Reading Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

The Role of a Manager (Article #1)

The Role of a Manager

In the past, many people believed that managers were there just to provide support for frontline staff. However, our understanding of the manager’s function has improved. We know that managers contribute to performance.

But how do they do that, and what exactly do managers manage?

Some experts argue that the day-to-day work of the manager consists of managing three things: organization, communication and people.

Let’s consider organization to begin with. Everybody knows that businesses are constantly changing and evolving. One of the purposes of the manager, those experts believe, is to manage this change for the benefit of both the business and its people.

Secondly, managing communication is necessary to make everyone in the business share a common purpose and know their own role in achieving that purpose.

Finally, individuals need to be managed to ensure that they are motivated to do their work well, and that this work also gives them personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

If you ask employees what qualities they value most in a manager, the majority will tell you that they need a manager who can listen to them attentively and sympathetically. Obviously, nobody likes talking to a brick wall, and the ability to communicate clearly with colleagues is essential to anybody in a management position. Secondly, when staff worry over certain issues, a good manager should respond to their concerns promptly and also deal with any problems as soon as they arise. Trust is also rated very highly, so managers should also believe in their employees' abilities and be prepared to delegate responsibilities to them whenever possible. Finally, a good manager should also invest in regular professional development opportunities for their staff.

In conclusion, we can see how the three elements of organization, communication and motivation in turn determine the success and profitability of the business. The third element is particularly important. Indeed, there seems to be a strong link between how well managers carry out their motivational tasks and how well employees perform. If the managers fail, the company fails; if the managers do well, then the company prospers.

A. Match the phrases/clauses to where they should be placed in the article.

1. C 2. E3. B

4. D5. F6. A

B. Which sentence is like a thesis? Write it below.

Some experts argue that the day-to-day work of the manager consists of managing three things: organization, communication and people.

Reading Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

Drugs Companies to Cut Down Gifts for Doctors (Article #2)

by Andrew Jack

The pharmaceutical industry across the whole European continent now has to follow a tough new code of practice.

Drugs companies will have to limit the entertainment they provide to doctors. This follows accusations that companies entertain doctors in order to influence prescribing patterns.

___________f__________________(1). It puts a strict limit on hospitality and gifts that can be offered to doctors or other drug prescribers.

For example, pharmaceutical companies are no longer allowed to offer healthcare professionals personal gifts. Any gift offered should be relevant to office use and its value restricted to ten euros._______e__________________________________________________________________(2).

The code also places tight limits on the widespread practice of companies funding doctors' travel to scientific conferences in order to gain credibility for their products_________________________b____________________________________________(3). In addition, payment for spouses is no longer allowed.

There will be sanctions and annual audits to ensure everybody follows the code.

Some countries, including Sweden, the UK, France and Spain, have already brought in tough industry codes of practice.____________c_________________________________________(4).

Read the above article, then choose the best sentences (a-f) to complete gaps (1-4). Note that you will need only four of the six sentences given.

a) It is sometimes difficult to refuse a gift without causing offence. b) Drug companies are now allowed to pay only economy air fares for doctors when travel is justified. c) However, a few other EU countries may have to change their culture to meet the demands of the new proposals. d) In reality, they do not even know that this code of practice exists. e) Invitations to sporting or other leisure events are no longer allowed, either. f) The code tries to respond to such criticism.

1. f

2. e

3. b

4. c

Feedback

Next to #1, look at the blue word it. You can use this to find the answer.

What is ‘it’? (‘It’ is singular. ‘It’ limits gifts.

Ask yourself, “Can ‘invitations,’ ‘companies,’ or a ‘code’ limit gifts?

‘Code’ is singular and it is a set of rules, so it can limit gifts. The other words are plural. Therefore, ‘f’ is the correct answer.

Read the article. Then, answer the questions.

Lack of Management Skills Starts to Bite (Article #3)

By Brian Groom, Business and Employment Editor- Financial Times

PARAGRAPH #1

Britain has long had a reputation for poor management skills, whether because of lack of training or individual aspiration. It’s generally accepted that ‘UK managers do not perform as well as their counterparts in other leading economies’ said David Pardey of the institute of Leadership and Management.

PARAGRAPH #2

Research by the Chartered Management Institute in 2004 found that the number of Euros British employers spent on average was just €1,625 a year on developing each manager, against €4,438 in Germany, €3,387 in Denmark, and €2,674 in France. Only a fifth of UK business leaders have any management qualification, the CMI says.

