Unit 7. Government and Crisis Management

Pre-text exercises

 

7.1.1 Practise the reading of the following words and guess their meanings:

 

- phase;	- author;	- policy;	- expert;
- reform;	- leader;	- politics;	- philosopher;
- role;	- extreme;	- political;	- minimize.

7.1.2 Memorize the following words and word-groups from the text:

 

alarm - тревога;

anxiety - беспокойство;

to go hand-in-hand - идти сообща (вместе);

governance - управление (власть);

emergency - чрезвычайное положение;

at hand - рядом (зд. близкий);

to face a problem - столкнуться с проблемой;

error - ошибка;

internet-wise - информированный из Интернет-источников;

ever-changing - постоянно изменяющийся;

to foster - благоприятствовать/способствовать развитию;

to terminate - завершать/заканчивать;

sense - смысл;

leadership - руководство.

 

7.1.3 Give the initial form of the following words and state what parts of speech they belong to:

 

- decision;	- national;
- emergency;	- governance;
- learning;	- leadership;
- assessment;	- historically.

 

7.1.4 Check up the meaning of the following verbs:

 

- establish;	- expect;	- refer;	- involve;
- describe;	- becloud;	- handle;	- consider.

 

7.1.5 Combine these sentences as shown in the example. Mind the meaning of the conjunction both… and – как … так и:

 

Model: - Decision making is the act of coming to a decision.

- It is also the implementation of that decision.

- Decision making is both the act of coming to a decision and the implementation of that decision.

 

Promts: a) The department trains crisis managers.

It also trains assessors.

b) Every crisis is capable of being the cause of any other crisis.

It is also capable of being the effect of any other crisis.

c) A crisis threatens to harm an organization.

It also threatens to harm its stakeholders.

 

7.1.6 State in which sentences the verb “to have to” has the meaning of obligation

 

- Public leaders have a special responsibility to help society from the consequences of crisis.

- Experts who take this responsibility seriously have to deal with all crisis phases.

- Crisis management has become a defining feature of governance today.

- Organizations have to deal speedily with crises.

 

Text Government and Crisis Management

 

7.2 1 Read the text, translate it and be ready to do the assignments that follow

 

Historically, politics and crisis go hand-in-hand. In describing crisis, President Abraham Lincoln said, “We live in the midst of alarms, anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read”.

Indeed, government at all levels – local, state and national – has played a large role in crisis management. Many political philosophers have considered this to be one of the most important roles of government. Emergency services, such as fire and police departments at the local level, at the federal level, often play integral roles in crisis situations.

Crisis management has become a defining feature of governance today. In times of crisis organizations expect their public leaders to minimize the impact of the crisis at hand while critics try to seize the moment to blame responsible rulers and their policies. In the extreme environment, policy makers must somehow establish a sense of normality, and foster collective learning from the crisis experience.

In the face of crisis, leaders must deal with the strategic problems they face, the political risks and opportunities they encounter, the errors they make. The necessity for management is even more significant with a rising internet-wise audience and with ever changing technology.

Public leaders have a special responsibility to help society from the consequences of crisis. Experts in crisis management note that leaders who take this responsibility seriously have to deal with all crisis phases. Crisis leadership then includes five tasks: sense-making, decision-making, meaning-making, terminating and learning.

A brief description of five tasks of crisis leadership includes:

1) Decision-making is both the act of coming to a decision and the implementation of that decision.

2) Sense-making is the classical situation assessment step in decision making.

3) Meaning-making refers to crisis management as political communication.

4) Terminating a crisis is only possible if the public leader correctly handles the

responsibility questions.

5) Learning refers to the actual learning from a crisis. A crisis often opens a window of opportunity for reform for better or for worse.

 

Notes:

- pay attention to the difference in translation of the phrases:

- sense-making – формирование восприятия как задача руководства кризисом;

- meaning-making – определение значения как задача руководства кризисом.

Assignments

 

7.3.1 Explain the meaning of the following phrases:

 

- to go hand-in-hand;

- to play an integral role;

- a defining feature of governance;

- an internet-wise audience;

- to minimize the impact of crises at hand;

- the classical situation;

- to open a window of opportunity for reform.

 

7.3.2 Scan the text and give the English equivalents for the following word groups:

 

- играть большую роль;

- к лучшему или к худшему;

- придти к решению;

- краткое описание;

- взять на себя ответственность;

- общественный деятель;

- общение в сфере политики.

 

7.3.3 Find English and Russian equivalents for the word groups given below:

 

A

- в период кризиса;

- столкнуться с кризисом;

- руководство кризисом;

- перед лицом кризиса;

- кризисная ситуация;

- извлечь выводы из кризиса;

- покончить с кризисом;

- опыт, связанный с кризисом.

 

B

- crisis experience;

- to terminate a crisis;

- in the face of crisis;

- crisis leadership;

- in times of crisis;

- crisis situation;

- to face a crisis.

 

7.3.4 Complete the following sentences. Consult the text if necessary

 

- Government at all levels ….

- Crisis management has become ….

- In the face of crisis, ….

- Public leaders have a special responsibility …

- Crisis leadership includes five tasks: …

 

7.3.5 Answer the following questions

 

1) What did Abraham Lincoln say about crisis?

2) Crisis management has become a defining feature of governance today, hasn’t it?

3) What must policy makers do in the face of crisis?

4) What is public leaders’ special responsibility?

5) What tasks does crisis leadership include?

