Ф Е Д Е Р А Л ЬН О Е А ГЕ Н Т С Т В О П О О БРА ЗО ВА Н И Ю

ГО С У Д А Р С Т В Е Н Н О Е О БРА ЗО В А Т Е Л ЬН О Е У ЧРЕЖ Д ЕН И Е
В Ы С Ш Е Г О П РО Ф Е С СИ О Н А Л ЬН О ГО О БРА ЗО В А Н И Я
“С А М А Р С К И Й ГО СУ Д А РС Т В Е Н Н Ы Й У Н И В ЕРС И ТЕТ”

К аф ед р а и ностранны х язы ков гум анитарны х специальностей

А.В.Горелова, Н.Ю.Бочкарёва, Н.В.Ильичёва

S IT U A T IO N A L D IA L O G U E S
B U S IN E S S E N G L IS H : L IS T E N IN G & S P E A K IN G

У т верж дено Редакционно-издат ельским совет ом университ ет а

в качест ве учебн о го пособия

С ам ара
И здательство « С ам арский университет»
2007
У Д К 2/3 (20)
Б БК 81/2 А нгл.
Г687

Р е ц е н з е н т ы : ст. преп.: Л .А . К ожевникова, Т .В . И скина

О т в . р е д а к т о р канд. филол. наук, д оц. С.С. Ю лаева

Горелова А.В.
Г 687 Situational Dialogues Business E nglish: Listening & S peaking: учебное
пособие / А.В. Горелова, Н.Ю. Бочкарева, Н.В. Ильичева; Федеральное агентство
по образованию. - Самара: Изд-во «Самарский университет», 2007. - 144 с.

Материалы пособия могут использоваться в дополнение к основному курсу англий­

ского языка на экономическом факультете, а также всеми, изучающими деловой анг­
лийский язык - слушателями образовательной программы «Переводчик в сфере про­
фессиональной коммуникации», студентами филологического факультета и др.
Ситуационно организованные диалоги помогают в изучении и практике как разго­
ворного, так и делового английского языка. Задача студента - запомнить как можно
больше слов и выражений, содержащихся в диалогах, затем использовать их в беседе
на предложенные в упражнениях темы. Учебное пособие сопровождается аудиозапи­
сью всех изучаемых диалогов и тренировочных заданий к ним, записанных носителями
языка.
Предназначено для аудиторных и самостоятельных занятий по практическому кур­
су английского языка со студентами специальностей «Менеджмент» и «Государствен­
ное и муниципальное управление» I и П курсов.

У Д К 2/3 (20)
Б Б К 81/2 Англ.

5 Г орелова, А .В ., Б очкарева Н.Ю .,

И льичева Н .В ., 2007
С ам арский государственный
у ниверситет, 2007
И зд-во «С ам арский университет»,
оф орм ление, 2007
 C o n te n ts

S even s e c re ts fo r th o se w h o le a r n E n g lish 4

I. R e s u m e s a n d in t e r v ie w s
1.1 F in d in g a jo b 9
1.2 Em ploym ent 11
1.3 R ecruitm ent 15
II. B u s in e s s visits
2.1 M ak in g a n appointm ent 19
2.2 V isitors 22
2.3 M aking e x cuses 25
2.4 B oo k in g and arrangem ents 26
2.5 T rav elin g can b e hard w ork 28
2.6 H o w d o y o u cope? 30
2 .7 P ro b le m so lv in g 32
III. T e le p h o n i n g
3.1 T elephone in b usiness 34
3.2 L eaving a n d tak in g m essages 35
IV . O rg a n iz a tio n s
4.1 C o m p an y structure 37
4 .2 G row th a n d developm ent 41
4.3 R eporting o n p rogress 43
4 .4 T he sm all business 45
4 .5 B rands 48
V. H o w t o s u c c e e d in b u s in e s s
5.1 M an ag em en t styles 50
5 .2 T im e m anag em en t problem s 53
5.3 C om paring o ptions 54
5 .4 In novation & p resentation 56
5.5 E thics 60
5.6 Strategy 62
5.7 L eadership 67
5.8 C om petition 69
V I. B u s in e s s m a t t e rs
6.1 A dvertising a nd m arketing 71
6.2 B anking 73
6.3 A dvertisem ents 77
6.4 Presentations 79
6.5 T rade 83
6.6 D escrib in g trends 86
6 .7 G lobalization 89
6 .8 Insurance 92
T a p e sc rip ts 97
R e fe re n c e L ist 141

з
 S e v e n s e c r e ts f o r th o s e w h o le a r n E n g lis h

Семь секретов для тех, кто изучает английский

1. L e a rn a b o u t W o r d S tress.

W ord Stress is go ld en k ey n um ber o ne for speaking and understanding English.

W ord Stress is v ery im portant. Y ou can try to learn about W ord Stress. T his is
one o f the best w ay s fo r y o u to understand sp oken E nglish - especially English
spoken fast.

1. Научитесь ставить словесное ударение.

Словесное ударение - это главный ключ к пониманию английского языка и общению на

нём. Словесное ударение очень важно. Постарайтесь выучить словесное ударение. Это
один из лучших способов понять английскую речь, особенно, если говорят быстро.

W h a t is W o rd S tre s s ?

Take 3 words: photograph, photographer and photographic, for example. D o they

sound the same w hen spoken? No! They sound different, because one syllable in
each w ord is "stressed" (stronger than the others).

PH O tograph, phoT O grapher, photoG R A PH ic

Что же такое словесное ударение? Возьмём, например, три слова: photograph (фотогра­
фировать), photographer (фотограф) и photographic (фотографический). Звучат ли они
одинаково в речи? Нет! Они звучат по-разному, потому что один из слогов, в каждом
слове, "ударяется" сильнее:

PHOtograph, phoTOgrapher, photoGRAPHhic

This happens in A L L w ords w ith 2 o r m ore syllables: TEA C H er, JaPAN,

CH IN a, aBO V E, converSA tion, IN teresting, im PO R tant, deM A N D , etCETera,
etCETera, etCETera.

Эго относится ко всем словам, в которых 2 или более слогов: TEACHer (учитель), JaPAN
(Япония), СНШа (Китай), aBOVE (над), converSATION (диалог, беседа), INteresting (инте­
ресно), imPORtant (важно), deMAND (требовать), etCETera (и так далее).

The syllables that are not stressed are 'w eak' or 'small' o r 'quiet'. Native speakers o f
English listen for the stressed syllables, n o t the w eak syllables. I f you use W ord
Stress in your speech, y ou w ill instantly and automatically im prove your pronuncia­
tion and your comprehension.

Слоги, на которые не падает ударение, называются слабыми, или второстепенными,

или тихими. Носители языка стараются расслышать ударные, а не слабые слоги. Если

4
вы будете использовать словесное ударение в речи, ваше произношение и понимание
языка будут постоянно автоматически улучшаться.

2. S e n te n c e S tre ss

Sentence Stress is golden k ey n u m b er tw o fo r speaking and understanding Eng­

lish. W ith S entence Stress, som e w ords in a sentence are "stressed" (loud) and
o th er w ords a re w eak (quiet). L o o k at th e follow ing sentence: W e w ant to go.

2. Фразовое ударение. Фразовое ударение - ещё один ключ к пониманию английского

языка и общению на нём. Согласно фразовому ударению одни слова в предложении
"Ударные" (громкие), а другие "Слабые" (тихие). Посмотрите на следующее предложе­
ние: We want to go. (Мы хотим пойти).

D o w e say ev ery w ord w ith the sam e stress o r force? N o! W e m ake the im portant
w ords b ig a n d the unim portant w ords sm all. W hat are the im portant w ords in this
sentence? Y es, you're right: W A N T an d GO.

W e W A N T to GO.

W e W A N T to G O to W O RK .

W e d o n ’t W A N T to G O to W O RK .

W e d on’t W A N T to G O to W O R K a t N IG H T.

Произносим ли мы каждое слово с одинаковым ударением или одинаково громко? Нет!

Мы делаем значимые слова главными, а не значимые - второстепенными. Какие же
слова значимы в этом предложении? Правильно: WANT и GO.

We WANT to GO. (Мы хотим пойти).

We WANT to GO to WORK. (Мы хотим пойти на работу).

We don’t WANT to GO to WORK. (Мы не хотим идти на работу).

We don’t WANT to GO to WORK at NIGHT. (Мы не хотим идти на работу ночью).

It's im possible to explain everything about Sentence Stress right now . The im ­
portant thing fo r y o u is th a t y o u k n o w i t exists a nd try to lea m about it. Sentence
Stress is v ery im portant!

В этой статье невозможно рассказать всё о фразовом ударении. Главное, что вы знаете
о том, что оно существует и пытаетесь научиться его ставить. Фразовое ударение имеет
очень существенное значение.

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3. L isten! L isten ! L isten!

Students som etim es say: 'I d o n 't listen to the B B C new s o n the radio because it's
too fast for m e a n d I c a n 't u n derstand it.' T hat's a pity! W hen it’s too fast for you,
w hen y ou can't u nderstan d it, th at is exactly w hen y o u N E E D to listen to it!!!

3. Слушайте! Слушайте! Слушайте! Студенты иногда говорят: "Я не слушаю новости

БИ-БИ-СИ по радио, потому что там слишком быстро говорят, и я ничего не могу по­
нять." Очень жаль! Когда говорят слишком быстро, когда ничего не понятно, именно
тогда вам просто необходимо слушать!!!

H ow c an you im prove i f y o u d o n 't listen an d practise?

W hen you w ere a baby, d id y o u understand y o u r o w n language? W hen y ou were

3 w eeks old, o r 2 m o n th s, o r 1 y ear, d id y o u u n derstand everything? O f course
not! B u t y o u learn ed to understand b y listening. T hink about it. You learned to
understand y o u r o w n language b y listening, 24 h o u rs a day, 7 days a w eek. A fter
that, y ou learned to speak. Then y o u learned to read. A nd then y ou learned to
w rite. B ut listening cam e first!

Разве можно совершенствовать свои навыки без слушания и практики?

Когда вы были младенцем, разве вы понимали свой родной язык? Когда вам было 3 не­
дели, или 2 месяца, или 1 год, разве вы всё понимали? Конечно, нет! Но вы учились по­
нимать, слушая. Задумайтесь над этим. Вы научились понимать родной язык, слушая
24 часа в сутки, 7 дней в неделю. После этого вы научились говорить. Потом, вы нау­
чились читать. А потом, вы научились писать. Но сначала, вы слушали!

4. D o n 't L isten!

Just before w e said Listen! Listen! Listen! N o w w e say D on't Listen! W hat do
w e m ean?

4. He слушайте! Только что мы говорили: "Слушайте! Слушайте! Слушайте"! А теперь

говорю: "Не слушайте"! Что это значит?

D o you know the difference betw een the verbs T O L ISTEN and T O HEAR? TO
LISTEN is active. T O H EA R is passive. Sometimes you can LISTEN too hard.
Sometimes you can T R Y too hard. Sometimes it is better only to H E A R L et the ra­
dio play. Let the cassette play. But DON'T listen. Just H E A R Y our subconscious
w ill listen fo r you. A n d you will still leam. I f you listen and try to understand, you
m ay block on one w ord and get frustrated. Don't worry! Just HEAR! Believe me,
you will still b e learning. T he important thing is to let the radio o r cassette o r televi­
sion or record PLA Y . L et it play. A nd you - you do nothing. Y our brain w ill HEAR,
your subconscious w ill LISTEN and you w ill LEARN!

6
Знаете ли вы разницу между глаголами "Слушать" и "Слышать"? Слушать это - актив­
ное действие, а слышать - пассивное. Бывает так, что вы слишком напряженно слушае­
те. Иногда достаточно просто слышать, не вслушиваясь. Пусть будет включено радио,
пусть играет кассета. Не вслушивайтесь, просто слушайте. Ваше подсознание будет
вслушиваться за вас, и вы, всё равно, будете учиться. Стараясь вслушиваться и всё по­
нять, вы можете застопориться на одном слове, и только понапрасну расстроитесь. Не
волнуйтесь! Просто слушайте! Поверьте, вы всё равно будете учиться. Главное - вклю­
чить радио, кассету или телевизор. Пусть играет. А вы - вы ничего не делайте. Ваш
мозг будет слышать, подсознание - слушать, а вы будете учиться!

5. Im p ro v e Y o u r V o c a b u la ry w ith 5 W o rd s a D ay

V ocabulary is easy! H ow m a n y days in a year are there? 365, norm ally (on
Earth).

5. Пополняйте ваш словарный запас на 5 слов в день. Пополнять словарный запас лег­
ко! Сколько в году дней? Обычно, 365 (на Земле).

I f you learn only 5 n ew w ords a day, you w ill learn 5 x 365 = 1,825 n ew w ords in a
year. O N E T H O U SA N D , EIG H T HU N D RED AN D TW ENTY-FIVE W ORDS.
That is a lot o f n e w words. A nd w e are not counting all the other words you will
learn in other w ays - reading, conversation etc. Buy a notebook a nd write in 5 new
words E A C H day, E V ERY day. Learn them! Y ou w ill soon have an excellent
vocabulary.

Если вы будете учить всего по 5 новых слов в день, вы выучите 5 х 365 = 1825 новых слов в
год. Тысяча восемьсот двадцать пять новых слов. Эго очень много. И мы не считаем других
слов, которые вы выучите читая, разговаривая и тд. Купите блокнот, и записывайте в него по
пять слов в день, ежедневно. Заучивайте их! Скоро у вас будет отличный словарный запас.

6 .3 0 M in u te s a D a y B e tte r t h a n 3.5 H o u rs a W eek

In fact, 3 0 m in u tes o f E nglish study once a d a y is b e tte r than 3,5 hours once a
w eek! Study regularly. S tudy often.

L IT T L E + O F T E N is b e tte r th an A L O T + S O M ETIM ES.

6. 30 минут в день лучше 3,5 часов в неделю. Несомненно, лучше заниматься англий­
ским языком 30 минут в день, чем 3,5 часов, один раз в неделю! Занимайтесь постоян­
но. Занимайтесь часто. Понемногу, но часто лучше, чем много, но иногда.

It's easier, too. Y o u c a n easily find 30 m inutes each day. H ow ? Y ou can get up
30 m inutes e arlier. O r h a v e a shorter lu n ch b reak. F ix a p articu lar tim e every day
- and ke ep it!

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К тому же, это легче. Легко можно найти 30 минут в день. Как? Можно встать на пол­
часа раньше, или сделать обеденный перерыв короче. Выберите определённое время и
придерживайтесь его!

7. R evise! R evise! Revise!

I f y ou revise, y o u 'll im prove y o u r learning b y 100%.

W hat does "to rev ise" m ean ? It m eans "to look again". Y ou should b e systematic
about this. W hen y o u learn som ething, y o u should note it. Then y ou should look
a t it again, 3 tim es: - a fte r 1 day- after 1 w eek- after 1 month

7. Повторяйте! Повторяйте! Повторяйте!

Повторяя, вы улучшите свои знания на 100%.

Что значит "Повторять"? Это значит "Снова просматривать". Это необходимо проделы­
вать систематически. Выучив что-то, запишите это. Затем просмотрите это ещё 3 раза:
через день, через неделю, через месяц.

Each tim e y o u rev ise, te st yourself. Learn, rev ise, test. R evise, test.

Каждый раз, повторяя, проверяйте себя. Выучили, повторили, проверили. Повторили,

проверили себя.

G ood luck!

Удачи!

Усло в н ы е о бозначения

L istening
№
Speaking
*
Reading
Ш
W riting
es
7 D iscussion

T elephoning (phone com m unication)

S
о= NB
 I . R E S U M E S A N D IN T E R V IE W S

1.1. F IN D IN G A J O B

Each situation is expressed b y four dialogues arranged in parallel, so that

any o f A ’s first u tterances m ay b e follow ed b y a ny o f B ’s first utterances, a nd so
on. T his m ean s th at, w ith a 4 x 4 arrangem ent, w e h a v e 2 56 different variations
o f the sam e situation, leaving th e speakers w ith a high d egree o f choice.
T he c assette h as b een reco rd ed w ith p auses m ak in g it p ossible for the stu­
d ent w orking a lone to hold a conversation w ith his recorder. Each o f the twenty-
seven situations h a s b een reco rd ed thus:
(a) L istening: all four dialogues straight through w ithout pauses
(b) D ialo g u e p ractice: fo r som e situations the student is expected to take
the p art o f A an d fo r o th ers that o f B: w hichever is m ore useful. The
cassette, acting the p art o f the oth er speaker, delivers a random selec­
tio n o f u tterances and the student responds u sing o n e o f the four alter­
n atives available.
US i
A H ave y o u a n y v acancies fo r fu ll-tim e staff?
В W hat d id y o u h a v e in m ind?
A Som ething in the d om estic lin e .1
В H av e y o u h a d any experience?
A N o, I'm m o re o r le s s straig h t from school.
В I c a n't p ro m ise anything, b u t I'll d o m y best.

2 A I w as w o n d erin g w heth er you n eeded an y part-tim ers.

В W hat w ere y o u thinking o f?
A A h otel jo b o f so m e sort.
В H av e y o u e v e r d o n e anything sim ilar?
A N o t so far, n o .
В T here's n o th in g a t p resent, b u t lo o k back in a week.

3 A I'm lo o k in g fo r a j o b w h ere I c an live in.

В W hat exactly d id y o u w ant?
A I w ould n 't m in d 2 w o rk in g in a pub.
В H ave you d o n e anyth in g lik e th at before?
A W ell, I o n ce d id a b it o f w aiting.
В F ill in this fo rm and I'll le t you k n o w i f anything tu rns up.

4 A C an y o u f ix m e u p w ith a p art-tim e jo b ?
В A nything in p articu lar th at appeals to you?

1 in the domestic line: connected with domestic work

2 1 wouldn't mind: I would rather like

9
A I w as rath er hoping to find som ething in a school.
В H ave you done that kind o f thing before?
A Y es, I w as d o in g the sam e jo b last summer.
В I m ight be able to h elp you, b u t I'd need references.

In ex. 1- 5 c o m p o se sentences o f o u r ow n.

E x . 1. Exam ple:
There a re no p a rt-tim e vacancies a t the m om ent b u t look back in a m onth.
1) .................... ...............................c a llb a c k ..............
2) full-tim es.....................................................
3) ........................h otel jo b s.........................................
4) tem p o rary ...................................................
5) .............................. positions....................................

Ex. 2. Exam ple:

STUD EN T A H a v e y o u a ny vacancies fo r fu ll-tim e secretaries?
STU D EN T В N o, b u t w e n eed a part-tim e receptionist.
1 A ,,, .tem porary barm en?
В .w eekend cleaner
2 A
В ....... n ig h t porter.
3 A
В
4 A .......h o spital nurses?
В

Ex. 3. Exam ple:

ST U D E N T A Is it a fu ll-tim e j o b y o u 're after?'
ST U D E N T В Actually, I w as rather hoping to f in d som ething part-tim e.
1A living-in2................ ?
В .................living-out.3
2A au p a ir.................... ?
В in a hotel.
3A p erm anent..................?
В ................... tem porary.
4A o u td o o r.....................?
В ........................indoors.

1 you're after: you want

2 a living-in job: a job providing a bedroom and meals
3 a living-out job: a job not providing a bedroom and meals

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E x . 4 . E xam ple: S T U D E N T A W hat so rt o f occupation d id y o u ha v e in m ind?
ST U D E N T В I w a s thinking o f so m eth in g in the hotel line.
1 A .............. .job...............?
В ... ...........clean in g.........
2 A ...
В ...
3 A ... .........p o st................?
В ... ....... secretarial.........
4 A ...
В ... ....... restau ran t..........
5 A ..........em ploym ent...... ?
В ...

E x. 5. E xam ple: S T U D E N T A D o es a typist's j o b a p p e a l to you?

ST U D E N T В Yes, I'v e d o n e q u ite a b it typing.
1 A g a rd en er's В .................................
2 A w aiter's ? В .................................
3 A tran slator's В... ................................
4 A office c leaner's В ... .................................
5 A fru it p ick er's В ... ................................

1.2. EM PLOYM ENT

E x 1. D isc u ss th is q u e stio n : D o p e o p le ch a n g e d u rin g th e ir w orking lives? I f

so, how ?
m E x 2. N o w r e a d th e article. W h a t do es it s a y a b o u t th e question above?
F in d th e a n sw e r a s q u ic k ly a s y o u can.

H o w to select th e b e st c andidates - and avoid th e w orst

B y A drian F u m h a m
Investin g thousands o f p ounds in the recruitm ent and training o f each new
graduate recru it m ay b e ju s t the beginning. C hoosing the w rong candidate m ay
leave a n organization pay in g fo r years to come.
F ew co m p an ies w ill h a v e escaped all o f the follow ing failures: people
w h o p anic a t th e first sign o f stress; tho se w ith long, im pressive qualifications
w ho seem incapable o f learning; hypochondriacs w h o se absentee record be­
com es astonishing; an d th e u nstable p erson later discovered to be a th ie f or
w orse.
L ess d ram atic, b u t ju s t a s m uch a problem , is th e p erson who sim ply does
n o t com e u p to ex pectations, w ho does n o t q u ite deliver; w ho n ever becom es a
high-flyer o r even a steady perform er; th e em ployee w ith a fin e fu tu r e behind
them. T he first p o in t to b e a r in m in d a t th e recruitm ent stage is that p eople d on't
change. Intelligence levels d eclin e m odestly, b u t change little o ver their w ork­

11
ing life. The sam e is true o f abilities, such as learning languages and handling
num bers.
M ost p eople like to think that personality can change, particularly the
m ore negative features su ch as anxiety, low esteem , im pulsiveness o r a lack o f
emotional w arm th. B u t d ata collected over 50 years giv es a c lear m essage: still
stable after all these years. E xtroverts becom e slig h tly less extroverted; the
acutely shy appear a little less so, b u t the fundam entals rem ain m uch the same.
Personal crises can affect the w ay w e cope w ith things: w e m ig h t take up or
drop drink, drugs, religion o r relaxation techniques, w hich can have pretty dra­
m atic effects. Skills c an b e im proved, and n ew o n es introduced, b u t at rath er dif­
ferent rates. P eople can b e groom ed fo r a jo b . J u st a s p o liticians are carefully re­
packaged through d ress, h airstyle and speech specialists, so people can be sent
on training courses, diplom as o r experim ental w eekends. B u t there is a cost to
all this w hich m ay b e m ore than the p rice o f the course. B etter to select for w hat
you actually see ra th e r than attem pt to change it.

E x 3. R e a d th e a rticle ag a in a n d a nsw er th e se questions.

1. W hat types o f failures d o com panies experience, a ccording to the article?
2. W hat does ‘a f i n e fu tu r e behind th e m ' m ean?
3. W hat advice d o es the article g ive to m anagers?

E x 4. I n a n o th e r p a r t o f th e article (n o t in c lu d e d h ere), th e w riter suggests

th a t selectors sh o u ld lo o k f o r th re e qualities:
a) intelligence a n d ability b ) em otional stability c) conscientiousness.

1. D o y o u agree? E x p la in y o u r opinion.
2. Com plete t h e ta b le w ith th e a djectives below. W h at o ther w ords can you
add?

astute -brigKT calm clever easy-going h ard-w orking m oody neurotic

punctual quick-tem pered reliable responsible sharp slow

In telligence a n d a b ility E m o tio n a l sta b ility C o n scientiousness

bright calm reliable

E x 5. D o yo u h a v e a R E S U M E ? I f n o t, co m p o se it a c c o rd in g to th e follow ­
ing fo rm a t. F o r m o re in fo rm a tio n o n re su m e -w ritin g , see
httD ://e sl.a b o u t.c o m /lib ra rv /h o w to /h tre su m e .h tm
h ttp ://w w w l-iim n .ed ii/o h r/c a re e rd e v /re so u rc e s/re su m e /
http://w w w .w rite -a -re su m e .o rg

12
 RESUM E

PE R S O N A L IN FO R M A TIO N
N am e: N a ta lia Pervova
C urrent address: 17 V ladim irskaya St., apart. 1 8 1 ,4 43030 Samara, R ussia
P erm anent address: 17 V ladim irskaya St., apart. 1 8 1 ,4 4 3 0 3 0 Samara, Russia
T elephone: (8 4 6 2 )4 4 6 4 50 (hom e)
E-m ail: pervova@ m ail.ru
D ate o f birth: 9 S eptem ber 1974
N ationality: R u ssia n
Sex: fem ale
M arital Status: single
E D U CA TIO N
2001 - C E L T A (C ertificate in E nglish L anguage T eaching to A dults - U niver­
sity o f C am bridge L o cal E xam inations Syndicate, International E xam inations)
2001 - SIT T E S O L p ro fessio n al d evelopm ent course, c ertificate o f achievem ent
1999-2000 p ro fessio n al d evelopm ent course “E nglish fo r Specific Purposes”
organized b y th e O p en S o ciety Institute as p art o f th e m ega-project “Education
in R ussia”, certificate o f achievem ent
1991 -1996 Sam ara S tate U n iversity, diplom a w ith honors
1980-1991 school #1 in S am ara, h ig h school graduation certificate

E M PL O Y M E N T
2001- to presen t Sam ara S tate U niversity, C h air o f E nglish Philology,
lectu rer, p ost-graduate student
1996-2001 Sam ara S tate U niversity, D epartm ent o f Foreign Languages
(H um anities), lecturer

O T H E R IN FO R M A T IO N
L anguages: R ussian (native), E ng lish (fluent)
T O EFL d egree Y , to tal score 643
IB M PC u ser
R EFEREES
M s V era K ostina
Sam ara State U n iversity, D epartm ent o f Foreign Languages (H um anities), sen­
io r lecturer
232 N ovo-Sadovaya St., apart. 20, Sam ara, R ussia
(8462) 99 67 76 (hom e), 8462) 38 5 4 54 (w ork)
e-m ail: kostina@ transit.sam ara.ru
(nam es o f o ther referees w ill b e supplied on request)

13
 RESUM E

ЛИЧНЫЕ ДАННЫЕ
Ф ИО: П ервова Н аталья Д м итриевна
Адрес: Р о сси я 443030 С амара, В ладим ирская 17,181
Телефон: (8 4 6 2 )4 4 6 450 (дом.)
Электронная почта: pervova@ jnail.ru
Д ата рождения: 9 сентября 1974
Н ациональность: русская

О БРА ЗО ВА Н И Е
2001 - меж дународны й экзам ен по преподаванию английского языка
CELTA (C ertificate in E nglish L anguage T eaching to A dults - U niversity o f
Cam bridge L ocal E xam inations Syndicate, International E xam inations)
2001 - к урс профессионального р азвития S IT T E SO L ”, сертиф икат
1999-2000 И н сти тут “ О ткры тое О бщ ество” (часть М егапроекта “Развитие
образования в России”) “А нглийский язы к д л я специальны х целей”, сер­
тификат
1991 -1996 С ам арский государственный университет, д ипл ом с отличием
1980-1991 ш кола #1 г. С ам ары , аттестат о полном с реднем образовании

М Е С Т О Р А БО ТЫ

2001- до настоящ его врем ени С ам арский государственны й университет,

каф едра английской ф илологии,
преподаватель, аспирант
1996-2001 С ам арский государственный у ниверситет, кафедра
и ностранны х языков, преподаватель

ДО П О Л Н И Т Е Л ЬН А Я И Н Ф О РМ А Ц И Я
Языки: русский (родной), английский (профессионально)
TO EFL степень Y , 643
IB M PC п ользователь
РЕ К О М Е Н Д А Ц И И
В ера В ладим ировна Костина
Самарский государственны й университет, к аф едра иностранны х языков
гум анитарных специальностей, старш ий преподаватель
Россия, С ам ара, Н ово-С адовая 2 3 2 ,2 0
(8462) 9 9 67 7 6 (дом .), (8462) 38 54 54 (раб.)
электронная no4Ta:kostina@ .transit.samara.ru

(дополнит ельны е р еком ендации б удут предост авлены п о т ребованию )

14
I
1.3. R E C R U IT M E N T

H D E x. 1 A la n L a w so n , N a tio n a l S a le s M a n a g er with a J apanese electronics

com pany, is ta lk in g a b o u t interviewing. L iste n to t h e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview
a n d an sw er th e s e q uestions.
1. A ccording to A lan, w hich o f the follow ing is the m ost im portant when
trying to im press a n interview er:
a) qualifications b ) c haracter c ) appearance d) preparation e) enthusiasm?
2. W h at m istak e d id A lan m ake?

H H E x . 2. L is te n a g a in to th e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview . C om plete th e 'advice

s h e e t'fo r can d id a tes below.

F in d o u t a b o u t t h e job A t th e interview
R in g u p the P ress O fficer. Compliment the interviewer on a recent success.

V isit the com pany resum e

T alk to the receptionists. M a ke sure i t's e a sy to read

H H E x . 3 . N o w listen to th e s e c o n d p a r t o f th e interview.
1. W hat fo u r q u estions d o es A lan u sually a sk candidates?
2. W h at exam ples does h e g ive o f candidates' likes a n d dislikes?

E x. 4. C om plete th e se w o rd p a rtn e rsh ip s fr o m th e listening.

1 press o fficer.......
2 m ark etin g ........................
3 press............................. ........................
4 ......................... rep o rt
5 com p an y ........................
6 ........................ code

U seful la n g u a g e
S ta rtin g
OK, let's g e t d o w n to business. R ight, can w e sta rt p lea se?

A sk in g f o r r e a c tio n s
H o w d o y o u f e e l ab o u t...? W hat d o y o u think?

D ea lin g w ith in te r r u p tio n s

C ould y o u le t h e r fin is h p lea se?
C ould y o u j u s t h a n g o n a m o m e n t please? ________________

15
K eeping to th e p o in t
I'm n ot sure that's relevant.
Perhaps w e co u ld g e t b a c k to the point.
Let's leave th a t a side f o r th e moment.

S peeding up
I think we sh o u ld m o v e on now. C an w e co m e b a ck to that?
Slow ing d o w n
H o ld on, w e n e e d to lo o k a t this in m ore detail. I think w e should discuss this a
b it more.

S u m m ariz in g
OK, let's g o o v e r w h a t w e've agreed. Right, to sum u p then ...

Ш Е х . 5. A g ro u p o f m anagers are d iscu ssin g w h eth er to o ffe r a n em ployee a

fu ll-tim e c o n tr a c t L iste n a n d tic k th e expressions th a t y o u he a r in th e “U seful
la n g u a g e” box.

ISO Ex. 6 . Y ou w ill h e a r D a vid S m y th , th e P e rso n n el M a nager o f a m ajor

E u ropean in su ra n c e co m pany, answ erin g q u estio n s a b o u t th e w ay h e inter­
view s a n d selects candidates.
I n th e f i r s t e x tra c t h e ta lks a b o u t th e f o u r p o in ts listed below. L isten and
p u t them in th e o rd er in w hich h e ta lk s a b o u t them .
a the m istakes a candidate can m ake in a n interview
b the qualities a candidate m ust have
с his advice to interview ees
d th e k in d o f things a candidate is expected to know

[M l Ex. 7. L iste n ag a in a n d ta k e n otes o n each o f th e se p o in ts

M l Ex. 8. I n th e s e c o n d extract, D a vid S m ith ta lk s a b o u t th e stages o f an in­

terview. L iste n to w h a t h e says a n d com plete th e fo llo w in g chart:

Interview er is info rm ed th at the candidate has arrived

C andidate is asked w hat h e know s about the jo b and the com pany

1 " .............
Interview er giv es candidate his view s o n the jo b a nd the com pany
 JSS
N ow y o u a r e going to do a 'd icto g lo ss'.

A dictogloss is a kin d o f dictation in which y o u hear a text b ut d o n 't have tim e to

write down everything y o u hear. Your task is to listen a n d take out the main ideas,
and then p u t them together in correct sentences so that y o u reconstruct the text. You
d on't need to use exactly the sam e words o r gram m ar as the original, however.

1. L iste n to the tex t to get the general idea. D o n ’t w rite anything. A t this
stage, i f you w rite y o u ’ll fin d it h ard to concentrate o n d ie m eaning.
2. L is te n again a n d ta k e notes. W rite k e y w o rd s and phrases, n ot com ­
plete sentences.
3. W o rk w ith a partner. T ogether, try to w r ite o u t th e text using the notes
you m ade.
4. W hen y o u have done as m u ch a s y o u can, liste n to the text once more,
and q uickly n o te a n y c h a n g e s y o u w an t to m ake.
5. W ith y o u r partn er, p o lis h y o u r final v ersion o f th e text.
6. N ow c o m p a r e it w ith the tapescript. W here y our tex t is different, is the
English correct o r not?

% ''E x . 9. W o rk in p a ir s (S tu d e n t A a n d S tu d e n t B ). S tu d e n t A a n d S tu d e n t В
lo o k a t th e in fo rm a tio n below.
Student A - Y o u a re Jam es V em on, Personnel O fficer for R enault U K Ltd.
You are going to interview th e candidate (S tu d en t B ) fo r a p lace on the graduate
m anagem ent p rogram m er. F irst read the resum e w hich Student В w ill give you,
and think ab o u t d ie questions w h ich y o u w o u ld like to ask. T hen conduct the
interview u sin g th e c h art (E x.8) to help you.
S tudent В - Y ou h av e b e e n inv ited to atten d an interview for a v acancy o n
R enault’s grad u ate m anag em en t p rogram m e. Y o u w ill b e interview ed b y Jam es
V em o n (played b y S tu d en t A ), P ersonnel O fficer fo r R enault U K L td. First give
your resum e to S tudent A and then prep are fo r the interview . T hink about the
kind o f questions th a t y o u a re lik ely to be asked and p lan your replies. A re there
any q uestions th a t you w o u ld lik e to a sk about the position?

D o n 4 fo r g e t D a v id S m ith ’s advice to in terview ees (E x. 7).

W hen y o u h a v e fin is h e d th e interview , com p lete th e fo llo w in g evalua­

tio n s h e e t f o r S tu d e n t B.

17
 E V A L U A T IO N S H E E T
Position:
N am e o f c a n d id a te :............................................................................................
S co re - +
12345
B ACKGRO U N D
Education:
Languages:
Experience:

BEH A V IO U R A N D CO M M U N IC A T IV E A B ILITY
Physical Presentation:
C om m unication skills:
Ability to listen:
Humour:
Culture:
Maturity:
Manners:

PER SO N A L Q U A L IT IE S
Dynamism:
Ambition:
O rganizational skills:
Leadership:
T eam Spirit:
Involvement:

C ONCLUSIO N
Suitability o f th e can d id ate:..........................................................................................

A ction to b e tak en :..............................................................................................................

9
; W o u ld y o u em p lo y h im o r h e r? W hy? / W h y n o t? D iscu ss y o u r rea­
sons with S tu d e n t B.
 II. B U S IN E S S V IS IT S

2.1. M A K IN G A N A P P O IN T M E N T

L isten to a ll fo u r d ialogues straight through w ithout pauses.

D ialogue practice: th e cassette, acting the p art o f th e other speaker, delivers a
random selection o f utterances and th e student responds using one o f the four
alternatives available.

US i
A W ill D r B lack b e able to see m e a t about 9.15 tom orrow ?
В Sorry, b u t h e 's fully boo k ed till e leven un less there's a cancellation.
A W ould ten to o ne b e convenient?
В Y es, h e's free then.

2
A I w onder w h eth er th e d en tist co u ld fit m e in 1 early tom orrow?
В I'm afraid th ere's n o th in g b e fo re m idday.
A H ow a b o u t 12.45?
В Sorry, b u t th at's tak en , too.

3
A I’d lik e to fix a n appointm ent w ith the principal. W ould n ine tom orrow b e all
right?
В I'm afraid n o t. H e's g o t ra th e r a full d ay tom orrow .
A C o u ld I m ak e it q u arter to one?
В Sorry again, b u t I'll rin g y o u i f som ebody cancels.

4
A D o y ou th in k th e s ta f f m an ag er co u ld see m e tom orrow before 9.30?
В H e w on 't b e in till 10.45, so th e earliest w o u ld b e 11.
A Is 12.40 a n y g ood?
В Y es, I'll m ak e a n o te o f it.

I n ex. 1- 4 c o m p o s e se n te n c e s o f o u r ow n.

Ex. 1. E xam p le W ill D r B lackm ore b e a ble to fit m e in a t 4.3 0 tom orrow?
1) th e d e n tist ?
2) ........................ see m e.............................................................. 2
....................................................three o'clock?
3 ) .............................
4 ) .... th e m an ag er ?
5 ) ............................. m eet m e........................................................... 2

1 fit m e in: see m e b etw een h is o th er engagem ents

19
Ex. 2. Exam ple S T U D E N T A C an the d entist see m e today?
S T U D E N T В N o, I'm afraid not. H e w on't b e free till tomorrow.
1 A ........
В .................
2 A ................
В .................
3 A ................
В .................
4 A ................. ... the O ffic e r.... now?
В ................. ..available............... 2.15.
5
В .......
E x.3. E xam ple S T U D E N T A W ould it b e co nvenient to see y ou at 9.15?
S T U D E N T В D o y ou think y o u could m ake it 9.30?
1 A ........................... ..................................................................after lunch?
В ...........................
2 A .............................
В ...........................
3 A ............................
В ...........................
4 A ..........................
В ..........................
5 A ............................
В ........................... .......................................................in the afternoon?

E x.4. E xam ple S T U D E N T A M onday's n o good I'm afraid. He's busy.

S T U D E N T В H ow about T uesday, then?
1 A 9.30................................................engaged.

2 A T h e m orning..
В
3 A B efo re lu n c h .,
В

В .................the 10"’ ..........?

5 A T h e w eekend.. .....................fully booked.
В

20
 S A Y I N G ’N O '

E x.5. I t is v ery im p o rta n t to a v o id u sing 'N o' on its own unless y o u a re annoyed.
On its o w n it usually sounds aggressive a n d unhelpful. There are m any other
w ays o f giv in g a n egative response. M atch th ese rem arks a nd responses.

1. D id y o u r H e a d O ffic e agree? a. I 'd ra th e r y o u d idn 'L

2. C offee? b. N o , n o t y e t
3. W h a t’s th e c ode f o r L o n d o n ? c. I 'm a fra id I 'v e n o idea.
4. H a ve th e y c o n fir m e d th e o rd er ye t? d. N o t a t th e m o m en t, th a n k you.
5. D o y o u m in d i f I a rrive a b it late? e. I 'm a fra id n o t
6. I s 25% a ll rig h t? f W ell, I really n e e d a bit m o re than
th a t

E x.6. C ollect m o re w ays o f sa yin g N o ' naturally. C h eck by covering th e English

and recallin g th e natu ra l E nglish expressions.

Y OU R LANGUAGE EN G LISH

S A Y IN G 'Y E S '

E x.7. There a re lots o f expressions w hich a re m ore na tural a n d p o lite than us­
ing th e sin g le w o rd 'Yes'. M a tc h th ese rem arks a n d responses. N otice that the
natural expressions a re q uite differen t fr o m sim ple, on e-w ord answers.

1. W ill d elivery b y th e e n d o f th e m o n th be a ll right?

2. C o u ld I h a v e a n o th e r c u p o f co ffee?
3. I s i t O K to p a r k h ere?
4. W ould y o u lik e m e to c opy it f o r y o u ?
5. C an I c o u n t o n y o u r support?
6. I s n e x t T h u rsd a y su ita b le f o r o u r n e x t m e etin g ? a. Yes, I th in k so.
b. Yes, please,
c. O f course; h elp yourself.
d. Yes, th a t’l l b e fin e ,
e. A s f a r as I ”m concerned,
f. Yes. I 'm in com plete agre em en t

E x.8. In E n g lish y o u d o n o t u su a lly re p ly w ith th e sin g le w o rd 'Yes'. O ne - word

replies can s o u n d a g g ressive o r rude. I t is n a tu ra l to a n sw er w ith a short phra se

21
o r sentence. C ollect m o re w ays o f sa yin g 'Yes' a n d list them below. Check that
y o u know the n atural expressions b y covering the English a nd recalling them.

YOUR LANGUAGE ENGLISH

A C T IV E L IS T E N IN G

E x.9. D ifferent countries have different custom s b u t in m any p laces people who
a re speaking expect th e ir listener to sh o w interest a n d involvement. I f y o u listen
in com plete silence, p e o p le m a y th in k y o u a re difficult to ta lk to! M ake a list o f
sounds o r expressions w hich y o u can u se to sh o w y o u a re listening.

E x.lO . M a ke a list o f expressions y o u can use to sh o w y o u do n o t understand, or

need som ething rep ea ted o r explained.

I d on’t quite follow ._______________________________________________________

Sorry. W hat exactly d o y o u m e a n ? _________________________________________

2.2. V IS IT O R S

Ш 0 E x 1. Y o u a re g o in g to h e a r f i v e sh o rt conversations. L isten to each

o n e a n d decide
- who y o u th in k the speakers are
- w here th e y are
- w hat o n e sp e a k e r hands to another

22
E x 2. R e a d th e s e e xtracts fr o m conversation 1. W h a t d o y o u th in k th e m issing
w ords a n d p h ra se s are?
A .............................. h av e y o u r nam e?
В .............................H ere’s m y card.
A R ight, M rs Sandbulte............................ take a seat?
В I’m in a hu rry , a ctually......................... go straight u p ? I know the way.
A ................................y o u ’ll n eed security clearance first.

1=0 Listen ag a in a n d ch eck y o u r answers.

1 ^ 3 E x . 3. L is te n to co nversation 2 again th e n a c t o u t a sim ilar conversation

w ith a partn er.

H o st/ h ostess G u est

O pen the d o o r, in v ite th e g uest in A pologize fo r b ein g late, explain w hy and
and take their coat. give a present.

E x. 4. I f so m e o n e sa ys “T h a n k y o u ”, h o w can y o u reply? T h in k o f as m a n y
d iffe re n t an sw e rs a s y o u can. S u p p o se th e y b u y s o m e th in g f o r y o u a n d y o u
w a n t to re fu n d th em . W h a t c a n y o u say?

N o w listen to c o nversation 3 again a n d co m pare y o u r answers.

Ex. 5. Y ou a re p la y in g g o l f w ith so m eo n e a n d th e y p la y a g o o d s h o t W hat

co u ld y o u sa y ? A n d w h a t a b o u t i f th e y m a k e a b a d sh o t?

C om p lete th e s e se n te n c e s w ith th e correct fo r m o f th e verb in brackets.

1. I ’m n o t u su a lly v ery good a t (h it) th o se long shots.

2 . 1 e x p ect y o u ’re look in g forw ard t o .................(get) b a c k to M ichigan.
3. Y o u m u stn ’t leave w ith o u t (visit) o u r p la n t there.
4 . I’m in terested i n (see) w h at y o u ’r e d o ing there.

H H a/ow listen to c o nversation 4 again a n d ch e c k y o u r answers.

E x . 6 . R e a d th e se extra cts fr o m conversation 5. W hat d o y o u th in k t h e m issing

w ords are?
A : I ’m thin k in g o f ..........m y stay b y a c ouple o f days............y o u c h eck i f it’s O K?
B: Certainly.
A: I ’m M rs H aberland, ro o m 312.
B: O n e m om ent.
A : Instead o f on th e fourteenth, I ’d leav e on the sixteenth.
B: T h a t’s n o p r o b l e m I c hange the booking fo r you?

