GUIDE PÉDAGOGIQUE - Hachette

© Éditions Foucher
Zooming on (pp. 50-53)
pages 50-51
Un i t 5 ru n n i n G a co m Pa n y
Cette unité a pour but de sensibiliser les étudiants au monde de l’entreprise en les familiarisant
avec les différents types de sociétés, leur infrastructure, leur gestion, leur organisation, leur personnel
et leur quotidien. Production, expansion, diversification, mobilisation de moyens
donnent un panorama des objectifs ciblés par toute entreprise dynamique.
1. nose to the grindstone
1. This document is a drawing or rather a cartoon
designed by a French artist whose signature can be
seen in the bottom right-hand corner, J.F. Batellier, a
name that sounds French. It represents a big company
where many employees are at work. It is inside and
we can note several floors where clerks are sitting in
front of their computers.
On the top floor, there are two men talking together
while looking at the staff working. One man holds
a file labelled “DRH”, which is the French acronym
for “Direction des Ressources Humaines” that is to
say “Human Resources Management” in English. The
other man must be the manager and says “I have
a dream ..substituting them for Chinese workers or
machines but keeping them as clients”.
We can note that while his employees are working
hard, he keeps his hands in his pockets and
contemplates laying them off. He considers investing
in machines (computers, tool-machines) or hiring
Chinese workers at low cost in order to make more
money. But he also wants his workers to stay loyal and
buy his products. This drawing gives a bitter image
of the boss only interested in profit by any means. By
the way, if we look down at the bottom floor we can
also read “Panneau Syndical” at the top of a board
designed for Trade Union information.
2. The beginning of the caption reminds me of Martin
Luther King’s speech delivered on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial, Washington on August 28 th , 1963.
This reference sounds strange from the manager’s
mouth where he is ridiculed by the cartoonist.
3. The boss wishes to buy machines or hire Chinese
workers and replace his employees. He wishes he
could make more money. He wishes his former workers
would become his future customers. He wishes to pay
lower salaries. This caption reminds us of the saying
“You can’t have your cake and eat it”.
2. Small firms prefer flextime
1. Small firms prefer flextime to make life outside
work easier. For example, clocking in and clocking
out earlier can reduce the time a worker spends
commuting. Avoiding traffic-jams saves time, stress
and fuel, and proves to be profitable both for the
worker and the company.
Script de l’enregistrement
“I’m happy as long as there’s always someone here
to talk to customers. Small firms work like extended
families and have a lot of trust. I think it’s important
for people to have a life outside work. Small and
medium-sized businesses live or die by the quality
of their people and recruiting and retaining good
staff is essential. One of the reasons people like
to work for smaller firms is that they can have a
better quality of life. And if they have flexibility
around when they work, they are more likely to be
focused, motivated and productive. It’s important
that staff are flexible for the employer because it can
be difficult to accommodate suitable hours and man
the business at key times.”
The Mail on Sunday, January 28th , 2007.
1. The advantages this employer finds in flextime
work are the following:
• It makes the firm stay open longer.
• It increases the number of employees available at
any time.
• It strengthens the relationship between employees,
who know who is in charge of the firm at any time
of the day, and who are made responsible for their
choice.
Unit 5 – Running a company 35