2015-06-28
2846
I. Переведите письменно текст на русский язык.
In carrying out management functions, such as planning, organising, motivating and controlling, a manager will be continually making decisions. Decision-making is a key management responsibility.
Some decisions are of the routine kind. They are decisions which are made fairly quickly and are based on judgement. Since a manager is experienced, he knows what to do in certain situations. He does not have to think too much before taking action. For example, a supervisor in a supermarket may decide, on the spot, to give a refund to a customer who has brought back a product. The manager does not have to gather a great deal of additional information before making the decision.
Many decisions are more difficult to make since they involve problem-solving. Very often they are strategic decisions involving major courses of action which will affect the future direction of the enterprise. To make good decisions the manager should be able to select, rationally, a course of action. In practice, decisions are usually made in circumstances which are not ideal. They must be made quickly, with insufficient information. It is probably rare that a manager can make an entirely rational decision.
When a complex problem arises, like where to locate a factory or which new products to develop, the manager has to collect facts and weigh up courses of action. He must be systematic in dealing with the problem. A useful approach to this sort of decision-making is as follows: the process consists of four phases: 1) defining the problem; 2) analysing and collecting information; 3) working out options and 4) deciding on the best solution.
As a first step, the manager must identify and define the problem. And it is important that he does not mistake the symptoms of a problem for the real problem he must solve. Consider the case of a department store which finds that profits are falling and sales decreasing rapidly. The falling profits and sales are symptoms of a problem.
The manager must ask himself what the store’s real problem is. Does the store have the wrong image? Is it selling the wrong goods? Or the right goods at the wrong prices? Are its costs higher than they should be?
The second step is to analyse the problem and decide what additional information is necessary before a decision can be taken. Getting the facts is essential in decision-making. However, as already mentioned, the manager will rarely have all the knowledge he needs. This is one reason why making decisions involves a degree of risk. It is the manager’s job to minimize that risk.
Once the problem has been defined and facts collected, the manager should consider the options available for solving it. This is necessary because there are usually several ways of solving a problem.
In the case of the department store, the management may decide that the store has the wrong image. A number of actions might be possible to change the image. New products could be introduced and existing lines dropped; advertising could be stepped up; the store might be modernised and refurbished or customer service might be improved.
It is worth noting that, in some situations, one of the options may be to take no action at all. This is a decision just as much as taking a more positive course of action.
Before making a decision, the manager will carefully assess the options, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each one. Having done this, he will have to take a decision. Perhaps he will compromise, using more than one option. Thus, the manager of the department store may solve his problem by making changes in the product range, increasing advertising and improving the interior of the store.
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