4B Study the model of the letter below and underline formal expressions.

4C Translate it into Russian.

4D Write a letter of application as to the model.

Dear Mr. Protts,

I am writing to apply for the position of Marketing Manager in your Tokyo office, as advertised in last week's Guardian newspaper on 9th October.

As outlined in my curriculum vitae, which I have enclosed, I attended Riverside Secondary School in Gloucester where I completed my GCSE and 'A' Level studies. In 1987,1 graduated from the University of Wales with a BSc in Business Studies and Marketing.

After graduation, I moved to Tokyo where I trained as a market researcher for the Yen Company for two years. On my return to England, I continued working as a market researcher until 1993 when I obtained my present position.

I am currently employed as Assistant Managing Director at Melton Enterprises, where my duties include the organisation of staff and stock, as well as the allocation of budget within the sales department. I am also responsible for overseeing the whole business, and am generally noted for my good organisational and managerial skills.

I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for the position you have out­lined, as I have had extensive marketing training with a well-known Japanese marketing and public relations firm. My time spent living in Tokyo also ensured that I obtained a valuable insight into Japanese culture and working practices. I also have a number of very good business contacts in Tokyo, as well as a basic understanding of the Japanese language which is necessary if one is to be able to work effectively. Finally, I am willing and able to relo­cate at short notice, which I understand to be a requirement of the position.

I enclose my curriculum vitae and photograph as requested, and I would be happy to supply you with further details should they be required. I thank you for considering my application and am willing to attend an interview at any time.

Yours sincerely,

Steven Staxet.

5 Further reading

Read the text and translate it, paying attention to the underlined words. Speculate on the changes your company undergoes.

How to manage change

Change is inevitable, in all things we understand that everything is in a constant flux. People, situations, objects and even businesses are constantly in motion. For businesses, however, many employees will be unreceptive to change. You must be able to understand that they have already grown accustomed to certain processes that allow them to be productive at work. They may see change as something undesirable, and may offer resistance to it. In this case, one of the more important things you should learn when managing a business is the ability to manage change within your organization. Learn to listen, and listen well, to your employees.

Before effecting the change, you must get the general consensus from the employees. Try casually asking a few people what they think would happen to them if a certain process of change was implemented. From here, you will get a general idea on how to present your idea for change from their perspective. This will help you gauge their concerns and eventually assuage any fears that may come up when you finally communicate the change plan to them.

You will also need to manage your employees in terms of communication. Before implementing any changes, make sure that all of your employees are informed. Hold regular meetings, and slowly introduce the idea of the change to them each time. One of the key factors to employees resisting change is the idea that they were given no fair warning, and that the change was just implemented suddenly. They must be kept in the loop at all times. Learn to eliminate the distance between employer and employee.

You can also try Focused Group Discussions to get the general feeling about the changes. These sessions are crafted in order to get your employees' real opinions on what you are planning to do. Encourage them to be honest, and explain that you are doing this is order to make their work experience more effective and more comfortable. You have to be able to take their opinions with a grain of salt, often they may deviate from the topic. Stay on the ball, constantly writing valid input. When you are done, try to get an outside party to review the responses. This can prove to be extremely helpful in this situation, as you will be getting the opinion of a neutral, unbiased party.

This will eventually boil down to good communication and management skills on your part, so there may also be value in getting proper coaching in this aspect. Effective managers have themselves been coached or mentored by someone at some point in their career, so you may want to try this option.

Finally, when you are communicating the change to your employees, give them the idea that they are all on-board on this, that you hope for their continued support, and that you will all, as a company or organization, work together to further improve the business. Build and maintain a sense of community in the workplace, and you should expect things to go smoothly.

The magnitude of today's environmental, competitive, and global market change is unprecedented. It's a very interesting and exciting world, but it's also volatile and chaotic:

To cope with an unpredictable world you must build an enormous amount of flexibility into your organization. While you cannot predict the future, you can get a handle on trends, which is a way to take advantage of change and convert risks into opportunities.

1. Select the topical sentence in each paragraph of the text.

2. Answer the questions:

1. Why are many employees unreceptive to change?

2. What should managers do before effecting change?

3. Is it important that employees are informed about changes? Why or why not?

4. What are Focused Group Discussions crafted for?

5. Arrange the recommendations given in the text in order of their relevance for you. Give reasons for your choice.

3. Make an outline of the text.

UNIT 4 Risk

"Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first." -Frederick B. Wilcox