Basic English for Business Management 09

INSTITUTE OF POSTS & TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF BASIC SCIENCES ENGLISH SECTION

FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY Sep 2009

Generated by Foxit PDF Creator Foxit Softwarehttp://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only.

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Contents (course 1)

Preface 2

unit 1. Communicating electronically 3 unit 2. Describing a company 12 unit 3. Describing trends 24

unit 4. Work and motivation 33 unit 5. Human resources 41 unit 6. Marketing and sales 49 unit 7. Promotion 58

List of resources 67-68


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PREFACE

English is often used in specialist journals, books and magazines to reach an international public. This course is for

people in business or students of business who want to learn more English for use on their jobs or in their studies. Its

primary aim is to facilitate reading, but it also provides practice in the kind of grammatical constructions and

vocabulary.

The course contains texts and exercises. The texts are taken from a range of recent publications such as books,

magazines and newspapers mentioned in the list of resources.

I acknowledge our indebtedness to these authors whose books provided not only information, guidelines but actual

methods which I have followed.

Although I have drawn many ideas and in some cases procedures from the books mentioned, any errors of analysis,

classification, or interpretation found in this book are entirely my own.

Thanks to those meticulous readers who have written and will write in with suggestions, politely reminding me of my

human fallibility.

Course compiler


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unit 1. Communicating electronically (telephones, emails).

I. TELEPHONING.

I.1. STRUCTURING A CALL.

I.1.1. OUTGOING CALLS. ( i.e. when you make the call )

Read the following sentences and then put them into the correct list below.

1. Good morning / Hello.

2. Could (Can) I speak to (with) Georgia Miller, please ?

3. Id like to speak to Susan Green, please.

4. Could you put me through to Mr. Dylan, please ?

5. Is Ms. Richardson there ?

6. Im calling to ask about the union meeting.

7. Im ringing to tell you about the order of November the fifteen.

8. It is about (concerning) the meeting tomorrow.

9. The reason Im calling is to fix another appointment.

10. Im returning your call.

11. This is Thomas Parker speaking.

12. Im Susan Green from Morningside Post Office .

13. I see (understand).

14. Well, thank you very much for your help.

15. Im grateful for your assistance.

16. When could we meet ?

17. What time would suit you ?

18. Would tomorrow at 7 p.m. suit you (be ok)?

19. Id like to see you on Friday after work.

20. Could you ask him to call me back?

21. Could you tell him I called?

22. Ill call back tomorrow morning .

23. Could I leave a message?

24. Speak to you soon.

25. Goodbye.

26. Well, I look forward to meeting you on Friday at 6 p.m.

27. Yes, that suits me fine.

(a) Greetings (b) Identifying

yourself

(c. Asking to

speak to someone

(d) Explaining the

purpose of the calls

(e) Showing

understanding

(f) Making an

appointment

(g) Leaving a

message

(h) Confirming

details

(i) Thanking (j) Ending the calls


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I.I.2. INCOMING CALLS. ( i.e. when you receive the call )

Read the following sentences and then put them into the correct list below.

1. May I ask whos calling ?

2. Whos calling (speaking), please ?

3. Im sorry I didnt catch your name.

4. Who shall I say is calling ?

5. XYZ Post Office speaking.

6. ABC Co., Ltd . Good morning.

7. Susan Green here.

8. Will you hold ?

9. Could you ring back later (in a few minutes)?

10. Would you like to leave a message ?

11. Can I take a message ?

12. Would you like to have her return your call ?

13. Ill tell him you called.

14. Ill get him to ring you back first thing in the afternoon.

15. What can I do for you ? (How can I help you?)

16. Could you tell me what its about ?

17. May I ask the nature of your business, please ?

18. I am afraid he is not available (not here) at the moment.

19. I am afraid he is with a client (in a meeting) at the moment.

20. I am sorry he is on the other line at the moment.

21. I am afraid her line is engaged (busy) at this time.

22. I am afraid he cant take the call at this time.

23. Speak to you soon.

24. Bye.

25. Thanks for calling.

(a) Identifying yourself when

you pick up the phone

(b) Helping the

caller

(c) Asking for the callers

identification

(d) Asking about the purpose

(e) Explaining that

someone is not available

(f) Alternative

actions

(g) Thanking (h) Ending

I.2. PRACTICE.

I.2.1. MATCHING.

(1) Match the words (phrases) on the left with the words (phrases) on the right that mean the same.

1. ______ I'll get back to you. A. The phone connection has been broken

2. ______ Will do. B. What do you want to say?


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3. ______ Anything else? C. I'll call you again.

4. ______ Hang up. D. The lines engaged.

5. ______ Weve been cut off E. Could I have your name?

6. ______ The lines busy. F. Can you wait?

7. ______ What's up ? G. . speaking.

8. ______ Whos calling? H. Can you wait?

9. ______ Will you hold? I. Okay, I'll do it .

10. ______ Hold on. J. Put the phone down.

11. ______ This is .. K. Is that all?

12. ______ Hold on. L. One moment.

(2) Look at the sentences. Think about them carefully. Which ones are said by:

a person making a call? (write A) a person receiving a call? (write B)

(3) Who says these expressions ? Caller ( C ) / Receiver ( R ) ? Write C or R beside each expression.

1. . Ive got the wrong number.

2. . I must have the wrong number. / I must have dialed the wrong number.

3. . I have been misrouted

4. . Theres no one here by that name. / Theres no one of that name here.

5. . Youll have to check with the Directory Enquiry.

6. . You have the wrong number./ You dialed the wrong number.

7. . The number has been changed.

8. . I guess I have the wrong number.

I.2.2. SENTENCE COMPLETION.

Choose the correct answer or answers.

1. Im sorry, I cant hear you very well, this is ______.

(a) a terrible line (b) a bad connection (c) unobtainable (d) busy all the time


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2. I am trying to get 1234567. I am afraid ______.

(a) its put through (b) theres no answer (c) I can get through (d) the number is reachable

3. Could you speak ______,please ?

(a) a little louder (b) a little slower (c) more slowly (d) more loudly

4. I cant ______ to him, his line always seems to be ______.

(a) put through unobtainable (c) get through busy all the time

(b) connect unavailable (d) put through cut off

5. Im sorry about that. Im glad youre still there. We must have been ______ for a moment.

(a) run off (b) cut off (c) out of order (d) crossed

6. If youve misdialed, youll hear a tone telling you that the number is ______.

(a) unobtainable (b) unreachable (c) ringing (d) dialing

7. Hello, Operator? Can you tell me how to make a call to France?

Certainly, sir. Just pick up the phone and ______9 to get a line. When you hear the dialing tone, dial 0033 and

then the number you want in France.

(a) press (b) dial (c) push (d) all of these

8. Excuse me, Id like you to ______ this line, we get ______.

(a) test a crossed line (c) check a lot of cross-talk on it

(b) check a lot of interference on it (d) check a crossed line

9. The code for Leeds has been changed. Please ______, inserting 05 before the subscriber number.

(a) redial (b) misdial (c) hang up (d) press

10. I have tried a number several times and I always get ______.

(a) a busy tone (b) a busy signal (c) an engaged tone (d) a number unobtainable tone

11. The number has been changed. Please ______ and dial the following number.

(a) hang up (b) replace the handset (c) pick the receiver up (d) put the receiver down

12. If you dont want to be interrupted by any phone calls, you can leave the phone ______.

(a) on the hook (b) off the hook (c) on (d) on its rest

13. The phones ringing. Why dont you ______ ?

(a) lift the handset (b) pick up the receiver (c) hang up (d) put the receiver down

14. Mrs. Scott isnt available at the moment. Can you ______ later?

(a) ring back (b) call back (c) phone back (d) call for

15. Can you ______ Ms Dumass number in the directory, please?

(a) look at (b) look by (c) look up (d) look out

16. Im afraid shes with a client, shall I _______ to her secretary?

(a) book you (b) put you through (c) get through (d) connect you

17. Mr. Green never seems to be in his office. Ive been trying to ______ to him all morning.

(a) get through (b) put through (c) reach (d) put on

18. Is Graham there? If so, could you _______, please?

(a) look up him (b) put through him (c) get through him (d) put him on

19. Im sorry to trouble you, I think I must have got the ______.

(a) phone book (b) directory (c) wrong number (d) cell phone


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20. I cant get through, their line always seems to be ______.

