Padova Economia Dispensa 2010 2011

The Language of Business and Communication 2010/11
Lingua Inglese II
Prof. Victor Rupik, B.Eng., MBA Universit degli Studi di Padova Facolt di Economia
The Language of Business and Communication

Course Objectives The course will give students the opportunity to improve their communication skills in English across a wide range of business scenarios. It will enable students to become more confident and fluent in using the language of business. Who is the course for? For those who see their future career in the world of International Business where the use of English will be essential for communication between colleagues, customers and suppliers. Students will be expected to already have a good command* of the English Language. Contents and Course Structure Students will be exposed to a wide range of current business issues and themes and given the opportunity to analyse, discuss and present their opinions and points of view. The primary objective of the course will be to increase the students vocabulary of business and the use of correct syntax across a wide range of business situations. Students will be expected to participate in informal discussion and debate using the case study method and group presentations. The Teacher Prof. Victor Rupik B.Eng., MBA., has held Senior Management positions with Esso, British Airways and Citibank, working in London and New York. Grades in this course will be based on: Exam In class performance and Professors evaluation total Exam The exam will consist of: part A Grammar part B Vocabulary and reading comprehension part C 180 word essay, letter, or report part D 5 minute presentation followed by questions and answers. In class performance The lessons are interactive and students will be expected to participate in presentations, debates, business simulation and role playing.
* The course will be taught in the English language. Students would be expected to have an intermediate/upper intermediate level of English equivalent to European framework level B2 or above.
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TEST DI LIVELLO Part A Choose the correct alternative.

1. I have _________ breakfast at seven oclock. / a / the / --- / 2. Whose are ________ bags? / this / these / that / 3. Susan is ________ sister. / my / the my / mine / 4. Give ____________the book, please. / to him / he / him / 5. Im afraid I don't have ________ information. / an / much / many / 6. They ___________ to the disco. / go never / ever go / never go / 7. Janet is a medical student and studies ___________. / hard / hardly / lot / 8. In the Antarctic ___________ a lot of snow. / it is / there is / it has / 9. Im not going __________ this summer. / somewhere / anywhere / everywhere / 10. When ____________ football? / do play Peter / plays Peter / does Peter play / 11. Ann is a ______________ cook than I am. / best / good / better / 12. I'm reading a very ___________ magazine. / interested / bored / interesting/ 13. ____________ colour is the new car? / Which / What / How / 14. Water __________ at 100c. / boils / is boiling / be boiling / 15. Where is ___________________________? / the John's book / the book of John / John's book / 16. I'm learning English ___________ find a job. / to / for / for to / 17. I read the article __________ the newspaper. / in / on / into / 18. He was born __________10th January. / in / on / at / 19. The man ____________ lives next door is French. / who / what / which / 20. His mother ________________ him to be a footballer. / not want / wasn't wanting / didn't want /
21. I _________________ to the cinema yesterday. / have been / went / have gone / 22. They ________________visit their mother tomorrow. / are going to / will to / going to / 23. The robber ________________ by the police last night. / was arrested / arrested / was arresting / 24. I enjoy ___________ tennis. / play I to play / playing / 25. I ________________________________ / like coffee very much. / like very much coffee. / very like coffee. 26. He's lived in London ____________ five years. / in / for / since / 27. Ken would like to study in the U.S. if he _______________ his English. / would improve / improved / will improve / 28. Children _____________ wear school uniform in Italy. / mustn't / couldn't / don't have to / 29. We _________________ the house we wanted to buy. / looked / looked to / looked at / 30. Joseph didn't ____________ Miss World on TV last night. / watch / look / see at / 31. He wants to get a good _______________________ . / job / work / employment / 32. His parents want ______________ a doctor when he leaves university. / he to be / that he is / him to be / 33. I ____________________ for a long time now. / can drive / have been able to drive / could drive / 34. It is hard to __________ children in todays world. / bring up / grow up / make grow / 35. They made him ___________ on the floor. /to lie / lying / lie / 36. He _______________ go by bike to work. / doesnt use to / didn't used to / didn't use to /
37. You won't pass your exam _________you study hard. / if / unless / if not / 38. Ill ring you as soon as I ___________to the airport. / will get / will be getting / get / 39. We didn't hear what the teacher was _____________. / talking / saying / speaking / 40. I ________________ up the stairs and I'm out of breath. / 've just been running / 'd just run / 've just run /
Read the text below and decide which word/s A, B, C or D best fits the space. Big-spenders in their twenties and thirties risk becoming the "live fast, die poor" generation unless they start saving immediately for _1_ retirement, the Government has warned. Research _2_ that only one person _3_ four aged between 20 and 29 pays into a private savings fund. James Pumell, the minister for pension reform, said the average retirement period _4_, from l0 to 20 years, _5_ 1950. But todays young adults showed no sign of facing up to the resulting economic realities, he told a conference hosted by the Institute for Public Policy Research. "Twenty- and thirty-year-olds _6_ to live longer than before," he said. "But if_7_ don't change the savings pattern they have, the risk is that they _8_ the 'live fast, die poor' generation. That's because people behave as if they expect _9_ fund a longer retirement, with _10_ saving." Mr Pumell said the Government's overhaul of the pensions system would make it easier and more financially rewarding for young people _11_ for retirement. Its reforms include the creation of a national pensions saving scheme, or personal accounts, into _12_ workers without a better occupational scheme will be automatically enrolled. Scrivi le risposte qui his shows in is doubled for must to expect majority have become be able to littler save which
1 2 3 4
A A A A
its are showing of was doubled from can expect the most going to become to can to less than for save what
B B B B B B B B B B B B
they're show out doubles since shall expect the majority will become to be able to less for to save whom
C C C C C C C C C C C C
their is showing on has doubled by ought expect more should become can to the least to save who
D D D D D D D D D D D D
5 A 6 A 7 A 8 A 9 A 10 A 11 A 12 A
Read the text below and decide which of the following words best fits the space. developed wealthy corporations network cash brands adapting consumers savings collected
Unilever is the world's biggest food and soap company. It works its way into the lives of millions of people, with (1) __like Lipton, Dove, and Magnum. But this multinational operates with a distinctive approach. Unlike some other (2) __, it has built its success largely by (3) __ its products to local conditions. In Ghana, for example, that means producing tiny packs of cooking oil and toothpaste, simply because that is all most (4) __ can afford. The company's distribution (5) __, built up over many years, is also adapted to this economy where many people have no (6) __. Goods are effectively given to street traders on one weeks credit, and the payment is (7) __ when the traders have accumulated some (8) __ from their customers. By cultivating the custom of some of the poorest people in the world, as well as richer consumers in (9) __ countries, Unilever has become a fantastically (10) __ company. 5
Making a Presentation
Introduction Discuss the following questions. 1 2 3 4 5 What is a 'presentation'? For what purposes are presentations made in business? What makes a presentation effective? What is the worst presentation you have ever experienced? Even experienced presenters can make mistakes during a presentation. Can you give any examples from first-hand knowledge?
Comment on the following statements. In your opinion are they: a) essential b) helpful c) unhelpful for a successful presentation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Tell a joke at the beginning. Speak more slowly than you normally do. Smile a lot. Involve the audience. Invite questions during the presentation. Always keep to your plan. Move around during your presentation. Use a lot of gestures to emphasise important points. Read out your presentation from a script. Stand up when giving your presentation.
Comment on these statements 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. When preparing a presentation, try to find out what your audience already knows. Everyone in your audience should be at the same language level. Visit the room in which you are presenting before you actually make the presentation. The first stage of your presentation is when you should get the full attention of your audience. If you memorise the introduction, you will be more confident when making a presentation. The whole text of your presentation should be written on postcards. If you use an overhead projector, you should remember to turn it off when you don't need it. Remember that the content of the presentation is much more important than your presenting style.
Starting presentations Useful language Decide whether each sentence in the Useful language box is formal or Informal. Write F (formal) or I (informal). Introducing yourself On behalf of myself and Focus Advertising, Id like to welcome you. My name's Sven Larsen. Hi, I'm Dominique Lagrange. Good to see you ail. Introducing the topic This morning, I'd like to outline the campaign concept we've developed for you. I'm going to tell you about the ideas we've come up with for the ad campaign. Giving background information Ill give you the background and talk you through the results of the market study. I've divided my presentation into three parts. Inviting questions If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to interrupt me. If you're not clear about anything, go ahead and ask any questions you want.
Presenters can use different techniques to get their audience's attention at the start of a presentation. Match the techniques below to the examples. a) tell a personal story b) offer an amazing fact 1 2 3 4 c) ask a question d) state a problem
I wonder if any of you here know the answer to this question: What's the most popular holiday destination in Europe for people under the age of 25? When I was on holiday a few years ago in Greece, the owner of a taverna told me that in 20 years' time, the little village where he lived would be a popular tourist resort. Let me give you a statistic: 92% of Americans do not own a passport. Consider the opportunity this presents to the travel industry. We're facing a crisis with our market share. What are we going to do about it?
Useful language Introducing yourself Good morning everyone. Let me introduce myself. My name is ... I'm a specialist in ... Giving background information I'll give you some background information. Let's start with the background. Referring to visuals If you look at the graph ... Could I draw your attention to the chart? 10
If you take a look at the first year, youll see ... Structuring the presentation Im going to divide my talk into four parts. First Ill give you ...; after that ...; finally... Referring to the audience's knowledge As you know ... As you are aware ... Ending Thanks very much. Any questions? Well, that's all have to say. Thank you for listening. Changing the topic Right, let's now move on to ... OK, Ill now look at ... Inviting questions If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Ill be glad to answer any questions (at the end of my talk). Concluding To sum up ... So to summarise ... Choose one of the situations below. Prepare a short presentation of three to five minutes. Include phrases from the Useful language section above.
Topic A country you have visited on holiday or done business in
Audience A group of people who will shortly be working there
Suggestions Customs and traditions . weather language people entertainment way of life transport accommodation . food and drink standard of living. who they are their strengths and weaknesses how powerful they are in the - market relative to you. responsibilities and tasks the future perks and special advantages, e.g. foreign travel . qualifications career structure.
Your company's main competitors
The board of directors of your company
Your job
A group of high school students at a careers evening
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VOCABULARY Complete the following presentation excerpts with suitable words from the boxes.
1-14 after that to start with outline illustrate then thank tell you finally specifically bring you up to date purpose sum up describe concluding 15-28 indicated talked you will notice draw your attention interrupt expand move on options priority referring in conclusion on balance recommend pointed out
Good afternoon, everybody. I'd like to (1) ___________ you all for being here. My (2)______________ today is to (3) ____________ about our corporate strategy for the next decade, and, more (4) _______________ ,to (5) _______________ with our plans for Europe. (6) _____________I'd like to (7) ______________ briefly our current marketing policy in the UK. (8) ____________ I'll (9) ____________ some of the problems we're having over market share. (10) _______________ Ill (11) ___________________ the opportunities we see for further progress in the 21st century. (12) __________________ Ill quickly (13) ___________before (14) _______________ with some recommendations. Please feel free to (15) ____________ me if you have any questions at any time. Now I'd like to (16) _____________ to Chart B showing our sales revenue and pre-tax profits over the last ten years. (17) _____________ that although turnover has risen, our profits have not increased at the same rate. I've (18) ______________ about our current position in the UK and Ive (19) _________ ..................................... some of the problems we are facing. Well, what (20) ________________ are open to us now? Where do we go from here? As I have already (21) ___________, I think our first (22) ______________ must be to build on the excellent results we have achieved in certain European markets. Im (23) ___________, of course, to Italy and Spain. Let me quickly (24) _____________ on those successes before we (25) __________ . We should not forget the French market. Admittedly our results there have been poor so far, but there are signs the market is changing and we can learn a lot from our mistakes. (26) __________, though, I think we stand to gain most from concentrating on southern Europe and I strongly (27) ___________ we put all our efforts into further expansion in Italy, Spain and possibly Greece. (28) _______________ may I thank you all for being such an attentive and responsive audience. Thank you also for your pertinent questions. Are there any final questions?
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LANGUAGE PRACTICE
Signalling
Study these examples of 'signalling devices'. Then choose a suitable headings for the groups of phrases that follow to summarise what each is signalling.
Before doing so, I would like you to look at some interesting statistics. What do these world statistics mean to us? Let me give you an example that I think really brings out graphically what I mean. Now for some trends in the market. Ill start with memory models.
Introducing the topic

