Contents Introducere Unit 1 JOBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1.1. Nationality Words 1.2. Naming and Greeting 1.3.

Revision of Tenses 1.4. The Job Interview 1.5. Job Skills 1.6. Job Description 1.7. Personal Profile 1.8. Quiz Unit 2 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION 2.1. Telephone English 2.2. Connecting the Call 2.3. Getting Down to the Business Telephone Talk 2.4. Making and Changing Arrangements 2.5. Leaving Messages 2.6. Modal Verbs 2.7. Tips for Effective E-mail Communication 2.8. E-mail Etiquette Quiz Unit 3 COMPANY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 3.1. Adjectives 3.2. TQM 3.3. The Euro Money Vocabulary 3.4. Size and Dimension Vocabulary 3.5. Making Complaints 3.6. Quiz: The Business Plan Unit 4 COMPANY ACHIEVEMENTS 4.1. E-vocabulary 4.2. Revision of Tenses: Present Perfect vs. Past Simple 4.3. Travel Vocabulary 4.4. Airport Vocabulary 4.5. Making Requests Asking for Information/ Action 4.6.Agreeing and Disagreeing 4.7. Quiz: STEP Analysis Unit 5 COMPANY TRENDS 5.1. Graphs, Charts, Tables 5.2. The Language of Trends
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7 9 9 10 13 15 17 18 19 21 23 24 26 27 27 29 30 31 32 35 40 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 50 53 56 57 59 61 63 63 66

5.3. Market Vocabulary 5.4. The Rule of the 5 Ps in Marketing 5.5. Stock Market Vocabulary 5.6. Cash Flow Vocabulary 5.7. Pay Vocabulary 5.8. Quiz: Famous Bankruptcies Unit 6 MEETINGS 6.1. Time Prepositions 6.2. Stages in a Meeting 6.3. Meeting Vocabulary 6.4. Questioning Skills 6.5. The Passive 6.6. Managing Virtual Teams 6.7. Problem Solving and Decision Making 6.8. Incoterms 6.9. Quiz: Abbreviations Unit 7 PRESENTATIONS 7.1. Presentation Stages: the 3 Ss Rule 7.2 Presentation Equipment 7.3. Reported Speech 7.4. Minutes of a Meeting 7.5. Legal English 7.6. Negotiating Skills 7.7. Negotiating Styles 7.8. Management Styles 7.9. Quiz Unit 8 BUSINESS ETIQUETTE 8.1. Customs and Regulations 8.2. Topics of Conversation and Communication 8.3. Appointments and Meetings 8.4. Quiz Unit 9 BUSINESS DOCUMENTS 9.1. Format and Font 9.2. Main Parts of a Business Letter 9.3. Curriculum Vitae Writing 9.4. Cover Letters 9.5. Quiz Recommended Bibliography

70 71 72 73 76 79 81 82 83 85 88 91 93 94 95 97 101 103 106 108 112 118 120 123 125 126 129 130 132 140 147 149 150 151 154 158 160 165

Introducere Cursul Business English Communication se adreseaz celor care au deja cunotine temeinice de gramatic i un vocabular relativ dezvoltat, dar au nevoie s-i mbunteasc abilitile de comunicare n limba englez n mediul de afaceri. Avnd elemente definitorii interactive, cursul i propune, aadar, s dezvolte competenele de comunicare n afaceri n limba englez, fiind structurat pe studii de caz cum ar fi prezentarea produselor i ofertelor companiei, negocieri, reclamaii, prezentarea proiectelor, edine de lucru etc. Disciplina este nscris n planul de nvmnt n cadrul disciplinelor umaniste, completnd ntr-un mod armonios programul de studii pentru licen n domeniul administrrii afacerilor. Obiectivele cursului Obiectivele principale ale manualului sunt: utilizarea spontan a limbajului de afaceri; formularea concret a opiniilor, ntrebrilor etc. care s faciliteze comunicarea intercultural; folosirea cu uurin a expresiilor cheie i diferitelor nuane ale limbii engleze necesare comunicrii eficiente n mediu internaional de afaceri; asigurarea suportului lingvistic pentru abordarea larg a unor resurse bibliografice n limba englez pentru celelalte discipline. Competene conferite Dup parcurgerea acestui curs, studentul va fi n msur: s cunoasc importana studierii limbii engleze n contextul global i local/naional; s neleag importana cunoaterii terminologiei n domeniul economic n limba englez; s explice rolul termenilor specifici n limba englez care exercit o influena specific n studiul i activitatea n domeniu; s interpreteze texte i situaii concrete n domeniu de specialitate; s utilizeze materiale i dicionare de specialitate pentru nelegerea i analizarea textelor; s transpun n conversaia practic cunotinele dobndite; s-i exprime interesul fa de cunoaterea limbii engleze aplicat domeniului economic; s transpun n practic cunotinele dobndite n cadrul cursului prin colaborarea i comunicarea n limba englez cu specialiti ntr-o manier etic, profesionist i politicoas.

Resurse i mijloace de lucru Cursul dispune de manual scris pentru studiul individual al studenilor, precum i de material publicat pe Internet pentru ntregirea cunotinelor practice i teoretice n domeniul studiat. n timpul convocrilor, n prezentarea cursului sunt folosite echipamente audio-vizuale, metode interactive i participative de antrenare a studenilor pentru conceptualizarea i vizualizarea practic a noiunilor predate. Activiti tutoriale se pot desfura dup urmtorul plan tematic, conform programului fiecrei grupe: 1. Interviul. Prezentare general. Articolul hotrt/nehotrt, prepoziii. Naionaliti (2 ore) 2. Revizuirea timpurilor verbale. Profilul personal (2 ore) 3. Abiliti de comunicare n limba englez la telefon i n schimbul de mesaje electronice de tipul e-mail. Verbe modale (2 ore) 4. Produse i servicii. Gradele de comparaie: adjective regulate/neregulate (2 ore) 5. Realizri ale companiei. Revizuirea timpurilor: Present prefect vs. Past Simple (2 ore) 6. Calitativ i cantitativ n lumea afacerilor. Dezvoltarea abilitilor de transfer a informaiei statistice n/din text n limba englez (2 ore) 7. Cum s organizezi edine eficiente. ntrebri. Pasivul (2 ore) 8. Cum s iei decizia corect. Abrevieri. Incoterms (2 ore) 9. Cum s faci o prezentare. Vorbire direct/indirect (2 ore) 10. Cum s pregteti o negociere. Tipuri i stiluri de negociere (2 ore) 11. Noiuni de baz n eticheta n afaceri: studiu de caz (2 ore)
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12. Eticheta n conversaie: aplicaii (2 ore) 13. Eticheta n ntlnirile de afaceri (2 ore) 14. Cum s redactezi un CV. Scrisoarea de intenie (2 ore) Structura cursului Cursul este compus din 9 uniti de nvare: Unit 1 JOBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES (4 ore) Unit 2 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION (4 ore) Unit 3 COMPANY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (2 ore) Unit 4 COMPANY ACHIEVEMENTS (2 ore) Unit 5 COMPANY TRENDS (4 ore) Unit 6 MEETINGS (4 ore) Unit 7 PRESENTATIONS (2 ore) Unit 8 BUSINESS ETIQUETTE (4 ore) Unit 9 BUSINESS DOCUMENTS (2 ore) Teme de control (TC) Desfurarea temelor de control se va derula conform calendarului disciplinei, dup cum urmeaz: 1. Midterm Quiz: testarea nivelului de cunotine acumulate la jumtatea semestrului 2. Proiecte individuale/ de echip pe internet: a. Companii din Uniunea European. Studiu de caz. b. Companii de tipul dotcom. Studiu de caz. c. Studiu de pia. d. Colectarea i analiza informaiilor culturale: studiu de caz. Metoda de evaluare: Examenul final la aceast disciplin este un examen scris, sub form de ntrebri gril, ns cuprinde att ntrebri gril simple (fr argumentare) ct i din ntrebri gril sub form de aplicaii (rezolvarea unor probleme), inndu-se cont de participarea la activitile tutoriale i rezultatul la temele de control ale studentului. The undergraduate course in business English communication is designed for those who already use English in their studies or at the workplace and they need to check and improve their English skills. It is primarily tailored for the class of business professionals who have reached a broadly intermediate level of English. It operates with words, phrases, and concepts that frequently occur in business contexts, which makes the course highly instrumental in browsing through topics relevant to their line of work. The references texts at the beginning of each unit can be read autonomously, in the sense that they are free-standing as the unit itself, or as a continuous text from the first to the last unit. The reference texts introduce the topics for each unit and focus on cultural aspects of business communication. Some of the language and vocabulary points included in Language Notes and Vocabulary Notes are usually introduced by the reference texts at the beginning of each unit. Awareness of grammatical context and key business vocabulary is thus being developed in complex exercises. Communicative effectiveness is the ultimate goal. Opinion Boxes and Fact Boxes are designed to compensate for the lack of recordings of authentic conversations between business people. They offer the opportunity to discuss current business topics in relation to the learners own business background and interests. Learners will be challenged to share their (work) experience, to ask for and give opinions, to agree and disagree on particular business-related issues, to compare products and services, to discuss figures and describe trends, to improve their meetings and negotiation skills, to brush up their social English and to enhance their business writing skills.

Unit 1 JOBS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Contents 1.1. Nationality Words 1.2. Naming and Greeting 1.3. Revision of Tenses 1.4. The Job Interview 1.5. Job Skills 1.6. Job Description 1.7. Personal Profile 1.8. Quiz

They say we live in a global village today. They speak about global needs and global ways to meet them. They often talk global responsibility and they often lay it at global doors these days. People interact globally every single day, every single hour, every single minute: right now as I am typing these lines on my laptop seated nicely comfortably in my red chair facing the white wall in my living room in Romania I could as well be chatting with my friends in Wyoming or laughing my head off as I am receiving one by one some funny photos shot late last night at my cousins wedding party in France which unfortunately I missed. As the internet explosively develops, we are all becoming more aware that indeed they are right - we are after all the global villagers. But do global villagers speak all a global language? Yes, SirThey doThey all speak English. English plays a crucially central part in the global village and it has become the global language we all make extensive or global use of whenever we need to communicate with other people worldwide. In order to become one of the global us, one has to speak English. Many of us speak English today - for most of us English is not the first language. Actually we learn English as a second language to talk to other people who themselves learn it as a foreign or second language. But are we, global villagers, learning English as the British or the American speak it? It is definitely not whether we can learn to speak English as the British do or as the American do or not, but whether we need to learn it as they speak it in their countries that is the burning question Isnt it more appropriate to learn global English, I wonderJust imagine a businessperson from Romania who is working in a joint venture with a businessperson from Denmark - burning question here : what difference does it make if they speak British English or American English? Idiomatic usage is fortunately not an issue in this situation.
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Luckily enough I am not aiming at a global learning audience here my job as an English teacher in an English non-speaking community in Romania is in fact a constant endeavour not to burn the candle at both ends. Hence heavy responsibility lies with me: on the one hand, I teach students English as a second language to use it in situations such as above in which they are/will be part of an English nonspeaking business community whose needs of communication are enabled by use of English. On the other hand, some of the students could become part of an English speaking business culture and therefore I should be able to translate their local into global needs. Tough job, terrible responsibilities What about you or the others? I am a teacher. I am Romanian. My job as a teacher is to teach English. Im in education. I 1. Make up sentences about your job as above:

I am a/an I come from My job as a/an is to Im in

LANGUAGE NOTE We use a + job title phrase beginning with a consonant. We use an + job title phrase beginning with a vowel. We also use in + type of work . 2. Ask your partners questions about themselves: What do you do? What are you responsible for? What do you deal in? Where do you come from?

II 1. Each of the following lines contains a spelling mistake. Find it and provide the right solution.

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a. Englishman English Englend Englishwoman b. Franse French Frenchman Frenchwoman c. German Germenia Germanic German d. Hungarian Hungarie Hungarian Hungarian e. Italian Italie Italian Italianate f. Spain Spannish Spaniard Spanish g. Holand Dutch Dutchman Netherlands h. British Great Britaine Brit Britannic i. Denmark Danish Daine Danish j. Sweden Sweed Swedish - Sweden

LANGUAGE NOTE All countries, nationalities (e.g. Romanian and not * romanian) and languages begin with a capital letter. When referring to an individual or several people from a particular country we use a and the: e.g. He is an German sales manager. // The Germans are famous for their punctuality.

2. LOreal is a French company. The headquarters are in France. What about these companies? Write two similar sentences about each of these companies. IBM Procter & Gamble Ericsson Nestle Perrier Saab Phillips Franke Olivetti Nokia

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Honda Siemens Zanussi Whirlpool Rolls-Royce

3. What countries belong to the EC? Provide examples of companies from these countries. FACT BOX Naming and greeting represent important aspects of the business practice. In English, when giving or writing your name it is advisable to put the first name before the surname, even if it is not what you normally do. When talking to or writing to someone whom you do not know well it is always wise to use the surname: e.g. I agree with Mr Kurt and not * I agree with Mr Petru. It all depends on people and circumstances to start using first names. In the USA it is common to use the first name relatively quickly. Sir or Madam are used in everyday speech if people wish to put themselves in a position of inferiority: e.g. Would you like something to drink, Sir? Ms pronounced /mz/ - is often preferred when the marital status of a woman should not be revealed. When meeting someone for the first time it is customary to say How do you do? The reply will always be How do you do? People also say Pleased to meet you. If someone asks How are you?- he/she wants to know about your health and mood. Among the common replies we include the following: Fine, thanks. // Very well. // OK.// So so. //Awful. In formal situations the reply should be always positive even though we feel terrible. Greetings usually depend on the time of day and social context: among relatively formal greetings we mention the following: Up to 12: Good morning. From 12 to 6 pm: Good afternoon. From 6 pm to about 10 pm: Good evening. And finally: Goodbye. It was very pleasant meeting you. In the small hours or when leaving someone in the evening: Good night.

Informal greetings include the following: Hi! // Hello // Morning and See you.// So long.// All the best.// Take care.// Bye.

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LANGUAGE NOTE We use the present simple tense to talk about general or permanent activities. We use the ending s in the third person singular. III The job interview: tips on questions and answers.

When you walk in the room it is important to make a first good impression on the interviewer since it could have a great influence on the rest of your meeting. It is important that you introduce yourself, shake hands, and are friendly. 1. Practice introducing yourself. How do you do? My names Hello. Let me introduce myself. Im Hello. Allow me to introduce myself Then the interviewer moves on to the breaking the ice general questions. 2. Dont be surprised and reply to the following using the PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE:

How are you today? What do you think of the weather?

LANGUAGE NOTE We use the present simple to refer to present activities which are true in the present period of time and which, for all we know, may continue indefinitely. In other words, this is the situation as it stands at present. Talking about your qualifications and experience is the most important part of any job interview.

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What do they mean by qualifications? Qualifications include your education from High School on to any special training you may have done in the past. Remember that your education took place in the past. You need to use the PAST SIMPLE TENSE. 3. Complete the following: I attended from to I graduated with a degree in Talk also about the following: Refer here to any training courses that you attended such as computer courses, accounting courses. ( Use the PAST SIMPLE TENSE) Make sure you mention your English studies. Assure your employer that you are continuing to improve your English skills by any courses that you are attending, or by saying that you are studying a certain number of hours a week to improve your skills. (Use the PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE)

4. If you are currently a student, use the PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE: I am currently studying at I am also improving my English skills by studying

LANGUAGE NOTE We use the present continuous tense to talk about temporary activities in the present. We do not use the present continuous with the following verbs: Verbs of the senses : feel, hear, see, smell and also notice, observe Verbs of feelings and emotions : admire ( in the sense of respect), appreciate, care for, desire, detest,
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dislike, fear, hate, like, live, mind, value, want, wish Verbs of mental activity : agree, assume, believe, expect, feel sure / certain, forget, know, mean, perceive, realise, recognise, remember, understand Verbs of possession : belong, owe, own, possess Experience refers to any work you have done that is directly or indirectly related to the job you are applying for and is the most important topic of any job interview. It is essential to explain what experience you have in detail. This is not the time to be modest. Be confident, and talk freely about your accomplishments in past employment.

What do they mean by experience?

When you talk about your past employers use PAST TENSE to make it clear that you are no longer working for that company.

LANGUAGE NOTE We use the past tense to indicate an activity which occurred at a specific time in the past and it is now finished. 5. Fill the gaps by using the past tense forms of the verbs in the brackets: a. I as a receptionist at the Hilton while I was living in Bucharest. (work) b. When he in Brussels two years ago he a job as a waiter in an Irish pub. (live, have) c. As a desk clerk at the Jacksons she customers. (serve) d. When I as a stockbroker back in 1999 I and shares. (work, buy, sell) e. As a marketing director at the Bensons he recommendations about future market strategies. (make) f. When she in charge of the overseas sales as an overseas sales manager from 1997 to 2000 she contracts with overseas agents and distributors. (be, negotiate)

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When you talk about your current employment be careful to use the PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE TENSE to refer to tasks you have accomplished in the past and the PRESENT PREFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE to talk about the tasks that you are still performing at your current job.

LANGUAGE NOTE We use the present perfect simple to indicate an activity at some non-specific time in the past with an impact or result in the present or future, e.g. past employment leads to experience gained which has a positive impact in the present. We use the present perfect continuous when we are interested in an activity that started in the past and continues to the present, e.g. past task fulfilment continues to the present. 6. Talk about your current employment as in the example below. Refer to tasks you have accomplished (a) and tasks you are still performing (b). Example: (a) Procter & Gamble have employed me for the last three years as a sales person. (PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE TENSE) or I have worked as a sales person for Procter & Gamble for the last three years. (PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE TENSE) and (b) I have been creating customer contacts for three months. (PRESENT PREFECT CONTINUOUS TENSE) 7. Choose the best word to complete the sentences: a. When the interviewer / you / your employer walk in the room it is important to make a first good impression on the interviewer. b. It is important that you introduce yourself, break / shake / take hands, and are friendly. c. The interviewer moves on to the breaking / melting / making the ice general questions. d. Qualifications include your studies / education / courses from High School on to any special training you may have done in the past. e. Experience refers to any work you have done that is directly or indirectly related to the job you are demanding / applying for / offering.

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8. Complete the following sentences by using the PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE and CONTINUOUS of the verbs in the brackets: a. He as a project coordinator for Volkswagen for five years. He a joint venture project with Nissan for the last six months. (work, coordinate) b. I with Franke for three years since I graduated. As an area sales manager I all kinds of people lately and I could tell you this is exactly what I like doing. (be, meet) c. They the company since they got married in 1999 and they together in the Personnel Department. They the monthly training courses for the last two years. (join, work, supervise) d. She a good job ever since she was taken on in the Research and Development Department seven years ago. It was mainly due to her teams work that our company so much. She a completely new environmentally-free product development system for the last two weeks. (do, accomplish, introduce)

The job skills you have acquired in the past with past employers may not match the skills you need to get the position you are now applying for. What do they mean by job skills? Skills are the activities that you do well, in other words things you are good at. Everyone has many skills. It is often difficult to recognize the skills that you have. Job skills are abilities you need for a specific position. For example, a secretary needs to know how to type and take messages, a shop assistant needs to know how to serve customers. Speaking English well, however, is a skill you can use in almost any job. Employers want to select employees who could show how past skills relate to the present potential job. Here is a table with the most useful adjectives you will need to describe your skills successfully: active competent confident creative dependable decisive determined diplomatic discreet efficient energetic enterprising enthusiastic experienced fair honest innovative loyal motivated objective outgoing polite positive qualified reliable results-driven self-confident self-disciplined successful task-oriented teamoriented

9. Use some of these adjectives to talk about yourself. You only have a few minutes to sell yourself and show how good you really are. 10. Choose the best word to complete the sentences:
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a. Kinds / Skills / Jobs are activities that you do well. b. Everyone has / is / have many skills. c. It is often difficult to practice / recognize / understands the skills that you have. d. Job skills are abilities / activities / working you need for a specific position. e. Writing / Speaking / Using English well is a skill you can use in almost any job. f. Employers want to select people / employees / workers who could show how past skills relate to the present potential job. IV Choose the best word to complete the definitions of the following job titles: a. A CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is the person with a trendy barba di quatro giorni / with ultimate control over the company / who ultimately owns the company. b. The board of directors is the group of people who make the decisions on company policy and direction / who make the coffee and decide the menus / who sell shares of the company. c. A managing director is the person responsible for legal / illegal / social aspects of the company such as signing cheques and contracts. d. A general manager is the person in charge of general management of the campaign / company / community. e. An office manager is the person responsible for the day-to-day / up-to-date / out-of-date management of an office or department. f. A departmental manager responds for the general management of staff and production in a particular division / department / district. g. A finance manager is the person who takes care of political / financial / economical planning, budgets, expenditure, profit and loss. h. A customer service officer is the person who communicates with foreigners / customers / customs. i. A secretary is the person who makes coffee / telephone calls / a point and writes letters / diaries / lessons as well as sends you best regards / emails and faxes / all of us to hell.

V A job description is a written description of the exact responsibilities of a job. Have you got any idea what a tour manager does, what his responsibilities or job skills are ? Here is your chance to find out. Read the text and then find the right questions to the following answers : a. A tour manager is responsible for accompanying and organizing a tour. b. Only for organizing the tour.
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c. d. e. f. g. h.

According to the plan. By coach. Between two or three days to over a month. At the start of the journey. From early morning to late evening. An introduction course.

The tour manager works for the tour operator and is responsible for accompanying and organizing a tour from the beginning to the end. In Romania, however, it is customary for the tour manager to be responsible only for organizing the tour. The tour manager makes sure that all the travel arrangements for a group of tourists run according to the plan and that the accommodation is of satisfactory standard. Most tour managers work with tourists travelling by coach on tours that can last from between two or three days to over a month. The tour manager usually joins the party of tourists at the start of their journey, welcomes them, and answers any enquires about the journey. The tour manager often works from early morning to late evening and is on call 24 hours a day. His work includes weekends and is often seasonal. The tour operator usually provides an introduction course for the tour manager to familiarise him with the company, main destinations used by the operator, company policies and procedures. The tour manager must keep his knowledge of routes and destinations updated on a regular basis. For a successful tour manager job skills should include: ability to get on well with a wide variety of people, outgoing, self-confident, polite and tolerant character, excellent communication skills, interest in geography and historical sites, good working knowledge of one or more foreign languages, good organisational skills, smart and tidy appearance. VI 1. Read the profile of Bill Gates and identify the paragraphs that match the headings below: Name Nationality Date of birth Place of birth Family Education Work experience Company Job title Job responsibilities Job skills Job description Hobbies Interests Books you have read/wrote

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Bill Gates has created the worlds largest company which dominates the global computer industry MICROSOFT. He is the worlds richest man and has been known as the greatest charitable giver in history. He has become famous for his aggressive business tactics and confrontational style of management. He was born on 28 October 1955 and he grew up together with his two sisters in Seattle. His father is an attorney in Seattle and his late mother was a schoolteacher. He began computing at 13 at the citys Lakeside school. When he was 17 he sold his first programme a timetabling system for the school for $ 4,200. It was at Lakeside school where he met Paul Allen and they wrote the first computer language programme for a personal computer later at Harvard. The two friends established Microsoft in 1975; they called it Microsoft because it provided microcomputer software. In 1976 Gates dropped out of Harvard, once it became clear that the possibilities for Microsoft were bright. 4 years later they signed an agreement to provide the operating system that became known as MS-DOS for IBMs new personal computer. Microsoft was then allowed to licence the operating system to other manufacturers which raised the companys turnover to $ 61m in 1986. In the early 1990s sales and profits increased dramatically; however it seems that Gates misjudged the possibilities and growth of the internet at that time. Gates got married to Melinda on New Years Day 1994. He met Melinda in 1987 at a Microsoft press event in Manhattan. She was working for the company and later became one of the executives in charge of interactive content. Together they have three children: Jennifer Katherine, born in 1996, Rory John, born in 1999, and Phoebe Adele, born in 2002. Gates wrote The Road Ahead and Business @ the Speed of Thought which have both hit the best seller hits. He and his wife have been giving increasing amounts of money to charity. Other interests listed on his official website are reading and playing golf and bridge. 2. Imagine you were Bill Gates. Write your personal profile as Bill Gates. You may rely on the text above or your own knowledge of the famous business man to write five to seven high impact statements that describe your personal strengths as it follows: Experienced and innovative with aggressive business tactics and confrontational style of management. 3. Write your own personal profile. Be confident and positive when you make up the key statements. Orientate the descriptions to the type of job you are looking for. OPINION BOX The auditor is a watchdog and not a bloodhound. Lord Justice Topes
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Good bankers, like good tea, can only be appreciated when they are in hot water. Jaffar Hussein, Governor, Malaysian Central Bank A banker: the person who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shinning and wants it back the minute it rains. Mark Twain I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so. Stephen B. Leacock Behind every successful man lurks a truly amazed ex-mother-in law. John Chrusciel The graduate with a Science degree asks, Why does it work? The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, How does it work? The graduate with an Accounting degree asks, How much will it cost? The graduate with a Liberal Arts asks, Do you want fries with that?

Quiz 1. English is not the most widely spoken language in the world. A. I agree if we refer to numbers only. B. I disagree. C. I dont know. 2. English is used as a first language in A. USA, UK, India, South Africa. B. USA, UK, Canada, Australia. C. New Zealand, Ireland, Nigeria, Scotland. 3. Is British English better than other varieties of English? A. Yes. B. No. C. I dont know. 4. When you greet an Englishman/woman or an American, you should .. A. not use first names unless they do it first. B. call them by their first names. C. call them by their family names. 5. What are you responsible for? A. What do you do? B. What are you in charge of? C. What do you deal in?

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6. Nokia is a company. The headquarters are in A. Finnish Finland B. Finish Finnland C. French France 7. Qualifications include A. foreign languages and driving skills. B. your education from high school onto any special training courses. C. any work you have done in the past. 8. A general manager is the person in charge of general management of A. compaign B. company C. compaign 9. A tour operator is A. a travel agent who advises you on your holiday. B. a company that arranges holidays for people. C. someone who makes your hotel reservations. 10. Many companies today outsource. A. The employees work at home. B. They employ other companies. C. They sell more products than their competitors.

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Unit 2 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION Contents 2.1.Telephone English 2.2. Connecting the Call 2.3. Getting Down to the Business Talk 2.4. Making and Changing Arrangements 2.5. Leaving Messages 2.6. Modal Verbs 2.7.Tips for Effective E-mail Communication 2.8.E-mail Etiquette Quiz

We, the global villagers, love our multifunctional PCs We are all getting so attached to our slimmer and glossier telephones these daysbut arent we all missing anything herelike, for instance, as they would say, our minds? The bathtub was invented in 1850 and the telephone in 1875. In other words, if you had been living in 1850, you could have sat in the bathtub for 25 years without having to answer the phone.- Bill de Witt, 1972 But who really invented the telephone? Wasnt it a good chap named Bell, Alexander Graham I guess? Well, let me tell you that it wasnt The real inventor was Philipp Reis, a German science teacher, who began working on what we call telephone today in 1860. His device was only marginal while Bells phone really worked. Actually Reis died two years before Bell received his patent. Anyway, Reiss phones were demonstrated all over Europe. One was demonstrated in Scotland while Bell was back there visiting his father. We dont know if Bell saw it however we find it hard to believe that he was completely unaware of Reiss work. It was after all Bells brilliance to produce such a robust and viable device and to sell it to a sceptical public. More than seven decades later the basic concept of cellular phones began when researchers looked at car phones and realised that by using small cells (range of service area) with frequency re-use they could increase the traffic capacity of mobile phones substantially. We call them cellular because the system uses many base stations to divide a service area into multiple cells. Cellular calls are transferred from base station to base station as a user travels from cell to cell.
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New languages have been born of parents of modern technology: telephone and e-mail languages. Both come with a set of rules and guidelines that we ought to follow if we choose to play the game but then again do we, the global villagers, have any other option? Im afraid we dontThe ball is in our court now so lets start rolling!