(a) engaged (b) occupied (c) busy (d) in use

21. Im out tomorrow morning, so give me a ______ in the afternoon.

(a) call (b) ring (c) bell (d) all of these

22. Customers in the States can call us on our ______ number.

(a) toll-free (b) free-cost (c) priceless (d) free of phone

23. Can you tell me how to ______ France?

(a) make a call to (b) place a call to (c) book a call (d) telephone a call to

24. Businesses often have ______ for leaving messages for people not at their desks.

(a) multiline phones (b) voicemail (c) fixed phones (d) speakerphones

25. (A) X: Hi. Is this Liz? Y: Yes, whos that? I can ______ you.

(a) hear not well (b) hardly hear (c) not hear well (d) not hardly hear

(B) X: Its Debbie. Im ______.

(a) in my phone (b) on my mobile (c) at my cellphone (d) for my pager

I.2.3. LISTENING TASK.

(1) Listen to five conversations and note the following.

1. the phone number ____________

the person to speak to ____________

2. what the caller offers to do ____________

the name of the company ____________

3. what the caller wants to receive ____________

where the warehouse is _________

4. where the caller is going _________

the e-mail address _________

5. the name of the department _________

the total _________

(2) In this part you will hear some short conversations between two people. At the end of each conversation, a

third voice will ask you a question about what was said. You are to choose the best response to each

question.

1. a. $29 b. $50 c. $25 d. $30

2. a. Jason Daniels isnt home right now. c. Jason Daniels cant come to the phone right now.

b. The caller dialed the wrong number. d. Jason Daniels doesnt want to speak to the caller.

3. a. The number is 6-9-1 c. 9-1-6 is the area code

b. The area code is 1-9-6 d. 6-1-9 is the correct number.

4. a. One dollar a minute. c. Two dollars and fifty cents a minute.

b. One dollar a page. d. Two dollars and fifty cents a page.

5. a. He will pay $65. c. He will pay $9.55

b. He will pay $10.00 d. He will not pay for the call.

6. a. Call London about the charges. c. Refuse the call from London.

b. Accept the charges for the call. d. Charge the call to someone in London.

7. a. Call her at home before nine oclock. c. Leave a message on her answering machine after nine oclock.

b. Call Jack back at nine oclock. d. Call 674-9521 before nine oclock.

8. a. The operator c. The person making the call

b. The person receiving the call d. No one. The call is free


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II. NOTE-TAKING.

It is often necessary to take notes in phone conversations, telegraphic messages, e-mails, etc. You can do this more

easily by economizing on words, sentences and information

In order to achieve financial economy, there are two types of economy

which you must practice : economy of words & information.

II.1 ECONOMY OF WORDS .

(1) Grammar words: pronoun / auxiliary verbs / articles /

prepositions.

(2) Information words: nouns / verbs / adjectives / adverbs.

Notes :

a. Grammar words may be omitted. We often leave out we, you,....etc( pronouns) and in , at , on ..etc..(prepositions).

, and the, a, an ..etc..( articles) .But the message must be clear.

b. Participles or nouns can be used to replace clauses.

c. Usually we leave out mid-vowels, end- vowels, and use the key part of a word or use a common abbreviation.

d. Create a word from the first letters of each word in a series of words.

e. Use a letter that is pronounced the same as the word.

II.2 ECONOMY OF INFORMATION .

(1) It is more important to be concise than to be polite.

(2) If a piece of information is not essential for the reader, it should be excluded from the message.

II.3 PRACTICE.

(1) Write the following sentences in note form.

1. Will you please inform us of the date when the flight BA 105 arrives in New York?

2. We would be grateful if you would reply as quickly as possible.

3. Your letter dated December 15 2004 was received.

4. I am looking forward to signing the contract with them as soon as possible.

5. With reference to your fax of 23 February 2005, the materials which you requested are not available.

6. You could use part number 352/TN and 651/FJ for a maximum of ten days. Please reply as soon as possible

7. I regret that I am unable to attend the meeting as planned

8. I expect to return to work on 28th April. You can phone me on New York 4437941 if necessary.

Choose the abbreviation from the list below that matches each of the words and phrases.

1. note

2. for example

3. per year

4. and so on

5. estimated time of arrival

6. Greenwich Mean Time

7. stamped addressed envelope

8. about, on the subject of

9. cost, insurance, freight

10. as soon as possible

11. free on board

12. for a maximum of

13. thousand

14. for the attention of

15. especially


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etc. re ETA e.g. SAE

max NB k p.a. GMT

CIF ATTN asap FOB esp

Now use abbreviations to help you shorten the following sentences into notes.

16. Could you ask Mr.Dittmar about the invoice as soon as you can ?

17. The cost will be $27,000 including insurance and freight.

18. And there will be interest payable at 18 per cent per year.

19. Their agent is expected to arrive in London at 22.30.

20. It is very important that we dont pay more than $15.

III. E-MAILS.

Email is electronic mail. You can send an email to someone, or email them.

They will reply to your email or email you back.

III.1. EMAIL ADDRESS.

Study this typical email address. It belongs to Anna Lock, who works for the Pesto company in the UK.

[email protected]

userid domain type of organization country

Study these examples of types of organizations and countries.

Organizations Countries

com or co commercial organization at Austria

edu / ac education au Australia

gov government ca Canada

Int international organization ch Switzerland

mil military de Germany

net network provider es Spain

org not-for-profit fr France

and other organization it Italy

III.2. EMAIL LAYOUT.

Previous | Next | Back to Messages Printable View - Full Headers

Delete Reply Forward Spam Move

This message is not flagged. [ Flag Message - Mark as Unread ]

Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2007 02:44:26 -0700 (PDT)

From:

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Subject: Planning

To: [email protected]

Cc. [email protected], [email protected]

Bcc. [email protected]

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Robert,

Thanks for your email asking for ways of reducing the budget of the sales department. Please find attached a Word

document with specific plans for this. Please let me know if you cant read this attachment. Im copying the others in on

this. Do forward it to the rest of the board if you feel thats appropriate. Looking forward to your reaction.

Best wishes,

Tina

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Attachments

Files:

Plan.doc (48k) [view]

Delete Reply Forward Spam Move...

Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text

III.3. PRACTICE.

(1) Whose email addresses are these? Match the addresses (1-8) to the list users (a-h)

1. [email protected] a. a UN organization based in Italy

2. [email protected] b. an ISP

3. [email protected] c. a Swedish charity

4. [email protected] d. a student at a French university

5. [email protected] e. a news programme on a public broadcasting service in the UK.

6. [email protected] f. an Italian wine co-operative

7. [email protected] g. a military organization based in the US.

(2) Answer the following questions, using the information in the emails given above.

(a) How many people did Tina send the e-mail to?

(b) When Robert gets this e-mail, will he see that Tina has sent a copy to Sanjay? How do you know?


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(3) Which of the features in the emails given above would you use in each of these situations?

a. You are sending an email to Antonio and you want to send a copy to Bella without Antonio knowing.

b. You receive a reply from Antonio, and you want Carlos to see it.

c. You get an email from Delia, who has also sent copies to Edgar and Fenella, and you want to send the same

answer to all three of them.

d. With the email to Giorgio, you want to send another document.

e. You receive two emails, but you dont want to keep them.

f. Last week, Henri wrote an e-mail to his boss. Now he wants to get rid of.

g. Ivan got an important e-mail from a customer. He wants to send it on to his manager in Paris.

h. Carla has received an e-mail from Vincent and she wants to send him an answer.

i. Marie has a report saved on her computer. She wants to send it to John with the e-mail she has written.

j. Paula wrote an email to Mike, Tim and Lee. Lee wants to send an answer to Paula and the others.

