Public Relations

2nd year

Business English

N. DELANDE
F. VANDEVILLE
2013-2014
1

Contents
Unit 1. Talking to people in business situations .......................................................... 3
A. Meeting and being introduced ............................................................................ 3
B. English on the phone .......................................................................................... 5
Unit 2. Jobs............................................................................................................... 10
1. Recruitment: vocabulary ................................................................................... 10
2. Applications and interviews ............................................................................... 11
3. Remuneration ................................................................................................... 15
4. Jobs: vocabulary & grammar exercises ............................................................ 16
5. The job market outlook: listening activity .......................................................... 19
Unit 3. Finance and the economy ............................................................................. 21
1. Money matters. ................................................................................................. 21
2. Banking services: ............................................................................................. 22
3. Investments & the stock market ........................................................................ 24
4. The economic situation ..................................................................................... 27
Unit 4. Marketing ...................................................................................................... 28
1. Background information: what is marketing? .................................................... 28
2. Market Research ............................................................................................... 30
3. Promotion and advertising ................................................................................ 33
4. Product life cycles ............................................................................................. 38
Unit 5. Organisations ................................................................................................ 40
1. Kinds of organisations ....................................................................................... 40
2. Structure & culture of a company ...................................................................... 41
3. Society & work .................................................................................................. 44
4. The workplace ................................................................................................... 47
5. Balancing work & personal life ......................................................................... 48
6. Meetings ........................................................................................................... 49
Unit 6. Public Relations ............................................................................................ 51
1. What is PR? ...................................................................................................... 51
2. P.R. in Belgium ................................................................................................. 54
3. PR jargon. ......................................................................................................... 55
4. PR nowadays .................................................................................................... 56
Sources: ................................................................................................................... 60

Unit 1. Talking to people in business situations

A. Meeting and being introduced
1. How can you greet or introduce people?

issued from: The Far side Gallery by Gary Larson

Mention other ways to introduce somebody or yourself.

Are they formal (F), neutral (N) or informal (I)?

2. Listen to four short conversations in which people greet and introduce each

other. For each conversation, note down the way they introduce themselves or
another person, the level of formality and how they put them(selves) in context
(what they do, where they work or when they last met ...)

3. Work in pairs. Look at the different scenarios and decide first what kind of
language would be appropriate (F /N) and why. Would it be appropriate to use
first names? Role-play the scenarios.
a. You are at the reception of. You have an appointment with the HR manager
for your internship. Introduce yourself and say why youre here. The
receptionist will tell you to wait and check then indicate the way to the HR
department.
b. You meet by chance the head of personnel of a firm you worked for as a
student 2 years ago. Inquire if there is a student job for Christmas.
c. You are at an interview for an internship. Its the first time you have seen the
interviewer. Start the conversation.

International Express : Track 7 (unit1)

B. English on the phone

1. Communicating: vocabulary
Match 1-8 with the replies a-h to form pairs of exchanges from telephone calls, as in
the example, then listen and check.
1. I dont know the times of the trains.
--e2. Would you like to leave a
message?____
3. I'm afraid I can't hear you. It's a
really bad line. ____
4. Simon Green speaking. ___
5. I'd like to speak to Mr Moore on
extension 868, please. ____ 6. Can I speak to Julia, please? ____
7. I'm sure he's there._____
8. I can't find her number
anywhere. _____

a. At last! I've been trying to get through to

you all day.
b. Have you tried looking it up in the phone
book?
c. Hold on, I'll see if she's here today.
d. Yes. Could you ask him to call me back,
please?
e. Dont worry; I'll ring up the station.
f. Thank you caller, I'm putting you through.
g. OK, I'll hang up and try again.
h. So am I, but sometimes he won't pick up
the phone.

Match the phrasal verbs in italics in 1 a-h to definitions 1-8 below, as in the
example.
1.
connect = to put someone through
2.
wait
3.
answer
4.
put the phone down / end the conversation suddenly
5.
return a call
6.
search for a word or number in a book
7.
phone
8.
make contact with
Phone conversations: fill in the gaps
1. Anna: HR department. ______________ can I help you?
John: Good morning. ___________ I speak ____ Mr Jones, _______________?
Anna: Hold _________ Im ______________ you _____________.
Mr Jones: Hello, __________ is Alan Jones ________________. What ______ I
do for you?
..
2. Andy: Hello, Paul
Paul: Hello, Andy. _____________ are things?
Andy: I cant hear you its a _____ line. You keep breaking _______.
Paul: ________ you like me ____ phone you back on your ________________?
Andy: Yes please, I think we are going to get cut _________.

3. Hello, this is Louise Brown .......................... Can I help you?

- Yes, I ..................................... Corinne Peters .............................
Could you ......................... for a moment, please? Im ....................................
4. Hello, switchboard. Can I have .............................. 205, please ?
Im afraid the line is ................................ Could you .........................................
please?
5. He isnt there. Would you like ........................................................... ?
Yes. Could you tell him that Mr. Jones......................................................
Would you ...................................................... that, please?
- Certainly: J-O-N-E-S.
6. Youre through to the voicemail of John Smith. Im not at my .. right
now, but if you .. Ill call you back.
Vocabulary: telephone language:
http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone_language.htm
Some vocabulary exercises
http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone_quiz.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone_practice1-appointments.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/speaking/telephone_practice2-messages.htm
2. Listening, reviewing grammar points & vocabulary
2.1. Listen to a telephone conversation2 & fill in the gaps.
R= receptionist ; J=Jack
R: Flemings Hotel. How ________________________________?
J: Good afternoon. _______________ Jack Rubenstein, and Im calling from New
York. I want ____________________________while Im there in London.
R: OK, sir. ________________________ first. Could give me your name again,
please?
J: Yeah. My name's Jack Rubenstein, that's RUBENSTEIN.
R: Fine, Mr Rubenstein. And __________________________________ so l can put
it on ___________________?
J: No problem. The name of my company is Top Flight International.
R: OK, and what size room would you like? We have __________________
________15 people, 20 people and 30 people.
J: The smallest one for 15 people will be quite large enough.
____________________ for job interviews, and there'll only be 3 of us plus the
__________________..
R: When would you like the room for?
J: I _______________ for _______________ - that's in a month's time.
R: Right, sir. ______________________________. Yes, that's fine
J: Good. ________________________________, please?
R: Meeting rooms ___________________, sir, and we _________________ ___
an hour.

Business Benchmark UI CD1 track6

J: OK, well, Id need it all morning actually, from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock, if that's all
right.
R: Yes, that's fine, sir. And ____ _________________________ while you are here,
Mr Rubenstein?
J: Well, Im going to be interviewing four candidates for a job, so if you could provide
coffee during the morning for interviewers and interviewees, that would be great.
Some of them will be travelling down from outside London.
R: No problem. We ___________________________________ you then, Mr
Rubenstein.
J: Thanks. Bye.
R: Goodbye.
2.2. Look at the verb forms which are in a box. In which tense are they? Why?
Revise those tenses in your grammar syllabus

Why are there many could/ would in this conversation?

Another listening activity on the internet: http://www.esl-lab.com/tc1/tc1.htm

3. Telephone calls: some more vocabulary
3.1. Fill in the gaps with
be over/ call back/ cut off/ get through/ give up/ hang up/ look up/ pick up/ put
through/ hold on and conjugate them if necessary.
1 The phone's ringing. Why dont you . the receiver?
2 Im afraid she isn't available at the moment. Can you ..................................... later?
3 Can you ......................................their number in the directory, please?
4 I'm afraid she's with a client, shall I ................ you .................... to her secretary?
5 Hello? Are you still there? I think we were .......................................... for a moment.
6 Mr Green never seems to be in his office. I've been trying to ........................................ to him
all morning.
7 Could you ..................................... for a moment? I'll just find out for you.
8 If the telephonist says 'Thank you so much for calling' and plays me that awful electronic
music again, I'll ................................
9 If you get a wrong number, it's polite to say 'I'm sorry, I've dialled the wrong number'
before you .........................................
10 If an American telephonist asks `Are you through? she wants to know if your call
..............

...............

Now fill the gaps above with these words and phrases:
be finished /connect with/ disconnect/ find / lift/ reach /replace the
receiver/ return the call/ stop trying/ wait

3.2. W hat would the questions to the following responses be?

1. No, actually its 46.
2 . It's Valladolid with a V at the beginning, V for Victor.
3. No, it's Schmidt with a T at the end, T for Tommy.
4. Two. T I-double-M-E-R-M-A-N.
5. No, 642 246.
6. Springer Verlag in Hamburg,
7. Krieslovski. K-R-I-E-S-L-O-V S-K-I.
8. No, it's with two Ns in the middle.
4. Pair work
Work in pairs: GIVING INFORMATION
Improvise a phone call. Think of a fictitious name for yourself (difficult to spell) and
for the person you want to contact and a business reason why you want to contact
them. Give them a phone number and an email address.
Make sure you spell all names and give all numbers correctly.
Then change roles.
Student A: Make the call- leave your details & message. Speak fast as if you were
in a hurry
Student B: The person Student A wants to talk to is unavailable (give a reason
why). Take down the message & make sure you repeat all the details. Ask for
clarification if necessary.
Then discuss what you think is important when making a business call in English.
Why? Which tip would you give to someone whos got to answer the phone in a
business situation?
5. Grammar review: use of the present tenses & past tenses
Fill the gaps in the sentences, using the verbs in this list.
assist/ attend/ call back/ deserve/ get through/ look up/ make/ pick up/ print out/
put through
1. Normally she ... calls back... straight away.
2. When he was not there, his secretary always
the phone.
3. He
to get a pay rise.
4. This week he
the Personnel Director with the interviews.(2
answers)
5. She
the number in the phone book at the moment.
6. I (not)
a training session on quality control yet.
7. The computer
the sales figures for the last 20 minutes.
8. (You/ever)
to the Bank manager?
9. Please hold on. I
(you) to the Sales Department.
10. When he entered, I
some notes.

Other grammar exercises to be done on the present & the past:

http://www.nonstopenglish.com/exercise.asp?exid=870
http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/intermediate/present%20perfect%20vs%20past%2
02.htm
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentperfectsimpleorcontinuous/exercise5.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentperfectorpastsimple/exercise5.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/presentsimpleorcontinuous/exercise6.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/irregularverbs/exercise3.swf
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/pastperfect/exercise5.swf

If necessary revise the theory in the grammar syllabus (all the irregular verbs too)
and do some other exercises on
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com/index.html
Grammar review: all tenses (active/ passive)
A conversation in which people are meeting or being introduced to each other.
Alex White, a new employee, meets Chris Grey.
Alex: Id like to introduce myself. My names Alex White and Im the new export sales coordinator.
Chris: Oh, yes. I _________________ (hear) of you. How ____________________ (you /do)? Im
Chris Grey. _______________ (please) to meet you. _________________________ (you / just
/arrive)?
Alex: Oh no, I __________________ (get) here yesterday, but its the first time I
__________________ (be) up to this floor. So, Chris, what __________________ (you/do)?
Chris: Im J. Serpettis assistant. Shes head of personnel. _________________ (you/ meet) her?
Alex: Not yet. I ________________________ (introduce) to her this afternoon. I hope everything
___________________(be) fine.
Chris: Dont worry, by the time you ____________________ (see) her, I ________________ (show)
you the company and you __________________ (feel) more at ease.
Alex: How long ___________________________ (you / work) for Ms. Serpetti?
Chris: Almost three years, before I _____________________ (work) in another department but I
_______________(promote) and here Im.