Reaching the end of a point Summarising/concluding Moving on to the next point 1
Sequencing Giving an example Dealing with questions/explaining a point to come later Developing/analysing a point
.
Let me start by . . . Ill start by . . . First of all, I'll . . . Starting with . . . I'd like to begin by . . .
.. For example, . . . A good example of this is . . . To illustrate this point, . . . .. Ill deal with this later, if I may, but for now.. . Ill come back to this question later in my talk. I wont comment on this now, . . . We'll be examining this question in more detail later on. .. Right, I've told you about . . . We've looked at . . . So much for . . That's all I have to say about . . .
. Let's look now at . . . Let me turn now to . . . Let's move on to . . . Turning to . . . I'd like now to . . . Next.. . .. Let's recap, shall we? Id like to sum up now . . . Let me summarise briefly what I've said. Let me remind you, finally, of some of the points Ive made. If I can just sum up the main points . . .
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. Where does that take us? Let's look at this in more detail. Translated into real terms, . . . What does that mean for us? . Firstly . . . secondly . . . thirdly . . . lastly . . . First of all . . . then . . . next. . . after that . . .finally. . . To start with . . . later . . . to finish up .
Working in pairs, make mini-presentations to each other to practise signalling different items. Choose one of the following topics. The advantages and disadvantages of flexitime. The advantages and disadvantages of open-plan offices. The advantages of working far a large company. How to motivate the workforce in large companies.
Some hints for a successful presentation PREPARATION Planning Plan your presentation carefully. Thorough preparation will make you more confident and help you to overcome your nervousness. Objectives Think about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to inform, persuade, train or entertain your audience? Audience Whom exactly will you be addressing? How many people will be attending? What do they need to know? What do they already know? What will they expect in terms of content and approach?
Content Brainstorm your ideas first. Then decide which are most relevant and appropriate to your audience and to your objectives and carry out any research that is necessary. Be selective! Don't try to cram too much into your presentation. Approach A good rule of thumb is to tell your audience what you're going to say, say it, then tell the audience what you've said. Try to develop your key points in an interesting and varied way, drawing on relevant examples, figures etc. for support as appropriate. You might also like to include one or two anecdotes for additional variety and humour.
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Organisation Think about how you will organise your content. Your presentation should have a clear, coherent structure and cover the points you wish to make in a logical order. Most presentations start with a brief introduction and end with a brief conclusion. Use the introduction to welcome your audience, introduce your topic/subject, outline the structure of your talk, and provide guidelines on questions. Use the conclusion to summarise the main points of your presentation, thank the audience far their attention, and invite questions.
Visual aids If you have a lot of complex information to explain, think about using some charts, diagrams, graphs etc., on an overhead projector or flipchart. Visual aids can make a presentation more interesting and easier to understand, but make sure they are appropriate and clear - don't try to put too much information on each one. Rehearsal Allow lime to practise your presentation - this will give you a chance to identify any weak points or gaps. You will also be able to check the timing, and make sure you can pronounce any figures and proper names correctly and confidently.
DELIVERY Nerves! You will probably be nervous at the beginning of your presentation. Don't worry most people are nervous in this situation. Try not to speak too fast during the first couple of minutes - this is the time you establish your rapport with the audience and first impressions are very important. You may find it helpful to memorise your introduction. Audience rapport Try to be enthusiastic- your interest in the subject matter will carry your audience along. Look around your audience as you speak - eye contact is essential for maintaining a good rapport. You will also be able to pick up signals of boredom or disinterest, in which case you can cut your presentation short. Body language Stand rather than sit when you are delivering your presentation and try to be aware of any repetitive hand gestures or awkward mannerisms that might irritate your audience. Voice quality You must be clearly audible at all times - don't let your voice drop at the end of sentences. If you vary your intonation, your voice will be more interesting to listen to and you will be able to make your points more effectively. Visual aids Use your visual aids confidently, making sure you allow your audience time to absorb information from flipcharts and transparencies. Audience reaction Be ready to deal with any hostile questions. Polite, diplomatic answers are a good disarming tactic, but if you should find yourself under fire, suggest that the audience keeps any further questions until the end of the presentation and continue with your next point. 15
LANGUAGE Simplicity Use short words and sentences that you are comfortable with. There is no benefit in using difficult language. Clarity Active verbs and concrete words are much clearer and easier to understand than passive verbs and abstract concepts. Avoid jargon unless you are sure all your audience will understand it. Signalling Indicate when you've completed one point or section in your presentation and are moving on to the next. Give your audience clear signals as to the direction your presentation is taking. Further Skills Practice Choose one of the following situations and prepare a presentation to give to the rest of the group. 1 As sales Director of an electronics company, you must make a presentation to launch your new range of electronic products to the trade. Your presentation should cover the main features of each product and emphasise their selling points. 2 Choose or invent a company in one of the following product categories: food, sports goods, fashion, electrical products, health and beauty. As sales manager of that company, make a presentation to your sales force on the latest additions to your product range. Your presentation should cover the main features of each new product and emphasise their selling points. You may invent any information you wish.
As a member of the human resources department of a large multinational, you visit universities/ colleges making presentations to students on your company and the job opportunities it offers graduates. Choose or invent a company to represent. You may invent any information you wish. If you have rime, you might like to contact the company's PR department and ask for a copy of their annual report. This will give you a lot of information about the company's main areas of business, financial performance, product range, future prospects etc., and provide you with some useful visual aids. Listen to each other's presentations, imagining you are a buyer/agent/distributor (1), sales rep (2) or student (3), as appropriate. Make notes as you listen, and use the following chart to provide constructive feedback on each presentation.
Aspects Planning Objectives Content Approach Organisation Visual aids Delivery Overall Points to consider Evidence of careful preparation Clarity; appropriacy to audience/subject Extent; relevance; appropriacy; subject knowledge; research Message support and reinforcement; variety; humour Coherence; clarity; appropriacy Appropriacy; clarity; handling Pace; enthusiasm; rapport/eye contact; audibility; intonation; confidence; body language Clarity of message; achievement of objectives; interesting? Enjoyable? Informative? Motivating? Grade (1-5)*
*Grade scale: 1 = unacceptable 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = good 5 = excellent
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Student A One option is to purchase and install additional testing machinery at the factory in France to handle the additional production. You have estimated that you would need between five and six new machines. You are sure that they could be delivered within three months and installed in one to two weeks.
Student B You think that a good long-term option would be to use an outside company and to conduct all testing externally. You know that there are several organisations that could do the work for you. Infineon would have to pay a fixed rate for each item to be tested. In addition to that there would be a set fee for reserving test capacity - in other words, Infineon would have to pay even when they had no need for the extra testing capacity.
Student C You are in favour of setting up a new, centralised testing plant that would handle all the testing for all the Infineon plants. The advantage would be that all testing could be planned centrally and coordinated with the other plants in the group. You do not yet have a precise figure for the investment that would have to be made to build, equip and staff the new facility. This will require further research.
Student D Since all of the existing factories have their own test equipment you think that it should be possible to introduce a new process whereby products to be tested could be 'offloaded', or sent, to another factory which has available excess testing capacity. This would require standardisation of test procedures across the group, the development of an information system to transmit data to the relevant production plants and the setting up of transport and logistics.
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Decision Well, in this case we really had to move very quickly. There was no way that we could deliver products that had not been tested to our customers. So the priority was first to determine which solutions were feasible in the time we had available. That eliminated the option of building a separate testing plant, simply because there wasn't enough time to complete it. The three remaining options were all equally feasible. So then it became a question of choosing the solution that would be the most cost-effective. In fact, the one that was selected was 'offloading' testing to the factories that had excess capacity, and that was chosen mainly because it would be cheaper for the company and it would also be a solution that could be used systematically whenever the same problem occurred at any of the plants. I was the project manager and that was my job for the next six months. It was a lot of work co-ordinating all the different factors, but in the end it worked out fine and we still use the system today. For me, it taught me that the most obvious solutions are not, in fact, always the best. Because, of course, we could have just gone and bought testing machines and installed them directly.
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Globalisation
Qs before reading What do you think globalisation means? Is it a recent phenomena? What global industries can you think of? Do global companies do more harm than good?
Reading GLOBALI SATION What does 'globalisation' mean? Globalisation is a term that is frequently used but seldom defined. It refers to the rapid increase in the share of economic activity taking place over national boundaries. This goes way beyond the international trade in goods and includes the way those goods are produced, the delivery and sale of services, and the movement of capital. Is that good or bad? Globalisation can be a force for good. It has the potential to generate wealth and improve living standards. But it is not doing that well at the moment. The benefits from increased trade, investment and technological innovation are not fairly distributed. The experience of the international trade union movement suggests that the reality for the majority of the world's population is that things are getting worse. Globalisation as we know it is increasing the gap between rich and poor. This is because the policies that drive the globalisation process are largely focussed on the needs of business. The relentless drive to liberalise trade, i.e. to remove trade barriers, promote privatisation, and reduce regulation (including legal protection far workers), has had a negative impact on the lives of millions of people around the world. In addition, many of the poorer countries have been pressured to orientate their economies towards producing exports and to reduce the already inadequate spending on public services such as health and education so that they can repay their foreign debt. This has forced even more people into a life of poverty and uncertainty. Are governments powerless in the face of globalisation? The type of globalisation we are experiencing is sometimes portrayed as an inevitable, technologically-driven process that we must adapt to in order to survive and prosper. For millions of workers, in the developing as well as in the developed world, this has been translated into living with greater job insecurity and worse conditions. But the reality is that the globalisation we have seen in recent decades has been driven by a laborious process of international rule-making and enforcement. Governments have made those rules. There has been a conscious political choice to pursue the policies that underpin the process. Of course, domestic, economic, industrial and social policies also play a crucial role in determining living conditions, though poorer countries are less able to resist globalisation due to their economically weaker position. Who are the key players? 23
A number of key players are driving globalisation. They include: Multinational enterprises which carry out business across national Boundaries; The World Trade Organisation (WTO), through which international trade agreements are negotiated and enforced; The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are meant to assist governments in achieving development aims through the provision of loans and technical assistance. They have championed the trade liberalisation policies mentioned above. Governments and these international institutions are instrumental in determining the outcome of globalisation. How can globalisation work for people? Ways need to be found to manage and structure globalisation so that it supports fundamental human rights and sustainable development, and generates prosperity for ordinary people, particularly the poorest. Left unchecked, globalisation will lead to their further marginalisation and impoverishment. From: www.tuc.org.uk GLOSSARY delivery = consegna wealth = ricchezza living standard = tenore di vita fairly = equamente Trade union movement = movement syndicate to drive (drove, driven) = spingerer relentless = inesorabile In the face of = di fronte a to portray = rappresentare, descrivere enforcement = applicazione (di una legge) to underpin = sostenere (fig) to champion = difendere outcome = risultato, esito unchecked = incontrollato NOTES A gap is a space between two things or a hole in the middle of something solid: She has got a large gap between her two front teeth. A gap between two groups of people, things or sets of ideas is a big difference between them: The gap between rich and poor countries is widening. Gap also refers to a period of time when someone's normal activity is interrupted: She returned to her job after a gap of three years. Students who take a year off between school and university have a gap year: He spent his gap year doing voluntary work in Namibia.
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A trade gap occurs when a country imports more than it exports. The gender gap is the difference between the sexes. The expression is often used with reference to the disparity of treatment between men and women in the workplace. If you say that there is a gap in the market, it means that there is an opportunity to sell a product or service which is needed but which no one has sold before. The term globalisation is rarely defined.
Entering New Markets When a company globalises it tries to choose the best method to enter an overseas market Match the words on the left to the correct definition on the right. Acquisition Franchising Local Partner Subsidiary Licensing Joint Venture Consortium two or more companies joining temporarily to undertake a large project. giving someone the exclusive right to sell products in a certain area a company who cooperates with a foreign company who wishes to enter the market. selling the right to a manufacturers trademark. a group of companies in similar businesses working together. a company partly or wholly owned by a parent company. buying or taking over another company.
Complete these sentences with some of the methods listed above. 1 2 3 4 Wal-Mart, a US retail chain, entered the Mexican market by setting up a 50-50. with a local Mexican retailer. When the Japanese tyre group Bridgestone entered the US market, it made an..., buying the local production base of Firestone. If a company wishes to enter the Chinese market, it usually looks for a. who will cooperate in setting up a joint venture. If a company is short of capital to expand overseas, it may prefer to have. or..agreements with local businesses.
Match the correct definition 1 infrastructure 2 issue 3 profitability a) important subjects that people discuss b) money paid by the government to people in need, for example, the unemployed c) basic facilities and services of a country, far example, 25
4 welfare benefits 5 flight of capital
water, power, roads d) a movement of large sums of money out of a country e) the ability of a business to make money
Exercise 1 Fill in the spaces Stressing openings working adding operating breaking running performing
McDonald's France is the best..European subsidiary of the US food group in terms of.income per restaurant. France will account for 10% of McDonald'sthis year. The French subsidiary has benefited by..with group practices to adapt to French tastes,..with companies such as Danone to include dairy products in its menus,.seating areas to create more of a French restaurant atmosphere and even..a media campaign..that overindulgence can cause obesity.
Exercise 2 Choose the most suitable alternative. 1. Retailhave fallen for the third month running. sells / sales / sellers Trade was so bad that he had no.but to close down. chose / choose / choice Local authorities are responsible for theof childcare services. providing / provide / provision Please pay our representative onof the goods delivery / deliverance / deliver Datasystems are essential for companies doing business on the net. protect / protection / protectiveness Governmentwill be given to those who lost their homes in the earthquake. assist / assistants / assistance Industrialzones are areas where governments want to encourage people to build factories. developer / develop / development The treaty allows the free.of workers and goods. movers / movement / moving
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
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Exercise 3 In each group identify one verb that cannot be used with the noun in brackets. 1) do / implement / formulate (POLICY) 2) fill / close / empty (GAP) 3) fulfil / make / pursue (AIM) 4) follow / break / decline (RULE) 5) take / negotiate / enforce (AGREEMENT) 6) lend / offer / require (ASSISTANCE) 7) place / play / define (ROLE) 8) generate / cause / bring (PROSPERITY)
Choose the most suitable verb from each group in Exercise 3 to complete the sentences. 1) The opposition's housing POLICY is excellent, but the high costs involved would make it difficult to.. It will be difficult to.. the GAP created as a result of the Chairman's dismissal. Turkey intends to.its AIM of joining the EU. Workers who. company RULES will face disciplinary action.
2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
Trade unions usually..wage AGREEMENTS with management. Please ring the bell if you.. further ASSISTANCE. Voluntary workers. a vital ROLE in helping disabled children. Although tourism will..PROSPERITY to the islanders, the overall number of visitors will have to be limited.
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Trade/Letters of Credit
Trade Think of some of the things you own (for example, shoes, TV, car). Which are imported? Where were they made? What are your country's major imports and exports? Do you think products made in your country are better than products made in other countries? Place these countries on the chart below. Then compare your chart with a partner. Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, UK, USA, your country
Rich in natural resources
Low GDP* per capita
High GDP* per capita
Poor in natural resources
(*GDP or Gross Domestic Product: the total annual value of a country's goods and services)
Why are some of the countries on the chart richer than others? Use the words in the box to complete the table. barriers dumping protectionism quotas open borders tariffs laisser-faire deregulation free port strategic industries liberalise subsidise infant industries restrictions customs in favour of free trade* against free trade*
(*Free trade: trade without restrictions on the movement of goods across borders) 28
Discuss these questions. 1 2 3 Is free trade always a good thing? Do you think it leads to the creation of jobs, or to unemployment? Should certain industries be protected? If so, which?
Match the first halves of the sentences to the second halves. 1 We're trying to break into a) all regulations if you want the delivery to 2 You should carry out go through without problems. 3 If you would like to place b) the delivery date, let us know as soon as 4 If you can't meet possible. 5 They've quoted c) insurance cover for the shipment. 6 Let us know if you want us d) a market survey before you make a major to arrange investment. 7 It's essential to comply with e) the Japanese market. f) an order, dial one now. g) us a very good price for the consignment.
Find verb + noun partnerships in the sentences above. For example, to break into a market. Which of them is normally done by the: 1 exporter? 2 importer? 3 exporter and importer?
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Letters of Credit
Imagine that you are Denise Morgan. Read the letter below and then complete the application form.
Connoisseur
IMPORTER OF FINE WINES
18 Park Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90008 Tel: (213) 5559765 Fax: (213) 5558521 e-mail: wincon@aol.com
our ref: JM5/02 Ms. Denise Morgan Documentary Credits National Bank of Commerce 35 Main Street Los Angeles, CA 90005 July 31 2004 Dear Ms. Morgan: Application for letter of credit* in favour of Julian Montero srl We have contacted Julian Montera, the Argentine supplier of the wine we are importing. We will be importing 500 cases of white and red wine and the total value of the contract is US $50,000. Please open a letter of credit to cover the shipment. Details are as follows: 1. Beneficiary: Julian Montera srl, San Nicolas 1746, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 2. Sr. Montera's bank: Bank of Argentina, Buenos Aires. 3. Irrevocable Letter of Credit 30 days. To be confirmed by your correspondent bank in Argentina. 4. The letter of credit must cover the enclosed list of wines which specifies the brands and quantities we have ordered. 5. Four clean copies of the Bills of Lading. 6. No part shipment permitted. 7. Shipping terms: CIF* We look forward to receiving a copy of your letter to your correspondent bank in Argentina as soon as possible. Please let me know if there is any further information you require.
Yours sincerely, Vivian Eastwood Manager

(*Letter of credit: A letter from one bank to another which enables a seller to obtain money. The most common way of financing international Trade.) (* CIF: All costs, insurance, and freight charges are to be paid by the exporter, Julian Montero)
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Application Form: NATIONAL BANK OF COMMERCE Exporter Value Quantity Method of payment _____________________ ___________ ______________ ______________________________ Importer Goods ___________________ ___________________
Documents required _______________________________ Contract restriction _______________________________
Answer these questions.

1 When will the seller receive payment for the goods? 2 What information must be included in the letter of credit? 3 Who will pay for the cost of transporting the cases of wine? 4 What does Vivian Eastwood want Denise Morgan to send her?
Imagine that you own a wine business in Slovenia. You decide to write to Connoisseur because you want to become a distributor for them in your country. Match the halves of the sentences below. Then use them to write the letter. Describe the benefits your company can offer, and give references. 1 Our company is a 2 We specialise in 3 We have contacts 4 Our sales network 5 We have four warehouses 6 We would be willing to 7 We would appreciate it if 8 If you are interested in our offer 9 We can supply references 10 We hope you will a) distributing high quality wines. b) we could discuss the rate of commission and your terms of payment later. c) is one of the biggest in the country. d) well-known and reputable firm with many years' experience. e) we could be appointed your sole distributor. f) from a bank and our local Chamber of Commerce. g) accept our offer and we look forward to hearing from you soon. h) share the costs of an advertising campaign to promote your wines. i) with major retail outlets throughout the country. j) located in Slovenia's major cities.
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Negotiating
Discuss these questions in groups or as a class. Do you always have to pay the full asking price for goods and services in your country, or are they negotiable? Does this depend on the type of goods or services you are buying? Are negotiations of price lively and noisy, or businesslike and quiet? Are you a good negotiator? Test your Negotiating Skills 1 Your negotiating partner is determined to beat you down by 5% on your original offer. Do you: a say you come down by 2% and no more? b say you cant move from your original offer? c suggest that you have another look at the overall deal? 2 During a meeting with negotiating partners from a different country/culture, you notice that they are very silent and ask few questions; do you assume this means: a they are hostile to your suggestions? b they are processing the information internally? c they dont understand you? 3 When your negotiating partners have explained their interests you should: a go straight into an explanation of your own interests? b ask questions to find out more about their needs? c summarize what has been said to check that you have not misunderstood anything 4 Your negotiating partners say they will tell you their decision about a contract as soon as possible. Do you: a thank them and say goodbye? b congratulate yourself on a successful meeting? c tell them youll ring them in one weeks time to hear their decision? 5 You simply cant reach an agreement with your negotiating partners. Should you: a suggest taking a break and then have a brainstorming session to generate new solutions? b accept a breakdown in negotiations? c accuse the other side of deliberately trying to block the negotiations?
Vocabulary 1 The union is negotiating 2 I haggled 3 I swapped the white car .... 4 She deals ... a in unknown artists' work. b for better pay and conditions. c over the price of the carpet. d for a blue one.
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Which of the words in italics in 1 above: 1 describes the regular business activity of buying and selling products? 2 means to discuss in order to make an agreement? . 3 means to argue about a price in a lively and noisy way? . 4 is an informal way of saying exchange? .
How's your haggling?

Do the questionnaire, then discuss your answers with a partner. 1 The table you've reserved in a restaurant won't be ready far half an hour. Do you: a smile and wait? b say that you will never use the restaurant again? c suggest that you should get free drinks as a concession for waiting? 2 You pay 1,000 to do a computing course which is a waste of time. Do you: a forget about it? b ask for a refund. c ask for a refund plus compensation? 3 A poor person is selling a painting for 100 which is worth five times as much Do you: a tell them the full value of the painting? b pay their asking price and be happy it was a bargain? c offer 75, take it or leave it? 4 You want to do a course of twelve driving lessons. Each lesson costs 50. Do you: a ask far 10% off the price of each lesson? b ask what discount is available for a course of twelve lessons? c book ten lessons and ask for two extra free lessons?
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Diapositiva 1
Negotiation
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Jan 2009 Negotiate 1
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 2
Syllabus - Topic Coverage
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

2
The process and stages of negotiation such as preparation, face-to-face meeting, follow-up The importance of preparing for a negotiation When will a project manager need to negotiate, including negotiations with suppliers or contractors, users, resource providers, team members and the project sponsor
Jan 2009
Negotiate
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 3
Definition
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Negotiation is a search for agreement, seeking acceptance, consensus and alignment of views. Negotiation in a project can take place on an informal basis throughout the project life cycle, or on a formal basis such as during procurement, and between signatories to a contract.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 4
Negotiation
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 5
Win as much as you can!
4 X's 3 X's 1Y 2X's 2Y's 1X 3 Y's 4 Y's Lose 1 each Win 1 each Lose 3 Win 2 each Lose 2 each Win3 Lose 1 each Win 1 each
When asked, each team holds up an X or Y 10 rounds
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Only allowed to discuss with other teams before rounds 5, 8 and 10
Objective is to win as much as you can!
Jan 2009
Negotiate
Diapositiva 6
Reasons for Negotiating with Principles
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

6
Lasting relationship It is easier to be consistent when dealing honestly Most negotiators perform better against principles they can relate to Make unprincipled bargainer uncomfortable In a good bargain, everyone benefits.
Jan 2009
Negotiate
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 7
Principled Negotiation
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Lasting business relationships are built upon trust
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Jan 2009
Negotiate
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 8
Prepare to Negotiate
Ourselves 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Objectives Strengths and Weaknesses Areas in Common Areas of Conflict BATNA 'Trip Wire'.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 9
Prepare to Negotiate
The Other Party 7. Apply 1-6 to the other party 8. Analyse the results Our Team 9. Who is going to do what? 10. When?
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 10
Johari's Window
The use of Johari's Window in negotiating
What we know What we dont know
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

10
What they know
Arena
Blind spot
What they Dont know
Facade
Unknown
You work within the 'Arena' and by negotiating you are trying to expand the 'Arena'
Jan 2009 Negotiate
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 11
Negotiation Process
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Prepare Discuss Propose Bargain Close.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Jan 2009
Negotiate
11
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 12
Negotiating Tactics
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Take it slowly Make tough initial demands Make concessions slowly if you have to Lower expectations Lack of authority
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 13
Negotiating Tactics
(cont.)
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

6. Use emotion 7. Use time 8. Good record keeping 9. Do the draft 10. Avoid quick deals.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 14
Breaking Off Talks
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. Not final - can be reversed 2. Indicates resolve 3. Someone objective 4. Change the pace.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 15
Opportunities for Mutual Gain
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. Are stated delivery times necessary? 2. Is the standard spec entirely relevant? 3. Opportunities for trade-offs 4. Packaging
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 16
Opportunities for Mutual Gain (cont.)
5. Transport 6. Financing 7. Quality 8. Tax 9. Other aspects.
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 17
Negotiating Body Language
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

Buying signals Areas of interest Inhibitions.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 18
Adversarial Bargaining
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. Don't talk 2. Discretion 3. Beware of assumptions 4. Don't accept too readily
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Diapositiva 19
Adversarial Bargaining
5. Start tough 6. Don't make the first major concession 7. Avoid 'split the difference' 8. Keep your head.
(cont.)
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 20
Using a Sole Supplier
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. Keep it quiet 2. Sales targets 3. Consider alternatives 4. Non-binding price forecast.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
Diapositiva 21
Sole Supplier
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________

