6. Take the Time to Target Your Resume/CV and Cover Letter

How do employers know that you’ve got the skills they are looking for? You’ll need to show them. It’s important to take the time to write targeted resumes/CV and cover letters that specifically link your qualifications to the hiring criteria for the jobs you are applying for.

The hiring manager will be able to see, at a glance, why and how you are qualified for the job. You’ll have a much better chance of getting an interview than if you merely sent a generic letter and resume.

Task 4. Answer the following questions:

1)Have you got any experience of looking for a job?

2)What step of searching for a job do you think is the most important?

3)What does “strong positive impression” mean?

Task 5. Complete the following sentences using the words from the box:

1)You can start looking for jobs that match your educational _______, _______ sets.

2)Job seekers, who are looking to give themselves an Internet presence, a method of ________ with people of similar interests, or even just looking to stay in touch with friends, might also utilize a special background on their MySpace page.

3)The relationship between worker and _______ is regulated by law.

4)Company employees are prepared to roll up their sleeves and ______ as long as necessary to make progress.

5)All necessary information about a job applicant must be ________ to the employer at any time.

Task 6. Look through the text again and find out the words having a similar meaning to the following terms:

•curriculum vitae – …

•a formal discussion – …

•to investigate – …

•contender – …

•proficiency – …

•occupation – …

•linked – …

77

Task 7. Complete the following text with the words given in the box. Make sure that the text makes sense:

Networking is a socioeconomic business activity by which businesspeople and (1) ________ meet to form business relationships and to recognize, create, or act upon business (2) _________, share information and (3) ______ potential partners for (4) ______.

In the second half of the twentieth century, the concept of networking was

(5) _______ to help businesspeople to build their social capital. In the US,

(6) ______ equity advocates encouraged business networking by members of marginalized groups (e. g., women, African-Americans, etc.) (7) _______ and address the challenges (8) _______ them from professional success. Mainstream business literature subsequently adopted the terms and concepts, promoted them as pathways to success for all career climbers.

Task 8. Employers usually try to squeeze as much information into their job advertisements as possible. However, as space is limited, they tend to use abbreviations to describe job positions in a shorter way.

8A. Write the full meaning of the following abbreviations using the words in the box.

78

8B. Which of the abbreviations mentioned above would you expect to see in a job advertisement:

1)if you need relevant professional experience for the position? _________

2)if the salary mentioned was for the whole year? _________

3)if a job agency is advertising the job? _________

4)if the position requires experience of selling products to customers? _________

5)if the take-home pay will be part basic salary and part performance-related pay? _________

Task 9. Find a company you would like to work for. Tell about some requirements for candidates applying for a job in this company.

Task 10. Tell about some peculiarities of job hunting in Russia.

PART 2. STRUCTURING YOUR CV/RESUME

No one creates a perfect resume on their first try. Writing a perfect resume is a messy process, but the easiest way to start is by simply getting in the right mindset and putting pen to paper.

Matthew T. Cross, The Resume Design Book

I hand him the single greatest work of fiction known to man: my resume.

Tyler Knight

Task 1. In pairs, discuss the following questions:

1)What does CV stand for?

2)What is the main purpose of a CV?

3)What are the key qualities of a successful CV?

4)How many sections are there in a typical СV? What are they?

5)What is the best way to structure the contents of your CV?

Task 2. Read the text and create a dialogue with your groupmate on writing a CV using questions from Task 1. Add your own questions.

How to Write a CV

The aim of your CV or resume is to encourage a recruiter to contact you regarding a possible job.

79

Write your CV from the point of view of the person who will receive it and examine it, i. e. a recruiter in an agency, an HR person in a company or research institute, a professor or fellow researcher in a research team. This means you should:

•use a format that will be familiar to the reader (i. e. a standard template, which you can modify where appropriate) rather than a format that you have designed totally by yourself. A standard format is easier to navigate for the reader – he / she knows exactly where to look in order to find what he / she is interested in;

•only include details that are relevant to the job you are looking for;

•clearly highlight your skills and qualifications;

•be honest, accurate and as objective as possible.

A CV is thus not an opportunity for you to:

•write every single detail of your career history, education history and personal history;

•experiment with your design skills.

A CV should be two pages. There seems to be a general consensus that two pages is the maximum. Your ability to be concise and to only highlight your most relevant skills and qualifications is revealed through your CV. If your CV is more than two pages, the HR person may think “this person is unable to express themselves clearly and concisely; this is not the kind of person I want working in my company”.

However, if you are looking for certain high-level or high-profile jobs in academia, it may be appropriate to use more pages so that you have space to describe the projects you have been involved in. If you have a lot of publications, put them in a separate document or just have a link to your website where the professor (or whoever is dealing with your application) can download them if he / she wishes.

The most common order is outlined below.

1.name

2.personal details

3.objective / personal statement / executive summary

4.education

5.work experience

6.skills

7.personal interests

8.publications

9.references

There are of course variations in this order. Some people put point 3 before point 2. If you are an academic, you may put your publications (point 8) into

80