WHAT IS PUBLIC RELATIONS? - ENGLISH COURSE

A.    Pro and against written discourses; oral debates

People write and talk a lot during their lifetime. They write in order to express attitudes and thoughts for people who are not around them, to keep their ideas into a more fixed and organised form, to transmit information over ages. They talk with another person who is near them or in groups, in order to persuade, to confess or to express emotions.

A1. Comment upon the following basic concepts applied both to the written and to the oral communication, and give examples

Opinion - conception of your values and attitudes;

Argument - expression of a belief to be sustained by offering at least one reason for influencing a person/a group of persons over that fact;

Reason - link between pieces of information;

Definition - presentation of the key terms clearly, precisely, objectively;

Types of definitions - logical, figurative, developed;

How to define - by attributing features

by analysing parts

by comparing and contrasting

by giving examples

by formulating functions

Ways of persuading - arguments through definition

- arguments from cause to effect

- arguments through circumstances

- arguments through comparison

- arguments through proofs

- continuations of the other types

A2. Read the following pro and against discourses on the theme of the importance of hiding inside one's self in PR and try to write one opinion pro and one against on one of the topics indicated below:

a.     Ever since the birth of this field, Public Relations have been naturally linked to the idea of communication, and this ability of the PR practitioners has been continuously cultivated and speculated all through the short history of this activity. Yet, overwhelmed by this "fever" of communication, most of the PR specialists ignore a major compound of their success: the need of hiding inside one's self.

This concept may seem contradictory for the PR field only if wrongly associated with the idea of alienation. The fact is that hiding inside one's self, so much promoted in Antiquity by the great philosopher Seneca, is equal to the dissimulation of one's own ego, which means covering up one's true personality so as to create an appearance meant to serve one's purpose.

Regarded from this perspective, hiding inside one's self becomes a vital element in PR, as it paradoxically represents the very essence of the persuasion attempt. The explanation of this situation lies in the fact that the person who is to be persuaded must not be aware of the real thoughts and feelings of the PR agent, but only of those "truths" which serve the best the goals of a certain organisation. By the nature of his/her job, the PR practitioner is not allowed to promote his/her own image, but he/she is supposed to build up and represent the image of the organisation he/she works for. This extraordinary ability of dissimulation can only be achieved by means of hiding inside one's self.

As a conclusion of this short speech in favour of hiding inside one's self, it is remarkable how a famous adage, belonging to a great antique philosopher, has "lived" over so many centuries to prove itself still valid and become nowadays one of the main principles of a very modern activity - Public Relations. Hopefully, someday all PR practitioners will become aware of the importance of dissimulation, which does not restrict communication, but adapt it to a certain goal.

b. The short speech below is meant to plead for the absolute necessity of fighting against a psychic phenomenon, which stands for a real danger for the fluency of human communication and, consequently, threatens the Public Relations field, as well; this harmful phenomenon is known as hiding inside one's self.

Due to its specific role of immaterial link which creates and mediates all kinds of relationships between people, communication is considered nowadays to have been the most important condition for the evolution of the humankind, ever since its birth. Men and women are born to communicate, as they are both physically and spiritually endowed with this ability. Consequently, they are permanently involved into this interactive process, the purpose of which is getting accustomed to and informed about the world outside, on one hand, and becoming self-aware, on the other hand.

As for the Public Relations field, communication stands for the very essence of this activity, which means building up one's image by means of persuasion. Public Relations need communication to exist, therefore a good PR specialist must have a great ability to communicate. This is the reason why all the practitioners of this profession must be aware that their most dangerous common enemy is the so-called hiding inside one's self, which is the very opposite of communicating.

Life in the modern world, dominated by stress and tension, may, sometimes, give birth to the natural temptation of running away from the harmful world outside and hide inside one's self, in search of an ultimate refuge. Unfortunately, this apparent escape is hardly a solution for the person in trouble, as it doesn't actually lead to a peaceful living, but to gradual alienation. Hiding inside one's self means "enclosing" one's personality and this permanent state of mind is able to inhibit one's communication abilities step by step. Spiritually, such a person lives in a world of his/her own, dominated by solitude, which tends to reject any exterior influence and, finally, this person becomes unable to connect people and have normal relationships.

"Hide as you can inside yourself", as the great Latin philosopher Seneca advised, is the principle that "kills" communication, which is almost vital for all human beings and extremely important for the Public Relations field, as explained above. Therefore, unlike other people, the PR practitioner has never got the right to submit to this temptation of hiding inside his/her self, in order not to lose the communication abilities and become unsuitable for this job.

