Slow down, you move too fast

Philomena Tan knows all about stress. By her early 30s, she was a successful, highly paid market research consultant, who sometimes worked till 10 p.m. “We had a lot of meetings and deadlines; we had to win projects, so I was writing proposals, making presentations, supervising staff,” she says.

For a long while, she loved her job and there were perks - lots of travel, for instance - but it was never what she had planned to do with her life. Like so many others, she just got involved in a career that had started accidentally.

Tan had studied psychology, and she was also good with statistics and computers, so Tan made steady progress up the corporate ladder. But the turning point came the year she spent the entire week of her husband’s birthday in Brisbane running market research groups while he was home alone in Melbourne.

It made her examine her life and think about what she was really contributing to society. Tan planned her escape carefully. She saved money and returned to study. The research she did for a doctorate in psychology not only added to her qualifications as a psychologist and psychotherapist, but gave her the raw material for her book, Leaving the Rat Race to Get a Life, a handbook for anyone seriously considering changing the pace of their lives.

These days, Yan is in private practice in her local community, does yoga and chooses her own hours. She rarely works more than four days a week and, because she sees clients in the evening, she keeps her afternoon free to catch up with reading, meet with her friends or research her next book. She is happy. “When you are working up to 70 hours a week, you don’t have time for this”, she says.

Text 4.

What Your Desk Says About You

Look at your desk. Is it scattered with unread papers? Adorned with family photos? Do you have toys that help you think? The way you organize and decorate your desk reveals a surprising amount of information about who you are. Sam Gosling, psychologist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin says there are a few easy things that can reveal somebody’s personality.

An organized desk says you’re dependable and timely.

People with organized desks tend to be reliable, task oriented people who plan well and get their work done on time. "When I go into a space, I look for a calendar first," Gosling says, since an up-to-date, used desk calendar is another sign of an organized person.

Having a messy desk isn't a bad thing (creative people often do), but others may judge you incorrectly. "When people see a messy office, they may think that the person is disagreeable, which is not necessarily true," Gosling says. "My hunch is that the mess is unpleasant [to look at], so they assume the person is inconsiderate."

Uncommon objects say you’re creative and open to new experiences.

People with original art or a diverse array of objects tend to be open; they embrace new ideas or experiences and are often very creative. Innovative companies, such as advertising agencies or tech startups, tend to attract creative people and encourage their employees to showcase their personalities.

Inspirational posters and messages say you're neurotic.

People who pepper their desks with inspirational statements are typically a bit more neurotic. If you have inspirational posters up, don't worry that they're sending the wrong message. Neurotic people are often highly successful in the workplace and the sayings they choose to display communicate their values to others.

An inviting space says you're extroverted.

People with especially inviting offices - including an open door, comfortable chairs, or a candy jar - tend to be very social. By creating a welcoming space, they show others that they’re approachable, and often get many more visitors than the introverts.

Sociability can pave the way for promotions and a new opportunity, so introverts may help their careers by adding a few inviting touches. "People can learn to exercise that side," Gosling says.

Text 5.

How to survive in a new job

How can you make sure that your first few weeks in a new job won’t be your last?

Let’s start with your clothes. Plan what you are going to wear in advance. Being smart tells people that you are organized and reliable. Have a good breakfast and don’t forget to work out how to get to your new workplace before you leave!

Walk into the company with a smile and make eye contact. It can be difficult to do this when you are nervous but it will make you look more approachable. Be polite and friendly to everyone. Don’t forget to find out where things are, such as the water cooler and the toilets.

Introduce yourself to your new colleagues. It’s useful to learn names as soon as possible. It’s good to have a positive attitude, too. You need to watch the things you say and do as they will be remembered.

You don’t have to be perfect in your first weeks – everyone has to learn. So don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s better to ask for help than to do a job wrong! Listening is also important. Use a notebook and make notes so you don’t have to keep asking the same thing. Find out from your boss your responsibilities, specific projects and deadlines.

You should watch how your colleagues behave. Every company has its own culture. It may be formal or informal. For example, you may be allowed to make personal calls and surf the net, or you may not. Ideally in the first weeks you should arrive early, and leave not earlier than the majority of your colleagues. Starting late and finishing early never makes a good impression. Stay out of office politics and avoid criticizing your boss or colleagues to other people. But take advantage of after hours activities to get to know your co-workers. And join them for lunch if they invite you!

