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JOBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

They say we live in a global village today. They speak about global needs and global ways to meet them. They often talk global responsibility and they often lay it at global doors these days. People interact globally every single day, every single hour, every single minute: right now as I am typing these lines on my laptop seated nicely comfortably in my red chair facing the white wall in my living room in Romania I could as well be chatting with my friends in yoming or laughing my head off as I am receiving one by one some funny photos shot late last night at my cousin!s wedding party in "rance which unfortunately I missed. #s the internet e$plosively develops, we are all becoming more aware that indeed they are right % we are after all the global villagers. &ut do global villagers speak all a global language' (es, )ir*They do*They all speak +nglish. +nglish plays a crucially central part in the global village and it has become the global language we all make e$tensive or global use of whenever we need to communicate with other people worldwide. In order to become one of the global us, one has to speak +nglish. ,any of us speak +nglish today % for most of us +nglish is not the first language. #ctually we learn +nglish as a second language to talk to other people who themselves learn it as a foreign or second language. &ut are we, global villagers, learning +nglish as the &ritish or the #merican speak it' It is definitely not whether we can learn to speak +nglish as the &ritish do or as the #merican do or not, but whether we need to learn it as they speak it in their countries that is the burning .uestion* Isn!t it more appropriate to learn global +nglish, I wonder*/ust imagine a businessperson from Romania who is working in a 0oint venture with a businessperson from 1enmark % burning .uestion here : what difference does it make if they speak &ritish +nglish or #merican +nglish' Idiomatic usage is fortunately not an issue in this situation. 2uckily enough I am not aiming at a global learning audience here - my job as an +nglish teacher in an +nglish non%speaking community in Romania is in fact a constant endeavour not to burn the candle at both ends. 3ence heavy responsibility lies with me: on the one hand, I teach students +nglish as a second language to use it in situations such as above in which they are 4 will be part of an +nglish non%speaking business community whose needs of communication are enabled by use of +nglish. 5n the other hand, some of the students could become part of an +nglish speaking business culture and therefore I should be able to translate their local into global needs. Tough 0ob, terrible responsibilities* hat about you or the others'

I am a teacher. I am Romanian. My job as a teacher is to teach English. Im in education.

7. ,ake up sentences about your job as above:

I am a/an I come from My job as a/an is to Im in LANGUAGE NO E e use a 8 0ob title phrase beginning with a consonant. e use an 8 0ob title phrase beginning with a vowel. e also use in 8 type of work . 9. #sk your partners .uestions about themselves: What do you do? What are you responsible for? What do you deal in? Where do you come from? II 7. +ach of the following lines contains a spelling mistake. "ind it and provide the right solution. a. +nglishman - +nglish - +nglend - +nglishwoman b. "ranse - "rench - "renchman - "renchwoman c. :erman - :ermenia - :ermanic - :erman d. 3ungarian - 3ungarie - 3ungarian - 3ungarian e. Italian - Italie - Italian - Italianate f. )pain - )pannish - )paniard - )panish g. 3oland - 1utch - 1utchman - ;etherlands h. &ritish - :reat &ritaine - &rit - &ritannic i. 1enmark - 1anish - 1aine - 1anish 0. )weden - )weed - )wedish % )weden

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LANGUAGE NO E #ll countries, nationalities =e.g. Romanian and not > romanian? and languages begin with a capital letter. hen referring to an individual or several people from a particular country we use a and the: e.g. He is an German sales manager. // he Germans are famous for their punctuality.

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!"real is a !rench company. he head#uarters are in !rance. rite two similar sentences about each of these

hat about these companies' companies. I&, Procter @ :amble +ricsson ;estle Perrier )aab Phillips "ranke 5livetti ;okia 3onda )iemens Aanussi hirlpool Rolls%Royce

B. hat countries belong to the +C' Provide e$amples of companies from these countries.

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!A" #O$ ;aming and greeting represent important aspects of the business practice. In +nglish, when giving or writing your name it is advisable to put the first name before the surname, even if it is not what you normally do. hen talking to or writing to someone whom you do not know well it is always wise to use the surname: e.g. I agree $ith Mr %urt and not > I agree $ith Mr &etru. It all depends on people and circumstances to start using first names. In the D)# it is common to use the first name relatively .uickly. 'ir or Madam are used in everyday speech if people wish to put themselves in a position of inferiority: e.g. Would you li(e something to drin() 'ir? ,s - pronounced 4mE4 % is often preferred when the marital status of a woman should not be revealed. hen meeting someone for the first time it is customary to say Ho$ do you do? The reply will always be Ho$ do you do? People also say &leased to meet you. If someone asks Ho$ are you?% he4she wants to know about your health and mood. #mong the common replies we include the following: *ine) than(s. // +ery $ell. // "%.// 'o so. //,$ful. In formal situations the reply should be always positive even though we feel terrible. :reetings usually depend on the time of day and social conte$t: among relatively %ormal greetings we mention the following: Dp to 79: Good morning. "rom 79 to F pm: Good afternoon. "rom F pm to about 7< pm: Good e-ening. #nd finally: Goodbye. It $as -ery pleasant meeting you. In the small hours or when leaving someone in the evening: Good night.

In%ormal greetings include the following: Hi. // Hello // Morning and 'ee you.// 'o long.// ,ll the best.// a(e care.// /ye.

