Mass Production - раздел Образование, Учебное пособие по курсу «Анализ текста» For All That, Britain Emerged From The Second World War As The Second Biggest...
For all that, Britain emerged from the Second World War as the second biggest car producer and the biggest exporter in the world. Let’s see how management squandered that position.
What were the scale economies embraced by the US mass producers and balked at by the smaller UK companies? By the 1970s it is reckoned that engine blocks could be produced efficiently only at levels of a million a year. The pressing out of body panels required huge capital investment and two million a year needed to be made to be producing at least cost. By 1970 the minimum efficient size of a car plant was reckoned to be two million vehicles. The combined UK producers, by now called British Leyland, were producing 200,000 – 250,000 cars a year.
The economics of mass production meant that producing below capacity produced massive cost penalties in terms of expensive plant lying around unused.
By 1969 Ford had invested three times as much fixed capital behind the elbow of each of their car workers as British Leyland. Not surprisingly productivity in Ford was three times the BL level.
It wasn’t just the Americans. In 1965 the ‘average’ German car worker made 6.4 cars a year compared with 5.8 in Britain. In 1970 he made 7.5 and in 1976 he made 7.9. British car-making productivity actually fell over that period.
Sup-optimal levels of production increased costs – which hurt sales – which produced below capacity output in the factory – which hurt sales some more. And all the while the boss class made merry. British Leyland (now MG Rover) made £75 million between 1968 and 1975. £70 million was syphoned straight out by the shareholders. The bosses’ hands in the till is as British as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding
The decline of UK car manufacturing became evident after 1960. Critics blame the panic amalgamations in the 1960s for the decline. Actually they were a response to a rot that had already set in. Austin, Morris and all the UK producers collapsed together into a heap called, for a time, the British Motor Corporation. The 1964-70 Labour government encouraged amalgamation to produce a ‘national champion’ big enough to take on the global competition. It was already too late.
The 1968 merger left 48 factories scattered over the country. No real move to mass production was initiated. Rationalisation only reduced the number of engines from nine to three. Even marketing remained divided with separate ‘Austin’ and ‘Morris’ dealers selling an identical Mini, apart from the badge.
In 1975 British Leyland collapsed and was promptly bailed out by the Labour government. So what’s Blair’s problem?
Leyland was privatised by Thatcher in 1988. They managed to get rid of it to British Aerospace by writing off £150 million. In the 1980s BL, now called MG Rover, began to build links with Honda. It is a measure of decline that the British motor industry was now dependent for new models and cutting edge technology on Japanese industry, which had been a smoking ruin in 1945.
In the 1960s Lord Stokes of British Leyland, stated, ‘We don’t make motor cars, we make money.’ The firm he headed now makes neither.
I. Find in the text the English equivalents to the following Russian word combinations:
− контракты на вооружение
− вытеснять инновации
− сделать свои автомобили доступными (по средствам) населению
− производить собственными силами
− требовать больших капиталовложений
− несмотря на все это
− отказываться от чего-либо
− недостаточный уровень производительности
− тратить на другие нужды
− фабрики, разбросанные по всей стране
− поспешное слияние
− кроме самой марки
− спасать, выручать из беды
II. Translate the sentences into Russian:
1. In any case they lacked the vision of the likes of Henry Ford (a thoroughly nasty piece of work) who foresaw homes with a car on every drive, and laid plans for mass production accordingly.
2. Their preference for dividends over investment promoted a short term outlook within the firm.
3. The economics of mass production meant that producing below capacity produced massive cost penalties in terms of expensive plant lying around unused.
4. By 1969 Ford had invested three times as much fixed capital behind the elbow of each of their car workers as British Leyland.
5. The bosses’ hands in the till is as British as roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.
6. It is a measure of decline that the British motor industry was now dependent for new models and cutting edge technology on Japanese industry, which had been a smoking ruin in 1945.
III. Can you say that this text presents a particular viewpoint on the development of car industry in Britain? Or is it simply an objective statement of fact? Make conclusions about the country the author of the article belongs to. Find sentences in the text to support your opinion.
Государственное образовательное учреждение... высшего профессионального образования... Ивановский государственный энергетический...
