seminar engleza business

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Universitatea Babeş-Bolyai Cluj-Napoca

Centrul de Formare Continuă, Învăţământ la

Distanţă și cu Frecvență Redusă

Facultatea de Business

SUPORT DE CURS

Curs practic de limbi moderne aplicate în domeniul afacerilor -

limba engleză

ANUL I, semestrul I si II

Cluj-Napoca

2014-2015

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ENGLISH FOR 1ST YEAR BUSINESS STUDENTS I. GENERAL REMARKS Teacher Name: Anda Ionescu Office: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, 58 T. Mihali st., Cluj-Napoca, room 016 (ground floor) Telephone: 0264-418655 E-mail: [email protected] Tutorials: any time, at the given e-mail address

Course identification information: Course title: Practical course of business English Course code: ELU0011, ELU0012 first year, 2 semesters Course type: compulsory Tutor: Anda Ionescu e-mail address: [email protected]

The course addresses intermediate (Common European Framework of Reference B1) students. To help you decide what level you are, we suggest you use the following descriptors of language ability as given by the Common European Framework of Reference.

level description

A1

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

A2

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

B1

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

B2

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

C1

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.

C2

Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages)

It is absolutely necessary that students whose level is lower than intermediate should work individually to reach that level. To this purpose, students can use practical grammars which contain essential

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theoretical information and practical tasks (see Suggested bibliography) or take English language courses offered by specialised institutions. COURSE DESCRIPTION

Objectives The purpose of English for1st Year Business Students is to develop the written and oral communication skills of business students. The course focuses on two vital areas of the learning process: improving reading and writing skills as well as developing learning skills. The subject matter, drawn from various business fields, is not excessively specialised.

Structure Eight units are devoted to training students in the skills of reading, developing vocabulary, and writing. These units are designed to help students:

Become familiar with the various vocabulary items related to business English Become familiar with the various expressions related to specific language functions Improving reading skills by focusing on both content and the use of theses expressions in

task-based writing exercises Build up writing skills by practising the contextual use of the vocabulary items and focusing

on grammar in controlled practice exercises. Learn and review basic business vocabulary

The structure of the units is systematic, concise and explicit, responsive to the variety of communicative circumstances in business. The content is formative, aiming at developing students’ awareness of the need for communicating correctly in a foreign language. Mainly designed to be used as self-study material, the book intends to encourage students to take individual study more seriously, to offer standardised exercises, to provide concrete examples, to focus on language use (knowledge of language, language skills, awareness of the nature of learning, awareness of the reading process, attitudes to reading: unknown words, strategies, ‘meaning’, opportunities for discussion/ exchanges of opinion). The texts provide opportunities for review and expansion of the skills throughout the year. Furthermore, the units’ organisation allows the student to take advantage of individual study. The abundance of material in the texts makes them easily adaptable to varying learner interests, student specialties, and language levels.

The units of the book deal with texts that offer the possibility of learning specific vocabulary, grammar structures and functional language in appropriate contexts. The tasks students will have to carry out will help them develop their language skills in an integrated way, i.e. extracting the main ideas from a text// taking notes etc. The structure of most units is the following:

a. Lead-in b. Reading c. Vocabulary development d. Language focus e. Functions

The lead-in section is devised to introduce students to the topic of the unit. It consists of questions or exercises that forecast the subject matter to be dealt with in the reading section. The reading section contains texts that offer both information connected with the business environment and the opportunity to improve and enrich students’ vocabulary with new words and expressions.

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The vocabulary development section offers explanation of some of the lexical items from the text and expands the learning context to the lexical areas of the words/ expressions studied. It presents both general and specialised vocabulary and the activities initiated here require sustained individual work with the dictionary. The language focus section starts from examples found in the text. It has two sub-sections: one that deals with the theoretical input of a certain grammar problem (rules, examples etc.) and the second – Practice – that contains different types of exercises. However, students should decide whether they need more practice and if so, they should use additional self-study materials (practical grammars). The functions section contains a number of expressions that represent certain language functions. This may help students become familiar with the context in which these expressions are used. The section also contains suggested writing activities in order to focus attention on individual activities that offer the possibility of making use of the knowledge acquired within each unit, as a whole. In some units there is a section entitled English in Use. This section aims at familiarising students with the structure of the Language in Use section of the language ability examination that they will have to take on graduation.

Course calendar The eight units will be approached in the order they appear, i.e. the first four units in the first semester and the remaining four in the second semester. Every semester students will have classes with the teacher twice, four hours each time. Before coming to class, students should study the units planned as follows:

First semester First meeting – units 1 and 2, Introduction to Business Communication and Presentations Second meeting – units 3 and 4, The Structure of the Firm and Business Ethics

Second semester

First meeting – units 5 and 6, Management and Recruitment Second meeting – units 7 and 8, Business Travel and Culture and Civilisation

The classes are mainly aimed at checking students’ individual work and answering possible questions, clarifying whatever aspects students may have found difficult to understand. We would like to insist on the fact that attending the classes alone cannot give students the necessary knowledge of English. Self-study is extremely important in acquiring a foreign language especially for long-distance students who are not exposed to the weekly classroom context. Reading newspaper articles in English (the Internet is an inexhaustible resource) and looking up unknown vocabulary can be of great help.

Assessment Students will have to complete three homework assignments during each semester. These assignments carry 30% of the final mark. Every semester students will have to take a written test. The test will mainly consist of:

grammar and vocabulary tasks – 50%

questions referring to the topics covered during the semester (the questions that appear as reflection topics in the STOP AND THINK! sections) – 50%

The final mark will be calculated as follows: homework assignments – 30% final test – 70%

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It is very important that students understand that this practical course book does not contain the entire vocabulary of the English language! That would be impossible. Consequently, students should understand that in the test they may have to deal with tasks containing vocabulary that does not appear in the course book but which they are supposed to know at the intermediate level. The type and structure of the tasks that will appear in the test will be the same as those of the tasks that appear in the course book. However, they will not necessarily be identical since the aim of the test is not to assess students’ memory, but their ability to use the acquired knowledge in communication situations. Theoretical knowledge will not be tested. Students should be able to speak the language not about it. It is not compulsory to attend the classes. However, contributing to the class can bring you 1 additional point to the final mark.

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Suggested Bibliography *** Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary (London: Collins ELT, Harper Collins Publishers, 2003) Budai, L., Gramatica engleză – teorie şi exerciţii (Bucureşti: Teora, 2001) A.J. Thomson, A.V. Martinet, A Practical English Grammar (London: Oxford University Press, 1996) Vince, M., Advanced Language Practice (London: MacMillan Heinemann ELT, 1994) Vince, M., Intermediate Language Practice (London: MacMillan Heinemann ELT, 1998) Mann, Malcolm &Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination B2, MacMillan Mann, Malcolm &Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination C1&C2, MacMillan Swan, Michael (2009). Practical English Usage, OUP

Swan, Michael, Baker, David (2012). Grammar Scan. Diagnostic Tests for Practical English Usage, OUP Websites http://www.cambridge.org/elt/dictionaries/cald.htm, http://www.pearson.ch/LanguageTeaching/Dictionaries/Dictionaries-British/1449/9780582306066/New-Edition-Longman-Business-English.aspx, http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/home.htm, http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/isbn/0-19-431243-7?cc=global. Free-access online dictionaries: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/, http://www.ldoceonline.com/, http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/teachersites/oald7/?cc=global.

Further Vocabulary Study UNIT 1 Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice, p. 199-202; Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, p. 212-216; 219-220 UNIT 2 Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice, pp. 236-238; Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, pp. 224-227 UNIT 3 Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, pp. 203-206; 209-213; 220-223 UNIT 4 Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice, pp. 231-233; 242-244 Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, pp. 192-196 UNIT 5 Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, pp. 203-205; 209-213; 216-219 UNIT 6 Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice, pp. 199-202

Further Language Study THE TENSE SYSTEM Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice Tense consolidation – Units 1 – 4 (pp. 1-24) Progress Test (pp. 25-29) Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice Units 2 – 9 (pp. 3-36) Problems, Errors and Consolidation (p. 37) A.J. Thomson, A.V. Martinet – A Practical English Grammar The present tenses (pp. 152-162) The past and perfect tenses (pp. 161-179) The future (pp. 180-194)

