Recipe for Success in Business

American people think that success in life and business depends on their abilities, desire to win and diligence. They are sure that if they work hard, develop their personal qualities, professional skills and believe in themselves, they will become rich and famous.

For high-ranking officials it is essential to get good education. Americans know that first they must attend a good school and do well there. Then they should go to a good university. After graduation they can get a good job. The better they do at university, the better job they have.

In his article My Advice to Students: Education Counts, Bill Gates tells readers about the importance of learning.

A lot of students, parents, and teachers send him messages by e-mail each year asking for advice about education. They want to know what to study, or if it is right to drop out of college, because Bill Gates did it.

Gates explains that he finished high school and went to Harvard. He had been at Harvard for three years before he dropped out to start Microsoft.

Bill Gates advises young people to get the best education they can. People need broad education. They should finish high school, go to college, and learn how to learn. In college it is time to think about specialization. Getting real expertise in an area of interest can lead to success. To graduate school is another way to get specialized knowledge.

In Microsoft's early years they had a bright part-time programmer who threatened to drop out of high school to work full time. The leadership told him no.

Some of the company employees didn't finish college, but they discourage dropping out. Having a diploma helps people to find a good job.

Bill Gates also writes about the importance of self-education. People can learn in a library, find information on the Web. They can learn from other people.

Men and women can get good management education at universities, colleges and business schools. Very often, good technical education does not help executives to manage employees and work with partners effectively. In this case, they should take a good course in management.

The Dale Carnegie Courses are very popular in the United States. They include management seminars, sales courses, customer relations courses, employee development courses, and others. The founder of the company delivering leadership training was the legendary Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), the author of such famous books as Public Speaking and Influencing Men in Business and How to Win Friends and Influence People.

At present, the Dale Carnegie Courses are designed to help people to discover, develop and use their abilities in management and business. Students learn to communicate with clear, concise language, motivate people and manage them. Good communicative skills make people effective leaders.

Making a manager's image is also important for his personal and professional growth.

An executive's image is people's opinion about him, his reputation in society and business world. His image is determined by many things: his social status, contacts, material well-being, post, professional reputation, education, behavior, manners, clothes, and so on.

Mass media have created in our minds the images of a businessman and a businesswoman.

A businessman has short, styled hair. He is polite, confident, strong and energetic. Wears a three-piece designer suit. Works in a modern office. Has a secretary. Drives a car. Has a credit card, a mobile phone, a pager, a briefcase, and a notebook computer. Goes in for sports. Likes clubs and cocktail parties.

A businesswoman looks stylish, businesslike and successful. She wears a business suit and pumps at work. Has a credit card, gadgets, and car keys in her bag. Goes to a fitness club and corporate parties.

For a businessman or executive, it is very important to have an image of being a reliable, honest, successful, respectable, and law-abiding citizen. A manager's good reputation is essential both for him and for an organization he represents. Companies also try to project an image of being solid, profitable, innovative and progressive.

Very often, a good image of a businessman is formed by imagemakers, or experts in PR. There are a lot of imagemaking schools and PR agencies. Imagemakers advise people where to go, how to behave, what to wear, how to speak, what to say, where, how and what to eat, and many other things. PR agencies and company PR departments promote business activity of companies and work of their leaders in mass media. Imagemaking services are very popular with executives and entrepreneurs.

 

Exercise 12. Find in the text the equivalents of these words and word combinations.

Рецепт успеха в бизнесе; зависит от способностей, желания победить и трудолюбия; посылают ему сообщения по электронной почте; привести к успеху; угрожал бросить среднюю школу; работать полный рабочий день; в этом случае; курсы для специалистов по продажам; курсы для специалистов по организации работы с клиентами; курсы для служащих, стремящихся к карьерному росту; искусство выступать перед аудиторией; завоевать друзей и оказывать влияние на людей; хорошие коммуникативные способности; социальный статус; производить впечатление; рекламируют деловую активность компании.

 

Exercise 13. Answer the following questions in pairs.

1. What does success depend on, in Americans' view?

2. Why is it essential to get good education?

3. What does Bill Gates advise young people about education?

4. Where can people get good management education?

5. Why are the Dale Carnegie Courses popular in the USA?

6. Who can help businessmen and executives to form a good image?

7. Would you like to change your image?

8. What do you do to develop your abilities and skills?

 

Exercise 14. Discuss the following questions with your group. You can use the word combinations below or give your own ideas.

1. Why is it important to get broad education?

To develop abilities; to have an opportunity to choose; to have an opportunity to try out one's ideas; to have a broad world outlook; to have a wide range of interests.

