B2.

5, Module 1: Practice phase

Vocabulary:

claim: an application for compensation using the terms of an insurance policy

fraudulent: false
repetitive stress syndrome: injuries caused by doing the same movements over and over again
impairment: an injury, a weakening of the ability to do something
compensation: payments
felony: a serious crime
to cheat the system: to take advantage of a system
to rip somebody off: to cheat someone, especially financially
middleman and go-between: someone who arranges business and deals between two or more parties
to bend the rules: to interpret or change rules for one's benefit
knee-jerk reaction: an automatic reaction, one that happens without thinking
to crack down on someone: to punish someone for their wrongdoings, to take severe measures against
someone

Pronunciation Workshop: Heteronyms

The word dove when referring to a bird has a short u sound / /, but when used as the past tense of the
verb dive, it has a long o sound //.

Other heteronyms change their stress patterns depending on whether they are used as a noun or a verb.

A contest is an event one competes in, usually to win an award. To contest something means to
question it.

For example, someone could contest the results of a contest. In two-syllable words, the stress is on the
first syllable when the word is a noun, and the stress is on the second syllable when the word is a verb.

Such noun/verb differences in stress occur in the following common words:

Addict, convert, subject, rerun, rebel, project, produce, present, incense, desert, convict, contract and
conduct.

These are only a few of many such words. What's important to remember is that when speaking, using
one of these words as a noun will often mean stressing the first syllable, while using the word as a verb
means stressing the second syllable.

There can be exceptions to the rules, especially depending on where the speaker is from. In Britain, the
syllables in the word address are stressed in the same way in both the noun and the verb. In North
America, some speakers stress the first syllable of the noun address and the second syllable of the
verb.

Writing

Dear Mr Johnson,

I am writing you this letter because it seems to me that the decision to work on Saturday has been made
without understanding some of the problems that will be created. Some employees are very upset for this
decision because the do not want to work on Saturday. Therefore, this policy could bring our company a
difficult environment inside the department and low productivity.

I feel that it would be more effective to let employee decide if they want to work on this day in exchange
for money or holidays. With this policy will be workers more commitment with the company because they
can decide what they want to do and I well know that there are some employees want extra money or
holidays.

I would like to share that my department is welcomed as your decision. However, if they have to work on
Saturday they will be receive a perk for this day as I said a money or holiday. We should keep the
employees motivated.

I hope you will let me know what you think of my suggestion before we enforce your policy.

If you need more information about this matter, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this suggestion.

Alvaro Pedraza

Text:

Once the 'honeymoon' phase of cultural adaptation is over, newcomers enter the second phase in
which they begin to experience the new culture negatively. This is when complaints start. What was
initially accepted as simply being different becomes irritating. The food is not like it was at home.
People are not as friendly. Easy tasks at home, like shopping, become major undertakings in the
new country.

At this stage, newcomers feel they are not getting the sympathy from the host culture that they
initially received. People who once seemed friendly no longer do. This is because members of the
host culture feel such complaints are minor or unjustified. They wonder what newcomers expect or
why, if it is so bad, they don't return to their home country. This is the time when newcomers and
members of the host country may drift apart.

However, there is hope for those who persevere. Eventually, true cultural adaptation occurs.
Newcomers begin to deal with problems either through improved language skills or simply by getting
used to the differences. At this resolution stage, newcomers and members of the host culture alike
will find it easier to get along with each other.

Reading Text:

Is it really possible to tell if an employee is trying to beat the system by pretending to be ill or
injured? According to experts, there are some guidelines for being suspicious about certain
compensation claims. Although none of these is guaranteed to weed out every fraudulent claim,
they may at least signal that a claim should be looked at a little more closely.

First of all, most employees who are injured report their injuries promptly. If an employee has waited
a while before doing so, it may indicate that they have suddenly realised they may be able to turn a
minor injury into a moneymaking one. Such claims should always be investigated. Always beware of
injuries that are reported on Monday morning but were said to have occurred late on Friday. The
employee could have a real injury, but it may not have occurred at work as they reported.

A second warning signal for a false claim is an injury report that has been filled out incompletely or
improperly. If the description of the how the injury occurred seems illogical or lacks important details,
it could be a sign that the employee is fabricating the injury. Anyone who is truly injured remembers
and notes specific details which simply could not be invented. Other reported injuries may not seem
logically connected to how they were claimed to have happened. Is it really possible, for example,
for someone to claim a knee injury from too much computer work? If the injury report seems
suspicious, it might be a good idea to speak to the employee making the claim. Ask questions about
details, and find out if there were any witnesses to the accident.

