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Unit 10
Business Strategies
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE I National Stereotypes and Business Behavior
We are repeatedly warned to beware of generalizations yet, paradoxically, it seems that the human mind cannot resist categorizing people and things. We love to "pigeonhole", to make order out of a universe that frequently seems to us confusing and even chaotic.[1] Nowhere is this tendency more evident than in our willingness to generalize about nationalities.[2] We create national stereotypes and cling tenaciously to our prejudices. To illustrate this point, we shall look at the findings of a survey carried out by the market research firm, Parkland Research Europe.
This organization carried out a detailed study of European attitudes by questioning 185 business executives, lawyers, engineers, teachers and other professional people from seven European countries. These were: Germany, France, Britain, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. The resulting publication, Guide to National Practices in Western Europe, gave some idea of what Europeans think of each other. It revealed many widely-held stereotypes, but also came up with a few surprises. The following summary gives some of the data from this survey.
Parkland Findings
GERMANS Liked themselves best of all. Most Europeans agreed that the Germans had the highest proportion of good qualities. They considered themselves very tolerant, but nobody else did. They saw themselves as fashionable. Others found them "square"[3].
FRENCH Not Really admired by anyone except the Italians. Other Europeans found them conservative, withdrawn, brilliant, superficial. Also, not very friendly. The French agreed on the last point!
BRITISH Mixed reactions. Some found them calm, reserved, open-minded, trustworthy; others deemed them narrow-minded, insular and superior. Everyone was unanimous that the British had an excellent sense of humor. The British most admired the Dutch.
SWISS Showed considerable lucidity and powers of self-analysis. Saw themselves as serious, trustworthy, but too money-minded[4] and suspicious. Most Europeans agreed. The Swiss liked the Germans best.
ITALIANS Generally considered by everyone to be lazy and untrustworthy. And the Italians agreed! Most also found them to be charming, hospitable and noisy. The Italians admired the French and the Dutch. Hardly anyone loved the Italians except the French.
DUTCH Most admired people in Europe—except by their neighbors—the Belgians. Everyone agreed that the Dutch are hard-working, thrifty, good-natured, tolerant and business-minded. The Netherlands, however, was not considered a good place to live in.
BELGIANS Least admired in this group. They see themselves as easy-going and diligent workers. Other Europeans consider them undisciplined and narrow-minded—and terrible drivers!
As a follow-up to this study, businessmen were asked to imagine they were setting up a multinational company. They had to choose a national for the positions of president, managing director, chief cashier, public relations officer and skilled and unskilled labor.
The Germans came out of this exercise smelling of roses![5] They were the universal choice for the top jobs, and also first choice for skilled workers. The Italians were relegated to the unskilled jobs; the French received massive support for the light-weight public relations post[6]. According to the economist in charge of Parkland Research, "No European picked an Italian as president or chief cashier. Moreover, no Italian or Frenchman picked one of his own nationals as chief cashier!"
What might have been the choices, one speculates, if all nationalities had been eligible for the above posts. Would the Japanese have swept the board?[7] Surely not! Could a Japanese be chosen as chief cashier over a Swiss? And then, what about the Americans? They would surely force their way into[8] the organization structure of this multinational company. And there again[9], there should be room for an industrious Chinese or a shrewd Russian ...
From the theory, we turn to practice. We will conclude by giving some examples of how national characteristics can affect business behavior. We take as our source a study made recently by two British journalists of the problems encountered when Germans work in Britain and vice versa.
The German characteristics of industry and punctuality were illustrated by the example of a German executive who was appointed to the head of a specialist department of his company's branch in London. While he arrived at his office every morning at 9 a.m. on the dot, his senior employees rarely rolled up much before 10 a.m. For several weeks, harsh words were exchanged and tempers became more and more frayed. Finally, however, the German realized that his subordinates frequently worked on until eight or nine in the evening. They were doing certain work in the evening which he did early in the morning. Since most of the company's business was with the US, this kind of work schedule made sense. Eventually, the German changed his working hours—much to his wife's displeasure!