I In the telephone conversation below underline the most common phrases and idioms that you only use over the phone. Operator : Hello, Robertson and Brothers. How can I help you ? James : This is James Madison. Can I have extension 2314 ? Operator : Certainly, hold on a minute, Ill put you through Sandra : Jim Robertsons office, Sandra speaking. James :James Madison speaking, is Jim in ? Sandra : Im afraid hes out at the moment. Can I take a message ? James : Yes, thank you. Could you ask him to call me at 311 5662339. I need to talk to him about our last order, its urgent. Sandra : James : Sandra : Could I read that back to you ? Yes, certainly. Go ahead. The name is James Madison, thats J-A-M-E-S M-AD-I-S-O-N and the phone number you could be reached at as soon as possible is 311 567-2339. Is that right? You got the name right but the number is 311 5662339. Have you got that? Got that. Thank you, Mr Madison. Ill make sure Jim gets this ASAP. Thank you, bye. Bye.

James: Sandra: James: Sandra:

As you have noticed above, the language we use on the phone is rather informal and there are some significant differences to every day English. II In the table below revise the key language and phrases used in telephone English. Introducing yourself This is James. James speaking. Asking who is on the telephone Excuse me, who is this?

Can I ask who is calling, please? Asking for someone Connecting someone Can I have extension 2314? Ill put you through. Could I speak to ? (formal Ill connect you.
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and informal, always safe to use) Can you hold the line? Can you hold on a minute? Can I speak to ? (more informal) Just a minute. Hold on. May I speak to ? (more formal) Is Jim in? (informal idiom) Is Jim in the office? (formal idiom) How to reply when someone is Taking a message not available Im afraid is not available at Could I take a message the moment. (formal and informal, always safe to use) The line is busy/ The line is engaged(when the extension Can I take a message? (more one requested is being used) informal) Mr Robertson isnt in Mr May I take a message? (More Robertson is out at the moment formal) Could/Can/May I tell him/her who is calling? Would you like to leave a message? 1. Match the telephone phrases in the left-hand column with their equivalents in the righthand column. 1. Could I have extension 455? 2. The line is busy. 3. Im afraid Mr Smith isnt in. 4. This is James Black. 5. Ill put you through. 6. Could name? I have your a. James Black speaking. b. Ill connect you. c. Is this the country number for Romania? d. Is that all? e. Is Louis Renoir in the office? f. Could you put me through to the office number 455? g. Can you wait? h. The line is engaged. i. Im afraid Mr Smith is out at the moment. j. Can I ask whos calling, please?
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7. Is this the code for Romania? 8. Hold on. 9. Could I speak to Louis Renoir, please? 10. Anything else?

2. Here are some answers you may receive on the phone. What are the questions? a. Ill put you through. b. Hold on. Ill get her. c. Im afraid shes on the other line. d. No, there is one more thing. e. Yes, fire away. f. Hold on. Ill get a pencil. g. Yes, thats M-E-L-I-N-D-A C-H-A-T-H-A-M. h. No, its all right then. Ill call back later. i. Im fine, thanks. j. Yes, thats the lot. III Connecting the Call 1. The following lines in a telephone conversation have been mixed up. Put them in the right order. John: Morning, Id like to speak to Mrs Brown, please. Operator: Just a minute, please Mrs Brown, theres a Mr Smith on the line hes phoning about their order Operator: May I have your name, please? Operator: John & Johnson, plc. Good morning! John: Its John Smith and Im phoning about last weeks order. 2. Choose the most appropriate reply to the following. Only one reply is possible. 1. Good morning. Can I help you? a. Yes, Id like to speak to someone from your marketing department, please. b. No, I must have dialled the wrong number. c. Hang up and Ill call you back. 2. Is that Robertson and Brothers? a. Ill let them know you called. b. Im afraid this is urgent. c. Im afraid you seem to have the wrong number. 3. Could I speak to Mrs Brown, please? a. No, please hang up. b. Yes, Ill put you though. b. Yes, Ill put you through. 4. Im afraid she isnt in the office right now. a. Could you get her to call me back as soon as she gets in? b. Yes, Ill put you through. c. Im afraid you seem to have the wrong number. 5. Would you like me to put you through to her secretary? a. No, I prefer to hang on, its very important.
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b. No, please hang up. c. Ill put you through. 6. Ill get back to you first thing on Monday. a. Thanks for your help, then. Have a nice day. b. No, I prefer to hang on, its very important. c. Let me know if there is anything I can do. IV Getting Down to the Business Telephone Talk

Put the words in the right order to make up true questions and then answer them. What / are / from / company / you ? Where / you / are / located ? department / would / like / Which / you / me / put / through /to / you ? do / I / you / for / can / What ? to / do / you / speak / Who / like / to ? English / you / speak / Do ? down / a / you / Can / slow / bit ? read / to / you / Could / back / that / me ? I / have / name / Could / your / please ? we / time / Could / meet / fix / a / to ? Would / telling / what / it / about / me / mind / you / is ? again / run / that / over / Could / we ? V Making and Changing Arrangements 1. Complete the phone conversation between a sales manager and a local representative. Use the most common making arrangement phrases from the list below. Can / Shall we fix / arrange an appointment / a meeting? Would it be useful to meet up soon? How about ? What about ? Would be suitable? Would suit you? Shall we say ? Ill (just) get / check my diary. Thats fine. I cant / wont be able to make Ive got to (+ infinitive) / a (+noun)

Sales Manager: Bart Babel. Local Rep: Global Manufacture Hello. This is Petru Kurt. We have met at the Fair in Brussels last week, havent we? Sales Manager: Yes, we have. How are you?

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Local Rep: from Wednesday to

Fine thanks. Im going to be in Budapest

Friday next week. ______________ to discuss how our sales representatives in Eastern Europe might work together? Sales Manager: _______________ . ____________ Wednesday and Thursday as ______________ be in Istanbul for three days next week. __________ Friday morning __________ ? ___________ brunch? Local Rep: Ive got the address. Sounds good. Shall I meet you at your office?

Sales Manager: Yes. Why dont we come round here at about 11am? Ask for me at reception and Ill come down. Local Rep: Yes, __________.

Sales Manager: See you on Friday at 11am, then. Local Rep: Look forward to seeing you, then. Bye.

Sales Manager: Goodbye. 2. Choose the most appropriate way of changing arrangements over the phone. a. Tuesday is impossible.// I cant make it on Tuesday.// It is not possible for me to meet you on Tuesday. b. Something has occurred to prevent our meeting.// Something has kept me from meeting you.// Something has come up. c. How about 3pm?// Lets meet at 3pm.// Is 3pm OK? d. Is it possible for you to meet in the morning?// Can we make the morning instead?// Isnt it better to meet in the morning? e. Im afraid Ill have to change our arrangement for Friday, 13th. Can we put it off until Monday, 16th? // Lets change it for Monday, 16th.// Why dont we meet on Monday, 16th? f. Im deeply sorry about Friday.// I cannot on Friday.// Im afraid Friday wont be possible after all.

g. Im afraid well have to put back the meeting. Im completely snowed under at the moment.// The meeting is going to be rained off.// Im completely thundered against what the meeting is concerned.

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h. Lets forget about it.// Can we leave it open for the time being?// Shall we decide not to fix a day? i. Well be back in touch soon.// Well be back on track soon.// Ill turn my back on you soon.

VI Native speakers, especially business people, tend to speak very quickly on the phone. Consider the following practical tips to get native speakers to slow down. Choose the most appropriate. There is only one possible correct answer. 1. When the business person you are talking to on the phone speaks too quickly and you dont understand anything you should a. wait and then ask the person to repeat what he/she has said before. b. immediately ask the person to speak slowly. c. silently repeat word by word what the person is telling you. 2. When taking note of a name or important information a. avoid repeating each piece of information. b. ask the person to sing each word to you. c. repeat each information as the person speaks. Do not say you have understood if a. you have not. b. you should not. c. you will not. If the person does not slow down a. begin speaking your own language. b. start singing. c. hang up on him/her.

3.

4.

Hint: Make sure you use this last tip with colleagues and not with the boss! VII Leaving Messages

1. Sometimes there may be no one to answer the telephone and you will need to leave a message. Choose the most appropriate message in each situation. There may be more than one possible correct answer. Introduction a. Hello, this is David Cross. b. I am David. c. Hello, David Cross speaking. State the time of day and your reason for calling a. Its ten in the morning. Im phoning to find out if b. Its ten kilometres from London. Im learning that c. Its ten am. Im calling to let you know that
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Make a request a. May I suggest to b. Could you call me back? c. Would you mind ? Leave your telephone number a. My number is b. Give me a lift to c. You can reach me at Finish a. Thanks a lot, bye. b. Ill talk to you later, bye. c. Kind regards, bye. 2. Read the following message left on the answering machine.

Telephone (Ring Ring Ring) Hello, this is Jack Sanders. Im afraid Im not in at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep (beep)

David Hello Jack, this is David Cross from J&B. Its four pm and Im calling to see if you could still meet me for the game of golf this Friday afternoon. Could you call me back? You can reach me at 455 6789 until 10 pm. Ill talk to you later, bye.

Leave your own messages and make sure you have stated the most important information: your name, the time, the reason for calling, the telephone number. Refer to the following: a. You need to cancel the appointment for next Monday. b. You need to postpone lunch plans tomorrow. c. You need to confirm your visit this weekend. VIII Telephoning has indeed changed the way people communicate with each other. It is therefore essential to speak the same language whenever we use the phone. It has become a commonplace to write in the same language when we e-mail our business partners. E-mail has radically changed the way we communicate in the business world. Rapid, clear and cheap communication among employees and customers has increased productivity and access to information. E-mail comes also with a variety of rules and guidelines that should be followed by business people who want to communicate effectively.
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1. Complete these tips for effective e-mail communication by filling in the missing words. Use the correct forms of the words in the table below. There may be more than one possible answer. Can cant (dont) have to should(nt) must(nt) be able to You spell-check your e-mail, use correct grammar and be brief. You make sure your e-mail messages contain your contact and company information as well as any branded message or by-line you currently use. You include an attachment to an e-mail if the recipient knows and trusts you and expects to receive attachments from you. You send your reply immediately unless you take the time to reflect on the response. You check for and modify confusing language before sending the reply. E-mail messages are indeed instant communications but you respond before reviewing the message. You install an anti-virus software programme on your PC and subscribe to regular updates of new viruses. E-mail communication be as dynamic as face-to-face or phone communication. You control the way your e-mail gets distributed or forwarded. What you read/write is what you get so you use e-mail to communicate sensitive or potentially embarrassing subjects. You type your e-mail in capital letters. This is considered shouting and e-mail recipients see it as offensive. If you want to emphasize something, you use asterisks, which be the moral equivalent of italics in paper documents. In business e-mails you use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) or LOL (laugh out loud) and emoticons such as the smiley : ). The recipient be unfamiliar with the meanings and in business email these are not generally appropriate. You save your important messages to a special folder to keep a record: E-mails are legal documents.

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LANGUAGE NOTE We use can and be able to permission. to talk about ability, possibility,

We use must to talk about obligation imposed by the speaker himself. Compare with have to which expresses external obligation. We mostly use must in written orders or instructions. We use should to express the speakers obligation or duty. It is more a matter of conscience or good sense. The difference between should / ought to and must / have to is that with must and have to we normally have the impression that the obligation will be fulfilled. We use should / ought to in formal notices, information sheet, to express advice. We use dont / doesnt have to to express no obligation. The form is more common in American English.

E-mail Etiquette Quiz How efficient are you at e-mailing? Can you impress your business partners with your e-mail technique? Find out by doing this quiz. 1. The login name, return address or username might determine the maturity and formality level of the sender. If you identify as a. webking@yahoo.com b. Bob_Benson@yahoo.com c. John_Doe@yahoo.com your correspondent will take you seriously and reply accordingly. 2. When you send e-mail, particularly to someone who doesnt know you, it would be good if you would immediately answer these questions: a. When were you born? b. How did you learn of your correspondent? c. What is the turnover of your company? d. Who are you? e. Why should your correspondent pay attention to you?

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3. Many e-mail programmes allow you to set up a default signature to be included at the end of every outgoing message. People often use these signatures to provide their name and alternate ways of reaching them. Here is an example of an outgoing message:

Hi - when did you want to go to lunch?

a. Bob Benson 21 Walton Street Oxford, UK Accounting Major Oxford University +44 1865 270000 voice +44 1865 270001 fax Ben_Benson@yahoo.co.uk

b. Bob Benson 34 male, single Oxford, UK Europe Ben_Benson@yahoo.co.uk

c. Ben Benson Oxford, UK +44 1865 270000 Ben_Benson@yahoo.co.uk

4. If you refer to a previous e-mail message, you should explicitly quote the original message to provide context. a. b. c. d. > < / :

The sign

is the most conventional sign to indicate a quote from another e-mail message.

5. If you want to give something mild emphasis you should enclose it in a. commas b. brackets c. asterisks

6. Consider the following e-mail message: Should I attend the AGM next week?
The recipient wanted to give strong emphasis to his reply. Choose the most appropriate answer. a. YES. I THINK YOU SHOULD. YOU KNOW I CANNOT BE THERE- I AM NOT COMPLETELY RECOVERED FROM THE HUNTING ACCIDENT. b. YES. I think you should. You know I cannot be there I am not completely recovered from the hunting accident. c. Yes : -( I think you should. You know I cannot be there I am not completely recovered from the hunting accident ; ->

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Unit 3 COMPANY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Contents 3.1.Adjectives 3.2. TQM 3.3. The Euro Money Vocabulary 3.4. Size and Dimension Vocabulary 3.5. Making Complaints 3.6. Quiz: The Business Plan

We think globally. We apply for global positions in global companies. We have global responsibilities. We communicate globally. We adapt our global rights to global policies. We are the global villagers, arent we so we would like all products and services to meet our global needs. Here are the names of some of the global products and services that we would like you to take a look at in the following: COLOUR THERAPY LAMPS DOG TRANSLATOR MUSICAL JACKET SOLAR TOWER TOMATO VACCINE I Choose a global product or service from the table above that is appealing to you. What special features do you think it has? How much do you think it costs? Do you have similar products or services available on the Romanian market? Now its time to find out more about our global products and services. COLOUR THERAPY LAMPS The perfect light or new glasses? Go for the perfect light, I would say! It is the better choice in fact nothing sets the mood for work better than the perfect light, so why do we have to limit ourselves to dim or bright, fluorescent or incandescent? The new therapy lamps look a little like Rothko paintings, with their gorgeous reds, yellows and greens softly melting into one another. Housed in brushedaluminium frames, they range from 2 ft. to 6 ft. long and double as post modern works of art. But we could tell you that they are more than just pretty lights. Powered by the same fluorescent bulbs used for light therapy (to treat seasonal affective disorder during winter months, for example), the lamps may actually brighten your spirits.
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And the coloured gels can be mixed and matched, so you can choose a yellow-green combination to energize you in the office or a purplered to get things started in the boardroom. DOG TRANSLATOR You are always tied up at work so you dont have time for anything else, sometimes not even for your family. You are wondering how to make up for your constant absence tough question, the easiest answer: Buy a dog! But you have already done that, haven t you? Still your children are not having fun. You can change that if you get your children to understand what your dog is really thinking. Japanese toy maker Takara claims it can get you in touch with your inner canine through its new Bowlingual. A radio microphone attaches to the dogs collar, and a handheld receiver "translates" his yelps, growls and whines into such phrases as "I can't stand it," "How boring" and "I'm lonely." How does it work? Samples of dog noises were collected, interpreted by animal behaviourists and stored in a doggie database. When your dog barks, the sound is beamed to the handheld and matched to the database. When in doubt, take him for a walk. MUSICAL JACKET Business people practice sports a lot worldwide mostly they go jogging. They are all music lovers as well. Usually they combine both activities to escape pressure, relax and work out. But when the temperature drops, music lovers are often forced to choose between unzipping their jacket, thus exposing themselves to arctic blasts, and listening to the same set of songs over and over until they pray for frostbite. With the new musical jacket, you don't have to choose it is the best solution you have. Initially designed for snowboarders, the jacket is made with a Sony Mini-Disc and digital music player sewn right into its fabric. The player's controls are touch-sensitive fabric patches on the jacket's sleeve, so you can control the music just by pressing your arm. SOLAR TOWER One of our global concerns is how to use environmentally-friendly and cost-effective devices to obtain electricity. The Australians have a simple answer. First, build a 20,000-acre greenhouse to trap and heat air. Then build a colossal tower 1 km tall in the middle of it. The warm air from the greenhouse will rise through the tower as it would through a chimney, turning turbines and generating enough electricity to power 200,000 homes. It may sound like science fiction, but the project is on track to get approved by the Australian government. If completed, the $800 million solar tower will be the tallest man-made structure in the world. TOMATO VACCINE Charles Arntzen is convinced that the reddish, powdery substance he
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holds in his hand will make the world a safer place. Arntzen is a biologist at the Arizona State University. He has been working for nearly five years to create what is basically freeze-dried tomato juice but not from any ordinary tomatoes. This fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruits, not vegetables) carries a gene from a type of bacteria, which could cause violent diarrhoea and death. Tomato juice contains a protein produced by this gene, which could act as a vaccine preparing the immune system to recognize and fight off the real thing. What's the advantage? Conventional vaccines are costly to make and distribute in the impoverished Third World countries that need them most. That's why Arntzen and others began thinking about using plants instead of needles, creating vaccines that would be easy to grow locally in Vietnam or Bangladesh. Arntzen focused on diarrhoea because he argues that "diarrhoeal diseases kill at least 2 million people in the world every year, most of them children." He chose tomatoes because greenhouse-grown tomatoes can't easily pass their altered genes to other crops because tomato-processing equipment is relatively cheap. If you took whole tomatoes and ate them, it would be easier but unfortunately a disaster. Individual tomatoes come in different sizes with varying levels of protein, and uniformity of dosage is key to an effective vaccine. Arntzen is also thinking about vaccines for cholera, hepatitis and measles. And he's not alone: some four dozen labs around the world are working on their own versions of what Arntzen would prefer to call "plant-derived" vaccines, based on tomatoes, bananas and potatoes. Within a few years, some of the planet's most dangerous killers could be in retreat and it won't hurt a bit. II 1. Underline all the adjectives used above to describe the five global products. 2. a. Do the adjectives you underlined describe products or services? b. Use the adjectives in the table below to describe products and services. Example: Our services are competitive. They offer a wide range of products. expensive reliable useful experienced modern professional large high-quality well- trained well-designed user-friendly sophisticated domestic fast efficient adjustable FACT BOX Brand and make are largely used to refer to the names of products. The term brand name identifies a group of products sold by the same company. Make tends to be used to refer to the name of the company that manufactures the product. The product itself is usually one that requires assembly. The trademark is the word or the symbol that
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manufacturers always use on a product or range of products to distinguish them from others. It is usually registered and protected by law. The logo is the symbol, design or special way of writing a company uses on its products, notepaper, advertisements. Logo is similar to trademark; however, it is preferred to the term trademark when referring to an emblem or purely pictorial representation. Most companies take out a patent for industrial designs or inventions and copyrights for literary, musical or artistic works. III Cheap is the opposite of expensive. Find the opposites of the adjectives in the box above. IV Consider the following statement:

The perfect light or new glasses? Go for the perfect light, I would say! It is the better choice []

LANGUAGE NOTE Better is the comparative form of the adjective good. We use the comparative forms of the adjectives when we compare two things in our example above we compared two different ways of improving work efficiency and we have come up with the conclusion the perfect light is better than new glasses so Go for the perfect light, I would say! It is the better choice! Good and Bad are irregular adjectives. Their comparative forms are irregular too: good bad better worse

Other irregular adjectives and their comparative forms are: far farther (about distance ONLY) far further (used more widely, also with the meaning additional/extra) little many/much old less more elder (about people ONLY) older (about people AND things)

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1. Fill each gap with the comparative forms of the adjectives above. a. executive managers attended the AGM last year. b. Last month we launched products than our competitors. c. Our employees claim they have received money than last month. d. The . our production technology gets the we shall spend on maintenance. e. The new location of our headquarters is in York which is than Lincoln. f. supplies will arrive soon. 2. Add ER to regular adjectives with one syllable to make up the comparative forms. Use much to make the comparative adjectives stronger. Use the following adjectives: smart, heavy, hard, soon, weak, easy, bright, early. My job is getting harder and . (a) I cannot cope. The responsibilities are huge and the (b) they get the (c) I become. The (d) I leave work the (e) I get home. Watching TV is (f) than going to work. I think tomorrow Ill ask my department manager as he is (g) and (h) what I should do to reduce pressure and enjoy work. 3. Complete the sentences by using MORE with adjectives with two or more syllables. Use much to make the comparative adjectives stronger. Our products are (a) (cost-effective) than our competitors and we have managed to make them (b) (competitive) by using the same technology which is (c) (profitable) for both customers and producers. It is after all a (d) (mature) market and (e) (abundant) products are being launched by far (f) (famous) companies than our own. However, customers are becoming (g) (adventurous) and that is heavenly news for us. We are developing new strategies for the launch of (h) (popular) products soon. V Consider the following statement:

With the new musical jacket, you don't have to choose it is the best solution you have.

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LANGUAGE NOTE Best is the superlative form of the adjective good. We use the superlative forms of the adjectives when we compare three or more things in our example above we compared different ways to combine two leisure activities and we have come up with the conclusion that the solution we have is the best on the market so that With the new musical jacket, you don't have to choose it is the best solution you have! Good and Bad are irregular adjectives. Their superlative forms are irregular too: good bad best worst

Other irregular adjectives and their superlative forms are: far farthest (about distance ONLY)

far furthest (used more widely, also with the meaning additional/extra) little many/much old least most eldest (about people ONLY) oldest (about people AND things)

1. Fill each gap with the superlative forms of the adjectives above. a. We shall never order anything from them. They are by far the suppliers. b. This was the concession he could make. c. On the occasion of my visit to our subsidiary in France I met the senior accountant. He was 80 and still in the shape. d. I thought I would never find your new location. Its the office building to reach from the centre of the city. e. We have the machines. I think we should purchase new machinery next month. f. He is the junior executive although he has the experience.

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2. Add EST to regular adjectives with one syllable to make up the superlative forms. Use the following adjectives: big, smart, small, tough, easy. a. The way to get him is an old-fashioned date with his secretary. b. He is the marketing assistant manager I have ever worked with. c. According to the annual survey, they are not our competitors. d. His mistake was to accept the proposals of the headhunter. e. They managed not only to survive but also to succeed on the budget. 3. Complete the sentences by using MOST with adjectives with two or more syllables. Use the adjectives in the brackets. If you want to have a successful design process, you have to employ the services of the (1) (competent) engineering consultant. He plays after all (2) (important) part. First you make sure he has understood exactly what you wanted him to design he is the (3) (responsible) person in identifying the objectives. Then the (4) (cautious) stage in the design process is the writing of specifications . Doing some sketches could be the (5) (determinant) step: Based on these sketches, different options are discussed and then the (6) (appropriate) alternatives are selected. The (7) (accurate) stage is the drawing of detailed design. Now you can be the (8) (successful) manufacturer of the (9) (efficient) and (10) (cost-effective) product available on the market. VI Complete the sentences in the left-hand column with adjectives in the right-hand column. 1. Its a long way from Constantza to Bucharest; Bucharest to Budapest is even but Bucharest to London is definitely the more expensive 2. Its becoming more and difficult to find time to relax. more specific 3. Ive got two sons. Jimmy is the younger one and Mark is the subtler 4. English wine is good but French wine is older 5. Could you be a little bit ? more qualified; most charming 6. I like travelling to exotic places but it is getting more and

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longer; longest 7. Romanian cooking is delicious but French cooking is worst 8. Would you prefer red or white wine, sir? White, please, and more 9. I dislike his management style. He is the manager who has ever been in the board of directors. better 10. I prefer our new personnel manager. I think he is than the other one and the person I have seen lately. elder VII 1. Are you familiar with the principles of TQM? How could you employ TQM in manufacturing the global products? FACT BOX TQM or Total Quality Management is a structured system which is meant to satisfy internal / external customers and suppliers by integrating the business environment, continuous improvement, and breakthroughs with development and maintenance cycles. Changing the organizational culture is also a priority within the system. Pinpointing internal and external requirements allows to continuously improve, develop, and maintain quality, cost, delivery, and morale. TQM is a system that integrates all of this activity and information. 1. In a TQM organization, what part does the traditional management hierarchy play? 2. The principles of TQM have been widely used in manufacturing rather than in the service industry. Do you think they apply to the service industry as wel VIII We are the global villagers, arent we? You are wondering how to make up for your constant absence tough question, the easiest answer: Buy a dog! But you have already done that, haven t you?

LANGUAGE NOTE QUESTION // ANSWER What form do we have in bold letters above? Question tag. What are questions tags?
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We add these short interrogative forms to sentences when we ask for agreement or confirmation. Is it possible to say But you have already done that, have you? No, it isnt. Grammar rules here as it follows: 1. After negative statements, we use positive interrogative forms. Example: You didnt write the report, did you? She doesnt have any idea, does she? 2. After positive statements, we use negative interrogative forms. Example: My assistant helped you, didnt he? You have changed the company policy, havent you? 1. In the description of the five global products choose at least five statements and use question tags to ask for agreement or confirmation. 2. Ask for agreement or confirmation in the following situations: a. You didnt attend the monthly meeting. b. She wasnt making any progress. c. They have succeeded in achieving their sales objectives this year. d. There wasnt enough time for another speech. e. Governments arent spending enough on military and scientific satellites. FACT BOX On 1 January 1999, eleven European Union countries adopted the euro currency: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France , Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Greece which joined later. Three European Union countries did not adopt the euro: Denmark, Sweden and United Kingdom. The symbol for the euro is like a round E with two horizontal parallel lines. The inspiration for this symbol was the Greek letter epsilon (a reference to Greece as the foundation of European civilisation). The parallel lines are intended to represent the euro' s stability. IX 1. Match the words and phrases in the left-hand column to their definitions in the right-hand column. black market money etc owed by one person to another ATM a piece of paper money; bill (US) debt currency that will probably not fall in value and is readily accepted

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hard currency illegal traffic in officially controlled commodities such as foreign currency banknote Automated Teller Machine; cash dispenser (UK) 2. Complete the sentences with words connected with money vocabulary. Some letters are given to help you. There is a letter missing for each gap. a. C _ _ _ _ _ _ y is the money in general use or circulation in any country. b. If you find a piece of metal money, you are lucky! You have found a __i_. c. _ _ s _ is actual money paid as opposed to credit. d. When you risk buying foreign currency or land for rapid gain you _ p _ _ u _ a _ _. e. If you decide to put money for profit into business or land it will mean you _ _ v _ _ _ X 1. Ask and answer questions about the size and dimension of the five global products (the colour therapy lamps, the dog translator, the musical jacket, the solar tower and the tomato vaccine). Use your imagination to invent your answers since you dont have them in the text above.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use the following ways to describe size and dimension: Question How long is it? How wide is it? How high is it? How heavy is it? How much does it weigh? Whats the maximum capacity? Answer It is (cm) long. The length is It is (cm) wide. The width is It is (cm) high. The height is
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It weighs The weight is Its 2. Use the following facilities information about a four star hotel to ask and answer questions about size and dimension. The Temple of Fame, situated on the ground floor with easy access, specially suited for banquets or as a ballroom but also for conferences and as a projection room. Length 9.55 m Width 11.4 m Height 2.92 m Maximum Theatre Style Capacity 160 Maximum Classroom Capacity 44 Maximum U Shaped Capacity 30 Maximum Boardroom Capacity 38 Maximum Cocktail Capacity 150 The Mermaid Hall, specially thought out for board meetings, situated in the business centre area. Length 5.1 m Width 4.8 m Height 2.3 m Maximum Theatre Capacity 25 Maximum Boardroom Capacity 12.

XI There are a number of phrases which are used when making complaints in English. It is important to remember that a direct complaint, criticism or refusal in English can sound rude or aggressive. Do you have a complaint to make? Well, its best if you make it indirectly. Make complaints about the colour therapy lamps, the dog translator, the musical jacket, the solar tower and the tomato vaccine using the phrase in the table below: Im sorry to have to say this but Excuse if Im out of line, but Im sorry to bother you, but There may have been a misunderstanding about Maybe you forgot to Dont get me wrong but I think we should OPINION BOX Would you launch the global products on the Romanian market? Do you think Romanian consumers would buy colour therapy lamps, dog translators, musical jackets, solar towers or tomato vaccines? Would you start your own business selling these products? XII Read the following business plan and then write your own business plan for one of the global products - the colour therapy lamps, the dog translator, the musical jacket, the solar tower and/or the tomato vaccine. Use the underlined phrases.

