新编剑桥商务英语(高级)第三版7.1.doc

Managerial qualities1 What does this quotation mean?A bad manager confuses activity with performance.Anon2 Read this story that was widely circulated on the Internet a few years ago. What does it say about managers that made it so popular?A man in a hot air balloon realised he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago but I dont know where I am.The woman below replied, You are in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You are between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude.You must be an engineer, said the balloonist.I am, replied the woman. How did you know?Well, answered the balloonist, everything you told me is technically correct, but I still have no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I am still lost. Frankly, you havent been much help so far.The woman below responded, You must be in management.I am, replied the balloonist, but how did you know?Well, side the woman, you dont know where you are or where you are going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, Which you have no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, But now, somehow, its my fault.3 Number the six most important (1-6) qualities for a manager to possess.A good manager is someone who canA delegate responsibility _B plan effectively _C motivate their staff to perform _D handle people sensitively _E organise work efficiently _F recognise and reward good performance _G take tough decisions _H lead by example _I inspire confidence and respect _J communicate their vision and ideas _K co-operate with other parts of the organisation _L be creative and have innovative ideas _4 Discuss your choices with your partner. What are the consequences for the team and the manager if these qualities are absent?5 Look at the list in exercise 3 on page 66 and say what are the key qualities for a leader to possess.Are these different from a managers qualities?Is there another leadership quality you would add to the list?Strengths and weaknesses6 You will hear five employees describing the strengths and weaknesses of their managers.The first time you listen, identify the weakness of each manager.The second you listen, identify the strength of each manager.TASK ONE WEAKNESS 1_ A is very disorganized 2_ B does not co-operate with other departments 3_ C does not delegate enough 4_ D is not good at communicating 5_ E does not have clear objectives F cannot make quick decisions G is rather insensitive H is not especially cleverTASK TOW STRENGTH 6_ A is a natural communicator 7_ B challenges his staff to achieve more 8_ C is intelligent 9_ D fits in well in the organization10_ E has very good people skills F leads by example G gives praise and recognition to the team H organises work efficiently7 What do you think these phrases from the listening mean?1 Hes not afraid to get his hands dirty.2 Hes a bit of a control freak.3 He spreads himself very thin.4 He often puts you on the spot.5 He doesnt take on board what youre saying.6 Shes difficult to get on with.7 She doesnt have the companys interests at heart.Idioms: management problems1 What do you think each of these idioms means?1 cant see the wood for the trees2 doesnt want to lose face3 have tunnel vision 4 bite off more than you can chew5 too many chiefs, not enough Indians6 cut corners7 throw money at the problem8 open a can of worms9 be a yes-man2 Study each of the cases below. Which idiom best fits each case?0 He had no experience of negotiating. All the same, he volunteered to discuss a settlement to the four-week-old strike with a union leader who had been in the business for 40 years.He bit off more than he could chew.1 Asked to find out customer satisfaction rates, the managers at one call centre researched and produced all sorts of data: agent productivity rates, answer delay times, average call times, percentage of problems solved first time, etc.2 A large electricity supplier is setting up a new customer billing IT managers staff, a software designer, a company in change of implementing the software and a team of software consultants. After six months very little progress has been made.3 One of the directors of a bank decides to get tough on people using work phones to make personal calls. This causes a lot of resentment among staff and accusations that managers are just as guilty of this kind of thing as regular staff.4 Under pressure to reduce costs, a ferry company decided that they could maximize the time their ships were at sea if more safety checks were done while the ships were sailing rather than in the dock.5 A sales manager had to present her plan for more accurate sales forecasting to the executive board. Two days before her presentation she showed it to a colleague who told her that it had fundamental mistakes in it. So the day before the presentation, she called in sick and asked if the presentation could be postponed to a later data.6 The government has responded to a lack of hospital beds by building a state of the art, fully-equipped new extension to a citys hospital. Unfortunately, there are not enough trained staff to man it.3 What should they have done in each case?Expressing purpose4 Read the text from the letters page of Working Life magazine and say which of these stress-relieving things you regularly do.I WAS