Riassunto esame Lingua inglese 2, Prof. Rossi Enrica, libro consigliato In company 3.0: upper Intermediate, John Allison, Mark Powell

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outcome in the shortest time.

We never know when we are called to make an important decision in our lives, and in this chapter

point out the fact that making decisions in the office is different from making them in life, for

example in life-or-death situations.

Strong decision-making helps solve problems promptly and creates a leadership position for the

decision-makers. Strong decisions should be impartial and devoid of any emotional influences that

might make us overlook shortcomings. Such decision-making should also be transparent and

logical.

A good decision-maker chooses actions that give the best outcome for themselves and others. They

enter into the decision-making process with an open mind and do not let their own biases sway

them. They make decisions rationally, after researching alternatives and understanding the

consequences.

I personally find it quite difficult to make decisions in a short period of time, as I am a person who

thinks a lot and therefore, I need time to try to make the right decision. In fact, I need to improve

this skill because it is very important at work, for example speeding up my decision-making and

thinking less about it, and also throwing myself into a decision.

In the chapter are reported some life-or-death cases in which we are asked to take a decision like if

we had a car accident, if we faced a lion or drowned in a frozen lake. I didn't really find myself in a

dangerous situation but I did in an emergency one when a friend of mine had a car accident and I

was the only one with her, so I had to be strong enough to manage the situation.

But speaking of business world there are also situation that might need a strong decision like -

you're working every day until late night.

- Someone is taking the credit of your ideas

- You haven't received the promotion you deserved

- Your company is in danger, and you might lose the job.

Decision making can change from culture to culture; in some egalitarian cultures, like the US, the

decisions are relied on by the boss and they are usually quick decisions. In others like Germany, 15

which is hierarchical, decisions involve a process and once they are taken, they're not easily

changed.

Crisis Management

Crisis management is the application of strategies designed to help an organization deal with a

sudden and significant negative event.

A crisis can occur as a result of an unpredictable event or an unforeseeable consequence of some

event that had been considered as a potential risk. In either case, crises almost invariably require

that decisions be made quickly to limit damage to the organization. Crisis management seeks to

minimize the damage a crisis causes. It is a comprehensive process that is put into practice before a

crisis even happens. Crisis management practices are engaged before, during and after a crisis.

If I think about crisis management, what immediately comes to my mind is the case of Elisabetta

Franchi, who exposed herself saying that hiring young women is inconvenient for the firm and the

company because of maternal leave, otherwise grown women already have had children so they

can completely dedicate themself to work.

Her company is still facing a huge communication crisis, and she immediately posted a response the

day after the press conference to explain and apologize but things are still very delicate.

In this chapter are reported two cases:

- McDonald: A woman, sitting in her car in car park, spilled her coffee and she suffered severe

burns requiring surgery, but the company refused to pay for her medical bills because it was a

customer preference to heat the coffee to 180 °F. They went to trial ad McDonald’s was obliged to

pay, but everyone considered this verdict absurd, so the punitive damage was reduced.

- Mercedes A-class: Mercedes Benz came out with a new competitive model, the Mercedes’ A

Class’, but it didn't pass the “elk test”, a test that is standard in Sweden to make sure that cars can

resist to avoid large deer crossing road. So, customers were cancelling their orders. Mercedes Benz

added electronic stability mechanism and stronger anti-roll bars, all at no extra cost to customer. He

made a good advertising campaign and public support from an ex-formula one racing champion, so

he managed to control the crisis and restore customer confidence in ‘A Class’. 16

Unit 11: Stress

Stress is how we react when we feel under pressure. It happens when we are in a situation that

we don't feel we can manage or control, for example when you have lots of responsibilities that

you are struggling to manage.

Stress is part of everyday life nowadays. I personally try not to let the stress overwhelm me

during the session for example.

It is not always easy and actually sometimes it happens to panic and not be able to manage the

situation in which I am.

There are different type of stress:

- under stress: I consider it a negative form of stress because it doesn't stimulate any action or

initiative in ourselves, and the performances are not at their best. In the work environment in

could happen when your job is boring or if you're unemployed

- EUstress is the sanest (positive) type of stress, which gives us stimulation and pressure to

perform at our best.

