Bad bosses can cause heart attacks

Having a bad boss could be bad for your heart. This is the (1)_______________________ of a Swedish study on management styles and health. The researchers concluded that poor managers can (2)_______________________ their employee's risk of developing heart disease. The Stockholm University study analyzed data on the health of 3,000 male workers. They (3)_______________________ the data with the results from questionnaires about senior managers. The questions asked workers if they (4)_______________________ their boss was considerate, communicated well and offered positive feedback. Other questions looked (5)_______________________ how much work bosses gave to workers and how well they (6)_______________________ their goals. The research team found that workers who respected their bosses were healthier and had fewer heart problems.

The report is published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. It suggests that companies should re-train bosses (7)_______________________ improve worker health. A healthier workforce will improve the (8)_______________________ health of the company. Investing in providing leadership skills to senior managers could be a good long-(9)_______________________ investment. The researchers said a more supportive and understanding boss would reduce the chances of workers developing high blood (10)_______________________ and stress-related illnesses. Magnus Larsson, an engineer for a large IT company, agreed with the report’s findings. He (11)_______________________ his heart attack last year was because of his boss: “The guy was a monster. Working for him was a daily (12)_______________________ for eight years,” Larsson said.

1.	(a)	concludes	(b)	conclusive	(c)	conclude	(d)	conclusion
2.	(a)	increasing	(b)	increased	(c)	increase	(d)	increases
3.	(a)	comparative	(b)	compared	(c)	comparison	(d)	compares
4.	(a)	thought	(b)	thinking	(c)	thoughts	(d)	thoughtful
5.	(a)	in	(b)	on	(c)	at	(d)	of
6.	(a)	in line	(b)	lineout	(c)	outlining	(d)	outlined
7.	(a)	for	(b)	to	(c)	from	(d)	with
8.	(a)	overall	(b)	overalls	(c)	over all	(d)	all over
9.	(a)	semesters	(b)	term	(c)	semester	(d)	terms
10.	(a)	pressuring	(b)	pressured	(c)	pressure	(d)	pressing
11.	(a)	believes	(b)	belief	(c)	believer	(d)	believing
12.	(a)	nightly	(b)	nighttime	(c)	nights	(d)	nightmare

 

Task 14. Read the text about managing up and complete the tasks below. Managing up is about how to manage your boss, so do you consider this skill necessary and how is it done?

Managing up

Your boss, and your relationship with them, has a big impact on your working environment and sense of job satisfaction. But although learning how to manage your boss is an important professional skill, it is one that is not often discussed. This article explains what managing up means, what the benefits are and how to do it.

Nicole loves many things about her job – she loves the responsibilities she has, she gets on well with the members of the team she is leading, and she appreciates the working environment she has. The only thing that keeps her awake at night is worrying about her boss, Peter.

Peter joined the company as manager of Nicole’s department only four months ago. He had previously been working as a manager in a different industry and is less familiar with his new business environment. Methods that he used before are not going down well with members of this new department and an atmosphere of resentment is building in the team. Nicole feels Peter is not getting the best out of his team and thinks his lack of background knowledge about the business is leading to poor decisions.

So what could Nicole do? She could:

(a) join in the gossip against Peter,

(b) complain about Peter to his managers,

(c) do nothing and hope that Peter quits his job, or

(d) manage up.

Options (a) and (b) might create more tension and build an even more negative working atmosphere, and option (c) is likely to cause Nicole to feel frustrated and dislike her job. Fortunately, there is a proactive option that Nicole can take: she can choose to manage up.

Managing up is the process of managing your manager. It involves learning how to work well with your manager and developing a positive relationship with them. It does not mean falsely flattering your boss or manipulating them to do what you want. It is more about putting yourself in their position, understanding their needs and then using the skills of a good manager to help support them.

Author of Managing Up, Mary Abbajay, suggests that people with difficult bosses first need to let go of the anger and replace it with empathy and understanding. By trying to put ourselves in our bosses’ shoes, we are able to better understand their challenges and their choices. Then from a place of calm, we can try to identify and prioritise the problems. What skills do they lack as a manager? How could they make better decisions? Are there differences in working styles and how do they affect the team?

Once we understand the issues, we can then think of strategies to manage up. For Nicole, this might involve finding the right way to communicate these problems to Peter. Or it could mean providing him with the information he needs and helping him to see the talents of the people in the team. Managing up could also mean adapting her working style slightly to fit her manager’s. And in some cases, it might even involve taking on more responsibilities and covering for the manager in areas that they need help with.

Most importantly, the skill of managing up is about developing a healthy and positive relationship with your boss. Not only will this allow you to better understand their values, their goals and their point of view, but it will also open up communication channels so that they feel like they’re able to come to you for support. You’re not just helping your boss by doing this. You’re also developing important professional skills, creating a more positive working environment and taking positive steps for your own job satisfaction and career.