Unit 2. Jobs
1. Recruitment: vocabulary
Choose the best words or phrases. In several cases both are correct.3
When a company has a (1) vacancy / vacant for a job, and it needs to (2) hire / recruit a new
(3) crew / staff member, it usually (4) publicizes / advertises the (5) post / position. It does this
(6) internally / internationally (for example, in the company newsletter or on a company intranet, so
that the job is only open to people already working for the company), or (7) extensively /
externally in the wants ads in a newspaper. It might also use a headhunting (8) agency / agenda,
which helps people to find (9) job / work.
A job advertisement has to give an accurate (10) describing / description of the job and what the
company needs and expects from the (11) applicant / application (the person who is (12) applying /
appalling for the job). These (13) requirements / requisitions might include (14) qualifications /
qualities (academic, vocational or professional), (15) experience / experiences in similar lines of
work, and personal (16) qualifications / qualities (for example, it might say that you need to be (17)
practicing / practical, (18) professional / professorial and have a sense of humour).
Most advertisements specify the (19) rewards / remuneration that the company can offer in return
for your work (including the basic annual (20) wage / salary, any commission you could receive,
opportunities for (21) advancement/ promotion, and so on). Some advertisements will also tell you
about other benefits / beneficial (including paid (22) vacation / vocation, health insurance, a
company car, a company cafeteria, etc.) that you might receive. If the (23) packet / package they are
offering is very generous and attractive, and is (24) commensurate / commendable with the work
that is necessary, the company can expect a lot of people to apply for the job.
If somebody is interested in the job, they are usually asked to send their (1) autobiography /
rsum with a (2) cover / cover-up letter. Alternatively, they might be asked to (3) fill in / fill out
an (4) application / applicant form and (5) submit / send it to the company. The managers of the
company will read these and then contact the people it wants to (6) attend / attempt an interview. At
the same time, it will (7) reject / turn down those who it feels are (8) unsuitable / unthinkable.
During and after the interviews, the managers will consider the different aspects of the (9)
candidates / applicants to decide whether they have the correct (10) potency / potential for the
job. These might include physical (11) apparition / appearance (are they sharp and well-dressed?),
general (12) disposition / disposal (for example, are they friendly and easy to work with?), special
(13) skills / abilities (for example, are they computer literate, can they drive, or do they speak any other
languages?) and (14) interests / hobbies (what do they like doing in their free time?). They might also
consider their family (15) backing / background (are they married, do they have children?) and (16)
medicine / medical history. The person who most closely (17) makes / matches the (18) profile /
criteria decided by the managers will then be accepted for the job.
Before somebody is (19) offered / suggested the job, s/he is asked to provide (20) referees / references
from people who know him / her (usually a former (21) employer / employee, a (22) colleague / coworker, and / or a teacher). Before s/he actually starts working, s/he may go through an (23)
orientation / introduction program to learn more about the company and the job. Sometimes,
s/he may be required to complete a (24) trial / probationary period (where his / her employers
make sure that s/he is suitable for the job before being offered something that is more (25)
permanence / permanent. After s/he has been with the company for a while, there will probably be a
3

From Check your Vocabulary for TOEIC, Macmillan Publishers Limited, 2008.

10

(26) review / reveal, to assess how s/he is getting along. These may be repeated on a regular basis
throughout his / her time with the company.

2. Applications and interviews

Advice on job applications4
Listen to an extract from a television programme in which 5 HR officers give advice
about applying for jobs. For each speaker write down the piece of advice given.
Samuel

Marta

Salim

Yukari

Ivan

Another Listening activity to do at home to improve your listening skills & revise
some vocabulary:
http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/business/listening/job%20interview%20liste
ning.htm
After answering the questions online, think of the structure of the interview (the
questions asked by the interviewer & the interviewee, their order). Do you think
they reflect the reality of job interviews? Why (not)?

Typical questions of interviews

Can you think of questions you might be asked at an interview? What would your
own answers be?
-

Describe your greatest strengths and weaknesses.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Why should you be employed by this company?
Describe your most recent accomplishments.
What major problem have you encountered recently and how did you deal with
it?
In what ways could you be described as creative?
Which is the most important to you, money or job satisfaction?

Business Benchmark UI unit 3 track 5

11

Which of these questions are the most difficult to answer? How would you answer
them?
Other interview questions:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/toughquest.htm
Read them & try to answer them at home.
Asking questions as an interviewee also gives a good impression.
Decide which of these areas might be acceptable to ask about in an interview and
then write appropriate questions for the ones you choose.
The appraisal system
The career prospects
The company history/structure
The future outlook of the company
Holidays
Hours of work/ flexitime/ overtime
Courses/ training
Level of responsibility
Pension schemes
Perks (Stock options, Luncheon vouchers, company car, mobile)
Salary
Interview to Win Your First Job
Listen to the interview & give your opinion about it. Then check what the interviewer
thinks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GChqPrLQGLs&feature=related
Phone Interview Tips
Watch a video on phone interviews and make notes on interview tips
http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Phone-Interview-Tips.htm
Explaining Gaps in Employment
Read the tips given & be able to explain
http://www.cvcl.co.uk/employment-gaps.htm
Oral activity:
Your plans for your training period/ internship and your interview.
Reading comprehension:
How To Land A New Job In 20135
According to a new survey by Right Management, 86% of employees polled said
they plan to actively look for a new job in 2013an increase of 26 percentage points
since 2009.
Theres always a spike of job-seeking activities from January to March when the
New Years resolutionists come out, says Amanda Augustine, job search expert for
TheLadders, an online job-matching service for professionals. It will be even higher
5

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/12/13/how-to-get-a-new-job-in-2013/

12

this year because companies are now doing more with less, and a lot of employees
are taking a step back and questioning their current positions.
Despite that December is typically a slow month for interviews and hiring, Augustine
says job seekers can use the time to reflect, prepare and start reaching out to
contacts. Then they can hit the ground running in January. Based on a new survey of
TheLadders 5 million members and the latest hiring trends, she reveals her five best
tips to land a new job in the New Year.
Hire a professional resume writer.
Job seekers are 40% more likely to get noticed with a professionally written resume,
but most candidates dont even think to hire a professional writer. Its very difficult to
be objective when youre talking about your own life, Augustine says, and no one
searches for a job often enough to understand the nuances. Its better to have an
objective person who knows the right terminology. Because resumes are so often
filtered first by software programs, without the right keywords, your resume may
never even reach a human. Hiring a professional is pricey, beginning at $400, but
she believes its absolutely worth it.
Google Your Name Often.
Of the job seekers surveyed, more than 35% Google themselves only once a year
and 16% have never searched their names. Augustine says a candidates digital
presence has become so important that its essential to consistently monitor your top
search results and adjust them to best reflect your professional brand. That means
updating old profiles, revising privacy settings on personal social media sites or
posts, and understanding what surfaces at the top, in case youre asked about it in
an interview.
Understand The Big Four Social Sites
While you dont need to be a social media whiz, Augustine says its important to have
a basic understanding of the four most common sites: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
and Pinterest. Not only are they helpful for research and networking, these sites can
also build out your professional brand. You can use your profile to highlight your
career background and link to relevant writings or sites. Sharing relevant industry
news is also a great way to show youre knowledgeable and up to date. Furthermore,
surveys show that 85% of hiring managers say a candidates positive digital
presence impacted their hiring decision. But beware: one of the biggest mistakes a
candidate can make online is using poor grammar.
Look The Part
Appearance mattersin person and online. Research shows that people assess
your competence and trustworthiness in a quarter of a second (250 milliseconds)
based solely on how you look. Because recruiters and hiring managers are likely to
look you up online before they call you in for an interview, Augustine recommends
updating all of your social media profiles with a professional-quality headshot. Its
important to humanize yourself with a photo of you rather than a group or abstract
image or, worse, the default photo of an egg or blank silhouette. When you land an
interview, make sure your look is polished, stylish and appropriate.

13

Get Smarter, Go Mobile

According to 75% of respondents, owning a smartphone can have a positive impact
on your job search. Mobile technology allows you to be much more responsive and
to take advantage of dead time by investing in your job search, says Augustine. She
advises saving a copy of your resume on your phone, so that you can quickly send it
to potential employers. Having email at your fingertips also gives you the ability to set
up interviews and calls without any lag time. Furthermore, mobile technology allows
you to search job listings during a commute or other down time, so that youre not
missing any opportunities.

Check all the words you dont know, focus on those highlighted. You must be
able to explain those words in English or give a synonym

Make a summary, a list of what you have to do to land a job.

Grammar review: the reported speech: look at the 3 sentences in green in the
direct discourse. Put them in the reported speech. Each time begin with:
1. It is said that..
2. The article states that
Explain the grammar rules

Some more sites:

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/reportedspeech/menu.php
theory + 4 exercises
http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com/reportedspeech2/menu.php
theory + 4exercises
Look at the sentences with the verbs in blue. They are in the present perfect.
Why?
Revise the present perfect simple & continuous in your grammar syllabus.
-

Use these following words in a sentence:

According to

14

Despite:

Furthermore:

3. Remuneration

Salary negotiation:
What elements have an effect on the salary? How to be sure that the salary you are
expecting is the right one? why is it important to negotiate your salary properly?
Discuss..
Listening activity: How to negotiate your best salary yet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gORmMpYcuvA
Be able to summarise the video. React
Vocabulary from the video
past earnings
tgive & take
prior to
market rates
fair
to bring up a topic
to depend on sth/sb
15

a policy
the industry
the salary requirements
a tight economy
the higher. the more
to focus on sth
to be demanding
the bottom line
the demeanour
the middle ground
a counter proposal
to benefit from sth
to be in line with sth
either or
a dead giveaway
to ensue

Listen again & write down:

- 2 sentences with a comparative or a superlative

- 2 sentences in which you have to+inf or to+ing

Revise those grammar points in your grammar syllabus

4. Jobs: vocabulary & grammar exercises

4.1. Fill in the gaps of this phone conversation6 putting the verbs in a suitable tense.
J = Jack, M = Monica
J: Burfords Engineering.
M: Hello. ________________ (I/speak) to Jack Burford, please?
J: Speaking.
M: Good morning. My name's Monica Pereira. A friend of mine suggested I phone
you because she __________(tell) me you might have a vacancy for an office
administrator.
J : Thats right. We ________________ (not/ advertise) yet, but we
_________________ (need) somebody.
M : I see. _________________ (you/mind) if I ask you some questions about the
job?
J: Not at all. Can you just hang on a sec while I _____________(get) the details of
the job up on the screen. That's it. Now, what ____________________(you/like) to
know?
M: Can you tell me if the job is full time or part time?
J: Well, we_______________________ (not finalise) the details yet, but I imagine
it____________ (be) mornings only. ___________________ (that/suit) you?
M: Yes, very much. I____________________(interest) in finding a job while my
are at school. And what would the job consist of?

adapted from Business Benchmark UI, track 7

16

J: Basic office administration, typing letters and reports, bookkeeping, that sort of
thing. __________(you have) any experience of office work?
M: Yes, I _______________(work) in an office for ten years. When
___________________( the job/start)?
J: At the beginning of September, I imagine.
M: Ok, and how should I make my application?
J: Could you make it by email, please? It's so much easier to process that way.
M: Yes, of course. Could you give me your email address then, please?
Then check with the recording. BBUI track7
4.2. Correct the following sentences.
1. This summer I have worked at Quick during one month.
2. Ive received a lot of propositions.
3. The most of young people look for a job.
4. The girl, who has been selling programs, left them.
5. There werent any good job.
6. Her mothers job recruited some students for Augustus.
7. The only problem is the hourly.
8. Theyve tested my knowledge of Dutch.
9. He told me that for the moment I was the most suitable.
10. I asked to the receptionist some informations and Ive apply for the job.
4.3. Translate.
1. Je travaille actuellement comme charg(e) de Relations publiques.
2. Le responsable des ressources humaines ma demand si jtais toujours
intress(e) par ce travail.
3. Le stage de 2me anne dure 6 semaines.
4. La grante lui a dit quils recherchaient un tudiant.
5. Il y aura probablement une agence dintrim dans le coin.
6. Je fais des boulots dtudiants depuis que jai 16 ans.
7. Vous serez lessai pendant 3 mois et si vous convenez, vous serez engag.
8. Noublie pas de vrifier ta lettre de motivation.

