, , , , . - , , - , , - . . , , ?
, , .
, . , . , . , , . , , , . , , .
, , 12-13 4 . , . , , , , .
. , , , . , . 1965-1967 , , . , 59- 64- , , . , . , , , .
, , . - () , , , , . , , , .
|
|
|
, , : , . , ? , . - ?
. 2004
UNIT 9.
THE GLOBAL VILLAGE
9.1. Perspective: the Myth of the Global Executive
A. Read the article and match the first sentences with the paragraphs. In these sentences find words and expressions that give clues to how paragraphs are linked together.
a. In fact, however global the company may be, it remains necessary to manage people differently in different country.
b. So given the importance of local cultures within the global company, an obvious question is how to appraise and identify talent around the world on a consistent basis.
c. Multinationals running their various businesses the same way all over the world may have been perfectly acceptable 30 years ago, but it is not the way today.
d. Weve been developing a set of 11 management competencies we can use worldwide, he says.
e. Behind this lies the most fundamental problem of all: the fact that apart from a handful of companies, even the biggest corporations are dominated by the culture of the home country.
f. The global executive, in fact, may be something of a myth.
g. Richard Greenhalgh, head of management development and training at the Anglo-Dutch consumer group Unilever, says that in a few areas, such as integrity and the Unilever code of conduct, corporate culture takes precedence.
h. But if the members of top management are all nationals of the home country, it makes it much more difficult to attract and keep talented and ambitious managers from other countries.
i. But you need a balance between having a very international cadre and having a national presence, he says.
The key to success is to combine corporate culture with local knowledge and include, not reject national characteristics.
1. Nevertheless, the vast majority of even the biggest companies still have a culture rooted in their country of origin. Changing that is one of the biggest challenges to becoming genuinely global.
2. A sentence missing
3. A few years ago, we were concerned that we had too many expatriates. Five years ago, three of our four business heads in Italy were expatriates. Now they are all Italian. In a consumer business like ours, thats important.
4. According to Mr Greenhalgh, the use of expatriates goes against the policy of providing a career ladder for local managers.
5. Within Europe, Mr Greenhalgh says, Unilever has traditionally been much more open with managers in northern than in southern countries, on matters such as where they stand in the salary scale or what their prospects are. But that is changing, he adds. A younger generation of managers is more likely to have traveled when young, and many have taken an MBA in the US.
6. Outside that handful, says Lowell Bryan, a senior partner with McKinsey in New York, companies are very German, or very British, or very American. And in the case of US companies they assume globalisation means Americanising the world. At least others dont have that arrogance.
|
|
|
7. In fact, the problem lies not in attracting people a talented Indian or Korean manager will typically want early experience with a multinational but in keeping them. People will join the company to learn, Mr Bryan says, but unless they feel theyre part of the core company, they are going to leave, and exploit the brand status of the company in their next job.
8. Unilever, Mr Greenhalgh says, has been working on this for the past four years.
9. The aim is to have a clear objective measure of potential. We measure such things as entrepreneurial drive, the ability to lead and develop others, and integrity. That makes up a common core of behaviours. Weve tested it, and so far it seems to be culturally transferable.
Financial Times. 2007
B. Choose the best explanation for the phrases:
exploit the brand status of the company in their next job (paragraph 7)
a. they will take information about the companys products to a new company
b. they will get a good job in a new company because of the reputation of their old company
c. they will get good jobs as brand managers in a new company
entrepreneurial drive (paragraph 9)
a. willingness to take risks
b. previous experience of running a company
c. someone with an outgoing personality
C. Comment on the following:
Ideally, it seems a global manager should have the stamina of an Olympic runner, the mental agility of an Einstein, the conversational skill of a professor of languages, the detachment of a judge, the tact of a diplomat, and the perseverance of an Egyptian pyramid builder. And thats not all. If they are going to measure up to the demands of living and working in a foreign country, they should also have a feeling for the culture; their moral judgement should not be too rigid; they should be able to merge with the local environment; and they should show no signs of prejudice.
Thomas Aitken
D. Summarize the article in English.
9.2. The Dos and Donts of Doing Business in Japan
A. Look carefully at the title of the article and choose the description you think is closest to the likely content of the article.
