Training of Managers in Russia

At present a proper economics, management and business education is of great importance for this country. Russia has made a transition to market economy. Business is developing rapidly. Many firms and joint ventures have been started. The private sector in the economy has grown considerably. That is why companies are in need of qualified economists, managers and other specialists.

At present the system of education is changing to meet the demands of the economic development of the country.

In Russia economics, business and management are mostly studied in economics departments at universities, institutes and colleges. There are also business schools in big cities. In some educational institutions students pay for their tuition, in others education is free of charge.

Economics departments at universities and institutes award degrees or diplomas in management, economics, and accounting. The curricula include general subjects, humanities and specialized subjects. First and second-year students take mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, social sciences and a foreign language. English is a must for international managers. At English lessons students study Business English – the language of business correspondence, documents and the formal style of communication at work.

Senior and undergraduate students study a lot of specialized subjects, such as economics, marketing, advertising, management, statistics, logistics, finance, banking, accounting, production planning, organization planning, realty, labour law, office work, business correspondence and others. Students have training in offices, banks, factories and shops. Graduates are qualified as economists, managers, accountants, etc.

After graduation people who are interested in research can take a post-graduate course in economics and management. They do research in financial management, business management, organization planning, etc. After two or three years of studies postgraduates defend a dissertation and receive a candidate's degree. People can continue with their research for some more years, defend a dissertation and take a doctor's degree.

The oldest and most prestigious state universities are in Moscow and St.Petersburg. There are famous classic universities in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Voronezh and other cities. University graduates are in great demand in the country.

Moscow University was founded by Mikhail Lomonosov in 1755. Now it is one of the leading centres of learning, science and culture in Russia. At present Moscow University has 29 faculties. The Economics Faculty was established in 1941. A. I. Churov, A.Y. Boyarsky, V. S. Nemchinov, K.V. Ostrovityanov, S. K. Tatur, N. A. Tsagolov and other prominent economists worked at the university. The Economics Faculty trains economists and managers. Besides general subjects, students take such specialized disciplines as economics, banking, finance, marketing, risk management, enterprise management, project management, personnel management, insurance, etc.

St.Petersburg University is the oldest university in Russia. It was established by Peter the Great in 1724. The university is highly regarded in the country and abroad. It ranks among the ten top universities in the world. St.Petersburg University has many faculties, among them the Faculties of Economics and Management.

South Federal University (formerly Rostov State University) is one of the oldest higher schools in the south of the country. It was founded in 1870. In 1965 the Faculty of Economics and Philosophy was established, in 1970 it was divided into two independent faculties. The Faculty of Economics trains economists, marketing specialists, region specialists, economists-mathematicians, economists-managers and managers. The training is delivered in economic theory, international economy, finance and credit, taxes and taxation, accounting, analysis and audit, marketing, region studies, anticrisis management, personnel management, and organization management.

Moscow, St.Petersburg, Rostov and other old classic universities award a bachelor's degree and a master's degree to their graduates. Full-time students usually earn a bachelor's degree after completing a four-year course of studies and defending a degree paper. They are qualified as Bachelors of Management or Bachelors of Economics. Students receive a master's degree after completing a six-year course, that is they study two more years after taking a bachelor's degree. Graduates are qualified as Masters of Management or Masters of Economics.

At colleges and business schools students take business studies, management studies, real estate, advertising, bookkeeping, quality management and audit and other subjects. College graduates and school leavers work as low level managers, dealers, distributors, realtors, quality controllers, etc.

 

Exercise 9. Find in the text the equivalents of these words and word combinations.

В настоящее время; хорошее образование в области экономики, менеджмента и бизнеса; факультеты экономики; студенты первых и вторых курсов; бухгалтерский учет; специальные предметы; получать квалификацию экономиста, менеджера, бухгалтера; проходить практику в учреждениях; выдающиеся экономисты; самостоятельные факультеты; обучение; регионоведение; защищать дипломную работу; выпускники колледжей и школ; магистр управления; магистр экономики.

 

Exercise 10. Answer the following questions in pairs.