A lack of witnesses should in itself be looked upon with some suspicion. It would be unusual for a
worker to suffer a serious injury without anyone else being aware of it. Ask the injured worker for
details about the time and place of the injury and check with co-workers who may have been in the
area at that time.

Finally, be suspicious of injuries reported by angry employees or by employees who may be

experiencing financial problems. In the first case, the employee may be using a false injury as a way
of getting revenge on the company. In the second case, the employee may see a false injury as a
source of money to help them through difficult times.

None of these warning signs means a claim is definitely fraudulent; however, they can be good
signals that a closer examination of the case is needed.
 B2.5, Module 2: Practice phase

Language Focus: Developing a conversation

Shane is worried about his insurance policy. He wants to see if Samantha has done all the work on
it but does not want to seem too pushy, so he expresses his concern indirectly by saying, 'I was
wondering if everything got sorted out'. He then expresses his relief on hearing that everything is all
right by saying, 'I'm so glad this is finally finished.' Finally, he expresses his gratitude: 'You definitely
came through for me today, Samantha!'

To come through for someone is a phrasal verb meaning to support someone during a difficult time.

Shane then apologises about pushing Samantha to finish his insurance policy so fast. 'Listen, I'm
sorry if I was a bit pushy, but it's only because I read some horror stories in the paper.' He says
'Listen' to stress the information that will follow.

The form I'm sorry if I + what I did is a common way to begin an apology.

I'm sorry if I seemed uninterested in your story it's just that I didn't sleep much last night.

Samantha uses some other phrases to give feedback on the story that Shane tells her. This is how
people work together to keep a conversation going. If she gave no feedback, Shane would think she
wasn't interested. She says things like, 'That's weird. What happened in the end?' The question
forces the conversation onward. Questions in conversations are always a good way to show
interest. Later she says, 'That's dreadful. Don't worry though,...' for the same reasons.

Shane changes the topic by using the phrase by the way. He wants to ask whether Samantha will
be taking a trip to Los Angeles. Samantha is afraid of flying and Shane teases her by saying things
like it's all in your head and that she is mad as a hatter. Both of these expressions imply that she is
either crazy or has psychological problems. Of course, he does not mean this literally. Samantha
accuses him of being cheeky, a mainly British term which means being rude but in a playful way. To
get revenge, she plays a trick on Shane by saying he cannot have his insurance policy right away.
But she is only pulling his leg, or joking with him.

On-the-Job Skills: Being a good listener

Most English learners say they want to be able to have conversations in English. By this they mean
that they want to be able to speak fluently on a number of topics. Unfortunately, they often forget
that half of every conversation involves listening. Being a good listener is as important as being a
good speaker.

When someone is speaking to you, it is good to give them feedback to show that you are listening.
Saying things like I see, really, and is that right or just nodding your head and saying mm-hm will
accomplish this. Good listeners often summarise what the speaker has said at various points in the
conversation.

So, it sounds like you were pretty upset.

Are you saying he didn't give you any money?
You went all that way and he never showed up?
So, you worked all night for nothing.

Phrases like these show that you have been paying attention. On the other hand, you can use the
following statements and questions to clarify something you may not have fully understood.

I'm not sure I'm following you.

Did you say you went there yesterday?
Excuse me, but how long did you say you worked?
Are you trying to say that they didn't keep their promise?

To show interest in a conversation, it is often good to ask open-ended questions. Open-ended

questions are those that require an extended answer. Questions like 'Did you get angry when he
didn't give you a raise?' require only a short yes/no answer. An open-ended question would be
something like, 'How did you feel when he refused to give you a raise?' or 'Why do you think he
refused to give you a raise?'

Try not to interrupt the flow of a conversation. Don't rush in to give your opinion. Wait for pauses or
questions from the speaker. Put good listening skills first to have more successful conversations.

Cultural Tip: Workers' health benefits

Europeans who go to work in the United States are often surprised to find that the US government
guarantees them significantly fewer health benefits than they received back home. Generally, the
government leaves such matters up to individual companies. For example, out of 173 countries
surveyed, only four did not offer paid maternity leave for expectant mothers. Among the four nations
that do not have a maternity-leave policy is the United States. Obviously, paternity leave is out of the
question.

