Read the text on the opposite page about how global companies organise their production and answer these questions.
1. Where are most simple toys manufactured and why?
2. Why does Lego do things differently?
3. What is the reason for a global company to have a 'part configuration' model?
4. According to the text, what are the advantages and disadvantages of low-cost assembly plants'?
5. What are the operational advantages of outsourcing?
B Understanding details
Mark these statements (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Find the part of the text that gives the correct information.
1. The main reason to have overseas plants is to be close to local markets
2. A lot of plants are now being located in Eastern Europe.
3. Imports to many markets are now cheaper.
4. The number of overseas plants is increasing.
5. Cost is the main factor in choosing the location of a foreign plant.
6. Outsourcing production to subcontractors gives a company more flexibility.
Vocabulary tasks
A Synonyms
- The article deals with the question about where to locate 'production facilities'. Three other words are used in the article with a similar meaning to 'facilities'. What are they?
- What other word is used in the article with the same meaning as 'production'?
Word search
Find a word or phrase in the text that has a similar meaning.
1. amount in percentage terms of a company's sales compared to its competitors (para 2)
ms..
2. organisation of a company's production facilities round the world (para 3)
mn
3. legal or financial regulations to protect a country's domestic producers
(para 3)
t..b
4. amount of taxes on imports (para 4)
t..1
5. strategy based mainly on keeping costs low (para 5)
.-d a..............................................................
6. companies bought as part of a strategy of expansion (para 5)
a.
7. factory which puts together parts of a machine manufactured lsewhere (para 7)
a.p
8. products that are specially prepared for different market needs (para 9)
d.p
9. getting other companies to make products to your specification (para 9)
.
10. money invested in the business operations of a company (para 9)
.e....................................
11. extremely bad working conditions, with low pay (para 10)
s.....................................
Definitions
Match these terms with their definitions.
1 notably a) is a typical example of something
2 augmenting b) especially, particularly
3 links c) a relationship or connection between two things
4 swiftly d) quickly
5 exemplifies e) very, extremely, completely
6 eminently f) increasing something by adding to it
D Complete the sentence
Use an appropriate word from Exercise to complete each sentence.
1. The success of the engineering company ABB .. the ability of an organisation to think globally and act locally.
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2. We recruit our future international managers from the top business schools
- Harvard, INSEAD and London.
4. Many business schools and management faculties have closewith industry.
5. Our new Chief Executive was easily the best candidate for the job. In fact, he is. suitable for this position.
6. 5 During the busy months of the year we deal with the extra work by.our full-time staff with temporary employees.
7. 6 If incorrect and potentially damaging news is reported about the company in the press, it is important to move to deny it.
3:
1. be:
a) What............... the weather like today?
b) I............ (not) interested in football at all.
c) What............... your parents' address?
d) Who............... responsible for all that noise last night?
e) My husband.................... free tomorrow.
2. 4 :
a) I was delighted with the present you gave me.
b) I am sorry for shouting at you yesterday.
c) It is stupid to get angry about things that don't matter.
d) It was very nice of you to help me.
e) We are all excited about going on holiday next week.
3. :
a) I was surprised by the way he behaved, it was completely out of character.
b) I am sorry about the smell of paint in this room, I've just decorated it.
c) You are always so rude to your parents.
d) The people we interviewed for the job were intelligent.
e) That will be silly of you to go out in the cold without a coat.
4. :
a) This collective farm has a great number of (sheep).
b) Pack the books in (dozen), please.
c) We have very little (information) on this subject.
d) It costs eighteen (pence).
e) Animals do not possess the power of (speech).
5. :
a) (Coal, to be) produced in many districts of our country.
b) His (speech, to be) always interesting.
c) In this lake there (to be, fish) of many varieties.
d) There (to be) two brick (work) outside the town.
e) My (watch, to be) on the table.
6. , , , , , .
a) Put the box on the shelf.
b) I have hurt my foot.
c) This is an English dictionary.
d) This factory has a good laboratory.
N 2
1: , .
a) How many members (people) are there in your family? - We are four: my father, my mother, my grandmother and myself (me).
There are five people in my family.
parents -
daughter -
son -
grandson -
uncle -
aunt -
nephew -
niece -
husband -
wife -
a family of my own -
child (children) - ()
mother -in law - ,
father -in law - ,
b) Have you any brothers or sisters? -I have one brother and two sisters.
Is your brother older or younger than you? My brother is younger than me. My sister is ten years older than me.
older (senior) -
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younger (junior) -
) What can you say about the members of your family?
2: , . .