17

9. Je vais rencontrer le chef de service dans 2 jours.

10. Il aurait t slectionn sil avait eu plus dexprience.

4.4. Whats the difference between :

1. to engage/ to hire
2. fun/funny
3. enterprise/company/society
4. sympathetic/friendly
5. experience/ experiment
6. director/manager
4.5. The future & the conditional: review
http://www.ego4u.com/en/business-english/grammar/conditional-sentences
http://www.englishpage.com/conditional/conditional8.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs23.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs24.htm
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs26.htm
http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/futureforms.htm
http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/upperintgrammar1.htm
all tenses: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs30finaltest.htm
see also grammar syllabus

Fill in the gaps from this article adapted from the guardian conjugating the verb in
tense reflecting a future. (active/passive)
Planning ahead: what does the future hold for schools?7
In June, the Guardian Teacher Network and Zurich Municipal __________________ (travel)
to 4 locations exploring how school leaders can better plan and prepare for the future.
One thing is certain now for school leaders over the next few years. There _________ (be)
huge change imposed from central government and very probably a squeeze on resources
while many parents and families _________________( find) themselves it difficult to give
their children the love and support they need.
School leaders _________________ (test) as they have never been before. We
__________( all expect) to do more with less and drive out variation in-schools, across
schools and between different groups particularly the vulnerable. We must prepare students
for a world that is difficult to predict and increasingly uncertain.
7

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/may/29/future-schoolsheadteachers-leaders-challenges

18

5. The job market outlook: listening activity

For College Grads, Jobs Outlook Better but Far From Great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srDBzH8mtXA
Answer the following questions:
Describe the current unemployment situation in the USA.

Which institution did Obama visit? Why? What did he say?

In what way does the situation change?

When did the unemployment crisis start?

Which fields are favoured in terms of employment nowadays?

In what way is June different from the other months?

How do people get jobs nowadays?

Vocabulary from the video :

a three-year low
a jobhunter
to acknowledge
presumptive
this is way off from sth
beyond
long-term unemployement
to be jobless
to feel the brunt
one in five people
to have sth lined up
to secure a job
daunting
the economy vs economics
to struggle
actually
hiring needs
temporary workers
GDP
the outlook
19

the downturn
to hang around
a job opening
work experience
a clerical position
the labor market
Grammar: whats the difference betwwen to stop to look & to stop looking?
revise verbs+-ing/ verbs +infinitive in your syllabus
Use the following words in a sentence related to jobs
since
to avoid
to plan
many/much
to tend
Therefore

20

Unit 3. Finance and the economy

1. Money matters.
In small group discuss where you get your money from, if you work during the year
as a student to make ends meet, your wages, your different experiences.
Zero-hours contracts: What is it like living on one?8
There could be as many as four times more people than previously thought in jobs that do not
guarantee them work, new figures suggest. So what is it like to be on a so-called zero-hours
contract?
For almost all of the 25 years that Karen has worked in adult social care, she has had
contracted hours and been paid a full-time wage for a full month's work. But when her local
council started using a new private care company, she and her colleagues were transferred to
zero-hours contracts. Overnight, Karen says, their salaries were cut in half to about 300 a
month.
'No security'
On a zero-hours contract, an employee is only paid for the hours the employer needs them.
"You feel bullied. You start at 06:30am, could work till 11:30am, then be told there's no more
work for you today," explains Karen. "But if you say you can't work that day they don't tend
to ring you again because they say you're not turning up - it makes you feel unworthy."
Government figures for England suggest there are over 300,000 zero-hours workers in adult
social care alone. Some welcome the use of these contracts, arguing that they give employees
flexibility over their own work schedules, as well as benefitting employers.
Calum, a 17-year-old housekeeper at the holiday operator Center Parcs, says having a zerohours contract enables him and other students working there to fit work around their studies.
But days away from his two-year anniversary with the company, he says he has been told he
is no longer needed. "They make it quite clear when you start - you've got no employment
rights and no job security until you've been employed for two years. And now they want to
terminate me."
Center Parcs spokesman Simon Kay says he cannot comment on individual cases but says:
"We only offer this type of contract to employees who benefit from the flexibility."
Those aged 18 to 24 - already hit hard by the recession - are among those most likely to be on
zero-hours contracts, the latest research suggests.

adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23554409

21

"If we ever turned down a shift then they'd (employers) see us as unreliable and cut our hours
for weeks to come," insists one 18-year-old who works for 1st Energy in Essex - a claim
dismissed as "nonsense" by its chief executive, Sean Rider.
However, another student working at a tourist attraction in Beer, Devon - who also wishes to
remain anonymous - says he was just pleased to get the work. "I'd been looking for a job for
nine months," he says. "I'm probably the best person to hire on this type of contract as I don't
have to do any budgeting or family planning."
'Slept on sofas'
Meanwhile, for those in the more advanced stages of their career, having an unpredictable
income can mean life's plans have to be put on hold.
One 40-year-old further education teacher has told the BBC that she is still living with her
mum because her zero-hours contract prevents her saving for a deposit and getting a mortgage.
Ian Brinkley, director of the Work Foundation think tank, says there is a huge spectrum of
people affected by the rise of zero-hours contracts. "At one end - in domestic care, retail,
hotels - it's exploitative and pretty awful. But on the other hand, 25% [of workers on such
contracts] are students and those in post-grad as teachers. "For them it's probably a much
better experience and gives a degree of flexibility."
Be able to summarise the text & react to what youve read.
Do such contracts exist in Belgium? Are you protected as a student?
Check any word you dont understand & focus on those highlighted.
Look at the words in green: whats the grammar difficulty linked to them?
Look at the words in blue: they are modal verbs. whats difficult about those
verbs??
Revise if necessary in your grammar syllabus.
Other exercises online:
put the sentences in the passive:
http://www.ego4u.com/en/business-english/grammar/passive#exercises
multiple choice:
http://www.angelfire.com/wi3/englishcorner/grammar/Interactive/pv7.html
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/esl-passive-voice-exercise2.html
active or passive: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/tests/hadrians-wall

2. Banking services:
Talk about your bank & its banking services
Homework: your financial institution. Visit its website, choose the English version &
make notes. Report in class about its main activities & target customers.
Come in class with specific banking vocabulary.

22

Fill each blank in the text with the correct word or phrase.
Choose from the following list. Use each item once only.
credit rating
credit transfer
financial institutions
standing order

commission
debited
in full
interest

issued
outstanding
salaries
slip

statement
withdraw
banker's draft
cash dispenser

Banks offer many services to businesses and their customers. Here are some of the most
common: Many people now have a card which enables them to 1. money
from a2.. You feed your card into the machine and key in your
PIN (personal identification number) and the amount of money you want. If you have enough
in your account, the money requested will be 3.. to you up to a daily limit.
Your account is automatically 4.for the amount you have drawn out.

Provided you have a sound 5.you can get a credit card from a bank and
other 6...To obtain goods or services, you present your card and sign a special
voucher. When it receives the voucher, the credit card company pays the trader (less a
7..) and then sends you a monthly 8.. Depending
on the type of card you have, you will either have to pay 9.. or be able
to pay part of what is owed and pay 10..on the balance left
11.
If you need to make fixed payments at regular intervals, e.g. for insurance premiums,
you can arrange a 12 ........................... (sometimes known as a banker's order) so that
the bank will do this for you.
If you have several bills to pay, you can do this by 13..You write one
cheque for the total sum involved, fill in a 14 ...................... for each bill and hand everything
to the bank cashier. The transfer system is also used by employers to pay
15..directly into employees' bank accounts.
If you are dealing with a supplier for the first time, a 16.may be used as
payment. This is a cheque guaranteed by a bank and therefore it is not likely to `bounce'.

Translate:
1. Y a-t-il des frais si je retire de largent au distributeur dune autre banque?

2. Quels sont vos taux dintrt pour un compte courant?

3. Est-ce que je pourrai vrifier mon solde sur Internet?

23

4. Elle a contract un emprunt lanne dernire.

5. Je viens juste daller la banque pour imprimer mes extraits de compte.

Listening activity:
Which methods of payment can you think of? what are their advantages &
drawbacks?
Listen to 2 new methods of payment from radio 4
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01fs7l0 &
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01fs7kq
What are they? Whats positive & negative about them? Did you know about them?

Do you have a savings account? Is it useful to save? What would you invest in?
Check with http://money.msn.com/how-to-invest/video.aspx

3. Investments & the stock market

Read the text below and find the words or expressions in italics which mean:
1. money for a service, often a percentage of the value of the business done:
2. the many portions into which a company's capital is divided.:
3. a professional dealer in shares:
4. the income produced by a successful share:
5. where shares are bought and sold according to a set of fixed rules:
6. to offer company shares on the stock exchange for the first time:
7. an investor's selection of shares:
8 .an investor who owns shares in a company:

shares and float themselves on the stock market. People who buy
shareholders. Stockbrokers act as middlemen between investors and the stock market.

Big companies wishing to raise capital can issue

these shares are known as

They receive a commission or fee for their services. They may also manage their clients' investments. Wise investors
spread their risk by buying shares in a range of different companies. This range of shares makes up what is known
as a portfolio. Share values can rise or fall of course, but investors always hope that the company will make
enough profit to be able to pay its shareholders a dividend.

Find other words in the text above built around invest .

What do you know about the stock market? Do you know the names of several
stock markets?
What do you know about the financial situation of Europe? Of Belgium?

24

What happened in Wall Street in 1929?

One of the most dramatic events in financial history was the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Study the graph
which shows the value of shares before and after the crash, and then complete the text using the following
verbs given
The value of shares 1
in the years from 1923 and early 1925. They then 2
until
early 1927. All of a sudden share values started to 3
and kept on 4
.On the
third of September 1929 the market 5
by five per cent in just one day. Prices
finally 6
on 3 September 1929. The crash came on 29 October (known as Black
Tuesday), when values 7
. On that one day, a record 16,410,030 shares were traded on the
US exchanges and thousands of people were ruined. By December values had 8
to just over 200 points and the world's capitalist economies had entered the Great Depression.

