Listening 8 — Homework (3 tests)

1 Its colour comes from an uncommon gene. One in ten black bears is actually born with a white coat, which is the result of a special gene that surfaces in a few. Local people believe that it has unusual power. According to the legends of these communities, its snowy fur brings with it a special power.

2 It has always been highly regarded by them, so much so that they do not speak of seeing it to anyone else. It is their way of protecting it from strangers who visit the area. Habitat. The white bear's habitat is quite interesting.

3 The old-growth trees have extremely long roots that help prevent erosion of the soil along the banks of the many fish streams; the tree roots stop erosion along the salmon streams. It is currently found on a small number of islands. Today, the spirit bear lives off the coast of the province of British Columbia on a few islands.

4 Threats.

5 The greatest threat to the bear's existence is the loss of its habitat. Habitat is being lost due to deforestation and the construction of roads by logging companies. Over many years, logging companies have stripped the land by cutting down a large number of trees.

6 In addition, they have built roads which have fractured the areas where the bear usually feeds, and many hibernation sites have also been lost.

7 Unrestricted fishing is affecting the salmon supply. To make matters worse, the number of salmon in those streams is declining because there is no legal limit on fishing at the moment. The bears' existence is also threatened by their low rate of reproduction, which is made all the more fragile by the fact that reproduction among these bears has always been disappointingly low.

8 Going forward.

9 Logging companies must improve their method of logging. The government is now requiring logging companies to adopt a better logging method, which is a positive step. Maintenance and expansion of the spirit bears' territory is needed.

10 While it is important to maintain the spirit bear's habitat, there also needs to be more emphasis on its expansion.

Well, I've been talking to managers in a number of businesses, and reading surveys about the future of management. And what I’m going to present in this seminar is a few ideas about how the activity is likely to change in the next ten years. It isn't a scientific, statistical analysis — just some ideas for us to discuss.

138 Rial ni oes war ie Test 2 One area I want to mention is business markets, and I’m sure a really significant development will be a major increase in competition, with companies from all round the world trying to sell similar products.

Consumers will have much more choice — for instance, food products sold in Australia might be manufactured in the USA, China, Finland and dozens of other countries. At the same time, mergers and takeovers mean that governments are actually losing power to major global corporations. We can probably all think of companies that exert a great deal of influence, which may be good for consumers.

A third point I want to make about markets is that in the rapidly expanding economies, such India, China, Brazil and Russi mand is growin fast.

This is putting pressure on resources all over the world. I think businesses are becoming more open to external influences. In particular, companies are consulting customer: nd more before making their business decisions.

Companies are finding out what they want and providing it, instead of making products and then trying to sell them, which is the model of years ago.

Another influence is that concerns about the environment will force manufacturers to ext duct lifecyc! reduce the amoun ollutio waste. And in som s regulation will need to be strengthened. Many societies are much more fluid and democratic, and the structure of companies is changing to reflect that.

I think we're going to see a greater emphasis within companies on. teams created with a specific project in mind. And when they're completed, the teams will be disbanded and new ones formed.

More and more people see work as simply one part of their lifestyle, and not the most important one, and’as the workforce is shrinking in some countries, businesses are having to compete for staff instead of being able to choose among a lot of applicants.

Typical examples that will attract and retain staff are traditional ones like flexible hours and — something that has been made possible by advances in technology — remote working, with people based at their home, abroad, or almost anywhere they choose. Management styles will almost certainly continue to change. Senior managers will require a lot more than the efficiency that they've always needed.

Above all they'll need great skills in leadership, so that their organisation can initiate and respond to change in a fast-moving world, where they face lots of competing requirements and potential conflicts.

In most of the world, the senior managers of large businesses are mainly men in their fifties and sixties. The predominant style of management will almost certainly become more consultative and collaborative, caused above all, by more women moving into senior management positions. Many of the changes are influenced by developments in the wider economy.

The traditional emphasis of business was manufacturing, and of course the service sector is very important.

But we shouldn't overlook the growing financial contribution of IP, that is, intellectual property. Some books and films generate enormous sums from the sale of related DVDs, music, games, clothes, and so on. Another point I'd like to make is that although I've been talking about companies, one trend that they have to face is the move away from people working for the same employer for years.

Instead, more and more people are becoming self-employed, to gain the freedom and control over their lives that they're unlikely to get from being employed.

OK, well that’s all I want to say, so let’s open it up for discussion.

1 Today, I want to talk about self-regulatory focus theory and how the actions of leaders can affect the way followers approach different situations. Self-regulatory focus theory is a theory developed by Tori Higgins. He says that a person’s focus at any given time is to either approach pleasure or avoid pain.

2 These are two basic motivations that each and every one of us has, and they cause us to have different kinds of goals.

3 Promotion goals in. different life situations emphasise achievement. Prevention goals are oriented towards the avoidance of‘punishment. In a specific situation, our thoughts might focus more on promotion goals or more on prevention goals.

4 The theory suggests that two factors affect which goals we are focusing on. First, there is a chronic factor. This factor is connected to a person’s personality and says that each person has a basic tendency to either focus more on promotion goals or focus more on prevention goals as part of his or her personality.

5 Second, there is a situational factor which means that the context we are in can make us more likely to focus on one set of goals or r.

6 For example, we are more likely to be thinking about pleasure and to have promotion goals when we are spending time with a friend. In contrast, if we are working on an important project for our boss, we are more likely to try to avoid making mistakes and therefore have more prevention goals in our mind. Research has shown that the goals we are focusing on at a given time affect the way we think.

7 For example, wh ing on promotion goal le consider their i their aspirations and gains.

8 They don’t think about what they can lose, so they think ina happier mode. They feel more inspired to change. When people are focusing on prevention goals, they think about their “ought” self. What are they supposed to be?

9 What are people expecting from them? They consider their obligations to others. As a result, they experience more anxiety and try to avoid situations where they could lose. Now that I have talked about the two focuses and how they affect people, I want to look at the idea that the way leaders behave.

10 or their style of leading, can affect the focus that followers adopt in a specific situation. In talking about leadership, we often mention transformational leaders and transactional leaders. Transformational leaders, when interacting with their followers, focus on their development.

11 In their words and actions 144 transformational leaders highlight change.

12 Their speech is passionate and conveys a definitive vision. All of these things can encourage followers to think about what could be. In other words, they inspire a promotion focus in their followers.

13 In contrast, transactional leaders focus on developing clear structures that tell their followers exactly what is expected of them.

14 While they do explain the rewards people will get for following orders, they emphasise more how a follower will be punished or that a follower won't get rewarded if his or her behaviour doesn’t change. In short, they emphasise the consequences of making a mistake. This emphasis will clearly lead followers to focus on avoiding punishment and problems.

15 This is clearly a prevention focus.

16 In conclusion, it is important to understand that one focus is not necessarily better than the other one. For a designer who works in a field where a lot of innovation is needed, a promotion focus is probably better. In contrast, a prevention focus which causes people to work more cautiously and produce higher quality work might be very appropriate for a job like a surgeon, for example.

17 The main point of the research, though, is that the actions of leaders can greatly influence whether people approach a situation with more of a promotion focus or more of a prevention focus.