Women are generally calmer managers than men according to recent research. While progressive thought once believed gender differences were due to social conditioning, new research shows biological differences between male and female brains affect management styles. Specifically, women tend to be more collaborative managers which is important for companies in Europe facing falling populations who will need more women in senior roles. The collaborative style aligns with needs of knowledge-based economies that require team-oriented managers.
Women are generally calmer managers than men according to recent research. While progressive thought once believed gender differences were due to social conditioning, new research shows biological differences between male and female brains affect management styles. Specifically, women tend to be more collaborative managers which is important for companies in Europe facing falling populations who will need more women in senior roles. The collaborative style aligns with needs of knowledge-based economies that require team-oriented managers.
Women are generally calmer managers than men according to recent research. While progressive thought once believed gender differences were due to social conditioning, new research shows biological differences between male and female brains affect management styles. Specifically, women tend to be more collaborative managers which is important for companies in Europe facing falling populations who will need more women in senior roles. The collaborative style aligns with needs of knowledge-based economies that require team-oriented managers.
Women are generally calmer managers than men according to recent research. While progressive thought once believed gender differences were due to social conditioning, new research shows biological differences between male and female brains affect management styles. Specifically, women tend to be more collaborative managers which is important for companies in Europe facing falling populations who will need more women in senior roles. The collaborative style aligns with needs of knowledge-based economies that require team-oriented managers.
Types of parenting types: https://www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-
parenting-styles-1095045 MATCHING (TYPE 1)
• Look at the statements below and the comments made by team-building
experts. • Which section (A, B, C, or D) does each statement 1–7 refer to? • For each statement 1–7, mark one letter (A, B, C, or D). • You will need to use some of these letters more than once.
Example: Team members lacked the desire to continue working. D
1. Staff and employers disagree about the value of specific training.
2. The leader behaved in an unacceptable way. 3. Disagreements jeopardised the final outcome of project.
4. A company regretted not using experts.
5. Problems should be resolved by the whole team. 6. Team members were not guided by their team leader. 7. Team members were against the idea of the project.
A Teamwork is about getting different people with different skill sets
working cooperatively and efficiently. A company I worked with had disorganised and indecisive leaders who set unrealistic goals so that team members found it impossible achieve the required results. Things went badly wrong on a very important project, and conflict amongst the team threatened to damage the entire project. Luckily, I was called in to help just in time and made sure that the leader addressed the situation by involving the whole team, and we succeeded in saving the project. B We organise team-building events to improve a company’s team spirit. One company said their staff were unenthusiastic about these and saw the previous training as a waste of time, whereas the company believed it was a practical way to develop loyalty and trust between team members. We explained to the company that perhaps they had chosen the wrong type of activity in the past, as some outdoor physical activities may be totally unsuitable for certain staff members. We spoke to the staff involved and suggested a less physical team-building event, which was very successful. C I remember one company that was notorious for choosing poor team leaders and they might have avoided the failures had they chosen better. For one project, the team was chosen, seemingly at random, to prepare the way for setting up a new factory overseas. The leader was inexperienced and uncommunicative, and everyone worked independently. Although the objectives had been clearly set out, many team members hated the plan from the start so were uncooperative. The company wished it had called us in earlier. D In one company the team leader only chose people who were his close associates. He should have chosen them according to their skills and ability to work in a team. Furthermore, he failed to give team members enough time to complete tasks, putting them under extreme pressure and leading to serious mistakes. He then threatened staff with demotion if they failed and promptly succeeded in demotivating the whole team. Leaders need training in the necessary skills of managing, and that company should have chosen a more competent team leader. CLOZE READING (4 OPTIONS)
• Read the article below about dealing with finances.
• Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D.
• For each question 1–15, mark one letter (A, B, C or D).
• There is an example at the beginning.
Dealing with finances
Financial advice always advocates that you don’t put all your (0) C in one basket – in other words, you spread the risk, but for many companies that is not easy. Poor (1) …... has caused many a company to go into (2) ….... They tell us that we have to speculate to (3) …..., but most companies are not able to (4) …... big risks. Companies need to be fully aware of the assets and (5) …... and especially any bad (6) ….... There are many other things which have to be taken into account: (7) …... payments on any loans and (8) …... repayments for any monies borrowed against property. It is vital for the finance department of any organisation to allocate realistic (9) …... and even more important for employees to ensure that they do not overspend.
Furthermore, limited organisations also have to pay (10) …... to
shareholders every year, (11) …... on the success of the company. Anyone who invests in a business wants to ensure they get a good (12) …... on that investment and when companies are not doing well, they may start selling shares, making the situation even worse. When companies need support, investors are often not prepared to throw good money after (13) ….... There is no (14) …... that they will make money, it is always a risk. Although it is ideal to always be in the (15) …..., many businesses have to operate owing money, especially in the first few years of business.
0. A ideas B plans C eggs D food
1. A equity B capital C collateral D cashflow
2. A bankruptcy B administration C liability D collapse
3. A accumulate B acquire C invest D accrue
4. A make B do C take D have
5. A debts B liabilities C debtors D capital
6. A deposits B charges C debts D subsidies
7. A credit B share C return D interest
8. A mortgage B overdraft C dividend D warranty
9. A loans B instalments C subsidies D budgets
10. A shares B dividends C fees D grants
11. A regarding B according C depending D concerning
12. A return B charge C interest D collateral
13. A poor B wrong C weak D bad
14. A warranty B guarantee C promise D agreement
15. A red B black C dark D pink
PROOFREADING
• Read the text below about customer service.
• In most of the lines 1–12 there is one extra word. This is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.
