1, What does agility mean in case of companies? Does it refer to only software or IT companies? How is your company’s ability to react to changes? How often do you adapt changes? How can you create an agile culture? (connection to size, hierarchy, rules) How can you get information about the trends?
Agile has become one of the most widely used buzzwords in the corporate vocabulary as companies compete to be seen as savvy digital operators in a rapidly evolving business landscape. As is often the case, however, the hype has only served to confuse its real meaning and value. An over- eagerness to self-identify as agile has created fake agile among companies that misunderstand or downright ignore the true application of agility for marketing kudos.
Often all they’ve really done is adopt some new technology. True agility, however, is cultural. It’s a culture that expects, tolerates and nurtures constant change. Importantly, it embraces devolved responsibility so innovation can flourish from the bottom up. Those developing customer features need to be obsessively learning about their target audience, be empowered to make decisions, and have the capability to evaluate and then repeat the process as necessary.
An agile company can react quickly to change through pre- established processes which enable it to assimilate new information quickly and incorporate learnings back into its products or customer experience almost instantaneously. Agility requires teams to be empowered. This demands trust, which in turn takes time. For executives, the hardest lesson is learning to hire talented people, then recognising when to get out of their way.
An agile company can react quickly to change through pre- established processes which enable it to assimilate new information quickly and incorporate learnings back into its products or customer experience almost instantaneously. Agility requires teams to be empowered. This demands trust, which in turn takes time. For executives, the hardest lesson is learning to hire talented people, then recognising when to get out of their way.
“It’s not uncommon for a company to experience a contradiction where programmers employ agile software development techniques, while the wider organisation cannot provide adequate agility to support the programmers in achieving their goals or even effectively evaluate whether the project is worth continuing.”
It is important to remember, though, that agility is relative. Each organisation must test the boundaries of how far it can adopt agile practices. Mr Holt notes his previous company, for example, moved its flagship software product to quarterly software releases, which was deemed as much change as the customers could tolerate. Trainline, meanwhile, makes more than 300 changes every week to improve the customer experience.
Real agility cannot be purchased off the shelf. It is about continuously searching for innovative solutions to problems and implementing them rapidly and efficiently. Agile businesses focus on the results new technologies or processes offer, while remaining alert to changes that open new opportunities.
Fake agility happens when companies only attach the principle to current working practices, which does not shift attitudes to working culture.” Agile means embracing change and reacting quickly to market changes by nurturing highly collaborative, empowered and cross- functional teams. Many people associate agile with a lack of control or management, a chaotic free for all with no plan. In reality, by nurturing collaboration and stripping back bureaucracy and unnecessary processes, companies can enable small, regular increments with short feedback loops. The increments are regularly inspected and adapted against the overall goals and, as those goals evolve, the iterative nature of the work means strategy and direction can be changed easily, allowing customers to benefit sooner. If companies fail to nurture this mindset across all disciplines, teams can become impeded and lose vital feedback. It’s about stripping everything in your business back to see where the bottlenecks are and implementing simple ways of working that are most efficient and effective for your business, and giving individuals the confidence and ability to make change happen. “
“If implemented effectively, true agility shifts the business pace. Processes become more seamless, teams work in tandem more effectively, product quality improves and therefore so does client satisfaction. Agility enables results to be achieved faster and revenue to increase, helping businesses to achieve the ultimate goal of growth.”
True or False?
1, A lot of companies would like to adapt to the new trends but sometimes they are overenthusiastic and haste the whole process.
2, Empowerment is necessary if a business would like to be agile.
3, Managers have to be in control of the whole process if they want to transform their businesses.
4, Agility means innovating at whatever cost.
5, Agile businesses cannot be self sufficient.
6, Agility requires a control-free rule free and hierarchy free working environment.
7, Agile businesses are ready to constantly scrutinize and reinvent their own operations.
8, Agility allows a quicker and smoother workflow.