PARAGRAPH #3

Now employers confront a dual problem: how to raise the quality of leadership while they face a potential shortage of skilled managers. The trend towards longer working lives may help, while slow economic growth could suppress some of the forecast demand. But employers need new strategies.

PARAGRAPH #4

Large companies, with bigger resources, may find it easier than smaller ones. ‘We aim to fill at least 70 per cent of positions internally, but if you are growing you can’t always fill all management positions in that way,’ said Irene Coden, human resources director at G4S, the security contractor. ‘If you have to look outside, finding the right people is always quite difficult.’ G4S has stepped up investment in ‘talent pools’ made up of the strongest candidates for promotion at different levels of the business. In the most senior pool, 25 people thought capable of competing for the top posts are brought together twice a year and given strategic tasks.

PARAGRAPH #5

Mr. Pardey said companies needed to ‘start early and think ahead. You can’t leave It until the problem emerges and then start looking around at who’s available.’ There could be an opportunity to improve the average quality because more younger workers were educated to degree level, he said.

PARAGRAPH #6

Britain’s problems include a tendency to promote people with technical skills but who lack people skills, and failing to give management training until people have been in a job for years. Mr. Pardey said it would be better top train people in advance of promotion, in the way the army prepares corporals to be sergeants, and lieutenants to be captains. He said that faced by a shortage of

management skills some companies would probably try to make do with fewer managers. However, that could be risky unless there was an effort to raise the skills of those who remained.

PARAGRAPH #7

‘A lot of the things managers do are being spread more widely around organizations,’ said Jonathan Gosling, director of the center for leadership studies at Exeter University. ‘Distinctions between management and everyone else are blurring.’ Nigel Parslow, UK managing director of executive recruitment group Harvey Nash, said manufacturing was particularly vulnerable because it already faced a shortage of engineers. In financial services, demand has grown for managers in areas such as risk, compliance, and wealth management.

PARAGRAPH #8

Sarah Thwaites, deputy chief executive of the Financial Skills Partnership, the sector skills council, said efforts were being made to attract talented young people with the sector through work experience and apprenticeships. Across the economy, however, there was a shortage of ‘people that are going to take something and run with it,’ said Kai Peters, chief executive of Ashbridge Business School. ‘People are trained very well at the task-oriented, subject-specific aspects of business. What they are not good at is leaving all that behind and acting as a catalyst for others.’

Reading Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

Choose whether the statements are true or false.71 UK companies spend more on management training than companies in other European countries.

F

72 Most UK companies aren’t even trying to find good managers. They just don’t think about it. F

73 One problem in Britain is that people become managers because they have technical skills, not

because they have people skills. T

74 Some British companies are trying to get a few good managers to do all of the management work,

but this isn’t very effective. T

75 According to one expert, manufacturing hasn’t been badly affected, because engineers generally

make good managers. F

76 At the moment, the UK economy needs more managers who can think for themselves and lead

the way. T

Match each main idea with a paragraph number in the article.

77 Companies need to improve their leadership, but it’s difficult because they have few skilled

managers. Paragraph 3

78 UK companies don’t invest in management training and qualification. Paragraph 2

79 Employing good managers requires planning. Paragraph 5

80 Companies in the finance sector are working to attract and train young talent. Paragraph 8

81 Generally, people around the world believe that the quality of management in Britain is low.

Paragraph 1

82 Smaller companies face a greater challenge than larger ones. Paragraph 4

Vocabulary Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

A. Match the words and phrases below to the correct place on the diagram.

Subsidiary 8Factory/plant 6Call center 5

Head office 1Distribution center 3Warehouse 4

Branches/outlets 2

B. Listen to the comments from different places in the organization and write them down. (Listen to audio file 3.1 at https://qiba.space/market-leader-intermediate-unit-3/)

EXAMPLEComment (Key word in grey) Functional Area of Organization

1. Stock levels have been low for two weeks now.

Warehouse

Warehouses store products

2. Can you email these sales figures Branch/outlet

through to head office as soon as possible?

A branch/outlet is a synonym for ‘store.’ It sells things.

3.Hold on a minute, please. I’ll transfer you to a supervisor.

call center

Call centers conduct telephone calls.

4. We need to deliver this consignment on Friday.

distribution center

DC’s distribute products.

5. The production line is operating at full capacity.

Factory

Factories produce/make products.

6. The board of directors have fixed the annual general meeting for Tuesday the 2nd.

head office

Executives work at head offices.