• If a line is correct, TICK (√) the line.
• If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS.
• The exercise begins with two examples.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
• Read the article below about men and women management.
• Then answer the questions with NO MORE THAN SIX WORDS.
Women are calmer than men. They are more collaborative, and they dislike self- promotion. It is all in their genes. Progressive thought once held that men and women were essentially the same and that it was social conditioning that made men aggressive and women cooperative. Some writers still argue this way. In an article in The Harvard Business Review, Alice Fagly and Linda Carli say the reason women managers generally adopt a softer style is unlikely to be genetic. They do it because people react badly to aggressive women and a collaborative approach is how female managers assert their authority. A new book, Why Women Mean Business, is bolder: biology matters, it says. The authors, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland, approvingly cite recent research showing men’s and women’s brains differ. This inevitably affects the way they manage. ‘Why would differences in communication styles, biological rhythms, and brain functioning (to mention only a few) stop just short of leadership styles?’ they ask. If companies want to succeed, they will have to come around to women’s way of doing things, the authors argue. Faced with falling populations, companies in Europe will need more women in senior management. In the new knowledge- based economy, they say, companies need collaborative managers who can persuade people to work in teams. There is no need for women to change their essential natures.
1. What are two reasons show that women are calmer than men? 2. What was the social conditioning made on men and women? 3. Why do women need to adopt a softer management style? 4. What did the two authors cite in the book “Why Women Mean Business”? 5. What do European companies need to do? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… MULTIPLE CHOICES (4 OPTIONS)
• Read the article below about the Dixons Carphone merger.
• For each question 1–6, mark one letter (A, B, C or D) for the answer you choose.
Dixons Carphone case study: the hard work after the merger fanfare
When Dixons Retail merged with Carphone Warehouse this year, the two electrical goods retailers turned some of their outlets immediately into joint stores. They decided to mark out Carphone areas with lighter coloured flooring, to distinguish them from the spaces occupied by the legacy Dixons brands: Currys and PC World. But Mr. James, Dixons Carphone's Chief Executive, now worries the flooring may send the wrong message to staff and customers about a partnership he hopes will be seamless.
It is just one tiny example of the many management challenges that groups face as they enter the critical integration phase following a takeover or merger. Even the most promising unions can be doomed by unanticipated culture clashes, problems with combining systems, or tension at the top between executives who suddenly find they have to share responsibility for businesses they once headed outright.
Almost exactly a year ago, Mr. James, who headed Dixons before the merger, met Andrew Harrison, his opposite number at Carphone Warehouse to discuss how they could work better together. Mr. Harrison says the deal discussions began with a vision of ‘what we wanted to achieve and a vision of where the world was going’. It sounds corny but could be a good start. Using a sample of recent US and UK transactions, Cass Business School found that mergers and acquisitions based on clear strategic intent made up a far higher percentage of those that succeeded. Dixons and Carphone had to accelerate when rumours of the impending deal leaked in February. While the leak put short-term pressure on the two companies, it also allowed them to be more open with staff and suppliers. The same Cass research shows the importance of open communication, noting that two-thirds of successful acquirers shared more detailed information in public announcements of their plans.
By August, the two companies had gathered their 2,000 Store Managers together for training and to get to know each other. Individual stores took responsibility for briefing their own staff.
The retail infrastructure of the two companies is quite different, with Carphone staff trained to sell mobile phone contracts, whereas Currys and PC World staff are more used to selling hardware. At the moment, the staff are measured against separate in-store targets. But Mr. James believes ‘selling intangibles’ will become more important for the merged group, as it moves further into service, installation, and maintenance of ‘connected’ homes and offices.
A less obvious, but potentially significant concern is how to bring different
warehouses, stock systems, and information technology into line, to ensure, for instance, uniform pricing of the accessories. While Dixons Carphone was able to decide not to rebrand, the merging of the two companies' logistical infrastructure is unavoidable – and risky. To differentiate between their roles, Mr. Harrison takes responsibility for the growth of businesses and innovation, while Mr. James has day-to-day operational control of the group. Mr. Harrison also heads the single team that now handles all global supplier relationships.
As the same former Dixons executive points out, whether the combined group can win even better terms from suppliers than Dixons and Carphone did separately will be critical to the deal's success. However, in many mergers of equals, one side eventually emerges dominant. The difference in corporate mergers is that plenty of people, including staff, shareholders and customers, mind a great deal if the honeymoon period eventually gives way to chaos and acrimony.
1. When the two companies merged,
A. all the stores included both companies.
B. staff worked in different colour coded areas.
C. Mr. James had anticipated problems with the color coding.
D. staff and customers received a personal message from the CEO.
2. According to the article, when companies merge
A. few problems occur in the early stages.
B. the sharing of responsibility must be clarified.
C. top executives find it easier than the rest of the staff.
D. bosses can often underestimate potential difficulties.
3. Before the Dixons Carphone merger, senior managers
A. discussed the sharing of power.
B. studied various mergers around the world.
C. agreed on future objectives.
D. based their plans on each company’s current vision.
4. According to the fourth paragraph, companies planning to merge should
A. share information with suppliers.
B. avoid rumours getting out about the merger at all costs.
C. introduce staff to each other at the earliest point.
D. ensure that training is provided for all staff.
5. Dixons and Carphone staff
A. are working towards the same goals.
B. need to focus on selling their own company’s products.
C. are being trained to sell each other’s products.
D. have different experience and skills.
6. One of the main problems facing Dixons and Carphone now is
A. the fact that prices have increased.
B. the integration of their distribution centres.
C. the two top executives are unable to share responsibility.
D. negotiating better deals with global suppliers.
