Unit 4 CHANGE Class Material Glossary Assignments

UNIT 4: CHANGE
Class material_glossary_assignments
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MANAGING CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE

“The only change people are comfortable with is the change that jingles in their pocket.”

In today’s business climate companies are forced to implement changes in an effort to grow
and survive. A knowledge‐based economy and global transformations require fast
adjustments. This environment presents new challenges and demands for everyone, from the
board and CEO to the entry‐level employee.

Change can be one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome in the work environment.
Whether it’s a new employee adjusting to rules and responsibilities, or someone who has
been on the job for years, breaking old habits and learning new tasks can be overwhelming.
Te role of managers is to make change easier for their employees since change can cause a
great deal of distress among employees.

Even though we can’t entirely predict the impact of change on the work environment, there
are a few things that can be done to help prepare employees for change: good planning,
communication, managers making themselves available, following up and listening.
a) Planning
Whenever possible it is always a good idea to plan ahead for change. People usually like to
know how a particular change is going to affect them. Dropping hints or providing vague
answers can cause unnecessary anxiety and make the change more difficult to accept.
Therefore, managers need to have as much information about the change as possible before
introducing it to their employees. The more organized management are, the more employees
will trust them and the change itself.

b) Communication
Communication between the management and the employees is essential, especially when
introducing change into the workplace. One thing people seem to forget is that
communication goes both ways. Even though it is important that employees have the
information necessary to perform their job, it is equally important that managers not only
allow, but invite communication, feedback and questions from their employees. It is
important for them to know that they have a voice, that their concerns and ideas are heard
and valued. Also, the more information they have, the more comfortable they will feel and
they will be more willing to accept the change that the management propose.

c) Availability
It is important that the managers make themselves available to their employees, especially
during a time of change. They will likely have questions, especially at the beginning.
S.R.D. / BE_2_summer semester 1
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Knowing that managers are available to address their concerns could make them feel a little
more secure and confident about their role in the change.

d) Follow Up
Following up with employees to check on progress is a key element to implementing a
successful change. Questions that can be asked are: How has the change impacted their job? Are
any adjustments needed to make the work flow smoother? Have there been any unexpected outcomes
as a result of the change? The best approach is to follow up with employees and follow
through with answers and promises. Their feedback is important to ensuring a positive
outcome.
*VOCABULARY CORNER*

Availability: the fact that someone is free to work, be contacted, go to meetings, etc., or whether or
how much they can
I shall check the availability of my staff for that date.

Follow sth up (phrasal verb): to find out more about something, or take further action connected with
it
The idea sounded interesting and I decided to follow it up.
He decided to follow up on his initial research and write a book.

Follow sth through (phrasal verb): to do something as the next part of an activity or period of
development
The essay started interestingly, but failed to follow through (its argument).

Feedback: information or statements of opinion about something, such as a new product, that provide
an idea of whether it is successful or liked
Have you had any feedback from customers about the new soap?
positive/negative feedback

Ensure: to make something certain to happen
The airline is taking steps to ensure safety on its aircraft.
[+ (that)] The role of the police is to ensure (that) the law is obeyed

Outcome: a result or effect of an action, situation, etc
Itʹs too early to predict the outcome of the meeting.

Address (concerns): to give attention to or deal with a matter or problem
The issue of funding has yet to be addressed.

Drop a hint: to suggest something indirectly to someone; to give a careful hibt about something.

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e) Listen
It’s true that managers may not be able to make everybody’s job easier or more efficient, but
it is worthwhile to listen to what employees have to say. They may bring a problem to the
surface. They may have ideas to make a process run smoother. As a manager you can do
everything right, you can plan ahead, communicate, make yourself available and follow up,
but if you don’t listen you could be missing a key element to implementing a successful
change.
It is one of the responsibilities of managers to make sure that a change is implemented
correctly and effectively, and sometimes that takes time. As frustrating as it can be, taking
the extra time to pay attention to the concerns and needs of employees can save you time in
the future. It is important, regardless of the size of each department, that you have the
support of as many employees as possible. By listening to our employees, making ourselves
available and communicating effectively, we have the power to make a potentially difficult
change successful.

One of the most significant changes in business took place during the 1990s when we saw
massive restructuring in the workplace.