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Quiz: BUSINESS PLAN I The Business Profile 1. Description of My Business I plan to market a complete line of colour therapy lamps including outdoor colour therapy lamps as well as portable colour therapy lamps. The product line will be designed in my home office and packaged in China. 2. Targeted Market and Customers My customers will be discount department store chains with good credit ratings and reputation for prompt-payment. These will include Carrefour and Cora. 3. Pricing Power In order to achieve lower costs than my competitors I plan to design lamps in different colours and shapes, a two-pack of lamps at the price of one lamp. II The Vision and the People The business relationships I have developed include discount chain buyers and manufacturing resources. I have personal contacts in Hong Kong and Singapore who are ready to assist in the design, production and packaging. I attended the School of Economics in my local town from 1990 to 1995. I graduated with a degree in marketing. I also attended computer and accounting courses. I am attending a business internet course. I am improving my English skills by studying four hours a week. My hobbies are gardening and swimming. III Communications I plan to use all the computers an communications presently available to establish myself on the same level playing field as my large competitors. I am including here telephones and facsimile with an allocated budget of 200 EUR , computers and the internet with an allocated budget of 150 EUR. IV Organization and Insurance 1. Organization My team of professional advisors will be decided before I start my business. Here is a list of some professionals: Attorney: Mr. Popescu Accountant: Mrs. Stanescu Insurance Agent: Ms Brown Banker: Mr. Rosova E-commerce consultant: Ms David 2. Licences My enterprise will require the following licences. I will need to research the requirements from my own location and circumstances. a. City Hall: this could include the business licence department, planning department, building department and health department. b. My accountant will give me advice on national and local reporting and licensing requirements. 3. Insurance I plan to use the services of Ms Brown, my insurance agent.

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Unit 4 COMPANY ACHIEVEMENTS Contents 4.1. E-vocabulary 4.2. Revision of Tenses: Present Perfect vs. Past Simple 4.3. Travel Vocabulary 4.4. Airport Vocabulary 4.5. Making Requests Asking for Information/ Action 4.6.Agreeing and Disagreeing 4.7. Quiz: STEP Analysis

We have come a long way so far from our humble origins in 1990 since we started to operate as a small travel agency dealing with ticketing. Audacious planning, investment and product innovation have propelled our growth. Our company today employs 50 personnel and generates an annual turnover of 10 million EUR. We have been ranked as one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide this year. We are going to achieve even higher figures of sales and profit in the next five years. We did succeed in the past but that does not guarantee future prosperity. We are striving for the highest professional standards to the customers as they are essentially part of our business. We still believe that the best never come to rest as our slogan sounded when we first broke into the market more than a decade ago. What changed our perspective completely was the concept of etravel. E-travel online booking solutions helped us take the complexity out of arranging travel. E-travel solutions were global solutions that applied locally: we were able to use them in any language we could so that the needs of our global travellers were fully satisfied. If we had not made the decision of implementing the system back then, we would not have accomplished so much. What we did in fact was to focus on the basics by minimizing difficulties at the same time offering a global range of possibilities. E-travel solutions have been powering our website for almost five years. Etravel implementation also meant access to professional services from site set-up to e-marketing consulting, which helped us customize the online travel experience. In the years to come we expect that travel industry will be globally affected by different kinds of change. Many of our competitors will improve their strategies and competition will become tougher and tougher. We should not be slow in adapting to global changes in order to achieve successful results.
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We have built our success on sound values such as team-work, commitment to our customers and determination to constantly improve. We have also focussed on quality innovation and superior customer service. More than ten years ago we paved the way for a totally different approach to company employees: before investing in anything else we invested in our staff. We enlisted our personnel to various training courses and we have been having the best helping hands to work with. Since 2000 we have been providing extensive training for staff to achieve proficiency in product knowledge enterprising and skill acquisition to handle customers. As our new slogan campaign says, You did the best. We do the rest! I 1. Define company achievement. In your opinion, what do companies need to achieve best results? 2. What is the recipe for success for the global village travel company? II Consider the following statement: If e-travel is to be a war, consumers will say Bring it on, please! a. Define e-travel. b. How does e-travel change the travelling experience? Refer to the information you have received above. c. Do you know anything about e-travel in Romania? d. Should travel agencies implement e-travel in Romania? Consider the advantages and the disadvantages. III They say that the starting point for judging e-performance is the eight-second rule. Research has shown that most Web users will not wait more than eight seconds for a page to load, particularly when their interest is primarily informational. a. Define performance. Comment on the way you judge performance in general, with reference to any company and in particular, with reference to the global village travel company. b. What does the eight-second rule refer to? c. Do you play by the eight-second rule? d. Think of other business contexts where the eight-second rule applies.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use hyphens to spell compound nouns whose first part is the word electronic in its abbreviated form e or E to refer to different activities that are performed through digital communications, e.g. electronic travel becomes e-travel or E-travel.

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IV

Match the phrases in A with their definitions in B.

A: e- business; e- commerce; e-marketplace; e-mail; e-check; e-cash B: a company, service provider or association that brings together buyers and sellers in one virtual place, where participants can reduce costs and reach new customers; a business strategy utilizing the Internet as its communications medium; form of payment that deducts funds directly from your own standard checking account; buying and selling of goods and services and the transfer of funds through digital communication; a trial form of electronic funds transfer over the Internet;a communication system that allows you to send text, files and/or graphical messages over the Internet V Consider the first paragraph in the text above: a. We have come a long way so far from our humble origins in 1990 since we started as a small travel agency dealing with ticketing. b. Audacious planning, investment and product innovation have propelled our growth. c. We have been ranked as one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide this year.

LANGUAGE NOTE a. We use the present perfect simple to indicate an activity which started in the past and continues in the present, in other words We have come a long way and we managed to do that in 1990 and we do not stop in 2004. We use the past simple to talk about an activity at a specific time in the past, in other words in 1990, more then ten years ago, we started as a small travel agency and now we are one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide. b. We use the present perfect simple to indicate an activity at some non-specific time in the past with an impact or result in the present or in the future, in other words Audacious planning, investment and product innovation have propelled our growth and the present result is impressive profit with a future huge impact on the development of the company. Compare to Audacious planning, investment and product innovation propelled our growth in 1995, nine years ago [specific time in the past] when we launched the new line of products. c. We use the present perfect simple to indicate an activity within a
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period of time which is not yet finished, in other words We have been ranked as one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide this year but it is only June and six months to pass till the end of the year. (action is not completed/finished) Compare to We were ranked as one of the top ten travel agencies worldwide last year. (action is completed/finished) 1. Underline all the present perfect forms in the text above. Comment upon all the forms you managed to find. Use the information in the language note. 2. Put the verbs in brackets into the present perfect or past simple tense. Fill in the gaps by repeating the auxiliary used in the question, putting it into the negative where necessary. Example: You (see) his secretary yesterday? Yes, Did you see his secretary yesterday? Yes, I did. a. b. c. d. e. She (write) the budget forecast yet? No, she They (formulate) already the pricing strategy? Yes, they You (purchase) new machinery last year? Yes, we He (improve) his telephoning skills since we last (talk)? No, he You ever (be) to our headquarters in Spain? Yes, I

3. Complete the conversation between the company representative and a visitor. Fill in the gaps by putting the verbs in the brackets into the present perfect tense. Company representative: You ever (be) to New York? Visitor: New York? No, I (not be) there. Have you? Company representative: Yes, in fact I just (come) back from there. Im doing some consultancy work there and I (spend) at least six months there this year. Visitor: That sounds fabulous. You (go ) up to the top of the Empire State Building? Company representative: No, I (not have) yet. I (not take) the ferry to Ellis Island either. I (work) so hard lately. Though I (have) dinner at Sardis and I (see) a Broadway show. 4. Imagine you are the company representative and you are talking to a visitor. Act out a similar conversation. Refer to similar places for visit in your home town.

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LANGUAGE NOTE For and since are used with the present perfect tense For is used with a period of time which extends to the present Since is used to indicate the starting point of the period. 5. Choose the correct answer: a. b. c. d. e. f. for / since a long period for / since the beginning of the semester for / since the AGM for / since 9 oclock for / since the last seven months for / since my last business trip

6. Use for or since to fill the gaps. a. b. c. d. e. f. Ive lived in this town I was born. Ive worked for this company my graduation. They havent been to our headquarters we relocated. We havent met the CEO months. She has had Internet at home August. You have been surfing on the net weeks.

LANGUAGE NOTE Lately and recently are used to indicate incomplete periods of time. Recently is widely used in positive and negative sentences as well as in questions. Lately is used in negative sentences and questions. Already and yet refer to activities that start at an unspecified time in the past and continues to the present. Already is typically used in positive sentences. Yet is used in negative sentences and questions. 7. Use lately, recently, already or yet to complete the missing words in the following sentences. a. I havent been myself . This new programme is killing me. I spend more time at the office than at home. The bad news is that I have taken all my days off this month. b. Have you attended any sales conference ? c. Dont worry about the report. I have written it for you. I havent had much to do d. They have purchased a new plant in Michigan. e. Ive filled you in. Just do it right this time.
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f.

Have you met our new managing director? Nobody else has met him They have taken on new staff g. Due to the increased number of complaints, the hotel manager has cancelled his plans for the weekend. VI Consider the following statements:

We are going to achieve even higher figures of sales and profit in the next five years. In the years to come we expect that travel industry will be globally affected by different kinds of change. Many of our competitors will improve their strategies and competition will become tougher and tougher.

LANGUAGE NOTE Both statements above refer to the future. In English we have basically four ways to talk about the future. Examples: 1. I wont think about it anymore. You have just told me it wont hurt a bit. 2. Im going to emigrate to Australia next year. 3. Im meeting John for a drink this evening. 4. The train leaves at 15.30. 1. We use the will future after verbs of mental activity, e.g. think , expect, hope or to indicate a neutral activity in the future or as part of a process or to refer to an activity decided at the time of speaking. 2. We use going to future to indicate an action that has already been decided or to indicate an intention. 3. We use the present continuous (with future reference) to refer to activities and events planned for the future. We frequently use the present continuous to describe travel arrangements. 4. We use the present simple (with future reference) when we describe timetables and programmes or events in the calendar.

1. Put the words in the right order to make up positive or negative sentences or questions. The word which begins the sentence or the question is spelled with capital letter. a. going to purchase equipment They new are. b. order When you call the going to about her are ?

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c. forecast say to going are you about budget the What ? d. resignation She not change is going his to mind her about. e. When year this going are to you holiday have ? 2. Match the questions in A with their replies in B. A: 1. Where are you going next weekend? 2. Do you think well do better with the new products? 3. The line is engaged. 4. Does anyone volunteer for the fund raising? 5. Will there be a lot of demand for this new products? B: a. No, there wont. If you ask me, nobody will buy any products if you keep them in four packs. b. Ill do it. c. Ill probably stay at home and sleep. d. Yes, I do. I think well successfully break into the Romanian market. e. OK. Ill call back later. 3. Underline the correct future form to complete the sentences. a. Shes off ill today. I ll / m going to attend the meeting instead. b. Ive already decided. I ll / m going to accept their offer. c. We need some more paper for the printer. I ll / m going to go the stationers to get some. d. What are your plans for the weekend? - I ll / m going to fly to London, probably Friday evening. e. Where is she going, Peter? - She ll /s going to visit their new office building. f. Ive twisted my finger and I cant pick up the phone. - OK. I ll / m going to pick it up for you. 4. Imagine you work as a R&D manager for a Romanian pharmaceutical company. You have just pencilled the following dates in your diary today, August 1st 2004. Answer the following questions about the diary entries: When does the exhibition take place? Where does it take place? a. Medical Imaging 2005: 28 February 4 March, San Jose, California, USA b. Gaudeamus 2005 : International Educational Book Fair; 24 28 November, Bucharest, Romania c. International Mediterranean Tourism Market 2005: 11 14 May, Tunis, Tunisia. 5. You decide to attend all the exhibitions above (today, October 1st, 2011). Plan your business trips. Refer to the following: flight reservation, hotel reservation, rent-a-car service, travel with the R&D team / with wife or husband / alone, travel expenses, travel health insurance, light luggage, call home, send greeting cards, enjoy night
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life. 6. Complete the following conversation using all the forms of the future you have just learnt about. The verb forms in brackets are in the infinitive. Bart: What _______ you _______ (do) this week?

Claude: Well, tomorrow morning I _______ (fly) to Bucharest for a meeting. I ________ (have) lunch with our Romanian agent, George Stanescu, and then in the afternoon we ________ (meet) our biggest Romanian client. I _________ (give) a presentation of our latest model we ________ (bring out) later this month. I ________ (spend) the night in Paris, in a hotel, and then the next morning I ________ (travel on) to Rome where I ________ (meet) someone who is interested in becoming our agent in Italy. Then I hope I ______ (manage) to catch the mid-afternoon flight back to London as I ________ (go) to the Opera in the evening. You know what I think: they _______ never _______ (be able) to manage without me! VII Read the following sentences about the beginnings of the global travel company: We started to operate as a small travel agency dealing with ticketing.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use as + noun and like + noun with slightly different meanings We started to operate as a small travel agency dealing with ticketing ( we were in the capacity of operating as a small travel agency) We started to operate like a small travel agency dealing with ticketing ( we operated in a similar way as a small travel agency) 1. Use as or like to complete the sentences. a. She sings a bird. b. The assistant is exactly the manager. c. Im attending the AGM the new marketing director. d. He is my brother. e. They hope to graduate managers. f. My colleague looks Mick Jagger. g. Im not your relative Im not even your friend, but colleague I could tell you that you are overreacting. h. Ive called them about the delay we agreed. i. We must work anything to finish the report on time. VIII 1. Complete the following text using travel, trip, journey, voyage, tour. __________ (a) in the mountains can be slow and dangerous. I have read about many tragic __________ (b) experiences in _________ (c)
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books. During my last business ___________ (d) to Romania my local ________ (e) agent tempted me into going on a coach _________ (f) of Romania, which also included such guided walking _________ (g) into the mountains. I would rather go on a long train ___________ (h) or make a _________ (i) across the Atlantic. Meanwhile I am just going on a __________ (j) of the factory.

VOCABULARY NOTE Travel is both a noun and a verb in English. It suggests a fairly long period of travelling from place to place, especially abroad, for pleasure or interest. We use the word trip to describe a visit to a place and back. It usually involves a stay in the place visited. A journey is largely used for travel overland and often suggests a relatively long distance. There is no idea of return contained in the word and no idea of stay. A voyage usually refers to water transport. A tour is a trip during which many places are visited. IX 1. a. Find all pairs of adjectives ending in ED and ING in the text below. b. Use all the adjectives you managed to find in sentences of your own. A new airline service has been developed to revolutionise customer expectations for high quality and low-fare air travel. The service will meet air travellers individual and ever-changing needs through a variety of innovations. Customer facilities and services will be introduced based on customer feedback. Customers will find the new website highly interesting as they will be able to vote products and services on and off via www.flyhigh.com. They will be all interested in playing an active part in running the business. Customers using www.flyhigh.com will never ever get frustrated or irritated by higher and higher fares. They will be automatically directed to an area of the site that will help them fin the lowest fares to and from destinations of choice. Good bye irritating delays! Farewell frustrating cancellations! Travellers wont get annoyed at the long periods of time spent in the plane between one destination and the other. Annoying moments are gone forever. The most advanced in-flight entertainment technology available is now at any travellers disposal. Personal video monitors at every seat and touch screen technology make the flight experience not only amusing but also exciting and relaxing. Passengers will feel relaxed with the MP3 audio programming which will allow them to create a personal play list from an extensive library of audio files. Multi-player interactive games which allow play between passengers will keep them amused. They will get all excited by the in-flight shopping and online product purchase possibilities. Lower fares and lower operating costs have
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always been the recipe for success.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use adjectives ending in ing to describe qualities. We use adjectives ending in ed to describe reactions. 3. Interesting or interested? Boring or bored? Confusing or confused? Disappointing or disappointed? Use these adjectives to fill the gaps in the following text. Her job is so complex. I find it extremely . I do the same things every day. I find my job so . I would never get if I had her job. I am highly in getting a similar position in the company but I have recently heard some very news. Rumour has it that Im going to lose my job as my performance has been so so far. Yesterday I ran into the head of the department and he said: Dont feel about the news! Its only a account of what has happened if anything! FACT BOX Getting through airport security quickly is number one thought of any passenger who has just slammed the door of the taxi or parked his car at the airport. We have all had our bags looked through thoroughly so many times. We have become experts at packing. If you havent joined the club yet, here are some tips how to do it successfully. Shoeswe all love our shoes but shame came first. We dont want to feel embarrassed to be kindly asked to take off our shoes especially when we have forgotten to wear the good socks. We must make sure our shoes do not set alarms off and if we havent tried them yet, then we must choose those which are easy to slip on and off. Pocket eaters we dont love them but need came second. We keep them to eat up the small space in our pocketsThey could be coins, keys, phones and pagers. In our hurry we usually forget about them so we shouldnt be surprised if the alarm goes off and we often end up sitting in the plastic chair going through a personal inspection. Well avoid all this if we remember to put them in those little bowls from the very beginning. Computing and competing It is usually the briefcase or the overnight bag that will pass first computer bags are always left behind. We all tend to move as quickly as we can to find out later when we have already passed through security that our computers are no longer with us. We are business travellers and we all hate checking luggage but sometimes its best to watch every penny
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before you lose any. Any marketing sample we carry could also be subject to careful and closer examination so its better to check them ourselves beforehand. In any circumstance, no matter what, airport security could take us aside or look through our luggage in front of all the other travellers. As long as we dont take it personally, we have nothing to worry about. It is after all our own security at stake. X Make formal and informal requests asking for information or action at the airport. Use the information in the fact box and the vocabulary note. Use also the following airport vocabulary: taxi fare, Departure Lounge, boarding card, passport, travel health insurance, Duty Free, the Gents, stopover, flight, pilot, porter, trolley, sign star, out of date, check in, rent a car, gate, board from, shuttle, declare, take off, land, economy class, business class, overbooked.

VOCABULARY NOTE We grade requests on a scale from informal to formal phrases to introduce requests. If we make a request asking for information, we use the following: Please and/or a polite phrase A question word A request Example: Could you tell me where the new offices are located, please? Be careful with the word order. It is indeed a question but only the first part Could you tell me? Where introduces a new sentence, not a question where the new offices are located and not *where are located the new offices. If we make a request asking for action, we use the following: Please and/or a polite phrase A request Example: Can you open the window, please? Informal Please tell me Request for information I want you to Request for action
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Do you know Request for information Can you Request for action Can you tell me Request for information Will you Request for action Will you tell me Request for information Could you Request for action Could you tell me Request for information Id like you to Request for action Id like to ask you Request for information Do you happen to know Request for information Perhaps you could Request for action Perhaps you could tell me Request for information Could you possibly Request for action Could you possibly tell me Request for information Do you think you could Request for action Do you think you could tell me Request for information Formal Would you mind Request for action Would you mind telling me Request for information
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I wonder if you could Request for action I wonder if you could tell me Request for information I wonder if youd mind Request for action I wonder if youd mind my asking you Request for information I was wondering if you could Request for action I was wondering if you could tell me ... Request for information XI 1. Find the mistake(s) in the following sentences and provide the right solution(s). a. During the meeting they are all agree that they should change the company policy. b. She is agree your first proposal with but she cant find any arguments for the second. c. I agreed for you at the new marketing strategy. d. The personnel manager agreed at the trainee request to increase his weekly payment by 10%. e. The company I have applied for agreed with me. f. Will you agree with a cheque? g. We couldnt agree about his analysis of the situation.

VOCABULARY NOTE Agree vs Accept I agree with you and not *I am agree with you. (agree with someone) I agree with your proposal or I have the same proposal myself. (agree with something) I agree with you on/about the new plant location or I share your opinion about the new plant location. ( agree with someone on something) I agree to your request to minimize costs or I am willing to accept to minimize costs. (agree to something) I accept your invitation and not *I agree your invitation. (accept
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something) XII Agree or disagree on the following statements. Use the phrases in the vocabulary note below. Companies are finding ways to keep talented women from quitting. At the end of the day, its all about the money. If a company can link its prosperity to wise management decisions from the standpoint of the personnel, it will mean that they have the best and the brightest working for them and they are not all guys. Women tend to have in abundance those skills needed for new economy jobs: problem solving and the ability to grasp and use information. Women have access to information through the Internet and because of the economic boom, no one is going to spend years unhappily in any position.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use the following phrases for agreement, partial agreement and disagreement with someone or to something.
Agreement with someone:

I totally agree with you I completely agree

Agreement with something:

I totally accept that I completely agree

Partial agreement with someone Partial agreement with something:

Up to a point, Id agree with you but accept You may have something there but You could/may be right but
Disagreement with someone

Up to a point Id that but That may be so but That may/might be right but
Disagreement with something

Im afraid I cant agree with you I dont agree I cant go along with you on that

Im afraid I cant accept that I dont accept that that

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Quiz: STEP Analysis 1. Perform a STEP analysis of your company or the company you would like to apply for. Refer to all the political, economical, social and technological factors that might affect your work. Use the information in the fact box below. 2. Use could and/or might to refer to possibilities of change in your organisation or the organisation you are interested in as the result of the influence exercised by S, T, E, P factors. Use the information in the fact box.

FACT BOX Company organisations which can anticipate and take advantage of changes within their environment achieve best results. The external environment of an organisation can be analysed by conducting a P.E.S.T. analysis. This is a simple analysis of an organisation Political, Economical Social and Technological environment. Sometimes the analysis is performed under the name of a S.T.E.P. analysis, that is an analysis of the Social, Technological, Economical and Political environment. Political factors can have a direct impact on the way business operates. Decisions made by government affect our everyday lives and can come in the form of policy or legislation. The governments introduction of a statutory minimum wage affects all businesses, as do consumer and health and safety laws and so on. The current increase in global petrol prices is having a profound impact on major economies: It is estimated that 200bn has been added to the global fuel bill since the price increases started. The political decision as to when Romania signs up to the Single European Currency is having an impact on Romanian businesses. Multinationals have signalled the fact that their investments in Romanian economy could be affected by the decision. Economical factors affect all businesses nationally and globally. Interest rate policy and fiscal policy will have to be set accordingly. Whether an economy is in a boom, recession or recovery will also effect consumer confidence and behaviour. An economy which is booming, is characterised by certain variables. Unemployment is low, job confidence is high, because of this confidence spending by consumers is also high. This has an impact on most businesses. Organisations have to be able to keep up with the increased demand if they are to increase turnover. An economy which is in a recession is characterised by high unemployment, and low confidence. Because of high unemployment spending is low, confidence about job security is also low. Businesses face a tough time, consumers will not spend because of low disposable income. Many businesses start cutting back on costs, for example shorter weeks are introduced and advertising budget is reduced to save money. Economies are affected globally, for example an increase in interest rates in the USA will effect the share price of UK stocks or adverse weather conditions in India may affect the price of tea. Social factors such as family, friends, media affect our attitude, interest and opinions. These forces shape who we are as people and the way we behave and what we ultimately purchase. For example, in Romania peoples attitudes are changing towards their diet and health: an increased number of people joining fitness clubs has been recorded and a massive growth for the demand of organic food has been reported. As society changes, as behaviours change organisations must be able to offer products and services that aim to complement and benefit peoples lifestyle and behaviour. Technological factors influence the way business operates. The Internet is having a profound impact on the marketing strategy of organisations.
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Consumers can now shop 24 hours a day comfortably from their homes. The challenge these organisation faces is to ensure that they can deliver on their promise. This technological revolution means a faster exchange of information beneficial for businesses as they can react quickly to changes within their operating environment. There is renewed interest by many governments to encourage investment in research and development. Organisations that continue to ignore technological changes will face extinction

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UNIT 5 COMPANY TRENDS Contents 5.1. Graphs, Charts, Tables 5.2. The Language of Trends 5.3. Market Vocabulary 5.4. The Rule of the 5 Ps in Marketing 5.5. Stock Market Vocabulary 5.6. Cash Flow Vocabulary 5.7. Pay Vocabulary 5.8. Quiz: Famous Bankruptcies

The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village. Year: 1962 Author: Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) More than four decades ago, the Canadian historian and masscommunication theorist, Marshall McLuhan used the term global village in his famous book The Gutenberg Galaxy to describe the trends of the electronic mass media collapsing space and time barriers in human communication, due to its capacity to connect people on a global scale. Today we use the phrase global village as a metaphor to refer to the Internet and the World Wide Web. They say that if we reduced the Earths population to a global village of 100 people, it would have the following global structure: There would be 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 North and South Americans, 8 Africans. 70 % of the whole population would be non-white and 30 % white. 50 % of the entire worlds population would be in the hands of 6 global citizens who would come from the United States. 70 of the 100 people would not be able to read. 50 of the 100 people would suffer from malnutrition. 60 of the 100 people would live in substandard housing. Only 1 of the 100 people would have a college education.

In order to clearly understand the figures in the report above we use different types of illustrations such as graphs, tables and charts. A graph is a diagram which shows the relationship between two quantities that vary with one another. It is usually based on two lines called axes: the horizontal axis and the vertical axis. For instance, customer demand for ice-cream changes with every season. We can draw a graph to illustrate the relationship between sales of ice-cream and months of the year.
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1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 months of the year

A table is a list of numbers and references arranged systematically in columns. Take for instance the following statement: the elder you get the less ice-cream you eat. The relationship between age and demand could be illustrated in a table.

sales in million Lei

Age Groups 0-10 10-18 18-30 30-50 0ver 50

Percentages 10% 25% 30% 25% 10%

A chart is a graphical presentation of information. A pie chart is in the shape of a circle, divided into slices like the slices of a pie. Each slice represents a share of the whole, and the bigger the slice the bigger the share. Take for instance national sales of ice-cream.

10% 20%

70%

FACT BOX Pie charts were invented by Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War (1854-1856) to support her argument that more soldiers died from disease than in battle.

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A bar chart is a graph on which bars of equal width but varying height are used to represent quantities.

6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1 2 3 4 quarter of the year

A flow chart is a pictorial representation used to describe a process being studied or to plan stages of a project. Example: How to eat an ice-cream cone safely TEAR OFF UPPER WRAPPER THROW UPPER WRAPPER IN THE BIN KEEP LOWER WRAPPER ON USE RIGHT HAND TO HOLD THE CONE USE TONGUE TO EAT TEAR OFF LOWER WRAPPER THROW LOWER WRAPPER IN THE BIN TAKE SMALL BITES OF THE LOWER WRAPPER WASH HANDS I Draw a graph / table / chart to illustrate the information in the report on the global village. Graphs, tables and charts must be clear, simple and relevant to the
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sales in units

objectives of the report. The commentary must be accurate and varied. Transferring information from illustration to text become thus a priority. It is important for graphs, tables and charts to speak the same language with texts. Do you speak the language of trends?

VOCABULARY NOTE There are three basic trends:

There are different verbs and nouns for each trend to describe the movement. We use the following verbs to describe an upward economic movement: Verbs increase (regular verb) rise ( irregular verb rose, risen) raise (regular verb) go up (irregular verb went, gone) be up (irregular verb was/were, been) grow (irregular verb grew, grown) improve (regular verb) enhance (regular verb) extend (regular verb) expand (regular verb) boom (regular verb) soar (regular verb) surge (regular verb) rocket (regular verb) Nouns increase rise raise growth improvement enhancement extension expansion boom soar surge rocket

We use the following verbs and nouns to describe a downward economic movement: Verbs decrease (regular verb) fall (irregular verb fell, fallen) drop (regular verb) go down (irregular verb went, gone) be down (irregular verb was/were, been) decline (regular verb) cut (irregular verb cut, cut) reduce (regular verb) collapse (regular verb) Nouns decrease fall drop decline cut reduction collapse

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slump (regular verb) plummet (regular verb) tumble (regular verb) plunge (regular verb) crash (regular verb)

slump plummet tumble plunge crash

We use the following verbs and nouns to describe a constant movement. Verbs Nouns keep (irregular verb kept, kept) stable/constant hold (irregular verb held, held) stable/constant stability remain (regular verb) stable maintain (regular verb) (at the same level) stay (regular verb) constant stagnate (regular verb) Stagnation We use the phrases to stand at, to level off , to reach a peak of/ to peak and to bottom out to focus on a particular point before we mention the trends of movement. Example: In 2003 sales of ice-cream for people in the age group 15-30 stood at 400m LEI as compared to 2002 when they reached a peak of 900m LEI. In August sales peaked and in November they bottomed out. Sales levelled off in May We use adjectives and adverbs to describe changes in terms of (1) degree of change and (2) speed of change. The order is from the least significant to the most significant change. 1. Degree of change Speed of change Adjectives little negligible slight moderate significant considerable substantial enormous huge vast dramatic Adverbs a little negligibly slightly moderately significantly considerably substantially enormously hugely vastly dramatically Adjectives slow steady gradual swift quick rapid 2.