1-H, 2-I, 3-H, 4-H
5-I, 6-H, 7-I, 8-I
kudos: hírnév, dicsőség
devolve: átharít, átruház
iterative: ismétlődő
impede: gátol, akadályoz
2, Not many of us look forward to spending our last days in a care home. Highprofile collapses and negative publicity, not to mention steep costs, have increased the need for alternatives to residential care among a rapidly ageing population. But how can we achieve peace of mind in our later years? Large-scale retirement villages have taken off in a big way in recent years. There are more than 100 in the UK alone, each usually comprised of 100 or more properties. 1,
Meals and personal care are sometimes factored in within care packages and costs are tailored to the resident. It is possible to buy, rent or take up a property on a shared ownership basis and the equity from your main property will usually stump up the funds for this often attractive alternative to residential care. The advantages to this solution are many. Perhaps your friends have passed? Here you’re bound to find someone you get along with. 2
But you may not wish to be removed from your social circle and family. Then there’s the artificiality of a constructed “village”. And with comfortable facilities and on-site care, you would imagine they are fairly expensive and you’d be right. Also, there are exit fees to consider. This polite terminology refers to the dissolution of the property in the event of your death or moving out, 3
One idea that has gained traction from Scandinavia is co-housing, which does sound rather hygge, or cosy, as well as smart. The idea is that several older people group together and create a suitable dwelling, sharing chores as well as, in some cases, meal times and social activities. As an alternative to residential care, it all sounds rather enticing. There are people to spend your time with. It’s not as expensive as a retirement village or as intense as a care home. But what of the cons? The most obvious is the lack of privacy. 4
Also many of these dwellings have rules which can feel a bit draconian, especially if you have lived independently for many years. However, with many of these communities committed to sharing resources and reducing the need for social services, this alternative to residential care is something of a winner when it comes to the ethical choice. Sweden-based Kerstin Kärnekull, architect and member of the research group Living in Community, notes that there are too few of these models, despite a rise in interest. This is no doubt due to the economic model which cannot match the returns of some other alternatives. “The sad thing is that the housing sector doesn’t see the potential, yet,” says Ms Kärnekull. Maria Brenton at Older Women’s Co-Housing echoes Ms Kärnekull’s frustrations. She notes there are currently too many obstacles when it comes to getting these projects off the ground in the UK. Why? She says it is down to: “A mixture of reasons: local authorities or pure ageism is a compelling one,” she says. “5
In-home smart technology, a mere fantasy ten years ago, is one solution gaining traction. There are now older people living in familiar surroundings and utilising the benefits of connected homes, alongside a part-time human presence. Some of these technological advancements are now fairly commonplace, such as an emergency lifeline in case of a fall, for example. But the one innovation which is most in the spotlight is that of the care robot. It sounds futuristic, but it has been catching on particularly in Japan with one Tokyo care home using 20 of these machines. 6
And with approximately 10.7 million people in the UK forecast to be living alone by 2039, according to the Offi ce for National Statistics, will these independent baby boomers want to make the leap to retirement village and co-housing camaraderie? The sheer affordability of this option cannot be disregarded. It sounds especially tempting compared to the high cost of other alternatives to residential care, and offers some escape from administrative effort and complicated estate planning. Also, if you do not wish to be uprooted at a time in life when change can be difficult, it all sounds rather promising. But technology can be difficult to operate. It can also malfunction. 7
As a full-time companion and carer, it could all take on a bit of a lonely, artifi cial tone. However, with current demographic trends in Western societies, this may be the option many of us will have to consider in the future, whether we like it or not.
.
a,Yes, co-housers have their own room, but this is not much use if you are having a dinner-time dispute.
b, And you can’t really have that much of a chat with a robot, exchange memories, engage in crafting sessions or enjoy shared meal times.
c, The village-style scheme also suits people who wish to continue living a reasonably independent life
d, The necessary human functions that come under the umbrella of personal care are still beyond any robot, however, and this is where the human care element will come in.
e, Competing pressures for social care budgets, central government funding cuts and backward mindsets, all stand in the way of this winning idea of meeting an alternative to residential care.”
f,with several retirement villages receiving criticism for the hefty percentages they slap on.
g, There are a variety of housing styles with a range of facilities, some of which reach luxurious standards with sauna, spas and libraries
1-g, 2-c, 3- f, 4- a, 5- e, 6- d 7-b
stump up: leszurkol, kifizet
gain traction: feldübörög, lendületbe jut
enticing: csábító, vonzó
3, Grammar
Translate the sentences using participle fprms when it is possible!
