Part Four

PART FOUR
Fast Lane
through the Ranks
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4.1 Anticipating the Issue
What do you expect from this unit?

How do you understand the title?
What personal and professional skills do you need for a successful
business career in our country (specialist training, knowledge of
foreign languages, outgoing personality, etc.)?
4.1 A. The Job that Fits
1. You will need the following words to speak about skills and
abilities necessary for certain jobs. Think which of them apply to you.
a head for figure computer-literate

the ability to work on your own organizational skills
analytical skills creative
good communication skills paperwork-oriented
excellent time manager flair for working in a team
2. Choose at least 5 adjectives from the list to describe each of these

jobs.
Bank clerk
University professor .
Entrepreneur
Broker
Manager .
Scholar.
Accountant
mechanical glamorous soul-destroying thankless

routine dead-end demanding varied
repetitive manual unpredictable hectic
monotonous tedious intensive never-ending
stressful mind-numbing sensitive dangerous
exciting exhilarating rewarding indispensable
unenviable essential contemptible unglamorous
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3. What would be the ideal job for you, and why?
What are its pros? Can you think of any cons?

What kind of qualities does a person need to have to succeed in this
profession? What makes you think that you can be fit for this
occupation?
(Make use of the following words with positive and negative
connotation.)
Positive Negative
generous, unstinting extravagant, immoderate
resolute, dogged stubborn, mulish
thrifty, frugal stingy, parsimonious
diligent, industrious work-obsessed, workaholic
shrewd, astute cunning, sly
sober, serious morose, sullen
witty, pithy sharp-tongued, terse
tolerant, broad-minded unprincipled, unscrupulous
4. Study the following verbs describing very important ways of

reacting to other peoples emotions which are essential for working in
a team.
Word Meaning
defuse make a dangerous or tense situation calmer
placate stop someone feeling angry
conciliate end a disagreement between two people or groups by acting
in a friendly way towards both sides
appease end a disagreement by giving the other side an advantage
that they are demanding (normally used in a disapproving
way)
5. Use the words in the following sentences in the correct form.
1. An independent adviser has been brought in to between the

unions and employer.
2. Jane tried to the tension by changing the subject.
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3. Although the enemy postponed the war for another year, it
did not prevent it from happening.
4. Hilda was very angry with her colleague and it took from the latter all
his charm to .. her.
4.1 B. Seeking Employment
Studying job advertisements is a widely recognized way of looking for

a job. What advice can you give to a person who has decided to find a
job this way for the first time?
1. Explain the meaning of the words in bold which are quite

often to be found in job advertisements.
1. We are ready to offer you 30 k basic.

2. We are looking for ambitious, dynamic sales professionals with the
talent and drive to develop a rewarding career within the IT industry.
3. You will work in close-knit teams maintaining and developing
relationships with a diverse range of clients.
4. If you fit this description and are seeking lucrative career in IT sales
dont hesitate to call us.
5. Are you money motivated and ambitious achiever looking to work
in a dynamic, fast-moving industry?
6. We are offering a unique career that requires you to use your
intelligence, self-reliance and responsibility.
7. If you have an adventurous spirit, a strong, positive personality, a
tough mind and a high level of personal integrity, and if you think you
can deal with rapidly changing, ambiguous and unpredictable situations
that will test your resourcefulness to the limit, then contact us now.
2. In a job interview, the interviewer may ask a wide range of

questions. Here are some of them that are often asked. They are also
considered the most difficult to answer. Think of the best way to
answer them so that you could produce the most favourable
impression on the interviewer. Write them down.
What would you say are your most significant educational

achievement?
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What did you learn while you were studying that will help you in this
job?
Can you describe if and how you met deadlines while you were
studying?
Would you be willing to undertake training, even if takes place in your
free time?
What are your greatest professional achievements to date?
To what extent are you analytical or creative and could you give us an
example to demonstrate this ability?
Do you prefer to work on your own, or as part of a team?
What qualities do you think this job requires?
Why do you think we should employ you?
Where do you want to be in ten years time?
What are your strongest points?
What are your weak points?
3. Dont forget that you should also actively participate in the

interview. You should also ask questions which are interesting to you,
such as:
Are women allowed maternity leave?

What perks/benefits does your company offer?
What is you holiday entitlement?
Does your companys policy include regular salary increments?
(increases/rises)
Think of at least three more. Write them down.
4.1 C. Watching and Listening
Job Seekers Seminar
1. Before you listen to the tape, discuss the following:
What should you do before a job interview?

What should you do during the interview?
What should you not do during the interview?
What tricky questions might you be asked?
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2. Listen to the recording and tick only the advice and information
that the speakers actually give.
APPLICATION FORM
Photocopy it and practice filling in the copy first.

Write your final version neatly and clearly.
Use a separate sheet for any extra information you want to
give.
Personnel officers read application forms very carefully.
Use words that show you want to be successful.
Mention any unusual hobbies or jobs.
THE INTERVIEW
Be confident.
Avoid answering questions about your leisure interests.
Do some research into the company's competitors.
Ask the interviewer to explain what his or her company does.
Expect to be surprised.
Arrange to participate in some mock interviews beforehand.
Tell the interviewer that you are sensitive and clever.
You may have to have lunch with the interviewer.
The interviewer may insult you.
Remain calm whatever happens.
CREATIVE JOB SEARCHING
This technique is better than applying for jobs in the conventional

way.
Get in touch with employees working in companies in your chosen
field.
You will get a job if you are persistent enough.
If you're personally known to a company you stand a better
chance.
3. Discuss the following questions.
Which pieces of the advice given do you disagree with?

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From your own experience, what other advice would you give to job-
seekers?
If you were looking for an employee, what qualities would you be
looking for?
How many job interviews have you been involved in? Describe one of
them.
4.1 D. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas
1. Imagine you are a career adviser. What advice would you give
to someone who is
money motivated and who is prepared to take risks?

a very talented critical thinker and is not necessarily money
motivated?
very good at critical thinking and extremely money motivated?
an achiever who has background in Finance and is a very confident
person?
suffering from a lack of job satisfaction in the present job?
2. Chinese astrology organizes years into cycles of twelve with

each year named after an animal. The Chinese believe that the year
you are born in affects your character.
Animal Year Characteristics

RAT 1972, 1984, 1996 Imaginative, charming,
generous, quick-tempered,
opportunistic1
BUFFALO 1973, 1985, 1997 Conservative, methodical,
conscientious, chauvinistic2, a
born leader
TIGER 1974, 1986, 1998 Sensitive, emotional, tend to get
carried away, stubborn,
rebellious
RABBIT 1975, 1987, 1999 Affectionate, obliging,, gallant,
sentimental, superficial
DRAGON 1964, 1976, 1988 Fun-loving, popular,
perfectionist, gifted, may
sometimes be tactless
SNAKE 1965, 1977, 1989 Sagacious3, charming, intuitive,
stingy, inclined to procrastinate4
1
Using situations for own benefits
2
Too patriotic
3
wise
4
Delay doing something
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HORSE 1966, 1978, 1990 Diligent, independent, placid5,
friendly, can be selfish and
cunning
GOAT 1967, 1979, 1991 Elegant, artistic, always ready to
complain, plagued6 by worry
MONKEY 1968, 1980, 1992 Witty, magnetic personality, can
be self-seeking7 and distrustful
ROOSTER 1969, 1981, 1993 Industrious, shrewd, decisive,
very extravagant, a flashy8
dresser
DOG 1970, 1982, 1994 Down-to-earth, altruistic,
morose9, sharp-tongued, a fault-
finder
PIG 1971, 1983, 1995 Intellectual, tolerant, naive,
downfall could be desire for
material goods
What advice would you give to the holder of the Masters degree in
economics born in 1982?
Think about your friends and relatives. Do they fit the jobs they have
chosen?
Study your own characteristics. Do they correlate with your own
vision of yourself? Do your characteristics fit the career you have
chosen? If not, may be you should think better about your plans. If you
are still positive about them bear in mind ancient Chinese predictions.
4.1 E. Creative Consolidation
1. Speak about conventional recruitment procedures in our country.

Which of them are mostly successful?
2. Many companies nowadays use extravagant and eccentric ways of

selecting applicants, eg. based on horoscopes or handwriting analysis.
Speak about them.
4.2 Raise the Issue

If you wanted to find out about job opportunities or vacancies at a
large company or international organization, how would you do it?
What are the alternative ways of seeking a job?
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Calm, doesnt easily become excited or angry
6
Troubled, distressed by
7
Wanting to gain advantage for oneself
8
Expensive or impressive
9
gloomy
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4.2 A. Words in Context
1. Tick the word closest in meaning to that of the each boldfaced

word. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out each
words meaning.
arduous (adj) It is not easy to find the very first job; its much
more arduous however to keep it.
Arduous means a. easy b. difficult c. pleasant
cursory (adj) Leah spent a full week studying for the exam,
whereas Joyce gave her textbook only a cursory
review, flipping through the pages an hour before
the test.
Cursory means a. thorough b. hurried c. wordy
dormant (adj) A visit to Puerto Rico reawakened Anitas

dormant interest in Spanish, the language of her
childhood. It paid later because she managed to
find an interesting job, helping to integrate new
Spanish speaking emigrants.
Dormant means a. not active b. irreversible c. growing
emulate (v) If you want to emulate Elvis Presley, fine, my

mother said. But try to match his energy and
warmth onstage not his self-destructiveness.
Emulate means a. admire b. imitate c. submit to
encompass (v) Our professors broad knowledge of economics

encompasses details from ancient period as well
as the latter-day trends.
Encompass means a. suggest b. omit c. include
maudlin (adj) The authors of maudlin soap operas must feel that
they havent done their job unless viewers are
reduced to tears by the end of each show.
Maudlin means a. short b. comical c. overly emotional
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platitude (n) Some conversations are made up entirely of
platitudes: Good to see you. Weve got to get
together sometime. Well, take care.
Platitude means a. good advice b. unoriginal remark c. lie
sordid (adj) Supermarket tabloids sell well because many

people want to know the sordid details of
celebrities addictions and messy divorces.
Sordid means a. proud b. ugly c. natural
stint (n) My stint serving hamburgers and fries at a fast-

food restaurant convinced me that I needed to get
a college degree.
Stint means a. assigned job b. risky undertaking
c. future work
2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the

previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
. Indecent, morally low, corrupt

. To try to equal or surpass, especially by imitation;
imitate
A period of work or service
To include, contain
Inactive, alive but not actively growing, as if asleep
.. Done quickly with little attention to the detail
. Extremely difficult and involving a lot of effort
. A remark that is commonplace or has become
uninteresting through repeated use
Tearfully sentimental; overemotional
3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with
the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
Arduous, stint, encompass, emulate, platitude, maudlin, dormant,

sordid, cursory
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1. Kelvin has many good qualities that I would like to . . But
his abrasive manner is definitely a handicap; he estranges people
because he rejects any ideas that diverge from his own.
2. Ive been working at the daycare center only a week, so this
suggestion may be presumptuous, but I think the centers program
should . activities geared to shy people as well as ones for
gregarious kids.
3. The verses in greeting cards are often far too sentimental. I prefer
humor to such messages.
4. When I visited the art museum, my creative instinct
awakened. Now I have signed up for a course in sculpture.
5. No matter how often Kevin contends that he loves me, Timmy said,
it always sounds perfunctory and insincere because he uses s.
6. After traveling during his . in the Navy, Bob wanted a job that
would let him continue to see the world. He decided to become a long-
distance driver.
7. This morning the mechanic was short of time and gave my car only a
.. inspection. He said that hed check it thoroughly later and
then give me an estimate.
8. After serving a prison term for theft, Charlie is determined to start a
new life and eradicate all traces of his . past.
9. They were city folk and they were not accustomed to the
work on the farm.
4.2 B. Headhunters
What, if anything, do you know about the work of a 'head-hunter?
1. Read the article.

How to Get Headhunted10
For most of us the summer holidays are now just a memory and a
collection of photos carelessly tossed into the back of a drawer or hastily
stuck into an album. But what of the big ideas dreamed up on the beach
and formulated over yet another glass of the local wine? What of your
conviction, so clear at the time, that when you got back you would
finally make the big career change and revolutionize your life?
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Based on the article by J. Ashworth in The Times
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Dont find escape in maudlin sessions about your dashed hopes.
Its time to put into practice dormant talents and turn fantasies into
reality.
But how to make yourself the hottest thing in town? How to turn
yourself into a prospect so irresistible that employers will be tripping
over themselves in their haste to win you over? The answer is to catch
the eye of that most influential and enigmatic of creatures; the head-
hunter.
This needless to say, is much easier said than done. The obvious
solution is to be so good at what you do that your name precedes you.
Become known as a good operator and your name will magically spirit
itself onto the headhunting databases.
Either way, it helps to know your enemy.
Even a cursory inspection shows that their existence is by no
means austere. They live in palatial homes, holiday in far-flung places,
and generally enjoy the most privileged of lifestyles, which many would
like to emulate though few have an opportunity to. Disarmingly, they are
often exceedingly nice. Interpersonal skills rate highly in this game.
Jonathan Evans of Sammons Associates hunts City scalps by day, and
spends his weekends stalking deer. A low profile goes with the territory.
Headhunters must be seen to be totally trustworthy, and naturally run
shy of journalists. This said, the jobs have much in common; digging
around and sounding out leads with friends and associates. The
difference is that a headhunter can pocket in minutes what a scribe might
earn in a year.
In many respects, headhunting is an enviable profession which
encompasses wining and dining, necessitating arduous stints in the
Savoy Grill and other fashionable haunts replete with ubiquitous
platitudes. Holidaying in Barbados or on the Riviera brings headhunters
into contact with still more top executives, generating further juicy
leads.
Stripped of its glamour, headhunting is just another sales job; no
different to selling timeshare or double-glazing. It relies heavily on cold-
calling and holds no guarantees that the money will come in. City
analysts and brokers, endlessly fielding calls, tend to regard headhunters
as a sort of Jurassic fungus. The full fee is paid over only once the
candidate has taken up the new post, and some of the money may be
clawed back if the company is not happy six months down the line. Still,
two or three 'hits' a year is all it takes.
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The big guns of headhunting remain frustratingly out of range from
most eager job-seekers, but one can always play them at their own game.
Miles Broadbent says: 'Find someone who's been headhunted, got the
name of the headhunter, then write to them or ring them, mentioning the
connection. Headhunters react well to a familiar name. Putting your CV
around won't do any harm, but it's better not to write to them cold.'
Positions are more routinely filled via executive selection, which
relies purely on advertising, George Campbell-Johnson, chairman of
CJA, says advertising is far more upfront. CJA charges a flat fee of 27.5
per cent when the candidate accepts and keeps the whole process more
clear-cut. 'It's better to put the money into a good ad than to have a
headhunter go sniping'.
The headhunters disagree. 'An element of judgment is still needed
in deciding whether someone is suitable for the job. We are giving
advice, not just putting bums on seats.'
If you are in a dead-end job and a headhunter suddenly
materializes with an amazing job offer, think before you make a run for
the door. Some companies have taken to using a sordid practice of
employing headhunters to get rid of employees without having to pay
them off. This is known in the trade as reverse headhunting. Flattering it
may be, but the joke could well be on you.
2. Match the words with their definitions.

upfront to praise someone in an insincere way
enigmatic someone employed to copy things in writing,
especially before printing was invented
flatter behaving or talking in a direct and honest way
rate to happen or exist before something or someone
precede an amount of money that you pay to a
professional person for their work which is fixed
and does not change or have anything added to it
profile mysterious and difficult to understand or explain
scribe a very strong belief or opinion
flat fee to judge the quality
claw back a short description that gives important details
about a person, a place
conviction to get back sth that you had lost by working hard
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3. Find words or phrases in the text which match the definitions
below.
Rush; persuade sb to join, agree; attract attention; sb who finds

people with certain skills and experience and persuades them to leave
their present job; mysteriously transfer itself; in one way or another;
very distant; recover sth with difficulty; fight back against someone
using their own methods; a job with low wages and no chance of
progress.
4. Answer the following questions.
- When do we tend to make projects, concerning our future?

- What is a headhunters lifestyle?
- Why do headhunters keep low profile?
- Why is headhunting an enviable profession?
- What kind of job is headhunting in reality, stripped of its glamour?
- What is the profitability of it?
- How to get into a headhunters field of vision?
- Why do chief execs prefer to rely on advertising?
- Are headhunters in complete agreement with this stance?
- What is reverse headhunting?
5. Choose the best answer a, b, c or d. Only one answer is

correct.
The best way to get a good job is to

a. send your name to a head-hunter
b. put your name on to a database
c. be outstanding at your job
d. get to know your rivals.
(Tip: read para 3 very carefully.)
According to the writer, head-hunters
a. cover themselves with a cloak of respectability
b. are rather wary of publicity
c. appear pleasant but are hypocrites
d. are not always reliable financially.
(Tip: What does the phrase run shy of mean?)
The writer implies that, in general, headhunting
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a. is regarded as a necessity by most city businessmen
b. is not actually glamorous
c. is a job for cold and insensitive sales types
d. is a chancy business financially.
(Tip: Is the job ever glamorous? What do we learn about the fees that
they earn?)
To catch the attention of a head-hunter, you should
a. make sure they connect your name with that of someone they already
know
b. get some information from a friend, then write a warm letter,
enclosing a CV
c. find out which of your friends has been head-hunted and contact them
d. use a friend who has been head-hunted as a go-between
(Tip: Who is them in .its better not to write to them cold?)
If a head-hunter offers you a job, you should
a. make certain that the head-hunter will actually be paid by the
company
b. make sure that you are not stealing someone elses job
c. check the offer is not just meant as a piece of flattery
d. ensure that its not a way of removing you from the present post.
(Tip: Who is them in .to get rid of employees without having to pay
them off?)
6. Answer the questions and summarize your findings in written

form.
- What is the article about? What is its topic?

- What does the writer have to say on this theme? What is the main idea?
Is it stated by the writer or inferred?
- What arguments does the writer bring to prove his standpoint?
- Does he refer only to positive sides or does he mention any negative
aspects of this career?
- What pieces of advice does he give to the reader seeking employment?
4.2 C. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas.
Why do we plunge into projecting about our future only during the
holidays?
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The author states that to catch the eye of the headhunter is much
easier said than done. Why is it difficult to become the hottest thing in
town?
Is headhunting wide-spread in Russia? Specialists of what professions
are usually targeted by them?
The author claims that headhunting is an enviable profession. Would
you dream of joining the ranks of these recruitment officers?
What kind of personality do you need to be to win a success as a
headhunter? What qualities are absolutely essential for a prosperous
headhunter? Name at least five of them in order of precedence. What
traits of character are absolutely incompatible with this occupation?
Think of five of them, making the list of priorities starting from the least
desirable.
4.2 D. Watching and Listening
Successful People and Companies11

How important are the following attributes in helping someone to be

successful in their career?
Very important Important Not important Not relevant
A practical mind
Ability to express yourself
Ability to work fast
Being good at giving orders
Accepting responsibility
Being good with figures
Concentration
Experience
Good education
Physical and mental toughness
Good social background
Ability to delegate
Ability to write well
Being good at flattery
Ambition
Being good with people
Good connections
Popularity with colleagues
Patience
Ruthlessness
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David Cotton, David Falvey, Simon Kent. Market Leader, Financial Times, Pearson Education Ltd, 2001.
16
Willingness to take risks
Reasonability
Which of these attributes do you have yourself?
2. Sally Muggeridge is Management Development Director at

Pearson plc.
a. Listen to the first part of the interview and take notes about what
makes a successful business person.
b. Listen to the second part of the interview and make notes about
what makes a successful company.
Successful business people Successful companies
Use your notes, and any other ideas of your own, to write a short
article for a business magazine entitled either a) Successful business
people or b) successful companies.
4.2 E. Vocabulary in Focus
1. Use the following idioms in the correct form in these

situations.
Lift a finger, have your hands full, burn the candle at both ends, on
my feet, at a loose end, twiddle my thumbs, up to my eyes, enough on
my plate
1. Youre late. Did you miss the train? Yes, I didnt leave the office till
six. Im in work at the moment.
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2. How was your first day at work? Really boring. I had nothing to do.
I just sat at my desk .. .
3. Bill wants to know if you can spend some time training the new
secretary. Im afraid I havent got a minute I cant. Ive already got
.
4. You look tired. Are you OK? Yes, I just need to get to bed earlier.
Ive been . recently late nights and early starts.
5. Come in. Sit down, make yourself at home. Thanks. I need a rest.
Ive been all day.
6. So, Im going to spend the whole weekend painting the outside of the
house. Do you want some help? My boyfriends away so Im
.. this weekend.
7. Do you and Paul share the cooking and cleaning? You must be
joking. He never .. !
8. My sisters three children are coming to stay with me this weekend.
You will . Rather you than me!
2. Connotation. Words do not only have meanings, they also have

associations.12 Can you match the colors with their connotations in
English? Are they the same in Russian?
1. blue purity
2. green evil
3. yellow miserable
4. red inexperienced
5. white danger
6. black a coward
Which of these things have lucky connotations in British English?
Horseshoe, mascot, the number 13
12
Connotations used in journalism may be quite short-lived. The phrase The
Iron Lady, used to refer to Mrs Thatcher when she was Prime Minister of Britain,
lost any strong associations for most people after she left office.
Sometimes connotations are not the same for different nations and even for
geographical variants of one language. Black cats, for example have associations
with good luck in Britain and bad luck in the USA.
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3. Aspects of employment
Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the correct word.
You will not need all the words.
Backlog, DIY, fire, flexitime, freelance, gift, merger, overload,

overtime, petty cash, redundancy package, retirement, pension,
self-employed, shift-work, the dole, trade union, workforce,
workload
1. He received quite a nicewhen the company downsized its

workforce.
2. I wasnt surprised when Jo got the sack. She was caught pilfering
from the...
3. Tony is a editor, which means he can accept or turn down
work as he likes.
4. He took on a huge..when the firm expanded and hasnt had a
weekend off for ages.
5. The government has introduced measures to get youngsters off
and back to work.
6. There has been a between Centrolux and Apex which makes
the new company the largest in Europe.
7. Many people work long and hard to build a decent for
their old age.
8. The firm instituted health guidelines for the whole.., men and
women alike.
9. The staff put in many hours .. to catch up on the that
had built up during the dispute.
10. Dave is joining a so that he can get some backing if he
ever has a grievance against the company.
4. Common work-related expressions
Replace the phrases in italics below with a suitable idiom or

expression in the right form. You will not need to use all the phrases.
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Appoint sb to a post/situation/position; take sb on; take up a new
post; turn sb down for a job; show sb the ropes; get a foot on the
ladder; be a dogsbody; pass sb over for the promotion; give/ hand
in one's notice; give sb the sack; get the push/ ones marching
orders; make a (takeover)bid; tender for a contract; a breach of a
contract; enter into negotiations; drive a (hard) bargain; corner a
market (in sth); be within/outside ones field; be in the red/ in the
black; pull the rank
1. As it is your first day at work I will give you an idea of the basics.
2. We were making a loss but due to an increase in sales we have
money in the bank.
3. After a six-week strike, the workers have started talks to solve the
dispute with the management.
4. Bob is in a junior post but once he is in a position from which he can
progress upwards through the company he will reach the top.
5. I cannot comment on that issue as it is not connected with my area of
work.
6. John is going to start a new job in September.
7. Simon hates his job because he has to do all the jobs nobody else
wants to do.
8. Gemma expected to be promoted to manager but she was ignored
and not given the position.
9. The suppliers failed to deliver the parts on time and were accused of
not complying with what they had originally agreed.
10. When I disagreed with the supervisor she used her authority
unfairly to make me do as she wanted.
4.2 F. Creative Consolidation
1. Case-Study
George and Karen Tompson are higher achievers in their early 30s.
Both have very good jobs, but in different companies. George, who is an
audit manager for an international firm of accountants, has just been
offered an expatriate posting in China for two years, which he feels is
essential for his career development. Karen, who is an investment
analyst in an American bank in London, is also career-minded. What are
their options? What would you do in their position?
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2. Project-Making
Differences in pay levels between the two companies in a merger can

cause problems, the discrepancy can be even wider if they are situated in
different countries. Imagine you are members of the Human Resources
departments of the two companies. Suggest some solutions.
3. Study different job advertisements.
a) Write your own one advertising a vacancy of
executive secretary, managing the final year of a major academic

project in a leading business school;
marketing services assistant;
sales manager;
sports goods wholesaler;
crisis management consultant.
b) Write a covering letter for a job application.
The key objective of a covering letter is to inform the prospective

employer of your interest in and suitability for the job. In the
letter, you will need to make yourself look professional, build
goodwill and offer a glimpse of your personality.
4.3 Raise the Issue