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III hat do these people do' hat is their hea-y res&onsibility' Dse the correct verb forms. Choose the best word from the bo$ below.

translate serve take work type 0udge control audit buy sell receive write

# magistrate ** cases in the lowest courts. # managing director **the company!s business operations. # stockbroker * stocks for clients. (

' ((((( ' (((((( ' (((

' #n interpreter **from one language to another. ((( ' # waiter ** customers! orders. ' # sales representative **products to distributors or customers. ( ' # receptionist ** clients in an office. ' # shop assistant ** customers in a shop. GGG ' #n auditor ** accounts. ((( ' # secretary **letters. GGGG' # desk clerk ** in a hotel or in a shop. '
# 0ournalist ** articles for newspapers. ((

((( (((((( (((( ((( ((((((( (( (( ( ((((

Hint0 he smiling faces -ertically hide t$o $ords that describe the meeting at $hich you are as(ed #uestions in order to find out if you are suitable for a certain position you ha-e applied for in a company.

LANGUAGE NO E e use the &resent sim&le tense to talk about general or permanent activities. the ending )s in the third person singular. e use

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IH CongratulationsI If you are reading this, it means that you have successfully guessed all the verb forms above and the two words hidden by the smiling faces and now you are getting ready for that important meeting. 3ere are some tips on such .uestions and answers. hen you walk in the room it is important to make a first good impression on the interviewer since it could have a great influence on the rest of your meeting. It is important that you introduce yourself, shake hands, and are friendly. 7. Practice introducing yourself. *o+ do you do, My names -*ello. Let me introduce mysel%. Im -*ello. Allo+ me to introduce mysel% -Then the interviewer moves on to the brea(ing the ice general .uestions. 9. 1on!t be surprised and reply to the following using the PR+)+;T )I,P2+ T+;)+: *o+ are you today, .hat do you thin/ o% the +eather, LANGUAGE NO E e use the &resent sim&le to refer to present activities which are true in the present period of time and which, for all we know, may continue indefinitely. In other words, this is the situation as it stands at present. Talking about your .ualifications and e$perience is the most important part of any job inter0ie+. hat do they mean by 1uali%ications' 2uali%ications include your education from 3igh )chool on to any special training you may have done in the past. Remember that your education took place in the past. (ou need to use the P#)T )I,P2+ T+;)+.

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B. Complete the following: I attended -- %rom -- to -I graduated +ith a degree in -Talk also about the following: Refer here to any training courses that you attended such as computer courses, accounting courses. = Dse the P#)T )I,P2+ T+;)+? ,ake sure you mention your +nglish studies. #ssure your employer that you are continuing to improve your +nglish skills by any courses that you are attending, or by saying that you are studying a certain number of hours a week to improve your skills. =Dse the PR+)+;T C5;TI;D5D) T+;)+?

J. If you are currently a student, use the PR+)+;T C5;TI;D5D) T+;)+: I am currently studying at -I am also im&ro0ing my English s/ills by studying - LANGUAGE NO E e use the &resent continuous tense to talk about temporary activities in the present. e do not use the &resent continuous with the following verbs: Herbs of the senses : %eel3 hear3 see3 smell and also notice3 obser0e Herbs of feelings and emotions : admire = in the sense of res&ect?, a&&reciate3 care %or3 desire3 detest3 disli/e3 %ear3 hate3 li/e3 li0e3 mind3 0alue3 +ant3 +ish Herbs of mental activity : agree3 assume3 belie0e3 e4&ect3 %eel sure 5 certain3 %orget3 /no+3 mean3 &ercei0e3 realise3 recognise3 remember3 understand Herbs of possession : belong3 o+e3 o+n3 &ossess hat do they mean by e4&erience' E4&erience refers to any work you have done that is directly or indirectly related to the 0ob you are applying for and is the most important topic of any 0ob interview. It is essential to e$plain what e$perience you have in detail. This is not the time to be modest. &e confident, and talk freely about your accomplishments in past employment.

hen you talk about your past employers use P#)T T+;)+ to make it clear that you are no longer working for that company.

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LANGUAGE NO E e use the &ast tense to indicate an activity which occurred at a specific time in the past and it is now finished. K. "ill the gaps by using the past tense forms of the verbs in the brackets: a. I ** as a receptionist at the 3ilton while I was living in &ucharest. =work? b. hen he ** in &russels two years ago he ** a 0ob as a waiter in an Irish pub. =live, have? c. #s a desk clerk at the /ackson!s she ** customers. =serve? d. hen I ** as a stockbroker back in 7666 I ** and ** shares. =work, buy, sell? e. #s a marketing director at the &enson!s he ** recommendations about future market strategies. =make? f. hen she ** in charge of the overseas sales as an overseas sales manager from 766L to 9<<< she ** contracts with overseas agents and distributors. =be, negotiate? hen you talk about your current employment be careful to use the PR+)+;T P+R"+CT )I,P2+ T+;)+ to refer to tasks you have accomplished in the past and the PR+)+;T PR+"+CT C5;TI;D5D) T+;)+ to talk about the tasks that you are still performing at your current 0ob. LANGUAGE NO E e use the &resent &er%ect sim&le to indicate an activity at some non%specific time in the past with an impact or result in the present or future, e.g. past employment leads to e$perience gained which has a positive impact in the present. e use the &resent &er%ect continuous when we are interested in an activity that started in the past and continues to the present, e.g. past task fulfilment continues to the present. F. Talk about your current employment as in the e$ample below. Refer to tasks you have accomplished =a? and tasks you are still performing =b?. +$ample: =a? &rocter 1 Gamble ha-e employed me for the last three years as a sales person. =PR+)+;T P+R"+CT )I,P2+ T+;)+? or I ha-e $or(ed as a sales person for &rocter 1 Gamble for the last three years. =PR+)+;T P+R"+CT )I,P2+ T+;)+? and

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=b? I have been creating customer contacts for three months. =PR+)+;T PR+"+CT C5;TI;D5D) T+;)+? L. Choose the best word to complete the sentences: a. b. c. d. e. hen the interviewer 4 you 4 your employer walk in the room it is important to make a first good impression on the interviewer. It is important that you introduce yourself, break 4 shake 4 take hands, and are friendly. The interviewer moves on to the breaking 4 melting 4 making the ice general .uestions. Mualifications include your studies 4 education 4 courses from 3igh )chool on to any special training you may have done in the past. +$perience refers to any work you have done that is directly or indirectly related to the 0ob you are demanding 4 applying for 4 offering.