№ N o w listen to c onversation 5 again a n d ch eck y o u r answers.

23
HD E x. 7. N o w listen to s o m e p e o p le m e e tin g o n e a n o th er a n d m a k e n o tes in
th e ch art below.

C onversation I Conversation 2 C onversation 3

Is this the first tim e
they have m et?

W here d o y o u think
they are?

W hat nationalities do
you think they are?

H H E x . 8. L iste n to th e conversation a n d f i l l in th e gaps.

S m all T a lk
Susan, I ’d like y o u to m eet Jean-Pierre Bernard. Jean-Pierre, this is S usan R ich­
ards.
* H ello, _____________ ?
- H ow are y o u ,_________________________ you.
* Mr. Bernard, m ay I a sk w here y o u ’re from?
- Y es, o f course. I ’m from _____________ . From Antw erp.
* Oh, really? I u n derstand th at’s the d iam o n d ________
- Y es th at’s right.
* W ell, h ow d o y o u like i t in______________________ ?
- It’s beautiful here. I love the____________________ .
* Y es, w e have good w eath er year-round.
- N ot like in B elg iu m ...
* M r. Bernard, m ay I _____________ y ou Jean-Pierre?
Yes, o f course, m ay I call y ou Susan?
* Yes, Jean-Pierre. W h at brings you to the _
* W e ll,_______________________w ith t h e ___________________division o f a
San Francisco . A nd m ay I a sk w h at kind o f w ork do
you do?
* M e? I ’m in __________ . I w o rk at a com pany dow ntown.
- D o yo u live in San Francisco?
* N o, actually I liv e in Sausalito. I com m ute to work. It’s o nly 30 m inutes by

- T hat’s good. L isten, it w as very____________________ , b u t I see som eone I

m ust say h ello to ... please__________________________ .
* Y es, o f course. It w as n ic e ___________________ too.

E x . 9. L iste n to “S m a ll T a lk ” again, th e n a c t o u t a sim ila r c onversation with

a partner.

24
2.3. M A K IN G E X C U S E S

1=1 E x .l . M o s t p e o p le h a ve a story to te ll a b o u t b e in g la te f o r som e­

th in g . L iste n to t h e tw o stories o n th e recording a n d a n sw er th ese questions.
1. W here w as each p erso n g oing?
2. W hy w ere th e y late?
3. W hat hap p en ed a t th e end?
4. D o y ou th in k each sto ry is true?
C om pare w ith a p a rtn e r, th e n listen a n d f i n d o u t i f th e stories w ere tru e o r not.

E x.2. R e a d th e s e e x c u se s f o r b e in g la te a n d c h e c k a n y n e w w ords in y o u r dic­

tionary. W h ic h ex c u se s d id y o u h e a r in E x e rc ise 1?

-I ’m sorry I ’m late b u t...

- T he c ar/train/bus b ro k e dow n.
- T here w as a b u s strike.
- 1 g ot held u p in the traffic.
- 1 m issed the bus.
- M y train w as cancelled.
- M y alarm c lo ck d id n ’t go off.
- 1 g ot o f f the b us a t th e w ro n g stop.
- 1 b um ped in to a n o ld friend o n the w a y here.
- 1 h ad a pu n c tu re / a flat tyre.
- 1 g ot lost
- 1 overslept.
- W hen I g o t to th e station, I realized I ’d left m y m o n ey a t hom e.

W ith a p a r tn e r , a d d tw o m o re ex c u se s th a t p e o p le use. T hen com pare with

o th er pairs. W h ic h o f th e ex c u se s h a v e y o u u s e d o ccasionally or regularly?
D iscu ss in gro u p s.

E x.3. L o o k a t th is lis t o f replies. W h ich c a n y o u u se i f so m e o n e m a ke s a n ex­

cu se f o r b e in g late?

N ever m ind. I d o n ’t m ind. I t d o e sn ’t matter. T h at’s all right. 1

D o n ’t w orry. N othing. It’s n o t im portant. I d on’t care. |

E x . 4 . A c t o u t a c o n v ersa tio n w ith a pa rtn er.

25
2.4. B O O K IN G A N D A R R A N G E M E N T S

E x. 1. R ea d a n d tra n sla te th e text.

Q A secretary o r a travel agent m ay h ave to b o ok h otel room s an d air­
line o r railw ay tickets. O th er bookings m ay in clu d e conferences, ca r hire in
other countries, a n d v arious social activities w hich require booking, such a s the
theatre and concerts. A rranging appointm ents fo r v isitors to see executives in the
secretary's ow n com pany is a form o f booking. A rranging appointm ents for ex­
ecutives from th e secretary's com pany to m eet th e ir colleagues in the U K is an­
other form.
The secretary o r a g en t w ill therefore n eed to u n derstand people from the
U K and oth er English-speaking countries w ho w an t hotels, tickets and so on,
booked in the secretary's country. A nd executives w ill ask th e secretary to book
hotels, tickets and cars fo r them in the U K and other E nglish-speaking countries.
U nderstanding the language used b y English speakers is therefore as im­
portant as u sin g the language to com m unicate w ith E nglish speakers.

t^ F=E x . 2. R e m e m b e r t h e u s e fu l vocabulary fr o m th e t e x t U se th e words and

p hra ses in s e n ten ces o f y o u r own.

b o o k (v.) T o a sk fo r o r re q u ire a hotel room , a theatre seat, o r a car, for a date or

period in the future
c a r h ire A m eth o d o r system o f u sing a car, w hich belongs to an institution
w hich specializes in keep in g a range o f cars, and pay in g a fee for using the car
colleague (n .) A p erso n w ho w orks w ith you
co n firm (v.) T o in fo rm som eone th at y o u are c ertain o f y o u r arrangements
d ia ry A b o o k w h ich has days and dates, and space fo r inform ation about w hat a
person w ants to d o o n those dates
facilities R oom s, equipm ent, etc. available as a service; a rest room ; a sports
room , a re exam ples o f facilities
itin e ra ry A list o f p laces, institutions, dates, and tim es for a visit b y a person
(usually an executive)
re se rv a tio n A b o oking; o rdering a room , car, etc., in advance
ro o m se rv ic e T h e facilities o ffered by large hotels w h ich allows clients to order
food and drinks in their room s
service ch a rg e s A n ex tra sum o f m oney institutions dem and for additional ser­
vices (such as p osting)
tip (n .) (v.) A su m o f m o n ey g iven to w aiters, porters, taxi-drivers etc. w hich is
in addition to th e b ill, fare o r charge
V .A .T . (V a lu e A d d e d T a x ) A n indirect tax on goods and services in the UK.
The usual ra te o f V .A .T . is 8%.

26
SS E x . 3 . L iste n to th e c o nversation a n d f i l l in th e gaps.
B U S IN E S S TR IP: B uying A irline T ickets
■ R apid A ir ,_________________________________ ?
■ Y es p lease. I ’d lik e a n o n -sto p f l ig h t from ________________
to________________ , le a v in g .
_________________________ w h at’s available?
■ W ill th is b e fo r o n e p erson?
■ Y es, fo r _________________ ... and I’d prefer
a _____ .
■ O n A pril 1 5 , w e have a flight th a t __________________ H eathrow
at . W ill y o u b e flying coach ?
■ I ’d p refer_______________________ . W hat type o f aircraft is that?
■ H m m ... le t m e check. It’s a B o e in g ________.
■ __________________________, r o u n d trip?
■ T h a t_________________ o n h o w long y o u ’re staying, an d the date you re ­
turn. ____________________________ yo u r retu rn date yet?
• N o, n o t y et; b u t I should k n o w ______________________. I ’ll
____________________w h en I g e t th e _____________________ .
■ ____________________ , a n d ______________________ for choosing R apid Air.

E x . 4. T ran slate a n d rem em b er th e w o rd s in italics.

E x . 5. A c t o u t a sim ila r co n versa tio n w ith a p artner.

E x . 6. S tu d y th e U se fu l la n g u a g e below. U se th e w ords a n d p h ra ses in sen ­

te n ce s o f y o u r ow n.

M a k in g a r r a n g e m e n ts
C ould w e m eet o n M o n d a y a t 10.30?
A re y o u fr e e so m e tim e n e x t w eek?
H o w a bout n e x t F rid a y?
W hat a bout A p r il 4lh?
W ould W ednesday a t 2 p m s u it yo u ?
Is 11.15 convenient?

C h a n g in g a r r a n g e m e n ts
I'm afraid I c a n 't c o m e o n F riday/then.
W e've g o t an appo in tm en t f o r 11.00, but
I'm a fra id so m eth in g 's c o m e up.
C ould w e f i x a n o th e r tim e?

R e sp o n d in g
Tha t'll b e fin e . T hat's OK.
N o sorry, I ca n 't m a ke it then.
M y diary's r a th e r f u l l th a t day/w eek.
Sorry, I'v e a lre a d y g o t an a ppointm ent a t th a t time.
% * E x . 7 . R o le -p la y tw o situations.

27
2.5. T R A V E L IN G C A N B E H A R D W O R K

‘Travelers a re alw ays discoverers, especially those w ho travel by air.

There a re n o signposts in th e sk y that a m an has p a ssed this w ay before. ’
A n n e M orrow Lindbergh, A m erican w riter

Ex. 1. A n sw e r th e s e q u estio n s individually. T h en c o m pare answ ers with a

partner.
1 H ow often d o you travel b y air, rail, underground, road and sea?
2 W hat d o y o u enjoy about traveling? W hat d o n 't y o u enjoy?
3 W hich is the b est/w orst airline y o u have flow n? W hy?

E x. 2. W hich o f th e s e th in g s irritate y o u th e m o st w hen fly in g ? R a n k them in

order o f m o s t a n d lea st irritating.

diversions lost o r delayed luggage overbooking

bad fo o d long queues at check-in je t lag
cancellations dirty toilets n ot enough room
sitting nex t to som eone w h o talks sitting n e x t to children ba d weather
non-stop

Ex. 3 . W hich w o rd in e ach p a ir below is A m e ric a n E n g lish ?

petrol-gasoline tru ck-lorry ca r park-parking lot

holiday-vacation cab-taxi b ag gage - luggage
return-round trip tube-subw ay flight attendant-steward/stewardess
m otorw ay-freew ay line-queue tim etable-schedule

Щ Ex.4. R e a d th e le tte r below (“Free flight o ffer”) & answ er these questions.
1 W hat is th e purp o se o f the letter?
2 W hat incentive is th e com pany o ffering i f y o u fill in the questionnaire?
3 W hat condition is a ttached to the offer?
4 W hy d o com panies ru n this type o f prom otion?

B E G O O D T O Y O U R S E L F , F L Y E M IR A T E S
M r Paul Foley
31 C hurch S treet
S T ALBAN S
A5 3BN
2 January 2xxx
D ear M r Foley
A free flight vou ch er a n d a chance to w in a luxury F ar E ast holiday
As someone w ho h as flown Emirates in the past year you will have experienced
our outstanding service to the M iddle East. B ut were you aware that Emirates also flies
to an extensive netw ork o f m ajor destinations all around the world?

28
 B y filling in the enclosed questionnaire, you'll be helping us w ith o ur re­
search on y our v ie w s as a business traveler, as well as providing an update for
o u r database. T h is w ill ensure that w e only send out inform ation and offers that
a re relevant to y o u personally.
T o th an k y o u for y our tim e and effort w e w ill send you a free flight
v o u cher Y o u can u se this to claim a free E conom y tick et i f y ou take a First or
B usiness C lass trip w ith E m irates before July this year
In additio n w e w ill be entering a ll respondees' nam es in a free prize draw,
and the w in n er w ill receive a B usiness C lass trip fo r tw o people including seven
n ights' luxury h o tel accom m odation in a choice o f three exotic locations —
H ong K ong, S ingapore, o r B angkok.
T o q u alify fo r y o u r free voucher and enter the p rize draw, please ensure
your 15 com pleted questionnaire reaches u s b y 22 January.
Y ou'll fin d full details in the enclosed leaflet. I do h ope you find the in­
form ation in it in terestin g and th at y o u take advantage o f our free flight offer -
a n d I w ish y o u th e b e st o f lu ck w ith our p rize draw . T he w inner w ill be notified
b y 5 M arch. M o st o f all, I h o p e w e w ill be w elcom ing y o u o nce m ore on board
an E m irates flight.

Y ours sincerely
V ic S heppard
Sales M anager - U K & Ireland

E x . 5. T h ere a re a n u m b e r o f c o u n ta b le a n d u n c o u n ta b le n o u n s in th e letter.
C ountable n ouns can h a ve a p lu r a l fo r m ; they can be u sed w ith a o r an (an of­
fic e , two offices). U ncountable n ouns d o n ot h ave a p lu r a l fo rm .
W hich o f th e s e n o u n s fr o m th e letter a re countable? W hich are u ncountable?

resea rc h in form ation netw ork

questionnaire accom m odation location

Ex. 6 .Correct th e m istakes in th e use o f countable a n d uncountable n ouns below.

A lpha Airlines flies to a n extensive network o f major destinations. W e need informa­

tions from you. Help u s w ith our researches b y filling in tw o questionnaires and you
will be entered into a prize draw for a trip for tw o people including seven nights' lux-
ury hotel accom m odations in one o f three exotic locations._________________________

E x 7. A n s w e r th e s e q u e stio n s b e fo re y o u rea d th e article.

1 In w h at w ays do p eo p le b ehave b ad ly w hen flying?
2 H av e y o u e v e r seen o r h eard about som eone m isbehaving on a plane?
W hat happened?

29
f f l E x 8. N o w read th e article. F ind tw o exam ples o f passengers behaving badly.
P a sse n g e rs b e h a v in g b a d ly
The abusive passeng er is becom ing a w orld-w ide problem . D elta Air
L ines crew suffer 100 verbal a n d physical assaults a m onth, w hile c abin crews in
som e airlines are seeking early retirem ent a t 50 b ecause o f their stressful work.
O ne businessm an w as recently less than happy w h en airport sta ff told him his
luggage had been lost. A lready frustrated b y a d elayed flight, h e storm ed onto
the runw ay, took o u t a pistol a n d shot o u t the aircraft's front tyre.
■Every time there is an incident where the cabin crew feel compelled to bring
someone o ff the flight-deck, there will be safety issues,' says Leslie Berkowitz, in­
flight services manager at the International A ir Transport Association.
T he cause o f m o st passenger m isbehaviour is stress, according to Farrol
K ahn, director o f th e A viation H ealth Institute. O vercrow ding an d queuing at
the airport raises adrenaline levels. N orm ally these levels d ecrease through gain­
ing control o f a situation, eith er by standing up an d fighting o r b y running. In­
stead, p assengers a re k ep t in cram ped conditions o n an a ircraft, w here they have
no control. 'In these circum stances, they w ait fo r one little excuse and then let
rip ,' says D r K ahn. In o n e recent case, a septuagenarian h it a stew ard after being
told there w as n o m ore steak.
M uch o f the abuse is down to alcohol. Dahlberg and Associates, the aviation
consultancy, recently discovered that 202 o u t o f 708 major incidents noted by a US
carrier over a six-month period were alcohol-related. Seventy-four incidents were
smoking-related: m ore carriers are banning on-board smoking, leading the nicotine-
dependent into conflict as they try to have a secret cigarette.
D ahlberg also b lam es 'changes in society's view s o n technology and au­
thority' and 'stresses re la te d to m ass travel'.
F ro m th e F IN AN C IAL TIMES

E x. 9. Which o fth e fo llo w in g reasons are given f o r passengers behaving badly?

1. Flights d on't leav e on tim e.
2. Passengers d o n 't feel safe.
3. Airline s ta ff d o n 't p u t the custom er first.
4. Flight attendants aren 't polite.
5. Som e term inals a re to o crowded.
6. Passengers feel w orried a n d nervous.
7. The airline food is p o o r quality.
8. Som e p assengers g e t drunk.
9. Som e airlines don't h a v e no-sm oking policies.
10. Passengers d o n 't respect authority.

2.6. HOW D O YOU C O PE?

E x . 1. M a k e s u r e y o u u n d e rsta n d th e fo llo w in g situations.

1. Y ou a re the h e a d o f a d epartm ent w hich is very b u sy a t the m om ent. O ne o f

the people in y our departm ent asks you i f th e y c a n have th e day o ff tomor­
row to go to a parents' m eeting at th eir son's school. W hat d o yo u say?

30
2. Y ou w ork for a m ultinational com pany and you are very keen to do a one-week
course at com pany headquarters in Stockholm. The company has recently m ade a
lot o f cutbacks in the training budget. W hat do you say to your boss?
3. L ast w eek , y o u h a d a ra th er unpleasant m eetin g w ith a m anager in another
d epartm ent. Y ou k n o w th at there are a few questions y ou still ne ed to dis­
cuss, and y o u im ag in e that th e m anager w ill n o t w ant to speak to you. Ring
h im /h e r u p, a n d try to m ake an appointm ent.
4. Y ou need to g et som e financial information v eiy urgently from a colleague, but it
is n ow the end o f the w orking day and your colleague is leaving in a few minutes.
Y ou need the information to prepare for a meeting tomorrow. W hat do you say?

H H E x . 2. L iste n to t h e tw o dia lo g u es o n th e r eco rd in g a n d answ er th ese qu es­

tions.
1. W hich situ atio n w ere th ey talking about?
2. W hich dialo g u e d o y o u th in k is m o re e ffective, a nd w hy?

§ 3 E x . 3. T h re e m a n a g e rs a re h o ld in g a m e e tin g to discuss a p ro b lem th ey

a re fa c in g . L is te n to P a rt 1, F in d o u t w h a t th e p ro b le m is a n d h o w it arose.

Ш е . 4. L is te n ag a in a n d n o te w h o d id th e se th in gs. W as it th e designer
(D), th e e ng in e e rs (E ), o r b o th (D /E )?
W ho
• changed th e design?
• incorp o rated a sm aller b attery?
• m ov ed a socket?
• could n 't m eet th e n ew specifications?
• b u ilt th e prototype?
• didn 't c h eck that w h at th ey w ere doing w as O K ?
C om plete th is se n te n c e in y o u r o w n words.
I f they h a d c h ecked b e fo re th e y built th e p rototype, ...
H H E x . 5. N o w listen to P a r t 2. T h e m a n a g e rs a re d isc u ssin g w h a t to do next.
W h a t tw o o p tio n s d o th e y consider?

[Щ E x . 6. M a k e a n o te o f th e tw o o p tio n s in th e ch a rt below, th e n listen

again a n d m a k e a n o te o f th e ir a dvantages a n d disadvantages.

O p tio n s A d v a n ta g e s D isad v an tag e s

1.

2.

31
E x. 7. Use y o u r n o te s to m a k e sen ten ces a b o u t th e d iffe re n t options.
I f they went b ack to stage one, they'd be able to m eet a ll the specifications.

VOCABULARY NOTE

D o you k now w hen to u se the verbs to sa y and to tell?

W e often u se sa y w ith the actual w ords spoken.

A re y o u sa yin g w e ca n 't do it?
She sa id 'Yes, o f co u rse.'

W e often u se tell i f w e a re passing on inform ation o r giving instructions.

C ould y o u te ll us a b o u t the problem ?
I told them to ch eck with m e first.

In m any situations w e c a n u se either sa y o r tell.

They sa id it w asn 't th e ir fa u lt.
They told m e i t w a sn 't th eir fa u lt.

B u t notice that te ll is follow ed b y the person b eing told. S a y isn't!

T hese sentences are w rong.

They told it w asn't th eirfa u lt.

2.7. P R O B L E M S O L V IN G

Ш З E x. 1. N o w listen to so m e m anagers discu ssin g so m e problem s. What

pro b le m s a re th e y try in g to solve?

E x 2. N o w listen again. F ill th e sp aces in th e se sentences.

Conversation 1 the M etro?
...................................................................... a taxi?
C onversation 2 H av e th ey ................................. yet?
................................. p h o n e them u p a nd explain w hat’s happened.

T hat m ight b e ...................................... How m uch do they for a call out?

Conversation 4 .................................................... p u t everyone on overtime.

N o, i t’s .......................................................

C onversation 5 I f thirty, w hat discount

W hat i f a hundred?

32
 E x . 3 . I n E x e rc ise 2 y o u h ea rd a ll th e se words to d o w ith m a k in g paym ents.

I salary w ages charge fees fare com m ission tip 1

W hich o n e describes th e m o n e y y o u p a y
1 to th an k som eone fo r th eir services (fo r exam ple, a w aiter o r w aitress)?
2 to an a gent o r salesperson?
3 for a service (fo r exam ple, electricity, postage)?
4 for a p ro fessional service (for exam ple, to a law yer)?
5 fo r traveling?
6 to y o u r s ta ff ev ery w eek?
7 to y o u r s ta ff every m onth?

E x . 4. N o w u s e th e s a m e seven w ords to co m p lete th e s e sentences.

1. The taxi w as $ 18 an d I gave th e d riv er a $ 4 .................
2. O n orders o f o v e r 2 ,0 0 0 pieces delivery is free o f .................
3. T he build ers re c e iv e th eir w eek ly ............. in cash.
4. In addition to y o u r b a sic ... . y o u w ill receive a 25 % on all goods sold.
5. S h e’s a g o o d a ccountant b u t h er ............. are high.
[£Д1 Ex. 5. J e n n ife r D ’A b o u s e d to ru n R ym an, a su c c e ssfu l c h a in o f offic e sta­
tionary shops. L iste n to h e r a c c o u n t o f a p ro b le m s h e o n ce fa ce d . S to p th e tape
w hen y o u h e a r a s h o r t beep.
1. W hat e x a c tly w as th e p roblem ?
2. W h at w o u ld y o u d o i f y o u h a d this problem ?
3. W h at d o y o u th in k Jen n ifer d id ? L isten and fin d out.

H U e x . 6. N o w listen to th r e e m o re m a n a g e rs ta lk in g a b o u t p roblem s th ey
fa ce d . I n each case, stop th e tape w h en y o u h e a r a sh o rt beep. S a y how y o u
w o u ld d eal w ith th e p ro b le m , th e n listen to f i n d o u t w h a t th e m an a g e r did.

E x . 7. T he m a n a g e rs u se d a lo t o f id io m a tic expressions. Can y o u explain

w h a t th e y m e a n ?
1. I ’d h a d enough.
2. It ran lik e c lockw ork.
3. It frig h ten ed th e life o u t o f them.
4. T h e y w o u ld n ’t budge.
5. T h e y s ig n ed o n the d o tted line.
6. I ’d h a d a clue.

33
 III. T E L E P H O N IN G

3.1. T E L E P H O N E I N B U SIN E SS

Ex. 1. R e a d a n d tra n sla te th e text.

Ш W hen y o u m ake a telephone call to an office, bank o r any other insti­
tution w here th e ca ll goes through a sw itchboard, alw ays give the nam e o f the
person y ou are calling. Y o u should also give yo u r o w n nam e i f th e switchboard
operator doesn't a sk you fo r it. I f it is an international call, tell the switchboard
operator w here you are phoning from. T his should m ean that you w ill get your
call through m ore quickly.
It is u seful to k n o w die extension num ber o f the person yo u are calling.
The sw itchboard operator w ill know this, b u t it m ig h t save any delay i f you
m ention it first.
T o m ake a correct a nd useful telephone call, an d to save delay, you should
always have the n ecessary inform ation w ith y ou, even before y ou dial. A list o f
points you w ish to discuss, dates, tim e o f arrival, and so o n c an h elp you to
m ake an efficient telephone call. T his preparation m ay even prevent the neces­
sity o f m aking a se co n d telephone call.

t^ = Ex. 2. R e m e m b e r th e u s e fu l vocabulary fr o m th e t e x t Use th e w ords and

phra ses in s e n ten ces o f y o u r own.
code n u m b e r (p re fix USA) the num ber used fo r a tow n o r district, w hich you
m ust dial before th e telephone num ber, i f you are outside the tow n o r district
d ia l (v.) to u se the n um bers on a telephone to g e t a connection
exchange the place w here a n operator connects telephone calls
exhibition (n.) a pu b lic display o f m anufactured goods, art, etc.
extension an internal n um ber w hich connects an outside line w ith an office in­
side a building, through a private sw itchboard
In te rn a tio n a l S u b s c rib e r D ialling (I.S.D .) a system fo r dialing a num ber over­
seas directly, w ith o u t u sing an operator
line (n.) a connection betw een o ne telephone n um ber a nd another
o p e ra to r a p erson w ho connects, o r puts through, telephone calls to the right
num ber o r extension
p a d (n .) a sm all b o o k w ith b lan k pages, used fo r w ritin g m essages (as in a tele­
phone pad)
p u t th ro u g h (v.) to connect a telephone call to the right num ber
sw itc h b o a rd (n .) a system apparatus for connecting telephones

® E x.3. I n a p h o n e conversation, who w o u ld sa y th e p h ra se s in th e box:

- the caller?
- the person receiving the call?
- a n operator/receptionist?
- any o f them ?

34
 Speaking. Is that Joanne? I t’s N igel.
W ho’s calling? C ould you give him a H old the line, please.
m essage?
Is that you, Jo? Shall I get him to ring D o y ou know w hen
y ou? they’ll b e back?
I ’ll p u t you through. H ang o n a minute. W ho shall I say is call­
ing?
Thanks fo r ringing. C ould I speak to M r.
R oberts, please?

H U E x.4. L is te n to th r e e conversa tio n s a n d com plete th e box.

R elationship Language R eason for calling

e.g. b oss / assistant form al / inform al
1.
2.
3.

H D Ex. 5. L iste n again. W h ich p h ra se s fr o m E x e rc ise 3 do y o u hear? Tick

them a n d th e n co m p a re w ith a p artner.

® E x . 6. W o rk w ith a p a rtn er. W rite d ow n th re e w ays in w hich each o f th e

conversatio n s in E x e r c is e 5 c o u ld continue.

E xam ple: C onversatio n 1: T h e c aller accepts the appointm ent. Sure, I w ill...

1 = 1 E x . 7. N o w liste n to th e en d in g s o f th e conversations. W ere an y o f y o u r

gu e sse s th e s am e?

% * E x . 8. R o le -p la y sim ila r te lep h o n e conversations.

3.2. L E A V IN G A N D T A K IN G M E S S A G E S
W h e n y o u a n sw e r th e p h o n e , y o u r response d epends o n two things:
1 I f th e call y o u receiv e is a direct incom ing call y ou state the nam e o f the
com pany o r institution: 'B usiness D esign C entre. G o o d m orning.'
2 I f the call y o u re c e iv e is v ia a private exchange sw itchboard you state your
n am e and departm ent: 'Sales D epartm ent. M iss Jo n es s p eaking.' or: M iss Jones.
Sales D e p a rtm e n t.' Y o u should n o t ju s t say 'H ullo'. T h is causes confusion, does
n o t h elp th e caller, a n d w astes time.
Y ou m ay h a v e to transfer an incom ing call to another extension. I f you
transfer a call, y o u sh o u ld give the caller's n am e and request to th e new exten­
sion. The caller does n o t have to rep eat his m essage, i f you do this.

35
H H E x.1. L isten to th e conversation a n d f i l l in th e g aps

■ C ould I please speak w ith H arold B ender in ______________ ? This is Sal­

vado r S a n tin i___________the Italian consulate.
■ ___________ h e ’s o u t to lunch. W ould y ou lik e t o ________________ later?
■ I’d like to , i f y o u d on’t mind.
■ Please.
■ T ell h im to c all m e the Italian consulate regarding h is trip to M ilan.
■ W ould y o u lik e to leav e your________________________ ?
■ T hat’s O K . H e h as the num ber.
* W hy d o n ’t y o u _________ it to m e anyw ay.
■ OK. I t’s_______________________________ .
■ Thank you. I’ll give him th e m essage.
* Thank you. G ood-bye.
% *E x. 2. R ole p la y sim ila r telep h o n e conversations.

(M l E x . 3. Y ou w o rk in th e reception o f a large television station. W hen you

arrive in th e m o rn in g , y o u r fi r s t jo b is to listen to th e m essages le ft o n th e an-
sw erphone. L iste n to th e m essages, ta k e n otes in t h e table.

M ESSAGE 1

Reason for c a ll..........................................................................................................................

.—
M ESSA G E 2

R eason fo r c a ll.....................
A ction necessary................

M ESSA G E 3
M essage fo r.............................................. C aller’s nam e.
Reason for c a ll....................................................................
A ction necessary.................................................................

M ESSAGE 4
M essage fo r.............................................. C aller’s nam e.
Reason for c all....................................................................
A ction necessary.................................................................

(M l Ex. 4. Philip p a K night, S a le s D irector a t T he Fashion Group in N ew

York, m a k e s tw o calls to M a ria B onetti, a fa sh io n b u ye r in London. Listen
a n d note: a ) the p urpose o f each call; b ) the result.

36
1=1 E x . 5. L is te n to th e f i r s t c a ll again a n d com plete th e ex tract below.
K n ig h t: I'm callin g becau se I'll b e in L o ndon n ex t w eek a n d ........................
...............................1 you. I w ant to tell y o u about o u r new collection.
B o n e tti: G reat. W h at.....................................2? I'm fairly free n e x t w eek, I think.
K n ig h t: 3? In the afternoon? C o u ld .............................4 then?
B o n e tti: L e t m e lo o k n o w . L et............................................ 5 . Y es, that'd b e no
p ro b le m a t a ll 6 tw o o'clock? Is that O K ?

H H E x . 6 . L is te n to th e se c o n d call again a n d co m p lete th e ex tract below.

R e c e p tio n ist: T h a n k you. I ’m putting y o u through. H ello, I'm afraid she's
pnira" ed a t th e m om ent o r c an I take a ------- °
K n ig h t: I'll le av e a m essag e please. T he th in g is, I should b e m eeting M s
B o n etti a t 2 p m ,........................ M y p lane w as delayed, a n d I've g ot to
re sc h ed u le m y appointm ents. I f p o ssib le,.......................3 tom orrow .
4 in the m o rn in g 5 here a t th e hotel, p
R e c e p tio n ist: C ertainly. W h at's the num ber, p lease?
K n ig h t: It's.............................................6.

% ^ E x . 7. R o le p la y th e s e tw o te lep h o n e situations.

O ne o f y ou is a com p an y em ployee w ho h as ar­ Y ou are o n a business

ranged to m eet a colleag u e (y o u r p artner) from trip and you w ant to
one o f yo u r su b sidiaries. E x p lain th at y o u cannot stay an extra day.
keep th e a ppointm ent, and g iv e a reason. S uggest Telephone the airline
an a lternative tim e. office to arrange a dif-
ferent flight._________

IV .O R G A N IZ A T IO N S

4.1. C O M P A N Y S T R U C T U R E
E x .l B e fo re y o u listen to th e cassette, stu d y th e fo llo w in g stru ctu re s w hich are
u se d to d escrib e a p e r s o n 's responsibilities w ith in a co m p a n y a n d to sh o w his
or h e r p o sitio n in th e c o m p a n y hierarchy.

A in charge o f
W ho responsible fo r th e L ife S ciences sector?
heads
В J. E. Robertson

A d o es he re p o rt to / w o rk under
W ho ?
is h e responsible to
В L. D . D e S im one.

37
 E x . 2. W ork in p a irs (S tu d e n t A a n d S tu d e n t B ). S tu d e n t A sh o u ld look at
th e inform a tio n b elow (I n fo A ) a n d S tu d e n t В a t I n fo B.

In fo A (S tu d e n t A ) R ead the follow ing p rofile and b e ready to p lay th e role o f

Susan R obertson. Prepare a list o f questions that y o u w ill need to ask Giancarlo
Peretto (played b y S tudent B ) in order to com plete his profile. Then take it in
turns to interview ea c h other. Examples: H ow long have y o u been with y o u r p re ­
sent com pany? W hat a re y o u responsible fo r?

N am e: Susan R obertson
Age: 29
N a tionality : A m erican
M a rita l s ta tu s: Single
Sala ry : $38,000 p e r annum
C o m p an y : US B rands Incorporated
P re se n t p o sitio n : • B rand M anager
• W orks un d er the D irector o f M arketing
B a ck g ro u n d : • M B A from th e U niversity o f Pennsylvania
• Joined the com pany in 1991
P re se n t re sp o n sib ilities:
• In charge o f d eterm ining national m arketing strategy fo r a brand o f paper tow­
els
• H eads a business team o f 10 p eople w hich studies consum ers' opinions o f
com pany products_________________________________________________________

N am e: G iancarlo Peretto
A g e : ...........................................
N a tio n a lity :............................
M a rita l s t a t u s : ........................
S a l a r y : ......................................
C o m p a n y :.................................
P re se n t p o s i t i o n :.............................................................................................................
B a c k g ro u n d :.........................................................................................................................
P re se n t re s p o n s ib ilitie s :.................................................................................................

In fo В ( S tu d e n t B ) R ead the follow ing profile a nd be ready to p lay the role o f

G iancarlo P eretto. Prepare a list o f questions that you w ill n eed to ask Susan
Robertson (played b y S tudent A ) in order to com plete her profile. Then take it in
turns to interview each other. Exam ples: H o w lo n g have y o u b een w ith y o u r pre­
sen t company?

N am e: G iancarlo Peretto
A ge: 48
N atio n a lity : Italian
N atio n a lity : Italian
M a r ita l s ta tu s : M arried, 3 children
S a la ry : $155,000 p e r annum
C o m p a n y : T h e M ilan B ank o f C om m erce
P r e s e n t p o sitio n : • C h ie f F inancial O fficer
• Reports to th e M anaging D irector
B a c k g ro u n d : • Stu d ied at the L ondon School o f E conom ics
• J oined th e acco u n ts d epartm ent in 1978
P r e s e n t resp o n sib ilitie s:
• L eads a team o f sen io r executives w o rk in g o n vario u s a spects o f financial
m anagem ent
♦ In charge o f p la n n in g th e b ank's financial strategy______________________

N am e: Susan R obertson
A g e :.......................................................................
N a tio n a lity :........................................................
M a r ita l s t a t u s : ...................................................
S a l a r y : ...................................................................
C o m p a n y :.............................................................
P re se n t p o s i t io n : .....................................................................................
B a c k g r o u n d :....................................................................................................................
P r e s e n t re s p o n s ib ilitie s :..........................................................................................

3. Y o u w ill h e a r a sp e a k e r d escrib ing so m e o f th e d iffe re n t p o

th a t M r M a n le y J o h n s o n , a se n io r m a n a g e r o f 3 M , h e ld th ro u g h o u t h is p ro ­
fe s s io n a l life u n til 1989. L iste n a n d co m p lete th e table.

D ivision o r sector # o f years in position N am e o f superior Responsibilities

W orked in im­
p ro v in g m any
products, in­
cluding non-slip
materials
-
Industrial Sco tch - -
brite P roducts
-
D isposable P ro d ­
ucts

[од1 p,x. 4. Y o u w ill n o w h e a r M r. J o h n s o n d escrib in g h is p re se n t position. A s

y o u listen, ta k e n o tes a n d th e n w rite a s h o r t d escription o f h is jo b a n d respon­
sibilities.

39
 E x . 5. W ork in p a ir s (S tu d e n t A a n d S tu d e n t B ). S tu d e n t A sh o u ld lo o k at
th e inform ation below (In fo A ) a n d S tu d e n t В a t I n fo B.

In fo A (S tu d e n t A ) Read th e follow ing com pany p ro file and study th e k ind of

inform ation it contains. B e prepared to answ er questions a bout it.

T he M oD o G roup is an international company. Its headquarters are in Stock­

holm. T he President and C h ie f Executive O fficer is B e m t Lof. Its m ain areas o f
business are fine paper, n ew sprint and m agazine p ap er and o ther w ood products.
M ost o f M oD o's production is carried o u t in Sw eden, b u t th e c om pany is present
in m any European countries and in the U n ited States. M ore than 80% o f the
G roup's total sales o f 18.4 m illion Sw edish k rones in 2007 cam e from countries
outside Sw eden, p rim arily the E uropean Com m unity. T he com pany has about
12,961 em ployees.________________________________________________________ _

N ow ask y o u r p a rtn er questions to obtain sim ilar inform ation about the
com pany that he o r sh e has b een w orking on, and com plete the notes below.

N am e o f c o m p a n y .............

M ain m a r k e t s .....................
Sales in 2007 ....................... ..............No. o f e m p lo y e e s ..............................................

In fo В (S tu d e n t B ) R ead the follow ing c om pany p rofile a n d study the kind o f

inform ation it contains. B e prepared to answ er questions a bout it.

Virgin is a leading international com pany based in L ondon. It w as founded in

1970 b y R ichard B ranson, the present C hairm an. T h e g roup has three m ain divi­
sions w hich o perate independently. T hese divisions specialize in m usic retailing
and entertainm ent, com m unications and travel. V irgin operates in 15 different
countries, including the U nited States, th e U n ited K ingdom , C ontinental Europe,
A ustralia and Japan. Its sales in 2007 w ere £1 100 m illion. It employs over
6,000 people.______________________________________________________________

N ow ask yo u r partner questions to obtain sim ilar inform ation about the company
that he o r she has b een w orking on, a n d com plete the n otes below.

N am e o f c o m p a n y ..........

M ain m a r k e t s ...................
S ales in 2007 ..................... ........... N o. o f e m p lo y e e s ..................................................

40
[ Щ E x . 6. L iste n to th e description o f th e co m p a n y 's activities a n d com plete
th e p ie c h a rt a n d n o tes w ith t h e co rrect fig u re s.

O th e r a ctiv itie s S ales b re a k d o w n b y division

T urnover F F r (bn) %
C onsum er
and Salons
Perfum es
and B eauty
Synthelabo
A ctive
Cosm etics
O ther activi­
ties

N u m b er o f em p lo ye es____
G ross tu rn o v e r_____________
d H E x. 7 . L is te n ag a in a n d co m p lete th e se e xtracts fr o m th e presentation. Use
one w ord p e r space.
1 W e hav e p ro d u c tio n , ................... a n d .................... in all five continents.
2 ... the larg est p a rt o f o u r ................... com es from C onsum er & S alons activities.
3 H ere w e h a v e a n e x c e p tio n a l......................o f prestigious ........................... w hich
includes L ancom e, H elen a R ubenstein, and B iotherm .
4 ... this divisio n h a s dual objectives: firstly to d evelop new , technically-
advanced cosm etics, and secondly t o ...................... o u r close relationships w ith
pharm acists — a k e y o f ..................
5 Synthelabo is m a k i n g in th e treatm ent o f central n ervous system disor­
d ers a t th e m om ent, an d i t w ill b eco m e a w o rld ... in th is .... in the future.
6 ... w e .....................a m a j o r ..................... in d ie M arie-C laire publishing g ro u p ...

4.2. G R O W TH AND D EV ELO PM EN T

g H E x . 1. F ifty p e r c e n t o f a ll th e P C s o ftw a re so ld in Japan is distributed

th ro u g h S O F T B A N K . L isten to a S O F T B A N K m a n a g er ta lkin g about the
g row th a n d d e v e lo p m e n t o f h is c o m p a n y a n d a n sw e r th e se questions.
1. H e m e n tio n s three p ro d u ct areas th at h ave show n strong growth.
b e r them in th e o rd er th ey to o k off.
□ B usiness applications
□ N etw orking
a G am es

41
 2. H e talks about the developm ent o f the com puter m agazine busines
N um ber these events in the order they happened.
q They decided to take a gamble.
□ T he m agazines did n 't sell.
□ T he m agazines sold o u t in three days.
□ T h ey set u p the p ublishing division.
□ They set u p the distribution business.
□ They changed the layout o f th e m agazines.
□ They launched tw o m agazines.
□ They advertised the m agazines o n TV.

H D E x.2. L isten again a n d a n sw er th e se questions.

1 H ow long h as S O FTBA N K been in business?
2 W hat netw orking products does he m ention?
3 H ow m any com puter m agazines d id they pu b lish la st m onth?
4 W hen d id they s e t u p the publishing division?
5 W hy did n 't they close it dow n w hen it w asn 't successful?

Ш E x.3 . M a sa y o sh i S o n was b o m in K y u sh u , J a p a n in 1957. H e is the

fo u n d e r o f S O F T B A N K , J a p a n 's leading P C so ftw a re distributor. Read his
account o f h o w h e c a m e to sta rt th e bu sin ess a n d w o rk o u t h o w lo n g it took
him to d ecide w h a t to do.
Past experiences
I spent a long time doing research and m aking business plans before I started
the company. I was living in Kyushu a t the tim e. It w as 1979 and I'd ju st come
back from the States. I h ad no incom e and all m y fam ily and friends w ere worried.
They couldn't understand w hy I w asn't doing anything, b u t I w as thinking.
I'd g one to th e States to study w hen I w as sixteen. I w ent to Oakland,
California fo r a c ouple o f years first, then transferred to Berkeley w here I gradu­
ated. I m et m y w ife w hile I w as studying E nglish in O akland and b y the tim e we
cam e b ack to K yushu w e had a n ew baby. She w as w orried too. I had come up
w ith 4 0 new b usiness ideas - everything from creating softw are to setting up
hospital chains - b u t I didn’t know w hich to start.
I w anted a business I could fall in love w ith. It h ad to be u nique and original. It
had to have g reat grow th potential. I h ad about 25 p oints like this and I took a
b ig sheet o f p ap er an d gave each business idea scores. Then I picked the best
one. It turned o u t to b e the personal com puter softw are business. So in 1981 we
finally m oved to T okyo and I started SO FTBA N K .

E x.4. Com plete th is tim e line. W rite th e dates M a sa yo shi S o n m oved fr o m one
p la c e to an o th e r a bove a n d th e p la c e s h e h a s liv e d underneath.

1957
Kyushu

42
E x .5 . W ork w ith a p a rtn er. A s k a n d a n sw er q u estio n s ab o u t M asayoshi S o n 's
career. B eg in ea ch q u e stio n with H o w long...?
E xam ple: A H o w lo n g d id he sta y in O akland?
В (H e s ta y e d there) f o r tw o years.
A A n d h o w lo n g ha s h e been livin g in Tokyo?
1. stay in O akland
2. live in T okyo
3. b e u nem ployed
4. ru n a softw are d istrib u tio n com pany
5. study a t B erk eley
6. spend d e cid in g w h a t b usiness to start
7. h ave h is o w n b usiness

4-3. R E P O R T IN G O N P R O G R E S S

(M l E x . 1. T w o m a n a g e rs a re m a k in g p re p a ra tio n s f o r a presentation. L isten

to th eir c onversation. W ho is g o in g to d o th e s e th in g s, B o b (B ) or Victoire (V )?
1. g iv e th e presentation
2. h ire a c ar
3. fax a m ap
4 . u se a n o verh ead p rojector
5. ta k e a p ro je c to r to th e office
6. b rin g a d isp lay stand
7 . lo o k th ro u g h th e briefin g notes
8. m e e t so m e o n e fo r lunch

1=1 E x . 2. C o m p lete th e sp a ces in th e s e extra cts fr o m th e conversation. Then

listen again a n d c h e c k y o u r answers.
E x tr a c t 1
V ic to ire I'm ju s t p h o n in g a b o u t y o u r p resentation n e x t w eek. I think w e
.........................c h eck everything again.
Bob A g ain ?
V icto ire It's a b ig contract, Bob. I th in k w e .............................. take
an y chances.
E x tr a c t 2
Bob I'm n o t sure w h ere the o ffice is.
V ic to ire ...............................................................................take a taxi?
Bob N o . I'm h irin g a car.
V ic to ire T h e n ................................fa x y o u a m ap w ith directions.
Bob T hanks.
V ic to ire A re y o u g o in g to u se a n o verhead projector?
B ob Y es.
V ic to ire T h e n w e sh o u ld ta k e one w ith us.