What is your burning ambition which you hope to achieve?
Do you have at least one unfulfilled ambition?
1. Fill in the following expressions in the dialogue below. You

might need them to speak about your plans.
21
rising stars the worlds your oyster13
burning ambition going up in the world
up and coming hungry for success
the skys limit high flier
1. Ive always had one . And whats that? To climb

Mount Everest.
2. Whats the pay like in your company? Well, if you work hard and
youre good at selling, .
3. He used to sleep on the floor of a friends flat and now he owns a
chain of hotels. Thats what I call .
4. Barbaras only young but I think she is going to do well here. Youre
right. Shes definitely one of the . .
5. You play football well, dont you? Has your team won anything this
season? No but next year will be better. Weve got some
young players who are .
6. Brians going to be difficult to replace. I dont know whether we want
someone young with lots of fresh ideas or someone a bit older with lots
of experience. Well, for what its worth. I dont think we want a young
. Who leaves in a years time. We want someone who is
still going to be around in 5 years time.
7. What made you choose to do computing at university? Well, once
youve got your degree, you can get a job almost anywhere you want. -
.. .
4. 3 A. Words in Context

words meaning.
adroit (adj) Trina is an adroit sales representative; she can

convince anyone on the phone, and she can get her
foot in any door.
Adroit means a. impulsive b. expert c. unselective
13
Today oysters are expensive and few people eat them, but hundred years ago, they were eaten by everyone. They
were one of the commonest forms of seafood. The idiom the worlds your oyster is hundreds of years old. A
character in a Shakespeare play says: The worlds mine oyster, which I, with sword, will open. In other words, he will
conquer the world. If you remember what an oyster is, it might help you remember the idiom.
22
antithesis (n) Paulines idea of future is the antithesis of mine: I
aspire for vibrant eventful career in show business
whereas she dreams about accountancy.
Antithesis means a. the reverse b. superior c. imitation
confer (v) The University conferred an honorary doctorate

on her.
Confer means a. take b. give c. read
contrite (adj) Judges are often more lenient with offenders who
truly regret their crimes. A criminal who seems
genuinely contrite may get a shorter sentence.
Contrite means a. angry b. confused c. sorry
decorum (n) Because of Thomass sense of decorum, he felt

outraged when he learned that a new hire violated
rules of decent behaviour.
Decorum means a. difficulty b. beauty c. proper conduct
fabricate (v) When she handed in her term paper late, Diane
fabricated a story that her computer had crashed.
The truth is that she doesnt even work on a
computer.
Fabricate means a. avoid b. prove c. invent
incongruous (adj) It wasnt really incongruous for a former general

to join the peace movement. He had seen the
horrors of war.
Incongruous means a. contradictory b. unnecessary c. secret
inflate (v) He makes his living selling soft drinks to summer

tourists; he inflates the prices and charges 25$ for
a Cola, which is certainly daylight robbery.
Inflate means a. increase b. low c. keep the same
mediocre (adj) He is neither good nor bad, just a mediocre

player; so he will find it hard to keep his place on
the team.
Mediocre means a. so-so b. bad c. good
23
pinnacle (n) Many people say that the plays of William
Shakespeare represent the pinnacle of English
drama.
Pinnacle means a. topmost point b. starting point c. end
plight (n) Everyone is greatly concerned about the plight of

the hostages. We are not even certain they are still
alive.
Plight means a. leadership b. unfortunate situation c. idea
tenacious (adj) My aunts tenacious determination to prosper may
have become the main contributing factor for her
winning career.
Tenacious means a. weak b. slow c. grasping strongly
tenuous (adj) Del was opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment,

but his position seemed tenuous. He couldnt
support it with any facts, and his logic was very
weak.
Tenuous means a. shaky b. easy c. established

Out of place, having parts that are not in harmony or

that are inconsistent
.. Holding firmly; persistent; stubborn
.. A peak of achievement
. Not up to the scratch; nothing special, second-rate
. To give an authority, a legal right, an honour; to discuss
something in order to reach a decision
. A situation marked by difficulty, hardship or misfortune
. To make up a story in order to deceive; invent a lie
The exact opposite
Make something (number, price) higher than it should
be
.. Having little substance or basis; weak; poorly supported
Skillful and clever under challenging conditions
Correctness in behaviour and manners; standards or
conventions of socially acceptable behaviour
24
Truly sorry for having done wrong; repentant
Antithesis, pinnacle, tenuous, incongruous, decorum, fabricate,

inflate, confer, tenacious, contrite, plight, adroit, mediocre
1. Dolores was especially . that her late coming nearly ruined

negotiations.
2. When the evidence does not validate their theories, scrupulous
researchers will report this honestly. But less conscientious researchers
will flout scientific ethics and . fake results to appear to
prove their theories.
3. Davids outfit seems . for the rigid dress-code of the
bank. Nobody though dares to reprimand him. He is on the board of
directors.
4. Robin felt that being elected class president was the of her
college years. Her parents, though, wish that she had thought of her
personal best more in terms of academic achievement.
5. Greta was so at mechanical drawing in high school that I
wasnt surprised to hear shed reached the zenith of success as an
architect.
6. Andy is the . of Randy: the former being free-spirited and the
latter timid and cautious. However they work successfully together
complementing each other.
7. Foreign Service officers must observe strict rules of conduct. If their
behaviour violates , their government may have to extricate
itself from a diplomatic mass.
8. The of the unemployed can be radically changed by creating
jobs for them.
9. The infringement of ethics can entail serious repercussions for the
career from making it to terminating it completely.
10. My father has a .. belief in global good will. Even his own
sordid experience hasnt changed him.
11. A share (s) certain rights on the person who holds it.
12. Our egos were already ..(d) by success.
13. We have no room here for . performers.
25
4.3 B. Inflated Qualifications
Its not easy to land a job. You should certainly present yourself to
the best advantage both in CV and at the interview. What can be done
if you dont have much experience? However, you should remember
the rules of ethics.
Ethics: Are Inflated Qualifications Worth the Risk
Job candidates are expected to highlight their strengths and

minimize their weaknesses when they present their qualifications in
resumes and interviews. But some candidates violate rules of decorum
stepping over the line that separates honest self-marketing from
deceptive half-truths and flat-out lies. A study by an independent
investigative firm revealed that out of 200 applicants, 30 percent trying
to assume more alluring image incorrectly reported dates of employment
and 11 percent misrepresented their reasons for leaving a previous job. A
more damaging survey in Industry Week showed that in the attempt to
bolster their tenuous work experience, more than two thirds of
candidates fabricate fraudulent job histories and 30 percent of checked
resumes contained untruthful statements about educational status. And a
study of college students found that 95 percent aspiring to achieve the
pinnacle as quickly as possible are willing to give at least one false
statement to get a job.
No matter how tenacious your determination to get a job is,
distorting facts on a resume or in an interview is incongruous with
ethics. Lying is illegal and it can destroy a career. At one of the top
accounting firms, the human resources director said, If we find a
discrepancy in educational status or prior experience due to an honest
mistake, we meet with the new hire to hear an explanation. But if it
wasnt a mistake his plight is macabre, we terminate the person
immediately. Unfortunately weve had to do that too often.
Many consider themselves adroit in different deceptive schemes
and do not feel contrite about using them.
26
No job seeker however wants to be in the unhappy position of
explaining or defending misrepresentation. Avoiding the following
common problems can keep you off the hot seat.
Inflated education grades, or honors. Some job candidates claim
degrees from colleges and universities when in fact they merely attended
classes. Others increase their grade-point averages or claim fictitious
honors. Any such dishonest reporting is grounds for dismissal when
discovered.
Enhanced job titles. Not wishing to look just as mediocre and to
elevate their status, some applicants misrepresent their titles. For
example, one technician called himself a programmer when he had
actually programmed only one project for his boss. A mail clerk who
assumed added responsibilities conferred upon herself the title of
supervisor. Even when the description seems accurate, its unethical to
list any title not officially grated. If you feel that a job title inaccurately
describes your real duties, check with your supervisor to see if you could
use a better title.
Puffed-up accomplishments. Some job seekers inflate their
employment experience or achievements, the result may be the striking
antithesis to their expectations. One clerk, eager to make her
photocopying duties sound more important, said that she assisted the
vice president in communicating and distributing employee directives.
An Ivy League graduate who spent the better part of six months
watching rented videos on his VCR described the activity as
Independent Film Study. The latter statement helped win an interview,
but it lost him the job. In addition, guard against taking sole credit for
achievements that required many people.
Altered employment dates. Some candidates extend the dates of
employment to hide unimpressive jobs or to cover periods of
unemployment and illness. Lets say that several years ago Cindy was
unemployed for fourteen months between working for company A and
being hired by company B. To improve her employment history, she
adds seven months to her tenure with company A and seven months to
company B. Now her history has no gaps. But she has laid a potential
trap for herself.
Today more than ever, you want to be accurate in making
statements describing your qualifications. Thats because hiring
companies are no longer casual in checking candidates backgrounds.
Employers cant afford the costs of negligent-hiring lawsuits, rapid
27
turnover, workplace violence, fraud, and lost productivity resulting from
bad hiring. It pays them to engage independent investigating firms who
thoroughly check facts with previous employers and your references.
Giving deceptive information to potential employers can endanger
your entire employment future. If your honest qualifications arent good
enough to get you a job you want, start working now to improve them.
2. Match the following words from the article with their

definitions.
elevate achievement
terminate difference
bolster gloomy
accomplishment raise
tenure deceptive
fraudulent do away with
discrepancy term of office
macabre force
3.Explain the meaning of the following words and word

combinations from the text.
Violate rules; assume more alluring image; misrepresent; increase

their grade-point averages; claim fictitious honors; guard against; lay a
potential trap; it pays them.
- What is the difference between honest self-marketing and deception?

- Where could university students go wrong in preparing resumes or in
interviewing?
- Is a new employee home free when inflated statements are not
caught in the selection or interviewing process?
5. Over to you.
What are some examples from your experience?

How do you feel about signing a release statement allowing a hiring
organization to investigate your background?
28
How can candidates improve their qualifications so that they dont feel
the necessity to puff up?
Motivating Factors
How important is job satisfaction to you?
What might be the most satisfying job for you? Even in the most
suitable job there are certain things that are not pleasant. What do you
think they might be in your case? How are you going to mitigate
negative impressions?
1. What are the most important motivating factors for you?

Very important Important Not important Not relevant
Being popular with
colleagues
Being part of a team
Being promoted
Challenge
Giving advice
Increased responsibility
Learning new things
Personal freedom
Security
Making your own projects
Status
Being praised by superiors
Being successful
Exercising power
Helping others
Influencing people
Making money
Seeing the results of your
actions
Working conditions
Respect
Creativity
Flexible time-table
Traveling
Listen to the tape14.Andrew Oswald is Professor of Economics at

Warwick University, UK, and specializes in research into job
satisfaction.
14
David Cotton, David Falvey, Simon Kent. Market Leader, Financial Times, Pearson Education Ltd, 2001.
29
Before you listen. Which groups of workers below do you think
he will say are most satisfied and which are least satisfied?
Women
The highly paid
Those with promotion opportunities
The self-employed
Those who work long hours
Those in large workplaces
Those without job security
Those who commute long distances
The Swiss
Americans
Eastern Europeans
The Japanese
After you listen. Which three factors does he say are the most
motivating at work?
Which of the statements are true and which are false, according to
Andrew?
Job insecurity is rising.

The average length of a job is similar to what it was a decade or two
ago.
Commuting time has a significant impact on job satisfaction.
Have you changed your point of view after you have listened to the
report?
4.3 D. Vocabulary in Focus
1. Complete the expressions below using these verbs:
Leave, stop, move, get, pull (2), set (2)
a. . heaven and earth

b. . your socks up
c. . her heart on
d. . no stone unturned
e. . your sights on something
30
f. . out all the stops
g. . at nothing
h. . left behind
2. Use the expressions in these sentences.
1. Look, our customer needs the parts in Jakarta by Wednesday this

week. I dont care what it costs. We cant afford to lose him. You have
my permission to .. to get these parts out there.
2. The police said that they were confident of finding the escaped
prisoners and would until every one of them was back
under lock and key.
3. If you dont update your computer skills now, you will .. .
4. If you want to be successful, aim for the top - .. on a gold
medal.
5. Jack is ruthless. He stabbed Andrew in the back, and reported Jill for
being late. Hes determined to become Area Manager. He will
. until he gets the job.
6. My sister doesnt want to go to university. Shes
becoming a top actress.
7. Now look, son if you dont . , you will end up in a
dead-end job, riding a bike when all your friends are in Mercs.
3. Use the words from the box to complete each sentence.
Rapport, opposite number, originality and creativity, hard sell 15,

hierarchical, team work, overworked and underpaid, pecking order,
stuck behind a desk
1. Quite often people think that they are .., so they have a good
excuse not to do their job properly. They reiterate that they would work
better if their workload were not so heavy. Though its only obvious that
they are just either unqualified or simply unfit for the job. Or do you
think they dont perform their duties on purpose?
2. Most organizations have a . or pyramidal structure, with one
person or a group of people at the top, and an increasing number of
people below them at each successive level.
15
Attempt to sell something by being very forceful
31
3. Last month we got a new boss, who quickly established a good
.. with everyone in the office.
4. Japanese firms usually have . for every promotion or
benefit.
5. Meg is an economist; however she doesnt think she is . She
asserts that there is a lot of variety in her job.
6. Phillip has the same responsibilities as I do. He is my in
our companys New York office.
7. John quitted his job in telemarketing 16 because notwithstanding
glamorous image it included cold-calling17, . and inertia
selling18.
8. Though the work of the ad-maker involves a lot of . quite
often even he is snowed down with admin and paperwork.
9. .. can be as rewarding and stimulating as working on your
own.
1. Case Study
How are you going to motivate people with the following

positions?
a bus driver in a big city, who has to work irregular hours, including
early morning, evening, and night shifts;
a nurse who works with seriously ill children;
a sales representative for pharmaceutical company, who visits
hospitals and doctors;
a manual worker in the printing house;
a shepherd
2. Project-Making
You are a consultant specializing in economic and political fields. You

have been asked by a client, a European computer manufacturer, to
summarize in a report the difficulties and challenges of setting up a
16
Selling or marketing goods and services by phone
17
Phoning people who have not requested a call in order to try to sell them something
18
When a company behaves as if you agreed to buy something because you did not actually refuse it.
32
production operation in one of the following countries: Columbia,
Russia, Uzbekistan. Choose one and write a report.
3. Write an article about incongruity of many modern recruiters

advertisements seeking young graduates with working experience in
the chosen sphere let alone managerial expertise.
4. Write an essay, developing one of the following theses.
People dislike work and avoid it if they can.

Work is necessary to peoples psychological well-being.
People avoid responsibility and would rather be told what to do.
People are motivated mainly by money.
Most people are far more creative and ingenious than their employers
realize.
4.4 Raise the Issue

What do you know about different work-patterns?
1. Replace the underlined words by more formal and more

appropriate ones, given in the right hand column.
1. Most of the day Bret has to do routine a. clock in and out

tasks, meeting deadlines. Moreover his b. be on flexi-time
heavy workload quite often keeps him late, c. shift
so the hours do not enable him to have a d. be self-employed
normal social life. e. work freelance
2. Norma can come in at any time from 8 till f. irregular and
10 oclock, but her core hours are 10.00 to antisocial
12.00 and 2.00 to 4.00. g. do a job-share
3. Rosemary and I have a 50% contract for h. be a teleworker
the same job. It suits us both as we each
have children to look after.
4. Rob works fixed hours; he has a nine-to-
five job. He has to use an electronic card to
record the time he arrives and leaves each
day.
5. Dug is an assembly-line worker. Each
33
week he works different times; every third
week he works nights.
6. Christine is a journalist. However she is
not on the pay-roll of any particular
newspaper. She writes for different editions.
7. Rick has his own company.
8. Archie doesnt go to his office at all. He
works from home with his computer.

words meaning.
bolster (v) When Lisa was in hospital, visits from her friends
bolstered her spirits.
Bolster means a. reach b. replace c. support
collaborate (v) Several members of the staff collaborated on the

project, sharing their knowledge and skills.
Collaborate means a. compete b. stop work c. team up
corroborate (v) You claim you were at a soccer game when the
crime was committed. Can anyone corroborate
your story?
Corroborate means a. question b. confirm c. understand
espouse (v) People who espouse animals rights often find

themselves in conflict with scientists who argue
for the use of animals in medical experiments.
Espouse means a. speak for b. argue against c. study
irreparable (adj) After earthquake, some houses that were still

standing nevertheless had to be completely
destroyed; the damage to them was irreparable.
Irreparable means a. untrue b. not able to be fixed c. unnatural
34
juxtapose (v) In plays and movies, good and evil characters are
often juxtaposed This contrast makes the
good ones seem even better and the bad ones seem
even worse.
Juxtapose means a. cover up b. put side by side c. replace
liaison (n) Because she is bilingual, Elsa often serves as a

liaison between the Spanish and English-speaking
personnel in her office.
Liaison means a. follower b. caregiver c. link
morale (n) The workers morale was so low that they

constantly complained about the job. Only going
home could cheer them up.
Morale means a. spirit b. pay c. sense of right
regress (v) Adolescents under stress sometimes regress to

childish ways: dependency, temper tantrums, and
silliness.
Regress means a. go backward b. reach a high point
c. act hastily
sedentary (adj) People in sedentary occupations, such as bus
drivers, writers, accountants, need to make a
special effort to exercise.
Sedentary means a. involving much walking b. involving stress
c. involving much sitting
turbulent (adj) The turbulent air made the plane rock so wildly
that passengers felt as if they were on a roller
coaster.
Turbulent means a. violent b. distant c. unusual

A person who serves as a connection between

individuals or groups, a go-between
To support, argue for, or adopt (an idea or cause)
35
. Marked by much sitting; requiring or taking little
exercise
Not able to be repaired or remedied
To work together on a project; cooperate in an effort
Full of wild disorder or wildly irregular motion,
violently disturbed
.. To hold up, strengthen, or reinforce; support with a rigid
object
. State of mind with respect to confidence and
enthusiasm; spirit
To return to an earlier, generally worse, condition or
behaviour
To place close together, especially in order to compare
or contrast
. To support, strengthen with further evidence, provide
proof of
Collaborate, morale, regress, juxtapose, irreparable, sedentary, liaison,

turbulent, espouse, bolster, corroborate
1. I am afraid I cant .. Todds claim that he has never been in

trouble with the law. The fact is that he has been in jail several times.
2. Serving time in prison leaves a stigma that can do .. harm to
someones ability to find a job. Ex-convicts who try to redeem
themselves may find that any attempt to get honest work is impeded by
their record.
3. The photograph dramatically (d) white birch trees and grey
sky.
4. The information about the firm I found in the net (d). my
determination to fill the vacancy in it.
5. When my friend and I were asked to on an article for the
journal, we found it difficult to work together.
6. Some politicians . whatever ideas they think will win them
votes.
36
7. The woman wasnt permitted to visit her husband, a political prisoner,
so it gave her some solace to have a minister act as a between
them.
8. Dad was a constructive worker, but as soon as he reached 60 though
still robust as ever his company relegated him to a .. desk
job.
9. Many people call the years of perestroika referring to
their vigor, pace and eventfulness.
10. People in bombed-out, war-torn cities sometimes to
more primitive ways of life.
11. The employees quickly fell when they learned that
some of the companys earnings were put into a business that was not
legitimate and that was being investigated by the police.
4.4 B. Working Environment
What is the most suitable working environment for you?

