I. Language Practice

1. Practise the fluent reading and correct intonation:

ø Well... `Let me ö see... `Let me ö think... By the ø way... They ø say... ø First. `First of ø all... In `my oøpinion... To `my mind... To `tell the ø truth... I `don’t quite ö follow you. It’s `not to the ö point. `Keep to the ö point. `Generally ø speaking... As `far as I ø know... As to ø me... In ø fact... The matter ø is that... In `any ø case... `Go aöhead. On the ø one hand... On the ø other hand... Above ø all... Let’s get down to... To `sum it ø up... `On the ø whole... `All in ø all... `After ø all... In `short... `That exö plains it. Let’s round ö off.

2. Listen to the speaker; read and memorize the following words and phrases:

1. responsibility - ответственность

2. similar - подобный

3. speciality [`spe•clti] - амер. специальность

4. human - человеческий

5. issue - вопрос

6. manufacturing personnel - производственный персонал

7. schedule [`•edju:l] - инвентарь, график

8. raw materials - сырье

9. smoothness - бесперебойность, плавность

10. assets - средства, фонды

11. excessive inventories - чрезмерные запасы

12. sacrificing - недостаточный, убыточный

13. delivery - поставка

14. advantage - преимущество

15. current cost - текущие издержки

Text. Production Management THE "FIVE M'S"

Operations management (known in industry as production management) is a responsibility similar in level and scope to other specialties such as marketing and to human resource and financial management. In manufacturing operations, production management includes responsibility for product and process design, planning and control issues involving capacity and quality, and organization and supervision of the workforce.

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:

1. What is operations management?

2. What does production management include in manufacturing operations?

3. What are the «five M’s»?

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

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

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

7. What does the production manager’s responsibility for materials include?

8. How is the manager’s concern for money explained?

9. What manager runs the risk?

10. Will high current costs wipe out any temporary competitive advantage?