Describing Company Structure

The typical structure of the company looks like that:

The most common words for describing structure are:

consist of contains includes is composed of

is made up of is diveded into

e.g.The company consists of five main departments.

The marketing department is made up of three units.

The sales department is divided into two sections.

to be in charge of to support or to be supported by to be accountable to to be responsible for to assist or to be assisted by

e.g. The marketing department is in charge of the sales force.

The marketing department is responsible for advertising, sales promotion and market research.

The five department heads are accoutable to the Managing Director.

Now write a description of either the organisation chart above, or a company you know, in about 100–150 words.

TRANSLATION

A. Translate from English into Russian.

Business entities can be grouped according to the type of business activity they perform.

1. Service companies perform services for a fee. This group includes companies such as accounting firms, law firms, repair shops, and many others.

2. Merchandising companies purchase goods that are ready for sale and sell them to customers. They include such companies as auto dealer-ships, clothing stores, and supermarkets.

3. Manufacturing companies buy materials, convert them into products, and then sell the products to the companies or to the final customer. Examples are steel miles, auto manufacturers, and so on.

Most of the British companies are private. The number of state owned companies as telecommunications, water, gas has been decreased lately.

Companies in the private sector consist of two basic types: public and private. Public companies in general are large scale organizations such as banks, insurance companies and privatised companies. The number of public companies are fewer than that of private companies. Private companies on the whole are smaller or family-run business.

The difference between public and private firms on paper at least, can be found in their names the word “limited” (often shortened to “Ltd”) after a company’s name shows that it is private. On the other hand, the status of a public company is shown by the letters “plc” after its name. This is short for “public limited company”. In practice, however, the real difference between the two arises from the fact that private companies cannot raise money by selling shares, in contract to public companies which can do so by issuing shares and bonds to be offered for sale on the stock Exchange.

The size of the company is often measured in terms of its assets. Two major categories of assets are current assets and fixed assets. Fixed assets include property, plant and equipment. Current asets generally consist of cash, marketable securities, receivables, inventories and prepayments.

B. Translate from Russian into English.

Основными социально-экономическими формами организации предпринимательства являются: единоличное владение, партнерство и корпорация. Единоличное владение основано на собственности одного лица или его семьи. Его признаками являются: неограниченная ответственность; ограниченные возможности; максимальная гибкость и оперативность.

Партнерство базируется на собственности нескольких человек или семей. Основными признаками являются: неограниченная ответственность; ограниченные возможности; временный характер соглашения, разделения вклада, труда и доли доходов.

Корпорация представляет собой объединение собственности множества субъектов. Основной способ объединения – выпуск акций. Характерными признаками корпорации являются: широкие возможности в связи с привлечением капитала других юридических и физических лиц; длительность участия; ограниченная гибкость (действие устава).

LISTENING

You’ll hear a radio discussion in which a business consultant, Robert, and an industrial correspondent, Jane, are asked by the radio programme host what they think about the company.

A.Listen to the recording for the first time and tick which of the following general topics are mentioned:

– bureaucracy at work;

– staff promotion systems;

– management elections by the workers;

– the design of Semco’s factory buildings;

– the success of large corporations.

B. Listen carefully for a second time and mark whether the statements below are true or false.

1. The industrial assembly line system has a further 100 years’ life in it.

2. Democratic values of public life are limited in some countries.

3. Managers are evaluated by their employees.

4. Managers from outside the company are always welcome.

5. Employees have developed a sense of responsibility.

6. The associates just walk around the factory doing what they like.

7. Many companies have not survived the high inflationary period.

8. IBM has not been following Semco’s example.

9. Hundreds of companies have been eager to try out new ideas.

10. Corporate executives are eager to try.

SPEAKING

A.

a) Read the interview with Thomas Whillhite Can-Am’s International Vice President.

b) Act out the conversation.

Interview with Willhite

Task: Conduct an interview with David Clare, the president of Johnson&Johnson about the company’s sales in Europe.

B.

Summarize the information of the Unit to be ready to speak on Company Organization. Use the following prompts as a plan.

– common types of business firm;

– advantages and disadvantages of each type of business firm;

– the role of the Board of Directors and Senior Executives;

– the most common departments in big companies; their responsibilities and subordination inside the company.