What is a dream-office for you?
What are the advantages of working at home? Can you name any
disadvantages of such a working pattern?
New Century, New Office19
At the end of the nineteenth century, nearly 90 per cent of

Americans were self-employed. The twentieth-century industrial
revolution gave rise to the transition from farms to factories. Now the
cyber revolution is bringing jobs and family back together.
Computers and electronic communications are allowing many
people to use their homes as offices.
Currently, the fastest growing workforce is home-based. The
advertisements for telework, juxtaposing rat race of the conventional
19
Based on Anne Dwyer Skills for Business English: The Open-Collar Worker,
DELTA Publishing, Surrey, UK, 2001; David Cotton, David Falvey, Simon Kent,
Market Leader/Robert Dunbar, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of the
Language: Hard Sell around the Photocopier, Pearson Education Limited, Essex,
UK, 2001; The Eternal Coffee Break, the Economist.
37
employment and relaxed atmosphere of home office, have become
familiar: picture a house with a swimming pool; at a table by the pool
sits our teleworker with a laptop computer, cell phone and a case of files.
No more traffic jams; no more clocking in, this is a technological
revolution, this is a new way of life.
Sociologists however point out that the reality is often a far cry
from this blissful scene. The majority of teleworkers or telecommuters
(or open-collar workers as they are also called) do not spend their day
working in a relaxed manner by the pool. Indeed, the working conditions
of open-collar workers are frequently far from optimal. Many have their
office set up in a bedroom or in a specially designed cupboard which
opens out into a pseudo-office.
Open-collar workers are often more productive at the expense of
working long-hours. They can become workaholics, frequently putting
in 60 to 80 hours a week. Many do not take holidays for fear of missing
out on that big job.
Loneliness and a lack of self-pride are two other factors
psychologists say affect the open-collar worker. Sedentary style becomes
prevailing, while turbulent and vigorous pace of life loses its reality. The
absence of daily interaction with colleagues and face-to-face liaison with
the like-minded produces a feeling of isolation. The need to adhere to
office dress code is no longer there and whilst this seems liberating
initially, working in pyjamas all day long can be dangerous from the
psychological point of view.
The danger however can be mitigated by combining telework with
workshops. So quite often firms headquarters are now in smallish
offices used for meetings, get-togethers and customer demonstrations.
As a result, companies say, their overheads have fallen 30 per cent, staff
are more productive and morale is higher.
Many scientists studying the patterns of office work espouse the
idea that even if telework doesnt replace the conventional office
completely, technology, better communications, rising inner-city land
costs (once today's property bust is over) and the trials of commuting
will prompt more workers to split time between a central office, a
computer-equipped home office and perhaps a satellite office in a
suburban business park.
Even those few workers based at the central office will be more
mobile, moving between different work stations as their tasks change,
taking their mobile telephones with them. This will cut the amount of
38
wasted office space. It will also bolster communications between
employees, by pushing them out of the tight and unchanging circle of
people who sit nearby.
The central office will become mainly a place where workers from
satellite and home-based offices meet to discuss ideas and to reaffirm
their loyalty to fellow employees and the company. This will require
new thoughts about the layout of office buildings.
Now, spaces for copying machines, coffee rooms, meetings and
reception areas usually come second to the offices in which people
spend most of the day working. These common areas will be gradually
becoming the heart of an office. Many central offices will come to
resemble a hotel lobby or somebody's home - a disturbing thought, that,
for people who find in the calm of the office a refuge from the rigours of
family life.
Managers will also have to abandon their long-cherished notion
that a productive employee is an employee that can be seen. Appearing
on time and looking busy will soon become irrelevant. Technology and
new patterns of office use will make companies judge people by what
they do, not by where they spend their time.
That does not mean the end of the office, just its transformation
into a social centre. It was corroborated by Thomas Alien, a professor of
management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who studied
communication patterns between people, in the admittedly artificial
environment of research laboratories. His less-than-startling conclusion
is that people talk to each other more when they work in close proximity.
Quite often after moving into purpose-built accommodation
companies start to regress showing meager or no improve of the
quantitative or qualitative indices. It turned out that when the architects
were designing the new building, they decided that the coffee room
where everyone ate their sandwiches at lunch times was an unnecessary
luxury and so dispensed with it The logic seemed that if people were
encouraged to eat sandwiches at their desks, then they were more likely
to get on with their work and less likely to idle time away. And with that,
they inadvertently inflicted irreparable harm to the intimate social
networks that empowered the whole organization. As while people
gathered informally over their sandwiches in the coffee room useful
snippets of information were casually being exchanged. Difficult
problems were discussed and casual comments sparked the idea for a
solution. It stimulated collaboration.
39
The bottom line seems evident. If offices never disappear entirely
they may become like home. Though home should never completely
substitute the office.
2. Explain the meaning of the following words from the article.
Give rise to, rat race, a far cry from, at the expense of, for fear of,
vigorous, the like-minded, mitigate, overheads, to reaffirm their loyalty
to, to find a refuge from, less-than-startling, to idle time away, to spark
the idea, substitute.

explanation.
abandon the problems of a difficult situation

transition being used or available for a long time and considered a
usual type
blissful small
meager nearness in distance or time
rigour change
proximity get rid of
conventional happy
4. The points below are discussed in the article. Look quickly

through the article and decide what order they appear in.
new office designs

central and satellite offices
individual work and isolation
office productivity and automation
the central office as a meeting place
office layout and communication
5. Read the article and decide whether the statements below are
true or false.
In the future more people will work at home.

The writer advocates a more comfortable working environment.
40
The writer suggests that land prices in urban areas will tend to
decrease in the future.
Most present-day offices were designed with inter-staff communi-
cation in mind.
Common areas will be phased out in favour of more comfortable
offices.
Increased communication between different groups is expected to
result in a faster discovery rate.
- What sort of workers is called open-collar? Why?

- What is the danger of working in a relaxed atmosphere of home office?
- How has automation affected office productivity over the last decade?
- What are the main drawbacks of traditional office layouts?
- What is likely to be the main function of the central office in the
future?
- How are the new office designs likely to affect communication
between workers?
7. For discussion.
Do you think that many of the ideas promoted by the writer are likely
to become commonplace in the future?
Which do you find the most appealing?
What do you dislike about your own working/studying environment?
How could you improve it?
Competition and Communication20
20
Based on Ian MacKenzie. English for Business Studies. Cambridge University Press, UK, 2002.
41
Jared Diamond is the author of Guns, Germs, and Steel: A Short
History of Everybody for the last 13,000 Years, in which he
investigates why human history evolved differently on different
continents.
You will hear a short extract from a talk by Professor Diamond
called How to get rich, in which, drawing on the history of human
societies, he makes a suggestion concerning the best way to organize
business.
1. Match the words with their definitions.
1. industrial belt a. a companys ways of working and

thinking
2. corporate ethos b. alone, placed in a position away from
others
3. collaboration c. an area with lots of industrial companies,
around the edge of a city
4. insulated or isolated d. breaking something up into pieces
5. fragmentation e. working together and sharing ideas
2. Which of these do the part sentences 1-8 refer to?
Route Silicon IBM Microsoft

128 valley
1. Has lots of companies that are
secretive, and dont communicate
with each other
2. Has lots of companies that
compete with each other but
communicate ideas
3. Has always had lots of semi-
independent units competing
within the same company, while
communicating with each other
4. is organized in an unusual but
very effective way
5. Is currently the center of
innovation
42
6. Used to have insulated groups
that did not communicate with
each other
7. Used to lead the industrial
world in scientific creativity and
imagination
8. Was very successful, and is now
innovative again because it
changed the way it was organized
3. What is your idea of the best organization of business?
4.4 D. Vocabulary in Focus
1. Complete the dialogues using the following idiomatic expressions.
Its been dead all day. I can fit you in on Thursday.

Im tied up till after lunch. Its been one thing after another.
Ive been on the go all day. Weve been rushed off our feet!
1. Everythings gone wrong today, hasnt it? Yes.. .

2. Shall we go for a drink after work? No, thanks. Im tired.
.. .
3. So, is Wednesday a good day for you? - No, but . .
4. Have you had many customers today? No, .. .
5. Youve had a lot of customers in this morning, havent you? Yes,
.
6. Can I talk to you about a problem thats just come up? Sorry,
.. .
2. Use the following expressions in the sentences below.
a steady job a short-list

in the pipeline the top of the tree
a dead-end job a new branch
43
1. Imagine just putting letters in envelopes all day. What a
!
2. Its going to be a busy years for us. Weve got two major projects
to finish and an even bigger one . .
3. Marks and Spencers are opening in town next
summer.
4. I just had a really good job interview. Im on . of
five.
5. Where is there to go once youve reached ..?
6. A lot of people are happy with .. even if it is not
very interesting. The main thing is the security it offers.
3. Use expressions from the box in the correct form in the

following situations, connected with climbing the career ladder.
Breathe down my neck, land a great job, find your feet, hold a job
down, standing in for him, take on staff, climb the career ladder, go
over his head
1. Do you think its worth me doing a part-time MBA? Its a lot of

work. It depends how much you want to ..
2. My new jobs OK but there are lots of things Im still not used to.
Thats normal. It always takes a few months before you really

3. I suppose your busiest time is around Christmas, isnt it? Yes, we
always .. extra . just for that period.
4. Are you working late again tonight? Im afraid so. Peters
for last months sales figures.
5. Im going to have a word with Jack and try to change my holidays.
Jacks on a coarse this week and Marie is . , so youd
better wait till he gets back. You know what she is like!
6. You know Franks not going to put your idea on the agenda for
tomorrows meeting, dont you? Isnt he? In that case Ill have to
and talk to his head of department.
7. I bumped into Paul last week. Hes just started a new job selling
insurance. I wonder how long thatll last. He cant .. for
longer than six months.
8. Wheres Andrew working nowadays? Havent you heard? Hes
just ..a great .. with that new American bank
44
in the City.
4. Read the text below. It is part of the introduction to a report.

The report has been prepared by a company which is considering
employing a team of specialists to reduce accident and sickness rates
in the company. For each gap (1-10), write one appropriate word.
Concern has been expressed at various levels in our company at the

rate of absenteeism (1).. to injury and ill health in our
company, which is well above the industry average. Accidents can be
caused by the lack of appropriate protective clothing such as helmets
and safety glasses, as well as by other factors. The Employers
Federation has suggested that we have an ergonomic audit to ascertain
the causes and apply solutions.
Ergonomics is a science (2) is concerned with physical
and environmental conditions of work and (3) .. these
conditions can be improved. Ergonomists study how people do their
work. In other words, they analyze the physical relationship (4)
. a person and the machine or tool he or she is working with,
the movements and body position used, the design and layout of an
office or work station, the lightning and environmental conditions, and
so on. (5) . Designing solutions, the underlying ideas is to fit
the job to the person (6) than the person to the job. Good
design, achieved (7) . the application of ergonomics,
enhances the safety of tools, machines, job tasks and the working
environment. (8) .. only does this lead to a reduction in the
number of work-related accidents, it also (9) . in better
worker health, improved worker morale, increased efficiency and (10)
.. productivity on the job.
The report that follows examines why we need to employ a team of
ergonomists, describes in detail the options available and assesses the
long-term implications for the company. The report concludes that
substantial improvements can be made in terms of productivity, staff
morale and estimated long-term savings.
5. Over to you.
45
How important are health and safety at work? Which jobs have the
highest risks? What do you know about the health and safety risks in the
jobs of your choice?
1. Case Study
A. You have a highly infectious virus, but there is an important

meeting programmed, and for a number of reasons, you are worried
about your job. Would you go to work?
B. Specialists often talk of tailoring individuals needs and abilities to

the operational needs of the store. For management positions, do you
think the job or task should be adapted to the person who does it, or
should the individual employee adapt to the needs of the job?
C. You have discovered that your favourite restaurant is employing

illegal immigrant workers and paying them under the minimum rates for
extremely long hours. Would you stop going there to eat? Give your
reasons. Would you undertake any steps to change the situation?
D. You have an inside information that shoes in the shop where you are
a loyal patron are made by young children. Would you still buy shoes
there?
2. Project-Making
An international convention is being held to look at occupational health

and safety. You have been sent to the convention to present a case study,
in which the advice of ergonomists contributed to significant
improvements in occupational health and substantial savings for your
company. In the presentation you will be expected to name /describe:
the industry or sector;

the problem and how it was diagnosed;
the measures taken;
the results and any future plans.
46
You may start like this:
Ladies and gentlemen, I am here today to describe the impact that a study by
a group of ergonomists has had on our company, its productivity, staff morale and
our future. We knew that there was an unusually high incidence of absenteeism
related to illness. What we didnt know was the effect preventive measures could
and would have.
4.5 Raise the Issue

Do you think people from certain culture would favour one kind of
organizational structure over another? Can you think of some
examples and give reasons?

words meaning.
accord (v) Their achievement has not always been accorded

the recognition it deserves.
Accord means a. give b. stop c. praise
ascertain (v) Experts were unable to ascertain the cause of the

accident.
Ascertain means a. to find out b. to finish c. to say
command (v) He commands great respect of everyone who
works for him.
Command means a. comment b. get c. come
despondent (adj) Devon becomes despondent too easily. If he

gets even one bad grade, he loses all hope of
succeeding in school.
Despondent means a. ill b. depressed c. angry
hierarchy (n) Pam soon learned that all requests and suggestions
had to be passed up through the levels of the
company hierarchy. She could communicate
47
directly with her own boss, but not with the bosss
boss let alone the company president.
Hierarchy means a. a ranked system b. a training system
c. a large system
intuition (n) I paint by intuition, the artist said. In a flash, I

see how a work should look. I dont really think it
out.
Intuition means a. careful study b. memory c. instinct
resist (v) He was unable to resist the temptation of sneaking

into classified documents.
Resist means a. oppose b. experience c. reserve
resort (v) I think we can solve the problem without

resorting to legal action.
Resort means a. to implement b. to settle c. to respect
subordinate (adj) The company director is subordinate only to the

board of directors. She takes orders from the
board, and only the board can fire her.
Subordinate means a. lower than b. a substitute for c. superior to

To deserve and get; to control

Organization of people in a series of levels, according to
importance or authority
To oppose or to fight someone or something; to stop
yourself having something that you like
. Downhearted; hopeless, overwhelmed with sadness
Under the authority or power of another, inferior or
below another in rank, power or importance
To find out if a fact you think is true is really true
To use something or do something that is bad, in order
to succeed or deal with a problem
48
.. To give someone or something special attention or
treatment
The ability to know something without the conscious
use of reasoning
Resort, hierarchy, intuition, subordinate, resist, accord, command,

intuition, ascertain, despondent
1. Jaime was after losing her job due to downsizing of

the personnel.
2. We need to .. whether the project is feasible.
3. When polite requests failed, Paul .ed to threats.
4. Beth moved steadily up the company until she was
named president. This appointment, the culmination of twenty years of
hard work and dedication, put her at the pinnacle of her career.
5. My told me not to accept the job offer which was so
fabulous far too fabulous to be legal. I later repented greatly not to
listen to my instinct.
6. The owner of the company is vehement in his insistence that
managers implement a plan to communicate better with workers in
. positions.
7. The judge .ed pressure to lengthen the sentence.
8. Japanese a special reverence to trees and rivers.
9. Supermodels can extremely high fees.
4.5. B Global Companies
Selection methods can vary not only through cultures but through
companies. Do you know about any of them?
What difficulties do you think might me implied in managing
multinationals?
49
Managing Multinationals 21
Managing a truly global multinational company would obviously

be much simpler if it required only one set of corporate objectives,
goals, policies, practices, products and services. But local differences
often make this impossible.
A fairly obvious cultural divide is one between the countries of
North America and North-west Europe, where management is largely
based on analysis, rationality, logic and systems, and the Latin cultures
of southern Europe and South America, where personal relations,
intuition, emotion and sensitivity are of much greater importance.
The largely Protestant cultures on both sides of the North Atlantic
(Canada, the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia) are
essentially individualist. In such countries status has to be achieved. You
dont automatically respect people just because they have been in a
company for 30 years. A young, dynamic, aggressive manager with an
MBA can quickly rise in the hierarchy. In most Latin and Asian cultures,
on the contrary, status is automatically accorded to the boss, who is more
likely to be in his fifties or sixties rather than in his thirties. This is
particularly true in Japan, where companies traditionally have a policy of
promotion by seniority.
In northern cultures, the principle of pay-for-performance often
successfully motivates salespeople. But the principle might well be
resisted in more collectivist cultures, and in countries where rewards and
promotion are expected to come with age and experience. Trompenaars
gives the example of a sales rep in an Italian subsidiary of a US
multinational company who was given a huge quarterly bonus under a
new policy imposed by head office. His sales which had been high for
years declined dramatically during the following three months. It was
later discovered that he was deliberately trying not to sell more than any
of his colleagues, so as not to reveal their inadequacies. He was also
despondent not to earn more than his boss, which he thought would be
an unthinkable humiliation that would force the boss to resign
immediately.
Another example of an American idea that doesnt work well in
Latin countries is matrix management. The task-oriented logic of matrix
Based on Jan MacKenzie, Cross-cultural Management in English for Business

21
Studies, Cambridge University Press, 2002; Recruitment and Selection in

Managing Cultural Differences , Economist Intelligence Unit.
50
management conflicts with the principle of loyalty to the all-important
line superior, the functional boss. You cant have two bosses any more
than you can have two fathers. French managers, for example, would
rather see an organization die than tolerate a system in which a few
subordinates have to report to two bosses.
Approaches to selection also vary significantly across cultures.
There are differences not only in the priorities that are given to technical
or interpersonal capabilities, but also in the ways that candidates are
tested and interviewed for the desired qualities.
In Anglo-Saxon cultures, what is generally tested is how much the
individual can contribute to the tasks of the organization. In these
cultures, assessment centres, intelligence tests and measurements of
competencies are the norm. In Germanic cultures, the emphasis is more
on the quality of education in a specialist function. The recruitment
process in Latin and Far Eastern cultures is very often characterized by
ascertaining how well that person 'fits in' with the larger group. This is
determined in part by the elitism of higher educational institutions, such
as the 'grandes ecoles' in France or the University of Tokyo in Japan, and
in part by their interpersonal style and ability to network internally. If
there are tests in Latin cultures, they will tend to be more about person-
ality, communication and social skills than about the Anglo-Saxon
notion of 'intelligence'.
Though there are few statistical comparisons of selection practices
used across cultures, one recent study provides a useful example of the
impact of culture. A survey conducted by Shackleton and Newell
compared selection methods between France and the UK. They found
that there was a striking contrast in the number of interviews used in the
selection process, with France resorting to more than one interview
much more frequently. They also found that in the UK there was a much
greater tendency to use panel interviews than in France, where one-to-
one interviews are the norm. In addition, while almost 74 per cent of
companies in the UK use references from previous employers, only 11
per cent of the companies surveyed in France used them. Furthermore,
French companies rely much more on personality tests and handwriting
analysis than their British counterparts.
Many organizations operating across cultures have tended to
decentralize selection in order to allow for local differences in testing
and for language differences, while providing a set of personal qualities
or characteristics they consider important for candidates.
51
Hewitt Associates, a US compensation and benefits consulting
firm based in the Mid West, has had difficulties extending its key
selection criteria outside the USA. It is known for selecting 'SWANs':
people who are Smart, Willing, Able and Nice. These concepts, all so
perfectly understandable to other Americans, can have very different
meanings in other cultures. For example, being able may mean being
highly connected with colleagues, being sociable or being able to
command respect from a hierarchy of subordinates, whereas the
intended meaning is more about being technically competent, polite and
relatively formal. Similarly, what is nice in one culture may be
considered naive or immature in another. It all depends on the cultural
context.
Some international companies, like Shell, Toyota, and L'Oreal,
have identified very specific qualities that they consider strategically
important and that support their business requirements. For example, the
criteria that Shell has identified as most important in supporting its
strategy include mobility and language capability. These are more easily
understood across cultures because people are either willing to relocate
or not. There is less room for cultural misunderstandings with such
qualities.
Culture
panel interview a formal meeting at which a group of people is asked

questions in order to find out who can best suit a job
2.Match the following words with their explanations.
Vary to continue for a particular distance, time; make sth bigger

Assess the most important thing that needs attention before
anything else
priority to have an important or noticeable effect on someone or
something
Extend to have sth in your mind as a plan or a purpose
Mature fully grown physically and mentally
Intend to be different from each other
Impact to make a judgment about a person or situation after
thinking carefully about it
52
3. Explain the meaning of the following words and word
combinations from the text.
Elitism, superior, to conflict with, matrix management,

humiliation, reveal their inadequacies, pay-for-performance, seniority.
4. Find the words word combinations with similar meaning.
To take into consideration, influence, put up with, on purpose.
5. The word selection is combined with a number of other

words, all with similar meanings (e.g. approaches to selection). Find
other combinations starting with selection.
6. The word skill is often used in connection with job

performance. It can be defined as the ability to do something well,
especially because you have learned and practiced it. In the article
several other words are used with a similar meaning. What are they?
7. Understanding main points.
Mark these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the

information in the text. Find the part of the text that gives the correct
information.
Many international organizations have decentralized selection.