43
Bob .1 d o th at o r ............ you?
V ictoire th at to me.

E x . 3. W hat do y o u th in k th is c h a rt refers to? W h a t c o u ld th e sym bols repre­

sent?

M A STER P R O JE C T SCHEDU LE
D ESC RIP ­ W EEK NUM BER
T IO N 1 2 3 4 5

O FF-SIT E
FEASIBILITY
PREPA RA - STUDY
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H U Ex. 4. N o w listen to so m e m an a g ers d iscu ssin g th e schedule o f a project

a n d see i f y o u w ere r ig h t F in d o u t
1 w hat events the sym bols represent
2 w hat w eek it is now
3 how they change the schedule

H U E x. 5. L iste n a g a in a n d a n sw e r th e se questions.
1. 1 W hat d id th e suppliers guarantee?
2. W hat d id th e y do o n schedule?
3. W hose fau lt is the delay?
 4. W hat is h appening w ith the operators at the m om ent?
5. W hat c an't th e c om pany risk doing?

E x . 6. C om p lete th e s e senten ces fr o m th e conversation. Use either an infinitive

o r a g e r u n d (-in g ) f o r m o f o n e o f th e verbs fr o m th e box.
W e planned to h a ve th is e quipm ent in o peration b y w eek 12.
W e d islike ch a n g in g the schedule a s m uch a s you.

I get give put prepare in stall deliver change h av e |

1. They g u a ra n te e d .................. and install the equipm ent w ithin five w eeks.
2. W e c h o s e .................................the site ourselves.
3. They d e n y ...................................p roblem s w ith their parts
4. H ave they m a n a g e d started now ?
5. They w on 't f in is h ......................... the e quipm ent until the e nd o f w eek 11.
6. W e c an carry o n ..................................... them theoretical training.
7. W e can't risk o v e r to the new equipm ent w ithout a full
w eek o f tests.
8. Y ou w a n t .................................... it o f f fo r a w eek.

4.4 T H E S M A L L B U SIN E S S

(M l E x .l. Y o u w ill h e a r B e n F o x d escrib in g how h e g o t th e original idea fo r

o p ening F a sta P asta. L iste n a n d a n sw er th e fo llo w in g questions.
1 W hat w as B e n F o x 's jo b w hen h e w orked fo r the p izza restaurant com pany?
2 W hat k in d o f h o u rs w as h e w orking a t that time?
3 W hat o b serv atio n d id he m ake about the hom e d eliv ery market?
4 W here d id h e first see a takeaw ay pasta operation?
5 W hy d o es B e n F o x c all p asta 'the u ltim ate fast food'?

[M l E x.2. L is te n to B e n F o x 's description o f th e c u sto m ers o f F asta Pasta.

1. W hat a re th e d ifferences b etw een the custom ers h e serves
(a ) a t lunchtim e a n d (b) in the evenings?
2. H ow d o e s h e d escrib e the average custom er?

M l E x.3. I n th is extract, B e n F o x answ ers th e q u e stio n 'W h a t advice w ould

y o u g iv e to y o u n g p e o p le th in k in g o f settin g up th e ir ow n bu sin ess? ' L isten
a n d c o m p lete th e fo llo w in g p ie c e s o f a d vice w ith th e v erbs w hich h e uses.
1 ........................................w hatever y o u w an t to do carefully
2 to friends a n d relativ es and p eo p le y o u know a b out w hat y o u w ant to do
3 ......................................... in w hat yo u 're doing
4 ......................................... to p eople a n d ............................................from others
5 ......................................... the right sort o f background

45
^ H a v e y o u g o t w h a t it ta k e s to ru n y o u r o w n b u sin e ss? D o th e question­
naire a n d d iscu ss y o u r answ ers w ith a partner.
H O W D O Y O U R A T E A S A N E N TR EPREN EU R?
For each o f the follow ing questions, tick the answ er w hich com es closest to
w h at y o u feel about yourself.
1. A re you a self-starter?
a I only m ake an e ffo rt w hen I w ant to.
b I f som eone explains w hat to do, then
I can continue from there,
с I m ake m y o w n decisions. I don't
need anyone to tell m e w hat to do.
2. How do y o u g e t o n w ith other
people?
a I g et on w ith alm o st everybody,
b I have m y o w n friends a nd I don't
really ne e d anyone else,
с I don't re a lly feel a t h o m e w ith other
people.
3. C an you lead a nd m otivate others?
a O nce som eth. is m oving I'll jo in in.
b I'm good a t giving o rders w hen I
know w hat to do.
с I can persuade m o st p eo p le to follow
m e w hen I start som ething.
4. C an you take responsibility?
a I like to take c harge a nd to obtain
results.
b I'll take c harge i f I h av e to b u t I p re­
fer som eone else to b e responsible,
с Som eone alw ays w an ts to b e the
leader and I'm happy to le t them d o the
job.
5. Are you a good organizer?
a I tend to g et c o nfused w hen
unexpected problem s arise,
b I like to p lan ex actly w h at I'm going
to do.
с I ju s t let things happen.
46
9. C an y o u stay th e course?
a T he biggest challenge for m e is
g etting a pro ject started,
b I f I d ecide to d o som ething, nothing
w ill stop me.
с I f som ething d oesn't go right first
tim e I ten d to lose interest.
10. A re y o u m otivated b y money?
a For m e, jo b satisfaction cannot be
m easured in m oney terms,
b A lthough m o ney is im portant to me,
I v alue other things ju s t as much,
с M aking m oney is m y m ain
m otivation.
11. H ow d o y o u react to criticism?
a I d islike a n y form o f criticism,
b I f p eople criticize m e I always listen
a n d m ay o r m ay n o t reject w hat
th e y h av e to say.
с W hen p eople criticize m e there is
usually som e truth in w hat they say.
12. C an p eople believe w hat you say?
a I try to b e honest, b ut it is sometimes
too d ifficult o r too com plicated
to e xplain things to other people,
b I d o n 't say things I d on't mean,
с W hen I thin k I'm right, I don't
care w h at anyone else thinks.
13. D o you delegate?
a I p refer to delegate w hat I consider
to b e the least im portant tasks,
b W hen I have a jo b to d o I like to
d o everything myself,
с D elegating is an im portant part o f
any job.
6. H ow good a w orker are you?
a I'm w illin g to w o rk h ard fo r
som ething I re a lly w ant,
b I find m y h om e environm ent m ore
stim ulating th an w ork,
с R egular w o rk suits m e b u t I don’t like
it to interfere w ith m v private life.
7. C a n y ou m ake decisions?
a I a m quite h a p p y to execu te other
people's decisions,
b I o ften m ake v e ry q u ic k decisions
w hich usu ally w o rk b u t
som etim es don't,
с B efore m ak in g a d ecisio n I n eed tim e
to think it over.
8. D o y ou e n jo y tak in g risks?
a I alw ays e valuate th e exact dangers
o f any situation,
b I like the e x citem en t o f tak in g big
risks.
с F or m e s afety is th e m o st im portant
thing.
14. C an you c ope w ith stress?
a S tress is som ething I can live with,
b S tress can b e a stim ulating
elem en t in a business,
с I try to a v o id situations w hich
lead to stress.
15. H ow d o y o u v iew yo u r chances o f
success?
a I believe th a t m y success w ill depend
to a large d egree o n factors outside
m y control,
b I k now that everything depends
o n m e a n d m y abilities,
с It is d ifficult to foresee w hat
w ill h ap p en in the future.
16. I f the bu sin ess w as n ot m aking a
p ro fit after fiv e years, w h at w ould you
do?
a g iv e u p easily
b g ive u p reluctantly
с c a n y on

S co ring: U se th e k e y to calculate y our total score. T h en check o pposite to see

how y o u rate a s a n entrepreneur.

K ey K ey
1 A =0 B=2 C=4 9 A =2 B=4 C=0
2 A =4 B=2 c=o 10 A =0 B=2 C=4
3 A =0 B =2 C=4 11 A=0 B=4 C=2
4 A =4 B =2 C=0 12 A=2 B=4 C=0
5 A =2 B=4 c=o 13 A=2 B=0 C=4
6 A =4 B=0 C=2 14 A=2 B=4 c=o
7 A =0 B =4 C=2 15 A =0 B=4 C=2
8 A =2 B =4 C =0 16 A=4 B=2 c=o
44 o r a bove
Y ou definitely h a v e the necessary qualities to becom e the director o f a success­
ful business. Y o u h a v e a stro n g sense o f leadership, you can both organize and
m o tivate a n d y o u k n o w ex actly w here y o u a n d y o u r team a re going,
b e tw e en 44 a n d 22
Y ou m ay ne e d to th in k m ore carefully before setting u p y o u r ow n business. Al-
th o u eh y ou d o h av e so m e o f the e ssential skills fo r ru n n ing a business, you will

47
probably n o t be able to deal w ith the p ressures a n d strain that are a part o f the
job. Y ou should perhaps consider taking som e p ro fessional training o r finding
an associate w ho c a n com pensate for som e o f yo u r w eaknesses,
below 2 2
M anaging yo u r ow n business is n o t fo r you. Y ou are better suited to an envi­
ronm ent w here y o u are n o t responsible fo r m ak in g d ecisions an d taking risks.
To operate successfully y o u need to follow w ell defined instructions and you
prefer w ork th at is both regular and predictable. _

4.5. BRA N D S

S H e x . 1. L y n n e F ielding, a m arketin g specialist, is ta lk in g a b o u t branding.

Com plete th is e x tra ct fr o m th e interview w ith th e w ords below. T hen listen to
th e fir s t p a r t o f th e interview a n d ch eck y o u r answ ers.

m oney nam e differentiate synergy quality com petitors

'W hat is branding a nd w h y do w e need brands?'

'A brand can b e a . a term o r a sym bol. It is used t o ..................... 2 a
product from ......................3 products. T he brands guarantee a certain..................... 4
level. B rands should add value to products. It's a ......................5 effect w hereby one
plus one equals three. B ut custom ers m ust believe they g et extra value
for.....................

[Ш Ex. 2. N o w listen to th e second part o fth e interview a n d complete the chart

BRA N D S

Ш Е я . 3. F inally, listen to th e last p a r t a n d com plete th e su m m a ry below.

1 Custom ers w ant: a ) .................... b ) ......................... c ) ....................
2 C ustom ers like to: a) rely on t h e guaranteed b y the company.
b ) ..................... products, c ) ..................... w ith brands.

f f i i Ex. 4. R e a d th e article q u ic k ly to f i n d out:

1 w hich C alv in K lein products are com m only copied.
2 w hy the problem is getting worse.
3 how the com pany is d ealing w ith it.
 F ashion v ictim fig h ts b ack
C a lv in K le in is tired o f piracy, says A lice R aw sthom , and has started a
global offen siv e a g ain st counterfeiters
W alk in to a street m arket anyw here from M anila to M anchester, and
som eone w ill b e sellin g T -shirts b ran d ed w ith th e distinctive C K logo o f Calvin
K lein, th e N e w Y o rk fash io n designer.
I f the p ric e is v e ry low , the T -shirts are p robably fakes. C alvin K lein, like
m ost other internationally-know n fashion designers, has, fo r a long time, had
problem s w ith co unterfeiters selling p oor-quality m erchandise b earing h is brand
nam e. N ow h e is d o in g som ething about it. 'A s th e C alvin H e in b rand has b e ­
com e w ell-know n, w e'v e seen a b ig increase in counterfeit activity,’ says Gabri-
ella Forte, c h ie f e xecutive o f C alvin H e in . 'T he b etter-know n the brand name,
the m ore p eo p le w a n t to rip it o ff.’ In th e p a st C alvin H e in took a relatively pas­
sive approach to th e cou n terfeit problem . T h e com pany h as now got tougher by
establishing a n e tw o rk o f em ployees a n d external specialists to uncover copy­
right abuse.
T he m o v e b e g a n w ith a general change in corporate strategy whereby
C alvin H e i n h as ag gressively expanded its interests outside N orth America.
C alvin H e i n h as b e e n o ne o f th e lead in g fashion designers in the N orth A m eri­
can m arket sin c e th e m id-1970s. N o w C alvin H e i n is building up its fashion
business in o th e r countries. It h as in creased its in vestm ent in advertising, and re­
structured its lic e n sin g a rrangem ents b y s o signing long-term deals w ith partners
for entire reg io n s su c h as E urope o r A sia, ra th e r than giving licensing rights to
individual co u n tries. B u t as sales and b ra n d aw areness hav e risen, Calvin H e in
has becom e a n in creasin g ly p opular targ et fo r A sian and European counterfeit­
ers, a longside o th e r lu x u ry b ran d s su ch a s G ucci, C hanel a n d R alph Lauren.
T he fak e goo d s, m o stly T -shirts, je a n s and b aseb all caps, n ot only reduce
the com pany's o w n sales b u t dam age its bran d im age b y linking it to poor qual­
ity m erchandise. 'Y o u 'd b e am azed a t h o w m an y p eo ple p a y $5 for a T-shirt
w ithout realizin g it's c o unterfeit,' said one executive.
F rom th e Financial Times

И Д E x . 5. R e a d t h e a rticle ag a in a n d a n sw e r th e se q uestions.
1. W hat w a s C alv in H e in 's attitude to c o u nterfeiting in the past?
2. W hy h as th e com pany c h anged its w a y o f dealing w ith counterfeiters?
3. W hat h as th e com pany d one to change the w ay its b usiness operates and to
increase its size?

[g°l E x . 6 . Y o u a r e g o in g to listen to th e radio b u sin e ss news. I t's quite long

a n d q u ite f a s t s o d o n 't exp e c t to u n d e rsta n d every word. W hile y o u listen,
m a k e b r i e f n o te s o n w h a t th e d iffe r e n t n e w s ite m s a re a b o u t
"23. C om pare n o te s w ith a p a rtn e r. T ry to re c a ll th e su b ject o f each item.

49
Ш E x. 7. L iste n again. S to p th e ta p e a t th e e n d o f each item a n d answer
th e se questions.

T H E N E W S ITEM S Y O U R R E A C TIO N S T O THEM

W hat figures were mentioned? W ould a cut in interest rates benefit

Item 1 W hat w ere they for? y o u r country’s econom y b y reducing
unem ploym ent?
Item 2 W hy do the w orkers feel the A re jo b cuts e ver justified i f a com­
job cu ts are unnecessary? p any is m aking a profit?
Ite m 3 W hat tw o organizations have D o you th in k cigarette advertising
issu ed rep o rts recently? How should be legal?
have they conflicted?
W hat n e w retirem ent age S hould m en and w om en retire at the
Item 4 does M r. W illett suggest? sam e age? D o you expect your gov­
W hy do es he w an t to raise ernm ent to ra ise the pension age?
the p ension age?
W hat exactly is B ritish Rail H ow w ould you react i f your em­
Ite m 5 going to d o to the volunteers p loyer ask ed y ou to take part in an
an d w hy? W ho has volun­ experim ent like this? W ould you like
teered so far and w hy? to volunteer? W ould you like to go
bungee-jum ping?

V. H O W T O S U C C E E D I N B U SIN E SS

5.1. M AN A G EM EN T STY LES

Y ou w ill h e a r T o m Scheck, one o f the directors o f Profile, an international

business consultancy, talk in g about his com pany and som e o f the problems in­
volved in international negotiations.

U S E x .l. L iste n ca re fu lly to th e f ir s t extract a n d a n sw e r th e questions below.

1. W hy w as P rofile set up?
2. W hat inform ation does P rofile provide?

d H E x.2. I n th e s e c o n d extract, y o u w ill h e a r M r. S c h e c k g iv in g advice on

ho w to su c ceed in an in te rn a tio n a l bu sin ess context. F irst study th e structures
in bold in each o f th e s e n ten ces below. Then listen to th e cassette to complete
th e sentences.

1 I t is im p o r ta n t to rem em ber th a t every country has its own

.........................................w hich defines the context.
2 Y o u sh o u ld a lw a y s........................................................this context w hen doing
b u siness..........................................
3 D o n 't fo rg e t t h a t ..........................................in different environm ents.
4 I t is also im p o r ta n t to rem em ber w hen y o u that h e is
sending o u t signals w h ic h could help y o u g reatly in y o u r ......................w ith him.
5 Y o u sh o u ld a lw a y s av o id thinking th at yo ur local partner is
........................................ th an y ou are.
6 I t is esse n tia l to b e ..............................................................
7 Y o u h a v e t o ........................................................ fo r each m arket.

S 3 E x.3. T o illu stra te h o w values can ch a n g e f r o m co u n try to country, Mr.

S c h e c k u ses th e ex a m p le o f se llin g a car. L iste n to th e th ird e x tra ct a n d com ­
p le te th e ta b le below.

In France cars a re p resen ted in terms In H olland cars a re presented in term s

of: a ............................................................. of: a .............................................................
b ................................................................... b .................................................................

IM1 E x.4. I n th e f i n a l e x tra ct M r S c h e c k ta lks a b o u t d o in g b u sin e ss in E ast­

ern E urope. L iste n a n d d ecide i f th e fo llo w in g sta te m e n ts a re true o r false.

1. T here are n o differences betw een E astern E u ropean a n d W est­

ern E uropean sty les o f doing business.
2. F orty years o f com m unism h ad a n effect o n the system s o f m an­
agem ent in E a stern Europe.
3. T he m ark et research carried out b y P rofile show s th at the sys­
tem s o f distrib u tio n in E astern E urope d o n o t w ork.
4. Som e E astern E u ropean countries are m ore d evelo p ed th an oth-

5. I f yo u a re n o t w e ll inform ed about local cultures, y o u w ill never

convince y o u r p a rtn er o f y o u r professionalism .
E x . 5. I n g ro u p s, re a d e ach o f th e f o u r case studies. C hoose on e a n d dis­
c uss w h a t y o u th in k c a u se d th e p ro b lem o r m isu n d erstanding.

C u ltu r a l d iffe re n c e s
M any m anagers agree that an understanding o f cultural differences is essential when
doing business abroad. T he following case studies illustrate w hat happens i f business
people do not take into account the culture o f the countries they are dealing with.

M r. B yrd w as an ex-U S State D epartm ent em ­ T h is incident w as reported b y

ployee hired b y a w ell-know n m ultinational cor­ a B ritish m anagem ent con­
poration to be its 'm an in Riyadh', Saudi A rabia. su ltant based in Paris:
T his retired A m erican diplom at w ent to the 'I h a d taken the A m erican

51
hom e o f a Saudi, M r. F ouad, to try to interest C E O o f a N ew York-based
him in p articipating in a local jo in t venture w ith c o nsulting com pany to a first
his com pany. A m iddlem an w ho knew them m eeting w ith th e three part­
both had introduced them . A s this w as a first n ers o f a French consulting
m eeting, the m en's conversation began w ith firm in Paris. The negotia­
sm all talk th a t m ade M r. B y rd a little impatient. tions d id n o t go well. He
Q uestions su ch a s 'how a re y o u doing? h o w w as h adn't been in the boardroom
your flight? how is y o u r fam ily? a nd how is your fo r m ore than 15 m inutes be­
father?' w ere com m on. M r. Byrd, fam iliar with fore h e asked them w hat their
all these ob ligatory form alities o f greeting, an­ com pany's annual earnings
sw ered 'fine.' "O h, m y father, yes, w ell, he is w ere. W ithout w aiting for an
fine, b ut h e is getting a little deaf. I saw h im a answ er to that question, he
few m onths ago d u rin g C hristm as w hen w e took suggested they give him an
him o ut o f the nursin g h o m e fo r a few days.’ Mr. estim ate o f their firm 's mar­
Byrd’s mission w as com pletely derailed. Mr. k et value, as h e w as inter­
Fouad rem ained g racious enough b u t w as obvi­ ested in m aking them an of­
ously uninterested in do in g any business w ith fer. I could feel things freez­
Mr. Byrd. ing over.'
3 4 W hy is n o o ne eating?
Jim T urner w as attending a conference in Lyons. A businessw om an recently
This w as n o t his first trip to France, and he was asked w hy a high-level dele­
pleased som e o f th e F rench colleagues h e'd m et g ation o f visiting Japanese
previously rem em bered h im . O ne evening they clients had n ot approached
invited h im along fo r d inner and began jok in g the b reakfast buffet table she
about the quality o f th e food. T hat surprised h ad taken su ch great pains to
him . H e thought the fo o d w as really rather good prepare. 'I'd gotten out the
and said so, expecting th e discussion to con­ good china and silverware
tinue. B u t to h is g reat discom fort, they then a nd even brought in Japanese
m ade som e jo k e ab o u t 'fo o d and A m ericans' and g reen tea for them, but no
changed the subject. H e fe lt som ew hat excluded o ne touched a thing!'
and didn't k now w h at h e'd done wrong.

w * Ex. 6 . P resen t y o u r interpretation o f th e case to se e i f th e rest o f th e class

agrees with i t C o u ld th e s e situ a tio n s ca u se co n flic t or m isunderstanding in
y o u r country?

52
5 .2 . T I M E M A N A G E M E N T P R O B L E M S

E x . 1. H o w do y o u m a n a g e y o u r tim e w h en y o u a re w o rk in g o r studying?
T ell a p a rtn e r a b o u t th in g s y o u sp e n d too lo n g on, a n d th in g s y o u d o n 't spend
eno u g h tim e on.

H H e x . 2 . N o w listen to th e sp ea kers on th e recording describing th eir tim e

m a n a g e m e n t p ro b lem s. W h a t p ro b le m s do th e y have, a n d w hat solutions are
suggested?

Speaker # Problem s Solutions

E x . 3. H ere a re n in e im p o rta n t r u le s o f tim e m a n a g e m e n t I n g roups, can y o u

explain w h a t a n y o f th e m m e a n ?

1. U se y o u r starter m otor. 5. Salam i.

2. M ake routine y o u r s e rv a n t 6 . T h e curse o f perfectionism .
3. M ake tim e to p lan . 7. A ppointm ents n eed to end as w ell as start.
4. D istant elephants. 8 . E very 'yes' is 'no' to som ething else.

Ex. 4. T h in k a b o u t th e fo llo w in g q u estio n s b e fo re y o u listen to th e recording.

T he b est tim e to do things
1 .W hat is the b e s t tim e o f d a y to m ake im portant business p hone calls? W hy?
2.W hat is the b e s t tim e o f y ear to get m arried? W hy?
3.W hat is the b e st tim e o f th e y e a r to give b irth to a b aby? W hy?

Ш в ж . 5. L iste n to s o m e B ritish p e o p le d isc u ssin g th e q uestions. M a k e notes

on th e ir answ ers. W h ic h p o in ts d o th e y m a k e w h ic h are n o t relevant in y o u r
country? E xam ple: I f y o u live in a co untry w here th e w eather d o esn't change
throughout th e year, th en th e p o in t th e y m a ke about w eddings m ay not be rele­
vant.
N arrative tenses
ИЮ E x . 6. T h e se n te n c e s b elo w d escribe stages in a n u n su c ce ssfu l pro d u c t
la u n ch . P u t th e m in a lo g ica l order. T h en listen to t h e c onversation an d check
y o u r answ ers.

a ) T he new spapers a sk e d questions. f) T h e n um ber o f com plaints

b ) T he p rod u ct w as recalled. doubled.
c) The com p an y lo st a lo t o f m oney. g) P eo p le started to complain.
d ) T he p rod u ct w as launched. h ) T h e p roduct sold well.
e) T he p rod u ct w as tested.

53
И Э Е х . 7. L isten again to th e conversation. N o te d ow n e xam ples o f each o f
these tenses:
1) past sim ple 2) past continuous 3) p ast perfect 4 ) present perfect.

5.3. C O M P A R IN G O P T IO N S

E x. 1. L o o k a t th is fo r m . W hat do y o u th in k it is fo r ?

P R IN T E S T IM A T E
To: Catherine P arker D iv: M ailings D ate: 2 6 Ju lv
Tvoe: 4-Colour C atalogue Extent: p aees O uantitv: 50.000

FIX E D C O S T S
C41 C om position and proofs 9,200
A 42 Corrections allow ance @ 20 % 1,840
144 Litho origination 33,120
J46 Jacket/cover origination 400
T O T A L F IX E D C O S T S 44,560
p e r copy 0,89

V A R IA B L E C O S T S H o n e K o ne
PP67 Paper, p rinting and binding 77,886 89,569
T70 Freight __ __
T O T A L V A R IA B L E C O ST S 81,386 90,569
p e r copy 1.63 1.81
T O T A L P R O D U C T IO N C O S T S 125.946 135.129
p e r copy __
D E L IV E R Y T IM E S w eeks weeks

RATE O F EX CHANGE £1 = H K $

Ir a l Ex. 2. L iste n to tw o m anagers d iscussing p r ic e estim ates. Complete the

m issing info rm a tio n o n th e fo rm .

S"Ex. 3. Use w ords a n d p h ra se s fr o m th e b o x to co m plete th e sentences be­

low.

until__________ i f __________when__________ unless_________ in case

1. ________________w e o rd e r next w eek, w hen w ill they g et here?

2. W e ought to b u y d ollars n o w ,______________the rate changes.

54
3 . 1 c a n ’t d o t h a t__________ I ’v e g ot the go-ahead from he ad office.
4. I’ll have a w o rd w ith F in a n c e ______________ I see them.
5. E urope’s m uch d earer, isn ’t it? - Y e s ,_________________the H ong K ong dollar
rises d ram atically in th e n e x t few days.
H H Liste n ag a in a n d c h e c k y o u r answers.

E x . 4. W o rk in s m a ll g ro u p s. You a re the m anagers o f a com pany that is

having difficu lties w ith lo w m otivation am o n g its workforce. I t ’s y o u r j o b to
tackle the problem . S ta r t b y p o o lin g y o u r ideas in a b rainstorm ing session. Think
o f different things th a t m otiva te p e o p le to w o rk harder. Brainstorm as m any dif­
fe r e n t m otivators a s y o u can. F o r exam ple: h ig h er p a y , w o rking in teams, oppor­
tunities f o r p ro m o tio n . O ne p erso n in the g ro u p sh o u ld w rite a list. Help them by
expressing y o u r idea s in sh o rt phrases.

E x .5 . L o o k a t y o u r lis t a n d s e le c t t h e m o st im p o rta n t m otivators to add to th e

ch a rt below. Then, w o rk in g individually, ra n k them. G ive 1 to the m ost effective,
2 to the s e co n d m o st effective, a n d s o on. (D o n ’t w o rry a bout the practicalities o f
introducing them a t th is stage. J u s t con sid er h o w effective y o u think they are.)
Y o u r ranking T earn ranking
H igher pay
W orking in team s
O pportunities fo r p ro m o tio n

E x . 6 . N o w sh a r e y o u r o p in io n s with y o u r g ro u p a n d w ork o ut a team

ranking.

E x . 7. S tev e C o p p ell is o ne o f the m o st d istinguished m anagers in English

football. For n in e y e ars h e m an ag ed C rystal P alace football team , and during that
tim e h e succeed ed in transform ing th em into a hig h ly successful prem ier division
side. D ecide w h e th e r y o u a g ree with th e se statem ents.
1. M anagers sh o u ld enco u rag e s ta ff to spend tim e together outside w ork to de­
velop a team sp irit.
2. It’s b ette r to m o tiv a te w ork ers a s a team ra th e r th a n trying to motivate them
individually.
3. People p e rfo rm b e tte r w h en they are relaxed than w hen they are under pres­
sure.
4. M anagers sh o u ld se le c t th e ir team , tell th em w h at th ey’v e g ot to do and then
leave Л е т a lo n e to g e t o n w ith i t
5. I f a w orker is d em otivated, it ’s th eir m an ag er’s d u ty to try to rem otivate them.

|g ° l E x . 8 . N o w liste n a n d f i n d o u t w h eth er S te v e CoppeU w ould agree

w ith th e sta te m e n ts. D o h is v iew s d iffe r fr o m y o u rs?

55
 Ex. 9. L isten ag a in a n d com plete th e se sentences.
1. W hen players c hoose to spend tim e to g e th e r,...........
2. I f they are to o te n s e ,......................
3. I f they prove incom petent.....................
4 . I f I ’ve chosen th o se e lev en players to g et a r e s u lt,....................
5. I f I’m dropping a play er from th e te a m ,.........................
6 . I f they w an t to discuss i t , ...............................
7. I f I have a p lay er w ho is m agnificently gifted b u t has a stinking attitude,

5.4. IN N O V A T IO N & P R E S E N T A T IO N

Innovation a n d the m arket

Ex. 1. D iscu ss th e se questions. Then read th e article.

1. D o you thin k it is b etter to innovate o r im itate p roducts and services?
2. C an you nam e a n y com panies w hich w ere a ) innovators? b ) im itators?

Ш W h y th e la s t shall be first
B y John Kay
Have y o u h eard o f B erkey o r A m pex? G ablinger o r C hux? Perhaps you
should have, b ecau se each o ccupies an im portant p lace in the history o f product
innovation. B erkey produced the first hand-held electronic calculators, Ampex
the first video recorders. G ablinger developed low -alcohol lager an d C hux sold
th e first disposable nappies.
O r perhaps y o u should not, because n one o f these com panies made a
com m ercial success o f their innovations. T od ay the calculators w e use are
probably m ade b y C asio, o u r video recorder com es from M atsushita, our low-
alcohol b eer is M iller L ite, o u r nappies are m ade b y P ro ctor & Gam ble. In each
o f these m arkets the innovator w as sw ept away.
X erox looks like an exception to this sorry catalogue. T he com pany was
first into th e p hotocopier m arket and, e ven i f its dom inance w as ultim ately chal­
lenged b y Canon, it rem ains a large and successful com pany today. B ut Xerox
w as also a p io n eer in fax m achines a nd personal com puters. E ach o f these even­
tually proved to b e a success — b u t n o t fo r X erox Corporation.
A s w e all know , i t w as A pple that developed the personal com puter mar­
ket. B u t A pple's leadership quickly disappeared w hen IBM cam e o n the scene.
A pple then ju m p ed ah ead b y introducing th e graphical u se r interface. Its win­
dow s and m ice b rought p ersonal com puting w ithin the reach o f everyone. But it
is M icrosoft that does this now.
The b usiness w orld is n o t k in d to pioneers. Even i f y ou know h ow a mar­
k e t w ill develop, tim ing is a m atter o f luck — o r o f quite exceptional skill. There
are tw o closely related lessons. O n e is th a t being first is n o t often very impor­

56
tant. T he o th e r is that innovation is rarely a source o f com petitive advantage on
its ow n. Individuals and sm all com panies can m ake a great deal o f m oney o ut o f
good n e w ideas. T h e success o f large established corporations — M atsushita,
Philip M orris, IB M o r G en eral Electric is generally b ased on other things: their
dep th o f technical expertise, th eir m arketing skills. A nd tim e an d again these
characteristics enable th em to develop the innovative concept far m ore effec­
tively than th e innovators them selves.
This is n o t to say th at there is n o ro le in b usiness for the great innovator.
A fter all, G eneral E lectric w as bu ilt o n the extraordinary creativity o f Thomas
E dison's m in d , th e F o rd m otor com pany o n th e abilities o f its eponym ous foun­
der. T he im agination o f W alt D isney created a com pany th at is still w ithout par­
allel o r rival. Perh ap s A kio M o rita o f Sony o ccupies a sim ilar place in the annals
o f m o d em business.
F rom the F inancial Times

"c^-Ex. 2. M a k e n o tes a b o u t th e fi r s t f o u r p a ra g ra p h s o f th e article. Use th e

fo llo w in g h eadings:
In n o v a to r D e v e lo p e r P ro d u ct
B erk ey C asio hand-held calculator

E x . 3. A n s w e r th e s e q u e stio n s a b o u t th e article.
1. W hat is th e m ain p o in t m ad e b y th e w riter?
2. Several w e ll-k n o w n com panies a re m entioned. W hat reasons a re given for
their success?
3. W hat is th e conn ectio n b etw een D isney, F ord, G eneral Electric and Sony?

E x . 4. Use w ords fr o m each b o x to m a k e w o rd p a rtn e rsh ip s fr o m th e article.

F o r exam ple: p e r s o n a l com puters

com m ercial co m p etitiv e

skills expertise success advantage
technical estab lish ed
co m p u te rs corporation
m arketing p e rs o n a l

P resentation techniques

[M l E x. 5 . P a m e la P ic k fo r d tra in s b u sin ess p e o p le to m a k e presentations.

W hich o f th e p o in ts b elow do es s h e m a k e ? L iste n a n d m a rk each on e either T
(true) o r F (false).
1. W hen p rep arin g a p resentation, try to fin d o u t w h at y our audience already
know s.
2. E veryo n e in y o u r audience should b e a t the sam e language level.

57
 3. V isit the room in w hich you are presenting b efo re y o u a ctually m ake the
presentation.
4. T he first stage o f yo u r presentation is w hen y ou should g e t the full attention
o f your audience.
5. I f you m em orize the introduction, you w ill b e m ore c onfident w hen making
a presentation.
6 . T he w hole tex t o f y o u r presentation should b e w ritten o n postcards.
7. I f you use a n o verhead projector, y ou should rem em ber to turn it o ff when
you don't need it.
8 . Rem em ber th a t the c ontent o f the presentation is m uch m ore im portant than
your presenting style.

E x . 6 . C om m en t o n th e fo llo w in g statem ents. I n y o u r o p inion a re they:

a) essential b) h e lp fu l c) u n h e lp fu l f o r a s u cc essfu l presentation?
1. Tell a jo k e a t the beginning.
2. Speak m ore slow ly than y o u norm ally do.
3. Sm ile a lot.
4. Involve the audience.
5. Invite questions d uring the presentation.
6 . A lw ays k e e p to y o u r plan.
7. M ove around d uring y o u r presentation.
8 . U se a lo t o f gestures to em phasize im portant points.
9. Read o u t y o u r p resentation from a script.
10. Stand u p w hen giving y our presentation.

Ш к х . 7. L iste n to a p re sen ta tio n to a c o m p a n y 's sa les team ab o u t th e launch

o f th eir n e w cho co la te bar. T ic k th e expressions in th e U seful language box on
th a t y o u hear.

U seful lan g u ag e

In tro d u c in g y o u rs e lf I’ll b e g lad to answ er any ques-

G ood m orning everyone. tions (at the end o f m y talk).
Let m e introduce m yself. M y nam e is... G iv in g b a c k g ro u n d inform a-
I'm a specialist i n ... tio n
S tru c tu rin g th e p re s e n ta tio n fU g iv e y ou som e background
I'm going to d ivide m y talk into four inform ation.
parts L et's start w ith the background.
First i n give y o u ...; after that...; ft- R e fe rrin g to th e a u dience's
ii k now ledge
. A s y o u know...
In v itin g q u e stio n s A s y ou are aw are ...
I f you have a ny q uestions, d o n 't hesitate C h a n g in g th e topic
t0 as^ ' R ight, let's n ow m ove on to ...

58
O K , I'll n ow lo o k a t ...
C o n c lu d in g
T o sum up...
S o to sum m arize...
R e f e r rin g to v isu a ls
I f you look at the g r a p h ...
Could I draw y o u r attention to the chart?
I f you take a look at the first year,
you'll see...
E n d in g
T hanks v ery m uch. A ny ques­
tions?
W ell, that's all I h ave to say.
T han k y o u fo r listening.

E x. 8 . C ho o se o n e o f th e situ a tio n s below. P repare a sh o rt p resentation o f

th re e to fiv e m in u te s. In c lu d e p h ra se s fr o m th e U sefu l la n g u a g e section.

T o p ic A u d ien ce S uggestions

A country y o u h a v e v is­
ited o n h o lid ay o r done
business in
Y o u r com pany's m ain
com petitors
Y o u rjo b
■ w ay o f life
A g roup o f p eople w ho ■ transport
w ill shortly b e w orking ■ accom m odation
there ■ fo o d and d rink
■ standard o f living
■ custom s and traditions
■ w eather
■ language
■ people
• entertainm ent
■ w ho they are
T h e bo ard o f directors o f ■ their strengths and
yo u r c om pany w eaknesses
■ how powerful they are in
the market relative to you
■ responsibilities and
A g roup o f h ig h school tasks
students a t a careers ev e­ ■ th e future
ning ■ perks and special a d­
vantages, e.g. foreign
travel
■ qualifications
■ career structure

% ^ E x . 9. N o w m a k e y o u r p re se n ta tio n s in gro u p s. A fte r each presentation,

discu ss th e s e q uestio n s.
1. W as th e p resen tatio n in teresting? W as it lively? W as it clear?
2 . D id th e b eg in n in g h a v e im pact? D id you w an t to h e a r m ore?
3. D id th e presentation h a v e a logical structure - a begin ning, m iddle and end?
4. W as i t d ivid ed in to sections? D id y o u k n o w w hen th e p resenter w as m oving
from o ne p a rt o f th e talk to another?
5. W as there a s u m m ary o r a conclusion?

59
5.5. E T H IC S

Ex. 1. D isc u ss th e se questions.

1 W hich is w orse, in y o u r opinion: to o ffer o r to accept a bribe? W hy?
2 W hich do y o u thin k are the m ost corrupt co untries in the w orld? W hich
do you thin k are the least corrupt? G ive your reasons.

Ш E x . 2. N o w re a d th e a rticle a n d com plete th e chart.

B ritain M oves H igher In Bribery L eague

F ro m R o g er B oyes in Bonn
B ritain is seen as m ore corrupt than seven oth er European countries, in­
cluding Germ any, a ccording to a n authoritative annual league table released yes­
terday b y the B erlin-based T ransparency International group. Transparency In­
ternational is a private group, set u p in 1993 to fight corruption, and bases its in­
form ation o n seven international surveys o f business people, political analysts
and the public.
The cleanest countries this y e a r w ere D enm ark, Finland and Sweden,
w hich m oved N ew Z ealan d from th e top position. B ritain cam e relatively low, in
14th position, its im age apparently dam aged by stories o f sleaze. It w as over­
taken by G erm any, although th e G erm ans still tolerate com panies w hich hand
o u t bribes to foreign contractors.
G erm any h as been under pressure, especially from the U nited States, to
plug legal loopholes w h ich allow G erm an businessm en to w rite o f f bribes
abroad against tax. Y et b o th Britain, and even the U nited S tates, w hich has strict
legal barriers against international bribery, are b ehind the G erm ans. In part, this
is probably b ecause o f th e n ature o f the survey, w hich d oes n o t track such areas
as com pany-to-com pany bribery.
The m ost corrupt countries this y ear are regarded a s N igeria, followed by
Bolivia, C olom bia and R ussia. Pakistan has im proved its position, earning only
one o ut o f ten fo r h onesty last year b u t 2.53 this year. The chairm an o f Trans­
parency International, P eter Eigen, issued a w arning against focusing on Third
W orld corruption.
'C orruption is perceiv ed to be greatest there, b u t I urge the public to rec­
ognize that a large share o f the corruption is the p roduct o f m ultinational corpo­
rations, headquartered in leading industrialized countries, using massive bribery
and kickbacks to buy contracts in the developing w orld and the countries in
transition.' T h e T h ird W orld, in o th er w ords, w ould b e less corrupt i f developed
states stopped o ffering bribes.
Indeed, the m ost revealing standings are b uried deep in the table. Bel­
gium, fo r exam ple, is n o w regarded as m ore corrupt than M editerranean nations
such as Portugal, Spain a n d Greece.

60
'E very da y that th e p o o r scores in the C orruption P erception Index are n ot being
d ealt w ith m eans m o re im poverishm ent, less education and less h ealthcare,' said
D r Eigen. M oney w as diverted from developm ent into o ver-priced contracts.
A study b y H a rv ard associate p rofessor S hang-Jin W ei found that a rise in
corruption lev els h a d the sam e effect on foreign investm ents a s raising the mar­
ginal tax rate b y m o re th a n 2 0 percent. 'A w areness is a first step to fighting or
reducing corruption,' h e said.
F rom The Times.

B E S T A N D W O R ST C O U N T R IE S F O R C O R R U PTIO N
LEA ST CORRU PT M O S T C O R R U PT
(M arks o u t o f ten)
1 ......................
2 .................................................... 9.48 2 ..................................................... ....2.05
3 ................................................... 9.35 3 ..................................................... ....2.23
4 ................................................... 9.23 4 ..................................................... ....2.27
5 C anada 9.10 5 ..................................................... ....2.53
6 The N etherlands 9.03 6 M exico 2 .6 6
7 N orw ay 8.92 7 Indonesia 2.72
8 A ustralia 8 .8 6 8 India 2.75
9 Singapore 8 .6 6 9 V enezuela 2.77
10 Luxem bourg 8.61 10 V ietnam 2.79
11 Sw itzerland 8.61 11 A rgentina 2.81
12 Ireland 8.23 12 C hina 2 .8 8
13 ................................................... 8.23 13 Philippines 3.05
14 ................................................... 8 .2 2 14 Thailand 3.06

E x . 3. A n sw e r th e se q u e s tio n s a b o u t th e article.
1. D oes P ete r E ig en th in k th e T hird W o rld is m o re co rrupt than the developed
countries? W h at reaso n s d o es h e g ive for h is o pinion?
2. A ccording to th e a rticle, w h a t are th e results o f corruption?
3. W here d o es T ran sp aren cy International g e t its inform ation from ?
4. A ccording to P e te r E ig en , w h at inform ation is m issing from the survey?

% ^ E x . 4. D isc u ss th e s e q u estions.
1. T here is a p ro v erb , 'W hen in Rom e, do a s the R om ans d o.' W hat does the
proverb m ean? D o y o u a gree w ith th is advice?
2. W ould y o u contin u e to d o b usiness w ith so m eone i f you disapproved o f
their p rivate life? E x p lain w h y o r w h y not.
3. G ive e x am ples o f b eh av io u r w h ich w ould cause y o u to stop doing business
w ith som eone.

61
S H E * . 5. C laire B eb b in g to n is E x te rn a l A ffa ir s M a n a g e r f o r a d ivision o f B P
(British Petroleum ). L iste n to th e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview. D ecide w hether
th e se statem ents a re tru e or fa ls e , a ccording to Claire.
1. The issue o f ethics is sim ple.
2. I f a com pany p u ts its c ode o f ethics in w riting, it is m ore likely to act o n it.
3. Follow ing u p a code o f ethics is difficult.

E x. 6 . L isten ag a in to th e f ir s t p a rt o f th e interview . C om plete th e tw o ex­

tracts below.
1. 'F irstly, i t m akes a ............... to certain .good....................an d so it's a w ay o f
com m unicating the im portance o f...................to all o f its em ployees and partners.'
2. 'I f y o u express these things in .......................especially, then yo u can be
h eld..................... fo r them .'

H H e x . 7. N o w listen to th e seco n d p a r t o f th e interview. C om plete th e ques­

tion that C laire a sks. W hat exa m p les d oes s h e g iv e to illustrate th e question?
'W hen does a facilitation b ecom e a ...................... ?'