There was a wave of downsizing and delayering – reducing levels of middle management in
order to become leaner and flatter and create a more efficient organisation.
One of the reasons behind such changes was that computer networks allowed top managers
instant access to information that was previously gathered and transmitted by middle
managers which used to cause a lot of confusion and misunderstandings.
Less direct supervision allowed employees to make more decisions for themselves in a
process of empowerment.

Another new trend: re‐engineering – the idea that organisation should not change
incrementally, but should start again from scratch with no preconceptions about how things
should be done. This did not just refer to manufacturing but to all the processes within an
organisation and that‘s why the process is called business process re‐engineering (BPR).
As a consequence of such changes, there were significant redundancies (people being fired
because they are no longer needed).

*VOCABULARY CORNER*

 Downsizing:
1. To reduce in number or size:
a corporation that downsized its personnel in response to a poor economy.
2. To dismiss or lay off from work:
workers who were downsized during the recession.
3. To become smaller in size by reductions in personnel:
Corporations continued to downsize after the economy recovered.

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 Delayering:
the process of cutting down the administrative structure of a large organization by reducing the
number of levels in its hierarchy.
 Re‐engineering:
the restructuring of a company or part of its operations, especially by utilizing information
technology.
 Redundancy:
a. The state or fact of being unemployed because work is no longer offered or considered necessary.
b. A dismissal of an employee from work for being no longer necessary; a layoff.
 Incremental:
A slight, often barely perceptible rise in something; small; in a series of amounts.
Most research proceeds by small incremental advances.
Changes at the newspaper are more incremental than radical.
 Preconception:
an idea or opinion formed before enough information is available to form it correctly.
Try to go into the meeting without too many preconceptions about what the other group want.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT – DEFINITION

Change management is a structured approach to transitioning individuals, teams, and
organizations from a current state to a desired future state. Change management (or change
control) is the process during which the changes of a system are implemented in a controlled
environment by following a pre‐defined model with reasonable modifications.
In project management, change management refers to a project management process where
changes to a project are formally introduced and approved.

Types of organizational change:

1. Strategic changes (it means changing the organizational Vision, Mission, Objectives
and the adopted strategy to achieve certain business objectives).
2. Technological changes (the invention of a technology (or a process), the continuous
process of improving a technology ‐ to make it cheaper ‐ and its diffusion throughout
industry or society).
3. Structural changes (deep reaching change that changes the way authority, capital,
information, and responsibility flows in an organization).
4. Changing the attitudes and behaviours of personnel

Changes in the workplace that cause most stress for employees:

o When a company you work for decides to merge with another company which might be a
threat to your job.
o Being demoted in your company (=being assigned to a lower position in the company
hierarchy).
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o When your company needs to relocate to the other side of the city or to a different city.
o When a company asks you to relocate to a dangerous country.
o When you are faced with unfriendly behaviour from your new subordinates or new
colleagues.
o When you are required to switch from a closed office to an open plan office.
o When you have to work with a new computer system.
o When you need to lay people off because of downsizing or merger with another company.

VOCABULARY EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Read the article How to Implement Workplace Change Without Sending Your
Staff to a Shrink1
about successfully implementing change in the workplace and insert the missing phrases
by choosing from the box below.

the planning / take priority over / develop a new habit / ask for input / build resistance /
facilitate / sense of ownership / wisdom is cumulative / mentoring program / decision to
change / search for pleasure / Appreciation and praise / proposed change / open to change
/increased efficiency / full implementation / discussion and patience / works for them

It seems that the only time people are open to change is when what they have always done
no longer_________________________. When certain procedures and practices no longer
meet the needs of your business or organization change is needed.
To ___________________this change you must show respect for both the needs of the
business and employees. When your business needs for______________________________,
profitability and productivity ___________________________________the needs of your staff
you are bound to increase stress and create resistance to
any______________________________. There must be a balance between the two.
Here are thirteen suggestions to help you bring about change without sending your entire
staff to a psychiatrist.
1. Keep your staff informed especially when the change you want to effect is going to impact
them personally. Explain the why and the how of your___________________________.

