Management and labor

Grammar material: Adjectives, Future Indefinite Tense.

1. Complete these sentences using suitable adjectives.

My apartment is too small.

It’s not big enough for my family.

a) The beaches in my hometown are not clean enough. They are … for swimming.

b) Anchorage, Alaska, isn’t warm enough for me. It’s … in the winter.

c) I hate living near airport. It’s not quiet enough. It’s … for me to study.

d) I don’t like this neighborhood. It’s too dangerous. It’s … at night.

2. Answer these questions. Give as much information as possible.

a) What kind of place do you live in (for example, a house, an apartment)?

b) How big is it?

c) What’s the neighborhood like?

d) Is it close to public transportation?

e) What do you like about it?

f) Is there anything you don’t like about it?

3. Match these questions with suitable responses.

a) What’s the weather like in your hometown? b) Do you live in a nice neighborhood? c) What’s your house or apartment like? d) What’s your city like to live in?

… It’s fairly small, but it’s in a good neighborhood. … It’s very cold in the winter, but it’s pretty nice in the summer. … It’s very crowded, and it’s too polluted. … It’s pretty comfortable, and the rent is reasonable. … It’s expensive to live here, but it’s really an exciting place. … It’s all right, but it’s too far from my office downtown. … It’s pretty nice, and the people are friendly, too.

Grammar material: Future Indefinite Tense

Also see Present Continuous Tense and Going to

Positive form	Negative form	Questions
I will (I’ll)work. You will (You’ll)work.   He / she / it will (He/she/it’ll)work. We will (We’ll)work. You will (You’ll)work.   They will (They’ll)work.	I will not (won’t)work. You will not (won’t)work. He / she / it will not (won’t)work. We will not (won’t)work. Youwill not (won’t)work. They will not (won’t)work.	WillI work? Willyou work? Willhe/she/it work?   Willwe work? Willyou work?   Willthey work?

4. Fill in the blanks with “will” or “won’t”

What will I be doing the next ten years? That’s easy to answer. First, I … graduate from the college next year. I … get a job right away. Instead, I … travel for a few months. I … start in Los Angeles and … visit Hawaii, Japan and Hong Kong. I have college friends in each place, and I hope … see them. Unfortunately, there … be enough time to go to all the places I’d like to visit. When I get back, I … start training as a lawyer. I hope I … find a job and work for about three years. I … get married until I get a job and work for a few years. By then, I … have enough money to start a family.

5. Look at these answers. What are the questions?

A: What will …?

B: On my next vacation I’ll go backpacking with some friends.

A: Will you …?

B: No, I won’t change my job in the next few years. I really like what I’m doing right now.

A: What kind …?

B: The next car I buy will be a European one.

A: Where will …?

B: When I get married, I’ll rent an apartment downtown.

A: Will you …?

B: No, I won’t continue with this class next semester. I want to take a Spanish class instead.

6. Combine the ideas of the two sentences into one sentence by using a time clause.

1. (after) First: I’m going to finish my work.

Then: I’m going to go to bed.

After I finish my work I’ll go to bed.

2. (before) First: I’m going to write a letter.

Then: I’m going to listen to music.

3. (when) First: I’m going to go to Chicago.

Then: I’m going to visit the art museum.

4. (after) First: I’ll go to the drug store.

Then: I’ll go to the post office.

5. (before) First: Ann will finish her work.

Then: She will watch TV tonight.

6. (after) First: Jim will get home this evening.

Then: He is going to read the newspaper.

7. (when) First: I’ll call John tomorrow.

Then: I’ll ask him to my party.

8. (as soon as) First: The rain will stop.

Then: The children are going to go outside and play.

9. (as soon as) First: I will get home tonight.

Then: I’m going to take a hot bath.

7. Complete the following sentences with your own words.

1. I’m going to eat dinner before I …

2. As soon as I get home tonight I …

3. I’m going to call my friend after …

4. My life will be easy after I …

5. Before I go to bed tonight I …

6. I’ll call you as soon as …

7. I’m going to visit my aunt and uncle …

8. Complete the sentences by using the correct form of the verbs.

I.

a) Before Tom (go) … to bed, he always (brush) … his teeth.

b) Before Tom (go) … to bed later night, he (write) … a letter to his girlfriend.

c) Before Tom (go) … to bed last night, he (take) … a shower.

d) While Tom (take) … a shower last night, the phone (ring) ….

e) As soon as the phone (ring) … last night, Tom (jump) … out of the shower to answer it.

f) As soon as Tom (get) … up tomorrow morning, he (brush) … his teeth.

