Текст 4. Total quality management

The key to quality is very simple. You should do a job right first time. Most organizations do jobs approximately.

They make mistakes that they have to fix later so they incur higher costs. In a TQM organisation they know it's cheaper to do the job right in the first place.

So what does "doing it right" involve? It means you mustn't waste resources; no wasted materials, no wasted time and no wasted space. And it means you have to throw out outdated processes. It's constant and never-ending process and it has to involve everyone in the organization.

You have to push responsibility close to the point where employees and customers meet. It's your operating employees that have to make important decisions because they're closest to the customers. And that means you have to stand the traditional management hierarchy on its head.

You must give employees more decision-making powers. Instead of giving them orders from above, your administration should support them and try to make their life easier. You can't do that in an atmosphere of conflict. You can only do it through creative teamwork.

NOTES:

fix – исправлять;

incur - нести потери;

outdated – устаревший.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS;

1. What does it mean "doing it right"?

2. Who has to make important decisions?

3. How can you achieve the successful results in your management?

4. Should you give the employees the orders or should you support them.

Текст 5. THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR EXPORT (Part I)

Every walker wants waterproof boots. They are the key to comfort, progress and even survival. Nick Brown, the creator of Nickwax, realised this at 15, cooked up his own solutions in the kitchen and at 21 discovered he had a viable product.

"I actually sold my first tin of Nickwax in 1977. I was going to Scotland and needed new boots. The guy at Alpine Sports in London sold me a pair and tried to sell me some wax too. I told him I made my own and why it was better. He took six dozen tins".

Nick's company now sells a whole range of rub-in, spray-on and wash-in waterproofing products as well as waterproof clothing. Sales have increased at a steady 10 to 15 per cent a year and today the company employs five people, who all spend around 30 per cent of their time on research.

"When we started, the biggest problem was getting customers to buy large enough quantities. So I offered them advertising by printing their logo on the lid in exchange for a minimum order. Two things happened. First, the shops bought more, and second, because people who were satisfied with the product knew where to buy it, the shops with logos outsold the others".

NOTES:

viable – жизнеспособный;

logo – символ;

lid – крышка.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Why do you think every walker wants waterproof boots?

2. What type of goods does Nick's company sell?

3. What were the results of advertising?

Текст 6. THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR EXPORT (Part II)

In the second year he had a turnover of 50,000 units. He moved from his kitchen into a small workshop, making wax by night and selling it by day. He sold to outdoor shops all over the UK and interrailed around the mountain centres in Europe, winning orders from the big names in boots, Fjellraven, Edelweiss and Kaufmann, Van de Sport. Le Trappeur, France's biggest manufacturer, ordered 60,000 tins. European sales outstripped those in the UK. Nick believes strongly in research and international marketing. He is a linguist (an ex-student of the School of African and Oriental Studies) and he makes sure his foreign language publicity material is accurate

to the last accent. Unlike most British companies, he invoices in local currency.

"I'd rather risk losing money on individual deals than loosing a customer because exchange rates have changed".

The big question now is whether outdoor shops can survive the recession. Four years of drought on top of economic decline have been bad for business. "Now, thank God, it's raining," says Mr. Brown.

NOTES:

interrail – внедрять, распространять;

outstrip – превосходить;

recession – падение спроса;

drought – зд: застой.

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1. На второй год товарооборот был 50000 пар.

2. Он верит в международный маркетинг.

3. Трудно сказать, кто сможет пережить падение спроса.

Текст 7. L'OREAL IS MOVING ON (Part I)

L'Oreal is active in all world markets and we employ just over thirty thousand people worldwide. We have production facilities, agents and subsidiaries in all five continents and we are increasing our share of the world's cosmetics markets.

Let's begin by looking at different activities of the group. Last year's sales we had a turnover of thirty-seven point five seven billion francs. If we look more closely we can see that the largest part of our revenue comes from Consumer and Salons activities. This market segment accounts for forty-nine per cent of the total turnover. It includes skincare products, make up, fragrances and hair care products where we are a world leader.

