Unit6a1CorporateCulture.ppt

Pass Cambridge BEC higher高级经贸英语高级经贸英语Corporate CultureObjectives1.To enable students to talk about company culture.2.To practise reading for specific information.Task and Plan1.1.Warming up introduction.2.2.Reading on page 90 uWarming-up exercises:1.What is culture? 2.Choose the four factors below which you think are the most important in creating a culture.ØClimate, institutions, ideas and beliefs, cuisine, language arts, religion, geography, social customs and traditions, historical events, ceremonies and festivals.■ Three main categories in general:Language & Culture. Copyright (C) 2011 by Wei Jianhua. All Rights Reserved→→→uWarming-up exercises:1.What is culture? 2.Choose the four factors below which you think are the most important in creating a culture.ØClimate, institutions, ideas and beliefs, cuisine, language arts, religion, geography, social customs and traditions, historical events, ceremonies and festivals.2.Do you think cultures are becoming more alike? Is this a good or bad thing? For example, think about:Øimproved communicationsØcheap foreign travelØglobal business.Øtrading groups ( EU, ASEAN, etc. )3.How important are the following things when doing business in your country? Are they: a) important, b) not important, or c) best avoided?•Exchanging business cards•Shaking hands•Kissing•Socializing with contacts•Small talk before meetings•Accepting interruption•Using first names•Formality (how your dress, how you talk to colleagues, what names you use, etc.)•Punctuality•Humour•Giving presents•Being direct (saying exactly what you think)Association of Southeast Asian Nations 东南亚国家联盟(东盟, 由菲律宾、印度尼西亚、泰国、新加坡、马来西亚五国组成)4.What shapes a company’s culture?•Mission statement.ØIt clearly explains a company’s goals and focus. The fact that a company has a formal mission statement suggests it is organized and keen on promoting a cohesive attitude within the staff (提提倡倡员员工工凝凝聚聚力力). The fact that the mission statement needs to be explicit may suggest there is some diversity of attitudes within the staff.•Organizational hierarchyØcan show how traditional a company is, whether power is centralized and the extent to which employees are empowered.•Company buildingØcan reflect attitudes to hierarchy and relative importance of staff, e.g. through impressive offices（（豪豪华华气气派派的的办办公公室室））, separate floors or separate dining room for senior staff（（高层管理人员专用餐厅）高层管理人员专用餐厅）.•Dress codeØcan influence or reflect the degree of formality in a company.uReading on page 901.Explanation of the text:1)IKEA has a strong and living corporate culture.ØIKEA: 由瑞典人Ingvar Kamprad1943年创立的“宜家家居公司”ØCorporate culture: or company culture, refers to in general the values, ideas and tradition formed and shared by all the staff within a company.2)Our culture and business idea are the cornerstone of our operation.ØCornerstone: a stone set at one of the bottom corners of a building, often put in place at a special ceremony (基石，touchstone)3)A feeling of belonging: 归属感4)Our corporate culture is based on shared values: a simple and optimistic lifestyle, a natural way of working and being together, without imposing exaggerated respect and complicated regulations.Ø(我们的公司文化基于共同的价值观，即真诚乐观的生活方式与自然和谐的共事相处关系。

这里既不强求人与人之间毕恭毕敬，也没有烦琐复杂的清规戒律)5)…, as seen in the unpretentious way we associate with each other.ØUnpretentious: not showing signs of wealth, size, importance, etc., or not wishing to do so.(谦虚的）Ø（这一点可以从人与人之间坦诚自然的关系上体现出来)6)But we also want people who can cut across our organization, who are strong enough to question, renew and change.Øcut across: to be opposed to：与…相反，向…挑战; 超越Ø但与此同时，我们也需要能力出众的人，敢于向公司挑战、质疑、更新和改变我们的文化7)To see the person behind the professional.ØThe person refers to such common features as demands, personalities, character and so on.Ø（看到隐藏在专业技术人员身份后面普通人的一面）8)Battles are seldom won at the desk. They are won out in the real world.Ø（商战很少在办公桌上打赢，而是要在现实世界中一决胜负。

2.Read the text again and describe the content of IKEA’s company values, company policies and staff profile.1.Company values: simplicity (直率), humility (谦卑), thrift (节 俭 ), responsibility, enthusiasm, flexibility, openness.2.Company policies: 1)absence of status symbols (e.g. no first-class hotels, directors’ dining rooms or flashy cars ), 2)recruitment of people who share the company’s values3)internal promotion4)listening to and encouraging new ideas and initiatives 5)managers being involved in details.vStaff profile:1)People share IKEA’s basic values and are also strong enough to question and change things if necessary. 2)People are both internally promoted and recruited from outside. 3)People have a sense of responsibility and can follow things up. 4)Managers need to be willing to be involved in details.3.Comparing with the main points of IKEA’s culture, can you show some weaknesses of a Chinese company?ØCentralized power：中央集权ØImpose exaggerated respect and complicated regulations (强求人与人之间毕恭毕敬、设立种种烦琐复杂的清规戒律)ØPretentious way staff associate with each other (员工之间关系虚伪)ØInflexible way of working (工作方式死板)ØNeglect of customer needsØHigh administration costs4.What can be done to promote a company’s culture?1)Encourage team spirit2)Care for people and the environment3)Be true to customers4)Hold special training sessions for its staff5)Offer a relaxed, open-plan office atmosphere6)Attach great importance to career development of staff, and produce educational videos and brochures.7)Offer in-service training sessions to keep them well informed about latest developments, upgrade their knowledge, improve their skills so that they can be better adapted to the changing nature of work.8)Implement a performance-based pay scheme.HomeworklCollect relevant information on culture.lPreview Unit 6b.lThank U 4 your attendance!。