(4) Study this email. Answer these questions.

a. Who is the sender? b. What is his email address?

c. Who is it sent to? d. What is it about?

e. What time was the message sent? f. In what form is the main part of the message?

From: [email protected]

Date: 9/10/07 15.35

To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Subject: Party

Dear all,

Too lazy to type. Ive recorded this message as an attachment.

John


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unit 2. Describing company structure.

I. HOW ARE COMPANIES ORGANIZED?

Most organizations have a hierarchical or pyramidal structure, with one person or a group or people at the top, and an

increasing number of people below them at each successive level. There is a clear line or chain of command running

down the pyramid.

Some people in an organization have colleagues who help them: for example, there might be an Assistant to the

Marketing Manager. This is known as a staff position: its holder has no line authority, and is not integrated into the

chain of command, unlike, for example, the Assistant Marketing Manager, who is number two in the marketing

department.

Today, most large manufacturing organizations have a functional structure, including (among others) production,

finance, marketing, sales, and personnel or staff departments. This means, for example, that the production and

marketing departments cannot take financial decisions without consulting the finance department.

Yet for a large organization manufacturing a range of products, having a simple production department, is generally

inefficient. Consequently, most large companies are decentralized.

An inherent problem of hierarchies is that people at lower levels are unable to make important decisions, but have to

pass on responsibility to their boss. One solution to this is matrix management, in which people report to more than

one superior. For example, a product manager with an idea might be able to deal directly with managers responsible

for a certain market segment and for a geographical region, as well as the managers responsible for the traditional

functions of finance, sales and production. This is one way of keeping authority at lower levels, but it is not necessarily

a very efficient one.

II. DESCRIBING COMPANY STRUCTURE.

The most common verbs for describing structure are:

consists of contains includes is made up of is composed of is divided into

e.g. The company consists of five main departments.

The marketing department is made up of three units.

The sale department is divided into two sections.

Other verbs frequently used to describe company organization include:

To be in charge of to be responsible for to support or to be

support by

to assist or to be

assisted by

to be accountable to

e.g. The marketing department is in charge of the sales force.

The marketing department is responsible for advertising, sales promotions and market research.

The five department heads are accountable to the Managing Director.

This is an example of part of a company organization chart:


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Notes:

CLASSIFICATION.

.is made up of ..

.consists of .

.includes .

.can be /is broken down into . above / below headed by

.can be/ is divided into . over / under at the top

.can be/ is separated into . on the same level at the bottom

besides ., not only .but also ..

7 + + in addition to . also

III. PRACTICE.

Managing Director (GB)

or Chief Executive Officer (US)

Production

Marketing

Finance Human Resources

Market Research Sales Advertising Financial Management

Northern Region Southern Region

Board of Directors

with a Chairman (GB)

or President (US)

Research & development

Accounting

Main and sub parts Hierarchical structure

Additional parts


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(1) The diagram below show the management structure Of Universal Software. Match the people (1-8) with their

positions. Write the LETTER (A-K) of your chosen answer in the box on the right.

1. Im Marco Alatri and Im the director responsible for the company budgets and accounts.

2. Im Tom Scott. Im not actually a manager at Universal, but I do sit on the board.

3. My name is Helen Good. I am the CEO and I also chair the board.

4. My name is Carla Jelinek. I am in charge of the company informations systems.

5. Im Dan Matthews. My team develops new products and test them.

6. Im Karine and my team deals with calls from the publicand complaints.

7. Im Alex Tait and Im responsible for company recruitment and staff development.

8. My name is Patrick Aubaile and I report to the CFO.

(2) Read the text below, about different ways of organizing companies, and then label the diagrams, according to

which of these they illustrate:

(a) line structure (b) matrix structure (c) functional structure (d) staff structure

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(3) Look at the chart below which shows the structure of the DSA Corp. Then complete the paragraph which

follows, using the words given.(subsidiary, be based in, parent co, be headed by, report to, consist of)

Chairperson (A) Non-Executive Directors (B)

Director of Finance

(C)

IT Director (D)

Marketing Director

(E)

Human Resources Director (F)

Director of Research (G)

Accounts Manager

(H)

Production Manager (I)

Sales Manager (J)

Customer Services Manager (K)


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The DSA Corporation _______ three divisions. Financial Services, Telecom Services, and Postal Services. DSA

_______ New York and comprises four ______, OPQ Inc, XYZ, TEF, and PostCo. Each of these ______ a

Senior Vice-President who ______ the _______.

(4) The exercise is concerned with describing management hierarchy. The illustration below shows the

organization of KAF Inc. Study the organization chart, then complete the paragraph which follows, using the

correct form of an appropriate word or phrase from the box.

(a) be responsible for (b) be in charge of (c) be supported by (d) support

(e) be accountable to (f) consist of (g) be headed by

KAF Inc is a building materials manufacturing company in Detroit. KAF _____ the Chief Executive Officer, _____

the Board of Directors, which _____four people. The staff in each of the four departments are _____ a Vice-

President who is also on the Board. In each department, a managerial team of directors _____the Vice-President. In

the Sales Department, one director _____exports, the other _____ domestic sales.

(5) Use the organigram to help you complete the following sentences:

1. The Finance Department _____ by the Finance Director.

2. It _____ _____ three sections.

3. _____ the monthly accounts, the Accounts section shares responsibility for the annual report.

Chief Executive Officer

Board of Directors

Vice-President

Finance

Vice-president

Production

Vice-President

Sales & Marketing

Vice-President

Human Resources

3 Directors 3 Directors 2 Directors 1 Director

Exports Domestic Sales

DSA

Financial Services Telecom Services Postal Services

OPQ Inc XYZ TEF PostCo


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4. The _____ section _____ four members of staff.

5. They are _____ not only for forecasts but also for the _____ _____.

6. The Salaries section, which _____ 10 staff, _____ _____ salary and wage payments.

7. _____ these payments, it also has responsibility for tax and _____ and _____ _____.

(6) Read the job description. Write ONE word in each gap to complete the diagram.

_________(1)_________

_____Montebello_____

___Non-executive directors____

____________(2) _____________

____________(3)__________

____________(4)__________

________(5)________

________(6)________

________(7) ________

________(8) ________

_____VP Research_____

_________(9) _________

________ (10) _______

_______Dawes ______

My name is Montebello and Im a president and CEO. We have some excellent people on our board, including two

who are not involved in the day-to-day running of the company: Gomi and Jones.

My name is Smith and its my job to look after the accounts and balance the books. I work closely with Chang and

Roberts, as they tell me what their departments need for marketing and research, and I allocate them an annual

budget. My name is Dawes and I head up personnel, on the same level in the company as Chang and Roberts.

(7) After reading the text, complete the following organigram.

REORGANIZATION OF PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT.

The Personnel Department was reorganized at the beginning of the year. Lines of communication and responsibilities

were clarified under the new structure.

Finance Department

Accounts (8) Budgeting (4 ) Salaries (10)

Monthly accounts

Annual report

New accounting

methods

Forecasts

Annual report

Salaries / wage payments

Tax

Pension / health schemes


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The Personnel Director kept overall responsibility for the department. However, instead of two large sections under

him, Administration and Planning, there were, in the new structure, four sections: Recruitment, Training, Payments and

Career Development. Each of these sections contains both administrative and planning functions.

The first section, Recruitment, has a staff of 10, headed by the Recruitment Manger. Besides internal and external

recruitment, their responsibilities include the writing of job descriptions and a share of the manpower planning. This

latter responsibility is also the concern of the Training section. It has a staff of five, including the Training Manager.