1. Position of power 2. History 3. Preferred supplier status 4. Time advantage.
___________________________________ ___________________________________
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Complete these sentences using a word built around negotiate. 1 She is a really tough ______________She'll always get us the best deal. 2 ______________ have broken down between government and the train drivers. 3 Never forget that_____________ is a science; there are techniques you can learn. 4 Im sorry, the price is not __________________you'll have to take it or leave it. Complete the sentences with words below. out of persuasive convincing into 1 2 3 4 5
tough
I didn't want to buy the car but the salesman talked me _____________ it. He's a very _______________person who could sell ice cream to Eskimos. In business you must be well-prepared and have ______________ arguments. She asked me some ________________questions I wasn't able to answer. I tried to talk him ______________his decision, but he insisted on going ahead.
READING
How easy do you think it is to raise capital to invest in a new business? Which people or institutions would you approach first? Match the words in the box with the definitions 1-6 below. expenditure budget cash flow forecast bankrupt income business plan 1 2 3 4 5 6 the money coming into a business the money leaving a business a financial projection showing when 1 and 2 will happen a plan of how to spend money over a period of time what you become if you can't pay what you owe a document which explains your project and how it will succeed
One of the biggest difficulties most new businesses face is raising capital. Unless we've already got money, we'll have to persuade other people or institutions to part with theirs. Some people automatically approach their families. Do think carefully, though, before asking family members to trust you with their life savings. If the business fails, how will you tell them? Another possibility is to find a business 'angel', someone who is prepared to invest in return for a share in the business. Sadly, angels are in short supply. You can use a credit card, of course, but after loan sharks this is the most expensive way of financing your borrowing. This leaves us with our bank manager who should be at the top of our list if we want to negotiate a loan. Banks are in the business of lending money, so youll get a polite and fair hearing. Fine words won't be enough to talk them into giving you a loan. While theyll expect to see enthusiasm and energy, evidence that you've thought seriously about your proposal is essential. An intelligent business plan is the most convincing argument of all. Establish realistic budgets and work out what the absolute minimum is that you need to live on. A cash flow forecast is vital. So give details of your projected income and expenditure, and have an idea of how long it will take you to break even. If you can supply evidence of firm orders or contracts, so much the better. Be prepared, though, for some tough and searching questions
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from your bank manager. If your ideas dont support a reasonably friendly examination, they probably won't make business sense either. Before agreeing a loan, banks will want to see your own financial commitment to the success of your business. You must be prepared to put your money where your mouth is. After all, if you were in the bank manager position, you would probably act in the same way. Theyll also want some kind of security like your car or house. Therefore, if things go wrong you could find yourself out on the street. And if the business fails, as so many do, the bank will be the first in a long line of creditors to get their money back. If you are declared bankrupt, it will be difficult to secure any further loans. And finally, on a darker note, once banks have made a decision to get their money back, its hard to talk them out of it.
Read the second paragraph. 1 What kind of reception can you expect at a bank? 2 What is more important than enthusiasm? 3 What should you take to your loan interview? 4 What can you expect to happen during the loan interview? 5 What should the bank manager's questions show? Read the final paragraph and decide if these statements are true (1) or false (F). 1 Loans can be secured on your property . 2 Most small businesses are successful. 3 lf your business fails, the bank will not hesitate to lend you more money .. 4 You could lose your home if you don't pay back your loan . 5 Creditors are people and organizations that owe you money .
GRAMMAR 1st and 2nd conditional 1 Look at the examples of a 1st conditional (a) and 2nd conditional (b) sentence below . a b 1 2 3 4 2 If the business fails, how will you tell them? If you were in the bank manager's position, you would probably act in the same way. Identify the if clause and result clause in each. Which tenses are used? In which sentence is the result of the if clause likely or automatic? .... Which sentence describes an imaginary or hypothetical situation? ..... Unless is often used in 1st conditional sentences and has the idea of if not or except. For example: Unless he's already got money, he'll have to persuade other people to part with theirs. Change the verbs in brackets to make 1st or 2nd conditional sentences. 1 I __________ (be) an extremely rich woman if I_______(know) the answer. 2 if you _________(be) late, we _______(never place) another order with your company. 3 If I______(be) the Managing Director of this company, I _____(make) some important changes. 4 If we ________(be able) to deliver next week, ________(you give) us the contract? 5 Unless you ____________ (meet) your targets, we __________(have to) let you go. 42
6 7 8 9 10
Just imagine what we _________(do) if we _______(manage) to get into their computer system! Don't be a fool! You ________(lose) your money overnight if you ________(invest) it in that firm. Unless you ___________ (get) good financial advice, you ________(pay) far too much tax! I ________________ (be) bankrupt if I ___________(take) out another loan. We ______________________(not sell) the new range unless we______(cut) our prices.
Look at the following phrases, which can be used when negotiating. Interacting with other people in a formal or informal context often involves some degree of negotiating. Before you negotiate, you should have a clear idea of your objectives and strategy. You should also find out what common ground you share with the other side and understand which points will be the hardest to negotiate. Look at the following phrases, which can be used when negotiating. a b c d e f Another option is ... Heres what we have in mind ... Thats out of the question Of course, youll have to ... No way! Youve got a deal! g h i j k l I'm prepared to offer you ... Alternatively, we could ... Done! Ill have to think that over. Well need more time. Take it or leave it!
Match phrases a-l with the following stages of the negotiating process. 1 presenting an initial offer 4 making a counter-proposal 2 refusing an offer 5 reaching agreement 3 imposing conditions 6 postponing a decision
WRITING
Companies often have to chase late payments for the goods and services they supply. As far as you know, how common is this problem in your country? A first letter requesting payment should be polite as the customer may have a good reason for not paying on time. Can you think of any? Elspeth Pringle owns a small company which produces panels and stands for businesses to use at trade fairs and exhibitions. 1 Read her letter to a customer and find out if it is: a a first reminder about an unpaid invoice b a second request for payment c a final demand for payment. What are her terms of credit: thirty, sixty, or ninety days? When do you think this letter was written? 43
2 3
In which paragraph 1-3 does Ms Pringle: a try to make Mr Merrick fed guilty about his behaviour? b remind him of their agreement? c say what action she intends to take? d summarize what has happened since the payment was due? Find the words and expressions in italics which mean: a payment b choice c late d the subject under discussion e the money moving into and out of a business f pay g willing to h not yet paid i formally agreed to j money which is owed to someone
Dear Mr Merrick Re: Invoice 3296GM I am writing to you once again regarding the above invoice, dated 11 February, for the exhibition equipment we supplied to you. This invoice is still outstanding. According to our records, we have not yet received your remittance or a reply to our previous requests for payment, dated 18 March and 15 April. Under the terms of our contract you undertook to settle within thirty days of receipt of our invoice. We felt that as the owner of a small business yourself, you would appreciate the effect that late payments have on our cash flow and, therefore, had expected to receive your remittance some time ago. However, as of today, your account is sixty days overdue. We will, of course, be able to recover the debt through the courts, which would involve you in additional legal costs. However, I am prepared to give you a final opportunity to settle your account. Unless I receive full payment within the next seven days, you will leave me no alternative but to put this matter into the hands of my solicitor. Yours sincerely Elspeth Pringle
Read about another bad debt. Then write a letter to Neill Barker asking him to pay his outstanding invoice.
You produced ten thousand copies of a clothing catalogue at very short notice for a customer, Neill Barker Design. The terms of credit in the contract of sale were for payment within thirty days of receipt of invoice. You sent the first reminder with a copy of the invoice when the payment was four weeks overdue, then a second request for payment four weeks after that. The account is now a further six weeks overdue.
Review the situation with his account. Make him think about his moral obligation and remind him of the terms and conditions of your sales agreement. Say what action you intend to take.
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CASE STUDY A lot of people regard negotiation as a win-lose situation where there must always be a winner and a loser. How possible is it for both sides to be satisfied? Read the suggestions in the Guide to Tough Trading. i Is the philosophy win-lose or win-win? ii Who is each piece of advice for; the buyer, the seller, or both? iii Are there any rules you would change or add? The Guide to Tough Trading a b c d e f g h I No price is fixed; everything is negotiable. Never accept anyone's first offer. Be tough but pleasant. Don't be afraid to shock with your first offer. Don't just haggle about the price, negotiate the whole deal. It's always easier to ask for something extra than a lower price. Never say how much money is available. When selling, pretend not to have total authority. Never make a concession without getting something in return.
Study the two situations below.

Work in teams A and B. Study the information for your team opposite and brainstorm what you will say and what arguments you will use to put your case. When you are ready, find a partner from the other team and perform the negotiations in pairs. Use the cues below to help you. Proposal Second Proposal Concession Objection Counter Proposal Agreeing/closing the deal
Situation l
Student A wants to buy a van for his/her new business. Student B is a car dealer. When you are ready, negotiate a deal and write your final agreement here. Price of car __________ Guarantee: _______________Price:________________ Extras: __________________ Price: ________________ Summarize the conditions of your deal.___________________________________ A Car buyer
You are negotiating with a car dealer to buy a delivery van for your business. The price of the van is 22,000, but you want to get the lowest price, and the best deal possible. The van has a one-year guarantee and a cassette player. Extras You would like the following extras either free, or at reduced cost: three years/ extra guarantee (the dealer charges 300 a year to extend the guarantee) air-conditioning (list price 1 ,500) your company name and telephone number painted on the van (list price 500) CD player (list price 300) 45
Car dealer
The list price of the van is 22,000. Your lowest price is 19,000, but you want to get as near as possible to the list price. The van is sold with a one-year guarantee against mechanical breakdown and repair. This kind of van is reliable and does not usually have problems for the first two years. You charge 300 for each extra year of breakdown and mechanical cover. You never guarantee a vehicle for longer than three years as your vehicles often have major problems! Extras It costs you: 300 to have a name and phone number painted on a vehicle 200 to buy and fit a CD player 1,000 to install air conditioning.
Situation 2
A company is recruiting an experienced salesperson for its sales team. Student A is the Human Resources Manager. Student B is the salesperson. You are having a meeting to finalize the terms and conditions of the employment contract. When you are ready, negotiate the contract and write your final agreement here. Length of contract and conditions: ______________________________________________ Salary/ commission:__________________________________________________________ Car / car allowance: __________________________________________________________ Extras: ____________________________________________________________________ A Human Resources Manager
You are working out the terms and conditions of service for a new salesperson. He/she has good experience and you are confident that he/she will help the firm increase its sales. You want to give him/her a one-year fixed term contract. Afterwards you would offer a three-year renewable contract. There is a six-month trial period at the beginning of the contract. His / Her sales target is 1 m for the first year. There is a 5,000 bonus. You are offering the person a commission-only salary of 3% of sales (on sales of 1 m = 30,000). Holiday - new staff members have four weeks in their first year, rising to five weeks after three years. Salespeople drive 50,000 km a year. You supply a small company car such as a Ford Focus for business use only. This costs the company 10,000 a year, petrol included. Or you pay an allowance of 15 cents a kilometre for people who prefer to drive their own vehicle. Free private medical insurance is just for the employee. Employees have to pay extra to insure their partners and children. There are special company rates. The company provides foreign language lessons.
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Salesperson
You are an experienced salesperson with a history of meeting sales targets. You are going to negotiate your terms and conditions of employment for a new job. You want: an unlimited contract - you would be prepared to accept a three-year renewable contract; you do not want to have a trial period because you are an experienced salesperson with a record of success a basic salary of 20,000 - you have a family and need to pay bills commission of 2% sales + bonus for making sales targets six weeks holiday a year - three weeks in summer, two weeks at Christmas, one week at Easter private medical insurance for yourself and your family. In addition, you want to know what training the company offers. You could also ask about the possibility of a company car.
Speaking Work in pairs.

Take the role of one of the people involved in the following situations. Prepare the arguments that you would use and then negotiate with your partner. l You have decided to rent out your apartment for two months while you are working abroad. You are meeting a person who is interested in renting it from you. Negotiate the price and conditions. 2 You are a supplier and your contract with your principal customer is about to expire. You know that the customer will propose a new contract but at a reduced price (5 per cent less). You can only accept this under certain conditions (longer contract and larger orders). Meet your customer.
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Focus Advertising
Background Focus, a large advertising agency based in Paris, has a reputation for creating imaginative and effective campaigns. Recently however, Focus's reputation was damaged when two major clients changed to rival agencies. Focus now needs to convince potential clients that it still has plenty of creative ideas to offer. At present, Focus is competing against some well-known agencies for several contracts. It has been asked to present ideas far advertising campaigns to the managements of the companies concerned. Concepts are required for the following advertising campaigns: A sports car A high-priced, hand-finished model with a classic design. The car was popular in the 1950s and 60s. An American firm now wants to re-launch it. (Target consumers will be high-income executives with a sense of fun and style.) Aim: An international campaign, with advertising adapted to local markets. A perfume A unisex perfume, with biodegradable packaging. Produced by a well-known up-market manufacturer. The company now wishes to enter the lower end of the market. Aim: Launch the perfume in an English speaking country.
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A chain of eight London restaurants The restaurants (specialising in your national cuisine) are in prime positions and offer extensive menus. They are reasonably priced, but are not attracting enough customers. Aim: A creative campaign to improve sales. A major bank The bank (in an English speaking country) wants to advertise the following new services: 1 Competitive low-interest mortgages 2 Direct telephone banking 3 A foreign travel service It has also asked your agency to suggest others. Aim: Develop loyalty among existing customers and attract new ones.
Task You are members of an advertising team at Focus. Prepare an advertising campaign for one of the products or services. Use the Key questions below to help you. Then present your campaign to the management of the company concerned. (At this stage, you have not been asked to prepare a budget.) When you are not presenting your campaign, play the role of the company's management. Listen and ask questions. Use the Assessment sheet below to choose: a) the best campaign concept b) the most effective presentation. Key Questions (Advertising Team) What is the campaign's key message? What special features does the product or service have? What are its USPs (Unique Selling Points)? Who is your target audience? What media will you use? Several, or just one or two? If you use: an advertisement- write the text and do rough art work. a TV commercial-use a story board to illustrate your idea. a radio spot- write the script, including sound effects and music. other media- indicate what pictures, text, slogans, etc. will be used. What special promotions will you use at the start of the campaign? Assessment Sheet (Managers) Give a score from 1 to 5 for each category: 5 = outstanding, 1= poor Campaign concept 1 Will it get the target audience's attention? 2 Will it capture their imagination? 3 Does it have a clear, effective message? 4 Will it differentiate the product or service? 5 Will it persuade the target audience to buy the product or service? 6 Will the target audience remember the campaign? TOTAL: 30 49 Score -------------------------------------
Presentation Score 1 Was it interesting? Did it impress you? 2 Was it clear? 3 Was there enough eye contact? 4 Was the pace too quick, too slow, or just right? 5 Was the language fluent, accurate and appropriate? 6 Was the voice clear enough? Was it varied in pitch or monotonous? TOTAL: 30 Below are some ideas to help you with your ad campaign! -------------------------------------
Money and Finance

Money talks they say. All it ever said to me was Goodbye. Cary Grant (1904-1986), American film star Do the quiz individually. Then compare answers with a partner. Do you: a) give money to beggars? b) give money to charities? c) give away used items, such as clothing? If you go for a meal with someone you don't know well, do you: a) offer to pay the whole bill? b) suggest dividing the bill into equal parts? c) offer to pay the whole bill but expect them to pay next time? d) try to avoid paying anything? What do you think about people who do not pay the correct amount of tax? Is this: a) a serious crime? b) morally wrong but not a crime? c) excellent business practice? If you lend a colleague a small amount of money and they forget to pay it back, do you: a) say nothing? b) remind them that they owe you money c) arrange to go for a drink with them and say you've forgotten your wallet or purse? How much cash do you have with you at the moment? Do you: a) know exactly? b) know approximately? c) not know at all? Do you normally check: a) your change? b) your bank statements and credit card bills? 50
c) restaurant bills? d) your receipts when shopping? e) prices in several shops before you buy something? Write one more question to add to the quiz above. Ask a partner to answer it. Discuss your answers to the quiz. What do they say about your attitude to money? What do they say about your culture?
Dealing with figures Saying numbers Years 1984 nineteen eighty four 2001 two thousand and one 3.15 three pounds fifteen $7.80 seven dollars eighty 250 two hundred and fifty euros 16.5 17.38% 0,185 sixteen point five seventeen point three eight percent (nought /zero) point one eight five
Currencies
Decimals
Bigger numbers 3560 three thousand five hundred and sixty 598, 347 five hundred and ninety-eight thousand, three hundred and forty seven 1m one / a million (1,000,000) 3bn three billion (3000,000,000) $7.5bn seven point five billion dollars 478m four hundred and seventy eight million pounds
BUSINESS IN BRIEF
Read the article below. Then write all the numbers and symbols in full, according to the way they are pronounced. For example, 1999: nineteen ninety-nine; 3.1m: three point one million pounds. EuroDisney runs new project The French Government yesterday approved a Euro 4.6bn urban development project east of Paris, coordinated by EuroDisney, and designed to create 22,000 jobs by 2015. Yule Gatto takeover bid Yule Gatto, the chemicals group, launched a 240m bid far Holliday Chemical. Yule shares fell 32p (about 10%) to 274 in response to the news. Holliday's shares dropped 8p to end at 225p.
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Prince invests in media and technology The worldwide fall in stock markets last month encouraged Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to invest in media and technology companies. The Saudi prince spent $400m on a 5% stake in News Corporation, $300m on 1 % of Motorola and $150m on 5% of Netscape Communications.
Monet market A beach scene painted in 1870 by French impressionist Claude Monet when he was desperately short of money made 3.8m at Christie's Auction House in London. New car registrations in Europe New car registrations in Western Europe in November rose 10.4% to 991,800 from 898,400 a year ago, said the European Auto Manufacturers Association. FT sales record Sales of the Financial Times hit an all-time record in November. Worldwide sales were 12.4% up on November, last year.
Describing Trends
We can describe trends in English in different ways: Verbs of change Profits are falling. Unemployment is rising in many areas. Prepositions Our business grew by 10% last year. Sales grew to $5.8 million. Different Tense In recent months our profits have risen dramatically. In January we were making a loss. We've been going through a difficult period.
To describe changing circumstances we can use verbs of movement. Improve Decline increase decrease recover drop rise fall
A dramatic movement may be expressed by: rocket dive soar plummet
A slight movement can be indicated by: edge up edge down dip
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The amount of increase can also be indicated using these verbs: halve double triple quadruple increase tenfold
Or with a preposition: Our business grew by 15% last year Sales have increased from 1.0 million to 1.8 million.
Changes which have not reached their end point are expressed using -ing. Profits are falling. Unemployment has been rising If the change is complete we use a perfect tense. The Government has privatised the rail network. Draw a graph or symbol to describe or give an example of the following words: Decline Fall improve gain halve peak drop level off rise increase triple rocket recover plummet decrease double fluctuate
Which of the above verbs also have noun forms? What are they? For example, to increase an increase.
Peter Bingham, President of a clothing company, is in a meeting with his Sales Director John Amidon, and his Financial Director, Kate Simmons. Complete their conversation with appropriate forms of the verbs in brackets. Sometimes more than one tense is possible. Peter I'm glad you managed to make it today. I'd like to start by taking a look at the year's sales and profit figures. First of all John, could you summarise the sales figures? John Well, we had a good January - 5.2 million. January's a difficult month because sales always.. (drop) after Christmas. In February we launched the new children's line and went very well. Total sales.. (rise) to almost 8 million, which was nice. Unfortunately they then.. (plummet) after the Fire in the main factory. But by the end of April we.(recover), 10.2 million was the figure and since then sales(go up) steadily month by month. The December figures aren't in yet, but it looks like we(probably reach) 15 million this month. Peter Good. I've got a couple of questions, but Ill save them for later. Kate, sales have increased, but has that meant higher profits? Kate Yes, it has. We're waiting for the final figures, but we already know that overall in the first three quarters of the year, profits (rise) by 15% compared to last year, from 960,000 to 1.1 million. In fact since April, profits.(increase) every single month and 53
it
they.(still go up). Peter What about next year? Kate Well, as you know, next year we're going to centralise distribution, so costs (decrease). Even if sales (level off), profits.(improve).
Complete this summary with the words below: Intuitively clear confidently logically
The business plan needs to be and presented. The presenter should speak to persuade the investor that the project is worthwhile. However, at the end of the day, the investor may feel..that the project is not worth investing in.
In your opinion, which of the following give the best return on your money? Which are very risky? Which are less risky? Gold precious stones stocks and shares. a high-interest deposit account a new business venture currencies property land/real estate antiques and paintings
Choose the best answer. If someone speculates: a) they take a risk to make a quick profit. b) they make a safe investment far long-term security.
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Decision When Dov Charney, the founder of American Apparel, went into the highly risky T-shirt manufacturing business, he famously said, 'We aim to seek profits through innovation not exploitation.' He refused to outsource and instead pays his employees $12 per hour as well as providing benefits such as healthcare, massages, English lessons and free use of the telephone. He has built up a loyal staff of 1,200 employees and after just six years in business, his turnover reached the $160m mark - higher than many of his direct competitors who outsource. His success proves that people are willing to pay for quality and do care about corporate image and reputation. He says, 'I make more money than my competition who pays 50 cents an hour, because of the efficiencies of dealing with someone face-to-face and paying them a fair wage. My vision is to build new economic models and new kinds of businesses that redesign the entire production, supply and distribution process in a way that makes more people happier.'
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The magazine Introduction