2. Stress how the proposed change will benefit your employees. When people begin to
perceive a forthcoming change as a definite benefit to them and when they feel a
____________________________________in the process they more eagerly participate in,
welcome and adapt to any changes made. People are motivated by “ What’s in it for me?”
1
The author of the article is Mike Moore, an international speaker on workplace relationships and
workplace stress. http://www.motivationalplus.com.
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3. When your staff perceives a specific change as something done to them without
consultation and input they _____________________________instead of co‐operation.
4. Get your people involved in ___________________________and the implementation of any
change.

5. If you do ask for input from your staff make sure you use some of their suggestions. If you
_____________________________and ignore any suggestions given you will stop the flow of
participation in its tracks.

6. Provide adequate training and practice in any new procedures. This is required to develop
a new comfort level and replace the old. It usually takes about four weeks to
_____________________________________so provide adequate training with this in mind.
Don’t just give a 4 hour seminar on a new procedure or technology and expect everyone to
be proficient after one or two sessions.

7. Have a ______________________________set up until a new comfort and confidence level
is achieved. Training the trainers and having them available and easily accessible is vital.

8. Never assume that you as a CEO or managers have all the wisdom and insight on any
issue. Remember that _____________________________and resides within the collective.

9. Never rush into change. Look upon it as a process involving
information,___________________________________________. When you give it time you get
the results you want plus a strong commitment from your people.

10. A lot of workplace change is initiated by a manager or supervisor getting excited about
some new program or technology after attending a conference. Always research any new
idea. Test it with a few willing volunteers and then make a decision as to whether you want
to commit to ________________________________based on their response to the test drive.

11. People are resistant to change and must be shown that any new way of doing things is
going to make their lives less stressful and more enjoyable. Never forget that people are
motivated by the __________________________________and the avoidance of pain.

12. Affirm, appreciate and praise your employees frequently especially during the period of
change implementation. ________________________________________are powerful human
motivators.

13. Foster a climate of humour in the workplace. People working in a climate of humor and
employment enjoyment are more flexible and__________________________________.

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*VOCABULARY CORNER*
 Affirm verb:
to publicly state your support for an opinion or idea.
The government has affirmed its commitment to equal rights.
 Appreciate verb
I/We appreciate...
used when you are thanking someone or showing that you are grateful.
We really appreciate all the help you gave us last weekend.
[+ ‐ing verb] I appreciate your making the effort to come
…would appreciate…
used when you are politely requesting something
I would appreciate it if you could let me know (= Please let me know) in advance whether or not you will be
coming.
 Praise verb
to express admiration or approval about the achievements or characteristics of a person or thing.
He should be praised for his honesty.
He was highly praised f verb for his research on heart disease.
 Foster verb
to encourage the development or growth of ideas or feelings.
They were discussing the best way to foster democracy and prosperity in the former communist countries.

KEY: works for them ‐‐ facilitate ‐‐increased efficiency ‐‐ take priority over ‐‐ proposed change ‐‐
decision to change ‐‐ sense of ownership ‐‐ build resistance ‐‐ the planning ‐‐ ask for input ‐‐
develop a new habit ‐‐ mentoring program ‐‐ discussion and patience ‐‐ full implementation ‐‐
search for pleasure ‐‐ Appreciation and praise ‐‐ open to change.

Exercise 2: Complete the following sentences by choosing one of the options offered in
brackets.

1. People often perceive change as a ……………………… (failure/stimulus/threat) to their
stability, self‐esteem and their values.
2. It comes as no surprise that the most frequent reaction to change is …………………….
(resistance/persistence/obedience).
3. Managers who are preparing to introduce changes in the workplace need to raise
their staff’s ………………………….. (mind/awareness/opinion) of the purpose of the
change.
4. The staff’s positive attitude towards introducing changes can be achieved both with
good communication with them as well as with active staff …………………………
(involvement/suggestions/ideas) in the decision‐making process.
5. Introducing change is far easier in flatter organisations than in …………………………
(market‐driven/caring/hierarchical) ones.
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6. Employees organised in ……………………… (teams/sections/offices) tend to generate
more ideas and they can test those ideas easily.
7. A supportive style of management, combined with adequate
…………………………… (education/training/measures) can boost the staff’s self‐
confidence and can help them cope with change successfully.