8. Complete the following sentences by using the PR+)+;T P+R"+CT )I,P2+ and C5;TI;D5D) of the verbs in the brackets: a. 3e *** as a pro0ect coordinator for Holkswagen for five years. 3e *** a 0oint venture pro0ect with ;issan for the last si$ months. =work, coordinate? b. I *** with "ranke for three years since I graduated. #s an area sales manager I ***all kinds of people lately and I could tell you this is e$actly what I like doing. =be, meet? c. They ** the company since they got married in 7666 and they *** together in the Personnel 1epartment. They *** the monthly training courses for the last two years. =0oin, work, supervise? d. )he *** a good 0ob ever since she was taken on in the Research and 1evelopment 1epartment seven years ago. It was mainly due to her team!s work that our company *** so much. )he *** a completely new environmentally%free product development system for the last two weeks. =do, accomplish, introduce? The job s/ills you have ac.uired in the past with past employers may not match the skills you need to get the position you are now applying for. hat do they mean by job s/ills' )kills are the activities that you do well, in other words things you are good at. +veryone has many skills. It is often difficult to recogniEe the skills that you have. 6ob s/ills are abilities you need for a specific position. "or e$ample, a secretary needs to know how to type and take messages, a shop assistant needs to know how to serve customers. )peaking +nglish well, however, is a skill you can use in almost any 0ob. +mployers want to select employees who could show how past skills relate to the present

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potential 0ob. 3ere is a table with the most useful ad0ectives you will need to describe your skills successfully: acti0e com&etent con%ident creati0e de&endable decisi0e determined di&lomatic discreet e%%icient energetic enter&rising enthusiastic e4&erienced %air honest inno0ati0e loyal moti0ated objecti0e outgoing &olite &ositi0e 1uali%ied reliable results7dri0en sel%7con%ident sel%7disci&lined success%ul tas/7oriented team7 oriented 6. Dse some of these ad0ectives to talk about yourself. (ou only have a few minutes to sell yoursel% and show how good you really are. 7<. Choose the best word to complete the sentences: a. Ninds 4 )kills 4 /obs are activities that you do well. b. +veryone has 4 is 4 have many skills. c. It is often difficult to practice 4 recogniEe 4 understands the skills that you have. d. /ob skills are abilities 4 activities 4 working you need for a specific position. e. riting 4 )peaking 4 Dsing +nglish well is a skill you can use in almost any 0ob. f. +mployers want to select people 4 employees 4 workers who could show how past skills relate to the present potential 0ob. H Choose the best word to complete the definitions of the following job titles: a. # C+5 =Chief +$ecutive 5fficer? is the person with a trendy barba di #uatro giorni 4 with ultimate control over the company 4 who ultimately owns the company. b. The board of directors is the group of people who make the decisions on company policy and direction 4 who make the coffee and decide the menus 4 who sell shares of the company. c. # managing director is the person responsible for legal 4 illegal 4 social aspects of the company such as signing che.ues and contracts. d. # general manager is the person in charge of general management of the campaign 4 company 4 community. e. #n office manager is the person responsible for the day%to%day 4 up%to%date 4 out%of% date management of an office or department. f. # departmental manager responds for the general management of staff and production in a particular division 4 department 4 district. g. # finance manager is the person who takes care of political 4 financial 4 economical planning, budgets, e$penditure, profit and loss. h. # customer service officer is the person who communicates with foreigners 4 customers 4 customs. i. # secretary is the person who makes coffee 4 telephone calls 4 a point and writes letters 4 diaries 4 lessons as well as sends you best regards 4 emails and fa$es 4 all of us to hell.

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HI # job descri&tion is a written description of the e$act responsibilities of a 0ob. 3ave you got any idea what a tour manager does, what his responsibilities or 0ob skills are ' 3ere is your chance to find out. Read the te$t and then find the right .uestions to the following answers : a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. # tour manager is responsible for accompanying and organiEing a tour. 5nly for organiEing the tour. #ccording to the plan. &y coach. &etween two or three days to over a month. #t the start of the 0ourney. "rom early morning to late evening. #n introduction course.

