unit2corporateculture企業(yè)文化

1、In this unit, you are expected to learna. some specific aspects of corporate culture;b. how the SQ3R reading strategies can help you become an active reader;c. how to compare companies in terms of corporate culture.Warming UpWarming UpPart Two1 Searching the issueFind some background information abo

2、ut corporate culture. The information will help you have a better understanding of the topic. You should do the task before class. Read the following text on corporate culture and its importance. Then try to answer the questions that follow. What is corporate culture? At its most basic, its describe

3、d as the personality of an organization, or simply as “how things are done around here.” “Here” refers to an organization. It guides how employees think, act, and feel. Corporate culture is a broad term used to define the unique personality or character of a particular company or organization, and i

4、ncludes such elements as core values and beliefs, corporate ethics, and rules of behavior. Corporate culture can be expressed in the companys mission statement and other communications, in the architectural style or interior decor of offices, by what people wear to work, by how people address each o

5、ther, and in the titles given to various employees. Warming UpWarming UpPart Two The surface layer of corporate culture often includes visible things such as offices, furnishings, visible rewards and recognition, the way employees dress and how they interact. The next level deals with professed cult

6、ure of the organization. Slogans, mission statements and other operational creeds, as well as local and personal values, are usually found at this level. At the third and deepest level, however, are the unseen elements identified in everyday interactions between employees.Questions to think1. What i

7、s the importance of corporate culture for an organization?2. What elements are included in corporate culture?3. Do you know the corporate culture of any company? If so, can you say something about it?Warming UpWarming UpPart Two Go to the library or surf the Internet to find more information about c

8、orporate culture. List how a corporate culture is demonstrated with examples. Focus your research on three aspects of corporate culture: advertising slogans, company statements and examples of unethical business practice. Examples are given in the following table. Please add your own.ElementsExample

9、sadvertising sloganCitibank: The Citi never sleeps._company statementsMicrosoft: a technology and software development company_examples of unethical business practiceResorting to dishonesty, trickery or deception Creation of false documents to show increased profits_Warming UpWarming UpPart TwoPrese

10、nting your understandingIn this task you are going to learn something about management styles, which is one of the most important aspects of corporate culture. Culture frequently echoes the prevailing management style. Since managers tend to hire people just like themselves, the established organiza

11、tional culture is reinforced by new hires. So different management styles reflect different corporate cultures. Study the following three management styles and match the styles with the descriptions.Warming UpWarming UpPart TwoStylesDescriptionsA. Consultative ManagementB. Democratic ManagementC. Au

12、tocratic Management1. A manager delegates authority to his / her staff, giving them responsibility to complete tasks assigned to them (also known as empowerment). Staff will complete the tasks, using their own work methods. Employees are motivated and involved in decision making, having a sense of b

13、elonging.2. Managers like to control the situation. Decisions are quickly made because staff are not consulted and work is usually completed on time. However, this type of management style can decrease motivation and increase staff turnover because staff are not consulted and do not feel valued.3. T

14、his management style can be viewed as a combination of the other two. The managers will ask views and opinions from their staff, allowing them to feel involved but will ultimately make the final decision.Warming UpWarming UpPart Two Ask at least five of your classmates which management style they li

15、ke and why. Then write one short report on peoples opinions on different management styles. Do not forget to add your own opinion as well.However, they have different opinions on .This report has been written because .The main findings are that .The significance of the result is .The main conclusion

16、 that can be drawn is that .Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two3 Sharing informationExchange the information you have got about the corporate cultures of different companies. Work in groups of 3 or 4. Discuss corporate culture and answer the following questions.1. How does the a

17、dvertising slogan reflect a companys corporate culture?2. How does the mission statement reflect the companys corporate culture?3. What activities are considered as unethical business practices?Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two Ethical business practices result from a corporat

18、e culture. Give your opinions on the following situations. Work in pairs and tell each other whether you think they conform to business ethics.1. A restaurant purchasing manager recently purchased 20 cases of wine from a new beverage supplier. Without the managers advance knowledge, the supplier del

19、ivered a free case for his personal use since the free case did not influence his purchase of the 20 cases for the restaurant.2. A bar manager contracts with a company to monitor the bartenders to determine whether they are preparing drinks according to the standard recipe and whether they are charg

20、ing customers properly for all drinks served.3. As one firms business grew, it hired more employees. Unfortunately, demand for its product had declined recently, and its owner laid off 20 employees that were hired over the last two years.4. One airline company advertised an attractive fare from Lond