Nicole’s story reflects many of our realities. In fact, one study showed that 65 per cent of workers would choose a new boss over a pay rise. However, with the skill of managing up, we can all try to make our workplace a more satisfying and enjoyable one. What’s more, it’s a good opportunity to improve our own management skills and career prospects in the process.

 

Task 15. Decide if the information in these sentences is true or false.

1. Nicole and the people in her department are unhappy about the way their manager, Peter, works.

2. One reason why Peter’s working methods are not well-received by his staff could be that he does not know enough about the way they work.

3. Nicole could help the situation by complaining about Peter to his bosses.

4. Managing up is about ignoring the problems you have with your manager.

5. We can build a better relationship with our managers by trying to empathise with them.

6. The majority of workers say that they would prefer to replace their boss than to have an increase in their salary.

 

Task 16. Circle the five best answers. Which of these are examples of managing up?

a. Make connections with people who also have a problem with that manager.

b. Say positive things to your manager, even if they’re untrue, so they will like you.

c. Try to imagine yourself in your manager’s place.

d. Avoid complaining or talking about the problems you have.

e. Find a way to talk openly to your boss about the problems you have.

f. Build a good relationship with them so that you can control their decisions.

g. Provide the manager with the information they need.

h. Adjust how you work or how you communicate to fit their style.

i. Offer support and find ways you can help that manager with their responsibilities.

j. Criticise the manager for being unable to manage well.

Task 17. According to the Catalyst 2019 Women in Management survey, women in senior roles are steadily increasing, but the statistics show just one in three managers in the EU is a woman; and women in senior executive roles represent just 17% across the EU, despite accounting for 50% of the European workforce. Think over the following questions and provide arguments.

1)Why are there so few women in senior managerial positions?

2) Should this situation change? If so, do you think it will change? How? When?

What advantages or disadvantages would a larger proportion of women in management positions bring to business in general?

3) Do you support affirmative action or positive discrimination programmes which attempt to employ women or members of minority groups in preference to equally qualified white male candidates?

 

Task 14. The bar graph gives information about the share of women in senior management globally. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Use the following recommendations and phrases.

Tips:

1) Start by saying what the chart shows.

2) The second paragraph should provide an overview of the key features of the information. Look for the key data and make sure that you are comparing and contrasting the data, NOT just listing the data from one section to the next.

3) The other paragraphs should describe the patterns or trends in more detail. However, only select the most important ones to speak about, and don't speak about your own ideas. Focus on similarities and differences.

4) Use linking words and a range of vocabulary to describe what you see in the charts. Be careful to use the correct tenses to describe the time periods shown.

5) Group the data together so that you have a well-organized and coherent answer. Always provide a short summary conclusion of what you included in your essay. One line is enough here.

 

Vocabulary:

· The bar chart deals with...

· The graph from (source) shows/ illustrates (title)…

· The chart is divided into... parts.

· It highlights...

·... has the largest (number of)...

·... has the second largest (number of)...

·... is as big as...

·... is twice as big as...

·... is bigger than...

· more than... per cent...

· only one third...

· less than half...

· I’d like to focus your attention on two key significant areas.

· The number... increases/goes up/grows by...

· The number... decreases/goes down/sinks by...

· The number... does not change/remains stable

· I was really surprised/shocked by the...

· Overall, this graph highlights the evidence that…

· A future prediction is that……

· So we can say...

 

Task 18. Case study

Match the words with their definitions. Then complete the task on management styles, using the information from the table. For the two scenarios given below, recommend which management style should be adopted. In each case justify why that management style would be most appropriate and explain the impact it would have on the workforce.

1. Autocratic	a) the management style where the manager retains control
2. Democratic	b) the only thing that motivates workers, according to Theory X managers
3. Paternalistic	c) the management style where employees are encouraged to participate and influence decision making
4. Laissez-faire	d) according to Theory Y managers, employees find work more rewarding if they are given this
5. Theory X managers	e) when an autocratic management style may need to be used
6. Theory Y managers	f) the management style where the manager makes decisions that are in the best interests of the workers
7. McGregor	g) the management style where little or no direction is given by the manager
8. Money	h) a way of encouraging employee participation in democratic management
9. Responsibility	i) the term given to organising human and physical resources to achieve business aims and objectives
10. Crisis situations	j) the theorist who grouped managers into Theory X & Y
11. Quality circles	k) a drawback of laissez-fair management means that decision making can be this
12. CMI	l) managers who think workers like work and are motivated by a range of factors
13. Time consuming	m) the professional body in the UK that is dedicated to management and leadership
14. Management	n) managers who think workers are lazy and don’t like work

Scenario 1

Janet has recently joined a web design organisation as a manager, leading a team of 20 staff. The majority of the workers in her team have been with the organisation for over 6 years. Labour turnover is very low within the team and within the organisation as a whole. Employees regularly attend training courses to update their skills and are always keen to take on new challenges and responsibilities. Which management style would be most appropriate for Janet in her new role?