The tour manager works for the tour operator and is responsible for accompanying and organiEing a tour from the beginning to the end. In Romania, however, it is customary for the tour manager to be responsible only for organiEing the tour. The tour manager makes sure that all the travel arrangements for a group of tourists run according to the plan and that the accommodation is of satisfactory standard. ,ost tour managers work with tourists travelling by coach on tours that can last from between two or three days to over a month. The tour manager usually 0oins the party of tourists at the start of their 0ourney, welcomes them, and answers any en.uires about the 0ourney. The tour manager often works from early morning to late evening and is on call 9J hours a day. 3is work includes weekends and is often seasonal. The tour operator usually provides an introduction course for the tour manager to familiarise him with the company, main destinations used by the operator, company policies and procedures. The tour manager must keep his knowledge of routes and destinations updated on a regular basis. "or a successful tour manager 0ob skills should include: ability to get on well with a wide variety of people, outgoing, self%confident, polite and tolerant character, e$cellent communication skills, interest in geography and historical sites, good working knowledge of one or more foreign languages, good organisational skills, smart and tidy appearance. HII 7. Read the profile of #ill Gates and identify the paragraphs that match the headings in the table below. Name Nationalit y Date of birth Place of birth Family Education Work Company Job title Job responsibilities Job skills Hobbies Interests Books you read!"rote

ha e

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e#perience

Job description

&ill :ates has created the world!s largest company which dominates the global computer industry - ,ICR5)5"T. 3e is the world!s richest man and has been known as the greatest charitable giver in history. 3e has become famous for his aggressive business tactics and confrontational style of management. 3e was born on 98 5ctober 76KK and he grew up together with his two sisters in )eattle. 3is father is an attorney in )eattle and his late mother was a schoolteacher. 3e began computing at 7B at the city!s 2akeside school. hen he was 7L he sold his first programme - a timetabling system for the school - for O J,9<<. It was at 2akeside school where he met Paul #llen and they wrote the first computer language programme for a personal computer later at 3arvard. The two friends established ,icrosoft in 76LKP they called it ,icrosoft because it provided microcomputer software. In 76LF :ates dropped out of 3arvard, once it became clear that the possibilities for ,icrosoft were bright. J years later they signed an agreement to provide the operating system that became known as ,)%15) for I&,!s new personal computer. ,icrosoft was then allowed to licence the operating system to other manufacturers which raised the company!s turnover to O F7m in 768F. In the early 766<s sales and profits increased dramaticallyP however it seems that :ates mis0udged the possibilities and growth of the internet at that time. :ates got married to ,elinda on ;ew (ear!s 1ay 766J. 3e met ,elinda in 768L at a ,icrosoft press event in ,anhattan. )he was working for the company and later became one of the e$ecutives in charge of interactive content. Together they have three children: /ennifer Natherine, born in 766F, Rory /ohn, born in 7666, and Phoebe #dele, born in 9<<9. :ates wrote QThe Road #headR and Q&usiness S the )peed of ThoughtR which have both hit the best seller hits. 3e and his wife have been giving increasing amounts of money to charity. 5ther interests listed on his official website are reading and playing golf and bridge.

9. Imagine you were &ill :ates. rite your &ersonal &ro%ile as &ill :ates. (ou may rely on the te$t above or your own knowledge of the famous business man to write five to seven high impact statements that describe your personal strengths as it follows: E4&erienced and inno0ati0e +ith con%rontational style o% management. aggressi0e business tactics and

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B. rite your own personal profile. &e confident and positive when you make up the key statements. 5rientate the descriptions to the type of 0ob you are looking for. O8INION #O$

he auditor is a $atchdog and not a bloodhound. 2ord /ustice Topes Good ban(ers) li(e good tea) can only be appreciated $hen they are in hot $ater. /affar 3ussein, :overnor, ,alaysian Central &ank , ban(er0 the person $ho lends you his umbrella $hen the sun is shinning and $ants it bac( the minute it rains. ,ark Twain I detest life2insurance agents0 they al$ays argue that I shall some day die) $hich is not so. )tephen &. 2eacock /ehind e-ery successful man lur(s a truly ama3ed e42mother2in 5la$. /ohn Chrusciel he graduate $ith a 'cience degree as(s) 6Why does it $or(? he graduate $ith an 7ngineering degree as(s) 6Ho$ does it $or(? he graduate $ith an ,ccounting degree as(s) 6Ho$ much $ill it cost? he graduate $ith a !iberal ,rts as(s) 68o you $ant fries $ith that?

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7. Dse the words or phrases in bold letters to make up sentences of your own. he Rule o% the 9 Rs in "limbing :o+n the "areer Ladder

5ne way to climb down the career ladder is to Retire. (ou could work for the same organiEation until you reach retirement. The age at which people retire represents, in fact, the end of their working life. 5f course, in case of severe illness, you can retire early. Companies fre.uently urge older staff to ta/e early retirement. (ou should be so lucky to retire on %ull &ay. &efore being +ell abo0e the age o% retirement you must have +or/ed your +ay u& the career ladder, getting &romotion to more senior jobs, with heavier responsibilities. (our ob0ective: not to be demoted or moved to a less senior 0ob. #nother way to leave the company is to Resign or to hand in your notice. (ou could o%%er 5 tender 5 send in 5 gi0e in your resignation. #nd, finally, the Tsafest! way to leave the company is to be made Redundant. This happens even if you haven!t done anything wrong. (ou could also be laid o%%, for instance you are laid off because of the lack of new orders. &ut if you do

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something wrong, you are dismissed or terminated, which actually means, between you and me, you get %ired or sac/ed. O8INION #O$

hat are the retirement conditions in your country' 3as the company you work for 4 you are interested in working for been restructured' hat usually happens with the employees in such situations' hat is the specific time you usually refer to when you hand in your notice in Romania'

IU If you got the e$perience, .ualifications and the 0ob skills they needed, well, it would mean that you are already working for the company you applied for. Congratulations, againI &efore you signed on the dotted line, I am sure you must have considered the health and sa%ety issues for employees at the workplace thoroughly enough. 7. hat do you think the health and safety issues refer to'

9. Choose from the list below the health and sa%ety issues that may contribute to a bad +or/ing en0ironment. Temperature Rain Thunder Passive smoking Passive voice Nissing Repetitive strain in0ury =R)I? Repetitive brain damage =R&1? 1angerous machinery 1angerous mind 2oud music 3aEardous substances Cheap perfume "ire haEards 3eating and air%conditioning "irst aid "irst date "ire precautions

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Common preconceptions O8INION #O$

hat are the ma0or health and safety issues at your workplace in the company you work for or you are interested in working for'

;O"A#ULAR< NO E

In order to concentrate on main business activities, many companies today outsource the 0obs previously done by in7house &ersonnel: outside companies clean the offices, transport goods, collect money from the customers or provide the security staff. They usually use %reelancers who are independent people that may work for different companies.