RISE/ SOAR/ PEAK/ DROP/ LEVEL OFF/ REMAIN STEADY/ JUMP/ PLUMMET.

Say these words aloud, stressing the syllable in bold.

economy
economic

economist
economical

economics

Complete the sentences using each word above once only.

The .problems of developing countries are very hard to solve.
She teaches ..at a famous business school.
The said that interest rates would continue to rise.
The new motor uses less fuel, so it's much more than the old one.
Speculation in stocks and shares is bad for the

Look at the following graphs and explain the trends.

Nasdaq:

25

Reading activities & grammar review:

Credit crunch to downturn
The full story... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7521250.stm)
A few years ago, few people had heard of the term credit crunch, but the phrase has
now entered dictionaries.
Defined as "a severe shortage of money or credit", the start of the phenomenon has
been pinpointed as 9 August 2007 when bad news from French bank BNP Paribas
triggered sharp rise in the cost of credit, and made the financial world realise how
serious the situation was.
The roots of the credit crunch, however, started earlier.
Between 2004 and 2006 US interest rates rose from 1% to 5.35%, triggering a
slowdown in the US housing market.
Homeowners, many of whom could only barely afford their mortgage payments when
interest rates were low, began to default on their mortgages.
Default rates on sub-prime loans - high risk loans to clients with poor or no credit
histories - rose to record levels.
The impact of these defaults were felt across the financial system as many of the
mortgages had been bundled up and sold on to banks and investors. .
Be able to explain & summarize this excerpt.
Look at the verb forms which are underlined. They are in the passive but in which
tense???
Reviset the passive in your grammar syllabus for more information & exercises

Put the sentences in the passive:

1.The Chairman of the Board asked the Managing Director to remain in charge for
another year.
The Managing Director _______________to remain in charge for another year.
2.Nobody has ever called me 'Honeypop'!
I ________________'Honeypop'!
3. I haven't decided on anything yet.
Nothing __________________yet.
4. Someone had told me that the road works caused delays.
I________________ that the road works caused delays.
5. People say that the recession is a difficult moment.
The recession _________________ a difficult moment.
6. They have ordered the banks to close.
The banks ____________________________close.

Put the verbs in the active/passive

The Japanese Economics Minister ___________(quote) by the Jiji news agency
yesterday saying that he ___________(keep) a close eye on the movement of
Japan's currency, the yen, which _______________(strengthen).

26

Economists said that a stronger yen may make it harder for companies to sell their
goods abroad, further hurting their earnings.
Analysts said that there __________(be) concerns about the speed with which
Japan's economy could rebound from the problems.
Last month Japan _______________(overtake) by China as the world's secondlargest economy.
"In the short term, the market ____________________(almost surely suffer) and
stocks _____________(plunge)," said Koetsu Aizawa, economics professor at
Saitama University.
Adapted from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12710555

Dealing with figures

Read aloud the following phrases using numbers in payments.
1. Invoice No. 508/ 19G
2. a gross profit of 14.5%
3. 31 August 1999
4. the list price is 41,337
5. profit before interest and tax of 1,457,000
6. an annual rate of interest of 26.8%
7. handling charges of 1 %
8. bank charges of 3.66
9. $673m operating profits

4. The economic situation

4.1. The economic situation in Europe
GROUP ACTIVITY
What do you know about the economic situation in Europe, more precisely in
Belgium, Greece, Portugal & Germany.
In groups of four, make research on one country (each student looks for information
on one of the 4 countries in at least 2 magazines or newspaper) is reports to his /her
group
4.2. The economic situation of students9: conjugate the verbs in a suitable tense and
react
Study the words highlighted.
Student Loan Problems: One Third Of Millennials Regret Going To College
Heres an indication of how burdensome student loans have become: About one-third
of millennials say they ___________________(be) better off working, instead of going to
college and paying tuition. Thats a according to a new Wells Fargo study which surveyed
1,414 millennials between the ages of 22 and 32. More than half of them financed their
education through student loans, and many say the if they had $10,000 the first thing they
________________(do) is pay down their student loan or credit card debt.

excerpt adapted from http://www.forbes.com/sites/halahtouryalai/2013/05/22/student-loan-problemsone-third-of-millennials-regret-going-to-college/print/

27

Unit 4. Marketing
1. Background information: what is marketing?
Complete the following text using the correct form of these verbs
ANTICIPATE
DIVIDE
FILL INFLUENCE
INVOLVE
MODIFY
OFFER
SHARE
SELL
UNDERSTAND
A market can be defined as all the potential customers (1) ......................... a particular need
or want. Marketing is the process of developing, pricing, distributing and promoting the
goods or services that satisfy such needs. Marketing therefore combines market research,
new product development, distribution, advertising, promotion, product improvement, and
so on. According to this definition, marketing begins and ends with the customer. Truly
successful marketing (2) .the customer so well that the product or service
satisfies a need so perfectly that the customer is desperate to buy it.
The product almost (3) ..................... itself. Of course this will only happen if the product or
service is better than those of competitors.
Companies are always looking for marketing opportunities - possibilities of (4)
unsatisfied needs in areas in which they are likely to enjoy a
differential advantage, due to their particular competencies. Marketing opportunities are
generally isolated by market segmentation - (5) . a market into submarkets
or segments according to customers' requirements or buying habits. Once a target market has
been identified, a company has to decide what goods or services to (6) ....................................
always remembering the existence of competitors.
Marketers do not only identify consumer needs; they can (7) .them by
developing new products. They will then have to design marketing strategies and plan
marketing programmes, and then organize, implement, and control the marketing effort.
Once the basic offer, for example a product concept, has been established, the company has
to think about the marketing mix - the set of all the various elements of a marketing
programme, their integration, and the amount of effort that a company can expend on them
in order to (8) the target market. The best-known classification of
these elements is the 4 P's: Product, Price, Promotion and Place.
Aspects to be considered in marketing a product include its quality, its features, style, brand
name, size, packaging, services and guarantee, while price includes consideration of things like
the basic list price, discounts, the length of the payment period, and possible credit terms.
Place in a marketing mix includes such factors as distribution channels, coverage of the
market, locations of points of sale, inventory size, and so on. Promotion groups together
advertising, publicity, sales promotion, and personal selling.
The next stage is-to create long-term demand, perhaps by (9) ................... particular features of
the product to satisfy changes in consumer needs or market conditions.
Marketing can also involve the attempt to influence or change consumers' needs and
wants. Companies try to do this in order to sell their products; governments and health
authorities sometimes try to change people's habits for their own good or for the general
good. In other words, marketing also (10) . regulating the level, timing and
character of demand.

28

Vocabulary development
Complete the two-word collocations by matching words on the left with words
on the right.
1. consumer
a. brands
2. franchise
b. positioning
3. market
c. research
4. target
d. environment
5. competitive e. groups
6. premium
f. mix
7. marketing
g. audience
8. product
h. agreements
Complete the sentences using collocations from the exercise above.
1. Most businesses operate in a very __________________________.
2. Organisations have to market their goods and services at an identified
________________________.
3. There are many ________________________ to defend the interests of ordinary
people.
4. Good marketing requires effective ____________________. You need to find out
what the customers want.
5. Many petrol companies and clothing retailers extend their presence in the
marketplace by setting up __________________.
6. __________________ is concerned with how a product is located on the market in
relation to its competitor products. It includes consideration of product characteristics
and price.
7. The ________________ is a tool which helps successful marketing by analysing
the product, its pricing, where it is sold and how it is promoted.
8. _____________________ such as Porsche, Rolex and Armani are targeted at the
wealthiest consumers.
Read & Listen a complete case study called Aldi on the times100 site & report
http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/aldi/#axzz2bDa60LGx
Read edition 18. Be able to summarize it and to explain the key elements.
Work in groups and make a short presentation of each point.
You must be able to explain the marketing words from the text
Discuss
Think of the organisation in which you carried out your internship.
Can you apply the 4Ps framework?
What are its services? How are the organisations services positioned?
What are their strengths & weaknesses?
What promotion strategies does the business have?

29

2. Market Research
2.1. What do you know about market research?
For more information read the following text.
Companies or organisations which want to find out
how the public perceive their products or services
perform market research. This research often takes
the form of a survey, designed to investigate the
attitudes of the public. People are asked to respond to
a carefully formulated questionnaire. Researchers
may use a completely random sample of people, or a
selection of people with shared characteristics
(people who are representative of the segment of the
market that has been targeted). The findings of this
research will then be the object of a great deal of
analysis and interpretation.

Which expressions in the text mean the same?

slice
discover
identified to be of interest
reply
chance selection
poll
list of questions
results
typical
feelings and opinions
see
who are similar in some way
2.2. Why has market research taken such an important place?
It is impossible to sell products or services that customers do not want. Learning what
customers want, and how to present it attractively, drives the need for marketing
research. Small business has an edge over larger concerns in this regard. Large
businesses must hire experts to study the mass market, while small-scale
entrepreneurs are close to their customers and can learn much more quickly about
their buying habits. Small business owners have a sense their customers' needs from
years of experience, but this informal information may not be timely or relevant to the
current market. Marketing research focuses and organizes marketing information. It
ensures that such information is timely and permits entrepreneurs to:

Reduce business risks

Spot current and upcoming problems in the current market
Identify sales opportunities
Develop plans of action

30

2.3. How to do market research?

Without being aware of it, most business owners do market research every day.
Analyzing returned items, asking former customers why they've switched, and looking
at competitor's prices are all examples of such research. Formal marketing research
simply makes this familiar process orderly. It provides a framework to organize market
information.

Do you know some marketing research methods? Are they reliable?

Watch this video & be able to summarize it
Market Research:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E3mEKNuquQ&feature=related
Also watch this other video:
Small business marketing tip: how to do your market research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2jZQzTilQc
Make a list of the given tips and explain them.
Could these tips be adapted to larger companies?
Then read the following text and summarize it.
Five Market Research Myths and Why They are False10
Market research provides B2B and B2G executives with the opportunity to utilize it as a
business intelligence tool for driving performance improvements. Unfortunately, many
misconceptions exist about market research. This article discusses five common myths and
how they can be "myth busted". We also cover how partnering with a reputable market
research firm will put you at a solid competitive advantage.
Myth #1: Our industry is very complex. A research firm wouldn't understand our business and
couldn't possibly help us.
Leading research firms dedicate time and resources to understanding client organizations and
the industries in which they operate. Moreover, most established research firms specialize in
particular markets or areas. For example, Market Connections has in-depth experience with
government contractors many of which sell technology products or services. In addition, we
stay on top of the leading-edge issues that significantly impact our clients' performance and
bottom line, such as cyber security and transformational technologies. We also know the
federal government and the shifting IT and business process challenges agencies are facing in
this era of drastic budget cutbacks. We therefore agree on the importance of partnering with a
firm with relevant experience. In addition, a good research firm will not be shy about asking
your subject-matter experts for their input. Equally important, such a firm will request that
representatives from your company be involved in various stages of the program, including
the review and refinement of the survey questionnaire.
Myth #2: Market research is nothing but smoke and mirrors.