21、on to New York and sold about 8 percent of the seats at the advertised price.Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two4 Watching a videoWatch a video clip on Toyota recalling its faulty cars and complete the following activities. Read the questions below carefully. Then watch the vide

22、o clip and answer the questions.Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two1. What is the video about?_2. What is the problem at Toyota?_3. What is the Japanese management consultancy supposed to teach the managers?_The corporate culture of Japan and the need to change it.Toyota cars ca

23、use death and injuries in the U.S. and the Toyota company is not addressing it.How to deal with scandal/corporate crisis. Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two Watch the video clip again. Pay attention to the different corporate cultures in Japan and America mentioned in the video

24、 clip. While you are watching, write down the words you have heard to describe corporate Japan and corporate America.Corporate JapanCorporate Americatoo much secrecy, hide, lie, close uptransparent, consumer-driven, open upInitializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two Watch the video clip

25、 for the third time. Then write a summary of what you have got from the video clip. It was widely accepted that . . the issue is a management problem rather than an engineering problem. A rapid change in . Given such differences in corporate culture between Japan and the U.S., it is . To summarize t

26、he facts, .Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart Two5 Talking it overWork in small groups of 3 or 4. Choose one of the three sets (A, B or C) of questions below to discuss.How does a companys culture affect its employees?What is your management philosophy and how would you motivate ot

27、hers if you had your own business?What do you know about the corporate culture of some world-famous companies? (e.g. Nestle, Google, Apple)Why is social responsibility very important to a corporation?What are the factors affecting business ethics?What does “honesty is the best policy” mean?How do yo

28、u expose a coworker who pretends to know his job but copies from you?Initializing the ProjectInitializing the ProjectPart TwoDo you think it is important to know how decisions are made in a company and how those decisions are communicated to the staff, before accepting a job?Should the organization

29、emphasize working in teams?Should a company provide its employees with established career paths?How effectively does the company communicate to its employees?More post listening exercises: Go to page 15 in your WorkbookExploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two6Trying your hand Read the followin

30、g quotes from some successful business leaders. They have concerns on different issues in their daily work and you may find different management styles, which are taken as one part of corporate culture. Read each statement carefully, then write your immediate reaction to it. Do not write more than 2

31、5 words for each statement.1. We have found that by reaching for what appears to be the impossible, we often actually do the impossible; and even when we dont quite make it, we inevitably wind up doing much better than we would have done. Jack Welch, former CEO of GE_2. The number one role of a lead

32、er is to communicate. And the number one role of a CEO is to be the chief communicator, to make sure that the people inside the organization know what is important, as well as our partner community and our customers and our shareholders. Jonathan Schwartz, former CEO of Sun Microsystems_Exploring th

33、e FieldExploring the FieldPart Two3. A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation. Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel_4. People are definitely a companys gr

34、eatest asset. It doesnt make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps. Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics_5. We can believe that we know where the world should go. But unless were in touch with our customers, our model of the

35、world can diverge from reality. Theres no substitute for innovation, of course, but innovation is no substitute for being in touch, either. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corporation_Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two7 Reading carefully Now you are going to read the passage Why Does Cor

36、porate Culture Matter? As you are reading, keep thinking about what is important to lead a company to success. Try to think of the following questions before reading the passage.1. What are the factors leading to a companys success?2. How important is technological innovation in a companys success?

37、Please give examples to illustrate your idea.3. It is said that corporate culture is the driving force behind every aspect of the companys performance. Do you agree or not?4. How do you think a corporate culture is established?5. Is a corporate culture often changed? Why?Exploring the FieldExploring

38、 the FieldPart Two Why Does Corporate Culture Matter? Its Not a Technology Failure Its a Failure of Understanding the Culture. Bill Brendler Until a company tries to change and seeks help, much of the reality of what goes on remains hidden. It is unfortunate, but often the case, that managers and em

39、ployees spend a lot of energy concealing whats really going on in a company. It is when the company leaders, often in peril, seek help that the dynamic is set-up for finding out whats really going on. People cant understand an organization until they try to change it. How does one find out about the

40、 underbelly of the organization where the culture issues truly reside? Lets look at an example that illustrates the consequences of changing technology without analyzing the constraints of culture. A large insurance company decided to increase its competitiveness by rapidly evolving to a new CRM pro

41、duct. To accomplish this change, they hired a talented IT manager who had a proven track record. He was given the tough task of converting the clerical staff to the new CRM system in six months. Training modules were created to teach employees how to use the new system effectively. But the IT manage