O8INION #O$ 1o Romanian companies outsource many 0obs which were previously done by in%house staff' #re freelancers commonplace in Romania'

;O"A#ULAR< NO E

e use the term bully to describe someone who uses his4her position of power to hurt or threaten especially verbally. # manager who bullies an employee is a bully.

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e also use the term se4ual harassment to describe a situation in which an employee behaves se$ually towards another in a way that they find unwelcome and unacceptable. It means that he4she is harassing the other one. IU a. Identify a bullying or harassing behaviour in the situations below. # 9J%year%old assistant manager claims that the 89%year%old senior manager calls her to his office at least five times a day, 6 to K every day and every time she gets there, he is always without his shirt. b. 3is colleagues reported that he often shouted at him, criticiEed him in front of them, threw his papers in the bin, and asked him to write them again. c. hen she entered the restaurant, she noticed that there was no female client or waiter. )he waited foe half an hour and nobody came to take her order. )he went straight to the bar and the man behind it wouldn!t ask any of her .uestions. +ventually, she left. O8INION #O$ #re you familiar with the concept of glass ceiling' Provide your own definition. 1o women complain of se4 discrimination in Romanian companies' #re there more female than male students in business schools worldwide 4 in Romania' 1o you think the glass ceiling is cracking and more and more women are taking their rightful place in top management' 1o cultural change, fle$ible schedules or training for leadership play any role' 1o companies encourage the mobility of the talent so that women, as well as men, can perform at their best in Romania'

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

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e, the global villagers, love our multifunctional PCs* e are all getting so attached to our slimmer and glossier telephones these days*but aren!t we all missing anything here*like, for instance, as they would say, our minds' QThe bathtub was invented in 78K< and the telephone in 78LK. In other words, if you had been living in 78K<, you could have sat in the bathtub for 9K years without having to answer the phone.R% &ill de itt, 76L9 &ut who really invented the telephone' asn!t it a good chap named &ell, #le$ander :raham I guess' ell, let me tell you that it wasn!t * The real inventor was Philipp Reis, a :erman science teacher, who began working on what we call telephone today in 78F<. 3is device was only marginal while &ell!s phone really worked. #ctually Reis died two years before &ell received his patent. #nyway, Reis!s phones were demonstrated all over +urope. 5ne was demonstrated in )cotland while &ell was back there visiting his father. e don!t know if &ell saw it - however we find it hard to believe that he was completely unaware of Reis!s work. It was after all &ell!s brilliance to produce such a robust and viable device and to sell it to a sceptical public. ,ore than seven decades later the basic concept of cellular phones began when researchers looked at car phones and realised that by using small cells =range of service area? with fre.uency re%use they could increase the traffic capacity of mobile phones substantially. e call them Tcellular! because the system uses many base stations to divide a service area into multiple Tcells!. Cellular calls are transferred from base station to base station as a user travels from cell to cell. ;ew languages have been born of parents of modern technology: telephone and e%mail languages. &oth come with a set of rules and guidelines that we ought to follow if we choose to play the game* but then again * do we, the global villagers, have any other option' I!m afraid we don!t*The ball is in our court now so let!s start rollingI I In the telephone conversation below underline the most common phrases and idioms that you only use over the phone. O&erator : 6ames : O&erator : =andra : 6ames : =andra : 6ames : =andra : 6ames : 3ello, Robertson and &rothers. 3ow can I help you ' This is /ames ,adison. Can I have e$tension 9B7J ' Certainly, hold on a minute, I!ll put you through* /im Robertson!s office, )andra speaking. /ames ,adison speaking, is /im in ' I!m afraid he!s out at the moment. Can I take a message ' (es, thank you. Could you ask him to call me at B77 KFF%9BB6. I need to talk to him about our last order, it!s urgent. Could I read that back to you ' (es, certainly. :o ahead.

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=andra : 6ames: =andra: 6ames: =andra:

The name is /ames ,adison, that!s /%#%,%+%) ,%#%1%I%)%5%; and the phone number you could be reached at as soon as possible is B77 KFL% 9BB6. Is that right' (ou got the name right but the number is B77 KFF%9BB6. 3ave you got that' :ot that. Thank you, ,r ,adison. I!ll make sure /im gets this #)#P. Thank you, bye. &ye.

#s you have noticed above, the language we use on the phone is rather in%ormal and there are some significant differences to every day +nglish. II In the table below revise the key language and phrases used in telephone +nglish. Introducing yoursel% This is /ames. /ames speaking. As/ing +ho is on the tele&hone +$cuse me, who is this'

Can I ask who is calling, please' As/ing %or someone "onnecting someone Can I have e$tension 9B7J' I!ll put you through. Could I speak to *' =formal and I!ll connect you. informal, always safe to use? Can you hold the line' Can I speak to *' =more informal? Can you hold on a minute' ,ay I speak to *' =more formal? Is /im in' =informal idiom? Is /im in the office' =formal idiom? *o+ to re&ly +hen someone is not a/ing a message a0ailable I!m afraid * is not available at the Could I take a message =formal and moment. informal, always safe to use? The line is busy4 The line is Can I take a message' =more engaged*=when the e$tension one informal? re.uested is being used? ,ay I take a message' =,ore ,r Robertson isn!t in * ,r formal? Robertson is out at the moment * Could4Can4,ay I tell him4her who is calling' /ust a minute. 3old on.