10

http://www.marketconnectionsinc.com/eNewsletter/misconceptions-about-market-research.html

31

We sometimes encounter marketing, sales, and operational professionals who distrust

research. This may stem from a perception that research results can be manipulated to validate
what the potential reader wants to hear and is therefore suspect. This is a valid concern, and it
is therefore important to turn to a reputable market research to ensure valid, objective results.
A good research firm will tell its clients they need to hear, not necessarily what they may
want to hear.
Myth #3: Research is highly technical we won't be able to relate to it.
With the right research partner, results and recommendations are clearly spelled out. We often
deal with highly technical subjects, but that is no excuse for a report filled with confusing
jargon (we don't like jargon either). There is no reason for you to expect anything but clear
and concise data and analyses that allow you to take action and written in plain English.
Myth #4: Market research is not tied to any measures of value or tangible outcomes. It lacks
an ROI.
Properly conducted market research drives informed, strategic decisions that can make a
significant impact on customer retention, new sales, and brand equity as well as operational
efficiencies and cost reductions. Market leaders utilize quantitative studies, focus groups, indepth interviews, and other methods to assess customer satisfaction, marketing campaign
effectiveness, potential new products and services, strengths and weaknesses of themselves
and competitors, and much more. Acting on the results of market research can make a
dramatic difference to your short-term bottom line and your long-term opportunities for
success. For example, contractors with higher win rates are the ones using an independent
market research to conduct contract evaluation research.
Myth #5. We're doing well, so we have no need for market research.
There is no guarantee that today's champions will be tomorrow's champions. Markets are
constantly changing and there is never a shortage of up and coming competitors with their
own new products and services that are looking to unseat the market leaders. Staying one step
ahead of the competition calls for research that addresses not only how well you are doing,
but understanding the perceptions your customers and prospects have about your competitors.
In addition, customer retention does not necessarily indicate customer satisfaction or loyalty.
It may simply be the case that continued inertia on the part of your customers is easier than
the upheaval of switching for now. An independent market research study of your customers
is the most reliable way to objectively understand where your vulnerabilities are, and give you
the means to address customers' pain points before they defect. Top contractors know the
intrinsic value of continuous outreach to their customers. This proactive business practice is a
key ingredient in staying on top in a field teeming with competitors.
We realize it can be a challenge to select a product or service in any industry and to place
your trust in the outcome. When it comes to market research, your business depends on
objective, valid and actionable results. A good firm will answer all your questions, explain the
research process and clearly confirm the goals, research targets, deliverables, timing and
budget. As always, we at Market Connections would be happy to answer any questions you
may have and discuss the right research options for meeting your needs.
Do you agree with the following ideas?
32

Explain the words that are highlighted.

Look at the words in red. They are examples of modal verbs.
Revise your modals in your grammar syllabus.

3. Promotion and advertising

3.1. Knowing Coca-Cola, discuss these questions in groups:
What competition does the product face?
- How does the product differentiate itself from its competitors?
- Whats the image of the product? Has there been any problem with its
image? If so, how has it been solved?
- Whats the image of the company that produces it?
- Whats its target market? (Age, social status that the brand appeals to)
- Where and how is the product advertised?
- Do you know stories in relationship with Coca-Cola?
Listen to this:
Coca-Cola Content 2020 part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LerdMmWjU_E
Which words have you learned from this video? Can you explain them?
What do you think about this marketing strategy?

And read to know more:

Explain why Coca-Cola refuses to rest on their laurels.
Explain what they do to stay at the top of the market.
Explain the highlighted words.
Explain the difference between as/ such as/ like
Coca-Cola Leveraging Social To Drive Leadership in Social Media
Marketing11

Gone are the days when companies like Coca-Cola could rest on their laurels and rely on
their global brand image to capture market share. As Noreen OLeary cites in her
Adweek Article How the Worlds Most Iconic Brand Was Saved From Itself, Coke
recognized the dire need to get back into the cultural conversation in order to become
relevant and modern and appeal to a new generation. Through dramatic projects such as
Coca-Cola.TV, Coca-Cola.FM and live-streaming music events, Coca-Cola has shown the
world how revolutionary they can be and how this type of marketing evokes emotional,
long-lasting customer engagement.
Ive previously written about Coca-Cola turning its focus toward direct engagement with
users via social media infrastructure and big data and how embracing social software has
empowered big brands like Coke to leverage the powers of social. With marketing
communication strategies evolving, Coca-Cola is looking to capitalize on the everchanging landscape. Wisely recognizing the power of owning its own content and
11

http://www.forbes.com/sites/siliconangle/2013/06/18/coca-cola-leveraing-social-to-driveleadership-in-social-media-marketing/

33

democratizing access to it, Coca-Cola has partnered with Thismoment to design a concept
called Pantry. As communicated in a joint press release, Pantry provides Coca-Cola
with the ability to consolidate valuable content and democratize access to it. Through a
central registry, regional content rights, analytics, discoverability, collaboration, futureproofing and a simple, easy-to-use interface, Pantry provides Coca-Cola with the ability to
execute the revolutionary strategy it envisioned.
Successful brand marketers like Coca-Cola understand that traditional marketing
disciplines must be supplemented with new models rich with content, engagement,
conversation, and analytics the essence of social commerce. As big brands need to
create an even better brand experience and empower their marketers with tools that will
allow them to do so simply and effectively, more and more companies are turning to
social software solutions to provide them the advantage they need to stay ahead of the
curve.
In speaking with John Bara, the CMO of Thismoment, about how companies like CocaCola are able to continuously stay on top of the brand marketing pyramid, he shared The
youth audience is on line all the time. The ultimate objective of savvy social marketers is
to reach and engage the audience anytime including on mobile devices. Marketers need a
social marketing system which can help them and their agencies share, re-use and
distribute content across all social end points and devices.
As Javier Sanchez Lamelas, former Vice President of Marketing for Latin America and
current Vice President of Europe at The Coca-Cola Company, espouses in the release to
continuously develop successful strategies that break new ground and lead to deeper
engagement, powerhouses like Coca-Cola must align themselves with technology
companies that enable them to crystalize their ultimate vision and go beyond the
unexpected.

Depict a Coca-Cola ad you know.

Watch these videos on youTube about Coca-cola:
Commercial in the 1950s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTei7mzW2Fs
Commercial in the 1970s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA73seWkhZI
Commercial in 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8m5d6xENWA
What do you think of them? How is Coca-Cola advertised here?
Can you describe the evolution of the marketing strategy of the brand?

34

Choose another product & discuss it in the same way:

What competition does the product face?
- How does the product differentiate itself from its competitors?
- Whats the image of the product? Has there been any problem with its
image? If so, how has it been solved?
- Whats the image of the company that produces it?
- Whats its target market? (Age, social status that the brand appeals to)
- Where and how is the product advertised?

Do you know Guerilla advertising?

Watch & find out: bloguerrilla - Guerrilla Marketing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlBMF1MvAGY&feature=related
Do you know Product placement?
Watch this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWfKYogGmWI How many
products can you spot?
Whats your opinion on product placement? Does it enhance films?
Lets go a bit deeper: Analyzing Techniques of Advertising
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awwIfaWq_qg&feature=related
3.2. Which products and services tend to have advertisements which:
- use images of comfort and people being looked after?
- make people feel guilty?
- use beautiful models?
- use scientists in laboratories or scientific evidence?
- have special characters, real or cartoon, which we associate with the
product?
- use images of friendly, helpful, professional-looking people?
- stress reliability and safety?
Each time depict an advertisement which supports your hypothesis.
3.3. Discuss:
Your favourite TV commercials
Describe them to your partners and explain why you think they are effective.
Can ads show and promote anything in your opinion? Why (not)?

Listening activity on marketing: HOMEWORK

Listen & fill in the gaps online
http://www.uefap.com/listen/exercise/advertis/adfram.htm

35

3.4. Promoting a product

involves developing a USP (unique selling point): the features and benefits
which make it unlike any other competing products.
There are four stages in promoting a product called AIDA:
1. Attract the ATTENTION of potential customers.
2. Arouse INTEREST in the product.
3. Create DESIRE for its benefits and encourage them to make a
DECISION
4. Encourage customers to take prompt ACTION
Ikea : what do you know about this firm, its products & advertising techniques.
Whats the USP of Ikea products? Watch these ads:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQjBrt9LriY
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=9-_503Jf0L8
(Funny IKEA Commercial ).
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0YwQjY9roE ( start at 3:20)
What do you think of them? & how do the ads work in terms of AIDA?
- Watch some more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRiYkwtBK34. What
are the products?
3.5. HOMEWORK: cut one advertisement from a magazine or newspaper and
prepare a short presentation of each advertisement including:
target customers
the USP of the product: its features and benefits
how the ad works in terms of the four stage of AIDA
Work in groups: show the ads youve cut from magazines or newspapers to the
members of your group and present them.

3.6. Vocabulary
Choose between a, b, c or d.
1. In my opinion, the ... are not worth watching on TV.
a. publicity b. news
c. commercials
d. advertisings
2. Their new packaging certainly ... the eye.
a. takes
b. catches c. attracts
d. steals
3. The companys ... was badly damaged by the TV programme.
a. image
b. attitude
c. appeal
d. advert
4. They use a(n) ... agency to try to repair the damage the programme caused.
a. advertising
b. public relations c. model
d. publicity
5. Their ... always have great ideas for memorable slogans.
a. designers b. copywriters
c. account managers
d. publisher
6. We need to find a famous athlete to ... our new running shoes.
a. sponsor b. endorse c. agree with
d. agree to
7. Our new microwave dinners will ... to busy businesswomen.
a. appeal
b. please
c. target
d. attract
8. We need an entirely new strategy, not just a silly ... for our next marketing
campaign.
a. launch
b. approach c. gimmick
d. slogan
36

9. I beg you. Stop singing that radio ...

a. slogan
b. jingle
c. voice-over
d. advertising
10. Soap powder commercials often test their product against a mystery ... X.
a. file
b. brand
c. customer
d. generation

Translate into English.

1. Nous souhaiterions lancer un nouveau produit sur le march.

2. Nous allons essayer de protger notre part de march et cibler un nouveau public
avec notre campagne publicitaire.

3. La meilleure forme de publicit est le bouche oreille, qui se passe quand des
clients recommandent le produit des amis.

4. Nous aurions eu besoin dune analyse complte de ces produits si nous avions
voulu les concurrencer.

5. Il parait que les quotidiens et les hebdomadaires sont plus efficaces que les
panneaux publicitaires. (use a passive)

3.7. Reading
Have you heard about an NGO called the ASA?
The Advertising Standards Authority12 (ASA) is the self-regulatory organisation (SRO) of the
advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so
cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly
reflects legislation in many instances. The ASA is not funded by the British Government, but
by a levy on the advertising industry.
Its role is to "regulate the content of advertisements, sales promotions and direct marketing in
the UK" by investigating "complaints made about ads, sales promotions or direct marketing",
and deciding whether such advertising complies with its advertising standards codes. These
codes stipulate that "before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for
publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove all claims, whether direct or
implied, that are capable of objective substantiation" and that "no marketing communication
should mislead, or be likely to mislead, by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or
otherwise".