Suggested topics:

1.     Fantasy is worthier than knowledge.

2.     The pen is more powerful than the sword.

3.     Schools destroy the personality.

4.     The place of the woman is in the kitchen.

5.     The engine of society is selfishness.

6.     Marriage is an obstacle in personal development.

7.     Exams should be abolished.

8.     We live in an immoral world.

9.     Divide et impera.

10.  You'd better grow cabbage than roses.

A3. The oral communication differs from the written communication through the features mentioned below. Comment upon them and try to give examples.

a.     Oral communication is direct, that is the source and the receiver are placed in the same physical and mental environment, interacting without any obstacle. The advantage is the effectiveness of transmitting and decoding the message, because of the speed of the feedback; the disadvantage is the appearance of certain barriers like complexes, shyness, powerful position of one of the speakers.

b.     Oral communication is personal, all the speakers are present there in full personality, even if the link between them is formal. The non-verbal language sometimes unwillingly transmits even things which are censored by the speaker. The advantage is the possibility of a better understanding because of the empathy; the disadvantage is the need for a high degree of self control, as we can never direct vivid discussions.

c.      Oral communication is irreversible, it cannot be repeated. "Verba volant", says the Latin proverb. So, it is more flexible than written communication and the instant should be caught for convincing the others or negotiating with the others.

A4. Rules for a debate:

two teams of three members;

a referee;

a moderator;

a person who measures the time.

Conditions for the contest:

each member of each team talks once, first the heads of the groups, then the second member of each group, then the persons drawing the conclusions;

each speaker greets the audience, introduces himself/herself, expresses his/her point of view, with arguments, defines the key words in the argumentation, answers the counter-arguments of the opposite team;

the audience can ask questions after each intervention and the person who has been asked should answer briefly;

the moderator has the right to interrupt the speakers only if the rules are broken. The observations of the moderators and the referees are to become public in the end.

Try to exercise debate with your friends, on one of the topics mentioned above.

B. Infinitive and Gerund

In the exercises and texts above we often used Infinitive and Gerund. We should discuss in this part of the course the way in which they look and behave, the verbs requiring exclusively Infinitive or Gerund and the situations in which both of them can occur, but with differences in meaning.

B1. Let's compare the forms and usage of the Infinitive and Gerund.

Forms of the Infinitive:

Long Infinitive (with the particle "to"); e. g. to be, to have, to do;

Short Infinitive (without the particle "to"); used after the modal verbs (can, may, must, etc) and the causative verbs (to help, to make, to let; e.g.: He helps me do this.);

Split Infinitive (with an adverb between "to" and the verb; e.g.: to clearly understand).

Tense, aspect, voice of the Infinitive

The noun features of the Infinitive:

At the beginning of a sentence, the Infinitive can be a subject: To err is human.

After nouns, the Infinitive can be an attribute: He is not the man to do it.

After copulative verbs, the Infinitive can be a predicative: To see her is to like her.

Accusative with the Infinitive

Examples:

I know him to be clever = stiu ca e destept

to be reading now citeste

to have finished yesterday a terminat

to have been reading at seven citea

Nominative with the Infinitive

He                      is known to come today, tomorrow

is said to be reading now

seems to have finished yesterday

to have been reading at five

Gerund

Gerund can have the following functions:

Independent expressions: generally speaking.

Subject: Loving the children means being a good person.

Predicative: He stood gazing at the brightly lit shop windows.

Attribute: She looked at the children playing in the garden.

Complement: She heard somebody knocking at the door.

Verbs that compulsory require an Infinitive in the complement:

agree, appear, arrange, ask, claim, consent, decide, demand, expect, fail, hesitate, hope, intend, learn, manage, need, offer, plan, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, seem, tend, threaten, wait.

Example: I agree to come with you tomorrow - right

I agree coming with you tomorrow - wrong

Verbs and verb phrases that compulsory require an -ing form in the complement:

admit, appreciate, avoid, complete, consider, delay, deny, discuss, enjoy, finish, keep, mention, miss, postpone, practice, quit, recall, recommend, regret, risk, stop, suggest, tolerate, understand, approve of, be better off, can't help, count on, do not mind, forget about, get through, insist on, keep on, look forward to, object to, think about, think of.