2. What are the advantages of getting higher education?

To get a prestigious job; to get a well-paid job; to know much; to be considered a well-educated person; to get real expertise in an area of interest.

3. What knowledge and skills do people acquire in college?

To get specialized knowledge, to learn a wide range of subjects; to learn to work with other people, to learn about group dynamics; to learn to work cooperatively; to get practical training.

Exercise 15. Read the article below and choose the best title:

a) The White House Imagemaker

b) The White House Brand Promoter

c) The Busiest Woman in Washington

d) The First Lady’s Old Friend

As social secretary, Desiree Rogers is gatekeeper and imagemaker. But her top job is brand promoter – casting the Obamas as occupants of a "People's House."

The White House has been, historically, a very white house. Traditionally, all the portraits hanging on the walls have been of white men or, occasionally, white women. The domestic staff, however – the ushers, cooks, maids, gardeners – has often been black. Today, about one third of the 95 permanent staffers working in the White House are African-American. On Inauguration Day, the White House social secretary, Desiree Rogers, watched as a valet, an older black man, hung up President Obama’s shirts and ties. She tells NEWSWEEK that she imagined him thinking, I see someone who looks like me that is going to be moving in here. Rogers noticed that other black staffers had "a little extra pep in their step" that day. "I see my grandfather's face in their faces," says Rogers.

The title of White House social secretary conjures up images of ladies pouring tea. But Rogers, a Harvard Business School grad who ran an energy utility in Chicago, describes her job as "one cornerstone of building the Obama presidency brand." Michelle Obama is an old friend (Rogers's ex-husband played basketball at Princeton with Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson). The first lady tells NEWSWEEK that Rogers is doing a "phenomenal job" of creating а "People's House." That means opening up the White House (which Rogers refers to simply as "the House") to the sort of people who don't usually get invited to state dinners. Last week, Rogers brought in some students from a local cooking school to talk to the head chef and first lady as the staff prepared the Obamas' first state dinner. One student asked about the presidential china and inquired whether Mrs.Obama would be designing her own. "Um, I think so," Mrs.Obama replied, looking over at Rogers before adding, "I think that's part of the job." Rogers and Obama smiled.

Neither showed any anxiety, though both knew perfectly well they were stepping around a land mine. Americans are ambivalent about their first ladies. They want them to be regal, like Jackie Kennedy, but scorn them if they act like queens. Both Mary Lincoln and Nancy Reagon took flak for their spending on fancy clothes and furnishings. Mrs.Lincoln complained about the "vampire press" and it hasn't gotten less bloodthirsty. In January, Laura Bush was chastised for spending $492,798 (from private donations) on new White House china at a time when people are missing their mortgage payments.

Rogers, who grew up in New Orleans, is at once sociable and cool, not unlike the Obamas. But she is sensitive to the symbolic significance of the Obamas in the White House. "They understand what it means to feel like you've been left out," she says. Rogers, who like Michelle Obama has been profiled in Vogue, enjoys a bit of glamour; she recently attended Fashion Week in New York. But two weeks ago, she was smiling as she watched the first lady – and Michelle's daughters, along with about 180 mostly black Washington schoolkids and the children of the Executive Mansion housekeeping staff – sway in the East Room. It was Black History Month, and they were listening to an all African-American singing group crooning mostly upbeat songs, but also a ballad about a man who was killed by the Ku Klux Klan.

Rogers says she wants to modernize the art collection of the presidential mansion: "There is a wonderful collection of art, but what's missing is modern art. And also we'd like to see more diversity of the artists themselves – more women artists, more African-American artists, more Hispanic artists, artists of American-Indian descent, Asian-Americans." Rogers may ruffle feathers if the starts moving out the White House permanent art collection. "You can't get any better than an original Courbet or Picasso," cautions Letitia Baldrige, who was social secretary in the Kennedy White House. Rogers does not seem too worried, however. "Are we having fun yet?" President Obama asked her recently. "Getting there," she answered.

 

Exercise 16. Look through the article again and write out the key words to describe the White House social secretary's responsibilities. Give a talk in class.

Exercise 17. Work in pairs. Speak about prestigious jobs in Russian society. Use the model and list of words below.

Model. A: What job is (not) prestigious in Russian society?

B: A manager's job is prestigious and well-paid.

A teacher's job is not prestigious and poorly-paid.

A lawyer, a manager, a fashion model, a photo model, an engineer, a teacher, a worker, a builder, a popstar, a film star, a banker, a director, a baker, a shop-assistant, a waiter, an insurance agent, a travel agent, an accountant, a stylist, an economist, an advertising expert, an imagemaker.

