Which do you prefer to work for, a large company or a small company? (sociology)
☆Let’s
Think
1.
What are the
pros and cons of a large company? What about those of a small company?
2.
What
are you looking for in work? Is it only money?
☆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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
1. 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
2. As
stated earlier, smaller companies typically don't have as extensive of a
benefits package as
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
【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. I can hear the president making a phone call with
a client or talking to managers. 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. Sense of belonging is stronger when you work for 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, but if
you choose carefully, there are many good small companies that offer good
salary and benefits whose business is sound and long-lasting. I will find such
a company and enjoy working as a part of the intimate and smart team.
(176)
【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 socialization in the business world.
【Supporting Details】A sole proprietorship
is a family business. Even if the president is great, the company culture is
built on the president’s personal culture, which is a variant or and an anomaly
from the standard. In the worst-case scenario, the company may have some odd
rules based on the owner’s personal value. For example, I know many small
companies that 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 dislike 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 better-rounded than a small company.
(267
words)
DRAFT