Example: I am looking forward to seeing you - right

I am looking forward to see you - wrong

Verbs that admit both Infinitive and Gerund, but have differences in meaning:

B2. Exercises:

a.     Put the verbs in brackets at the correct Long or Short Infinitive:

1. He has decided (become) a mechanic. 2. Will you (come) to the theatre with me? 3. You ought (revise) for your exams this week. 4. We can (wait) for you here. 5. I saw them (cross) the street. 6. I asked her (repeat) the question. 7. I'd rather (wait) for you outside. 8. He is (return) tomorrow. 9. They were seen (compare) notes. 10. This book is too difficult for her (understand).

b.     Put the verbs in brackets at the correct Infinitive or Gerund:

1. I will remember (give) your mother your message. 2. I remember (meet) him at your birthday last year. 3. Please stop (interrupt) me in the middle of a sentence. 4. He stopped (talk) to his former pupils. 5. Did you forget (give) him that message? 6. I definitely recall (leave) my coat in this room. 7. I like (cycle). 8. I like (walk) in the rain. 9. I meant (tell) you, but I forgot. 10. He tried (sell) newspapers, (work) in a café and various other jobs before he took up (write).

B3. Translations:

a. 1. Sunt sigur ca argumentele mele o vor face sa se razgandeasca. 2. L-am sfatuit sa renunte la slujba aceea. 3. Am auzit-o pe Carolina cantand aseara la concert; nu m-am asteptat sa aiba o voce atat de frumoasa. 4. Le voi permite copiilor sa mearga la plimbare maine dimineata. 5. I-am cerut sa nu spuna nimanui ceea ce vedea acolo. 6. Nu are nici o scuza ca a intarziat. 7. Multumesc ca m-ai ajutat sa gasesc acest hotel. 8. Ei au insistat sa ma duc acolo in seara aceea. 9. Faptul ca ii stie numele este surprinzator. 10. Se gandeste sa participe totusi la acest concurs.

b. Ca, vezi, mintea e insetata de priceperea lucrurilor, de patrunderea tainelor; si osanda de a infrange aceasta sete, de a trai fara potolirea ei, insemna osanda de a te intoarce la una din formele trecute, de care natura n-a fost multumita, inseamna osanda de a ucide in tine tocmai insusirea cu adevarat si cu deosebire omeneasca. (I.Al.Bratescu-Voinesti - Cele mai vechi amintiri).

B4. a . Write about the future plans you have for your life and career, using as many Infinitive and Gerund forms as you can.

b. Write about things you should and things you shouldn't do (dos and don'ts) while sustaining a public speech.

C. What is public relations?

C1. Read, translate and comment upon the following text, explaining the role of the Pr specialist in the modern society. Discuss the key words and give examples of situations in which they can be applied effectively:

Humankind has at its disposal tools of communication so swift, so abundant, and so pervasive that their potential has not been fully comprehended yet. Messages flash around the world by satellite within seconds. Computers produce almost instantaneous calculations and pour out information at the rate of thousand of words a minute. Immense warehouses of information stored in electronic databases are available at the touch of a keyboard.

Yet in the midst of this information revolution, and in the general agreement that we live in a "global information society", misunderstanding, lack of comprehension and antagonism abound. Time after time, a crisis or conflict is caused by the failure to communicate effectively.

Research and analysis have also provided knowledge of the motivation behind individual behaviour, highlighting the dynamics of group conduct and the sociological factors that create conflict among different groups. Our tools and accumulated knowledge, however, far surpass our ability to harness the concepts for effective conflict resolution, negotiation and compromise among groups that take different sides on such varying issues as economic development and preservation of the environment, abortion, cigarette smoking, etc.

More than ever, nowadays the world needs not more information but more sensitive communicators who can explain the goals and methods of organisations, individuals and governments to others, in a socially responsible manner. Equally, these experts in communication and public opinion must provide their employers with knowledge of what others are thinking, to guide them in setting their policies wisely for the common good.

Patrick Jackson, a former president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and publisher of PR Reporter, makes the case for this role of the public relations field:

"As soon as there was Eve and Adam, there were relationships, and in every society, no matter how small or primitive, public communication occurs, needs and problems inevitably emerge and must be solved. Public relations is devoted to the essential function of building and improving human relationships."

People often define public relations by some of its most visible techniques and tactics, such as advertising in a newspaper, television interviews with the spokespersons of certain organisations, or the appearance of a celebrity at a special event. What people fail to understand is that public relations is a process involving many subtle and far reaching aspects. It includes research and analysis, policy formation, programming, communication towards and feedback from numerous publics. Its practitioners operate on two distinct levels - advisors for their clients and technicians who produce and disseminate messages in multiple media channels.