COURSE BOOK ACTIVITIES

READING: US department stores launch counter‐attack (p.31)

Exercise 1: Match the photos to the type of retail outlet listed in the box:

supermarket ‐‐ department store – kiosk ‐‐ convenience store ‐‐ discount store

a) ______________________________

b) _________________________
c) ____________________
d) ______________________
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e) _____________________________

EXERCISE G, p.32
Here are some differences between different types of retail outlets:
size prices product length and customer
range frequency of service level
visits
supermarket large it depends* wide average, low
frequent
department store large high wide long, less high
frequent
kiosk very high very very short, high
small narrow frequent
convenience store small high narrow short, frequent low
discount store large low wide long, less low
frequent

*some supermarkets in the UK are actually discounters (Lidl), some are mass‐market (Tesco), some
upmarket (Waitrose)

WHAT IS WHAT

A department store is a retail establishment organized into various departments which
specialize in satisfying a wide range of the consumerʹs needs and at the same time offering
the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product
categories. Department stores usually sell products including clothes, furniture, home
appliances, electronics, hardware, toiletries, cosmetics, photographic equipment, jewellery,
toys, and sporting goods. Department stores are usually part of a retail chain of many stores
situated around a country or several countries.

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The world's largest department store is the
Shinsegae Centum City in Busan, South Korea.

Discount department stores are a type of a departments store which sell products at prices
lower than those asked by department stores and other traditional retail outlets. Most
discount department stores offer a wide range of goods; others specialize in such
merchandise as jewelry, electronic equipment, or electrical appliances. They commonly have
central customer checkout areas, generally in the front area of the store.

Wal‐Mart Stores, Inc. (branded as Walmart) is
an American public corporation that runs a
chain of large, discount department stores. In
2008 it was the worldʹs largest public
corporation by revenue, according to the
Fortune Global 500 for that year.
Wal‐Mart is the largest private employer and
the largest grocery retailer in the United States.
Walmart operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the United Kingdom as Asda (ʺAsda Wal‐Martʺ
in some branches), in Japan as Seiyu, and in India as Best Price. It has wholly‐owned
operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Convenience store is a small store or shop that sells items such as candy, ice‐cream, soft
drinks, lottery tickets, cigarettes and other tobacco products, newspapers and magazines,
along with a selection of processed food and perhaps some groceries. Stores that are part of
gas stations may also sell motor oil, windshield washer fluid, radiator fluid, and maps. Often
toiletries and other hygiene products are stocked, and some of these stores also offer money
orders and wire transfer services or liquor products. They are often located alongside busy
roads, in densely‐populated urban neighborhoods, at gas/petrol stations or near railway
stations or other transportation hubs. In some countries most convenience stores have longer
shopping hours, some being open 24 hours.

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Kiosk: A small enclosed structure, often freestanding (standing separately from other
constructions), open on one side or with a window, used as a booth to sell newspapers,
cigarettes, etc.

Supermarket, also called a grocery store, is a self‐service store offering a wide variety of
food and household merchandise, organized into departments. It is larger in size and has a
wider selection than a traditional grocery store and it is smaller than a hypermarket or
superstore.
The supermarket typically sells meat, fresh produce, dairy, and baked goods departments
along with shelf space reserved for canned and packaged goods as well as for various
nonfood items such as household cleaners, pharmacy products, and pet supplies. Most
supermarkets also sell a variety of other household products that are consumed regularly,
such as alcohol (where permitted), household cleaning products, medicine, clothes, and
some sell a much wider range of nonfood products.
The traditional suburban supermarket occupies a large amount of floor space, usually on a
single level, and is situated near a residential area in order to be convenient to consumers. Its
basic appeal is the availability of a broad selection of goods under a single roof at relatively
low prices. Other advantages include ease of parking and, frequently, the convenience of
shopping hours that extend far into the evening or even 24 hours a day.

Supermarkets usually offer products at low prices by reducing their economic margins.
Certain products (such as bread, milk and sugar) are occasionally sold as loss leaders, that is,
with negative profit margins. To maintain a profit, supermarkets attempt to make up for the
lower margins by a higher overall volume of sales, and with the sale of higher‐margin items.
Customers usually shop by placing their selected merchandise into shopping carts (trolleys)
or baskets (self‐service) and pay for the merchandise at the check‐out. At present, many
supermarket chains are attempting to further reduce labor costs by shifting to self‐service
check‐out machines, where a single employee can oversee a group of four or five machines
at once, assisting multiple customers at a time.