You are in charge of the in-house magazine in your company. What do you do in these situations? The president calls you into his office and asks why his photo was not on the cover of the last magazine published. Do you: a. politely explain that people in the firm are fed up with seeing his photo? b. promise to put his photo on the next publication? c. explain that it was a mistake? d. offer your resignation? The financial manager tells you your magazine is much too expensive. Do you: a. try to justify the cost? b. tell her she must speak to the president about it? c. promise to try to reduce costs? d. tell her it's none of her business? You sent out a questionnaire asking readers to say what they think of the magazine. Only 50 are sent back (out of 3,000). Do you: a. continue as before? b. radically change the contents and format of the magazine? c. lie about the number of questionnaires returned? d. send out another questionnaire? Several people admit they never even open the magazine when they get it. Do you: a. decide to make it glossier and more attractive? b. change the editorial committee? c. give the names of these people to the president? d. take sick leave? The Information Technology Manager suggests replacing the magazine with a weekly newssheet, sent by electronic mail to employees' offices. Do you: a. publish an article explaining the dangers of using electronic mail? b. say you will put the I. T. Manager's photo on the next magazine cover if he drops his proposal? c. publish a compromising picture of the I.T. Manager? d. do nothing, as you know your magazine can fight off attacks on every front? You have had complaints about news being out of date when published. Do you: a. try to speed up publication? b. publish every two months instead of every three? c. write only ageless articles? d. blame the Post Office?
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The magazine Situation

You work for the Layetana Beef Company, whose head office is in Rosario, Argentina. You produce, process, export and market beef all over the world, but your main markets are in North America, Europe, and the Far East. All your marketing and sales is done by fully owned subsidiaries in the different countries, and English is the common language for your employees. With a worldwide organization of this sort, efficient internal communication, in particular between head office in Argentina and the subsidiaries, is vital. You use the usual means for this communication telephone, fax and e-mail. On a daily basis, this works well, but employees around the world have complained that while they get the day-to-day information they need to do business, they are not wellinformed of what is happening in the company in general. An attempt was made last year to solve this problem by publishing an in-house magazine. Every employee, everywhere in the world, receives at their home a copy of this magazine every three months. It is in colour, has lots of photos, and contains an editorial from the president, information about company strategy and business, and news from head office and the subsidiaries. As more employees speak Spanish or English than any other languages (see pie-chart), articles in the magazine are in Spanish, with a summary in English next to them, or in English, with a summary in Spanish. You are meeting today to review company policy on internal communication. You must decide: why employees still complain about a lack of information within the company what could be done to solve the problem whether the magazine is useful in its present form or whether it should be modified or replaced
b) a)
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Fact sheet Location of Layetana's employees globally
Languages spoken by Layetana's employees
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Role: The President Chairing the meeting: You chair the meeting, make sure everyone participates, and ensure that decisions are made today. Organize the meeting in the following way: Ask each participant for their opinions and list on the board: communication problems within the company worldwide proposed solutions for these problems problems with the magazine if you continue publication of the magazine, ways of improving it Your own point of view: You are delighted with the magazine as it is today, and see no reason to change it. It is very glossy and colourful, and has always greatly interested the workforce. The strong points are, of course, your photo (which you've managed to get onto the front cover in four out of the five issues published so far), and 'The President Speaks' - your editorial, or 'leader' as you prefer to call it, on the inside cover. Role: The Head of Information Technology You are convinced that nobody ever reads the magazine. This does not surprise you. There isn't much real news in it, and the articles are out of date by the time it reaches the readers. It's a very good publicity brochure for the company, but that's not what it's published for. You agree that there is a problem of communication with the subsidiaries. Employees worldwide need to be better informed of things like new appointments, who the different managers are in head office and in the subsidiaries, and new products or sales campaigns. You think the magazine should be scrapped, and replaced by a weekly page of news on appointments, sales and products, to be sent by e-mail to all employees who have a computer in their office. This would be inexpensive, easy to manage, quick, and efficient. The articles would be short and to the point, and the news would be up-to-date. It could easily be stored for future reference. It would no longer be necessary to send articles in two languages. They could be sent in Spanish or English, whichever was more appropriate for the employee concerned. Role: The Personnel Manager, Frankfurt You are the only person present who really knows about communication problems with head office. Your colleagues in Frankfurt have no problem getting sales figures and product information, but they want and need much more information about who does what in the company, and how the different subsidiaries work. The magazine has created a certain sense of unity and belonging in the company, but its content is much too head office centred, and there's too much about strategy and management, and not enough about other countries and ordinary workers. You resent the fact that the magazine is only in Spanish and English. As the pie charts show, only a minority of employees speak these languages. You would prefer a much less glossy publication, with more real news, and articles in simple language about the everyday lives of ordinary employees. At least a page per magazine should be in the local language, or at least in another international language like German or French. And could you please have all those photos of the President removed? Role: The Communications Manager You don' t really understand why there are complaints about communication. All vital information is communicated by phone, fax or e-mail, and background information about the structure and policy of the company, and appointments and employees around the world, is published in the magazine. The best way to improve the magazine would be to remove the President's photo from the front cover, and to get articles about the workers inside, instead of news of company strategy and production methods. But mind what you say! Your next pay rise might depend on what you say to the President about this. 63
Role: The Financial Controller You think that internal communication is just a passing fashion that your company doesn't need - and it's an expensive fashion. Your glossy magazine is very attractive, but much too costly to produce and distribute; it gives no positive results, except for compliments from people outside the company who aren't even supposed to read it. Those people in the company who need to communicate, do so. Generally people don't need to communicate with their colleagues in other departments and other countries, and they just get on with their job perfectly efficiently. If anyone can convince you of the need for written communication between head office and overseas subsidiaries, you might agree with the idea of a simple typewritten newsletter. The best thing to do with the people from the communication department would be to fire them and so save the money wasted on their inflated salaries.
Role: The Marketing Manager You have more contact than anyone else in the company with fellow managers and employees around the world. You feel that not enough is done to bring everyone together, to give them a feeling of belonging to a family, or to create a corporate identity. People need to know what is going on, who does what and where, who has been appointed to this or that post, and so on. Information in the magazine is already out of date before it is published. What you need instead is something much simpler, less glossy and more informative. You also think company news played on video screens in the entrance hall or the staff restaurant would be useful, and you support the idea of sending news by e-mail. Role: The Director of Human Resources You feel the magazine has been a great success, but would like to make one significant change to help it to really reach all employees: At the moment the magazine is published in Spanish and English; this is fine for staff in other countries who can speak and read English well, but it's no use for employees in the same countries who can't and who can only look at the pictures. You would therefore suggest publishing the magazine in several different languages - how about Spanish, English, Japanese and German? Maybe later you could also publish in French and Arabic. Role: Assistant to the Communication s manager You are proud of your magazine, for which you write articles and take photos. You sent out a questionnaire after the first two issues, and got very positive replies: 65% of readers said they read most of the articles, and only 3% said they only looked at the photos - although it's true that of 3,000 employees worldwide only about500sentbackthe questionnaire. You are in favour of improving internal communication. This could be done partly by giving more practical information in the magazine (rather than talking all the time about the President and about company strategy), and partly by publishing an additional monthly or even fortnightly 'newsflash', to give up-to-the-minute news of new appointments, orders or products.
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Integration
Introduction
Have you ever worked for, or do you know about, a firm which was taken over by another firm, or which took over What problems arose because of this takeover: for the firm taken over? for the firm which did the taking over? How were these problems solved? What do you think was learned from this experience?
What rules should be followed by the management of a company when they have just taken over another firm? Sele Leave the managers of the subsidiary in their jobs Appoint your own managers at the head of the subsidiary straight away Invest massively in the new subsidiary Sell off parts of the new subsidiary Stop using the old brand names of the new subsidiary Keep the old brand names of the new subsidiary Rename the subsidiary with the new parent company name Let the subsidiary keep its old name Learn the language of the subsidiary's country Offer the new employees language courses to learn your language Abolish the new subsidiary's R and D department Let the subsidiary do its own research Harmonise product ranges Keep separate product ranges Harmonise pay rates Keep different pay rates
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Integration
Situation You work for a major French cutlery manufacturer called Marquet, based in Thiers in the south of France. You are strong in the French domestic market, where you have an 8% share of the market for all types of cutlery, and 10% of the stainless steel market. You had found it hard to break into the European market, but have succeeded in recent years by taking over two firms, one Belgian and the other British. These firms are now subsidiaries of Marquet, but have kept a lot of autonomy in the running of their businesses. The Belgian firm is called Tudor Rose, and has a factory near Bruges making cheap tin and aluminium products for campers, canteens and hospitals. The British firm is called Hawthorn, and has a factory in Sheffield. They manufacture high quality up-market silver cutlery with the brand name Hawthorn. Your head office and French factory are in Thiers, where you make mostly middle-range stainless steel cutlery. When you took over the Belgian firm, you saved the factory from closure, and it proved very easy to integrate the Belgians into the Marquet structure. However, the situation is very different with the British firmo They welcome the investment you have made in new machinery to improve production, but are determined to remain as independent as possible. Head office managers in Thiers constantly complain about a complete lack of cooperation on the part of the managers at the Sheffield plant. You are meeting today to discuss this. You must decide: is it true that the British are uncooperative, and if so, how and why? does it matter? What problems does it cause for the group? what can and should be done about it?
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Role: The President Chairing the meeting: Ask each participant to say if and how the British are uncooperative, and what problems this causes for the group. You need to be sure that this is not just a case of personal rivalry between managers. Once you have listed the real problems, concentrate on finding practical solutions to them. Your own point of view: You have had several complaints from your senior managers about the uncooperative attitude of the Sheffield managers. You are determined to create an integrated European group, and are ready to appoint managers from France or Belgium to run the Sheffield plant if this is what is needed to solve the problem. Role: The Marketing Manager, head office Your strategy for the Marquet group is to increase sales of products from each country in the other two countries. So at the same time as increasing sales of French products in Britain, for instance, you are trying to increase sales of British products in France. The Belgians have used your marketing services to take a fair share of the French market. The British seem to want to 'do their own thing', and you get little cooperation from their marketing department. Communication with the Sheffield people is not easy. Each time you visit their factory, they arrange for a taxi to take you back to the airport at 3 p.m., on the grounds that there might be heavy traffic on the motorway and extra security checks at the airport. As the earliest flight only gets you there at 11 a.m., you never have time to do all you need. In addition, your English is not very good, yet your British counterparts seem to be making no effort to improve their French; this also makes communication difficult.
Role: The Managing Director, British subsidiary You are not very happy in your job. Until the French took your firm over, you did what you wanted, and now they are always interfering and telling you to improve productivity. Surely the most important thing is profits, and your factory is the most profitable in the Marquet group; your up-market silver cutlery sells very well. There is a nice family atmosphere in your factory, and you're worried the French will spoil everything. You've already been forced to lay off 50 workers - fortunately most could take early retirement. The canteen has been contracted out 'to save money' - so now the workers are complaining it costs more to eat worse food. Head Office is always asking you for figures on sales, production, costs, and the workforce, and you really can't see what they need them for. They've even asked you to learn French, which seems daft, as they all speak reasonable English. So you have lessons, but you haven't made much progress - you find it difficult, and like the other managers you don't have time to attend the classes regularly. Role: The Director of Human Relations, head office The British are rather uncooperative, but you don't think it's all their fault. You know there is a language barrier: the French are having English lessons, and several of them have improved their English to quite a reasonable standard; the British are having French lessons, but they don't seem to attend them regularly, and their accents are very bad. If only you could get this right, communications would improve a lot. It is true there is a nice family atmosphere in the Sheffield plant. It would be wise for the group to try to learn from the British in this respect, and concentrate on improving working methods through a strategy of good industrial relations. With this in mind, you are aiming at creating a 'Marquet group spirit', and have arranged for football and rugby matches to be played between teams from the different factories.
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Role: Marketing Manager, Sheffield You are not very happy with the new set-up. The people from Marquet are determined to create an integrated European marketing structure, with each country marketing the products of the other two. You think this is a terrible mistake from a marketing point of view, as your up-market products should not be mixed up, in the consumer's mind, with 'cheap' products from France and Belgium. You admit that communications with head office are poor. You do not like the people from Thiers going round your factory and offices telling you how to do a job you know you can do better than them. And since their English is so good, why do they keep talking in French? Role: The Industrial Manager You are the head office manager in charge of the three factories in Thiers, Sheffield and Bruges. You organize and coordinate production in each factory, and you are, in theory at least, the plant production manager's boss. You have a real problem with Sheffield. The production manager there is extremely uncooperative, and regards him/herself as answerable only to the managing director of the British subsidiary. You need weekly production figures, and every week your secretary has to ring up and ask for them, otherwise you dont get them. Productivity is not as good in Sheffield as it is in Thiers, but it is proving very difficult to get the British to change their working practices. You agree that their problems are not the same as the French or Belgian ones, but this is no reason to be uncooperative. They could learn a lot from you about production methods and could rapidly improve their productivity. Role: The Production Manager, Sheffield plant You are the production manager for the British factory. You feel that complaints about you being uncooperative are absurd. It's true that you resent having to provide production figures every week for Thiers, but this is because you are sure that they will just be filed and ignored at head office. You welcome Marquet's investment in new machinery and new production methods, but feel that you are quite capable, with this machinery, of increasing productivity at a satisfactory rate. You don' t like the industrial manager from Thiers prowling round the factory, criticizing everything. You have visited the Thiers factory, which is old and dirty, and which has a poor industrial relations record, and you think that the French should improve things there before interfering in your business. Role: The Plant Manager, Bruges plant You were pleased to be taken over by Marquet, as your firm would probably have been closed down otherwise. In addition, your parent company has invested heavily in new machinery for your factory, enabling you to improve productivity. Joining the Marquet group has also opened up the French and British markets for your products, at the same time as giving you a wider range of products to market in the Benelux countries: you now sell cutlery from all three of the group's factories. Basically, you are delighted to belong to a truly European group, and cannot understand why your British colleagues do not share your feelings.
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The Chocolate factory

