MANAGEMENT

Nowadays management has really become a science, whose fields are numerous. They include not
only business administration proper, but also production, marketing and accountancy, so that every
enterprise is necessarily concerned with management, regardless of its importance and structure – no
matter whether it is a one-man business, a joint-stock company or co-operative society. In case of a
one-man business, the same person assumes several functions, such as production, sales, and
bookkeeping. But if we take the example of big manufacturing concern, the various functions will be
divided between separate departments, and therefore easier to define.

The company is administered by the boards of directors, but the actual running of the firm is under the
responsibility of the managing director or the general manager, generally assisted and advised by an
executive board composed of the company secretary and several important executives.

In the making of all decisions the information given by the accounting department is of paramount
importance, especially as most decisions have financial bearings. For instance, before a new product
can be launched, it is necessary to know at least approximatively, what its cost price will be.

The sales department is responsible for the relations between the firm and its customers. It deals with
orders, inquiries from prospective customers and more generally marketing, which includes market
research (sometimes carried out by means of opinion polls), selling, merchandising (i.e. the art of
presenting goods in an attracting way), advertising and public relations.

The personnel manager sees the manpower requirements of all the departments are duly satisfied; he
deals with human problems concerning wages, discipline, etc, and tries to avoid disputes between the
company and the trade-unions, or to settle conflicts which might result in strikes.

Finally, one should mention the production department, which, from many points of view, is the most
important in a factory, the purchasing department which places orders with suppliers for goods and raw
materials, the general office, where shorthand-typists deal with correspondence, under authority of the
head clerk.
From the Internet

Activity 1: Read the text and select the right option.

The text is about:
a. Strikes in companies
b. Workers in a business
c. Businesses management
d. Modern companies

Activity 2: Find from the text the words whose French equivalents are given below.

1. gestion
2. comptabilité
3. sans tenir compte de
4. société individuelle
5. société anonyme
6. ventes
7. tenue de la comptabilité
8. fabrication

1
 9. conseil d’administration
10. fonctionnement
11. capital
12. implications financières
13. direction commercial
14. commandes
15. future
16. sondage
17. main d’oeuvre
18. salaire
19. syndicat
20. fournisseurs
21. matières premieres
22. bureau
23. dactylographe
24. chef d’équipe

Activity 3: Read the text aloud.

Activity 4: Read the text again and say true or false to the statement below. Justify your answers by
giving the line.

1. Many fields are connected with management.

2. Production, marketing and accountancy are now part of management
3. In the case of a one man business, the managers can call other competences.
4. Managing bigger companies is easier than managing small ones.
5. General Managers run all types of companies.
6. Information coming from the accounting department do not really matter.
7. The sales department is the link between the business and clients.
8. The accounting department is the most important one in a firm

Activity 5: read the text and answer the questions below.

1. To what extent has companies’ management really change?

2. State the difference between one man businesses and big ones.
3. Does the managing director work alone? Justify your answer.
4. Why are information coming from the accounting department important?
5. What are the major tasks of the sales department?

Activity 6: Translate into French the first paragraph of the text.

Activity 7: Translate into English

Gérer une entreprise n’est pas une tâche aisée. Quel que soit le type d’entreprise et sa taille, les
dirigeants doivent s’assurer qu’elle répond aux attentes des consommateurs tout en leur permettant de
réaliser bénéfices. C’est pourquoi les différentes directions doivent collaborer et travailler à l’atteinte des
objectifs de l’entreprise. Quant aux managers, ils doivent tout mettre en oeuvre pour permettre aux
employés de travailler dans de bonnes conditions. Cela requiert une mise à jour permanente des

2
stratégies marketing sans lesquelles les concurrents pourraient ravir d’importantes part de marché et
l’entreprise pourrait finalement fermer.

Activity 7: In groups of four, discuss the statement below: ‘‘Anyone can manage a company.’’