Adverbs slowly steadily gradually swiftly quickly rapidly

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Prepositions could make the difference when we describe trends. We use from to to refer to the starting point and the end point. Example: Sales plunged from 200m EUR in 2001 to 90m EUR in 2004. We use by to describe the value of the difference itself. Example: Sales have decreased by 110 units this year. We use to to refer to the end point. Example: Sales fell to 90m EUR in 2004.

II 1. Use the information in the vocabulary note to describe the chart below.

2. Complete the following text with suitable prepositions. a. Industrial production in the first half-year increased _____ 2.8% b. The GDP went up ____ 4.3% as compared to last year. c. Unemployment decreased ____ 8.1% ____ 7.8% in 2003. d. Labour productivity grew up _____ 9.2% in the industry sector. e. The latest analysis indicates that the economic growth will stand ____ 4.6% at the end of 2003. 3. Read the information in the vocabulary note and fill in the gaps in the text by following the table. Use suitable verbs and prepositions to describe the change. In Romania unemployment _____ _____ 8.8% at the end of 2001 ____8.1% at the end of 2002. Inflation _____ _____ 30.3 % in 2001 ____ 17.8% in 2002 - the lowest level after 1990. External debt ______ slightly ____ 21.4% of GDP ______ 22.4% in 2001. Foreign direct investments (FDI) ______ _____1269 million USD in 2002
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_____ 1154 million USD in 2001. Thus significant efforts have been made to prepare the countrys accession to the European Union. The pace of negotiations will not _____ in order to meet the 2007 target.

unemployment inflation external debt FDI

2001 8.8% 30.3% 22.4% 1154m USD

2002 8.1% 17.8% 21.4% 1269m USD

Source: Annual Report of the National Bank of Romania, based on the information from the National Commission of Statistics

3. Read the following text on economic trends. Find similar words or phrases for the words and phrases underlined in the text. Illustrate the information in a graph/table/chart. In 2001 the economy grew by 5.3% but slowed to 4.4% in 2002, largely due to economic slowdown in the European Union. Growth is forecast to rise to 4.6% in 2003 and 5% in 2004 as structural reforms lead to an improvement in the business culture. Inflation remained stable at 23% in 2002 but it is expected to fall to 14% by 2003 and 9% by 2004. Unemployment soared to 9.2% in 2002 and is largely associated with redundancies caused by restructuring. 4. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence. They are all connected with upward or downward movements. There has been a increase in costs in the last five years. A steadily B steady C stead D steadfast Sales of ice-cream dramatically in the final quarter. A fall B falling C felt D fell The sudden in share prices came as a surprise to everyone. A collapse B collapsing C collapsed D collapsible Total expenditure is expected to from $33,666m in 2003 to $39,666m in 2004. A raise B rice C race D rise A big in spending has never affected the company before. A drop B dropping C drops D dropped During the civil war, the level of investment dropped A sharp B shapely C sharply D sharpish The in business airline communication has accelerated the use of technology as an alternative to taking business trips. A improvement B extension C expansion D increase The research and development budget stood $ 500m over the past few years. A for B by C in D at Prices have rocketed lately due to a increase in raw material costs.
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A dramatic B slight C moderate

D substantial

New Yorks stock market has risen 19% thanks to hopes of economy recovery in the United States. A to B by C at D with 5. Use the following graphs to describe the movement of the various objects concerned. a. overheads

120 100 80 60 40 20 0 1 2 3 4 quarter of the year

b. travel expenses
50 million USD 40 30 20 10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 months of the year

III 1. Choose one of the words or phrases below to complete the following sentences: web marketing, marketplace, come onto the market, in the market for, on the market, market prices, market research, market value, to market, marketing. Be careful with the tenses. a. We could send someone to our products in England. b. Let me tell you what I think she is definitely an expensive car. c. Competition is always welcomed in the d. They will conduct a before they launch the new products. e. have plunged due to increased competition. f. The new office building has just at the beginning of this month. g. The revolutionary electronic system is not yet. h. We have decided to sell the old plant at $ 1000 below its
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million Lei

i. j.

I have not met the new director yet. Due to a significant growth of purchases off line, e-companies are improving their strategies.

VOCABULARY NOTE Marketing is the process of planning, designing, pricing, promoting and distributing ideas, goods and services, in order to satisfy customer needs, so as to make a profit. The five Ps of marketing are: Product decide what to sell Packaging decide what materials to use to protect and present products before they are sold Price decide what price to charge Place decide how products will be distributed and where customers will buy them Promotion decide how products will be supported with advertising, etc

We describe products that are more expensive than other products of the same type as upmarket products. If you buy such products you move upmarket. Demand for better quality at lower price could be referred to as mid-market product demand. Low-priced products may be referred to as downmarket, but this term usually shows disapproval. We use the term mass market products for non-luxury goods that sell in large quantities. The term niche market refers to a small group of buyers with special needs, which may be profitable to sell to. 2. Describe the global products you have learnt about in Unit 4 in terms of upmarket / midmarket / mass market / downmarket / niche market products. Provide reasons for your choice. 3. Consider the rule of the 5 Ps in marketing the global products. FACT BOX Stock market or Stock exchange refers to the place where stocks and shares are publicly bought and sold. The term Wall Street, which is used to refer to the American money-market, dates far back as 1653 when a 12-foot-high wood stockade was erected across lower Manhattan from river to river to protect Dutch settlers from attacks by the British and the Indians. The Wall Street of today is located along the line of the stockade. The term bear in phrases such as bear market comes from bear skin jobbers who were known for selling skins from bears that they had not caught yet. It is used to refer to those who sell shares assuming that the market will continue to fall and that his/her own selling will
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accelerate the decline. Then he/she will be able to buy back at a lower price. Bull and bear baiting were once popular sports; as a result, bulls was considered the opposite of bears. If bears were those who sold thinking prices were slumping, bulls would be those people who bought shares in expectation that prices would be rocketing and they would be able to sell at higher prices and make profit. When describing a market it is possible to say use the adjectives bearish / bullish as in bearish market or bullish market. The term stag is used only in the UK and it refers to the person who buys newly issued shares in the expectation of a heavy subscription and a rapid rise in price. A bond is a certificate issued by a government or a company acknowledging that money has been lent to it and would be paid back with interest. IV 1. Analyse the three situations below. Choose the bear, the bull and the stag. a. Devaluation is expected to have a negative influence on share prices. Last night they decided to sell all their shares. b. The Malaysian government was privatising Petronas Gas in 1995. Shares were being offered at the lowest prices. A few small firms bought as much as they could. c. Shares prices boomed in the final quarter of last year. He bought 10,000 shares. 2. Match the words and phrases in the left-hand column with their definitions in the right-hand column: stocks shares investor trader speculator individual investor parts/portions of the companys capital which are issued in fixed amounts parts/portions of the companys capital which are not issued in fixed amounts a person who takes large risks in the hope of making quick large gains a person who buys and owns stock a person who buys and sells stock a financial institution which invests large amounts of money in the stock

institutional investor individual or retail investor who invests his/her own money bull bear bond stock a person who thinks stock prices will go down a person who thinks stock prices will go up it represents ownership in a corporation it represents loan from bondholder to a company

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FACT BOX Cash flow of a business is the actual movement of money into and out of it, independently of how much it owes or is owed. Cash flow is also used to refer exclusively to cash flowing into a company from sales. Trade credit refers to the period of time agreed upon by any company supplying goods and/or services to another company from the moment of delivery to the moment of payment. Accounts receivable or receivables are the amounts that a company is waiting to be paid by its customers. Customers owing money in this way are called debtors. Accounts payable or payables represent the money that a company owes to its suppliers. Suppliers waiting to be paid are called creditors. V Fill the gaps by choosing one of the words or phrases in the box to complete the following sentences related to cash flow. creditors payable debtors payables accounts receivable receivables trade credit accounts cash flow

a. The latest market research estimate that their company can generate of 15m a year. b. They argued that we didnt give them any as we agreed before. c. She managed to convince the board that the lack of control of costs was due to an extremely flexible system. d. They have never recognized the fact that they had no but plenty of e. Our have already notified us that if we didnt comply with August they wouldnt deliver anything in September. f. She is implementing her strategy of doing away with any . VI Trends in clothing market sector have shown that mid-market products sell more than mass market or upmarket brands. 1. Describe the trends in clothing sales illustrated in the chart below. Are the figures realistic for the Romanian market?

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VOCABULARY NOTE We use to borrow when we receive or obtain something temporarily with the promise or intension of returning it. Borrow is a regular verb. The preposition we usually associate with to borrow is from. We use to lend when we give or allow the use of something temporarily on the understanding that it will be returned. Lend is an irregular verb (lent, lent). The preposition we usually associate with to lend is to. VII 1. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentences. a. Last week I lent / borrowed some money from the bank. b. Ive forgotten my dictionary at home. Could I lend / borrow yours? c. Could you lend / borrow me $500 ? Ill pay you back first thing in the morning. d. Banks are lending / borrowing money at a competitive rate of interest. e. He is always lending / borrowing money from us and he has never paid us back a cent. f. I lent / borrowed that CD to my colleague and he has not returned it yet.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use the term bank loan when we refer to a sum of money which a bank lends to a person or company ( who is called the borrower) for a fixed period and usually with approved security. Those who borrow money in this way have to pay interest.
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An overdraft is a term used in the UK to refer to the situation in which you are allowed to take out more money from your bank account than you have in it. The bank charges interest on daily basis and it is usually less than for a loan. 2. Here is a list of words and phrases that you can associate with the business terms overdraft and/or bank loan. Choose the suitable words and/or phrases for the two business terms. Sometimes you can use the same words and/or phrases for both. Use them in sentences of your own. money borrow fixed amount of money bank account lend interest specific period daily calculation of interest take out borrower

VIII A company reports its performance in a particular period in its results. Results for a particular year are shown in the companys annual report. The annual report contains a BrE profit and loss account / AE income statement. If a company makes more money than it spends it makes a profit. If not, it makes a loss. A companys gross profit is before charges are taken away. Net profit is afterwards. The bottom line is an informal way of talking about the results of a company: the so-called bottom line of the profit and loss account refers, in fact, to the final figure of profit and loss account. 1.What is the bottom line of the profit and loss account of the company you work for or you are interested in applying for? IX 1. Choose the correct phrase to complete the following sentences. a. His assets/fixed assets/current assets included shares in the company and a house in Poiana Brasov. b. The good will/good sense/good looks is being sold together with the shop. c. As a result of dramatic economical changes, shares in the company have depreciation/depreciating/depreciated. d. A loan that a company has to repay to the bank over ten years is a current liability/long-term liability/balance sheet.

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VOCABULARY NOTE We use the term assets to refer to something that has value, or the power to earn money. Current assets refer to the following: money in the bank investments that can easily be turned into money money that customers owe stocks of goods that are going to be sold Fixed assets refer to equipment, machinery, buildings and land. Intangible assets refer to things you cannot see: good will which describes a companys good reputation with existing customers brands, i.e. established brands have the power to earn money Assets such as machinery and equipment lose value over time because they wear out and are no longer up-to-date. This is called depreciation. Liabilities refer to a companys debts to suppliers, lenders, tax authorities. Current liabilities are debts that have to be paid within a year. Long-term liabilities are debts that have to be paid in more than a year: e.g. bank loans. The balance sheet illustrates the companys assets and liabilities at the end of a particular period, usually the 12-month period of its financial year. 2. What are the main assets and liabilities in the current balance sheet of the company you work for or you are interested in applying for? X A pay, pay-day, payroll, pay, pay back, pay for, pay off, payable or payment? Use one of the above to complete the sentences. Be careful with the tenses! a. Instalments are on the last day of the month. b. Dont worry! Ill you next week. c. He always gets drunk on his d. I have applied for a company with 1000 employees on the e. We have agreed on monthly f. He surprised everyone when he the car in cash. g. Eventually they managed to their debts. h. increase was more than he expected. i. Are you in cash or by cheque ? XI Price, charge, fee or commission ?

1. What are the missing words in the following definitions? A .is a payment to an agent calculated as a percentage of sales made and which increases with the quantity of goods sold. is used mostly in the context of paying for services. A is payable for services provided by the legal
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profession, consultants, accounts, etc. The is the amount of money you have to pay usually for goods in order to buy them.

2. Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentences: a. Share prices / charges / fees / commissions have soared this month. b. Higher prices / charges / fees / commissions increase competition among salesmen. c. Internet use in hotel rooms is usually free of price / charge / fee / commission. d. I dont think I can afford the lawyers prices / charges / fees / commissions. e. The higher the price / charge / fee / commission the lower the demand. f. We have agreed on a moderate membership price / charge / fee / commission. g. An extra price / charge / fee / commission for confirming the letter of credit has not been discussed yet. XII 1. Choose the correct word from the table below to complete the following sentences. Use the information in the vocabulary note below. salary wage perks earnings income revenue a. As a result of successful negotiations, they offered their Romanian agent $1000 _________. b. The managers _________ include a car provided by the company. c. She must have gone bankrupt by now since she spent all her ___________. d. The ____________ of the City Council is rather high. e. _________ are paid on Fridays. f. Tax is payable on all _______ over 2000.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use the term salary to refer to the monthly payment which is made to professional employees, usually by bank transfer. Wages are paid weekly to manual or unskilled workers. Perks (also known as fringe benefits) are extra payments made in kind: e.g. a company car, free accommodation. In many job advertisements the combination of salary plus perks is referred to as remuneration package. We use the term earnings to refer to the sums of money earned by working. The word earnings is always in the plural form. Common expression with earnings are: earnings per share and price/earnings ratio.
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Income is a synonym for earnings but may include unearned income acquired from other sources: e.g. share dividends, property or other investments. It is subject to income tax. Revenue is similar in meaning to income but it is more likely to refer to the money that a company or an organisation receives through sales. We would not normally refer to a private individuals income as revenue. In Britain, the government department responsible for tax collection is Inland Revenue. XIII Sometimes colours and trends go together hand in hand. Choose the right colour (white, black, blue, red, green) to complete the following sentences. a. ________ chip is largely used to refer to industrial share considered to be a safe investment. b. Stolen goods sell well on the __________ market. c. A ________ elephant refers to possession that is useless and often expensive to maintain. d. It takes weeks to get through the _________ tape. e. Being in the _______ means having more liabilities than assets. f. This payment will get me out of the _________.

g. We call ______ legs people who work when their fellow workers are on strike. h. I have never accepted a _______ collar job. I will always be a _______ collar employee. i. j. If I have money in my bank account it means I am in the _________. The negotiator made it clear that they wanted the contract in _______ and _____ otherwise they would never give the production team the _______ lights.

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Quiz Read the text on famous bankruptcies and answer the following questions: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. Define bankruptcy. How can you predict the misfortune ? Refer to the symptoms of bankruptcy. Do you think it is best to file for bankruptcy ? Who was the famous seventeenth century painter who filed for bankruptcy? Who was Jacob Peter Thomasz and what did he do? What was the Paige Compositor? What did Mark Twain do to repay his debts? What happened in June 1903 ? Who was the owner of the town of Braselton, Georgia ?

Why me of all people ? We globally wonder so many times whenever we feel we are the only ones to suffer from so frequent misfortunes which are usually money-related. Bankruptcy is the word that all business people hate the most. The state of being unable to pay all your debts in full this is how the dictionary defines the most terrible thing that we all fear. An appointment postponed, a meeting cancelled , a business lunch forgotten, a smiling face never to be seen again, a phone call never returned, a promise unfulfilled But there were others before us who did have similar financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy to discharge their debts without fear of all this. Rembrandt Haremenszoon Van Rijn, the famous seventeenth century Dutch painter, accumulated more debts than he could repay and filed for bankruptcy at the age of 50 in 1656. Jacob Peter Thomasz, a lawyer, supervised the sale of his assets in 1657 and 1658. Many of Rembrandt's paintings and his house were sold at an auction. After the bankruptcy, he continued to paint but was not allowed to sell his works directly to customers. However, he managed to find a solution to his misfortune: his son took over his business and sold his paintings. Mark Twain (1835-1910), the famous American writer, lost most of his money investing in a worthless machine called the Paige Compositor, an automatic typesetting machine. He filed for bankruptcy in 1894 and discharged all his debts, but was determined to repay the debts. He knew he could earn money by giving lectures to large audiences, so he travelled to Europe and spent the next four years lecturing in every major city and he managed to repay all his debts. Henry Ford (1863-1947), the automobile manufacturer, survived the failure of his first two automobile manufacturing companies. The first company filed for bankruptcy and the second ended because of a disagreement with his business partner. In June , at the age of 40, he created a third company, the Ford Motor Company with a cash investment of $28,000.00. By July of 1903 the bank balance had plunged to $223.65, but then Ford sold its first car, and as they say the rest is history.

Kim Basinger, the famous actress, earned so much money from her movies that she was able to purchase the town of Braselton, Georgia. After the purchase she was sued for breach of contract for pulling out of the movie, Boxing Helena. She was not able to pay the damages resulting from the suit

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and filed for bankruptcy in 1993. As part of her bankruptcy she sold the town. She later married Alec Baldwin, had a child and won an Oscar for her role in the movie L.A. Confidential.

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Unit 6 MEETINGS Contents 6.1. Time Prepositions 6.2. Stages in a Meeting 6.3. Meeting Vocabulary 6.4. Questioning Skills 6.5. The Passive 6.6. Managing Virtual Teams 6.7. Problem Solving and Decision Making 6.8. Incoterms 6.9. Quiz: Abbreviations

The managing director of the global village travel company has decided to diversify the companys interests as part of the new campaign You did the best. We do the rest! They have done a thorough market research which put all their thoughts of extension in the proper perspective : To build a hotel in the most exotic location global villagers have always dreamt of became the brilliant solution they unanimously found. You have been selected as one the most qualified global villagers to join the construction global team and to make decisions at various planning stages. You have also been chosen to chair the meeting . The other team members are: Claude Leland Bart Babel Dawn Kioshi The meeting has been called today to discuss the interior decoration of the main entrance lobby. Before participating in the meeting it is essential that you are prepared. Four proposals have been suggested: P1: Glamorous dcor P2: Hi-tech dcor P3: Exotic dcor P4: Old-fashioned dcor The meeting is scheduled to start in 15 minutes.

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Still 10 minutes to pass until the meeting. Let us see how good you are at time prepositions.

I Use the correct time preposition to complete the sentences. Choose from the following: at, in, on, after, during, by, till or no preposition. I left the office ____ 2.30 pm , ____ the lunch break to be ___ time for the meeting. In the car park I ran into Robert who was wondering why I was leaving work ___ 3 oclock ___ the afternoon. I had to be there ___ 3.30 and I wasnt supposed to come back to work so I guess I got lucky since I didnt have to work ___ dark again. I was in a hurry so I didnt have time to meet Robert for a coffee as we used to ___ every Wednesday afternoon. Then I met Sarah who was a regular visitor ___ Wednesdays. However, I last saw her ___ the end of July. I spoke to her ___ two months ago, I guess. ______ the meeting Im not going to think about her as I have already decided to call her _____ tomorrow. II When you meet your colleagues, how will you greet them? A Hi there you guys You must be part of the dream team B Hello. Let me introduce myself. I am ______ ( your first name, surname) from ________ (your department, your company) C Hello. Im Mr / Mrs / Miss ______ ( your first name, surname). Who are you? III How do you reply to the following?

Have you met our Japanese colleague Dawn Kioshi , our French partner Claude Leland and Bart Babel from R&D ? A Good-day. Great to see the company promoting sexual and racial equity B C Hello. Nice to meet you. How do you do ? Please call me at 399- 3999.

IV Polite and informal conversation, sometimes referred as small talk, is useful for breaking the ice. Which of the following do you think are appropriate questions or statements to use at this stage of the meeting. Put A to highlight the appropriate statements and I for the inappropriate statements. A B C D E I dont think weve met. I havent seen you before. So what brings you to this meeting ? The salary were paid is not worth all this trouble. Ill be so glad when this meeting is over.
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F Im really looking forward to this project. G Do you know Salvatore Gamal from the head office? H I believe you are in charge of the marketing department, arent you ? V Starting the meeting: You all seem to be getting along very well together. However, it is your responsibility to start the meeting. How do you begin? A B C Right. Now shut up everyone. Shall we start? Sit down. Sit down.I said sit!

VI Starting objectives meeting agenda: Item 1: Hotel dcor Item 2: Restaurant facilities Item 3: Any other business Todays agenda - Item 1: Hotel dcor You need to signpost (to give directions) the meeting so that all members have a clear idea of the meeting agenda. How do you do this? A The purpose of this meeting is to make a decision about the dcor of the main entrance lobby. First we can look at the four proposals and then Ill ask each member to contribute their ideas. Well, theres the agenda of the meeting on the table in front of you. What do you think? Theres no point in introducing the agenda to you. Somebody else has already decided for us all so wed better talk about last night football game. Its the same - in both cases we cannot change anything for the better. Keeping the meeting going

B C

VII

1. You have started the meeting but now it is a good idea to get contributions from the team. How are going to do this ? A B C Dawn ? Bart, would you like to open the discussion ? What bright ideas have you come up with for this meeting, Claude ?

2. Bart has a point: As you probably know I am all in favour of the modern and hightech proposal. Its futuristic look will pave the
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way for a new era. Everything can be computerised so we can thus save money by reducing the number of the employees needed to run the hotel. All our global villagers would be thrilled. 3. You wish to interrupt the speech of one of your colleagues above and say something. How do you do this ? A B C D VIII Now listen. Reducing employees is not the goal of any decent company. May I interrupt ? Can you explain how computer technology will reduce the number of waiters and cleaners? I disagree completely. No way. What do you think you are ? Bill Gates ? Presenting opinions

Bart supports his point of view: I feel quite sure that there wont be a reduction of the number of waiters and cleaners. The way I see it is that labour costs will be reduced by administration. Dawn comments: From a financial point of view I am pleased to hear that. What are your feelings about this ? How do you reply ? A Im sure Bart is right.

B Im inclined to believe Bart but Im concerned about a shortage of staff. C D As I see it the savings will be welcomed. I think we should be looking at some figures.

E Its perfectly clear to me that we need to save money somehow. I agree with Bart. IX Presenting alternatives

1. Claude recommends we consider other types of design: I think we should consider the old-fashioned look. Its relaxing, comfortable and it will make our customers feel at home. How do you react? A B Yes, definitely. I agree This is out of the question. I think you are wrong.

C I agree up to a point but I would like to talk about the other designs as well.
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2. Claude continues: As you probably know I am all in favour of the old-fashioned proposal. Nothing pleases more our global customers than a nice, comfortable and relaxing exotic place far away from the global chaos of the global village. Dawn wishes to interrupt and say something. How does she do this? A B C Hey listen. There is no chaos at all in the global village. What are you talking about ? May I interrupt ? Can you explain how an old-fashioned dcor could be suitable for a hotel? I disagree completely.

3. Dawn is in favour of another proposal. How does she present her alternative ? A I accept what you all say but I think the glamorous design is more suitable in this situation. We all need a touch of glamour in our lives and many of us cannot afford it at home. I believe the glamorous design is the key to a successful business. No. Definitely no. You seem not to be reasonable at all. I dont know why I came in the first place. The high-tech dcor is just another global invention we all would like to forget about. It makes my flesh creep. Nobody would like to see an old-fashioned dcor either. The high-tech dcor and the old-fashioned dcor are both awful Lets look at other designs. Balancing points of view and building up arguments

C X

I accept what you all say but isnt it a good idea to combine elements from the three proposals so that the recreational needs of more customers could be satisfied ? How do you react to this? A B C D E So what you are saying is to make a decision in favour of all the proposals. Am I right? In other words you agree with all of us. Well, I dont accept anything. I think its a waste of time. Lets go home.

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XI

Making proposals and controlling decision-making

You believe your arguments are strong and reasonable. However, the meeting must end soon. What do you say ? A I believe an acceptable compromise is to divide the entrance lobby into three parts: for the parking and the reception area we should adopt the high-tech dcor. The hall near the reception should be designed in an old-fashioned way to remind us all of the old times when it all started. The glamorous dcor should be the best choice for the reception bar to make customers stay longer and spend more. Can we take a vote on my proposal ? I dont think you would like me to get into details. Its so late and I have to be home by 6.30 to drive my grandma to the station. All those in favour. All those against. Right. See you next week. If you delay the decision, it will mean more delays and yet no decision. As long as delays continue we wont meet any deadlines and we wont have any hotel Concluding the meeting

C D

XII

The team members seem to have reached a compromise. It is a good choice and the hotel will be a success. The managing director will inform the architects to draw the design plans. And, of course, the restaurant facilities and any other business will be on the agenda for the next meeting. How do you conclude the meeting? A B C All right guys. I dont want to hear anything from you till our next meeting. And I mean anything. See you. Id like to thank Claude for coming over from France and Bart for joining us at short notice. Dawn, thank you for arriving on time, as usually, from Japan. Thanks for your participation. Right. I declare the meeting closed. Dictionaries define meeting as the gathering together of a group of people for a controlled discussion with a specific purpose. There are many activities in which meetings are involved. Meetings are adjourned, attended, called, cancelled, convened, held, interrupted or postponed.

D E

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XIII

Choose one of the verbs in bold letters above to fill the gaps.

a. This is my first time here among my new colleagues. I have to confess that I have never a meeting before. b. We shouldnt wait for his return. We should a meeting right away. c. We havent finished yet. Lets the discussion of the other items on the agenda till our next meeting. d. She doesnt look good at all. I think we should the meeting to call a doctor. e. Before he the meeting, the agenda of the meeting should be circulating so that we all have an idea of what items we are going to talk about. f. I dont see any reasons why we should . the meeting. I suggest we go one and reach a decision now. g. We meetings in the boardroom every month. h. I think I could join you at the weekend. The meeting was

Meetings can be called for various reasons including: 1. to make decisions based on judgement rather than on calculation or expertise, the socalled problem-solving situations; 2. to make decisions based on group interaction, the so-called ideagenerating situations; 3. to discuss complex problems which require different skills or specialists. There are five major elements involved in a meetings: 1. Purpose There are three basic purposes of a meeting: problem-solving, ideagenerating and training. 2. Agenda A list of main issues suggested for discussion is needed for the efficiency of a meeting. 3. Members There are three types: the chairman or the chairperson, the secretary and other participants. Preparation for the meeting is compulsory to everyone. Concentration, communication and co-operation are encouraged during a meeting. 4. Result A successful result represents the ultimate goal of a meeting. 5. Report It normally includes the minutes of the meeting. Chairing a meeting means controlling it so that it can reach a successful conclusion and achieve its purpose. The chairman addressed as chairman or mister chairman or madam chairman
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makes sure that the maximum amount of business is conducted in the minimum amount of time. He needs to develop a certain style to get things started, keep them going and lead them to a conclusion. Participating in a meeting means to be able to present and deal with questions, to state opinions, to discuss the opinions of the other participants. The range of language that participants wish to express is extremely large. In meetings as well as in other areas of business communication, it is important to develop questioning skills. There are twelve types of question: 1. Overhead It means a general question which is addressed to the whole group. Example: What do you think of the hotel dcor suggested? 2. Direct It is a question to a specific individual Example: Bart, could you fill us in with the location details? 3. Factual It asks for facts, data or information Example: How many cleaners are there in a hotel? 4. Leading It involves questions that suggest answers Example: I suppose you cannot make it on Friday 5. Encouraging It means questions that help respondents Example: Id be delighted to know 6. Ambiguous It refers to questions that suggest two or more answers Example: Do you think it is a good idea to encourage competition among employees? 7. Controversial It refers to questions that suggest two or more answers which can lead to disagreement Example: Are male cleaners more efficient than female cleaners? 8. Provocative It means questions that incite participants to answer Example: What do you think about her argument that we have completely forgotten where we came from? 9. Probing It refers to questions which check the individuals knowledge Example: Could you be more specific? 10. Closed It refers to question with YES / NO answers Example: Do you think you will be able to write the report tomorrow? 11. Supportive It means those questions in which the questioner agrees with the respondent Example: So you have recognised a pattern? 12. Redirected It refers to questions directed at the leader, but returned to the group Example: What do you mean by restructuring? Dawn, what do you think he means?