- Distress: when stress reaches a higher level and it's not healthy and stimulating anymore, on

the contrary it causes anxiety, and the performance is not under control. Stress is contagious, if

not handled carefully, a colleague’s distress can ruin your own day. Stress can cause you

physical symptoms, such as headaches, an upset stomach, tiredness, but can also lead to

emotional problems, such as depression, anxiety, change of humor and worry.

To work well with your colleagues and reduce stress we have to:

1. Follow a healthy diet

2. Minimize phone and don’t be influenced by social medias

3. Spend time with friends and family

4. Meditate

5. Laugh more.

According to my personal experience, when I feel distress is because I have a lot of things to do

in a little time, like in this period with exams and unfortunately, I don’t have any techniques or

tops that would help me. I don’t want to sacrifice anything and so I have very few time to relax.

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But I know that when I finish my exams, I will have more free time and I can relax myself a

little bit.

The first thing that could help this situation is organizing your time, so never going up blind. In

my mind I always try to say to myself that nothing is going to happen if something doesn't go as

planned, that I have time and other possibilities and I try to Relax.

The article said that stress is contagious, so for very sensitive people it could be dangerous

being around distressed ones.

It explains some tips to help stressed colleagues:

1. Share feelings → encourage him or her to talk or even cry and express their emotions; it's

important not to judge and do not attack them to defend yourself. We have to be just a listener

and empathetic.

2. Identify the source → try to understand the cause of the distress, asking them questions and

don't minimize the problem, at least try to give them another perspective.

3. Ease the strain → ask yourself if you can do something to help your colleague to take the

pressure off. For example, can you give him more time? Tell him a quit word, this can help to

overcome the stress (out of control feeling).

4. Facilitate change → There are some techniques called Counselling, they consist of asking

hypothetical questions, summarizing what the other people said, trying to find a solution to the

problem. It would help them take control of their life and problems.

Pitch and persuade

A pitch is not the same thing as a presentation; it has to be something quick and effective; we

don't have time for details but we have to give a specific overview of the issue, get the audience

interested and start a discussion. We want to transmit our passion and interest on that theme.

It has a really simple structure:

- reason to listen

- Objective

- Problem

- Solution 18

- Benefits

- Call for action

The chapter speaks about Cialdini’s 6 principle of influence:

- Reciprocity: give first people are more likely to return the favor

- Liking: it’s easier to persuade people if there is mutual respect

- Scarcity: people will agree with you if they think they won't get another chance

- Authority: have appropriate credentials

- Consistency: a logical consequence of arguments build pressure to agree

- Social proof.

Unit 12: Emailing

In this chapter we talk about emailing, a system for sending and receiving messages electronically.

As we already know, today everybody uses emails and sometimes it is difficult to decide which

message to read and which not, sending them to the trash unread. Clive Thompson says in The New

York magazine that to read an email, the worker interrupts his work and generally it takes half an

hour for him to return to his original task. Furthermore, 40% of workers moved to completely new

tasks after being interrupted, leaving their old task unfinished.

Dealing with emails all day is stressful and according to Tim Sanders, there are some rules that we

should consider while dealing with emails:

- the most important is Never send email when you're mad, because we have to write an email

starting with an appropriate greeting, writing and concise message, but obviously it is difficult to do

this if we are angry. In fact, emails are used for asking or answering questions and say yes.

According to the Institute of Management, workers who are mad while working and using their

computer, their anger is discharged in the mouse and in the monitor, which are the most abused

pieces, receiving punishment.

- read and respond immediately only to the ones you consider important - Don't let your work being

interrupted by a message; it takes half an hour to return to your original task.

- Try not to read emails after a certain time that could be 5-6 pm 19

- Working with computers is one of the most stressful things at work, but don't damage your

equipment.

It is preferred to make as simple sentences as you can, but how an email is written it depends on the

purpose. There is a more informal or formal style, and the differences are in the language, the

opening and closing and the intimacy we have with the other person.

Personally, I rarely write emails because I don't work, I usually only write them to my university

teachers in preparation for an exam or to ask information on the programme. But often when I use

WhatsApp, I waste a lot of time replying to messages from friends and family, or even university

groups, so I get distracted from studying.

Unit 13: Making an impact

Starting a presentation with the right tone, right words and concept is vital to gain people’s attention

during our whole presentation. It has to do with sounds, lists, and repetitions.

As we can see in Emerson's statement “s