The next devision is perfumes and beauty. Here we have an exeptional range of prestigious brands which includes Lancome, Helena Rubinstein and Biotherm. This division's turnover increased last year to stand at eight-and-a-half billion francs.

NOTES:

share – доля;

revenue – годовой доход;

brands – новинки;

turnover – товарооборот.

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1. Наша кампания имеет средства производства, агентов на всех пяти континентах.

2. Мы увеличиваем долю нашего капитала на мировом рынке косметики.

3. Наша задача – более тесные отношения с фармацевтами – ключевым каналом распространения продукции.

Текст 8. L'OREAL IS MOVING ON (Part II)

Moving on to Active Cosmetics, this devision has dual objectives; firstly to develop new, technically advanced cosmetics and secondly to enhance our close relationships with pharmacists – a key channel of distribution. It achieved a turnover of three point seven billion French francs last year.

Then we come to Synthelabo, our pharmaceutical subsidiary, which accounts for sixteen point eight per cent of our total revenues. It regularly invests twenty per cent of its turnover in research and development.

Synthelabo is making advances in the treatment of central nervous system disorders at the moment, and it will become a world leader in this field in the future.

In addition to these four major areas of activity, L'Oreal also owns Artcurial, a contemporary art gallery, we hold a major stake in the Marie-Claire publishing group and we have increased our stake in Paravision International, a film production and distribution company. Together these activities account for one point eight per cent of our turnover, or nought point seven billion francs.

NOTES:

enhance – усилить, углубить;

subsidiary – филиал;

stake – ставка.

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1. L'Oreal владеет галереей современного искусства.

2. Мы только что увеличили долю нашего капитала в Paravision International.

3. Synthelabo – наше дочернее фармацевтическое предприятие.

Текст 9. A FAMILY COMPANY “LEGO” (Part I)

Originally there were just two types of LEGO brick: one with four studs and one with eight. And they weren't very successful. The retailers weren't sure whether they would be able to sell them, so we had to offer them on sale or return.

And they sent quite a few boxes back to the factory.

founded in Billund in Denmark by Ole Kirk Christiansen. He was the village carpenter and started out selling wooden stepladders. He always had a lot of little bits of wood left over, so he started making them wooden toys.

When Ole Kirk died he was succeeded by his son, Godtfred Kirk. Godtfred started working in the company when he was twelve years old and his father was just setting up the business. So he was the natural person to take over. We've always been a family company.

NOTES:

stud – штифт;

retailer – розничный торговец;

stepladder – стремянка.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Who founded the company?

2. What sales terms did LEGO offer retailers on their original building bricks?

3. When Ole Kirk founded the company, what did it produce?

4. How old was Godtfred when he started working for the company?

Текст 10. A FAMILY COMPANY “LEGO” (Part II)

This was a real turning point for the company. The idea started when Godtfred Kirk met a toy buyer for one of the large department stores. They were talking about the toy market and the buyer told him about a theory he had. He felt that what the toy market lacked was the toy with a system. It had to be based on a sound idea, it had to be high quality and it had to develop children's imaginations. Godtfred realised our plastic building bricks had this potential and decided to develop the range. So we created the LEGO system of play and launched it in the buyer's store.

It was a disaster. It was insured for DKr 52,000 a lot of money in those days – but it wasn't enough to cover the cost of reconstruction and re-equipping. And there were 15 employees by then who all depended on the company. It was probably the saddest moment of Ole Kirk's career.

NOTES:

lack – недоставать;

realize – понимать;

create – создать;

launch – запускать;

from scratch – с начала.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. What potential did Godtfred see in the building bricks?

2. What events have been significant turning points?

3. Why was it the saddest moment of Ole Kirk's career

Текст 11. A FAMILY COMPANY “LEGO” (Part III)

This is still our biggest market today. The original sales company was set up by a toy manufacturer, Axel Thompsen. Axel was so attracted to the idea of the LEGO play system that he sold his own factory so that he could spend all his time introducing LEGO products to the German market.

