What did cause the reduction of demand for unskilled worker in 1980s? What was the consequence of it?

Can you name the sources and effect of white-collar workers or management redundancy last decade of twenty century?

Expand the process of organisational structure delayering.

What does author mean for economic recovery?

Speak to the Figure 4. How can you describe it in accordance with present-day situation?

Consult Speaking References p. 126–130.

Task 12. Vocabulary 3

Match the words listed below with the definitions which follow:

1) without hurrying

2) to show clearly that sth exist or is true

3) closely connected with sth that has just been mentioned

4) a difficult time for the economy of a country, when there is less trade and industrial activity than usual and more people are unemployed

5) to make sth increase, or become better or more successful

6) a change that sb/sth causes in sb/sth else

7) the total amount of money that needs to be spent by a business

8) connected with work in office

9) people who do physical work in industry

10) the process of improving or becoming stronger again

11) a range or variety of sth

Task 13. Vocabulary 3

Paraphrase the following sentences, if necessary use English–English dictionary:

1. Under the definite circumstances whole layers of management, junior, middle and senior, were removed from the organisational structure.

2. The question which must be asked about this widespread downsizing is whether companies will be able to sustain this if and when full economic recovery were to occur with the attendant increased demand for labour.

3. Partly it was to take advantages of the latest technological developments, first used widely by Japanese industry, and partly to effect operational cost savings.

4. Business, whose structure became shorter and squatter, got much wider spans of control.

Task 14. Reading 4

Getting started

Before reading the text, discuss in small groups why even big and successful companies have losses. What are the potential dangers they can meet?

Give examples of companies that met difficulties in manufacturing their goods but overcame them and recovered. Dwell on the strategies that helped them to survive.

Read the text, neglect the gaps and check if your ideas are right. Consult Vocabulary p. 145–146.

Read the text again where seven sentences have been removed. Choose from sentences A–F the one which fits each gap 1–5.

H ow to go about it

1. Check that the whole sentence fits in with the meaning of the text before and under the space.

2. Pay attention to the connections between the language in the text and the language in the missing sentences.

3. Find the connections between pronouns and other words.

4. When you think you have found the sentence, read the whole paragraph again to check that it fits.

5. Complete the rest of the spaces with appropriate sentences.

Founded in 1911, US corporation IBM (International Business Machines), or Big Blue as it is nicknamed, began its existence producing clocking-on machines and punch-card tabulators, used in the 1890 US census. It had been the most successful mainframe computer manufacturer in the world, with a monopoly position in corporate sales (80 per cent of the market).