In the same survey, it was found that 145 of the countries required companies to give paid sick
leave to workers. In almost half of the countries, paid sick leave was given for at least 26 weeks.
This was not the case in the United States, where companies are not required to give sick leave.
Only certain eligible employees are allowed to get sick leave in the case of serious illness under the
provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act. However, such sick leave is unpaid and only
guarantees to some degree that the employee will not lose their job, and even this unpaid sick leave
can be taken for only twelve weeks.

To add to US workers' miseries, they may also be required to work overtime by their employer. The
US government does not have laws against mandatory overtime. The good news in this scenario is
that US workers are paid more for such overtime than anywhere else in the world.
On-the-Job Skills: Writing Q5

Dear Mr Smith,

I am writing to you because my manager, Peter Ekdal, informed me that you had a complaint about
your purchase in our shop. You said that I convinced you to buy a poor-quality washing machine, in
spite of the fact that I told you if you paid better off you would buy better equipment.

In fact, I followed your request to buy the product for your budget. You realized that this machine
has essential services for the cloth. For these reason, I offered you another machine that was a
20% discount only this week and it is a medium quality only for a little money more.

I strongly suggest that in the future you should listen to us about what is the services of the machine
and quality, besides let us give you the best service in order to cover in a best way your specific
needs or requirements.

I would like to emphasise that I would never intentionally mislead a client by persuading her or his to
buy a poor-quality stuff.

I hope that my explanation makes any future purchase in our shops and bringing back your trust in
our high professionalism.

I trust that this will alleviate any future misunderstanding in the next purchases.

Best regards,

Alvaro Pedraza

Pronunciation Workshop: The schwa in suffixes

//

The schwa or uh sound, which is very common in English words, can present a problem for English
learners who come from language backgrounds in which vowels are given set pronunciations. The
common suffixes -able/-ible and -tion/-sion are pronounced /bl/, /bl/ and /n/, respectively, and are not
stressed.

It is important to note that when these suffixes are added to their base forms, the stress in the
resulting word is in most cases predictable. In the case of -able/-ible, the stress occurs on the
syllable before the suffix.

remarkable, reliable, believable, edible

With -tion/-sion, the stress also occurs in the preceding syllable.

constitution, acquisition, conversation, revision

Reading Text: Colds and myths

Superstitions and myths persist in modern society despite all the scientific evidence raised to
counter them. In no area are there more myths than those connected with the treatment of the
common cold and flu. This situation probably exists due to the fact that science has never found a
complete cure for these illnesses.

Perhaps the most common saying about colds is, 'Feed a cold, starve a fever'. Unfortunately,
scientists claim there is no truth in this idea. Overeating has not been found to have any influence
on the progress of a cold. Nor is there any proof that foods such as chicken soup, garlic, or garlic
and milk can cure a cold. It is true that drinking liquids may be helpful in that they may moisten a
sore throat or they may taste good and produce some psychological relief. However, they will not
actually kill the virus that is the source of the cold.

What about vitamin C or zinc? Although these are often discussed when the subject of cold cures
arises, there is no scientific evidence to support the benefits of either. Extensive tests using vitamin
C have shown no effect on colds. At best, results on the use of zinc have been conflicting.

Mothers around the world often worry that their children will catch a cold if they go out in the cold,
don't dress warmly, or get their hair wet on a cold and rainy day. The truth is, none of these can
actually cause a cold. A cold is transmitted by viruses that enter through the nose, generally from
the sneezes of infected people or from the person's own contaminated hands. The best advice,
then, is to stay away from people who are ill and wash your hands when you have been touching
objects that may be contaminated with cold viruses.

Once you get a cold, you can take medication that can reduce the symptoms. However, none of
these medications will actually cure the cold. Scientists have also found that a cold can be
worsened by nose blowing. Apparently, nose blowing forces the cold virus into the sinus cavities
where it can reproduce more easily.

Scientists studied colds by putting drops of cold virus directly into the noses of adult volunteers.
Ninety-five per cent of them became infected, but only seventy-five per cent showed cold
symptoms. It was later found that a lack of sleep and stress somehow depressed the immune
system and allowed the cold virus to develop more quickly and produce all the usual symptoms of a
cold. In other words, to avoid getting a cold, get plenty of sleep, avoid stressful environments, and
wash your hands often.
Grammar for Communication: Conjunctions

All clauses have a subject and a verb.