They look for different personal qualities in different cultures.
The 'SWAN' criteria have international validity.
The definition of some qualities can lead to cultural
misunderstandings.
Mobility and language capability are clearly understood across
cultures.
8. Understanding details.
The text states that different cultures look for different qualities
when selecting personnel. Match the cultures with the qualities or
attributes according to the text.
53
Anglo-Saxon (UK, USA, Australia etc.)
Germanic
Latin
Far Eastern
being able to fit in with the organization

having the relevant kind of education for the job
having the right intellectual or technical capabilities
having good interpersonal skills
having attended the 'top' universities in the country
being able to carry out relevant tasks and jobs
9. Word search.
Find at least five methods for testing or assessing a candidate's

suitability for a job (e.g. assessment centres) which are mentioned in the
text.
10. For discussion.
- Make a list of qualities and skills that you think an international

manager should have. Divide your list into technical skills and
interpersonal skills
- What are the best ways to measure or evaluate technical skills or
interpersonal skills?
- Every organization has its own distinctive culture, and this can vary
enormously from company to company. To an outsider, corporate culture
differences are usually reflected in external symbols or characteristics,
such as advertising and design. Other characteristics of corporate culture
are only observable when you get inside the company as an employee or
a supplier, such as the kind of dress worn by staff or the use of the first
names. Try to think of some other characteristics of corporate culture
based on companies that you know.
4.5 C. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas
What are the different methods a company can use to find new
employees? Which are you most familiar with? Which do you think
54
are most effective? Can you suggest some new ones which can be
exceptionally efficient for our country?
Ways of Entering Markets
Miguel Adao works for health insurance company CIGNA. Tong

Jan is involved in promoting closer relations between the UK and his
home province in China.
1. Before you listen, decide which points below you think Miguel
will make about Latin America and which ones Tong will make about
China. Tick the appropriate column on the right.
Latin America China

1. It is important to find an intermediary.
2. These people tend to work with friends and
relatives.
3. You may need to shake hands and even hug.
4. Long lunches or dinner meetings may be
important.
5. These people trust those who are loyal to
them and show respect.
6. The best way to build a business
relationship is through networking.
2. What are the similarities and differences between the two

cultures?
3. Listen to the rest of the interview. Summarize how business

decisions are made in China, according to Tong.
Collocation: words are used with each other in fairly fixes ways in
English.
55
1. Match the words that collocate.
1. to contemplate a. a worker
2. to dismiss b. a mistake
3. to do c. a good time
4. to dribble d. your future
5. to have e. a rope
6. to make f. a compliment
7. to pay g. innocence
8. to plead h. cards
9. to set i. some gardening
10. to shuffle j. an opportunity
11. to waste k. a ball
12. to wind l. an example
2. Choose the adjectives that collocate.
Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the correct adjective
to make a common phrase.
Dead-end, flying, foregone, golden, rough, skeleton, snap, star,

sure-fire, tall, vested, vicious
1. The more we discuss the problem, the further we get from an answer:
it is a . circle.
2. Our designers have finally come up with a .. solution to the
teething problems weve been having.
3. Due to the latest outbreak of flu we have reduced to a . staff.
4. At a .. guess, I would say that half the company will be made
redundant.
5. I am not going to take a . decision; I need a lot of time to
think this out.
6. It was a . conclusion that the boss would make his own son
managing director.
7. The managing director is threatening to make a visit to our
factory to check that work is on schedule.
8. On his retirement he received a handshake of 10000.
9. Mr Smith is our .. this week; he has achieved sales figures
way ahead of anyone else on the team.
56
10. Asking us to keep the factory going with all the staff on strike is a
order!
11. Sally was a wonderful actress; what a pity she ended up in a
job like this!
12. Dont expect John to give you unbiased opinion; he has a .
interest in keeping the firm going.
1. Case Study
A. A defect is found in a production facility. It was caused by

negligence by one of the members of a team. Would you say that (a)
the person causing the defect by negligence is the one responsible,
or (b) because he or she is working in a team the responsibility
should be carried by the whole group?
B. Imagine that you are a passenger in a car driven by a close friend

who hits and quite seriously injures a pedestrian while driving at least
25 kilometres an hour too fast in town. There are no other witnesses.
Your friends lawyer says that it will help him a lot if you testify that he
was driving within the speed limit. Should your friend expect you to do
this?
2. Write an essay on the following topics.
Would you like to work for a company that had a pay-for-performance

policy? Does this only work for salespeople, or could it be extended to
all jobs?
Do you like the idea of matrix management, or would you rather

report to only one powerful boss?
What sort of training will international managers need in future to

cope with the challengers of multinational management?
3. Write a brief memo to a foreigner who is going to live and

work in your country on a project lasting several weeks. Give
57
immediately useful pieces of information (transport, opening hours,
etc.), and more general background information about things to do or
to avoid doing.
4. Project Making
Look at the chart showing selection methods in different countries.
Percentage use of selection methods in six different countries
Method of selection UK France Germany Israel

Interviews 92 97 95 84
References/recommendations 74 39 23 30
Cognitive tests 11 33 21 -
Personality tests 13 38 6 -
Graphology 3 52 - 2
Work sample 18 16 13 -
Assessment centers 14 8 10 3
Biodata 4 1 8 1
Astrology - 6 - 1
Source: Robertson and Makin (1993)
Use the information to make a presentation about selection methods in

different countries and Russia. Suggest the ways to boost efficiency of
recruitment procedure in out country.
4.6 Raise the Issue
How do you most like to learn, e.g. lectures, discussions,

multimedia, case studies?
Do you think there are different ways of learning and teaching in
different countries? Can you think of examples?
1. Change the underlined words, using more formal and more

appropriate words from the list given. Make all necessary changes.
literacy and numeracy the three Rs

special needs education mature students
lifelong/continuing education one-to-one
comprehensive schooling excel
58
1. Education for children who cannot learn in the normal way, because
they have some disability, is expensive because class sizes need to be
small or one teacher and one pupil, not a group.
2. The abilities to read and count are skills no one can afford to be
without.
3. Some people think we should return to an emphasis on the traditional
basic skills: reading, writing and arithmetic.
4. All parents want their children to achieve the best possible results at
school.
5. Nowadays, education for all ages is an issue, and creating
opportunities for adult students older than average students is important.
6. Education where everyone gets into the same type of school without
exams is a basic political ideal in many countries.

words meaning.
admonish (v) Mainstream schools are often admonished for the

lack of personal approach to students.
Admonish means a. to lead b. to criticize c. to irritate
ambiguous (adj) Checking a job applicants references, the

personnel manager was puzzled by one
ambiguous comment: You will be lucky if you
can get her to work for you.
Ambiguous means a. unclear b. unintentional c. unplesant
deride (v) When Craig called Peggy the perfect secretary,

she was offended. He was complimenting her, bit
she misconstrued his comment, thinking that he
derided her by saying she belonged in a
subordinate position.
Deride means a. misunderstand b. mock c. argue with
59
distraught (adj) As the snowstorm got worse and worse and my
wife still had not arrived home from work, I
became increasingly distraught.
Distraught means a. anxious b. busy c. forgetful
embellish (v) The cover of the biology textbook was

embellished with a pattern of colorful seashells.
Embellish means a. to hide b. to decorate c. to damage
estrange (v) Rosina used to be friendly, but since her

promotion, she has become so cold that she has
estranged her former coworkers.
Estrange means a. frighten b. drive away c. dislike
facilitate (v) Computers can be used to facilitate language
learning.
Facilitate means a. to decrease b. to cause c. to assist
grievous (adj) Child abuse is a grievous crime, but children are

often reticent about it. Their silence may prevent
them from collaborating with the police or the
courts to bring the abusers to justice.
Grievous means a. preventable b. unavoidable c. terrible
mesmerize (v) The novel has a provocative opening scene, in
which a young woman and her parrot sneak out of
a house on a ladder. The novel goes on to
mesmerize the reader with one spellbinding
episode after another.
Mesmerize means a. to amuse b. to fascinate c. to distort
precarious (adj) For someone allergic to insect bites, beekeeping

would be a precarious occupation.
Precarious means a. unsafe b. illegal c. unusual
reiterate (v) My company is so bureaucratic, Nick

complained, that we are buried in paperwork.
Sometimes we have to reiterate the same
information on five different forms.
Reiterate means a. to repeat b. to forget c. to exclude
60
travesty (n) The trial was a travesty of justice because several
of the jurors had been bribed.
Travesty means a. disrespectful imitation b. exact copy
c. simple version

. To decorate; beautify by adding details

Dangerous, risky; dangerously uncertain
Causing grief and pain, very serious or severe
.. To hypnotize or fascinate; hold spellbound
. To scold gently but seriously
. Able to be interpreted in more than one way, not
clear
. To make unsympathetic or unfriendly; to alienate
.. To make fun of; ridicule
.. A crude, exaggerated, or ridiculous representation;
mockery
.. To state again or repeatedly
.. Very troubled; distressed
To make easier to do or to get
Reiterate, grievous, mesmerize, precarious, estrange, facilitate,

distraught, admonish, embellish, ambiguity, travesty, deride
While many colleges and universities have moved to

their programs and offer a more specialized curricula to accommodate
students needs for new job markets, other institutes of higher education
have held to their generalist approach to education, though they are
.. ed for it. In an effort to provide a broad education that
prepares students to deal with a variety of problems they offer a core
curriculum for liberal arts degree seekers.
The core curriculum offered at Harvard University has long been a
model for successful program of general education. Yet, today many
professors and students are . with Harvards core.
61
Harvard first instituted a general-education program in 1949-1950
aimed at ing a broad interdisciplinary overview of
fundamental topics so that, when the students studies their major, they
had a context in which to fit it.
Trying to extricate themselves from extremely
situation of creating of education by introducing very specific
courses such as The Scandinavian Cinema the Harvard administration
created a core curriculum that would emphasize critical faculties, or
thinking skills, rather than specific knowledge.
Harvards core curriculum still exists today. The philosophy behind
the core is clear and devoid of any . Every Harvard graduate
should be broadly educated, as well as trained in a particular academic
specialty.
This core, though many are still .ed by it, has not been
without criticism.
Some professors are .ed by the lack of introductory
foreign-language and mathematics courses, the subjects generally agreed
upon as ideal for teaching thinking skills.
They also the fact that ironically students can meet their
core requirements without taking a single course that focuses on Western
culture; this intentional omission has been explained by some as the
universitys fear of appearing ethnocentric or even racist by focusing on
Western values.
Yet, most students are required to study a foreign culture. It is
..ed to them that when they are exposed to a new culture they
might reexamine the values of their own culture.
Though Harvard graduates arguments refute the validity of the
latter statement. A . fact is insufficient knowledge of our own
culture and whilst our inability to reexamine its values.
4.6 B. A Short Cut to Success
What do you think is the short cut to success?

Do you agree with the concept of a core curriculum in higher
education? If so, what should be included?
62
The Safest Cut to Success: Education22
We live in a society increasingly obsessed with material success.

We are exhorted to "Get on!" "Get ahead!" "Get a step on the ladder!"
"Make it to the top!" If you don't prosper, it's easy to feel like a flop, that
you've wasted your life and failed your family.
But is such success open to all? Can success be taught?
The most certain route to riches is to start out wealthy. Twenty-five
per cent of those who head large corporations were born into affluent
families.
If you're not wealthy, you may be able to capitalize on another
advantage: good looks. Being tall is also an advantage. Other
qualities being equal, employers are more likely to select taller and more
attractive people. Knowing from the very early age that ugliness
estranges we do our utmost to embellish ourselves with make-up and
smart clothes disguising imperfection of our bodies.
However, if you cant pride yourself either on well-off
backgrounds or looks that mesmerize all those present you can try
affirmative training courses which can unleash the power within,
transform your thinking, and help you forge your way to the top.
Banish negative thoughts and put yourself in a more
productive frame of mind. Remember that motivation is the key. Look in
the mirror every morning and say to yourself: "You are rare, unique and
different. You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for
success. Sounds embarrassing? Don't forget that self-belief is crucial for
success.
All those banalities reiterated leave us with the idea that
becoming a millionaire is a surprisingly haphazard affair. There is
however a recourse. Its hardly the easiest or the shortest but
undoubtedly the safest. Youve got it right. Its a university degree. Your
first degree will save you from many precarious situations, enabling you
to compete favorably in the job market, whereas the second one will
pave your march to success.
Based on Rene Sanchez, Alternative education is flourishing in US, Washington

22
Post Service; Charles Handy, A proper education; So you want to be a success,

Focus Magazine; Christopher Middleton, Why do kids think that grammar is dads
mum? Gerald Tribune; M. Garrett Bauman, Liberal Arts for the Twenty-First
Century, Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 58, No 1 (Jan/Feb. 1987), Ohio State
University Press.
63
Though there is no division on this question and good education is
unanimously considered a must, the question of the essence of proper
education has always instigated more ambiguous comments. Woeful
ignorance and grievous illiteracy of modern teenagers have been
repeatedly derided. Parents in firm belief that conventional school has
become a travesty of education find refuge in alternative schooling.
Charter schools that are approved by the state but are outside the public
school system are expanding at breakneck pace. Religious schools are
overflowing with new students. Home schooling is attracting
unprecedented numbers of parents who only a couple decades ago would
never have dreamed of teaching their own children.
Those migrating from public school system say the roots of
disenchantment vary. Some parents are frustrated with bureaucracy,
others fear student violence. Some want their children to spend more
time learning values. Others call the one-fits-all model of most large
public schools an ineffective and impersonal way to learn.
The problems however do not finish at this level of education.
University graduates say that they are not prepared to deal with open-
ended problems, the ones with any number of possible answers as they
have been only trained to deal with closed problems, with just one
correct answer. Moreover individual success is fostered in the essence of
education system. Striving for personal accomplishment is hardly of any
help in the modern world where team spirit is crucial.
Furthermore university education is often admonished for the
irrelevance of traditional theoretical studies and inability to offer more
specialized curricula to accommodate students needs for new job
markets, which would allow them to excel without undue effort.
Though all these arguments sound reasonable, it rates a mention
that universities are not supposed to tailor their courses to immediate
professional needs, as liberal arts degree provides universal thinking
skills, prepares one to focus on a variety of specific problems and
creates well-informed citizens. Those interested in vocational skills can
gain them at special professional and technological colleges.
In conclusion we cant but admit that juxtaposing successful
entrepreneurs and so-called intrapreneurs, those who rise through the
ranks to the top of large corporations, Professor Gary Cooper of the
University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, found
that intrapreneurs tended to be the kids everyone thought would do well
but genuine entrepreneurs often had early reputations as troublemakers.
64
"They probably left school early, had several business disasters and are
awkward personalities. They are also intuitive and very determined.
Coping with disaster early in life appears to give people vital resilience
later on," suggests Cooper. It facilitates their ability not to lament about
their failures and stay distraught but to start something anew. Successful
people, in fact, are the ones who, when something doesn't work, try
something else. Unsuccessful people keep on doing the same thing, only
harder.
2. Match the words from the article with their equivalents.
banish to succeed in doing something, especially after trying

hard, achieve
affirmative happening or done in a way that is not planned or
recognized
forge to try very hard to persuade someone to do something
haphazard the ability to return quickly to your usual health or state
of mind after suffering an illness, difficulties
accomplish to not allow someone or something to stay in a
particular place
resilience to develop
exhort positive
3. Read the article in detail and decide which paragraph

mentions the following.
Good looks help you in early life.

It doesnt work to try, try and try again.
Motivation is the key to success.
Many successful entrepreneurs leave school early.
Entrepreneurs tend not to fit in.
Rich people very often have rich parents.
You can often predict the success of intrapreneurs.
A hard life as a child can help you later on.
4. Note down the factors the author mentions as contributing to

success.

65
- What is our society obsessed with?
- Why does the author call becoming a millionaire a haphazard affair?
- What is the most certain route to riches?
- How can appearance help you in your career?
- What is the key difference between intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs?
-What is typical for entrepreneurs early life?
- What can help you to influence your chance of success?
6. Comment on the title of the article summing up all the

arguments of the author.
7. For discussion
- Is it worth making sacrifice to become successful?
- Are successful people usually neurotic?
- What are the ways to success?
- What is most essential for forging your way to success?
4.6 C. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas
What kind of education offers the best route to top positions in our
country?
Many people study for major degrees part-time over several years,
or even by distance learning. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of this route compared to a full-time degree? Which
route do you prefer?
What is the most effective type of training program? Which
program would you prefer to attend very project orientated or more
traditional, involving lectures, case studies, etc?

To Know More about Less or Less about More23
Carol Numrich. Raise the Issue. An Integrated Approach to Critical Thinking.

23
Longman, Pearson Education, NY, 1994.

66
1. Listen to the commentary of writer Rod MacLeish. Check the
statement that summarizes the commentators viewpoint.
A generalist approach to education is necessary for todays world.

A specialist approach to education is necessary for todays world.
Both generalist approach and specialist approach to education are
necessary for todays world.
2. Circle the best answer.
1. What is the subject of Rod MacLeishs essay?

a. Experts are the same as specialists.
b. We should believe someone who knows more about less.
c. We need to ask which is better: knowing more about less or less
about more.
2. From Archilochuss Fragment 103 we learn that

a. the fox was wiser.
b. the hedgehog was wiser.
c. its not clear whether the fox or hedgehog was wiser.
3. Why is Fragment 103 a metaphor for modern life?

a. We need more specialists.
b. Specialists know too much.
c. Generalists have less influence today.
4. Why are hedgehogs dangerous, according to the commentator?

a. They invent new chemicals.
b. They may have forgotten history.
c. They make too much money on Wall Street.
5. In the commentators opinion, hedgehogs

a. may have become more powerful with the emergence of an
industrial society.
b. are bad for society.
c. cannot really influence our lives.
6. How does Western society view the generalist today?

a. As a failure.
67
b. As a necessity.
c. As a master.
7. What was the message of the Oxford classicist?

a. You have to work hard on your own to succeed.
b. You need to study many subjects to think critically.
c. Its important to be able to think about one big thing.
8. What conclusion does MacLeish reach in his essay?

a. Those in power may not be generalist enough.
b. There are too many people talking rot.
c. There arent enough people who can think anymore.
3. Distinguish between true and false statements.
Its better to know more about less than less about more.
Specialists are more dangerous to society that generalists.
Technology is not a friend to general education.
The generalist fox, or liberal arts major, is a jack-of-all-trades, master
of none.
Studying many subjects, such as in a liberal arts curriculum, broadens
ones view of the world and creates better citizens.
Educating society for tomorrow is more difficult than it was in the
past.
A generalists education should include an in depth view of history.
4. Over to you.
Would you describe your own education as being more specialist or

generalist? How would you evaluate from where you are today?
1. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below using the words given in
the correct form.
expel/suspend
68
a. The headmaster ---------- Paola , so she had to give up any
ideas of further education and get herself a job.
b. Shes been --------- for three weeks for being rude to a
teacher.
degree/diploma
a. I dont want to go to University but Im going to take evening
classes and get a ------- in Catering.
b. If I get a good ----------, Id like to stay on at university and
do a postgraduate course.
revise/cram
a. The College is --------- the students hard for the summer
examinations.
b. I cant come out as I have to --------- everything about the
Second World War.
competition/trial
a. It came down to a--------- of strength between the two men.
b.If you want to enter the --------- , you must comply with the rules.
themes/subject
a. The main --------- you need if you want to be a vet are
Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology.
b. At last three --------- run through the plot of the novel.
interfere/intervene
a. I have always tried not to --------- in things that are not my
business.
b. The teacher --------- to stop the argument between the two
students.
continually/continuously
a. He was ------------ complaining about something or other.
b. You have to press the button ----------- until the red light
comes on. Dont take your finger off it, or it wont work.
avoid/evade
a. Im sorry I wasnt trying to ---------- you. I just didnt know
you were here.
b. He was fined 20 000$ for ------------ taxes and failing to
declare his income.
2. Choose the correct alternative from each of the pairs in italics

below.
69
1. The machine began to emit/ eject a very strange noise.
2. Tom was discharged/ expelled from the school when he was arrested
for joyriding.
3. Mrs Smith has always tried to imbue/impart her students with a love
of literature.
4. The new headmaster tries to instil/ insert a sense of pride into all his
pupils.
5. Lara has so far rebuffed/ refuted all our helpful suggestions.
6. The headmaster gave a speech in which he extorted / extolled the
merits of sport.
7. Stop trying to evade/ evoke the issue, and answer the question youve
been asked.
8. The headmaster has decided to assert/ adopt a tough stance on
bullying.e headmaster has decided to assert/ adopt a tough stance on
bullying.
3. Study the following description of the written work for

courses.
Word Description
composition could be just 50-100 words, often used to refer to
childrens work
essay longer than a composition, more serious, hundreds or
even thousands of words
assignment a long essay, often part of a course, usually thousands of
words
project like an assignment, but emphasis on students own
material and topic
portfolio a collection of individual pieces of work, nor necessarily
written
dissertation a long, research-based work, perhaps 10-15,000 words,
for a degree
thesis a very long, original, research-based work, perhaps 80-
100,000 words, for a higher degree (e.g. PhD)
4. The writing process and evaluation.
Fill in the blanks with suitable words and expressions from the
box.
70
Plagiarism, mind-map, feedback, deadline,
first draft, submitted, assessed, writing up
1. Its a good idea to start with a . when preparing an essay.

2. Always write a before the final version.
3. Your essay should be all your own work; is a very
serious offence in most colleges and universities.
4. There is usually a , a date by which you must hand in the
work.
5. After the essay is , it will be and usually you can
get , comments from the tutor.
1. Write an article for a magazine about the importance of

education in contemporary competitive world, developing one of the
following theses.
- Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.(US

President John F.Kennedy)
- Schools should be responsible only for teaching academic skills
and not for teaching ethical and social values.
- Since science and technology are becoming more and more
essential to modern society, schools should devote more time to teaching
science and technology and less to teaching the arts and humanities.
2. Write an essay expressing your own opinions on the following

statements.
a) George Reedy, a retired professor of journalism from

Marquette University, writes in his farewell speech:
The doom of the specialist draws closer every time someone

punches the keys on a word processor. Of course, we will still need
doctors, lawyers, plumbers, and electricians. But will there still be a
brisk market for all the specialties we have fostered in the economic and
social fields? I doubt it. The future will belong to those who know how
to handle the combinations of information that come out of the
71
computer, what we used to call the generalist. The day of the
generalist is just over the horizon and we had better be ready for it.
Do you agree with Reedys prediction? If so, what are those

specialties that will no longer be needed and how will a generalist
approach solve the problem of dying specialties?
b) At some universities in the United States, undergraduate

students are allowed to design individualizes majors, self-designed
courses of study for students who may not find their calling in a
traditional college department. Majors such as Documentary Film and
Native American Studies and Comparative Communism: China and
Russia have been created by students to fit their individual interests.
Faculty claim that, although these major may seem narrow, they allow
for a brad-based education and that students tend to be quite motivated
and do well in them. Students explain that a university education is now
too expensive for them to waste time studying subjects that do not
interest them or help them in their career goals.
What is your reaction to this program of study, given the

arguments for specialized and generalized approaches to higher
education?
3. Project Making
Human race seems to have never been satisfied with the education
system. Design an education reform. Be ready to present it at the
conference on the problems of education.
Your multinational corporation has just established a new department
for training personnel. However there is no clear policy about training
and support for expatriates (specialists who are supposed to work
abroad). Each person has been dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Propose a company policy about expatriation, covering training,
preparation and support both before departure and while they are abroad.
There are an increasing number of training courses on cross-cultural
awareness to try to minimize the impact of culture shock. But the
problems of re-entry and reintegration are often overlooked. Make list of
these problems. Try to work out some policies or actions that a company
could take to reduce these problems.
72
4.7 Reading Selection
Look through the articles and choose one for presentation.
Find at least one more article on the same topic and make a synthetic
review. 24
4.7 A. What Do Employers Say?
Getting an MBA is one thing. Getting employers to take it

seriously is another. MBAs have not traditionally commanded the same
respect in the UK as in the US, but an increasing number of UK
employers are now taking them very seriously indeed.
None more so than top management consulting firm McKinsey. Of
its 260 London consultants, around half have MBAs. The company
actively recruits 30-40 people a year from major business schools, such
as INSEAD in France, Harvard and Stanford in the US, and London
Business School and Manchester in the UK. It spends around 1 million
a year sponsoring its 25-30 graduate recruits to complete full-time
MBAs at the same institutions.
'Essentially we see an MBA as a short cut to business experience',
says Julian Seaward, head of recruitment for McKinsey's London Office.
'It enriches people with a lot of management theory, and perhaps a bit of
jargon thrown in.'
However, the company still prefers MBAs gained abroad. With a
longer established reputation in the US, business schools there still have
the edge in attracting candidates, while INSEAD has positioned itself as
an international school with a cosmopolitan faculty and student body.
'The networking and experience of other cultures is very useful as
a lot of our clients are global', says Seaward. Nevertheless, McKinsey is
actively raising its profile over here with a recently-launched scheme
offering external candidates sponsorship through a United Kingdom
MBA with a guaranteed job afterwards.
With a 50,000 Harvard MBA, McKinsey knows how attractive
its staff are to other employers. Those who wish to leave within two
years have to repay their sponsorship, but Seaward believes the staff
The articles in this section reflect the position of their writers and do not
24
necessarily coincide with the stance of the author of this book.