They are responsible for both in-house and external training at all levels within the company, from management

training for senior staff down to technical courses for the Works Department. The Payments section has a largely

administrative role but is also involved in planning and implementing new salary structure and bonus schemes.

The work of its staff of seven consists mainly, however, of administering the payment of wages, salaries and pensions

to present and former employees. Lastly, Career Department deals with employees career development from

recruitment to retirement. They have two staff who are responsible for updating computerized personnel records and

another two who work closely with the Training section on manpower planning. They are headed by the Manpower

Planning Manager.

IV. TYPES OF ORGANIZATION.

IV.1. INTRODUCTION.

In business, there are many legal forms of organization. The form of organization means the type of ownership. The

main differences between the types of ownership are in their ability to raise capital, the size and continuity of the

enterprise, the disposition of profits, and the legal obligations in the event of bankruptcy. Each form has certain

advantages and disadvantages.

IV.2. PRACTICE.

IV.2.1. MATCHING.

________?_________

Recruitment {10} _________{ ? } _________{ ? }

_________{ ? }

Internal & external

recruitment

External training

Administration

Updating

records


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Match the different types of business with the definitions below.

a. subsidiary 1. a very large company with offices in many different countries.

b. limited company 2. a business that is owned by another larger company.

c. multinational company 3. a company which controls a smaller company.

d. parent company 4. a company which sells its shares to the public. The shareholders have limited

liability; they do not use their personal property to pay the companys debt.

e. franchise 5. a business which has a license to use the name and sell the products or

services of a larger company which provides support.

f. partnership 6. a business owned and operated by a single person

g. sole proprietor 7. a business owned by two or more individuals.

h. freelancer 8. organization with social aims such as helping the poor / the sick.

i. non-profit organization 9. business activities owned by individual rather than by the state.

j. private (free) enterprise 10. business activities owned by the state.

k. joint-stock company 11. self-employed person

l. state-owned company 12. a business which is owned by the group of people who have shares in the

company.

IV.2.2. BLANK FILLING.

Now use these words to complete the sentences:

a. private enterprise b. family c. firm d. shareholders e. branches

f. sole proprietor g. partnership h. non-profit organizations i. self-employed j. multinational

k. directors l. charities m. privatized n. state o. volunteers

1. Its a small _____business. My brother and I started it three years ago.

2. Its a huge company. They have _____ in every major city.

3. The _____ are the people who oversee the running of a company.

4. She works for a _____ of solicitors.

5. The Government believes in _____, so they do a lot to help people starting new business.

6. As a limited company we have a responsibility to our _____.

7. A _____ consists of two or more people who share the ownership of a business.

8 Organizations for helping those in need or encouraging artistic activities are _____.

9. Businesses vary in size , from the _____ person working alone, through the small or medium enterprise (SME) to

the large _____ company with activities in several countries.

10. The form, which requires the least amount of capital and personnel is the _____. Sole means single, and the

proprietor is the owner.

11. Not-for-profit organizations are also called _____. They rely heavily on _____ or unpaid workers.

12. Some industries had been nationalized and were entirely _____-owned or government-owned such as air travel,

coal, electricity and telephone services.

13. The government believed that nationalized companies were bureaucratic and inefficient, and many of them were

_____ and sold to investors.

14. I work for myself. I have been _____ for ten years.


19

V. COMPANY PROFILE.

V.1. ORGANIZATIONAL CHART FOR A COMPANY.

V.2. PRACTICE.

V.2.1. MATCHING.

Match the company departments on the left with the correct definition on the right.

1. sales A. is responsible for manufacturing goods

2. purchasing B. deals with recruiting new staff

3. planning C. deals with invoices and payments

4. research and development D. handles advertising and new product launches

5. quality control E. buys in products and services

6. production F. tries to develop new products

7. personnel G. make sure that standards are maintained

8. finance H. persuades people to buy the companys products

9. distribution I. sets out a strategy for the companys future

10. marketing J. transports goods to different places

11. packaging K. arranges courses for the staff

12. customer services L. puts the products in boxes and crates

13. training M. deals with customers problems and complaints

14. wages and salaries N. services the machines and equipment

15. maintenance O. creates the companys image

16. public relations P. pay the staff

V.2.2. SENTENCE COMPLETION.

(1) COMPANY STRENGTH.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Managing

Director

Production Manager

Marketing Manager Financial Manager Personnel manager

Fore-men

Maintenance and Security Officers

Advertising Manager

Sales Manager

Customer Accounts Dept. Head

Wages Section Head

Recruit-ment Officer

Training Officer

Shop floor workers

Maintenance, Security and Cleaning Staff

Advertising Assistant

Sales Team

Accounts Clerks

Wages Clerks

Personnel Dept. Staff


20

Choose the correct answer or answers to complete the following sentences.

1. We produce _____.

(a) high quality products (c) a high quality service

(b) a wide range of products (d) most of our parts from the U.S.

2. We provide _____.

(a) the market leader in communications (c) prices low compared with our competitors

(b) a high quality service. (d) some new branches in major cities.

3. Weve just opened _____.

(a) some new branches in major cities (c) sales representatives all over the world

(b) the most advanced technology (d) a lot of money in research and development

4. We do _____.

(a) local staff if we can (c) a lot of business abroad

(b) a lot of money in research (d) close contact (relationship) with the market / supplier.

5. Weve just launched _____.

(a) sales representatives all over the world (c) a new program

(b) a rival product (d) some new branches in major cities.

6. We use _____.

(a) the most advanced technology (c) regular meetings with our colleagues and counterparts

(b) a lot of business abroad (d) prices low compared with our competitors

7. We are in ( We have) _____.

(a) some new branches in major cities. (c) lose contact (relationship) with the market / supplier.

(b) a lot of money in research and development. (d) sales representatives all over the world.

8. We hold _____.

(a) the most advanced technology (c) sales representatives all over the world

(b) most of our parts from the U.S. (d) regular meetings with our colleagues and counterparts.

9. We import _____.

(a) a high quality service (c) some new branches in major cities

(b) a lot of business abroad (d) most of our parts from the U.S.

10. We are negotiating _____.

(a) a lot of money in research and development (c) the final details of the contract tomorrow

(b) the market leader in communications (d) prices low compared with our competitors

11. The company headquarters have _____.

(a) a lot of money in research and development (c) an e-mail system, which helps the ideas fly around

(b) prices low compared with our competitors (d) more than one billion dollars annually on marketing

12. All managers attend _____.

(a) regular training courses (c) close contact with the market / supplier

(b) local staff if we can (d) the most advanced technology

13. Every employee receives _____.

(a) sales representatives all over the world (c) prices low compared with our competitors

(b) two or three weeks training (d) some new branches in major cities


21

14. We invest _____.

(a) regular training courses (c) a lot of money in research and development

(b) two or three weeks training (d) most of our parts from the U.K.

15. We employ _____.

(a) the final details of the contract (c) local staff if we can

(b) prices low compared with our competitors (d) regular training courses

16. We enter _____.

(a) a new countrys market after researching the culture thoroughly

(b) a lot of money in research and development

(c) more than one billion dollars annually on marketing

(d) an e-mail system, which helps the ideas fly around

17. We keep _____.

(a) prices low compared with our competitors (c) regular meetings with our counterparts

(b) the most advanced technology (d) the market leader in communications

18. We are _____.

(a) the market leader in communications (c) two or three weeks training

(b) close relationship with the supplier (d) a lot of business abroad

19. We spend _____.

(a) some new branches in major cities (c) more than one billion dollars annually on marketing

(b) sales representatives all over the world (d) the most advanced technology

20. We have got _____.

(a) sales representatives all over the world (c) the market leader in communications

(b) prices low compared with our competitors (d) more than one billion dollars annually on marketing

(2) CURRENT ACTIVITIES.

Choose the correct answer to complete the following sentences.