1. Where can people get management education in Russia?

2. What specialized subjects do economics and management students take?

3. What famous universities do you know?

4. What qualifications do graduates get?

5. What degrees do students receive?

6. Where do students get through practical training?

 

Exercise 11. Work in pairs. Speak about the demand for specialists and products in Russia. Use the model and list of words below.

Model 1. A: What professions are in great/little demand?

B: Bookkeepers are in great demand. Lawyers are in little demand.

Accountants, teachers, doctors, managers, economists, engineers, fashion designers, workers, builders, programmers.

Model 2. A: What goods are in great/little demand in summer/winter/all seasons?

B: Sunglasses are in great demand in summer. Winter clothes are in little demand in summer.

Coats, raincoats, shoes, boots, umbrellas, sweaters, hats, caps, tights, bathing suits, toys, strong drinks, soft drinks, fruits, vegetables, music centres, televisions, computers, videos, cell phones, stationary goods, books.

Exercise 12. Work in pairs. Speak about the academic degrees awarded at Russian universities. Use the model and information from the text.

Model. A: Do universities award degrees or diplomas in management?

B: Old, classic universities award… New universities, institutes and colleges give…

A: What degrees do students receive? How long do they study?

B: They study…for a bachelor's degree…

 

Exercise 13. Write about a famous Russian university which provides management education.

 

1.3. Alma Mater

 

Exercise 1. Focus on the topical vocabulary.

alma mater ["xlmq 'meItq, -'mRtq] n лат. альма-матер (букв. мать кормящая), старинное название университетов

enrollment [In'rqVlmqnt] n = student body ['bPdI] набор, количество (принятых студентов); контингент студентов

standard of teaching ['stxndqd qv'tJCIN] уровень преподавания

to provide [prq'vaId] v обеспечивать

skilled [skIld] а умелый, квалифицированный

teaching staff ['tJCIN 'stRf] профессорско-преподавательский состав

the head of the department [dI'pRtmqnt] заведующий кафедрой

faculty ['fxkqltI] n факультет

extra-mural ['ekstrq'mjuqrql] а заочный или вечерний (о факультете)

dean [dJn] n декан

to involve [In'vPlv] v включать в себя; заключать, содержать; подразумевать

to be involved with быть занятым, заниматься

full-time students ["ful'taIm 'stjHdqnts] студенты дневного отделения

part-time students ["pRt'taIm] студенты заочного или вечернего отделения

to study by correspondence ['stAdI baI "kPrIs'pPndqns] учиться заочно

to qualify as ['kwPlIfaI qz] присваивать квалификацию

to deliver lectures on smth [dI'lIvq'lekCqz] = to give lectures on smth читать лекции по какому-л. предмету

credit test ['kredIt'test] n зачет

term [tE:m]= semester [sI'mestq] n семестр

grant ['grRnt], scholarship ['skPlqSIp], stipend ['staIpend] n стипендия

the term of tuition [tjH'ISn] срок обучения

 

Exercise 2. Try to understand the meaning of the derivatives.

Important, importance; develop, development; pay, payment; communicate, communication; memory, memorial; situate, situated, situation; occupy, occupied, occupation; mine, miner, mining; teach, teaching, teacher; provide, provision; skill, skilled; lecture, lecturer; enrol, enrollment; education, educated, educational; direct, direction, director; count, account, accountant, accounting; advertise, advertising, advertisement, ad; market, marketer, marketing; law, lawyer; examine, examiner, exam, examination; read, reader, reading-room; equip, equipment, well-equipped.

 

Exercise 3. Guess what these international words mean.

A technical university; to occupy; to organize; to train engineers; a standard; a mechanical faculty; construction; geology; economics; mathematics; technical; machines; electrical engineering; construction and chemical industries; physical training; social; general; associate professor; candidate; correspondence; humanities; qualified lecturers; marketing; statistics; logistics; practical training; the course of training; to complete a course; to qualify as economists; a candidate; correspondence; academic; credit tests; lecture halls; a sports ground; banks; computer classrooms; laboratories; gymnasiums; private companies.