A British executive working in Germany found that he had to modify his employment policies because of the German liking for system and formality. He told the investigating reporters, "A number of the German people we have employed have complained that we did not have a comprehensive enough policy manual." He met the problem by spelling out in company recruitment advertising that employees had to have an understanding and liking for the British way of life. During interviews, he warned prospective employees that they would have to work in a much less formal environment than they were used to. Their colleagues would call them by their first names and expect this practice to be reciprocated.[10] They would work on their own initiative and junior employees especially would probably have more responsibility than their counterparts in German companies.
Finally, the executive stressed that employees would be expected to make decisions based on a "commonsense" interpretation of the company's policy guidelines rather than operate on the principle that "if it's not in the book, it can't be done."
The policy of this executive had certainly paid off since[11], with this approach to recruitment, staff turnover had been reduced significantly. (971 words)
Proper Names
Belgian
比利时人
Belgium
比利时
Italy
意大利
the Netherlands
荷兰
Swiss
瑞士人
Switzerland
瑞士
New Words
categorize *
v. put people or things in a category, classify 把......归类
e.g. I ) Her writing is very individual-it's difficult to categorize.
II) Animals can be categorized according to the food they eat.
chaotic *
adj. in a state of complete disorder and confusion 混乱的
e.g. I ) She leads a very chaotic life, always running around doing several things at once.
II) There were chaotic scenes in shops as people found out that food stocks would soon run out.
commonsense *
adj. having practical good sense and judgment gained from experience, rather than special knowledge from school or study 有常识的，懂情理的
e.g. I like her commonsense approach to everyday problems.
comprehensive
adj. including a lot or everything 广泛的，综合的
e.g. We carried out a comprehensive survey of plant life in the area.
conservative
adj.
1) not liking changes or new ideas 保守的，守旧的
e.g. She argues from a rather conservative standpoint.
2) not very modern in style, taste, manners etc., traditional 不赶时髦的，传统的
e.g. The girl was well dressed, as usual, though in a more conservative style.
counterpart
n. a person or thing that has the same purpose or does the same job as another in a different system 与对方地位相当的人，与另一方作用相当的物
e.g. The Minister of Defense is meeting his American counterpart in Washington today.
deem
v. consider, have the opinion, judge 认为，视为，断定为
e.g. I ) The country would support the use of force if the UN deemed it necessary.
II) She was deemed by the judge to be in contempt of the court.
diligent
adj. showing steady careful effort, hardworking 勤奋的，勤勉的
e.g. The diligent workers finished the project on time.
economist *
n. a specialist in economics 经济学家
e.g. Lloyd's Bank economists are predicting that inflation will rise to five percent this year.
eligible
adj. having the necessary qualities, satisfying the necessary conditions 有条件被选中的，有恰当资格的
e.g. I ) You could be eligible for a university scholarship.
II) Are you eligible for early retirement?
fashionable
adj. characteristic of, influenced by, or representing a current popular trend or style 符合时尚的，时髦的，流行的
e.g. It's not fashionable to wear short skirts at the moment.
formality *
n. careful attention to rules and accepted forms of behavior 拘泥形式，拘谨，遵守礼节
e.g. Even with close friends he observes a certain formality.
fray
v. cause (a person's temper, nerves, etc.) to become worn out 使(脾气等)烦躁
hospitable
adj. (of a person) pleased to welcome and entertain guests 好客的，殷勤的
e.g. Your parents were very hospitable to me when I first came to Edinburgh and knew nobody.
industrious
adj. hardworking, diligent 勤劳的，勤奋的
e.g. She spent an industrious morning in the garden.
insular
adj. narrow-minded and avoiding contact with others 偏狭保守的
lucidity
n. a presumed capacity to perceive the truth directly and instantaneously 洞彻事理
multinational *
adj. (of a company) having factories, offices, or other operations in many different countries 多国的，跨国的
e.g. He works for one of the major multinational food companies.
paradoxically *
adv. in a way that is surprising because it is the opposite of what one would expect 自相矛盾地，反常地
e.g. Paradoxically (enough), the faster he tried to finish, the longer it seemed to take him.
pigeonhole
v. put into the proper class or group 把......归类
e.g. It's the sort of job you can't pigeonhole-he seems to do different things every day.
