Power and influence. Alice Carstairs is a senior manager in commercial television station

Alice Carstairs is a senior manager in commercial television station. She has worked in the job for a year, and things are not going well, as she tells her friend Jenny.

“It would be a great job,” she says, “except for one thing. I often have to see Mr. Thompson, our chief executive. He’s in charge of really important decisions, so I need to consult him when I’m working on something big.” “So what’s the problem?” Jenny asks.

“It’s his secretary,” Alice complains. “Whenever I phone her to say I need to talk to Mr. Thompson, she always says he’s busy, or in a meeting, or something like that. If I say it’s important, she wants to know what it’s about, and she says she’ll pass on a message. She never does pass on messages, and that means there are always difficulties and misunderstanding in the office. I don’t like the situation at all.”

“Why don’t you just tell Mr. Thompson?” Jenny asks. “Tell him what his secretary‘s doing, and ask him to do something about it?”

“I’d like to, but I can’t. You see, Mr. Thompson’s secretary has been friends with him for years- apparently they’re really good friends.”

Jeremy Fitzerald, Management, Black Cat Publishing, 2001, p. 55

Tasks:

1. What kind of company does Alice work in? Describe its structure in detail.

2. How long has she worked there?

3. Why is she unhappy at work?

4. What do you think she should do?

Speaking\Writing

you have recently been applying for jobs with different companies. Two companies have indicated that they may be interested in offering you employment. One company is a large multinational that employs 2,000 people at its headquarters. The other company is much smaller and employs only 120 people.

1) Write a short paragraph to explain which company you would prefer to work for, giving reasons for your choice.

2) Make up a dialogue discussing advantages and disadvantages of working in big and small companies and asking for advice where to apply.