12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising_Standards_Authority_%28United_Kingdom%29

37

Guy Parker has been Chief Executive of the ASA since June 2009. His salary for this role is
120,000.
Is there such an organisation in Belgium? Whats its status & power?
Now, imagine a misleading ad. Either you explain it or you imagine a roleplay.

4. Product life cycles

Nearly all products follow a typical life cycle. Look at the graph and decide
where the following stages belong on the graph.
DECLINE/ RE-LAUNCH/ LAUNCH/ GROWTH / DEATH/ MATURITY

Most businesses sell more than one product. Often they will produce several
similar products that appeal to different customers. A collection of such
products is known as a product range.
What are the advantages of having a product range?

Managing the product portfolio: fill in the gaps with a suitable form of the
words from the list13
allocate /growth/ growing / high growth/ low-growth /sustain/ for/ on /into/ in/
low
A business with a range of products has a portfolio of products. However,
owning a product portfolio often poses a problem for a business. It must
decide how to __________________ investment (e.g. in product development,
promotion) across the portfolio. Which products should it focus _______?
A portfolio of products can be analysed using the Boston Matrix. This
categorises the products _________one of four different areas, based on:

13

based on http://tutor2u.net/business/gcse/marketing_product_portfolio_boston_matrix.htm

38

Market share does the product being sold have a low or high market
share?
Market ______________ are the numbers of potential customers _____
the market _______________or not

Stars are ______________products competing in markets where they are

strong compared with the competition. Often Stars need heavy investment to ____________growth. Eventually growth will slow and, assuming they keep
their market share, Stars will become Cash Cows
Cash cows are_______________ products with a high market share. These
are mature, successful products with relatively little need ______investment.
They need to be managed for continued profit - so that they continue to
generate the strong cash flows that the company needs for its Stars
Question marks are products with ________market share operating in high
growth markets. This suggests that they have potential, but may need
substantial investment to grow market share at the expense of larger
competitors. Management have to think hard about Question Marks - which
ones should they invest in? Which ones should they allow to fail or shrink?
Unsurprisingly, the term dogs refers to products that have a low market
share in unattractive, low-growth markets. Dogs may generate enough cash to
break-even, but they are rarely, if ever, worth investing in. Dogs are usually
sold or closed.

How does the Boston matrix relate to the product life cycle? & what do you
think of it?
Listening activity: The benefits of product portfolio management
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kpoITn53mc&feature=related
39

Unit 5. Organisations
1. Kinds of organisations
1.1. Vocabulary
Business is the activity of producing, buying and selling goods and services. A business,
company, firm or more formally, a concern, sells goods or services. Large companies
considered together are referred to as big business.
A company may be called an enterprise, especially to emphasize its risk-taking nature.
Businesses vary in size, from the self-employed person working alone, through the small or
medium enterprise (SME) to the large multinational with activities in several countries.
A large company, especially in the US, is a corporation. The adjective, corporate, is often used
in:
Corporate culture/ corporate ladder/ corporate headquarters/ corporate logo/ corporate profit/
corporate image
Sole owner and sole proprietor Self-employed people and partnerships
are also used both in Br E and Am E.
Sole trader is not used in the US.

I'm a freelance graphic designer, a freelancer. That means I work for myself - I'm self employed.
To use the official term, I'm a sole trader.

Note: people such as designers and journalists are usually described as freelancers, and people such as
builders and plumbers as self-employed.
We have set up our own architecture partnership. There are no shareholders in the
organization apart from us, the partners. A lot of professional people like lawyers,
accountants and so on, work in partnerships.
Limited liability
I'm the managing director and main shareholder
of a small electronics company in Scotland called Ad Ltd. Ltd means limited company. The other
shareholders and have limited liability: we do not have to use our personal property, such as a
house or car, to pay the companys debts.
I'm the chief executive of a British company called Meg PLC. `PLC' means public limited company,
so anybody can buy and sell shares in Meg on the stock market.
I'm CEO of Big Inc. `Inc' stands for Incorporated. This shows that we are a corporation, a term
used especially in the US for companies with limited liability.
Non-profit organizations
Organizations with social aims such as helping those who are sick or poor; or encouraging artistic
activity, are non-profit organizations (BrE) or not-for-profit organizations (AmE)- They are also called
charities, and form the voluntary sector, as they rely heavily on volunteers (unpaid workers). They are
usually managed by paid professionals, and they put a lot of effort into fund-raising, getting people
to donate money to the organization in the form of donations.

40

1.2. Vocabulary use

Finish the expressions using words from the introduction on business and
businesses.
1. Before we employ people, we like to put them in job situations to see how they do the work and fit into
the corporate _________________.
2. The company has built grand corporate _______________ as a permanent symbol of its
power.
3. Our stylish new corporate _______________ shows our wish to be seen as a more
international airline.
4. The economy is growing and corporate ______________ are rising.
5. The rules were introduced to protect women working in factories, but today they make it harder for
women to climb the corporate _________________.
6. Companies hit by computer crime are not talking about it because they fear the publicity will harm
their corporate _____________________.

What type of organisation is each of these?

1. A group of engineers who work together to provide consultancy and design
services. There are no outside shareholders.
2. A large British engineering company with 30,000 employees. Its shares are bought
and sold on the stock market.
3. An American engineering company with outside shareholders.
4. An engineer who works by herself providing consultancy. She works from home and visits
clients in their offices.
5. An independent British engineering company with 20 employees. It was founded by three
engineers, who are shareholders and directors of the company. There are five other
shareholders who do not work for the company.

1.3. Discuss:
- In which type of organisation would you like to work later/ have you already worked/
are you going to work as a trainee?
- Would you be interested in being self-employed later? Why (not)?
- Would you be interested in working in the public sector (rail transport, bus transport,
postal services)? Why (not)? - Whats your opinion on industries in the public sector?
How could their image be improved?
- When starting a business what do you think you would pay attention to?
- Do you think its important for a business to have a clear structure? why? why not?

2. Structure & culture of a company

Read some background information about structuring a business
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/people/ictrev1.shtml
Then have a look at the chart & fill in the gaps.

41

Explain the structure of the company in which you have been a trainee.
What do you think is more important: the structure of a company or its corporate
culture?
Listen to why its important to build a strong corporate culture.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23177948

42

Explain the corporate culture of the organisation in which you have carried out your
internship?
How would you qualify it? Whats the role of PR in the corporate culture?
Check what is said in this video: Gary Sheffer on Building GE's Corporate
Culture: The Business Case for Public Relations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4Xu3iRnutQ
Vocabulary practice:
1. Fill in the gaps with words based around manage and organise
1. Can you learn how to be a good ...................................?
2. The company became a worldwide ........................................ in 1998.
3. In Britain a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) is called the ......................... director.
4. A(n) ............................. chart shows the structure of the company.
5. The firm went bankrupt because of bad ...........................................
6. Id like you to ................................. those files in alphabetical order.
7. It was the most difficult ................................. decision she had ever had to
make.
2. Look at the department names below and decide which department the speaker
works in.
Production
Human Resources/Personnel
Finance
R&D
Sales and Marketing
1. Well, we deal with the workforce needs of the firm: recruitment of the staff, pay,
training, and so on. ..........................................
2. We listen to customers and identify their needs. We establish sales plans and
targets for different sales forces. We also deal with advertising.
.......................................................
3. We work on new products and improve old ones. We have close contact with
Marketing and production. .......................................
4. Were responsible for the manufacturing of our products and for trying to find
ways of improving quality. We deal with suppliers and make sure that we have
enough components in stock. ...................................................
5. Our department is concerned with the day-to-day running of the money side of
the company. We have to estimate costs and prices, deal with the accounts, and
produce budgets and cash flow forecasts. ....................................................
Where do you expect these people to work ?
1. A Chairman :
2. An Accounts clerk :
3. A Sales executive :
4. A personnel officer :
5. A foreman :
6. A graduate trainee

43

3. Society & work

Discuss: React to the following statements
Women would rather work for a man.
Men are promoted on their potential but women are promoted on their performance
In the job market, women can be their own worst enemies
Read this article14 adapted from the BBC & while reading put the verbs in the correct
form &/or choose the correct proposal.
Should equal gender pay be enforced?
New salary figures released by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) have documented
that the gender gap in basic salaries has increased at senior levels.
The pay gap between men and women is exacerbated by bonus payments ___________(give)
to male managers which are on average double those for women, says the CMI.
Male managers' average bonus payments __________(be) 6,442 last year compared to
3,029 for women.
The gender pay gap _______________(increase) with each rung of the management ladder,
says the CMI, with male salaries already almost 25% higher then /than women's before
bonuses _____________________(even+ take) into account.
Male managers' earnings across all levels _________________ (rise) faster than women's for
the first time in five years, according to the study, while male directors' earnings
_______________(rise) 5.3% over the last year, compared to just 1.1% for female directors.
The gender pay imbalance ____________________(remain) in place despite/ although/ in
spite the 1970 Equal Pay Act being in force for several decades.
Experts give differing opinions below on whether equal gender pay should be enforced and
how the gap should be addressed.
Charlotte Bowyer, of the Adam Smith Institute
The gender pay gap persists for complex reasons, and legal enforcement of equal pay
________________(risk) harming women.
Sexism does exist in the workplace: some employers undervalue less traditionally
"masculine" attributes and skills, leading them to compare women unfavourably against
conventionally "male" skills. But that isn't the only reason for the pay gap. Less/Fewer
women occupy senior positions, which/ what/who can be reflected in terms of bonus payouts,
whilst women are less likely than male counterparts to single themselves out for rises and
financial rewards.

14

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23769524

44

Women can also be costly to employers in terms of maternity leave, getting "back up to
speed" and higher days off dealing with domestic emergencies. Lower pay can therefore
compensate for the opportunity costs sometimes incurred when hiring women.
Blunt enforcement of equal pay doesn't address these problems, and can instead have the
perverse effect of ____________________(discourage) employers from hiring women. If
taking women on simply becomes more expensive, some employers will be less inclined to do
so.
Addressing the gender pay gap should be a social issue and not a legal one. The market is
amoral and well-intentioned attempts to make it fairer will fail if they come from the top
down.
As having women in senior corporate positions becomes less of a novelty and more of a given,
workplace discrimination is likely to diminish.
Furthermore, shifts towards flexible childcare choices and increased paternity leave uptake
are likely to level the playing field and reduce "maternity risk".
Enforcing equal pay does little to tackle the reason behind pay inequality and can easily be
invasive, costly and distortionary. It's an easy answer, but it's the wrong one.
Roger Ellis, of the British Business Alliance
I would prefer the market to decide. I do certainly agree with equal pay for equal work, and
I've done that throughout my career, but I'm not too certain that I like the idea of legislation to
enforce it.
Then you start getting quotas, saying you have to have "so" many women and "so" many men.
I'm not sure that by ______________(force) quotas necessarily means you get the right
person.
When you give somebody an increase [in salary] you do it for performance purposes
hopefully, and that is obviously very subjective - and if you start saying equal pay then you're
really saying: "Forget the idea of doing performance-related pay - just scrap that and give
everyone the same salary," and I don't agree with that either.