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Exercise 2: After reading the article, try to complete the following sentences about changes
that have taken place in the US department stores.

Selfridges Birmingham Selfridges London

Bloomingdale’s at San Franciso
downtown shopping centre
Macy’s New York

1. Since today shopping for most people represents a stimulating experience, department
stores …………………………………..……..…………………………………………………..........
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
2. Discount stores, like Wal‐Mart and Target, have positioned themselves ……………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
3. On of the first department stores to react to the call for change is …………………….., a UK
group that has ………………………………………………………………………………………..
4. The first big change was ………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. Arnold Aronson claims that failing US department stores should copy this example
because it introduced………………………………………………………………………………...
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. Two large US department sores, ………………………………………………., have been
introducing some changes on their premises. They, for instance, ……………………………….
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
7. Robert Tamilia, professor of Marketing, believes that……………………………………….......
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

GLOSSARY: THE READING ACTIVITY

 retailing noun [U]
(Commerce)
the business of selling goods to the public, especially through shops/stores.
career opportunities in retailing clothes/food/music retailing The management team have focused the
company purely on retailing. Japan’s third‐largest retailing group reported losses of ¥332.5bn._

 retailer noun [C]
a business or a person that sells goods directly to the public.
There have been strong sales by the big retailers.
clothing/electronics/food retailers
a retailer of computer products
COLLOCATIONS
a big/large/small retailer
a leading/major/top retailer
a high‐street/an independent/a speciality retailer
an Internet/online/a mail‐order retailer

 adapt verb
1 to change sth in order to make it suitable for a new use or situation.
The cars are produced in Europe and specially adapted for the American market.
SYNONYM: MODIFY
2 to change your behaviour in order to deal more successfully with a new situation.
A large organization can be slow to adapt to change.
SYNONYM: ADJUST
adaptable adjective:
Successful businesses are highly adaptable to economic change.

 reinvent verb [+ obj]
to present yourself/sth in a new form or with a new image.
The company is trying to reinvent itself as a retailer of casual clothing.

IDIOMS
reinvent the wheel
to waste time creating sth that already exists and works well:

 discount store noun [C]
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a shop that sells goods at prices that are much lower than normal.
a chain of high‐street discount stores
Discount stores thrive even in the current sluggish economy.
SYNONYM: DISCOUNTER

 mount verb [no obj]
to increase, often in a way that causes worry.
Pressure is mounting for tax allowances on childcare.

PHRASAL VERBS
mount up: to increase gradually in size and quantity
Meanwhile, my debts were mounting up.

 recast
to change the way that someone or something is or appears to be.

 the bottom line
the most important thing that you have to consider or accept; the essential point in a
discussion.
The bottom line is that we did not handle the matter as we should have.

 market share noun [C,U]
the amount of sales of a particular type of product that a company has, compared with the
total sales.
The company’s US market share fell from 23.4% to 21.2%.
Our market share increased in all segments.

COLLOCATIONS
to boost/build/grow/increase market share.
to gain/grab/take/win market share
to lose/maintain market share

 vendor (AmE spelling also vender) noun [C]
1 a company or person that sells sth.
a software vendor street vendors
2 a company that supplies raw materials or pieces of equipment to companies that make
goods:
They have been chosen as preferred vendor for voice communications for the hotel group.
SYNONYMS: SUPPLIER / SELLER

 discounter noun [C]
1 a shop/store that sells things very cheaply, often in large quantities or from a limited range
of goods:
Discounters have stolen market share from department stores.
SYN: DISCOUNT STORE

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2 a business that offers its products at very low prices:
They have established themselves as a deep discounter of computer hardware.
The airline is facing threats from aggressive discounters undercutting its fares.

 fail verb, noun
verb
1 to not be successful in achieving sth.
Their marketing strategy failed to increase sales.
They failed in their bid to buy the company. So far, negotiations have failed.
2 to not do sth:
She failed to keep the appointment.
They claim that the government has failed in its duties.
3 (about a business) to be unable to continue:
Statistics show that 80% of businesses fail within the first five years.