1. Is the research department _____ any new products or services ?

(a) developing (b) working (c) spending (d) going

2. We are _____ a new factory in Barcelona.

(a) working (b) building (c) going (d) spending

3. These products are _____ near the end of their life cycle.

(a) building (b) reorganizing (c) getting (d) taking on

4. The dollar is _____up.

(a) developing (b) introducing (c) expanding (d) going

5. The IT department is _____ a lot of money on new equipment at the moment.

(a) introducing (b) building (c) entering (d) spending

6. Philips are _____ their activities in China.

(a) building (b) expanding (c) calling (d) selling

7. Are they _____ any new markets ?

(a) taking on (b) going (c) entering (d) spending


22

8. Are they _____ any new facilities ?

(a) building (b) spending (c) recruiting (d) going

9. Are they _____ any joint ventures?

(a) storing (b) working in (c) taking on (d) importing

10. Are they _____ new staff ?

(a) spending (b) going (c) entering (d) taking on

11. Are they _____ new technology ?

(a) introducing (b) taking on (c) building (d) spending

12. Are they _____ any work systems?

(a) recruiting (b) going (c) spending (d) reorganizing

V.2.3. REWRITING.

Finish re-writing these questions using the word from the list below.

( turnover / value / employees / based / profits / manufacture)

1. Where is the head office of your company ?

Where is your ..?

2. How many people work for your company ?

How many there ? How many got ?

What is .?

3. How much money did your company make last year ?

What was (were) your .?

4. How much is your company worth ?

Whats the ?

5. What is the main activity of the company?

What does.. ?

What kind of services ?

V.2.4. LISTENING TASKS.

(1) You will hear six questions about two companies. Complete the following profiles.

Q and A SOFTWARE

Location Turnover

Main activity Pre-tax profits

Main country markets Value of the company

Employees

(2) The illustration below shows the organization of Comex Xpress. Listen to the training officer explaining the

company structure to some new employees. Then complete the chart below using the given words or phrase

from the box.


23

(a) Finance (b) Credit Controllers (c) Sales & Marketing (d) Export Clerks (e) Sales Manager (f) Personnel Manager (g) Sales Rep (h) Chief Accountant (I) Human Resources (j) Account Clerks (k) After-sales Clerks (l) Recruitment Officer (m) Pay Clerks (n) Julie Nicolson (o) Joshua Goldfinger (p) Sheila Barrett (q) Training Officer (r) Purchasing Officer

(3) Now listen to interviews with some people and complete the chart.

Speaker Department Current projects

Frank Sending reminders to slow payers

Suzanne

Peter

Uschi

Rolando

Elke

(4) Listen to the speaker. Make notes on the company.

1. Employees : . 2. Subsidiaries : .

3. Turnover : . 4. Location of parent company : .

5. Number of products : . 6. Joint venture partner : .

- Chief Executive Officer - Mr. Bateman

- Production

- Plant Manager - Tom Mc Ewan

- Technicians - Maintenance Officers - Quality Controllers - Packaging & Dispatch Clerks


24

unit 3. Describing trends.

I. FORMS

Trends are changes or movements. These changes are normally in numerical items, e.g. costs, production volumes or

employment. There are three basic trends:

For each trend there are a number of verbs and nouns to express the movement, We can divide the verbs into

transitive and intransitive. After a transitive verb we must put an object. After an intransitive verb we cannot put a direct

object.

VERBS NOUNS

TRANSITIVE INTRANSITIVE

Increase increase increase

raise Rise rise

put/push/step up go/be up

Grow growth

extend extension

expand Expand expansion

Boom boom

VERBS NOUNS


decrease decrease decrease

drop Drop drop

Fall fall

push/put down go/be down

Decline decline

cut cut

reduce reduction

collapse collapse

Slump slump

VERBS NOUNS


keep/holdstable/constant remain stable stability

maintain(at the same level) stay constant


25

Other expressions.

a. To stand at : we use this phrase to focus on a particular point, before we mention the trends of movements.

b. To reach a peak of

II. DESCRIBING THE RATE OF CHANGE & THE SIZE OF CHANGE.

Example 1. Turnover has increased rapidly

There has been a rapid increase in turnover.

Example 2. Turnover has increased noticeably.

There has been a noticeable increase in turnover.

An adjective describes a noun ( a thing )

An adverb describes a verb ( an action )

Write the appropriate adverbs for the adjectives below .

Speed or rate of change Size of change

Rapid Noticeable

Slow Substantial

Sudden Considerable

Sharp Slight

Steady Significant

Gradual Dramatic

Fast Negligible

Decide whether these words indicate a fast , medium or

slow change.

Decide whether these words indicate a small , medium or

large change.

III. DESCRIBING THE DIFFERENCE AND THE END POINT .

Notice the prepositions.

Describing the difference.

We use "by" with the verb and "of" with the noun .

Describing the end point.

We use "to" with the verb and "to" with the noun .

IV. PRACTICE .

IV.1. MATCHING.

Look at the graph. Match words in the first column with their opposites in the second column.

rose

to rise

a climb

an increase

to increase

slightly

go up

fell

go down

a decrease

to decrease

sharply

to fall

a fall


26

IV.2. SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION.

Rewrite each sentence so that its meaning remains unchanged .

1. The share of physical mail in the communications market will decrease by 26% by 2011,

There ..

2. The share of physical mail in the communications market will decrease to less than 15% of the total market.

There .

3. The share of telephone and fax will hardly change by 2011,

The share of telephone and fax will remain .. .

IV.3. EXPLAINING RELATIONSHIPS.

IV.3.1. Make similar sentences for the following relationships.

Ratio 2:1 X is double/ two times/twice Y Ratio 1:2 Y is a half of / half X

Ratio 3:1 X is treble/ three times Y Ratio 1:3 Y is one/a third of X

Ratio 4:1 X is four times Y Ratio 1:4 Y is one/a quarter of X

Ratio 5:1 X is five times Y Ratio 1:5 Y is one/ a fifth of X.

1. middle-income countries - an annual increase of 6% ( domestic mail traffic).

Low-income countries : 2%

2. return on investment $2,000 - original investment $500

3. cable costs 2003 $500 per kilometer - cable costs 1999 $125 per kilometer

4. new system 48 channels - old system 24 channels.

5. the share of electronic mail 2000: 5 % - the share of electronic mail 2010: 10 %

IV.3.2. Graph drawing.

Draw graphs showing the following relationships.

1. The greater the number of channels, the lower the cost of transmission.

2. The greater the degree of network digitalization, the fewer the exchanges.

3. The higher the degree of automation, the lower the number of manual operators.

IV.4. READING.


27

IV.4.1. Transfer the information in this text to the pie chart that follows.

Company training expenditure.

In 2010, spending on training will increase inmost sections of the company although, as the figures make clear, the

amounts for Products and Line management will not be as high as in 2009. The former will have $33,000 allocated, the

latter $22,000. Personnel in Marketing and Research and Development department were often unable to take part in

in-service training in 2009 because of unusual heavy workloads. To compensate for this, we plan to make large

increases in their training budgets for 2010. $20,000 and $25,000 will be spent on Marketing and R&D respectively.

Finally, supervisory staff will have the same amount allocated as this year. Total expenditure will be increased by

$8,000.

IV.4.2. Now look at this graph showing sales and complete the following sentences.

1. In February, sales increased $80,000.

2. The following month, there was a further increase $20,000.

3. In April, they remained constant$100,000.

4. In the next two month, they dropped.$40,000.

???

R & D

Marketing

15,000

18,000

35,000

???

24,000

Supervisory

staff

???

2009

Product management

R & D

???

20,000

???

???

???

22,000

???

40,000

2010


28

5. As a result of this fall, they were back $60,000 in June.

6. The next three month saw a steady rise$120,000 in September.

7. This was followed by a dramatic fall $40,000 in October.

8. Sales rose in December to finish the year $100,000.

140000

120000

100000

80000

60000

40000

20000

J F M A M J J A S O N D

IV.4.3. Describing graphs.