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GERUND/INFINITIVE Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice Unit 19 (pp. 107-113) Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice Units 38 – 39 (pp. 152-165) A.J. Thomson, A.V. Martinet – A Practical English Grammar The infinitive (p. 212-227) The gerund (pp. 228-233) Infinitive and gerund constructions (pp. 234-238) ACTIVE/PASSIVE Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice Units 6-7 (pp. 30-40) Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice Units 15 – 16 (pp. 58-63) A.J. Thomson, A.V. Martinet – A Practical English Grammar The passive voice (pp. 263-268) MODALS Michael Vince – Advanced Language Practice Units 11-12 (pp. 59-70) Michael Vince – Intermediate Language Practice Units 17 – 18 (pp. 64-71) A.J. Thomson, A.V. Martinet – A Practical English Grammar May and can for permission and possibility (pp. 128-133) Can and be able for ability (pp. 134-136) Ought, should, must, have to, need for obligation (pp. 137-146) Must, have, will and should for deduction and assumption (pp. 147-149)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

UNIT ONE – INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION ........... 10

UNIT TWO – PRESENTATIONS ................................................................. 24

UNIT THREE – THE STRUCTURE OF THE FIRM ...................................... 36

UNIT FOUR – BUSINESS ETHICS ............................................................. 47

UNIT FIVE – MANAGEMENT ...................................................................... 56

UNIT SIX – RECRUITMENT ........................................................................ 73

UNIT SEVEN – BUSINESS TRAVEL .......................................................... 87

UNIT EIGHT – CULTURE AND CIVILISATION .......................................... 93

APPENDIX 1 – ADJECTIVES + OBLIGATORY PREPOSITION .............. 108

APPENDIX 2 – GRAMMAR FILES ............................................................ 110

FUNCTIONS FILES ................................................................................... 134

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UNIT 1 – INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS

COMMUNICATION

GLOSSARY – BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY

Students should be able to use the vocabulary under INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION to communicate about:

Communication in business settings

Importance of communicating effectively

Factors that influence effective communication

Qualities of a good communicator

Forms of communication

Forms of written communication

Forms of spoken communication

Formal versus informal language

Prevention of communication breakdowns

Verbal and non-verbal communication

be in communication with somebody noun [U] FORMAL

biodata noun [U]

business card noun [C]

by word of mouth

communication noun

conversation noun [C or U]

corporate communication [U]

correspondence noun [U]

discourse noun FORMAL

engage sb in conversation FORMAL

etiquette noun [U]

exchange noun face-to-face adjective

facsimile noun [C]

fax noun [C, U]

formal adjective

illegible adjective

in short

in writing

indecipherable adjective

informal adjective

information noun [U]

interface noun [C]

IT noun [U]

legible adjective

manners plural noun

means of communication noun [C]

message verb [T]

networking noun [U]

nonverbal communication noun [U]

pleasantry noun [C] FORMAL

polite adjective

political correctness noun [U]

respect noun [U]

share verb

shoptalk noun [U]

shorthand for sth

small talk noun [U]

speech noun

stationery noun [U]

talk noun [C, U]

telegram noun [C]

telex noun [C or U]

template noun [C]

tete-a-tete noun [C]

text verb [T]

the Internet noun

virtual adjective

well-mannered adjective

window noun [C]

word processing noun [U]

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UNIT ONE – INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

1. Communication

1.1. Lead-in

COMMUNICATION definition: the process by which people exchange information or express their thoughts and feelings

(Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English)

Forms and Components of Human Communication Humans communicate in order to share knowledge and experiences. Common forms of human communication include sign language, speaking, writing, gestures, and broadcasting. Communication can be interactive, transactive, intentional, or unintentional; it can also be verbal or nonverbal. Communication varies considerably in form and style when considering scale. Internal communication, within oneself, is intrapersonal while communication between two individuals is interpersonal. At larger scales of communication both the system of communication and media of communication change. Small group communication takes place in settings of between three and 12 individuals creating a different set of interactions than large groups such as organisational communication in settings like companies or communities. At the largest scales mass communication describes communication to huge numbers of individuals through mass media. Communication also has a time component, being either synchronous or asynchronous. There are a number of theories of communication that attempt to explain human communication. However, various theories relating to human communication have the same core philosophy. Communication follows a five-step process, which begins with the creation of a message and then sending it to another individual, organisation or a group of people. This message is received and then interpreted. Finally this message is responded to, which completes the process of communication.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication)

STOP AND THINK! What possible barriers to interpersonal communication can you identify? What language is mainly used in international communication? Why?

1.2. Reading

Read the following short texts referring to communication and answer the questions that follow.

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Text 1.

"Have you ever said to yourself, "I wish I had spoken up"? Or, "If only I had introduced myself"? Or, "Did I say the wrong thing"? Conversational Confidence is the answer. Just by listening, you'll master the proven interpersonal skills you need to deal with every individual, every group, every occasion. The result? New doors will open to you. You won't hesitate to accept an invitation, to approach someone important, to seize an opportunity. You'll never again feel like an outsider. Success will naturally flow your way--and with less effort than you ever imagined possible."

~verbalAdvantage (advertisement in The New Republic, March 12, 2001)

1. Why are people sometimes reluctant to speak up their minds? 2. What is the role of listening in a conversation? 3. How can people develop their communication skills?

Text 2.

"'Communication' is a registry of modern longings. The term evokes a utopia where nothing is misunderstood, hearts are open, and expression is uninhibited. Desire being most intense when the object is absent, longings for communication also index a deep sense of dereliction in social relationships. ... 'Communication' is a rich tangle of intellectual and cultural strands that encodes our time's confrontations with itself. To understand communication is to understand much more. An apparent answer to the painful divisions between self and other, private and public, and inner thought and outer word, the notion illustrates our strange lives at this point in history. It is a sink into which most of our hopes and fears seem to be poured."

John Durham Peters, Speaking into the Air A History of the Idea of Communication (1999, p. 2)

1. According to the author, how can the nature of communication be defined? 2. What does the author mean by “inner thought” and “outer word”? 3. How can misunderstanding appear?

Text 3.

"A word (or in general any sign) is interindividual. Everything that is said, expressed, is located outside the soul of the speaker and does not belong only to him. The word cannot be assigned to a single speaker. The author (speaker) has his own inalienable right to the word, but the listener has his rights, and those whose voices are heard in the word before the author comes upon it also have their rights (after all, there are no words that belong to no one)."

M. Bakhtin Speech Genres and Other Late Essays (Trans. Vern McGee). Austin: University of Texas Press, 1986, p. 121

1. What do words refer to? 2. The same word may mean different things to different persons. Try to explain

how this happens. 3. How do new words appear in a language?

1.3. Vocabulary development

1.3.1. Match the phrases in column 1 with their meaning in column 2.

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1. at the hands of sb A. to have finished

2. be at an end B. (not) give careful attention to sb/sth

3. be in sb’s debt C. show your respect for sb by visiting them, going to their funeral, attending a memorial service, etc.

4. beyond the call of duty D. at the beginning of sth

5. give rise to sth E. feel grateful to sb for their help, kindness, etc.

6. have the honour of doing sth F. die in order to protect or save sb/sth

7. hold sway G. say or do sth to show your respect and admiration for sb

8. in large part H. to a great extent

9. lay down you life (for sb/sth) I. make sth definite or complete

10. lay waste to sth J. used to indicate the result or consequence of a situation or action

11. on the threshold of sth K. performed with greater courage or effort than is usual or expected

12. pay (no) heed to sb/sth L. cause something to happen or exist

13. pay tribute to sb M. completely destroy a place or area

14. pay your respects (to sb) N. because of sb’s actions

15. set the seal on sth O. start disagreeing or arguing with sb about sth

16. take issue with sth/sb (over/about sth)

P. be given the opportunity of doing sth that makes you feel proud

17. therein lies sth Q. polite formula when disagreeing with sb

18. with (all due) respect to R. have power or influence over a group of people or a region

1.3.2. Fill in the gaps in the following texts by using the phrases 1-18 given in the vocabulary task 1.3.1. A. (1) ___ the Prime Minister, it is the people of this country who have, (2) ___, suffered (3) ___ his government, and I am sure they will want to (4) ___ his last remark. B. Thousands of people gathered to (5) ___ the many local servicemen who (6) ___ their country. C. Terrorists still (7) ___ in many of the rural areas and (8) ___ the problem. They have already (9) ___ much valuable farmland, and we could be facing yet another drought. Any hopes that this awful situation might (10) ___ look premature. D. James Mauplin’s groundbreaking research not only (11) ___ his highly esteemed books and (12) ___ a glistering academic career, it also put us (13) ___ a major breakthrough in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. I now (14) ___ introducing Professor Mauplin. E. I would like to (15) ___ the young police officer who, (16) ___ his own safety, went to the help of our daughter and saved her from certain death. It was an act of considerable bravery, way (17) ___, and we will forever (18) ___.

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1.3.3. Look at the phrases given in 1.3.1. Then match 1-8 with a-h.