5.6. STRATEGY

Ex. 1. W hat is strategy? W hich o f th e se d efin itio n s do y o u p refer? W hy?

1. Strategy is m ak in g predictions based on analysis.
2. Strategy is h aving a clear plan, th e n putting it into action.
3. Strategy is continually adapting to change.

E x. 2. M atch th e te rm s b elow w ith t h e d efinitions. Then u se th ree o f th e terms

to com plete th e new sp a p er e x tr a c t

l a takeover 2 a jo in t venture 3 a m erger 4 an alliance

a) com bining tw o o r m ore com panies

b ) w hen tw o o r m o re com panies agree to w o rk on a project
c) an agreem ent b etw een com panies to cooperate in certain business activities
d) buying enough shares in a com pany to g et control o f it.

BU SIN ESS IN B RIEF

G laxo bu y s 8 0 % s ta k e C a n a l P lu s a n d P a th e in film E lf pay s $528m to

in P olish d ru g g ro u p
G laxo W ellcom e, o n e o f
the w orld's leading
pharm aceutical com pa­
nies, is pay in g $ 2 2 0 m
(£ 1 3 1.7m) to take an
d istrib u tio n lin k ta k e 5 % sta k e in
C anal P lus a nd Pathe, tw o o f R u ssia n g roup
France's largest m edia and en­ E lf A quitaine, the
tertainm ent groups, a re joining French company, is
forces to form a pan-European to form a strate­
netw ork o f film distribution gic .............3 w ith

62
80% stake in P olfa
Poznan, P oland's second
larg est drugs group. T he
1 is the b iggest
m ade b y a w estern
P harm aceuticals p ro ­
ducer in e ast E urope.
com panies. T heir n e w ............. Y uksi o f Russia,
w ill negotiate the acquisition paying $528m
o f cinem a, television and video (£316m ) for a 5%
rig h ts for p ictures across stake in th e coun­
E urope, both w ith the H olly­ try's largest oil
w ood studios and other E uro­ company.
p ean film producers.

% * E x . 3. S o m e c o m p a n ies state th eir stra teg y p u b lic ly in m ission statem ents.

W hat is a m issio n s ta tem en t? W h a t a re th e a d vantages & disadvantages o f do­
in g this?

m E x. 4. R e a d th e m issio n statem ents. W hat is each co m p a n y trying to

achieve?

1. T he busin ess o f N ew castle U nited is football - o u r aim is to p lay attractive

football, to w in trophies, to satisfy o u r supporters and shareholders and to con­
tinually im p ro v e o u r positio n as a to p E uropean club.
______________________________________________________ (N ew castle U nited pic)

2. G laxo W ellcom e is a research-based c om pany w hose people are com m itted to

fighting disease b y brin g in g innovative m edicines an d services to patients
throughout th e w o rld a n d to th e h ealthcare providers w h o serve them.
___________________________________________________________(G laxo Wellcome)

3. Pret creates handm ade, natural food, avoiding th e obscure chem icals, addi­
tives an d p reserv ativ es com m on to so m uch o f the 'prepared' and 'fast' food on
th e m arket today. (Pret a M an­
ager)

% * E x . 5. D isc u ss th e s e statem ents. D o y o u agree w ith th e m ? G ive y o u r rea­

sons.
1. 'S m all is beautiful' is a better strategy in business than 'big is best'.
2. B ig com panies should aim to gain m arket share rather than m ake profits.
3. C om p an ies sh o u ld focus o n w hat th ey do b e s t rather than diversify.

% ^ E x . 6 D isc u ss th e s e questions.
1. W h y d o firm s m erge?
2. W h a t problem s can a rise b efore a nd after a m erger takes place?

63
Ш е х . 7. I n th e interview below a C h ie f E x ecu tive d escribes ho w h e a n d his
board decided w h e th e r to m erg e w ith a larger c om pany in th e sa m e industry.
R e a d th e interview a n d n o te down th e a rgum ents f o r a n d against th e merger.

An Interview w ith Jo h n T. Chambers, C h ie f Executive, Cisco System s

A merger o f equals had a lot o f appeal. I f you combine the N um ber 1 and
Number 2 players in an industry, by definition you're N um ber 1 in terms o f size. And
when you are growing that fast, you have a number o f key management openings
you have to fill. B y combining tw o companies with good management teams, you
automatically build u p the strength o f your m anagement and y ou do it quickly. You
can also w iden yo u r custom er base and have more distribution channels.
In addition, the m erger autom atically m akes y our rem aining competition
second level. A s a result, y o u r com petition m ust rethink its strategy. In the end,
you force a perio d o f m ergers and acquisitions o n y o u r com petition. They have
no choice b u t to respond to the changes you initiated.
W hen w e lo o k ed m o re closely, o u r concerns w ere raised. For example, 50
percent o f large-scale m ergers fail. M ergers can fail o n a num ber o f levels. They
can fail in term s o f th eir benefit to the shareholders, custom ers, employees and
business partners. A decision has to be right w ith each o f those groups, o r we
w ould n ot go forw ard w ith it.
I f y o u m erge tw o com panies that are grow ing a t 80 percent rates, you
stand a very g o o d chan ce o f stopping both o f them . T hat's a fact. For a period o f
time, no m atter h o w sm oothly they operate, y o u lo se m om entum .
O ur industry is n o t lik e the banking industry, w here y ou are acquiring
branch banks and custom ers. In o u r industry, y o u are acquiring people. And if
you don't k eep tho se people, y o u have m ade a terrible, terrible investment. We
pay betw een $500,000 and $2 m illion p er p erson in an acquisition. So you can
understand th at i f y o u d o n 't keep the people, you've done a trem endous disser­
vice to y o u r shareholders. S o w e focus first on the people and h ow w e incorpo­
rate them in to o u r com pany, a nd then w e focus on how to drive the business.
From Thought leaders, J o el Kurtzman
C hoose th e b est answ er.
W hen C isco System s b u y s another com pany it pay s special attention to:
a) the m oney i t h as spent
b ) th e s ta f f it acquires
c) the o pinions o f its shareholders

W hat is th e m o st in te re stin g p o in t th a t Cham bers m akes, in y o u r opinion? E x­

p la in why.

§ I ] E x . 8 . L iste n to th e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview a n d m a ke n otes. Then com­

p le te th e s u m m a r y o f w h a t sh e says.

64
 D eveloping a strategy

First, th e m anag em en t thought T hey consid­ T h eir strategy consisted o f

about five things- ered all these th ree sim ple steps:
1 T he assets o f th e com pany. things, then T h e first step
2 W hat's u niq u e a b o u t those they developed
assets. a strategy. T h e second step
3 .........................................
4 ......................................... T h e third step
5 ............................................

И И Е х . 9. N o w listen to th e se c o n d p a r t o f th e interview . W hich o f th e trends

below a re m en tio n ed ?
1. C om panies a re b ecom ing m ore international.
2. E m ployees a re b ecom ing m ore v alued b y m anagem ent.
3. Peo p le a re w orking m o re in team s.
4. M anagem ent a re hav in g m o re control o v e r staff.
5. M anagem ent a re changing th e ir style.

Ex. 10. A n sw e r th e s e q uestions.

1. W hat strategies im press M arjorie S cardino?
2. W h at th ree p o in ts do es she m ake a b o u t C oca-C ola's strategy?

% * E x . 11. D isc u ss th e s e q u estions.

1. Is the tren d tow ard s g lo balism th at sh e m en tio n s a good o r bad thing?
2. D o y ou th in k C oca-C ola w ill h ave to c hange its strategy in the future? H ow?

D ecision-m aking skills

% ^ E x .l2 . D isc u ss th e se q uestions.

1 Is d ecisio n -m ak in g o n ly a b o u t sensible, ratio n al choices? Should em otion
p lay a part? W h at ab o u t w h en c hoosing the follow ing?

a w ife o r husband a p resen t for som eone som eone for a job
a new com pan y lo g o a h o lid ay destin atio n a n e w p roduct to develop

2 Think o f an im p o rtan t decisio n th at y o u h av e m ade. H ow d id you decide?

3 D o m en a n d w o m en h ave d ifferen t w ay s o f m ak in g decisions?
4 W ho m ak es the b ig d ecisio n s in y o u r h o usehold? W hy?

Ex. 13. W hich ideas below do y o u agree with? W hich d o y o u disagree with? W hy?
1. B efo re m ak in g a decision:
a ) w rite d o w n th e p ro s a n d cons;.
b ) try to reduce stress;

65
 c) take a long time;
d) have a sleep o r a rest;
e) consult a horoscope;
f) a sk a s m any p eople as possible.
2. I f a choice h as cost you a lot o f tim e a n d m oney, s tick to it.
3. R ely on th e p ast to help you m ake a decision.
4. R educe all d ecisions to a question o f m oney.
5. B e totally dem ocratic in group decision-m aking.

H H ex . 1 4 . Listen to the m anagem ent o f a retail group discussing problem s a t their

store in Paris. Tick th e expressions that y o u hea r in th e U seful language section.

Useful la n g u a g e
A sking f o r th e facts
Can you brin g u s u p to date?
C an you give u s the background?
W here d o w e stand w i t h ... ?
M ak in g a su ggestion
W e should sell o u t a s s oon a s possible.
W hy don't w e sell out?
D isagreeing
I don't agree w ith th at a t all.
I totally disagree.
Id en tify in g needs
W e've g ot to g et m o re inform ation.
W e need m ore inform ation about w here w e're going w rong.
A greeing
You're absolutely right.
I totally agree w ith you.
E x p ressin g d o u b t
I am w orried about the store’s location.
I'm n ot sure about it.
M ak in g a d ecision
T he solution, then, is to k eep the store going.
I think on balan ce w e feel w e should keep the store going.
S ta tin g f u tu r e a c tio n
So, the n ext thing to d o is ...
W hat w e've g o t to d o n o w is ...

66
5.7. L E A D E R S H IP
R u n n in g a large com pany

E x . 1. D isc u ss th e s e questio n s. I m a g in e y o u a re th e lea der o f a large company.

1. W hat qualities d o y o u n e e d to ru n a large com pany effectively?
2. W hich bu sin ess leaders do y ou adm ire? W hy?
3. W h at d o b u sin ess leaders actually do?
4. A s a leader, h o w d o you m otivate y o u r em ployees?
5. D o y o u th in k leaders are b o m o r m ade?

6 S E X .2 . L is te n to a n in te rv ie w w ith M arjorie S cardino, C h ie f E xec u tive o f

th e m edia g ro u p P ea rso n pic. W h a t answ ers does s h e g iv e to th e questions in
E x erc ise 1? M a k e n o te s a s y o u listen.

Ex. 3. D isc u ss th e s e q uestions.

1 D o y o u a g ree w ith M arjorie S cardino's ideas?
2 W o u ld y o u lik e to w o rk fo r h er? E xplain y o u r reasons.

L eadership qualities

E x . 4 . D o u g la s Iv e ste r is C h ie f E x e c u tiv e O ffic e r o f Coca-Cola. B efo re y o u

read th e article a b o u t h im , d iscu ss w h a t qua lities y o u e xpect h im to have.

Q Ex. 5 . N o w re a d th e a rticle a n d com plete th e f a c t sheet.

F o c u s o n D o u g la s Ivester, C E O o f Coca-Cola
Ivester, a fa cto ry forem an's so n a n d form er accountant, stepped in
sm oothly to ru n C oca-C ola a s C E O follow ing the d eath o f cham pion w ealth
creator R ob erto G oizueta. E arly in h is jo b as Coke's chief, G oizueta h ad recog­
n ized Ivester's d rive, com m en tin g th at h e w as the hardest-w orking m an h e had
ever m et. T ogether th e tw o ch anged th e com pany's operations and capital struc­
ture to m axim ize sh areh o ld er value.
B oth o f Ivester’s p aren ts w ere factory w orkers from a tiny m ill tow n in
G eorgia. H is p aren ts w ere children o f the depression, h e recalls, 'strong savers,
very strong relig io u s v alu es,' and h a d v ery h ig h expectations for their only son.
I f h e g ot a n A , h is fa th e r w o u ld say, ‘T h ey g ive A p luses, d on't they?'
D oug Ivester is the guy w ho for nearly tw o years worked constantly to provide
essential support to R oberto Goizueta as he n o t only turned Coca-Cola around but
made it into a powerhouse. If you w ant to know ju st how driven Ivester is, know that
more than a decade ago he set him self the goal o f becoming the CEO and chairman o f
Coca-Cola. Then he p u t on paper the dates by w hich he intended to do that.
B y com parison w ith Goizueta, Ivester is a n accountant by training, an intro­
vert b y nature. H e w orked systematically to obtain the breadth needed to be a mod­
em chief executive - getting m edia coaching and spending three years' worth o f Sat­
urdays, six hours a t a tim e, being tutored in marketing. H e is a straight arrow, con­

67
stantly encouraging his executives to 'do the right thing', yet h e is fascinated w ith Las
Vegas, w hich he visits once a year, gambling and people-watching a lo t
He is b ig o n discipline, w hich to h im m eans: be w here y ou're supposed to
be. D ress the p art (he is opposed to casual Fridays). R eturn p hone calls promptly
(employees k n o w n e v e r to g et too far aw ay from th e ir office voice-m ail, even on
weekends). Still, w hen directing h is troops, h e a sks them to set 'aspirations' (dif­
ficult targets).
H ierarchy is o u t - i t slow s everything dow n; h e com m unicates freely with
people a t all levels. T he 'conventional' desk jo b is also out. Ivester prefers that
em ployees thin k o f them selves a s know ledge w orkers - their office is th e infor­
mation they carry around w ith them , supported b y technology th at allows them
to w ork anyw here. T h is re a lly m atters w hen yo u r b usiness is as large a s Coke's,
w hich gets 8 0% o f its p ro fit from overseas.
A t Coke, business planning is no longer an annual ritual b ut a continual dis­
cussion — som etim es via voice-m ail - am ong top executives. Technology is not
ju st nice; it's crucial. H uge volum es o f information don't frighten Ivester; he insists
that they are necessary fo r 'real-time' decision-making. W ith past-generation execu­
tives, their style w as m ore 'don't bring m e your problems, b ring m e y our solutions,'
says Tim H aas, Senior V ice President and H ead o f L atin America. 'D oug thrives on
finding the solutions.' 'In a w orld this complicated and fast-moving, a CEO cant
afford to sit in the executive suite and guess,' Ivester says. H e believes that many of
America's executives 'are getting terribly isolated.'
F rom F ortune Magazine

D ouglas Ivester

Parents' background /values: Personal qualities:

Present position: M anagem ent style /beliefs:

Previous job : A chievem ents a t Coca-Cola:

Previous boss: H obbies:

E x . 6 . A n sw e r th e se q u e stio n s a bo u t th e article.
1. T he w riter say s that 'G oizueta had recognized Ivester's drive'. W hat does
drive m ean? H o w d id Ivester show that he had this quality?
2. 'T hey give A p luses, d o n 't they?'. W ho is Ivester's father referring too
w hen h e says they?
3. H ow did Iv ester prep are for the position h e now holds?
4. E xplain th e m eaning o f this sentence: 'D ress the part (he is opposed to
casual F ridays)'. D o y o u agree w ith this policy?
 5. W hy does Iv ester w a n t em ployees to think o f them selves as Tcnowledge
w orkers'?
6 . Ivester b elieves that m an y A m erican executives 'are getting terribly iso­
lated.' W hat is Iv ester do in g to avoid becom ing cut o f f from h is staff?

E x . 7. F in d w ords a n d p h r a s e s in th e article w hich m e a n th e fo llo w in g :

1. 1 Som eone w ho h as greatly increased the com pany's profits.
2. A tim e o f h ig h u nem ploym ent and poverty.
3. A very successful, p rofitable com pany.
4. V ery determ in ed to succeed.
5 . Carefully, fo llo w in g a fix ed plan.
6 . O rganizing p e o p le into d ifferent levels o f im portance.
7. Som ething th at h app en s regularly each year.
8 . G ets a feeling o f satisfaction from do in g som ething

% ^ E x . 8 . D isc u ss th e s e questions.
1. W hat do y o u th in k D ouglas Ivester's m ain objectives should b e a s leader o f
Coca-Cola?
2. W hat so rt o f pro b lem s d o y o u th in k h e h a s to d eal w ith w hen r u n n in g the
com pany?

5.8. C O M P E T IT IO N

E x . 1. T h e te x t b e lo w p r e s e n ts th r e e strategies f o r f i r m s to a chieve above-

average perfo rm a n c e . B e fo re y o u r e a d it, d iscu ss w h a t strategies com panies in
th e fo llo w in g secto rs m ig h t u s e to c o m p ete w ith th e ir rivals:
a) superm arkets b ) c onstruction equipm ent c) luxury cars.

T h r e e S tra te g ie s to g a in a c o m p e titiv e a d v a n ta g e
C ost leadership is p erh ap s the clearest o f th e three strategies. In it, a firm
sets o ut to b eco m e th e lo w -co st p ro d u cer in its industry. T he firm h as a broad
scope and serves m a n y indu stry segm ents, and m ay ev en operate in related in­
dustries; th e firm 's b read th is often im portant to its co st advantage. The sources
o f cost advantage are v a rie d an d d epend on the structure o f th e industry. They
m ay include th e p u rsu it o f econom ies o f scale, technology, p referential access to
raw m aterials and o th e r factors.
T he seco n d strateg y is differentiation. In a differentiation strategy, a firm
seeks to b e unique in its industry alo n g som e dim ensions that are w idely valued
b y buyers. I t selects o n e o r m ore attributes th at m an y b uyers in an industry per­
ceive a s im portant, and uniq u ely positions itse lf to m eet those needs. It is re­
w arded for its u n iq u en ess w ith a prem ium price.
T he m eans fo r d ifferentiation a re pecu liar to each industry. D ifferentiation
can be ba se d o n th e p roduct itself, the delivery sy stem b y w hich it is sold, the
m arketing approach, and a b ro a d ran g e o f other factors. In construction equip­

69
m ent, for exam ple, C aterpillar T ractor's differentiation is b ased o n product dura­
bility, service, spare p arts availability, a n d a n excellent d ealer network.
The third strategy is focus. This strategy is quite different from the others be­
cause it rests on the choice o f a narrow competitive scope within an industry. The fo-
cuser selects a segment or group o f segments in the industry and tailors its strategy to
serving them to the exclusion o f others. B y optimizing its strategy for the target seg­
ments, the focuser seeks to achieve a competitive advantage in its targets segments
even though it does n o t possess a competitive advantage overall.
A firm th at engages in each strategy b u t fails to achieve any o f them is
'stuck in the m iddle'. I t possesses n o com petitive advantage. This strategic posi­
tion is usually a recip e for below -average perform ance. A firm that is stuck in
the m iddle w ill com pete a t a disadvantage b ecause the cost leader, differenti­
ators, o r focusers w ill b e better positioned to com pete in any segm ent. In most
industries, q u ite a few com petitors are stu ck in the m iddle.
F rom Com petitive Advantage, b y M ichael Porter

Ex. 2. A n sw e r th e s e q u estions a b o u t th e te x t
1. W hich sentence b e st expresses th e m ain idea in paragraph one?
A firm can g e t a com petitive advantage by:
a) selling g oods in m any m arkets;
b ) m aking as w ide a range o f goods as possible;
c) p roducing g oods m ore cheaply than its rivals.
2. W hich sentence b e st expresses the m ain idea in paragraphs tw o and three?
W hen a firm u ses a differentiation strategy:
a) it tries to p ersuade consum ers th a t its p roducts have special qualities;
b ) it tries to re ach a sm all g ro u p o f loyal custom ers;
c) it w ants to attract a s m any b uyers a s possible.
3. W hich o f th ese sentences best expresses the m ain idea in paragraph four?
I f a firm chooses fo c u s a s its strategy, it tries to:
a) d o b etter than its rivals in a sm all p art o f th e m arket;
b ) p revent o th er firm s from entering th e m arket;
c) d o b usiness in a large n um ber o f narrow m arkets.
4. In the final paragraph, d o es th e w riter say it is a good o r ba d thing for firms to
be stu c k in th e m iddle? W hy?

% * E x . 3. D isc u ss th e se questions.
1. C an y o u th in k o f com panies w hich use o ne o f the strategies in the text?
W hat abou t yo u r o w n c om pany o r a com pany you know well?
2. C an you th in k o f any com panies w hich are stu c k in the m iddle!
W hat d o you th in k th ey co u ld do to im prove their com petitive position?

№ E x. 4. A n sw e r th e q u e stio n s below . K evin W a rre n , a V ice P resident at

C oca-C ola a n d S c h w ep p es B ev erag es (U K ), is ta lk in g a b o u t com petition.
T h e n listen to th e f ir s t p a r t o f th e in terv iew a n d ch e c k y o u r answ ers.

1. H ow m a n y servings o f Coca-C ola are sold w orldw ide?

70
a) o n e b illio n a d a y c ) o ne b illion a year
b ) 4 7 b illion a d a y d ) 4 7 b illion a year
2. C o m p lete th e chart.

T o b e successful y o u need:
I
a p ortfolio o f p r . ... a n efficient m an u
I
g and d ist..........n operation

the best b r .................. the m o st recognizable p a c k ..............

3. C ho o se th e correct answ er. K evin th in k s the w ay to stay ahead is to

cus on:
a) the actions o f y o u r com petitor. b ) y o u r o w n products a n d custom ers.

H H E x . 5 . L is te n to th e s e c o n d p a r t o f th e interview . W hich o f these statem ents

m o re a ccurately r e flects K e v in 's views?
1 Price is th e m o st im portant elem ent w hen y o u a re talking about value.
2 V alue fo r m o n ey is n o t only ab o u t price. C h eaper is n o t alw ays better.

H U e x . 6 . L is te n to th e th ird p a r t o f th e interview . W hat c hanges in co nsum er

habits does K evin p re d ic t?

D o y o u th in k co m p etitio n alw ays leads to b etter p r o d u c ts a n d better value?

V I. B U SIN E SS M A T T E R S

6.1. A D V E R T IS IN G A N D M A R K E T IN G

D escrib in g target m arkets

M arketin g a n d advertising specialists m ust carry o u t research to determ ine

w hat custom ers w an t and to d evelop products w hich satisfy custom er needs. A
group o f custo m ers w h ic h shares a com m on interest, n e ed o r desire is called a
m a r k e t C o m p an ies m u st determ ine w hich m arket w o u ld be m ost likely to buy
a c ertain p ro d u c t a n d aim all th e ir m arketing activities a t this t a r g e t Specialists
use m any diffe re n t m eth o d s to div id e m arkets into precise groups.

E x .l. W o rk in g w ith a p a rtn e r, cho o se o n e o f th e advertisem ents a n d decide

w hat th e ta rg e t m a r k e t is. U se th e fo llo w in g q u e stio n s to h elp y o u :
1. W here d o e s th e ta rg e t live? (tow n, suburbs, rural area, etc.)
2. W hat is the targ et's age?
sex?
m arital status?

71
 income?
occupation?
level o f education?
3. W hat is th e target's social class? (w orking, m iddle, u p per class, etc.)
4. H ow w ould y o u describe th e target's personality an d lifestyle?
5. W hat benefits d o y o u thin k the target looks for in the product? (comfort,
safety, esteem , luxury, etc.)

^ E x.2. P resen t y o u r fin d in g s to th e class. Use th e fo llo w in g structures.

W e think the advertisem ent is designed / m eant / intended for...
In our opinion, the advertisem ent is aim ed at...
The advertisem ent ta rg e ts ...
W e believe th at th e advertisem ent is trying to r e a c h ...

A nalyzing advertisem ents

Ex. 3. W orkin g in g ro u p s o f th re e o r fo u r , look th ro ugh so m e recent maga­

zines a n d n ew spapers a n d f i n d tw o a dvertisem ents f o r d iffe re n t b rands o f the
sam e p r o d u c t Use th e fo llo w in g c h ecklist to com pare th e tw o advertisements
y o u h a ve chosen.
■ W hat are the targ et m arkets fo r the tw o advertisem ents?
■ W hat benefits d o th e advertisem ents em phasize?
■ C om pare the language used in th e slogans. D oes it attract attention quickly?
Is it hum orous?
* W hat technique is used in the tex t (o r copy) o f each advertisem ent: is it fac­
tual, does it con tain a celebrity endorsem ent, is there n o text at all? Is the
price m entioned?
■ C om m ent on the artistic content o f the advertisem ents (photography, special
graphics, etc.)
■ W hich advertisem ent do you th in k w ill sell the m ost p roducts? W hich is the
m ost creative? Is there anything you w ould change in either o f the ads?

E x. 4. O n ce y o u r g ro u p h a s a n sw ered th ese questions, presen t your

analysis o f th e a dvertisem en ts to th e rest o f th e class a n d see i f th e y agree with
y o u r interpretation. Y ou can also p re se n t y o u r f in d in g s in a short written
com position. B e s u r e to a tta ch th e ads to y o u r paper.

The H arley-D avidson M otor Com pany, w hose headquarters are in Mil­
w aukee, W isconsin (U SA ), has been producing its fam ous m otorcycles since
1903. M any p eo p le b u y H arley-D avidsons because, by adding d ifferent accesso­
ries, they can c reate tru ly personalized motorcycles.
There are oth er reasons w hy people choose to b u y H arley-D avidson mo­
torcycles. B efore you listen, discuss w hat you think these reasons are.

72
 Y ou w ill n o w h e a r M r. M anfred K ozlow sky, M anager o f Public Rela­
tions, A dvertising a n d Prom o tio n o f H arley-D avidson Europe, discussing sev­
eral d ifferent a spects o f h is com pany.

H e x . 5 . L is te n to th e fi r s t e x tra ct a n d d ecide w h ich o f th e fo llo w in g descrip­

tions corresp o n d s to th e typical H a rley-D avidson buyer.
a M ost H -D b uyers are about 45 and live in cities,
b T here is n ’t really o ne type o f H -D buyer, b u t the a v erage age is 35.
с T here is n ’t really o ne type o f H -D buyer, b u t the a v erage incom e is high.

Ш Е х . 6. L is te n to th e se co n d e x tra ct a n d w rite dow n th e two words w hich

M r. K ozlow sky u se s to d escribe H a rley-D a vid so n 's im a g e th ro ughout the
world. H o w d o e s h e d e fin e th e c o m p a n y's m a rk e tin g strategy?

S H E x . 7. Y ou w ill n o w h e a r th e sp ea ker g iv e a list o f countries (other than

th e U nited S ta te s) w h ich a re b ig m a rkets f o r H a rley-D avidson. W hich o f th e
fo llo w in g co u n trie s d o es h e m en tio n ?

Austria G erm any Ireland Poland

B elgium G reece Italy Spain
France H olland Japan U nited K ingdom

U S E x . 8 . N o w listen to th e e x tra ct a n d id e n tify th e m ista ke th a t H arley-

D avidson m a d e b e fo re 1981.

6.2. B A N K IN G

% * E x . 1. W o rk in p a ir s (S tu d e n t A a n d S tu d e n t B).

S tu d e n t A Y o u w ish to d eposit £ 30,000 w ith a b ank a n d h av e b een advised that

the L om bard B a n k prov id es v ery favourable co nditions to investors. Y ou have
obtained a le a fle t ab o u t th eir services, b u t y o u require further details before de­
ciding in w hich account(s) to in v est y o u r m oney. Y o u h ave therefore arranged to
m eet a represen tativ e o f the b an k (S tudent B ) w ho w ill answ er any enquiries that
you have. Y o u r s aving requirem ents are a s follow s:
Y ou w ish to set aside a sum o f m oney for y our three children, to b e divided
amongst them o n their eighteenth birthdays. T heir present ages are 10,12 and 14.
Y ou w o u ld also lik e to s e t asid e a n am ount for u se in em ergencies, for ex­
am ple to ca rry o u t a n y u n expected repairs to yo u r house, to pa y medical bills
etc. T o ta l = £30,000
Study the leaflet carefully and draw up a list o f questions that you will need to
ask. T he follow ing guidelines show the sort o f inform ation you should obtain.
M inim u m /M ax im u m opening d e p o s its.................................................................
Interest r a t e s ..................................................................................................................
D ates o f in terest p a y m e n ts ........................................................................................
R estrictions o n w ithdraw ing m oney ...................................................................

73
 L o m b a rd B a n k
In fo rm a tio n f o r savers a n d investors
N o tic e D eposit A c co u n ts
A fle x ib le a cco u n t th a t offers y o u easy a ccess to y o u r fu n d s, with deposit periods
o f 14 days, 3 m o n th s a n d 6 m onths w ith n o m axim um lim it to fu n d s deposited.
F ix e d D ep o sit A c c o u n ts
The ideal d ep o sit a cco u n t f o r those w ishing to invest in the longer term with de­
po sit p erio d s ra n g in g fr o m 1 to 5 years. Interest is fix e d a nd guaranteed n ot to
change durin g the d eposit p e r io d selected.
C h eque S a v in g A c c o u n ts
A sp e c ia l k in d o f deposit a ccount w hich is particularly suitable f o r those
custom ers w h o w a n t th eir savings readily available w hilst earning a good rate
o f interest. A c h eq u e b o o k is su p p lied a n d p ro vid es th e benefits o f instant access
to y o u r fu n d s. W hatever y o u r choice y o u c an b e a ssured that a L om bard deposit
account w ill b e a se c u re a n d confidential hom e f o r y o u r money.
^ U seful la n g u a g e :
A sk in g f o r g e n e ra l in fo rm a tio n
C ould y ou tell m e m o re about...
I'd like som e fu rth er inform ation on
A sking f o r m o re d e ta ile d in fo rm a tio n
How m uch in terest w o u ld I earn i f I o pened a 3-m onth n otice d eposit account?
W ould I b e able to w ithdraw funds at short n otice from a fixed deposit account?
H ow often w o u ld I b e p aid interest w ith a cheque savings account?

W h e n y ou h a v e fin ish e d p r e p a r in g y o u r q u e stio n s, you should m eet u p with

S tu d e n t B . M a k e n o te s o n th e a n sw e rs y o u receiv e a n d d ecide h ow you are
going to in v e st y o u r m oney.

S tu d e n t В Y o u w o rk fo r the L om bard B ank and h av e an appointm ent with a

prospective clien t (S tudent A ) w ho w o u ld like to d eposit som e m oney w ith your
bank. T he b an k o ffers th ree d ifferent types o f account, details o f w hich are given
below . Study this inform ation and b e p repared to answ er Student A 's questions
and to give advice ab o u t w h ich a c c o u n ts ) w o u ld b est suit h is o r h er saving re­
quirem ents. In p articu lar y o u should b e read y to answ er questions about the fol­
lowing:
• M inim um /M axim um opening deposits
• Interest rates
• D ates o f in terest paym ents
• R estrictions o n w ithdraw ing m oney

N otice D e p o sit A cco u n t

This a ccount ex ists in th ree form s (3 m onths, 6 m onths and 14 days) depending
on th e perio d o f n o tice. T h e rates o f interest vary according to the notice period
and interest pay m en ts can b e m ade d irectly to the client o r added to the sum in

74
h is o r h er no tic e d eposit a ccount to earn further interest. A dditional deposits can
b e m ade w ith o u t restriction.

T ype o f account D ep o sit I n te r e s t r a te s p e r I n te r e s t

M in . M ax , annum pay m e n ts
N o tice D e p o sit
3 m onths 1000 - 8.75 (5.75*) every 6 m onths
6 m onths 1000 - 9 .0 (6.0*) every 6 m onths
14 days 5000 - 9.25 (6.375*) every 3 m onths
Note: * indicates in terest ra te s p ayable w hen th e balan ce is less than the m ini­
m um deposit

F ix e d D ep o sit A c c o u n t
W ith this type o f account funds are deposited fo r a fixed period o f 1 to 5 years
and e arn interest a t a fix ed rate w h ich is guaranteed n o t to change. The c lient can
choose w h eth er the in te re st is p a id m onthly, ev ery three m onths, every six
m onths o r y early. In terest c a n b e p a id directly to the client o r added to the sum
in the fixed te rm account. T h e clien t is n o t allow ed to m ake w ithdraw als before
the end o f th e fix ed p e rio d o f deposit. T he m in im u m opening deposit is £1000
w ith a m axim u m lim it o f £250,000.

G ross R a te % p.a. - interest p a id annually

Type o f account A m o u n t o f deposit
£ 1 ,0 0 0 - £25,000 - £ 5 0 ,0 0 0 -
£24,999 £49,999 £250,000
F ix e d d ep o sits
1 ye ar fixed p eriod 9.00 9.125 9.25
2 year fixed p eriod 9.00 9.125 9.25
3 yea r fixed p eriod 9.25 9.375 9.50
4 ye ar fixed p e rio d 9.25 9.375 9.50
5 yea r fixed p eriod 9.25 9.375 9.50

C h e q u e S av in g s A c c o u n t
This is a n ac c o u n t fo r custom ers w h o w an t easy and instant access to their
m oney w h ile c o n tin u in g to earn interest. Interest is p aid e very three m onths and
custom ers a re su p p lied w ith a ch eque b o o k w hich can b e used w ithout restric­
tion. C ustom ers m a y w ith d raw u p to £1000 in cash p e r day b ut are not allowed
to becom e o verdraw n. S tatem ents a re sent e v ery 6 m onths.

T ype o f account
C h e q u e S av in g s A c c o u n t Interest paid
W hen th e b alan ce is £ 1,000 to £ 4,999 3.75
W hen th e b alan ce is £ 5,000 a n d above 6 .0 0

75
H U E x 2. Y o u w ill h e a r A la in D epusse, a fin a n c ia l director f o r a French
com pany, ta lk in g a b o u t th e relationship betw een a c o m pany a n d its banks.
L isten to th e f i r s t extract, a n d a n sw er th e fo llo w in g q u estions.
1. W hat type o f com pany do es he w ork for?
2. W here is h is com pany based?
3. W h at ex perience does h e have?

Ё=0 E x. 3 . In th e second extract M r D epusse talks about the services that a

com pany should expect from a com m ercial b ank. B e fo re y o u listen, m a k e sure
y o u u n d ersta n d th e fo llo w in g term s:
b a lan ce s h eet: a statem ent show ing the financial position o f a com pany at a
c ertain date
a n n u a l r e p o r t: a d ocum ent w hich a com pany p roduces e very ye ar describing
its perform ance and future o bjectives
N o w listen a n d com plete th e ta b le to show
a) the type o f services w hich a bank should p rovide to a com pany, and
b ) the ty p e o f inform ation w hich a com pany should provide to its bank.

S ervices p ro v id e d b y b a n k In fo rm a tio n p ro v id e d b y c o m pany

• c h e a p ......................................
• low est p o s s ib le ....................

• reliable
• com m itm ents

W h a t re a s o n s d o e s A lain D ep u sse give f o r o n ly p ro v id in g th e bank

w ith a c e rta in a m o u n t o f in fo rm a tio n ?

E x . 4. In the final extract M r D epusse talks about th e relationship between a

com pany and a m erchant bank. T his is q uite d ifferent from the relationship
wfeich yo u h eard ab o u t in e xtract 2 , betw een a com pany an d a com m ercial bank.
H D L isten a n d id e n tify th e m a in d ifferen ce in te rm s o f th e type o f inform ation
pro vid ed by th e com pany. W hat a re th e reasons f o r th is d ifference?

(M l E x. 5. L o o k a t th e fo llo w in g list o f services th a t a m erc h a n t b a n k may

provide. L iste n ag a in a n d d ecide w hich o f th e se M r D epusse actually m en­
tions. ( Y = Yes, h e m e n tio n s th e m ; N = N o , h e doesn ’L)

76
 A m e r c h a n t b a n k m ay:
a provide assistance w ith raising capital a nd issuing shares Y N
b inform com panies o f potential dangers, including
com petitors' activities
с o ffer standard b a n k in g services
d he lp to finance international trade a n d exports
e provide a d vice and financial h elp to com panies w ishing
to form partnerships

6.3. A D V E R T IS E M E N T S

H H E x. 1. L iste n to f iv e p e o p le d escribing th e ir fa v o u r ite a dvertisem ents.

1. L isten a n d m ak e notes. U se th e follow ing tw o headings:

• P roduct
• R easons fo r liking the advertisem ent
2 . W hat is y o u r favourite advertisem ent? W h y d o y o u like it?
3. W hat k in d o f advertisem ents d o y o u like?

E x. 2. W h a t m a k e s a g o o d a d vertisem ent? U se s o m e o f th e w ords below.

clever in teresting funny inspiring ey e-catching pow erful

___________ hum orous shocking in form ative sexy___________

Ex. 3 D o y o u th in k th a t th e advertising practices described below are accept­

able? A re there a n y oth er types o f advertisem ent that y o u f i n d offensive?
1. U sin g c h ild ren in advertisem ents
2. U sin g n u d ity in advertisem ents
3. P ro m o tin g a lcohol o n T V
4. C om paring y o u r p roducts to y o u r com petitors' p roducts
5. A n im ag e flashed o n to a screen v ery quick ly s o that people are affected
w ithout noticin g it (sublim inal advertising)

E x. 4 . W hich o f th e fo llo w in g sta tem en ts d o y o u a g ree w ith?

1 Peo p le rem em b er advertisem ents n o t products.
2 A dv ertisin g raises prices.
3 A dv ertisin g h as a b a d influence o n children.

Ш E x . 5 . R e a d th e article. T h en a n sw er th e questions.

O utdoor a d vertising - A b reath o f fr e s h a ir

T he w o rld o f o u td o o r advertising billboards, transport and 'street furniture'

(things like bu s shelters and public toilets) - is w o rth about $18 billion a year,

77
ju st 6 % o f all the w orld's spending o n advertising. B ut it is o n e o f the fastest-
grow ing segm ents, having doubled its m arket share in recent years.
O utdoor advertising's appeal is grow ing as T V and p rint are losing theirs.
T he soaring costs o f T V a re p rom pting clients to consider alternatives. Dennis
Sullivan, boss o f P o rtlan d G roup, a m edia b uyer, calls outdoor advertising the
last true m ass-m arket m edium . It is also cheap. In Britain, a 30-second prime­
tim e T V slot co sts o v er £ 60,000 ($100,000); placin g an ad o n a bus shelter for
tw o w eeks w orks o u t a t about £90.
Adding to its attractions has been a revolution in the quality o f outdoor dis­
plays. Famous architects such as Britain's Sir N orm an Foster are designing arty bus
shelters and kiosks w ith backlit displays. Backlighting, introduced in Europe b y De­
caux and More, and plastic poster skins have vastly improved colour and contrast.
M ovem ent is possible too. Sm irn o ff used n e w m ulti-im age printing to
m ake a spider, seen through a vodka bottle, appear to craw l u p a m an's back.
A nd D isney a dvertised its '101 D alm atians' video o n b u s shelters w ith the sound
o f puppies barking.
T his sort o f innovation h as attracted a n ew c lass o f advertiser. Recent data
from Concord, a p o ste r b uyer, show s that in B ritain, alcohol a n d tobacco have
been replaced b y entertainm ent, clothing an d financial services as the big out­
door advertisers, lik e ca r m akers, are u sing it in n e w w ays. B M W ran a 'teasers'
cam paign in B ritain exclu siv ely o n b u s shelters.
Particularly attractive to the n e w advertisers is street furniture, the fastest
grow ing segm ent o f the o utdoor m arket. It accounts fo r som e 20% in Europe
and about 5% in A m erica.
F rom T he Economist

1. Com plete the table u sin g in form ation from th e first p aragraph o f the article.

| O utd o o r A dvertisin g |
|
1 | Street F urniture

2. W hat d o these n um bers in the a rticle re fer to?

18 6 30 6 0,000 100,000 9 0 20 5
3 W hy h as o u td o o r advertising b ecom e m o re popular? L ist the reasons.
4 W hich industries are b ecom ing m ore involved in o utdoor advertising?

% ^ E x . 6 . D isc u ss th e s e q uestions.
1. O utdoor ad vertising is increasing in m any countries. Is this a good thing?
2. W hat products d o you th in k are suitable fo r o utdoor advertising?

78
E x . 7. C hoo se o n e o f th e a d vertising m edia below. M a k e a s h o rt presentation
on its a d van ta g es a n d disadvantages.
television b illb o ard s n ew spapers street furniture

Ex. 8 . A n d r e w P o u n d , a m a rk e tin g m a n a g e r f o r K ra ft J a co b s S uchard, talks

about su c c e s s fu l a d vertising. B e fo re y o u listen, a n sw er th ese questions.
1 W hat k in d o f prod u cts d o you think K raft Jacobs S uchard make?
2 A ndrew m en tio n s tw o successful a dvertising cam paigns. W hat reasons
do y ou think h e w ill g ive fo r their success?

H H E x . 9. N o w listen to th e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview . C he ck y o u r answers.

H H E x . 10. L is te n ag a in to th e f ir s t p a r t o f th e interview. A n sw e r th e ques­

tions.
1. W ho w as th e targ et c onsum er in each cam paign?
2. W hat advertising m e d ia did A ndrew u se in each cam paign?

[M lE x. 11. I n th e s e c o n d p a r t o f th e interview A n d re w explains w h y advertis­

in g is n ot a w a ste o f m o n ey. W hat rea so n d o y o u th in k h e w ill give? N ow listen
to th e sec o n d p a r t o f th e interview . C h e c k y o u r answ er. D o y o u agree with A n ­
drew?

Ex. 12. M a tc h w ords fr o m each b o x to fo r m w ord partnerships. T hen m a k e a

sen tence f o r ea ch w o rd p artn ersh ip .
advertising techniques
m arketing prom otions
public outlets
retail cam paign
price relations
prom otional m ix

6.4. P R E S E N T A T IO N S
E x .l. D ecid e w h e th e r each se n te n c e in th e U seful la n guage b o x is fo r m a l o r
in fo rm a l W rite F (fo rm a l) o r / (inform al).
^ U seful la n g u a g e
In tro d u c in g y o u rs e lf
• O n b e h a lf o f m y se lf and F ocus A dvertising, I'd like to welcom e you. My
nam e's S ven Larsen.
• H i, I'm D o m in iq u e L agrange. G o o d to see y ou all.
In tro d u c in g th e to p ic
• T his morning, I'd like to outline the cam paign concept w e've developed for you.
• I'm g oing to tell y o u a b o u t the ideas w e've com e u p w ith for the a d campaign.
G iv in g b a c k g r o u n d in fo rm a tio n

79
• I'll give you th e background and talk y o u through the results o f th e m arket
study.
• I've divided m y p resentation into three parts.
In v itin g q u estio n s
• I f you have any q u estions, please don't h esitate to interrupt me.
• I f you're n o t c lear about anything, go ahead a nd ask any questions you want.

Ш е х . 2 . L iste n to th e open in g s o f o n e fo r m a l p resen ta tion a n d on e inform al

presentation. C h eck y o u r answ ers to th e E x ercise above.