Global companies: Discuss

Who are they?
Whats their role in the global economy in your opinion?
What about their environmental impact, the price of their products?
What do you know about delocalisation?
What do you know about globalisation?
Discuss its reasons and impacts than check what is said in the following links
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/industry/globalisation_rev2.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev3.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev4.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/globalisation/globalisation_rev5.shtml

45

React to the pictures

15

16

Watch this video: Investment in Africa: boom or burden?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23597330

Homework: Choose a global company, research & present it. Look at its CSR
strategies on its corporate website.

15

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2006/07/19/on-the-front-line-of-globalisation/
http://rowantomkinsonyear7geography2011.wikispaces.com/Practice+Posting-+GlobalisationWeek+2
16

46

But .What is CSR17? Read the following text &

Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called sustainable responsible business/
Responsible Business) is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model.
CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors
and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and
international norms.[ ]CSR is a process with the aim to embrace responsibility for the
company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment,
consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere
who may also be considered as stakeholders. [.]
Proponents argue that corporations make more long term profits by operating with a
perspective, while critics argue that CSR distracts from the economic role of businesses. [.]
Some argue that CSR is merely window-dressing, or an attempt to pre-empt the role of
governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations.
CSR is titled to aid an organization's mission as well as a guide to what the company stands
for and will uphold to its consumers. Development business ethics is one of the forms of
applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in
a business environment. [.]
Whats the difference with greenwashing? Explain.

Mens position & stereotypes in our society. Discuss & react to the text
Listen & watch, then react: People waiting longer to retire, say new figures
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17064889

4. The workplace18
A. Describe your workplace, its atmosphere, its offices If you had to give some
advice to somebody starting in that workplace what would you say?
B. Describe your former workplace in terms of?
- working hours / breaks / timekeeping /overtime/ reward system
- working space (own office / workstations in open-plan areas/ )
- union recognition
- recreational and sports facilities for staff / child-care facilities
- relationships between boss and employees (hierarchical/ familiar /egalitarian/
impersonal/ unfriendly/ authoritarian)
- dress code (casual /smart) / smoking

17
18

adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility

New International Business English 5.1.

47

C. Youll hear a new employee being told where the different offices are in the firm he
has just joined. Listen to the conversation and number the rooms that he is shown.
The tour starts at Mrs Bronsons office.
Main Entrance

1 Accounts Dept
2 Canteen
3 Coffee machine
4 Conference room
5 General Manager
6 Gents toilet
7 Lifts
8 Marketing Dept
9 Photocopying room
10 Purchasing Dept
11 Sales Dept
1 2 Reception

5. Balancing work & personal life

Do you think that in todays society its easier or more difficult to balance work &
personal life? How has technology affected the balance?
Watch this video on how to balance work & personal life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8YD_sVQlpc
What are the tips given and what do you think about them? Are they easy to put into
practice.

48

6. Meetings
Some background information on meetings: reading activity
Business people spend quite a lot of time in meetings, and meetings come in all shapes and sizes,
ranging from formal committee meetings to informal one-to-one meetings.
There are several reasons why meetings are held:
- reaching decisions in a meeting means that all the participants can feel more committed to the
decision
- more information is available
- different and unexpected ideas can be contributed
- meetings can lead to more imaginative and informed decisions
Some of the drawbacks of meetings are:
- more time is required than if one person made the decisions
- there's more talk (and this is sometimes irrelevant and repetitive)
- there's more group pressure
The larger the meeting, the longer it may take to reach a decision. There seem to be ideal sizes for
meetings, depending on the purpose. A meeting where information is being given to people can be
quite large, because there is not likely to be much discussion, and questions may be asked by a few
individuals on everyone else's behalf.
The way a committee operates often depends on the chairperson: he or she may control the
proceedings very strictly, or let everyone speak whenever they want. An effective chairperson should
be flexible. In some committee meetings the members have to take a vote before a decision can be
made: formal proposals or 'motions' may have to be tabled, seconded and discussed before a vote
can be taken. Other meetings may require a consensus of the members: everyone agrees with the
decision - or at least no one disagrees.
Most meetings have an agenda. For a formal meeting, this document is usually circulated in advance
to all participants. For an informal meeting, the agenda may be simply a list of the points that have to
be dealt with. The purpose of an agenda is to speed up the meeting and keep everyone to the point.
The agenda for a formal meeting must be organized in logical order. Often the agenda shows not only
the topics but the meetings function regarding each topic ( 'to receive, a report on... ; 'to confirm ... ;
'to approve... ; etc.). All items on which a decision is to be taken should appear on the agenda, which
would usually have this format:
1 Minutes of the previous meeting
2 Matters arising
3 Items
Any other business (AOB)
Taking minutes, and writing them up later, are special skills, involving decisions like 'Do we need to
know which person made every point? and 'Is this point worth mentioning?' Minutes usually report
details of the time, date and duration of the meeting and the names of those present, but the content
of the report itself may be detailed or brief, depending on the anticipated readership.
Even one-to-one or small informal meetings are structured (usually with an agenda) and planned.
They are different from chance conversations in a corridor or over coffee. Small informal meetings
may also take place or continue during a meal.

Listening activity: Meetings, bloody meetings 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF39VQXEpjk&feature=player_profilepage#!
Your own experience: oral activity.
How to write down minutes
What should be put in minutes?
49

Watch this video19: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAr_t2OsEdc

and take the minutes.
Then discuss

19 Simulated Meeting for Minute Taking Practice

50

Unit 6. Public Relations

1. What is PR?
Read this blog post & try to answer the questions.
- check the words you dont understand focus on those highlighted.
- revise the genitive.
What 16-year-olds want to know about the PR industry20
Questions from the international students stretched into three broad categories: what exactly is
PR? How do you get into PR? And why would you want to do it?
Here are some of the top questions, which offer insight into what todays teens and
tomorrows potential PRs are thinking.
What exactly is PR?
There was a level of confusion about the difference between PR and advertising. Discussing
the difference between approaches to PR, we passed around magazines for the students to see
examples of PR in action, which created even more questions. Why would the journalist
write this? Why do they care?
Top questions:
How is PR different from advertising?
How do you get your message into magazines without paying?
Even if its a third party communicating about your brand, its still your brand speaking surely?
What would make a journalist want to write about your product?
Why would you discuss something not exactly related to buying your product?
What do you actually do day-to-day?
How do you get into PR?
Understandably, the students also kept taking us back to the theme of how do you get into
PR? A show of hands revealed around 70% were interested in media careers.
While we explained we would always prize a writing-based/critical thinking degree as a good
foundation for PR, we noted that other countries work on a more vocational basis. Our advice
was to study something that interested them now, to do so passionately, and to be proactive
about seeking work experience across as much of the media sector as possible.
Top questions:

20

http://prweekblog.prweek.com/2013/07/30/what-16-year-olds-want-to-know-about-the-pr-industry/

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How can you prepare for a career in PR? What sort of activities and courses?
Should we study journalism? Or should we study PR at university?
What did you do when you were our age to prepare for your career?
Why would you want to do PR?
As the session progressed, the students became curious about some of the more nuanced
elements of the job.
Top questions:
How is an agency different? How does it differ from working in-house?
How does a pitch work? Is it like Mad Men? (Answer yes, but with less vodka)
What are the worst types of clients? The best?
How are teams structured on client work?
What is the most fulfilling part of your role?
Have you ever said no to a new client?!
Whilst the session was a reminder about some of the misconceptions concerning what PR is
and does, we were impressed by the sophistication of the questions and inspired by the
commitment to our profession from this enthusiastic next generation.
The future of the PR industry is in safe hands as long as were there to nurture this interest.
To find some answers . read this other article
Public Relations (PR) is about managing reputation: what you do, what you say
and what others say about you.21
What do you think PR is?
A profession that organises events like product launch parties and awards ceremonies?
An industry that uses marketing, advertising, promotion and publicity to gain attention?
A busy office job which consists of liaising with a wide group of people including clients,
photographers and journalists?
A serious business function with a growing body of theoretical and practical knowledge?
The answer is: all of the above and more.
But what is PR?

21

From Which Course? magazine. Issue 30.6

(http://education.independent.co.uk/careers_advice/az_careers/article219528.ece )

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Public relations practitioners are the guardians of organisational reputation. They seek to build
long-lasting relationships by establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and goodwill
between an organisation and the public.
All organisations need to communicate, whether it is between themselves or with their various
public audiences. Organisations have ideas and messages to pass on and do so through the PR
practitioner, who ensures that the information disseminated among target audiences is honest
and open.
An organisation's audiences come in many various forms. PR has to deal with each group
separately, since information demands vary. Audiences include the media, government,
employees, shareholders, pressure groups and any other external public or private body whose
activities may affect an organisation.
Why practise PR?
To communicate effectively, an organisation has to listen as well as talk, and it is through PR
that they can do this. Understanding can only take place if dialogue is established between the
communicator and audience.
Since the late 1980s, PR's role has gone beyond promoting awareness, gaining media
exposure and influencing behaviour. PR is a strategic management function that supervises
and directs an organisation's brand, reputation and corporate image.
Am I a PR person?
As with any other job, confidence and know-how are acquired through time and practice. The
basic requirements however are:
Strong communications skills both written and spoken
Good project management skills the ability to carry out several different tasks simultaneously
and work within allocated budgets and deadlines
An enquiring and analytical mind: practitioners need to have an ongoing interest in current
affairs, especially in the socio-political and economic developments that impact upon business
Where would I work?
There are two ways to work in PR: either in a consultancy or in-house. The differences are:
The public relations consultancy is an agency providing advice and specialist services to
clients
The in-house public relations department works exclusively for the organisation
Why pursue a PR career?
PR makes use of knowledge and skills drawn from different disciplines like business
management, marketing and psychology, for example and so welcomes students from a wide
variety of academic backgrounds. A degree in PR is not necessary, though the industry is
beginning to realise the value of PR graduates.
The many industry sectors of public relations mean that specialist knowledge is sometimes
required. Thus, a graduate of biochemistry can go into healthcare PR while a student of
computer science can work in PR for the IT and new technology markets.
Briefly, the main industry sectors are:
Corporate
Financial
Consumer
Public Affairs
Local government
Business-to-business
53

Trade and technical

Internal communications
Not-for-profit organisations or charities
PR prospects
PR is a competitive industry, ranking as one of the top three most popular career choices for
graduates in the UK. Drive, competence and a willingness to learn are important.
Work experience is crucial as it provides aspiring practitioners with a better understanding of
the business. Paid work experience can be a temporary position or a short-term contract, while
volunteers do not receive payment, but can start to build all-important contacts. Any relevant
experience is useful as it shows initiative and commitment.
How do you imagine your future in PR?
Watch these videos:
A Day in the Life - Public Relations Specialist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUiiNghicNM&feature=related

Career Advice for PR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otcVpw-BJeI&NR=1

Howard Bragman advises PR people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBbnb8YXGeI

What do you think?