 

Scenario 2

James has been drafted in to the Reading factory of a large textiles firm. Although the factory has a number of team leaders and supervisors, the majority of workers are unskilled and relatively young. Productivity and quality have fallen in recent months and the senior managers of the organisation are considering closing down the factory and moving operations abroad where labour is less expensive. James has been given three months to make significant improvements to the Reading plant before they make their final decision. He has to improve quality and productivity and he has to do it fast. What management style should he adopt?

 

Unit 8

Public Relations

Questions for discussion:

1) How many PR activities can you think of?

2) How is public relations different than advertising?

3) Some people believe that PR strategies are used to convey that the brand is as much part of the society as the target audience. This builds up a strong relationship of the brand with the public. Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

4) What are the components of a good PR strategy?

5) What is the most important PR tool and why?

6) Explain how online public relations is different from the more traditional forms of PR.

7) Define the words “lobbying” and “lobbyist”. How can people influence legislators? What tools might they have at their disposal?

 

Task 1. Fill the gaps in the text with the derivatives from the given words.

What is public relations

Public relations is a strategic (1)_______________________ process companies, individuals, and organisations use to build (2)_______________________ beneficial relationships with the public. A public relations specialist drafts a (3)_______________________ communication plan and uses media and other direct and indirect mediums to create and (4)_______________________ a positive brand image and a strong relationship with the target audience. In simple terms, public relations is a strategised process of (5)_______________________ the release and spread of organisation-related information to the public to maintain a (6)_______________________ reputation of the organisation and its brands. This process focuses on: What information should be released, How it should be drafted, How it should be released, What media should be used to release the information (usually earned or free media is used for the same). The main objective of public relations is to maintain a positive reputation of the brand and maintain a (7)_______________________ relationship with the public, prospective customers, partners, (8)_______________________, employees and other stakeholders which leads to a positive image of the brand and makes it seem honest, successful, important, and relevant. Public relations is different from advertising. Public relations agencies don’t buy ads, they don’t write stories for reporters, and they don’t focus on attractive (9)_______________________ promotions. The main role of public relations is to promote the brand by using (10)_______________________ content appearing on magazines, newspapers, news channels, websites, blogs, and TV programs. Using earned or free media for promotion has its own benefits as information on these mediums aren’t (11)_______________________. It has a third-party (12)_______________________validation and hence isn’t viewed with scepticism by the public.

communicate   mutual   special     maintenance     management   favour     strategy   invest     pay   editor     buy valid

Task 2. Match the types of public relations  with their functions.

1. Media relations	a) Handling investors events, releasing financial reports and regulatory filings, and handling investors, analysts and media queries and complaints.
2. Investor relations	b) Handling the social aspect of the brand and establishing a positive reputation in the social niche like environment protection, education, etc.
3. Government relations	c) Handling relationships with the target market and lead consumers. Conducting market research to know more about interests, attitudes, and priorities of the customers and crafting strategies to influence the same using earned media.
4. Community relations	d) Establishing a good relationship with the media organisations and acting as their content source.
5. Internal relations	e) Representing the brand to the government with regard to the fulfilment of policies like corporate social responsibility, fair competition, consumer protection, employee protection, etc.
6. Customer relations	f) Supporting marketing efforts relating to product launch, special campaigns, brand awareness, image, and positioning.
7. Marketing communications	g) Counselling the employees of the organisation with regard to policies, course of action, organisation’s responsibility and their responsibility. Cooperating with them during special product launches and events.

 

Task 3. Compare public relations, marketing and advertising and fill in the table.

Public relations deals in communicating expertly drafted messages using non-paid/earned media to build mutually beneficial relationships with the public.

Advertising, on the other hand, is a paid communication message intended to inform people about something or to influence them to buy or try something.

Marketing is the umbrella under which all the divisions dealing with creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging dwells. That is, PR is the subset of marketing. Everything a PR department does is determined by the marketing goals set by the organisation.

	Public Relations	Advertising	Marketing
Definition
Driven by
Communication
Importance

 

Task 4. Watch the video about PR, advertising and marketing differences and check your answers in the previous task. Then watch it for the second time and complete the text with the missing words.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coIP5Xa3GmM&ab_channel=PublicRelations101

[…] So (1)_______________________ some of the main differences between public relations, marketing and advertising. The first one and one of the most important ones is that marketing and advertising in more cases than not are one way: you are (2)_______________________ the public through mediums that are shared, maybe by even public relations down the road, but this is (3)_______________________. Public relations is not one-way messaging, it allows for dialogue, it (4)_______________________ and it allows for thought leadership and feedback and that is one of the main differences that it is two-way communication.