73
development strategy has a good return rate. 'We look for people to
develop a long-term career with us, not just an analyst job for a couple
of years, and reward high achievers with good salaries and
opportunities.'
Equally convinced of the value of MBAs is direct marketing
company OgilvyOne Worldwide, which recently established an MBA
bursary for staff members.
Chairman Nigel Hewlett believes the MBA's formal education in
analytical skills and constructing solutions provides a very useful
training, producing people who have a good overview of business issues
rather than a concern for details.
The company is currently undertaking an evaluation of the best
UK schools in which to invest their bursary. With the recent big increase
in the number of institutions offering MBAs, Hewlett is concerned that
not all MBAs are equal. 'There are clear differences in terms of quality.'
But not every company favours MBAs. In the early 1990s, Shell
actually abandoned its own MBA course at Henley when it realized it
was not producing graduates who fitted the jobs for which they were
destined.
'We're slightly ambivalent towards MBAs,' says Andy Gibb,
Shell's head of global recruitment. 'A lot of Shell's work is technical,
while MBAs from leading schools are pitched at a more strategic level.
It can be frustrating and unnecessary to be trained for strategic thinking,
when the job you're moving into is not really suited to that. We would
rather focus them on technical leadership.'
Companies like chartered accountants
PricewaterhouseCoopers take a more middle-of-the-road approach.
While it does not actively target MBAs or recruit them directly from
business schools, a growing proportion of its senior consultants have got
them, and it is increasingly on the lookout for MBA graduates.
Our business is changing from audit and tax management more
into consultancy roles,' says UK recruitment partner Keith Bell. 'MBAs
do bring a breadth of vision to the business problem rather than a narrow
viewpoint, and that can be an advantage. But the issue is the longer term.
If you sponsor someone to do an MBA, will you get them back again?'
From The Independent
74
Culture
chartered accountant an accountant who has successfully completed

special examinations
bursary an amount of money given to someone so that they can study
at a university or college (=scholarship)
Vocabulary
command order: command sb to do sth; deserve and get because you

are important or popular: command attention/ respect/ authority;
control: command a majority; command a view if a place
commands a view, you can see something clearly from it; command
(n) : be in command; have sth under your command; at your
command; have a command of (=have a good knowledge of sth); be in
command of yourself/ your faculties (= to be able to control your
emotions and thoughts
overview a short description of a subject or situation that gives the
main ideas without explaining all the details: give an overview of
concern sth that worries you: concern about/ over/ for; be a cause
for concern; be of concern (to sb)- be important to sb and make you
worry; sbs concern if something is your concern you are responsible
for it; a business or a company( The restaurant is a family concern); a
going concern (= a business that is financially successful); concern (v):
to whom it may concern an expression written at the beginning of a
formal letter when you do not know the name of the person you want to
communicate with; as far as Im concerned
destined (adj) (not before noun): be destined for; destined to do sth;
destined lover/ profession (= the person, thing etc that you will have in
future); destiny (n)
ambivalent not sure whether you want or like sth or not; ambivalence
(n)
frustrate make sb feel annoyed or angry because you are not able to
do what you want; prevent sbs attempts or plans from succeeding; get
frustrated with; a frustrated poet/ actor/ dancer etc someone who
wants to develop a particular skill but has not been able to do it;
frustration (n): in/ with frustration
75
1. Find a word or phrase from the article which has a similar
meaning
Select and employ new people in a company; give financial

support to a student; special vocabulary of a field of work; making
useful contacts with lots of people; people who are ambitious to succeed
in their job; neither for nor against something.
2. Match the verbs and nouns as they occur together in the

text
a. command a profile
b. be an evaluation
c. have a middle-of-the road approach
d. raise respect
e. undertake the edge
f. establish a career
g. take a reputation
h. develop on the look out
3. Complete the sentence. Use the appropriate phrase from the

previous exercise.
a. We are always . for talented people to join our

creative team.
b. The success of its advertising campaign helped the business
school .. among international companies.
c. Because of our continued investment in research we
over many our competitors.
d. To help us choose which business school to work with we
will need to of the top ten.
e. Studying for an MBA is increasingly necessary as a way to
in a large organisation.
4. Understanding main points.
a. What is the attitude of UK employers to MBAs? Are they very

positive, negative or in between?
76
b. Several top business schools are mentioned in the text - which
ones are they? Do you agree with this list? Would you add others?
c. According to the article, do most MBA students pay for
themselves?
d. In which country are MBAs very highly regarded by employers,
according to the article?
5. Understanding details.
a. Four companies are mentioned in the article. Rank them in

order in terms of their attitude to MBAs, starting with the one most in
favour.
b. Some disadvantages about MBAs are mentioned by people
quoted in the article. What are they?
c. Businesses are generally grouped into two broad categories -
manufacturing and production on one side, and services on the other
side. Into which categories do the four companies mentioned in the
article fit? What does this tell you about the type of companies which
generally favour MBAs? Is this the case in your country too?
6. How the text is organized.
The article has four main parts, each one describing the attitude of
one company to MBAs. Each part has a clear introductory sentence that
indicates whether the company is in favour of MBAs or not. Find the
introductory sentences and decide if the sentence indicates a positive or
negative attitude to MBAs.
7. Discuss the following questions.
- What do the letters MBA stand for?

- In our country how important is it to have an MBA to succeed in
management?
- Do you know many people who have an MBA, or who are
studying or plan to study for one? Are you one of them? What are the
reasons for doing so?
- What policy should companies have towards MBAs? Should
they sponsor students fully or partly with or without conditions? Should
they form a partnership with a particular business school to design a
77
company-specific MBA? Should they recruit graduates only from the
top international business schools?
- Many people study for MBAs part-time over several years, or
even by distance learning. What are the advantages and disadvantages
of this route compared to a full-time MBA?
4.7 B. No Place to Call Home
Foreign workers on H-1B visas were going to rescue Silicon

Valley. But layoffs may force many to go home.
BY BRAD STONE and FE KAGAHASTIAN
FOR THE LATEST ON THE PURSUIT of the American Dream in

Silicon Valley, all you have to do is to talk to someone like "Nagaraj"
(who didn't want to reveal his real name). He's an Indian immigrant
who, like many other Indian and Taiwanese engineers, came to America
recently on an H-1B visa, which allows skilled workers to be employed
by one company for as many as six years. But one morning last month,
Nagaraj and a half dozen other Indian workers with H-lBs were called
into a conference room in their San Francisco technology-consulting
firm and told they were being laid off. The reason: weakening economic
conditions in Silicon Valley. "It was the shock of my lifetime," says
Nagaraj.
This is not a normal bear-market sob story. According to federal
regulations, Nagaraj and his colleagues have two choices. They must ei-
ther return to India, or find another job in a tight labor market and hope
that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) allows them to
transfer their visa to the new company. And the law doesn't allow them
to earn a pay-check until all the paperwork winds its way through the
INS bureaucracy. "How am I going to survive without any job and
without any income?" Nagaraj wonders.
Until recently, H-1B visas were championed by Silicon Valley
companies as the solution to the region's shortage of programmers and
engineers. First issued by the INS in 1992, they attract skilled workers
from other countries, many of whom bring their families with them, lay
down roots and apply for the more permanent green cards. Through
February 2000, more than 81,000 workers held such visasbut with the
dot-com crash, many have been getting laid off. That's causing mass
78
consternation in U.S. immigrant communities. The INS considers a
worker "out of status" when he loses a job, which technically means he
must pick up and go home. But because of the scope of this year's
layoffs, the U.S. government has recently backpedaled, issuing a
confusing series of statements that suggest workers might be able to stay
if they qualify for some exceptions and can find a new company to
sponsor their visa. But even those loopholes remain nebulous. The result
is thousands of immigrants now face dimming career prospects in
America, and the possibility that they will be sent home. "They are in
limbo. It is the greatest form of torture," says Amar Veda of the Silicon
Valley-based Immigrants Support Network.
The crisis looks especially bad in light of all the heated visa
rhetoric by Silicon Valley companies in the past few years. Last fall the
industry won a big victory by getting Congress to approve an increase in
the annual number of H-1B visas. Now, with technology firms re-
trenching, demand for such workers is slowing. Valley heavyweights
like Intel, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard have all announced thousands of
layoffs this year, which include many H-1B workers. The INS reported
last month that only 16,000 new H-1B workers came to the United
States in Februarydown from 32,000 in February of last year.
Visa holders are not allowed to take part-time work. Since many
immigrants have rent payments to make and families to support here and
back home, that rule is roundly ignored. One 22-year-old Taiwanese
woman was forced to take up illegal employment after getting laid off
from her job as a Web designer for a New-York dot-com in January. She
waitressed, tutored kids, taught English to elderly immigrants and even
volunteered to participate in a neurological studyanything to earn
some cash. "Waitressing was the hardest job but the easiest to get," she
says. "They didn't ask many questions or ask to see work papers. All
they wanted to know was how much I weighed."
Last month, acknowledging the scope of the problem, the INS
told H-1B holders "not to panic," and that there would be a grace period
for laid-off workers before they had to leave the United States. INS
spokeswoman Eyleen Schmidt promises that more specific guidance will
come this month. "We're aware of the cutbacks," she says. "We're trying
to be as generous as we can be within the confines of the existing law."
Among the established immigrant communities in Silicon
Valley, there's growing consensus that the visa system itself is flawed.
Kanwal Rekki, an Indian-American entrepreneur, says, "H-1B workers
79
have become the indentured slaves of companies," since they rely on
their employers to sponsor them for visas and green cards. Special-
interest groups like the Immigrants Support Network are trying to
remove those bonds, and have achieved a few modest successes. The
organization lobbied successfully for the "portability" provisions in last
year's H-1B visa expansion bill, allowing workers to transfer their visas
and green-card applications among companies. Murali Krishna
Devarakonda of the Immigrants Support Network says the goal now is
to completely remove companies from the H-1B process. "What we are
shooting for is simple freedom," he says. "Employers need us. The
economy needs us. Why is the law structured in a way that we also need
the employer?" He may have a point, but for now the lives of many
immigrants are in chaos.
Vocabulary
wind (v) to turn or twist sth repeatedly; wind down to gradually

reduce the work of a business so that it can be closed completely; wind
up - to rest and relax after a lot of hard work; to bring an activity or
meeting to an end
consternation a feeling of shock or worry, when it is hard to think
about what to do
nebulous not clear or exact, vague; misty and having no edges:
nebulous idea
dim dark, too far away to see clearly: dim recollection/ awareness/
prospects/ future; in the din and distant past; take a dim view of sth
(= disapprove of sth)
retrench if a government or organization retrenches, it spends less
money
confines limits, borders: within/ beyond the confines
indenture a former contract, especially in former times between an
apprentice and a master
1. Match the words from the article with their meaning.
a. pursuit law mistake giving sb advantage

b. bear-market chasing or following sth
c. champion when the value of business share is falling
d. loophole very important firm
80
e. heavyweight increase in size
f. expansion support an idea
2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases.
a. they were being laid off

b. to find a job in a tight labour market
c. lay down the roots
d. even those loopholes remain nebulous
e. face dimming career prospects
f. they are in limbo
g. there would be a grace period for laid-off workers
h. the visa system is flawed
i. we are shooting for freedom
3. Decide whether these statements are true or false.
a. An H-1B visa-holder can stay with one firm for a limited

period of time.
b. The reason for Nagarajs layoff was the expiration of his visa.
c. Nagaraj has no choice but to leave America.
d. All H-1B holders can work till the paperwork winds its way
through INC bureaucracy.
e. H-1B holders cannot bring their families along.
f. Immigrants were not surprised and took the coming departure
easy.
g. American authorities dont hold any responsibility for the
present situation as they have never made any promises.
h. Immigrant communities fight for the firms recognizing their
responsibility for the present crisis.
a. What are the specifications of an H-1B visa?

b. What are the possible ways of solving the present crisis for
the immigrants holding this visa?
c. What initiated this crisis?
d. What is the reaction of the US government on this situation?
e. How do the immigrants try to solve the problem?
81
f. What is the position of immigrants support organizations?
5. Comment on the title and sum up the information of the

article.
4.7 C. They gave me a C - but I deserved an A, didn't

I?
Schoolchildren who are praised by their teachers for hard work,

regardless of how good they actually are, may be in for a shock when
they get to university.
by Marianne Talbot
The young woman was distraught. For the first time ever she had
been given a C rather than an A. She was also angry. She had attended
all the lectures, done all the reading, written all her essays: she deserved
an A. Her tutor, however, was adamant. She was a pleasure to teach,
willing, cheerful, polite and hard-working, but she simply wasn't up to it.
Her essays were badly argued and uninspiring, she failed to engage with
her subject matter; her work could not be given more than C.
I was the arbitrator in this dispute in my part-time role as
academic adviser to the Oxford programme of an American university. It
highlighted for me a tightrope that every teacher must walk in rewarding
effort: how can we do this effectively without causing young people to
confuse effort with achievement? How can we do this without ourselves
falling into the trap of rewarding effort over achievement?
My anecdote concerns a US student, but we can't take comfort in
thinking this is an American problem. A friend who teaches at a
university that has recently introduced a Students' Charter tells me that,
having been given the right to insist that tutors justify their grades,
students are lining up outside tutors' rooms every term to argue for a
higher grade on the basis of their effort. Tutors, my friend says, are
giving in from weariness, sympathy with worthy students and it must be
said fear of litigation. The problem is likely to be exacerbated by the
introduction of tuition fees. One can just imagine students arguing that
they have not paid all that money, and put in all that work, simply to fail!
There are those who argue that we shouldn't reward effort at all,
only achievement itself. In the older schools and universities, effort has
82
traditionally been derided in academic subjects (though not on the
playing field). Students used to boast about the lack of effort they put
into work and revision. Tutors could be sarcastic about students who
needed to work to achieve, believing they would never be high-fliers
(one tutor I know still calls such pupils "honest donkeys"). One of the
explanations put forward for the under-representation of girls in first-
class degrees is that they put in so much effort they cannot be creative.
Effort, seen in this way, is inconsistent with real achievement.
Such a view is no longer tenable. Employers now are rightly
wary of those high-fliers who achieve without apparent effort. What will
happen, they wonder, when effort is an essential part of getting
something done? Do these people know how to make an effort? Will
they make an effort? Can they? And schools are more concerned about
pupils' self-respect than before, recognising that it underpins many of the
qualities and skills needed for adult life. One of the most effective ways
to raise self-respect is to praise pupils for their efforts as well as their
achievements, recognising that in making an effort, they exhibit tenacity,
determination and willingness, all highly desirable qualities of which
young people can be proud.
But problems do arise when, in pursuit of our pupils' self-
respect, we start to praise even those efforts that do not result in
achievement. I recently watched a teacher ask a pupil to read a sentence;
then, when the child remained mute, she read the sentence herself,
praising the pupil for repeating the words as she read. What did the child
learn from this? He certainly wasn't learning to read. (To be fair, the
teacher knew she was being observed, often very unnerving).
This incident nicely illustrates the trap: when we reward efforts
that have not resulted in achievement, we risk confusing effort with
achievement. In doing so, we may be raising pupils' self-respect in the
short term, but in the long term we are setting them up for serious
disappointments of just the sort experienced by my young American.
Outside school and the family, effort is valued only if it results in
achievement. We forget this at our pupils' peril.
But it is easy to do so. Effort, we should remember, holds a
particular attraction for teachers because it is by pupils', willingness to
make an effort that teachers measure their own success. When pupils do
make an effort, it is easy for teachers to convince themselves -
sometimes correctly - that this is their doing. We all know the glow that
is stimulated by a student's enthusiasm, whether or not that enthusiasm
83
results in actual achievement. When a pupil doesn't even try to succeed,
good teachers will always feel that they have failed. It is not surprising
that it becomes attractive to reward effort for its own sake.
The obvious answer is consciously to reward both effort and
achievement, perhaps giving separate grades for each. This has the twin
advantages of drawing attention to the fact that both are important, and
of enabling schools to write authoritatively on pupils' willingness and
ability to make an effort (as well as on their actual achievements). But, if
we do this, how do we maintain the self-respect of those pupils who
consistently make a determined effort, but never achieve their goal? And
how do we encourage effort in those young people who run off with all
the prizes without making any effort at all?
There isn't an easy answer. Indeed, I think it is in walking this
tightrope (and other similar ones) that good teachers win their
professional spurs. The job of teaching involves a constant need to
ensure that we live up to all our values, even in cases of conflict. We
must keep expectations high and foster pupils' self-respect, expect pupils
to keep rules and encourage their independence and creativity, and
similarly, we must reward effort without letting go of the need to
achieve. It is, in the final analysis, the teacher who succeeds in balancing
all these values who will never be forgotten.
The writer teaches philosophy at Brasenose College, Oxford. She

is adviser on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, and is academic adviser to the
Oxford programme for undergraduate studies
Vocabulary
adamant determined not to change opinion

exacerbate to make a bad situation worse; exacerbation. Syn
aggravate
deride to make remarks or jokes that show you think sb is silly or
useless; derision (n); derisive (adj)
tenable reasonable successfully defendable (belief, argument)
wary careful because of possibility of danger; ware (v); wariness (n)
tenacity determination to do sth and unwillingness to stop even in case
of difficulties; tenacious (adj)
84
glow a glow of pleasure/ satisfaction/ happiness a strong feeling of
pleasure etc; soft steady light without flames; brightness of colour; glow
(v) with; glowing report/ account/ description full of praise; in
glowing terms using a lot of praise
peril great danger of being harmed or killed: in peril; the perils of;
do sth at your peril; perilous (adj)
foster to help a skill, feeling idea develop over a period of time ; to
take someone elses child into your family for a period of time but
without becoming a legal parent: foster mother/ father/ parents/ child/
home
1. Match the following words with their explanations.
distraught frighten sb
underpin ability to invent
unnerve lacking interesting ideas
uninspiring unable to think clearly because of worry
highlight lay foundation
reward unable to speak
boast stress the importance of the idea
inconsistent speak about your achievements seeking admiration
mute unacceptable because of different approach
creativity acknowledge sbs success by giving a prize
2. Work out the meaning of the following expressions.
to be up to sth
to walk a tightrope
to take comfort in
in the short termin the long term
to set sb up
to win the spurs
to live up to sth
3. Explain the authors idea.
a. .We forget this at our pupils peril.

b. .this is their doing.
85
a. What were the reasons for young woman being distraught?

b. Why was the tutor adamant?
c. What tightrope must every teacher walk?
d. Can we take comfort in thinking this is an American
problem?
e. What was the attitude to effort in the older schools and
universities?
f. Why is this view no longer tenable?
g. What problems can arise if we start to praise even those
efforts that do not result in achievement?
h. Why do teachers tend to praise effort rather than
achievement?
i. What according to the author can a possible solution to the
problem be?
j. What are the twin advantages of this solution?
k. Why isnt there an easy answer?
5. For discussion
- Can we take comfort in the idea that this problem of no

concern for our country?
- To what extent do you agree with the authors viewpoint that
teachers tend to be sympathetic with hard-working students, putting the
importance of effort prior to real achievement?
- Can we really hold such teachers responsible for their
students future disappointments in life? Probably the teacher who was
adamant turned out to be more worried with his students future than the
one giving higher grades out of sympathy?
- Do you support the authors idea of introducing separate
grades for effort and achievement?
4.7 D. Work-force Study Finds Loyalty Is Weak, Divisions