Ex. 3 . P resenters c an u s e d iffe re n t te c h n iq u es to g e t th eir a udience's attention

a t th e start o f a p re sen ta tio n . M a tch th e te c h n iq u es b elow to th e exam ples.
a ) tell a p ersonal story
b ) o ffer a n am azing fact
c) a sk a question
d) state a problem

1 .1 w onder i f any o f y o u h ere know the answ er to this question: What

the m ost p o p u lar h o lid ay destination in E urope fo r p eo p le under the age o f 25?
2 . W hen I w as o n holiday a few years a go in G reece, th e ow ner o f a tav-
em a told m e th at in 2 0 years' tim e, th e little v illage w here h e lived w ould be a
popular tourist resort.
3. L et m e g ive y o u a statistic: 92% o f A m ericans do n o t own a passport.
C onsider the o p portunity th is presents to the travel industry.
4. W e're facing a crisis w ith o u r m arket share. W hat a re w e going to do
about it?

% 'E x . 4. C hoose o n e o f th e presentation situations below. Prepare fo u r different

openings u sin g th e techniques above. Practise the openings with a partner.
1. Y our com pany is developing a sm all c a r aim ed at w omen. A udience: a
group o f car dealers.
2. Y o u r b a n k w ishes to encourage young p eople to save m oney. A udi­
ence: a group o f students.
3. Y o u r firm h as p roduced a n ew lam p w hich has unique features. Audi­
ence: a group o f b u y ers a t a trade fair.

Q E x. 5. R e a d th e te x t a n d do th e ta sk below.
F o cu s Advertising - Background
Focus, a large advertising agency based in Paris, has a reputation for creat­
ing im aginative a n d effective campaigns. Recently however, Focus's reputation
w as dam aged w hen tw o m ajor clients changed to rival agencies. F ocus now needs
to convince potential clients that it still has plenty o f creative ideas to offer.
A t present, F ocus is com peting against som e w ell-know n agencies for
several contracts. It h as b een asked to present ideas fo r advertising cam paigns to
the m anagem ents o f th e com panies concerned. C oncepts are required for the fol­
low ing advertisin g cam paigns:
• A sp o rts c a r A high-priced, hand-finished m odel with a classic design. The
car w as popular in the 1950s and 60s. A n American firm now w ants to re-launch i t
(Target consum ers w ill be high-income executives w ith a sense o f fun and style.)
A im : A n international cam paign, w ith a dvertising a dapted to local m arkets.
A p e rfu m e A u nisex perfum e, w ith b iodegradable packaging. Produced
b y a w ell-know n up-m ark et m anufacturer. T h e com pany no w w ishes to enter the
low er end o f the m arket.
Aim : Launch th e perfum e in a n E nglish-speaking country.
A c h a in o f e ig h t L o n d o n r e s ta u r a n ts T h e restaurants (specializing in
your nation al cu isin e) are in prim e positions and o ffer extensive m enus. They
are reasonably p riced, b u t a re n o t attracting enough custom ers.
A im : A creativ e cam p aig n to im prove sales.
A m a jo r b a n k T h e b an k (in a n E nglish-speaking c ountry) w ants to a dver­
tise the follow ing n e w services:
1. C om petitive low -interest m ortgages
2. D irect telep h o n e b anking
3. A fo re ig n tra v e l service
It has also asked y o u r ag ency to suggest others.
A im : D evelop loy alty am on g e x isting custom ers a nd a ttract ne w ones.

T A S K _____________________________________________________________________
Y ou are m em bers o f an ad vertising team at Focus. Prepare an advertising
cam paign fo r o n e o f th e p ro d u cts o r services. U se th e K e y questions below to
help you. T h en p resen t yo u r cam paign to the m anagem ent o f th e com pany con­
cerned. (A t th is stag e, y o u h av e n o t been asked to prepare a budget.)
W hen y o u a re n o t p resenting y our cam paign, p lay th e role o f the com ­
pany's m anagem ent. L isten and ask questions. U se the A ssessm ent sheet below
to choose:
a) th e b e st cam p aig n concept
b ) the m o st effective presentation.______________________________________

K E Y Q U ES T IO N S (A D V E R T IS IN G T E A M )________________________
• W hat is the cam paign's k e y m essage.
• W hat special featu res does th e prod u ct o r service have?
• W hat are its U S P s (U nique S elling Points)?
• W ho is y o u r ta rg e t audience?
• W hat m edia w ill y o u use? Several, o r ju st o ne o r tw o?
I f y ou use:
an advertisem ent - w rite the tex t and d o rou g h art w ork,
a T V com m ercial - u se a sto ry board to illustrate yo u r idea.
a radio spot - w rite th e script, including sound effects and m usic.
other m edia - indicate w hat pictures, text, slogans, etc. w ill b e used.
• W hat special prom otions w ill you u se at th e start o f the cam paign?
A SS E SSM E N T S H E E T (M A N A G E RS)
G ive a score o f 1 - 5 fo r each category: 5 = outstanding 1 = p oor
C a m p aig n c o n c e p t P re s e n ta tio n
1. W ill it g e t th e ta rg e t audience's at­ 1. W as it interesting? D id it impress
tention? you?
2. W ill it capture th e ir im agination? 2. W as it clear?
3. Does it have a clear, effective message? 3. W as there enough eye contact?
4. W ill it differentiate the product or 4. W as th e pace too q uick, too slow, or
service? ju s t right?
5. W ill it persuade th e target audience 5. W as th e language fluent, accurate
to b uy the p ro d u ct o r service? and appropriate?
6 . W ill the targ et audience rem em ber 6 . W as th e v oice clear enough? W as it
the campaign? v aried in p itch o r m onotonous?
T O T A L : 30 T O T A L : 30

Л?] E x . 6 . A s le a d er o f o n e o f F o c u s 's a d vertising team s, p re pare a summary

o f y o u r con cep t f o r y o u r M a n a g in g D irector. T h e su m m a ry w ill b e used as a
d iscussion d o c u m e n t a t a fo r th c o m in g b oard m eeting.

E x . 7. W o rk w ith a p a rtn er. Tell each o th e r ab o ut th e diffe re n t sorts o f

new spapers y o u read. A r e they
• daily o r w e e k ly papers?
• m orning o r evening papers?
• tabloids o r broadsheets?
• n ational, regional, o r local papers?
• p ap ers y o u h av e to p a y fo r o r p apers th a t are p aid for b y the advertisers?
In y our opinion, w hich p apers are
• the m o st inform ative?
• the m o st entertaining?
• the b e st m ed iu m fo r advertisers?
Ш Ъ . 8 . Y o u a re g o in g to listen to a m a n a g er fr o m a m a rket research com­
p a n y m a k in g a p re se n ta tio n . L iste n to h e r talk. W hat type o f newspaper is
m o st widely read, a n d w h a t ty p e do es sh e reco m m en d advertising in?

1=1E x. 9. L o o k a t th e transp a ren cies th a t E v a u se d in h e r talk. L isten again

a n d f i l l in th e m is sin g statistics.

W h ic h o f th e s e ty p e s o f n ew sp a­ T h e co nsum er
p e r have y o u r e a d in th e la st six C onsum er characteristics for regional
m o n th s? w eekly paid-for newspapers
Base: 999 adults Base: 999

82
D ailies A ll 8 %
N ational tabloid % A ge group 15-19 5%
N ational broadsheet 20% 20-24 6%
R egional evening 26% 25-34 5%
Regional m orning 8% 35-44 8%
S u n d a y n e w sp a p e rs 45-54 %
N ational tabloid % 55-64 8%
National broadsheet 21% 65 + 7%
R egional S unday 6%
W eeklies S ocio-econom ic g roup AB %
Regional p aid-for % Cl 7%
Local paid-fo r 19% C2 9%
R egional/local free 4 8% D 6%
E 3%
N one o f these 4%
D on't know 1%
Source: B M R B /M intel M arket In­ Source: B M R B /M intel M arket Intelli­
telligence gence

!Ш Е х . 10. C om plete th e se se n ten ces fr o m th e p re sen tation. Use o n e word in

each space th e n listen ag ain a n d c h e c k y o u r answ ers.
P art 1
E va E r ... h o w tim e h av e w e got?
P au l O nly a _______________ , I'm afraid.
E v a W ell in th a t case, I'll b eg in straig h t aw ay w ith a o f our survey results.
R o g e r H o w _______________ peo p le d id y o u question?
E va Ju st a thousand.
P art 2
P a u l D o y o u ______________ w e advertise in the national tabloids?
E va N o. I y o u to advertise in the p apers th at a ttract th e right sort o f readers.
E v a I ______________ y o u co ncentrate yo u r efforts on these w eekly papers.

6.5. TRADE

^ E x . 1. W h a t are y o u r co untry's m a jo r im ports a n d exports? D o y o u th in k prod­

ucts m ade in y o u r co untry are better th a n products m a d e in other countries?

E x. 2 . P la ce th e s e c o u n trie s in th e ta b let below. T h e n c om pare y o u r chart

with a p a rtn er. W h y a re s o m e o f th e co u n trie s o n t h e c h art rich er than others?

Brazil F rance G erm any G reece Italy

Japan R ussia S ingapore UK U SA

83
 R ich in n a tu r a l reso u rc e s USA
P o o r in n a tu r a l reso u rces
L ow G D P * p e r c a p ita
H ig h G D P * p e r c ap ita

*GDP o r G ross D om estic Product: the total annual v alue o f a country’s goods
and services

E x . 3. Use th e w ords in th e b o x to com plete th e table. Use a g o o d dictionary,

su ch a s th e L o n g m a n B u sin e ss E n g lish D ictionary, to h e lp you.

b a r rie r s dum ping protectionism quotas o p e n borders

tariffs laisser-faire deregulation free port strategic industries liberalize
subsidize infan t industries restrictions customs

in fa v o u r o f fre e tra d e * ag a in st fre e tra d e*

open borders Barriers
*Free trade: trade w ithout restrictions o n the m ovem ent o f goods across borders

% 'E x . 4. D isc u ss th e se questions.

1. Is free trad e alw ays a good thing?
2. D o y o u th in k it leads to the creation o f jo b s, o r to unem ploym ent?
3. Should certain industries b e protected. I f so, w hich?

m Ex. 5. R e a d th e letter below a n d com plete th e application fo rm .

O ur ref: JM 5/02

IM P O R TER O F FIN E WINES

M s. D enise M organ 18 Park Avenue
D ocum entary C redits Los Angeles, C A 90008
National B an k o f C om m erce T el: (213) 5559765
35 M ain S treet e-m ail: w incon@ aol.com
Los A ngeles, C A 90005
D ear Ms. M organ ^*

A p p lic a tio n fo r le tte r o f c re d it* in fa v o r o f J u lia n M o n te ro

W e h ave c ontacted Julian M ontero, the A rgentine supplier o f the w ine we are
im porting. W e w ill be im porting 500 cases o f w hite and red w ine and the total
value o f the contract is U S $50,000.
Please o pen a letter o f credit to cover the shipment. D etails are as follows:
1. Beneficiary: J u lian M ontero srl, S an N icolas 1746, B uenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Sr. M ontero's bank: B ank o f A rgentina, B uenos Aires.
3. Irrevocable L etter o f C red it 30 days. T o b e confirm ed b y y our correspondent
bank in A rgentina.
4. T he letter o f c re d it m u st co v er the enclosed list o f w ines w hich specifies the
brands a n d quan tities w e h av e ordered.
5. F our clean cop ies o f the B ills o f Lading.
6 . N o p a rt ship m en t perm itted.
7. Shipping term s: G IF*
W e look forw ard to receiv in g a c o p y o f y o u r letter to y o u r correspondent
bank in A rgentina a s soon a s possible. Please let m e k n o w i f there is any further
inform ation y o u require.

Y ours sincerely,

V ivian E astw ood

Manager

Letter o f credit: A le tte r from o ne bank to another w hich enables a seller to ob­
tain money. T h e m o st com m on w a y o f financing international trade.
(*CIF: A ll costs, insurance, and freight charg es are to b e p aid b y the exporter,
Julian M ontero)

___________________ N A T IO N A L B A N K O F C O M M E R C E
E x p o rte r Ju lia n M o n te ro I G o o d s .......................
Im p o rte r [ Q u a n tity ....................
V a lu e ......................................................................................................
M ethod o f p a y m e n t.............................................................................
D ocum ents r e q u ir e d ...........................................................................
C ontract re s tric tio n .............................................................................

Ex. 6 . A n sw e r th e s e questio n s.
1. W hen w ill the s eller receive pay m en t for th e goods?
2. W hat inform ation m u st b e inclu d ed in the letter o f credit?
3. W ho w ill p a y fo r th e co st o f transporting the cases o f w ine?
4 . W hat d oes V ivian E astw o o d w ant D enise M organ to send her?

H H E x. 7. B e lla F ord, a b u y e r f o r E m p ire W ines, is n e g otiating with Pierre

H em ard, S a le s D ire c to r f o r M a rq u e s V ineyards, N a p a Valley, California. L is­
ten a n d f i l l in th e m issin g words.

B ella If...................... 1 m o re th an 500 cases o f the R eserve, w hat discount

can y o u o ffer us?
Pierre O n 5 00, n oth in g . B ut if..................... 1000 cases, w e'll o ffer 15%.
B ella L et m e th in k ab o u t that. N ow , if..................... 3 a n o rd er for 1000,
w ill y o u b e ab le to d ispatch im m ediately?
Pierre I don 't k n o w ab o u t im m ediately, b u t certain ly this m onth.
B ella W ell, if......................4 to u s befo re the C hristm as rush, it'll b e OK.
I take it y o u r p rices include insurance?
P ierre A ctually, n o. Y o u 'd b e responsible fo r that. If......................5 your

85
 order, then w e'd b e w illing to cover insurance as well.
B ella I'll n eed to d o som e calculations ...
P ierre Let's look a t m ethods o f paym ent. Since w e've n ot dealt w ith you
before, w e'd like to b e p aid b y banker's draft.
Bella W ell, th is is a large order. W e've done business w ith m any well-known
w ine p roducers and w e'v e alw ays p aid b y letter o f credit.
Pierre OK. If. 6 to you p aying b y letter o f credit, then you'll
h ave to p a y u s w ithin 3 0 days.
B ella T hat should b e fine.

[= 1 E x . 8 . K e v in W arren, a n E x e c u tiv e Vice P resid en t a t Coca-Cola (UK), is

ta lking a b o u t n egotiating. L iste n to th e fi r s t p a r t o f th e interview. W hat do the
letters L - I-M s ta n d fo r ? L ................... I M .......................
In th e n egotiation th a t K e v in describes, w h a t w as h is L -I-M ?

Ex. 9. In th e s e c o n d p a r t o f th e interview , K e v in gives th ree negotiating tips.

П do y o u th in k th e tips w ill be?
Ш Listen to th e s e c o n d p a r t o f th e interview. W ere y o u r gu esses correct?

Ex. 10. K ev in u se s th e w ords below. C hoose th e correct definition f o r each.

1. classic errors a) typical m istakes
b) o ld m istakes
2 . go straight to the p o in t a ) m ove tow ards the end
b) state yo u r purpose directly w ithout delay
3. long-term relationship a ) a business contact over a long period
b) a friendship over a long period
4. h assle free a ) w ithout extra paym ent
b) causing n o difficulty o r trouble
5. sw itch a) change
b) tu rn on
6 . royalty a ) k ings and queens
b) a p aym ent fo r a service
7. to tailor a) to m ake m ore suitable for a particular purpose
b) to m ake clothes

6.6. D E S C R IB IN G T R E N D S

E x .l. Sales o f so m e p r o d u c ts a re very se a so n a l A t w hat tim e o f y e a r would

y o u e xpect th e s e p r o d u c ts to se ll w ell?
• ice-cream
• firew orks
• um brellas
• to iletries
• sun-tan lotion
E x.2. Y ou a re g o in g to h e a r a m a n a g er ta lkin g ab o ut m a rket trends in the
sales o f su n -ta n cre a m s a n d lotions. B e fo re y o u listen, look a t th e graphs and
tables. W ha t m ig h t th e y relate to?
 S Sun protection lotions

ШGreen and cruelty free

В Artificial tan creams

D After-sun preparations

ШSun protection cresms

H H e x .3 . N o w liste n to f i v e extra cts fr o m th e m a n a g e r's presentation. M atch

each o n e to th e c o rre c t g ra p h o r table.

87
E x.4. L abel each g ra p h o r ta b le w ith o n e o f th e se titles.
To tal sales
Sales by sector
Sales b y distribution outlet
A dvertising b udget / m ed ia spend
A ge shifts w ithin th e population

[Ц ]Е х .5 . L iste n to P a rt 1 again. M a k e n o tes in th e boxes to com plete this

causes a n d e ffe c ts chain.

I 1 1
1
J
“ 1
j , G row th in sales

N o w e xplain w h a t h a s h a p p en ed u sin g th e s e p h ra se s fr o m th e presentation.

... is largely d u e t o ...
... m ay be a resu lt o f...

E x . 6 . L o o k a t th e g ra p h sh o w in g sa les by distribution outlet. D escribe how

sales ha ve c h a n g e d betw een th is y e a r a n d la st year.
HH/Vow listen again.
How does the p re sen ter d escribe th e changes?
W hy have sales through chem ists increased?

[= I e x .7 . L iste n to P a rt 3 again a n d a n sw er th e se questions.

1 W hat experim ent d id th ey d o four years ago?
2 W as it successful?
3 W hat is the a d vantage o f press advertising?

Ex. 8 . Can y o u g u e ss th e m issin g w ords in th e se sentences?

changes w ill h a v e a n adverse effect o n the m arket in the future.
The population is ag ein g a nd i t 's that this w ill h ave a influence.

Liste n to P a rt 4 a g a in a n d c h e c k y o u r answ ers. W hat w ords does the presenter

use to describe th e changes in size o f th e 2 1-30 and the 5 0+ age groups?

H H ex .9 . L o o k a t th e ch a rt d escribing sales b y sector (E x.2). D escribe the

relative size o f th e d iffe re n t p ro d u c t g roups. H o w h a ve th ey changed th is year?
L isten again a n d s e e h o w th e p re se n te r describes th e changes

H H E x . 10. A n electrica l m a c h in e ry m a n u fa c tu re r is em ploying th e services

o f a n en g in eerin g c o n su lta n t to d esign a m otor. L isten to t h e conversation and
n u m b e r th e se ste p s in th e order th e y o cc u r in th e design process.
□ D o som e sketches
□ Select th e b e st options
D W rite the specifications
 CD D raw u p d etailed d esigns
CD Iden tify the d esign o bjectives
CD D iscuss th e d ifferent options
E x. 11. D isc u ss th e d esign p ro c e ss w ith a pa rtn er.
A F irst th e d esig n o bjectives a re identified.
В W hat's the n ex t step?
A The specifications a re w ritten.
В W hat h appens after that?

HD Ex. 12. L is te n to th e c onversation ag a in a n d a n sw e r th ese questions.

1. W hat m u st th e new m o to r be like?
2. W hat d esign p roblem s m u st the c o nsultant solve?
3. A t w h at stage w ill he p rovide a breakdow n o f costs?
4. H ow lo n g w ill i t take to g et th e sketches ready?

Ex. 13. C om plete th is extra ct fr o m th e conversation. U se th e w ords in th e box.

| have to m ust d o n ’t have to m ustn’t I

A T he m ain p ro b lem w ill b e the coolin g system . I t ________ b e cooled b y water.

В O n the oth er hand, the w orking environm ent is clean. W e ___________ w orry
about dust and dirt.
A Y ou solv e th e vibration p roblem too.
В Y es, i t ________ v ib rate above the lim its, b u t that n eedn't b e a m a jo r problem.

W hat's th e d iffe re n c e in m e a n in g b etw een m u s tn 't a n d d o n 't h a v e to?

I b e able_____________should____________ ought_______________ can

A w e m eet a gain a t th at stage?

В Y es, w e ___________ to. T h en I _____________ show y o u the d ifferent options.
A W ill y ou have p rice e stim ates b y then?
В Y es, 111 to give y o u a p retty accurate b reakdow n o f costs.

W hich verbs a re alw a ys fo llo w e d b y to ? W h ic h v erbs h a ve s im ilar m eanings?

6.7. G L O B A L IZ A T IO N

(M lE x. 1. L is te n to th e interview a n d a n sw er th e se questions.
1. Is S tephen H aseler generally in favour o f globalization o r against it?
2. W h ich o f th e p oints b elow d o es S tephen H aseler m ake?
A d v a n ta g e s
• G lobalization in creases the p o w er o f governm ents.
• G lobalization in creases com petition am ong com panies.
• C om petition b etw een C hina, In d ia and th e W est w ill increase em ploym ent
everyw here.
 D isad v a n ta g e s
• G lobalization c o u ld lead to big em ploym ent problem s in the W est.
• G lobalization low ers peop le's living standards.
• G lobalization p revents g overnm ents from controlling their w elfare systems.
• G lobalization creates cross-cultural problem s, fo r exam ple, betw een India,
C hina and the W est.

H H e x . 2. C om plete th is extra ct f r o m a radio p ro g ra m m e w ith th e correct

com parative o r superlative fo r m s o f th e adjectives in brackets. Then listen and
che ck y o u r answ ers.
A surv ey h as com e u p w ith som e interesting inform ation about the cost o f
living in o u r m a jo r cities. T okyo is s ti l l................. (expensive) c ity in the world.
O saka is second an d M oscow third, o n a p a r w ith H ong K ong. M any European
cities have g o n e d o w n th e rankings because their exchange rates have become
2 (w eak) against the U S dollar. M oscow 's exchange rate has also be­
com e 3 (w eak), b u t R ussia has a m u c h 4 (high) inflation rate than
many European countries. So prices in M oscow are am ong 5 (high) in
Europe. B ut there is o ne advantage o f living in M oscow . T he underground is ex­
cellent - very cheap a n d m uch 6 (com fortable) th an th e one in London.
N ew Y o rk is 7 (expensive) U S city. T h is is because the U S dollar is
8 (strong) th an m any o th er currencies. Som e E u ropean countries that used
to be far............... 9 (expensive) than N ew Y o rk are n ow m uch ................. 10 (cheap).
L ondon is th e 10th 11 (expensive) c ity in the w orld, according to the
survey. A y ear ago, L o ndon w as 5% -10% .................. 12 (cheap) than m any French
and G erm an c ities. T h is is n o longer so. N ow L ondon is 1 5 % .................. 13 (dear)
than th e G erm an a n d F ren ch cities m entioned in the survey. H ow ever, London is
a good c ity to liv e in . B usiness p eople said that L ondon w a s 14 (exciting)
o f all the m ajo r cities in th e w orld. Londoners also claim that it is 5
(clean) than it u sed to be, a n d 16 (safe) than m any o ther E uropean cities.
I f you 're h ard u p, d o n 't g o to O slo - it's E urope's...................... 17 (expensive)
city. M eals at restaurants c o st a fortune and drinks a re v ery pricey.

H H e x . 3. L is te n to f i v e tele p h o n e conversations.
1. W h ich o f th ese adjectives b e st describes the p erson w ho receives the
call? W hy? inefficient im patient aggressive bored unhelpful
2. H ow c o u ld y o u im prove each call?
3. H ow im portant is intonation on the telephone? W hy?

Ш E x. 4. R e a d th e fo llo w in g te x ts (B ackground, D iscussion D ocum ent &

C onsultant’s R ep o rt) a n d do t h e task.

B a c k g ro u n d : F o rtu n e G a rm e n ts
This w eek, the international fashion group F ortune G arm ents is holding its
first global conference in B arcelona, Spain. F ortune G arm ents, one o f Hong

90
K ong's oldest trad in g groups, m akes h ig h quality, clothing. It has becom e a
global com pany: it h as o v er 3000 suppliers in 17 countries, and em ploys staff
from all over the w o rld in its h ead office and factories. It is expanding rapidly in
foreign m arkets w ith sales o f o v er $U S 1.8bn.
Fast d elivery, in novative design, and reliab le quality a re essential for suc­
cess in the fashion b u siness. Fortune G arm ents' C hairm an, M ichael Chau, is
proud that h is com pany can usually accept a m ajo r o rd er and deliver the goods
to a custom er w ith in four w eeks. H ow ever, g lobalization has brought problems
in the com pany's overseas plants, and this is having a b a d effect o n its share
price. A jo u rn a list fro m the E astern E conom ist R e v ie w suggested recently that
the com pany co u ld becom e th e target o f a takeo v er i f it didn’t sort out its prob­
lems soon.
M anagers from all the o verseas p lan ts are attending th e conference. M i­
chael C hau h as ask e d th em to consider the problem s o utlined in the discussion
docum ent below .

D iscu ssio n d o c u m e n t: P ro b le m s
1. Q u ality c o n tro l M an y subsidiaries m ake cloth in g fro m m aterials supplied by
several o f th e com p an y ’s plants. A lthough th is h e lp s to low er costs, the m ateri­
als are often o f p o o r quality. T his h as resu lted in cancelled orders. Recently, a
Germ an distributor refiised a consignm ent o f 5 0,000 b louses. The goods simply
did n o t m eet its quality standards. C ancellation o f th e o rder cost Fortune G ar­
m ents h a lf a m illio n d ollars in lost sales.
2. R esp o n d in g to c u s to m e r n ee d s O rders h ave also b een cancelled because
Fortune G arm ents' su bsidiaries are n o t responding quickly to custom ers’ needs.
W hen custom ers w an t last-m inute changes to clothing, th e plants cannot meet
customers' tig h t d eadlines. F o r exam ple, an A u stralian fashion chain cancelled
an order b ecause th e U S p la n t w as n o t a ble to m ake m inor changes to som e silk
jackets in tim e fo r th e ir sum m er sale. T he lo st sale co st Fortune Garm ents over
$US 400,000.
3. D esign W h en th e com pany w as sm aller, it h a d the sam e low -pricing strategy,
but the d esig n o f its clothing w as o utstanding. H ow ever now adays, the c om pany
seem s to have lo st its creativ e energy. Its latest collections w ere described b y a
fam ous fashion ex p ert a s 'boring, b eh in d the tim es a n d w ith n o appeal to a fash-
ion-conscious b uyer'. O th e r experts agreed w ith this opinion. T he problem is
that ideas a re n o t sh a re d b etw een th e com pany's designers. A ccording to o ne de­
signer, T here's n o t en o u g h contact b etw een designers a t the different production
centres. T he d esigners n ev er m eet o r phone each other, and they rarely travel
abroad'.
C o n s u lta n t's r e p o r t
M ichael C h a u is aw are that m o rale is lo w am ong m anagers and lower-
level staff. H e h as ask ed a b usiness consultant to investigate the reason for this.
H ere a re th e c o nsultant's m a in findings.

91
 M anagem ent
1. M anagers o f subsidiaries say they are underpaid. They are dem otivated and
feel their contribution to th e group's profits is undervalued.
2. T he m ajority o f m anagers say they should h ave a share in the p rofits o f their
subsidiary (5% -10% w as th e figure m ost com m only m entioned).
3. A ll m anagers reported that they d id n o t h ave enough freedom o f action.
They w ant m ore autonom y a n d le ss control from h ead office over finance, pay,
and sources o f m aterials.
4. M anagers need m ore advice o n q uality control, and w ould like m ore contact
with s ta ff from oth er subsidiaries.
F actory w orkers a nd adm inistrative staff
1. S taff turnover is high in m o st factories. Industrial accidents are common,
m ainly because h ealth and safety regulations a re n o t being p roperly observed.
2. Factory w orkers com plain about their w ages. They are p aid according to lo­
cal rates, w hich in som e countries are v ery low. They a re o ften expected to work
overtim e w ith o u t ex tra pay.
3. A dm inistrative sta ff said th eir offices are overcrow ded a n d b adly ventilated
(e.g. too h o t in sum m er, too cold in w inter).
4 . Supervisors from h ead office are often o f d ifferent nationality from their
staff. This causes com m unication problem s. M any factory w orkers said they did
n ot alw ays u n derstand their supervisors' instructions.

♦ 'T A S K
1. F orm two gro u p s, A a n d B.
G roup A : D iscuss the problem s m entioned in the D iscussion docum ent and de­
cide how to d e a l w ith them.
Group B : D iscuss the p roblem s outlined in th e C onsultant's report a nd decide
how to d eal w ith them.
2. M ee t a s o n e g ro u p . P resen t th e results o f y o u r discussions to each other.
Then pro d u c e a n action p la n to so lve F o rtu n e G a rm e n ts' problem s.

g S W rite a m em o , f o r t h e a tten tio n o f M ic h a e l C hau, su m m a rizin g th e prob­

lem s that y o u discussed. R e c o m m e n d a co u rse o f action to im prove th e situa­
tion. G ive reasons f o r th e a ctio n s y o u propose.

6 .8 . IN SU R A N C E
|®°1ex.1 Y o u w ill h e a r D o n R aley, a n e x p e rt in th e fi e l d o f in surance, talking
about th e w a y th a t L lo y d 's operates. L isten a n d ta k e n otes u n d e r th e follow ing
headings:
• Syndicates
• U nderw riters
• B rokers
• N am es

92
И Е Х .2 . L iste n to th e s e c o n d e x tra ct
1. A ccord in g to D o n R aley, w hat three advantages d o es L loyd's h ave over the
insurance com panies?
2. H o w h as it m anaged to achieve these advantages?

E x.3. N o w listen a g a in a n d f i n d th e w ords th a t th e speaker uses to m ean

the fo llo w in g :
a strong p o in ts ......................................
b b een u n a b le ......................................
с the cost o f ru n n in g a b u s in e s s ......................................
d elim inating......................................
e to m in im iz e ......................................
f in the a rea o f ......................................
g experts ......................................

H U Ex.4. I n th e f i n a l e x tra c t D o n R a le y ta lks a b o u t c h a nges in t h e w ay th a t

L loyd's operates.
1. L isten and select th e k e y w ords th at he u ses to describe th e changes in
the follow ing areas:
a L ia b ility ......................................
b R eg u latio n ......................................
с M ark e tin g......................................
2. W hy does D o n R aley th in k change is necessary?

1 = 1 Ex.5. L iste n again. I n w h ich o f th e th re e a reas a bove a re ch a n g es already

happening? I n w hich a re c h a n g es p la n n e d ?

E valuating risk

^ ^ E x . 6 . W o rk in s m a ll gro u p s. R e a d th e fo llo w in g d o cu m e n t w hich de­

scribes th e m a in criteria th a t a re u s e d b y U K in su rers to d e fin e a s tandard
driver w ho w o u ld p a y th e n o rm a l rate f o r m o to r in su ra n ce cover.
A ny e x ceptions w o u ld probably resu lt in the d river paying a higher pre­
m ium. W ould y o u q u alify fo r th e norm al rate? I f n ot, h ow m any conditions
w ould y ou fail on?

T h e D riv e r
T h e p erso n seeking insurance must:
• b e the m ain u se r o f th e car.
• be b etw een th e ages o f 25 and 74.
• have b een resid en t in th e U K fo r at least 3 years.
• h av e h ad a fu ll U K driving license fo r the p ast 12 m onths.
• have h ad n o m oto rin g convictions during the p ast 3 years.
• h av e h ad n o susp en sio n o f license d uring the past 5 years.

93
• hav e had no m o to r insurance containing special term s or increased premiums.
• n ot have a p hysical defect, infirm ity o r suffer from a heart condition o r diabe­
tes.
• n o t b e en gaged in the follow ing businesses o r occupations: Casino,
N ight C lub, D isc Jockey, M usician, Professional sport, Show Business, Student.

A nother factor used in determ ining the prem ium th a t w ill b e charged for
m otor insurance is w h at is called the 'group rating'. U nder this system each
m odel o f ca r is included in o ne o f tw enty groups depending o n a variety o f fac­
tors such as:
• C o st o f spare parts
• R epair tim es
• Price o f the car
• Perform ance
• C ar security a n d anti-theft features
The classification o f a p articular m odel w ill therefore indicate the risks that the
insurer is exposed to. In the U K , for exam ple, a M ini w ould be included in the
low est group and a F errari in the highest.

^ ^ E x . 7 . B e lo w y o u w ill f i n d th ree fo r m s w hich h a ve been com pleted b y three

peo p le w ho w ish to in su re th e ir cars. R e a d th e se fo r m s c a refu lly a n d then, us­
in g th e in fo rm a tio n y o u h a ve j u s t studied, d iscu ss w hat y o u th in k are the
characteristics o f ea ch o f th e se risks, p u ttin g yo u rse lv es in th e position o f an
underwriter.

A pplication for m otor insurance

1. Full nam e: Za n iew ski Julia G eorge Brown P eter Campbell

2. Address: c/o C larendon H o­ 100 H igh Street, 6 M ain Street
tel,B eechw ood N ewton A B B 120 Buigliton, A n­
Road, London glia Q21 77B
3. D ate o f birth: 22/10/1940 20.4.35 26/2/41
4. Occupation: A r t D ealer B a n k M anager B uilding Con­
5. D ate U K /E C tractor
driving test 1971 (U SA) 1959
passed: 1968
6 . V ehicle m ake BM W 520i Volkswagen G o lf
and m odel: G Ti F o rd Escort L
7. E ngine size: 2494 1588 1298
8 . Y ear o f m anu­
facture: 1991 1990 1991
9. P resent value: £ 77,000 £8,200 £77,000
10. W ho w ill be

94
the principal Z aniew ski J. G .Brow n & P e te r Cam pbell
user? M . Brow n
11 W here is the C larendon H o tel A t above address
vehicle garaged? 6 M ain St.,
12 N o. o f years N one B uigliton
o f no-claim s b o ­
nuses: 6 years
13 W ill the v eh i­ No
cle b e used fo r
business pur­ No
poses?
14 Give details
o f other persons,
w ho w ill o r m ay
drive the car:
a Name: M aryBrow n, Jo hn-
b D ate o f birth: B row n
с D ate U K /E C 22.10.36, 21.1.75 Em m a Cam p­
driving test b e ll
passed: 1965 1991 6.10.1948
15 Have you or
any person who 1972
will drive the car:
a been involved
in a m otor acci­
dent in the last Yes No
three years?
b b een convicted
o f any m otoring Yes
offences in the
past five years? Yes ........... N o ....................
с ever suffered
from a n y p h y si­
cal o r m ental in ­
No
___
firmity?
d ever b een re ­ No ........... N o ....................
fused insurance
or h ad special
term s im posed? Yes .......N o ........................
e b een resid en t
Yes
___
in th e U K fo r
less than 3
years? Yes ........... N o ....................

95
* I f y ou have ai a) collid ed with
sw ered yes to m otorcycle in
any o f these D ec. 1991
b) d riving w ithout
give full details d u e care a n d atten­
in the space p ro ­ tio n (1991). F ined
vided: £200.

a) Emma
C am pbell 2 mi­
no r accidents -
collided with
p o s t w hilst re­
versing car -
stru ck car
whilst parking
(no claims
m ade)
c) P. Campbell
lo st sig h t o f left
ey e 10 years
ago.
d ) P a id extra
insurance pre­
m ium f o r dis­
a b ility imposed
fo u r years ago.

We suggest that you listen

to these tapes again for better
memorization
and overall results.

Good luck!

96
 T A P E S C R IP T S
T R A C K 0001 1.1 FIN D IN G A JO B

1 A H ave you any vacancies for full-time staff?

В W hat d id you have in mind?
A Som ething in the domestic line.
В Have you had any experience?
A N o, I'm m ore o r less straight from school.
В I can't prom ise anything, b ut Г11 do m y best.

2 A I was w ondering w hether you needed any part-timers.

В W hat w ere you thinking of?
A A hotel jo b o f some sort.
В H ave you ever done anything sim ilar?
A N ot so far, no.
В There's nothing a t present, but look back in a week.

3 А Г т looking for a jo b w here I can live in.

В W hat exactly did you want?
A I w ouldn't m ind w orking in a pub.
В H ave you done anything lik e that before?
A W ell, I once did a bit o f waiting.
В Fill in this form and Г11 let you know if anything turns up.

4 A Can you fix m e up w ith a part-tim e jo b ?

В Anything in particular that appeals to you?
A I w as rather hoping to find som ething in a school.
В H ave you done that kind o f thing before?
A Yes, I w as doing the sam e jo b last summer.
В I m ight be able to help you, b u t I'd need references.

T R A C K 0002 1.3. R E C R U IT M E N T E x .l A lan L aw son, n atio n al sales m anager

w ith a Ja pane se electronics co m p an y , is talk in g ab o u t interview in g . L isten to th e first
p a rt of th e interview a n d a nsw er th e questions. (I = In terv ie w er, A L = A lan Law son)
I Alan, ho w can a candidate im press an interview er?
A L W ell, D avid, I feel it’s basically all down to good preparation. First o f all find out
about the job. Y ou could ring up the Press O fficer o r the M arketing D epartm ent and get the
latest press releases o r perhaps an annual report. T he annual report, for example, will say
where the com pany operates and the products it sells. Then, when you get there, you perhaps
could congratulate th e interview er on a recent success the com pany’s had. In a nutshell, find
out about that com pany. Show th at you’v e taken an in terest in the com pany and show enthu­
siasm for the jo b because, after all, that’s w hat they’re looking for in the candidate. They
w ant som ebody not on ly w ho’s qualified for the jo b but will w ant to d o the jo b , and will be
interested and enthusiastic about the jo b . Secondly, you could go to the company maybe a
few days before th e interview , talk to th e receptionist, get a com pany newspaper - you can
alw ays pick up literature on the products maybe you’ll be involved in. A very good tip - find
out w hat the dress code is. Y ou need to fit in and you need to m ake a good impression. Fi­
nally, your CV . M ake su re it’s easy to read, it’s w ell written, but it’s concise - don’t ramble.
I m ust say that I have done all o f this, I’ve prepared m y CV , it w as really good. I left it be­
hind -1 didn’t get the job!

97
 T R A C K 0003 E x. 2. L isten ag ain to th e first p a r t o f th e in terview . C om plete the
“ advice sheet” fo r th e candidates. Repeat track 0002

T R A C K 0004 E x.3. Now listen to th e second p a r t o f th e interview .

I Alan, are there any key questions that you regularly use w h en interview ing candi­
dates?
A L Y es, there are and it’s alm ost a ritual w ith me. Follow ing the C V tells you about
the person and their qualifications. W hat you also w ant to know is their personality. So key
questions I ask -w hat do they like m ost and w hat do th ey like least about their present job?
They m ight say th at they like traveling and they like meeting new people. These are standard
answers. I th ink m ore interestingly perhaps are w hat don’t they like about the company. They
m ight not like w orking w eekends at their current company. Y ou m ight have the sam e prob­
lems w ith yours, w orking weekends might b e som ething essential for the jo b . Also, ask them
what their w eaknesses are. T hey’re usually, generally I w ould say, quite honest when they’re
giving their w eaknesses. A sk them w hat their strengths are. It gives you an in-depth, i f you
like, feeling about their personality rather than ju st the straightforw ard qualifications that
they have on the ir CV . D o they fit in? That’s w hat you’re really looking for.

T R A C K 0005 E x.5. A g ro u p o f m an ag ers a re discussing w h e th e r to offer an em­

ployee a full-tim e c o n tra c t L isten a n d tick th e expressions th a t you h e a r in the “ useful
language” box.
A Good, everyone’s here now. There’s coffee i f you w ant it. R ight, can we start
please? As you all know , R oberto’s been w orking as assistant to C arla N unez for six months
now. He’s ju st finished his probationary period. H ow d o you feel about offering him a full
time contract?
В I’m no t sure w e should do it really. It says in this report th at h e’s been la te to work a
few tim es and he can be rather...
С Oh I don’t think that’s too important...
A Could you let her finish please?
С O h, sorry, I did n ’t m ean to butt in ...
С A nother thing about Roberto I’m not happy about H e leaves exactly o n tim e every
day. Also he doesn’t have lunch w ith us very often, you know, he goes o f f o n h is ow n ...
A I’m not sure th at’s relevant.
С Mmm, maybe.
A I think w e should move on now i f we’re going to finish b y 11 o ’clock. W e do have
other promotions to consider.
В But w hat about his actual work? In m y opinion, it’s fine. H e’s done some really
good things.
A W ell, I think w e should discuss th is a b it more. W hat exactly d o you mean by
‘good things’?
A W ell, thanks very much, Maria. Y ou’v e made your view s very clear. OK , let’s go
over w hat w e’ve agreed. Roberto will have a further probationary period o f three months.
After that...

T R A C K 0006 Ex.6. Y ou w ill h e a r D avid Sm yth, th e perso n n el m an ag er o f a ma­

j o r E uropean in su ra n ce com pany, answ ering questions ab o u t th e w ay he interview s and
selects candidates. I n th e first e x tra ct h e talk s ab o u t th e four p o in ts listed below . Listen
a n d p u t them in the o r d e r in w hich he ta lk s ab o u t them.
(I= Interview er, D S=D avid Sm yth)
 DS T he m ost im portant thing w hen interviewing the candidate is his character, his
ability to react, his intelligence and the suitability for the position for w hich he has been inter­
viewed.
A nd to w hat extent does the person’s appearance influence your decision?
DS It doesn’t influence the decision but it d oes have some bearing in the decision if
you can take the difference betw een the tw o - that is importance o f the guy and the person
he’s represented. H e’s neat and tid y and that h e has a good manner because th at shows a lo t o f
his personality.
I D o you expect the candidate to be prepared anyway? H ow should h e prepare
him self for the interview?
DS W ell, it’s not a question o f preparing yourself. In th e position which I am, er,
normally the candidate had at least one o r tw o interviews w ith other members, more junior
members or sta ff before he gets to m y level. And that’s the particular candidate that can report
directly to m e and in w hich case I expect the person concerned to h av e a very good knowl­
edge o f one: w hat the com pany does. Two: w hat h e is going to b e expected to do. Three:
whom he is going to report to. T hereTe three items that are very, very important. Erm, and i f
the candidate doesn’t give impression o f either the understanding o n e o f these three items.
Then he goes down.
I H ow does the candidate go wrong?
DS A m ajor w ay the candidate goes w rong is b y basically becom ing Y es-M an or
Yes-Woman and agreeing w ith everything you say. W hat is m ost im portant in it, one o f the
most im portant things about interviewing the candidate is the chem istry between somebody,
between two people in the interview. It’s very, very im portant h e has to spark, h e has to feel
as though that guy has to contribute and that guy can be good and you can get something out
o f this person and he has to show him self to b e n o t ju s t Yes-Sir, Thank-you-very-m uch, yes I
agree w ith that, agree w ith that and that. Som etimes I let out questions in which I w ant an an­
swer. I f he continues to say “yes”, then he goes down.
I W hat w ould your advice be to a candidate going to an interview? H ow w ould you
advise him?
DS E r, the first thing I w ould say to him is first o f all to listen, secondly to right ask
the right questions and thirdly h e is to create the right kind o f relationship which is, I guess, I
can call an adult-to-adult relation w ith the interviewee o r the interviewer. Em, it is very im­
portant w hat I said before. W hen there’s a Y es-M an in front o f you o r Y es-W oman, then a
person’s not norm ally creating an adult-adult conversation, h e’s creating an adult-to-child
conversation. In m ost cases, m anagers are not, if they’re good and they know what they want,
they’re not going to be interested in employing a child.

T R A C K 0007 E x. 7. L isten again an d take notes on each o f th e points.