The second main difference is that the (5)_______________________. With advertising and marketing the return is often sales. It's not always sales, it's sometimes reputation building but more often than not you advertise or you (6)_______________________ it. So by the end of your campaign you can actually see a return on investment, your return on investment – on advertising. Public relations is a little bit different because (7)_______________________ to sell something, although it could be that, but the agenda is also to build a reputation. It's more about (8)_______________________ your audiences, with the public, wherever your audiences might be.

The third main difference is payments. So with public relations you often are paying the public relations practitioners for their service of (9) _______________________. However you're not really paying for the deliverables that in and of themselves. So, for example, if a PR practitioner hooks you up with a TV interview or hooks you up with the press release that goes out to the newspapers, that (10) _______________________. That actual press release is not what it's been paid for. The service of writing it and sending it has been paid for but not actually putting it out in the media. So there's a good chance that the (11)_______________________. However with advertising and marketing you're paying for that ad space, you're paying to be there, in those portals, on those newspapers, on those digital websites, on social media advertising, you're paying for that so you are (12)_______________________. With public relations it's not so much so. So in public relations what really matters, if you're not paying for it, is the quality of your story. So an advertising practitioner and a public relations practitioner can both use televisions. But the way in which we use televisions are sometimes very, very, very different. […]

 

Task 5. Study the following methods of marketing as a PR tool and complete the definitions below. Which of the strategies can be used in business? Which are the most effective? Which are the least effective? Can you think of any others?

a company blog          billboard advertising     cold calling     email marketing     pay-per-click advertising     social media marketing     viral marketing     search engine optimization (SEO)     word of mouth

 

1) _______________________ – advertising your product on large, outdoor posters

2) _______________________ – an internet advertising model in which advertisers pay only when somebody clicks on their ad

3) _______________________ – a website which publishes regular information, opinions, etc. related to a particular business

4) _______________________ – using websites like Facebook and Twitter as marketing tools

5) _______________________ – using special strategies to get a high-ranking position in search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc.)

6) _______________________ – a form of direct marketing which uses electronic mail for communicating commercial messages

7) _______________________ – getting internet users to market a product or service on their own by telling their friends

8) _______________________ – recommendations by satisfied customers to potential customers

9) _______________________ – trying to sell to somebody on the telephone who is not expecting contact from you

Task 6. Study the comments below. Match the underlined words and phrases to their meaning below. Do you agree with the opinions?

1. "Pay-per-click advertising is a low-cost method of targeting potential customers."

2. "Email marketing allows us to build customer loyalty."

3. "Our company blog helps us connect with people in our niche."

4. "Cold calling is a waste of time. We no longer use it to contact prospects."

5. "The biggest advantage of billboard ads is their visibility."

6. "SEO is a great way of driving traffic to our website and generating leads."

7. "Social media marketing helps us gain more exposure through word of mouth."

8. "Viral marketing gives us the best ROI. Considering the low cost of producing a short video clip, it’s really worth it."

 

a. creating potential customers

b. directing marketing activities towards

c. keep customers coming back

d. potential customers

e. reach more people

f. return on investment

g. the ability to be seen

h. the segment of the market that a company is focussing on

 

Task 7. Look at the marketing tactics below. Here are some opinions from expert marketers. Which tactic is each marketer talking about? Have you ever used any of the tactics?

buy one, get one free     contests     limited-time offers     loyalty schemes     regular free information     seasonal discounts

1. "People are procrastinators. That’s why this method is a very effective marketing technique."

2. "They don’t really work. They reduce the amount of profit per customer by discounting existing behaviour rather than rewarding customers for spending more or returning more often."

3. "This tactic will generate a lot of sales, but it might cause consumers to delay their shopping and this will have a negative effect on profit margins."

4. "This can work really well if the price of ‘one unit’ is raised slightly so that it is not exactly half price."

5. "If you offer a prize, many people are prepared to share information with you as part of the entry process. This can be a great way to find out more about your customers."

6. "This is a good way to build credibility and remind potential customers of your product or services. When they’re ready to buy you will be the first company they contact."

 

Task 8. The following noun phrases are often used by PR practitioners. Match the words below to complete the typical phrases.

1. target 2. potential 3. advertising 4. brand 5. market 6. tough

a. awareness b. campaign c. competition d. customers e. market f. share

Now complete the questions below with the above phrases.

1. Who is your _______________________?

2. How does your product or service satisfy the needs of your _______________________?

3. Which company has the biggest _______________________ in your industry?

4. How long do you usually run an _______________________ for?

5. Is there _______________________ in your industry? How do you stand out?

6. What methods do you use to raise _______________________?

Task 9. Put the correct words written below into the article.