Independent clauses can stand alone and are often referred to as complete sentences: The boy bit
the dog.
Dependent clauses also have a clause and a verb but do not make sense on their own: Although he
was tired,...

The independent clause above expresses a complete idea, while the dependent clause leaves us
wondering what the person did although he was tired. The word although is a conjunction, which
means it is a type of word which connects two clauses and shows a relationship between them.
Such words are often called coordinating or subordinating conjunctions.

Coordinating conjunctions connect two independent clauses or nouns and include the words but, or,
and, or so: I wanted to go, but it was raining.

Conjunctions like although are subordinating conjunctions and show a relationship between the
clauses: I went swimming although the water was cold.

There are many subordinating conjunctions: some show time relationships (when, before, after,
while); some show reasons why something occurred (because, so, so that, since); and some show
contrasts (although, though, unless, if, whereas).

There is another kind of conjunction that shows relationships between whole sentences. These
conjunctions are referred to as sentence adverbs. They include words like however, moreover,
furthermore, nevertheless, and therefore, and phrases such as be that as it may and as a result,
among many others.

Be that as it may, nevertheless, despite that

Yes, I realise that you worked hard all term and studied all night for the exam. Be that as it may, I'm
afraid I still have to fail you.
It snowed very hard all night. Nevertheless, Joe came to school on time as usual.
He has developed some of the best marketing campaigns for our company. Furthermore, he is well
liked by all the workers in the department.

just in case anything happened in the future.

I read some horror stories in the paper evolved people no having health benefits in insurance
 B2.5, Module 3: Practice phase

Language Focus: Explanation: Communication Skills: Speaking

These useful expressions were used in the video.

at (such) short notice

without telling someone a long time in advance: Thank you so much for coming at such short notice.

something to do with + noun

connected with something: He had to go to hospital. Something to do with his appendix.

I trust (that) + independent clause

I hope that: I trust you're not too nervous.

I have to confess to having + past participle

I'm sorry; I admit that: I have to confess to having skimmed the parts that I didn't judge relevant.

I hope you don't mind me saying so

I hope it's not a problem for me to say this: I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you seem a little
tenser than normal.

besides
also; and more importantly: It's the first time that I've had to close such a big deal, and besides, I
only just found out about it last night!
(Note that besides is followed by a comma.)

it will come in (very) handy

it will be (very) useful: Your knowledge and your experience will come in very handy during the
presentation.

not only that, but + independent clause

also; secondly: By letting us deal with their business processes, they'll have more flexibility. Not only
that, but they'll be able to benefit from our technological innovation.

Here are some of the adjectives used in the video.

bleary-eyed :having tired eyes from not enough sleep:

I'm a bit bleary-eyed, but nothing a strong cup of coffee won't fix.

tense nervous, not relaxed:

I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you seem a little tenser than normal.

convincing persuasive, able to make someone agree with you:

We're going to have to be very convincing to get them to sign with us.

frazzled very tired, exhausted:

I'm a little bit frazzled. It's probably from a lack of sleep.
high-end
with a performance at the top of the quality/price scale:

Ipsis is a high-end computer component manufacturer.

The following verbs were used in the video.

to associate with
to connect to, to link to: That's something that you usually associate with small children, don't you?

to presume
to assume, to guess what someone else means: I presume you're talking about the sixty-page document
that you e-mailed me.

to skim
to read quickly, to get the gist and not the details: I have to confess to having skimmed the parts that I
didn't judge relevant.

to outsource
to hire another company to do some of your work: Ipsis is a high-end computer component manufacturer
that wants to outsource all of its finance and accounting services to us.

to procure
to acquire, to get: They want to give us all of their F&A work, including procure-to-pay and record-to-
report.

On-the-Job Skills Explanation: Speaking

. Short answer questions

You can use short answer questions to show interest in what someone has done. A rising intonation
makes you sound more interested. Pay attention to the form of the previous sentence so that you
respond correctly.

I went to a rock concert last night.

Did you?

I've done the report already.

Have you?

I'm going to the comedy club tonight.

Are you?

2. I bet...
Bet is a common verb in English. It means guess, believe, think, and it is a useful way to respond to
people.

I went to the comedy club last night.

I bet that was fun.

I took Simon to Water Fun World yesterday.

I bet he enjoyed that.
3. That sounds...
Use that sounds + adjective to respond to people.

That sounds fun!

