Task 38. Role plays.

Make research decisions about the following cases. Discuss them in small groups and then present your ideas to the class. Agree or disagree with your group-mates’ decisions, giving your reasons.

A. You are a manager of the Midwestern division of a major corporation, supervising five animal-feed plants scattered over four states. Corporate headquarters asks you to conduct an investigation to determine whether any of these plants should be closed, expanded, moved or reduced. Is there a possible conflict between your role as that of a researcher and a manager? Explain your opinion.

B. Advise each of the following persons on a specific research study that he or she might find useful. Classify each proposed study as reporting, descriptive, explanatory or predictive.

1. When the management decision problem is known:

· Manager of a full-service restaurant with high employee turnover.

· Head of an academic department committee charged with selecting a research methods textbook.

2. When the management decision problem has not yet been specified:

· Manager of the men’s furnishing’s department for a national chain.

· Plant manager at a Ford auto assembly plant.

· Director of admissions at a large state university.

· Investment analyst at an investment firm.

· Director of personnel at a large hospital.

· Product manager for Crest toothpaste at Procter& Gamble.

· Housing programs officer for a city.

· Office manager for a dentist.

C. The new president of an old, established company is facing a problem. The company is currently unprofitable and is, in the president’s opinion, operating inefficiently. The company sells a wide line of equipment and supplies to the diary industry. Some items it manufactures and many it wholesales to diaries, creameries and similar plants. Because the industry is changing in several ways, survival will be more difficult in the future. In particular, many equipment companies are bypassing the wholesalers and selling directly to dairies. In addition, many of the independent diaries are being taken over by large food chains. How might research help the new president make the right decision? In answering this question, consider the areas of marketing and finance as well as the whole company.

D. You have received a research report done by a consultant for your firm, a life insurance company. The study is a survey of morale in the home office and covers the opinions of about 500 secretaries and clerks plus about 100 executives and actuaries. You are asked to comment its quality. What will you look for?

E. As area sales manager for a company manufacturing and marketing outboard engines, you have been assigned the responsibility of conducting a research study to estimate the sales potential of your products in the domestic market. Discuss key issues and concerns arising from the fact that you, being a manager, are also the researcher.

THE GERUND

The Gerund is a non-finite form of the verb which has properties of the Verb and Noun.

Forms of the Gerund	Active Voice	Passive Voice
Indefinite	managing	being managed
Perfect	having managed	having been managed
THE INDEFINITE GERUND is used to express an action:
simultaneous with the action expressed by the finite verb	He researchedthe market of Ukraine without paying atten­tion to the new trends in eco­nomic development. Він дослі­джу­вав ринок України, не звертаючи уваги на нові тенденції еконо­мічного розвитку.
having no reference to any particular time	Managing means understandingothers. Управляти – означає розуміти інших.
future action with regard to that denoted by the finite verb after the words: to intend, to suggest, to insist	He suggested preparingpresentation. Він запропонував підготувати презентацію.
preceding the action expressed by the finite verb after the words: to thank, to forget, to remember, to excuse, to apologise	Thank you for preparing report in time. Спасибі за вчасно підготований звіт.
THE PERFECT GERUND is used to express an action:
preceding the action expressed by the finite verb	Thank you forhaving analyzed the market. Спасибі, що здійснили аналіз ринку.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GERUND
THE VERB characteristics	THE NOUN characteristics
the Gerund of transitive verbs takes a direct Object	the Gerund can be used in the sentence as a Subject, Predicative and Object
the Gerund can be modified by an Adverb	the Gerund can be preceded by a Preposition which refers to it
the Gerund has Perfect and Non-Perfect forms and is used in the Active and Passive Voices	the Gerund can be modified by a Possessive Pronoun and by a Noun in the Possessive Case

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