n. any of a set of box-like divisions in a frame
e.g. on a wall or on top of a desk, for putting papers or letters 鸽笼式文件(信箱)架
e.g. Leave the report in my pigeonhole when you've read it.
prospective
adj. likely to be or become, expected or intended 可能的，预期的，未来的
e.g. We have received letters of application from several prospective candidates.
punctuality *
n. the observance of not being late, happening, doing something, etc., at the exact time 严守时刻，准时
e.g. The boss does expect punctuality from us.
relegate
v. put somebody/something into a lower rank or position 使降位，使降级
reserved *
adj. unwilling to express one's emotions or talk about one's problems 矜持的，沉默寡言的
shrewd
adj. having or showing good judgment and common sense 敏锐的，精明的
e.g. He was shrewd enough not to take the job when there was the possibility of getting a better one a few months later.
speculate
v.
1) form opinions without having definite or complete knowledge or evidence 推测，推断
e.g. I ) I don't really know what happened-I'm just speculating.
II) The expert speculated that the inflation rate would remain low.
2) assume a business risk in hope of gain 投机，做投机买卖
e.g. People who speculate have to be prepared to take the risk of losing money.
tenaciously
adv. in the state of being determined to do something and unwilling to stop trying even when the situation is difficult 坚韧不拔地，执着地
trustworthy
adj. deserving of trust, dependable 值得信赖的，可靠的
e.g. He was an experienced and trustworthy travelling companion.
turnover
n.
1) rate at which workers leave a factory, company, etc. and are replaced 人员流动率，人事变动率
e.g. They have a very high turnover of staff because their working conditions are so bad.
2) the amount of business done in a particular period, measured in money, or the rate at which a particular kind of article is sold 营业额，成交量
e.g. The shop has a turnover of $ 10,000.00 a week.
unanimous
adj. all agreeing on a decision or an opinion 全体一致的，一致同意的，无异议的
e.g. I ) The decision to strike was unanimous.
II) The committee were unanimous that the application should be turned down.
undisciplined *
adj. lacking in discipline, uncontrolled in behavior or manner 不遵守纪律的，难控制的
e.g. People often complain that British children are undisciplined.
Phrases and Expressions
on one's own initiative
without anyone else ordering one to do something or suggesting that one should do it 主动地，自发地
e.g. I ) He went to see the headmaster on his own initiative.
II) On their own initiative they have started a local campaign against the use of tobacco.
on the dot
(informal) at the exact point in time 准时，在指定的时间
e.g. I ) Lessons start at 8 o'clock on the dot.
II) The plane landed on the dot of two o'clock.
pay off
bring good results, be successful 成功
e.g. I ) Did your plan pay off?
II) Sandra was determined to become a doctor and her persistence paid off.
roll up
(informal) arrive, especially late or in some unacceptable way (尤指姗姗来迟地或以某种不当的方式)抵达，到达
e.g. I ) Bill finally rolled up two hours late.
II) I might have known you wouldn't roll up until the meeting had nearly finished.
spell out
explain something clearly and in detail 清楚地说明，详细地解释
e.g. My instructions seem simple enough-do I have to spell them out again?
sweep the hoard
win everything that can be won, especially very easily (轻易地)大获全胜
e.g. I) Switzerland swept the board in the skiing competition.
II) I swept the board at the casino (赌场) last night.
vice versa
with the order changed, with the relations reversed 反之亦然，反过来(也是这样)
e.g. When she wants to go out, he wants to stay in, and vice versa.
PASSAGE II The Japanese Approach to Management
During the 1970s and 1980s, American managers invested much time and money studying Japanese approaches to management because of the fine quality of Japanese products and the general productivity of their organizations. While the American and Japanese cultures differ significantly in many ways, it is still possible to examine Japanese management and discover several relevant principles.
Extensive studies of Japanese organizations have demonstrated that Japanese managers stress the following:
1. Bottom-up Initiative. Japanese managers believe that change and initiative within an organization should come from those closest to the problem. So they elicit change from below. Top-level Japanese managers see their task as creating an atmosphere in which subordinates are motivated to seek better solutions.