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XIV What type of questions is it? Match each of the following questions to the headings above. a. What do you think of their claim that we have committed a breach of contract? b. Samantha, what is the situation now? c. Id be interested to find out more., wouldnt you ? d. What about last year? How did we manage? e. Are immigrants better working hands? f. When is the deadline? g. I suppose you have told us everything h. Are you in charge of administration? i. What do you mean exactly? Will you give us an example? j. Is it a good idea to build a hotel? k. What exactly is reinvesting? Jim, did you understand what she meant by reinvesting? l. So you also think there is no way out

There are many things that can be asked and answered during a meeting. It is difficult if not impossible, however, to predict them all. Here is a table with the most useful phrases:
Starting the meeting Good morning, ladies and gentlemen / colleagues. Shall we begin / get started / start? First of all, Id like to introduce / let me introduce (two colleagues from our office in Bucharest etc) Have you all got a copy of the agenda? The purpose of the meeting is The first item on the agenda is I would like to point out that In my opinion One at a time, please! We cant speak all at once. What to do What to say Nod head Right, I see. Lean forwards OK. I understand. Study the speaker Umm, thats interesting. Show interest Right! Maintain eye contact OK If I could just come in here Id like to go back to Keep the point, please. I think wed better leave it for our next meeting. Were beginning to lose sight of the main point. In other words So what youre saying is So you mean Paraphrasing Summarising 89 To sum up then

Making a point Stop people talking Listening actively

Taking the floor Preventing irrelevance

Avoiding responsibility Keeping an eye on the time Postponing Controlling decision-making

I dont have all the information to hand I cant comment on that at this stage Were running short of time. Theres not much time left. Could you please be brief? Can I come back to that later? Lets leave that until Id like to propose that Can we take a vote on that proposal? All those in favour. Right. All those against. Right, thank you. So that motion has been accepted / rejected by (4 ) votes to (3) Very well, we seem that we are broadly in agreement that Right. That just about covers everything. Id like to thank for coming over from So, the next meeting will be on (date) at (time) Thanks for your participation. Right. I declare the meeting closed.

Closing the meeting

XV Act out the next meeting of the global team to discuss the restaurant facilities of the hotel which they are planning to build in the most exotic location as part of the campaign You did the best. We do the rest! XVI Use meet, meat or meeting to complete the sentences. Be careful with the tenses! a. b. c. d. e. f. The proposal she made the case. I have never the MD before. Can we all the objectives? Jim Meadow. Pleased to you. I am a vegetarian. The sight of makes my flesh creep. The Netherlands Portugal in the semi-final and Portugal won. g. If you make sure that prices go down a little, well you half-way. h. There is more into it than the eye. i. Weve had four already and we havent reached any decision yet. j. I never eat frozen k. He was so determined to punish him that he was deaf to the of all his arguments.

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LANGUAGE NOTE Meetings are adjourned, attended, called, cancelled, convened, held, interrupted or postponed. Usually we use the passive to avoid pointing out the person who performs an action,especially when we do not wish to commit ourselves to actions, opinions, statements of which we are not completely certain. So instead of saying Heads of departments call /convene meetings, we say Meetings are called / convened. Passive verb forms are made up with the verb to be + past participle. The passive can be also used with modal auxiliary verbs. Example: I agree that the meeting cannot be cancelled. Such a strategy should not be encouraged. The contract must be signed. Prices might be increased. XVII 1. You have made up your mind that you do not wish to commit yourself to any of the following statements. Use the passive to rewrite the following sentences. You are given the beginning of each sentence.

a. They supply most of our products in Eastern Europe. Most of our products b. Nobody has ever given him any chance. He c. Our company provides cost-effective and reliable services 24 hours a day. Cost-effective and reliable services d. His deputy interviewed all the candidates last week. The candidates e. Nobody raised any questions at the meeting. No question f. They have selected the clients without getting any feedback from any of us. Clients g. Our customers have never made any complaints. No complaints h. We should employ part-time workers.

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Part-time workers i. During the coffee break we serve refreshments. Refreshments j. We shall offer him more if he joins our team. He 2. Change the verb forms in the following text from active to passive. Be careful with the tenses! Managers cannot control virtual teams as efficiently as they do with regular teams. Projects managers are, in fact, managing teams of people who do not respond to them. Virtual management must replace management by walking around. Managers will need attitudinal adjustment. It will increase the managers value to their organization. Managers can improve the old way of doing business: They must attend a course in virtual management. During the training programme they will use case studies. Case studies offer interesting challenges. The trainers will give them complex useful exercises. The managers can bring back the exercises to the office. The course provides the opportunity to develop skills in virtual management. Topics such as characteristics and challenges of virtual teams and different roles and responsibilities of virtual team managers will challenge the participants. They need only one prerequisite: team management experience.

LANGUAGE NOTE Before the global village was created and developed, elected representatives in national or regional parliaments had been responsible for all citizens.
How do you call the verb form in bold letters above? What is the form of the past perfect? When do we use the past perfect? Is the order of the two parts of the sentence important? PAST PERFECT

HAD + PAST PARTICIPLE To show that one thing happened before another thing in the past. For example, in the beginning representatives were elected to be responsible for citizens; later the global village was created. No, it isnt. Before the global village was created and developed elected representatives in national or regional parliaments had been responsible for all citizens. Or Elected representatives in national or regional 92

parliaments had been responsible for all citizens before the global village was created and developed.

2. Find other examples of the past perfect tense in the text. 3. Connect the two sentences using when or before. In each situation there is one action in the past that happened before another. Use the past perfect to show that one thing in the past happened before another. a. Her father died. She inherited lots of money. b. They conducted a market research. They launched the new products. c. We made the last payment. The credit period was over. d. I went on a business trip to London. I paid a visit to my grandmother. e. I was trying to locate him. He called me. f. He checked the doors. He left the building. g. I arrived in London in the middle of June. I was told June in London was awful. h. She finished writing the report. She went home. i. She arrived at the station. The train left. j. She got to the library at 8 pm. The library was closed. 4. Fill the gaps in the text below by using past tense or past perfect. The verbs in brackets are in the infinitive. One Problem and Yet No Definite Solution: Teleworking In a survey conducted by Management Sciences Department of Minnesota University, they _________ (find out) that 53% of managers ________ (have) difficulties in managing teleworkers and 14% ___________ (confess) they _______ (be able to) to succeed. Successful management of teleworkers _________ (require) trust. Most managers _________ (complain) that they couldnt have succeeded since they _________ (rely on) frequent visual contact to reassure themselves that the staff ________ (work). In another survey by Phillips Business Systems, only 10 % of managers _________ (be) in favour of teleworking. They simply _________ (lack) trust, too. They ________ (say) that their telesubordinates ___________ (not achieve) the same good results as compared to the performance of the normal workers. These managers who __________ (oppose) teleworking so vehemently _________ (need) positive motivation before anything else. Teleworking _______ (be) and still is a flexible method of work since it allows for independent bodies such as other companies to work for the organization. Managers must develop negotiating skills to implement the system successfully.

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Problem solving and decision making represent key management responsibilities. We all remember Peter Druckers example of a shipping company which, for twenty years, had problems with filling a top position. Each person selected got into difficulties when performing the job. In the twenty-first year, a new President asked, What would happen if we did not fill it? The answer was Nothing. It seemed that the position which had been created long time ago became unnecessary somehow. Before making any decisions, a manager should assess all the options considering advantages and disadvantages for each of them. Let us consider the stages in problem solving. Stage 1: Identify the problem(s) What are the facts? What do you think? How do you feel? Which item do you wish to focus on first? Can you predict changes for any item? Stage 2: Clarify objectives What are your objectives in this area? How would you like it to turn out? Is that possible or realistic? If not, what are the more achievable objectives? Stage 3: Examine alternatives What have you thought of doing about it? What are the alternatives you have tried before in similar situations? What else could you try, including the alternatives you have rejected before? What are the costs and benefits of each? What is preventing you from implementing any? What will help you succeed? How? Stage 4: Choose Which alternative do you think and feel you can and will try? If you cannot decide, what is stopping you? Stage 5: Act What specifically will you do? When? How? What means do you have available? What more do you need?

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Stage 6: Evaluate and re-act How will you know that you have succeeded? If ____________ happens, what will you do? What comes next?

XVIII 1. Find solutions to the following problems. Refer to the six stages in problem solving. a. Your position in the company becomes unstable. You are losing your influence. b. You seem not to enjoy the money you are making. c. Your partners secretary is sending you obscene e-mails. d. You are not getting along with one of your colleagues. e. You cant find any place to relocate the offices and the rents are too high everywhere. f. Corruption has become a problem in your company. g. Your company suffered serious losses as a result of its inability to compete in a market drastically shifted by aggressive competition. 2. Here are three of the problems a Romanian company is facing at the moment. Provide your own solutions specifying the department to handle each of the problems. a. Production is delayed while they wait for the missing components to arrive from abroad. b. They dont know exactly what quantities of which materials they are ordering form the suppliers. c. The phone rang at 8.30 pm and a late-working engineer answered it. The client went mad : his plant was shut down because the explosion of one of the products they delivered last month. FACT BOX INCOTERMS are a set of international rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris for the interpretation of the most commonly used terms in foreign trade. They aim at avoiding disagreements resulting from differences in trading practice in various countries. They basically describe the duties of the seller and the buyer. There are four separate categories in which terms have been grouped together. There are specific abbreviations for each category. E terms The seller makes the goods available to the buyer at the sellers premises and that is all. EXW Ex Works F terms The seller has to deliver the goods to a carrier appointed by the buyer. FCA Free Carrier FAS Free Alongside Ship FOB Free on Board
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C terms The seller pays for carriage, but does not accept liability for loss or damage after shipment and dispatch. CFR CIF CPT CIP Cost and Freight Cost, Insurance and Freight Carriage Paid To Carriage and Insurance Paid To

D terms The seller bears all costs and risks in shipping goods to the country of destination. DAF Deliver at Frontier DES Delivered Ex Ship DEQ Deliver Ex Quay DDU Deliver Duty Unpaid DDP Deliver Duty Paid XIX What do the following situations refer to? Choose terms from the categories above. 1. The seller is only responsible for making the goods available at his / her premises. The buyer is in charge of other costs and risks involved during the transportation of the goods to the final destination. 2. The seller fulfils his / her obligation when the goods are handed over to the carrier who is appointed by the buyer. Rail and road transport (a) differs from sea transport (b) as far as the place of delivery is concerned. Thus delivery is completed when the goods have been loaded (a) or when the seller has taken the goods to the transport terminal (b). 3. The sellers obligation is fulfilled when the goods have arrived at the frontier. 4. The goods are loaded on board by the seller at a port named in the contract. The risk of loss or damage passes to the buyer when the goods pass the ships rail. The buyer is in charge of all transport costs to the final destination. The seller is accountable for collecting any export licence or documentation necessary for the goods to leave the country. 5. The seller pays for customs formalities but not for customs duty. The seller has no obligation whatsoever when the goods have been made available to the buyer at a named place in the country of destination. 6. Both terms can be used in such a situation when the seller must pay for transport of the goods to the named port. The difference is that one term also implies that the seller must pay for marine insurance for any risks during transit to the named port of destination. 7. The seller fulfils his/her obligations when the goods have been placed alongside the ship on the quay. The buyer is liable for all costs and risks of damage from that moment. The buyer is also responsible for obtaining any export or import licence. 8. Both terms refer to the situation in which the seller makes the
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goods available to the buyer on board ship. The seller is also responsible for all costs and risks involved in bringing the goods to the port of destination. The difference between one term and the other is that in one case the seller is also in charge of unloading the cleared goods onto the quay. 9. The seller is responsible for all expenses until the goods arrive at destination. 10. Both terms refer to the situation in which the seller pays for transportation to the destination. All the risks and the costs are then transferred to the buyer when the goods have been handed over to the carrier. One term is slightly different than another since in one case the seller also pays for insurance during carriage.

Quiz Abbreviations frequently occur is business contexts. However, the person we write to may not always understand the meaning of the abbreviations we use. Choose the correct explanation for each of the following abbreviations. 1. a/c means A according B account C approximately D at A account B estimated time of arrival C at D annual general meeting A accept getting money B any other business C annual general meeting D for the attention of A any other business B estimated time of arrival C an obvious business D for the attention of A approximating B approximately C a proximity D approximation A around street and pub B above sky and plunge C as soon as possible D as slight as possible
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2. @ means

3. A.G.M. means

4. A.O.B. means

5. approx. means

6. ASAP means

7. attn. means

8. B/L means

9. cc means

10. C.E.O. means

11. c/o means

12. Co. means

13. C.O.D. means

14. dept. means

A for the attention of B attendance C a temporal trend D thanks A bill of licence B bill of labour C bill of lading D bill of leisure A cancel code B cost copy C credit to D copies to A Chief Executive Officer B Command Eastern Organizations C Control Equal Objectives D Cross Eastern Obstacles A carefree B care of C care for D careless A coast B co-operation C company D cost A cost object down B cash on delivery C cheque on date D cash or dead A deputy B department C division D democracy

15. Div. means

A division B discussion C dispute D dividend

16. E.G.M. means

A extraordinary general meeting B erratic general meeting C exemplary general meeting D eastern general meeting

17. E.T.A. means

A estimated time of arrival B estimated time of arrest C estimated time of account D estimated time of access

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18. G.D.P. means

A grass domestic product B gross domestic product C great domestic product D green domestic product

19. G.N.P. means

A gross national product B gross naval product C gross nautical product D gross narrow product

20. Inc. means

21. I.O.U. means

22. Jr means

23. lb means

24. Ltd. means

25. mngr. means

26. N/A means

27. qty. Means

28. plc means

29. pls cfm means

A income B inconsequent C incomplete D incorporated A I order you B I owe you C I organize you D I obey you A juvenile B justice C junior D jurisdiction A lie bound B pound C lost bonus D laughing bold A listed B lent C limited D limit A management B managing C manager D managerial A not applicable B not adjustable C not available D not accountable A quality B quantity C quart D quarterly A public limited company B public lost company C private limiting campaign D private list concerning A please command B please co-operate C please confirm D please coffee

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30. P.T.O. means

A please teach on B please turn over C please trust other D please turn out 31. p.w. means A per month B per year C per quarter D per week 32. R&D means A research and development B refund and donate C relocate and deliver D respond and deny 33. re means A with reference to B refer equal C with referee to D respond east 34. R.S.V.P. means A respond to me B respect and peace vastly C repondez sil vous plait D reply so long verbally possible 35. thx means A think B thirst C thanks D thorax 36. V.A.T. means A value added tax B valuable adjourned time C vast annual transport D very aggressive tactic

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Unit 7 PRESENTATIONS Contents 7.1. Presentation Stages: the 3 Ss Rule 7.2 Presentation Equipment 7.3. Reported Speech 7.4. Minutes of a Meeting 7.5. Legal English 7.6. Negotiating Skills 7.7. Negotiating Styles 7.8. Management Styles 7.9. Quiz

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Im Georgios McLean and I am a global villager. I would like to say, first of all, thank you for coming. A wise man once said that to travel is to live. I would like to tell you today what living has been like before e-travelling was invented. The purpose of my presentation is to make you reinvent yourselves as well as to reconsider your status as global villagers. To start with Ill talk about the meaning of travelling. Then Ill draw your attention on what travelling meant for non-global villagers. After that, Ill describe some of the most impressive and remarkable travelling experiences in the past. Finally, Ill summarize my presentation (before concluding with some recommendations). I shall take about 15 minutes of your time. If you have any questions, Ill be glad to try to answer them at the end of my talk. First of all, Id like you to take a look at the definition we can find in any dictionary: to travel is to cover a distance by making a journey through and around an area. Light travels faster than sound. I love travelling. The Dalai Lama doesnt love travelling, I guess, as much as I do, but he has travelled the world drawing attention to Tibetan grievances. You travel to work by train and we all get travelling expenses for our business trips. News travels quickly these days. I bet your mind often travels back to your childhood. Sometimes we get travel-sick. And you all agree with me that lighter wines often travel badly. At the Bank of External Trade, visitors can exchange foreign currency and travellers cheques. We are all widely-travelled global villagers. We no longer book our holidays through our local travel
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agent. We simply e-travel. And as I see it by the way you are all starring at me, Im sure you think Im selling you Travellers Tales which I am not. Thats all I have to say about what travelling strictly means. Now, lets turn to something different. I want you all to realise the complexity of any travelling experience. They say that when you travel from one place to another, your inner self splits and you leave bits of your self behind. That is why once you travelled to a place, you never stop thinking about it and you are already planning your return. As I said at the beginning, travelling about the world is such a normal part of the modern life that we can easily forget what it meant before modern technology changed our lives completely. Ill return to this point in a few minutes. Until well into the 19th century, anyone who left home needed considerable funds, time and spirit. Such an arduous undertaking would have called for noble purposes. Why did they do it in the first place? To go on pilgrimages? To plunder? To find themselves? To explore? To write books? To serve empires? Or they travelled just to find a place where they could become somebody else? I am not interested in finding any answers since perhaps they are not for us to find. I am just raising some questions for you to ask yourselves later. Now in the first part of my talk I said I would focus on several past travelling experiences. One of the most famous travellers in European history, Marco Polo, the 14th century Italian explorer, has left behind fascinating puzzles: did he really go where he said he went? What is believable and what is make-believe? The experts tend to think that Marco Polo did go to China while Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Department at the British library, argues that it is unlikely. Maybe well never know the truth The man who almost single-handedly changed the whole concept of travel in the modern world was Thomas Cook. Taking advantage of the technical innovations, the railway in particular, Cook made it possible for the very first time in the history of the working-class and middle-class travellers, including women, to move cheaply and safely across Europe and eventually the world. He actually developed the leisure travel, although at first Cooks dream for the masses was self-improvement. One of the most extraordinary 19th century adventurers was the explorer, scholar, linguist and diplomat Richard Burton. He became famous for his visit to Mecca, although he was not a Muslim. Together with Speke, he searched for the source of the Nile. He made a name for himself for his ethnographic descriptions of West African tribal life and his unsurpassed translation of the Thousand and One Nights. The lands of the old Ottoman Empire, the Orient as they called it, were for almost a century the ultimate destination for many European travellers who went to lose their European selves and find paradise. Isabelle Eberhardt, of Russian-Swiss origin, went to Algeria at the
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end of 19th century. She joined a Muslim brotherhood and travelled alone dressed as a man across the desserts and became an Arab, identifying completely with the land and the culture. Now to sum up, modern technology has indeed brought e-travelling to us and we are grateful for that but we should always remember these wonderful past travelling experiences in the absence of which we wouldnt be here today. In fact I think we should all go back to the basics and forget about e-travelling benefits for a while and travel exactly the way they did so many years ago. Thats all I have to say for now. May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience. Now Ill try to answer any questions you may have. I 1. Here are some steps which Georgios has used in planning his presentation above. Choose the five steps which you think are the most important for the making of a successful presentation in their order of importance. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. Set the objectives of the presentation. Collect your material. Research the topic. Select the points which you think are the most relevant for the situation you have defined. Group the points which have some common thread, each group having a rough heading at this stage, such as historical background / features of the project / practical problems. Analyse the needs of the audience. Sequence these groups (e) into an order which will make most sense for the audience. Consider ways of linking the groups together to make advantages clear. Review the advantages and finish with a clear closing statement. Provide time for audience questions. Prepare visual aids. Practise the entire presentation.

A presentation is a prepared talk given by a speaker to one or more listeners. Most presentations are divided into three parts (+ questions): 1. INTRODUCTION 2. BODY 3. CONCLUSION Questions As a general rule in communication, repetition is the key to a successful presentation. The golden rule about repetition or the three
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S rule is: SAY WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAY SAY IT SAY WHAT YOU HAVE JUST SAID In other words, in the introduction we let our listeners know what we are going to say. In the body we say what we have announced before. In the conclusion we summarize what we have said so far. 2. Identify the introduction, the body and the conclusion of the presentation above. Has the speaker applied the three S rule? Before describing each part of the presentation, it is important to know how to get prepared for the presentation. Objectives What will be the change you wish to bring about in your audience? Do you want to amuse them? Do you want to inform them? Do you want to persuade them? Do you want to train them? Or do you want to do them all? Audience structure What type of people are they? How many will there be? What mood will they be in? What is their level of knowledge on the subject? What is their level of English? Time limit How much time do you need for your presentation? How much time does the audience have for your presentation? How long can they concentrate? Budget How much do you need to spend on preparing your talk and visual aids? Location Will you be on a platform, in an office or in a conference room? How far will you be from the audience? Will you need to raise your voice? Do you plan to use visual aids? Will al the equipment be there? Who will operate it? They say that the most important piece of equipment in any presentation is the speaker himself. They suggest that the speaker or the presenter should make sure if he / she is in full working order. He / she should also check his / her personal presentation carefully before others will. 3. a. What equipment do you think Georgios McLean makes use of in his presentation ? b. What equipment do you think you need for a successful
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presentation ? Here is a list with the most useful technical devices that could be of great help to any speaker. The OHP or the overhead projector displays overhead transparencies (OHTs or OHPTs). It has several advantages over the 35mm slide projector: it can be used in daylight ; the user can face the audience ; the user can write or draw directly on the transparency while in use. The whiteboard (more rarely blackboard or greenboard) is a useful device for spontaneous writing - as in brainstorming, for example. For prepared material, the OHP might be more suitable. The duster is used for cleaning the whiteboard. It is essential that the duster be clean to start with. Markers are used for writing on the whiteboard (ink can be removed) or flipchart (ink cannot be removed). They are usually available in blue, red, black and green. The flipchart consists of several leaves of paper that can be turned over. Some people prefer the flipchart to the whiteboard, but its use is limited to smaller presentations. The slide projector - which must be used in a darkened room - adds a certain drama. Some slide projectors can be synchronised with audio for audio-visual (AV) presentations. These projectors are typically used for larger presentations. The majority take 35mm slides or transparencies (as seen here), but projectors for 6x6cm slides are also available. Transparencies are projected by an overhead projector or a slide projector onto a screen - in this case a folding screen which can be packed up and transported The notebook computer is increasingly being used to display graphics during presentations. It is often used in conjunction with an overhead projector, which actually projects the image from the computer screen onto the wall screen. Handouts are any documents or samples that can be handed out or distributed to the audience. It is not usually a good idea to distribute handouts before the presentation. The audience will read the handouts instead of listening to the presenter.

They argue that the most important part in any presentations is the introduction. It is, of course, the first impression that the audience have of you. And although first impressions are not necessarily correct, it is vital for the speaker to concentrate on getting the introduction right. There are four easy steps which make the presentations successful: Welcome the audience Introduce the subject Outline the structure of the presentation Give instructions about questions

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The body is in fact the real presentation. It should be well structured, divided up logically, with plenty of carefully spaced visuals. Signposting plays a major part at this stage of the presentation. What is signposting ? Well, when you drive on the roads, you know where you are on those roads. Each road has a name or number. Each town has a name. And each house has a number. In other words, it is easy to navigate the roads. You cannot get lost. When a presentation is performed, the audience should not get lost either. They should always know where they are and what is coming next. The presenter should put up signposts for his / her audience at the beginning and all around the route. This presentation technique is called signposting or signalling. There are some key recommendations to highlight during the presentation of the body including: do not hurry be enthusiastic give time on visuals maintain eye contact modulate voice look friendly keep to the structure use notes signpost throughout remain polite when dealing with difficult questions

Before the speaker concludes his / her presentation, he /she should not forget to: sum up (give recommendations if appropriate) thank the audience invite questions

Language is extremely important. Using the right words makes the difference between a successful presentation and a disastrous speech. In the table below there are the most useful phrases for a successful presentation. Good morning / afternoon / evening, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning, everybody. I am ./ My name is . and I am (marketing director etc) of I am going to talk today about Id like to say a few words about Id like to explain you today The purpose of my presentation is I shall take about of your time. I aim to talk to you for about This will take about To start with Ill Then Ill After that Ill Finally Ill summarize my presentation (before concluding with some

WELCOME THE AUDIENCE

INTRODUCE THE SUBJECT AND TIME LIMIT

OUTLINE THE STRUCTURE

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recommendations) Ive divided my talk into parts. The subject can be looked at under main headings. During my talk Ill be looking at main areas. Do feel free to interrupt me if you have any questions. Ill try to answer all your questions after the presentation. If you have any questions, Ill be glad to answer them at the end of my talk. I plan to keep some time for questions after the presentation. Id like to start by... Lets begin by First of all IllTo start with, then, Id like to consider Starting with Ill begin byFirst of all, Id like to look at Well, I've told you about... That's all I have to say about... We've looked at... So much for... So that, then, is Now weve looked at Now we'll move on to... Let me turn now toNext... Turning to... I'd like now to discuss... Let's look now The next point Id like to make is Where does that lead us? Let's consider this in more detail... What does this mean for ? Translated into real terms For example,... A good example of this is...As an illustration,... To give you an example,... To illustrate this point We'll be examining this point in more detail later on... I'd like to deal with this question later, if I may... I'll come back to this question later in my talk... Perhaps you'd like to raise this point at the end... I won't comment on this now... To conclude,... In conclusion,... Now, to sum up... So let me summarise/recap what I've said. Finally, may I remind you of some of the main points we've considered. In brief, we have looked at Thats all I have to say for now. (I think) that covers most of the points. That concludes my talk. Many thanks for your attention. May I thank you all for being such an attentive audience.

GIVE INSTRUCTIONS

SIGNPOSTING I: INTRODUCE THE FIRST POINT SIGNPOSTING II: FINISH ONE SUBJECT SIGNPOSTING III: START ANOTHER SUBJECT SIGNPOSTING IV: ANALYSE A POINT AND GIVE RECOMMENDATI ONS SIGNPOSTING V: GIVE AN EXAMPLE SIGNPOSTING VI: DEAL WITH QUESTIONS

SUMMARISE

CONCLUDE THANK THE AUDIENCE

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Now I'll try to answer any questions you may have. Can I answer any questions? Are there any questions ? Do you have any questions? Are there any final questions ? Any questions ? 4. Identify the phrases -

INVITE QUESTIONS

Georgios MacLean uses in his presentation welcome the audience introduce the subject and time limit outline the structure give instructions signpost summarise conclude thank the audience invite questions

5. Do you think the presentation you have analysed is successful? Give reasons for your answer. 5. In his presentation, Georgios McLean has raised questions on the benefits of e-travelling. Try your hand at a presentation of your own. Choose your subject from the other e- concepts you have learnt about in UNIT 5 (U5:IV). II They say that when you travel from one place to another, your inner self splits and you leave bits of yourself behind. Now in the first part of my talk I said I would focus on several past travelling experiences.

LANGUAGE NOTE There are two ways of relating to what another person said: direct speech and indirect or reported speech. In direct speech we repeat exactly what the other person said. Example: She said, Go for it! Dont wait for the confirmation letter! The statement of another person which is thus repeated is placed between quotation marks, and a comma or a colon is placed immediately before the statement. We use indirect or reported speech when we are telling someone what another person said, wrote or thought on a previous occasion. We can report both statements and questions. The reporting verb say / tell may be in the present or past. Most reporting verbs are, however, in the past. Quotation marks are not used in reported speech. There is no comma after the reporting verb say / tell. Tense
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changes occur when we report on what another person said. The reporting verb is in the present when the reference is general or to the present time in situations such as circulating rumours ( e. g. a little birdie tells me youre talking to a head hunter), passing on messages sometimes over the phone (e.g. He says you must come in now. Hes ready to talk to you // Mr Babel is on the line. He says he is eager to talk to you.), reading a newspaper (e. g. The article says etravelling is changing our live completely), generally reporting on statements with no specific time reference (e.g. The instructions say that red means out of order and green switched on), reporting something someone says very often (e. g. Shes always complaining about her son. Shes always asking how I have managed so well with my own).

