Universidad de Vigo

INGLÉS COMERCIAL

Unit 1.2:
1.4 Company Structure

Teacher: MARTA GARCÍA

 BEING AWARE OF THE COMPANY STRUCTURE

An organizational chart is a graphic illustration of an organization's structure,

showing hierarchical authority and relationships between departments and jobs.
The horizontal dimension shows the nature of job function and responsibility
and the vertical dimension how jobs are coordinated in reporting or authority
relationships.

The organizational chart shows:

1. who supervises and

2. who reports to a supervisor

ORGANIGRAM: EXAMPLE 1

CHAIRMAN'S P. A.
CHAIRMAN
(Personal Assistant)

BOARD OF
DIRECTORS COMPANY
SECRETARY
MANAGING
DIRECTOR

HUMAN MARKETING FINAN CE

PRODUCTION
RESOURCES

QUALITY ADVERTISING PURCHASING

PERSONNEL

MARKET H FINANCIAL
TRAIN1NG DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
RES EARCH

MA1NTENANCE SALES ACCOUNTS

PACKAGING COSTS

BUDGETS

1
4
 ORGANIGRAM: EXAMPLE 2

DIVISIONS
BICC plc

NORTH
BALFOUR BICC CABLES
BICC CABLES AUSTRALASIA AMERICA
BEATTY ASIA-PACIFIC
CABLES

2
ORGANIGRAM: EXAMPLE 3

2B
 Managers and executives: UK

Management
organigram
HOLIDAYS

chairman / chairwoman
non-executive directors
chief executive / managing director

senior executives /
top executives / chief financial director! marketing human resources IT research
executive directors finance director director director director director

accounts department sales customer services

middle managers
manager manager manager

une managers (in travel agency branches)

Al! the directors together are the board. They meet in the boardroom.
Non-executive directors are not managers of the company; they are outsiders, often directors
of other companies with specialist knowledge of the industry or of particular areas.
The marketing director is the head of marketing, the IT director is head of IT, etc.
These people head or head up their departments. Informally, the head of an activity, a
texto
department or an organization is its boss.
An executive, or informally, an exec, is usually a high-level manager, as in senior executive.

Note
1
Executive can be used in other contexts to suggest luxury - as in executive car and if0
executive home. It can even be used for things that are not actually used by executives.

Managers and executives: US

president
non-executive directors chief executive officer (CEO)
chief operating officer (C00)

chief financial officer (CFO)

senior executives / I
top executives / vice president (VP) marketing
vice president (VP) human resources
executive directors
vice president (VP) research

In the US, the top position may be that of chairman, chairwoman or president. This job is
often combined with the position of chief executive officer (CEO). Some companies have a
chief operating officer to take care of the day-to-day running of the company. The finance
director may be called the chief financial officer (CFO).
In a US company, the senior managers in charge of particular areas are often called
vice presidents (VPs). 3

1 Look at the executives and managers usted in A opposite. Match each task (1-6) with the
1. Marketing director
2. Research director
3. Finance director
4. Human resources director
5. Costumer service manager
6. Sales manager
2 Who's who on this company board? Look at B opposite and complete the diagram.
Exercises
particular person most likely to be responsible for doing it.
1 Meet with advertising agency to discuss new advertisements for the company's holidays.
2 Study possible new holiday destinations in detall.
3 Analyse last year's profits in relation to the previous year's.
4 Contact newspaper to advertise new jobs.
5 Deal with complaints from customers.
6 Discuss sales figures with sales team.
My name's Maria Montebello, and I'm president and CEO.
We have some excellent people on our board, including
two who are not involved in day-to-day running of the
company: George Gomi and Julia Jones.
My name's Stan Smith and it's my job to took after the accounts.
1 work closely with Claríssa Chang and Richard Roberts, as
they tell me what their departments need for marketing and
research, and 1 allocate them an annual budget.
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My name's Deirdre Dawes and 1 head up personnel, on the
same levet in the company as Clarissa Chang and Richard
Roberts.
2
President and CEO Non-o< ecutive director Non-executive director
(American company)
Montele,U.D George Gomi Julia Jones
he is on advisary position
Chief Financial Vice-president Vice president Vice preseident
Officer CFO marketning VPM Research VPR Personnel VPP
Stan Smith Clarissa Chang Richard Roberts teixdr Da.w e-5
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If you work, draw an organigram of your If you don't work, think of a job you would like in
organization and practise describing it to a an organization and write about why you would
new colleague. be good at the job.
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 •

DESCRIBING THE ORGANIZATION-LANG-UAGE USE

Hierarchy
Managing Director (MD)

Sales Director

• The company headed by the MD

• The Sales Director reports to the MD
is under
is accountable to
• The Sales Director k assfsteclbya Sales Assistant
supported by