9L

ould you like to leave a message'

7. ,atch the telephone phrases in the left%hand column with their e.uivalents in the right% hand column.

7. Could I have e$tension JKK' 9. The line is busy. B. I!m afraid ,r )mith isn!t in. J. This is /ames &lack. K. I!ll put you through. F. Could I have your name' L. Is this the code for Romania' 8. 3old on. 6. Could I speak to 2ouis Renoir, please' 7<. #nything else'

a. /ames &lack speaking. b. I!ll connect you. c. Is this the country number for Romania' d. Is that all' e. Is 2ouis Renoir in the office' f. Could you put me through to the office number JKK' g. Can you wait' h. The line is engaged. i. I!m afraid ,r )mith is out at the moment. 0. Can I ask who!s calling, please' hat are the .uestions'

9. 3ere are some answers you may receive on the phone. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. 0. I!ll put you through. 3old on. I!ll get her. I!m afraid she!s on the other line. ;o, there is one more thing. (es, fire away. 3old on. I!ll get a pencil. (es, that!s ,%+%2%I%;%1%# C%3%#%T%3%#%,. ;o, it!s all right then. I!ll call back later. I!m fine, thanks. (es, that!s the lot.

98

III

"onnecting the "all

7. The following lines in a telephone conversation have been mi$ed up. Put them in the right order. 6ohn: O&erator: O&erator: O&erator: 6ohn: ,orning, I!d like to speak to ,rs &rown, please. /ust a minute, please* ,rs &rown, there!s a ,r )mith on the line* he!s phoning about their order* ,ay I have your name, please' /ohn @ /ohnson, plc. :ood morningI It!s /ohn )mith and I!m phoning about last week!s order.

9. Choose the most appropriate reply to the following. 5nly one reply is possible. 7. Good morning. "an I hel& you, a. (es, I!d like to speak to someone from your marketing department, please. b. ;o, I must have dialled the wrong number. c. 3ang up and I!ll call you back. 9. Is that Robertson and #rothers, a. I!ll let them know you called. b. I!m afraid this is urgent. c. I!m afraid you seem to have the wrong number. B. "ould I s&ea/ to Mrs #ro+n3 &lease, a. ;o, please hang up. b. (es, I!ll put you though. b. (es, I!ll put you through. J. Im a%raid she isnt in the o%%ice right no+. a. Could you get her to call me back as soon as she gets in' b. (es, I!ll put you through. c. I!m afraid you seem to have the wrong number. K. .ould you li/e me to &ut you through to her secretary, a. ;o, I prefer to hang on, it!s very important. b. ;o, please hang up. c. I!ll put you through. F. Ill get bac/ to you %irst thing on Monday. a. Thanks for your help, then. 3ave a nice day. b. ;o, I prefer to hang on, it!s very important.

96

c. 2et me know if there is anything I can do. IH Getting :o+n to the #usiness ele&hone al/ Put the words in the right order to make up true .uestions and then answer them. .hat 5 are 5 %rom 5 com&any 5 you , .here 5 you 5 are 5 located , de&artment 5 +ould 5 li/e 5 .hich 5 you 5 me 5 &ut 5 through 5to 5 you , do 5 I 5 you 5 %or 5 can 5 .hat , to 5 do 5 you 5 s&ea/ 5 .ho 5 li/e 5 to , English 5 you 5 s&ea/ 5 do , do+n 5 a 5 you 5 "an 5 slo+ 5 bit , read 5 to 5 you 5 "ould 5 bac/ 5 that 5 me , I 5 ha0e 5 name 5 "ould 5 your 5 &lease , +e 5 time 5 "ould 5 meet 5 %i4 5 a 5 to , .ould 5 telling 5 +hat 5 it 5 about 5 me 5 mind 5 you 5 is , again 5 run 5 that 5 o0er 5 "ould 5 +e , H Ma/ing and "hanging Arrangements

7. Complete the phone conversation between a sales manager and a local representative. Dse the most common ma/ing arrangement phrases from the list below. "an 5 =hall +e %i4 5 arrange an a&&ointment 5 meeting, .ould it be use%ul to meet u& soon, *o+ about - , .hat about - , .ould - be suitable, .ould - suit you, =hall +e say - , Ill >just? get 5 chec/ my diary. hats %ine. I cant 5 +ont be able to ma/e -

B<

I0e got to >@ in%initi0e? 5 a >@noun? &art &abel. 3ello. This is Petru Nurt. e have met at the :lobal ,anufacture "air in &russels last week, haven!t we' (es, we have. 3ow are you' "ine thanks. I!m going to be in &udapest from ednesday to "riday ne$t week. GGGGGGGGGGGGGG to discuss how our sales representatives in +astern +urope might work together' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG . GGGGGGGGGGGG ednesday and Thursday as GGGGGGGGGGGGGG be in Istanbul for three days ne$t week. GGGGGGGGGG "riday morning GGGGGGGGGG ' GGGGGGGGGGG brunch' )ounds good. )hall I meet you at your office' I!ve got the address. (es. hy don!t we come round here at about 77am' #sk for me at reception and I!ll come down. (es, GGGGGGGGGG. )ee you on "riday at 77am, then. 2ook forward to seeing you, then. &ye. :oodbye.