 

Exercise 18. Work in pairs.

1. Ask your partner about his / her background (what high school he / she finished, when and where he / she studied, how well he / she did at school, if he / she finished school with honours, what his / her favourite subjects) were.

2. Ask you partner what university / institute he / she studies at, what year he / she is in, what faculty he / she studies in, what his / her speciality is, why he / she has chosen it, what his / her academic interests are, what subjects he / she is good at.

3. Ask your partner if he / she is interested in liberal arts, foreign languages, sport, music; if his / her interests help or interfere with his / her studies.

4. Ask your partner what career he / she is dreaming of and why.

5. Ask your partner what image he / she would like to project, what he / she wants to do for it, if he / she is ready to apply to an imagemaker for assistance and why.

 

Exercise 19. Write what you think about imagemaking.

 

8.2. Attaining Your Ambitions

 

Exercise 1. Focus on the topical vocabulary.

to attain [q'teIn] v достигнуть, добиться

to admire [qd'maIq] v восхищаться

self-reliance ["selfrI'laIqns] уверенность в себе, своих силах

high-achiever ['haIq'CJvq] n человек, достигший высот в каком-л. деле; победитель

loser ['lHzq] n проигравший, потерпевший поражение

to fail [feIl] v потерпеть неудачу

failure ['feIljq] n неудача; неудачник

mountain climber ["mauntIn 'klaImq] n альпинист

to climb mountains [klaIm] = to scale mountains [skeIl] подниматься в горы

mountain climbing ["mauntIn 'klaImIN] n альпинизм

performance [pq'fLmqns] n интенсивность труда, работы

urge [WG] n побуждение, импульс, сильное желание; v понуждать, побуждать

to reach [rJC] v достичь, добиться (цели, успеха)

recognition ["rekqg'nISqn] n признание

possession [pq'zeSqn] n владение; обладание

accomplishment [q'kPmplISmqnt] n выполнение, завершение; достижение

capacity [kq'pxsItI] n способность

outlook ['autluk] n перспектива, точка зрения; кругозор

a rough path ['rAf 'pRT] неровная дорога, перен. ­ трудный путь

tough times [tAf] трудные времена

effort ['efqt] n усилие, напряжение

commitment [kq'mItmqnt] n обязательство; приверженность, преданность

exhaustion [Ig'zLsCqn] n истощение

to endure [In'djuq] v выносить, терпеть

to overcome difficulties ["qVvq'kAm 'dIfIkqltIz] преодолевать трудности

to give up ['gIv 'Ap] v отказываться

to come true ['kAm 'trH] осуществляться (о мечте)

substitute ['sAbstItjHt] n замена; v заменять

obstacle ['Pbstqkl] n препятствие, помеха

 

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

Dream, dreamer; admire, admirer, admiration; consult, consulting, consultant; create, creative, creation, creator; achieve, achievable, achievement, achiever; understand, misunderstand, understanding, misunderstanding; sculptor, sculpture, sculptural; paint, painting, painter; please, pleasure, pleasant; possess, possession; accomplish, accomplishment; fail, failure; lose, loser.

 

Exercise 3. Guess what these international words mean.

Industrial management system, a training and management consulting firm, a peak, principles, a variety, regions, self-discipline, a personal investment, characteristics, situations, constantly, to pioneer a technology, a risk, realistically, compressed, ingredients, material motivations, physical, to transform into opportunities, to focus, to start a business, goals, momentary, to ruin, personal potential, myths, a balance, professionals.

Exercise 4. Read the words having the prefix self- (само-) and say what they mean.

Model: self-respect чувство собственного достоинства

self-made обязанный самому себе

Self-education, self-respect, self-discipline, self-government, self-governing, self-criticism, self-critical, self-made, self-reliance, self-reliant, self-service, self-study, self-teacher, a self-teaching textbook, self-analysis, self-confident, self-confidence, self-development, self-realization.

 

Exercise 5. Read the following word combinations and give their Russian equivalents.

A high achiever, to achieve goals; a successful businessman; a famous mountain climber; a fellow mountain climber; to climb mountains, to scale mountains; a variety of careers; to seek something great to do; to consider questions; to answer from the deepest regions of one's heart; to require sell-discipline; creative work; firstly, secondly, thirdly; to face uncertainty; peers; your closest relatives; a compressed spring; a creative urge; the key question; to value essential qualities of life; an enormous amount; pride of accomplishment; the capacity for love; a positive outlook; a rough path; tough times; physical exhaustion; to endure difficulties; to overcome difficulties; to take responsibility; to complain about demanding jobs; vacation time; to focus attention; low benefits and salaries; comfortable living; long-terms goals; to come true; step by step; to reach a goal.