Responsibilities/functions
• The Controller is responsible for accounting in the company
• The Production Department takes care of product manufacturing
• The Finance Director is in charge of investment

Titles

BrE AmE
Chairperson President
Managing Director CEO / Senior Vice-President
Finance Director Vice-President Finance
Sales Manager Sales Director

The directors and chairperson usually sit in the board of directors

(executive board).
Terms such as executive, manager, supervisor, controlier, and offícer are
freely used in job titles indicating some responsibility in the crea (Training
Officer, Marketing Manager, Product Executive, Wages Supervisor)

Affiliates
Rossomon International is the parent company. Rossomori France, Rossomon
Japan and Rossomon Ghana are subsidiar/es.

Structure
• The company consists of five main departments
• The marketing department is made up of three units
• The sales department is divided Mto two sections

5
 Listening L Schering. is an international company engaged in agricultura!
and pharmaceutical activities. The French pharmaceutical subsidiary has
recently changed its organizational structure Listen to a manager describe
the new structure to some colleagues from other parts of the organization
and complete the organigram.

General Manager
(Pharmaceutical bivision, France)
• • .•
tr-afiÉic. o-drdinátion
•'.--,1' .77:Direetor 1;

•, • .'1••••,*

7..
production Financial
personnel Tharmacetitical
. ,•
..„„
director Director manager Director. •
..

•••,,•
'',152:11111115111-,
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Prpfpe.rciái.:14 s. Me:08121 jr
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' • • • s••,• '
Director trector.(1 irector,;(

(
A WORK GROUP
• Marketing Export
3 Work Groups 4 Work Groups Management
manufacturing
• Medical (Communication)
• Medical (R+D) research and development
• sales force
• Pharmaceuticals

2 11:1 Listen again and answer these questions.

1 Which person on the charr made the presentation? general manager (development and marketing)
2 Who does he report to? general manager
3 'What are the Unir Directors responsible for? two responsibles for domestic sales and one foreign sales
4 What three advantages of the wolk groups does he mention? develop the specialist medical
is very motivating for the staff

3 Work in groups of three or f6ur. Describe the structure of your

organization (or your part of the organization) as you would to visitors
from abroad. Draw an organigram, say who is responsible for what and
explain the reasons for the structure.

Pronunciation Ci Listen to these words from the manager's presentation. For. each
word, mark the syllable where the main stress falls.

Example: organization.

1 general
2 director
3 production
4 personnel
5 responsible
6 advantages
7 motivating
8 responsibility
9 development
10 expertise •

Now try saying the words yourself. Make sure you stress the right
syllable.
6
 Com anles

PRESENTATION

1 What products or services do these companies provide? Do you know

anything about their activities?

OBJECTIVE
to discuss the business
activities of companies

TASKS
to describe current
projects

to exchange numerical
inforn-Iation

to ask and answer

questions about
facilities
•

to give a presentation
2 Listen to three people talking about these companies. Which
of your company
company are they talking about? Phillps
JAL
IBM
3 7a Listen to the first speaker again. Make notes on the company.

Employees:
a quarter of a million 250,000

Subsidiaries: over one hundred and twenty 120 worldwide

Turnover: thirty-one thousand and six hundred and twenty-six 31,626 ECUs

Location of parent company: netherlands

Number of products: over million different electric products

Joint venture partner: china for the moment

7
 r:r flI 1.11,
r$71 1 L.1

1.
;

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•.- • -
.7

4 L7-1 Listen to the second speaker again. Complete these notes.

* 30,000,000 passengers a year.

~ Fly to 41
destinatios foreign countries
in 25

Domestic service has 48 rutes and serves 20 citys

!•,, ,•111.15.
11111111 serving is their number one priority.

* Currently installing FANS in their aircraft.

* FANS are inproving communications and reducing air traffic

congetion.

IBM 5 7c J Listen to the third speaker again and answer these questions.
1 What's the company's turnover?
2 How many employees are there?
over 62 billion dollars
215,000 employees worldwide
3 What's happening in the company at the moment?
developing a new company counter
throwing our bureacracy and development
new company culture
introducing nwe sistems risk taking and
personal

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 LANGUAGE WORK

Describing jobs 1 Study the words in blue type in these sentences.

FM a financial controller. (a/an + job) An advisory position (cargo consultivo)

an engineer.

I work for ATT. (for + employer)

I'm in marketing. (in + type of work)

the chemicals business.
chemicals.

Complete this dialogue with the correct words.

A So who do you work for
B Commodore.
A They're in computers, aren't they?
B That's right. I'm an product manager. 'What about you?
A I work for Balfour Beatty. •
B So you're in the construction business?
A Yes. I'm an • engineer.