of Race and Gender are Deep
by Sue Shellenbarger
86
NEW YORKA broad new survey of American workers
depicts a work force that has little loyalty to employers and is deeply
divided by race and gender.
The study, the most comprehensive look so far at employees'
lives, also reflects broader-than-expected conflict between work and
family life. It suggests that workers place high value on flexible
scheduling, attention to personal needs and management recognition for
work well doneand that they are willing to make tradeoffs, including
changing jobs, to get them.
The privately funded National Study of the Changing Workforce
by the Families and Work Institute, the first installment of a planned
quadrennial survey of U.S. workers' attitudes about their work and
personal lives, dwarfs similar efforts since a 1977 federally funded
Quality of Employment Survey. The institute, a nonprofit New York
research and consulting concern, held hour-long telephone interviews
with a nationally representative sample of 2,958 wage and salaried
workers on issues ranging from relationships with their bosses to
household chores.
LESS LOYAL TO EMPLOYERS
The results paint a picture of American workers less loyal to
employers than in the past. That isn't surprising: 42 % of those surveyed
had been through downsizing, 28% had seen management cutbacks at
their companies, and nearly 20% said they fear being fired.
The study was financed by 15 companies and foundations: Salt
River Project, a Phoenix utility; Sears, Roebuck & Co.'s Allstate Insur-
ance unit; American Express Co.; American Telephone & Telegraph
Co.; Commonwealth Fund; Dupont Co.; General Mills Foundation;
International Business Machines Corp.; John-son &Johnson; Levi
Strauss & Co.; Merck & Co., Mobil Corp.; Motorola Inc.; the Rocke-
feller Foundation; and Xerox Corp.
The study challenges the notion that younger workers are better
equipped to cope with a more diverse workplace. Instead, employees
under 25 show no greater preference than older employees for working
with people of other races, ages or ethnic groups. Just over half of
surveyed workers of all ages said they prefer working with people of the
same race, sex, gender and education.
Employees who had greater experience living or working with
people of other races, ethnic groups and ages showed a stronger prefer-
ence for diversity in the workplace. But few employees have such
87
experience. The study shows that even workers under 25 had little
contact in the neighborhoods where they grew up with people of
different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
"The workplace is the main social arena" for racial and ethnic
interaction, the study says. "Perhaps even more than school, it is the
front line in our nation's efforts" to assimilate diverse workers, "and it's
unlikely we will succeed unless employers assume strong leadership."
The study also reflects widespread perceptions of racial and
sexual discrimination in the workplace. Asked to rate their own chances
for advancement against those of members of other racial and ethnic
groups, employees of all kinds agreed that minority workers' chances
were poorer than those of non-minority workers. (White men and white
women rated minorities' chances of advancement higher than minority
workers did.) Minority men and women and white women also rated
white men's chances of advancement higher than white men did them-
selves.
Perceptions of discrimination take a heavy toll on job
performance, the study suggests. More than one-fifth of minority
workers reported that they had been discriminated against by their
current employers. Those beliefs correlated with a higher tendency to
feel "burned out," a reduced willingness to take initiative on the job and
a greater likelihood of planning to change jobs, the study showed.
And despite a 20-year flood of women into the work force,
women managers surveyed were more than twice as likely as men to rate
their career-advancement opportunities as "poor" or "fair," with 39%
choosing those labels, compared with 16% of men. In contrast, 84% of
men rated their promotion chances "good" or "excellent," compared with
60% of women.
Women who said they saw little opportunity for career
advancement also tended to be less loyal, less committed and less
satisfied on the job, the survey showed.
EXPLODES GENDER STEREOTYPES
The study explodes some popular stereotypes about gender roles,
however. Most workers surveyed didn't see much difference in the way
men and women manage, for instancethough women managers were
viewed as a little more sympathetic to family or personal problems. On
other criteria, including keeping workers informed, offering recognition
and support and being fair, men and women managers were rated the
same.
88
"Despite myths to the contrary, there is no difference, as judged
by workers, between men and women supervisors," says Chip U'Ren,
associate general manager of Salt River Project, one of the sponsors of
the study. The finding should help companies "find ways to ... break
through the glass ceiling," he says.
The survey also disputes the notion that an emerging generation
of 20-something males will help out their employed partners by doing
more chores at home. Men under 25 aren't any more likely to help with
cooking, cleaning, shopping or bill-paying than their older counterparts,
the study shows. The only area in which younger men surpassed older
men was in doing repairs around the house.
Not unexpectedly, surveyed employees expressed greater
commitment to their jobs than to their employers. While 57% strongly
agreed with the statement, "I always try to do my job well, no matter
what it takes," only 28% strongly agreed that they were "willing to work
harder than I have to help my [employer] succeed."
WORK ENVIRONMENT
But employees also said they placed high value on the quality of
their work environment, suggesting that efforts to improve communica-
tion, reduce work-family conflict and create a more supportive
environment might rekindle flagging loyalty. Surveyed employees who
had changed jobs in the past five years, for instance, said they rated such
workplace characteristics as open communications, management quality
and impact on family life even higher than pay in choosing an employer.
Employees also assigned great importance to benefits they
thought would help them achieve a better balance between job and per-
sonal life. About one-quarter of employees without flexible scheduling
or the right to work at home said they would change jobs to gain those
opportunities; 47% of those who lacked the right to time off to care for
sick family members said they would take a cut in pay or benefits to get
it.
Such nontraditional benefits also correlate with greater feelings
of loyalty and commitment to helping the employer succeed, the study
showsthough traditional benefits, such as health insurance, don't have
the same impact.
JOB-FAMILY CONFLICTS
The survey reflects surprisingly broad conflict between workers'
job and family responsibilities. Nearly half of those surveyed have re-
sponsibility for caring for dependents, whether elderly or disabled
89
relatives or young children. And 87% reported having at least some day-
to-day family responsibilities at home, suggesting that work-family
policies such as flexible scheduling and dependent-care help "shouldn't
be viewed as special assistance for a small group of workers, but as
general assistance for virtually all employees," the study says.
The results "make you catch your breath," says Faith Wohl,
director of human resource initiatives for DuPont, another sponsor of the
study. The results suggest work-family programs should be broadened
and integrated with quality-improvement efforts, she says. "Ultimately,
what makes your company family-friendly is to be worker-friendly," she
says.
When work and family clash, a worker's family is more than
three times more likely to suffer than his or her job performance, the
study shows. When problems erupt at work, employees reported that
they were far more likely to give up time with their families, leave
housework undone or experience bad moods than to refuse overtime or
business travel, cut their output or quarrel with their bosses.
Two-thirds of surveyed employees with children said they lack
adequate time with them. "Especially for workers with children, the pic-
ture is of individuals in gridlock," says Dana Friedman, co-president of
the institute. "People feel strongly about doing a good job at work. They
also yearn to spend more time with their families but arrive home
exhausted."
Sue Shellenbarger, "Work Force Study Finds Loyalty Is Weak,
Divisions of Race and Gender Are Deep," Wall Street Journal,
September 3, 1993
Vocabulary
dwarf (v) (usually passive) to be so big that other things are made to
seem very small ( The cathedral is dwarfed by surrounding
skyscrapers.); dwarf (n)
chore a job that you have to do regularly, which is monotonous and
boring
perception the way you regard sth and your beliefs about what it is
like; perceptible (adj) noticeable though very small
90
toll money you pay for using the road; a number of people killed or
injured in an accident: death toll; take its toll on to have a very bad
effect on sth over a long period of time
erupt - start suddenly: a volcano erupts; erupt into a laughter/
shouting; eruption (n)
yearn to have a strong desire for sth, especially sth that is difficult or
impossible to get: yearn for sth/ to do sth; yearning (n)
1. Match the words from the article with their definitions.
a. flexible scheduling with four participants

b. quadrennial prove false
c. downsize having same job or purpose
d. flood easily changeable hours
e. explode exceed
f. counterpart a child or an elderly parent
g. surpass judge as the most important
h. place high value cut in number
i. dependent a large number of people
j. in gridlock in deadlock
2. Choose the most suitable answer.
A. This article is from

a union newsletter / a business newspaper / a psychology text
B. The title is
long, and a good summary of the contents / short, but followed by a
long, useful lead
C. Which of the following is truer?

Every paragraph in this article is loaded with details and figuresit's
impossible to skim. / There are some general conclusions in the article,
so it's skimmable.
3. Concentrate on the main ideas.
A. Which subhead was not in the article? Or were they all present?
a. Job-Family Conflicts
91
b. Explodes Gender Stereotypes
c. Less Loyal to Employers
d. All were present
B. The main conclusion reached by this massive study is that

American workers value pay incentivesmoneyabove all other
factors in their jobs.
a. true
b. false
C. This privately funded study is

a. the most comprehensive one in many years
b. fairly small, but conducted each year
D. The ending section (prime placement) of the article deals with

a. the trauma of being laid off
b. problems arising from work-family conflicts
c. the importance of job recruiting
a. What does the survey depict?

b. What body conducted the survey?
c. What notion does the survey challenge?
d. What are the surveys findings concerning racial and ethnic
interaction?
e. What stereotypes does the survey explode?
f. What do the employees place high value on?
5. Sum up the information of the article.
6. For discussion
- Were you surprised, like many employers and the study's

architects, at the importance workers assigned to conflicts between their
work and their families? Why or why not?
- The article also gives much space to the subtopics "gender" and
"race/ ethnicity" in the workplace. Give your reactions to and opinions
on either subtopic.
92
- Imagine you own a business or factory. After reading this survey
of workers' perceptions, you want to "assume strong leadership"
(paragraph 8) in helping your workers accept diversity among their co-
workers. How would you go about it?
4.7 E. The Key to Success? Its Drive, Not Talent,

Study Finds
by David G. Savage
A five-year study of 120 of the nation's top artists, athletes and

scholars has concluded that drive and determination, not great natural
talent, led to their extraordinary success.
"We expected to find tales of great natural gifts," said
University of Chicago education professor Benjamin Bloom, who led
the team of researchers who studied the careers of America's top
performers in six fields: concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, sculptors,
tennis players, mathematicians, and research neurologists.
"We didn't find that at all. Their mothers often said it was their
other child who had the greater gift," Bloom said.
The most brilliant mathematicians often said they had trouble in
school and were rarely the best in their classes. Some world-class tennis
players said their coaches viewed them as being too short ever to be
outstanding, and the Olympic swimmers said they remember getting
regularly "clobbered" in races as 10-year-olds.
ANONYMOUS INTERVIEWS
The foundation-supported research team conducted in-depth,
anonymous interviews with the top 20 performers in the six fields, as
judged by national championships or similar honors.
They also interviewed their families and teachers, hoping to
learn how these individuals developed into extraordinary performers.
Instead, the researchers heard accounts of an extraordinary
drive and dedication through which, for example, a child would practice
the piano several hours daily for 17 years to attain his goal of becoming
a concert pianist. A typical swimmer would tell of getting up at 5:30
every morning to swim two hours before school and then two hours after
school to attain his or her goal of making the Olympic team.
Bloom, an eminent educational researcher, said his findings
"remind me of the old joke about the young man walking down a New
93
York street who stops to ask a little old lady, 'How do I get to Carnegie
Hall?' And she looks up and says, 'Practice, young man. Practice.'"
Although practice and motivation seemed to explain their
success, the top performers, regardless of their field, appeared to follow
a similar course of development, the researchers found.
In practically every case, the parents played the key role, first by
exposing their children at an early age to music, sports or learning. The
vast majority of the parents were not themselves outstanding musicians,
athletes or scholars. For example, fewer than half of the parents of the
distinguished pianists had ever played any musical instrument.
VALUED COMPETITION
But the parents of the swimmers and tennis players did enjoy
sports and valued competition, Bloom reported. The families of the pi-
anists and sculptors appreciated art and music, while the parents of the
research scientists displayed a great love for learning.
The parents of the mathematicians and research neurologists
reported that their children showed both an unusual curiosity about how
things work and an "independent nature" that allowed them to play or
work alone for hours.
Although it is not uncommon for children to ask repeatedly
"why?," "what appears to make the parents of the (scientists) unique is
the nature of their response to their children's questions," Bloom wrote.
"They responded to the questions seriously, often encouraging even
more questions."
Beyond specific attitudes or interests, the parents also taught
their children to value hard work and competition.
"These parents placed great stress on achievement, on success,
and on doing one's best at all times. They were models of the 'work
ethic,' believing that work should come before play and that one should
always work toward distant goals," Bloom said. The results of the re-
search will be published this week in a book entitled Developing Talent
in Young People.
The families said in the interviews that they wanted their sons
and daughters to have "normal" childhoods and that they had no inkling
that the children would achieve unusual success.
PARENTS ENCOURAGED THEM
But once a child displayed an interest and enthusiasm in a
particular area, these parents encouraged them at every step and were
94
willing to spend countless hours shuttling them to and from piano,
tennis, or swimming lessons.
"Even in homes where money was tight, no sacrifice was too
great in order that the child have whatever he needed to learn to become
a musician. 'My parents didn't have nickels to rub together,' Bloom
quoted one pianist as saying. '"Those were the bad old days. But there
was always money for music.'"
Several of the families reported moving to new homes just to get
their children in better academic environments or to be closer to a coach
or instructor.
Bloom's study also found that these extraordinary achievers, all
of whom were younger than 40 when interviewed, appeared to have
gone through three distinct stages of development, regardless of their
field.
At first, the parents exposed the children to playing a piano,
tinkering with scientific games or hitting a tennis ball, but it was just
fun. They played tennis with their families, for example, and developed
the habit of regular practice. Usually, the children also had some outside
instructionperhaps a neighbor who gave piano lessons or an uncle
who was a good tennis player.
Then, at some point, they began to gain recognition for their
ability. A 7-year-old would play the piano for a school performance. An
8-year-old would beat all the other children at his local tennis or
swimming club.
"Within two to five years, most of the individuals in our study

began to see themselves in terms of the talent field," Bloom wrote.
"They began to see themselves as 'pianists' and 'swimmers' before the
age of 11 or 12, and 'mathematicians' before the age of 16 or 17."
"Most of our talented individuals had very good experiences
with their initial teachers, and many had developed a very comfortable
relationship with them," Bloom wrote.
At the second stage of development, as a child's rapid progress
became apparent, the parents usually sought out a more expert instructor
or coach.
Typically, the new teachers "were perfectionists who demanded
a great deal of practice time for the student and looked for much
progress in a relatively short period of time," Bloom wrote. They usually
95
stressed the refining of the child's technique, whether it be their fingers
on the keyboard or their strokes in the water or on the tennis court.
In the middle years, these young people first tasted extraordinary
success. Some set national swimming records as adolescents. The pi-
anists got opportunities to perform with symphony orchestras. The
future mathematicians and neurologists were already doing independent
research projects and winning science fairs. The tennis players were
winning state championships.
GREATER COMMITMENT
At this point, their commitment to their field escalated one step
further. The subjects said they began "living" for swimming, or tennis or
the piano and devoted hours each day to practice. They also sought out
the nation's best coaches or teachers, those who were recognized masters
at training the best.
Sixteen of the world-class pianists reported having studied at
some time with one of five master teachers. The mathematicians and
scientists, who often had become attached to a special teacher or gained
the attention of a local university professor, gravitated to the nation's top
universities in math and science.
At this final stage of development, the focus was less on
technique than on developing a personal style. The swimmers and tennis
players said their master teachers helped them with strategy and
psychology. The pianists said they learned about expressing their own
interpretation of the music.
"During these years the student was completely committed to
the talent field. Now most of the motivation was internal and related to
their larger goals," Bloom wrote.
Few of the talented individuals expressed any regret about
devoting so much of their time to pursuing a single goal.
"I loved tennis. To me, it was productive," said one former
player. "To sit in a (fast-food) parking lot in a car with four or five 16-
year-olds didn't interest me a bit. I never felt I missed that."
A few swimmers reported a great feeling of letdown after the
Olympics ended and their swimming careers were over. Most of the top
achievers, even those who had left their field, said they had retained a
feeling of pride in their accomplishments.
Bloom said the study convinced him that talent must be
carefully nurtured over many years.
96
"The old saw that 'genius will win out' in spite of the
circumstances just doesn't hold up," he said.
Because natural talent seemed to play such a minor role in the
development of these performers, Bloom said he was also convinced
that a large number of individuals could achieve at extraordinary levels
if given the right encouragement and training.
The research "points to the enormous human potential available
in each society and the likelihood that only a very small amount of this
human potential is ever fully developed," he concluded. "We believe that
each society could vastly increase the amount and kinds of talent it
develops."
David G. Savage, "The Key to Success? It's Drive, Not Talent,"
Los Angeles Times, February 17, 1985
Vocabulary
attain to succeed in reaching a particular level; attainment (n);

attainable (adj)
tinker (with) make small changes to something in order tom repair it
or make it better
retain- to keep sth or continue to have sth; retaining fee money paid
to keep someone working for you
nurture to help a plan, idea, feeling develop; nurture (n)

definitions
a. dedication outstanding
b. eminent give away without feeling sorry
c. appreciate value high
d. have no inkling single-mindedness
e. sacrifice disappointment
f. refine attract each other
g. escalate have no idea
h. gravitate become worse
i. letdown purify
2. Explain the meaning of the following phrase.
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My parents didnt have nickels to rub together.
3. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. The study took five years, analyzed 120 people in six fields,
and was directed by the University of Chicago.
a. true b. false
2. The results of the study seem to prove that high achievement in

various fields results from
a. great teachers or coaches at a crucial phase of development
b. unusual natural talents or gifts present at birth
3. The study also shows that extremely successful people.

a. shared much the same background and phases of
development
b. cannot be categorized one way or another
4. The article ends with Bloom's conviction that

a. "genius will win out," regardless of outside forces
b. the human potential for success is enormous and largely
untapped
4. Using phrases or sentences, outline the "three distinct stages

of development" of the high achiever.
5. Comment on the title and summarize the article.
6. For discussion
- This study and its published results are several years old. Does
this invalidate the findings, in your opinion? Why or why not?
- Assuming that Bloom's conclusions are valid, what meaning

does this study have for you? For children growing up in families
everywhere?
4.7 F. Blessed Barons
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Rapacious? Sure. But 19th century titans Carnegie, Rockefeller
and Morgan set the stage for the empire builders of the 20th
by RON CHERNOW
Staring out from their photographs, they are the archetypal

tycoons: one a steely-eyed Scot with a spade-shaped white beard;
another a craggy, Ichabod Crane look-alike; the third a fat cat in striped
pants with a watch chain strung across an ample paunch.
Today they have the look of fossilized reactionaries, but these turn-
of-the-century titans were men who lived in booming, anarchic times
and thrived on them. The Gilded Age was a turbulent period of
unfettered capitalism and unfathomable wealth for them and their peers
an environment free of income tax, meddling regulators and other
curbs on the animal spirits of freewheeling entrepreneurs. Yet these
febrile decades, forever decried as the era of the robber barons, forged
the tremendous engine of economic growth that propelled the country
from rural isolationism in the 19th century to world industrial leadership
in the 20th.
Three menAndrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller and J.
Pierpont Morganpersonified this sweeping turn-of-the-century
transformation. Imbued with all the greed, guile and enterprise of the
age, they exhibited a bullish faith in America's future despite the
depressions, strikes and financial panics that punctuated these tumul-
tuous years. In their different ways, each dealt a mortal blow to the
small-scale economy of the early republic, fostering vast industries that
forever altered the size and scope of the nation's business.
In crafting the first major multinational corporation, Standard Oil,
Rockefeller (1839-1937) provided a sneak preview of the 20th century.
At his zenith, he refined, distributed and marketed nearly 90% of
America's oil. The unlikely offspring of a raffish snake-oil salesman and
a strict Baptist mother, Rockefeller grew up in several rustic hamlets in
upstate New York and Ohio. He began his career as an assistant book-
keeper in a Cleveland, Ohio, commodity-brokerage house in 1855 and
invested in his first refinery during the Civil War.
When he co-founded Standard in 1870, the oil fields of western
Pennsylvaniathe heart of the new industry-were in a chaotic state as
gluts dragged down prices below production costs. Rockefeller then
began to employ the tactics that made him a legend. Imposing his own
99
granite discipline on the industry, he bought up rivals, modernized plants
and organized the oil industry on an enduring basis.
Never the curmudgeon of myth, Rockefeller had a droll,
genial personality that masked supreme cunning and formidable self-
control. It is certainly true that he was not the least bit squeamish about
tough tactics. He colluded with railroads to gain preferential freight
rates, secretly owned rivals, bribed state legislators and engaged in
industrial espionage. From Cleveland, he rolled up one refining center
after another until his control was absolute. He was still in his 30s, the
boy wonder of American business. At the same time, he was a devout
Baptist with a ministerial air, who professed to have no less a business
expert than the Lord on his side.
Rockefeller believed in a new economic order that he dubbed
"cooperation." President Theodore Roosevelt and his trustbusters had
another word for itmonopolyand the Lord proved no help to Rocke-
feller against T.R. Rockefeller's tough tactics forced America to define
the limits of corporate behavior. Since Rockefeller managed to figure
out every conceivable anticompetitive practice, the authors of the
Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890 simply had to study his career to draw up
a reform agenda.
In the end, Rockefeller amassed a fortune that beggared
description. When his net worth peaked at $900 million in 1913, it was
equivalent to more than 2% of the gross national product; such a share
today would be worth $190 billion, or nearly three times as much as Bill
Gates' wealth.
Carnegie (1835-1919), the son of a master weaver in Dunfermline,
Scotland, saw his boyhood paradise torn asunder when his father's skills
were rendered obsolete by the power loom. The Carnegies had to
emigrate to the foul Pittsburgh, Pa., slums when Andrew was 12. Quick-
witted, shrewd and resilient, he survived a Dickensian adolescence that
included working as a bobbin boy in a textile mill.
His first breakthrough came when he landed a job as secretary and
telegrapher to
Tom Scott, a powerful overlord of the Pennsylvania Railroad. At
23 Carnegie headed Pennsy's Pittsburgh division and began to rake in a
small fortune from outside investments ranging from oil to iron bridges.
When he was 33, the rich young man privately lectured himself that his
continued pursuit of wealth "must degrade me beyond hope of
permanent recovery." Yet he couldn't abandon the money chase. "Put all
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your eggs into one basket," Carnegie once advised, "and then watch that
basket." For him that basket brimmed with steel. Fiercely competitive,
obsessed with innovation and efficiency - he would unhesitatingly scrap
a relatively new plant to erect a more modern oneCarnegie imported
the Bessemer forced-air steel process to America. Such innovation per-
mitted him to reduce the price of railsthe product that initially drove
the industryfrom $160 a ton in 1875 to $17 by 1900. His steel
furnished the sinews of America's burgeoning towns and factories.
A prolific writer and autodidact who authored eight books and 70
magazine articles, Carnegie was a voluble, if sometimes naive, adherent
of the Victorian faith in mankind's progress. His quixotic ideals often
clashed, however, with the brute realities of his steel mills, where men
toiled 12-hour days, seven days a week. If Carnegie fancied himself the
friend of the workingman, he had to face the ultimate comeuppance in
1892 when his associate Henry Clay Frick brutally suppressed striking
workers in Homestead, Pa., in the bloodiest clash in U.S. labor history.
After selling his empire to J.P. Morgan in 1901 to form the
centerpiece of the new behemoth, U.S. Steel, Carnegie devoted himself
to good deeds. A prodigious philanthropist, he created 2,800 free
libraries worldwide. "The man who dies rich dies disgraced," he de-
clared bluntly. Like Rockefeller, Carnegie endowed large corporate
foundations with elastic charters that took on an autonomous existence.
At his death he had disbursed almost his entire $350 million fortune.
If Rockefeller and Carnegie built the industrial age, then Morgan
(1837-1913) financed it. The most imposing personage ever to bestride
Wall Streethis nickname was JupiterMorgan had a thunderclap
voice, a ferocious glare and a grotesquely disfigured red nose that, he
once ruefully joked, had become "part of the American business
structure." Where Rockefeller and Carnegie endured hardscrabble
boyhoods, Morgan came from a well-to-do Hartford, Conn., family, and
his appetite for bosomy women, enormous yachts (his 300-ft. Corsair
lent him a piratical image) and exquisite art was legendary.
After studying in Switzerland and Germany, the cosmopolitan
young Morgan arrived on Wall Street in 1857, serving as agent for his
father Junius Spencer Morgan, who had taken over a London merchant
bank. Though Pierpont participated in refinancing the Civil War debt in
the 1870s, he acquired true imperial status in underwriting America's
railroads.
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Morgan issued stocks and bonds for railroads (think of them as you
would software companies today), brokered deals among them and
dominated their boards. He recapitalized so many bankrupt railroads
Morganized them, as wits said-that by the 1890s he controlled one-sixth
of America's railway system.
Like Rockefeller, Morgan scorned competition as wasteful and ran
afoul of federal trustbusters who broke up his railroad holding company,
Northern Securities, in the early 1900s. The apex of Morgan's power
came in 1901 with the creation of U.S. Steel, the first billion-dollar
corporation. This was followed by International Harvester, the farm-
equipment trust, and the International Mercantile Marine, the North
Atlantic shipping cartel. In fact, Morgan presided over so many large-
scale industrial consolidations that he recast the banker's role from that
of handmaiden to master of industry.
Between 1836 and 1914, the U.S. lacked a central bank; Morgan
stepped boldly, sometimes magnificently, into that breach. When gold
reserves backing the country's legal tender dipped perilously low in
1895, he masterminded a bond issue in New York and London that
replenished the gold stockone of many acts he performed that
preserved America's credit abroad and evinced a new financial maturity
that won the confidence of foreign investors.
During the 1907 Panic on Wall Street, an aging Morgan mobilized
the city's bankers in his solemnly ornate library and got them to commit
money to a rescue fund that ended the bank runs convulsing the city. It
was the last hurrah for a self-regulated financial system: Morgan's
dazzling improvisation proved the urgent need for a central bank, setting
the stage for the passage of the Federal Reserve Act in 1913.
Rockefeller, Carnegie and Morgan were not the only robber
barons, of course. Edward H. Harriman fought Morgan for control of the
railroads. Andrew and Richard Mellon founded four major companies,
including Alcoa. But the scale on which Rockefeller, Carnegie and
Morgan operated was unprecedented, paving the way for a world of
global companies and capital flows. And their money built a platform for
philanthropy that has grown every bit as much as their corporations.
Ron Chernow is the author of Titan: The Life of John D. Rock-