 enhance
to improve the good quality, value or status of sb/sth.
The focus of our board has been on enhancing shareholder value.
enhanced adjective
enhanced productivity ; enhanced software ;

 merchandise noun, verb
noun [U]
goods that are bought or sold; goods that are for sale in a shop/stor.
The supermarket has expanded its range of non‐food merchandise. attracting shoppers with
discounted merchandise
Wal‐Mart, the general merchandise retailer

verb (also spelled merchandize) /; AmE /
1 to buy and sell products for profit:
a plan to merchandise Mexican food products in grocery stores
2 to encourage the sale of goods, especially by the way they are packaged and displayed in
shops/stores:
We try to show our customers (the nation’s retailers) the best ways to merchandise our products.

 showcase
[usually sing.]
an event that presents sb’s abilities or the good qualities of sth in an attractive way.
The fair serves as showcase for businesses to show what they have to offer.

 lose out to sb/sth
to not get sth that you expected to get because someone else has already taken it.
They lost out to a competitor in the bidding war.

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LISTENING: Managing change (p.32)

Exercise 1 (4.1): This is the extract from the interview with Maggie Miller, the Business
transformation Director at Sainsbury’s – one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK.
Complete the sentences by selecting words from the box.

barriers being eliminated / major investments / embrace new ways / maximum benefits /
some world‐leading best practice / capabilities / system change / Chief Executive / rather
complacent/ supply chain

1. In the year two thousand we had a new …………………………………join the
company. Peter Davies joined the company that had been very successful in the past
but had become ……………………………………..and had lost its business lead over
its competitors.
2. Peter realised the we needed some……………………………………., firstly in
our………………………………….– that’s our depots and logistics infrastructure;
secondly, in upgrading our stores, and thirdly we needed to support the business in
developing new ………………………….for which we needed a large investment in a
new IT system
3. We reviewed the capabilities we had in our own IT team and realised we needed
much greater depth and breadth of skills and that we needed to
inject……………………………………………………………... We decide to use a third
party.
4. We haven’t completely finished introducing the IT
……………………………………..and we still have a long way to go in changing all
our business processes to drive out the……………………………………………..
5. We have already seen major changes in people’s attitudes when they saw
the…………………………………………... The new IT system enables people to
improve the way they work and it helps people
……………………………………………..of doing things.

KEY: 1‐ Chief Executive/ rather complacent; 2‐ major investments/ supply chain/ capabilities; 3‐ some
world‐leading best practice; 4‐ system change/ maximum benefits; 5‐ barriers being eliminated/
embrace new ways.

GLOSSARY: THE LISTENING ACTIVITY

 third party
a company, an organization, a person, etc. that is involved in a situation in addition to the
two main people or groups involved
The company might be bought back by its parent or sold to a third party. ;

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 supply chain
(also supply network, logistics network)
the system of people and things that are involved in getting a product from the place where
it is made to the person who buys it.
THE SUPPLY CHAIN IN RETAILING:
 Suppliers
supply materials and parts; refers to anybody that sells sth to sb
 Producers
supply finished goods
 Distributors
wholesalers:sell in large quantities or in bulk
retailers: sell to the public
resellers: especially for computers and software
 Customers (end users)
consumers (individuals)
businesses

 lead noun
the position ahead of everyone else in a competition or race; the amount that sb/sth is ahead
They have now lost their market lead.
They have a lead of 10% of market share over their closest competitor.

 embrace
to completely accept something such as a new idea, belief, or way of life.
Most men have enthusiastically embraced the concept of not having to go on maternity leave.

 commitment (of sb/sth) (to sth/sb)
the willingness to give time, money, effort, etc. in order to achieve sth; complete loyalty to
one organization, person, etc.
He demands total commitment from his staff. :

 till
a machine used in shop/stores, restaurants, etc. that has a drawer for keeping money in, and
that shows and records the amount of money received for each item sold.
SYN: CASH REGISTER

 on the part of sb
done or experienced by someone.
a mistake on the part of authorities

 depot
a place where large amounts of goods or equipment are stored, especially before being sent
somewhere else.
an oil/food depot French hauliers are blockading fuel depots.

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________

 complacent
too confident and relaxed because you think you can deal with something easily, even
though this may not be true.
These results are good but the staff cannot afford to be complacent.

 embark on/upon
to start a new project or activity, usually one that will be difficult and take time.
The new government embarked on /upon a new strategy.