GETTING REALLY STRESSED and not working efficiently. So I decided to make some simple changes in my working routine. Id strongly recommend anyone who feels as I did to take time out to think about what they can do to take the stress out of their lives its not as difficult as it seems! Heres what I did:1 made (modest) lists of what I needed to do each day so that I wouldnt spend my day worrying about what I hadnt done yet.2 made time for myself to get exercise during the day in order to feel fresher and more able to concentrate when I sat at my desk.3 learnt to say no to people to avoid taking on more work than I could reasonably handle.4 spent the first ten minutes of each day in the office reading the news over a coffee just to relax and get my mind working.5 took time out to stop and chat to colleagues to prevent frustration with a particular task from building up. A good laugh is a great tonic.5 took time out to stop and chat to colleagues to prevent frustration with a particular task from building up. A good laugh is a great tonic.5 Look at the list of actions again and underline the phrases that explain the purpose of each action. 1 made (modest!) lists of what I needed to do each day so that I wouldnt spend my day worrying.6 Make three more sentences describing an action to relieve stress. Explain the precise purpose of each action.7 The CEO of an international clothes retail group felt that this senior managers were not performing as they should. Their skills didnt seem to match the requirements of the business and many seemed to be out of touch with day-to-day operations. So, he devised a seven-point strategy to address the problem. Study the measures. What is the purpose of each measure? Write a sentence explaining the purpose of each one, using the Phrases from exercise 4. 1 They need to undergo an assessment in order to find out where they real strengths and weaknesses are.From 1 January next year all senior managers will:1 undergo an assessment of their skills by an external management consultant. 2 be set clear, concrete and practical targets for the year.3 spend at least one day per month working at a high street retail store.4 spend at least three months every three in an overseas subsidiary.5 participate in team-building activities once a year with their team.6 devote at least six hours per month to foreign language training.7 follow at least one course per year in communications skills (managing meetings, negotiating, etc). Management consultants1 What do you think of management consultants? Do they have a good or Bad reputation in your country (or company)?2 Read the letter from a management consultant defending his profession. Choose the best word (A, B, C or D) to fill each gap.Dear EditorYour article on 5 September Consultants - who needs them? gives a very one-sided view of our profession.We consultant are often criticised for using management buzzwords to sell our services. The critics (1)_ is that we dress up an will (2)_ their business. So when we encourage companies to analyse their value chain, we are saying nothing more than see which part of the business is most profitable. When we (3)_ them to empower their employee, we are just saying (4)_ them to do a good job. The terms we use, the critics say, is just jargon for things that all businesses know they have to do anyway.Were also accused (5)_ hypocrisy. The classic example of this is when during the 1990s consultancy firms told companies to concentrate on their core competencies and outsource non-essential activities to contractors who could do a better and cheaper job. But, the critics scream, you (6)_ a lot of the early 1980s telling companies to diversify and get involved in new businesses.Maybe we are sometimes guilty of following the (7)_ trends in management, but I have one (8)_ simple answer for the critics. Knowing the need for these management concepts and practices is one thing; actually using them and (9)_ them is another. Our job is to remind businesses to do the things they ought to be doing. That is the role of consultants and its a very (10)_ role. Were not saying managers are stupid, but just that its human nature sometimes to ignore the obvious.John Birdman(Partner - Salix Associates)1 A theme B argument C speech D debate2 A transform B modify C transfigure D reverse3 A explain B say C force D urge4 A entrust B believe C trust D involve5 A by B of C on D with6 A lasted B took C passed D spent7 A last B latest C freshest D least8 A absolutely B completely C very D utterly9 A implementing B effecting C realising D installing10 A hopeful B thoughtful C useful D carefulDo you agree with him?Word order: adverbs3 Study these basic rules of word order in English. Word order: adverbs 1 Dont separate a verb from its direct object. He left early the party early. 2 Adverbs generally go after the main verb. She drove carefully. 3 Adverbs of frequency (often, always, etc) and qualifiers (really, absolutely, etc) go before the main verb. They always bring a gift of some kind. I really like him. 4 With be, adverbs of frequency go after the verb. He is always in meetings when I call. 5 Phrases expressing time (in the morning, three days ago, last year, etc) can go at the beginning or the end of a sentence. Last year I didnt have a summer holiday. I didnt have a summer