(1) For questions 1-5, which chart does each sentence describe?

1. Interest rates decreased throughout the whole period.

2. Interest rates rose slightly and then remained stable.

3. Although slightly lower in February, interest rates remained high throughout the period.

4. At first, interest rates were stable but they fell sharply in April.

5. Interest rates continued to rise to a high point of 15%.

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

24

6810

1214

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR


29

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

5

10

15

20

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR

0

5

10

15

20

25

JAN FEB MAR APR

(2) For questions 6-10, which chart does each sentence describe?

0%

5%

10%

15%

2002 2003 2004

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2002 2003 2004

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2002 2003 2004

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2002 2003 2004

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2002 2003 2004 2005

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

2002 2003 2004 2005


30

6. After a small increase in unemployment rate in 2003, there was a sharp fall in 2004.

7. Unemployment rate increased steadily from 2002 to 2004.

8. Unemployment rate dropped during 2003 but rose again in 2004 to exceed the 2002 rate.

9. Unemployment rate hardly changed throughout the period, except for a slight increase in 2003.

10. A steady fall in unemployment rate during 2003 and 2004 followed the sharp increase in 2002.

(3) Choose the graph (A-E) which best fits each sentence. You can use each graph more than once.

1. The inflation rate has remained steady over the past year.

2. The Infotel share price has skyrocketed on news of the merger.

3. Aventi Corporation shares advanced to $2.80.

4. Exports to the US have stagnated over the past year.

5. Demand for cheap air travel has increased dramatically.

6. The CAC 40 has fallen recently but now seems to have bottomed out.

7. The trade surplus has been growing slowly but steadily over the past three years

(4) Questions 8-9 refer to the following tables.

8. First Quarter Sales Figures

This year ($ million) Last year ($ million) Two years ago ($ million)

Export Sales 46 48 38

Export sales (a) decreased sharply last year. (b) have fallen following a large increase.

(c) have risen for the last two years. (d) have increased sharply

9.

% GDP Growth

2003 2004 2005

93.1 92.4 102.3

(a) GDP growth has been decreasing in the past three years.

(b) GDP growth has been increasing in the past three years.

(c) GDP growth dropped slightly but increased again in 2005.

(d) GDP growth increased slightly but dropped again in 2005.

IV.5. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS.

Ask and answer questions about the figures given in the following tables.

Figure 1. PROFIT AND LOST ACCOUNT (GRAPHIC IMAGES PLC)

THIS YEAR (m) LAST YEAR (m)

HOME SALES 189 175

EXPORT SALES 181 191

TOTAL SALES 370 366

COST OF SALES (254) (255)


31

GROSS PROFIT 116 111

DISTRIBUTION COSTS (17) (17)

ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS (35) (30)

PROFIT BEFORE TAX 64 64

TAX (23) (22)

PROFIT AFTER TAX 41 42

DIVIDEND (36) (34)

RETAINED PROFIT 5 8

Figure 2.

ROYSTON ( reduction in staff ) HARROW ( increases in staff )

NATURAL WASTAGE

Resigned 12

Retired 4

Early retirement 8

OTHER REDUCTIONS

Redundancies 26

Transferred 30

Dismissed --

Employees transferring 30

New employees 20

Training scheme recruits 10

Total reduction 80 Total Increase 60

Figure 3.

Region Last year This year Target Difference (%)

North 4,200 5,250 6,000 -12.5

West 5,400 7,300 7,000 +4.3

East 4,110 5,500 5,500 0

South-west 2,950 4,600 4,600 0

South-east 4,100 5,650 5,800 -2.6

Midlands 2,950 4,250 4,000 +6.25

Example 1: A. Whats happened to sales this year ?

B. Theyve increased / gone up / risen .

Example 2. How many workers have resigned?

How many staff have they taken on?


32

Example 3. A. How many units did they sell in the North last year?

B. They sold 4,200.

A. And how many have they sold this year ?

B. Theyve sold 5,250. They havent achieved their target.

Study the sales results in figure 3. Which regions

have achieved their target ? have exceeded their target ? havent achieved their target ?

IV.6. LISTENING.

Listen to the conversation. Are the following statements true or false ?

1. T F Sales remained at 8000 units in January and February.

2. T F The Spring sales campaign began in May.

3. T F Sales increased to 7000 in March and rose by 1000 units in April.

4. T F Their competitors launched a rival product. Therefore, sales fell to 5000 units in May.

5. T F Sales fell to 1000 units in June.

6. T F Sales rose to 5000 units in July and then 6000 units in August because we raised

our discounts to the wholesalers.

7. T F Sales increased to 13,000 units in September.

8. T F Sales fell to 13,000 units in October because of the Christmas orders.

9. T F Sales went down to 6000 units in November because the Christmas orders stopped.

10. T F Sales stayed at 7,000 units until the end of the year.


33

unit 4. Work and motivation.

I. WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY.

I.1. READING.

You may have noticed that the statements above can be separated into two groups reflecting two very different ways

in which employers can treat their employees. These two approaches were summarized by a well-known American

theorist of the psychology of work, Douglas McGregor, who named them Theory X and Theory Y.

THEORY X AND THEORY Y.

In The Human Side of Enterprise, Douglas McGregor outlined two opposing theories of work and motivation. What he

calls Theory X, is the traditional approach to workers and working which assumes that people are lazy and dislike

work, and that they have to be both threatened (for example, with losing their job) and rewarded. It assumes that most

people are incapable of taking responsibility for themselves and have to be looked after. Theory Y, on the contrary,

assumes that people have a psychological need to work and want achievement and responsibility.

Later theorists argued that Theory Y makes much greater demands on both workers and managers that McGregor

realized. Abraham Maslow, for example, spent a year studying a Californian company that used Theory X, and

concluded that its demands for responsibility and achievement are excessive for many people. He pointed out that

there are always weak and vulnerable people, with little self-discipline, who need protection against the burden of

responsibility. Even strong and healthy people need the security of order and direction. Managers cannot simply

substitute Theory Y for Theory X. They have to replace the security provided by Theory X with a different structure of

security and certainty.

I.2. PRACTICE.

I.2.1. Read the following text and then classify the statements above according to which theory they support.

Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Theory

1. People dislike work and avoid it if they can.

2. Work is necessary to peoples psychological well-being.

3. People avoid responsibility and would rather be told what to do.

4. People are motivated mainly by money.

5. Most people are far more creative and ingenious than their employers realize.

6. People are motivated by anxiety about their security.

7. People want to be interested in their work and, given the right conditions, they will enjoy it.

8. Under the right conditions, most people will accept responsibility and want to realize their own potential.

I.2.2. Read the text again and select the best word (phrase) to complete the following sentences.


34

1. According to Theory X, employers have to threaten workers because _____.

(a) the threat of losing their jobs often makes people work better

(b) workers are scared of their employers

(c) workers want to be directed

(d) workers enjoy being treated like children

2. According to Theory Y, employers should give their workers responsibilities because _____.

(a) a responsible job is necessary to peoples psychological well-being

(b) employees need security at work

(c) employees hate work and they will try to avoid it whenever they can

(d) they will earn more money if they are given more responsibilities

3. Maslow criticized Theory Y because _____.

(a) this theory is impractical

(b) there are people who are unable to take on responsibility and self-discipline

(c) people are imaginative, creative and view work as being as natural as play and rest

(d) control and punishment are the only mechanisms to make people work

4. Maslow argued that even though they might want to be given responsibilities at work _____.

(a) they also require the security that comes from being given instructions

(b) they also ask for constant supervision

(c) they also need to be praised by their employers

(d) they also need opportunities for self-development

II. MOTIVATING PERSONNEL.

II.1. READING.

The word motivation determines so much about how we feel and perform in our professional life. How happy we are.

With what degree of enthusiasm or reluctance we begin each new day. How eager we are to get to work, or how much

we dread getting started. How often we look at the clock to see how many more hours we have ahead of us, or how

little time we have left to finish all the things we want to do. How happily or reluctantly we look forward to retirement.

