Questions

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 493.

1. The main problem you encounter when starting to manage a company is connected with

a) being new at the job c) being a poor supervisor

b) being unable to realize the problem itself d) being unable to fight the system

2. The board of directors is responsible for

a) recognizing managerial problems c) controlling the corporation

b) avoiding crisis situations d) the direction of people

3. In large companies, your decisions to change anything are limited by

a) gaining fast approvals c) the managerial responsibility

b) the work environment d) the corporate culture

4.Some influence or effect on something is also called

a) a responsibility c) success

b) an impact d) environment

5. The direction of people at work refers to

a) supervision c) delegating authority

b) management d) establishing goals

6. The basic skills of a manager do not include

a) planning c) changing corporate culture

b) decision making d) meeting management

7. A group of employees of a certain company is called

a) the board of directors c) work environment

b) staff d) a leadership team

8. Managers have an authority to influence

a) the way the corporation is governed c) the way their staff work

b) the decisions of the board of directors d) the company hierarchy

9. The power to influence, persuade, or command is called

a) authority c) management training

b) skill d) communication

Read the following text

In the simplest terms we probably understand management to be the organization of people and resources to achieve a firms objectives. But isn't the managers role more complicated and diverse than that?

The business writer, Peter Drucker, considers the main tasks of management to be marketing and innovation. In addition he asserted that "The most efficient way to produce anything is to bring together under one management as many as possible of the activities needed to turn out the product." Mary Parker Follett, who wrote on the topic in the early twentieth century, defined management as "the art of getting things done through people." Paul Hawken, an environmentalist and entrepreneur said: "Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them."

So it seems that the traditional description of a manager as the person who supervises and oversees the work of others is too limited. Clearly the consensus of successful business people and academics is that the 21st century manager has a much more complex role. Managers need to be more than the people who get things done and supervise their staff. They need to be motivators, leaders, marketers and innovators, someone who can unite and inspire their staff to achieve the goals they set. A manager not just needs to be efficient at dealing with people, but also needs to be proficient at using technology. Today's world moves quickly and a good manager needs to keep up.

Choose the correct answer

1) Mary Parker Follett defines management as the art of getting things done through people.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn't say

2) Being proficient at using technology is quite unnecessary for a manager.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn't say

3) The role of the 21st century manager is quite complex and diverse.

a) true

b) false

c) doesn't say

4) According to the traditional point of view, a manager should

a) be proficient at using technology

b) be active and keep up with the world's trends

c) supervise and oversee the work of others

5) The text aims to

a) compare the work of managers in the 20^th and 21^st centuries

b) explain what management is

c) describe the roles of a manager in the 21^st century

Read the following text

A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administrative officer (CAO) in some municipalities. However, in a technical sense, the term "city manager," as opposed to CAO, implies more discretion and independent authority that is set forth in a charter or some other body of codified law, as opposed to duties being assigned on a varying basis by a single superior such as a mayor.

In the early years of the profession, most managers came from the ranks of the engineering professions. Today the typical and preferred background and education for the beginning municipal manager is a master's degree in Public Administration (MPA) and at least several years' experience as a department head in local government or as an assistant city manager. As of 2005 more than 60% of those in the profession had a MPA, MBA, or other related higher-level degree.

Some of the basic roles, responsibilities, and powers of a city manager include: supervision of day-to-day operations of all city departments and staff, directly and through department heads; Oversight of all hiring, firing, disciplining and suspensions; Preparation, monitoring, and execution of the city budget, which includes submitting each year to the council a proposed budget package with options and recommendations for its consideration and possible approval; Main technical advisor to the council on overall governmental operations; Public relations, such as meeting with citizens, citizen groups, businesses, and other stakeholders (the presence of a mayor may alter this function somewhat); Operating the city with a professional understanding of how all city functions operate together to their best effect; Additional duties that may be assigned by the council.

Choose the correct answer

1) The term “city manager” serves as a synonym to the word “mayor”

d) true

e) false

f) doesn't say

2) Planning the city budget is one of the roles of a municipal manager

a) true

b) false

c) doesn't say

3) Nowadays more than half of city managers have a master's degree in business or public administration

a) true

b) false

c) doesn't say

4) The most preferable educational background for a city manager is

a) several years' experience in local government

b) a master's degree in public administration

c) a degree in management

5) The text aims to

a) compare the work of city managers in different areas

b) discuss the problems of city management

c) describe the work of a city manager

Retell the text. Speak about the qualities you consider important for a manager to possess.

Being a Manager in the United States

To ensure successful cross-cultural management when working in the U.S., it is safest to treat all people with an equal amount of respect and deference (within the informal framework of America, in general), focus on schedules and maximizing time, and expect that people will want to be dealt with as individuals.

In the U.S. there is a sense that all people in the organization have an important role to play and all are valued for their input. Therefore, managers consult employees to gather background information and often have them share in the decision-making process.

The American working environment has changed drastically. With one eye on costs and the other on retention, employers are increasingly offering part-time or shared jobs, or outsourcing to external contractors. Change is constant as companies are restructured, work teams become "virtual," and flexible work arrangements become more common.

1) Successful management in the USA implies

a) treating all people with equal respect

b) offering part-time jobs to employees

c) restructuring companies

d) making employers gather more information

2) According to the text, employees of American companies would most probably like to be dealt with as

a) experienced colleagues

b) professionals in cross-cultural communication

c) individuals

d) equals

3) As American companies are constantly being restructured it becomes common to make work arrangements

a) identical

b) flexible

c) as quickly as possible

d) virtual