Global Careers
According to Colby Chandler, the former Chief Executive of Eastman Kodak Company, 'these days there is not a discussion or a decision that does not have an international dimension. We would have to be blind not to see how critically important international experience is.' International companies compete with each other for global executives to manage their operations around the world. Yet what it takes to reach the top of a company differs from one country to the next. For example, whereas Swiss and German companies respect technical creativity and competence, French and British companies often view managers with such qualities as 'mere technicians'. Likewise, American companies value entrepreneurs highly, while their British and French counterparts often view entrepreneurial behaviour as highly disruptive. Similarly, whereas only just half of Dutch managers see skills in interpersonal relations and communication as critical to career success, almost 90 per cent of their British colleagues do so.
Global management expert, Andre Laurent, describes German, British and French managers' attitudes to management careers as follows:
German managers, more than others, believe that creativity is essential for career success. In their mind, successful managers must have the right individual characteristics. German managers have a rational outlook; they view the organisation as a coordinated network of individuals who make appropriate decisions based on their professional competence and knowledge.
British managers hold a more interpersonal and subjective view of the organisational world. According to them, the ability to create the right image and to get noticed for what they do is essential for career success. British managers view organisations primarily as a network of relationships between individuals who get things done by influencing each other through communicating and negotiating.
French managers look at organisations as an authority network where the power to organise so and control others comes from their position in the hierarchy. French managers focus on the organisation as a pyramid of differentiated levels of power. They perceive the ability to manage power relationships effectively and to 'work the system' as critical to their career success.
As companies integrate their operations globally, these different national approaches can send conflicting messages to success-oriented managers. Subsidiaries in different countries operate differently and reward different behaviours based on their unique cultural perspectives. The challenge for today's global companies is to recognise local differences, while at the same time creating globally integrated career paths for their future senior executives.
There is no doubt the new global environment demands more, not fewer, globally competent managers. Global experience, rather than side-tracking a manager's career, is rapidly becoming the only route to the top. But in spite of the increasing demand for global managers, there is a potentially diminishing interest in global assignments, especially among young managers. A big question for the future is whether global organisations will remain able to attract sufficient numbers of young managers willing to work internationally.
Discuss these questions.
1. What qualities do you think a person needs in order to be a successful global manager?
Some examples may be independence, or an interest in foreign cultures. Try to think of others.
2. What personal and professional skills do you need for a successful business career in your country, e.g. specialist training, knowledge of foreign languages, outgoing personality?
Reading tasks
A Understanding main points
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1 Which of these statements gives the best summary of the text on the opposite page?
a) A successful global manager needs many qualities.
b) The qualities required to become a top manager differ from country to country.
c) Many young managers are not interested in a global career.
2 Mark these statements (true) or F (false) according to the information in the text. Find the part of the text that gives the correct information.
a) International experience is essential if you want a global career.
b) Subsidiaries of global companies use the same criteria when promoting managers.
c) The demand for global managers is increasing.
d) Young managers want to work internationally.
Understanding details
1 Different qualities for career success are described for different cultures and nationalities. Match the qualities from the list below to the nationalities entioned in the text.
a) good communication skills
b) technical creativity
c) ability to network
d) professional competence
e) entrepreneurial skills
f) knowing how to work within a hierarchical structure
g) good interpersonal skills
2 Which national group considers communication and interpersonal skills to be more important - the British or the Dutch?
3 According to Andre Laurent, German, British and French managers see organisations as different kinds of networks. What words does he use to define these networks in each case?
C Understanding meanings
1 Choose the best explanation of the sentence 'there is not a discussion or a decision that does not have an international dimension'?
a) international issues are not often discussed when companies take decisions
b) international issues must always be considered when taking a business decision
2 Choose the best explanation of the phrase 'mere technicians' as it is used in the text?
a) people who have some technical skills but no management skills
b) people who are excellent engineers
Vocabulary tasks
ADefinitions
Match these terms with their definitions.
1. stamina
2. mental agility
3. detachment
- tact
- perseverance
a) ability to think quickly and intelligently
b) physical or mental strength to continue doing something
c) ability to be polite and careful in what you say or do
d) determination to keep trying to do something difficult
e) not becoming involved in things emotionally
Word search
Find a word or phrase in the text that has a similar meaning.
1 behaviour which prevents things from working normally (para 3)
d............................. b..............................
2 managers who are ambitious (para 8)
s............................. -o............................. m.............................
3 clear directions that people can follow to move up in a company (para 8)
............................ P..............................
4 push a manager's career into a dead end (para 9)
s............................. -t.............................
5 when interest is becoming less and less (para 9)
d............................. i..............................
Prepositions
Match the verbs and prepositions as they occur together in the text.
1 based a) up to
2 compete b) on
3 have a feeling c) from
4 differ d) with
5 measure e) for
D Complete the sentence
Use an appropriate phrase from Excercise to complete each sentence.
- German managers take decisions.... their professional knowledge.
- The qualities most valued in managers.......................................... country to country.
- To operate successfully in different countries you need to.good.different cultures.