42、r was not aware that other executives, at the same time, were telling their employees to squeeze in whatever training they could but finish their normal work first.Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart TwoScan the passage and try to answer the following questions.1. What change does the insuran

43、ce company want?_2. What is the training about?_3. What problems arise due to the failure of the training?_4. What is the cause of the failure of the training?_5. What is important for understanding the corporate culture?_The increase of its competitiveness by rapidly evolving to a new CRM product.T

44、eaching employees to use the new system in six months.Some serious problems with the customers and dropped productivity.No recognition to the deeper realities of the corporate culture.To understand what is going on at the deeper level.Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two Choose the best an

45、swer for the following questions based on what youve read in the passage.1. Which statement is true about a corporate culture? A) It determines a companys collective behavior. B) It determines technology and production failure. C) It is what a company is trying to change. D) It is what a company fin

46、ds weak and poor.2. What are the trained employees supposed to do when customers ask them questions? A) Refer to some previous cases. B) Refer to the new CRM system. C) Write down the questions in their folders. D) Seek help from the IT manager.Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two3. If a c

47、ompany values teamwork, _. A) it encourages competitiveness B) it rewards the best one in the team C) it focuses on the work of a team D) reward systems are individual-oriented4. What do the executives and employees of this company believe? A) The training should be done during working hours. B) The

48、 new CRM system changes the corporate culture. C) Training is secondary to finishing normal work. D) Innovation is the top priority in the company.5. What can be inferred from the passage? A) A corporate culture is subject to change. B) Change relates to a corporate culture. C) The important part of

49、 a corporate culture is taught. D) Employees and managers ignore their corporate culture.Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two Read the passage again and analyze its structure. The following questions may help you do the activity.1. What is the organization of this passage? Part 1: _ Part 2

50、: _ Part 3: _ Part 4: _2. What topic is introduced in paragraph 1?3. What is the purpose of the anecdote?4. What is the conclusion of this passage?Introduction of a topicIllustration by an example / anecdoteFurther discussion on the topicConclusionWhen a change is needed, a corporate culture is reve

51、aled.Try to illustrate that corporate culture matters when something new occurs in a company.Culture is crucial for a company and the most important part of it is invisible.Exploring the FieldExploring the FieldPart Two Read the passage critically and discuss the following questions with your classm

52、ates.1. Do you agree that the unseen elements of corporate culture are identified in everyday interactions between employees? Give examples.2. Do you agree that the invisible part of culture determines peoples behavior? Give examples.3. Can you explain the phenomenon that Chinese students always kee

53、p silent in class from cultural aspects?More language exercises: Go to page 17 in your WorkbookConstructing the ProjectConstructing the ProjectPart Two8 Identifying research questionsNow you are required to do online research on the corporate culture of some world-famous companies. It is known that

54、corporate culture is a complicated issue. You have learned that some aspects of corporate culture are easily observed while others are more difficult to discern. What aspects of corporate culture are you more interested in talking about when you survey those famous companies? Try to answer the follo

55、wing questions during your research.1. What are the three layers of corporate culture?2. What are negative and positive corporate cultures?Constructing the ProjectConstructing the ProjectPart Two9 Reading for research Positive corporate culture is now a prerequisite for success rather than a competi

56、tive advantage. Organizations which are able to maintain positive cultures enjoy many benefits. Morale is improved, and the work environment would be more enjoyable with increased teamwork, openness to new ideas and sharing of information. A negative corporate culture, however, plays the opposite ro

57、le. Read the passage Work Until You Drop: How the Long-hours Culture Is Killing Us (page 11 in your Workbook). Try to use the SQ3R reading strategy while reading.Constructing the ProjectConstructing the ProjectPart TwoConstructing the ProjectConstructing the ProjectPart Two Read the passage again an

58、d use some key words or phrases to summarize the passage.1. Title of the passage: _2. The number of sections in the passage: _3. The purpose of writing the passage: _4. The thesis: _5. Supporting details: _Work Until You Drop: How Long-hours Culture Is Killing UsTwo sections.Report the dangers of lo

59、ng-hour working and some practice to change the situation.Long hour culture is no good.1) Long working hours are bad for health, equality, families and society.2) As well as being bad for individuals, long-hours culture is also bad for business.Constructing the ProjectConstructing the ProjectPart Tw

60、o Read the two passages Does Corporate Culture Matter? The Case of Enron and Success Isnt Only for the Extroverts (page 85) in the Further Reading section in your Workbook. Read them carefully and sum up the aspects reflecting corporate culture. The table below provides some aspects and you may add