Introduction Your company is going to build a new factory. Which of the following factors should be considered when choosing the site? With a partner, choose the ten most important factors for the company from this list: availability of personnel availability of subsidies awareness of location (have people heard of this place?) beauty of site Climate cost of housing cost of land image of town, area, or country labour costs levels of pollution location of competitors location of your biggest markets and communications between them and the factory proximity to a beach proximity of suppliers quality of facilities (schools, libraries, sports, crches, etc.) quality of public transport rate of business taxes social problems in area (drugs, crime, homelessness, etc.) unemployment in the area Now compare your list with other students in the class, and try to agree on one list of the ten most important factors. Number the list from 1 (the most important) to l0 (the least important). The chocolate factory Situation You work for Squarebush, the biggest chocolate and confectionery manufacturer in Australia, based in Geelong, Victoria. You have your head office and main factory in Geelong; you have another, smaller factory in Perth, Western Australia. You make all types of sweets and chocolates, and are market leader in confectioners and supermarkets. Your company has decided to start making fresh, Belgian-style, handmade chocolates. You are going to open your own chain of shops in town centres all over Australia to sell them. Your new product will be a luxurious one, which is why you are going to retail them in your own exclusive outlets. One very special feature of the product is its freshness: some of the chocolates will contain fresh cream and customers will be advised to eat them within a week of buying them. They should never be kept more than three weeks from the date of manufacture. You need to build a new factory to manufacture these chocolates, and are meeting today to choose a new site for the factory. These are the factors you must take into consideration in making your choice: communications with the rest of Australia availability of qualified personnel cost of land cost of housing for re-located personnel conviviality of location for personnel image of town and its effect on product image labour costs climate the location of your biggest markets
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You must decide: which of the locations suggested is the most suitable for the location of your new factory? what are the advantages of the site you propose? what are the disadvantages of the other sites?
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The Chief Executive Chairing the meeting: Organize the meeting in the following way: On the board, list all the locations proposed. Then list their advantages and disadvantages, and try to come to a conclusion. The participants will disagree, at least initially, so as chairperson you will have to encourage them to compromise and try to guide the meeting towards a consensus. Your point of view: You personally favour Melbourne as the location for the new factory. Communications with the rest of the country are good, unemployment is high, so there will be no shortage of qualified personnel, and labour costs will be reasonable. Melbourne is a big city, with excellent facilities. Finally, it's near Geelong, and so will be easy for you to reach from the head office.
The Marketing Manager You are the marketing manager, and are responsible for sales and distribution. Because of this, you favour Sydney, which a quick look at the map will show to be right in the heart of the most populated areas of Australia, where you will open the most outlets for your chocolates and have an enormous market. Road, rail and air communications with the other big centres of population are excellent. Sydney is a big city with a pleasant climate, and has all the schools, shops and entertainment people need. There is no shortage of qualified labour, and not only is it the most populated city in the country but it is in the most populated state.
The Plant Manager. new factory You have worked for the company for ten years, and have been appointed as the plant manager of the new factory. You live in Geelong and don't want to move, so you argue in favour of building the new factory in the town. You think there are very good arguments for this choice: Firstly Geelong is a very nice town. It is big enough to have all the facilities you expect of a modern town, but small enough to be pleasant to live in. It is near the coast, and has a wonderful climate. Secondly, property is expensive, but as personnel would not need to be relocated this is not a problem. Land to build the factory on might be expensive, but the local authorities would certainly help you find a plot if you announced you were intending to create several hundred new jobs here. Lastly, as you already have a factory here, you already have some staff with the right experience and qualifications for your type of production. The Production Manager You are the head office manager in charge of production in Geelong and Perth, and you will also be in charge of production in the new factory when it is built. You favour Perth as the site for this new factory. You already have a factory there, and this would mean you could visit both factories during the same trip when you go to Perth, thus saving a lot of time and trouble. You know the same argument applies to building the new factory in Geelong, but Perth is a big city with a lot of advantages for your company a big local market, good communications with the rest of Australia, availability of qualified personnel - as well as the usual facilities such as schools, housing, entertainment and public transport. In addition, labour costs are lower than in the east of Australia, land for the factory site is cheaper, and housing for the workers is much less costly.
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The Personnel Manager You are the personnel manager from head office. You will have to find staff for the new factory and this will be difficult, whichever town is chosen. Unqualified operators will be easy to find wherever you go, but the engineers and technicians you will need will be more difficult to find. Some can be transferred from existing factories but they will then have to be replaced there. You have no special preference for the moment, and will listen to arguments for and against all the proposed sites, and then try to come to a conclusion. You already have the following doubts about the places mentioned: Sydney: very big, busy and expensive, all costs are likely to be highest - land, housing, labour Geelong: too far from the big markets, not enough qualified personnel, especially as you already have a factory there Perth: much too far from your main markets, unpleasant climate (too hot) - not ideal for making fresh chocolates Melbourne: also big and expensive, and perhaps difficult to attract qualified personnel to, because they prefer the more cosmopolitan Sydney The Financial Director You are, naturally, worried about costs more than anything else. For this reason, you would favour Melbourne or Perth. Perth would be the cheapest for land to build the factory, for wage costs, and for housing for the personnel transferred there. Melbourne is cheaper than Sydney, and would have plenty of qualified engineers and technicians available, thus avoiding the costs involved in relocation. Sydney is really too expensive from every point of view. Geelong is rather too small: its population is not big enough for it to meet your new needs in qualified staff, especially as you already have a factory there. The Head of Sales Looking at the map will indicate where not to locate the new factory. Your main customers are in the big cities and in the populous states of the east of Australia. It must be stressed that out of a total population of seventeen million people, over five and a half million live in the state of New South Wales and another four million in Victoria. You have got to move fresh chocolates, with a shelf-life of only a week, in refrigerated transport to the great centres of population - the Sydney area (Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong), the Brisbane area, the Melbourne area, and the Adelaide area. Perth would therefore seem out of the question. From your point of view there are strong arguments in favour of a new factory in the Sydney area.
Vocabulary availability of personnel: whether there are enough workers on the job market confectionery: sweets, candy consensus: agreement of all present market leader: firm which sells more of its products than any other manufacturer of the same products outlet: shop plot: piece of ground qualified labour/personnel: trained workforce relocation: moving employees to a new place of work shelf-life: how long a perishable product can be kept on sale shortage: lack
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Venture Investments
Background Venture Investments plc (VI), is based in London. It provides finance for start-up or young companies which need capital to develop their businesses. VI is run by a group of extremely rich people of various nationalities who made their fortunes in the computer and financial services industries. They enjoy the excitement of working with start-ups and small companies. They are willing to take risks and back projects which seem unusual or extraordinary. However they also expect to make money, usually by taking a stake in the business or a share of the profits. A team of VI investors is currently considering several proposals. After hearing presentations from individuals and companies, VI will decide which projects it will invest in, and how much money it will give to each one. They have 5.5 million to invest in the projects. Task You are either: a) a VI investor; or b) an entrepreneur who needs finance for a new project. Briefing notes: VI investors Before the meeting 1 Study the proposals that the entrepreneurs have chosen and discuss which appeal to you most. Consider which are the most risky and which have the greatest potential profits. 2 Prepare questions which you wish to ask each person/company. During the meeting 1 2 Listen to the presentation of each person/company. Ask questions to help you decide which projects to invest in. Discuss the projects. Decide which to invest in, and how much money you will give to each. Remember: You have a maximum limit of 5.5 million to invest, but can invest less.
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Briefing notes: Entrepreneurs Before the meeting Choose one of the proposals or present your own idea far a product or service. 1 2 Prepare a presentation of your product/service. Use the Key Points as a guide far structuring the presentation. Your aim will be to persuade VI to give you the money you need. Try to predict what questions they will ask you.
During the meeting 1 Give your presentation and answer the VI team's questions. 2 While waiting to hear VIs decision concerning your request for finance, discuss these a) Was your presentation effective? b) Do you think you will be successful? c) How well did you answer their questions? d) What problems did you have, if any ?
questions:
Key points for product presentations 1 The Business A description of the business What does it do? Who is it for? Brief details about the team (age, education, experience, etc.). The Product or Service A brief description - including artwork, if possible. What are the advantages of the product or service? What need does it fill? What are its unique features? Marketing Who are the existing or target customers? Who are the competitors or possible future competitors? What are the competing products, if any? What about pricing policy? How will the product or service be launched and promoted? What are the selling and distribution methods? Finance How much finance is required and for what purposes?
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Proposals New magazine: You need to finance the first edition and launch of a new magazine. Amount required: 2.5 million, to finance production, editorial, office administration, distribution costs and promotion. Flotation tank centres: At these centres, stressed business people can float in tanks and forget about their problems. Other services will include advice about diet and skin care, a solarium, and sunbeds, etc. Amount required: 2 million, to finance premises, equipment, staff and promotion. High-tech products: Your company is developing two products. The PX 15 prevents people from using mobile phones in enc1osed spaces, for example in restaurants or trains. Sweep-Safe is a device for c1earing mines. It can also find other objects buried underground. Amount required: 3.5 million, to finance research and development, production and marketing. New sport league: You have a back ground in sport and public relations. You want to set up a league for a sport which at present is not well known, but could become very popular. Amount required: 2.5 million to finance administration and promotion, endorsements of the league by famous sports people, travel and legal costs. Your own idea for a product or service: You have an idea for a product or service. You have not yet written a business plan, but the AI team are willing to listen to your presentation. Amount required: At least 3 million, to finance development, production, personnel, launch and marketing costs. Airships: Your company wants to manufacture airships to advertise companies' products and to entertain potential customers, etc. Amount required: 5 million, to finance research and development costs, production, and marketing.
Writing You are head of the VI team. Write a report to the Chairman of VI, Jonathan Goring. Describe the successful proposals and explain why VI should invest in them. Indicate how much money each will receive, and on what terms.
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A hard sell: exporting to Japan

Introduction Work with a partner to answer these questions. 1. Can you name the top ten car manufacturers in the world (in order of size)? (Clues: nos. 1 and 2 are American, no. 3 is the result of a German/American merger, no. 4 is Japanese, no. 5 is a Franco- Japanese merger, no. 6 is German, no. 7 is Japanese, no. 8 is French, no. 9 is Italian, no. 10 is German) Which countries have the greatest number of cars per 1000 habitants? Put these seven countries in order: Italy, Canada, Germany, France, the USA, Japan, the UK. Which countries produce the most cars? Make a top ten from the seven above plus South Korea, Brazil and Spain. Do the answers to question 2 correspond to the answers to question 3? In other words, are the countries which have the most cars per person the same as those which manufacture the most cars? Your answer to question 4 will indicate that some countries export far more cars than they import. Which countries are these? Your answer to question 4 should also give you an idea of countries which import far more than they export. Which countries are these? Two countries in particular manufacture and export a lot of cars, but import few. Which are they? Do you think it is difficult to export to Japan because: a) Japan has so many car manufacturers. b) Japanese car owners demand a very high quality car. e) various obstacles are put in the way of exporters to Japan. d) the Japanese buy mostly small cars.
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Situation You work for Automobile Richard, the second-largest car manufacturer in Europe. You manufacture cars in France, Slovakia, Poland, Argentina and Nigeria. Five years ago, you started to export your cars to Japan. You use an exclusive dealer there, Yamashita Auto Sales. In your first year, you exported 14,000 vehicles. This total has increased very rapidly: last year you sold 32,000 cars in Japan, which represents an increase of 52% on the previous year's total of 21,000. Your target for this year is 35,000 vehicles. For the moment you export the small P5 (19,900 cars last year), the mediumsized P16 (10,750) and the large P30 (1,350), and you have recently started marketing the brand-new small to medium P8. Your market share last year was 0.4% of the Japanese market. You are meeting today to decide if you should continue with this policy of sales to Japan. The problem is that Automobile Richard has always made a loss on their sales to Japan. Even if it meets its sales target this year, it will still make a loss. You must review this policy, and decide if its benefits really outweigh its disadvantages.
You must decide: if you should stop exporting to Japan completely or continue the current policy, and concentrate on meeting the target of 35,000 cars sold this year
The President Chairing the meeting: Make sure everyone participates actively. Examine one by one all the arguments for and against exporting to Japan. Think carefully about all the possible consequences of the solutions being put forward. Your own point of view; Your company should stop exporting to Japan completely, as soon as possible. You are making a loss, and this cannot continue. You can never make a profit in Japan. The market is simply too hard to break into. There is too much competition on this market, and the competition is too strong for you. It is stupid to waste money in this way. You gain nothing from these tiny sales.
The Export Sales Director Your company should continue its present policy. You always knew that you would make a loss on this market. The Japanese car market is the most difficult in the world. Japanese customers are the most demanding in the world. But you know that if you can sell cars in Japan, you can sell them anywhere. The Japanese market is essential for your image. Selling in Japan helps sales everywhere else. It is impossible to calculate how much this contributes to your profits, but you are certain that it makes a vital contribution. Changing your policy and stopping sales would he a way of saying, 'Our cars are not good enough'. This would have catastrophic effects on other markets. Financial Director This policy of exporting to Japan is catastrophic for profits and should be ended as soon as possible. You understand the arguments in favour of exporting to Japan. It is true that if you can export there, you can export anywhere. It is true that if your quality is good enough for Japan, it is good enough for anywhere. But it is stupid to waste money on a market where you will never make a profit. It would be much better, and much more profitable, to spend this money on increasing sales in countries where you already have a small and growing market share. You need a 4% share to make a profit on exports to most markets - you should concentrate on trying to get this in Brazil or Mexico, for example.
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The Communications Manager It would he catastrophic for the image of the company and its products if you stopped exports to Japan. For five years, you have been telling the world that you export to Japan, that you increase sales rapidly every year, and that this proves not only that you make cars of a quality which is second-to-none, but that you can 'take on the best and win'. If you now withdraw from Japan, your message will be: 'This market is too hard for us, we are not good enough, our quality is poor and we are incapable of improving. We are a minor manufacturer, we are leaving this enormous market to the big boys'. The Regional Manager for the Far East The policy of exporting to Japan should be phased out slowly. You understand the arguments against a sudden stop. This would be damaging for the image of the company and its cars. But the Japanese market is depressed, and if you continue with sales there, growth in your market share will be slow, and you will make more losses. You should not introduce any new models, and you should stop selling the different models now on sale when their production is halted. You should spend the money you save on a factory in China, which is an enormous and fast-growing market, and which can be used as a base for exporting to all of Asia. The Director of Human Resources The policy of exporting to Japan is part of your image-building effort. In order to attract the most highly qualified staff to your firm, your staff must believe that your cars are the best, better than anyone else's, and sold everywhere and anywhere in the world. Selling in Japan is a way of proving to your staff and to the world that you all believe in your product. Unless you continue with the policy of exporting to Japan, you will never be able to compete for prestige with BMW or Mercedes.
The Marketing Manager It is laughable to suppose that you can market your cars in the same category as BMW or Mercedes. You make a full range of cars at affordable prices. You can compete with Toyota or Nissan, Fiat or Volkswagen, but not in Japan. The Japanese manufacturers have a very small market share in Europe, and you should concentrate your efforts on making sure this does not change, and on fast-developing markets like India, Indonesia, Brazil or Argentina.
The Director of Quality Control The policy of exporting to Japan has done more than anything to improve quality in your factories. Before, your quality was not good enough to export to Japan. Your cars were built to run for 100,000 km without major repair. This is now 150,000 and soon it will be 200,000. This is due to the challenge of entering the Japanese market and taking on the Japanese on their home ground. You should carry on with this policy and aim for a 2% share of the market, which, while it may not enable you to make a real profit, will at least enable you to break even.
Vocabulary brand new: completely new, very recent to break even: to make just enough money not to make a loss to break into: to get a share of, to begin sales to a dealer: a garage, a place which sells cars demanding: wanting a lot, insisting on a lot of things
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an exclusive dealer: a dealer who sells only one make of car, and who is the only seller of these cars in the country fast-growing: getting bigger very quickly to halt: to stop highly-qualified: with lots of qualifications and skills image-building: making efforts to improve what customers think of you and your products to increase: to rise, to get bigger, the opposite of to decrease or to fall market share: how much of the market your sales represent, what part medium size: between big and small, neither big nor small a merger: when two previously separate companies join together to make one company an obstacle: something which gets in the way, prevents action being taken or being successful on home ground: here, in Japan lo outweigh: to be more important, more significant than to phase out: to stop gradually, slowly a range: all your products, in this case, all the different models of cars you make the second -largest: not the biggest, but the next one in size second-to-none: behind/inferior to nobody, the best to take on: to compete with, to fight against a target: an aim, an objective, something you want to attain, to reach tiny: very, very small
79
Changing names
Introduction With a partner, think of and write down the names and brands of a few well-known companies which: a) have the same name for the company and its products. b) have one name for the company and another or others for its products. c) have one name for the company, use the company name for some products and other names for other products. Now discuss and note down reasons why you think these companies have such policies for brand names. Once you have done this, discuss as a group: a) Do some companies have too many brand names? b) Why do some companies create new brand names or change their company or brand name? c) What are the advantages and disadvantages of having the same name for the company and the products? d) What are the advantages and disadvantages of having different names for the company and the products, and of having a range of brand names?
Situation You work for Compagnia Europea di Biciclette, the biggest bicycle manufacturer in Europe. You have factories in Bologna and Siena in Italy, at Evreux in France, and at Cambridge in England. The head office is in Siena, Italy. You have six different brand names Bicibolo, Pedalissimo, Bachtung, Evlo, Rose Wheeler. You are meeting today to discuss both the group name and the brand names. It has been suggested that your group name is unsuitable for the following reasons: - it's Italian, so not really suitable for the European market leader - it's too long and too difficult to say - awareness of the name is poor Some of your managers think the group has too many brand names. They argue that as the products are much the same whichever factory they are made in, sales would improve if you could concentrate advertising and marketing effort and budgets on fewer brands. The reason you have so many brand names is that when the different subsidiaries manufacturing bicycles and using their own brand names were taken over by Compagnia Europea di Biciclette, these names were kept. Different brands of bicycle are strong in the markets of different European countries, but at least three of your brands are available nearly everywhere. 80
You must decide: if the group needs a new corporate name if you should keep all the brand names if you could use the same name for the corporation and for a brand
Roles:
The Managing Director Chairing the meeting: Make sure everyone speaks and gives their point of view. Listen to what they all have to say, and try to come to a collective decision; if you cannot, make the decision yourself. Organize the meeting in the following way, writing key information on the board as the meeting progresses: Get opinions on whether the group needs a new name, and if so, what it should be. Discuss whether the company has too many brand names; if it does, which ones should be dropped? Discuss whether the same name could be used for both the group and for the products. What name should you choose? Your own point of view: When you ask people what sort of bike they own, they frequently say it's a Wheeler or a Bicibolo. But you find it very annoying that few people seem to have heard of your corporate name. You don' t really mind what name is adopted for the company or the products, but want something which can quickly become well known.
The Plant Manager. Cambridge You are the manager of the Cambridge plant, which makes Wheeler bicycles. You were taken over by Compagnia Europea di Biciclette in 1986. You were relieved that you did not have to take the brand name Bicibolo for either your subsidiary or your products after the takeover, because you believe that your factory has much higher standards of quality than the Italian factories and that the Bicibolo bicycle is an inferior product. You agree that the group could do with fewer brand names, but think that Wheeler is obviously an excellent name for a bike and should be kept. You are not sure the group needs to change its corporate name, but if it does it could take the name Wheeler - provided the other factories made an effort to raise their quality to the same standard as yours.
The Marketing Manager You wouldn't mind changing the firm's name, but are definitely against any idea of either using a brand name as the firm's name, or dropping any of the brand names used at the moment. Your reasons are: you know that if you take one of the better-known brand names as the firm's name, the dealers selling the other brands, and the factories making them, will be offended by having different names and ranges you keep a hold on the market, and keep competitors out. In most Italian cities you have three different outlets for Pedalissimo, Bicibolo and Wheeler, and if you used just one of those names, you might well lose the two other dealers
The Communications Manager You want a new company name which will be easy for everyone to remember, and which wilI help to create a group culture. Your suggestion is 'Eurocycles'. You are not against having two or three trade names, but think six is ridiculous. Bicibolo seems to you a good name, is by far the best known in Italy, and has a good reputation in Europe. Rose is a ridiculous name for a bicycle, and Wheeler rather wet. Evlo has a good reputation in southern 81
Europe, and should be used alongside Bicibolo. You should drop Pedalissimo, which you find silly, and Bachtung, which is much too German-sounding for a bike which is not at all made in Germanspeaking countries. Remind your colleagues that the Bicibolo team won the Tour de France last year. The billion lira it cost did much, in your opinion, to give the brand name Bicibolo a sound European reputation.
The Personnel Manager You work at the head office in Siena. You want to create some sort of corporate identity and group culture which would help to bring the different subsidiaries together, and make your employees proud of working for the group. It is obvious that the starting point for all this must be the name of the group and the names of the products. Nobody has ever heard of Compagnia Europea di Biciclette, so a new name (why not 'Eurocycles'?) would be an excellent idea. As long as you have each factory making its own brand, you will have damaging rivalry between each subsidiary. You should get rid of some brand names straight away, and gradually phase in a common name. Why not use the same name as the group, namely Eurocycles?
The Production Manager You know only too well that any change in the company's name or the brand names would create terrible problems in the factories. The corporate name: When the French and English factories were taken over, they were worried that they might have to adopt one of the Italian brand names as a corporate name; 'Compagnia Europea di Biciclette' was much easier to accept. Your colleagues must remember that although the factories are all part of one group now, before the takeovers ten years or more ago, they all used to compete against each other. Brand names: All the brand names are closely associated with a factory. So at Evreux, they are proud of their Evlos, and are convinced they are the best bikes in the business. At Cambridge they are just as proud of their Wheelers, at Siena of their Pedalissimos and at Bologna of their Bicibolos. Rose is used as a name for girls' bikes, and Bachtung is an excellent name for marketing in Germanic countries.
The Financial Controller You are against any costly changes. You agree that the group is not well known, and that you do have rather a lot of brand names. But you are worried about the cost of changing the group's name - think of all that wasted notepaper, and the cost of a corporate advertising campaign. Perhaps there might be savings to be made if you only had one or two brand names. After all, what a lot of money was wasted by having six different stands at the Frankfurt Show last year! Listen to what your colleagues have to say, and try to persuade them to choose the least costly solution. Tell them also that you want more back on your money than you got from last year's Tour de France. The Bicibolo team won, but the other sponsor, Perrier, got all the publicity!
The Plant Manager, Evreux You consider your products to be the best in the group. Your makes Evlo and Rose are market leaders in France, Spain and Portugal. It would be a disaster if you scrapped these names. Rose may be a bit soppy, but your pink girls' range sells very well. Evlo helps your employees identify with the firm, as you are well-known locally. You'd like to change the group name, as you think that it's too Italian. How about 'Eurocycles'? 82
Business Communication: Correspondence