Tom always (brush) … his teeth as soon as he (get) … up.

II.

a) After I (get) … home from school every afternoon, I usually (drink) … a cup of tea.

b) After I (get) … home from school tomorrow, I (drink) … a cup of tea.

c) After I (get) … home from school yesterday, I (drink) … a cup of tea.

e) My neighbor (drop) … over again tomorrow. When she (come) …, I (make) a cup of tea for her.

3. Jane (meet) … me at the airport when my plane (arrive) … tomorrow.

4. If I (see) … Mike tomorrow, I (tell) … him about the party.

5. I go to New York often. When I (be)... in New York, I usually (see) … a Broadway play.

6. Jack (watch) … a football game on TV right now. As soon as the game (be) … over, he (mow) … the grass in the back yard.

9. Read the text and learn the new vocabulary.

TEXT 8: LABOR

People working for a company are referred to as its workforce, employees, staff, or personnel and are on its payroll.

In some contexts, especially more conservative ones, employee and workforce refer to those working on the shopfloor of a factory actually making things. Similarly, staff is sometimes used to refer only to managers and office-based workers.

This traditional division is also found in the expressions white-collar and blue-collar.

Another traditional division is that between management and labor.

10. Do the labor exercise. Some of the words given before the exercise go in front of ‘labor’. Others go after. Find which go where and match the combinations to the definitions:

m obility cheap skilled shortage labor disputes manual unions relations

1. The willingness of people in the workforce to change jobs, or move to another part of the country to find work.

2. Organizations designed to protect the interests of workers in the United States. These organizations are known in Britain by another name. What is this name?

3. A lack of workers in relation to the number required.

4. People who work their hands.

5. Workers who don’t cost much to employ.

6. Disagreements between labor and management, for example over pay.

7. These can be good, or they can be bad and lead a lot of disagreements with management.

11. Read the text.

TEXT 9: MANAGEMENT

Management is the control and organizing of a business or other organization. You can refer to the people who control and organize a business or other organization as the management. Management is the way people control different parts of their lives.

Manager is a person who is responsible for running part of the whole of a business organization.

A contemporary successful manager must possess the following skills:

Planning: able to set goals and objectives; able to forecast manpower requirements in order to schedule sufficient staff and eliminate wastage overtime; able to forecast financial requirements and monitor budgetary expenditures in order to reduce or eliminate nonessential expenses; excellent time management skills.

Organizing: proven ability to organize manpower and equipment in order to achieve maximum operational effectiveness; able to delegate and assign appropriate workloads to individuals to attain optimum performance.

Directing: able to lead and direct the team; highly developed problem-solving skills; able to analyze and troubleshoot actual and potential problems; effective communication skill both in writing and oral.

Controlling: able to increase the effectiveness of individual members of a team; proven ability to raise the morale of a group; strong analytical skills; able to detect and correct faults through coaching and taking corrective action; decisive in terminating staff when necessary.

Negotiating: able to drive a hard bargain with vendors; able to negotiate favorable prices, terms and conditions; able to mediate in resolve staff disputes.

“People” skills: demonstrated ability to select, train, motivate, and develop subordinates; able to reduce labor turnover and low absenteeism.

12. What are the skills, which are close to you? Write them down …………………

13. Read and translate the text using a dictionary.

TEXT10: PEOPLE MOTIVATION

People are a complex resource to manage, but it is people who will determine whether an organization is successful, mediocre or a failure. What is more, people represent a major investment for any organization, and in some businesses they represent the greatest cost.

What happens at work to make people to feel satisfied? Analyses reveal that money alone does not satisfy people at work, though it is utterly essential for an employer to provide decent living standard to his staff paying enough money. Many people feel good when they actually achieve something they set out to do. They also feel good when their achievement receives recognition from the manager. The nature of the job itself that is status job should be prestigious, stable, and interesting. Many also find satisfaction in being treated as a responsible person, capable of planning and checking their own work. Some feel satisfaction at the opportunity for advancement, either by promotion or progress within their own discipline. Finally, some enjoy a job that offers some challenge and allows for personal growth – the development of intellectual and skills. It is worth mentioning friendly atmosphere at job, good working conditions, high salaries or wages, job security.