1. Here are some of the statements you have overheard this morning in conversation between a female colleague and a male colleague.. Arrange them to make sense. Repeat exactly what you have heard. Apply direct speech rules. Yesterday he gave me one of those looks. I hate the marketing director. I really do. Yes, I know what you mean. I should have slapped him when I got the chance. He is really disgusting. I think I know what you should do: Sue him! One day he called me to his office. When I got there, he didnt have his shirt on. What a perverse! There is nothing I can do. I am just a subordinate. I report directly to him. Why? What happened? Have you noticed the way he dresses? Yes, indeed. Why didnt you do it? 2. Complete the following phone conversation. Apply the reported speech rules for the reporting verbs in the present. Be careful with the tenses. The verbs in the brackets are in the infinitive. The first reporting verb has been completed for you. Mr Babel: Secretary: Mr Babel: Could I speak to Ayanna Chavez, please? Whos calling, please? This is Bart Babel from R&D. I havent been able to locate her all morning. I know she is flying to Bucharest late this evening but I thought I could still catch her before she leaves. I hope you will manage to locate her. It is rather urgent and I need to talk to her today. Could you hold on a moment? (to Mrs Chavez who has just entered the room)
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Secretary:

Mr Babel is on the line. He says he ________(not be able to) locate you all morning. He also _______ (say) he ________ (know) you ________ (fly) to Bucharest late this evening but he _______ (think) he _______ (can) still catch you before you _________ (leave). He ________ (hope) I _________ (manage) to locate you. He ________ (claim) it ________ (be) rather urgent and he ________ (need) to talk to you today. Mrs Chavez: OK. Put him through.

3. Report indirectly on the following rumours or general statements with no specific time reference: a. Taxes are rocketing. b. The President suffers from a terrible disease. c. To turn it on, press the blue button. d. Many of Britains company chiefs are overpaid. e. Global markets call for global brands from global companies managed globally. f. If you work for a multinational in Romania, you can afford to go on holidays abroad once a year. g. The government is trying to create jobs by easing of taxes and regulations. h. There will be 5 working days of 6 hours each a week and the rest will be leisure time. 4. Report indirectly on the following complaints your colleagues often make. Fill the gaps by using the verbs in brackets. Be careful with the tenses (the verbs in brackets are in the infinitive).

LANGUAGE NOTE We use the present continuous tense to refer to repeated actions, especially when making complaints. Adverbs such as constantly, continually, forever, always, repeatedly can be used with the present continuous in such situations. a. They _______ always ________ (talk) about money. b. From the moment they enter the office building they ______ continually _____ (ask) what time it is. c. They _________ (complain) they _________ (work) too much. d. They _________ (call) friends and relatives from the office and they ________ (spend) hours talking about everything they did at the weekend. e. If they run short of paper at home, they __________ (take) some from the office. f. They ________ (think) they ________ (work) too hard.
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g. They ________ (complain) the company _________ (pay) them too small wages. h. They ________ (say) that everything _______ (be) very expensive and they _______ forever _______ (tell) each other how much they paid for one thing or another. i. They ________ always_______ (surf) the net in search of other jobs. j. When they leave the office, they _______ always ________ (forget) to turn off their PCs.

LANGUAGE NOTE Tense changes often occur in reported speech or indirect speech because there is an interval between the original spoken words and the time when they are reported. In reported or indirect speech we do not usually repeat the speakers exact words. Reporting usually takes place in the past, so the reporting verb is in the past. As a result, the tenses in the reported statement are usually moved back. The golden rule for the reporting verb in the past is present becomes past and past becomes past perfect. Past modals and past perfect are not changed when reported since they cannot be moved far back than they already are. The golden rule also applies for pronouns and time adverbials. The most significant changes are included in the table below. DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT / REPORTED SPEECH

He said (that) they invested more in advertising. He said (that) they were investing more in advertising. He says, We have invested He said (that) they had more in advertising. invested more in advertising. He says, We invested more in He said (that) they had advertising. invested more in advertising. He says, Well invest more in He said (that) they would advertising if we can. invest more in advertising if we could. He says, We may be able to He said (that) they might be invest more in advertising. able to invest more in advertising. He says, We will invest more He said (that) they would in advertising. invest more in advertising. He says, We could / might / He said (that) they could / should / must invest more in might/ should / must invest advertising. more in advertising.
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Statements He says, We invest more in advertising. He says, We are investing more in advertising.

Pronouns I / you We / you Me / you Us / you

He / she They Him / her Them

Time Adverbials yesterday today tomorrow last next this

the day before / the previous day that day the day after / the following day the previous the following that

In a reported statement such as She said she is 28 years old, the reporting verb is indeed in the past. However, the verb in the reported statement is in the present. It means there is no tense change because things reported are still true at the moment of speaking. 5. Report indirectly on the presentation Georgios McLean made on etravelling. 6. When writing the minutes of a meeting, a presentation or a report, we use a variety of reporting verbs. Underline the reporting verbs used in the following minutes. Make up sentences of your own with all the reporting verbs you can find. Minutes of the meeting at the Head Office of GTC (global travel company) on July 11, 2004. Present Claude Leland (Chairman) Bart Babel (R&D) Dawn Kioshi (Accounts) Ayanna Chavez (Sales)

Subject Hotel facilities plans. The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed. I CL opened the meeting and underlined the importance of reaching a
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decision on the restaurant facilities plans. Each person in attendance was invited to state his / her position concerning the feasibility study which was presented by the chairman. II BB (the initiator of the project) pointed out that it would be a major contract and explained that the restaurant facilities plans had a major influence on the whole project for the following reasons: the company would be able to expand into new profitable areas it could globally attract netizens it would enhance the companys reputation

III DK agreed that the project was viable for the following reasons: the Global Bank were favourable and ready to finance - the level of risk was within acceptable limits - prices in construction raw materials were plunging - local labour in exotic places is cheap She claimed that estimates from local sub-contractors indicated that profit margins would be high. IV AC stated that the market survey that her department conducted showed that the colour therapy lamps would make huge profits for GTC and she suggested that they should include them in all the restaurants, shops or in the spa centre. She also mentioned that she had implemented the same marketing strategy before and it worked amazingly well. She made it clear for everybody that breaking into a market with two products at the same time would be the best solution. V CL emphasized the importance of the market survey conducted by Ayannas department. He closed the meeting and announced that he would call another meeting to discuss all the plans in detail. 7. Read the following conversation which occurred during a meeting. Report indirectly on the statements of each participant. Dont forget to apply indirect speech rules. Mr Leland: to thank Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I would like -

you for being able to attend the meeting at such short notice. Unfortunately, Georgios McLean couldnt make it because he is still in Bucharest to make a presentation on e-travelling and to meet some of our Romanian agents and clients. Im sure we all appreciate that we need to come to an agreement as soon as possible. Im also positive that we wont be able to cover all the issues today but at least we should be able to decide on the importance of the restaurant facilities plans for the project as a whole. We have already decided on the
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entrance lobby design and I think you all agree with me that it was the best choice. Perhaps, you could start, Bart, by reminding us of the options. Mr Babel: Yes, weve investigated more types of restaurant facilities and weve narrowed down the number of alternatives to six, a seafood restaurant, a chicken Ulike restaurant, a baked potato restaurant and a cocktail bar, a tea room and a coffee lounge. All the other options were not globally appropriate for our project. Well, I think you have narrowed down too much if you ask me. In my opinion a seafood restaurant is too ambiguous to start with. Of course it is obvious that all the dishes are based on seafood ingredients but it must have a style, for example seafood in Japanese cuisine, seafood in French cuisine etc. Im afraid you are missing the point here, Dawn. We are the global villagers, arent we? We no longer make the difference between Japanese and French seafood delicacies. All the global villagers who are our customers will not be interested in knowing the difference either. Bart is right. We have been already part of the system for so many years. I dont see why you havent acknowledged that, Dawn. As far as I am concerned, Barts proposal is excellent. However, dont you think there are too many bars? Well, I thought of separating the types of bar facility into three because the market research we did showed that global villagers wouldnt like to have their cakes and eat them too. They would like to enjoy coffee together with other people who do the same. They would hate seeing anybody there who is having a nice cocktail while he / she is just having a tea. I see. Well, I think we could all agree that Barts choice is the best we could come up with. I would like to draw your attention on the fact that all this will globally attract netizens not to mention that this will mean huge profits for GTC and, of course, an improvement of our reputation as market leaders. Now perhaps we could move on to the financial issues and ask Dawn to fill us all in

Mrs Kioshi:

Mr Babel:

Mrs Chavez:

Mr Babel:

Mr Leland:

8. Say or tell? Complete the sentences by using either say or tell. Be careful with the tenses the verbs in brackets are in the infinitive. She ______ nothing to me at the meeting yesterday. I could ______ you a thing or two about him. He ______ me the news: congratulations! She _______ that the CEOs wife was having an affair with the marketing director.
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They _______ he is very fond of her. I cant _______ you how excited I am! Promise you wont _______ ! Who ______ I cant swim? Of course, I can. I am the best swimmer in the whole company! Its hard to _______ if they went on the business trip together. Be quiet! I have to _______ something to all of you. The only way to _______ if you got the promotion is to ask the head of the department. Ill _______ what lets forget about it. It was just a misunderstanding. I know why no one has talked to me the whole week. Someone ________ tales about me. Never _______ die: you might still be called for the job interview. I havent seen anyone like him before: he wouldnt _______ boo to a goose. Could you _______ me the time? To ________ the truth, I havent finished the report. Just _______ the word and Ill call him right away. He seems to be extremely generous but you can never ________ . I want a ________ in the management of the hotel. What is the journalist trying to ________ in his column? I saw a notice which _________ Keep out! I cant ________ I blame them for the damage. You could convene the meeting in , ________ , two weeks. ______ I save your life. How would you repay me? He left the building before you could ________ Jack Robinson. I wouldnt ________ no to a promotion. My boss _______ me I am not efficient. What do you _______ ? He _______ me, If you dont invest more, you _______ no to fortune! He _______ that he would bring me a book that _______ me all I needed to know about presentations. Mothers love to ______ I ______ you so! The police should stop searching for any evidence. You know what they ______, dead men _______ no tales. You _________ you are apending the weekend on the Mediterranean coast of Tunis. ________ that to the marines!

LANGUAGE NOTE SAY and TELL are both used to report information. They can be followed by that but it is not necessary. Say reports the actual words
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used. Tell is followed by a word which indicates the person receiving the information. In other words, we use tell to make it clear who received the information. Tell is also used for orders, commands or strong advice. If tell is followed by a negative, we use tell + NOT + TO + main verb and not * tell + TO + NOT + main verb, e. g. They told me not to confirm the order and not * They told me to not confirm the order.

III I would like to tell you today what living has been like before e-travelling was invented.

LANGUAGE NOTE If we deconstruct the reporting question raised in the statement above, we shall come up with the following: He asks. What has living been like before? The golden rule from the reported or indirect speech also applies for the reporting or indirect questions. There are no questions marks in reporting questions. REPORTED / INDIRECT QUESTION What is living like? He asked me what living was like. How much can you He wanted to know how much I remember? could remember. Why wont you get into He wanted to know why I wouldnt details? get into details. The word order is important. In English inversion occurs in questions and subjects come always first in sentences. We must always use if and whether when reporting YES / NO questions. Compare with that in reported statements which can be omitted. Whether is preferred when there are alternatives, e. g. The manager asked if / whether his secretary was in the office and The secretary asked the visitor whether he wanted tea or coffee. 1. Write reporting / indirect questions. Be careful with word order and verb forms. Where is the nearest exchange office? When is he coming back home? How long does it take me to get there? How much is the taxi fare from the airport to the centre? How often did he make complaints about our products?
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QUESTION

Who is in charge of marketing and sales? Did he finish the report on time? Have they conducted similar market surveys? Are there any questions? I would like to describe the stages of the design process. Could you tell the difference? Does your supervisor always tell you what to do? Has anyone confirmed yet? Will you open the box? Could you fill us in? Do you know your colleagues well? What is the time difference between Bucharest and Tokyo? Can you type? How many employees do you have now? How much did you win at the lottery last month? What happened? What went wrong? Whose car burnt last night in the car park? Which of them is the richest? What kind of graphic representation is it? Who did you go with? What country do you come from? What will you have to drink? What size do you take in shoes? Why was she late? How did you find me?

LANGUAGE NOTE We use some with both countable and uncountable nouns. It means a number of / an amount of. We commonly use any in negative sentences and in questions. Sometimes we use any to indicate that all examples of the noun are to be included. We often use any in sentences beginning with if. We use many with countable nouns. It means a large number of. We use much with uncountable nouns. It means a large quantity of .Both many and much can be substituted by a lot of. No and none mean not one / not any. None is used with the verb in the singular. No is much stronger than not + any which is neutral in force. Both can be followed by at all for emphasis. IV Use some, any, much, more, no or none to complete the following text. Before you enter a negotiation, you should take ______ time to develop your deal-making skills. I know you havent had _____ time lately but you know what they say ______ pains, _____gains. ______ manager will tell you it is so. _______ theorists agree that one of the cardinal rules of
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successful negotiations is to get to know ______ of those connected with the other party. _______ of us would spare _______ time to develop close relationships with the family, _______ friends or business associates of the individuals with whom we negotiate. ______ of them is forgotten. We make ______ exception at all because _______ people are influenced by those around them. ________ time could be saved and ________ results achieved faster if we take a slower approach in order to understand the basic elements of a successful negotiation. ________ may argue that _______ manager should know how to employ the right negotiating tactics. After all there arent ________ who would enter into litigation happily.

V In many companies, it is necessary to acquire knowledge of legal or semi-legal language since trading relations are usually confirmed through contractual arrangements. Legal language has its own jargon which requires translation. Contracts often contain words formed of an adverb + prepositions such as hereafter, herein, hereto, hereunder, hereof, thereby. Legal English can be difficult to read because the sentences are extremely long and contain many bits of information. Many of the legal English statements involve a condition If A then B because from a legal point of view, every action depends on one or more conditions which must be fulfilled before anything can happen. Many of the words and phrases which are used are archaic or, if in current use, are very formal in their effect. Here is a selected list with some useful legal English phrases. When is received The person just referred to It must To send / to communicate To deal with / to carry out As judged / considered by the court Completed as expected, in the correct way

Upon receipt of The said person It shall To transmit To execute As deemed appropriate by the court Duly completed in copies

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In compliance with Notwithstanding The above-mentioned Null and void To set forth To terminate If such

In agreement with Despite just referred to Invalid To describe To finish If this

1. In the following extracts from a bill of lading, underline all the legal English phrases you can find. Translate the text into everyday English. 1. In accepting this bill of lading, the shipper, consignee, holder hereof and owner of the shipment agree to be bound by all its terms, conditions and limitations, whether printed, stamped or written on the front or back hereof, as well as the provisions of carriers lawfully filed freight, tariffs, rates and rules, as fully as if they were all specifically accepted in writing by such shipper, consignee, holder or owner, any local customs or practice to the contrary notwithstanding. The terms of this bill of lading constitute the contract of carriage, which is between the shipper, consignee, owner of the goods and the owner and/or demise charterer of any carrying vessel. The name of the owner and / or demise charterer of the vessel named on reverse side may be obtained from the above agents or from Lloyds Register. The carrier shall have the right to ship goods in containers and to stow containers on deck or under deck. 2. In the bill of lading, the word carrier includes the ship owner and of its employees, agents, contractors, operators or non vessel operator common carrier. In the event that cargo subject to the bill of lading is transported aboard a vessel which is chartered, not owned by the operator, the word carrier shall include the operator charterer of the ship and any of its employees, agents or contractors. The words underlying carrier shall include any water, rail, motor, air or other carrier utilised by the carrier, for any part of the transportation of the shipment. The words water carrier shall include any ship barge lighter, her owner, master, operator or charterer. The word vessel shall include any substituted vessel,
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feeder ship, or other water craft. The word merchant includes the shipper, the consignee, the holder of the bill of lading and the owner of the goods. The words on board means onboard any mode of transportation used by the carrier. 3. Notice of Loss. Unless notice of loss of or damage the goods and general nature of it be given in writing by the carrier at the place of delivery before or at the time of the removal of the goods into the custody of the person entitled to delivery thereof under this B/L or if the loss or damage be not apparent within three consecutive days thereafter, such removal shall be prima facie evidence of the delivery by the carrier of the goods as descripted in this B/L. 4. Time bar. All liability whatsoever of the carrier shall cease unless suit is brought within 12 months after delivery of the goods or the date when the goods should have been delivered. 5. In the event that cargo subject to the bill of lading in transported aboard a vessel which is chartered, not owned by the operator or by an underlying carrier, the operator may invoke all exonerations and limits of liability of which the ones profit. VI Good negotiating skills are particularly important in todays business environment and almost a prerequisite for meetings. There are different types of negotiation: customer supplier negotiation wage negotiation merger / takeover negotiation trade negotiation Negotiations also take place to settle disputes such as contract or labour or trade disputes. There are three fundament rules to apply in order to win at the negotiating table. Rule Number One or the 3-Ts Rule TAKE TIME and TRAINING Not everyone is born a good negotiator. It takes time to become one. In fact, most people dont have a clue how to get what they want. They must learn the basics. Signing up for a training session is highly recommended at this stage. Rule Number Two or the 3-Ds Rule DETERMINE DIG UP and DOMINATE

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It is essential for a successful negotiation to determine the bottomgoal line because most people get confused over the number of issues introduced in a negotiation and lose sight of the bottom line. This is called determining priorities and it is advisable to accomplish not only in negotiating. The more we know about the person we are negotiating with, the better off we shall be. Digging up useful information about the other party paves the way for domination. Collecting brochures, annual reports, trade journals and newspapers that cover local business news enable us to know everything about the people / company we are negotiating with. Domination could be also reached at the personal level if we manage to establish a close relationship before the negotiation begins. Rule Number Three or the 3-Fs Rule FEEL FELT FOUND During the negotiation, when the other party raises an objection, we must convince them that we do understand them, that we know how they must feel like. Then we must make sure that they remember that there have been other before who have felt the same, sometimes including ourselves, following the pattern of been there, felt that too. Finally, we let them know that fortunately, we have found the solution to all their problems and our solutions really work. 1. Do you think Georgios McLean is a good negotiator? Refer to his presentation to support your arguments. OPINION BOX They say the women are better negotiators than men. Do you agree? Its been also argued that men are presumed competent and women are presumed incompetent until proven otherwise. What do you think? Are women negotiators too nice to be taken seriously? Comment on the following statement: Negotiation is all about power. VII Do you think it is important for a successful negotiation to understand the cultural background of the other party you are negotiating with ? Read the following texts on different negotiating styles and decide on the American negotiating style, the British negotiating style, the French negotiating style, the German negotiating style, the Italian negotiating style, the Asian negotiating style and Latin American negotiating style

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A. They are open about their opinions, but they will present them in a less direct manner, emphasizing courtesy, formality, and tact. They will be less likely than Americans to show their true emotions, so it can be difficult to read their responses. Everything is very reserved and understated in their country; people there try to conduct business in a proper manner without offence or imposition, and will use humour to ease any tensions that may arise in a business discussion. Americans will tend to focus on getting the job done quickly, and tend to be much more blunt and straightforward, putting everything on the table at once. On the contrary, they are risk-averse and will therefore be more cautious in negotiations, favouring security and status quo. Decisions are also made differently in the two cultures. Americans tend to use concrete data while they will use concrete experiences. They will avoid engaged in debates or bargaining in negotiation sessions. A clear and reasonable approach is the best one for them. Because the negotiation process is very delicate, Americans are often cautioned against playing all their cards at once. They wont need any warning since they will play one card at a time and keep the negotiation in balance. B. Interpersonal relationships are very important in their country. Their executives need to feel that they can get along with you in order to do business with you. At the same time, it is important to note the businesspeople in their country are confident, shrewd, and competent negotiators. Initial negotiations with them can include a lot of casual talk and positioning tactics. These initial getting-to-know-you tactics will last until they feel comfortable; then the negotiation process will start. It is important to realise that these negotiators are different from other negotiators coming from other European countries, although the specific manner in which the negotiation is conducted depends on the persons individual style. These executives may take a long time to get to the point, interrupt each other and maintain multiple conversations at once. If you are planning to give a presentation during a negotiation, make sure it is organized, clear, and to the point, but with polish and dramatic appeal to your audience coming from this country. They enjoy spending a lot of time building an emotional appeal so they would expect the same from you. C. They tend to question and challenge points presented at business meetings. They are quick to jump into a presentation or business discussion and stay with it long into dinner and afterward. They tend to be direct and to focus their efforts on completing the task at hand. They use a competitive and confrontational communication style. They usually operate under time pressure, which sometimes leads to betray their impatience during protracted business meetings. In general, they approach a meeting with target deadlines for signatures and closure. They tend to assume that one individual, with
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the approval of upper management, can have full control of the decision-making process. When they make an agreement, it is usually the value of the deal that makes it attractive to them. They are less concerned about from whom they buy their products and services, and more concerned with cost, features and value for the money. They tend to approach a product or sale from a marketing standpoint, trying to weigh the value and opportunities the products offer their customers. When buying product packages, they will keep trying to improve the deal with features or enhancements before making their final offer. They believe in contracts and adhere to their terms. D. They are viewed as prepared, serious, and well-organized about negotiations and are seen as the toughest of the Europeans in their negotiating styles, and the least influenced by interpersonal issues. They try not to allow relationships to interfere with the job. For this reason, in the preliminary stages of negotiations, these managers may appear to be cold and impassive. They will be very wellprepared and will focus on the technical aspects of the discussion, expecting fully-detailed data responses. Because of this, sessions might become quite long. Negotiations with them will be formal and will follow an agenda. They will select negotiators who are knowledgeable on the subject under discussion and will frequently include technical staff. They will expect proposals that are technical in nature, with details spelled out. They will expect you to have researched their products and their markets thoroughly. They are not known as risk-takers and so will be more cautious and slower than Americans in business sessions. Despite this, decisions do tend to be made in the meetings. They want to invest in sound projects that have a good chance to show a profit. In addition to high quality, they will expect solid warranties and excellent delivery dates. Conflict during negotiation is viewed as inadequate preparation, which leads to confusion. Emotional outbursts and frequent interruptions are not appreciated. They prefer discussions to be direct, detailed, and precise. They will tell you exactly what they want and will have planned counter arguments and back-up arguments. However they will, more than other European cultures, look for common ground on which to make progress. Decision-making with them will take more time than Americans are used to, since they will want to analyse all the details of the presentations and discussions. It is a good idea to have copies of all materials, brochures, technical data, etc., as well as the minutes of the meetings, available for review. Top management must approve decisions, but once approved they will tend to stick to the final agreement and not reopen the closed deal for renegotiation later. E. They generally prefer to conduct business negotiations face to face. The personal aspects of business (developing and
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maintaining relationships) are very important here, and the hard, direct approach frequently associated with the U.S. negotiating style does not work well in their countries. Most of their business people prefer to work with people they consider friends, rather than people with whom they have not established close relationships even if the strangers have a good deal to offer. In this scenario, the person who is viewed as most trustworthy, or even just better known, will get the business. Negotiating in their countries generally takes longer than in the U.S. and will include many more dialogues and interactions. It is important to position yourself as a trustworthy, sincere businessperson. Sensitive situations such as disagreements should be dealt with delicately as they are less direct than Americans and they would not put you nor expect you to put them in an embarrassing situation. F. They use the business meeting for information gathering, for presenting ideas, and for developing consensus. While the American concept of privacy is growing in their countries, it still does not meet Americans expectations. For example, you may be asked very personal questions, such as your age or your salary. Business privacy is of even more concern. Most firms know everything about their competitors activities within the region. Accordingly, they may ask you questions about competitors that you do not wish to answer. These questions are actually efforts the associates in their countries to get to know you and their competition better. It is important for them to trust the people they work with first, before the quality and reliability of the products are taken into consideration. However, they may also want to understand your competition, so you must be tactful in how much information you share. Their cultures do not resolve issues or make decisions at the negotiating table. This is done in between or after meetings. It is customary for them to informally and unofficially drop hints and make inquiries outside of the meeting rooms during breaks and in the evening. When things are not going well, they may deliberately delay proceedings through a variety of tactics rather than admit that something is not working out, and may even report that things are going well when they are not. When negotiations with them caution must therefore be exercised before accepting anything at face value. They do not look upon a contract as the end of the negotiations. To them it is just the beginning of a relationship that will change continuously as it is re-evaluated and renegotiated. Frequently, it is after the agreement is signed that problems arise. Business people coming from other countries use business meetings to brainstorm, throwing out ideas and examining them on the spot. They use business meetings to share information on issues that have already been resolved. Working with them can accordingly be frustrating if you work on short deadlines or rewarding if you have patience and endurance. If you are negotiating with them, try to have the patience to listen to the other party and watch their body
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language as they speak. Often a yes is used simply to acknowledge your statement. Business people coming from other countries often misinterpret this as solid agreement and become confused later when they find they have not closed the deal. G. They have been described as less team-oriented than the other "big four" European cultures, so negotiating at the individual level may be preferred. Most people who deal with them tend to agree that they are more argumentative than Americans in every aspect of business, including the negotiation. Although business people from other countries will participate in debate if it is rational and necessary to clear up differing opinions, they prefer to strive for cooperation. They, however, view debate as a stimulating part of a negotiation. They will be always prepared to negotiate. It is expected that parties at the negotiation session have power to make decisions. A negotiation must be dealt with at an intellectual level an in abstract terms. They tend to be more risk-averse than other negotiators so more time will be spent on assessing the pros and cons of an outcome. Important negotiations will be treated as formal meetings in their country. This may mean more elaborate openings. However, creative ideas that are well-presented and well-researched are still positively received. Preliminary steps of a negotiation may include some intellectual debate and discussion to get a feel for your capabilities. They tend to be stubborn, and they may push points to an extreme. Details are important, but tend to be dealt with at the end of the negotiation. Describe the typical Romanian negotiating style. VIII The rule of the 3-Ds of negotiation is based on the following principles: D-etermine, D-ig up, D-ominate. The 3-Ds of management styles are D-irect, D-iscuss, D-elegate. To D-irect means to tell employees what to do, how to do it, and when to have it completed. Directing style managers assign roles and responsibilities, set standards and define expectations The directing style is appropriate for situations in which employees have limited experience or lack the skills needed to complete the assignment. Employees rely on directing style managers provide the structure, action steps and controls necessary to complete the task. To D-iscuss means to take time to discuss relevant business issues with the employees. Ideas are presented, questions are asked, feedback is provided, assumptions are challenged. It is important for discussing style managers to make sure ideas are fully discussed and debated. The discussion style is appropriate for situations in which there are opportunities to influence answers to questions such as: What are our goals? What quality standards are needed? What work
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process should be used? Who should do the work? What type of controls and feedback are needed? The discussion style is effective when employees have ideas and confidence to speak up. To D-elegate means to explain or get agreement on what has to be accomplished and when it must be completed. The how-to-do-it part of the equation is left up to the employee. Responsibility and authority are given to employees to get the job done. The delegating style is appropriate when people have the knowledge, skills and motivation to get the job done. Experienced people don't need a manager telling them what to do. They want the freedom to choose how to get the work done 1. Have you employed any of the management styles above ? 2. Decide what management style to employ in the following situations : a. An employee gives frequent reports and does not need to be checked on progress. b. An employee asks to be checked on progress frequently and provided feedback on how he was proceeding. c. A highly qualified employee who does not need input from his superior but who doesnt communicate well with customers. 3.Which of the three management styles above is used more frequently by Romanian managers ?