)ales ,anager: 2ocal Rep: )ales ,anager: 2ocal Rep:

)ales ,anager:

2ocal Rep: )ales ,anager: 2ocal Rep: )ales ,anager: 2ocal Rep: )ales ,anager:

9. Choose the most appropriate way of changing arrangements over the phone. a. Tuesday is impossible.44 I can!t make it Tuesday.44 It is not possible for me to meet you on Tuesday. b. )omething has occurred to prevent our meeting.44 )omething has kept me from meeting you.44 )omething has come up. c. 3ow about Bpm'44 2et!s meet at Bpm.44 Is Bpm 5N' d. Is it possible for you to meet in the morning'44 Can we make the morning instead'44 Isn!t it better to meet in the morning'

B7

e. I!m afraid I!ll have to change our arrangement for "riday, 7B th. Can we put it off until ,onday, 7Fth' 44 2et!s change it for ,onday, 7Fth.44 hy don!t we meet on ,onday, 7Fth' f. I!m deeply sorry about "riday.44 I cannot on "riday.44 I!m afraid "riday won!t be possible after all. g. I!m afraid we!ll have to put back the meeting. I!m completely snowed under at the moment.44 The meeting is going to be rained off.44 I!m completely thundered against what the meeting is concerned. h. 2et!s forget about it.44 Can we leave it open for the time being'44 )hall we decide not to fi$ a day' i. e!ll be back in touch soon.44 you soon. e!ll be back on track soon.44 I!ll turn my back on

HI ;ative speakers, especially business people, tend to speak very .uickly on the phone. Consider the following &ractical ti&s to get nati0e s&ea/ers to slo+ do+n. Choose the most appropriate. There is only one possible correct answer. A. hen the business person you are talking to on the phone speaks too .uickly and you don!t understand anything - you should a. +ait and then as/ the &erson to re&eat +hat he5she has said be%ore. b. immediately as/ the &erson to s&ea/ slo+ly. c. silently re&eat +ord by +ord +hat the &erson is telling you. hen taking note of a name or important information % a. a0oid re&eating each &iece o% in%ormation. b. as/ the &erson to sing each +ord to you. c. re&eat each in%ormation as the &erson s&ea/s. 1o not say you have understood if a. you ha0e not. b. you should not. c. you +ill not. If the person does not slow down % a. begin s&ea/ing your o+n language. b. start singing. c. hang u& on him5her.

B.

9.

C.

B9

Hint0 Ma(e sure you use this last tip $ith colleagues and not $ith the boss.

HII

Lea0ing Messages

7. )ometimes there may be no one to answer the telephone and you will need to leave a message. Choose the most appropriate message in each situation. There may be more than one possible correct answer. Introduction a. 3ello, this is 1avid Cross. b. I am 1avid. c. 3ello, 1avid Cross speaking. =tate the time o% day and your reason %or calling a. It!s ten in the morning. I!m phoning to find out if ** b. It!s ten kilometres from 2ondon. I!m learning that ** c. It!s ten am. I!m calling to let you know that * * Ma/e a re1uest a. ,ay I suggest to ** b. Could you call me back' c. ould you mind **' Lea0e your tele&hone number a. ,y number is ** b. :ive me a lift to ** c. (ou can reach me at ** !inish a. Thanks a lot, bye. b. I!ll talk to you later, bye. c. Nind regards, bye. 9. Read the following message left on the answering machine.

ele&hone =Ring * Ring * Ring*? 3ello, this is /ack )anders. I!m afraid I!m not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep ** =beep?

:a0id 3ello /ack, this is 1avid Cross from /@&. It!s four pm and I!m calling to see if you could still meet me for the game of golf this "riday afternoon. Could you call me back' (ou can reach me at JKK - FL86 until 7< pm. I!ll talk to you later, bye.

BB

2eave your own messages and make sure you have stated the most important information: your name3 the time3 the reason %or calling3 the tele&hone number . Refer to the following: a. (ou need to cancel the appointment for ne$t ,onday. b. (ou need to postpone lunch plans tomorrow. c. (ou need to confirm your visit this weekend.

HIII Telephoning has indeed changed the way people communicate with each other. It is therefore essential Tto speak! the same language whenever we use the phone. It has become a commonplace Tto write! in the same language when we e%mail our business partners. +%mail has radically changed the way we communicate in the business world. Rapid, clear and cheap communication among employees and customers has increased productivity and access to information. +%mail comes also with a variety of rules and guidelines that should be followed by business people who want to communicate effectively.

7. Complete these ti&s %or e%%ecti0e e7mail communication by filling in the missing words. Dse the correct forms of the words in the table below. There may be more than one possible answer. "an should>nt ? cant must>nt ? >dont? ha0e to be able to

(ou ** spell%check your e%mail, use correct grammar and be brief. (ou ** make sure your e%mail messages contain your contact and company information as well as any branded message or by%line you currently use. (ou ** include an attachment to an e%mail if the recipient knows and trusts you and e$pects to receive attachments from you.