Here are the incidents that make people dissatisfied:

- A company policy and style of supervision that cared more for the tasks than for the people doing them.

- Poor relationships with their supervisors or workmates.

- Poor working conditions.

- Low salaries or wages.

- Adverse effect on their personal lives.

- Low status given to their jobs.

- Lack of job security.

It is clear enough that the motivation of people to work well is a complex combination of a number of elements. It seems that is a product of the interactions between individuals, their jobs, their managers and the organization.

14. List the factors, which bring the personnel at work a) satisfied, b) dissatisfied. Can you add anything?

15. Read this article from The Economist and answer the questions. The vocabulary notes are down below.

TEXT 11: MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM BRAZIL

Delegating authority and empowering workers may be today’s manager’s orthodoxy, but even the most caring of modern managers feel that the way Ricardo Semler runs his company carries the doctrine of employee involvement to ridiculous extremes.

a) If something is orthodox, is it unusual?

b) If you carry an idea to extremes, are you considered reasonable?

At Semco, a Brazilian manufacturer of pumps, mixers, valves and other industrial equipment most of employees decide their own salaries. Their bonuses, which are tied to the company’s profits, are shared out as they choose. Everyone, including factory workers, sets his own working hours and groups of employees set their own productivity and sales targets.

There are no controls over travel or business expenses. There are no manuals or written procedures. Workers choose their own boss and then publicly evaluate his performance. All employees have unlimited access to the company’s books and are trained to read balance sheets. Everyone knows what everyone else earns, and some workers earn more than their boss. Big corporate decisions, such as diversifications and acquisitions, are made by all employees.

c) If you have unlimited access to something, can you see it whenever you want to?

Far from collapsing into chaos, Semco has survived amid the turmoil of Brazilian hyperinflationary economy, which has obliterated thousands of other small manufacturers. Though hardly a roaring entrepreneurial success, this is no mean feat. Mr. Semler expects Semco to earn about $3 million on sales of some $30 million this year.

d) If someone or something thrives, do they do well?

The company has had to expand or shrink quickly to weather some rough periods, laying off workers occasionally and coping with strikes. Today the firm is debt-free and has nearly 300 workers with another 200 running their own ‘satellite’ businesses, set up as independent contractors with Semco’s help. Semco’s unique management style would be unique anywhere, but in Brazil, where the authoritarian bossism remains in fashion, it looks even more bizarre.

e) What does ‘bizarre’ mean?

Mr. Semler’s experiment in employee power seems to work largely because it is allied with some old-fashioned, hard-headedness. As owner of the firm, Mr. Semler demands healthy dividends. And because a large proportion of the earnings of all employees is tied directly to the firm’s profits, peer pressure on employees not to abuse their freedoms is enormous. ‘It’s really very simple,’ says Mr. Semler. ‘All we’re doing is treating people like adults.’

f) Do hard-headed people have illusions about things?

g) Are your peers people with the same status as you?

Vocabulary Notes:

to empower давать власть, полномочия

orthodoxy ортодоксальность

ridiculous extremes нелепая, анекдотическая крайность

pumps, mixers, valves насосы, миксеры, вентили

equipment оборудование, аппаратура

sales targets плановое задание по реализации продукции

to evaluate one’s performance оценивать ч-л деятельность

access to the company’s books доступ к бухгалтерским документам

balance sheets баланс, балансовый отчет

diversification диверсификация (расширение номенклатуры продукции или ассортимента товаров)

acquisition приобретение, покупка

amid the turmoil здесь в самый разгар

to obliterate вычеркивать, стирать, уничтожать

Though hardly a roaring entrepreneurial success, this is no mean feat. Данный опыт хотя и небольшой, но все же успех в предпринимательской деятельности.

to weather some rough periods пережить тяжелые времена

to lay off уволить

to cope with совладать, справиться с (здесь избежать забастовок)

contractor подрядчик

authoritarian bossism авторитарный метод руководства

bizarre странный, причудливый, эксцентричный

to be allied with уживаться, сочетаться, сотрудничать

hard-headedness практичность

16. What do you think about Semco’s management?

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