1. have A. rise to something

2. pay B. the seal on something

3. take C. waste to something

4. give D. the honour to do something

5. hold E. tribute to somebody

6. set F. issue with somebody

7. lay down G. sway

8. lay H. your life for something

1.4 Functions

Information exchange Asking for information – useful expressions

Could you tell me...? Do you know...? Do you happen to know...? I'd like to know...

Could you find out...? I'm interested in ... I'm looking for...

2. Communication and the media

NOTE the media noun [uncountable] The noun should always be accompanied by the definite article and should be followed by a verb in the plural.

2.1. Lead in

Answer the following questions: What role do the media play in the society? Are you interested in the news? Do you read newspapers or watch news bulletins? 2.2. Vocabulary development

Group the following words into the three categories given in the table below. Use a dictionary.

journalism newspapers and magazines radio and television

investigative circulation broadcast

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circulation gonzo correspondent columnist editor tabloid pay-per-view channel compact

colour supplement satellite article edition feature column chequebook review

scoop broadcast transmit frequency editorial station show reporter episode.

news bulletin investigative airtime cable commercial broadsheet network

2.3. Reading

Read the following text. To what extent do you agree with it? Give your pros and cons. While reading, fill in the gaps with ONE word.

TIPS TO HELP YOU! What should you do? Every time you have to solve such tasks: - first, read the whole paragraph, as it is, with gaps; sometimes the clue is in the sentence that comes after the gap to be filled; - remember that you have to use ONE word! - decide what part of speech is missing (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, etc.), depending on the natural word order; then, if necessary, concentrate on the form that the identified word should have (number for a noun, tense for a verb, etc.). Remember the tips! They are useful!

The growing role of the media in our society

Paragraph 1 In the world of today, the media have become almost as necessary 1 ___ food and clothing. It is true that the media are playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society; they are a mirror of 2 ___ society. Their duty is to inform, educate and entertain the people. They help us to know what is going on 3 ___ the world. They 4 ___ their lives in danger during attacks or natural disasters, just to inform us of the situation. It is partly due to them that awareness is spreading in the society. It is the media 5 ___ shape our lives. Our lives would be incomplete 6 ___ the media.

Paragraph 2 The media 7 ___ the watchdog of the political democracy. If they 8 ___ their role honestly, they will be a great force in building the nation but, nowadays, the media have become a commercialised sector eying only for news that is hot and sells. 9 ___ of giving important information and educative programmes, all that one gets on television is sensational depiction of all news stories, their only goal being gaining television rating points (TRPs).

Paragraph 3 Every issue is hyped for a day or two, so much so 10 ___ you switch to any channel, they all will be flashing the same story but then when the heat is over there is no following of the case. The news then jostles 11 ___ space with other stories that are carrying the heat then. Even 12 ___ we cannot think of a world without television sets, media has become so much a part of us that to recognise its impact, we need

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to step 13 ___ and consciously think about how they shape our lives and what they are saying.

Paragraph 4 The media affects people’s perspective not 14 ___ through television, but 15 ___ through radio and newspapers. In this way, even many messages 16 ___ which we cannot agree inevitably come to us from diverse constellations of media. They can even be turned 17 ___ our benefit by whetting our understanding and articulation of what we believe; today news channels and even some newspapers are mouthpiece of some political parties. Their work then limits only to spread the ideology of the party 18 ___ than give correct news. People have to judge 19 ___ their own by looking and listening to different channels for the same news and then form a conclusion.

Paragraph 5 The media are an integral part of our society. However, a matter of concern is their excessive intervention in everything. Sometimes, just for making money, insignificant news is given so 20 ___ priority that the real news is not even brought 21 ___ notice. Yes, it does also entertain but again it’s a debatable issue because by ’entertainment’ we mean healthy entertainment and not those nonsense TV serials. So 21 ___ last, like science they are a tool, which we have to use by our judgment to provide maximum satisfaction side by side without harming ourselves. The other disadvantage is that sometimes they also publish or broadcast some vulgar news, and sometimes unessential activities are served 22 ___ very important news and broadcast again and again. This does not broaden the reach of the media.

Paragraph 6 In spite of being sensational and biased, the significance of the media cannot be ignored, especially in an age, in which globalisation and liberalisation have become the order of the day. In this globalised world, the task and duties of the media are increasing day by day. There is still a lot to be done by the media for the betterment of the society.

(adapted from http://www.merinews.com/article/the-growing-role-of-media-in-our-society/136579.shtml)


2.3.1. Match the following words or phrases from the text with their appropriate definition.

1. awareness (par. 1) a. increase someone’s desire for something

2. watchdog (par. 2) b. a person, newspaper etc. that expresses the opinions of a government or a political organisation

3. hyped (par. 3) c. unfairly preferring a person or a group over another

4. whet(ting) (par. 4) d. a person or group of people whose job is to protect the rights of people who buy things and to make sure companies do not do anything illegal or harmful

5. mouthpiece (par. 4) e. to amuse or interest people in a way that gives them pleasure

6. entertain (par. 5) f. very excited or nervous and unable to keep still

7. biased (par. 6) g. knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation

8. betterment (par. 6) h. (formal) improvement, especially in someone’s social and economic position

Make up sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning of the words above. Show them to your neighbour and ask them whether they understand the meaning illustrated. If they don’t, make the necessary corrections.

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2.3.2. Write one word in each gap. 1. Obviously it goes ___ saying that I don’t want you to tell anyone else about this. 2. Reading ___ lines, it seems that the government’s considering tightening media

regulations. 3. I’m afraid that book is ___ of print, but I’ll see if we can find a second-hand copy

for you somewhere. 4. I followed your instructions ___ the letter but I still couldn’t get the printer to work

properly. 5. Getting Elaine to edit your article is just asking ___ trouble; you know how

pedantic and opinionated she is! 6. ___ answer to your question, no, I have never had any business dealings with

Mr Partridge. 7. Even if you’ve got a great idea for a novel, it’s incredibly hard putting pen ___

paper for the first time. 8. Put your ideas down ___ paper and we’ll discuss them at the next meeting. 9. You’ve had some good news, haven’t you? It’s written all ___ your face. 2.3.3. Use the words given in brackets to form a word that fits in the space.

TIPS TO HELP YOU! What should you do? Every time you have to solve such tasks: - decide what part of speech would meaningfully complete the sentence and then use suffixes and/or prefixes typical of that part if speech (e.g. for nouns: -ment, -ness, -ance, -tion, etc.; for adverbs –ly; for adjectives –ous, -ful, etc.); - pay attention to agreement (e.g. number for nouns); - pay attention to spelling! spelling is extremely important in such tasks; if you are not sure, use a dictionary; - read the sentence carefully; sometimes there is a negative connotation that requires the use of prefixes/suffixes with a negative meaning; - do not try to learn words by heart! you cannot remember them all! read as much as possible and use a dictionary! study word families (e.g. employ, employment, employer, employee, unemployment, employable, unemployable). Remember the tips! They are useful!

A. The (1) ___ (SAY) “never judge a book by its cover” could not be more true for Ridiculous Rules by Marjorie Allen. The cover is completely blank, whereas the book is crammed full of wonderful examples and anecdotes. Allen is an (2) ___ (SPEAK) critic of much of what is taught to native and non-native speakers of English, and has issued a (3) ___ (DECLARE) of war against textbooks and style books which tell lies. Take the ridiculous and (4) ___ (MEAN) rule of never ending a sentence with a preposition. The lovely – if famous – story goes, that Winston Churchill, well known for his numerous (5)___ (WRITE) as well as for being British Prime Minister during the Second World War , received a manuscript back from an ignorant (6) ___ (EDIT) who had told him rather rudely that he had to (7) ___ (PHRASE) a sentence which ended with a preposition. Churchill responded by making the simple yet forceful (8) ___ (STATE) in the margin: “This is an impertinence up with which I will not put.” – the (9) ___ (IMPLY) being that not to end a sentence with a preposition

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often sounds ridiculous in English. Sadly, Allen informs us that the story is probably mere (10) ___ (HEAR), and that Churchill may have actually only written “rubbish!” in the margin. B. I love watching (1) ___ (DISCUSS) programmes, and I love politics, so you’d think I’d enjoy watching (2) ___ (POLITICS) being interviewed on TV. But I don’t. All too often, (3) ___ (JOURNAL) ask them the most (4) ___ (RIDICULE) questions, and, when they do get an interesting question, sit there watching in (5) ___ (BELIEVE) as some of the most (6) ___ (POWER) people in the country give totally (7) ___ (CONVINCE) responses. It’s as if they don’t care whether their reply is (8) (BELIEVE) or not. Often, they’re very poor (9) ___ (COMMUNICATE), and they’re frequently even more (10) ___ (INFORM) about key issues than I am. I don’t expect them to be particularly (11) ___ (HUMOUR)– they are serious people, after all – but at least they could say something interesting occasionally. It makes me want to stand for election myself. 2.3.4. Study the vocabulary given below and then fill in the gaps in the following text by using the appropriate phrases.