BJ

(ou ** send your reply immediately unless you ** take the time to reflect on the response. (ou ** check for and modify confusing language before sending the reply. +%mail messages are indeed instant communications but you ** respond before reviewing the message. (ou ** install an anti%virus software programme on your PC and subscribe to regular updates of new viruses. +%mail communication ** be as dynamic as face%to%face or phone communication. (ou ** control the way your e%mail gets distributed or forwarded. hat you read4write is what you get so you ** use e%mail to communicate sensitive or potentially embarrassing sub0ects. (ou ** type your e%mail in capital letters. This is considered shouting and e%mail recipients ** see it as offensive. If you want to emphasiEe something, you ** use asterisks, which ** be the moral e.uivalent of italics in paper documents. In business e%mails you ** use abbreviations such as &T =by the way? or 252 =laugh out loud? and emoticons such as the smiley : ?. The recipient ** be unfamiliar with the meanings and in business e%mail these are not generally appropriate. (ou ** save your important messages to a special folder to keep a record: +%mails are legal documents.

LANGUAGE NO E e use can and be able to to talk about ability, possibility, permission. e use must to talk about obligation imposed by the speaker himself. Compare with ha0e to which e$presses e$ternal obligation. e mostly use must in written orders or instructions. e use should to e$press the speaker!s obligation or duty. It is more a matter of conscience or good sense. The difference between should 5 ought to and must 5 ha0e to is that with must and ha0e to we normally have the impression that the obligation will be fulfilled. e use should 5 ought to in formal notices, information sheet, to e$press advice. e use dont 5 doesnt ha0e to to e$press no obligation. The form is more common in #merican +nglish.

BK

IU

E7mail Eti1uette 2uiD *o+ e%%icient are you at e7mailing, "an you im&ress your business &artners +ith your e7mail techni1ue, !ind out by doing this 1uiD.

1.

The login name, return address or username might determine the maturity and formality level of the sender. If you identify as

a. webkingSyahoo.com b. &obG&ensonSyahoo.com c. /ohnG1oeSyahoo.com

your correspondent will take you seriously and reply accordingly.

2.

hen you send e%mail, particularly to someone who doesn!t know you, it would be good if you would immediately answer these .uestions:

a. hen were you born' b. 3ow did you learn of your correspondent' c. hat is the turnover of your company' d. ho are you' e. hy should your correspondent pay attention to you'

BF

3.

,any e%mail programmes allow you to set up a default signature to be included at the end of every outgoing message. People often use these signatures to provide their name and alternate ways of reaching them. 3ere is an e$ample of an outgoing message: 3i % when did you want to go to lunch'

a. &ob &enson 97 alton )treet 5$ford, DN #ccounting ,a0or 5$ford Dniversity 8JJ 78FK 9L<<<< voice 8JJ 78FK 9L<<<7 fa$ &enG&ensonSyahoo.co.uk

b. &ob &enson BJ male, single 5$ford, DN +urope &enG&ensonSyahoo.co.uk

c. &en &enson 5$ford, DN 8JJ 78FK 9L<<<< &enG&ensonSyahoo.co.uk

4.

If you refer to a previous e%mail message, you should e$plicitly .uote the original message to provide conte$t.

The sign

a. b. c. d.

V W 4 :

is the most conventional sign to indicate a .uote from another e%mail message.

5. If you want to give something mild emphasis you should enclose it in


a. commas b. brackets

BL

c. asterisks

6. Consider the following e%mail message:


'hould I attend the ,GM ne4t $ee(? The recipient wanted to give strong emphasis to his reply. Choose the most appropriate answer. a. (+). I T3I;N (5D )35D21. (5D N;5 I C#;;5T &+ T3+R+% I #, ;5T C5,P2+T+2( R+C5H+R+1 "R5, T3+ 3D;TI;: #CCI1+;T. b. (+). I think you should. (ou know I cannot be there - I am not completely recovered from the hunting accident. c. (es : %= I think you should. (ou know I cannot be there - I am not completely recovered from the hunting accident P %V

B8

COMPANY POLICY

,y "ellow :lobal Hillagers,

B6

An Insight into the Our Global ;illage ra0el "om&any Achie0ements e have come a long way so far from our humble origins in 766< since we started to operate as a small travel agency dealing with ticketing. #udacious planning, investment and product innovation have propelled our growth. 5ur company today employs K< personnel and generates an annual turnover of 7< million +DR. e have been ranked as one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide this year. e are going to achieve even higher figures of sales and profit in the ne$t five years. e did succeed in the past but that does not guarantee future prosperity. e are striving for the highest professional standards to the customers as they are essentially part of our business. e still believe that the best ne-er come to rest as our slogan sounded when we first broke into the market more than a decade ago. hat changed our perspective completely was the concept of e%travel. +%travel online booking solutions helped us take the comple$ity out of arranging travel. +%travel solutions were global solutions that applied locally: we were able to use them in any language we could so that the needs of our global travellers were fully satisfied. If we had not made the decision of implementing the system back then, we would not have accomplished so much. hat we did in fact was to focus on the basics by minimiEing difficulties at the same time offering a global range of possibilities. +%travel solutions have been powering our website for almost five years. +%travel implementation also meant access to professional services from site set%up to e%marketing consulting, which helped us customiEe the online travel e$perience. In the years to come we e$pect that travel industry will be globally affected by different kinds of change. ,any of our competitors will improve their strategies and competition will become tougher and tougher. e should not be slow in adapting to global changes in order to achieve successful results. e have built our success on sound values such as team%work, commitment to our customers and determination to constantly improve. e have also focussed on .uality innovation and superior customer service. ,ore than ten years ago we paved the way for a totally different approach to company employees: before investing in anything else we invested in our staff. e enlisted our personnel to various training courses and we have been having the best helping hands to work with. )ince 9<<< we have been providing e$tensive training for staff to achieve proficiency in product knowledge enterprising and skill ac.uisition to handle customers. #s our new slogan campaign says, 9ou did the best. We do the rest.

J<

J7

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