Контрольная работа по "Английскому языку"

TEXT 5.

Changes in company policy. 

       I would now like to describe а case concerning a company whose business is selling flowers. Basically, the company consists of about 2,500 flower shops, all over the country, all of them leased to shopkeepers. There is a board of management with a president to oversee the business. The shopkeepers are all shareholders in the company and are entitled to go and vote at the annual shareholders meetings.

      Now, in the past, this company was run like a family business. Everyone was very friendly, meetings were very relaxed. There were lots of social gatherings where the shopkeepers could meet and get to know each other. And all the shops retained quite a lot of independence and made their own decisions about their day-to-day operations. But the company as a whole was not doing well. Profits across the country were down, and it was felt that some changes would have to be made.

So, a new president was brought in from outside the company. He was not an expert at selling flowers, but he was a very experienced manager with a reputation for making tough decisions and getting companies out of trouble.

       Well, once this new man took over the running of the company, a lot of things changed very rapidly. The shopkeepers were told that they all had to buy their flowers from the same supplier. All the shops had to look the same. Opening hours had to be the same. And certain minimum standards were set which everyone had to follow. The shopkeepers didn’t like this at all. They felt that decisions were being taken by the board and they were no longer being consulted. They resented this new authoritarian style of management very much.

       So some of the shopkeepers organized an extraordinary meeting and everyone was invited. A lot of people attended. At the meeting, the atmosphere was very hostile. Shareholders made speeches about what they saw as the defects of the management team and in particular they complained about the new president. People got angrier and angrier. Eventually, a vote was taken and it was decided unanimously that all the directors should be sacked. In their place, they elected a new board from amongst themselves. A coup had taken place.

       The interesting thing is that the new board didn’t actually change the policies very much. All the actions that had been taken by the unpopular president and his team were continued. They continued the practice of standardizing the shops and buying from a common supplier, because these policies actually made a lot of sense. So you see, what people objected to was not the changes in themselves, but the way in which those changes were made. And this is a very good lesson for us all. 
 

1. Answer the questions.

1) What is the business activity of the company?

The business activity of the company is selling flowers.

 

2) How many shops are there in the company?

There are about 2,500 flower shops in the company. 

3) What is the title of the head of the company?

The title of the head of the company is a board of management with a president. 

4) Are the shopkeepers also shareholders in the company?

Yes, they are. The shopkeepers are also shareholders in the company. 

5) Was the company run like a family business?

Yes, it was. The company was run like a family business. 

6) Could the shopkeepers make their own decisions about their day-to-day operations?

Yes, they could. The shopkeepers could make their own decisions about day-to-day operations. 

7) Did the company need any changes? Why?

Yes, the company needed any changes, because the company as a whole was not doing well- profits across the country were down, and it was felt that some changes would have to be made. 

2. Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. 

1) What word was used to describe the way that meetings were run in the past?

a) authoritarian

b) efficient

c) relaxed

d) lengthy

Everyone was very friendly, meetings were very relaxed. 

2) A new head was brought in because…

a) the company was old-fashioned

b) the former head had retired

c) profits were low

d) the company was nearly bankrupt

A new head was brought in because profits were low. 

3) The new head…

a) had worked in this field of business all his life.

b) already worked for this company.

c) had not been a senior manager for long.

d) was well known for making tough decisions.

The new head a very experienced manager with a reputation for making tough decisions and getting companies out of trouble. 

4) The shopkeepers were not happy with the new head because…

a) he didn’t consult them about new decisions

b) he wasn’t strong enough

c) his policies were not good for the company

d) he wasn’t very friendly

The shopkeepers were not happy with the new head because he didn’t consult them about new decisions. 

5) At the extraordinary meeting…

a) the atmosphere was very relaxed.

b) people were very quite.

c) shareholders were unable to reach a decision.

d) the board of management was replaced.

At the extraordinary meeting the board of management was replaced. 

6) After the extraordinary meeting…

a) very little changed.

b) the new management put new policies into practice.

c) they returned to their old practices.

d) people continued to be very unhappy.

After the extraordinary meeting policies were very little changed. 
 

3. Translate the text. 

      Сейчас я хотела бы описать  дело в отношении компании, чей  бизнес-продажа цветов. По существу, компания состоит из 2,500 цветочных магазинов по всей стране, и все они сданы в аренду. Существует совет директоров во главе с президентом для контроля бизнеса. Владельцы магазинов являются акционерами в компании и имеют право голосовать на годовом собрании акционеров.

       В прошлом компания была семейным  бизнесом. Все были очень дружелюбны, собрания были расслабленными. Существовало  множество общественных мероприятий,  где торговцы могли встречаться  и знакомиться друг с другом. И все магазины сохранили достаточно много независимости и сами принимали ежедневные решения. Но дела в компании обстояли не очень хорошо. Прибыль по стране снижалась, и было высказано мнение о том, что некоторые изменения должны быть сделаны. Таким образом, появился новый президент извне компании. Он не был профессионалом по продаже цветов, но он был очень опытный менеджер, принимающий жесткие решения, чтобы вытащить компанию из беды.

      Ну, когда такой новый человек  взял на себя управление компанией,  многое изменилось очень быстро. Владельцам магазинов было сказано покупать цветы у одного поставщика. Все магазины должны были выглядеть одинаково. Часы работы тоже должны быть одинаковыми. И были установлены определенные минимальные стандарты, которым каждый должен был следовать. Владельцам магазинов это совсем не понравилось. Они считали, что решения были приняты советом, и их мнение больше не требуется. Их возмущал новый авторитарный стиль управления.

       Поэтому некоторые владельцы  магазинов организовали внеочередное собрание, и все были приглашены. Участвовало много людей. На собрании была враждебная атмосфера. Акционеры подготовили речь о минусах нового менеджмента и в особенности они жаловались на нового президента. Люди злились все больше. В конце концов, было проведено голосование, и было решено единогласно, что все руководители должны быть уволены. На их место был выбран новый совет из акционеров. Переворот имел место быть.

        Интересно то, что новый совет,  в общем-то, не сильно изменил  политику. Все действия, сделанные бывшим президентом и его командой были продолжены. Они продолжили практику стандартизации магазинов, покупая цветы у одного поставщика, так как эта политика помогла. Таким образом, вы видите, люди возражали не против изменений, а каким образом эти изменения были сделаны. И это очень хороший урок для всех нас.