add up – (informal) seem reasonable or logical (used mainly in a negative sense)

boil down to sth – if a situation or problem boils down to one thing, that thins is the main point in the situation, or the main cause of the problem

capitalise on sth – gain a further advantage for yourself from a situation

come/be under fire – be criticised severely for sth you have done

in the final analysis – used to state a basic truth after everything has been discussed and considered

neck and neck – (of two people or groups) level with each other in a race or competition

pluck sth out of the air – say a name, number, etc. without giving it any thought

quick/slow off the mark – fast/slow in reacting to a situation

stop the rot – stop a bad situation from getting worse

talk sth up – describe or discuss sth in a way that makes it sound better than it is The prime minister has (1) ____ during the election campaign for being slow to respond to events, but he was (2) ___ this morning. In a speech in Dover, he claimed that the Opposition’s tax policies didn’t (3) ___, and that they were (4) ___ numbers ___. Meanwhile, the Opposition were trying to (5) ___ the latest bad unemployment figures, which clearly illustrated, in their view, that the only thing which could (6) ___ was a change of government. They also (7) ___ the latest opinion poll-figures, which now put them (8) ___ with the government. (9) ___ it will just (10) ___ who the voters choose to believe.

2.4. Language Focus: The Noun – Number Agreement

Number Agreement the number of is followed generally by singular, while a number of by plural

The number of investors was huge. A number of shareholders were expected to sell their shares.

nouns/pronouns can be coordinated with the following simple or correlative conjunctions: and, or, either … or, neither … nor, both … and, not only … but also.

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a) and, both … and require the plural form of the verb The president and the secretary general are not present. Both the president and the secretary general are on a business trip.

b) or, either … or follow the rule of proximity ( the closest subject dictates the number of the verb) His supporters or he has to take this issue very seriously. Either he or his supporters have to take a decision.

c) neither … nor may follow the rule of proximity (as above), but in everyday use the plural is preferred Neither the guests nor the host is to be blamed. or Neither the guest nor the host are to be blamed.

With as well as, except, but, with only the first noun dictates the agreement with the predicate.

Mr. Jones as well as all his colleagues is expected to come. All the members of the board, but David, are here. A man with a young child was asking for help.

2.5. Functions

a. Identifying yourself Hello, I’m… from… Hello, my name is…I work for… Hello, let me introduce myself, I’m…I’m in charge of// I’m responsible for… Hello, first name+ surname…I’ve got an appointment with… b. Greetings when you meet someone for the first time

First greeting Reply to the greeting

Neutral How do you do? I’m (very) pleased/ delighted to meet you. It’s (very) nice to meet you.

How do you do? It’s (very) nice to meet you too. I’m pleased to meet you too.

Informal How do you do? Nice/ good to meet you. Hello. Nice to have you with us. Hi. Pleased to meet you.

Nice/ good to meet you too. Pleased to meet you too.

3. IT and Human Interaction

3.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! Can the full effect of the current information revolution be predicted? Is meeting face-to-face more valuable than corresponding electronically?

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3.2. Reading

Parts of the sentences in the following text have been removed. They are given in the box below the text. They are lettered A to J. Read the text and fill in the blanks numbered 1 to 10 with the corresponding missing parts A to J.

TIPS TO HELP YOU! What should you do? Every time you have to solve such tasks: - first, read the text, ignoring the empty spaces, so that you can get the gist; - the second time you read the text you can adopt the following strategy: every time you come to an empty space, read carefully the sentence before and the one after the empty space, and look for a meaningful connection between the sentence/part of sentence you have chosen and the text; consider all the given sentences, do not stop at the first one that you consider to be the correct answer; - sometimes you are given more sentences than gaps; if so, the extra sentence is either too general or similar to the correct variant, but in a way or another inadequate; - read the text again to see if it makes sense. Remember the tips! They are useful!

New video examines impact of computers on human interaction by Barbara McKenna Through the advent of the web, we can get whatever we want online – 1 ___. We can bank online, make friends online, even attend virtual concerts and art shows online. One man in Dallas, 2 ___, has even gone so far as to confine himself to his home for a full year, acquiring everything he needs (including a Valentine's Day date) through the web. Observing the increasing "realness" of virtual reality, UCSC (University of California, Santa Cruz) film professor Chip Lord has produced a video that explores the question of how 3 ___. The video, Awakening from the Twentieth Century, aired recently on public television and is the winner of the Dallas Video Festival's Latham Award for 1999. "I started working on this during a sabbatical in early 1998," Lord says. "I wanted to look at how the computer is changing the ways in which we conduct daily life. One of my central goals was to find out whether the Internet and virtual networking – telecommuting, distance learning, e-commerce – have had an effect 4 ___." To explore this, Lord combines montages of life in San Francisco with interviews. Among those he interviews are Homer Flynn, spokesperson for a San Francisco underground, multimedia band named The Residents; John Sanborn, director of the online rock and roll murder mystery "Paul Is Dead"; Ellen Ullman, a software engineer, commentator, and author of Close to the Machine; Gannon Hall, a web site designer; and Rebecca Solnit, a social commentator and author of the just-published book, Wanderlust: A History of Walking (Viking Press). Rather than aim to prove a point, Lord is out to 5 ___. One montage opens with a

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view of the old-fashioned marble-floored interior of a Wells Fargo Bank branch bank in San Francisco and fades to a nearby Safeway, in which a Wells Fargo "mini-bank" is built into the wall. The juxtaposition continues 6 ___ the bank's dramatic picture of racing horses pulling a stagecoach and, over that image, in stark white, the URL www.wellsfargo.com. "Is the physical space of the bank becoming obsolete?" Lord asks. Through his interviews Lord also explores the impending fate of such things as the automobile, film, community. But the question that most concerns Lord is whether the physical space of the city itself 7 ___. Lord gets very different opinions from his subjects. Web designer and computing specialist Gannon Hall conducts most of his business virtually – through e-mail, web sites, and the phone. "Gannon recognizes that 8 ___, but once he starts working on a project he does everything virtually, via the Internet. For Gannon, because his business is virtual, he could be anywhere. He doesn't need the city. To him, the city is like fashion. You choose it the same way you would choose clothes. He says, 'you wear the city.' " But social commentator Rebecca Solnit feels very differently, affirming the importance of real-life interaction at such places as the Farmer's Market, where 9 ___. To flesh out this perspective, Lord also shows footage of two groups of San Franciscans – bicyclists and rollerbladers. The bicycling event, called Critical Mass, is anything but virtual, drawing some 3,000 bicyclists each month who hit the streets during a Friday rush hour. As Lord trails along with the rollerbladers, hundreds of whom come out each Friday for the "Friday Night Skate," he comes to this conclusion: "Maybe because of the utopian images we hear about the new technologies, I thought that broadcasting, netcasting, wireless networks, and pagers, cellphones, and beepers all 10 ___– for celebration and the ritual rubbing of shoulders in streets, plazas, and squares. But I was wrong. Because we still need fashion. We still need to wear the city because the city is..." Lord trails off, letting Humphrey Bogart, in the character of San Francisco detective Sam Spade, finish his sentence: "The stuff that dreams are made of."

(http://www.ucsc.edu/currents/99-00/06-19/lord.html)

A. an initial face-to-face meeting with clients is necessary B. the computer is affecting the ways we interact with each other and our

environment C. groceries, prescriptions, even pets D. vendors and customers interact directly and chance encounters with friends

can take place E. explore the implications of our emerging computer-generated culture F. were conspiring to end the need for public gathering G. is becoming obsolete H. who calls himself DotComGuy I. on how we use our physical space J. with a shot of a billboard advertising

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3.3.1. Match the following words or phrases from the text with their appropriate definition.

1. rollerblader (n) a. no longer useful, because something newer and better has been invented

2. footage (n) b. referring to an event or situation, especially an unpleasant one, which is going to happen very soon

3. to flesh sth out (v) c. the act of putting things together, especially things that are not normally together, in order to compare them or to make something new

4. obsolete (adj) d. working at home using a computer connected to a company's main office

5. stark (adj) e. a period when someone, especially someone in a university job, stops doing their usual work in order to study or travel

6. impending (adj) f. cinema film showing a particular event

7. juxtaposition (n) g. to keep someone or something within the limits of a particular activity or subject

8. to fade (v) h. the time when something first begins to be widely used

9. telecommuting (n) i. very plain in appearance, with little or no colour or decoration

10. sabbatical (n) j. to add more details to something in order to make it clear, more interesting etc

11. to confine (v) k. person who uses special boots with a single row of wheels fixed under it to skate on hard surfaces

12. advent (n) l. to gradually disappear

3.3.2. If the word in bold is correct, put a tick. If it is incorrect, replace it with one of the words in bold from the other sentences.