There have been formulated many definitions over the years, from the simple to the complex:

Good performance, publicity appreciated;

PR stands for Performance and then Recognition;

Doing good and getting credit for it;

"Public relations is the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics". ("The British Institute of Public Opinion", whose definition has been adopted in a number of Commonwealth nations);

"Public relations is the conscious and legitimate effort to achieve understanding and the establishment and maintenance of trust among the public on the basis of systematic research" ("Deutsche Public Relations Gesellschaft" of Germany);

"Public relations practice is the art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organisation leaders and implementing planned programmes of action which serve both the organisation's and the public's interest". (definition approved at "the World Assembly of Public Relations" in Mexico City in 1978 and endorsed by 34 national public relations organisations).

The key words to remember in defining public relations follow:

Deliberate. Pubic relations activity is intentional. It is designed to influence, gain understanding, provide information, and obtain feedback (reaction from those affected by the activity).

Planned. Public relations activity is organised. Solutions to problems are discovered and logistics are thought out, with the activity taking place over a period of time. It is systematic, requiring research and analysis.

Performance. Effective public relations is based on actual policies and performance. No amount of public relations will generate goodwill and support if the organisation is unresponsive to community concerns. A Pacific Northwest timber company, despite an advertising campaign with the theme "For Us, Everyday is Earth Day", became known as the villain of Washington State because of its insistence on logging old-growth forests and bulldosing a logging road into a prime elk habitat.

Public Interest. The reason for any public relations activity is to serve the public interest, and not simply to achieve benefits for the organisation. Ideally, the public relations activity is mutually beneficial to the organisation and the public; it is the alignment of the organisation's self-interests with the public's concerns and interests. For example, the Mobil Corporation sponsors quality programming on public television because it enhances the image of the company; by the same token, the public benefits from the availability of such programming.

Two-Way Communication. Dictionary definitions often give the impression that public relations consists only of the dissemination of informational materials. It is equally important, however, that the definitions include feedback from audiences. The ability to listen is an essential part of communication expertise.

Management Function. Public relations is most effective when it is part of the decision making of top management. Public relations involves counseling and problem solving at high levels, not just the releasing of information after a decision has been made. Public relations is defined by Denny Griswold, founder and owner of PR News, as " the management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an organisation with the public interest, and executes a programme of action (and communication) to earn public understanding and acceptance."

C2. Consider the following text about the roots of public relations as a model, summarise it and try to give other examples of the kind:

Public relations is a twentieth-century phenomenon whose roots extend deep into history; in a sense it is as old as human communication itself. In succeeding civilisations, such as those of Babylonia, Greece, and Rome, people were persuaded to accept the authority of government and religion through techniques that are still used: interpersonal communication, speeches, art, literature, stage events, publicity, and other such devices. None of these endeavours was called public relations, of course, but their purpose and their effect were the same as those of similar activities today.

For example, St. John the Baptist himself did superb advance work for Jesus of Nazareth.

Generating publicity for the Olympics in ancient Athens demanded the same skills as it did in 1984 in Los Angeles.Speech writing in Plato's time meant the same thing as it does today at Byoir; you must know the composition of your audience, never talk down to them, and impart information that will enlighten their ignorance, change their opinion, or confirm their own good judgements.

In the eleventh century, throughout the far-flung hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Urban II persuaded thousand of followers to serve God and gain forgiveness of their sins by engaging in the Holy Crusades against the Muslims. Six centuries later, the church was among the first to use the word propaganda, with the establishment by Pope Gregory XV of the College of Propaganda to supervise foreign missions and train priests to propagate the faith.

Businesses in the Republic of Venice in the latter half of the fifteenth century practised as fine an art of investor relations as IBM does in the United States in the latter half of the twentieth century: perhaps even finer since it was practised one-on-one, face-to-face, every day on the Rialto, just as it was under the spreading elm tree on Wall Street in the early days of the Stock Exchange.

The stories that the Spanish explorers publicised the never-discovered Seven Cities of Gold, and even the fabled Fountain of Youth, induced others to travel to the New World. Some of the explorers probably believed those stories themselves. Two more blatant deceptions - examples of actions unacceptable to public relations people today - occurred when Eric the Red, in A.D. 1000, discovered a land of ice and rock and, to attract settlers, named it Greenland; and when Sir Walter Raleigh in 1584 sent back glowing accounts of what was actually a swamp-filled Roanoke Island, to persuade other settlers to travel to America.

It is clear, then, that the idea of using all forms of human communication - drama and storytelling among them - to influence the behaviour of other people is nothing new.