 

7.3.6 Give a written translation of the final part of the text describing the five tasks of crisis leadership

 

7.3.7 Work with the compound words

 

a) Form compound words according to the models. Pay attention to their meaning.

Model 1: decision (решение) – making (создание) = decision-making (принятие решения)

- Decision-making is one of the crisis leadership tasks.

 

Model 2: policy (политика) – maker (создатель, творец) = policy - maker (политический деятель)

- In the critical situation policy-makers must establish a sense of normality.

 

mistake/error	making	decision	maker
sense	money
policy	law
money	news
image	image

 

7.3.8 Give a written summary of the text

 

Speaking activity

 

7.4.1 Comment on President Lincoln’s statement “We live in the midst of alarms, anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read”. Do you find it to be actual today? If so, prove it making references to the texts given in the units.

 

 

Unit 8. Crisis Management in Business World

 

Pre-text exercises

8.1.1 Practise the reading of the following words and guess their meanings:

- bankruptcy;	- risk;
- creditor;	- critical;
- petition;	- procedure;
- destruction;	- credit;
- document;	- portion;
- conflict;	- analyze;
- declaration;	- program;
- criminal;	- conflict;
- typically;	- guarantee;
- identify;	- tactic.

8.1.2 Memorize the following words and word-groups from the texts of the unit:

 

concept - понятие, концепция;

to file a petition - подать петицию, зд. объявлять банкротом;

to owe - быть должным, задолжать;

fraudulent - мошеннический;

debtor - должник, дебитор;

concealment - сокрытие, утаивание;

assets - имущество, активы;

to violate laws - нарушать законы;

claims - требования;

schedule - расписание, график;

net value - чистая стоимость;

objective (n) - цель;

predictable - предсказуемый;

transparent - прозрачный;

critical - решающий;

confidence - доверие;

for the benefit of - на благо/в пользу к-л;

in terms of - исходя из …;

availability - доступность/возможность;

a means - средство;

treatment - обращение/обхождение;

fraudulent bankruptcy - злостное банкротство;

lender - кредитор, ссудодатель.

 

8.1.3 Check up the meaning of the following verbs:

 

- to enforce;	- to increase;	- to lend;	- to defend;
- to reduce;	- to initiate;	- to borrow;	- to share.

 

8.1.4 Translate the following word-groups into Russian:

 

a) bankruptcy statutes; fraudulent bankruptcy; to file a bankruptcy petition;

b) credit; bank credit; to obtain credit; creditor; secured/unsecured creditor;

c) debt; bad debt; pay off debts; to be out of debts; debtor; a poor debtor; creditor-debtor relationship;

d) secure; secure investments; to secure a debt; secured/unsecured; security; government securities.

 

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

 

a) to recover – выздоравливать, оправиться от чего-либо;

recovering; recovered; recovery;

b) to solve – решать, разрешать;

solution; solvency/insolvency; solvent/ insolvent;

c) to invest – инвестировать;

investor; investment; investing; invested;

d) to protect - защищать;

protector; protection; protectionism; protected.

 

8.1.6 Substitute Russian word groups in each sentence for the English ones used in the text

 

1 Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability of an individual or organization (заплатить их кредиторам).

2 (Все имущество) must be shown in bankruptcy schedules ….

3 The first general objective is (распределение рисков неплатежеспособности среди участников рыночной экономики) in a predictable, equal and transparent manner.

4 As long as you know where you are, the next step comes (к проекту программы по оздоровлению).

 

8.1.7 Translate the following sentences into Russian introducing the Infinitive with the words “для того, чтобы”

 

Model: Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor to initiate a restructuring.

Кредиторы могут подать ходатайство по случаю банкротства дебитора для того, чтобы инициировать реструктуризацию.

 

- An insolvency law also serves to allocate risk among different creditors and to benefit borrowers.

- You will offered the full range of services to preserve your best interests and minimize losses.

- Bankruptcy is initiated against the debtor to receive a portion of what he owns.

- The status quo should be carefully analyzed to be properly understood.

 

8.1.8 Text A. The Bankruptcy and Fraud Concepts

 

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in order to receive a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring. In the majority of cases, however, bankruptcy is initiated by the debtor – the bankrupt individual or organization.

Bankruptcy fraud is a crime. Common criminal acts under bankruptcy statutes typically involve concealment of assets, concealment or destruction of documents, conflicts of interests and fraudulent claims or declarations. Multiple filings are not criminal, but they may violate conditions of bankruptcy law.

All assets must be shown in bankruptcy schedules whether or not the debtor believes the assets have a net value. This is because once a bankruptcy petition is filed, the creditors, not the debtors decide whether a particular asset has value. The future consequences of leaving assets out of schedules can be quite serious for the debtor. For instance a closed bankruptcy may be reopened.

Assignments

8.2.1 Memory test. Try to recall in Russian in which context the following word groups are used:

 

- legally declared inability;

- to file a bankruptcy petition;

- to initiate a restructuring;

- future consequences;

- bankruptcy statutes;

- to have a net value.

 

8.2.2 Match the words and their explanations (one item has been done for you):

 

1) crime;	a) the property of a person or a company;
2) law;	b) a list of things to be done;
3) petition;	c) an action which is punishable by law;
4) to violate;	d) to break a promise or agreement;
5) schedule;	e) rule made by authority for regulation of society;
6) fraud;	f) dishonest behavior in order to gain money;
7) assets.	g) formal application made to a court of law.