Repeat track 0006
T R A C K 0008 E x.8. In th e second e x tra ct D avid Sm yth ta lk s ab o u t th e stages o f an
interview. L isten to w h a t he says an d com plete th e follow ing c h a rt. (DS=D avid Sm yth)
DS T he interview norm ally takes place b y m e being informed b y the secretary or
telephonist that the candidate has arrived. In which case I leave m y office and go and greet
him in the reception area and bring a person into m y office and sit dow n across the desk or
across m y office-desk to me. A nd w e procede further from there. I o nly start to ask th e can­
didate to tell m e w h at the previous jo b w as and in this jo b w hat he is expected to do. Ju st to
make sure he understands fully. T hen I ask him to tell m e a little b it about the company that
I’m w orking for anyway. So a t least h e understands what w e do, basics o f w hat w e do any­
way. Then I norm ally review his CV , in particular either his previous employment o r current
employment w hich is very im portant. Basically this is done to challenge the candidate out,

99
see how he could express him self and to see w hat kind o f character he has. T hen I normally
g ive him m y view o f w hat the position is that we are recruiting for and also m y view about
the company. T hen I norm ally give him a period o f five o r ten minutes to ask some ques­
tions and then I go back ju st to talk about him and maybe then I, w hen he is fully relaxed or
more relaxed, put in the few rhetoric questions, not few, b u t maybe one or tw o maximum.
A s I said the previous question w hich normally lasts 45 minutes, i f the candidate is up to
scratch and can go on providing that.

T R A C K 0009 2.1. M A K IN G AN A PPO IN T M E N T

(0
A W ill D r B lack be able to see m e at about 9.15 tomorrow?
В Sorry, but he's fully booked till eleven unless there's a cancellation.
A W ould ten to one b e convenient?
В Yes, he's free then.
(ii)
A I w onder w hether th e dentist could fit me in early tomorrow?
В Г т afraid there's nothing before midday.
A H ow about 12.45?
В Sorry, b u t that's taken, too.
(iii)
A I'd like to fix an appointm ent w ith the principal. W ould nine tomorrow be a ll right?
В Г т afraid not. He's got rather a full day tomorrow.
A Could I m ake it quarter to one?
В Sorry again, b u t I'll rin g you i f som ebody cancels.
(iv)
A Do you think the sta ff m anager could see me tomorrow before 9.30?
В H e w on't be in till 10.45, so the earliest w ould b e 11.
A Is 12.40 any good?
В Yes, I'll m ake a note o f it.

T R A C K 0010 E x .l. L iste n to th e five conversations an d a n sw er th e questions.

A Hi. I have an appointment w ith Peter D e Vuyst.

В Could I have your name?
A Sure. H ere’s m y card.
В Right, M rs. Sandbulte. W ould you like to take a seat?
A I’m in a hurry, actually. M ay I go straight up? I know the way.
В I’m afraid you’ll need security clearance first.
A I see.
В It w ill take a few minutes. I’m afraid. T here’s fresh coffee over there if you’d like
a cup w hile you wait.
A Yes, please. D on’t w orry. I’ll help myself.
В OK, I’ll call Mr. D e Vuyst.

Conversation?
A Ulla! Kjell! I t’s lovely to see you both. D o come in.
В Thanks.
С H ere. Let m e take your coats.
D Thank you.
В I’m te rribly sorry w e’re late. It w as difficult to find a parking space.
A T hat’s all right.

100
С Parking’s alw ays difficult around here.
D These are for you, Louise.
A Chrysanthemums! T hey’re lovely.
D I ’m glad you like them.
A I’ll pop them in w ater straight away.
С D o come through to th e living-room. Follow m e. N ow w h at w ould you like to drink?
D W ell, I’m driving so I’d better have a m ineral w ater o r som ething like that.

Conversation 3
A Thanks for helping m e find the platform.
В Y ou’re welcome. Do you w an t a hand w ith the other case?
A N o, 1 can manage, thanks. There. W ell, w e m ust say goodbye. T hank you
very m uch for having me.
В It’s been a pleasure. T hank you for coming.
A N ot at all.
В I think there’s a restaurant car at the front o f the train.
A Thanks, b u t I don’t feel like eating ju st yet.
В Oh, I nearly forgot.
A What’s this?
В T hat book you w anted. D o you remember?
A H ow kind. N ow I in sist o n paying for this.
В Nonsense.
A N o, please. H ow m uch d id it cost?

Conversation 4
A G ood shot! W ell done.
В T hat w as lucky. I’m no t usually very good a t hitting those long shots.
A Really?
В So, how m uch lo nger are you staying, Sam?
A Just four m ore days.
В O h, that’s a pity. Still, I expect y o u ’re looking forw ard to getting back to Michigan.
A Yeah.
В H ave you b e en to Lyon yet?
A N o, I’m going tomorrow.
В Good. Y ou m ustn’t le ave w ithout visiting o u r plant there. H ave you been before?
A N o, never. I ’m interested in seeing w hat you’re doing there.
В M tnm. Y o u ’ll like it. I think you need a three iro n for this one.
A W ould you pass it to m e?
В O f course ... I t’s im possible to see the green from here, isn’t it? Oh, hard luck!

Conversation 5
A G ood afternoon. Can I help you?
В I’m thinking o f extending m y stay b y a couple o f days. W ould you check i f it’s OK?
A Certainly.
В I ’m Mrs.H aberland, room 312.
A O ne moment.
В Instead o f leaving on th e fourteenth, I’d leave on the sixteenth.
A T hat’s no problem . Shall I change the booking for you?
В N o, it isn ’t definite yet. Could I confirm tonight?
A Y es, o f course.

101
 В A nd are there any messages for me?
A N o, I’m afraid not.
В A re you quite certain?
A A h, sorry. There’s a fax.
В T hank you.
A Sorry about that.
В It’s all right.

T R A C K 0011 E x. 2. L isten to th e conversation 1 ag ain an d check y o u r answers.

A H i. I have an appointm ent with Peter De Vuyst.
В Could I have your name?
A Sure. H ere’s m y card.
В Right, Mrs. Sandbulte. W ould you like to take a seat?
A I’m in a hurry, actually. M ay I g o straight up? I know the way.
В I’m afraid you’ll need security clearance first.
A I see.
В It will take a few minutes, I ’m afraid. There’s fresh coffee over there i f you’d like
a cup while you w ait
A Yes, please. D on’t w orry. I’ll help myself.
В OK , I ’ll call M r. D e Vuyst.

T R A C K 0012 Ex. 3. L isten to th e conversation 2 again a n d then act o u t a sim ilar

conversation w ith a p a rtn e r.
A Ulla! Kjell! I t’s lovely to see you both. D o come in.
В Thanks.
С H ere. L et m e take your coats.
D Thank you.
В I’m terribly sorry w e’re late. It w as difficult to find a parking space.
A T hat’s all right.
С Parking’s alw ays difficult around here.
D These are fo r you, Louise.
A Chrysanthem ums! They’re lovely.
D I’m glad you like them.
A I’ll pop them in w ater straight away.
С D o com e through to th e living-room. Follow me. N ow w hat w ould you like to drink?
D W ell, I’m driving so I’d better have a mineral w ater o r som ething like that.

T R A C K 0013 E x. 4. L isten to the c onversation 3 ag ain a n d c o m p are y o u r answers.

A Thanks for helping m e find th e platform.
В Y ou’re w elcom e. Do you want a hand w ith the other case?
A N o, I can m anage, thanks. There. W ell, we m ust say goodbye. T hank you
very m uch for having me.
В I t’s b een a pleasure. T hank you for coming.
A N o t a t all.
В I th ink there’s a restaurant car at the front o f the train.
A Thanks, but I don’t feel like eating ju st yet.

102
 В O h, I nearly forgot.
A W hat’s this?
В T hat book you w anted. Do you remember?
A H ow kind. N ow I insist on paying for this.
В Nonsense.
A N o, please. H ow m uch did it cost?

TR A C K 0014 Ex. 5. L isten to th e conversation 4 ag ain an d check yo n r answ ers.

A G ood shot! W ell done.
В T hat w as lucky. I ’m not usually very good at hitting those long shots.
A Really?
В So, how much longer are y o u staying, Sam?
A Just four more days.
В Oh, th at’s a pity. Still, I expect you’re looking forw ard to getting b ack to Michigan.
A Yeah.
В Have you been to L yon yet?
A N o, I’m going tomorrow.
В Good. Y ou m ustn’t leave w ithout visiting o u r plant there. H ave you been before?
A N o, never. F m interested in seeing w hat you’re doing there.
В Mmm. Y ou’ll like it. I th ink you need a th ree iron for this one.
A W ould you pass it to m e?

T R A C K 0015 Ex. 6. L isten to th e co n v ersatio n 5 ag ain a n d check y o u r answers.

A G ood afternoon. Can I help you?
В F m thinking o f extending m y stay b y a couple o f days. W ould you check if it’s OK?
A Certainly.
В F m M rs.Haberland, room 312.
A One moment.
В Instead o f leaving on the fourteenth, I’d leave o n the sixteenth.
A T hat’s no problem . Shall I change the booking for you?
В N o, it isn’t definite yet. Could I confirm tonight?
A Yes, o f course.
В And are there any messages for me?
A N o, F m afraid not.
В Are you quite certain?
A A h, sorry. T here’s a fax.
В Thank you.
A Sorry about that.
В It’s all right.

T R A C K 0016 E x .7 . L iste n to som e people m e etin g o n e a n o th e r & m a k e notes in

the table.
Conversation 1
A Mr. Jensen?
В Yeah?
A Hello. F m Josephine M arca from Renault.
В H i. N ice to m eet you.
A A nd you.
В I t’s g o o d o f y o u to c o m e an d g e t me.
A N o t a t all.
В H av e you b e en w a itin g lo n g ?

103
A N o, ju s t a few m in u tes. H o w w as th e flig h t?
В I t w as fin e thanks.
A Good.
В S o w h ere to now ?
A W ell, th e m e eting sta rts a t th ree so I in te n d to ta k e y o u to y o u r h o te l first.
В Great!
A M a y I h e lp w ith yo u r bagg ag e?
В N o , I c a n m a nage , than k s.
A W e’r e g o in g to ta k e a ta x i, so i f w e m a k e o u r w ay to th e ex it...
В Is th e h o te l far from here ?
A No, ju st a tw enty-m inute ride.

Conversation 2
A I f you follow m e, the projection room is in here. A h, Dieter. S o n y to disturb you.
В N o problem .
A W e’re looking for B em d. H ave you seen him ?
В N o. I’m w aiting for him too.
A H ave you m et Signora D ’A more?
В N o, I haven’t.
A Then let me introduce you. Signora D ’A more, this is D ieter N ittel, our Sound
Technician.
С H ow do you do?
В Pleased to m eet you.
A M rs. D ’Am ore is from the Italian press office.
В O h yes?
С W e plan to install a video suite in Milan& I’d like to see the set-up here.
В W ell, H e n W ick’s th e m an to speak to. I ’m sure h e ’ll be happy to show you round
w hen he gets back.
A Will he be long, do you think?
В I hope not.

A H ello Ulla.
В Juan Carlos! N ice to se e you. D o you know M r. Shingu?
A Yes. W e m et a t last year’s conference in Vancouver.
С Y es, and th is tim e w e’re in your hom e tow n, aren’t w e?
A T hat’s right. I live here in Alicante. W hat a good m em ory you’v e got.
В It’s a beautiful city. W e’re ju st sorry w e have n o tim e to see round.
A T hat’s a pity. W hen are you flying back?
В This evening.
A And you, Mr. Shingu?
С I’m leaving tom onow morning.
A W hat a shame. I f you had m ore tim e, I’d take you sightseeing.
В I hope to com e back soon, actually.
A Really? W hen’s that?
В W e haven’t fixed the date yet but...

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 TRA CK 0017 Ex. 8. L isten to th e c o nversation a n d All th e gaps.
Susan, Td like you to meet Jean-Pierre Bernard. Jean-PieiTe, this is Susan Richards.
Hello, how are you. How are you! Pleased to m eet you.
Mr. Bernard, m ay I ask where you're Yes, o f course. Pm from Belgium. From Ant­
from? werp.
Oh, really? I understand that's the dia­ Yes, th at's right.
mond capital?
Well, how do you like it in San Fran­ It's beautiful here. I love the weather.
cisco?
Yes, we have good weather year-round. N ot like in Belgium...
Mr. Bernard, m ay I call you Jean-Pierre? Yes, o f course, m ay I call you Susan?
Yes, Jean-Pierre. W hat brings you to the W ell, I'm w orking w ith the international divi­
United States? sion o f a San Francisco softw are company. And
m ay I ask w hat kind o f work you do?
Me? I’m in advertising, I work at a com­ Do you live in San Francisco?
pany downtown.
No, actually I live in Sausalito. I com ­ That's good. Listen, it w as very nice meeting
mute to work. It's only 30 m inutes b y car. you, b u t I see som e I m ust say hello to ... please
excuse me.
Yes, of course. It was nice talking to you too.

TRA CK 0018 Ex. 9. L isten to “ Sm all T a lk ” ag ain a n d th e n a ct o u t a sim ilar con­

versation with a p a rtn e r. Repeat track 0017

TRA CK 0019 2.3. M A K IN G EX CU SES

E x .l. M ost people have a sto ry to tell ab o u t being late f o r som ething. L isten to the
two stories on the rec o rd in g an d a n sw er th e questions.
Version 1
1.
CHRIS: T he football m atch w as supposed to sta rt a t 10.30 o n Sunday morning.
Now, 1 don’t normally like getting u p on Sundays that early, but I thought, “It’s no problem;
Г11 go to sleep nice and early, and set m y alarm clock for 9.00; it’ll b e fine.
U nfortunately, m y alarm c lo c k d id n ’t go o ff, an d I w o k e u p at 11.00. I w as in
such a panic. I got dressed very quickly, didn’t do m y teeth or anything - ju st rushed out, for­
got my kit, had to go back and get m y k it, m y bo o ts and everything, grabbed them in a bag,
and ran, ran as fast as I could, and got to the gam e, ju s t as it w as finishing. E veryone was
very angry w ith me, bu t th e y had w on 4-1.1 d idn’t get picked again after that.
2
JOUMANA: W ell, I w as o n m y w ay to m eet th is young m an w ho had asked m e out
for a date, and I w as very excited (he w as rather nice), and erm, I thought, ‘W ell, you have
to be a b it late, you can’t seem too keen’, so, urn, I took m y tim e, had a very long bath and
all that; and w alked very slow ly to th e underground station. I’v e got an underground pass,
and so I just walked right through the barrier, and w aited for the train, and w aited for around
five minutes, w hich is very unusual because the Jubilee line is usually very quick. A nd then
waited another five minutes, and then another five m inutes, all in all, I w aited around h a lf an
hour. Finally, the train arrived. I do n ’t know w hat the delay w as. T he tram arrived, and, um,
I got on, and got o ff a few stops later, g o t o u t o f the station, and, um , opened m y handbag
and realized I’d left all m y money a t hom e, an d I ju s t d id n ’t k n o w th is chap w ell enough
to tell him , and to s a y th a t I c o u ld n ’t e v en se e m y se lf b ack h o m e in a tax i. So, u m , I
had to go all th e w ay ba ck hom e, a n d I w as in fact 45 minutes late, which w as rather em­
barrassing.

105
 GARETH: It w as during m y last year at university, and I still hadn’t got a jo b to go
to, and I had news o f an interview for a German company. A nd th e G erman director was
com ing over to London, and w as seeing people on a particular afternoon. So I took the
tram from Y orkshire, dow n to London, and unfortunately, er, it w as late, er, there w as a
problem on the line, and I w as a bout th ree quarters o f an h o u r late gettin g to L ondon, so
I dashed to w here th e m eeting w as b eing held, and unfortunately. I ’d ju s t m issed the di­
rector o f the com pany, er, w ho w as planning to go back to G erm an y th a t ve ry afternoon.
I w as so eager and desperate to get the jo b th at I asked w here h e ’d gone to. I w as told
that he was taking the shuttle bus to th e airp o rt So I ran over to w here th e shuttle bus left,
got on it ju st in tim e, er, asked all the passengers i f they w ere G erman, an d directors o f
this particular G erman company, identified this man, and h ad the interview w ith him on
the w ay to the airport. U nfortunately, I didn’t get the job.
2
IAN: S o there I w as, w aiting for a bus. First d ay o f a new jo b . B efo re the bus ar­
rives, this car pulls up, tw o guys leap out, flash a w arrant card in m y face, dem and my
nam e, take m e down to the local police station, and question m e for h a lf an hour on the
possibility I’ve been involved in some sort of... in a murder!
Ah, I eventually convinced them it was nothing to do w ith m e, b u t I h ad to get them
to come w ith m e to m y new place o f w ork so th at I could explain th is to m y new boss!
CHRIS: M y story about the football m atch and m y alarm clock — yeah, that was ab­
solutely true.
J oum ana : The story about being late for a date and not having m y purse w ith m e was
completely false.
GARETH: T he story about a jo b interview on a bus to the airport w as absolutely true.
IAN: The story about the first day at work was true.

T R A C K 0020 E x. 3. L isten to th e conversation a n d fill in th e gaps.

- R apid Air, m a y I help you?
* Y es, please. I'd like a non-stop flight from London to M oscow , leaving A pril 15th. Can
you tell me w hat's available?
- Will th is be for one person?
* Yes, for m yse lf.. .and I'd prefer a m orning flight.
- On A pril 15й1, w e have a flight that leaves H eathrow a t eight in the morning. W ill you
b e flying coach?
* Td prefer Business Class. W hat type o f aircraft is that?
- H m m ...let m e check. It's a Boeing 747.
* How m uch is that, round trip?
- T hat depends on how long you're staying, and the date you return. D o you have your
return date yet?
* No, not yet; bu t I should know tomorrow. Til call back w hen I get th e information.
- V ery good, and thank you for choosing R apid Air.

T R A C K 0021 E x.2. L isten to th e dialogues a n d an sw e r th e questions.

Dialoeue 1
A: I w anted to ask you about the, the one w eek course in, in Stockholm , erm, because
I ’d, I’d like to go i f that w as possible. U m, I know there’ve, there’v e been a lo t o f cutbacks
b ut I wondered i f there w as still enough in the budget for, for training schemes like that.
B: W ell, as you know , w e are already sending three o r four representatives over. I’m not
really sure there’s scope for you as well.

106
 A: Yes, I know. I had heard that, th at the other three were going. I t’s ju st that if I d o n ’t go
on this course, there isn’t a sim ilar one here, um, and I ’ll get left behind.
B: W ell, it’s really a course, you know, for senior management.
A: But they said in the, um, in the details they sent that it w as, it w as for the, for other lev­
els as well. I mean, I’d, I’d just b e grateful i f y o u ’d think about it because I think it... I would
get a lot out o f it.
B: W ell, I’ll have another look a t the budgets but, ег, I suspect that it’s, it’s going to be out
of the question.
A: Right. But if you, if you could ju st give it a thought.
B: Surely. Yes.
A: Thank you, thank you.
D ialoeue 2
C: Good morning.
D: G ood morning.
С: I just came in to see if you knew about the management course in Stockholm.
D: Yes.
C: Yes, well I wonder if I could put m y self forward for the course. I’d really like to do it
and I’d be grateful if you could spare th e tim e to discuss it w ith me.
D: W ell, as you know , the training budget for this department has been cut quite
drastically recently, so I d o have to b e careful. A nd other peo p le have applied.
C: Yes, I know th a t
D: So, w hy you?
C: W ell, I think I have a lo t to contribute and I need to im prove m y skills in this particu­
lar area. It would give m e m ore confidence. W ould it b e all right i f I cam e back tomorrow
and we can discuss it further? I can m ake an appointment w ith your se cretary ...
D: I’m afraid that’s out o f the question. I’ll be out all day tomorrow.
C: OKI, how about Friday?
D: W ell, i f you let m e come back to you o n this. I need more tim e to think about it.
C: W ell, I ’d very m uch like to go.
D: I understand.
C: Thank you very much.
D: OK.

T R A C K 0022 E x.3. T h re e m a n ag ers a re h olding a m eeting to discuss a pro b lem

they a re facing. L isten to P a r t 1. F in d o u t w h at th e p ro b lem is a n d how it arose.
A I understand there’s a problem w ith the prototype. Could you fill us in, Sarah?
В Yes, o f course. It all began when the designer had to incorporate a sm aller battery.
When he was altering the design, h e moved a socket.
С Didn’t he check w ith Production first?
В I’m afraid n o t I f h e had, w e wouldn’t have had all these problems.
A Could you tell us m ore about the problems?
В Yes. W e’re having trouble locating the holes. T here’s a lim it to how precise w e can
be with the tooling equipment.
A So are you saying w e can’t produce the new design?
В I’m afraid so.
С Didn’t anyone notice the mistake?
В Yes, the engineers realized they couldn’t m eet the new specifications.
A So w hat did they do?
В They changed the tolerances to fit their tools.
A Do you m ean they altered the design?

107
 В T hat’s right. Then they built the prototype.
С So i f they’d checked first, w e’d have avoided all these problems.
В Yes, but unfortunately they didn’t

T R A C K 0023 E x. 4. L isten again an d note w ho d id th ese th in g s. W as it th e d e­

sig ner, th e engineers o r both ? Repeat track 0022

T R A C K 0024 E x.5. N ow listen to P a r t 2. T h e m a n ag e rs a re discussing w h a t to

d o next. W h a t tw o op tions do they consider?
В So the prototype doesn’t work. It’s a real headache.
A I think w e should go back to the drawing-board.
D o you have any view s on this, Lance?
С I’m not sure. W hat do you think, Sarah?
В If we w ent b a ck to stage 1 w e’d lose a lot o f tim e. It’d take w eeks to get this far again.
С I f you worked on th e prototype, could you get it to function?
В Yes, but it wouldn’t m eet all the specifications.
С But it’d m eet m ost o f them?
A W hat do you mean, Lance? Are you suggesting we play about w ith the existing designs
instead o f starting again?
С I’m not sure. It’d m ean w e’d save time.
В But we’d have to accept a lower-quality product.

T R A C K 0025 E x. 6. M a k e a note o f th e tw o options in th e c h a r t below , th e n lis­

te n again a n d m ake a no te o f th e ir advan tag es a n d disad v an tages. Repeat track 0024

T R A C K 0026 E x.1. N ow listen to some m a n ag e rs discussing som e problem s.

W h at problem s a rc th e y try in g to solve?

A H ow about taking the M etro?

В I’m not sure about that. These are heavy.
A D o you have any French currency o n you?
В Only about a hundred francs.
A W hy don’t w e take a tax i and ask the driver to stop at a b an k on the way?
В T hat’s a good idea. W h at’s the fare into the centre?
A M ore than a hundred francs, I’m sure. And they’ll expect a tip.
В OK. W e’ll ask the driver to stop.
Conversation 2
A W e’ve undercharged them.
В Really?
A Have a look a t the invoice. It doesn’t include the legal fees o r our agent’s commission.
В O h n o lH a v e fh e y p aid th isy e t?
A Yes, last week.
В W e’d better phone them up and explain w hat’s happened.
Conversation 3
A It’s the motor.
В So w e can’t fix it?
A W e could try. But i f w e take the back of£, it’ll break the term s o f the guarantee.
В Then I don’t think w e should. I’ll call a service engineer.
A T hat might be the answer. H ow much do they charge for a call out?
В I’ll find out.

108
 Conversation 4
A Look, you can see. W e’re 4 days behind schedule. I think w e should put everyone on
overtime.
В If we did that, the wages and salary bill w ould shoot up.
A Just for a few weeks.
В N o, it’s simply not feasible. You’ll have to rearrange this schedule to make up the
lost time.

Conversation 5
A They’re exactly w hat we need. T he only problem is the price.
В How much do they cost?
A $60.
В I f we buy 30, w hat discount will they give us?
A 10%.
В What if we bought 100?
A W e’d get a higher discount, b ut w e’d never b e able to sell them all.

T R A C K 0027 Ex. 2. Now listen ag ain an d fill th e spaces iu th ese sentences.

Repeat track 0026

T R A C K 0028 Ex.5. Je n n ife r D ’A b o used to r u n R ym an, a successful ch ain o f of­

fice stationary shops. L isten to h e r acco u n t o f a p ro b lem she once faced. Stop th e tape
when you he ar a sh o rt beep.
I had a terrible stock control problem with o n e o f the shop managers. I used to say,
‘Look, I don’t w ant your stock in the stockroom — I want it on the shelves’, but h e never lis­
tened. He had a huge stockroom and every shelf was full.
Anyway, one day I’d had enough so I got h old o f a carpenter and I boarded u p his
stockroom. Y ou should have heard the scream s, b ut that shop ran like clockwork after that.

TR A C K 0029 Ex.6. N ow listen to th ree m o re m an ag ers ta lk in g a b o u t problem s

they faced. In each case, sto p th e ta p e w h en you h e a r a sh o rt beep. Say how you
would deal w ith the prob lem , th e n listen to fin d o u t w h at th e m a n ag e r did.
1 The mixing machines ran 24 hours a day and w e only turned them o ff at weekends. The
lids had to be cleaned every day, so there w ere big safety guards to protect the operators’
hands. It was hard w ork and the operators kept rem oving the guards to make it easier. I kept
saying ‘This is dangerous. Y ou’re crazy’, but they wouldn’t listen. W henever I saw someone
removing a safety guard. I’d w ait and w atch. Then, when their hand was stretched out over the
lid. I’d throw the O ff switch. T hey were big machines and they made an enonnous noise when
they stopped. It frightened the life out o f the operators, I can tell you. They never took the
guards o ff again after that.
2 T he pay negotiations w ere going badly. W e w anted to link the pay increase to a productiv­
ity deal, but the unions refused. T hey wouldn’t budge. W e finally reached a point where they
were threatening to go on strike.
We sacked all the employees. W e sen t o u t letters to everyone saying that their employment
would cease on a certain date. T hen we offered them new employment contracts w hich linked
a pay rise w ith productivity. O ne b y one they all gave in and signed on the dotted line.
3 A professional organization in H ong K ong asked me to speak at one o f their conferences.
I ’d never been to Hong K ong before so I was pretty excited. But I w asn’t sure how much to
charge— m y normal fee plus air fare, o r m ore, or less. I hadn’t got a clue.

109
 I asked them how m any people they expected to come along and how much pe r head they
w ould be paying. I discovered it w as an enormous affair. I charged three tim es my normal fee
and they never questioned it.

T R A C K 0030 E x. 4. L isten to th re e conv ersatio n s an d co m p lete th e box.

Conversation 1
A: G ood morning. D octor’s Surgery. Can I help you?
B : O h, yes, good m orning. I ’d like to make an appointment. A s soon as possible, please.
A : Right. A nd is there a particular doctor you w ish to see?
B : Er, yes, er, D r Jackson, please.
a : Right. I’ll ju st have a look. W ell, I’m afraid D r Jackson is very busy ... the earliest
appointment I can give you w ith her is the d ay after tomoirow . W ell, i f th a t’s no good ...
Conversation 2
A G ood m orning. Cam bridge Chemicals.
B: G ood m orning. Could I speak to Mr. Roberts, please? In the m arketing department.
A: Right. A nd w ho shall I sa y is calling, please?
B: M y nam e is Carol Barnes. H e doesn’t actually know me.
A: OK. O ne m om ent please ... E r, I’m afraid Mr. Roberts isn’t a t his d esk at the m o­
ment. I believe he ’s ju st popped out.
B: O h. D o you know w hen he’ll b e back?
A: No. I ’m afraid I don’t. But I can give him a message ... o r shall I get h im to ring you
or som ething like that?
Conversation 3
a : Hello.
B: Is that Joanne?
A: Yeah.
B: H i. It’s N igel. H ow are you?
A : Oh, busy... you know ... but otherw ise fine. H ow about you?
B: W ell, I w ish I could sa y the same. B ut unfortunately I h aven’t had a particularly
good week ... I had a slight accident w ith the car at the weekend.
A: Oh. no. W as anyone hurt?
B: N o, no, nothing like that. B ut there’s a bit o f damage to the car and it’s going to be
o ff the road for a w eek o r so. A ctually that’s part o f the reason w hy I’m ringing. I was won­
dering if I could ask you a big favor?
A: Oh, yeah.
B: Y eah ... uh. I’ve got to ... to go to W ales at the w eekend and w ithout the car I’m a bit
stuck. I w as w ondering i f I could possibly borrow your G o lf for a couple o f days?
A: W hat next w eek?

T R A C K 0031 Ex.5. L isten ag ain . W h ich p h rase s fro m exercise 3 d o yo u b e ar?

Repeat track 0030

T R A C K 0032 E x.7. N ow listen to the endings o f th e conversations.

1. B: O h ...
A: W ell, i f that's no good, there are tw o doctors w ith appointments th is afternoon.
В: I would rather have D r Jackson, but I don't think I can w ait for another day.
A: W ell, I'm very sorry but I could give you an appointment w ith D r Morton at 3.45 this af­
ternoon. H e's very nice.
B: I've never m et D r M orton, b u t would that mean I ’d have to explain everyth. all over again?
A : W ell, not really, he w ill have your notes. W ould that be all right? 3.45?
B: W ell, I should take it. I suppose it 's ...

110
A: Right. Could I have your name, please?
B: Yes, it's, er, it's M r Jones.
A: Mr Jones...

B: No, it's just that I'm in meetings all morning and Г т not going to have a lot o f tim e, you
see. I think, Td like to speak to somebody else i f I can. Isn't there anybody else I can speak to?
A: Er, well, I could see i f M r Roberts' secretary is there.
B: Yes, I think I have to speak to someone. I f you could put me through, I'd be very grateful.
A: Right, right, IH put you through to Denise, then.
B: Thanks very much.
C: Hello, Marketing Department. How can I help you?
B: Ah, yeah, good m orning...
3.
A: What, next weekend?
B: Yeah, if it’s, if it’s possible.
A: Oh, look, Nigel, Г т really sorry, but, Г т afraid I need it. Tve got to go up to Manchester.
B: Oh, Joanne, don't worry. Look, I ju st hope you didn't mind m e asking.
A No, any time, Г т really sorry.
B: It's... it’s really left me in a b it o f a hole as far as transport g o e s...

TRACK 0033 Ex.1. L isten to the conversation an d All in th e gaps.

- Could I please speak w ith Harold Bender in Marketing? This is Salvatore Santini from the
Italian consulate.
* Г т afraid he's out to lunch. W ould you like to call back later?
- Td like to leave a message, i f you don't mind.
* Please.
- Tell him to call m e at the Italian consulate regarding his trip to Milan.
* Would you like to leave your phone number?
- That's okay He has the number.
* Why don’t you give it to m e anyway.
-Okay. It's 212-514-5700.
* Thank you. Г11 give him the message.
Thank you. Good-bye,

TRACK 0034 Ex.3. Y ou w o rk in th e reception o f a large television statio n .

When you arrive in the m orning, y o u r first jo b is to listen to th e messages le ft on the
answerphone. Listen to the messages, ta k e notes in the table.
1.
Yeah, hi, this is, er, M ichael Jason and I’v e got a m essage fo r Patrick Pound in the
Accounts Department Patrick, listen, I’v e done six show s and, erm, I’v e o nly been paid for
three of them, and, uh, the cheque th at came this m orning for those three w as made out to
someone else by the nam e o f M ichael Jackson. E r, ju st em phasizing th at nam e is Jason, M i­
chael Jason, so, er, could you send th e correct cheque th is m orning as soon as you get in by

.
special courier, and then give m e a ring about the three rem aining paym ents - OK? Er, as
soon as possible, OK? T hank you very much. Bye.
2
Message for Desm ond D avis. This is D arina Law rence, M P for East D evon. I watched
your report yesterday on the news and after the interview th at I did w ith you, I notice that your
lied, basically, about w hat I’d commented upon in the interview. I w ant an apology, please,
Desmond. This is not all; and please call m e today; I’ve taken legal advice. I w ant a public
apology on air, and if not, I’ll have to take this further. T hank you.

Ill
 3.
Good morning. This is a message for Coral Edwards, C hief o f N ew s Staff, from Eric
Robins, er, on the island o f Bagg, er, in the N orth Sea. It’s around about 6.30 a.m . and I ha­
ven’t got m y cameraman. I’m due to do a report o n seabirds in danger o u t here, and I can’t
tell you how appalling the weather is, and I cannot find m y cameraman. Could you please,
please get him , er, to let m e know at least, you’v e all got m y number, w hen he is going to ar­
rive. It’s ju st appalling. Thank you.
4.
Hello. T his is a m essage for the Viewers’ Com plaints D epartment. M y nam e is
Jeanne Taylor. I have just been w atching a documentary program m e called ‘O n the
Breadline’ about poverty in inner cities, and I really feel the whole program m e w as totally
biased. Not only you didn’t let the poor talk, but you know also, you didn’t listen to them.
Each tim e they had a point to make, you cut them short, so I w ould like, please, to b e able
to discuss w ith som ebody about this. M y phone number is 01492 555385. T hank you.

T R A C K 0035 Ex.4. P hilip p a K n ig h t, sales d irec to r a t th e Fash io n G ro u p in New

Y ork, m akes tw o calls to M a ria Bonetti, a fashion b u y er in L o n d o n . L isten an d note:
1) the p urpose o f each call; 2) th e re su lt
1 (R = Receptionist, P K = P h ilip p a K n ig h t, M B = M a ria B onetti).
R G ood m orning CPT. H ow m ay I help you?
P K It’s Philippa K night here. Could you put me through to extension 281 please?
R Certainly. Putting yo u through.
M B Hello. M aria Bonetti speaking.
PK H ello Maria. It’s Philippa Knight from The Fashion Group in N ew York.
M B Hi Philippa, how are things?
PK Fine thanks. I’m calling because I’ll b e in London next w eek and I’d like to
make an appointment to see you. I want to tell you about our new collection.
MB Great. W hat day w ould suit you? I’m fairly free next w eek, I think.
PK H ow about W ednesday? In the afternoon? Could you m ake it then?
MB L et m e look now . L et m e check m y diary. O h yes, th at’d b e no problem a t all.
W hat about 2 o’clock? Is that OK?
PK Perfect. Thanks very much. It’ll be great to see you again. W e’ll have plenty to
talk about.
MB T hat’s for sure. See you next week then.
PK Right. Bye.
MB Bye.
2 (R = Receptionist, P K = P h ilip p a K night)
R G ood morning, CPT. H ow may I help you?
PK I’d like to speak to M aria Bonetti, extension 281, please.
R T hank you. W ho’s calling please?
PK It’s Philippa Knight, from The Fashion Group.
R T hank you. I’m putting you through. Hello, I’m afraid she’s engaged at the
moment. W ill you hold or can I take a message?
PK I’ll leave a m essage please. T he thing is, I should b e m eeting M s.B onetti at 2pm,
but something’s come up. M y plane w as delayed, and I’v e g o t to reschedule m y appoint­
ments. I f possible. I’d like to m eet her tomorrow. Preferably in the m orning. Could she call
me back here at the hotel please?
R Certainly. W hat’s the num ber please?
PK It’s 020 7585 3814. I’ll b e leaving the hotel soon, so i f she can’t call m e back
within, say, w ithin the next quarter o f an hour. I ’ll call her again this morning. Is that OK?
R Right. I’ve got that. I’ll make sure she gets the message.

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 PK Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
R Goodbye.

T R A C K 0036 Ex.5. L isten to th e first call ag ain a n d com plete th e e x tra ct below.
R G ood m orning CPT. H ow m ay I help you?
P K I t’s Philippa K night here. Could you put m e through to extension 281 please?
R Certainly. Putting you through.
M B Hello. M aria Bonetti speaking.
P K Hello Maria. I t’s Philippa K night from The F ashion Group in N ew York.
M B H i Philippa, how are things?
PK Fine thanks. I’m calling because I’ll b e in L ondon next w eek and I’d like to
make an appointment to see you. I w an t to tell you about our new collection.
MB Great. W hat day w ould su it you? I’m fairly free n e x t w eek, I think.
PK H ow about W ednesday? In the afternoon? Could you m ake it then?
MB L et m e look now. L et m e check m y diary. O h yes, th at’d be no problem at all
What about 2 o ’clock? Is that OK?
PK Pe rfe ct Thanks very much. It’ll be great to see you again. W e’ll have plenty to
talk about.
MB T hat’s for sure. See you next w eek then.
PK Right. Bye.
MB Bye.

TR A C K 0037 Ex.6. L isten to th e second call ag ain a n d com plete th e e x tra ct below.
R G ood morning, CPT. H ow m ay I help you?
PK I’d like to speak to M aria Bonetti, extension 281, please.
R Thank you. W ho’s calling please?
PK It’s Philippa Knight, from The F ashion Group.
R Thank you. I’m putting you through. Hello, I ’m afraid she’s engaged at the
moment. W ill you hold or can I take a message?
PK I’ll leave a message please. T he thing is, I should be m eeting Ms.Bonetti at 2pm,
but something’s come up. M y plane w as delayed, and I’v e got to reschedule m y appoint­
ments. I f possible, I’d like to m eet her tomorrow. Preferably in the morning. Could she call
me back here at the hotel please?
R Certainly. W hat’s the num ber please?
PK It’s 020 7585 3814. I’ll b e leaving the hotel soon, so i f she c an ’t call m e back
within, say, w ithin the ne x t quarter o f an hour, I ’ll call her again this morning. Is that OK?
R Right. I’ve got that. I’ll m ake sure she gets the message.
PK Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
R Goodbye.

T R A C K 0038 Ex. 3. Y ou w ill h e a r a sp e ak e r d e scrib in g som e o f th e d ifferen t positions

th a t M r. M anley Jo h n so n , a se n io r m a n ag e r o f 3M , held th ro u g h o u t his professional life
until 1989. L isten a n d com plete th e table.
M r. M anley Johnson began w orking for 3M in 1968 after completing his studies in Or­
ganic Chem istry at the U niversity o f Illinois. H e first jo ined the building service in clinic-
product division w here he w orked on im proving m any different products including non-slip
materials used in stairs and in bath-tubs. H e also w orked as a supervisor in industrial laborato­
ries division and w orked under a man called R on Mitch. He developed Scotch-brite guard
which is used to protect carpets and is also sold through o u t th e world. Mr. Johnson then took
on responsibilities in Industrial Scotch-brite sector w hich m anufactures and sells abrasive and
cleaning products. H e w as in charge o f managing the technical aspects o f this business for

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four years and reported to doctor Chuck Rich. He spent the next three and a h a lf years as
technical director o f the Life-Science sector. H e was responsible for identifying im portant
technologies for the company’s future business and worked for various divisions to find the
right strategies for the developing these technologies. A position which M r.Johnson held for
three years w as that o f technical director o f the D isposable products division. H e worked very
closely w ith technical staffs o f m ajor customers to identify their specific needs. H e found this
t b e a very interesting and exciting job.

T R A C K 0039 Ex. 4. Y ou will h e a r M r. Jo h n so n d escrib in g h is p rese n t position. As

you listen, ta k e notes & th e n w rite a sh o rt descrip tio n o f h is jo b & responsibilities.
M r. Jo h n so n M y jo b really is the technical director in France it includes having di­
rect responsibility for European laboratories. W e have responsibility for 15 divisions across
Europe. W e have som e m ajor people directly involved in these efforts. So w hat I have the
m ost im portant about m y jo b is to bring 3M R& D culture here to m ake sure people talk to
each other, they share technologies, they understand w hat’s going o n w ithin the technical
community. B ut there’re good career plans and good personnel decisions m ade for th e techni­
cal community even i f people m ay not work for m y organization. I think, th at’s o n e o f my
roles. A nother im portant part o f m y responsibility is to b e the technical officer o f 3M France
to make sure w hen w e’re entering in agreements we d o so carefully and logically and we
identify good technical partnerships, m ake sure our parts are well-done and w e are technically
keen, so that I have responsibility for intellectual property. A s w e ll,...I think there is a HR
aspect to make sure our technical people have strong careers and opportunities because one o f
m y most important jo bs, I think, is to h ire the right people and w e have access to compete
globally. W e have to m ake sure w e hire the best and give them the best opportunities because
other people m ay have to w ork in the com pany some day.

T R A C K 0040 E x.6. L isten to th e descrip tio n of the co m p an y ’s activities a n d com­

plete th e pie c h a r t a n d notes w ith the c o rre c t figures.
L ’O real is active in all w orld markets and w e em ploy ju st over thirty thousand people
w orldwide. W e have production facilities, agents and subsidiaries in all five continents and
w e are increasing ou r share o f th e w orld’s cosmetics markets.
Let’s begin b y looking a t the different activities o f the group. T his slide shows last
year’s sales w h en w e had a turnover o f thirty-seven point five seven billion French francs. If
w e look m ore closely w e can see that the largest part o f our revenue com es from Consumer
and Salons activities. This m arket segm ent accounts for forty-nine per cent o f the total turn­
over. It includes skincare products, make up, fragrances and hair care products where we are a
w orld leader.
T he n e x t div ision is perfum es and beauty. H ere w e h av e a n e x cep tion al range o f
prestigious brands, w hich includes Lancome, Helena Rubenstein and Biotherm. This divi­
sion’s turnover increased last year to stand at eight-and-a-half billion francs.
Moving on to A ctive Cosm etics, this division has dual objectives; firstly to develop
new, technically advanced cosmetics and secondly to enhance our close relationships with
pharmacists — a key channel o f distribution. It achieved a turnover o f three point seven bil­
lion French francs last year.
Then w e come to Synthelabo, our pharmaceutical subsidiary, w hich accounts for sixteen
point eight p e r cent o f ou r total revenues. It regularly invests tw enty p e r cen t o f its turnover in
research and development. Synthelabo is making advances in the treatm ent o f central nervous
system disorders at the mom ent, and it w ill become a w orld leader in this field in the future.
In a d d itio n to th e se four m ajor a reas o f activity, L ’O re al also o w n s A rtcu ria l, a
contemporary art gallery, w e hold a m ajor stake in the M arie-Claire publishing group and we
have increased our stake in Paravision International, a film production and distribution com­

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pany. Together th ese activities account for one point eight per cent o f our turnover, o r nought
point seven billion francs.

T R A C K 0041 E x.7. L isten ag ain a n d com plete these ex tra cts fro m th e p resen ta­
tion. Use one w o rd p e r space. Repeat track 0040

T R A C K 0042 E x .l. A S o ftb a n k m an ag er is ta lk in g a b o u t th e g row th a n d develop­

ment of his com pany. L isten a n d a n sw er th e questions.
A H ow long has SO FTBA N K b een in business?
В T he com pany started in 1981. A t that tim e the P C w as ju s t a toy. N o one w as dis­
tributing software. N o one even knew w hat softw are was available.
A T he growth’s been phenomenal, then.
В T hat’s right. Sales revenues have gone up every year since w e started. A t one time
they w ere doubling every month.
A W hat’s the main growth area now?
В Networking. T hat’s really taking off. It includes operating systems, cables, boards,
everything you need for the networked company. Before that, the b ig growth area w as busi­
ness applications. Things like word processing packages and spreadsheets.
A A nd before that?
В Games. G am es software. That’s w here it all started.
A A nd w hat about your m agazine business. Is that growing?
В Y es indeed. W e published 14 different com puter m agazines last m onth. But it got
off to a poor start initially.
A Yeah?
В W e set up the publishing division ju st six months after we’d set up the distribution
business, so w e didn’t have a lo t o f m oney to spare. W e launched tw o magazines, printed
50,000 copies and 85% were returned.
A Really?
В T hey ju st didn’t sell and they were eating up all our profits.
A I’m surprised you didn’t close them down.
В W e didn’t want people to think we w ere in trouble. W e decided to take a gamble in­
stead. W e made them tw ice as thick, kept the price the same, changed the layout an d printed
twice as many. T hen w e spent all the money w e h ad left on TV advertising.
A It obviously worked.
В Yes. T hey sold out in three days.