Ole Kirk offered a bottle of homemade wine as a prize to the person who suggested the best name. In fact he won it himself by combining the Danish words LEG GODT, meaning 'play well'. Later on he discovered that in Latin Lego means 'I put together' or 'I assemble'. Quite a coincidence, eh?

We were the first toy company in Denmark to use plastic. In fact we had a visit from the Danish toy trade magazine at the time and they wrote an article about it saying 'Plastics will never take the place of good solid wooden toys'.

Fortunately we didn't listen to their advice!

NOTES:

set up – организовать;

introduce – представлять;

coincidence – совпадение;

fortunately – к счастью.

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS:

1. Who was Axel Thomsen?

2. Where did the name LEGO come from?

3. What did the Danish toy trade magazine say about plastics?

Текст 12. THE WEEKEND IN BRITAIN (Part I)

Most people in Britain work a five-day week, from Monday to Friday; schools, colleges and universities are also closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Everyone looks forward to the weekend and when Friday comes along, as people leave work they say to each other, "Have a nice weekend". Then on Monday morning they ask, "Did you have a nice weekend?" or "What did you do at the weekend?"

Saturday morning is a very busy time for shopping, as this is the only day when people who are at work can shop for any length of

time. On weekdays shops close between 5.30 and 6.00 p.m. On Saturday afternoon the most important sporting events of the week take place – football, rugby, cricket and tennis, horse-racing, car and motor-cycle racing and other sports. Saturday evening is the favourite time for parties, dances, going to the pictures or the theatre, in fact for "going out" generally. For many people it is the climax of the weekend.

Having gone to bed late the night before, many people have a lie-in on Sunday morning, that is they stay in bed at least another hour. Church bells are another typical feature of an English Sunday morning, although by many their summons remains unanswered, especially by those in need of physical rather than spiritual comfort. But whether people get out of bed for morning service or not, their first meaningful contact with the world beyond the four walls of their bedroom will be the delicious aroma of bacon and eggs being fried by mother downstairs in the kitchen. This smell is for most people so much a part of Sunday mornings that they wouldn't be the same without it.

NOTES:

summons – зов;

meaningful - сознательный, значительный.

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1. Каждый англичанин с нетерпением ждет субботы.

2. Они нуждаются в душевном и физическом комфорте.

Текст 13. THE WEEKEND IN BRITAIN (Part II)

During the mid-morning most people indulge in some fairly light activity such as gardening, washing the car, shelling peas or chopping mint for Sunday lunch, or taking the dog for a walk.

Another most popular pre-lunch activity consists of a visit to a "pub" – either a walk to the "local", or often nowadays a drive to a more pleasant "country-pub", the idea being to have a quiet drink and a chat, perhaps discussing the previous evening's entertainment or afternoon's sport. One additional attraction of Sunday lunchtime drinks is that men go to the pub alone, wives or girlfriends generally prefer to stay at home and prepare lunch.

Sunday has always been a favourite day for inviting people – friends, relations, collegues – to afternoon tea. In recent years television has become increasingly popular.

Such places as museums and art-galleries attract a number of visitors on Sundays. One of the most popular attractions in London on Sunday afternoons, especially in summer, is the Tower.

there is a corner of it, near Marble Arch, the like of which is not to be found anywhere else in the world for that matter. Here all kinds of men and women stand up and give their views on subjects that range from politics and religion to cures for rheumatism and the best way of getting on with your mother-in-law. Foreigners may come to Hyde Park Corner on a Sunday morning if they think the English a restrained and silent race.

NOTES:

restrained – сдержанный;

cure – лекарство;

get on with – ладить с.

TRANSLATE INTO ENGLISH:

1. Англичане любят приглашать гостей по воскресеньям.

2. Они обожают посещать пабы.

3. Такого уголка для публичных выступлений, как в Гайд-парке, нет нигде.