Если Вам нужно дополнительный материал на эту тему, или Вы не нашли то, что искали, рекомендуем воспользоваться поиском по нашей базе работ:
Mass Production
Что будем делать с полученным материалом:
Если этот материал оказался полезным ля Вас, Вы можете сохранить его на свою страничку в социальных сетях:
Contents
Part 1: Effective Reading
Part 2: George Washington Carver: The Plant Doctor
Part 3: Emily Dick
Effective Reading
‘Why am I reading?’ is the first question an effective reader asks himself or herself, because how you read depends on your purpose. You may read to locate specific information, to
Skimming
Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read a newspaper, you’re probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you’re skimming the t
Scanning
Scanning is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what yo
Previewing
Previewing a text means gathering as much information about the text as you can before you actually read it. You can ask yourself the following questions:
Critical Reading
The purpose of critical reading is to accept or reject a writer's opinion. It involves gaining a deeper understanding of the material. Successful critical readers r
Guessing word meaning
There are various strategies that you can learn which will help you to deduce what a word likely means. Yes, you could just look them up in a dictionary; but, studies show that you
Making Inferences
Inferences are evidence-based guesses. They are the conclusions a reader draws about the unsaid based on what is actually said. Inferences drawn while reading are m
Vocabulary Practice
I. Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations and translate them into Russian.
1) to snatch (up)
2) kidnap(p)er
Legacy of George Washington Carver
Scientist Extraordinaire, Man of Faith, Educator and Humanitarian
As a botany and agriculture teacher to the children of ex-s
Vocabulary Practice
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− to outvie
− to abandon
− to be content
− (to write)
Mine-by the Right of the White Election!
Mine-by the Right of the White Election! Mine-by the Royal Seal! Mine-by the Sign in the Scarlet prison- Bars-cannot conceal! Mine-here-in Vision-and in Veto! Mine-by the Grave'
An American Renaissance.
I. Read the text and answer the questions:
1. What ideological border existed between the western and eastern parts of the country?
2. What were some young people disappointed by?
Quiz for Automobile Experts
1. When was the first automobile with internal combustion engine made?
a) in 1862
b) in 1872
c) in 1882
2. What was its engine po
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Choose a synonym from the text to the underlined words and word combinations.
1. The only further step required is to get rid of the idea of produ
James Smithson’s Gift
Read the text and answer the questions:
1 Do you think Mr. Smithson found a good way to dispose of his money?
2 What do you call people who donate
Ernest Hemingway: Tragic Genius.
Quiz for Literature Experts
1. What is ‘epigram’?
a) an ending, or an extra part after the end of a book or play
b) a short, funny, sharp
Vocabulary Practice
I. Find a synonym from the text to the underlined words and word combinations:
1) from time to time
2) to stress, to underline
3) freedom
4) sympathy
The Roaring Twenties.
The following are paragraphs of one text. Read them carefully and place them in the correct order. Explain your choice.
A In 1928 the American people electe
The Left Bank
References to the Left Bank have never lost their power to evoke the most piquant images of Paris. The Left Bank's geographic and cerebral hub is the Latin Quarter, which takes its name from the un
The Lost Generation
Though several stories conjecture on how the Lost Generation came to be called thus, the most plausible seems to be this: One summer in Belley, while Gertrude Stein's Ford auto was in need of some
Gertrude Stein - brief biography
Gertrude Stein (b. Feb. 3, 1874, Allegheny, Pa., U.S.--d. July 27, 1946, Paris) was an avant-garde American writer, eccentric, and self-styled genius, whose Paris home was a salon for the leading a
Vocabulary Practice
I. Fill in the right prepositions where necessary:
1. The strange behavior of the newcomer set him ... from the rest of the company.
2. Though his parents opposed
Crash and Depression
Read the first text and make its summary.
In the heart of New York City lies a narrow street enclosed by the walls of high office buildings. Its name is Wall Street.
The Bonus Army
In the spring of 1932 thousands of unemployed ex-servicemen poured into Washington, the nation’s capital. They wanted the government to give them some bonus payments that it
Architecture Periods Quiz
There are many architects, but few true architect geniuses. Genius is, afterall, quite exceptional. What is an architectural genius? A genius is someone who has an extraordinary knack for architect
Vocabulary Practice
I. Translate into English:
− строительный подрядчик
− чувство пространства
− оказывать огромное влияние на что-либо
−
Music Theory Quiz
Are you good at music theory? Not sure? Let’s see.
1. What does the letter “C” stand for in musical notation?
a) doh
b) me
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− unassuming
− unchallenged leader
− unaffected style
The Roots of Jazz
A number of regional styles contributed to the early development of jazz. Arguably the single most important was that of the New Orleans, Louisiana area, which was the first to be c
Vocabulary Practice
I. Translate the word combinations and sentences into Russian:
− wise sages from different world cultures
− to have a mean streak
− to s
Vocabulary Practice.
I. Find synonyms to the following words and word combinations:
− to capture
− to collaborate with
− to curtail
Sean Callahan
Margaret Bourke-White's persistence, combined with the prescience of Life picture editor Wilson Hicks, led her to a global scoop and another professional reincarnation: war photographer. W
Новости и инфо для студентов