GLOSSARY: DESCRIBING CHANGE, p.33

Prefix + verb constructions

 downsize verb
to reduce the number of people who work in a company, business, etc. in order to reduce
costs.
The company has downsized to eight employees.
downsizing noun
the downsizing of the manufacturing division ; He lost his job in a corporate downsizing.

 downgrade verb
1 to give sth a lower grade, value or status
The share price fell after analysts downgraded the stock. ;
2 to give sb a less important job; to make a job less important
Some jobs had gradually been downgraded from skilled to semi‐skilled.

 upgrade verb
1 to make a piece of machinery, computer system, etc. more powerful and efficient; to start to
use machinery or systems of this type.
We’ve just upgraded to the latest version of the operating system. upgraded computers
2 (Finance) to give sth a higher grade, value or status.
The Bank has upgraded its rating on the stock to ‘buy’. The company’s credit rating has been
upgraded (= they are now considered to be more likely to pay their debts).
3 (HR) to give sb a more important job; to make a job more important.
He’s been upgraded to Head of Sales.
4 to give sb a better seat on a plane, room in a hotel, etc. than the one that they have paid for.
We were upgraded to business class.
upgrade noun
instructions for installing an upgrade to the existing system credit rating upgrades Frequent flyers
qualify for a free upgrade.
OPPOSITE: DOWNGRADE

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________
 deregulate verb
to remove government rules and controls from an industry, a business activity, etc.
The telecommunications market is being deregulated. ; Congress deregulated the airline industry in
1978.
deregulated adjective [only before noun]
Power generation is a deregulated, competitive industry.

 decentralise verb
to move the control of an organization or government from a single place to several smaller
ones.
We decentralized our operations last year and opened several regional offices.

 regulate verb
1 to control sth by means of rules or laws.
The activities of credit companies are regulated by law.
The industry is still allowed to regulate itself.

 retrain verb
to learn, or to teach sb, a new type of work, a new skill, etc
Staff have been retrained to use the new technology.
I am considering retraining as an IT teacher.

 restructure verb
to organize a company, business or system in a new way to make it operate more effectively.
The government restructured the coal industry before selling it to private owners.

 relocate verb
to (cause a person or company to) move to a new place.
The company has relocated to Liverpool.
My company relocated me to Paris.

 redevelop verb
to change an area by building new houses, roads, factories, etc
The site will be redeveloped for mixed residential and business use.
redevelopment noun
New office and retail space will form part of the redevelopment.

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________

Verb‐noun partnerships (ex.C)

Relocate to the suburbs
Downsize the workforce
Reorganise a seating plan
Relaunch the product
Decentralise the decision‐making process
Retrain part‐time staff
Redevelop the car park into an office building
Finalise the plans
Reorganise the company hierarchy

Exercise: Use the prefixes and verbs to from new verbs in order to complete the sentences.

de‐ train
down‐ size
re‐ regulate
up‐ locate
centralise
launch
grade
develop

1. We want to use the money to ________________________all our computers with the
most up‐to‐date processors.
2. We bought the new software and ten realised we would need to __________________
the staff to use it.
3. Lots of companies claim that they would like to ________________________
responsibility and authority.
4. Our government might __________________________ all domestic flights to make the
industry more competitive.
5. The local council has plans to __________________ the entire area south of our
headquarters.
6. Sales will increase when we ______________________ the product under a different
name.
7. Our company is making plans to ___________________its head office to Japan.
8. If our company goes ahead with plans to ________________________, it probably
means that we are out of job.

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________

CASE STUDY: ACQUIRING METROT

Company profile

Company buyer Cornerstone Group
Based in Dallas, US
Workforce 35,000
Turnover (= sales) $ 4.1 billion
Activities Providing services and products for the oil
industry
Has bought Metrot

Company acquired Metrot
Based in Paris, France
Factories Northern France
Products Household goods
Type of company until now Family‐owned
Old Chief Executive Jean Metrot, interested in employee
welfare. Will now have a seat on the board
as an adviser
New Chief Executive Hugh Whitman, 30s, Harvard‐educated

Background:
A US company providing services to the oil industry takes over a French family‐owned
household goods company, with negative consequences.

Reasons for Cornerstone´s acquisition
Cornerstone wants to expand sales of Metrot products in Europe.
The company wants to use Metrot to launch its own products in Europe.
The company wants to use Metrot´s biggest asset, which is the valuable land, to grow the
company or to sell off some of it to finance the acquisition.