C3. Translate the following text, think about the four models of public relations and try to make comments and give examples:

To aid in understanding the history of formal public relations as well as its practice today, Professors James E. Grunig of the University of Maryland and Todd Hunt of Rutgers: The State University of New Jersey have constructed four models of public relations. All four models are practiced today, but the "ideal" one - that in increasing use - is the two-way symmetric model. They explain their models in their 1984 book Managing Public Relations

Press Agentry/Publicity. Propaganda is the purpose, sought through one-way communication that is often incomplete, distorted, or only partially true. The model is sourcereceiver. Communication is viewed as telling, not listening, and little if any research is undertaken. P.T. Barnum was the leading historical figure during this model's heyday from 1850 to 1900. Sports, theater, and product promotion are the main field of practice today.

Public Information. Dissemination of information, not necessarily with a persuasive intent, is the purpose. The model is sourcereceiver. Research, if any, is likely to be confined to readability tests or leadership studies. Ivy Lee is the leading historical figure during this model's early development period from about 1900 into the 1920s. Government, nonprofit associations, and business are primary fields of practice today.

Two-Way Assymetric. Scientific persuasion is the purpose and communication is two-way, with balanced effects. The model is sourcereceiver with feedback ( to the source. Research is both formative, helping to plan an activity and to choose objectives, and evaluative, finding if the object has been met. Ivy Lee is the leading historical figure during the model's period beginning in the 1920s. Competitive business and public relations firms are the primary places of practice today.

Two-Way Symmetric. Gaining mutual understanding is the purpose, and communication is two-way with balanced effects. The model is groupgroup with feedback (. Formative research is used mainly both to learn how the public perceives the organisation and to determine what consequences the organisation has for the public, resulting in the counseling of management about policies. Evaluative research is used to measure whether a public relations effort has improved both the understanding publics have of the organisation and that which management has of its publics.

Edward L. Bernays, educators, and professional leaders have been the main historical figures of the two-way symmetric model, followed by some organisations since the 1960s and 1970s

Press Agentry/ Public Two-Way Two-Way

­­­­­­­­­­­­Purpose Propaganda Dissemination Scientific Mutual

of information persuasion understanding

Organisational Advocacy      Dissemination Advocacy Mediation

contribution of information

Nature of One-way; One-way; truth Two-way; Two-way;

communication complete truth important balanced balanced effects

not essential effects

Communication SourceRec. SourceRec. SourceRec. GroupGroup

model (Receiver)                feedback 

Nature of Little;                Little; Formative; Formative;

research "counting readability, evaluative of evaluative of

C4. Public Relations Literature. A measurement of the growth of public relations in the twentieth century also may be found in its literature. From 1900 to 1928, only two books with "public relations" in their titles were listed in the catalogue Books in Print. Landmark publications include the following books, magazines, reviews:

1902: "What Is Publicity?" by H.C. Adams, in the American Review. Perhaps the first magazine article dealing with public relations as a topic.

1915: Publicity and Progress, by H.H. Smith.

1920: Winning the Public, by S.M. Kennedy.

1922: Getting Your Name in Print, by Funk & Wagnalls, the dictionary publisher.

1923: Crystallizing Public Opinion, by Edward L. Bernays. The first book to reach a wide audience about how public relations can be used to shape public opinion.

1924: Public Relations: A Handbook of Publicity, by John C. Long.

1944: Founding of Public Relations Journal, the monthly magazine of the Public Relations Society of America.

1947: Practical Public Relations, by Rex Harlow and Marvin Black. Perhaps the first regular public relations textbook.

1949: Public Relations in Management, by J. Handly Wright and Byron H. Christian. The first attempt to link public relations with management.

1952: Effective Public Relations, by Scott Cutlip and Allen Center. The best-known basic textbook for many years.

Social Science Reporter, founded by Rex F. Harlow. The first newsletter in the field to emphasize the relationship between public relations and applied social science theory.

1955: Founding of Public Relations Quarterly.

Social Science in Public Relations, by Rex F. Harlow. The first book applying social science theory to public relations.

1970: Founding of IABC Communication World, monthly magazine of the International Association of Business Communicators.

1974: Founding of Public Relations Review, first quarterly refereed journal in public relations. By the Foundation for Public Relations Education and Research.

1976: Founding of IPRA Review, first magazine devoted to international public relations. By the International Public Relations Association.

1989: Founding of Public Relations Research Annual, edited by James E. Grunig and Larissa A. Grunig.