- In a global company, managers from different countrieseach other for the top jobs.
- Expatriates who don't........................................ to the demands of working and living abroad sometimes
- Return from their foreign assignment early.
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N3: :
1. be:
a) I sure you are capable of passing the exam.
b) The firm different from what I'd expected.
c) They........................................................................ very impressed with her English. It very good.
d) The news (not) very bad today.
e) She upset if I don't help her.
2. 4 :
a) is totally dependent on his parents.
b) The letter I wrote was full of mistakes.
c) There were lots of tourists in the city centre.
d) I am a bit short of money.
e) She will be married to American.
3. :
a) I am surprised she changed her mind at the last moment.
b) The Italian city of Florence is famous for its art treasures.
c) They were suspicious of my intentions.
d) Carol was upset about not being invited to the party.
e) I've been trying to learn Spanish and I am very satisfied with my progress.
4. :
a) The test wasn't very difficult. I answered all (question, questions) without difficulty.
b) I caught two (fish, fishes).
c) We have very little (information, informations) on this subject.
d) These (good, goods) have arrived from Paris.
e) My favorite sport is (basketball, basketballs).
5. :
a) I don't like very hot weather. Thirty (degrees, to be) too warm for me.
b) (Physics, to be) my best subject at school.
c) Many (people, not to have) enough to eat.
d) What time (news, to be) the on television?
e) His (clothes to be) wet as he had been caught in the rain
6. , , , , , .
a) Where is the brush?
b) I like his new play.
c) The wife of the sailor came to the shore.
d) A copy of the contract was sent to Krasnodar.
N3
1: , .
a) in the morning -
in the afternoon -
in the evening -
at 8 o'clock - 8
at noon -
at night -
at midnight -
from 2 till 3 o'clock - 2- 3-
then, after that - ,
b) to get up -
to wash oneself-
to brush one's teeth -
to comb one's hair -
to shave -
to dress
to take shower -
to make up -
) to have breakfast -
to have lunch -
to have supper -
to have a snack -
at home -
at the canteen -
at the snack-bar, cafe - ,
d) to go to the college -
to begin -
to be over -
to last -
classes -
reading-room -
lecture -
seminar -
to go home -
e) to do one's homework -
to work about the house -
to cook -
to wash -
to iron -
to read -
to do the flat -
to have some rest -
to watch TV -
to go for a walk -
to play chess -
to listen to music -
to go to see one's friends -
to go to bed -
f) often -
sometimes-
from time to time -
every day -
once a week -
twice a week - 2
at weekends -
tree times a week - 3
N2: , .
Styles of execution
A study comparing British and German approaches to management has revealed the deep gulf which separates managerial behaviour in many German and British companies. The gap is so fundamental, especially among middle managers, that it can pose severe problems for companies from the two countries which either merge or collaborate. The findings are from a study called 'Managing in Britain and Germany' carried out by a team of German and British academics from Mannheim University and Templeton College, Oxford.
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The differences are shown most clearly in the contrasting attitudes of many Germans and Britons to managerial expertise and authority, according to the academics. This schism results, in turn, from the very different levels of qualification, and sorts of career paths, which are typical in the two countries.
German managers - both top and middle - consider technical skill to be the most important aspect of their jobs, according to the study. It adds that German managers consider they earn their authority with colleagues and subordinates from this 'expert knowledge' rather than from their position in the organisational hierarchy.
In sharp contrast, British middle managers see themselves as executives first and technicians second. As aresult, German middle managers may find that the only people within their British partner companies who are capable of helping them solve routine problems are technical specialists who do not have management rank. Such an approach is bound to raise status problems in due course.
Other practical results of these differences include a greater tendency of British middle managers to regard the design of their departments as their own responsibility, and to reorganise them more frequently than happens in Germany. German middle managers can have 'major problems in dealing with this', the academics point out, since British middle managers also change their jobs more often. As a result, UK organisations often undergo 'more or less constant change'. Of the thirty British middle managers in the study, thirteen had held their current job for less than two years, compared with only three in Germany. Many of the Britons had also moved between unrelated departments or functional areas, for example from marketing to human resources. In contrast, all but one of the Germans had stayed in the same functional area. Twenty of them had occupied their current positions for five years or more, compared with only five of the Britons.
The researchers almost certainly exaggerate the strengths of the German pattern; its very stability helps to create the rigid attitudes which stop many 105 German companies from adjusting to external change. But the authors of the report are correct about the drawbacks of the more unstable and less technically oriented British pattern. And they are right in concluding that the two countries do not merely have different career systems but also, in effect, different ways of doing business.
Discuss these questions.
1. What is the 'message' of the cartoon on the opposite page?
2. Based on your experience or what you may have read, how do you think British and German managers would differ in their approach to management?
Reading tasks