3 Complete these sentences.

1 I'm a/an
2 I work for Balfour Beatty
3 I'm in

Describing 1 Study the organization chart, then complete the description of the
organization. If you are not sure of any of the words, check the box at the bottom
responsibilities of the opposite page. Use only one word per space.

organizacion chart = organigram

EXECUTIVE organizacion = compañy
MANAGEMENT Mr Richard Baldwin
President and Chief ExecutIve Officer

Mrs Petra Cusimano

Dr Kevin Higgins Mr David Ellingham Ms June Hesketh
Finance, Personnel
Research and Development Production Marketing and Sales
and Administration

DIVISIONS

Mr Patrick Amos Ms Emma Wood Mr Roger COrter I Ms Vera Roberts Mr Robert Show Ms Sileen Nardo
Multiplex Systems Cable Systems Microwave Systems Space Systems Mobile Radio Teleflex Ltd
Systems

9
 managing director(UK) = head

The h ead of the company is the Chief Executive Officer. He is

also the P resident and a m ember of the Board of Directors.
U nder him there are four e xecutive managers, responsible
for research and d evelopment , production, f inance , personnel
and administration and m arketing and sales.
The company's activities are d ivision into six business areas,
headed by different d ivision managers. These managers
eport directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

2 Ask and answer more questions about the chart.

Who is responsible for production? M2' Ellingham.

in charge of

Who is he responsible to? The Chief Executive Officer.

3 Find out about your partner.

• Which division do they work in?
• What are they responsible for?
• Who are they responsible to?

Describing tasks

Personnel 1.4 Sales

Wages and After-Sales

Salaries Service Financial \
Services 1
/ Quality
Advertising
Maintenance
employed = recruit

Which department or division

finance dep. purchasing division 1 buys supplies? 9 checks the qualiry? depart. producction on the division of quality
depar. marketing in sales division 2 sells the products? 10 sends invoices to the customers? costumer accounts division
depar. marketing in marketing division 3 plans how to sell new products? 11 takes care of the machines? prod deprt. product dividsion
human resources depart. in training division 4 organizes training courses? 12 pays the staff? wages and salaries
human resources dep. in personnel division 5 recruits new employees? 13 is responsible for after-sales care?mark dep. after sales service div
production depart. in distribution division 6sends the products to the custorners? 14 deals with taxation, ínvestment, and
production depart. in packaging division 7 packs the products? cash management? financiar services division
production depart. in production division 8 manufactures the products? 15 runs advertising campaigns ? markting depart. advertising
division

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10
Describe the activity of the following departments:

1. Advertising:

2. Sales:

3. Purchasing:

4. Maintenance:

5. Production

6. Training:

7. Distribution:

11
-
 SKILLS WOIRK

Listening A manager from BICC describes his company. Listen and complete the
organiza tion chart belovy,.

•
plc = public limited company
i

BICC plc divisional organigram

Main business activities Construction and the

manufacture of cables
•
Turnover
13 billion

11.
Division north
Balfour BICC Australasia 6 america cables BICC
Beatty
cables Cables 9 tecnologies

7 the manufacture
1•1
of power
;i Main Power and Cables, and
business construccion
2 telecommunication construction , and
activities chanel tunnel cables and electroniá telecommunication
8 Control .
systeniS _ • •
Cables

•-
•- ,Z-41
Turnover
583million 5 618 million 110 166 million

1
.• :
•
•- • .

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DED
Video Activity
111WeICOMe to Prince

Part 1 An overview of the company

1.1 The products

Viewing task
Charlie Peifer, President and Chief Executiye
Officer of Prince, talks about their.range of
products. Correct these statements.
1 Prince is a small racket company.
2 Prince makes tennis, badminton and
squash rackets and accessories.
3 Most of their racket manufacturing is
done in mainland China.

1.2 Location

First viewing task

Listen to Charlie Peifer and decide
which map is correa.

,Trenton
;Prince
s-11 HQ
A Philadelphia

PHO TO COPIABLEFurther A headVideo e Ca m br idg e University Press 1997

Bordentown
(-)
..
..~., Bordentown
¿Io_ '-1,5•1:1V
•?
Prince HQ

Trenton
NE91̀
N E \t`i

7".
1
Location of Prince Headquarters •

Second viewing task

Watch again. Where else does Prince have offices?

1.3 Ownership

Viewing task
—
Charlie Peifer talks about E5C-NE-11-01,1 SPoRiS SYST-E-Ivt
who owns Pri nce.
Complete the diagram.

F5E;NE:n-01.1 SFOK15 51/5T-E-4 A-C.TiVE

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References

Hollett, V. Business Objectives. Oxford: OUP.

Jones-Mazciola, S. Further Ahead. Cambridge: CUP.

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