Методические указания и контрольные задания для студентов 1-2 курсов заочной формы обучения по специальности: «Экономика и управление на предприятиях химической промышленности» (стр. 8 из 10)

The shares of a public company can be offered for sale to the public. A public company requires as minimum of two shareholders, but there is no upper limit. The company is required to hold an annual general meeting where shareholders are able to question the directors, to change the company's articles of association, to elect or dismiss the board of directors, to sanction the payment of dividends, to approve the choice auditors and to fix their remuneration.

The names of public companies end in p.l.c. For instance: John and Michael p.l.c.

A branch of a foreign company is a part of a company incorporated outside Great Britain but acting under the law of the U.K. Usually these companies act in the U.K. under their normal foreign names.

Vocabulary

advantage – преимущество

assets – актив, средства, фонды, имущество

to commit – поручать, вверять

company

limited company – АО с ограниченной ответственностью

public company – открытое АО

private company – закрытая акционерная компания

to file – представлять, подавать к.-л. документ

joint-stock company – акционерное общество

legal – законный, правовой

liability – ответственность

owner – владелец, собственник

remuneration – вознаграждение, оплата; заработная плата

to require – требовать

requirement – требование, потребность

seizure – конфискация, опись

share – акция

shareholder – акционер, владелец акций

stock exchange – фондовая биржа

1. What forms of business organization are there in the UK?
2. What are the main characteristic features of each form of business?
3. What are advantages and disadvantages of each form?
4. Compare the forms of business in the UK with the forms of business in the Russian Federation.

8. Прочитайте текст и

a) ответьте на вопросы после текста;

MANAGEMENT

All organizations, whether small or large, have to be managed. Management means the planning, controlling, directing and coordinating of various ideas, activities and programmes in order to achieve a stated objective.

This means that there is a need for people with special abilities and skills. There are three management levels: top management, middle management and operating management. Top management includes the president, vice presidents, and the general manager. Middle management includes department managers and plant managers. Operating management includes supervisors, foremen, etc.

The main responsibility of the senior managers of any business is decision-making. These decisions are connected with planning, organizing, directing and controlling the work to be done.

Planning has to be undertaken at all levels of management. An organization without proper plans is like a ship without a rudder.

Managers have to decide what to produce, how it should be produced, and for whom. This is at the centre of the planning process. The operation also involves:

1. estimating what resources will be needed,

2. considering what problems are likely to arise,

3. deciding how these can best be overcome.

The ultimate responsibility of management is to direct. This means making decisions and issuing the necessary commands through the management structure.

If the directions issued by management are to be effective, there must be a proper communication system within the organization since, obviously, the orders must reach those who are to carry them out. It is equally important that there should be an effective ‘reporting back’ system – communication is a two-way issue.

Decision-making is a characteristic of management at all levels. The more important the matter is, the higher up the management ladder the decision is made. In large organizations – particularly in the public sector – it is often difficult to identify exactly where decisions are made. The point at which they are apparently made is often different from the point at which they are actually made.

A business is usually divided into a number of departments, each being responsible for a specific range of work (such as production, finance, personnel, marketing). The structure of the departments and sub-departments can be shown in an organization chart. This shows the departments how they are related to each other, and the lines of communication between them.

The amount of work involved in running a large business is usually too much for the senior managers to cope with entirely on their own. This means that responsibilities, authority and duties have to be passed 'down the line' to others – i.e. to middle management and first-line management. This is known as delegation. One of the arts of management is to know to whom particular tasks can be delegated – and to whom they should not. Proper delegation means the spreading of the work load. It also means that particular tasks can be delegated to those who have special experience or qualifications to deal with them. However, there is always the risk that the person a task is delegated to will prove to be incompetent. There is also the risk that unless there is proper 'reporting back', the senior manager will not know what is going on.

Plans are pointless unless there is a periodic check – a control – on what is being achieved. Whereas planning is concerned with the future, control is concerned with the (immediate) past. Problems can arise at any point during the implementation of a plan. Furthermore, unless a specific check is made on them, they can go unnoticed for so long that they become impossible to remedy. The controls should therefore be carefully planned so that they spot-light the problems which are likely to arise. Also, they should take place regularly.

There are several different types of control. Some can be measured in specific 'quantity' terms. With these, an actual figure proposed in the plan (often known as the budgeted or standard figure) can be compared with the figure actually achieved. For example, the planned quantity of raw material expected to be used, together with its anticipated cost, can be compared with the actual quantity used and the actual cost. Similarly, the 'standard' (i.e. anticipated) wage rates and the time a job is expected to take can be compared with the actual.

Vocabulary

to direct – управлять, руководить

to estimate – оценивать

implementation – выполнение, осуществление

to make decisions – принимать решения

to manage – управлять

organization chart – структура организации

to undertake – предпринимать, совершать

1. What is management?

2. What levels of management are there?

3. Whom does top/ middle/ operating management include?

4. What are the main functions of management?

5. What decisions do managers have to take?

6. What is necessary that the directions issued by management should be effective?

7. What charts reflect the structure of an organization?

8. What is known as delegation? What is its purpose?

9. What is the purpose of control? Why is it so important?

б) Вы – руководитель фирмы, схема которой представлена на рисунке. Расскажите о своей фирме, ответив на вопросы.