Láttam, amint közeleg a vihar
Mivel el voltam foglalva a munkával, nem tudtam velük találkozni
Mivel a felesége bátorította, kitartott.
Miután több éve dolgozott a cégnél, mindenkit ismert.
A csésze, ami tejjel volt megtöltve, ott állt az asztalon.
Mivel gazdag családba született, mindene megvolt.
Miután leparkolta az autóját bement a bíróságra.
Miután már néhány kilométert lefutott, rájött, hogy valahol elhagyta a kulcsát.
A szófán fekve nézték a TVt.
Miután ellopta a cég pénzét, a vezérigazgató elhagyta az országot.
Finish the sentence halves!
1, If we knew more about the facts,….
2, Although there are a lot of questions concerning 9/11….
3, Like many other multinational companies..
4, The CEO is accused of..
5, He did not manage……………..
6, We felt like….
7, We had better
8, I would have appreciated..
9, There will be downsizing if…
10, Due to the freezing cold…
.
Correct the mistakes!
Nobody did not come to work as the workers walked out.
If he will come home from the UK, he will have to find a job in Hungary.
It is worth to try it.
He has never been operated during his childhood.
Neither of the 5 candidates proved to be suitable for the position.
The boss made the employees to work overtime.
The conferences are usually kept in this hall.
He is good in selling.
I am sorry for keep you waiting.
He will fail unless he does not start studying.
Translate:
Nem vagyunk képesek így hatékonyan dolgozni.
El akarják veletek hitetni, hogy ennek nem lesz következménye.
Nem kellett volna felmondanod.
Mióta tudod ezt?
Őt tartják a legnagyobb szakembernek a témában.
Bárcsak többet tudnék tenni érte.
Ez az egyik legfejlettebb verzió, nem is hasonlít az előző modellre.
Azok az emberek, akik a vegyiparban dolgoznak, folyamatosan ki vannak téve veszélyes és mérgező anyagoknak.
A polgármester bejelentette, hogy nem fog indulni a választáson így a másik jelölt nyerte meg a választásokat.
Megkérdezték tőle miért nem tett többet a településért.
I saw the storm approaching.
Being occupied with work I could not meet them.
Encouraged by his wife he persevered.
Having worked for the company for many years he knew everybody.
The cup filled with milk was ont he table.
Born into a rich family he had everything.
Having parked his car he went to the court.
Having run a few kilometers he realised that he had lost his key somewhere.
Lying ont he sofa they were watching TV.
Having stolen the company’s money the CEO left the country.
1..we could make a better decision.
2, ..people usually believe that it was a terrorist attack.
3, ..ours is also suffering from the shortage of workforce.
4, ..having offshore accounts.
5,…to persuade the customers.
6, ..exercising so we went to the gym.
7, ..think it over
8,…if somebody had come to meet me at the airport.
9, …the company keeps receiving less and less orders.
10,…we opted for holding the family day in a covered hall
Nobody came to work..
If he comes home…
It is worth trying it.
He was never operated..
None of the 5 candidates…
The boss made the employees work.
The conferences are usually held…
He is good at…
I am sorry for keeping you waiting.
…unless he starts studying.
We are not able to work effectively in this way.
They want to make you believe that it will not have consequences.
You should not have handed in your notice.
How long have you known that?
He is considered to be the biggest expert int he topic.
I wish I could do more for him.
This is one of the most developed version, it is not even similar to the previous model.
People working int he chemical industry are continuously exposed to hazardous and toxic materials.
The mayor announced that he would not run for the elections so the other candidate won the elections.
He was asked why he hadn’t done more for the settlement.