1. The Internet is a really vast console of computers, all connected together. 2. Since we got resource, we’ve been watching music videos online. 3. Early computer games seem quite nuclear compared with today’s games. 4. It seems to me that primitive power is far cleaner than oil. 5. These ancient tools have been crafted with an enormous amount of skill. 6. The next generation of games technique will have better graphics. 7. There’s a network in computing called ‘beta testing’, which means you test

something to see if it works properly before it becomes official. 8. This latest breakthrough will mean cheaper, faster internet access for all. 9. The computer has finished analysing all the broadband. 10. The sea is a great natural data but we need the right technology to use it.

3.3.3. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space.

We often think of ourselves as living in a time of 1___ (CONTINUE) technological change and development. We tend to believe that we are unique in history in dealing with a constantly 2 ___ (EVOLVE) world of gadgets, devices and innovations. However, the end of the nineteenth century and the start of the twentieth was also a time that saw many 3 ___ (REVOLT) changes.

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People had needed to show 4 ___ (FLEXIBLE) throughout the nineteenth century, as the effects of the Industrial Revolution meant constantly making 5 ___ (ADJUST) to deal with changing working conditions. Towards the end of the century, though, people had to become more 6 ___ (ADAPT) than ever before. The typewriter (1873), the telephone (1876) and other 7 ___ (INFLUENCE) developments gave people the 8 ___ (CAPABLE) to live and work in ways their grandparents could not have imagined. Over the next 30 years, little remained 9 ___ (ALTER) as the camera, the cinema, the phonograph, the plane and radio all had an 10 ___ (ELECTRIC) effect on people and society.

3.4. Functions

Presenting and supporting opinions Asking for opinions What are your feelings on this?

To one person To a group of people

What are your views on….? Any reaction to that?

What are your feelings about…? Has anybody any strong feeling about / views on that?

What do you think of ….? What’s the general view on/ feeling about that?

What’s your opinion about that? Has anybody any comments to make?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1

One of the most negative aspects of the impact of the Internet in our daily life is the fact that it alters social behaviour, habits and abilities of people. Write an argumentative essay in response to the following statement: The Internet makes people lonelier. (Write between 200-250 words.) You should submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet. Deadline – 20 November

ATTENTION! In argumentative essays there should be a balance between the pros and the cons. Refer to each argument in a distinct paragraph. The conclusion of an argumentative essay should summarise the arguments and give your opinion. Do not use bulleted lists! Present concrete details and refer to your own experience.

mailto:[email protected]

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UNIT 2 – PRESENTATIONS


Students should be able to use the vocabulary under PRESENTATIONS to communicate about:

Types of presentations made in business

Preparing and planning a presentation

Audience analysis

Presentation materials

Delivery techniques

Body language and voice

Signalling words and phrases

Question-and-answer session

Golden rules for presentations

address verb [T] FORMAL

audience noun [C]

board noun [C]

body language noun [U]

chart noun [ C ]

file noun [C]

flip chart noun [C]

flow chart noun [C]

folder noun [C]

harangue noun [C]

have the floor

information overload noun [U]

in-tray noun [C] keynote address/speech/speaker noun [C]

language barrier noun [C]

lecture noun [C]

misunderstanding noun [C,U]

monologue noun [C]

non-verbal adjective

noticeboard noun [C]

observer noun [C]

onlooker noun [C]

oration noun [C] FORMAL

outline noun [C]

out-tray noun [C]

overhead transparency noun [C]

overhead projector noun [C]

pie chart noun

presentation noun [ C, U ]

printer noun [C]

rephrase verb [T]

ring binder noun [C]

seminar noun [ C ]

spectator noun [C]

take the floor

talk noun [C]

visual aid noun [C]

whiteboard noun [C]

workshop noun [C]

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UNIT TWO – PRESENTATIONS

Speaking in public is often cited as the number one fear of adults. The Book of Lists places the fear of death in fifth place while public speaking ranks first. Jerry Seinfeld said, "That would mean at a funeral, people are five times more likely to want to be in the casket than giving the eulogy."

1. Business presentations

Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! How can one prepare before a presentation? Why do you think some people are afraid of public speaking? How can they overcome this fear?

1.1. Reading comprehension

Read the following article about business presentations. Some sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from sentences A- K the one which fits each gap (1-10). There is one sentence which you do not need to use. (Remember the tips?) Effective Public Speaking in Business Presentations By Doug Staneart Right or wrong, people form a perception about how competent you are by how you present yourself when you stand and speak. 1____ In fact, public speaking is an easy way to set yourself apart from your competition, because when you stand up and say what you want to say, the way that you want to say it, you are doing what 95% of the people in the audience wish they could do. A person who is confident in front of a group gives off an air of competence, whereas a person who fumbles might leave a negative impression. When I was in college, I had an internship with a major oil company, and at the end of the summer, I had to present a summary of my internship to a group of department managers and vice-presidents. 2____ Many of the other interns were graduate students who were much more comfortable in front of a group. When I spoke, I could feel the sweat beads on my forehead, and I could see my hands shaking. The butterflies in my stomach were uncontrollable. After the presentation, I asked myself, "If I were the decision-maker in that room, and I only had one permanent position to offer, would I choose me?" 3____ Over the next few years, I trained with some of the most successful public speaking coaches in the country. 4____ Below are some of the great public speaking tips that I have found that really work. Realize 90% of nervousness doesn't even show. The audience usually can't see

the butterflies, or shaky hands, or sweaty palms. The problem occurs when we start thinking about these symptoms rather than focusing on the audience and

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our topic. 5____ Focus on them and two things will happen: 1) they will like you more, and 2) much of the nervousness that you feel will go away.

Add some enthusiasm to your talk. Your audience will never be more excited about your talk than you are, so give them some energy, and they will give it back to you. Walk about a half step faster. Smile. Let your gestures and voice emphasis come naturally. 6____

Limit your talk to a few key points. Narrow down your topic to either one key point for a short talk, or three key points for a longer talk (a talk longer than 30-minutes.) Ask yourself, "If my audience only remembered one thing from my talk, what would be most important thing for them to remember?" 7____ For instance, think of the Statue of Liberty. What do you see? You probably see a picture in your mind of the statue. Now think of a pink elephant. Again, you probably see a picture in your mind, but the important question is…where did the statue go? Your mind can only truly focus on one thing at a time. 8____ The more points your presentation has, the less focus the audience will have on each individual point. Once you have your key points, then create your PowerPoint slides. That will keep you from having hundreds of PowerPoint slides.

Tell stories. Don't tell little white lies, but do tell anecdotes and personal experiences. Stories build rapport with your audience, and they give you more credibility. Your audience will remember your stories a lot longer than they will remember your talking points. 9____ Kids in town made fun of him, but Les found out that this man's house had caught on fire, and his two baby girls died in the blaze. The man attempted to go in and save them many times, but the heat was too great. When his brother-in-law showed up, he verbally assaulted the man calling him a chicken for not going in to save his girls. 10____ I heard this story years ago, and I can't remember the specific point Les Brown was making on stage. I do remember the "chicken-man," though, and I frequently think about how I should get all the facts before passing judgment on people. Les Brown's stories have longevity, and your stories will have that type of impact as well.

When in doubt, speak from the heart. Let your audience see the real you, and you will have a great speaking performance.

(adapted and abridged from http://www.leadersinstitute.com/articles/effective_ public_ speaking_in_ business_presentations.html)

A. Since then, I have spoken before thousands of people, and coached hundreds of managers, executives, and other leaders on how to present more effectively to groups. B. I was the youngest person in the room, just 20. C. I heard Les Brown, a famous motivational speaker, years ago, and he told a story about how a man in his hometown went around the town square holding two baby dolls and squawking like a chicken. D. The reason this is so important is that the human mind likes to think of only one thing at a time. E. By human nature, most people are focused on themselves not on you. F. Ever since then, the man has not spoken a word -- instead he just clucks like a chicken. G. They also form perceptions about the company you represent based on your performance. H. I thought they would. I. As you add additional points, each previous point will become diluted. J. Don't over do it, but give more energy than what you normally would. K. I had to answer "no."