Research and Development

Manager

President Marketing Research

Manager

Chief of the Credit Executive Product Research

Department Vice-President Manager

Sales Manager Production Manager Controller

- How many departments are there at the company?

- How many managers work at the company?

- What is in your opinion the most important department?

в) Вы – руководитель фирмы. Вашу фирму должен посетить представитель британской компании. Подготовьтесь к встрече. Продумайте:

- с чего вы начнете разговор;

- что вы расскажете о фирме;

- каким будет программа пребывания гостя, как вы ее обсудите.

г) Вы – представитель британской компании, приехавший для заключения контракта. Продумайте интересующие вас вопросы, в частности:

- когда было открыто дело (бизнес) (to establish a business);

- кто создал/ учредил компанию (to form/ set up a company);

- кто возглавляет (to head) компанию;

- что представляет из себя фирма согласно юридическому статусу (according to the legal status);

- каков постоянный/ временный штат фирмы (permanent/ temporary staff);

- каков оборот (turnover) фирмы и т.п.

9. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы после текста. Подготовьтесь к собеседованию на тему The manages’s role, используя вопросы после текста.

THE MANAGER'S ROLE

Our society is made up of all kinds of organizations, such as companies, government, unions, hospitals, schools, libraries, and the like. They are essential to our existence, helping to create our standard of living and our quality of life. In all these organizations, there are people carrying out the work of a manager although they do not have that title. The vice-chancellor of a university, the president of a students’ union or a chief librarian are all managers. They have a responsibility to use the resources of their organization effectively and economically to achieve its objectives.

Are there certain activities common to all managers? Can we define the task of a manager? A French industrialist, Henri Fayol, wrote in 1916 a classic definition of the manager’s role. He said to manage is “to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, to coordinate and to control”. This definition is still accepted by many people today, though some writers on management have modified Fayol’s description. Instead of talking about command, they say a manager must motivate or direct and lead other workers.

Henri Fayol’s definition of a manager’s functions is useful. However, in most companies, the activities of a manager depend on the level at which he/she is working. Top managers, such as the chairman and directors, will be more involved in long range planning, policy making, and the relations of the company with the outside world. They will be making decisions on the future of the company, the sort of product lines it should develop, how it should face up to the competition, whether it should diversify etc. These strategic decisions are part of the planning function mentioned by Fayol.

On the other hand, middle management and supervisors are generally making the day-today decisions which help an organization to run efficiently and smoothly. They must respond to the pressures of the job, which may mean dealing with unhappy customer, chasing up supplies, meeting urgent order or sorting out a technical problem. Managers at this level spend a great deal of time communicating, coordinating and making decisions affecting the daily operation of their organization.

An interesting modern view on managers is supplied by an American writer, Mr. Peter Drucker. He has spelled out what managers do. In his opinion, managers perform five basic operations. Firstly, managers set objectives. They decide what these should be, and how the organization can achieve them. For this task, they need analytical ability. Secondly, managers organize. They must decide how the resources of the company are to be used, how the work is to be classified and divided. Furthermore, they must select people for the jobs to be done. For this, they not only need analytical ability but also understanding of human beings. Their third task is to motivate and communicate effectively. They must be able to get people to work as a term, and to be as productive as possible. To do this, they will be communicating effectively with all levels of the organization – their superiors, colleagues, and subordinates. To succeed in this task, managers need social skills. The fourth activity is measurement. Having set targets and standards, managers have to measure the performance of the organization, and of its staff, in relation to those targets. Measuring requires analytical ability. Finally, Peter Drucker says that managers develop people, including themselves. They help to make people more productive, and to grow as human beings. They make them bigger and richer persons.

In Peter Drucker’s view, successful managers are not necessarily people who are liked or who get on well with others. They are people who command the respect of workers, and who set high standards. Good managers need not be geniuses but must bring character to the job. They are people of integrity, who will look for that quality in others.

Notes on the Text

to command the respect – внушать, вызывать уважение

1. According to the writer, what is the main duty of the head of an organization?
2. What is a classic definition of the manager’s role?
3. Why do some people disagree with Henri Fayol’s definition of the role of management?

4. What do the activities of a manager depend on?

1. In what ways are the functions of a company director, for example, different from those of a middle manager?
2. In Peter Drucker’s opinion, what are the basic operations performed by managers?
3. Who can be a successful manager, from your point of view?
4. What will you deal with in your future job?
5. Why have you chosen this occupation?

1. Why do you think it will be right for you?

1. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы после текста. Подготовьтесь к собеседованию на тему The role of marketing, используя вопросы после текста.

MARKETING

If production is to meet needs efficiently, two things are necessary.

These are:

- Producers must know what to produce.

- Consumers must know that it is being produced.

Linking these two factors together is the task and responsibility of the marketing staff.