How loyal we feel towards our boss and our employer.

Irrespective of what all the experts on motivation expound, there is no doubt that some aspects are more effective than

others, for most people most of the time. The following list does not attempt to prioritize. It is at best risky to prioritize

these elements because different people respond to different motivational impulses in different ways, and even the

same people will not always respond the same way if other circumstances change.

(1) trust (2) support

(3) responsiveness (4) respect

(5) financial considerations

(including non-cash related financial factors such as training

courses, travel, awards, entertaining)

(6) power

(7) loyalty (8) communication

(9) title


35

II.2. PRACTICE.

The following questionnaire was given to staff at different levels in a number of companies. Fill it in by placing a next

to the six items which motivate you most in your work.

1 Job security 14. Feeling my job is important

2. Respect for me 15 Opportunities to travel

3. Adequate rest periods 16. Having a written job description

4. Good pay 17. Being praised by my boss

5. Pleasant working conditions 18. Being assessed

6. Chance to turn out quality work 19. Being involved in decision-making

7. Good atmosphere 20. Agreement with organizations objectives

8. Sanctions for poor performance 21. Opportunity for self-development

9. Chance for promotion 22. Trust

10. Having a changeling, interesting

and creative job

23. Good working conditions: enough space, light,

heat and time, not too much noise, and so on.

11. Good internal communication 24. Having a supportive supervisor

12. Not having to work too hard 25. Having a lot of freedom

13. An adequate wage or salary, and

benefits such as paid holidays, sick

pay, a pension, health care, etc.

26. Financial considerations

(including non-cash related financial factors such

as training courses, travel, awards, entertaining)

III. DESCRIBING YOUR JOB.

III.1. ASKING & TALKING ABOUT YOUR JOB.

Two common questions to ask about someones job are:

What do you do?

Or What do you do for a living?

You start your answer by explaining the general area in which you work.

Ex: I work in the tourist industry.

Talking about your responsibility / jobs.

a. I am responsible for the day-to-day organization of the company.

b. I am in charge of the Personnel Department.

c. My job is to keep an eye on the day-to-day work of other workers.

d. I deals with new customers.

Responsibility. .. is responsible for the day to day running of is in charge of . .runs the agency in Paris. Job. .deals with new customers. .looks after the machinery

.sees to repairs.

Position. . Over him/her there are .. . There are.under her/him. . He reports to . She is responsible to .


36

e. I looks after the machinery.

f. I takes care of customers accounts.

g. I represents the workers interests in disputes with the management in the company.

III.2. PRACTICE.

III.2.1. MATCHING.

(1) Match the beginnings of the sentence with the groups of endings below.

Im a. an (oil) company

a firm of accountants

IBM

a(n) publishing / television company

I work for b. advertising

the (financial) sector.

the (fashion) industry.

the travel industry.

I work (am) in c. a consultant with a (software company)

in the (tourist) industry.

self-employed.

(2). Match the description with the area of work.

1. You work with computers and telecommunications.

2. You work for a big department store.

3. You deal with insurance, pensions, loans, etc.

4. You are responsible for a companys sales strategy.

5. You deal with your companys clients.

6. You work for an advertising agency.

a. Im in marketing.

b. Im in IT.

c. Im in financial services.

d. Im in customer services

e. Im in advertising

f. Im in retail

(3) Match the job description with the position.

1. The person who welcomes visitors and deals with their enquiries.

2. The person who deals with any problems with the staff.

3. The person who does general jobs in an office.

4. The person who assists the managing director.

5. The person who is responsible for selling the goods.

6. The person who is responsible for making the goods.

7. The person who is in charge of a team of workers.

8. The boss.

9. The person who runs the office day-to-day.

10. The person who is responsible for testing samples as the goods are produced.

11. The person who is responsible for looking after the staffs interest.


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12. The person who does hard, physical work.

13. The person who makes sure that all the doors and windows have good locks on them.

14. The person who gives information to the press, TV, etc. about the company.

15. The person who sells goods to the public.

a. admin

assistant

d. PA

(personal assistant)

g. security officer j. supervisor

m. administrator

b. personnel

manager

e. quality

controller

h. production

manager

k. public relations

officer

n. union

representative

c. receptionist f. managing director i. sales manager l. laborer o. sales assistant

III.2.2. SENTENCE COMPLETION.

Choose the best word to fill each gap.

1. My jobs so boring. Its _____ thing day after day.

(a) the similarity (b) the same (c) same as (d) the difference

2. Its so _____. I just sit there all day filling in forms.

(a) repetitive (b) repeatedly (c) repetition (d) bored

3. This jobs so stressful. Its _____ me ill.

(a) doing (b) having (c) getting (d) making

4. I _____ it very challenging. It requires a lot of concentration and determination.

(a) find (b) think (c) guess (d) have

5. I want to do something a bit different. I wouldnt like a regular nine-to-five _____.

(a) work (b) job (c) career (d) all of these

6. I work in advertising. The pays pretty good but theres not much _____.

(a) job security (b) safety job (c) certainty job (d) security job

7. Id go mad if I had to do a dead-end _____ like working on a supermarket checkout.

( dead-end: situation offering no prospects of progress )

(a) career (b) job (c) work (d) professional

8. I think I must stop traveling and get myself _____.

(a) a steady job (b) a fixed work (c) a surely occupation (d) a suitable work

9. I dont want to _____ doing the same thing day in day out.

(a) see me (b) find myself (c) find me (d) see mine

10. I dont want to be stuck _____ all day.

(a) behind a desk (b) before a desk (c) beside a desk (d) in front of a desk

11. Im looking for _____. My present full-time job is too much for me at the moment.

(a) another work (b) part-time job (c) part-time work (d) all of these

12. She is very _____. She can adapt to most situation.

(a) passive (b) reliable (c) flexible (d) ambitious


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13. Hes very _____. Hes never late for meetings.

(a) lazy (b) flexible (c) independent (d) punctual

14. He isnt very _____. He takes a day off sick every two weeks.

(a) lazy (b) flexible (c) reliable (d) punctual

15. I havent got much _____. I always worry about what people think of me.

(a) self-confidence (b) self-respect (c) self-conceit (d) self-denial

16. Im hoping to find some _____ while Im at college working in a bar or a shop.

(a) casual work (b) permanent job (c) full-time job (d) temporary career

17. Hes _____. Hes often here long after everyone has gone home.

(a) very boring (b) extremely ambitious (c) very flexible (d) extremely conscientious

III.2.3. QUESTIONS & ANSWERS.

1. How long do you spend : . talking to people?

. on the phone?

. working on your own?

. working with a computer?

. traveling?

(a lot of time / not much time / around (about) half my time / an hour a

day / two hours a week / less than half my time / more than two hours

a day )

2. How often do you:

work overtime? use English at work? travel abroad on business?

entertain customers? have a holiday?

(every day/ once a week / twice a week / three times a month / every year..)

3. What time do you start work in the mornings?

4. And when do you finish?

5. How do you get to work?

6. How long does it take?

7. What do you do to relax in the evenings?

Note: Frequency.

Never hardly ever not often sometimes usually always.

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your job?

. interesting work . length of holidays . flexibility of working hours

. salary or wages . fringe benefits . job security

. level of stress . level of job satisfaction . relationship with colleagues

. level of control over the work organization . pleasant working environment

9. Which of the factors above are most important for you?

10. Which qualities do you need to do your job successfully?


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III.2.4. CLASSIFYING.

Read the following sentences about work conditions and then put them into the correct list below.