That sounds horrendous!
That sounds interesting.

horrendous: very bad, terrible

4. Follow-up questions
You can ask questions to show interest in someone. Start your questions with so and finish with
then.

I used to work at Hartley and Sons.

Really? So, how long ago was that, then?

I saw Tim yesterday. He told me he's bought a new car.

So, what kind of car's he got, then?

On-the-Job Skills Explanation: Writing: The 'for and against' essay

A for and against essay should have four sections or paragraphs. The first paragraph should be an
introduction. In this paragraph, you should introduce the topic, explain any difficult words in the title,
and explain how you intend to plan the rest of the essay.

In the next section, you should outline the reasons that support the argument. You should give a
number of reasons and back these up with examples where possible. Use discourse markers to
separate each reason, such as firstly, secondly, lastly/finally. Do not use at first or at last these
have different uses. You can also use the words moreover or furthermore, meaning also.

In the third section, outline your arguments against the subject. Make it clear that you are changing
the argument by using on the other hand or however. Again, list a number of reasons with
examples.

The last paragraph should be a conclusion. Here, you should summarise the arguments for and
against and give a final judgment or opinion. You can introduce your conclusion with to conclude, in
conclusion, or to sum up
 Why people tell lies?

There are a lot of people who tell lies everyday, which means that is common thing in our society.
Why is this action beneficial or harmful for the society?

There are a number of disadvantages of telling lies. Firstly, you can lose people confident. Besides
you will become an untrustworthy person. Moreover, people do not like liars. Secondly, you do not
need to lie if you want to get what you want. It seems to you manipulate them. Finally, there are
people who have problems with this matter, so they are compulsive liar.

On the other hand there is white lies which people say in order to not hurt people or children.
Although, they do not want to lie, they have to do for better of the situation and people. The typical
white lie is the 3 wise kings.

To sum up, there are a number of disadvantages of telling lies, which seem not to benefit us
economically and socially. For example, it can lose the trust and allows people to manipulate people
easily. However, there are also environmental and cultural advantages, but all in all, I believe that
the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Under no circumstance should we tell lies.
 B2.5, Module 4: Practice phase

Language Focus: Explanation: Communication skills: Speaking

Wehavetimetokill.
Wehavesomesparetimeandnothingtodo

Ijustembroideredthereality.
Itoldthetruth,butchangedthedetails.

AlthoughAnnasaysthatsheembroideredreality,themorecommonlyusedexpressionistoembroiderthetruth.

Them'sthebreaks.
That'sthewayitgoes.Ohwell,toobad.That'sthewaythecookiecrumbles.C'estlavie!

Youmaynoticethatthisexpressionisnotgrammaticallycorrect.Sogoesmanypopularsayings!Ifitmakesyou
feelmorecomfortable,youcansay,'Thosearethebreaks.'

Theinternet'stemporarilydown.
Theinternetisn'tworkingatthemoment.

That'sgoingawhileback.
That'squitealongtimeago.

dire
veryseriousorurgent

direstraits:averydifficultsituation
Theprepositionstousewithdirestraitsareinandoutof:It'sareallygoodfeelingtohelpacompanyoutofdire
straits.

topurr
thesoundathatcatmakeswhenitisrelaxedandhappy

topurrlikeawelltunedmotor
torunsmoothly:It'sareallygoodfeelingtogetacompanypurringlikeawelltunedmotor.

Suffice(it)tosay
Obviously/Ineedn'tsaymorethanthis:
Wedon'tknoweverythingaboutthemyet,butsufficetosay,they'renotabouttogointoreceivershipanymoment
now.

beaboutto+infinitive
goingtodosomethingveryshortly

afiasco
adisaster;acompletefailure(inaridiculousandembarrassingway):Wedon'twantarepeatofthismorning'slittle
fiasco.

humdrum
boring,repetitive(alsoanoun):Alotofpeoplethinkthataccountingcanbekindofhumdrum.

lousy
useless,terrible:Theywerelousyatmanagingtheirmoney.
tobuildupanetwork
tomeetpeopleinyourfieldofwork:Iworkedforafewfirms,gettingabitofexperienceaswellasbuildingupa
network.

tostrikeoutonyourown
totakeariskalone

tosetupshop
tostartyourownbusiness
So,Idecidedtostrikeoutonmyownandsetupshop,offeringaccountancyservicestovariousclients.

