This system of county government, with centrally appointed justices of the peace holding legislative, judicial, and executive powers, became inadequate in the 19th century as the suffrage was extended, government services expanded, and industrial cities continued to grow. To remedy this undemocratic system, the Local Government Act of 1888 established county councils, with members elected by local residents, to take over the legislative and executive duties of the magistrates. The act also replaced the historic counties with new administrative counties, which often had different boundaries. The act also created about 60 county boroughs; these were cities that were given county powers in order to better provide local government services.

The Local Government Act of 1972 reorganized the county system again; 47 new counties contained all urban as well as rural areas in their boundaries, and each county was subdivided into several districts, which numbered almost 300 in all. A British county provides police and fire services, education, social-welfare services, public transport, traffic regulation, consumer protection, libraries, and some highways and parks. The county council is the general governing board of a county; it is a large body, with 50 to 100 popularly elected members, and much of its basic administrative work is delegated to committees.

Outside the United Kingdom, the system of county government was adopted, with variations, in most of the countries settled from Britain. In Canada, however, the county system never became universal; where it exists, the county councils are generally much smaller than in England. New Zealand has had county councils since 1876. In Australia the administrative unit is generally called the shire, though the name county is used for larger areas.

(From the Encyclopaedia)

Unit 7

Production management's responsibilities are summarized by the "five M's": men, machines, methods, materials, and money. "Men" refers to the human element in operating systems. Since the vast majority of manufacturing personnel work in the physical production of goods, "people management" is one of the production manager's most important responsibilities.

The production manager must also choose the machines and methods of the company, first selecting the equipment and technology to be used in the manufacture of the product or service and then planning and controlling the methods and procedures for their use. The flexibility of the production process and the ability of workers to adapt to equipment and schedules are important issues in this phase of production management.

The production manager's responsibility for materials includes the management of flow processes-both physical (raw materials) and information (paperwork). The smoothness of resource movement and data flow is determined largely by the fundamental choices made in the design of the product and in the process to be used.

The manager's, concern for money is explained by the importance of financing and asset utilization to most manufacturing organizations. A manager who allows excessive inventories to build up or who achieves level production and steady operation by sacrificing good customer service and timely delivery runs the risk that overinvestment or high current costs will wipe out any temporary competitive advantage that might have been obtained.

II. Exercises on the Text:

3. Give English equivalents to:

подобная по уровню и объему; человеческие ресурсы и управление финансовой деятельностью; вопросы, включающие производственные мощности и качество; ответственность за управление произ-водством; подавляющее большинство; «взаимоотношения с людьми»; методы и действия для их использования; гиб-кость производственного процесса; как физические, так и информационные; плавность движения ресурсов и посту-пления данных; временное конкурентное преимущество.

4. Answer the following questions:

What is operations management?

What does production management include in manufacturing operations?

What are the «five M's»?

Why is «people management» one of the production manager's most important responsibilities?

How must the production manager choose the machines and methods of the company?

In what phase of production management the flexibility of the production process is an important issue?

What does the production manager's responsibility for materials include?

How is the manager's concern for money explained?

What manager runs the risk?

Will high current costs wipe out any temporary competitive advantage?

III. Grammar Exercises