Problem solving

Last month I was hired as an office worker in an auto parts supply store. My duties include keying invoices and correspondence, keeping the books, and answering the phone. I’m interrupted often by the phone. To make the situation worse, my supervisors always seem to misplace the messages I leave. Mr. Parra is especially bad about losing messages. More than once he has said something like, ‘Sylvia, I can’t find that message from Peter Torres. Please, look up his number in the phone book.’ So, I’m interrupted twice about the same matter!

1. Do you notice the contradiction in this letter?

2. Does answering the phone contribute to the smooth functioning of an office?

3. Is answering the phone as important as the other tasks performed by the secretary?

4. Why does Sylvia feel annoyed each time the telephone rings?

5. Can feeling annoyed reduce her willingness to work efficiently?

6. Does the overall productivity of an office worker suffer as a result?

7. How should Sylvia regard her duty to answer the phone? Should it be a high work priority for her?

8. Does the telephone keep her from doing her job or is it her job?

9. Is giving attention to incoming calls an important task?

10. Is it a good practice for an office worker to switch his/her full attention to the caller?

11. Should a secretary be helpful whenever his/her supervisor requests information?

12. Would you like to keep such an ill-tempered clerk if you were an office manager?

13. Do you think Sylvia will stay long in employment if she doesn’t change her attitude?

14. What kind of worker is she? Think of how you could characterize her?

Test Yourself

Task I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why does office work appeal to many people?

2. What are the functions of office workers?

3. What qualities are necessary for office work?

Task II. Complete the following statements translating the words in brackets:

1. Employees (отвечают на телефонные звонки) and respond to questions, or they accept orders on a full-time basis.

2. An office assistant in the advertising department (следит за) expenditures related to trade shows. This person (уделяет) only a few hours a week to working with numbers.

3. One aspect of information management is the distribution/transmission of information to persons (в компании и за ее пределами).

4. Frequently, successful employees are encouraged (стремиться к дополнительному обучению) within the company or outside.

Writing

Task I. Write an essay on one of the following topics:

· Office personnel

· Employees who work in an office

[1] Unit 2 ‘OFFICE PERSONNEL’ deals mainly with this grade of white-collar workers.

[2] a cluster – 1) пучок (= bunch); 2) группа (= group); 3) скопление, концентрация

[3] skill in using text-editing equipment – умение работать с оборудованием для редактирования/подготовки к печати текстов

[4] software packages – пакеты программного обеспечения

[5] output – продукция; продукт; выпуск; выработка

[6] an invoice – счет-фактура (документ, в котором указывается сумма денег, причитающихся организации, выписавшей его в оплату поставленных ею товаров или услуг)

[7] payroll – платежная ведомость; ср.: to be on an organization’s payroll = to be in its staff

[8] accounts payable – ожидаемые платежи (т.е. суммы, которые организация должна выплатить поставщикам товаров и услуг)

[9] accounts receivable – ожидаемые поступления (т.е. суммы, которые организация должна получить с клиентов за уже поставленные товары и оказанные услуги)

[10] inventory [´ınvəntrı] – товарная наличность (a written list of all the objects in a particular place)

[11] an aptitude (for smth.) – способность (= ability, talent)

[12] Office workers who prepare copies through the use of copying and duplicating equipment are specialists in reprographics.

[13] general assistance and customer service – общее содействие в работе и обслуживание клиентов

[14] simultaneously [ˏsıməl´teinjəslı] – одновременно (= at the same time; at a time)

[15] to establish schedule (for tasks) – устанавливать/составлять график (выполнения задач)

[16] petty cash – money that is kept in the office of a company, ready to be used for making small payments if necessary

[17] to screen callers to the office – to prevent them from entering the boss’s office that is to be something like a barrier to them

[18] to disturb smb. – беспокоить кого-либо, мешать (ср.: to be/get disturbed)

[19] to affect smb./smth. – действовать (на кого-либо); воздействовать (= to influence)

[20] tone (of an office) – настроение, общая атмосфера (= mood); ср.: to set the tone – задавать тон

[21] burdensome – обременительный, тягостный

Дата добавления: 2015-10-31