1992: Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, edited by James E. Grunig. The results of a massive research study sponsored by IABC that lays out a general theory of contemporary public relations.

Try to find at least one of the books and articles mentioned on the list, read it and write a summary of it. Try to compare the book you have succeeded too analyse with those of your colleagues. Can you notice an evolution of the printed materials in the field? In which way? How do you think the domain will evolve in the future?

D. Vocabulary Practice

D1.Do the following exercises:

a.     Combine the following sentences so that they should form a very short story:

Annie was a very good painter.

The street was quite empty.

Mr. Brown kept on saying: "Somebody has stolen my easel".

It was a cold winter night.

She painted only landscapes and ancient houses.

At last Mr. Brown left for a weekend in the mountains.

Annie entered the studio and took some of his brushes, a water colour box and the easel.

The story could not have a happy end.

He realised at once what had happened in his absence.

Mr. Brown was a gray-haired gentleman, black-spectacled and kind-hearted.

However, Annie kept silence.

In his youth, Mr. Brown had been a clever sketcher.

She was forced to tell the truth.

b.     Imagine a dialogue between Mr. Wakefield and his wife in the text below:

"Let us now imagine Wakefield bidding adieu to his wife. It is the dusk of an October evening. His equipment is a drab greatcoat, a hat covered with an oilcloth, top-boots, an umbrella in one hand and a small port-manteau in the other. He has informed Mrs. Wakefield that he is to take the night coach into the country. She would fain inquire the length of his journey, its object, and the probable time of his return; but, indulgent to his harmless love of mistery, interrogates him only by a look. He tells her not to expect him positively by the return coach, nor to be alarmed should he tarry three or four days; but at all events, to look for him at supper on Friday evening." ("Wakefield", by Nathaniel Hawthorne)

D2. Match the words listed below with the dictionary definitions which follow:

shareholders, dividends, strategic, tactical, expertise, eminent, frequently, obligations, remuneration, delegation, curtness, co-ordinate, diversify, objectives, take-over, integrity, executive, enterprise, administration, conflicting, majority, arbitrary, initiate, compliance, generalist.

1.     To avoid the situation where all the eggs are in one basket.

2.     Someone in a position of authority.

3.     An undertaking with a view to profit.

4.     The quality of being reliable and straightforward.

5.     Brevity to the point of rudeness.

6.     Payments made to those who own the equity of a company.

7.     To bring together effectively.

8.     The decision which chooses the direction in which the company is going.

9.     The part of a business concerned with day-to-day problems.

10.  Opposing or varying

11.  Meeting with the set requirements.

12.  Someone who is able to contribute to a business in a variety of its departments.

13.  Having a reputation in a particular branch of business, such as law.

14.  The sort of decision which is not based on facts.

15.  The opposite of rights.

16.  Targets or goals.

17.  To commence or start.

18.  More than half, for example, of votes cast.

19.  Part proprietors of a company. Those who collectively own the equity.

20.  Specialised skill or knowledge.

21.  A description for salary, usually reserved for more senior officers.

22.  The act of giving authority to one's subordinates, while retaining the responsibility for the outcome.

23.  The situation when a majority of a company's voting shares are acquired by outsiders.

24.  Occurring often.

25.  The decision which concerns using the resources which have been allocated to the best possible effect.

D3. Using the verbs to look for, to seek and to search, translate the following sentences into English:

a.     Cauta bine, sunt sigura ca l-am pus acolo!

b.     Ce cauti? Pot sa te ajut?

c.      Ei, ai gasit ce-ai cautat, ce sa-i faci!

d.     Hai sa cautam bine prin toate sertarele.

e.     La treizeci de ani Buddha a plecat in cautarea intelepciunii.

f.      O echipa de salvare a si plecat deja in cautarea echipajului pierdut.

g.     Dupa ce l-au cautat bine prin buzunare i-au dat drumul.

h.     Am scotocit toate hartiile degeaba, n-am gasit ce cautam.

i.       Te-am cautat prin multime dar nu te-am gasit.

j.       Se pare ca o cauti cu lumanarea, o s-o incurci!

Keep in mind the following expressions:

to look for trouble/work, to look for a needle in a haystack, to look for a mare's nest, to seek happiness/remedy/solutions/wisdom, to search for a book/a key, to search in many places for; search light, search party, search warrant; to search one's conscience/heart, to search after the truth, to search to the bottom.

D4. Find synonyms and opposites for the following words:

mobile, public, to confirm, to reveal, to distinguish, to decline, rashly, autocratically, decisively, purposefully.