Quiz Read the following report of Petru Kurt on his business trip to England. Put the reported statements into direct speech, using dialogue form. Example: Who do you work for? - I work for a travel company in Romania. Petru Kurt said he works for a Romanian travel company. He informed us that he was sent by the senior manager to London to study the English travel companies, their traditions, their marketing and management. When we met, he was still in London. He announced us that his business trip was coming to the end on the following day and he wanted to share with us his impressions of the English business world. First of all, he argued that English business people are well known all over the world for their honesty and decency. If an English business person gave you his / her word, he / she would keep it in any case. Besides that, nothing could prevent him / her from refusing the once taken decision. There were, of course, exceptions but too rare to count. During the previous two weeks his working days had been approximately the same. He pointed out that early in the morning he took a taxi to his hosts main office which is situated in the City. He reminded us that London is divided into
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three parts: the West End, The East End and the City. The West End is a fashionable shopping and entertaining centre. The East End is a thickly populated district inhabited by the working class. The City is the historical, financial and business centre of London. He told us that the first thing he did when he got to the office was to ask his secretary if there were any letters or messages for him. Then she gave him the correspondence and fresh newspapers. He said that then he studied all the documents that had been sent to him and after that he wrote a short report about the previous business day and faxed it to his office in Bucharest. He suggested that he had a very close relationship with his supervisor whom he met on daily basis to get tasks for the following day and also ask some questions about the company, its history, traditions and clients. His usual job included meeting with potential clients, discussing their holidays plans and offering the services of his host English company. He pointed out that he also met ten or twelve people a day. They were representatives of different social groups and communicating with them helped him improve not only the language but also his negotiating skills. He also mentioned that during his stay in England he found out more about English customs and traditions. He already knew that Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy headed by Queen Elizabeth II who acts on the advice of Ministers reigning not ruling. He reminded us that the English are traditional about their meals. They have eggs and bacon with toast for breakfast, pudding and apple pie for dessert. He told us that if you were staying in London for a few days, you would have no difficulty in finding somewhere to spend an enjoyable evening. Most theatres and music-halls have good orchestras with popular conductors. He also suggested that you could go to a pub and enjoy a glass or two or more of beer with some friends.

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Unit 8 BUSINESS ETIQUETTE Contents 8.1. Customs and Regulations 8.2. Topics of Conversation and Communication 8.3. Appointments and Meetings 8.4. Quiz

Global villagers do business together in harmony and global unity as they have all become acquainted with the rules of etiquette which dictate the proper way people should behave in any society, global or non-global. Against the global milieu, netizens have come a long way to comprehend that each culture has its own unique set of rules which should be properly acquired. Global English is beyond doubt the prerequisite for successful business communication. E-mail communication have replaced conventional means of communication to everyones benefit. There is of course email etiquette which has been implemented globally with no particular national focus. Global company policy on Internet use has been introduced to increase the efficiency of employees at work. Global customers share global needs which are often met by global products and services. E-commerce has brought about dazzling and yet lasting achievements that no one has thought to reach before. The language of trends has been an useful tool for all global villagers at the e-marketplace. Virtual management is replacing conventional management, the so-called management by walking around. Teleworking has become the best alternative in so many businesses. Electronic meetings are being introduced extensively at a global scale. And sometimes Global English bears a name: Offshore English. All the non-native English speakers must have used it more than once at an early stage in their business practice. Claude Leland, Bart Babel, Dawn Kioshi, Ayanna Chavez, Georgios McLean or Petru Kurt speak all Global English (sometimes even Offshore English, that is the reason why they need a little brushing-updont you all) and of course, they use their specific negotiating style. Claude is French but his father is English and he lives in Italy; Bart is American but his parents are Jewish and they all live in the United States; Dawn is British but her father is Japanese and she has got a Dutch grandmother, too- she lives in England from January to June and in Japan from July to December; Ayanna is Indian and she has married into a Spanish family- she lives in the United States; Georgios is an American citizen but his mother is Greek and his father is Irish; Petru lives in Romania but his father is German and
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his mother is Turkish. Global routine often brings them together in face-to-face business situations. A perfect global villager who is above all a successful business person understands and applies rules of business and social etiquette when globally interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. But what is etiquette, after all? The word comes from the French etiquete and it translates as ticket. The rules and regulations set down by the Court in France were written on tickets and posted in castles and courtyards for all to observe and obey. In other words, once you paid the price of learning, you would get your ticket to the high and mighty of the business class. Lets buy the tickets ourselves and see what makes our protagonists tick. I Customs and Regulations

1. Decide which of the following customs and regulations is typical of the business practice in Romania, Greece and/or Turkey. 1. The standard rate of VAT is 18% which applies to all goods except unprocessed agricultural products. 2. Most agents and distributors operate from the Athens-Piraeus area. They should be checked beforehand to see if they cover the whole country. 3. Once appointed it is a good idea to visit your representative at least two or three times a year as their nationals appreciate personal contacts. 4. The country complies with all EU standards and technical regulations. 5. Goods are not liable to pay import duty on entry into the country provided that they were produced in EU member states. 6. Labelling of products must be in the native language. 7. The standard rate of VAT is 9% for tourist and medical services and 19% for most goods and other services and it was introduced in 8. If you wish to set up a local branch you will need to apply to the Ministry of Commerce for a permit. You must also register with the district tax office and the local commercial registry. 9. All foods, drugs, medicines and cosmetics must lave labelling and packaging that meets with EU standards. 10. VAT was introduced in 1995 and in 2001 VAT rates stood at 18% for most goods and services and 26% for luxury goods and services.

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11. The EU has invoked anti-dumping measures against the textiles industry but few anti-dumping measures are currently in place.

VOCABULARY NOTE Liable To vs. Responsible To Consider statement 5 above: Goods are not liable to pay import duty [] Liable to means here officially due to be paid. We also use liable to to refer to something that is likely to happen: e.g. We are liable to make lots of mistakes when we are exhausted. If somebody is liable to legal action it means that he/she is in a position whereby legal proceedings can be started against him/her: e.g. Breach of contract makes them liable to loss of contract fee. We use responsible to to refer to someone who is directly above any of us in the organisation and to whom we are accountable: e.g. I am the head of the department but I am responsible to the senior manager. Liable For vs. Responsible For We use liable for to describe a situation in which somebody is legally responsible for action: e.g. His wife is not liable for his debts. We use responsible for to refer to a situation in which we have the necessary authority and control; often as an equivalent of in charge of: e.g. I am responsible for ticketing. 2. Use liable to, responsible to, liable for or responsible for to complete the following sentences. a. All imports are _______ duty. b. All bus drivers are ________ their passengers safety. c. We shall be _______ be blamed if we fail. d. In my newly appointed position I am directly ________ the President. e. Smoking is mostly considered ________ lung cancer. f. The motorway is _______ subsidence. g. If the lorry driver has an accident, the transport company shall be ______ any damage.

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OPINION BOX

Refer to your present position in the company or any position you wish to apply for in the company. Who are you responsible to? What are you responsible for? If you are reluctant to fulfil the tasks you have been assigned to at your workplace what do you think/know is liable to happen?

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Topics of Conversation and Communication

1. Answer the questions and then check your answers against the text below. Are cultural differences important in the business practice? Do the American business people act differently than the Japanese business people in similar business situations? Expand upon. Similarities between cultures do exist. Huge cultural differences preserve their idiosyncrasies, though. Language is not the only point of difference between the American and the Japanese business people. They say that the Japanese have a dual personality they have an adult side and a child side, equal and very real which might be traced back to Buddhism, Confucianism and feudalism. As group orientated people, many Japanese find it difficult to function efficiently as individuals. They are extremely efficient as a mass and they seem not to apply the effective measures as individuals. The American pioneer spirit opposes thus the Japanese mass efficiency. Two Japanese attitudes towards the American business class have become common place. On the one hand, they respect and admire the American business class for their surpassing achievements. On the other hand, the close business relationships between the American and the Japanese offer both plenty of opportunities to come into direct contact: as a result of so frequent encounters, the Japanese have developed an attitude towards the American individuals, who are not at all the champions of the Japanese idealised image, which ranges from respect to contempt. They are not very fond of each other, to say the least. Neither party is to blame after all. The Japanese are fully aware of the cultural differences at all points. No matter how long you live in Japan, or even if you were born there, you will be always a gaijin, an outside person. If so, you can either acknowledge the situation as such and try to work out the group admiration of the Japanese towards the Americans or ignore it and risk failure of signing the most important contracts. Although within the business environment they operate, the Japanese are sometimes called the Jews of Asia, they are definitely too biased towards the Jewish people. Strangely enough, they are very careful with the Jewish buyers. Their attitude has never been

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influenced by real personal experiences but rather by a tradition of anti-Semitism fuelled by stories which spread quite freely among the Japanese. 2. Underline the words very, too, enough, quite, rather in the text. Use them to make up sentences of your own. 3. Rank fairly, quite, rather, pretty, very in terms of strength: give 5 to the strongest and 1 to the weakest. Refer to the information in the Language Note.

LANGUAGE NOTE Very, pretty, too, enough, quite, rather, fairly change the strength of the adjective or adverb they qualify. Too and not enough are opposites: e.g. too expensive products vs. not cheap enough products. Too can also be used with quantifiers such as much or few: e.g. too much long-term debt vs. too few contracts and it suggests more than necessary- not to be confused with very which does not suggest the same idea of excess. In informal English, very can be replaced by pretty : e.g. The costs are pretty high but it can also combine with well to mean fairly: e.g. She seemed pretty well satisfied with the results. Enough should not be confused with fairly which means less than the highest degree. Fairly is mostly used with positive qualities. Enough follows an adverb or an adjective and suggests for some purpose: e.g. The coffee is warm enough (to drink). Quite and rather do not have absolutely fixed meanings and may depend on the intonation used. Quite is weaker than rather. In American English, quite and rather are frequently replaced by very. In British English, quite can also mean totally: e.g. She quite agrees (She completely agrees). In American English, quite is usually replaced by really.

4. Refer to Romanian seaside resorts. Rank them in terms of costeffectiveness. Use very, too, enough, quite, rather to describe them. Use real data to write a paragraph for a virtual business magazine with your recommendations for the business e-travellers. 5. Complete the following sentences by choosing the right word from the table below. enough quite rather fairly pretty very too a. Is she old ______ to buy alcohol? b. A ________friendly business environment encouraged many
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investors to set up local branches. c. His business used to be _______ big. d. His inappropriate jokes determined the Japanese partners to be ______ unfriendly. e. He completely lost control during the meeting and he blamed his shoes which were ______ _______ small. f. The headquarters are _________ larger than we expected. g. The results are positive and I ________ agree with you that we have had an excellent year.

VOCABULARY NOTE We use efficient to describe somebody or something that is capable or produces satisfactory results without wasting time or energy: e.g. an efficient secretary, an efficient distribution system. We use effective to describe something that has an effect or impact, producing the intended results: e.g. an effective method. We also use the phrase to become effective to refer to a situation in which something has come into force: e.g. The contract provisions will become effective as soon as both parties have signed the contract. 6. a. Find the words efficient and effective in the text above. Use them in sentences of your own. b. Complete the table below. Put a cross (X) in the second or third column if the word in the first column can be used with the adjectives in the second or third column. Use them to write a paragraph on cultural differences between Romanian and Japanese business people. EFFICIENT EFFECTIVE methods measures systems managers secretary technology solutions

LANGUAGE NOTE Such is used before countable and uncountable nouns (with or without adjectives): e.g. Romania is such a beautiful country- I love to work here.// Such passion must have brought about excellent results. So is used before adjectives, and NOT before nouns: e.g. He is so passionate about his work.
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Such a/an + adjective + noun can replace so + adjective: e.g. It was such a successful negotiation vs. The negotiation was so successful. So can be also used with an adverb: e.g. He speaks so highly of her. So and Such can NOT be used when the noun is preceded by the, this, that, his, your etc. e.g. * Thank you for your such quick reply.// * The so difficult decision has to be met sooner or later. So is used as a substitution word to avoid repeating statements: e.g. I am writing in reply to your claim of breach of contract. If so, could you be more specific in your motivation? So is used here to avoid repeating If there is a breach of contract. So is also used to express an opinion or agreement or in polite requests: e.g. I think so. // Im afraid so. // I hope so. // I suppose so. // Would you be so kind to confirm our appointment next month? 7. a. Find uses of so and such in the text above. Identify the use of so and such in the text according to the information in the Language Note. Use them in sentences of your own. b. So or Such? It was ____ a boring party that I left as soon as I could. Last time we met he was ____ rude. I have heard about the frequent kidnappings of American business people. Many ____ cases are reported every day. The American partners were invited to a Japanese wedding and they knew nothing about social customs on _____ occasions. The meeting didnt take ____ long as we all expected. The manager was _____ upset that nobody would dare call him. Would you be ____ kind to call me a taxi? She was in _____ a hurry that she couldnt stay longer as she used to. He was not _____ good an administrator as his father. I think we are going to relocate next month; at least, I hope _____.

c. Rewrite the following sentences to avoid unnecessary repetition. They told us that we should postpone the meeting if we wish it to be postponed. They are the best suppliers on the Romanian market but the general manager doesnt think they are the best suppliers. There is clear evidence that we have reached our objectives this year but the manager only hopes we have reached our objectives this year. They might ask for later payment. If they ask for later payment we shall agree. 8. Choose among the two categories of topics of conversation and decide which are safe to use with the American or the Japanese business people. A. Good topics of conversation include jobs and work,
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sport, travel, movies and music. Other more controversial topics such as religion, politics and racism should be only discussed with informed knowledge and with people who know well. Business women shouldnt be directly asked if they are married. They might share this piece of information if they wish to. Family discussions are acceptable. Ethnic and religious jokes are to be avoided. B. Good topics of conversation include family and praising the partners national economy, sport, history and artistic achievements. Comments about the World War II are to be avoided. Jokes that may be difficult to understand shouldnt be made in the business environment. 9. Read the following text and then decide which topics of conversation are advisable to discuss with British, Dutch, French, Indian or Spanish business people. In conversation with business people coming from this country it is wise to always remember that, although they are part of Europe, they do not consider themselves European. The tone used should be very calm and relaxed. Personal space is important and people feel uncomfortable if someone stands too close to them while talking to them. Useful topics of conversation include sports (football also) and current events. With business people coming from these two countries, it is highly recommended to discuss tradition and history. In addition, both love talking about cricket. Neither the business people coming from the former nor the business people coming from the latter discuss religion and politics unless all the participants in the conversation do have the skills and knowledge to do it. As far as the former is concerned, it is wise to avoid talking about the Royal Family unless the topic is brought up. They would rather not discuss the class system or sex. Recently their national food has improved dramatically so reference to its quality should be avoided. As regards the latter, we had better avoid talking about personal issues, military spending, poverty and foreign aid. When discussing history with business people coming from these two other countries, it is always a good idea to remember two taboo subjects: the Royal Family (again) and Napoleon. Both enjoy small talk about home town/city and the characteristics of the native city/country. The former, though, would rather talk about travel arrangements and the hotel whereas the latter love discussing their national cuisine, art, music, philosophy, politics and current affairs. With the business people coming from the former, it is essential to avoid conversation about ones income or wealth, religion and the sex industry in their country. Topics of conversation such as political persuasion, personal questions especially in introductory meetings or the common conversation opener What do you do? are to be avoided with the business people coming from the latter. In conversation with the business people coming from this last country, interruptions during speeches and presentations are common and regarded as showing real interest in the subject matter in either situation. All this should be considered as positive contribution and not as rudeness. Business people coming from this country dislike telling unpleasant truths. A careful approach will be necessary in all cases this is the reason why bad things may not be
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reported by business associates coming from this country. Closer attention should be paid to the way things are said so that truth surfaces without anybody to intervene. It is often advisable to make friendly links with others in neutral areas, who may be able to make us understand the relationships more clearly and who will understand the need for complete honesty. 10. Consider the first paragraph in the text above. Find the words that replace the name of the first country and of the second country the paragraph refers to. Use them in three similar contexts of your own choice. Use the Language Note below for further information.

LANGUAGE NOTE When two items have been presented in a list, we usually refer back to either of the first item mentioned or the final item mentioned by using the substitution words the former (for the first-mentioned) and the latter (for the last-mentioned). The former can only be used if there are two items whereas the latter can be used to refer to the lastmentioned in a list of three.

11. Write a short paragraph about topics that are safe to discuss, topics that are neutral and topics that are to be avoided in conversation with Romanian business people. Use the substitution words the former and the latter to refer back to the abovementioned topics.

12. Underline the words both, either and neither in the text above. Use them in sentences of your own.

LANGUAGE NOTE We use both, either and neither to indicate quantities. Both refers to a quantity of two: e.g. Both companies have relocated this month. (there are two companies). It takes a plural verb. If the is used with both, we put it after, not before: e.g. Both the solutions are acceptable. * The both solutions are acceptable. We can also replace both with each: e.g. Both solutions are acceptable. / Each solution is acceptable.
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Either refers to one of two possible options: e.g. They rejected either compromising solution. (there are two compromising solutions) or They could either apply the compromising solution or go bankrupt. (there are two alternative actions). It can also refer to addition of negation, that is and also not: e.g. We havent ever applied a compromising solution // I know what you mean. We havent either. Neither refers to the situation in which both options are excluded: e.g. Neither of the companies have/has relocated. (there are two companies which have excluded relocation) After neither, when the reference is plural, we can use a plural verb in everyday speech, or a singular verb when we wish to sound correct and formal. It can also refer to addition of negation, that is and we also not: e.g. We havent ever applied a compromising solution. // I know what you mean. Neither have we. We do not use a negative verb after neither whose meaning is, in fact, not either. With neither nor (either or) the verb generally agrees with the nearest noun: e.g. Neither the manager nor the accountant knows anything about it. // Neither the manager nor the accountants know anything about it. If we use neither or nor at the beginning of the sentence, we often use an inversion construction: e.g. Neither have I had anything to do with all this, nor have I told anybody about it vs. I have neither had anything to do with all this, nor I have told anybody about it. 13. Use neither, either (neither nor, eitheror) or both to complete the following text on useful topics of conversation in the business world. ______(a) the Italian _____ (b) the Russian enjoy talking about religion and politics unless the participants in the conversation do have the skills and knowledge to do it. Take for instance current events and economic difficulties: the Russian business people avoid discussing about _____ (c) topic. If you were an Italian , for instance, it is advisable to compare the positive aspects of Russia with your own country. It will offer ______ (d) the opportunity for vivid conversation. If you were Romanian, though, you should think twice about it: _____ (e) of the parties is very fond of the subject. Topics such as complaints about Russia, World War II and the Holocaust, the Russian monarchy or the ethnic minorities are to be avoided in conversation with Russian business people. It is always wise to employ a translator if you do not speak Italian well as most Italians do not speak English well enough for business to be conducted easily. In conversation with an Italian business associate, interruptions are common as Italian communication is emotive, eloquent and it does not lack any animation ______ (f). Internet cafes can be found in the majority of _______ (g) Greek and Turkish cities. E-mail and websites are fairly common among _____ (h) the Greek and the Turkish companies. In _______ (i) countries fax is a widely used method of communication.
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Most luxury hotels in _______ (j) countries provide communication facilities and telephone sockets in hotel rooms. All major continental courier firms such as TNT and DHL are represented in ______(k) country. 14. In the text about topics of conversation that are advisable to discuss with British, Dutch, French, Indian or Spanish business people (Exercise 9) find phrases used to express preferences and to make recommendations. Use them in sentences of your own. Refer to the Language Note below for further information.

LANGUAGE NOTE In order to state our preferences we often use the phrase would rather which actually means would prefer to. It is often contracted to d rather. It is not followed by to. Would cannot be replaced by should. Would rather can be also used when referring to other people; in such situations we use a past verb form after the subject: e.g. Id rather she wrote the report before leaving on vacation. In order to make strong recommendations (stronger than should or ought to) we use had better to recommend future action on a particular occasion, not in general. It carries a hint of threat, warning or urgency: e.g. Youd better call your boss. He has been asking for you all morning. It is often contracted to d better. The negative form of both would rather and had better is formed by placing NOT after the phrases itself: e.g. Wed rather not talk to him about it or Youd better not call him. OPINION BOX Would you rather introduce topics of conversation such as religion, politics, philosophy, the arts, music in a business conversation? Expand upon your answer. What strong recommendations would you make to a British business person who is setting up a local branch in Romania and will have to socialise with Romanian business people? Refer to topics of conversation. 15. Make strong recommendations in the following situations. Then state your own preferences and say what you would rather do in similar contexts. The presentation is due in half an hour. She cannot find the handouts. The notes she made to read from are nowhere to find either. Then she remembered she left them all in the kitchen at home. It takes two hours to get home.
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He was talking to his British counterpart about the weather; then he started praising the British cuisine his British colleague did not utter a word until they parted that evening. In a conversation with a Dutch business associate, they all thought it was a good idea to have an insight into the sex industry in their partners country. It was during a formal conversation between the Russian investors and the Bulgarian business people that the latter started comparing their economic development to Russian economy. The Russians left without signing the contracts. It was the third time that the Romanian business man met his Arab business associate. The former started asking about the latters wife, how she was doing etc. The latter did not answer any of these questions. He acted as if he had not understood a word, although he proved to be an excellent English speaker on previous occasions. In a conversation with his Indian business associate, the French business woman shared her admiration for his colleague and asked him if his colleague was single. The Indian business associate left the room in mid sentence. During a conversation with their Arab business partners, they started discussing the Palestinian situation and they hinted at their admiration for Israel. The meeting ended in a disaster. Appointments and Meetings

III

1. Which of the following statements would you consider as the complete set of golden rules for appointments and meetings in Romania? Can you add some more? What about other Eastern European countries? Compare the latter with the Western European countries. Always be on time for your appointment but be prepared for delay or postponement. Start the business meeting with coffee or juice fruit and some social conversation. Offer wine of best quality during the meeting. Kiss the business partners hands when leaving. Shake hands on meeting and leaving. Business cards are very popular: use business cards written in English on one side and in your partners native language on the other. Punctuality is very important. Remember that traffic congestion is very bad, therefore allow plenty of time for arriving on time. Never call to notify the person you are meeting with if delayed. Arriving on time for social occasions is vital; being up to 30 minutes late for business meetings is customary. Always schedule meeting a day before arriving. Do not send any confirmation letters.

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2. Recognise national patters of approaching appointments or meetings. Decide on the Arab, British, Canadian, Dutch, French, Greek, Indian, Spanish, Russian and/or Turkish. A. Business appointments should be made early, sending confirmation letters just before arrival. It is advisable to have them booked for midmorning or after 3 pm as most businesses are shut between 12 to 3pm for lunch and a break. If holidays fall on Thursday or Tuesday, many people will make it a long weekend by taking time off on Monday and Friday as well. Most people take holidays in July and August and making appointments then or near the Christmas or Easter could be frustrating. Breakfast meetings should not be made before 8.30 am as they start late but work late. They say that the only things to start on time in their country are in the theatre or bullring. Parties and social events rarely start punctually, usually about 15-20 minutes later. B. Being on time for the appointment is vital; however, delay or postponement could frequently occur. It is common to start a business meeting with coffee or juice fruit and some social conversation. Meetings are usually conducted in English if a non-native speaker is participating and correspondence will be usually in English. Company brochures are often produced in English and in the native language. It is customary to start and end a meeting with handshakes. First names are not normally used until a close relationship has been established. It is always wise to allow enough time between meetings (two-three hours). Business cards are very popular. C. Business cards are popular in this country as well. Punctuality is important but delays or postponement are common. Personal relationships are highly rated and no visitor should come straight to the business without changing a few friendly words first. Business people in this country prefer to communicate directly so calling is preferred to writing. D. The handshake is very important in this country and is common on meeting and leaving. It may take longer than usually and it is considered a sign of friendship. Two cups of coffee or tea should be accepted when offered. They must not be accepted in the left hand as the left hand is considered unclean. All major gestures should be made with the right hand rather than the left. Mornings are the best times for appointments, although most business people choose to work in the evening in summer due to the intense day heat. The business people in this country do have a very relaxed attitude towards time. E. Meetings should be scheduled at least a few days ahead of time. Upon arriving in this country arrangements should be confirmed. F. Punctuality is vital. Arriving on time for business appointments is expected the business counterparts may often fail to do the same. Calling is essential if running late. G. Business meetings should not be planned during the summer period as this is the most popular time for the native
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employees to take their vacations. H. The farther south you go in the country the more tolerant of lateness the people are. Being 10 minutes late for a meeting will not generally be frowned upon. Appointments should not be scheduled in August as many native business people take their holidays. Many offices are virtually closed during Christmas and Easter school closings. This is in some way due to the reduction of the working week to 35 hours. I. Rescheduling is common practice. Men are responsible for many aspects of family life and may often have to reschedule at the last minute. Offence should not be taken. Late morning and early afternoon are the norm for meetings. The extreme weather conditions can be often uncomfortable for foreign business travellers: it is best to travel between October and March to avoid this weather. J. Planning business trips near the end of July or during the month of August should be avoided as this is the most popular time for the native employees to take their vacations. Appointments may often start late and long overrun the established duration. 3. Read the following text and find any similarities and differences between the countries referred to and Romania concerning the business practice for appointments and meetings. Business cards seem to enjoy popularity these days. Business professionals recommend exchanging business cards in all business situations. When exchanging business cards with an American business person, you should not expect him/her to take a closer look as soon as he/she gets the card. He/she usually postpones reading it: he/she may take the card and put it in his/her wallet or bag. This is not meant as a sign of disrespect. With a Japanese business person, however, you cannot risk doing the same: you have to take it with both hands and study it carefully and you must not, under any circumstances, write anything on it. Business in the United States is generally conducted at a very fast pace: all you need to do is to adapt. After all, time is money worldwide. Money and profit tend to be the major priorities in American business culture. Status and protocol come second. American business people love taking risks and thus they often manage to seize good opportunities. They might anticipate reaching final decisions in introductory meetings. Middle management will often have authorisation to sign contracts of up to $ 10,000. American business people may often be very informal outside the office but you should always remember status and rank. Informal meetings could be the key to establishing closer relationships. And connections are vital for the Japanese business class. Many suggest using the references of an important or influential Japanese business person if you are well acquainted. The quietest person in any business gathering in Japan may be the most senior. The Japanese business people can be sceptical about new ideas, which they tend to discuss within their own group. They seem to be quite subjective. It is polite not to discuss business for the first 15 minutes of any meeting and to wait until the discussion is
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initiated. During meetings with the Japanese, many recommend emphasising the success and prosperity as well as the long business history of your company. We have to admit that with a Japanese business person anything that you say will be taken literally; that is the reason why people should avoid making remarks such as This heat is killing me. They choose to reach oral agreements over written ones so you should not demand to sign any from the very beginning. Many consider British and Indian business cultures to be hierarchical cultures. The difference, though, lies in the way decisions are made: in the British business class, decision making is often influenced by the team and by established guidelines and rules they adhered to. The team usually presents its findings to the highest authority for a final decision. Company policy, past business deals and experiences, objectivity, hard facts and evidence are also important factors in the decision making process. Personal feelings do not play any part within. Many businesses are family based in India; therefore, the head of the family will often be the person who makes the final decision. As a mark of respect, all Indian employees will rise when a superior enters the room. Another significant aspect of the Indian business practice is bargaining: you should always arrange to deal with a number of different companies to establish a realistic price. During introductory meetings in Britain, British business people will be always calm and give little away as to their intentions. However, once business relations have been established, they will not hesitate to disagree or speak their minds. You should always avoid asking direct questions as it may produce evasive answers. You must never involve developing aggressive sales techniques. Humour can be an important part of the business culture in Britain. Funny anecdotes and suitable jokes can be essential in establishing relationships. Irony and understatement are typical traits of English humour. Sarcasm and irony can be also used to display disagreement or even contempt. Misplaced or unnecessary praise fails to be appreciated. In India, however, hospitality is more important than anything else: tea is often served and small talk is encouraged before any formal meeting. When refreshments are offered, you should always refuse accepting the first offer but you must accept the second and the third. To refuse any beverage at all will be perceived as an insult. Unlike the Russian business people who usually assess their new partners company and representatives during introductory meetings, the Dutch business people always check the business background of the new clients beforehand. The Dutch business approach is very diplomatic: decisions are only made when everybody has had the opportunity to offer their opinions. However, once the decision has been made, it remains irrevocable. The Dutch consider themselves a very equal society, therefore it is important not to present a feeling of superiority. They regard higher education as very important and it is always wise to include details of your degree on your business card. Business women are treated with a great deal of respect and courtesy in the Netherlands. Socialising is not an important aspect of the Dutch business culture so you should expect meetings to start immediately after the introductions are concluded. Privacy, however,
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is indeed a significant aspect of the Dutch society: it is always advisable to knock on a closed door until admitted. Where possible, family life and business life are kept apart in Dutch society. Firmness and dignity are expected of all the business people who come into contact with the Russian business class. However, you should always remember to remain approachable and friendly at all times. Too much compromise is not at all appreciated in Russia as it may display weakness to your Russian business associates. Meetings might get interrupted by phone calls and visitors this is not considered offensive. Threats of closure, even shouting and walkouts are all common. It may be wise to have all the necessary technical equipment for the meetings as you cannot rely on using faxes or photocopiers since they may be too old or unreliable. Heated discussions and negotiations are a normal aspect of both the French and the Italian business cultures. The French enjoy confrontational discussion and you should not miss taking any of these opportunities to show off your intellect and knowledge. The ability to argue your case competently and with informed opinion will gain respect, regardless of whether opinions differ. Another normal aspect of both business cultures is that discussions may often change direction radically throughout their duration. During discussions and negotiations the French like treating proceedings on a rather intellectual level and therefore you should ensure that your proposal is carefully planned and organised. The French always ask direct questions to highlight any elements that require further explanation and reasoning. Unlike the Japanese, the French and the Italian business people are responsive to new ideas and suggestions. The French will not, however, entertain ideas that overstep French cultural boundaries. The Italian will stick to an opinion once formed and it will be very difficult to try to alter it. Decision making is often made by those in the highest authority. Power and position are very important. Business women are treated with respect as equals in French business culture. First impressions are, however, crucially important for the Italian business people. Emotional responses to people are highly rated. Even if your business proposal seems reasonable, the impression you make counts for more. It is thus vital to cultivate an open, trusting and respectful relationship with your Italian business counterpart as soon as possible so that you will not end up thinking: Somebody might have told me about it. Bella Figura is a concept which is highly valued by all Italians (more towards the South). It is a code many Italians aim to live by, which refers to the ideal of doing right, showing restraint and treating others with respect and loyalty. Any proposal that you make should apply this concept. Dont judge a book by its covers, they say. Well, the Italians do. They consider aesthetics to be an essential part of their business culture so it is the covers that sell the book in Italy. It is not a question of how impressive the content of the deal might be. They will always choose something that literally looks good as well. OPINION BOX How do you plan to organise your meeting with a British business

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associate? What questions should you avoid asking when you deal with an Arab business person? Have you considered improving your strategy for appointments and meetings? 6. Notice how the meanings change in each of the following statements. Provide your own explanations. Use them in similar contexts. a. My colleague suggested that during my short business trip in Dubai I should always remember to shake hands on meeting and leaving. b. She remembers sending the confirmation order but now she cannot find the address. c. We regret to inform you that our suppliers did not deliver when scheduled. d. She deeply regrets leaving the company. e. Having agreed upon the first proposal, they went on to discuss her requests. f. She went on working until she fell asleep in the office. g. Please, try to understand me. I am just an employee. I cannot assume such heavy responsibility! h. I suggest you all try bearing with me for a moment. I shall tell exactly what you need to hear. 7. Very often a number of nouns can follow a verb. You can, for instance, run a company or a campaign or sometimes a car. Can you find in the text in Exercise 3 nouns that follow a certain verb? Add any other nouns you can think of for each verb + noun combinations in the text above. 8. Find answers below to the following two questions: a. What can you make? b. What can you do? an application business arrangements an experiment a cancellation someone a favour a choice a job a complaint justice to a concession repairs an effort wonders a loss an offer a phone call preparations progress
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a request 9. Use a dictionary to find as many nouns as you can which combine with the following verbs: raise, reach, suffer, draw, meet. Use them to make up sentences of your own. 10.. Look at the text in Exercise 3 and account for the functions Can/Could and May/Might express. Use the Language Note below for further information.