Task 1
Presentation and structure The layout of business letters often varies slightly from company to company. . Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). On unheaded notepaper, you should always write your name above your address. On unheaded notepaper, the address of the sender is on the right. Our ref. refers to the writers filing system. In the UK, the date 2/4/93 means February 4th, 1993. You should always write the name and position of the person you are writing to above his/her company address. You use the salutation Dear Sir or Dear Madam when you know that the person you are writing to is older or more senior than you. If you begin with Dear Sir, you end with Yours faithfully. The initials p.p. indicates that the person signing the letter is doing so on behalf of someone else. It is unusual for the writer to put his/her company position at the end of the letter. In business letters, dates should appear as numbers separated by full points (.) or obliques (/). The abbreviation Ms can refer to both married and unmarried women. If you are writing to Mrs Anne Swanson. you open with Dear Anne Swanson. Short business letters are regarded as impolite. Americans may begin a business letter with the salutation Gentlemen. followed by a colon. The letters Enc. mean that something else has been sent with the letter.
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Study the layout and structure of this typical business letter
XP Publicity
Via Santa Marta 34 31124 Conegliano Treviso Italy Tel 0438 456723 E mail Zampi@tin.it 21 October 2004 our ref: 45/PZ your ref: 34/789 JFB Office Supplies Unit 8 Jubiter Business Park Orpinton Lancashire OPS 1RT Dear Sir/Madam, Re Filing cabinet order I recently ordered a filing cabinet from your company and I am writing to say that I am not satisfied with the one which has just been delivered. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the colour is not as ordered. You have sent me a grey cabinet rather than in white as ordered. Secondly, the lock doesn't work. Finally, I found a large dent on the top, which was probably caused during delivery. I must ask you to replace the filing cabinet with one which is the correct colour and in perfect condition. I would be grateful if you could telephone me on 06845 721399 as soon as possible in order to make the necessary arrangements. Yours faithfully, P Zampieri Paula Zampieri (Ms) Purchasing Manager
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BEGINNING Write your address in the top right-hand corner. Do not write your name. Write the recipient's name and address on the left-hand side below the date. Write the number first, followed by the street, town (and postcode, if you know it). Do not indent their address. Write the first line next to the left-hand margin. Write Dear + the person's name, if you know it. If not, begin Dear Sir (for a man), Dear Madam (for a woman), or Dear Sir/Madam (if it could be either). Don't use a title like Dear Manager and remember to put a comma at the end. If you want, you can begin the next line under the name. BODY In the first paragraph, clearly state your reason for writing. Use the middle paragraphs to explain the details, beginning a new paragraph for each main point. If you are replying to an advert, say where you saw it and when. If you are replying to a letter, give the date of the letter. ENDING In the final paragraph, sum up and/or say what action you want to be taken. If you begin Dear Sir or Dear Madam, end with Yours faithfully. If you begin with a name, end with Yours sincerely. These endings are followed by a comma. Print your name clearly after your signature.
Task 2
Letter puzzle
Reorganise this letter Mr Stanley Morgan, Dixons Electrics, Fem IndustriaI Park, London N17 PB5 Yours sincerely, Boon and Co Shangai City Complex Hong Kong Tel: + +65 6554 5050 fax: + + 65 6555 0508 - Email Boon@ hk.com Your ref: SM/iw Our ref: PT/mt 85
Patrick Tay
Patrick Tay Export Manager Thank you for your letter of 31 October. encs We are pleased to enclose a leaflet which gives full details of the Sony Portable Digital Voice Recorder's specifications. We can confirm that the price for this model is $203.00 as advertised on our site but this offer expires on 30 November. So I would urge you to place an order as soon as possible while stocks last. 5 November 2004 Re: Sony ICD-Bio Portable Voice Recorder Dear Mr Morgan, We look forward to receiving your order We are able to ship our goods within 24 hours of receiving your order. I am also enclosing a copy of our terms of payment for your reference.
Task 3 In each of the following sentences, choose the correct word to fill the gap. l I would be ______________if you could send me details of your PS/2 range. thankful please content grateful You were ______________to us by our associates. advised suggest recommended informed We were given your _______by The Chamber of Commerce. identity company name placing Thank you for your letter ___________19 June. in on of from Please _______________enclosed our current catalogue and price list. find look receive examine We would appreciate _____________you could send us further information on your range of non-impact printers. it that this when it if I would be grateful if you could arrange far your Technical Director will call is calling to call calls on me.
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We look forward hear to hear We would be grateful to of for with
from you. hearing to hearing an early reply.
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Should you require anything further at this time, please do not _______to contact me. avoid hesitate delay prevent
Task 4 The following letter was written to accompany an order. There are 8 mistakes (grammar, style, word order, vocabulary, spelling, etc.). Can you find and correct them?
Dear Mr P.J.Wilson, Thank you for your fax of 19 May. Please found enclosed our order no. 88694 for five EMC180 scanners. We would like confirming that payment for this initial order will make by bankers draft on delivery. We will take advantage of the 39 day credit period for any subsequent orders. We would appreciate if you could arrange for the scanners to be shipped as soon as possible. I look forward to hear from you in short. Yours faithfully
S Gianelli Chief Buyer enc.
Task 5 Match the beginnings and ends of these sentences. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Please find enclosed our current price Please fill in the order The prices quoted are subject to Payment can be made by We offer free overnight delivery on We would like to place an order Please could you let us know what trade If the product sells well, we will Please find enclosed a cheque Please let us know when a b c d e f g h i j cheque or credit card. with you for 2,000 units. we can expect delivery. discounts you can offer. for 395.95. place further orders with you. list and order form. . form on Page 260 orders of over 50.00. VAT at 17.5%.
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Task 6 When writing formal letters, we often precede questions which ask for information with phrases like Could you please let us know... and Kindly inform us... Look at the examples below and note how the original questions change when they become part of a longer question or statement. Then change the questions which follow in the same way. A When/Where/How will the consignment arrive? Could you please let us know when/where/how the consignment will arrive? Do you offer discounts on large orders? Could you tell us whether you offer discounts on large orders? Are you interested in this offer? Please let us know whether you are interested in this offer.
B C
How would you like us to pay? Could you please let us know ______________________________? How many items would you like to order? Please let us know _______________________________________? Do you have the items in stock? Could you please tell us ___________________________________ ? Are these terms acceptable to you? Please let us know ________________________________________?
Do you anticipate any delays with delivery? Please let us know ________________________________________ ?
When would you be able to ship the order? Kindly inform us _________________________________________ ? Where would you like us to send the order? Please let us know ________________________________________ ? Would you be prepared to offer us a quantity discount? Could you please tell us ____________________________________ ? When would you like to receive payment? Please let us know _________________________________________ ? 88
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Would you like us to arrange a maintenance contract? Kindly inform us __________________________________________ ?
Task 7 Making a complaint Rewrite these sentences using the passive. Beginning with the words indicated. l You have sent us the wrong items again. The wrong You should have delivered this consignment last week This consignment Someone broke two of the VDUs during transportation. Two 4 Someone sent the order by sea mail instead of air mail. The order Please let me know when you think you can sort this matter out. Please let me know when you think this matter You should have sent the documents by registered post. The documents 7 A faulty connection could have caused the problems with the hard disk. The problems with the hard disk You omitted the manuals from the order. The manuals You delivered the printers over three weeks late. The printers We will not pay the invoice until this problem is rectified. The invoice
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Task 8 Match the beginnings and ends of these sentences. l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Task 9 In each of the following sentences, choose the most appropriate word from the options in brackets. 1 I am writing to (apply, request, ask) for the post of Sales Consultant advertised in today's edition of 'The Independent'. I enclose my curriculum vitae for the (job, position, work) of Program Manager. I am writing to complain about the late I am writing with reference a b collected from the factory. on the invoice. a fault in the manufacturing process. we are not satisfied with them. delivery of items I ordered last week. to order UH-8 79/94. the full amount. for the inconvenience.
We are returning the goods to you because c Please arrange for the goods to be Please send us a refund for Please accept my apologies The problem arose due to We would like to apologize for the error d e f g h
3 As you will see from the enclosed (CV, covering letter, application), I have had several years' experience of Export Sales. 4 I (qualified, left, graduated) from Manchester Technical College with an HND in Engineering. 5 At present, I am (worked, employed, taken) by Unisys, where I work in the Customer Department. 6 7 I would be grateful if you could send me an application (form, formula, card). While I was at Dell, I was (liable, responsible, charged) for the day-to-day running of the Technical Services Department. At ICL my duties (inc1uded, added, completed) installing and testing new computer I look (forward, ahead, on) to hearing from you. systems. Electronic
Services
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Emails
Read the company memo regarding their email policy towards employees.
BELLOTICA MEMO =================================== To: Toni Franco From: Alba Rizzo Subject: Company e-mail policy Date: 5 November It has been brought to my attention that a certain number of our employees are misusing the company email system. Please remind staff in your department about our policy regarding e-mails. The use of emoticons* is not encouraged. All emails must be answered within at least 8 working hours. Priority emails should be answered within 4 hours whenever possible. Users need to request permission from their supervisor before subscribing to a newsletter or news group. Personal emails must be kept in a separate folder, named "Private". All personal emails must be deleted weekly so as not to clog up the system. The forwarding of chain letters, spam and jokes is strictly forbidden. On average, users should try and send no more than 2 personal emails a day. Do not send mass mailings. Staff should also remember that all personal messages distributed via the company's system are company property. AR
Cheek your comprehension: How should Bellotica's employees interpret company guidelines?
Necessary emoticons reply within 8 hours reply within 4 hours permission to receive newsletters the sending of personal emails empty private folder each week chain letters, spam & jokes limit personal emails to 2 a day mass mailings * emoticons or smileys are characters you can find on your computer keyboard. They are used in e-mail messages and for communicating over the Internet. Not for general business use! Permitted Prohibited Good idea Bad idea
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Working with Words Alba Rizzo wrote:
Remind or Remember?
Please remind staff in your department about our policy regarding e-mails. Staff should also remember that all personal messages distributed via the company's system are company property. Study these sentences: Please remember to send those invoices. It means: Don't forget to send those invoices.
Remind me about your products. It means: Tell me again about your products. Remember to phone Jack Remind me to phone Jack Remind to phone Jack. Remember me to phone Jack correct correct wrong wrong
Complete the email messages with remind or remember. From: Shelley Davis <sheIl@bretts.com To: Gale-Bames <bames@flakypastry.com Date: 18 Ju1y Re: Frankfurt Food fair Hi Gale I've tried to phone you a few times but you always seem to be out of the office! Could you remind/remember to let me have the details about the trade fair in Frankfurt next month? Thanks Shelley From: Robert Getley, Accounts Department To: Mr Graham Bruce, Purchasing Manager Date: 11 April Re: Overdue Payment Dear Mr Bruce May I remember/remind you that we are still waiting for you to settle invoice 9887650? As you know, our terms of payment are 30 days net . I am afraid we cannot handle any more orders from you until the invoice has been paid. Yours sincerely Roger Getley Supervisor From: Clare Ferguson To: Mario Marrone Date: 3 October Re: Leather samples 92
Dear Mario Thank you for your kind hospitality in Verona. Would you remember/remind to send me the samples you promised? Id like to show them to our assistant manager. Could you also remind/remember us about your terms of payment and shipping costs for orders of more than 500 items? Looking forward to doing business with you Clare Ferguson Test your skills for business correspondence In the letters below, choose the correct expressions. Letter 1: Making an enquiry Dear Sir/Madam, Video-Conference Equipment - Model HP 23X I am writing to enquire about your range/series/list of audio-equipment which we saw advertised on your website. We want more information/We desire more information/We would like to receive more information about Model HP 23X. Would you kindly confirm the price as shown on your website and let us know your terms of payment / payment conditions I payment agreement and delivery charges? If we receive a favourable offer we may be able to pass a large order/ we may be able to send a large order / we may be able to place a large order/ with you. We wait for your news / We look forward to receiving your reply / We wait to hear from you. Yours faithfully, S Morgan Stanley Morgan Purchasing Manager Choose the best translations for these expressions. 1. 2. gamma Desideriamo avere pi informazioni condizioni di pagamento vi passeremmo ordini considerevoli In attesa di sentirVi series We want more information terms of payment We may be able to send a large order We wait for your news Range We desire more information payment agreement We may be able to place a large order We wait to hear from you List We would like to receive more information payment conditions We may be able to pass a large order We look forward to receiving your reply
3. 4.
5.
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Letter 2: Answering an enquiry Dear Mr Morgan Re: Video-Conference Equipment Model HP23X Thank you for your letter of 19 June. We are honoured / We are pleased / We are thrilled to confirm that the price for this model is 899 including VAT, as advertised on our website. Please find enclosed / Herewith enclosed you will see / We are attaching our current price list together with our terms of payment and delivery charges. I have also taken the liberty of sending you, under separate cover / in a separate folder / with a separate envelope our latest catalogue which has full details about our range of products. We are sure that you will find our prices highly convenient / economic / competitive. Please do not hesitate to contact us, in case you want more information / if you need further information / when you desire other information. We look forward to receiving your order and to doing business with you. Yours sincerely Helen Barnett Helen Bamett Sales Manager encs. Choose the best translations for these expressions. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Siamo lieti Vi spediamo allegato alla presente Con plico separato conveniente Nel caso desideriate ulteriori informazioni We are pleased We are attaching Under separate cover We are honoured Herewith enclosed In a separate folder We are thrilled Please find enclosed With a separate envelope Competitive In case you want more information
Convenient Economic When you desire other If you need further information information
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Test your skills for business correspondence

It is very important to use the right degree of formaIity in business correspondence.
In the letter below there are expressions which are too informaI or too friendly for a formal business letter. Choose the most formal and most suitable expressions to complete the letter.
Placing an order
Dear Ms Burns Re: order HP228 After our chat just now / With reference to our recent telephone conversation / having spoken to you a moment ago. I would like to confirm our order (No. HP228) for the following: ITEM Cotton nightdress Silk pyjamas Lycra T-shirt COLOUR white cream black QUANTITY 25 25 50 PRICE $ 19.99 ea. $ 45.00 ea. $ 12.50 ea.
If you do not have the items in stock, please advise us immediately / let us know right away / tell us straight away. The goods should be shipped C.I.F. * We would appreciate delivery / Please send us the goods I We hope we'll get the goods by the end of February. Hope to hear from you I Write back soon I We look forward to receiving your acknowledgement. Yours sincerely Tamara Wilcox Tamara Wilcox Chief Buyer *C.I.F. = Carriage + Insurance + Freight. This is an incoterm commonly used in international trade transactions and describes the way goods will be transported and paid for.
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Complaining and Apologising: Test your comprehension Making a complaint

Dear Ms Burns Re: Order HP228 We regret to inform you that we are extremely disappointed with the consignment of nightdresses, which was delivered yesterday. The quality of the cotton does not in any way correspond to the sample you sent us a few months ago. As our Spring Sale is starting next week, we do not feel that there is sufficient time to return the goods to you or for you to supply us with an alternative model. I believe the best solution for us would be to retain the goods but at a substantially reduced price; I look forward to hearing your comments as soon as possible. Yours sincerely Tamara Wilcox Tamara Wilcox Chief buyer
Check your comprehension by choosing the best response. 1. The Problem: the nightdresses were the wrong style the fabric did not match up to expectations the goods were delivered too late for the Spring Sale 2. The Solution keep the goods but refuse to pay for them keep the goods but sell them at a discounted price in the Spring Sale keep the goods but demand a large discount
Apologising Dear Ms Wilcox
Re: Order HP228 I was sorry to hear that you were not satisfied with the goods you ordered. As you know our company prides itself on the high quality of its fabrics and it is not in our interests to supply inferior or poor quality goods. We have not received any complaints from our other customers, but I can assure you we will look in to the matter.
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I am afraid that we are not prepared to offer any further discount until we have investigated the problem this end. However, as a valued customer, we would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase any new line from our Summer catalogue at a 15% discount off list price. I apologise once again for any inconvenience caused Yours sincerely R Burns Roberta Burns Sales Manager Check your comprehension by choosing the best answer. 1. The reasons the company admits that other customers have not been happy with the fabric the company denies having supplied poor quality goods the company offers to investigate the problem 2. The solution a 15% discount on the order a 15% discount on a new order no discount at all until the problem has been solved
Test your language: Informal or Formal?
Emails tend to be less formal than letters or faxes; it depends on whom you are writing to. An email to a person you don't know will be more formal than to a person you know well. Complete the table below with the following expressions. We do apologise for ... We regret to inform you that ... You'll be pleased to hear that... Do you want me to ... We would appreciate it if you could ...
SITUATION Giving good news Giving bad news Offering help Making a request Apologising
FORMAL INFORMAL We are delighted to inform you Im sorry but Would you like us to Could you Im really sorry about
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Employment
Read these statements and tick the three which most closely represent your beliefs about work. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. People are naturally lazy and avoid work if they can. People find satisfaction in work Everybody in an organisation is capable of creativity Work is a necessary evil. People prefer to follow orders and instructions. Work is as natural as play or rest.
Vocabulary Look at the words based around employ employer unemployable unemployed employee employment unemployment
employed
Complete the sentences using each word just once a) b) c) d) e) The new factory has provided opportunities of _________ for local people. Beatrice won the __________of the month prize 3 times last year. She has been ___________ ever since she finished her studies; she just cant find a job. People are worried about the rise in ____________ . The company is a model ____________ and takes good care of the people _________ in its factories. He is dishonest, lazy, and stupid hes completely _____________ .
f)
Types of job
Look at the list below. Which type of job would you prefer. Would you rather: a) b) c) d) e) f) work in a team or alone? work in a manufacturing industry or a service industry? work in a large or a small organization? be self employed or an employee? work for the state or in the private sector? be a member of a national company or a multinational company? 98
g) h) i) j)
work in a large town or city, a small town or in the countryside? be based in an office or in a job involving travel? work abroad or stay in your own country? have contact with the general public or have no contact with the general public?
Vocabulary
Complete the sentences by rearranging the letters in CAPITALS to form a word to do with work. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. They've sent me an ____________ form. PLITACAIOPN They want two written _________; they suggest an employer and a teacher. EFEERRNCES Well, they've invited me for an________ next week. Can I borrow your suit? ITEWRVNIE The job offers a ____________________ of 25,000 a year. SARAYL His academic _________________are good but he doesn't have any previous _______________ . UALIIOFQCATISN / PEEERINCEX 6. Employers are interested in practical ____________ like word-processing and fluency in languages. SLKLSI 7. In Britain, the normal working week for ______-time employees is anything up to eighteen hours a week, while people working __________ -time do around thirty-eight hours. PATR / LULF 8. Officially, she works thirty-five hours a week but sometimes with _____________ she does as many as fifty. VEOTIMRE 9. Now she works from home, she doesn't have to ____________ by train to and from London every day. CMMOTUE 10. Nowadays many designers or information technology workers are ______________; that is, they sell their work or services to different organizations. ERLENAEFC
Study the list of things which are important in a job 1) 2) 3) opportunities for promotion comfortable working conditions status and respect interesting and satisfying work fringe benefits (e.g. company car, private health insurance) a good salary and holidays colleagues I like a fair and reasonable boss training opportunities job security Choose the three which are most important and least important to you. Compare your answers with a partner and agree on the same list. As a class, decide the three most and least important.
Look at the adjectives below. Divide them into those that describe people and those that describe the job. Which adjectives can describe both? 99
enthusiastic dynamic boring trustworthy
secure flexible reliable worthwhile
confident stressful creative ambitious
challenging patient conscientious
What do employers want?

