GUIDE PÉDAGOGIQUE - Hachette

turnover”, “increase profit”, “see the benefits”,
“motivated to work harder”…
8. On the one hand, McFamily Benefits consists of
providing staff with financial support to help them
solve problems and live better. It may be regarded as
a kind of charity. On the other hand, as the borrowers
are the company’s workers, they are compelled to
stay in the company and work harder to refund their
loans. So, they can’t resign.
9. I agree that McFamily Benefits is a business within
a business. Actually there is the traditional company
called McDonald’s in charge of welcoming and
catering for customers, and McFamily Benefits that
plays the role of a charity or a works committee in
charge of the personnel’s comfort.
10. Lending money generates a feel good relationship
because you come to the rescue of poor or helpless
people. Giving them the opportunity to overcome
difficulties is rewarding. In addition, you lend them
money for the company’s sake, so it is twice as
rewarding. Yet in this policy there is an underlying
purpose that eventually makes the workers feel better
but dependent; and, to my mind, maybe it’s the bad
side of this corporate culture.
11. I do think that Mr Bigari’s scheme represents
positive help for those who have to cope with divorce,
large families, a sudden death, or unemployment.
Financial support can solve problems and make
the worker-manager relation even closer and more
humane. Yet, from the moment when the employee
signs his loan contract, he or she becomes dependent
on his/her boss, on his/her company. He/she can’t
look for another job: a life-long contract is included in
the deal.
12. De tels projets ne tournaient pas dans sa tête
une dizaine d’années auparavant, lorsqu’il décida de
perpétuer la pratique de M. Cameron consistant à
accorder à ses employés des prêts personnalisé sur
des petites sommes à court terme et sans intérêt
pour les aider à payer le loyer, acheter des pneus ou
satisfaire à des besoins immédiats.
WRITING
Working means doing one’s best to earn one’s living
and to make the company stronger. Both employers
and employees need each other. They must work
together. The better they work, the stronger the firm,
the better the pay. Yet, I don’t think I could work
for a company that manages my bank account, my
28 Unit 4 – Industrial relations
expenses and my earnings. My private life and my
corporate life are two different things. Regarding my
earnings, sure, the company knows how much I earn,
so does the tax collector! But imagine the situation
if my boss checked my expenses! He would scan my
bank statements, tell me I shouldn’t spend my money
on this or that, blame me for buying a new car or new
clothes. I don’t think I could be any more loyal to my
boss because he lent me money. I am not ready to be
blackmailed because I needed money once in my life.
I am not the one to be dependent on an employer. I
want to manage by myself and be free to change jobs
if need be.
LANGUAGE AT WORK
1. Les cinq catégories sont 2 voyelles « longues » [u:],
[:], 3 voyelles « courtes » [i], [u], []. On ajoutera la
semi-voyelle [w] qui aura sans doute été associée à
[u:].
[u:] menu, reduce, continue, computer.
[:] turnover, purchase.
[i:] business.
[] cut, stuck, customers, understand, budget.
[u] pull.
[w] persuade.
2. Le but et de déterminer le rôle des suffixes.
Un franchiseur / un franchise – un tuteur (formateur)
/ un stagiaire – un employeur / un employé – partir
en retraite / un retraité.
3. a. to raise. b. is rising. c. pay-rise. d. raised.
4. a. who. b. which. c. whose. d. that.
5. a. On dit que M. Bigari est un véritable patron,
il travaille côte à côte avec les smicards.
b. Durant la même période, sa marge bénéficiaire
s’est accrue de plus de trois points.
6. a. He wishes to reduce expenses (/cut costs)
by eliminating (/suppressing) paid vacations.
b. By opening credits the workers would improve
their standard of living.
c. Thanks to their boss, they had job security.
d. The workers had to be motivated in order to avoid
absenteeism.
e. He helped him/her open a bank account and buy
a computer on credit.
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