T R A C K 0043 E x.2. L isten again a n d answ er th e q uestions. Repeat track 0042

T R A C K 0044 E x .l. L isten a n d tick th e item s th e m an ag ers mention.

A Bob Shaw.
В Hello, Bob. T his is V ictoire. I’m ju st phoning about your presentation next week. I
think w e should check everything again.
A Again?
В It’s a b ig contract. Bob. I d o n ’t think we should take any chances.
A T here is one thing, actually- I’ve got the address but I’m not sure where th e office is.
В A ren’t you going to take a taxi?
A N o. I ’m hiring a car.
В Then I’ll fax you a m ap w ith directions.
A Thanks.
В A re you going to use an overhead projector?
A Yes.
В Then I think w e should take one w ith us.

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 A Shall I do th at or w ill you?
В Leave that to me.
A I ’m going to bring som e samples, so I’ll need a display stand.
В That’s no problem . I ’ll bring one o f those too.
A Do you think I should show them the new schedule?
В Yes, I do. T hey’re going to ask a lot o f questions about delivery tim es, b e prepared.
A H ow do you know?
В They say so in their briefing notes. H aven’t you read them?
A I’ve been very busy.
В But B ob, the notes tell you w hat they’re going to ask.
A OK, I ’ll look through them tonight. A re you staying to w atch m y presentation?
В It’ll be difficult. I’ve got to m eet someone for lunch.
A I think there should be tw o o f u s there.
В I’ll explain. They’ll understand.
A I’m not very happy a bout it. Y ou shouldn’t leave a presentation half-w ay through.

T R A C K 0045 E x.2. C om p lete th e spaces in th ese ex tra cts fro m th e conversation.

T h en listen again a n d check y o u r an sw ers. Repeat track 0044

T R A C K 0046 E x.4. N ow listen to som e m a n ag e rs discussing th e schedule o f a pro­

je c t and see if you w ere r ig h t
A W e planned to have th is equipm ent in operation b y w eek 12. W hat’s gone wrong?
В It’s not our fault.
С W e dislike changing the schedule a s m uch as you.
В The suppliers have let us dow n. They guaranteed to deliver and install th e equipment
w ithin five weeks o f receiving ou r order.
A W hen did you place th e order?
С A t the end o f w eek five. But now they sa y it will take six weeks.
A W hat’s happened?
С As you know , w e chose to prepare the site ourselves. T h e suppliers say w e haven’t
done a good enough job.
A Is it true?
В N o. W e think som e o f their parts were faulty.
A D id they deliver on schedule?
С E verything arrived a t the end o f w eek 8, but it’s taken them a long tim e to get started.
В O f course they d eny having problem s w ith their parts. T hey’v e been blam ing the site.
A H ave they m anaged to get started now?
В Y es, bu t they w o n ’t finish installing it until the end o f w eek eleven.
A But that’s another tw o weeks.
В I know.
A So how does th is affect the training schedule?
С W e’ve recruited a ll th e operators now and they’v e h ad o n e w eek o f training so
far. W e can carry on giving them theoretical training, but th ey also need hands on experience.
В A nd w e can’t give them that u ntil the equipm ent’s installed.
С A nd w e can’t risk changing over to the new equipm ent w ithout a full w eek o f tests.
A S o th is date fo r the change-over - you w ant to p u t it o f f fo r a w eek?
С I’m afraid w e can ’t avoid it.

T R A C K 0047 E x.5. L isten again an d a n sw er these qu estio n s. Repeat track 0046

116
 T R A C K 0048 E x .l. Y ou w ill h e a r Ben Fox d escribing how he got the original idea
for opening F a sta P a sta . L isten a n d a n sw er th e following questions.
Ben Fox W hen 1 w as w orking for the pizza restaurant com pany and helping to open
new units, I w as quite busy and getting home very la te at night and I’m not a wonderful cook.
I like to spend m y tim e reading and doing other things, and sport. I used to use home delivery
quite a lot and basically the main option in hom e delivery is pizzas. So that’s how it started in
teims o f in looking at that as an option o r as som ething that w asn’t currently available. And
then as I said I w as on holiday in Italy. I came across a takeaway pasta business, that w as a
kind o f thing that could m ake m e think a little bit. W hen I worked at p izza restaurant com­
pany setting out the operation, I w as a developm ent m anager for opening a pasta operation
alongside the pizza operation and there w e w ere usin g autom ated machinery. T hat w as well-
suited to cooking pasta quite quickly. A nd really pasta is “ the ultimate fast food”, especially
fresh pasta which w e use, because it’ll b e cooked in tw o o r three minutes, as opposed to pizza,
it will take thirty minutes to prepare in cook, that is the sort o f basis. A nd the difficult area is
the sauces and that sort o f things. But basically your main product, p asta, is sim ple and quick
to cook.

T R A C K 0049 Ex.2. L isten to Ben Fox’s d e scrip tio n o f th e custom ers o f Fasta

Ben Fox W e do a quite lo t o f lunch-time business in term s o f business and offices

within the area w e deliver. B ut predominantly it’s residential in the evenings. O ur main client
base is a supposed age betw een 20 and 40, although w e have custom ers who are over 50, we
have customers w ho are under 10. T he main part o f the m arket is supposed betw een 20 and
35, male and female. W e’re quite surprised b y the number o f female customers. But I think
that’s predominantly because they recognize the pastas w hich are good for them and it’s a
change from pizza as well.

T R A C K 0050 Ex.3. In th is e x tra ct, Ben Fox an sw ers th e questio n “ W h at advice

would you give to young people th in k in g o f settin g u p th e ir ow n b usiness?” L isten and
complete th e following pieces o f advice w ith th e ve rb s w hich h e uses.
- to research whatever you w ant to d o carefully
- to talk to friends and relatives and people you know about w hat you w ant to do
- and to really not give up, they need to believe in w hat you’re doing
- but you can get a lot o f support from people around you and which doesn’t cost you
anything. It ju st costs you some tim e in talking to people, to listen to people and to learn from
others
- and also to get the right sort o f background in what you’re doing w hether in terms o f
working for someone w ho h e ’s doing sim ilar sort o f operation as you w ant to do.

T R A C K 0051 Ex.1. L yn n e Fielding, a m a rk e tin g specialist, is ta lk in g ab o u t b ra n d ­

ing. L isten to th e first p a r t of th e in terv iew a n d ch ec k y o u r answ ers.
(I = Intervie w er, L F = L y n n e Fielding)
I W hat is branding and w h y d o w e need brands?
LF A bran d can be a n a m e, a te rm o r a sym bol. I t is u sed to d ifferen tiate a
product from com petitors’ products. T he brands guarantee a certain quality level. Brands
should add value to products. I t ’s a synergy effect w hereby o n e p lu s o n e equals three. But
customers m ust believe they get extra value for money.

T R A C K 0052 E x.2. L isten to th e 2nd p a rt o f th e interview an d com plete the c h a r t

L F T here are different types o f brands. T here are w hat w e refer to as the stand-alone
brands o r individual brands, for example Ariel, H aagen Daaz ice-cream, Direct line insurance,

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or Marlboro cigarettes. T h ey req u ire separate m a rk etin g support. T h ere ’s also th e co rp o ­
rate branding, o r fam ily brands such as Heinz or Virgin, M arks and Spencer, Levis.

TR A C K 0053 E x J . Finally, listen to the last p a rt an d complete the su m m ary below.

L F W e need new brands b ecause, w ell, custom ers w ant n ew bran d s. T h ey want
choice. T hey w ant a selection o f different products. T hey like to rely o n the quality levels
guaranteed b y the company. T h ey like to trust products. It makes shopping so much easier for
them. A nd also, they like to identify w ith brands.

T R A C K 0054 E x.6. Y ou a re going to listen to th e ra d io business news. I t’s quite

long and q uite fa st so d o n ’t expect to u n d e rsta n d every w o rd . W hile you listen, make
b rief notes on w h at th e d ifferen t news item s a re a b o u t
A T he tim e is six o'c lock and here is Business U pdate w ith Gavin Scott.
В Unem ployment ha s risen to over three m illion for the first tim e in six years and analysts
expect the jobless total to rise b y a further 40,000 this month. M anufacturing output has
meanwhile steadied, after a nought point five pe r cent decrease last m onth. It is thought that
today's rise in the unem ploym ent figures could put pressure o n th e Prim e M inister to cut in­
terest rates, though the Bank o f England have denied that this is likely.
В Guinness, Britain's largest drinks group, h as announced plans to m ake 700 staff redundant
at its U nited D istillers subsidiary in Scotland. U nion officials have said the jo b losses are un­
necessary. Claire T ravers reports.
С T he redundancies are part o f a move b y G uinness to improve productivity. But the news
o f the redundancies has been badly received here in Scotland. I spoke to some o f the workers
at a U nited D istillers factory.
D ' It's unnecessary, isn't it? Guinness are always saying w e're the w orld's m ost profitable
spirits company.'
E 'Aye. W e're m aking a profit. W e're not m aking a loss.'
F 'It’s devastating. It w ill destroy entire communities.'
С Guinness strongly deny that com m unities will collapse as a result o f th e jo b losses. They
say they w ill improve investm ent and business. T h e group's cost-cutting measures also extend
to Spain, w here they w ill make jo b cuts a t Cruzcampo, Spain’s largest brew er, employing
30,000 people. G uinness bought Cruzcampo tw o years ago to expand into the fast-growing
Spanish economy. T he Spanish beer m arket shrank b y about five per cen t last year.
В T he tobacco industry has today h it back at the Department o f H ealth about cigarette adver­
tising. They've issued a report arguing that cigarette advertisements do not encourage people
to smoke m ore, and that they only encourage people to sw itch brands. T h e report is based on
data collected from m ore than 90 countries around the world. It conflicts w ith figures issued
by the Department o f H ealth last month, w hich suggested that banning advertisements would
result in a drop in consum ption. A spokesperson for the tobacco industry said 'I f a product is
legally available, then it should b e legal to advertise it.'
В ТЪе Conservative M P, D avid W illett, has called for the government to raise the state re­
tirement age to 67 for both m en and women, h i a report published today b y the Social Market
Foundation, M r W illett argues that raising the pension age w ould c u t at least £5 billion from
the Social Security budget. H e also suggests that some o f the savings should b e ploughed
back into higher state pensions for the over-eighties.
В And finally, in preparation for the introduction o f high-speed trains, British R ail is re­
cruiting volunteers for an unusual job. Ruth M allon has the details.
H British R ail's volunteers will be tied to posts next to railw ay lines while high-speed trains
pass b y a t 140 m .p.h.(m iles pe r hour) The experiment is designed to test the effects o f turbu­
lence, and British Rail hop e to establish whether it is feasible for maintenance teams to work
w hile the new trains are running. M any British R ail sta ff have already volunteered for the

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tests, and surprisingly, so have more than 50 members o f the public. A British R ail spokesper­
son said Peop le have been ringing in to say "W e th ink it sounds exciting and we'd like to try
it" One caller described it as the railway equivalent to bungee-jumping. British Rail has
thanked a ll volunteers, b u t say they w ill o nly b e using experienced staff.
В And that's all for today. T he next news is at seven o'clock and w e'll b e back again at six
o'clock tomorrow w ith Business Update.

T R A C K 0055 E x.7. L isten again. Stop th e ta p e a t th e en d o f each item an d answer

the questions. Repeat track 0054

T R A C K 0056 E x .l. Y ou w ill hear T om Scheck, one o f the directors o f Profile, an in­
ternational business consultancy, talking about h is com pany and som e o f the problems in­
volved in international negotiations. L isten c arefully to th e first e x tra ct a n d a n sw er the
questions below.
T om Scheck: W e set up our company w hich is called Profile, the business consultancy
in the International Construction M arket for different reasons. First o f all our associates are
from different backgrounds and nationalities. A ll are w orking in Paris and w e noticed there’s
a need for better understanding betw een professionals w orking in different contexts. W e pro­
vide more classical technical m arket information such as analyses o f supply and demand,
forecast and economical assessments as w ell as insights into the structure o f decision-making
in different contexts.

T R A C K 0057 E x.2. I n th e second e x tra ct, you w ill h e a r M r. Scheck giving advice
on how to succeed in an in te rn atio n al business c o n te x t F irst stu d y th e stru c tu re s in bold
in each o f the sentences below . T h en listen to the cassette to com plete th e sentences.
I’m going to talk about som e basic problem s w e have encountered in ou r professional
lives and the approach to the international markets. It is im portant to remember first o f all that
every country has its ow n historical heritage and this defines the specific context. A nd you
should always try to understand this context when doing business o n an international level.
Don’t forget that identical system s w ork differently in different environments. It is also im­
portant to remember w hen you start negotiations w ith your local partner that h e is sending out
signals which could help you greatly in your future business dealings with him. But i f you
don’t understand the specific context, your interpretation o f these signals w ould probably be
wrong. So high-quality inform ation is an im portant ingredient o f success. Y ou should alw ays
avoid thinking that your local partner is less efficient, less educated o r less developed than
you are. T his is usually not true, even i f it w ere, people are not stupid and they feel your atti­
tude towards them. A nd this w ill p u t a strain on a business relationship. It is essential to be
flexible, open-minded and to listen. A void thinking that your products presentation alw ays fits
the market. In m y experience that h as rarely been in the case. Y ou have to adapt your argu­
ments for each market.
T R A C K 0058 E x .3. T o illu strate how v alues can change fro m co u n try to country,
M r. Scheck uses th e e xam ple o f selling a c ar. L isten to th e th ird e x tra c t and com plete the
table below.
Take, for exam ple, selling a car in France and in Holland. In France you w ould be ad­
vised to emphasize the perform ance in term s o f pow er and technology. In H olland you should
emphasize economy, internal space and comfort. This example, I thin k , illustrates perfectly
the different scale o f values in tw o countries, geographically so close to each other.

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 T R A C K 0059 £ x .4 . In th e final e x tra c t M r. Scheck ta lk s a b o u t d o in g business in
E astern E urope. L isten and decide if th e follow ing statem en ts a re tr u e o r false.
I would now like to talk about one o f our more recent activities w orking in Czechoslo­
vakia. But first o f all I w ant to say that there is n o Eastern Europe and W estern Europe. Be­
cause, for example, i f Prague is in Eastern Europe, then Paris is probably in Southern Europe.
A nd the whole thing doesn’t make much sense. H owever there w as a difference in orientation
experience and philosophy during the last 5 0 years if w e include the 2nd W orld W ar. So on
one hand, we have so-called W estem -w orld plan, the traditional role o f b eing helpful and on
the other hand, the so-called Eastern-world, complexed about the heritage o f more than 40
years o f communism w hich m eans not having a good system o f managem ent, no money for
investment. E ven i f both sides are w illing to cooperate, it is difficult to m ake som ething work.
F or example w e carried out some market research o n the potential o f th e construction sector
o f Eastern Europe. E ven though w e had some very good contacts, it’s still to cause a couple
o f months to establish roles: w ho does w hat and to understand the distribution system which
seemed absurd com pared to our recent standards. So it is not easy even w hen you speak the
language perfectly o r are o f Czech origin as I am. There’s always a barrier o f n o common pro­
fessional reference. T he main thing is don’t think o f the East as a block. T he so-called East-
em-block countries have economic industrial, social and cultural differences. For example,
people often forget that Czechoslovakia w as one o f th e first econom ic w orld powers between
two W orld W ars. I w ould like to conclude emphasizing that in general te rm s you’ll have a
better chance to succeed in business i f you have a certain respect and understanding in your
approach to international negotiations. Y ou must convince your partner o f your professional­
ism and know-how. T o achieve these, you m ust b e well-informed.

T R A C K 0060 5.2. T im e m a n ag em en t problem s

Ex.2. N ow Listen to th e sp eak ers on th e rec o rd in g d escrib in g th e ir tim e manage­
m ent problem s. W h a t problem s d o th e y hav e a n d w h at solutions a re suggested?
Version 1
A ISHA: M y problem is th at I really can’t, I can’t seem to get dow n to a decent
day’s work.
NEIL: Right
AISHA: T he phone goes constantly, (Hm m) I have people queuing a t m y desk, asking
for information, bits o f advice, and I actually can’t achieve a proper clay’s w ork, 1 mean, do
the big work that I really have to do.
NEIL: Right. E im , I suggest th at you get your secretary to filter all th e calls; make sure
she only lets through th e most important ones, th e most urgent ones. T hat w ay, you find your
time is ... you’ll have m uch, m uch more tim e to do things, er, on your own. T h e other thing I
suggest is, er, I think you should delegate responsibility. I mean, do n’t do it all yourself. You
have other people there to do things for you. M ake sure that they do it! OK?
AISHA: Yes, you’re right. It’s easier said than done.

Version 2
LAUREN: I’m having som e, er, problem s w ith m y m eeting technique; the meetings that
I, that I am conducting seem to go on too long, w hich I wouldn’t m ind i f w e w ere actually
getting som ething done, (Hm m) b u t th ey go o n a long tim e, and also I, I h av e trouble con­
trolling the people attending the meeting. E verything seems to get out o f hand, and everyone
seems со have som ething to say, and I wondered if you had any feedback for me.
JION: Y es, I do know that these things can get out o f hand, so m y first suggestion would be
that you set a very firm tim e limit for these meetings: absolutely specific, it will start at two
o ’clock, and it will finish at 2.45; don’t let it run over any longer than th a t A nd furthermore, I
don’t know how many people attend the meetings, but if it’s possible for you to whittle the num-

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bere down, have senior members o f staff only, who can then relay to more junior personnel what
has been discussed at the meeting, because the more people you have at a meeting, the more peo­
ple will want to speak, and that’s how these things get out o f control.
LAUREN: H m m . T hank y o u very much.

TR A C K 0061 E x.5 Listen to some British people discussing the questions. M ake notes
on their answers. W hich points do they m ake which a re not relevant in y o u r country?

1)
A: E nn, i f you had to make an im portant business phone call, w hat tim e o f day do you
think you w ould make it?
B: I’d make it before lunch, I think.
C: Yeah, I would.
B: A bout 11.00; b y then everybody’s had a cup o f coffee...
C: They’re in, settled. Because after lunch, people come back, if they’v e had a late
lunch, a business lunch, couple o f drinks ... M orning seems, I w ould’v e said, a good, clear­
headed business decision w ould b e m ade in the morning. D: B ut not too early, maybe
C: N o.
D: I mean, w ith m e it shows in the vo ice that I’m not ready for the day yet and that’s not
very good, but sort of, h a lf past te n I w ould have thought till lunch time.
C: Yeah, hmm.
B: Yeah.
D: Because after lunch, people already think about the evening, d o n ’t they?
C: W inding down, really. Yeah.
D : That energy ha s sort o f gone.
В: I agree.
A: W ell, there seems to b e a suggestion that to call them ju st before lunch w ould be a
bad idea, because they’d be thinking about lunch. T hey might b e in a hurry, w anting to get to
their break, so, yeah, som ething like 11.00 w ould probably be quite good. But it’s interesting
that you thought you w ould avoid the early morning, because apparently if you want to catch
people before they’ve gone into their meetings and all o f these things that they have to do,
even calling before 9.00 m ight be a good idea.
2)
A: W hen do you think is the best tim e o f year to get married?
D: I think Septem ber w ould b e m y favorite m onth, because I mean, the holidays have
happened, people are back from their holidays, it’s not autumn yet, it’s still like summ er but,
you know, not yet the autumn and I ju s t love September, so I think it w ould be ideal, really.
B: Y es, it’s a personal thing, really.
C: Yes, it is a personal thing. Autumn. W e got married in O ctober because it w as our
favorite, our favorite season. W e w ere going to get married in spring, and we thought, ‘W ell,
spring doesn’t m ean anything to us, so let’s get married in the autum n.’
B : W e got m arried in July and it w as the final o f W imbledon. All the bridesmaids were
very angry at us because they couldn’t w atch the match.
D: Did anyone turn up at the wedding?
B: Just the near family.
A: A ll right.
B: It was a fairly sm all group.
A: Yeah, it’s supposed to b e the m ost popular tim e -June, July, August, because o f the
weather. Y ou can predict, especially in Britain. I m ean, it’s a b it more predictable, isn’t it?
But you did w ell i f you got married, sort of... autumn, winter, you tend to get cheaper deals if
you’re o f a m ercenary disposition. I f you’re going o f f on your honeymoon, o f course, you can

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g et the cheap holidays and so on. And something that you have all failed to m ention - the
flowers. Now w inter flowers can b e a lot cheaper because, y eah, all th ose berries and sticks!

D : It com es dow n to cost, doesn’t it?

a : Y eah, it’s a very im portant consideration!
B: W ell, well. O f course, I w asn’t paying for our wedding, so I d idn’t th ink about that.
A : There you are.
3)
A : Right, now then, when is the best tim e o f the year to giv e birth to a baby, and why?
D: W ell, I w ould have thought in the spring o r sum m er because then you have the
w orst o f that b ig tum m y during the w in te r...
A: Aha.
D: ... so I think it m ust be hard i f you have that during the summ er, so it must be
harder to give birth in th e autum n o r winter.
C: Right.
В: I agree, and then you can have your birthday parties in th e open air in most places
... in spring and summer.
C/D: E xactly, oh, yeah!
C: B ut there are schools o f thought about having children so they fit in with term
tim es. T here’s a, there’s an idea that...
D: B u t th at’s ve ry pragm atic, isn’t it?
C: It is, b u t m y sister-in-law has done it. She’s given birth at the right tim e to make
sure ... i f a child is bo m so it’s, it’s ... goes to school and it’s ju st becom e five in September,
rather than having a birthday in M ay, they are the last to b e ... the last to get to their peer
group (aha) at the end o f the school year. There’s a w hole school o f thought that you’re actu­
ally slightly behind.
A: T hat’s true. W ell, there’s a w hole year, isn’t there? I f your birthday w as in August...
C: B ut then sometim es it’s so difficult to have a baby anyway.
A: Y ou can ’t always plan i t I mean, there are other things as well in th at babies bom
in the spring o r sum m er, um , they’ll have tim e to build up some im m unity before all those
horrible flus and colds com e in the w inter ( o f course, yeah, m m ) so that’s quite an important
consideration. A pparently also a lo t o f doctors take their holiday in August, so that might be a
good tim e to avoid i f you w ant some, er, some assistance w ith the birth o f your baby!
C: Hmmm!

T R A C K 0062 E x.6. L isten to th e conversation a n d check y o u r answ ers.

A I’ll never forget the trouble w e had w ith that face cream. W e launched it and you
know it w as a real w inner. I mean, it was going really well.
В Hmm, great.
A W hen suddenly people started phoning and com plaining it w as burning their skin.
В Burning the ir skin? Y ou mean, like a k ind o f allergy.
A Y eah, it w as m aking red m arks o n their faces. T h e new spapers heard about it and
w anted to know w hat w e were doing about it.
В H uh typical. T hey do n ’t exactly help, do they? So w hat did you do?
A W e did n ’t kn o w w h at to d o . Y o u see, w e ’d te ste d it f o r o v e r six m onths, and
you know , there’d been no bad reaction to it.
В W ell, so w h at w as th e problem ?
A W ell, w e ’d invested a lo t in the product and the launch. I m ean, you know what
advertising costs are these days, then suddenly the num ber o f com plaints doubled in the
space o f a w eek o r so.
В D oubled? Incredible? D id you manage to keep it quiet?

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 A N o, ou r M a naging D irecto r g o t m ore than a b it worried. Said all th is w as harm ­
ing the com pany’s image. So w e recalled the product and lost a lo t o f money. I tell you, the
only people w ith red faces w ere us. Since then, we’v e kept away from skin care products.

T R A C K 0063 E x.7. L isten to th e conversation again. N ote dow n exam ples o f the
tenses. Repeat track 0062

T R A C K 0064 E x.2. L isten to tw o m an ag ers discussing p rice estim ates. Com plete
the m issing inform atio n o n th e form .
A James Jarvie.
В James, this is Catherine. I’m phoning about the autum n catalogue.
A H ave you done th e costings?
В Yes. I’ve got two estimates — one for printing in Hong Kong and one for printing in
Europe.
A Yes?
В I ’ve calculated on the basis o f 368 pages, the same as last year.
A Yes, th at’s right. H ow d o they compare?
В Europe’s much more expensive. The printing costs are far lower in Hong Kong.
A Yes, they sa y Europe h as the highest prices. But w hat about freight?
В W ell, that’s m ore from H ong Kong, o f course. I t’s only a thousand pounds from
Europe bu t it’s three and a h a lf thousand from H ong Kong. O n th e other hand, th at’s o nly a
small part o f th e bill.
A A nd delivery? I f w e order next w eek, w hen w ill they get here?
В Europe’s quicker obviously. Ju st two weeks. It takes six from H ong Kong.
A B ut even i f it takes six w eeks, w e’ll still b e in time for the Septem ber mailing.
В Exactly. O f course, there’s another factor.
A W hat’s that?
В T he exchange rate. I’v e used a rate o f one pound to eleven H ong K ong dollars.
A Then w e ought to buy dollars now, in case the rate changes.
В I can’t do that until I’v e got the go ahead from h ead office.
A I’m going there this afternoon. Y ou could give m e the figures and I’ll have a word
with Finance w hen I see them.
В OK. In H ong Kong, the total production costs work out a t two pounds fifty-one a
copy. Got that?
A Uhhuh.
В A nd they’re tw o pounds seventy a copy in Europe.
A Europe’s much dearer, isn ’t it?
В Yes, unless the H ong Kong dollar rises dramatically in the next few days.
A D on’t w orry. I’ll tell them w e need a quick decision.
В Thanks, James.

T R A C K 0065 E x.3. U se w o rd s a n d p h rases fro m th e box to com plete th e sentences.

Listen again to check y o u r answ ers. Repeat track 0064

T R A C K 0066 E x.8. N ow L isten an d fin d o u t w h eth er S teve C oppell w ould agree

with the statem ents. D o his views d iffer from y ours?
Building team spirit is alw ays the focal p o in t o f w h at I try to do as a m anager. W hen
I first w ent to Crystal Palace, players w ould finish training and then go straight home. There
was no atmosphere. S o w e brought in a pool table and fruit machines. W hen players choose
to spend tim e together, it generates a better atmosphere.

123
 T he team sp irit’s very im portant, b u t I don’t believe in try in g to m otivate th e team as
a team. I try to motivate them as individuals. So I don’t give team talks. I speak to the players
individually. A nd I try not to p u t too m uch pressure o n them . I b eliev e players perform
b est when they are relaxed. I f they’re too tense, I can guarantee they w on’t play well.
I also believe in giving people autonomy. I like all the people w ho w o ik for m e to be
autonomous. I very rarely interfere. I feel people should b e ju d ged o n their results. I f they
prove incompetent, then I’m incompetent i f I keep on em ploying them.
It’s like that w ith the team. I get criticized for not interfering during a game and making
m ore substitutions. B ut I feel i f I’v e chosen those eleven players to get a result, then I should
leave them alone to get on w ith it.
I f I’m dropping a player from the team, I don’t feel I have to explain it to them. I f they want
to discuss it. I’ll say ‘Com e back and talk about it in a couple o f days tim e.’ But I don’t try to re-
motivate them. It’s up to them to have the character to fight back. I’m a great believer that almost
everything you achieve in life is dow n to your attitude. I f I have a player who is magnificently
gifted but has a stinking attitude, I won’t waste m y tim e on them.

T R A C K 0067 Ex.9. L isten ag ain an d com plete th ese sentences. Repeat track 0066

T R A C K 0068 E x .5. P am ela P ick fo rd tra in s business peo p le to m ake presentations.

W h ich o f th e points below d oes she m ake? L isten a n d m a rk each one eith er T ru e or
False. (PP= Pamela Pickford)
P P T he key is preparation. So the first step is to find out w ho you’re going to be pre­
senting to. N ow you need to do th is o n tw o levels. Firstly, how much does the audience know
about the subject? A re they experts o r d o they know very little? Secondly, are you presenting
to a group from th e sam e o r from different countries? A nd adjust your language so that every­
body can understand. I f possible, visit the room w here you’ll be giving the presentation be­
forehand and organize it precisely to your ow n requirements. C heck you’re familiar with the
equipment, rearrange the seating, and try to m ake yourself feel comfortable and relaxed in it.
So once you know w ho you’re presenting to and where, you’re rea d y to start preparing what
exactly you’r e going to say. O K ? So stage one is the opening - th at all-important first few
m om ents th at can m ake o r break the presentation. Then stage tw o, a b rief introduction about
the subject o f your talk. T hen three, the main body o f the presentation. A nd four, the conclu­
sion, w hich should include a summ ary o f your talk and your final opinion o r recommenda­
tions. Finally, the question and answer session. N ow the most im portant stage is the opening
m inute o r so and I’d suggest th at people memorize it exactly as i f th ey w ere actors. Write
down the opening w ith all the pauses and the stress clearly marked, and then record it, listen
to it, and practise it again and again. T his is so important because i f it’s properly done, you
not only get the audience’s attention immediately, but you feel confident during w hat can be
the m ost frightening part o f the presentation. After that, you can start using your notes. So the
first step is to w rite those notes. W rite the w hole presentation out ju s t like an essay. Then se­
lect the key points. B ut read the full version over and over again until it’s imprinted on your
mind. T he next step is to buy som e sm all w hite postcards and w rite n o more than one o r two
o f the key points o r k e y phrases onto each one.
N ow visual aids, like overhead transparencies, are very im portant o f course. B ut most
people put far too m uch information on them. D on’t - because it’s difficult to read and it bores
the audience. L im it yourself to a maximum o f five points on each. R em em ber to turn o ff the
projector w hen you ’r e n o t actually using it. A nd don’t talk to the m achine, o r the transpar­
ency, which again, lots o f people do. Face the audience a t all tim es. Finally, rem em ber that
it’s not ju st w hat you say. H ow you say it is ju st as important. Q uite unlike meetings and ne­
gotiations, a good presentation is very much a performance.

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 T R A C K 0069 E x.7. L isten to a p resen tatio n to a co m p an y ’s sales te am ab o u t the
launch o f th e ir new chocolate b a r. T ick th e expressions in th e “ useful language” box on
that you hear.
Good m orning everyone, thanks for com ing to m y presentation. I know you’re all very
busy, so I’ll be as brief as possible. O K then, I’m going to talk about the new chocolate bar
we’re putting on the market, the St Tropez premium bar. I’ll tell you about the test launch we
carried out in the south w est o f E ngland a few weeks ago. M y presentation is divided into
three parts. First I’ll give you some background about the launch.
After that. I’ll tell you how w e got o n and assess it’s effectiveness. Finally, I’ll outline
our future plans for the p ro d u ct I f you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Right, let’s start w ith the background to the launch. A s you know , St Tropez is a m int
and nut bar w ith a distinctive taste. It’s been thoroughly tested in focus groups and special at­
tention was paid to packaging. It’s w rapped in a metallic foil. T he colours are rich, strong, to
give high visual im pact. O K everyone? Yes, Johan, you have a question...
So, that’s the background. Right, let’s now move o n to the test launch. How successful
was it? W ell, in tw o w ords, very successful. I f you look at the graph, you’ll see the bar’s ac­
tual sales compared w ith forecast sales. Q uite a difference isn ’t there? The sales were over
20% higher than w e predicted. I n other w ords a really good result. W ell above our expecta­
tions. The sales show that the pricing o f the product was correct. A nd they show that as a
premium line, the S t Tropez bar should be successful nationwide. T o sum up, a very promis­
ing test launch. I believe th e ba r has great potential in the market.
Right, w here do w e go from here? Obviously, w e’ll m ove on to stage two and have a
national advertising and marketing campaign. In a few months, you’ll b e visiting our sales
outlets and taking orders, I hope, for the new product. Thanks very much. A ny questions?

TR A C K 0070 E x.5. C laire B eb b in g to n is E x te rn a l A ffairs M a n ag e r for a division

of British Petroleum . L isten to th e first p a rt o f th e interview . D ecide w h eth er these
statements a re tru e o r false, acco rd in g to C laire. (I =Interview er, СВ = C. Bebbington)
I W hy sho u ld com panies b e eth ical o r w h at are th e advantages o f a com pany in
behaving ethically?
CB M m, I th in k th e w h o le issu e o f ethics is a v e ry com p lex o n e .’ Com panies are
made up o f people. M ultinationals a re m ad e up o f m any d ifferent nationalities. I think that
companies are p a rt o f so c ie ty an d a s su ch th e y sh o u ld re fle c t so ciety ’s standards.
Com panies, e sp e c ia lly m ultinational ones, do have responsibilities in the w orld and should
try to be a positive influence and I th ink i f a com pany is not ethical, then it will not survive as
a company.
I Should a com pany have a code o f ethics?
СВ I think from m y point o f view it’s useful o n tw o counts. Firstly, it makes a com­
mitment to certain good behaviour and so it’s a w ay o f comm unicating the importance o f
good behaviour to all o f its em ployees and partners. Secondly, i f a company has a code o f
ethics and spends tim e com municating it, it does actually contribute to its ethical behaviour.
If you express th ese things in writing, especially, then you can b e held accountable for them.
This tends to mean that you are m uch more likely to act on them as well. I think following up
that code is difficult. People tend to have different ethical standards, and defining the term
‘ethics’ can I think be a problem . B ut I think generally to express w hat your ethics are is a
positive thing to do.

T R A C K 0071 E x.6. L isten again to th e first p a rt o f th e in terview , com plete th e tw o

extracts below.
I W hy should com panies b e ethical o r w h at are th e advantages o f a com pany in
behaving ethically?

125
 C B M m , I think the w hole issu e o f eth ics is a v e ry com p lex o n e.’ C om panies are
m ade up o f people. M ultinationals are m ad e up o f m any differen t nationalities. I th in k that
com panies are p a rt o f so c iety an d a s su ch th e y sh o u ld re fle c t so c ie ty ’s stan d ard s.
C om panies, e sp ec ially m ultinational ones, do have responsibilities in the w orld and should
try to be a positive influence and I think if a company is not ethical, then it w ill not survive as
a company.
I Should a com pany have a code o f ethics?
СВ I think from m y poin t o f view it’s useful o n tw o counts. Firstly, it m akes a com­
mitment to certain good behaviour and so it’s a w ay o f com m unicating the importance o f
good behaviour to a ll o f its employees and partners. Secondly, i f a com pany has a code o f
ethics and spends tim e comm unicating it, it does actually contribute to its ethical behaviour.
I f you express these things in writing, especially, then you can be held accountable for them.
This tends to m ean that you are much m ore likely to act o n them as w ell. I think following up
that code is difficult. People tend to have different ethical standards, and defining the term
'eth ics’ can I th ink b e a problem . But I think generally to express w hat your ethics are is a
positive thing to do.

T R A C K 0072 E x.7. N ow listen to th e second p a r t o f th e interview . Com plete the

question th a t C laire asks. W h a t exam ples does she give to illu strate th e question?
I W hat kinds o f m oral dilem m as do large com panies face? Can you think o f any
examples?
СВ I th ink if you w ere to look at any com pany’s ethical code you w ould usually find
in it a section about offering bribes and this can be an area w here I th in k people can get them­
selves into ho t water. Facilitation paym ents are p art o f doing business in m any countries, and
bribes are som ething w h ic h m o st co m p an ies a re n o t g o in g to w an t to get involved in . But
w hen doe s a facilitation paym ent becom e a b ribe? And that is a question that can b e quite
difficult to answer.
I Can you th ink o f an exam ple w here a facilitation paym ent is clearly a facilitation
payment and no t a bribe?
СВ I th in k th a t th e re a re m a n y e x am p les. W h en y o u a re p a y in g co n su lta n ts to
m ake introductions to new business contacts, obviously the reason you choose these consult­
ants is becau se th e y a re w ell p laced to give th a t k ind o f ad vice in a particular country.
A nd you’re paying for th at introduction.
I Can you give an exam ple o f a facilitation w hich is closer to a bribe?
СВ I w ould say size is im portant. Som etimes facilitation paym ents are out o f propor­
tion to the kind o f business that you are expecting to win. I think there are m any instances.
Also, you have to be careful w ith issues such a s nepotism.

T R A C K 0073 E x.8. L isten to th e p a r t o f th e interv iew w ith M a rjo rie S card in o and
m ake notes. T h en com plete th e su m m ary o f w h at she says.
(I = In terv ie w er, M S = M a rjo rie S c ard in o )
I H ow do you develop a strategy for a large company?
M S T here a re lots o f w ay s to g o about it. I th in k th e w ay w e ’v e d o n e it is to first
think about w hat assets w e have - w h at’s unique about th ose assets, w hat m arkets w e know
about and w hat m arkets are grow ing, and w hich o f those m arkets c an m ake the b e st u se o f
our assets. W e then pu t that into a bow l, heat it up, stir it around, a n d com e o u t w ith a strat­
egy-
I A nd in broad term s, w hat is your strategy at Pearson?
M S W ell I, w e have approached o u r strategy ... L et m e answ er it th is w ay, b y look­
ing at it as three sim ple steps. W hen I jo in ed Pearson a couple o f years ago, w e needed to
improve our operations. W e needed to ju s t run the com panies w e had, and the businesses

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we had better. So our first step in o u r strategy w as sim ply to operate better. To create better
profits, and better cash generation, an d better long term value for the shareholders. W e then
... the second step w hich w as not happening in a serial w ay but happening at the same time,
the second step was to look at th e assets w e had an d see w hich o nes w e sh o u ld k eep and
which ones w e should d ispose of. Those w e disposed o f, w e did because they w ould be
worth more to other companies than to u s because th e y didn’t fit w ith the rest o f o u r com­
pany, or w ere things w e didn’t activ ely control -w e had a passive interest in - so those dis­
posals w ere an im portant part. A nd then the third step w as to stitch together all o u r busi­
nesses, so that they were able to use each other’s assets, to m ake a greater whole.

T R A C K 0074 Ex.9. N ow listen to the second p a rt o f the interview . W hich o f the

trends below a re mentioned?
I W hat trends do you see em erging in the strategy o f large companies?
M S I ’m n o t a g reat stu d en t o f every b o d y e lse ’s strateg y , b u t I w ould suspect
they are trends tow ards globalizm , to w ard h a v in g m o re intern atio n al operations, rather
than sim ply having a national b usiness. T h ey are p robably tren d s tow ards m ore focus on
people, and m ore focus o n th e p e o p le w h o w o rk in a c o m p an y a s th e co m p an y . A nd
probably m ore a c h an g e in th e m anagem ent style o f com panies tow ards m o re team w ork
and more collegiality and less so rt o f authoritarian w ays o f running the company, and
therefore the ideas that come from th at k ind o f an organization.
I W hat strategies have influenced o r im pressed you?
M S There’s one ... Strategies that im press m e are strategies th at are extremely clear,
and define a very unique goal. I think one o f the strategies that impresses m e is Coca-Cola’s.
And I’m sure it’s strategy has several levels. But it is encompassed in w hat they call their
‘goal’ or their ‘m ission’, w h ic h is so m e th in g like: P u t a cold b o ttle o f C o ca-C o la w ithin
arm’s reach o f ev ery th irsty p erso n in the w orld. S o that m eans: here’s w hat their main
product is - and they’re going to focus o n that; they’re going to fo cu s o n international mar­
kets, not ju st parochial m arkets; and th e y ’re going to focus on distribution, w ide distribution
and promotion. And so that so rt o f encompasses everything. T hat’s a good strategy, very
clear, I’m sure nobody w ho w orks in Coca-Cola doesn’t understand w hat they’re after.

T R A C K 0075 E x,14. L isten to th e m an ag em en t o f a reta il g ro u p discussing p ro b ­

lems a t th e ir sto re in P a ris. T ic k th e expressions th a t you h e a r in th e “ useful language”
section. (C = Chairman, M = M ichel, P = Paula, T = T om , S = Susan)
С OK, the m ain item o n the agenda is w hether w e should sell o u r store in Paris. I’d
like to hear your opinions about this. B u t first o f all, can you give u s the background, M i­
chel?
M Yes. As you a ll know , w e opened the store in Boulevard Jordan five years ago.
We hoped it w ould b e a ba se for expansion into o th er areas o f France. B u t it h asn’t been a
success. I t hasn’t a ttracted eno u g h cu sto m ers an d i t ’s m ade lo sse s e very year. A s I se e it,
it’s going to b e very difficult to get a return on o u r investm ent.
P I agree. There’s no possibility it’ll make a profit. It’s in the w rong location, there’s
too much competition, and our products d o n ’t seem to appeal to French people. W e should
never have entered the m arket - it w as a mistake. W e should sell o u t as soon as possible.
T I don’t agree w ith that at all. Things have gone w rong there, it’s obvious. The man­
agement’s let us dow n badly - they haven’t adapted enough to m arket conditions. But it’s far
too early to close the business dow n. I suggest w e brin g in some marketing consultants - a
French firm, if possible, and get them to review th e business. W e n eed more information
about where w e’re going wrong.
S I totally agree w ith you. It’s too early to close dow n th e store, but 1 am worried
about the store’s location. W e’re an up-market business, but m ost o f the stores in the area

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have moved dow nmarket, selling in the low er price ranges. T hat’s a problem. I think w e have
to make changes - very soon. I m ean, our losses are increasing every year, w e ju st can’t go on
like this. W e m ay have to revise our strategy. M aybe w e m ade a m istake in choosing France
for expansion.
С W ell, thanks for y o u r opinions. I think o n balance w e feel w e should k eep the
store going for a w hile. So, the next thing to do is to appoint a suitable frn n o f marketing con­
sultants to find out w hat our problems are, and make recommendations. Personally, I’m con­
vinced the store w ill be a success i f w e get the m arketing m ix right. W e’v e got to get the
store back into profit, w e’ve invested a lo t o f money in it.