Skills Many employers think that skills (what you can do) and personal qualities (what youre like as a person) are as important, if not more important, than paper qualifications. Generic (General, transferable skills needed in nearly all jobs)

Communication Numeracy IT Team working Problem solving Managing your own learning Customer care Time management Flexibility Planning and organisation Motivation and enthusiasm Showing initiative and being self-starting
Task Think of examples from your univeristy or working life that demonstrate the above qualities and skills.
Selecting the right person for a job

In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job? Choose the seven most important. Is there anything missing from the list? age experience personality group sex appearance family background qualifications astrological sign contacts and connections handwriting hobbies intelligence references health and sickness record blood
Discuss this question: Do people change during their working lives? If so, how? Now read the article below. What does it say about the question above? Find the answer as quickly as you can.
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How to select the best candidate.. and avoid the worst Investing thousands of pounds in the recruitment and training of each new graduate recruit may be just the beginning. Choosing the wrong candidate may leave an organisation paying for years to come. Few companies will have escaped all of the following failures: people who panic at the first sign of stress; those with long, impressive qualifications who seem incapable of learning; hypochondriacs whose absentee record becomes astonishing; and the unstable person later discovered to be a thief or worse. Less dramatic, but just as much a problem, is the person who simply does not come up to expectations, who does not quite deliver; who never becomes a high-flyer or even a steady performer; the employee with a fine future behind them. The first point to bear in mind at the recruitment stage is that people dont change. Intelligence levels decline modestly, but change little over their working life. The same is true of abilities, such as learning languages and handling numbers. Most people like to think that personality can change, particularly the more negative features such as anxiety, low esteem, impulsiveness or a lack of emotional warmth. But data collected over 50 years gives a clear message: still stable after all these years. Extroverts become slightly less extroverted; the acutely shy appear a little less so, but the fundamentals remain much the same. Personal crisis can affect the way we cope with things: we might take up or drop drink, drugs, religion or relaxation techniques, which can have pretty dramatic effects. Skills can be improved, and new ones introduced, but at rather different rates. People can be groomed for a job. Just as politicians are carefully repackaged through dress, hairstyle and speech specialists, so people can be sent on training courses diplomas or experimental weekends. But there is a cost to all this which may be more than the price of the course. Better to select for what you actually see rather than attempt to change it. From the Financial Times Read the article again and answer these questions. 1 What types of failures do companies experience, according to the article? 2 What does a fine future behind them mean? 3 What advice does the article give to managers? In another part of the article (not included here), the writer suggests that selectors should look for three qualities: a) Intelligence and ability b) emotional stability c) conscientiousness.
1 Do you agree? Explain your opinion. 2 Place the following words under these three headings. What other words can you add?
astute bright calm clever easy-going neurotic working moody responsible sharp slow
punctual
quick-tempered
reliable hard-
Intelligence and ability
emotional stability
conscientiousness
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Business Communication Telephoning

Telephone Etiquette How good are your telephone manners? Every time you make or receive a call at work you are representing yourself and the company, so the impression you create is extremely important. A good knowledge of proper telephone etiquette will help you make the right impression and maintain successful business relationships. In fact, your phone technique can make or a break deal for the company. Here are some guidelines to help you use the phone as a power tool.
After you read each of the guidelines, check your telephone etiquette by ticking on the appropriate answers Always answer the phone promptly. Then be sure to identify yourself and the company and department. Make sure you get the callers name right from the start of the conversation and use it as much as possible. You are very busy. The telephone keeps ringing and interrupting your work. You: a let the phone ring; if its important the person will phone back b answer the call with an abrupt Yes? Who is it? c respond immediately, letting the caller know who and where they have come through to.
If you need to leave the line to obtain information, it is courteous to give the caller the option of waiting or being called back. You might ask "Would you prefer to hold?"or "Shall I call you back?" If the caller decides to wait, give progress reports every 30 seconds or so. This lets the caller know that he/she has not been disconnected or forgotten. You don't have all the information you need to respond to a client's enquiry. You: a ask the client to phone back; it's not polite to ask someone to wait. b offer the client the chance of holding the line or being called back. c tell the client to hold on for about 30 seconds while you get the necessary information.
Do not make commitments for other people if you have to handle a call for another colleague. You should say Ill give her your message as soon as she gets back to the office rather than Shell call you as soon as she returns You answer a call to your business colleague who is at a business meeting. You: a explain where your colleague is and that you dont know when she will be back. b promise to get your colleague to return the call. c assure the person that you will let your colleague know about the call.
When you are the person making the call, be sure to use proper phone etiquette from the start. A 102
greeting such as "Good afternoon, this is Belinda Bright of Dreamakers, I'm returning a call from Richard Jones, is he available? is a bit of etiquette well spent in the long run. It would also be wise to learn and use the names of your business contacts' assistants, their secretaries or receptionists, and make them feel noticed and important. 4 When you make a call, you should: a introduce yourself before asking to speak to someone. b deal directly with your clients assistant, this will make her feel important. c always call people by their first names; they will remember how friendly you are. When you get through to the person you want to speak to, remind them of any previous communication between you. This helps to jog a busy person's memory and gives your call an immediate context. If your call is not expected, ask them if they have the time for you. Calling unannounced is much like "dropping in" and you shouldn't overstay unless invited. If the other person does not have time, briefly state the purpose of your call and ask for an appointment to follow up at a later time. When you get through, you should: a check that the person has time to speak to you. b make an appointment to speak to the person another time. c invite the person to call you back.
Employ active listening noises such as "yes" or "I see". This lets the other person know that you care about what they have to say. Remember to smile while you're speaking. Believe it or not, people can "hear a smile" over the phone! While you are talking you should: a Make a lot of noise so that the person can hear you. b Smile so that your voice has a friendly quality. c Make the person laugh; everyone appreciates hearing a joke.
Keep a pencil and pad near the phone and jot notes during phone conversations. Recap at the end of the call, using your notes and repeat any resolutions or commitments on either side to be sure that you both have the same information. While you listen, you should: a make notes about what you have to do in the office so that you dont waste time. b take notes of the conversation so that you can point out any mistakes your client makes. c write down the details to help you go over what you and your client have agreed.
End the call on a positive note by thanking the other person for their time and express an interest in speaking with them again. If not, just let them know you appreciated them speaking with you and end the call. A gracious good bye leaves the door open for further communication and in this day of mergers and acquisitions you never know who you will be doing business with in the future. Remember, in this global marketplace, some of the most powerful business relationships that a company has built up have been between people who have never seen each other. Finishing a conversation on a positive note is important because: 103
a b c
you never know if you might want to apply for a job with another company. it leaves the door open for future business relations. powerful business relationships can only be forged on the telephone.
Quiz Check How did you get on? 8 correct answers: 5/6/7 correct answers: Below 5:
Your telephone manners are perfect. Well done! Pretty good. Read the guidelines again before making any phone calls! Your telephone manners need to be improved. They could lose a company vital business.
Getting through 1
Underline the best response Switchboard: Good morning, Cape Installations, Glenda speaking. How can I help you?/ What do you want? / Who is that?
Francesca Baggio: Hello, I'm / this is / here is Francesca Baggio speaking. I'll speak / Id speak / Id like to speak to Sharon Bennett please. Glenda: I'm sorry, could I have / hear / listen your name again please?
Francesca Baggio: Yes, it's / I'm / she's Francesca Baggio, I call / I am calling / I called from Sidel, Italy. Could you put me through / connect me through / pass me through to Sharon Bennett, Mr Green's secretary, please? Glenda: Oh, you need extension 524. Hold / Stay / Wait the line please and Ill connect you / I'd connect you / I connect you ..I'm afraid the line's blocked /occupied / engaged, Ms Baggio. Shall I ask her to call you back*? No, dont worry, Ill try again later, thank you, goodbye. Goodbye.
Francesca Baggio: Glenda:
* to call back : to telephone again later Note the difference in the two expressions: Shall I ask her to call you back? Will you call back?
Getting through 2
Here's an unsuccessful attempt at getting through to a client. Underline the best words to complete 104
the text. 1. Your boss asks you to telephone / call to / ring in a new client. 2. You pick up the cornet / receiver / transmitter. 3. You listen for the dialling / engaged / busy tone. 4. You make / push / dial the number and the switchboard answers. 5. You ask the switchboard to connect / link / join you to your client's extension. 6. The switchboard asks you to hang / hold / attend. 7. The line goes off / dead / silent. 8. You ring again. The switchboard explains that you were switched off / turned off / cut off. 9. You can't hear the switchboard very well. It's a very noisy / bad / weak line. l0. You shout to the switchboard that you can't hear very well; she thinks you are shouting at her and hangs up / throws up / holds up.
Test your telephone skills 1

Read the extracts from different telephone conversations. Which set expression would you use to complete each one? Tick the best alternative.
Situation 1 Caller: Well, what we'd really like to know is whether you would be prepared to give us a 15% discount on our order. We are regular clients of yours as you know and this year's prices are well up on last year's. What do you say? a b c I'm sorry, I didnt catch your name. I'm sorry, I'll have to go. I've got someone on the other line. I'll have to get back to you on that.
You:
Situation 2 You: Is that you Karen? Could you check last month's sales figures for me? I need tooh just a minute. a I'm sorry Ill have to go, I've got someone on the other line. 105
b c Karen:
I'm afraid he's off sick at the moment. I'm rather tied up at the moment. Could you call back?
Don't worry, ring me back when you've finished taking your call.
Situation 3 Caller: Good morning, this is Anna Sluszkiewicz of Polskie Elektro Energetyczne here, I'd like to speak to Mr Fisher please. a b c I'm afraid he's off sick at the moment. I'll have to get back to you on that. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. Could you spell it please?
You:
Caller: Situation 4 RF: You:
Yes, it's Anna Sluszkiewicz, that's S - L- -U - S - Z - K- I - E - W - I - C - Z.
Customer Services, good morning. Rosie French speaking. Rosie? This is Alessandro Miani. Is this a convenient time to call? I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm rather tied up at the moment. Could you call back?
a b c RF:
Oh Alessandro, hello! Perfect timing! I've just finished sorting out your order. I was going to ring you, as a matter of fact.
Situation 5 RM: please. PS: there? RM Is this a convenient time to call? Oh hello Ralph. How are..oh hang on just a moment.Ralph? Are you still Good afternoon. This is Ralph Mooney speaking. I'd like to speak to Peter Sellars
PS
a b c
I'm rather tied up at the moment. Could you call back? I'll have to get back to you on that. One of our clients has just arrived in the office.
RM: PS: Situation 6
Of course! No problem Ill ring you back this afternoon. Thanks. Ill speak to you later then. Bye.
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ET: please.
This is Emily Tennant of Greiger & Co. I'd like to speak to your Sales Manager
Switchboard: Oh, that would be Mr Granger, but a b c ET: I'm sorry, Ill have to go. I've got someone on the other line. I'll have to get back to you on that. I'm afraid he's off sick at the moment.
Oh dear, nothing serious I hope?
Switchboard: No, he should be back next week.
Telephone Language
It is useful to learn set expressions to help you handle telephone calls efficiently. Look at the set expressions in A. Match them to the sentences in B. A 1. Is this a convenient time to call? 2. Ill have to get back to you on that. b) You can't speak to him: he's away ill. 3. I'm sorry, Ill have to go. I've got someone on the other line. 4. I'm afraid he's off sick at the moment. 5. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. 6. I'm rather tied up at the moment. Could you call back? c) Am I disturbing you? d) I didn't hear your name clearly. e) Ill have to stop speaking to you now; I have to answer another call. f) I can't speak now; Im too busy. Would you mind phoning me again at another time? B a) I'm not sure, Ill phone you back when I can give you an answer.
Complaining and Apologising

Check your comprehension. Tick the correct answers. Transcript RF: Robert Frost speaking CP: Good morning Mr Frost. This is Carlo Ponte in Treviso. RF: Oh good morning Mr Ponte. What can I do for you? CP: I'm calling about the machines we ordered from you last month. We're not at all happy with them. RF: Oh? What exactly is the problem? CP: Well, according to your technician, the machines should be turning out 200 plates an hour, but we're 107
not getting anywhere near that figure. We're lucky if we get half that number. Production has slowed right down and we're having problems in getting our orders out on time. . 1. The problem is that: a the machines have broken down. b the rate of production is down. c the number of orders are down.
RF: I see .I'm sorry Mr Ponte. I can understand your difficulty. Ill talk to one of our technicians and get back to you this afternoon. CP:I'm afraid that's not good enough Mr Frost. I want one of your technicians out here by Friday morning. I want those machines working to full capacity on Monday morning! RF: I think that might be difficult because all our technicians are working off site at the moment, but Ill see what I can do. Perhaps I could arrange for someone to fly over at the beginning of next week? Would that be acceptable? 2 Mr Ponte wants a technician: a by this afternoon b by Friday morning c by the middle of next week Mr Frost's technicians are not available because: a they are all busy. b they are all on strike. c they are all off sick.
CP: Well, I suppose that will have to do. But if we don't have the machines working to full capacity by the middle of next week I'm afraid I will have to cancel our contract. RF: I'm sure that won't be necessary Mr Ponte. Ill deal with the problem immediately and Ill get back to you as soon as we have organized the flight. CP: Thank you, I expect to hear from you this afternoon then. RF:Ill do my best. Again I do apologise Mr Ponte. CP: Thank you Mr Frost, goodbye. RF: Goodbye Mr Ponte. 4 Mr Ponte threatens to: a send the machines back. b break off business relations. c sign a new contract.
Mr Frost resolves the situation: a by agreeing immediately to Pontes demands b by talking to the firms technicians c by promising action in the near future
Test your telephone skills

Complete the telephone conversation by underlining the best response. A T: Angela Trevisan speaking. ZK: Good morning Ms Trevisan. This is Zoe Knight of Fashion Focus. AT: Ah yes Ms Knight. What can I do for you? 108
ZK: I'm calling you about the rolls of material we ordered last month. AT: (1) What's wrong? / What exactly is the problem? / Tell me. Haven't you received them yet? ZK: Oh yes, they were delivered on time, but unfortunately ten of the rolls are very badly damaged. Could you contact your shipping agent and find out why they were delivered in such bad condition? AT: (2) I'm sorry, but we've had a lot of trouble with our shippers recently / I'm sorry, I find that hard to believe / I'm sorry, I'll contact him straight away. Ill get back to you after I've spoken to him. ZK: Thank you Ms Trevisan. The problem is that we are trying to get our spring collection out on time and we will have to halt production unless you can replace the rolls immediately. A T: (3) I can understand your difficulty / How unfortunate for you / That's terrible. ZK: Do you think you could send us some replacements by the end of the week? A T: (4) Of course / That's a good idea / Ill see what I can do. We might be able to send you five by the end of this week and a further five in ten days. (5) Would that be acceptable? / Take it or leave it / What do you say? ZK: Yes, that would be fine. Thank you Ms Trevisan. A T: (6) Please accept my sincerest apologies / Again, I do apologise / I do beg your pardon. Ill do my best to confirm everything this afternoon. ZK: Thank you. Goodbye.
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The Belpin Self-Perception Inventory - What's your team role?

Using the following Belbin Self Perception Inventory you can find out what your own preferred or natural team role is. For each of the seven sections, distribute a total of ten points among the statements which you think best describe the role you play in a specific team. You can either: distribute these points among several statements allocate the ten points appropriately among all statements give them all to a single statement. 1. What I believe I can contribute to a team: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I think I can quickly see and take advantage of new opportunities I can work well with a very wide range of people Producing ideas is one of my natural assets My ability rests in being able to draw people out whenever I detect they have something of value to contribute to group objectives My capacity to follow through has much to do with my personal effectiveness I am ready to face temporary unpopularity if it leads to worthwhile results in the end I am quick to sense what is likely to work in a situation with which I am familiar I can offer a reasoned case for alternative courses of action without introducing bias or prejudice
2.
If I have a possible shortcoming in teamwork, it could be that: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I am not at ease unless meetings are well structured and controlled and generally well conducted I am inclined to be too generous towards others who have a valid viewpoint that has not been given a proper airing I have a tendency to talk a lot once the group gets on to new ideas My objective outlook makes it difficult for me to join in readily and enthusiastically with colleagues I am sometimes seen as forceful and authoritarian if there is a need to get something done I find it difficult to lead from the front, perhaps because I am over-responsive to group atmosphere I am apt to get too caught up in ideas that occur to me and so lose track of what is happening My colleagues tend to see me as worrying unnecessarily over detail and the / possibility that things may go wrong
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3.
When involved in a project with other people: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I have an aptitude for influencing people without pressurising them My general vigilance prevents careless mistakes and omissions being made I am ready to press for action to make sure that the meeting does not waste time or lose sight of the main objective I can be counted on to contribute something original I am always ready to back a good suggestion in the common interest I am keen to look for the latest in new ideas and developments I believe my capacity for cool judgment is appreciated by others I can be relied upon to see that all essential work is organised
4.
My characteristic approach to group work is that: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I have a quiet interest in getting to know colleagues better I am not reluctant to challenge the views of others or to hold a minority view myself I can usually find a line of argument to refute unsound propositions I think I have a talent for making things work once a plan has to be put into operation I have a tendency to avoid the obvious and to come out with the unexpected I bring a touch of perfectionism to any team job I undertake I am ready to make use of contact outside the group itself While I am interested in all views, I have no hesitation in making up my mind once a decision has to be made
5.
I gain satisfaction in a job because: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I enjoy analysing situations and weighing up all the possible choices I am interested in finding practical solutions to problems I like to feel I am fostering good working relationships I can have a strong influence on decisions I can meet people who may have something new to offer I can get people to agree on a necessary course of action I feel in my element where I can give a task my full attention I like to find a field that stretches my imagination
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6.
If I am suddenly given a difficult task with limited time and unfamiliar people: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I would feel like retiring to a corner to devise a way out of the impasse before developing a line I would be ready to work with the person who showed the most positive approach, however difficult he/she might be I would find some way of reducing the size of the task by establishing what different individuals might best contribute My natural sense of urgency would help ensure that we did not fall behind schedule I believe I would keep cool and maintain my capacity to think straight I would retain a steadiness of purpose in spite of the pressures I would be prepared to take a positive hand if I felt the group was making no progress I would open up discussions with a view to stimulating new thoughts and getting something moving
7.
With reference to the problems to which I am subject to working in groups: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) I am apt to show my impatience with those who are obstructing progress Others may criticise me for being too analytical and insufficiently intuitive My desire to ensure that work is properly done can hold up proceedings I tend to get bored rather easily and rely on one or two stimulating members to spark me off I find it difficult to get started unless the goals are clear I am sometimes poor at explaining and clarifying complex points that occur to me I am conscious of demanding from others the things I cannot do myself I hesitate to get my points across when I run up against real opposition
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Points Table for Self-Perception Inventory

