People in Management

 

The opportunity to make personal computers (PCs} accessible to every­one had been there for years. But it was William H. Gates, a Harvard dropout, who turned opportunity into reality. In 1980, Gates's company, Micro­soft, won a coveted contract with IBM to make the operating software for IBM's personal computer. By 1984, Microsoft's software was being used with 2 million computers and had be­come an industry standard.

In 1976, at 20, Bill Gates founded Microsoft, the first personal computer software firm. Today, Gates is a billionaire, having made more money than anyone else his age, ever, in any business. In addition to making the basic operating software for all IBM and IBM-compatible PCs, Microsoft has developed a raft of other popular programs, including Excel, product that earned $97 million in 1984, and Windows, a major break­through which made $140 million in 1985.

Gates's vision for his young com­pany remains the same today: "A com­puter on every desk and in every home." Mi­crosoft is now the world's largest com­puter software company. It employs over 2,000 people, and its revenues are in the billions of dollars annually.

About 90 percent of Gates's em­ployees are hired right out of college or graduate school. During the interview, prospective employees discuss projects which they've worked on. If they are unable to explain the entire project— even if they only worked on a segment of it—they are not hired.

Gates encourages the use of in-house computers at Microsoft. If em­ployees have a sudden brainstorm, they send a computerized message to whomever they want to alert. If they read something they think will be of interest to others, they use the elec­tronic mail system to send the information. Electronic mail allows Gates to interact with people he would not have time to see.

Gates says: "A lot of my role is about leadership. My strengths are things like: What are the products? Where are we going? Talking to people building the products and taking our vision outside the company."

 

Unit 6

 

Text «People in Management»

I. Read, translate the text “People in management”. Try to understand the main idea of the text. Be ready to make rendering of the text.

 

II. Find the translation of the words in the dictionary. Learn all these words by heart.

Write out from the text all the sentences with these words and translate them into Russian:

accessible; software; opportunity; to covet; a billionaire; compatible; to earn; revenue;

annually; employee; to hire; graduate; prospective; entire; brainstorm; message; to alert;

to interact; leadership; strength; vision; drop-out (dropout);

 

III. In the text find English equivalents of the following words and expressions:

возможность; доступный; исключенный (из университета и пр.); воплотить возможность в действительность; желаемый контракт; операционная система для IBM; персональный компьютер; операционная система Microsoft; промышленный стандарт; компьютерная фирма по программному обеспечению; совместимый;

множество других популярных программ; доходы; ежегодно; подчиненные (сотрудники, персонал), принимать на работу; выпускник школы; опрос; перспективный сотрудник; обсуждать проекты; объяснить проект в целом; внезапное интеллектуальное озарение; отправить сообщение по компьютеру; потревожить (побеспокоить) быть интересным для кого-либо; система электронной почты; взаимодействовать с людьми; самая главная роль; сила; за пределами компании;

 

IV. Ask your friend:

If he (she) knows that William Gates was a Harvard dropout.

If he (she) knows that Gates´s Company Microsoft won a coveted contract with IBM in 1980-s.

If he (she) agrees that Bill Gates did not found Microsoft Company.

If he (she) agrees that Gates earned more money than any one else in the world.

If he (she) knows that Microsoft is the world´s largest software company.

If he (she) knows that 90 per cent of Gates´s employees are hired right out of college.

If he (she) agrees that Gates´s employees don´t use electronic mail system during their work.

If he (she) agrees that Gates is not billionaire.

If he (she) knows that in Microsoft company prospective employees discuss projects which they have worked on.

If he (she) knows what Gates´s strengths are.

 

V. Speak on the topics:

1. «Bill Gates – a founder of Microsoft»

2. «Microsoft´s software - an industry standard»

3. «Gates´s vision for Microsoft – “a computer on every desk and in every home”»

VI. Write a composition (10 sentences) about any outstanding man in management you know. Can you compare anybody with Bill Gates? Do you like Gates´s attitude to his employees and business?