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1.2. English in use

1.2.1. Read the article below and fill in the gaps with ONE word. (Remember the tips?) 15 Strategies for Giving Oral Presentations Lynn F. Jacobs, Jeremy S. Hyman More 1 ___ death and taxes, the thing people fear most is speaking 2 ___ public. Needless to say, college students are not immune 3 ___ this terror, which, for you psychology hounds, even has a 4 ___: glossophobia. Unfortunately, in college, it’s not always so easy to avoid public speaking. Some schools have required courses in speech. And even in colleges 5 ___ speech isn’t a subject, there often is a broad variety of courses that incorporate presentations or reports–and sometimes full-length seminars–into the regular class activities. Still, there’s 6 ___ need to lose your breakfast (or lunch or dinner) 7 ___ your upcoming presentation. Our 15 tips for improving your public speaking will make even a garden-variety speaker into a real Cicero: 1. Do your homework. Nobody 8 ___ give a good presentation 9 ___ putting in some serious time preparing remarks. Many gifted speakers look as if they’re just talking off the cuff, saying 10 ___ comes to mind. But, in truth, they’ve spent considerable time figuring out what they’re going to say. You should, too. 4-Star Tip. It’s always a good idea to try out your presentation on your professor 11 ___ giving it in class. Office hours work well for this. 2. Play the parts. Good presentations are structured in sections. Many presentations need only two or three main points. Organizing your points 12 ___ a few main parts and telling your audience 13 ___ these parts are – both before and as you go through your presentation – can be the difference 14 ___ a winning presentation and a loser. 3. Do a dry run. It’s always good to do a run-through (or even a couple of run-throughs) the night 15 ___ the presentation. This can help 16 ___ both your timing and your manner of presentation. Be sure to make mental notes if you went on 17 ___ long or got nervous or stuck. Some people find it useful to have a friend pretend to be the audience: He or she can build up your confidence and maybe even ask a question or two. 4. Look presentable. No need to wear a suit, but it’s hard for people to take a presentation seriously when you look like someone 18 ___ just rolled out of bed. 5. Talk; don’t read. Nobody enjoys seeing a speaker burying his or her face in a script, reading stiffly 19 ___ a piece of paper. Try to talk from notes, or, if you use a written-out text, try to look down 20 ___ it only occasionally. It’s less important that you capture the text word for word than that you present the main ideas in a natural and relaxed way. 6. Take it slow. The single biggest mistake inexperienced speakers make is going too fast. Remember that your audience hears the material for the first time and isn’t nearly as familiar 21 ___ the topic as you are.

http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/jacobs_lynn_f

http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/hyman_jeremy_s

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Extra Pointer. If you find yourself running 22 ___ of time, either drop or briefly summarize any leftover material. If your presentation includes a discussion period, gesture at the points you haven’t fully covered and suggest them as things that could be discussed later. 7. Use aids. For certain sorts of presentations, visual 23 ___– such as PowerPoints, handouts, even things written on the board – can help your audience locate and grasp the main points. Just be sure to explain these materials fully in your presentation: No one is happy to see an outline that can’t be made heads or 24 ___ of. 8. Don’t bury the crowd. Including massive numbers of quotations or unfathomable amounts of data can overwhelm even the 25 ___ attentive audience. 9. Be yourself. As important 26 ___ the content you present is your authenticity in presenting it, so don’t try to be someone you’re not. You’ll never succeed. 10. Play it straight. There’s 27 ___ harm in including a little humor in your presentations, especially if you can carry it off well. But in most college presentations, clowns will get C’s. 11. Circle the crowd. A very important part of public speaking is to make 28 ___ contact with people seated in all parts of the room – even those nodding off in the back. That shows people that you’re interested 29 ___ communicating with them – not just getting 30 ___ this experience as quickly as possible. And it wouldn’t hurt to go out from in back of the podium or desk and walk around the room a little. Sharing space with the audience can also communicate your interest in sharing your results 31 ___ them, something you surely want to do. 12. Appear relaxed. You don’t have to actually be relaxed–few speakers are – but at least try to appear as relaxed as possible. Bring along some water or a drink, take short 32 ___ from time to time, and think pleasant thoughts. No one enjoys speakers 33 ___ are trembling and sweating bullets. 13. Finish strong. Always be sure to have a satisfying conclusion 34 ___ your presentation in 35 ___ you make clear to the listeners what they now know. It creates a warm feeling in the minds of your listeners and shows them that they’ve really learned something from your talk — which they probably have. 14. Welcome interruptions. Some speakers are terrified that someone will interrupt them 36 ___ a question or comment. Actually, this is one of the 37 ___ things that can happen, because it shows that someone in the audience has engaged 38 ___ what you’re saying, and, if you have the time to offer a brief response, it can actually lead to genuine progress on the point you were making. And two-way conversation (assuming you’re minimally good at it) is always a tension-reducer. 15. Know when to stop lecturing. Certain presentations – especially in advanced or upper-division classes or seminars – can require you to present some material, then lead a discussion. Be sure to attentively listen 39 ___ any comments or questions your classmates might raise 40 ___ starting on your answer. And in a discussion period, never lecture (only discuss), and be sure to answer exactly the

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question asked. In many classes, how you discuss is as important as how you present.

(adapted from http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/02/24/15-strategies-for-giving-oral-presentations)


Study the following phrases.

a nervous wreck (informal) – very upset and worried

jump in – interrupt somebody while they are talking

lose sight of sth – forget an important fact about a situation

nod off (informal) – to fall asleep

nothing could be further from the truth – used to emphasize that something is definitely not true

pare sth down – to reduce something, especially by making a lot of small reductions

sit through sth – to attend a meeting, performance etc. and stay until the end, even if it is long and boring

set in – if something sets in, especially something unpleasant, it begins and seems likely to continue for a long time

(talk) at cross purposes – if two people are at cross purposes they do not understand each other because they are talking about different things but fail to realize this

the presentation (achievement) of one’s life – the most remarkable/the best achievement

of one’s life – one’s best possible achievement Use the phrases above to fill in the gaps in the following text: We had to 1 ___ Rob’s disastrous presentation to the group today. We were overloaded with information, and he completely 2 ___ the main points; he should 3 ___ it ___. He thought a good powerpoint would compensate for poor presentation skills, but nothing could have been 4 ___. Most of the time he spoke too slowly (one or two people were 5 ___). Then Dr Jones asked him a tricky question and you could see the panic 6 ___. When Elaine asked about projected sales he 7 ___ before she’d finished, and they ended up 8 ___. He was hoping it would be the presentation 9 ___, but instead he ended up a 10 ___.

2. First meetings

STOP AND THINK! What factors can influence the success of a first meeting?

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2.1. Reading comprehension

Parts of the sentences in the following text have been removed. They are given in the box below the text. They are lettered A to L. Read the text and fill in the blanks numbered 1 to 10 with the corresponding missing parts A to L. There are two letters that you do not need. What to Say When Meeting Someone for the First Time It can be quite a nervous time when you are meeting someone new and often people can wonder what they should say. It doesn't matter if it is a date, a new work colleague, a business meeting or someone you meet in a social situation, you can find yourself stuck for what to say when meeting someone for the first time. However, 1 ____ and begin a relationship on good terms. The greeting The first thing to do when meeting someone is to smile and greet them, telling them your name. A smile will relax you as well as making you appear friendly and open, so the other person also relaxes and 2 ___. You should say your name (probably just your first name unless it is a business situation). Again, this relaxes you and the other person because it makes you appear open and 3 ___. It doesn't matter that they may well forget your name later; you made yourself appear open to them. Use the situation You have met together for a purpose, whether that is a meeting, a party, or whatever. You can find some connection between you to talk about in that. If you are at a company meeting you 4 ___. Or at a party you might ask how they know the host. Beyond that, you could use your physical surroundings to find something to talk about. So you may ask about the other person's journey or remark upon the decor etc. Ask their opinion about something and show that you are interested in what they think. Keep it light Keep your comments light and positive and you should get a response that is also in the same manner. Don't voice 5 ___ until you know the person better as it is possible you could offend them. Keep controversial conversation topics for a later meeting. Relax You have reason to be confident when meeting someone for the first time because in this situation they have never met you either. You are equals, both in the same position in that respect. Even though you have to be a little careful not to offend people, don't feel you need to put on an act. It is the real you 6 ___ if you are to have a lasting and positive relationship so that is what you should present to them. Use your manners Even if you have offended someone on a first meeting, you can rescue the situation so there is no need to panic about it. Simply apologize and let it be known that 7 ___. If people can see that your apology is sincere and that you meant no offence,

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the vast majority of people will be fine with your apology and not hold a grudge against you. Don't outstay your welcome If you are meeting someone for the first time, 8 ___, or at least work out some kind of exit strategy if the meeting is not going well. Often, this is simple; all you have to do is say that you need to go talk to a friend you have just spotted across the room. Be sure to thank them for their time in speaking with you and 9 ___ and the door is open for you to go back to talk with them again. So, what to say when meeting someone for the first time should be light, open and friendly. It should 10 ___. It is enough to smile and be open and interested in the other person and make light conversation about the situation that brings you together. (adapted from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-to-Say-When-Meeting-Someone-For-the-First-