2. P.R. in Belgium
The Belgian Public Relations Consultants Association (BPRCA) brings together most of
the consultancies in Belgium with extensive experience in providing strategic communication
advice. On the basis of detailed analysis, the consultancies can implement the appropriate
actions in a whole series of communication disciplines in a wide range of social, institutional
and economic sectors.
The BPRCA is the only professional association representing Public Relations consultancies
in Belgium. Its members offer advice to national and multinational organisations and
institutions, both within and outside of Belgium.
The BPRCA's mission is to position its members as communication specialists and to
guarantee their professionalism. In addition, the Association strictly monitors its members'
observance of a code of ethics, indispensable in an unregulated market.
The BPRCA also represents its members at international level in the ICCO (International
Communications Consultancy Association - www.iccopr.com).22
More information on:
http://www.bprca.be/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7
22

http://www.bprca.be/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7

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3. PR jargon.
A list of commonly used terms and their definitions23.
B2B: Public relations marketing communication dedicated to providing information resources
between businesses. Includes professional services, training, human resources and office
supplies.
B2C: As B2B, but between businesses and the consumer.
Community Relations: Corporate social outreach programmes designed to build relations
and foster understanding of the role of the business to neighbours in the local community
Consultancy: Externally hired public relations services, either an individual consultant or a
public relations consultancy
Copywriting: the production of text for publications, advertising, marketing materials,
websites etc. Most agencies employ specialists skilled with a direct and succinct writing style
Corporate Communications: Public relations for a corporation integrated as part of the
companys strategic objectives.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Borne from the belief that trade brings obligations,
CSR makes companies responsible for their use of resources, both environmentally and
socially. The role of public relations in CSR strategies is to communicate effectively to build
corporate accountability and transparency.
Crisis Management: Having a plan in place that can be effectively actioned when something
goes wrong for an organisation.
E-PR/Online PR: Communicating over the web and using new technology to effectively
communicate with stakeholders.
Environmental Communications: PR sector specialising in communication on sustainable
use of resources, environmental impact of business and corporate social responsibility.
Evaluation: Measuring the impact of a public relations campaign. This process is typically
linked with planning and research.
Fees: The charges consultants and consultancies make for the time of their staff working on
client programmes, usually invoiced in regular monthly instalments or quarterly in advance.
Financial PR: Financial services sector communications demanding understanding of
consumers, their buying patterns and how to influence them, the position of companies in
markets and corporate processes such as Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), Mergers and
Acquisitions (M&As), demutualization and hostile bids.
Fundraising/Sponsorship: Looking for partners to provide financial support or support 'in
kind' for an event or activity where both parties will benefit.
Healthcare Communications: PR sector specialising in public and private healthcare
provision, including leisure health, effect of drugs and impacts of medical research.
In-House: Staff within a company or organisation responsible for public relations function.
In-House Magazines/Newsletter: A tool to communicate with employees about news, issues
and developments of interest to them about the organisation they work for.
Internal Communications: Organisational use of process communication to help achieve
corporate objectives. Includes employee and shareholder communications.
Media/Presentation Training: Training to help when dealing with the various media
(including television and radio), with journalists and when making a pitch to prospective
clients.
23

http://www.cipr.co.uk/content/policy-resources/careers-pr/pr-jargon-buster

55

Media Monitoring: Monitoring a company's coverage in the press, on TV and radio, and on
the internet.
Media Relations: Dealing with and building up good working relationships with journalists
from the broadcast and print media.
Pitch: A presentation of a recommended public relations programme, generally carefully
researched and costed, which can take up to four weeks to prepare and for which some
consultancies reserve the right to charge a fee if not subsequently appointed.
Press Office: A press office handles all media enquiries and puts out all company messages
to the media on behalf of their organisation.
Press Release (also known as a News Release): Statement describing an event or item which
is considered to be of sufficient interest to readers/viewers/listeners for an editor to publish
reference to it.
Print Production: The process of producing printed material such as brochures, posters and
leaflets.
Public Affairs/Lobbying: Those aspects of public relations communication involving
relations with governmental or statutory bodies or their semi-official organisations through
sophisticated use of political intelligence and pressure.
Public Relations: The determined, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain
mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics. Also understood as reputation
management.
Research: Finding out background information about a company, product or person to assist
with a public relations campaign

4. PR nowadays
4.1. Public Relations: Techniques of Public Relations
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyqzir6_UU
Public relations-PR
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrXhhJ9Y2yI

4.2. The use of digital media

Some background information
How to Use Social Media Successfully
Read this blog post on http://www.clicknewz.com/1689/how-to-use-socialmedia-successfully/
Do you know Twitter? :
Watch how Levis created a buzz around its jeans using twitter
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/ispy-levis-twitter-campaign-case-study/
is it PR or Marketing?
Facebook & PR:
Watch How Sony Ericsson used Facebook & react
http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/sony-ericsson-xperiments-case-study/
Social Media: a danger?
5 examples where social media jeopardised online reputation
http://www.freshnetworks.com/blog/2011/06/5-examples-where-social-mediajeopardised-online-reputation/
Using the social media also means knowing how to use its tool.
Do you know SEO?
Watch a video called Search Engine Optimization on Google by Qualified

56

Impressions, LLC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq4rUcmALhY&feature=related
Impressions, LLC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq4rUcmALhY&feature=related

4.3. Online PR24: some more information

Whats the difference between online PR and offline PR?
Basically, online PR involves activities geared towards influencing media, communities and
audiences that exist solely on the Internet using online channels. That includes search engines,
blogs, news search, forums, discussion threads, social networks and other online
communication tools. Brand reputation monitoring and management is also a focus area for
online PR.
Offline PR deals with the same things except with print, radio TV, conferences/events and
other real life venues. One difference between online and offline PR is in pitching. For
example, before pitching a print journalist, the publications editorial calendar is researched to
see if there are any planned story opportunities. The subsequent pitch is specific to the
upcoming story.
Popular blogs can be as influential as many print publications, but pitching a blogger requires
a careful approach. There is no editorial calendar for blogs so it is important to read previous
posts and become very familiar with the subject matter covered. When pitching a blogger it is
better not to include the press release in the pitch, since most bloggers dont write stories
based on press releases, they point links to a release and write their own commentary.
When you pitch a blogger poorly, they may post your pitch to their blog for all to see. A print
journalist will just hang up on you.
Are online PR tactics appropriate for any business?
As with all marketing tactics, a company should really consider the overall marketing strategy
and choose the appropriate mix of tactics that will support the execution. That said, Im a bit
biased as my company focuses on SEO, blog marketing and press release optimization. The
mix of those online PR tactics along with integration with offline marketing/PR tactics can be
very powerful.
If a business has news, they should make it easy for the media to find out about that news.
Tools include press releases, wire services such as PR Newswire25 and PRWeb26, an online
media kit, an optimized blog and a good SEO effort. Whenever a company gets online media
coverage, they should be sure to use social bookmark services such as diigo27 and del.icio.us28
to archive them. Its also a good idea to use a company blog as a way to reach out to other
blogs in the same space to encourage coverage of company news.
24

after http://www.toprankblog.com/2006/04/tips-for-online-pr/
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/
26
http://service.prweb.com/
27
http://www.diigo.com/
28
http://www.delicious.com/
25

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Good online PR tools and sites

PRWeb has a great mix of tools for distributing press releases as well as hosting high
resolution images, permanent redirects for URLs and a podcast feature for certain levels of
press releases. PRWeb also offers a trackback url on press releases so blogs are encouraged to
link to them. Doing so creates an automatic link back to the blog. Other wire services we use
include: PR Newswire, Business Wire 29and PR.com30. However, PRWeb is by far the most
feature rich for SEO.
Some online PR blogs: http://www.steverubel.me/ , http://www.mediarelationsblog.com/
The most important online PR resource you can have is a talented PR pro that can research
story opportunities and persuasively pitch both online journalists and bloggers accordingly.
Sending out press releases alone is like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see if it sticks.
Software tools can help make things easier, such as blogpulse.com31 or Google Alerts32 for
brand monitoring, but it is human interpretation that provides the most value.
What skills, knowledge and contacts are important for online PR practitioners?
Like SEO, online PR requires a mix (although in a different order of priority) of social,
creative, persuasive and technical skills. Developing relationships with online publication
editors and bloggers is also particularly useful.
When is it a good time to outsource public relations and when should you keep it inhouse?
When companies have an internal public relations staff, they often only need consulting from
an online PR specialist on best practices or with a particular situation. For companies that do
not perform their own PR, then an online or offline PR firm can help on an ongoing basis for
as long as that company has a need for public and media relations.
What is reputation management and should companies be using it for their own sites?
Basically, reputation management (online) is the business of monitoring what the marketplace
is saying about your brand. It also means responding to situations before they run out of
control. Venues include blogs, discussion threads, forums and social networking sites. A
simplistic formula is to allocate a proportion of resources to reputation management in
relation to how important your brand is to your overall business.
Monitoring how consumers talk about your brand can provide early warning signs for product
or service issues as well as promotion opportunities that can be leveraged. Companies can
start by subscribing to RSS feeds of search results on their company name from blog and
news search engines, set up a Google Alerts account or use the BlogPulse conversation
tracker.

29

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/
http://www.pr.com/
31
http://www.blogpulse.com/
32
http://www.google.com/support/alerts/bin/static.py?hlrm=fr&page=guide.cs&guide=28413&rd=1 &
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9stASQvhOs
30

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Three tips for companies that want to optimize their press releases for search engines
The first priority for the release is the reader, not the algorithm. An optimized press release is
the means, not the end.
Map keywords to the press release like you would map keyword phrases to a web page. Use
keywords in the title, sub title and in the body copy of the release.
If possible, create a strong call to action or incentive to click through on the release to
destination content on your site. A free guide, report or discount can be effective. Use
tracking urls to determine how effective the release is at generating traffic and inquiries.

This blog post contains many important concepts & useful sites
Find out more about :
- Press release optimization
- PRWeb
- diigo and del.icio.us
Watch some videos:
Who Owns Online PR?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLmJC5utdKY
useful tools on the web
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9585367.stm

59

Sources:
COBUILD (C.), Key words in Business, London, HarperCollins Publishers, 1999.
DUBICKAL(L) & O KEEFFE(M), Market leader, , Longman, 2009
FLOWER (J.), Build your Business vocabulary, London, LTP,1990
JONES (L.) &Alexander (R.), New International Business English, Cambridge,
Cambridge University Press, 2000.
MACKENZIE (I), Management and Marketing, London, LTP, 1997.
MASCULL (B.), Business Vocabulary in Use, Cambridge, Cambridge University
Press, 2002.
NAUNTON (J.), Head for business, intermediate, Oxford, Oxford University Press,
2000.
NAUNTON (J.), Head for business, Upper-intermediate, Oxford, Oxford University
Press, 2002.
WALLWORK (A.), International Express, Upper-intermediate, Oxford, Oxford
University Press,2001.
WYATT (R), Check your vocabulary for TOEIC, Macmillan,2008.
Internet:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/
http://onlineprguy.blogspot.com
http://prweekblog.prweek.com
http://tutor2u.net/
http://www.businessenglishpod.com
http://www.carolinebrownlisteninglessons.com
http://www.chicagotribune.com/
http://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.english-grammar-lessons.com
http://www.ereleases.com/
http://www.esl-lab.com/
http://www.forbes.com//
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian
http://www.hrenglish.com
http://www.independent.co.uk/
http://www.mpdailyfix.com
http://www.newsweekeducation.com/index.php
http://www.thetimes100.co.uk
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com
http://www.toprankblog.com
http://www.worktre.com
www.bprca.be
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www.cipr.co.uk
www.iccopr.com
www.playfuls.com
www.prinfluences.com
www.prospects.ac.uk.

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