1. The peculiarities of business in Japan
2. The advantages and disadvantages of doing business in Japan
3. Statistics about doing business in Japan
4. How you should behave and what you should know if you decide to do business in Japan
B. Read the article to make sure your choice is right. Give the main point of each passage in a sentence.
While westerners preparing for their first business trip to Japan make painstaking preparations in every area from market research to memorizing the Tokyo subway system, woefully few seem to be doing their homework in understanding Japanese sensitivities. The back-slapping extrovert with a floral tie, who can make a big impression in his native Florida, is unlikely to score many points in Tokyo if he adopts the same behaviour.
A survey of the Tokyo subways at rush hour reveals an endless stream of brief-case carrying businessmen in somber dark suits and ties to match. Business for the Japanese is a serious business, and any attempts to brighten the atmosphere will almost certainly be interpreted as frivolous. The lighter side of the company life is conducted with colleagues at a favourite local drinking shop, well outside of working hours, and where normally stern company elders turn a blind eye to their underlings occasional excesses.
Whether an outsider is a Japanese from another company, or a foreigner, the first step in developing communication with potential customers is the exchange of the all-important name-card. Westerners often make the mistake of handing the Japanese highly-coloured, novelty-shaped cards that are as off-putting as the floral necktie. Furthermore, the cards are generally printed only in English, which proves embarrassing for those Japanese executives with a limited grasp of the language. Within a few days, typical Japanese name cards can be printed with Japanese characters on one side and English on the other. Its considered proper that the individuals name should be in smaller letters than the name of the company; what the person you exchange cards with wants to know as quickly as possible is what your position is within your organization; how much authority you have to do business, and the opportunity to determine who in the Japanese organization is the most appropriate person for you to negotiate with.
|
|
|
While the vast majority of Japanese businessmen are prepared to shake hands with foreigners, foregoing the customary bow can be a startling experience if the overseas visitor is a hearty hand-pumper. In Japan, a softer handshake will not be seen as weak, but sensible and, well, rather more civilized.
Exchanging gifts is part of every day Japanese life, and foreign visitors should come armed with a number of charming if useless knick-knacks and souvenirs from their own company or country. The space they occupy in the suitcase will be well and truly filled on the return journey with similar souvenirs from the Japanese. But a word of warning: A common mistake made by foreigners is to tear off the elaborate wrapping in front of the giver, like an impetuous child on Christmas morning. This for the Japanese is a horrifying spectacle; a polite thank-you is expected, and the unwrapping should be saved for the privacy of the hotel room.
Export missions to Japan sometimes express frustration that they never seem to receive a final and binding decision from their Japanese customers. When the Japanese are interested, they arrange a further meeting with more senior colleagues and the same ground is covered again. Later, perhaps another meeting with still more senior executives.
The Japanese tatamae (form) and hone (substance) govern most interaction and sometimes produce a yes that means no. Even sometimes confusing for the Japanese themselves, the tatamae is justified in that it spares one the terrible experience of being told an unpleasant truth. Those critical of this tradition, however, argue that such an explanation is itself a tatamae. The hone may be that the individual is honourably able to avoid giving a direct answer. So deeply in-grained is the idea that being direct is impolite that writing a contract in Japanese is an extremely tricky task if one doesnt want to cause offence.
The year one joins the firm almost certainly determines status, and the ability to cooperate with the team is considered a far greater asset than an exceptional individual skill that may threaten other employees and promote rivalry. Arriving on time, staying after-hours and not taking all of the holidays owing are indications of a dedicated and trustworthy employee.
The individual who chooses to return early to his wife and family instead of joining his colleagues at the drinking shop is likely to be criticized for being selfish. While it is a great rarity in Japan to be fired, it carries with it all the trauma of being rejected by a God. After all, many corporations begin their day with the almost religious recital of the company motto, and some firms even maintain spaces in temples for the ashes of deceased employees. The individual finds his identity in the group. Hence criticism and praise of the individuals company or country is taken personally.
For the foreign businessman, there is also a positive benefit in the lingering traditions of Japanese commercial practice. Once relationships have been established, they are likely to be long-term and intensely loyal. Even when economic advantage can be gained elsewhere, the Japanese company, unlike its western counterpart, is less ready to sever the established tie.
Japanese companies are interested in importing foreign goods. This sometimes means adaption for the peculiar needs of the Japanese market, which is generally sufficiently lucrative to justify the extra attention. As one veteran Tokyo executive likes to put it Other countries often lay the golden egg, but we Japanese have the best kitchen for cooking it!
Observer. 2005
. Connect your sentences by using link words to make asummary of the article. Start with the main idea.
D. Do you think it is possible to speak about globalisation if there are so many differences between nations, especially between the East and the West? If yes, in what spheres?