Possible problems with the acquisition
Possible problem with different styles of management that will be introduced into the
French company.
Jean Metrot has always taken personal interest in the welfare of his staff. After the
acquisition he will remain on the board as an adviser.

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________
Problems after nine months
The change of ownership has caused various problems at Metrot. The Union organiser,
Jacques Lafont, writes an e‐mail to Personnel Director about staff morale.
He outlines the following problem areas:

o staff unhappy with the changes,
o productivity has fallen,
o staff turnover is high.

Reasons for the staff’s low morale:
1. Frequent factory inspections annoy staff, no one knows the reasons behind those
inspections.
2. Too many redundancies, especially from the R&D Department.
3. Many members of staff are looking for new jobs before they are made redundant. People
are afraid of relocation of the factory.
4. Staff unhappy with the new management style.

Task – discussion:
Meet as two groups of managers as explained in the course book (p.37).
Discuss the problems following the agenda (3 items).

LISTENING 4.4: interview wit Hugh Whitman

Opinion of Metrot Skilled workforce and excellent products
Changes? Yes
Objectives for Metrot o To expand in its European markets
o Make it a strong company at the leading edge of
technology, with an image for quality, reliability and
good service.
Plans for workforce Some cutbacks in the short term, but long‐term growth
Plans for factories Does not want to comment

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________

E‐mail from Jacques Lafont

Memo from/to French Union Organiser to US Personnel Director
Productivity and morale Have fallen
Reasons o Unannounced factory inspections
o Redundancies in R&D department
o Fear of further changes ‐ people are looking for
new jobs.
o Dislike changes and the way they are introduced
What staff think o Change too rapid
o More informal, family atmosphere before
o Company has no sense of direction
o Interference from Head Office

 staff turnover
the rate at which employees leave a company and are replaced by other people.
The factory has a high turnover of staff.
employee/labour/staff turnover
a high/low turnover

 cutback noun [usually pl.]
a reduction in sth.
cutbacks in production
staff cutbacks

 acquire verb
to buy a company or part of a company’s business; to buy shares in a company.
It announced that it would acquire a 22 per cent stake in RTL from the UK media group.
to acquire an asset/ a business/a company/shares/a stake

Exercise 1: Complete the sentences in your own words by using the beginning given for
each sentence.

1.Metrot, a French company, is the latest ……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
2.The Cornerstone’s primary aim is to …………………………………………………………but
also to start ……………………………………………………………………………………………..
3.The valuable land is …………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4.Problems related to ………………………………………………….came to the surface after
the merger because……………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. Hugh Whitman will be ……………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………while Jean Metrot remains………………………….
UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
6. In his e‐mail, Jacques Lafont, the Union Organiser, outlined…………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
7. In the fear of losing their jobs……………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
8.The major complaints that the staff have mainly concern ……………………………………, in
particular the way in which ………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Exercise 2: Find words in the text that create a collocation with these words:

Household ____________________
Head _________________________
Expand _______________________
Finance _______________________
Management __________________
Family‐owned _________________
Employees’ ____________________
Staff __________________________
Check ________________________
Look for ______________________
Relocate ______________________
European _____________________
Family ________________________

PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENTS

1) RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT

Search the web sites of major American department stores (Neiman Marcus, Macy’s,
Bergdorf Goodman, Sears, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom). Analyse the changes they are
introducing, their customer service, ways they adapt to the new market demands, and to
various market segments, find information on their revenues, profits, employment policies,
their corporate culture.
Then select two of them and write a comparison report outlining their differences and
similarities.

UNIT 4: CHANGE
_____________________________________________________________________________

2) CASE STUDY 4: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
Write action minutes for your meeting following the model on page 135 in your course
books. Action minutes include the agenda for the meeting so you don´t need to write that
separately.
Action minutes serve to give a summary of the key points discussed at a meeting. They
contain the following information:
Purpose of the meeting
Name of the person running the meeting
Location for the meeting
Names of people present
Date, time
List of key points discussed together with highlights of each point
Action plan = list of actions agreed on, names of people responsible for carrying out the
agreed actions and the target dates for each action.

You can write it in table form or in a report form (as shown on page 135).


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