 

Exercise 4. Complete the sentences with the prepositions in, at, of, to, with, on, after where necessary

1. My friend left ____ school two years ago. 2. My brother graduated ____ the institute ____ 1995. 3. I live __ a new block of flats ___ the centre ____ the town. 4. My mother studied ____ Moscow University. 5. The institute is headed ____ the director. 6. Let's meet ____ the entrance ____ the park. 7. My family consists ____ four persons. 8. The head ____ the Foreign Languages Department is I.A. Tishchenko, Associate Professor, Candidate ____ Sciences (Pedagogics). 9. The Economics Faculty and the Management Faculty are involved ____ full-time students. 10. My brother studied ____ correspondence. 11. I like Associate Professor B.V. Masyakin's lectures _____ economics. 12. I dream ____ working ____ a big company ____ graduation. 13. They got married ____ last winter. 14. We took our entrance exams ____ July.

 

Exercise 5. Find synonyms in List A and В, С and D.

Model: Science and technology - science and engineering

A. Construction; machines; an enrollment; a staff; a higher school; a storey; science and technology; humanities; an extra-mural faculty.

B. A higher educational institution; science and engineering; liberal arts; an evening faculty; machinery, a floor; a correspondence faculty; a student body; building; personnel; a higher educational establishment.

Model: to organize - to arrange

C. To be situated; to occupy; to found; to train; to consist of; to organize; to be involved with, to study by correspondence; to be a first-year student; to head the department; a term; to study subjects; to complete; to be a second-year student.

D. To establish, to deal with; to be a part-time student; to be a freshman; to be a sophomore; to be in charge of the department; to be housed; to educate; a semester; to take subjects; to finish; to be located; to arrange; to incorporate.

 

Exercise 6. Read the following word combinations and give their Russian equivalents.

To be situated; to occupy a building; a memorial plaque; at the entrance; in memory of; to be founded; to provide a high standard of teaching; a skilled teaching staff; the total enrollment of students; a higher school; a higher educational establishment, a higher educational institution; to hold a post; to incorporate the departments of economics and management; social sciences, general sciences; exact sciences; specialized subjects; part-time students; full-time students; the head of the department; qualified lecturers; to deliver lectures; to get practical training, to be over; to take exams/credit tests; to pass examinations/credit tests; to sit an exam; to read for an exam; to be sitting for an exam; to fail an exam; a course of study; to get grants.

 

Exercise 7. Form the degrees of comparison of these adjectives and adverbs.

Model 1: Big – bigger – the biggest

Fine, large, wise, hot, tall, sad, quick, hard, young, big, kind, warm, fast, long.

Model 2: happy – happier – the happiest

Busy, wealthy, happy, lazy, dirty.

Model 3: simple – simpler – the simplest

Simple, narrow, clever.

Model 4: beautiful – more / less beautiful – (the) most / least beautiful

Difficult, interesting, beautiful, dangerous, important, virtuous, helpful, valuable, prominent, influential, successful.

Model 5: seldom – more seldom – most seldom

Often, seldom; warmly, rarely, wisely, beautifully, slowly, virtuously, dangerously.

Model 6: bad / badly - worse – (the) worst

Good / well, little, late, old, far, many / much.

 

Exercise 8. Choose the correct form of the verb in brackets.

1. Important documents ___ (keep / are kept) by the secretary in the safe. 2. The manager ___ (told / was told) us about his business trip to the USA. 3. The exhibition ___ (organized / was organized) by five famous trading companies. 4. Russia ___ (have / has) trade relations with many countries. 5. You ___ (will invite / will be invited) to the party. 6. My colleague said that he ___ (will phone / would phone) me the next day. 7. Negotiations ___ (hold / are held) before signing contracts. 8. My boss often ___ (speaks / is spoken) at different meetings. 9. The delegation ___ (met / was met) at the airport. 10. Many foreign companies ___ (participates / participated) in the fair. 11. The secretary said that the manager ___ (would be informed / will be informed) about the date of the conference. 12. When the director ___ (will come / comes), I will let you know.

 

Exercise 9. Read the text about a technical university and find out how the educational institution is managed. Compare its organization structure with that of your university / institute.