2. Top Management as Facilitator. Japanese managers do not view themselves as having all the answers. When a subordinate brings in a proposal, the manager neither accepts nor rejects it. Rather, he tactfully, politely asks questions, makes suggestions, and provides encouragement.
3. Middle Management as Impetus for and Shaper of Solutions. In the Japanese system, junior (middle) managers are initiators who perceive problems and formulate tentative solutions in coordination with others; they are not functional specialists who carry out their boss's directives. Because so much emphasis is placed on coordination and integration, solutions to problems evolve more slowly, but they are known and understood by all those who have been a part of the solution generation process.[1] Horizontal communication[2] is stressed as essential to the coordination of problem-solving efforts.
4. Consensus as a Way of Making Decisions. The Japanese are less inclined to think in terms of absolutes, that is, the solution (which is right) versus the alternatives (which are wrong).[3] Rather, they recognize a range of alternatives, several of which might work and all of which possess advantages and disadvantages. When a group makes a decision, all members become committed to the chosen solution. From a Japanese perspective, that commitment, and the ensuing dedication toward working to make the solution successful, is probably more important than the objective quality of the decision. The Japanese have an interesting concept of consensus. Those who consent to a decision are not necessarily endorsing it. Rather, consent means that each person is satisfied that his point of view has been fairly heard, and although he or she may not wholly agree that the decision is the best one, he or she is willing to go along with it and even support it.
5. Concern for Employees' Personal Well-being. Japanese managers have a kind of paternalistic attitude toward their employees. Traditionally, Japanese organizations have offered their workers housing, extensive recreational facilities, and lifetime employment. The Japanese believe that it is impossible to divorce a worker's personal and professional lives.[4] Good managers express concern for workers as persons with homes and families as well as for the quality of the products the workers produce. Managers typically work alongside their subordinates, counsel them regarding their personal lives, and encourage much peer interaction.
It is interesting that principles that are considered by many to be advantages of the Japanese system can also be viewed as problems, at least from an American perspective. There is a fine line between encouraging consensus and forcing it.[5] When groups place too much emphasis on being agreeable and conforming to organizational expectations, poor quality decision making is a likely outcome. Moreover, the Japanese notion of taking care of employees can extend into an extreme form of paternalism with which few well-educated Americans would be comfortable. It is appropriate to protect children or others who cannot think for or look after themselves. But professionals hardly fall into these categories. Most Americans would prefer an organizational system that makes it possible for them to function as mature, intelligent human beings, responsible for their own security and well-being.
Finally, some authors have suggested that Japanese style management as adapted to American organizations is little more than a tool for even greater management control.[6] An employee who has a life commitment to a particular organization, for instance, becomes vulnerable. Since he does not perceive viable options, he is more likely to tolerate existing working conditions, even if he finds them unpleasant. The employee is also encouraged to become a generalist rather than a specialist. Thus, a person's expertise in a particular area is rarely sufficiently developed so that the organization actually grows to depend on him or her as an irreplaceable employee. Instead, substitutes are readily found. Moreover, should an employee who has worked in this kind of organizational environment decide to abandon his commitment to this organization after a few years of working as a generalist, he would be poorly equipped to move into other American organizations since he would be competing with specialists.
The body of research on Japanese organizations continues to grow. Recent research suggests that one cannot generalize about Japanese workers — that males and females, young and old, differ in their decision-making style and management preference. One study reported that Japanese workers were more passive than commonly thought, preferring to be persuaded of the value of a decision by their supervisor over making the decision themselves.[7] However, a different study found that Japanese managers place a far greater emphasis on corporate participation and cooperation than their American counterparts. Thus, a consistent and coherent view of Japanese organizations does not yet exist.
Like the other approaches to management, the Japanese approach is very interesting. In reminding us of the value of the individual, the need for participative decision making, and the potential of facilitative management, it has been extremely useful. It is not a panacea, however. Because of extreme differences between the Japanese and American cultures, some Japanese management practices are simply poorly suited to American organizations. (950 words)
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发表于 2016-7-10 09:23:20