7. Why do we always have to check with the parent company before making decisions?

Subsidiary

Subsidiaries are parts of companies owned by the parent company.

8. All of our engineers are out working on repairs at the moment.

service center

Service centers make repairs to products or machinery

Vocabulary Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

C. Which of the adjectives below describe

A). Positive qualities of an organization

B). Negative qualities of an organization

Write (A) next to the good qualities and (B) next to the bad qualities.

bureaucratic (B) caring(A) centralized (A/B) conservative (A/B)

decentralized (A) democratic (A) dynamic (A) hierarchical (B)

impersonal (B) market-driven (A) professional (A) progressive (A)

D. Write three sentences about your father’s employer. Use 3 of the words and box them. Use the word ‘because’ in each sentence.

Below are PHill’s Examples (Phill’s dad is a dentist)

My father’s dental office is not democratic because even though he listens to his staff members concerns, he alone makes the key decisions about the business.

My father’s dental office has nice decorations and soothing music because he wants his office to feel welcoming, not impersonal.

My father fears that market-driven dentistry has made the quality of dentistry decrease because other dentists are only concerned about making money quickly, not caring for the long-term health of their patients.

Vocabulary Advice

‘Democratic’ is not about whether staff can help come up with ideas.

‘Democratic’ is about whether staff get to hep make decisions.

Both ‘dynamic’ and ‘progressive’ describe companies that change.

‘Conservative’ describes companies that are slow to change

‘Centralized’ organizations have power in one place.

‘Decentralized’ organizations have power spread out among many different areas.

Grammar Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

A. Underline the most suitable noun combination in each group.

1. a. the meeting of today 2. a. a letter of credit 3. a. a business card4. a. a data’s base

b. today’s meeting b. a credit’s letter b. a card of business b. a base of data

c. today meeting c. a letter’s credit c. a businesses’ card c. a database

B. Nouns used as numerical adjectives are singular. For example, ‘a plan which lasts for ten years’ = ‘a ten-year plan.’ Change the following phrases in the same way.

1. a hotel with five stars a five-star hotel

2. a budget worth 3 million dollars

a $3 million dollar budget

3. a presentation that lasts 20 minutes

A 20-minute presentation

4. a contract worth 200,000 pounds

a 200,000-pound contract

5. an industrial empire which is 150 years old.

a 150-year-old industrial empire

Notice that the plural becomes singular when the number is turned into an adjective.

C. Match each noun in column 1 to two of the nouns in column 2 to make word partnerships. Box the two words in each column that make word partnerships.

X. dog track game house1. business virus cards plan2. management style technology policy3. sales campaign department trade4. labor force technology market5. company house headquarters logo6. trade union technology fair7. consumer goods logos awareness8. research project findings knowledge9. information technology force desk10. computer union program virus

Listening Worksheet (TAKE PICTURE AND SEND TO PHILL by April 10 th

15:00)

A. Listen to the three conversations (3.5, 3.6, 3.7 at https://qiba.space/market-leader-intermediate-unit-3/). Choose the correct description from the list for each one.

Greeting someone and talking about the past 3.5 Introducing another person 3.7 Introducing yourself and giving information about your company 3.6

B. 3.5 Listen to the first conversation again and answer these questions. 1. Which of these expressions do you hear in the dialogue? Box them. a. Nice to see you againb. Fine, thanksc. Wonderful!

d. How about you?e. I changed my job last year.f. I’m in banking now.

C. 3.6 Listen to the second conversation again and complete the chart below.

Name Company ActivityDon Larsen

Atsource Solutions

Outsourcing various devices including payroll, IT, and human resources

Erika King

MCB Financial Services

D. 3.6 Listen again and complete this extract from the second conversation. Don: Well, we’re basically an outsourcing (1) business. We supply large companies with various services including payroll, IT Services (2) and human resources.Erika: Is Atsource solutions a new company? Don: No, we’re well-established. The company was founded (3) in 1978. It’s organized into three divisions (4). We have over 6,000 employees (5); we’ve got our headquarters (6) in Frankfurt and offices (7) in over 20 countries- we’re pretty big.

E. 3.7 Listen to the third conversation again and answer these questions.1. What expression does John use to introduce Miriam? Heinz, I’d like you to meet…2. Why could Miriam be helpful to Heinz in his work?

She speaks fluent Italian, so she could be useful with Italian customers.3. What interest do they share? They like skiing.