LANGUAGE NOTE Can/Could and May/Might are all modal verbs which are used to express a variety of meanings including possibility, deduction and ability. They are also used to make requests, offers, suggestions and express irritation. 11. What may/might have happened in the following situations? What can be done? Last time his secretary was seen at the office was three days ago. She hasnt come to work yet. It is 5 oclock in the afternoon. When she tried to open her mail account, she received the message: ACCESS DENIED. Although their offer seemed reasonable, in fact it was the most appealing we have received so far, the manager did not give them any discount. Sales of our products have been increasing dramatically for the last six months; our market share, however, went down by 10%. Local farmers burnt the warehouses with vegetables and meat of foreign origin. The CEO disappeared. Nobody has been able to locate him so far.

12. In the text in Exercise 3 find uses of Must / Have to / Need / Should and refer to their functions. Use the Language Note below for further reference.

LANGUAGE NOTE Must is used when an order is imposed by an official authority or when an obligation is self-imposed. Must not is used to indicate that
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something is forbidden. Must and Have to are largely interchangeable; however, when used in the first person have to can refer to an external authority in a more direct manner than must. Do/does not have to is used when there is no obligation. Need is a semi-modal: like other modal verbs it is followed by an infinitive without to but, unlike other modals verbs, it can be used as an ordinary verb. In positive statements, the ordinary verb form is used when a need is imposed externally: e.g. You need to brush up your Business English. *You need brush up your Business English. Should is used to express a moral obligation or duty, and to make recommendations. It expresses a weaker obligation than must. The Scale of Choice ADVISABILITY Should Ought to Had better Need to Have to Must In my opinion, it is advisable to // It is your duty to It is your public duty to I strongly recommend you to It is necessary to You are required to You are forced to // It is the only choice you have to // You cannot escape obligation to

NECESSITY

Quiz 1. Make up sentences about the choices you have in Romanian business practice for appointments and meetings. Use the modal verbs in the Language Note above.

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2. Use the scale of choice above to refer to the conditions of service at your workplace or in the company you would like to work for.

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Unit 9 BUSINESS DOCUMENTS Contents 9.1. Format and Font 9.2. Main Parts of a Business Letter 9.3. Curriculum Vitae Writing 9.4. Cover Letters 9.5. Quiz

20 Business Letter Writing Lane ESP City, BE 2004 August 22, 2004 2004 Writing Business Letters Road Business City, AW 20903 Ladies and Gentlemen: It has been a pleasure working together on brushing up our Business English and as I promised, I am enclosing literature on business documents at the end of our fortunate encounter. The business letter is the basic means of communication between two companies. Business letters are formal documents typically sent either externally to those outside a company or internally to those within the company. Many executives prefer such written documents over other forms of communication, because such documents can serve as contracts, the facts will be recorded in writing and they do not have to rely on memory. Statistics show that around 100m business letters are written each workday. You must all be wondering why it is so important to know how to write business letters in the first place. It is my job to inform you that the key to writing business letters is to get to the point as quickly as possible and to present information clearly. Several elements make the difference between knowing what and knowing how. We all write business letters to inform readers of specific information, to persuade others to take action or to propose our own ideas. Sometimes the business letters we write may function as advertisements: take for instance the letters the long distance phone companies send to those not signed up for their services or the cover letter we all attach to our resume. They are all challenging to write due to the basic consideration that we always have to know how to keep our global
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readers attention. Knowing how leads, in fact, to knowing who. The typical audience is other professionals. Writing letters to co-workers is, however, common practice. Both audiences generally require us to provide a detailed background about the purpose of the business letter. To write a good business letter is to put ourselves in the readers shoes and try to anticipate their reaction to our comments. The business letter is an effective way to communicate a message. Consequently, special attention must be paid to the format which should allow readers to quickly grasp information that should stand out to readers as they scan the document. More documentation on the format, the structure and types of business letters will be provided to you in the following. Sincerely, Right English I The Basics: Format and Font

1. Identify the following topics in the business letter above: General format Definition Purpose

2. Three major formats are generally used in writing business letters. Which of the three formats below do you think it is used in the business letter above? A. The most common layout of a business letter is known as block format. Using this format the entire letter is left justified and single-spaced. B. This widely used utilised format is known as modified block format. The body of the letter is left justified and singlespaced. However, the date and closing are in alignment in the centre of the page. C. The least used style is semi-block format. It is similar to the modified block style except that each paragraph is indented instead of left justified. 3. Rewrite the business letter above using the modified block format and the semi-block format. Hint: The generally accepted font is Times New Roman, size 12, although other fonts such as Arial may be used. When choosing a font you should always consider your audience. If you are writing to a conservative company, it is advisable to use Times New Roman. If
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you are writing to a more liberal company, you may fell free to choose other fonts as well. II The Main Parts of a Business Letter

1. Identify the most important elements of the business letter above. Use the following topics: Letterhead Inside address Salutation Body Date Complimentary close

VOCABULARY NOTE The term letterhead refers to the information which is located at the top of the business letter in the return address or by using the companys letterhead and it generally includes: Name Address Companys logo or letterhead The heading contains the return address (usually two or three lines) with the date on the last line. Sometimes it may be necessary to include a line after the address and before the date for a phone number, fax number, E-mail address, or anything similar. Often a line will be skipped between the return address and the date if the heading is next to the left margin. You should print only the first page of any letter on letterhead stationary, with subsequent pages on blank paper, with the heading as in the example below (you must not number the first page):

Mr Right English Page 2 August 22, 2004 When printing on blank paper, it is advisable to use your address (without the name) and the date as heading. It is not necessary to type the return address if you are using stationery with the return address already imprinted. The date should always be included. When writing to companies within the United States, the American date format should be used. The United States-based convention for formatting a date places the month before the day: e.g. 08/22/2004, that is August 22, 2004.
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The inside address is your recipients full address. It is always best to write to a specific individual at the firm to which you are writing. If you do not have the persons name, some research should be done by calling the company or speaking with employees from the company. Personal titles such as Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms or Dr. You should always follow a womans preference in being addressed Miss, Mrs or Ms If you are not sure of a womans preference in being addressed, it is advisable to use Ms If there is a possibility that the person you are writing to is a Dr. or has some other title, you should always use it. Usually people do not mind being addressed by a higher title than they actually possess as it follows: Dr. Right English International School of Management Bucharest, 70000 The attention line is used when the business letter cannot be addressed to a particular person as in the example below: Attention: Human Resources Manager The person you are expecting a response from may not be available: in order to make sure that you will receive a reply after all, you should also put the name of the organisation or department on the first line of the inside address, and the attention line immediately afterwards as it follows: Department of Human Resources International School of Management 20 Business Letter Writing Lane ESP City, BE 2004 Attention: Dr. Right English, Department Chair The subject line refers to the brief phrase or key words that are used to describe the content of the business letter as in the example below: Department of Human Resources International School of Management 20 Business Letter Writing Lane ESP City, BE 2004 Attention: Dr. Right English, Department Chair Subject: The Basics of the Business Letter A business letter should always include a salutation. Salutations add a personal touch to the business letter. The traditional salutation is Dear followed by the recipients courtesy title and last name. If you know the recipient well and typically address him/her by his/her first name, it is acceptable to use only the first name in the salutation, e.g. Dear Right. If you do not know a recipients gender, it is advisable to
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use a non-sexist salutation such as To Whom It May Concern. It is also customary to use the full name in a salutation if you cannot determine the gender, e.g. Dear Right English. When you address a group of people, you should use Ladies and Gentlemen or Gentlemen (if all the recipients all male) or Ladies (if all the recipients are female). You should use a colon rather than a comma because a comma is considered less professional. Open punctuation is also common. One blank line is left between the salutation and the first paragraph of the letter. The body of a business letter is typically single-spaced and has three paragraphs: Introductory paragraph One or more body paragraphs Concluding paragraph Similar to an essay, a business letter introduces one main idea and then supports it. Thus in the first paragraph, it is advisable to include a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point. The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point. In the next few paragraphs, justification with background information and supporting details should be included. The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action. If the business letter that you are writing contains nothing but paragraph after paragraph of text, it is advisable to use lists to draw attention to specific information. Lists are effective ways to present information because they break down large amounts of text and are visually pleasing. Lists are especially useful when you have to convey steps, phases, years, procedures, or decisions and can be bulleted or numbered. When creating a list, it is a good idea to include phrases, fragments, questions and answers rather than full sentences. The information you are presenting will be thus concise and more likely to engage your readers. The complimentary close refers to the closing of the business letter. This short, polite closing always ends with a comma and only the first word in the complimentary close is capitalised as it follows: Sincerely, Cordially, Best regards, Yours very truly, It is also important not to forget to sign the letter and type your name under the closing. It is also customary to include a middle initial in the signature line. Women may indicate how they wish to be addressed by placing Mrs, Ms, Miss or similar titles in parentheses before their name. A second line for a title, if appropriate, could be also included. If someone else types your letters, the reference line identifies this person, usually by initials. It appears a few spaces below the signature line, along the left margin. The writers initials come first and they are capitalised: for example, if Right English wrote a letter that Dean Writing typed, it would appear as it follows:

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RE/dw If you have enclosed any documents along with the letter, such as a resume, it is advisable to indicate this by typing Enclosures one line below the closing as it follows: Enclosure Enclosure (1) which means two documents enclosed. The copy line is used to let the recipient know that there are other people who are receiving a copy of the document. The following symbols are used: c: for copy pc: for photocopy bc: for blind copy The symbol is followed by the names of other recipients, listed either alphabetically or according to organisational rank. 2. Reply to Right Englishs business letter above. Use the information in the Vocabulary Note. a. Refer to the importance of writing business letters in your line of work. b. Discuss the efficiency of brushing up your Business English throughout the units of this book. III Curriculum Vitae Writing

1. Choose the best curriculum vitae writing tips from the following statements. Provide your own reasons for each choice. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Keep your curriculum vitae simple. Make your curriculum vitae as complex as possible. Your curriculum vitae must be concise. Your curriculum vitae must be easy to read. Your curriculum vitae must sell you. Your curriculum vitae must buy you. Your curriculum vitae must be tailored to what the reader is looking for. h. Your curriculum vitae must be tailored to what your potential customers are looking for.

VOCABULARY NOTE The curriculum vitae or CV ( American resume) is an account of an individuals educational background and previous work experience. CV writing is similar to advertising. Your CV must sell you to prospective employers who can judge whether the skills,
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accomplishments and abilities described match their needs and organisational goals. Presentation and order are important as they are in advertising; the quicker and the clearer the reader can read and absorb the key points the more likely he/she is to buy. It is thus advisable to highlight the features which will interest the reader. It should not be too long and spaces left blank on the page should make it easy to read quickly. When stressing abilities, it is advisable to use certain adjectives (review them in personal profile, unit 1). There are recent CV templates that use the personal profile as the first major heading in writing the CV so that it will consist of the following: Curriculum Vitae (first heading or title); Personal Profile; Experience; Achievements; Career History; Personal Details. Such a CV structure will sell your strengths first and it will provide career history and personal details last (the opposite of the chronological CV) for greater impact. When applying for a position abroad, it is customary to give the names of equivalent qualification in some cases, so it is a good idea to describe the diploma obtained (e.g. Romanian diploma de licen: a University qualification obtained after four years study). There are two main CV formats: the chronological CV is the most familiar layout. It is possible to start from the present and work back in time (usually in the United States) or begin at the start of ones career and work forward in time. in the functional CV the content is organised into specific categories of abilities. It is useful if you have a short work record or previous jobs unrelated to current goals. It tells a potential employer what you can do.

2. Identify the major headings (CURRICULUM VITAE (title); Personal Details: Name, D.O.B. [Date of Birth], Civil Status, Address, Telephone, E-mail; Education; Professional Activity) in the following chronological CV and arrange them in the right order. 24 Liberty Road, 70000 Bucharest, Romania Petru S. Kurt kurt@rdslink.ro 10.10.1970 CURRICULUM VITAE 1998 Post-graduate Diploma in Management from the London School of Economics 1994-1992 M.A. in Engineering from University of Bucharest 1988-1992 Diploma in Engineering, University of Polytechnics, Bucharest Married 2000 present. Victor Motor Company General Manager responsible for: - running of the plant - coordinating the work of management team - advising on new product development - negotiating with trade union representatives - ompanying the Sales Manager on overseas sales trips, whenever possible

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representing the company when the Managing Director is unavailable 20001995. Philips, Romania Executive in Research and Development Department responsible for: - coordinating research and development projects - developing joint-venture projects in Tokyo 3. Write your own chronological CV. 4. a. Write the functional CV of a famous business person you admire or you have read about. Use the following functional CV as an example. b. Write your own functional CV. RESUME PETRU KURT OBJECTIVE An executive position in sales where my administrative, technical and interpersonal skills will be used to maximise sales and promote excellent customer relations. B.A. in Sales and Marketing (1995): Central European University MBA (1998): London School of Economics Courses in online and Internet business development, communications, psychology and sociology. Areas of Effectiveness SALES/CUSTOMER RELATIONS During my five years with Global Business Co plc I introduced new recruitment and training procedures reducing staff turnover from 30% to 10%. Implemented new integrated systems for supply, installation and serving activities, saving 25% of expenditure costs. Negotiated contracts for several major domestic and overseas customers. Was responsible for the reorganisation of the sales department. Increased sales by 60% and gross margin by 10% (1998-2002). Increased market
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EDUCATION

PLANNING/ORGANISING

share from 15% in 1998 to current 29% . completed successful establishment of overseas distribution in Eastern Europe and Asia (2000- 2003), creating extra $10m business at current levels. Developed and launched new etrade online business, producing 15% net profit by 2004. LANGUAGES REFERENCES English (fluent), German (fluent), Hungarian (fluent), French (average) Available upon request.

5. When you describe activities undertaken, it is advisable to use certain verbs. Choose from the following the most useful. I was responsible for a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. initiating doing working planning implementing reviewing reporting negotiating achieving winning taking FACT BOX A 2004 UK survey by the Royal Mail postal service of HR departments in large organisations in the legal, retail, media and accounting sectors, identified the following CV pointers: over 60% of HR departments said that the inclusion of a photograph with the CV adversely affected their opinion of the applicant. Incompletely or inaccurately addressed CVs were rejected immediately by 83% of HR departments. CVs and cover letters addressed to a named person were significantly favoured over those addressed to a generic job title by 55% of HR departments.

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IV

Cover Letters

VOCABULARY NOTE The cover letter, also sometimes referred to as a letter of introduction, letter of application, or employment letter, is a vital part of the job-search correspondence package. It is sent together with the CV and it must reflect the key skills, attributes and experience a prospective employer is looking for. Cover letter should be short and concise.

OPINION BOX Do you think cover letters have a strategic importance in your job search? Do you have a better chance of being called for an interview if you send original cover letters or mass-produced copies? Is it advisable to enhance the letters reader-friendliness through the use of bullets or other special formatting? Should cover letters be longer than one page? Are you planning to send employers any cover letters via email, as part of your electronic job search? 1. Write your own CV cover letter. Use the following pattern by filling in the missing details. Full name and address details Date Reference if required Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss [use surnames]: I enclose my CV in respect of the above reference [or state position advertised and when it appeared]. You will see that I have the required skills, capabilities and experience for this position, notably [state two or three attributes briefly; revise the list of the most useful adjectives for describing job skills in unit 1]. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, [sign] [print your name below the signature] 2. Sometimes speculative CV cover letters might be sent to
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prospective employers in response to potential positions or opportunities that are not being advertised. In such cases specific skills may be not included as you do not know what they are looking for. However, you should be able to imagine the attributes that they might need. Prepare your own CV cover letter for positions you may wish to apply for. Use the following pattern. Full name and address details Date Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss [use surnames]: I am interested in any openings in the above area and enclose my CV. You will see that I have skills and capabilities that enable me to make a significant contribution to an organisation such as your own, notably [state two or three attributes briefly]. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, [sign] [print your name below the signature] 3. Choose the most useful cover-letter writing hints. a. Always address it to a named individual, unless it is a response to a blind ad. b. Use a sexist salutation if you write a cover letter in response to a blind ad. c. Never spell out what kind of job you are looking for. d. Avoid pleading for favours or sounding desperate and willing to do anything. e. Rewrite your resume in your cover letter. f. Describe your personal objectives in vague terms.

g. Avoid listing hobbies or interests unless relevant to the position. h. Avoid clichs as I have taken the liberty of sending you my resume enclosed herewith. i. j. Always use action verbs. Maximise the use of such phrases as I feel and I believe.

k. Avoid needless details and autobiographical ramblings.

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Quiz I. CONFUSING WORDS Complete the sentences by using a suitable word from the list. Use each word once only. Exercise 1 practice 1. 2. 3. 4. practise base based

I recommend you this Milan- ____________ firm of accountants. In Japan, large companies _________ the lifetime employment. They ____________ their decision on their previous experience. The unethical ________ of some advertisers led to more restrictive regulations in the advertising industry.

Exercise 2 familiar 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. according accustomed concerned aware

We all got ____________ to watching a lot of TV commercials. Some advertising associations are ____________ with maintaining high standards. __________ to a recent survey, the television industry depends on advertising for its revenue. They are all ________ of the importance of advertising nowadays. I am not __________ with certain types of advertising, particularly those involving contests.

II. MULTIPLE CHOICE Choose the right variant. Only one choice is correct. 1. An _______ is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising (and sometimes other forms of promotion) for its clients. a) advertising budget b) advertising agency c) advertising survey d) advertising jingle 2. Ads creators use ______ in their work. a) persuasion messages b) persuading message c) persuasive messages d) persuasives messages 3. He said he had tried to contact Mr. Brown ________ . a) last week b) a day ago c) the day before d) yesterday 4. The customer explained that he ________ the next day. a) would return b) returned c) return d) will return

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5. Before he joined Renault, Ghosn ________ for Michelin North America as chairman and CEO. a) had worked b) worked c) works d) will work 6. I am writing to you _________ our order no. 427560. a) for b) about c) on d) over 7. A Bill of Lading is a receipt ________ by the shipping company to confirm that the goods have been loaded on board ship. a) given b) gave c) give d) gived 8. The prices _______ are satisfactory and there is also a good discount. a) given b) offered c) stated d) quoted 9. He assured me that his company could meet our __________, and deliver the goods on the due date. a) deadlock b) deadline c) deadpan d) deadweight 10. In addition to supervising Renault activities in the Mercosur, he was __________ advanced research, car engineering and development, car manufacturing, and purchasing. a) responsible for b) responsible to c) responsible about d) responsible on 11. We have _____________ your advertisement ______ Ranger Vehicles. a) seen/for b) saw/in c) see/from d) been seen/for 12. We look forward to _________ from you. a) hear b) heard c) hearing d) be heard 13. Last month the interest rate that we pay on our bank loan _________ from 12% to 15%. a) rise b) has risen c) raised d) rose 14. The advertising message is intended __________ a specific audience, called the target audience. a) to b) for c) by d) on 15. Backer noticed that several passengers who _________ among the most irate were now laughing. a) had been b) were c) was d) have been 16. Advertising surveys __________ identify it as one of the best commercials of all time. a) consistence b) consistent c) consistentlly d) consistently 17. He said he wanted to meet the manager ____________. a) tomorrow b) the next day c) the day before d) now

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18. He apparently broke all the rules of _____ business in that country as he planned Nissan's turnaround. a) going b) doing c) managing d) making 19. He said that advertisements ______ the consumers. a) mislead b) misled c) had mislead d) misleads 20. The customer explained that he ______ the next day. a) return b) returned c) would return d) will return 21. She said she ______ do it by herself. a) can b) is able to c) may d) could 22. He thought we _______the latest news. a) had heard b) heard c) hear d) have heard 23. The following words __________ be stenciled on all sides of the cases. a) have b) should c) are d) may 24. He promised to _______ if the company did not reach profitability by the end of the year. a) resign b) retire c) fire d) sack 25. Business is carried _______ on the trading floor, where chartering agents and brokers make oral agreements. a) through b) out c) by d) down 26. I have examined the ________ received from Global Tours and am convinced that they meet our requirements. a) proof b) specimen c) samples d) dispatch 27. I _______ already ___________ our packing instructions to Mr. Martin. a) have/given b) be/given c) was/given d) will/give 28. One aspect of a good ___________ is that you and your staff receive complete training in running the business. a) franchisor b) franchising c) franchisee d) franchise 29. Advertising _______ an efficient way of spreading messages and drawing consumers attention to goods and services. a) represent b) is representing c) represents d) have represented

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30. The ________ passengers were _______ to share rooms at the one hotel available in Shannon or to sleep at the airport. a) irate/obliged b) irrate/obliged c) irated/oblige d) irately/obliged 31. In that moment I _________ to see a bottle of Coca-Cola as more than a drink. a) will begin b) began c) begun d) begin 32. The person who has the position immediately below the president. a) vice president b) partner c) shareholder d) manager 33. Heathrow Airport was still fogged ___, so the passengers were ________ to Liverpool. a) in/redirect b) off/redirected c) out/redirect d) in/redirected 34. I am writing to you in connection ________ the packing of the overhead projectors. a) to b) for c) with d) on 35. Id like _______ how our last ___________ of flip charts was packed. a) know/consignement b) knowing/transport c) to know/consignment d) to know/transportation 36. He said hed present _____ ad _________ . a) this/tomorrow b) that/the next week c) these/the next day d) those/next week 37. He said that the company ___________the budget for the ad. a) had approved b) approves c) will approve d) approve 38. The traditional business of the Baltic Exchange has been the __________ of tramp ships for specific voyages. a) leasing b) renting c) hiring d) chartering 39. When a salesman ___________an order, it could be the result of a failure in body language, rather than the result of what he has actually said. a) lose b) lost c) will lose d) loses 40. According ______ our sales figures for the last quarter, the demand for this type of notebook is continuously rising. a) with b) on c) to d) for

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III. Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first one, using the word in bold. 1 Why did he refuse to join the team? wondered We ... to join the team. 2 Wheres the meeting? asked She . 3 This is the first time he has been late. never They said that .. late before. 4 I will not pay the balance! refused He ... the balance. 5 He advised her to attend the meeting. better You . the meeting. IV. Translate into English. 1 El a spus ca publicitatea influenteaza cumparatorul in scopul achizitionarii produsului respectiv. 2 Stuart Ewen afirma ca publicitatea promoveaza o societate de consum si o cultura de masa. 3 Agentia de publicitate ne-a informat ca accepta sa promoveze noul produs. 4 Agentul de publicitate a spus ca un mesaj atragator va determina o atractie fata de produs. 5 Unii oameni considera ca reclamele induc in eroare cumparatorul, facandu-l sa cumpere produse de care nu are nevoie.

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Recommended Bibliography 1. General 1) Black, Michael, 2009, Business Communication, Genoa, Canterbury, Black Cat 2) Brieger, N., Comfort, J., 1992, Language Reference for Business English, New York and London, Prentice Fall International 3) Hollett, V., 1998, Business Objectives, Oxford, Oxford University Press 4) ***, 2000, Business Opportunities, Oxford, Oxford University Press 5) Mascull, B., 2002, Business Vocabulary in Use, Oxford, Oxford University Press 6) Pacea, Otilia, 2004, Brush Up Your Business English, Bucureti, Oscar Print 2. E-Sources 7) E. L. Easton, Business English Online: Materials for Teaching and Learning, http://eleaston.com/ 8) Business English Exercises, http://www.better-english.com/exerciselist.html 9) English Club, http://www.englishclub.com/ 10)Nonstop English: Business English Exercises, http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/business_english/ 11) Telephone English, http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa092000a.htm 12) Business English Quizzes, http://www.businessenglishebook.com/Business-English-Quizzes.htm 13) Business English: Personnel, http://www.linguarama.com/ps/292-0.htm 14) Guide to Basic Business Letters, http://esl.about.com/cs/onthejobenglish/a/a_basbletter.htm 16) Business English: Cross Culture, http://www.linguarama.com/ps/392-0.htm 17) BBC Learning English: General and Business English, http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/

3. Learning Tools 1) Bantas, A., Nastasescu, V. 2003, Dictionar economic englez-roman si roman-englez, Bucuresti, Niculescu 2) Hawker,S., Hawkins,J. 2001, The Oxford Popular English Dictionary & Thesaurus, OUP 3) Thomson, A.J., Martinet, A.V., 1999, A Practical English Grammar, Oxford, OUP 4) Internet-Based Projects, http://aei.uoregon.edu/projects.html 5) Business English Online Vocabulary, http://www.cambridge.org 6) Business English Online Vocabulary, http://www.thesaurus-dictionary.com

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