Now enter the points you allocated to each statement in each section in the table below. Your highest score indicates the team role you play best within a team. Your next highest score denotes the other team roles that you are able to call on if needed. Your two lowest scores highlight areas where you are weak or gaps which must be filed by other team members.
Section 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total g a h d b f e
IM d b a h f c g
CO f e c b d g a
SH c g d e h a f
PL a c f g e h d
RI h d g c a e b
ME b f e a c b h
TW e h b f g d c
CF
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Team Roles - Phrases

The following are phrases and slogans that are used by the team roles Plant 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
When a problem is baffling, think laterally Where there's a problem, there's a solution The greater the problem, the greater the challenge Do not disturb, genius at work Good ideas always sound strange at first Ideas start with dreaming Without continuous innovation, there is no survival
Resource Investigator 1. We could make a fortune out of that 2. Ideas should be stolen with pride 3. Never reinvent the wheel 4. Opportunities arise from other people's mistakes 5. Surely we can exploit that 6. You can always telephone to find out 7. Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted Co-ordinator 1. Let's keep the main objective in sight 2. Has anyone else got anything to add to this? 3. We like to reach a consensus before we move forward 4. Never assume that silence means approval 5. I think we should give someone else a chance 6. Good delegation is an art 7. Management is the art of getting other people to do all the work Shaper 1. Just do it! 2. Say 'no', then negotiate 3. If you say 'yes I will do it', I expect it to be done 4. I'm not satisfied we are achieving all we can 5. I may be blunt, but at least I'm to the point 6. Ill get things moving 7. When the going gets tough, the tough get going Monitor Evaluator 1. Ill think it over and give you a firm decision tomorrow 2. Have we exhausted all the options? 3. If it does not stand up to logic, it's not worth doing 4. Better to make the right decision slowly than the wrong one quickly 5. This looks the best option on balance 6. Let's weight up the alternatives 7. Decisions should not be based purely on enthusiasm
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Team Worker 1. Courtesy costs nothing 2. I was very interested in your point of view 3. If its all right with you, its alright with me 4. Everybody has a good side worth appealing to 5. If people listened to themselves more, they would talk less 6. You can always sense a good atmosphere at work 7. I try to be versatile Implementer 1. If it can be done, we will do it 2. An ounce of action is worth a pound of theory 3. Hard work never killed anybody 4. If it's difficult, we do it immediately. The impossible takes a little longer 5. To err is human, to forgive is not company policy 6. Let's get down to the task in hand 7. The company has my full support Completer-Finisher 1. This is something which demands our individual attention 2. The small print is always worth reading 3. 'If anything can go wrong, it will', and as OToole said on Murphy's Law 'Murphy was an optimist 4. There is no excuse for not being perfect 5. Perfection is only just good enough 6. A stitch in time saves nine 7. Has it been checked Specialist 1. In this job you never stop learning 2. Choose a job you love, and youll never have to work a day in your life 3. True professionalism is its own reward 4. My subject is fascinating to me 5. The more you know, the more you find to discover 6. It is better to know a lot about something than a little about everything 7. A committee is twelve people doing to work of one
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How to Avoid Confusion Between Similar Types

Plant or Resource Investigator? These two roles tend to be confused because both are seen as 'creative'. In practice, the distinction between the two is important. Plants are more creative when left alone and kept free from disturbance, whereas Resource Investigators seek and need the stimulus of others. So they thrive under very different conditions. Plants need a sympathetic and appreciative boss, a liberal atmosphere and an unstructured or loosely structured environment. Resource Investigators operate well under pressure and in coping with the sudden or unexpected crisis. Plant or Monitor Evaluator? These are both 'thinking' roles, but they think in quite different ways. Plants operate through inspiration and creative intuition and like to form an intellectual overview. Monitor Evaluators are better at diagnosing problems, assessing situations, choosing best options and planning ahead. In short, Plants synthesize while Monitor Evaluators analyse. Resource Investigator or Co-ordinator? Both of these are good at listening, but again operate in different ways. Resource Investigators seek adventure and thrive on the discovery of new contacts. Co-ordinators prefer the process of pulling together the resources and making sure they work in harmony with the goals of the organisation. Co-ordinator or Shaper? These two are both strong leadership roles but they tend to adopt different styles. Coordinators are skilled at getting the best out of people and using their talents to the full. Shapers expect to be followed and drive those who work for them to the limit. Coordinators and Shapers tend to clash when they work alongside each other at the same status level. Team Worker or Co-ordinator? Both seek and enjoy harmony and consensus, but the Team Workers path lies through the avoidance of friction and through building one-to-one relationships. Co-ordinators are better at handling groups and projecting the sense of a common purpose. Team Workers are often skilled at working for very difficult people, Co-ordinators at managing difficult people. Implementer or Completer? These are regarded as 'action' roles but their approaches follow different lines. Implementers are effective at building up systems and organisations and taking the practical steps to make things happen. Completers however are more concerned with the thoroughness of any action undertaken. They see the method as less important than achieving the end result. Completers are selfmotivated and don't usually need additional incentives to spur them on. Completer or Specialist? Both of these aim to achieve the highest quality standards in their work, but Completers see this in general terms. For Specialists the nature of the goal is all-important, and professionalism generates its own standards against which everything else is measured and assessed. Specialists become ill at ease when subject to close supervision from non professionals or 'outsiders'. Completers however are ready to accept a wider range of bosses and they carry out all their responsibilities with the same level of urgency and thoroughness.
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Using the Belbin Self Perception Inventory

When using the Belbin Self Perception Inventory to develop a team you may like to consider the following questions: Is an important role unfilled? If, so what is the effect of this? If you have no Implementers or Completer-Finishers, for example, the group might generate plenty of ideas, but lack follow-through. Are there too many of one team type? If so, what effect does this have? Too many coordinators or plants could cause conflict, for example. What is the preferred role of the team manger? How far does this affect the way the team operates? For example, there could be problems if the team manager is one of the less dominant team types. Which people play (or could play) more than one role? This often happens in a small team, for example, where there are too few individuals to fulfil all the roles .
If a team is unbalanced you can improve the situation by either Recruiting new members with the requisite skills. Encouraging existing members to develop new skills and try out new roles.
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Working in Groups
Facilitation is the art and science of helping groups in their thinking, planning and decision making. What are the characteristics of effective groups?
We are all involved in group meetings and have been since we were very young: think about the groups you were involved in as a child: the brownies, the scouts, your 'gang' of friends or the youth club. What made you want to go back and continue being part of the group or did you leave after just a few meetings? now think of different group meetings at work; did you feel bored or excited about what was being discussed? Did you feel involved or left out? think of the people who led these groups; did you like them? Did they make you feel important? Did you feel they were in control'?
There has been much work into the characteristics of effective groups. Check this list against your own experiences.
In an effective group: the task, objective or the reason for people to meet is well understood by everyone the atmosphere of the group tends to be informal, comfortable and relaxed
By contrast, badly run group meetings will: be dominated by a few individuals and their perspectives never hear the ideas and comments from the quiet members take too long to get to the real agenda have no follow up actions
there is much discussion in which everyone participates everyone listens to each other people are free in expressing their feelings as well as ideas disagreement and criticism is frequent and frank but the group is comfortable with this and shows no signs of avoiding the conflict decisions are reached by a consensus in which it is clear that everyone is in
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general agreement when action is taken, clear assignments are made and accepted the leader of the group does not dominate but is in control
Task
Think of two groups you have been involved in: one that you enjoyed and one that you did not. Make notes about your experiences. It does not matter if it was a work group or a social group. A group you enjoyed What made you enjoy it? A group you did not enjoy What made you not enjoy it?
Be ready for the different stages as the group develops
Stages of group development
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
Adjourning
Whatever the group and however long it is due to work together, be aware that groups usually go through a series of stages before becoming really effective. Remember this is not a simple linear process and new people may cause the group to go back to the beginning. Forming Effort at this stage is spent on defining goals. At this stage individuals may be confused as to why they are in the group and be trying to size up the personal benefits relative to the personal costs of being involved. They may be keeping their feelings to themselves. Storming This is the stage when team members test each other. They question values, behaviours, tasks and relative priorities of the goals, as well as who is to be responsible for what. There may also be questioning of the guidance and direction of the leader and some members may withdraw and isolate themselves either from the emotional tension or because they recognise that their values, beliefs and skills don't fit. If the storming is not allowed to happen, the team may never perform
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well. It is a healthy process in which a team evolves with a common set of values, beliefs and goals. Norming This is when behaviour progressively develops into an acceptance of differences of opinion and the ground rules and the decision making processes are accepted. This is the time when individuals in the group 'value the difference' that others bring. Performing During this stage, the group effectively and efficiently works together and towards the goals. The group and individuals learn and develop together. You could describe it as 'less me, more we'! Adjourning This is the end of the working life of the group. Some groups such as improvement project teams are created to work with specific problems for a set time e.g. six months or a year. They should have a well defined and managed ending where group members know what to expect and are helped to deal with it and move on. Sometimes members feel sad, nostalgic and 'mourn' the end of the group. Remember The emotional experience is just as important as the intellectual experience. Encourage the members of the group to take time out of the process, to stand back and ask themselves privately: How am I feeling at the moment; angry, frightened, excited, pleased, joyful, friendly? Task Which of these could be seen as a good group experience: one in which the group reported that all the objectives had been met? one in which the group reported that all the objectives had been met but every individual felt railroaded and threatened? one in which the group reported that the objectives had not been met? one in which the group reported that the objectives had not been met but they had a better understanding of themselves, each other and the problem?
Where do I start? Ask yourself the following questions. Consider the type of group meeting you have in mind and what you want to achieve. formality: do you need a formal group, formed to accomplish a specific task or an informal group which is more spontaneous and which evolves more naturally?
climate: how close and friendly or casual should the group interaction be?
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participation: what should the interaction be like? How much and what type of participation do you want? conflict: how will you deal with conflicts and disagreements? decision: how will decisions be made and by whom? division of labour: how will tasks be assigned and subgroups formed? leadership: how is the group leader or facilitator elected and what is their function? Is the meeting to be facilitated or chaired? communication: what channels are preferred and how is the group networked? Do they prefer face-to-face meetings, phone calls or email? evaluation: how will progress be monitored, checked, evaluated and how is feedback provided? Be clear about goals: are they the same for everyone? roles: what do you want people to do? procedure: how are things going to happen? Is everyone expecting the same thing?
2. Preparing for a facilitated group meeting Facilitating meetings or workshops are an increasingly important part of bringing about improvement in health and social care. Why? Because there is a growing awareness that we all like to influence the world around us and that groups, when well managed, can unleash a wonderful enthusiasm for doing things differently. A successfully facilitated meeting should help a group get further, faster in a more focused way and hopefully it should be fun. Prepare for success by working through: Design, Dry run, Do it and Debrief. Task 2.1 When do I need a facilitated group meeting? 121
A simple rule of thumb says you need it when there is low certainty and low agreement among the key players on an important issue. If you are sure that everyone is certain and agrees on the right way forward, you probably do not need a meeting so JUST DO IT!!! 2.2 What do I want out of the group meeting? Be very clear on the purpose of a facilitated meeting or workshop. Generally, you will want your facilitated meetings to either provoke conversations, agree actions or both. Think carefully as different facilitation skills and tools are needed in facilitation for exploration and learning, compared with facilitating for action and agreement.
Communication People have different preferences for how they communicate and how they wish to be communicated with. When working with groups, it is important to consider the different needs and styles. You should also be aware of your own style and biases and try to understand and relate to those who may have styles that are different to yours. Aim To help you or members of a group to: identify preferences in communication understand how this might be seen by others recognise and value differences
How to use Work your way through the four stages; Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 complete the communication questionnaire score your responses on the response sheet consider the descriptions consider the implications
Learning points remember to see the person not a 'name badge' there are no 'right or wrong' answers, no 'better or worse styles': just differences Stage 1 Complete the questionnaire
find a quiet space where you will not be disturbed work your way through the communication questionnaire consider each statement and answer yes or no answer as yourself - not as you think you ought to be or would wish to be, not as a manager, secretary, partner, mother, father, son, daughter, etc - just be yourself! try to give an answer to all the questions there is no time limit but do not dwell too long on each question
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As you do the questionnaire Remember: all models are wrong but some are quite useful. Use the questionnaire as information to start a dialogue and improve understanding.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Do you think it is a sign of strength not to show emotions during a crisis? Do you often interrupt people when you think they are incorrect? Does it annoy you when people try to cheer you up? If you ask someone to do something and they do it wrong, do you have a go at them? When others have little to say are you able to keep a conversation going? Are you proud of your ability to deal with people? Do tactful people annoy you because you wish people would say exactly what they mean? When you are down in the dumps, do lively people make you feel even worse? Do you try to sound confident even when you are unsure about the facts? Are you impatient with people who like to discuss their motives? Do you think that your feelings are too deep to discuss with others? Do you keep quiet when you feel you may offend someone? Are you diplomatic when you have to tell others to do something against their will? Does it bother you when others correct your mistakes? Do you find it difficult to discuss your problems with others? Are you embarrassed by people who talk about their feelings? Do you believe people when they ask you if you are all right? Do you find it hard to admit to your mistakes? Do you believe that people take advantage of those who are considerate? Do you value good manners in others? Do you feel immediately inclined to tell others when something exciting happens to you? Do you hate to be taken for a ride? Do you pride yourself on your ability to put up with setbacks? If someone asked you not to disturb them would you feel hurt? Are you often first to speak when an opinion is requested? Do you enjoy being provocative? Do you think that being blunt is harmful?
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28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Do you get bored with conversations that don't concern you? Do you feel that people don't understand you? Do you like to be the centre of attention? Do you treat conversations as a chance to test your mettle against others? If a colleague has a different opinion from yours, will you try to win them over to your point of view? Do you think that people should keep their problems to themselves? Do you find it hard to keep a secret? Do you ignore people when they make you angry? If a colleague is unhappy would you actively discuss their problems? If you have a problem would you silently worry about it, even during an evening out? Does it annoy you to hear someone else dominating a conversation? Do you worry about whether other people like you? Do you resent being asked what you are thinking or feeling? Do you think that your colleagues ought to know what makes you tick? Do you visibly show your emotions? Would you hate to show your distress in front of a colleague? When you have some time alone, do you spend much of it on the telephone? Do you find advice from others irritating? Will you say almost anything to fill a lull in a conversation? Do you see it as your responsibility to keep other people happy? Do you often find other people oversensitive?
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Stage 2
Score your responses on the response sheet
transfer your 'Yes' and 'No' answers for each of the 48 statements to the relevant boxes add up the number of 'Yes' answers for each column and write the total in the blank box at the bottom of each column each score will represent how you conform to the particular style of communication. If you score six or more 'Yes' answers for a category then this suggests that you have a natural tendency to use this style
Response Sheet
4 7 17 19 22 26 31 48
2 9 14 18 25 32 38 45
3 8 11 15 29 35 37 42
5 21 24 28 30 34 44 46
1 10 16 23 33 36 40 43
6 12 13 20 27 39 41 47
Total number of times you answered yes Aggressive Dominating Worrying Talkative Quietly Confident Hinting
Stage 3 Style Aggressive
Consider the descriptions Positives Doesn't get pushed around Negatives Uses conversations as a duel to be won Can be argumentative (and likes it) Tries to gain dominance
Clear Focused Results orientated Dominating Has a view on everything Usually expert in one area Can step in and take charge
Can put down less able people Takes over conversations Not always inclusive of quieter members
Always joins in
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Worrying
Always makes allowances Highly emotional Risk analyser
Can be negative Appears withdrawn when thinking Needs time to make decision Emotionally draining
Talkative
Easy to get on with Lots of friends Sociable Non-threatening
Talks too much about nothing Struggles to keep a confidence Uncomfortable with short silences Talks over quieter members of the group
Sense of humour Quietly confident Seen as emotionally stable Tower of strength Used as sounding board Confidential Hinting Influences from behind Quiet and thoughtful Gets on with most people Can be seen as aloof Takes too much on Risk of burnout Can be too self critical Avoids conflict Doesnt say what they truly mean Can be seen as manipulative by more direct communicators
Stage 4
Consider the implications
Consider the implications for your own development and facilitation style. Consider how: others may see you your style may cause tension for others you can use your strengths to avoid the traps your style may cause
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Look at the other descriptions and consider how you can: make others more comfortable observe and learn how others respond to you make changes to improve communications with individuals who you have the most 'difficulty' with
Consider the implications for group development. Ask each member of the group to consider, as individuals, the questions and then, as a group think about: what are the problems and strengths of 'style alike' or 'style different' groups? what is our group strength? where are the gaps? what does this indicate? what should we do?
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Padova Economia Dispensa 2010 2011

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The Language of Business and Communication 2010/11

The Language of Business and Communication

TEST DI LIVELLO Part A Choose the correct alternative.

Topic A country you have visited on holiday or done business in

Audience A group of people who will shortly be working there

Your company's main competitors

The board of directors of your company

A group of high school students at a careers evening

Introducing the topic

*Grade scale: 1 = unacceptable 2 = poor 3 = average 4 = good 5 = excellent

4 welfare benefits 5 flight of capital

Rich in natural resources

Low GDP* per capita

High GDP* per capita

Poor in natural resources

Yours sincerely, Vivian Eastwood Manager

Documents required _______________________________ Contract restriction _______________________________

Answer these questions.

How's your haggling?

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Only allowed to discuss with other teams before rounds 5, 8 and 10

Objective is to win as much as you can!

Reasons for Negotiating with Principles

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Lasting business relationships are built upon trust

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What they know

What they Dont know

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Buying signals Areas of interest Inhibitions.

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1. Don't talk 2. Discretion 3. Beware of assumptions 4. Don't accept too readily

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1. Keep it quiet 2. Sales targets 3. Consider alternatives 4. Non-binding price forecast.

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1. Position of power 2. History 3. Preferred supplier status 4. Time advantage.

Study the two situations below.

Speaking Work in pairs.

Money and Finance

A dramatic movement may be expressed by: rocket dive soar plummet

A slight movement can be indicated by: edge up edge down dip

The magazine Introduction

The magazine Situation

Fact sheet Location of Layetana's employees globally

Languages spoken by Layetana's employees

The Chocolate factory

A hard sell: exporting to Japan

Business Communication: Correspondence

Documents required _ Contract restriction _

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