tooverspend
tousetoomuchmoney

toblowyourbudget
tospendalotmorethanyourbudgetallows
AlotofcompaniesthatIworkedwithwereinbadshape.Theyoftenoverspent,blowingtheirbudgets.

tobuyacompanyout/tobeboughtout
topurchaseacompany/tohaveyourcompanypurchased:IwasboughtoutbyDubois.

todoanaudit
toreviewacompany'saccounts:WearegoingtodoanauditofIpsis.It'stheonlywaythatwecangivethematrue
andclearview.

togointoreceivership
toenteratypeofbankruptcywhereanothercompanytakesovermanagement

toceasetrading
tostopbuyingandsellinginyourcompany
They'renotabouttogointoreceivershipandceasetradinganymomentnow.

aturnaround
asuddenimprovement:Webelieved,asdidtheCEO,thataturnaroundwaspossible.

overleveraged
havingtoomuchdebt:Unfortunately,Triviumwassoseriouslyoverleveragedthatitcouldn'tsurviveatenpercent
dropinitsrevenue.

Writing

Terrible day at work

Today,Ihadtobeat9:00amatwork,becauseIhadanimportantmeetingwithmymanager.Wecoulddiscuss
severalmattersfortheweek.Besides,heneededareportthatIdidatweekend,forhismeetingwiththedirectorat
12a.m.So,todayisanimportantdaytobepunctual.

Forthisreason,Iwaspunctualatwork.InspiteofthefactthatIoversleepfor30minutes,besidesIgotstuckinthe
liftonthewayforanother30minutesandtherewereatrafficjamtocommuteatwork.So,Iwasthereat11:45.Just
ontimeforthemeetingandIgivethereporttomyboss.

Mybosstoldmemillionsoftimestobeontimetoday,butIcouldnt.MybossthoughtthatIhaveabrainthesizeof
apea.
Thatiswhy,hesaidyouwerenotintelligentatall,right?

Finally,ImessedupthemeetingandIgavemymanagertheheavyreporthehaseverseensofar,soIamfeelinga
littlebitupset.

Pronunciation Workshop: Explanation

1. Practise these clusters involving two consonant sounds.

ask, gasp, think, licked

2. Before the final /m/, clusters will have two syllables

prism, rhythm, racism, sarcasm

3. When the cluster involves the letter l, use a soft, not a hard /l/ sound.
Here, your tongue should rest on the back of your teeth while you begin the
next consonant, rather than bouncing off your teeth as you would before a
vowel.

film, elm, twelve, filth, health, talc

4. These clusters involve three consonant sounds together. You should say
these clusters in one syllable.

fifths, twelfth, thanked, blinked, asked, risks, gasped

Outsourcinginvolvesthetransferofpartofyourbusinesstoanexternalserviceprovider.Itissimilartooff
shoring,butthedistinctionisthatoffshoringinvolvestransferofworkoverseas,possiblytoanofficewithinthe
samecorporation.Withincreasingglobalisation,thetermsoutsourcingandoffshoringwillusedmoreandmore
interchangeably.

Organisationsoutsourceforanumberofreasons.Firstly,theyhopetolowercosts.Thisispossiblewherebusinesses
inindustrialisedcountriesoutsourcetodevelopingcountriessuchasIndia,takingadvantageofthewagegap
betweenthenations.Anotherbenefitofoutsourcingoffshoreisthatworkcanbecarriedoutaroundtheclock,taking
advantageofthevariationintimezones.Outsourcingcanalsoimprovethequalityofwork,ifworkissentto
companiesofferingmoreknowledge,expertiseandmoreappropriatetechnology.Someofthisworkmaybetoo
difficultortimeconsumingtobedoneinhouse.Asaresultthetimetakentogetaproducttomarketisreduced.
Businessesoftenoutsourcesothattheycanfocusoncoreactivitiesandstreamlinetheiroperations.

Despitetheadvantages,thereareanumberofdisadvantagestooutsourcing,primarilybecauseitaffectsjobsecurity
inthelocalarea.Youremployeesmayreactbadlyiftheyarenolongerabletoworkintheareatheyareinterested
in,andtherewillbealossofaknowledgebaseinyouroffice.Regardingtheworkoutsourced,thereislesscontrol
overitsquality.Offshorecallcentresareagoodexample,wherelackoflocalknowledgeandthelanguagebarrier
resultsinreducedcustomersatisfaction.Furthermore,confidentialityisatriskascustomerandstaffdatawillalso
beknowntotheoutsourcingprovider.Itisworthweighingupthecostsofoutsourcingasitmaybecheapertokeep
aprocessinhousethantooutsource.Evenifitappearscheapertooutsource,overseasfacilitiesmaybeless
productive,sothereisnoactualsavingincosts.Lastly,iftheoutsourcingcompanygoesbankruptoroutof
business,yourcompanywillhavetofindanewserviceproviderrapidly.