VOCABULARY

asset (s) n – актив(ы)

bankruptcy n – банкротство

board n – совет

~ of directors – совет директоров

chairman n – председатель

charter n – устав

be in charge of – руководить, быть ответственным

company n – компания

limited ~ (Ltd) – закрытая акционерная компания с ограниченной ответственностью (ЗАО)

public limited (plc)~ – открытая компания с ограничеккой ответственностью (ООО)

director n – директор

financial ~ – финансовый директор

managing ~ – управляющий директор

marketing ~ – директор по маркетингу

production ~ – руководитель производства

entity n – субъект

flotationn–учреждение, образование, основание (предприятия)

liabilities n – пассивы, обязательства

liability n – ответственность, обязательство

manager n – руководитель

purchasing ~ – начальник отдела снабжения

personnel ~ – начальник отдела кадров

advertising ~ – руководитель рекламного отдела

home sales ~ – управляющий сбытом на внутреннем рынке

public relations ~ – руководитель по связям с общественностью

overseas sales ~ – управляющий экспортными операциями

merger n – слияние; объединение фирм в одну новую фирму

partner n – партнер

partnership n – партнерство

proprietor n – предприниматель, собственник

proprietorship n – собственность

sole ~ – частное предпринимательство

stock exchange n – фондовая биржа

structure n – структура

line ~ – линейная структура

functional ~ – функциональная структура

staff position ~ – организационная схема подчиненности

matrix ~ – матричная структура

underwrite v – гарантировать размещение (займа)

GLOSSARY

· Board of directorsis a group of people who run company for the shareholders.

· Flotationis the process of becoming a public limited company (the shares of the company are floated on the stock market).

· Limited companyis a company whose owners are legally responsible for only a part of any money that it may owe if it goes bankrupt.

· A merger is the joining together of two separate companies or organizations so that they become one.

· Partnershipis a relationship in which two or more people, business or industries work together as partners.

· Public limited companyis a company whose shares are offered on the stock exchange for the public to buy.

· A sole proprietoris a person who owns his own business and does not have a partner or any shareholders.

· A takeover is the act of gaining control of a company by buying more of its shares than anyone else.

MANAGEMENT

DISCOVERING CONNECTIONS

1. Can you imagine a company performing successfully without management?

2. What is management? Is it an art or a science? An instinct or a set of skills and techniques that can be taught?

3. Do you agree that a manager is a continual problem-solver, decision-maker, and innovator? Do you share the opinion that “Poorly considered solution will be costly in dollars, happiness, or both?”

4. What qualities, from your point of view, is a person supposed to be born with or to acquire to become an effective manager? What do you think of the statement “Excellence costs, … but in the long run mediocrity costs far more?”

READING

Text 1

While reading the text focus on the following issues:

− a variety of resources used by most businesses;

− functions of management;

− levels of management.

Nature of Management

Management is a set of activities designed to achieve an organization’s objectives by using its resources effectively and efficiently in a changing environment. Effectively means having intended results; efficiently means accomplishing the objectives with a minimum of resources.

Managers work in an organization. An organization is a managed system designed and operated to achieve a specific set of objectives. A system is a set of interdependent parts that processes inputs (such as raw materials) into outputs (products). Business inputs are usually called resources. Most businesses use a variety of human, financial, physical, and informational resources. Managers function to transform these resources into the outputs of the business, i.e. goods and services.

Organizational members are divided into two categories: operatives and managers. Operatives are people who work directly on a job or task and have no responsibility for overseeing the work of the others. Managers are individuals who initiate and oversee new projects, make decisions about the use of the organization’s resources, and are concerned with planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the organization’s activities so as to reach its objectives. A manager’s job is to achieve high performance relative to the organization’s objectives.

Almost everything a manager does involves decision. In decision-making there is always some uncertainty and risk. Successful managers are given the opportunity to manage more resources and asked to make decisions that have even more impact on the organization.

The above-cited objectives are characteristic of both profit-making and non-profit organizations. As to the former their ultimate goal is profit-making.

Changing environment. Another thing that makes management difficult is that the work situation constantly changes. The factors that define a specific work situation fall into two categories: external remote environment and external task environment. The former includes such factors as economic, technological, political/legal, social/cultural, and ecological. The latter comprises the following: customers, creditors, suppliers, competitors, employees, shareholders.

To make a good manager, some basic skills are essential. Alongside with decision-making, these involve technical, conceptual, analytical, people (interpersonal, communication), and computer skills.