Time&id=4343369)

A that you need the other person to connect with and to like B feels more happily disposed toward you C could ask how long the other person has worked for the company D it is out of your reach E you may well want to keep the meeting quite short F not probe too deeply into personal issues nor disclose too much of yourself G any particularly strong opinions H all of these situations offer you opportunities to strike up a conversation I leave on good terms so they are left with a good impression of you J nothing bad can happen K it connects the two of you L it was not your intention to cause offence

2.2 Vocabulary development

2.2.1. Study the following phrases.

a meeting of minds – a situation in which people have similar ideas and opinions

be on the same wavelength (informal) – think in a similar way about sth

be struck by sb/sth (informal) – be impressed by or interested in sth

(feel) at home – (feel) comfortable and relaxed

make sth of sb/sth – understand or regard sb or sth on a particular way

my heart was in my mouth – used to say you felt very nervous or frightened about sth

play it by ear – deal with a situation by reacting as things happen rather than having a plan

(right) from the word go – (right) from the beginning

to start/begin with – at the beginning

with open arms – welcome sb in a very affectionate and enthusiastic way Use the phrases above to fill in the gaps in the following text: When I met my new boss, it wasn’t exactly 1 ___. I didn’t know what 2 ___ him really, and 3 ___, I just had to 4 ___. But we’re OK now.

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My first host family are fantastic! We got on really well 5 ___ . They welcomed me 6 ___, and I 7 ___ almost immediately. I met my boyfriend on the Internet and I reckoned we’d 8 ___. But as I was driving to meet him in person, 9 ___. He was lovely, though, and I 10 ___ his quirky sense of fun immediately. 2.2.2. Replace the underlined word/phrases with another word/phrase that has the same meaning. 1. How’s life? 2. They were very unwilling to leave. 3. She recognizes and is grateful for everything you’ve done. 4. In the beginning it was a difficult relationship. 5. He is prepared to take responsibility for what happened. 6. There is widespread admiration for what he has achieved. 7. We’ve had good times and bad times in our relationship. 8. I had a tough time last year but things are improving now. 9. I like the situation as it is. 10. Because of the special connection parents have with their children, they often

give up many important things for them.

3. Business meetings

3.1. Read the following text about meetings. Some of the underlined parts are correct; some have a mistake in them (a grammar mistake, a vocabulary mistake, a spelling mistake, a missing word, an unnecessary word, and inappropriateness in the context). Identify the mistakes and correct them.

TIPS TO HELP YOU! How can you know what is wrong? What should you do? Every time you have to solve such tasks: - read the sentences carefully and concentrate on spelling, the meaning of words, word order, agreement between subject and predicate, tenses, etc; - do not ignore logical meaning. Remember the tips! They are useful!

Why are you presenting? This is the first thing that 1. you will need asking yourself. Why are you presenting? Is 2. it there an important message to give or are you simply making up numbers? Are you looking 3. to rise your personal profile or are you standing in for someone who has dropped out? Are you comfortable 4. with your subject matter or have you been given the topic of the presentation? If you have serious doubts now is the time to start 5. to consider if you need to be speaking or if you can start to change the topic of the presentation. Block out some time in your diary.

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This is one of 6. the most commonly mistakes that we see a lot of. For an important business presentation, we suggest 7. that you block out around 20 hours of your time. This is how much time it will take to do a good job - in research, planning and most importantly in rehearsing. 8. If you haven't got that much space in the diary then you will simply have to move something out, or you 9. will must work in evenings or weekends. This is what most of us end up doing. Your competitive advantage We have 10. sat in thousands of business presentations - and many can be quite boring affairs. The one common factor that we see a lot is bullet points. These are 11. a very uneffective way of communicating. If there is only one piece of advice that you could follow from this site - it would be to use pictures rather than bullet points. Business research shows 12. that the chances of achieving your objectives increase from around 33% up to around 66%. And that is a major competitive advantage. Rehearsing This is an absolute must. You may be 13. quick-witted and like to ad lib, but I'll tell you one thing. Learn 14. your speech word with for word and you will be able to ad lib better! Remember the comedian Frankie Howard with his bumbling delivery - "ooh now where was I?" Every one of those remarks 15. was carefully scripted and practised for hours in front of a mirror. 3.2. Fill in the gaps in the text below with the most appropriate words or phrases in the following box.

irrelevant issues fall apart lifeblood more than enough all the way up to shapes and sizes on average any clear result evidence effective project coordination

Business Meetings that Matter - it's Possible! Meetings come in all 1. ___. There are the everyday office meetings, board meetings, seminars – 2. ___ major conferences. And meetings can now be face-to-face, teleconference, videoconference, or online via the Internet. And when is the last time you heard someone say, "Gee, we need to have more meetings."? There are 3. ___ meetings to go around these days, and for a good reason. Meetings are more important than ever. Modern workplaces are built on teams, sharing of ideas, and 4. ___. If communication is the 5. ___ of any organization, then meetings are the heart and mind. The place where we communicate our ideas, hash them out, share our passion for better or worse, develop new understandings and new directions. It's where deals can happen or 6. ___, where strategies are articulated and debated -- in short -- where we engage with others. That's what it's all about, people meeting with people. Survey results published by the Annenberg School of Communications at UCLA and the University of Minnesota's Training & Development Research Center show that executives 7. ___ spend 40%-50% of their working hours in business meetings. Further 8. ___ of the pervasiveness of meetings comes from a recent issue of Fast Company magazine, where organizational psychologist Jon Ryburg says he advises corporate clients to provide twice as much meeting space as they did 20 years ago.

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How to Plan a Meeting Studies also point out a discouraging trend: Surveyed professionals agree that as much as 50% of that meeting time is unproductive and that up to 25% of meeting time is spent discussing 9. ___. Typically, they complain that meetings are too long, are scheduled without adequate time to prepare and end without 10. ___. 3.3. Fill in the gaps in the following text with a word derived from the word given in brackets. (Remember the tips?) Most of us have been to seminars or conferences where we've left feeling inspired and 1. ___ (JUVENILE). But how many of us have ever left everyday meetings feeling the same way. Rarely, no doubt. The reason is that good seminars and conferences are organized precisely to engage us. Sadly, most office meetings are not. Believe it or not, meetings can and should be the most 2. ___ (INTEREST) and 3. ___ (PRODUCE) part of your day. And if you've ever been to a great conference or seminar, you already have seen some of the basic principles at work. These can be 4. ___ (SUMMARY) as: 1) preparation 2) facilitation 3) inspiration 4) results Preparation means making sure your meeting has a clear, stated purpose, and an agenda. Participants are chosen carefully, invited in 5. ___ (PROFESSION) way and given sufficient prior information. Preparation also means attention to details including: room 6. ___ (BOOK), catering, a/v equipment, 7. ____ (MIND). Facilitation means that someone or a team is responsible for guiding the meeting, a plan for the meeting is reflected in the agenda and the facilitator (or chair) keeps things on time and on track. Inspiration is probably the most 8. ___ (LOOK) aspect of everyday meetings. All the attention to detail and process can push the opportunity for 9. ___ (SPONTANEOUS) and enthusiasm aside. Build in activites that engage participants, use strategies to generate discussion, or visual aids to grab attention. Results means that every meeting should be directed toward one or more 10. ___ (COME). Participants must feel that something has been accomplished, and they must see all of their meetings as part of the bigger strategy to involve them in the future of the organization. Achievements at one meeting should be recapped in the next, and so on. 3.4. Vocabulary development

Study the following phrases.

forge ahead (with sth) – make strong and steady progress with sth

hold the floor – speak during a discussion, especially for a long time so that nobody else can speak

in dribs and drabs – gradually and in small amounts or numbers

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lay sth down – officially state rules, principles, etc. that people must obey or follow

leave sth hanging – fail to make a definite decision or statement about sth

ramble on (informal) – speak about sth for a long time in a boring or confusing way

run over – continue for longer than planned

rush into sth – do something without thinking carefully about it first

throw sth together – make or produce sth in a hurry

to the detriment of sth/sb – resulting in harm or damage to sth/sb Use the phrases above to fill in the gaps in the following text. The chairperson may be responsible when a meeting goes badly. Here’s why:

- Participants are allowed to arrive 1 ___. - They don’t know what’s happening because the chairperson has 2 ___ the

agenda at the last minute and hasn’t 3 ___ clear rules for the conduct of the meeting.

- Without firm guidance from the chair, one or two people may 4 ___ and 5 ___ for ages, and as a result, the meeting 6 ___ with nothing achieved.

- Poor time management may mean people 7 ___ decisions, or that decisions are 8 ___.