Withthesepointsinmind,itisworththinkingcarefullywhendecidingwhetheroutsourcingistherightthingtodo
inyourcompany.Findoutifthecompanycancatertoyourneeds.Speaktotheirotherclientstofindoutaboutthe
qualityoftheirservice.Mostimportantly,ensurethattheserviceproviderhaslongtermfinancialstability.
 B2.5, Module 5: Practice phase

Cultural Tip: Text speak

AWOL: absent without leave, missing

ATST: at the same time
AYK: as you know
BRB: (I'll) be right back
BTW: by the way
CID: consider it done (I'll do it)
CYT: see you tomorrow
FYI: for your information
GTG: (I've) got to go
L8R: later
OOTO: out of the office
PLS: please
TTFN: ta-ta (goodbye) for now
TVM or TYVM: thank you very much

Pronunciation Workshop: Stressing idioms correctly

It's a race against time.

(We have to work quickly.)

It's a battle of wills.

(Two people or teams are determined and the strongest will win.)

It slipped my mind.
(I forgot.)

He got the boot.

(He was fired.)

I'll see what I can do.

(I'll try to help you.)

I'll believe it when I see it.

(I don't think it will happen.)

I couldn't get a word in.

(He/She spoke so much that I couldn't speak.)

I can't get the hang of it.

(I can't do it correctly.)

We need to make up for lost time.

(We need to hurry because we wasted/lost time earlier.)

He's going up in the world.

(He's becoming more successful.)
Writing

Dear Frank,

I am writing regarding the corporate website, there are some points which I would like to discuss
with you.

Firstly, I think that font size should be smaller and stylised. Secondly, it might be worth putting our
best seller products on the left to draw the customers attention to our products.

Last but not least, as far as the registration page is concerned, I reckon it should be better for
gathering, redirecting and bog-standard. For this reason, if I could make a suggestion to Sam, it
might be rebuilt it.

Finally, the purchase area should make take care of characteristics of the products such as images
and comparisons. The images must be large to see the exact representation of them, because an
image is worth more than a thousand words. And comparison is a money-spinner to sell products.

In conclusion, our website must be a tailor-made, where e-commerce in a few years should be the
second income in our company. I hope that you are on the same page. If you have any question,
dont hesitate to contact me if you need more information.

Best regards,

Alvaro
 B2.5,Module6:Practicephase

Terms to describe money

a grand: 1,000
K: 1,000 (150,000 = 150K)
a monkey: 500 (This slang originated in London in the 1800s.)
a pony: 25 (also called macaroni, from rhyming slang, which is a type of slang that replaces words
with rhyming words or phrases)
a tenner: 10 (specifically, a ten-pound note)
a fiver: 5 (specifically, a five-pound note)
a quid: a pound
a nicker: a pound
shrapnel: loose change, low-value coins. (Literally, shrapnel is pieces of metal that fire out of a shell
in an explosion.)
coppers: bronze coins, one or two pennies
bread/dough: money
notes: paper money

Terms to describe money U.S

a grand: $1,000
K: $1,000 ($150,000 = 150K)
C/a C-note/Benjamins: $100/a hundred-dollar bill/hundred-dollar bills
a buck: $1
a quarter: a twenty-five-cent coin
a dime: a ten-cent coin
a nickel: a five-cent coin
bread/dough/moolah/greenbacks/bacon/dead presidents: money
bills: paper money
Writing

Dear Oscar,

I am writing with regards to the last investment you sent me, which indicated that 50
shares were sold and 60 shares were purchased on 13 March. I could hardly go wrong
with this trading.

You appeared to have been engaging in unauthorised trading. Would you mind
explaining who authorised this trading? And why did you decide to make this trading?

I would suggest you look my terms. If you see them, I have been calculating all my risks
so far in order to play safe. This is way, I want to my money to be in safe hands as
usual.

Under no circumstance should a trading take with my permission. If I have not received
a written reply within at short time, I will take further action.

Best regards,

lvaro