Which do you prefer to work for, a large
company or a small company? (Sociology)
☆Let’s Think
1.
What are the disadvantages
of a large company? What about those of a small company?
2.
Why do you
work? Do you work
only for
money? What do you want in life and how your
job relates to it?
Note: Purposes
of working are as follows: escape from precarious life, social contribution,
independence, full-filling family life, hobbies, personal growth, experience, health,
stability, excitement, etc.
☆Hints for Points
The
following ideas about the advantages and disadvantages of a large company and a
small company are taken from the website of Lifehacker.
The
Advantages of a Big Company
You
Have More Obvious Structure
When
you enter a large company, you're taking part in a machine that's been around
for a long time. As such, there is typically an established way of doing
things. As soon as you walk in, you will know what your job is, how you fit
into your department and over time you'll even learn the obvious pathways for
promotions.
The
Benefits Packages Are Better
Larger
companies, in general, are better about providing benefits like health
insurance or retirement plans. The smaller a corporation's revenue is, the less
likely it can afford to pay for benefits.
You
Can Switch Job Without Leaving
Large
companies need a lot of people working a wide variety of jobs to operate. While
your specific role may be specialized, it's possible to change positions and
explore a new area without leaving the company.
The
Problems at a Big Company
Changes
Happen Slowly
Shaking
things up at a big company can take a lot of time. Even if your company is
open to new ideas, getting your department to move to a new model or create a
product can take a lot of time.
You
Won't Know Some Coworkers
No
matter how social or friendly you are, if you work in a company with hundreds
or even thousands of employees, it will be impossible to know everyone.
Inevitably, some aspect of your job will be affected by someone you've never
met. It may be the CEO, the head of payroll, or the legal department, but
someone will make a decision that determines how you work and it may be
difficult or even impossible to speak to that person directly.
Your
Fulfillment Can Be Determined by Your Surroundings
A
related problem is that your success and happiness can be determined by where
you are placed within the company. Working with a dysfunctional group can bring
down the quality of your work, despite your best efforts. It may even affect
your ability to move up in the company.
The
Advantages of a Small Company
Your
Success is Visible
Unless
you work near the top, accomplishing something significant at a large company
will probably never reach the ears of the CEO. At a small company, however,
great work can be seen by everyone. This makes it easier to distinguish
yourself with certain skills. Your actions are also more significant.
Your
Company is More Agile
Being
able to work closely with all of your coworkers doesn't just mean they can see
you. You also have access to a lot more of the company's moving parts. Being
able to speak directly to your upper management and voice concerns or pitch
ideas can result in much faster movement. What may take days or weeks of
submission and approval processes at a big company may take knocking on your
boss's door at a small one.
Your
Responsibilities May be More Varied
In
a smaller company, you may be required to exercise a different skill set
without leaving your desk. Especially in a startup environment, you may be
called on to fulfill more roles outside a narrowly-defined job description. One
day you're working in Photoshop, the next you're diagnosing PC problems, and by
Friday you're updating the company website. If you like using a variety of
skills without changing jobs, a smaller company may be more suited to you.
The
Problems at a Small Company
Your
Failure is Visible
When
you make a mistake. Obviously, a good employee would want to minimize failure
regardless of who can see, but it never feels good when the majority of your
coworkers all know when you've made a mistake.
The
Benefits Package Are Smaller
As
stated earlier, smaller companies typically don't have as extensive of a
benefits package as larger companies.
There
May Be No Legal or HR Departments
Small
companies often don't get around to setting up things like legal or human
resources departments until they've been established for a while.
☆Sample Answers for Ideas and Expressions
Sample A
【Main Idea】My morale will be higher if I work for a
small company.
【Supporting Details】By
working in a small company, I can see the whole operation of the company. I
can hear the president making a phone call to a
client or talking with the vice president.
Then I can learn how the business is going or what will happen to a particular
project. In
a big company, I work in a small team, which is divided into individual
cubicles. My boss may explain how our job is related
to the whole operation of the company, but it is difficult to feel that I am
part of it. Compared to
that isolating environment, sense
of belonging is stronger in
a small company, and this will be a great incentive for me to work hard.
【Counterargument-treatment】As Alex says, stability of a large
company is attractive as small businesses are vulnerable to competitions and economic
downturns. However, there are many established small businesses that offer good
salary and benefits. I would like to look carefully and find such a company to
enjoy working in an intimate and motivation environment.
【Counterargument-treatment】I consider that the quality of life depends
largely on health and relationships and I believe that a small company provides
me with both. (209)
Sample B
【Main
Idea】While
the dynamics of small companies is attractive, I would like to work for a large
company not only for stability but also for career advancement.
【Supporting Details】A sole proprietorship is a family business. Even if the president
is great, the company culture is built on the president’s philosophy, which is usually a variant or and an anomaly from the standard.
It could be wonderful, but it could have
problems. In the worst-case scenario, the company may
have some odd rules based on the president’s personal value. For example, there are small companies assign only female workers
or foreign workers to bathroom-cleaning. A large established company follows
the international business culture, and thus it
is freer from such discrimination. Although I
don’t mind cleaning bathrooms, I would rather learn the universal business protocols and
ethics by working in a big company.
【Counterargument-treatment】It is true that a small company allows you to
gain experience in different areas of the business as Emma says, and this makes
you resourceful. However, when it comes to changing jobs or becoming independent, career at a small
firm can be disadvantageous, because the business is in such a niche that it
would be difficult to find another company or make a spin-off company in the
same area. On the other hand, a large company has many affiliates and
subsidiaries in various industries, and thus you will experience various areas
of the industry unless you stay in the same department for
decades, and it makes it easier to find a new job later.
【Conclusion】All in all, I expect a large company will
make me more
well-rounded than a small company.
(272 words)
Write your draft. Then read each other’s draft, asking questions and
making counterarguments.
DRAFT