1. I do shift-work / I work (in) shifts

2. I may be on the day shift one week and the night shift the next week.

3. I can do overtime if I like.

4. They run a system of flexi-time.

5. I am on flexi-time.

6. I work from home and simply send my work over the internet.

7. I clock in at 8 every day and Im at my desk till 5 p.m.

8. I work part-time (full-time).

9. I work very long hours.

10. We work a lot of extra hours or overtime.

11. I spend about half my time working with a computer. .

12. There are some good fringe benefits with this job for example, they make payments for my pension.

13. Im taking a few days off next week.

14. I get six weeks paid holiday.

15. I get private health insurance.

16. We also get perks, for example free meals.

17. I get a company car / a company mobile phone

18. Theyve got a good pension scheme.

19. I work nine-to-five (regular day work).

20. The company pays for medical treatment.

21. Im hoping to get promoted next year.

22. I will get a higher position next week.

23. They give us a bonus at Christmas.

24. Im on a pretty good salary.

25. I get paid a salary every month.

26. I dont earn very much.

27. I get paid wages very week.

28. We also get tips.

29. It isnt very well-paid.

30. I get a regular pay rise.

31. I get a basic salary, plus commission: a percentage on

everything I sell.

32. If I sell more than a particular amount in a year, I also

get a bonus.

33. The people in production get a bonus if they reach their

targets.

Money Hours

(Ways of working)

Benefits Promotion Holiday

III.2.5. LISTENING.

Look at the notes below. Some information is missing. You will hear a management consultant giving a business

studies lecture about MTF. For each question 1 20, fill in the missing information in the numbered space.

(1) Company name: __________________

(2) Location: __________________

(3) Main activity: __________________


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(4) Date company started: __________________

(5) Turnover: __________________

(6) Companys market position due to: __________________

(7) Planing to invest in: __________________

(8) Factor that plays a large part in the success of the firm: __________________

(9) Relationship between management and staff: __________________

(10) Basic pay: __________________

(11) Holidays: __________________

(12) Rewarding employees with: __________________

(13) Training programme has received: (from local government) __________________

(14) Benefiting from training scheme: __________________

(15) Management structure: __________________

(16) Promoting most of its managers from: __________________

(17) Promoting staff with good: __________________

(18) Investing a lot of money in: __________________

(19) Being confident about: __________________

(20) Business section needing improvement: __________________


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unit 5. Human resources.

I. THE ROLE OF THE PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT.

I.1. READING.

(1)

Personnel refers to all the people who work for a firm. Most large companies have special personnel departments

which are responsible for employer-employee relations. The personnel department is a staff department, which

means that it is not directly involved with production, but that it provides a service to the managers. The most important

services which the personnel department provides are recruiting, that is, finding new workers or managers for the

company, deciding which applicants are most suitable for employment by the firm, and developing and implementing

personnel policies and procedures for the benefit of the company as well as the employees.

(2)

Most businesses continually need to recruit good personnel to replace workers who retire or quit and to fill new jobs

created when the company expands. After management has determined the goals of the company and the positions

needed, the personnel department must find qualified people to fill those positions. Depending upon management

policy and the nature of the position, recruiting may be done internally or externally. Internal recruitment means that

the person chosen for the position is selected from the current employees of the company. This is either by promotion

or transfer. Promotion means an employee receives a job with more authority and responsibility than his present job.

The employee usually expects to receive an increase in salary along with the new position. A transfer refers to a job or

department change for a worker. A transfer without promotion is a lateral transfer. It may involve different working

conditions or different hours. Companies that recruit internally often promote internally, which means that the

managers have worked their way up from lower positions. It may also mean that the company may hire new

employees only at lower positions.

(3)

External recruitment means that the company is looking for new employees from outside the firm. All companies do

some type of external recruitment. If they are looking for employees with special training or education, they will often

recruit at universities campuses. They make arrangements with placement office at the campus to interview graduating

students. Sometimes they are seeking top level managers who they will recruit from other firms, often from their

competitors. Other methods of recruiting involve the use of advertising in newspapers and professional publications,

and even paying a fee or commission to an executive placement service.

(4)

Most recruiting involves a job announcement containing a description of the job. The personnel department produces a

formal job description. If the firm is not well known, the job description may begin with some basic information about

the company and its products. This is usually followed by the title of the position the company wants to fill, for example,

Senior Design Engineer or Vice President in charge of Finance. Then the duties and responsibilities of the job are

given, as well as where that position fits in the organization chart (that is, who the person reports to and who the

person supervises). Next appear the qualifications for the job, such as the professional training or skills needed. The

salary and fringe benefits paid for by the company should also be mentioned. Finally, the job description will tell the

applicant exactly what to do if he is interested in the position.


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(5)

The personnel department should have a method for choosing the best candidate from among the applicants for the

positions. In some companies this may involve testing prospective employees. Civil service or government jobs often

require applicants to compete with each other on written tests. Those applicants with the highest score are selected for

an interview. Other companies may assign points for certain items on the application form, such as experience or

education. They may then total the points and select the applicants with the highest totals. After the applicants have

been evaluated, the best qualified applicants are invited to an interview. In the interview the applicants personality and

ability to work with others may be judged.

(6)

Some people feel the most important function of the personnel department is the development of personnel policies.

For efficiency and fairness, a company should have a specific formal written procedure for dealing with its employees.

Otherwise, decisions must be made on a case by case basis, and this could adversely affect employee morale. These

procedures should state working conditions, salary scale and fringe benefits such as paid vacation, paid sick leave,

group insurance, pension and retirement plan all things received in addition to pay. Part of the policy may also

include a procedure for notifying employees of openings or promotional opportunities. In addition, there is often a

procedure for handling grievances, which an employee can use if he feels that he has been treated unfairly by the

employer. All of these items may be part of a union contract between the employer and the employees who are

members of a union.

I.2. PRACTICE.

I.2.1. SENTENCE COMPLETION.

Select the answer which best completes the meaning of the sentence.

1. The personnel department must decide which applicants are the most suitable for ______.

a. benefits b. employment c. employee d. promotion

2. To fill the vacancy in the accounting department, they are seeking for the person who is best ______.

a. promoted b. competitive c. qualified d. authorized

3. The person being promoted receives more ______.

a. authority b. responsibility c. salary d. all of these

4. If a company is recruiting new employees, they might ______.

a. advertise in newspapers c. qualify for the job

b. promote a new employee d. none of these

5. Companies which recruit internally hire new workers ______.

a. at all levels b. at the managerial level c. at beginning levels d. all of these

6. The job description tells about a job opening at a company. It would most likely state ______.

a. the supervisors name c. what the applicant looks like

b. the duties and responsibilities d. the applicants name

7. As personnel director, he is authorized to issue employee identification. Issuing employee identification is one of

his ______.

a. authorities b. requirements c. qualifications d. responsibilities


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8. The personnel policies should provide a method for settling employee grievances. An employee who has a

grievance ______.

a. may be promoted c. should fill out an application

b. will be fired d. thinks he was treated unfairly

9. The committee will base their decision on the applicants qualifications. This means they will decide whom to

______.

a. apply b. qualify c. authorize d. hire

10. The personnel department announces a promotional examination next week. This examination is intended for

______.

a. supervisors b. new recruits c. current employees d. competitors

I.2.2. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.

Answer the following questions.

1. What two methods do employers use to select applicants for an interview?

2. What can interviews reveal about the applicants?

3. What is a prospective employee?

4. Besides recruiting and choosing new workers, what is another important function of the personnel department?

5. Why does a company need to have a policy which is written down ?

What could be the result of not having an established policy?

6. What are fringe benefits?

7. Under what conditions are there grievances?

8. According to the article, what is one function of a union?

I.2.3. LISTENING & NOTE-TAKING SKILLS.

Listen to Paragraph 1 and 2 and write an outline of them.

I.2.4. REPHRASING WORDS.

Rewrite the following sentences. Replace the words in italics with expressions from the text which have the same

meaning.

1. The personnel department is a service department.

2. Businesses continually need to find good personnel to take the place of workers who quit because of old age.

3. If they are looking for managers, they might recruit from another company in the same business.

4. Often there is a policy for handling complaints about treatment.

5. Because of his accomplishm

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