efeller Sr. He has also written a biography of J.P. Morgan
Culture
102
T.R. President Theodore Roosevelt
Vocabulary
curb an influence which helps to control or limit sth (+on); the edge of
the part of a road where people can walk; curb (v) to control or limit sth
in order to prevent it from having a harmful effect
imbue sb with (usually passive) to make someone feel an emotion
very strongly
freight goods carried by ship, train etc; freight (v); freight liner,
freight train
loom - to appear as a large , unclear shape, especially in a threatening
way; if a problem looms , it is likely to happen very soon: loom large
to seem important, worrying, and difficult to avoid
endow to give a college, hospital etc a large sum of money that will
provide it with an income; be endowed with to naturally have a
good feature or quality; endowment (n)
replenish to fill sth again or put new supplies into sth
evince to show a feeling or quality very clearly in what you say or do
1. Find equivalents in the article.
To enjoy life though it may be hard for the rest; to state publicly
that you do not approve of sth, poor small village, excessive supply, an
old person who is often angry or annoyed, to work with sb secretly, the
lord ruling over other lords, means of strength, a person supporting a
particular idea, a person who is able to say clever and funny things, to
plan and organize a large, important, and difficult operation, to cause
problems by doing sth that is against the conventional rules.
2. Match the following words and expressions from the article

with their definitions.
punctuate create sth

deal a mortal blow proponent
craft collect a great sum of money
bookkeeper succeed in getting a job
trustbuster interrupt continuously
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amass a fortune the most successful period
beggar a description destroy
tear asunder be impossible to describe
land a job be broken violently into many parts
apex of the power accountant
3. Explain the meaning of each adjective used by the author to

characterize the blessed barons.
Rapacious, fossilized, greedy, guileful, sneak, raffish, droll, genial,

cunning, formidable, squeamish, devout, quick-witted, shrewd, resilient,
competitive, prolific, voluble, naive, quixotic, brute, prodigious, rueful.
4. The author uses a host of descriptions for the period that

witnessed the life of three economic titans. Characterize the period
making use of the expressions from the article.
5. Explain the following sentences from the article
a. At the same time, he was a devout Baptist with a ministerial

air, who professed to have no less a business expert than the Lord on his
side.
b. Put all your eggs into one basket and then watch that
basket. How does it contradict the conventional wisdom?
6. Mark the corner stones of three careers.
7. What clusters the three titans together? What are the main
differences?
8. Though each of the blessed barons left no stone unturned to

create their empires, their role in the life of the whole nation cannot
be overestimated. Rockefeller was even a model figure for lawmakers.
Speak briefly about their impact on the society.
9. For discussion
104
- Can our time bear such people? Can you think of an example?
What are the necessary prerequisites for the appearance of such
personalities? Do you believe that nowadays a person from badly-off
family can rise from the ranks and become master of the world?
4.7 G. Henry Ford
He produced an affordable car, paid high wages and helped create

a middle class. Not bad for an autocrat
by LEE IACOCCA
The only time I ever met Henry Ford, he looked at me and

probably wondered, "Who is this little s.o.b. fresh out of college?" He
wasn't real big on college graduates, and I was one of 50 in the Ford
training course in September 1946, working in a huge drafting room at
the enormous River Rouge plant near Detroit.
One day there was a big commotion at one end of the floor and in
walked Henry Ford with Charles Lindbergh. They walked down my
aisle asking men what they were doing. I was working on a mechanical
drawing of a clutch spring (which drove me out of engineering forever),
and I was worried that they'd ask me a question because I didn't know
what the hell I was doingI'd been there only 30 days. I was just
awestruck by the fact that there was Colonel Lindbergh with my new
boss, coming to shake my hand.
The boss was a genius. He was an eccentric. He was no prince in
his social attitudes and his politics. But Henry Ford's mark in history is
almost unbelievable. In 1905, when there were 50 start-up companies a
year trying to get into the auto business, his backers at the new Ford
Motor Co. were insisting that the best way to maximize profits was to
build a car for the rich.
But Ford was from modest, agrarian Michigan roots. And he
thought that the guys who made the cars ought to be able to afford one
themselves so that they too could go for a spin on a Sunday afternoon. In
typical fashion, instead of listening to his backers. Ford eventually
bought them out.
And that proved to be only the first smart move in a crusade that
would make him the father of 20th century American industry. When the
black Model T rolled out in 1908, it was hailed as America's Everyman
105
carelegant in its simplicity and a dream machine not just for engineers
but for marketing men as well.
Ford instituted industrial mass production, but what really
mattered to him was mass consumption. He figured that if he paid his
factory workers a real living wage and produced more cars in less time
for less money, everyone would buy them.
Almost half a century before Ray Kroc sold a single McDonald's
hamburger. Ford invented the dealer-franchise system to sell and service
cars. In the same way that all politics is local, he knew that business had
to be local. Ford's "road men" became a familiar part of the American
landscape. By 1912 there were 7,000 Ford dealers across the country.
In much the same fashion, he worked on making sure that an
automotive infrastructure developed along with the cars. Just like horses,
cars had to be fedso Ford pushed for gas stations everywhere. And as
his tin lizzies bounced over the rutted tracks of the horse age, he
campaigned for better roads, which eventually led to an interstate-
highway system that is still the envy of the world.
His vision would help create a middle class in the U.S., one
marked by urbanization, rising wages and some free time in which to
spend them. When Ford left the family farm at age 16 and walked eight
miles to his first job in a Detroit machine shop, only 2 out of 8
Americans lived in the cities. By World War II that figure would double,
and the affordable Model T was one reason for it. People flocked to
Detroit for jobs, and if they worked in one of Henry's factories, they
could afford one of his carsit's a virtuous circle, and he was the
ringmaster. By the time production ceased for the Model T in 1927,
more than 15 million cars had been sold-or half the world's output.
Nobody was more of an inspiration to Ford than the great inventor
Thomas Alva Edison. At the turn of the century Edison had blessed
Ford's pursuit of an efficient, gas-powered car during a chance meeting
at Detroit's Edison Illuminating Co., where Ford was chief engineer.
(Ford had already worked for the company of Edison's fierce rival,
George Westinghouse.)
After the Model Ts enormous success, the two visionaries from
rural Michigan became friends and business partners. Ford asked Edison
to develop an electric storage battery for the car and funded the effort
with $1.5 million.
Ford's great strength was the manufacturing processnot in-
vention. Long before he started a car company, he was an inveterate
106
tinkerer, known for picking up loose scraps of metal and wire and
turning them into machines. He'd been putting cars together since 1891.
Although by no means the first popular automobile, the Model T showed
the world just how innovative Ford was at combining technology and
markets.
The company's assembly line alone threw America's Industrial
Revolution into overdrive. Instead of having workers put together the
entire car. Ford's cronies, who were great tool - and diemakers from
Scotland, organized teams that added parts to each Model T as it moved
down a line. By the time Ford's sprawling Highland Park plant was
humming along in 1914, the world's first automatic conveyor belt could
churn out a car every 93 minutes.
The same year, Henry Ford shocked the world with what probably
stands as his greatest contribution ever: the $5-a-day minimum-wage
scheme. The average wage in
the auto industry then was $2.34 for a 9-hr. shift. Ford not only
doubled that, he also shaved an hour off the workday. In those years it
was unthinkable that a guy could be paid that much for doing something
that didn't involve an awful lot of training or education. The Wall Street
Journal called the plan "an economic crime," and critics everywhere
heaped "Fordism" with equal scorn.
But as the wage increased later to a daily $10, it proved a critical
component of Ford's quest to make the automobile accessible to all. The
critics were too stupid to comprehend that because Ford had lowered his
costs per car, the higher wages didn't matter-except for making it
feasible for more people to buy cars.
When Ford stumbled, it was because he wanted to do everything
his way. By the late 1920s the company had become so vertically
integrated that it was completely self-sufficient. Ford controlled rubber
plantations in Brazil, a fleet of ships, a railroad, 16 coal mines, and
thousands of acres of timberland and iron-ore mines in Michigan and
Minnesota. All this was combined at the gigantic River Rouge plant, a
sprawling city of a place where more than 100,000 men worked.
The problem was that for too long they worked on only one model.
Although people told him to diversify, Henry Ford had developed tunnel
vision. He basically started saying "to hell with the customer," who can
have any color as long as it's black. He didn't bring out a new design
until the Model A in '27, and by then GM was gaining.
107
In a sense Henry Ford became a prisoner of his own success. He
turned on some of his best and brightest when they launched design
changes or plans he had not approved. On one level you have to admire
his paternalism. He was so worried that his workers would go crazy with
their five bucks a day that he set up a "Sociological Department" to
make sure that they didn't blow the money on booze and vice. He
banned smoking because he thought, correctly as it turned out, that
tobacco was unhealthy . "I want the whole organization dominated by a
just, generous and humane policy," he said.
Naturally, Ford, and only Ford, determined that policy. He was
violently opposed to labor organizers, whom he saw as "the worst thing
that ever struck the earth," and entirely unnecessarywho, after all,
knew more about taking care of his people than he? Only when he was
faced with a general strike in 1941 did he finally agree to let the United
Auto Workers organize a plant.
By then Alfred P. Sloan had combined various car companies into a
powerful General Motors, with a variety of models and prices to suit all
tastes. He had also made labor peace. That left Ford in the dust, its
management in turmoil. And if World War II hadn't turned the
company's manufacturing prowess to the business of making B-24
bombers and jeeps, it is entirely possible that the 1932 V-8 engine might
have been Ford's last innovation.
In the prewar years there was no intelligent management at
Ford. When I arrived at the end of the war, the company was a
monolithic dictatorship. Its balance sheet was still being kept on the
back of an envelope, and the guys in purchasing had to weigh the in-
voices to count them. College kids, managers, anyone with book
learning was viewed with some land of suspicion. Ford had done so
many screwy thingsfrom terrorizing his own lieutenants to canonizing
Adolf Hitler-that the company's image was as low as it could go.
It was Henry Ford II who rescued the legacy. He played down his
grandfather's antics, and he made amends with the Jewish business
community that Henry Ford had alienated so much with the racist
attacks that are now a matter of historical record. Henry II encouraged
the "whiz kids" like Robert McNamara and Arjay Miller to modernize
management, which put the company back on track. Ford was the first
company to get a car out after the war, and it was the only company that
had a real base overseas. In fact, one of the reasons that Ford is so
competitive today is that from the very beginning, Henry Ford went
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anywhere there was a roadand usually a river. He took the company to
33 countries at his peak. These days the automobile business is going
more global every day, and in that, as he was about so many things. Ford
was prescient.
Henry Ford died in his bed at his Fair Lane mansion seven months
after I met him, during a blackout caused by a storm in the spring of
1947. He was 83. The fact is, there probably couldn't be a Henry Ford in
today's world. Business is too collegial. One hundred years ago, business
was done by virtual dictators-men laden with riches and so much power
they could take over a country if they wanted to. That's not acceptable
anymore. But if it hadn't been for Henry Ford's drive to create a mass
market for cars, America wouldn't have a middle class today.
Lee Lacocca was president of Ford, later chairman of Chrysler
and last year founded EV Global Motors
Culture
s.o.b (s-o-b) son of a bitch
clutch the pedal you press when driving to change gear
crusade one of series a series of wars fought in the 11 th, 12th, and 13th
centuries by Christian armies trying to take Palestine from the Muslims;
a determined attempt to change sth because you think you are morally
right
tunnel vision the tendency to only think about one part of sth such as
a problem or plan, instead of considering all the parts of it
Vocabulary
commotion sudden noisy activity: cause a commotion

awe a feeling of great respect and admiration: be/ stand in awe of sb;
awe (v) (usually passive); awe-inspiring; awesome - extremely
impressive, very good; awe-struck feeling extremely impressed by the
importance, difficulty, or seriousness of sth
hail to greet sb, try to attract sbs attention: hail a cab/ taxi; to
describe sb as being very good
bless - to be fond of someone; be blessed with - to have a special
ability; if God blesses someone he helps and protects them; blessing
(n) : be a real blessing; a mixed blessing a situation that has both
good and bad parts; blessing in disguise something that seems bad but
which you later realize is good or lucky
109
fierce angry, ready to attack; done with a lot of energy: fierce
competition, fierce emotions are very strong ones
inveterate (adj) ( only before noun) inveterate smoker/ liar/
womanizer someone who smokes a lot, lies a lot etc and cannot stop;
inveterate fondness/ distrust/ hatred an attitude that you have had
for a long time and cannot change
crony one of a group of people, who spend a lot of time with each
other and will usually help each other, even if this involves dishonesty
quest a long search for sth such as truth or knowledge (+ for)
visionary someone who has clear ideas and strong feelings about the
way sth should be done in the future; visionary (adj)
prowess great skill at doing sth
1. Match the following words with their definitions.
affordable go to some interesting place in big groups

autocrat very advanced youngster who can work wonders
flock which any person can have
feasible having unlimited power
stumble in confusion
paternalism workable
in turmoil decided together
collegial stop or make a mistake
whiz kid the system of satisfying peoples needs depriving them
of any rights
2. What do the following phrases mean?
to be big on sth
to go for a spin
to throw into overdrive
a sprawling city of a place
to blow the money on booze and vice
3. Explain the meaning of the following sentences.
a. He had also made labor peace
110
b. Its balance sheet was still being kept on the back of an
envelope, and the guys in purchasing had to weigh the invoices to count
them.
c. it was Henry Ford II who rescued the legacy.
d. He played down his grandfathers antics, and he made
amends with the Jewish business community
4. The author paraphrases the common phrase vicious circle

into virtuous circle. What is the difference between the two?
a. What family did Henry Ford come from?

b. What were his early days work experiences?
c. How did it shape his later business outlook?
d. What was Fords role in altering the American landscape?
e. What authorizes the writer to state that Fords vision helped to
create a middle class in the U.S.?
f. How does friendship with Thomas Alva Eddison characterize
Henry Ford?
g. What Fords innovations change management completely?
h. How did Fords origin tell on his attitude to his workers?
i. What aspects of Fords personality prove that there is always
room for perfection?
j. What was his descendants role in rescuing the legacy of the
family?
6. For discussion
- What do you think of Henry Fords commitment to create

employee-friendly working environment? Can such expenditures be
reasonable and economically justifiable in the long run?
- What do latter-day employers try to do foster healthy
relationship? Do they do it of their free will?
4.7 H. Sorry, Hes in Conference
How much of your time at work today will be spent at meetings?

How much of that time was really spent working? Jean-Louis Barsoux
on an essential part of management
111
Managers spend a great deal of their time in meetings. According
to Henry Mintzberg, in his book. The Nature of Managerial Work,
managers in large organizations spend only 22 per cent of their time at
their desks, but 69 per cent of their time in meetings. So what are the
managers doing in those meetings?
There have conventionally been two answers. The first is the
academic version: managers are coordinating and controlling, making
decisions, solving problems and planning. This interpretation has been
largely discredited because it ignores the social and political forces at
work in meetings.
The second version claims that meetings provide little more than
strategic sites for corporate gladiators to perform before the organ-
izational emperors. This perspective is far more attractive, and has given
rise to a large, and often humorous, body of literature on gamesmanship
and posturing in meetings.
It is of course, true that meeting rooms serve as shop windows for
managerial talent, but this is far from the whole truth. The suggestion
that meetings are essentially battle grounds is misleading since the
raison d'etre of meetings has far more to do with comfort than conflict.
Meetings are actually vital props, both for the participants and the
organization as a whole.
For the organization, meetings represent recording devices. The
minutes of meetings catalogue the changing face of the organization, at
all levels, in a more systematic way than do the assorted memos and
directives which are scattered about the company. They enshrine the
minutiae of corporate history, they itemize proposed actions and
outcomes in a way which makes one look like the natural culmination of
the other.
The whole tenor of the minutes is one of total premeditation and
implied continuity. They are a sanitized version of reality which suggests
a reassuring level of control over events. What is more, the minutes
record the debating of certain issues in an official and democratic forum,
so that those not involved in the process can be assured that the decision
was not taken lightly.
As Doug Bennett, an administrative and finance manager with
Allied Breweries, explains: "Time and effort are seen to have been
invested in scrutinizing a certain course of action."
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Key individuals are also seen to have put their names behind that
particular course of action. The decision can therefore proceed with the
full weight of the organization behind it, even if it actually went through
"on the nod". At the same time, the burden of responsibility is spread, so
that no individual takes the blame should disaster strike.
Thus, the public nature of formal meetings confers a degree of
legitimacy on what happens in them. Having a view pass unchallenged
at a meeting can be taken to indicate consensus.
However, meetings also serve as an alibi for inaction, as demon-
strated by one manager who explained to his subordinates: "I did what I
could to prevent it - I had our objections minuted in two meetings." The
proof of conspicuous effort was there in black and white.
By merely attending meetings, managers buttress their status,
while non-attendance can carry with it a certain stigma. Whether
individual managers intend to make a contribution or not, it is satisfying
to be considered one of those whose views matter. Ostracism, for
senior managers, is not being invited to meetings.
As one cynic observed, meetings are comfortingly tangible: "Who
on the shop floor really believes that managers are working when they
tour the works? But assemble them behind closed doors and call it a
meeting and everyone will take it for granted that they are hard at work."
Managers are being seen to earn their corn.
Meetings provide managers with another form of comfort too - that
of familiarity. Meetings follow a set format: exchanges are ritualized, the
participants are probably known in advance, there is often a written
agenda, and there is a chance to prepare. Little wonder then, that they
come as welcome relief from the upheaval and uncertainty of life
outside the meeting room.
Managers can draw further comfort from the realization that their
peers are every bit as bemused and fallible as themselves. Meetings
provide constant reminders that they share the same problems,
preoccupations and anxieties, that they are all in the same boat. And for
those who may be slightly adrift, meetings are ideal occasions for gently
pulling them round.
As Steve Styles, the process control manager (life services) at
Legal & General, puts it: "The mere presence of others in meetings adds
weight to teasing or censure and helps you to 'round up the strays'." Such
gatherings therefore provide solace and direction for the management
team - a security blanket for managers.
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Meetings do serve a multitude of means as well as ends. They
relieve managerial stress and facilitate consensus. For the organization,
they have a safety-net-cum-rubber-stamping function without which
decisions could not progress, much less gather momentum. In short,
meetings are fundamental to the well-being of managers and
organizations alike.
Culture
gamesmanship the ability to succeed by using the rules of a game to

your own advantage
posture to stand or behave in a way that you hope will make other
people notice and admire you; to pretend to have a particular opinion or
attitude
Vocabulary
minutes an official written record of what is said and decided at the

meeting; a short official note on or about a document; minute (v).
Compare minute [] (adj) extremely small: in minute detail; paying
careful attention to sth: a minute examination
conspicuous easy to notice, especially because it is different from
everything else around; unusually good, bad skilful: conspicuous by
your absence
stigma- a strong feeling in a society that a type of behaviour is
shameful; the stigma of alcoholism/abortion etc; stigmatize (v): be
stigmatized to be treated by society as if you should be ashamed of
your situation or actions
upheaval a very strong change that often causes problems: political
upheaval; a very strong movement upwards, especially of the earth
bemuse looking as if you are confused
fallible able to make mistakes or be wrong; fallibility (n)
tease to make jokes and laugh at someone in order to have fun by
embarrassing them, either in a friendly or unkind way; tease (n) a
person who enjoys making jokes at people; teaser a very difficult
question, especially in a competition
censure to officially criticize someone for something they have done
wrong; censure (n) the act of expressing strong disapproval and
criticism. Compare censor to examine books, films, letters to
114
remove anything that is considered offensive, morally harmful or
politically dangerous; censorship a practice or system of censoring
something
solace a feeling of emotional comfort at a time of great sadness or
disappointment: seek / find solace in ( After the death of her son, Val
found solace in the church ); be a solace to
relieve- to make a pain, problem, unpleasant feeling less severe: relieve
the boredom/ monotony etc; relieve sb of their post/ duties/
command etc; to be/ feel relieved to see/ hear/ know etc to feel
happy because you are no longer worried about sth; relief (n): what a
relief!; a sigh of relief; pain relief
facilitate to make it easier for a process or activity to happen;
facilitation (n)
momentum the ability to keep increasing, developing or being more
successful: lose/ gain/ gather momentum
1. Match the phrases below with their meaning in the context.
enshrine the minutiae work hard for a living

of corporate history assert personal importance
buttress their status reprimand those who disregard
earn their corn decisions
round up the strays record the details of company activity
become a burden
make everyone comply with company policy
maintain other people's favourable opinions
2. Find the following expressions and phrases in the article.

What are the meanings out of context (literal meanings)? Now decide
what they mean in the context (figurative meanings).
Example: shop windows - a shop window is where things sold in a

shop are put on display to attract customers. In the text these refer to the
meeting rooms which are described as places where managers can
perform, i.e. show off their ability in order to impress their superiors.
Write similar definitions for the following expressions and

phrases:
115
1 'battle grounds'
2 'in black and white'
3 'the shop floor'
4 'a security blanket'
5 'safety-net-cum-rubber-stamping function'
3. Answer questions 1-5 by choosing A, B, C or D.
1. Why are the minutes of meetings important for a company?