Text 6.

Job adventures

Working abroad can help your career and expand your horizons. Working with people from different cultural backgrounds can also give you new insights and a new perspective.

You should do lots of research to find potential opportunities. Don’t forget to ask your friends, family and co-workers for ideas. You can find organizations online that arrange work experience – they often deal with accommodation and red tape such as visas and health insurance. You can also check out companies who offer internships and contact them immediately. Don’t underestimate the value of volunteering in a developing country where you can get valuable skills and experience.

It can take months to find a job and sort out all the arrangements. You need to be well organized. Find out as much as possible about the country you’re going to visit. Websites can give you specific cultural information to help you fit better. Do research about the company, too.

Whatever the country, you’ will probably require a reasonable level of English as it is the international business language. How well you need to speak the local language will depend on the country, job and employer. But even an elementary knowledge will show your cultural sensitivity and help you get with people.

Coming back can be harder than you think. You may experience culture shock – you can feel emotional and it can be difficult to fit in. People change when they work abroad and things will change at home, too. It can take time to adapt.

Text 7.

News form the workplace

Karoshi – death by overwork

Do you do a lot of overtime? Work at weekends? Well, you work could be killing you. The Japanese have a word for death by overwork – “Karoshi”. And 30,000 Japanese have died of Karoshi; families can even apply for compensation. Workaholism has now spread to the US, which has the longest working hours in the world (Americans work about 1,978 hours a year, almost 12 weeks more than Germans). People who work late tend to eat fast food, don’t get enough sleep or exercise, and are more likely to be injured, have car accidents or become ill. Overwork is a disease that kills.

Workplace bloggers in danger

Be careful what you write in a blog. If you write about your workplace you may lose your job. Blogging is a very popular activity, you can tell other people about your life and work. But companies often feel that in-house bloggers’ comments and criticism go against their codes of conduct. Recently several companies have sacked offending bloggers.

Who bullies?

Has anyone criticized you all the time, ignored you or made you feel embarrassed in front of other people? Then you have experienced bullying. We often think that bullying only happens in school, but it is very common in the workplace as well. In fact studies show that about one in five people have been bullied at work. Bullies are often managers but they can also be co-workers. They make their victims look incompetent, feel failure and lose belief in themselves. Eighty-two percent of people who are bullied leave their workplace. Companies need to make sure they have policies to fight bullying.

Немецкий язык

Контрольные работы

Контрольные работы относятся к обязательным контрольным точкам, предусмотренным программой по иностранному языку для экономичес­ких вузов.

Основной грамматический материал немецкого языка распределен по контрольным работам равномерно, по мере нарастания сложностей. Тематически, лексически и грамматически материал контрольных ра­бот связан с учебным аудиторным материалом, что позволяет в комп­лексе обучать студентов устной речи.

Контрольные работы выполняются письменно и при положительной их оценке защищаются устно во время сессии.

В четвертом семестре выполняется контрольная работа № 4.

Требования к выполнению контрольной работы

1. Контрольная работа высылается не позднее, чем за месяц до сессии.

2. Если имеется несколько вариантов перевода данного предложения, то все возможные варианты следует дать в скобках.

3. Задания должны быть выполнены в той последовательности, в ко­торой они даны в контрольной работе.

4. Перед началом выполнения контрольной работы необходимо повторить указанный грамматический материал данной работы.

Справочная учебная литература

При выполнении работы может быть использован любой грамматический справочник по немецкому языку, любой учебник и учебное пособие по немецкому языку: словари немецко-русские и русско-немецкие, учеб­ные лекции по грамматике.

В качестве базовых учебников используются:

Wolfgang Hieber. Lernziel Deutsch (Deutsch als Fremdsprache), Grundstufen l und 2, Max Hueber Verlag, 1993.

T. V.Kullkova u.a. Deutsch für Geschäftsleute; ч. l, Москва. Высшая школа. 1989.

Задания на 4-ый семестр из учебника «Немецкий язык» под общей редакцией Монаховой Г.Н., Екатеринбург, 2005

I. Тексты для самостоятельного чтения – 10 тыс. печатных знаков

с составлением рукописного словаря по каждому тексту

1. стр. 90-96

2. стр. 99-100

II. Темы для устного высказывания „Meine Firma“стр. 27-29, „Betrieb“ стр. 29-31

Контрольная работа № 4