Read Text A Strategies of Crisis Preparedness

 

6.2.1 Read the text, translate it and do the assignments that follow

 

Signals and symptoms of danger must be taken seriously to prepare for upcoming crises, since a crisis event exceeds the problems which usually could be understood as daily issues. This leads to a continuous process of preparation for the inevitable. Crises management is seen as actions that must be taken to avoid destructive effect of any crisis events, take control over them and set the right way to appropriate resolutions. One of the important aspects of management in the pre-crisis stage is testing and training.

Without regular exercises to test crises management plans, any strategies become ineffectual in the event of a real crisis. A false sense of security can exist in the company simply because "we have a plan". The experience gained from training establishes the company’s reputation for being prepared and able to survive.

 

6.2.2 Which of the statements is incorrect?

 

1 A crisis can be understood as a daily issue.

2 Signals and symptoms must be taken seriously.

3 Crisis management is seen as actions to avoid any crisis event.

4 Without regular exercises to test CM plans, these strategies become ineffectual.

 

6.2.3 Answer the following wh-questions

 

- Why must signals and symptoms of danger be taken seriously?

- What actions must be taken to avoid the destructive effect of crisis events?

- Why can a false sense of security exist in the company?

- Why must CM plans be regularly trained and tested?

 

6.2.4 Make up sentences with the following word-groups:

 

- to prepare for an upcoming crisis;

- a daily issue;

- a continuous process;

- to set the way to;

- to test CM plans.

 

6.2.5 Guess the meaning of the following derivatives. Pay attention to the parts of speech they belong to:

 

a) to prepare – подготавливать; готовить заранее;

preparation; preparatory; preparedness; prepared;

b) effect – следствие, результат, эффект;

effective; effectively; ineffective; ineffectively; effectual; ineffectual;

c) to continue – продолжать;

continuous; continuation; continued; discontinued;

d) regulate – регулировать;

regulating; regulator; regulation.

 

6.2.6 Translate the following sentences into English

 

1 Подготовка помогает персоналу понять, кто за что отвечает в кризисной ситуации.

2 К планированию можно относиться (must be treated) с большим вниманием.

3 Команда по выходу из кризиса быстро приняла подходящее решение.

4 Стратегия – это общий план действия.

5 Недостаточно (It’s insufficient) только иметь план. Его необходимо проверить в случае реального кризиса.

 

6.2.7 Retell the text in detail

 

Text B Crisis Preparation

6.3.1 Read the text and find the information to answer the questions

 

What actions must organizations take to properly prepare for crises?

 

All organizations should be prepared for major types of crises or major risk categories. Indeed, a "crisis portfolio" consists of the preparation for at least one crisis in each of the various types or families. Within each general family specific crises share strong similarities. On the other hand, there are sharp differences between the general categories, families, or types of major crises. Research in CM also shows how the best organization plan for major types of crises. The first finding is that they attempt to prepare for at least one crisis in each of the families. First, most organizations only consider at most one or two families. For instance, most organizations prepare at least for natural disasters, such as fires, earthquakes, or floods. However, even earthquakes have some degree of human blame or responsibility associated with them. For instance, even though we can neither predict nor prevent earthquakes, humans are still charged with the responsibility оf redesigning appropriate buildings that will withstand their worst effects. Humans are also charged with designing appropriate recovery efforts of the victims of earthquakes. Thus, even those crises that are due only to "acts of nature" still have a strong" human component associated with them. Thus, while Mother Nature may produce earthquakes, humans contribute to their worst effects through irresponsible and even criminal actions.

Organizations that do broaden their preparations for man-made crises most often do it only for normal disasters that are specific to their particular industry. For instance, no one really has to prod fast food companies to prepare for food contamination and poisoning, since such incidents are part of their daily operating experience. One does have to continually prod organizations to consider the occurrence of crises from any and all of the families simultaneously. That is, major crisis occur not only because of what an organization knows, anticipates, and plans for, but also because of what it does not know and does not anticipate.

6.3.2 Complete the sentences using the text

 

- Within each general family…

- … for major types of crises.

- Research in CM also shows …

- For instance, most organizations prepare … such as fires, earthquakes, or floods.

- Thus, while Mother Nature may produce … to their worst effects ….

- That is, major crisis occur not only because of what an organization knows, anticipates, and plans for, …

6.3.3 Find out in the text the English equivalents for the following word groups. Make up sentences with these word groups:

 

- основные категории риска;

- четкие различия;

- иметь сходства;

- безответственные действия;

- планировать кризизы;

- не только …, но также;

- подстрекать кого-либо сделать что-либо;

- способствовать наихудшим результатам.

 

6.3.4 Match the following words and their contextual synonyms:

 

- likeness;	- various;
- to create;	- to attempt;
- to widen;	- humans;
- different;	- to broaden;
- result;	- effect;
- suitable;	- to produce;
- people;	- similarity;
- to think about;	- consider;
- to try;	- to prod;
- to urge.	- appropriate.

 

6.3.5 Put five types of questions to the following sentences

 

- Research in CM also shows how the best organization plan for major types of crises.

- Most organizations only consider at most one or two families of crises.

6.3.6 Define the meaning of the verb “to have to” in the following sentence

 

No one really has to prod fast food companies to prepare for food contamination and poisoning.

 

Read Text C

6.4.1 Read the text and suggest a title for it

An important reason for preparing for at least one crisis in each of the families is that in today's world any crisis is capable of setting off any other crisis and in turn being caused by it. That is, everycrisis is capable of being both the cause and the effect of any other crisis. For this reason, the best organizations not only prepare for each individual crisis that they have selected as part of their crisis portfolio, but they also attempt to prepare for the simultaneous occurrence of multiple crises.

Organizations that are prepared for crises have done so by studying past crises and looking for patterns and interconnections between them. They have generated visual maps to better understand how crises unfold over time and how they reverberate both within and beyond the organization.

Again, it is notenough to be prepared for individual crisis in isolation. In today's worldno crisis ever happens in isolation. For this reason, one's CM preparations are not effective if one does not consider the impact of every crisis in an organization's crisis portfolio on every other crisis.

In short, CM is strongly systemic. Like total quality management or environmentalism, if CM is not done systemically, then it is not being done well.

 

6.4.2 Find in the text the English equivalents for the following word groups:

 

- быть способным на что-либо;

- причина и следствие;

- многочисленные кризисы;

- наука о защите окружающей среды;

- в пределах и за пределами организации;

- качественный менеджмент;

- каждый второй.

 

6.4.3 a) Find in the text the noun which matches the following definition:

 

- the study of the nature conditions in order to protect them from being damaged

by human activities/crises;

 

b) Think of some more words belonging to the same family