Exercise 4. Open brackets choosing the right words:
As organizers have come to (deny/realize) that situational factors dictate how many people a manager can directly supervise, the notion of ideal span of control has (become/combined) obsolete.
The speaking module
II. Speaking Exercises:
Exercise 1. Describe organization charts; contingency design, decentralization, matrix organization, line and staff organization using the suggested words as in example:
organization charts
helpful, structural, horizontal, hierarchy, visual, skeleton, structural, delineate
example:
Organization charts are helpful visual aids for organizers. Representing the organization's structural skeleton, organization charts delineate vertical hierarchy and horizontal specialization.
contingency design
demands, situations, uncertainty, to fit, setup, situational, all, environmental
decentralization
democratic, reducing, authority, delegation, praised, lower-level managers, control
matrix organization
organic, achieve, authority, horizontal, coordinated, combine, vertical, projects, because
line and staff organization
balance, command, functional, temporary, line, by giving, unity, staff, serves
Exercise 2. Ask questions to the given answers:
1) Question:
Answer: There are four basic departmentalization formats, each with its own combination of advantages and disadvantages.
2) Question:
Answer: Strategic business foster a high degree of decentralization.
3) Question:
Answer: Diagnosing the degree of environmental uncertainty is an important first step in contingency design.
The writing module
III. Writing exercises:
Exercise 1. Complete the sentences with the suggested words: step, advocates, uncertainty,
fit, should
The idea behind contingency design is to structure the organization to _____ situational demands. Consequently, contingency ______ contend that there is no one best organizational setup for all situations. Diagnosing the degree of environmental ______ is an important first _____ in contingency design. Field studies have validated the assumption that organiza tion structure _______ vary according to the situation.
Exercise 2. Compose a story on one of the topics (up to 100 words):
“ Organizing is an important managerial function”
“Basic departmentalization formats”
“ Design variables available to organizers”
Lesson 5 The reading module
Read the text: Strategic management
Strategic management sets the stage for virtually all managerial activity. Managers at all levels need to think strategically and be familiar with the strategic management process for three reasons: farsightedness is encour aged, the rationale behind top-level decisions becomes more apparent, and strategy formulation and implementation are more decentralized today. Strategic management is defined as the ongoing process of ensuring a competitively superior fit between the organization and its ever-changing environment. Strategic management effectively merges strategic planning, implementation, and control.
Strategic thinking, the ability to look ahead and spot key organization/ environment interdependencies, is necessary for successful strategic man agreement and planning. Three tools that can help managers think strate gically are synergy (the 2 +2 =5 effect), product life cycles that trace the life of a product through its introduction, growth, maturity, and decline stages and Porter's three generic strategies. Porter's three strategies are overall cost leadership, differentiation, and focus.
The strategic management process consists of four major steps: (1) formulation of grand strategy, (2) formulation of strategic plans, (3) implementation of strategic plans, and (4) strategic control. Ongoing evaluation after each of these steps and corrective action based on feedback help keep the strategic management process on track. Strategists formulate the organization's grand strategy by conducting a situational analysis and identifying the driving forces. Results-oriented strategic plans that specify what, when, and how are then formulated and translated downward into more specific and shorter-term intermediate and operational plans. Problems encountered along the way should be detected by the strategic control or by ongoing evaluation and subjected to corrective action.
Event outcome, event timing, and time series forecasts help strategic planners anticipate and prepare for future environmental circumstances. Event outcome forecasts are used when strategists want to predict the outcome of a highly probable future event. Event timing forecasts predict when, if ever, a given event will occur. Time series forecasts seek to determine future values in a sequence of values recorded at fixed intervals. Popular forecasting techniques among today's managers are informed judgment, surveys, and trend analysis.
I. Reading Exercises:
Exercise 1. Read and memorize using a dictionary:
farsightedness, rationale, implementation, synergy, growth, maturity, decline stages, leadership, feedback, forecasting, merge, ongoing process, differentiation
Exercise 2. Answer the questions:
1) Why should managers at all levels need to think strategically and be familiar with the strategic management process?
2) What is strategic thinking?
3) What tools can help managers?
4) What is ongoing evaluation based on?
Exercise 3. Match the left part with the right:
1. Strategic thinking
a) are translated downward into more specific operational plans
2. Results-oriented strategic plans
b) is necessary for successful strategic man agement and planning.
3. Strategic management effectively
c) are more decentralized today.
4. Strategy formulation and implementation
d) merges strategic planning, implementation, and control.
Problems (predicted/encountered) along the way should be detected by the strategic control or by ongoing evaluation and (subjected/implemented) to corrective action.
Exercise 1. Describe strategic management, strategic thinking, result-oriented strategic plans, time series forecasts, event timing forecasts
using the suggested words and expressions as in example:
strategic management
ensuring, ongoing, environment, competitively, fit, ever-changing, implementation
Strategic management is defined as the ongoing process of ensuring a competitively superior fit between the organization and its ever-changing environment. Strategic management effectively merges strategic planning, implementation, and control.
strategic thinking
interdependencies, planning, ability, synergy, cycles, tools, environment, look ahead
result-oriented strategic plans
downward, when, operational, translated, what, shorter-terms, how, intermediate
time series forecasts
values, intervals, determine, sequence, fixed, seek, future, at
event timing forecasts
occur, event, given, predict, if ever, will
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