A. They provide a clear history of the firm and its evolution.
B. They concentrate scattered memos and directives in one synthetic
document.
C. They reflect decision making and control over company life.
D. They record any individual disagreement with company decisions.
2. Why do managers consider it important to be invited to

meetings?
A. They can impress their superiors.
B. All the important company decisions are taken at meetings.
C. It makes them feel that their opinions are of importance to others.
D. They can share problems and anxieties.
3. According to shop-floor workers, where do managers really

work hard?
A. at their desks
B. in meetings
C. on visits to company production areas
D. on business trips
4. Why are meetings comforting for the managers who participate

in them?
A. They can show off their talents.
B. They make them feel they belong to a team.
C. They are a welcome break from daily routine.
D. They are a useful alibi for inaction.
5. What, according to the writer, are the essential functions of

meetings?
A. planning and controlling company activities
116
B. reassuring managers and conferring legitimacy on decisions
C. asserting authority and judging one's peers
D. sharing problems and censuring mistakes
4. Does the author approve or disapprove of meetings? What

pros and cons does he bring? Sum up his arguments.
4.7 I. Easy Does It
Relaxing isnt easy. I know -I have tried it.

I can see, therefore, why Japan's Ministry of International Trade
and Industry should want corporations to have full-time "leisure
advisers". It seems an idea worth copying.
A start should, perhaps, be made at the very top. Captains of
industry often find it hardest of all to relax.
Workers at least have the excuse that they need to protect their job
and pay off the mortgage. Many tycoons have all the money they could
ever hope to spend. So why don't they ease up?
Some buy a luxurious yacht, a beach house, or even an island,
but seldom make use of these expensive leisure facilities. "I don't have
time for a holiday," they insist.
What they usually mean is that they could find the time, if
pressed, but that they don't want to.
Some consider themselves so indispensable that their business
would collapse if they were not around to supervise every detail.
Some are prisoners of their own success: they sit on so many
boards of directors, and have such a heavy schedule of appointments,
that they "haven't a moment to spare".
But more often than not the plain truth is that they don't know how
to ease up. No-one has ever told them how to do it.
You can't be a frantic executive one day and a leisurely
beachcomber the next: the contrast is too great. The bronzed young
drifters who make it look simple have had years of practice.
Put a captain of industry on a beach and he tends to get bored and
restless. He misses the pace, the action.
Invite him to play tennis and he will probably decline, because he
fears that he will look foolish - he prefers to play games in the office,
where he is a proven winner.
117
If he has a holiday home, or stays in a plush hotel, he will be on
the telephone six times a day, doing what he does best. Relaxing is for
wimps.
So what can a "leisure adviser" do for him - or, increasingly,
her?
The basic task is to change attitudes, and gradually to introduce
him to various leisure activities.
Some experts believe in playing what is known as the "fear
card". The executive is warned of the risk of "burnout" and told that, if
he doesn't take care of his health, the business will suffer.
Does he realize what it would cost if he had to go into hospital?
More, much more than a holiday. That is the bottom line.
But I believe in a more positive approach. A good start is to
persuade him that holidays are a "psychological investment", and that it
is perfectly feasible to combine business with pleasure.
This has to be done step by step: the cold turkey treatment is
rarely effective.
They can take work with them. (A recent survey by the Hyatt
Corporation showed that nearly half of the executives questioned do so.)
For a captain of industry, holidays are ideal for strategic planning.
They can call the office, though the aim must be to reduce the
number of calls as the holiday progresses.
They can have faxes sent to them, though the staff should try to
cut down on the rolls of fax paper: one should be sufficient after a while.
They can be persuaded to take up golf. It is not only a pleasant
(and healthy) way of going for a leisurely walk, but it can also be good
for business.
Some of the biggest deals of the past decade have begun with a
casual remark on the golf course, and bankers have acquired some of
their most lucrative clients while blasting their way out of a bunker. It no
doubt helps to explain why golf has become the favourite sport of senior
executives throughout the world. If he needs that little extra push, show
him the formula developed by a British leisure expert:
RP = T/2 + (Z - 4) = CD = CA
The RP stands for rest period, and you needn't bother with the
other stuff. The formula proves convincingly that a few days on the
golf course are absolutely vital.
There are plenty of courses in the sun. Executives should be
reminded that this is the time of the year when it becomes imperative
118
to embark on inspection tours of overseas subsidiaries in places like
Florida, Australia and Jamaica.
Once the initial leisure training period has been completed you can
try to hook him on other activities which are every bit as challenging as
a take-over bid. He can climb mountains, ride river rapids, go scuba
diving. He may well end up making a happy discovery: leisure can be
fun.
Culture
cold turkey (go cold turkey)- to suddenly stop taking a drug you are
addicted to and to experience a sort of illness because of it.
wimp sb who has a weak character and is afraid to do sth difficult or
unpleasant; wimpish, wimpy (adj).
bottom line a situation or fact that exists and that you must accept,
even if you may not like it.
Vocabulary
feasible possible or likely to work; feasibly (adv); feasibility (n)

bid an offer to pay a particular price for sth especially at an auction
(for); an offer to do work for a special price; an attempt to achieve or
obtain sth: bid to do sth; bid (v): bid sth for
dispense to give sth to people in fixed amounts; provide sth for
people in a society: dispense justice/punishments (= decide what
punishments criminals deserve); dispense with to not use sth that you
usually do, because it is no longer necessary: dispense with the
formalities; dispensable easy to get rid of because not really wanted;
indispensable
decline become less; become worse; say no: decline an
offer/proposal; decline to do sth; sbs declining years (=the last years
of sbs life); decline (n): economic/moral decline; fall/go into decline
(= start to decrease)
lucrative profitable, giving you a lot of money
imperative sth that must be done urgently; an idea that strongly
influences people to behave in a particular way; imperative (adj)
extremely important and needing to be done or dealt with immediately:
its imperative that; its imperative to do sth
119
embark to get onto a ship or put or take sth onto a ship; embark
on/upon to start sth, especially sth new and difficult that will take a
long time; embarkation (n)
1. Find ten words and phrases in the text associated with each of
the following:
the world of work leisure activities
2. Read the text again in detail to complete the following

statements.
1. Top executives often find it difficult to take time off because

A it would cause them financial problems.
B they need to protect their jobs.
C they have never really learnt how to relax.
D they simply don't have the time.
2. For many executives the worst thing about going away on holiday is
A having to stay in a hotel or holiday home.
B having to lie on a beach in the sun.
C being out of touch with the office.
D being unable to escape the telephone.
3. The main role of a leisure adviser is to

A teach an executive a new leisure activity.
B give an executive a full medical check-up.
C help an executive alter his approach to life.
D organize a holiday for an executive.
4. The author believes executives need to be convinced of the

A psychological benefits of a holiday.
B financial benefits of a holiday.
C commercial benefits of a holiday.
D social benefits of a holiday.
5. If the initial training is successful, an executive might then be

persuaded to
A have regular holidays abroad.
120
B take up an exciting new activity.
C spend more time at home.
D reorganize his business.
3. For discussion
- What sorts of people do you think find it especially hard to take

time off and relax? What advice would you give someone who finds it
difficult?
- What do you think of the idea of a "leisure adviser'?
- How easy is it for you to relax?
4.8 Group Discussion

Discuss pros and cons of husbands and wives working together?
121
What are the difficulties of having to earn your living and raising a
child?
What are the benefits and shortcomings of working as a woman in
a mans world and as a man in a womans world?
What are the best ways of coping with being unemployed?
What personal and professional skills do you need for a successful
business career in our country (specialist training, knowledge of
foreign languages, outgoing personality)?
If you wanted to find out about job opportunities or vacancies at a
large international organization, how would you do it?
What kind of education offers the best route to top management
positions in our country?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working abroad for
several years?
Students tend to blame all the defects of their education on their
teachers. What is your opinion of that?
What do you think about conventional and progressive schools?
Should they coexist?
What are your views on progressive versus traditional training
methods? What progressive methods must be incorporated into work
of mainstream schools?
What are your views on comprehensive versus selective schools?
What do you think about the state of education in Russia?
4.9 Panel Discussion
4.9 A. Vocabulary in Focus
122
1. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box.
Absolute, relative, alleviation, malnutrition, sanitation, penury,

impoverished, destitute, servicing
The Child Poverty Action Group does all it can for the .. of poverty
among children in the United Kingdom.
Its not unknown for an artist, seeking recognition, to live in ..
and to become famous only after death.
The charitys main aim is to improve healthcare in . areas of the
world.
The amount of money earned by someone suffering from .
Poverty will be greater in rich area than in a poor area, whereas
poverty does not take account of a persons immediate environment.
In countries where food is scarce, .is inevitably a major
problem.
The worlds 225 richest people have combined wealth only 4 per cent of
which would be enough for basic education and healthcare, adequate
food, and safe water and for all the worlds people.
Using overseas aid for debt does not directly help any people
who are suffering through poverty.
Everywhere in the world even in the cities of the richest country you
will see people living in shop doorways or under bridge.
4.9 B Watching and Listening
Kate Barker, formerly the Chief Economic Advisor of the

Confederation of British Industry, is a member of the Bank of
Englands Monetary Policy Committee25. You will hear her talking
about the things that will need to change if labour markets become
increasingly flexible.
1. Listen to the first part of the interview and answer the

following questions.
25
Based on Ian MacKenzie. English for Business Studies. Cambridge University Press, UK, 2002.
123
1. A flexible labour market is one in which a) workers are able to
do a variety of jobs; b) it is easy for companies to hire non-permanent
staff; c) workers are free to choose the hours they work.
2. What is the advantage of a flexible labour market for
employers?
3. What does the more flexible labour market is considered to
have encouraged inward investment mean?
4. What are the three things to rethink and reconsider if the British
labour force is to remain more flexible?
2. Listen to the second part of the interview and choose the best
answer.
1. In a flexible labour market, such as that in the USA,

a. unemployment falls in a downturn or recession.
b. unemployment rises in a downturn or recession.
c. unemployment regularly increases.
2. In a flexible labour market,

a. unemployment rises during an economic upturn.
b. temporary employment rises during an economic upturn.
c. permanent employment rises during an economic upturn.
3. In a flexible labour market, there are
a. badly-paid workers who have frequent periods of

unemployment.
b. well-paid workers who have frequent periods of unemployment.
c. 10% of earners who have frequent periods of unemployment.
4. Wages are falling

a. because of the deregulation of the labour market.
b. because there is now a kind of underclass of workers.
c. because of competition from Asian countries.
3. After you listen to the third part of the interview answer the
following questions.
124
1. What are the two measures that Kate Barker suggests
governments can take to help the long-term unemployed?
2. What, according to Kate Barker, is a common attitude among
employers towards long-term unemployed people?
4.9. C. Brainstorm Ideas
What is the unemployment rate in our country? What has it dynamics

been like lately? In what sectors of economy has it increased? In what
sectors of economy have new jobs appeared? Why? What should be
done to reduce unemployment rate and poverty it entails in certain
regions of the country?
4.10 Creative Consolidation
125
1. Write a 350-word essay supporting one of the following theses.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement.
Support your views with reasons and examples from your own
experience, observations, or reading.
1. Work greatly influences peoples personal lives their

special interests, their leisure activities, even their appearance away from
the workplace.
2. The most important quality in an employee is not specific
knowledge or technical competence. Instead it is the ability to work well
with other employees.
3. Since the physical work environment affects employee
productivity and morale, the employees themselves should have the right
to decide how their workplace is designed.
4. Companies should not try to improve employees
performance by giving incentives for example, awards or gifts. These
incentives encourage negative kinds of behaviour instead of encouraging
a genuine interest in doing the work well.
5. For a leader there is nothing more difficult, and therefore
more important, than to be able to make decisions.
6. Employers should have no right to obtain information about
their employees health or other aspects of their personal lives without
the employees permission.
7. Ask most older people to identify the key to success, and
they are likely to reply hard work. Yet, I would tell people starting off
in a career that work in itself is not the key. In fact, you have to
approach work cautiously too much or too little can be self-defeating.
8. The presence of a competitor is always beneficial to a
company. Competition forces a company to change itself in ways that
improve its practices.
9. Successful individuals typically set their next goal somewhat
- but not too much above their last achievement. In this way, they
steadily raise their level of aspiration.
10. Too many people think only about getting results. The key
to success, however, is to focus on the specific task at hand and not to
worry about results.
2. Write an article developing one of the following theses.
126
1. What education fails to teach us is to see the human
community as one. Rather than focus on the unique differences that
separate one nation from another, education should focus on the
similarities among all people and places on Earth.
2. Education has become the main provider of individual
opportunity in our society. Just as property and money once were the
keys to success, education has now become the element that most
ensures success in life.
3. It makes no sense for people with strong technological skills
to go to college if they know that they can earn a good salary without a
college degree.
4. Schools should not teach specialized information and
techniques, which might soon become outdated. Instead, schools should
encourage a more general approach to learning.
5. Formal education should not come to an end when people
graduate from college. Instead people should frequently enroll in courses
throughout their lives.
6. If a nation is to ensure its own economic success, it must
maintain a highly competitive educational system in which students
compete among themselves and against students from other countries.
2. Project Making
Some experts maintain that students learn best in a highly

structured environment, one that emphasizes discipline, punctuality, and
routine. Others insist that educators, if they are to help students
maximize their potential, ought to maintain an atmosphere of relative
freedom and spontaneity.
In this context and also with the view to accommodate the
increasing number of undergraduate students, colleges and universities
should offer most courses through distance learning, such as videotaped
instruction that can be accessed through the Internet or cable television.
Requiring students to appear at a designated time and place is no longer
an effective or efficient way of teaching most undergraduate courses.
Design a project which will meet these requirements. Pay special

attention to the duration of teaching and the organization of exam
127
sessions (should they be also held via Internet or arranged in a
more conventional way?). Do not forget about financial
effectiveness.
4.11 Group Project-Making

You are members of the global strategy team of JapanMOTORS,
multinational car maker. The company currently has production units in
the USA, UK, Germany, France and Spain. But with the opening up of
the markets in Central and Eastern Europe, you are considering whether
to set up a production in Russia. Hold a meeting to discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of this strategy, and try to come to a
decision.
128
Active Vocabulary List
accelerate (v), 3.2 A doom (n), 3.2 A insinuate (v), 2.2 A
accord (v), 4.5 A dormant (adj), 4.2 A instigate (v), 1.3 A
admonish (v), 4.6 A embellish (v), 4.6 A integral (adj), 3.3 B
adroit (adj), 4. 3 A emulate (v), 4.2 A interrogate (v), 2.2 A
advent (n), 3.2 A encompass (v), 4.2 A intuition (n), 4.5 A
ambiguous (adj), 4.6 A eradicate (v), 2.4 A inundate (v), 2.4 A
annihilation (n), 3.2 A equivocate (v), 1.4 A irreparable (adj), 4.4 A
antithesis (n), 4. 3 A espouse (v), 4.4 A juxtapose (v), 4.4 A
arduous (adj), 4.2 A estrange (v), 4.6 A liability (n), 1.5 A
ascertain (v), 4.5 A euphoric (adj), 1.3 A liaison (n), 4.4 A.
attrition (n), 2.4 A excel (v), 1.2 A lucid (adj), 3.5 A
auspicious (adj), 2.3 A exhilaration (n), 3.4 A macabre (adj), 3.4 A
belligerent (adj), 3.3 B exhort (v), 2.4 A mandatory (adj), 2.4 A
berate (v), 1.2 A exoneration (n), 1.5 A maudlin (adj), 4.2 A
bolster (v), 4.4 A exorbitant (adj), 3.4 A mediocre (adj), 4. 3 A
chide (v), 3.5 A expedite (v), 2.3 A mesmerize (v), 4.6 A
circumvent (v), 1.4 A extenuating (adj), 2.3 A meticulous (adj), 3.5 A
clandestine (adj), 1.4 A extinct (adj), 3.2 A mitigate (v), 3.3 B
collaborate (v), 4.4 A extricate (v), 3.4 A morale (n), 4.4 A
command (v), 4.5 A fabricate (v), 4. 3 A nonchalant (adj), 3.3 B
commensurate (adj), 3.3 B facilitate (v), 4.6 A noxious (adj), 3.3 B
complacency (n), 1.2 A fastidious (adj), 2.3 A oblivious (adj), 1.3 A
complement (v), 2.3 A flout (v), 2.3 A obsequious (adj), 2.2 A
confer (v) 4. 3 A foible (n), 3.5 A obtrusive (adj), 2.3 A
contend (v), 2.4 A forestall (v), 2.2 A omnipotent (adj) 2.2 A
contingency (n), 3.5 A fortuitous (adj), 1.4 A opportune (adj), 2.2 A
contrite (adj), 4. 3 A fraudulent (adj), 2.3 A optimum (adj), 1.2 A
corroborate (v), 4.4 germane (adj), 2.4 A ostentation (n), 1.3 A
cursory (adj), 4.2 A grievous (adj), 4.6 A ostracize (v), 1.5 A
decorum (n), 4. 3 A havoc (n), 3.2 A panacea (n), 2.4 A
demise (n) 3.2 A heinous (adj), 2.3 A perfunctory (adj), 2.4 A
denunciation (n), 3.4 A hierarchy (n), 4.5 A permeate (v), 2.2A
depreciate (verb), 1.4 A impede (v), 2.4 A pinnacle (n), 4. 3 A
deride (v), 4.6 A impending (adj), 3.2 A platitude (n), 3.4 A
derive (v), 3.2 A imperative (adj), 3.3 B plight (n), 4. 3 A
derogatory (adj), 3.4 A impetuous (adj), 1.3 A portend (v), 3.2 A
despondent (adj), 4.5 A implicit (adj), 2.3 A precarious (adj), 4.6 A
detriment (n), 1.2 A inadvertent (adj), 1.4 A precipitate (v), 1.4 A
discreet (adj), 2.3 A inane (adj), 1.3 A predisposed (adj), 1.2 A,
discretion (n), 1.2 A incapacitate(v), 3.5 A preponderance (n), 1.2 A
disparage (v), 1.5 A incongruous (adj), 4. 3 A preposterous (adj), 3.5 A
disparity (n), 2.2 A inflate (v), 4. 3 A presumptuous (adj), 3.5 A
disseminate (v), 1.4 A innocuous (adj), 3.5 A proliferation (n), 1.5 A
dissipate (v), 3.3 B indigenous (adj), 1.5 A propensity (n), 1.2 A
distraught (adj), 4.6 A insidious (adj), 2.2 A quandary (n), 3.4 A
rebuke (v), 2.3 A schizophrenic (adj), 3.2 A tenet (n), 1.5 A

recourse (n), 2.4 A scrupulous (adj), 1.2 A tenacious (adj), 4.3 A
129
redeem (v), 2.3 A sedentary (adj), 4.4 A tenuous (adj), 4,3 A
regress (v), 4.4 A somber (adj), 3.2 A transgress (v), 2.3 A
reiterate (v), 4.6 A sordid (adj), 4.2 A travesty (n), 4.6 A
rejuvenate(v), 3.4 A staunch (adj), 3.4 A turbulent (adj), 4.4 A
relinquish (v), 1.3 A stigma (n), 3.4 A ubiquitous (adj),1.5 A
replete (adj), 1.3 A stint (n), 4.2 A unprecedented (adj), 3.3 B
reprehensible (adj), 1.2 A stringent (adj), 2.4 A utilitarian (adj), 3.3 B
repudiate (v), 3.5 A sensory (adj), 1.3 A validate (v), 3.4 A
repugnant (adj), 3.5 A sham (n), 1.4 A vehement (adj), 2.3 A
resilience (n), 1.2 A solace (n), 1.3.A veneration (n), 1.3.A
resist (v), 4.5 A squander (v), 1.3 A vindicate (v), 3.3 B
resort (v), 4.5 A squelch (v), 1.5 A vociferous (adj), 1.5 A
reticent (adj), 1.4 A subordinate (adj), 4.5 A yen (n), 3.3 B
retribution (n), 2.2 A subversive (adj), 3.3 B
rudimentary (adj), 1.5 A tantamount (adj), 1.3 A
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PART FOUR

What do you expect from this unit?

4.1 A. The Job that Fits

a head for figure computer-literate

2. Choose at least 5 adjectives from the list to describe each of these

mechanical glamorous soul-destroying thankless

What are its pros? Can you think of any cons?

4. Study the following verbs describing very important ways of

5. Use the words in the following sentences in the correct form.

1. An independent adviser has been brought in to between the

4.1 B. Seeking Employment

Studying job advertisements is a widely recognized way of looking for

1. Explain the meaning of the words in bold which are quite

1. We are ready to offer you 30 k basic.

2. In a job interview, the interviewer may ask a wide range of

What would you say are your most significant educational

3. Dont forget that you should also actively participate in the

Are women allowed maternity leave?

Think of at least three more. Write them down.

4.1 C. Watching and Listening

Job Seekers Seminar

1. Before you listen to the tape, discuss the following:

What should you do before a job interview?

Photocopy it and practice filling in the copy first.

CREATIVE JOB SEARCHING

This technique is better than applying for jobs in the conventional

3. Discuss the following questions.

Which pieces of the advice given do you disagree with?

4.1 D. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas

money motivated and who is prepared to take risks?

2. Chinese astrology organizes years into cycles of twelve with

Animal Year Characteristics

4.1 E. Creative Consolidation

1. Speak about conventional recruitment procedures in our country.

2. Many companies nowadays use extravagant and eccentric ways of

4.2 Raise the Issue

1. Tick the word closest in meaning to that of the each boldfaced

dormant (adj) A visit to Puerto Rico reawakened Anitas

emulate (v) If you want to emulate Elvis Presley, fine, my

encompass (v) Our professors broad knowledge of economics

sordid (adj) Supermarket tabloids sell well because many

stint (n) My stint serving hamburgers and fries at a fast-

2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the

. Indecent, morally low, corrupt

Arduous, stint, encompass, emulate, platitude, maudlin, dormant,

1. Read the article.

2. Match the words with their definitions.

Rush; persuade sb to join, agree; attract attention; sb who finds

4. Answer the following questions.

- When do we tend to make projects, concerning our future?

5. Choose the best answer a, b, c or d. Only one answer is

The best way to get a good job is to

6. Answer the questions and summarize your findings in written

- What is the article about? What is its topic?

4.2 C. Group Discussion. Brainstorm Ideas.

4.2 D. Watching and Listening

Successful People and Companies11

How important are the following attributes in helping someone to be

Which of these attributes do you have yourself?

2. Sally Muggeridge is Management Development Director at

Successful business people Successful companies

4.2 E. Vocabulary in Focus

1. Use the following idioms in the correct form in these