T R A C K 0076 E x.2. L isten to an interview w ith M a rjo rie Sca rd in o , C h ief E xecu­
tive o f the m edia G ro u p Pearso n pic. W h at answ ers d oes sh e give to th e questio n s in Ex­
ercise 1? M ake notes a s you listen. (I = Interviewer, MS = M aijorie Scardino)
I M aijorie Scardino, you are leading one o f the top com panies in the UK, and
you’ve been v o te d busine ssw o m a n o f th e year. W h at q u a litie s d o y o u n e ed to ru n a
larg e com pany effectively?
M S W ell, I think different com panies probably require different qualities, b u t for me
there are o n ly a few sim p le q u a litie s th a t c u t a c ro ss a ll re q u ire m e n ts , a n d th o s e are
c o u ra g e and im agination and em pathy. B y em pathy I m ean hav in g th e a b ility to put
y ourself in other people’s positions & understand how th e y feel about situations and ideas.
I W hich business leaders do you admire and why?
MS I think th e best business leaders are probably ones w e d o n ’t k now about, not
the stars w e read a bout in the new spapers. I th in k th e y ’r e probably th e on e s w ho have had
a great business id e a & have se en it through to fruition. So th e b u sin ess lead ers 1 m ost
adm ire right now a re those m anagers in Pearson w ho are achieving ou r goals o f double-digit
earnings growth.
I W hat do business leaders actually do?
MS M y sta ff w ould probably say this w as a really excellent question they ask them­
selves every day! I th in k w hat th e y do is ju s t w h at I’ve said th e busin ess leaders I admire
do. T hey create a business idea, and they see it through.
I A s a leader, how do yo u m otivate your employees?
M S I’d like to think w e motivate each other. I think m y jo b is to m ake sure the com­
pany has a purpose, because I th ink people like to work for a com pany that has a reason for
being; that they can identify w ith and feel good about. I th in k th at I have to communicate
w ell w ith them everything that’s going on - and everything I’m trying to do - in a clear way.
And then in return I think th e y inspire m e to th in k m ore adventurously and to think more
carefully about how to stim ulate them and how to build a better business. So it’s a sort o f a
circular operation.
I Do you th ink leaders are bom o r m ade?
M S I think it’s prob ab ly a b it o f b oth. A ll hum an be in g s o b v io u sly a re b o m w ith
certain qualities, and certain genetic traits. But I’v e seen so many people in m y life w ho have,
using those basic qualities, re-invented themselves several tim es as th e y ’v e gone into new
situations. You know , you’re a certain k ind o f person w hen you’re in school, and your
friends know w ho you are, and you get slotted in. A nd then as you grow up you go into new
situations and becom e som ebody else. So people w ho w ere never leaders in school become
the great business leaders o f our tim e. So I would have to say, mostly it’s made, but you have
to use w hat you’re b o m with.

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 T R A C K 0077 E x.4.A nsw er th e questions below. K evin W a rre n , a Vice Presid en t
a t Coca Cola a n d Schw eppes Beverages is talk in g ab o u t com petition. T h en listen to the
first p a rt o f th e interview a n d check y o u r answ ers. (I = Interviewer, K W = K evin Warren)
I T he soft drinks market is one o f the m ost competitive in the world. H ow do you
stay ahead o f your competitors?
KW W ell, th e C oc a-C o la c o m p an y th is y e ar rea ch e d th e p o in t w h ere, w orld ­
wide it se lls a billion servings o f it’s product every day. However, the w orld still consumes
47 billion servings o f other beverages - again, every day. T h e key point here is to understand
what the opportunity actually is. W hich in our case is to grow the w hole soft drinks category.
To be successful we b e lie v e you n eed a p o rtfo lio o f p ro d u cts, w h ic h in c lu d e the best
brands and th e m ost recognizable packages, for example the icon bottle. It needs to b e sup­
ported by excellent m arket place execution, in oth er w ords, attention to detail. W e grow our
business one bottle at a tim e. N ow behind th is y o u n eed an efficien t m a nufacturing and
distribution operation. A ll the glamorous T V advertising in the w orld w o n ’t sell your
product i f T esco’s has run out. A nd o f course advertising, especially for a com pany like the
Coca-Cola Com pany has a m ajor p art to play in ensuring the consum er is aw are o f the in­
trinsic values o f ou r brands, a good example o f w h ich is refresh m en t. S o , in sum m ary, the
w ay to stay ahead is to focus o n d e livering to the consum er a product that adds value to
their lives rather than sim ply focusing upon the actions o f your perceived competitor.

T R A C K 0078 Exu5. L isten to th e second p a r t o f th e interview . W hich o f these

statements m ore a cc ura tely reflects K evin’s views?
I D oes com petition always lead to better products and better value for customers?
K W I think it does but it’s im portant to rem em ber th at value is not ju st a function o f
price. N ow a good e xam ple o f th is m ig h t b e to lo o k b ack a t so m e o f th e h istory o f the
travel industry. I w ould guess th is c o u n try en jo y s som e o f the le ast expensive holiday
flights and in the m ain I w o u ld th in k th e y o ffe r e x ce llen t v alu e fo r m oney . I ’m e q u ally
sure that on occa sio n s th e consum er’s d esire fo r low p rices has le d to com prom ises.
Who hasn’t suffered the 2am flig h t tim e, th e d elay ed dep artu re and so on? D ependent on
your needs as a consum er, yo u w ill therefore have a different view o n w hether you think
this is better value. So I guess the p o in t is th at better doesn’t n ecessarily mean cheaper. A l­
though price as an elem ent o f valu e is ve ry im portant, and the key challenge is to maintain a
balance.

T R A C K 0079 E x.6. L isten to th e th ird p a rt o f th e interview . W h a t changes in con­

sum er habits does K evin p red ic t?
I H ow do you see com petition affecting the w ay your business operates in the future?
KW W ell firstly, we assume o u r competition w ill improve in every thing they do.
This focuses our team on th e task ahead. H ow ever, w e spend far m o re tim e preparing for
shifts in consum er behaviour - in d riving o u r program m es to increase overall so ft drink
consumption - than w e do w orry in g about specific com petitors. So, fo r exam ple, I see m a­
jo r changes com ing in te rm s o f th e purchase environm ents in which the consum er can ac­
cess our product. Som e exam ples o f this w ould be: H ow w ill they do their shopping? W ill
frequency increase or decrease? W ill they n o t even g o to the store, i.e. w ill they shop from
home? There will definitely be continued increase in leisure tim e, so w e need to b e w here the
consumer is, w hether that be the sports centre or the multiplex cinema, for example. W ill the
increase in out-of-hom e eating, especially snacking, for exam ple, sandw ich bars, continue?
We think it w ill. So clearly, w hilst it’s im portant to keep im proving o u r core offerings, our
product portfolio; our packaging, o u r operational efficiency, m ost im portantly we have to
prepare for the needs o f ou r future consumer.

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 T R A C K 0080 E x.5. L isten to the first ex tra ct a n d decide w hich o f th e following
descriptions corresp o n d s to th e ty pical H arley-D avidson buy er.
W ho buys H arley-D avidson he is no actual H arley-Davidson customer. It is almost eve­
rybody. Because the m otorcycle, Harley-Davidson, is more than ever used as the main mean
o f transportation and it is no longer ju st seen as piece o f fashion. W e have customers th at buy
sportster w hen nineteen and start to go up to 30-40cc (cubic centim eters) after 2-3 years. We
also have custom er that 35 years does his driving license and he buys a Harley. So he is actu­
ally no special customer. T he average age o f Harley-Davidson company, the buyer o f the mo-
tor-cycle is, I’d say, about 35 years, w hich is higher than in other companies. T hat is for sure!

T R A C K 81 E x.6. L isten to the second ex tra ct a n d w rite dow n th e tw o w ords

w hich M r. K ozlowsky uses to describe H arley-D avidson’s im age th ro u g h o u t th e w orld.
H ow does he define th e com pan y ’s m ark e tin g strategy?
M r. K ozlowsky E verybody knows that the mentality o f people o f France is different
from the m entality in Germany. But the funny thing is th at the im age o f Harley-Davidson is
the same in every country. It is the tradition, the individualism o f th e bike and it is also the
history. T he general im age o f Harley-Davidson in all countries is the sam e but there’re slight
differences how the nam e o r th e philosophy is seen b y people in different countries and you
can’t say that I have different marketing strategy for every country, you try to adapt slightly.
It is the only com pany in the w orld w here you’ll find all presidents at the b ig rally and they
talk to customers, they have to b e w ith them. Alright?! T he decisions are m ade w ith the cus­
tomer, not upstairs in th e office. I f you don’t m ove from the office, you w on’t have any in­
formation w hat the custom er wants. A nd w e produce for the customer, not for us. So this is
the marketing strategy.

T R A C K 0082 Ex.7. Y ou w ill now h e a r the sp e ak e r give a list o f co u n tries (other

th a n the U nited S tates) w hich a re big m ark ets fo r H arley-D avidson. W h ich o f th e fol­
lowing countries does he m ention?
Japan is a little b it bigger than France, Germany and I think, England, the UK, the Brit­
ish market. French, G erman, British market, Spanish o r Italian, D utch market, Belgium mar­
ket are the smallest, right one o f the bigger markets it’s Austria w ith 160 bikes.

T R A C K 0083 Ex.8. N ow listen to th e e x tra ct an d id en tify the m istak e th a t Harley-

Davidson m ade before 1981.
W hen I said I like the situation w e’re in, it means sure enough on sales point o f view, it
m eans for us w e sold out, which is very good. But on the other hand w e have a problem with
the customers because w e can’t m eet the demand o f the motorcycles, w e c an ’t m eet the de­
mand, the increased dem and o f the accessories, we are struggling to give them maxim um
that’s possible and w e ’re right now at nine hundred per cent o f production. W e can not do
more, even one bike more w ithout losing quality. And w e don’t w ant to lose quality. This is
what happened before 1981, quantity but not quality. T his is w hat w e lost, the market, and
this will never happen again.

T R A C K 0084 E x.2. Y ou w ill h e a r A lan D epusse, a fin an cial d irec to r fo r a French

com pany, ta lking a b o u t th e relatio n sh ip betw een th e co m p an y a n d its b an k s. L isten to
th e first e x tra c t a n d a nsw er th e following questions.
M y nam e is A lain Depusse, I ’m 49 years old. M y first jo b w as w ith the Bank in France,
then w ith th e Bank in Germany. Afterwards I worked for various companies as a financial
director in different sectors in France. I’m currently w ith T V production com pany in Paris.

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 T R A C K 008S Ex.3. In the second ex tra ct M r. D epusse talk s a b o u t th e services
th at a com pany should expect fro m a com m ercial ban k . L isten a n d com plete the table.
First o f all, Г11 tell you what I think the commercial bank should provide a company with
cheap credit Enn, second, the lowest possible cost o f services. Y ou also expect good services, fast
answers and reliable officers for the day-to-day relationship with your banks. And, erm, last you
want reliable commitments between the lines o f credit which are confirmed. You have to be avail­
able and this is a very important factor. On the other side, it’s where to provide the banks with some
information o f the company: you have balance sheets and annual reports but you provide them with
minimum information or the information which makes the company appear in the best light, to get
best possible credit rating and therefore the lowest c o st And you don’t go further than that and you
don’t give details which could be important for your strategy.

TRA CK 0086 Ex.4. In the final extract Mr. Depusse talks about the relationship be­
tween a company and a merchant bank. T his is quite different from the relationship w hich you
heard about in extract 2, between a company and a commercial bank. L isten a n d identify the
main difference in term s o f th e type o f in fo rm atio n p ro v id ed b y th e com pany. W h a t a re
the reasons fo r this difference?
W e don’t deal w ith the merchant bank as in the same w ay as the commercial bank. If
you want to get very good service from your merchant banker, you have to give him the real
information up-to-date, even the future trend, even i f th ey are n o t good for your company. So
he could advise you properly. H e is basically someone to talk to about risk analysis, about
market information because a good m erchant banker is aware o f your business and takes ini­
tiative to warn you o f your dangers com ing out o f w hat competitors could b e doing. W hat you
expect from your merchant banker is advice and discussion about w ays o f raising capital, o f
issuing shares, o f making special function packages, advice on foreign grand service and also
for any important aspect o f the relationship w ith m erchant bank, it’s w hen you are looking for
a partner or for strategic alliance. Y ou’ll discuss it w ith your m erchant banker and he ’ll give
you advice eventually, bring your partners o r give you th e inform ation and help you with
functional engineering o f the deal. So it is fairly im portant and secret information which you
have to give to your merchant banker and you expect from him too v e ry im portant service.

T R A C K 0087 Ex. 5. L o o k a t th e list o f services. L isten again a n d note w h at ser­

vices M r. Depusse mentions. Repeat track 0086

TR A C K 0088 E x.1. L isten to five people d escrib in g th e ir fav o u rite advertise­

ments.
1. There’s one about a car w ith lots o f children and people dancing. They’re all playing
around. I like it because it’s colourful, I like the music and it’s chaotic. B ut I can’t remember
what car it is. Oh, and I hate all the ads fo r banks & insurance companies. They’re so boring.
2. T he one I liked w as L ev i Strauss, w h en a v e ry good -lo o k ing b o y d iv es into a
pool. A nd everyone thinks he looks marvelous. A nd there’s a great tune they p la y - ‘Mad
about the boy’.
3. I liked the R enault Clio ad so m uch th at I w ent o u t and bought the car. M y husband
hadn’t passed his driving test and it w as totally m y decision. I thought it w as a funny ad. It
just appealed to m y sense o f fu n and actually it w as a b it o f a jo k e to say th at I’d bought
something as b ig as a car purely o n the b asis o f the advert.
4. I rem em ber w atching a D airy B o x chocolate advert ve ry la te a t night w ith some col­
lege friends and there w as an all-night garage round th e com er. Suddenly I ju st felt that I had
to have those chocolates and I w en t out and bought them. It w as an im m ediate response to an
advert. N orm ally you don’t allow y o u rself to b e influenced strongly b y ads but sometimes
it’s fun just to go along w ith it.

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 5. I liked the French Connection ad w here th is really p retty girl w alks into the Tub
w ith he r French Connection bag and then begins to undress, and she’s looking really cheeky,
you know, so rt o f m ischie vous. E v eryone in th e T u b e is sta ring a t h e r and sh e changes
into h e r F ren ch Connection clothes in front o f everyone, and th ere’s th is really great playful
music, and she ends up w alking o u t o f the Tube a t th e next stop leaving everyone behind her.
It w as a really sexy ad, it was great.

T R A C K 0089 E x.9. N ow listen to th e first p a rt o f the in terview . C h e ck y o u r an­

sw ers. (I = In terv ie w er, AP = A n d rew P o und)
I A ndre w , c o u ld you te ll m e w h at’s b e en y o u r m o st su c c e ssfu l a d v e rtisin g cam ­
paign?
A P Er, I did a cam paign for a marm alade product called Frank C ooper’s marmalade, in
Britain. It w as a cam paign w e organized w ith a radio station. Classic FM , w hich concentrates
on classical music. W e targeted th e morning, the breakfast program m e, and w e had a series of
regular adverts, w e h ad a sponsorship tie-up and w e had a competition. A nd th e response was
tremendous. W e had a huge increase in sales o f our marm alades, e specially in the key retailers
who w e w ere targeting, and since then w e had m any m ore listings in retail outlets. So the
campaign w as extrem ely positive, but the k ey thing th at made it successful w as the amount o f
money w e spent - v e ry little m oney - and in term s o f sales results, as a percentage o f the
amount o f money w e spent, it w as a huge success.
I S o i t w as v e ry c o st effec tiv e .
A P It w as ve ry cost effective & a t the en d o f the day, th at’s w hat w e’re looking for.
I W hy do you think it w as so successful?
A P Targeting. W e had a very good m atch betw een the types o f people w ho we knew
bought marm alade and the types o f people w ho w e knew through research listened to that ra­
dio station. A nd w e fitted them together in a w ay that m ade sense. In the m orning, at breakfast
time, marm alade is a product eaten m ainly b y older people, so they w ere listening to this radio
station. E verything fitted together - that’s w hat made it a success.
I Is there another piece o f T V advertising you can think o f w hich w as very successful?
A P W ell, e r ... I w as very p roud once o f an advert I did for K raft Cream Cheese Spread.
It w as very simple. W e demonstrated w hat the product did. T hree glasses o f m ilk w ent into
this cheese spread, w e said w hy mothers w ould need it - it w as for th e kids to help them grow
up, it was a grow ing up spread - and w e created an advert that w as fun. A nd so the kids liked
watching it, and so obviously w hen they w ere in the superm arket w ith their mothers, they’d
say, ‘M um , m um , I like that product, can w e get it?’ And so the kid s like it, th e mother feels
OK because she’s being reassured that it’s got health and nutrition benefits, and the sales have
done very w ell. T hat’s the key th ing about advertising. I f it doesn’t generate sales, then it’s no
good.

T R A C K 0090 E x. 10. L isten ag ain to th e first p a rt o f th e in terv iew . A nsw er the

questions. Repeat track 0089

T R A C K 0091 E x .ll. In the second p art o f the interview Andrew explains why advertising
is not a waste of money. W hat reason do you think he will give? Now listen to the second p art of
the interview. Check your answer. Do you agree with Andrew?
I A ndrew, a lot o f people th in k advertising is a waste o f money. Is that your view?
A P N o, n o t a t all. I w ould say that, wouldn’t I? A dvertising is o n e o f m any w ays in
which manufacturers persuade custom ers to b u y their products. Y ou’v e got public relations,
you’ve got sponsorship, you’v e got price promotions, you’v e got all sorts o f promotional
techniques. It’s one elem ent o f w hat we call the marketing mix. In today’s w orld, people are
bombarded w ith advertising, w ith calls o n their tim e, w ith picking u p the kid s from school,

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 taking the dog for a walk, paying the gas bill. T hey haven’t got tim e to make judgem ents on
which can o f tomatoes is the best one for me, o r w hich brand o f coffee gives m e the best fla­
vour. And if you can be constantly telling people w hy they should choose your brand, rather
than another one, they’re going to remember that. So when they’re shopping, and they see
your product on the sh e lf they’ll remember it. It’s ‘front o f m in d ’, as w e say. It means that
the person knows, ah coffee, I need coffee, which brand am I going for, ah Jacobs, yes I’ve
seen that, that’s good isn’t it - and they ju s t buy i t It’s an autom atic response, they don’t
spend more than tw o or three seconds making a choice, and unless you’re front o f mind in
those two or three seconds, they’re going to choose another brand.

T RA CK 0092 Ex.2. L isten to the openings o f one fo rm al p rese n ta tio n a n d one in­
formal presentation. C heck yo u r an sw ers to th e exercise above.
Presentation 1
Good morning everyone, o n b eh alf o f m y self and Focus A dvertising, I’d like to wel­
come you. M y name’s Sven Larsen, I’m Com mercial D irector. This m orning, I’d like to out­
line the campaign concept w e’ve developed for you. I’v e divided m y presentation into three
parts. First, the background to the campaign, next th e results o f o u r m arket study, thirdly, the
concept itself. I f you have any questions, p lease d o n ’t hesitate to interrupt me.
Presentation 2
Hi, I’m Dominique Lagrange. G ood to see you all. A s you know . I’m Creative Director
of D M K I’m going to tell you about the ideas w e’v e come up w ith for the ad campaign. I’ll
give you the background and talk you through the results o f the m arket study and tell you all
about our concept. I f you’re not clear about anything, go ahead and ask an y questions you

TRA CK 0093 Ex.8. Y ou a re going to listen to a m a n ag e r fro m a m a rk e t research

company m aking a p resentatio n . L isten to h e r talk . W h a t ty p e o f n e w sp ap er is m ost
widely read and w h at type does she recom m en d a d v ertisin g in?
P a rti
P a u l I ’m v e ry p le a se d to w elco m e E v a L u n d q v ist fro m M a rk e t In tellig e n ce .
As you know , she ha s b e en d o in g a lo t o f r e se a rc h in to w h ere w e sh o u ld b e ad v ertis­
ing. So E va, w ould y o u lik e to f ill u s in?
E v a O f course. T hank y o u , P a u l. E r... h o w m u c h tim e h a v e w e g o t?
P a u l O nly a little . I ’m afraid.
E v a W ell in th a t c ase , I ’ll b e g in stra ig h t a w a y w ith a few o f o u r su rv ey r e ­
sults. C an ev eryo ne se e th is a ll right?
P a u l Y es.
R o g e r Y es, i t ’s fine.
Eva O K . A s y o u c a n se e, th e q u e stio n w e a sk ed w as ‘W h ich o f th ese
types o f n e w spaper h a v e you read in the la st six months?’ T he m ost popular choice was
a daily newspaper. 65% had read a national tabloid in the last six m onths. A nd then mov­
ing on to Sunday newspapers. 5J% o f the sam ple had read a tabloid, so th at w as about
half.
R oger E r, sorry. H o w b ig w as th e sa m p le ? H o w m a n y p e o p le d id y o u q u es­
tion?
E va Ju st u nder a thousand.
R o g e r O K . A n d 4% h ad rea d n o paper.
E va T h a t’s rig h t. C a n I d raw y o u r a tten tio n to th e w ee k ly p a p ers, though?
8% o f th e sam ple had re a d a reg io n a l p a id -fo r paper.
Paul N o t v e ry m any.
Eva No, but I’d like to come back to that later... O K let’s turn to the results we got for ...

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 Part 2
E va It doesn’t cost m uch to advertise in the regional papers, though the national pa­
pers have larger circulations.
R oger So Eva, can I get this clear? D o you recommend w e advertise in the national
tabloids?
E va N o. I advise you to advertise in th e papers that attract th e right sort o f readers.
W e need to look m ore closely a t the consumers. L et m e m ove on to this profile ... OK. This
shows the percentage o f adults w ho have read a regional paid-for paper in th e last six months.
Paul It’s o nly 8%.
E va T hat’s hue. But a s you can see, these papers attract older readers. 13% are aged
between forty-five and fifty-four. Remember, old consumers have m o re m oney to spend than
the younger ones. A nd look at this. 12%, o f the readers are in the A B socio-economic group. I
suggest you concentrate your efforts o n th ese w eekly papers. T here isn’t m uch point in adver­
tising in papers that attract the w rong groups.

T R A C K 0094 E x.9. L oo k a t th e tran sp aren c ies th a t E v a u se d in h e r talk . Listen

again a nd fill in th e m issing statistics. Repeat track 0093

T R A C K 0095 Ex.10. C om plete these sentences from th e p rese n ta tio n . Use one
w o rd in each sp a ce th e n listen ag ain a n d check y o u r an sw ers. Repeat track 0093

T R A C K 0096 E x.7. Bella F o rd , a b u y e r from E m p ire W in es, is n e gotiating with

P ierre H em ard , sales d ire c to r f o r M a rq u e s V in ey ard s, N a p a V alley, C alifo rn ia. Listen
an d fill in th e m issing w ords. (B F = Bella Ford, P H = Pierre Hem ard)
B F I f w e b u y m ore than 500 cases o f th e Reserve, w hat discount can yo u offer us?
PH On 500, nothing. But i f you b u y 1000 cases, we’ll offer 15%.
B F L et m e think about that. Now , i f I place an order for 1000, w ill you b e able to dispatch
immediately?
PH I don’t know about im m ediately, but certainly this m onth.
BF W ell, i f you get it to u s before the Christm as rush, it’ll be OK . I take it your prices
include insurance?
PH Actually, no. Y ou’d be responsible for th a t I f you c an increase your order, then
w e’d be w illing to cover insurance a s well.
BF I’ll need to d o som e calculations.
PH L et’s look a t methods o f payment. Since w e’v e not dealt w ith you before, w e’d like
to b e paid by banker’s draft.
BF W ell, this is a large order. W e’v e done business w ith m an y w ell-know n wine pro­
ducers and w e ’ve always paid b y letter o f credit.
PH OK . I f w e agree to yo u paying b y letter o f credit, then you’l l have to pay u s within
30 days.
BF T hat should be fine.

T R A C K 0097 E x.8. K evin W a rre n , an Executive V ice P re sid e n t a t C o c a C ola, is

ta lk ing a b o u t n egotiating. L isten to th e first p a r t o f th e in terv iew . W h a t d o th e letters
L -I-M sta n d fo r? In th e ne gotiation th a t Kevin describ es, w h a t w as h is L -I-M ?
(I = In terv ie w er, K W = K evin W arre n )
I W hen y ou go into a negotiation, do you always expect to win?
K W I guess th e honest answ er is that I alw ays have a clear ex pectation o f w h at I ex­
p ect to achieve, and I guess I w o u ld lik e to alw ay s w in . L et m e illu strate that fo r you.
Som ething th a t w as sort o f shared w ith m e e arly in m y c areer w as th e m nemonic L-I-M
and that’s L ike, Intend, M ust. W hat w o u ld I lik e to d o , w h at w o u ld I intend to d o , and
w hat m ust I do? A nd th is is probably w ell illustrated b y a recent contract that we negotiated

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in the UK with a major leisure company. And. I guess o u r ‘like’ w as, we w ould like to win
the business there and then, in the negotiation on that day. I guess o u r ‘intend’ w as th at we
must leave that group thinking that w e are a very professional a n d com petent outfit w ho
can best meet their needs. A nd I guess our ‘m ust’ w as, w e m ust have done enough to keep
the dialogue open and ensure that our com petitor d idn’t w in the business o n th at day. So,
the short answer is you don’t always win. I alw ays w ant to w in, b u t I do n ’t alw ays expect to
win - but I certainly expect to deliver the objective th at we w ent in to achieve.

T R A C K 0098 Ex.9. I n the second p a rt o f th e in terv iew , K evin gives th r e e n eg o tiat­

ing tips. W hat do you th in k th e tip s w ill b e? L isten to th e second p a r t o f th e interview .
W ere your guesses correct?
I Could you give m e some tips for negotiating?
K W Yes. I think everybody has their ow n tips. But these are things that have worked
for myself and the people I’ve worked w ith, and it’s more around avoiding classic errors. And
I guess the first one is to identify w ho the decision maker is. I’v e lost count o f the occasions at
every level, from first-line salesman through to board director, board to board negotiations,
where I’ve seen fantastic presentations, superb dialogue and the person that’s been sitting
across the table, so to speak, is not the decision maker. So that’s the first tip, m ake sure you
know who you’re talking to. T he second one is that all salesmen, i f they’re good salesmen,
tend to be very enthusiastic about w hat they’re selling. T hat could be a product o r a service,
or even a social occasion, but it’s all selling at the end o f the day. A nd in their enthusiasm
they focus on their need, rather than the buyer’s need. So, for exam ple, in o u r ow n case I’ve
seen on many, many occasions people basically go straight to the point - W e’re here to sell
you Coca-Cola, it’s the world’s num ber one brand, you m ust w ant it. W hat they h aven’t done
is establish the buyer’s need. So, for exam ple, the b uyer’s n eed may b e in a grocery store that
they want to supply the w orld’s num ber one brand to encourage consum ers to com e in and
purchase their range o f products. T h e manager, o f a ball bearing factory m ight .w ant a vend­
ing machine because if he supplies a free, o r discounted refreshment service it keeps his union
employees happy. So the important th ing is to understand the buyer’s need. N ow , it’s not im­
possible to sell w ithout establishing that need. B u t it tends to m ean you’ll never have a long
term relationship. So, for example, again the w orkplace example, I could come in, bang, sell
you a Coca-Cola vending m achine, p ay you m aybe a sm all royalty. B ecause I n ever estab­
lished your need, i f another soft drinks supplier w alks through the door and ju st offers you
more money, you will probably sw itch. W hereas if w e’d established the fact th at all you were
interested in was offering a service and y o u w anted it to be as hassle free as possible, we
could have tailored our offering. So I think that’s very im portant. M y favourite one, and I’m
probably in danger o f doing it m y se lf now , is once you’ve made the sale, shut up. I think it’s
very important: close the sale, reinforce the b uyer’s decision - everybody likes to feel they’ve
made a good decision - a nd then leave.

T R A C K 0099 E x.3. N ow listen to five e x tra cts fro m the m a n ag e r’s presentation.
M atch each one to th e c o rre c t g rap h o r table.
1) As you can see, sales have risen gradually over the last five years. T his growth is
largely due to th e record levels o f sunshine w e h av e enjoyed in recen t years. T his m ay be a
result o f global w arming and so it could continue, but climatic trends are difficult to predict.
For this reason w e have made a fairly conservative projection for n e x t year.

2) T oiletry sales through superm arkets are rising rapidly, b u t this has not been the trend
with our sun-care products. In fact, sa les through superm arkets h av e fallen slightly. Sales
through departm ent stores h av e rem ained stead y and th ere’s b e en a sharp increase in
sales through chemists. W e expect this trend to continue because consum ers are becom ing

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increasingly aw are o f th e health issues involved in sunbathing. T he num ber o f people- con­
tracting skin cancer has doubled for the last two decades and there’s a grow ing dem and for
sun-care products that offer greater protection.
3) A s you can se e, w e ’v e b een ab le to red u c e th is b u d g e t a n d s till im p ro v e our
tu rn over. O ur experiment w ith TV shots four years ago did not lead to significantly higher
sales. Since then w e have been steadily raising the proportion o f spending d evoted to press
advertising. This enables us to ta rget consumers w ith high incom es, w ho w ill b e m ore likely
to take holidays abroad.
4) D em ographic changes w ill p robably have an ad v erse effec t o n th e m a rk e t in the
future. T h e po pulation is ageing and it’s likely th at th is w ill h av e a n eg ativ e influence.
T he 21-to-30 age group are traditionally h eavy users o f sun cream s and this group is de­
clining in num bers. A lso usage is very low among the 5 0 plu s age groups and these groups
are expanding.
5) Sun protection creams and lotions account for the largest p art o f o u r turnover, but af­
ter-sun preparations are becom ing slightly more im portant, as this p ie chart show s. T he new
green and cruelty-free brand th at w e launched last year is selling w ell an d th is sector will
definitely grow over the next few years to become a significant niche market.

T R A C K 0100 Ex.5. L isten to P a r t 1 ag ain . M ak e notes in th e boxes to complete

this causes a n d effects chain.
A s you can see, sales have risen gradually over th e last five years. T his growth is
largely due to th e record levels o f sunshine w e have enjoyed in rec en t years. T h is m a y b e a
result o f global w arm ing and so it could continue, but climatic trends are difficult to predict.
For this reason w e have m ade a fairly conservative projection for next year.

T R A C K 0101 Ex.6. L o o k a t th e g rap h show ing sales b y d istrib u tio n o u tle t De­
scribe how sales have c hanged betw een this y e ar a n d last year. L isten to P a r t 2 again
a n d a nsw er th e questions.
T oiletry sales through superm arkets are rising rapidly, b u t this h a s not b een the trend
w ith our sun-care products. In fact, sales through superm arkets have fallen slightly. Sales
through departm ent stores hav e rem ained steady an d th e re ’s b een a sh arp increase in
sales through chemists. W e expect this trend to continue because consum ers are becoming
increasingly aw are o f th e health issues involved in sunbathing. T h e nu m b er o f people- con­
tracting skin cancer h a s doubled for the last tw o decades and there’s a grow ing dem and for
sun-care products that offer greater protection.

T R A C K 0102 Ex.7. L isten to P a r t 3 again a n d a n sw er th e qu estio n s.

A s you c a n se e, w e ’ve b een able to red u c e th is b u d g e t an d s till im p ro v e our
tu rn over. O u r experim ent w ith TV shots four years ago did not lead to significantly higher
sales. Since then w e have been steadily raising the proportion o f spending devoted to press
advertising. T his enables us to ta rget consum ers w ith h igh incomes, w ho w ill b e more likely
to take holidays abroad.

T R A C K 0103 E x.8. C a n you guess the m issing w o rd s in th ese sen ten ces? L isten to
P a r t 4 again a n d check y o u r answ ers.
D em ographic changes w ill p ro b ab ly have an adverse effec t o n th e m a rk e t in th e fu­
ture. T he popu lation is ageing and it’s likely th at th is w ill h a v e a ne g ativ e influence. The
21-tO-30 age g roup are traditionally h eavy users o f su n cream s an d this group is declining
in numbers. A lso usage is very low among the 50 plus age groups and these groups are ex­
panding.

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 TR A C K 0104 Ex.9. Look a t the c h art d escrib in g sales b y sector. D escribe the
relative size of the different pro d u ct groups. H ow have th ey c hanged th is y e ar? L isten to
Part 5 again a nd see how th e presen ter describes th e changes.
Sun protection creams and lotions account for the largest part o f o u r turnover, but after-
sun preparations are becoming slightly more im portant, as this pie c h art show s. T he new
green and cruelty-free brand that w e launched last year is selling w ell and th is sector w ill
definitely grow over the next few years to become a significant niche market.

T RA CK 0105 Ex. 10. A n electrical m ach in ery m a n u fa c tu re r is em ploying th e se r­

vices o f an engineering c onsu ltan t to design a m otor. L isten to th e c onversation an d
number these steps in the o rd er they o ccur in th e design process.
A The new motor’s got to be reliable. A nd it’s got to b e efficient — low running
costs are essential. Do you think you can do it?
В Yes. The key thing is to keep the temperature low.
A That’s right. Y our m ain problem w ill be the cooling system . It m ust be cooled
by water.
В O n the other hand, the w orking environment is very clean. W e don’t have to w orry
about dust and dirt
A You have to solve the vibration problem , too.
В Yes, it m ustn’t vibrate above the limits, b ut that needn’t be a m ajor problem .
A Good. So w hat’s the next step?
В Well, we’ve identified the design objectives now. O nce you’v e w ritten the specifica­
tions, I’ll do some sketches.
A Should we m eet again at th at stage?
В Yes, w e ought to. Then I can show you th e different options.
A W ill you have price estim ates b y then?
В Yes, I ’ll b e able to give you a pretty accurate breakdown o f costs. W e’ll discuss all
the different options. Then you need to select the best ones.
A OK.
В After that. I ’ll draw up detailed designs.
A How quickly can you get the sketches ready? Can you do them in a w eek?
В I’m afraid I c an’t.
A Can’t you get someone to help you?
В Yes I can, but it w on’t save m uch tim e. I’ll need at least tw o weeks. I’m afraid.

TR A C K 0106 Ex.12. L isten to th e conversation again an d a n sw er the questions.

Repeat track 0105

TR A C K 0107 E x .l. Y ou w ill h e a r Don Raley, an e x p ert in th e field o f insu ran ce,
talking abo u t th e w ay th a t L lo y d ’s operates. L isten a n d ta k e notes u n d e r th e following
headings.
Lloyd’s is one o f the oldest established organizations in the British market and it com­
prises effectively some 350 separate underwriting syndicates which operate sm all insurance
companies. Each syndicate has its ow n specialization and reputation in that particular market.
The syndicate in turn com prises an underw riter who actually sits in a little box in the Lloyd’s
building and he actually underw rites and takes on the risk that has been offered to him b y the
broker. But the finance com es from anything betw een say a hundred and three hundred indi­
viduals w ho are underw riting m em bers o f Lloyd’s o r known as N am es. N ow to become a
Name at Lloyd’s you have to establish a certain degree o f wealth. W hen I becam e a m ember,
you had to have at least £75,000 o r three assets which is now £250,000. Perhaps that is not
enough. And it is the aggregate o f these assets w hich enables an underw riter to take on risks.

137
W hen you becom e a m em ber o f Lloyd’s, you appear before a thing called com m ittee and it is
made quite clear to you then th at th e w hole o f your wealth is com m itted to th is operation. I t’s
what is know n unlim ited liability. A ll business comes to L loyd’s direct from Lloyd’s brokers
who have to be approved by th e Com m ittee o f L loyd’s as people o f th e right standing o f in­
tegrity and professionalism .

T R A C K 0108 E x.2. L isten to th e second e x tra c t

D on R a le y Y es, certainly, I think, the first advantage is its reputation. This is one o f
Lloyd’s great strengths and it’s never failed to p ay a claim in the w hole o f its history. And it’s
made its reputation in the great San Francisco earthquake o f 1906, w h en L loyd’s alone
amongst all th e insurance companies, both British and American, paid up w ithout demand and
extremely quickly. A nd that reputation lasts to this day. T he second advantage traditionally is
that its operating expenses are rather less than the insurance com panies and it does not branch
organization throughout the country because branches are very expensive to maintain. That
direct access cutting o u t the branch organization enables us to keep dow n costs. A nd perhaps,
the third advantage that L loyd’s has is its international reputation. It has a system o f Lloyd’s
agents and operates throughout th e w orld, and particular in th e field o f m arine insurance,
you’ll find that L loyd’s really are the leaders, they are the authorities traditionally and still to
this day.

T R A C K 0109 E x.3. N ow listen again an d find the w o rd s th a t th e sp e ak e r uses to

m ean th e follow ing. Repeat track 0108

T R A C K 0110 E x.4. In th e final e x tra ct Don Raley ta lk s a b o u t chan g es in th e way

th a t L loyd’s operates.
Yes, o f course, it m ust change. T he system o f operation, I think, w ere to change in that,
in common w ith the w hole insurance industry w e had very bad results in recent years. And
that’s been extrem ely painful to som e o f the names, like myself, w h o ’re bein g unsyndicates,
who had substantial losses. T here’re various ideas o f lim iting losses & introducing a form of
limited liability. Furtherm ore there’s increasing regulation o f b oth brokers & underwriters to
insure that they do not, w hat is know n, overwrite, w hich is w rite m ore insurance that they are
capable o f covering. From the marketing point o f viev?, L loyd’s m u st be m ade more accessi­
ble to th e general public. T hat is beginning to happen now & in the num ber o f Lloyd’s bro­
kers and even som e syndicates are establishing representation in the tow ns, not to the same
extent as insurance com panies w ith branches. But there’s at least L loyd’s presence there.

T R A C K 0111 Ex.S. L isten ag ain . In w hich o f th e th ree a re a s a b o v e a re changes

a lre ady h a pp en ing? In w hich a re changes plan n ed ? Repeat track 0110

T R A C K 0112 E x .l. L isten to th e interview & answ er th e qu estio n s.

I Could you tell m e about the advantages and disadvantages o f globalization?
SH The great advantage o f globalization in my view is that it increases competition. Com­
panies and firms have to be careful and have to order their affairs so that they compete in a global
market. But I think that is outweighed b y a large number o f disadvantages.
The first one is that it does hurt the local government’s ability to deal w ith issues like wel­
fare benefits, wages and taxes mainly because the corporation is able to say to the British Gov­
ernment or the French Government o r the American government, ‘Look unless you lower your
taxes on us, w e’ll be moving o ff to South East A sia or Latin America’, and so on. And so it takes
out o f the hands o f government the ability to control their own welfare system s and provide a de­
cent infrastructure for their people. N ow this is not so bad as long as there is some negotiation be­
tween governments and companies. B ut more and more in recent years, companies have started to
rule the roost. T he corporation... some commentator said the other day, ‘T he corporation is the

138
most important institution in our lives,’ and I think there’s a lot o f truth in that. They can now dic­
tate to governments and I want to see some kind o f give-and-take betw een governments and cor­
porations. Now that’s the first problem.
The other problem that I see, o f course, is one o f unem ploym ent in the W estern world.
As companies w ant to improve their profitability, they’re going to b e looking for the low-cost,
low-wage centres. And we’re ju st about to see a m ajor change in the global economy, because
of the addition o f China and India to the global labour market. T here are great advantages in
this but there’s a lot o f problem s as w ell becau se C hina a n d In d ia are g o ing to p ro v ide a
skilled population. Also, they’re going to provide fairly good infrastructures for the compa­
nies that are going to go out there. So w e’re going to see a flight o f capital from the W est
which is going to be sudden and dramatic. I f this is too sudden and is not managed properly
we could find very severe employm ent problem s in th e W estern w orld. So th at is, I think,
the kind o f issue w e’ve got to deal w ith as this process o f globalization gathers pace.

TRA CK 0113 Ex.2. Com plete th is ex tra ct fro m a ra d io p ro g ra m m e w ith th e cor­

rect com parative or su perlativ e form s o f th e adjectives in b rac k ets. T h en listen and
check your answers.
A survey has come up w ith som e interesting inform ation about the cost o f living in our
major cities.
Tokyo is still the m ost expensive c ity in the world. O saka is second and Moscow third,
on a par with Hong Kong. M any European cities have gone dow n th e rankings because their
exchange rates have becom e weaker against the US dollar. M oscow ’s exchange rate has also
become weaker, but Russia has a m uch higher inflation rate than m any European countries.
So prices in Moscow are among th e highest in Europe. But there is one advantage o f living in
Moscow. The underground is excellent - very cheap and m uch more com fortable than the one
in London.
New York is the m ost expensive U S city. This is because the U S dollar is stronger than
many other currencies. .Som e European countries that u sed to be far more expensive than
New York are now m uch cheaper. L ondon is the 10lh m ost expensive city in the w orld, ac­
cording to the survey. A year ago, L ondon w as 5% -10% cheaper than many French and Ger­
man cities. This is no longer so. N o w London is 15% dearer than the German and French cit­
ies mentioned in the survey. H ow ever, London is a good c ity to live in.. Business people said
that London w as the m ost exciting o f all the m ajor cities in the w orld. L ondoners also claim
that it is cleaner than it used to be, and safer than m any other European cities. I f you’re hard
up, don’t go to Oslo - it’s E urope’s m ost expensive city. M eals at restaurants cost a fortune
and drinks are very pricey.

T R A C K 0114 E x.3. L isten to th e 5 te lep h on e conv ersation s, a n sw er th e questions.

Conversation 1

A Y es?
В Could I speak to Mr. Sm ith?
A E r ... I d on’t know erm I th ink h e’s out.
В D o you know w hen he’ll be back?
A W ell, I’m not q uite sure. Y ou could maybe try tomorrow.
В O K Bye.
Conversation 2
A H ello. Is that Janet, B ill’s secretary?
В Yes, that’s right.
A It’s John Blake. I’m ju s t phoning to give him an invoice number.
В Yeah. W hat is it?

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A O h, let me see, w here is it. Yeah, I’ve got to have it here somewhere.
В L ook phone m e back w hen you find it. I’m rather busy ju st now.
Conversation 3
A Hello. I’d like to speak to Bob Graham.
В H e’s not here.
A Could you te ll m e w hen h e ’ll b e back?
В Later this afternoon.
A W ell, could you take a m essage for me?
В Sorry, I don’t have time. I’ll have to ring off. I’m going to lunch.
Conversation 4
A H ello, it’s Susan here. I’m phoning to check my appointment w ith C hris tomorrow.
В Y eah?
A C ould you lo o k it up fo r m e?
В O h, I don’t know ... w here’s the diary? ... Y es, got it. So it w as the- 16th w as it?
A N o, th e 18th
В N o, I can’t find anything. I d idn’t w rite it down.
Conversation 5
A H ello Bilk Ltd.
В H ello, th is is Jack Johnson. I’m phoning about the delivery. H as it arrived yet?
A N o it hasn’t. W e’ve b een w aiting a week. It still isn’t here yet.
В I’m really so rry about that.
A W e’ve been w aiting for too long. It’s not good enough. Y ou’re w asting our time.
В O h, I’m sure your order w ill b e ...

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 R E F E R E N C E L IS T

1. Сайпрес Л инд а «П рактика д елового общ ения: П утеводитель по

миру делового английского». —М .: Рольф , 2001.
2. Ш евелева, В .Е . С тогов «E lem entary E conom ics A nd B usiness - Ос­
новы экономики и б изнеса» М ., 1999.
3. Cam bridge Business E ng lish A ctivities: Serious F un For B usiness E ng­
lish Students - Jane C ordell, C am bridge U niversity P ress, 2000.
4. English F o r T h e O ffice - C assettes - B rendan M oore, Phoenix ELT
1996.
5. M cCarthy M ichael, O ’D ell F elicity E nglish. V ocabulary in Use. Upper-
Inteimediate. C am bridge U niversity P ress, 1996.
6. N ew International B usiness E ng lish - L eo Jones a nd R ichard Alexander,
Cambridge U niversity Press, 1996
7. Redm an Stuart. E ng lish V ocabulary in U se. C am bridge U niversity
Press, 1997.
8. “Situational D ialogues” M ichael O ckenden, Longm an 1998.
9. T he O xford D ictionary fo r th e B u siness W orld, O xford U niversity Press
LTD, 1997
10.The Longm an D ictionary o f C ontem porary E nglish, Longm an LTD,
2000.
1 l.T h e L ongm an L anguage A ctivator. L ongm an, 2001.

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