Company UNIT

Organisation 3

KEY W ORDS
1 Describe the work situation in this picture. ◗ authority: l’autorité
◗ to be responsible for: être responsable de
A female team leader / boss / manager is leading a corporate group meeting /
◗ to be responsible to: être responsable
is having a business discussion / is instructing interns. devant
◗ an executive: un cadre
2 Say whether you would rather be responsible to someone ◗ a hierarchy: une hiérarchie
for your work or be in charge of people who report to you. ◗ an intern: un(e) stagiaire
◗ a line manager: un(e) supérieur(e)
Open answer. hiérarchique
◗ to make decisions: prendre des décisions
◗ (the) management: la direction
© Éditions Foucher

3 Give your opinion: do you prefer working alone or in a team? ◗ to report to: être placé(e) sous la direction
de
Open answer.
◗ a team leader: un(e) chef(fe) d’équipe

UNIT 3 - COMPANY ORGANISATION • 29

To start with

ACTIVITY 1 The functional organisation

An organisational chart is a way of representing the structure of a company
or organisation in a visual way. It shows the relationships between people
and/or departments.

Board of directors

Managing Director / CEO

Production IT Finance Human Resources Research Sales and

(Information & Development Marketing
technology)

Distribution Accounts Recruitment Training

1 Study this organisation. Find which departments correspond to the following tasks.

Packs and ships goods? Distribution

Pays the staff? Human Resources

Advertises a product? Sales and Marketing

Fixes computers? IT

Sends and pays bills? Accounts

Develops new products? R&D

Arranges courses for the staff? Training

# audio
ACTIVITY 2 Job titles foucherconnect.fr/
20ang01

2 You will hear 5 people talking about their work. Match their names (1-5)
to their titles (a-e).
N. B.: Your line manager or superior is the person you report to or work under.
If you’re a manager, you’re responsible for or in charge of a team or a department.

1. Chen • • a. Finance Director

2. Edwards • • b. Human Resources Director
3. Pinelli • • c. CEO
4. Martinez • • d. Accounts manager.
5. Mizuno • • e. Training manager

Listen again to the recording and say who these people report to and what
© Éditions Foucher

3
they are in charge of. Eg.: Ms Pinelli is in charge of the finance department.
She reports to the CEO.

30 • UNIT 3 - COMPANY ORGANISATION

 To start with

ACTIVITY 3 Types of legal structures

4 Match each type of structure (1-7) with a definition (a-g).

1. A private limited
• • a. A company owned by another.
company (LTD)
• b. When two or more people join together to run a business.
2. A public limited
• Each partner has equal share in the net profits and losses
company (PLC)
of their business.
3. A non-profit
• • c. A company which owns and runs other companies.
organisation
• d. One person has complete control of the business and
4. A partnership •
unlimited liability.
• e. A type of company whose shares are not traded on a stock
5. A parent
• market. It usually has less than 50 people and the owner’s
company
liability is limited.
6. A subsidiary • • f. An organisation with social or artistic aims.
7. A sole trader / • g. A company in the UK whose shares can be sold to the
sole proprietor • public. The shareholders are the owners and they elect
(self-employed) the board of directors.

5 Decide what type of organisational structure would suit the following businesses.

a • Two dentists who want to open their own practice.

Partnership

b • A lawn-mowing service whose owner performs all the services, with no employees
and no outside investors.
Sole trader

c • A small electronics company in Scotland with 15 employees. The owner doesn’t have
to use her own assets to pay the company’s debts.
A private limited company

d • An organisation that uses volunteers to serve free meals to the poor.

A non-profit organisation

e • A large British pharmaceutical company whose shares are quoted on the stock market.
A public limited company

EXPRESS
Would you prefer working under someone or being responsible for
F
YOURSEL
people who report to you?

U S E F UL PHRASE S
◗ a born leader: un chef naturel
◗ to make decisions: prendre des décisions
© Éditions Foucher
◗ to be micromanaged: être microgéré
◗ to be told what to do: recevoir
des instructions

Glossary p. 177

UNIT 3 - COMPANY ORGANISATION • 31