Level of management. Managers may be classified according to their level or position within the organization. We commonly categorize managers as being in lower, middle, or upper levels of management. Upper managers spend most of their time planning and leading because they make decisions about the overall performance and direction of the organization. Therefore, they are usually involved in the development of goals and strategies to achieve those goals. Conceptual and interpersonal skills are especially important. Chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer (CFO), chairman, president, and executive vice president are common titles at this level. Middle managers are those managers who receive broad statements of strategy and policy from upper-level managers and develop specific objectives and plans. They spend a large portion of their time in planning and organizing activities. Conceptual and technical skills underlie these activities. Examples of the titles of middle managers are product manager, department head, plant manager, and quality control manager. Lower or first-line managers are those concerned with the direct production of items or delivery of services. These actions require leading and controlling. Because first-line managers train and monitor the performance of their subordinates, technical skills are especially important. Common titles are supervisor, sales manager, loan officer, and store manager. Middle- and upper-level managers coordinate the activities of specialized, lower-level managers.

Vocabulary Focus

Ex. 1.

A.Study the meaning of the following words:

1. aim (n) – purpose, object;

2. end (n) – purpose, aim (to this end);

3. goal (n) – object of efforts or ambition;

4. objective (n) – object aimed at, purpose;

5. purpose (n) – that which one means to do;

6. target (n) – total which it is desired to reach.

B.Choose the right word in italics:

1. All our objectives/purposes were won.

2. The end/aim justifies the means.

3. For what goal/purpose do you want to go to Canada?

4. He has only one aim/target in life – to make a fortune.

Ex. 2. Express in one word:

– person who controls a business;

– ability to do sth expertly and well;

– set of interdependent parts that processes inputs into outputs;

– settlement of a question;

– managed system designed and operated to achieve a specific set of objectives;

– people who work directly on a job or task and have no responsibility for overseeing the work of the others;

– individuals who initiate and oversee new projects, make decisions about the use of the organization’s resources, and are concerned with planning, organizing, leading and controlling the organization’s activities so as to reach the organization’s objectives.

Ex. 3. Match the words in column A with their synonyms in column B.

Comprehension

Ex. 1. Complete the sentences using information from the text:

Another thing that makes management … is that the work situation … … .

To make a … manager, some basic … are essential.

Managers may be classified according to their … … within the organization.

Middle managers are those managers who receive broad statements of … … … from upper-level managers and develop … … … … .

Ex. 2. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What are a company’s objectives?

2. What types of resources is manager in control of?

3. What are the six managerial skills?

4. Which do you think is the most important of these? Give your reasoning.

5. Describe the four managerial functions.

6. Give the three levels of management authority.

7. Describe factors that shape business environment.

Text 2

Scan the text and find Sam Walton’s managerial decisions that ensured the success of Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart, an American retailer was founded 40 years ago by Sam Walton. He opened his first Wal-Mart store, in Rogers, Arkansas on 2 July 1962. He was 44 at that time.

Initially, Sam Walton set up traditional retail outlets with relatively high prices. But then on he sought to drive out unnecessary costs wherever he could, all with the aim of bringing prices down.

Since Walton was operating on small profit margins he appreciated the need for growth. If you are not going to make much on each item you had better sell a lot of them. Walton would fly around America literally looking at the land below. When he saw a piece of property that was fairly near to a few small towns he would land the plane, buy the property and order a new Wal-Mart to be built.

Compared to most city centre supermarkets Wal-Mart stores are enormous and offer an extremely wide range of goods: everything from food to mobile phones, CDs, prams, paint, cameras, tools, bikes and so on. Wal-Mart stores have now become something of a national institution in America.

Sam Walton not only brought about the dominance of low-price stores in America, he also appreciated the importance of information technology very early. In the late 1960s he visited IBM to find the best person he could, hired him and got him to computerise Wal-Mart’s operations. Nowadays Wal-Mart’s computer database is second only to the Pentagon’s in capacity.

In the 30 years before his death in 1992 Walton built an empire that turned him into the wealthiest man in America and led the way in retailing worldwide. There are now over 1,700 Wal-Mart stores in the USA. Wal-Mart also has over 1,000 stores outside America. Its profits last year were an astonishing $6bn and the company’s market value was over $260bn. Wal-Mart became the biggest company in the world in terms of sales.

CASE STUDY

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