Exercise 6. Read these sentences and express the same in Russian.

1. Many people in Russia can't afford cars. 2. Wealthy people can visit many foreign countries. 3. What can I do for you? 4. Can I help you? - Yes. I'd like a book on management. 5. Can/Could you tell me the time? - Certainly. It's 10 o'clock sharp. 6. Can I ask you a question? – Certainly. 7. Can he be translating these articles himself? 8. You can stay after the lesson. 9. You can't say such things. 10. Can you speak any foreign language? - Yes. I can speak English. 11. Can/Could I close the window? I'm cold. 12. I hope he'll be able to help you. 13. You can't use this word in the sentence. 14. Mr. Smith wasn't at home when I telephoned him, but I was able to contact him at his office.

 

Exercise 7. Complete the sentences with the correct forms of either the modal verb can (can't) or the expression to be able to.

1. _____ you drive a car? 2. When my father was young, he ___ speak English, German and French fluently. 3. ___ I have your book? 4. Sorry, I ___ come to your party on Friday. I'll be busy. 5. ___ I speak to Helen, please? 6. You _____ speak to people like this. 7. ___ they be meeting in secret? I ___ believe it. 8. ___ I have a cup of coffee? 9. Travelling abroad is too expensive. I ___ afford it. 10. It was difficult for her to give her children a good education, but she ___ send them to university.

 

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

1. ___ (Are you willing / Will you be willing) to be a high achiever? 2. The report ___ (is being discussed / was being discussed) at the conference now. 3. At present many mines ___ (are being closed / were being closed) in Russia. 4. When ___ (is the delegation arriving / was the delegation arriving)? - Tomorrow morning. 5. The company ___ (is advertising / was advertising) its products on TV now. 6. I ___ (am looking / will be looking) forward to hearing from you soon. 7. John ___ (is going / was going) for a job interview today. 8. The process of shopping ___ (is making / is being made) pleasant for customers in this shop. 9. I saw Mr. Kelly in the restaurant. He ___ (is being served / was being served) by the waitress. 10. The woman slipped and hurt her foot when she ___ (is climbing / was climbing) upstairs. 11. It (is snowing / was snowing) all day yesterday. 12. While I ___ (am answering / was answering) the telephone, Ben was writing an advertisement. 13. Helen ___ (is constantly arguing / was constantly arguing), that why the customers were so displeased. 14. My son won't be able to call on you. He ___ (was doing / will be doing) his marketing exam. 15. I ___ (was travelling / will be travelling) in the summer. Don't write to me. 16. We ___ (were discussing / will be discussing) the programme at the meeting tomorrow. 17. Mr. Green ___ (is having / was having) dinner when the telephone rang. 18. The woman promised her husband that she ___ (will be waiting / would be waiting) for him.

 

Exercise 9. Make up sentences using the word combinations listed below in the Continuous Tenses. Think of some examples of your own.

To take a management exam; to read and translate business letters into English; to send e-mail messages; to receive e-mail messages; to work on a computer; to save money; to discuss terms of payment; to discuss terms of delivery; to speak at the meeting; to take part in negotiations.

Exercise 10. Complete the sentences with the proper forms of the verbs. Use the Continuous Tenses.

1. Bob knew that Jane ___ (to go) to the south the following summer. 2. The manager ___ (to consider) a customer's complaint when the director called him. 3. The salesgirl discovered that some boxes ___ (to miss). 4. Don't telephone him tomorrow. He ___ (to work). 5. What ___ the programmer ___ (to do) when you entered the room? 6. Where ___ you ___ (to stay) in England next month? 7. At that time yesterday the terms and conditions of the contract ___ (to study) by the experts. 8. While the director __ (to receive) visitors, the secretary ___ (to make) a long distance call to Manchester. 9. The applicants ___ (to interview) in this room now. 10. I ___ (to think) of starting a small business. 11. ___ you ___ (to feel) okay? – Yes, I ___ (to feel) fine. 12. The company ___ (to lose) a lot of money and will probably close down.

Exercise 11. Work in pairs. Speak about your plans for the future. Use the model and list of word combinations below.

Model. A: What are you going to do after graduation from the university?

B: I would like to start a small business. What about you?

To work for a big company, to start a small business, to take a post-graduate course, to go to Moscow, to go abroad, to work as a manager, to find a good job, to work in an office / a plant / a factory / a bank.

 

Exercise 12. Do you admire people who have achieved a success in their lives?Read the following text and find out what should be done to be successful in any field.