- One person at the meeting (often the chairperson) 9 ___ their own agenda, 10 ___ the meeting and the other participants.

ATTENTION! Do not forget that any text should have an introductory part, a body and a conclusion. Each new idea should be approached in a distinct paragraph and illustrated by details and relevant examples. Short and clear sentences are always more convincing than the long but incoherent ones. Organise your paragraphs in a logical sequence. Consider who you are addressing and adopt the required register: formal or informal. Once you have decided on the register, be consistent! Pay attention to the length of your paper. If you write significantly more than 300 words, you might have referred to irrelevant aspects. If you write less, your paper might be incomplete.


Write sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning of the phrases given in tasks 1.3 (page 28), 2.2.1 (page 30), and 3.4 (page 33). You should submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet. Deadline: 10 December


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UNIT 3 – COMPANY STRUCTURE

GLOSSARY – BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY Students should be able to use the vocabulary under COMPANY STRUCTURE to communicate about:

Business aims of companies

Business activities of companies (according to the type of work they are involved with)

Types of companies – general characteristics

Types of organisations by size

Internal structure of companies

Corporate culture

acquisition noun [C,U]

affiliate noun [C]

agency noun [C]

alliance noun [C]

annual general meeting noun [C]

associate adjective

authority noun [C]

blue chip company noun [C]

branch noun [C]

brokerage noun [C]

bureau noun [C]

buy sb out phrasal verb [M]

chamber of commerce noun [C]

clearing house noun [C]

client noun [C]

clientele group noun [S]

Co. noun [U]

commercial adjective

consultancy noun

Corp. noun [C]

corporate adjective

counterpart noun [C]

daughter company noun [C]

department noun [C]

division noun [C]

e-business noun [C, U]

enterprise noun

Est. adjective

establishment noun [C]

expand verb [I,T]

family business noun [C]

fellow noun [C]

firm noun [C]

franchise noun [C]

head office group noun [C]

human resources plural noun

Incorporated adjective

joint venture noun [C]

make a takeover bid for sth

manufacturers plural noun

merger noun [C]

monopoly noun [C or S]

multinational noun [C]

NGO noun [C]

office noun [C, U]

offshore adjective

parent company noun [C]

partnership noun

personnel group noun [U]

plc, PLC noun [C]

position noun [C]

private adjective

proprietor noun [C] public company/corporation/enterprise noun [C]

public utility noun [C]

run a business verb [I]

sister company noun [C]

small business noun [C]

spokesman noun [C]

stakeholder society noun [C]

status noun [U]

strategic alliance noun [C]

subordinate adjective

subsidiary noun [C]

SWOT noun [U]

syndicate noun [C]

tender noun [C]

tertiary adjective

trade verb [I, T]

transact verb [T] FORMAL

trust company noun [C]

unlimited company noun [C]

venture noun [C]

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UNIT THREE – THE STRUCTURE OF THE FIRM

1. Types of Businesses

1.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What makes a successful businessman/woman in your country?

1.2. Reading

Read the following text and fill in the gaps with ONE word. (Remember the tips?) Types of Companies under the Companies Act UK Legislation governing Companies The internal governance procedures and management, rights of shareholders and duties and responsibilities of company officers are governed 1 ___ the Companies Act 2 ___ 1985. Registering a Company To register a company, the required documents must be filed and certain conditions imposed by the Registrar of Companies satisfied. A certificate of incorporation will then be issued and the company brought 3 ___ existence. A company’s first shareholders are ‘subscribers’ and can be natural persons or other companies. Incorporation Documents The documents which must be filed include, importantly, the memorandum of association and the articles of association. The memorandum lists the company name, its objects, the country of its registered office, the liability of its shareholders and the share capital. The articles list the company regulations and rules 4 ___ the internal administration. After the certificate of incorporation is issued, the company is considered as registered and can commence trading. A public limited company must 5 ___ specific capital requirements before it can commence business. A private limited company requires only one member, whereas a public limited company requires a minimum of two. Classification of Companies The Companies Act broadly categorises companies as either public 6 ___ private companies. There are three categories of liability of the company shareholders, which refer to their liability for the company’s debts if or when it enters liquidation: Shareholders' liability for companies limited by shares is limited to any amount still owing to the company for their shares. This is referred to as 'limited liability' and is

http://www.gillhams.com/dictionary/473.cfm







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the 7 ___ popular form of company, as the directors and shareholders do not become personally liable for the debts and conduct of the company, except in special circumstances. For companies limited by guarantee, members’ liability is limited to their undertaking to pay certain sums on its winding 8 ___, and unlimited companies offer no protection to shareholders for company debts. Moving on from these basic models for shareholders' liability, the Companies Act permits incorporation of private companies limited by shares; public companies limited by shares; private companies limited by guarantee and private unlimited companies. Private Companies Private companies are defined by reference to public limited companies. All companies that are not public companies are private companies. A private company is not permitted to offer its shares to the public. Due 9 ___ the capitalisation requirements, the vehicle tends to be used for smaller businesses. Where a private company is limited by its shares, shareholders are liable to contribute to the assets any unpaid amount on shares issued to that shareholder. The nominal value of the shares, including premiums payable on subscription, determines the amount 10 ___ is payable. The memorandum of association has to be generally in the ‘form’ prescribed by the Secretary of State. Where a private company is limited 11 ___ guarantee, shareholders will be liable to contribute to the assets of the company the amount required for payment of the company’s debts and costs of winding up, up to the maximum set out in the memorandum. This is usually £1. Public Companies A public company must be limited by shares; the memorandum must explicitly state that 12 ___ is a public company. The name must end with “public limited company” or the abbreviation "PLC". The share capital must not be less 13 ___ £50,000. At least one-quarter of each share’s nominal value and the whole of any premium on it must be paid before it can be allotted. If there are less than two shareholders of the company for more than six months, the single member will be jointly and severally liable with the company for its debts, thus limited liability protection 14 ___ be lost, as the company does not satisfy the requirements of the Act. The Stock Exchange may deal with the shares of a public company, or the Alternative Investment Market. Such companies are described as ‘publicly quoted’, ‘publicly traded’ or ‘listed companies’. Unlimited Companies A member of such a company has no limit on their liability for a company’s debts and obligations if it becomes insolvent. Shareholders may not 15 ___ sued by creditors, who must petition for the winding up of the company. Any share capital must be stated in the articles of association. Overseas Companies This is where the company has been incorporated 16 ___ than in Great Britain, though has an established business in Great Britain. The provision contained in the Act includes those concerning their constitution and officers and an address for





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service within the jurisdiction, the preparation and delivery of accounts, and the registration of charges over property. The formation of a company for most trading enterprises means forming a company limited by shares.

http://www.gillhams.com/articles/135.cfm


1.3.1. Match the following words from the text with the correct definitions:

1. jurisdiction a. (legal) responsibility

2. partnership b. the right to use an official power to make legal decisions, or the area where this right exists

3. capital c. to use a particular amount of time for something, or give a particular share of money, space etc to someone or something

4. liability d. not having enough money to pay what you owe

5. insolvent e. to include something as part of a group, system, plan etc

6. to petition f. two or more owners who have agreed to divide, in some proportion, the risks taken and the profits earned by the firm

7. memorandum g. to ask the government or an organization to do something by sending them a petition; to make a formal request to someone in authority, to a court of law, or to God

8. to incorporate h. money or property, especially when it is used to start a business or to produce more wealth:

9. shareholder i. differently and separately

10. severally j. a short legal document that contains the important details of an agreement

11. to allot k. person that owns shares/ stocks

1.3.2. Notice the difference: Own/ owe Own: possess; have possession of, be in possession of, be the owner of, hold Owe: be indebted, be in debt, be obliged, have a loan from 1.3.3. Notice how the following words are formed: Proprietorship, partnership, ownership: ~ + ship Liability, responsibility < liable, responsible ~ + ty Savings, belongings: verb + ing(s) Unlimited: un + adj 1.3.4. Complete the sentences by changing the form of the word in capitals. (Remember the tips?) 1. How dare they ___ blame without knowing all the facts first? PORTION 2. At the ___ of summer, the temperature can reach 500C. HIGH 3. I’d like to make a ___ from my bank account, please. DRAW 4. Doris Carter, who is 107 today, puts her ___ down to having a loving family, and seven cups of tea a day. LONG



http://www.gillhams.com/articles/135.cfm


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5. A ___ of residents now support the proposal to build a new roundabout in the town centre. MAJOR 6. What ___ strength do those binoculars have? MAGNIFY 7. We took out a loan from the bank, so we’re going to have to make monthly ___ for the next five years. PAY 8. Liskeard and Callington are basically ___ from here, so it’ll take about the same time to get to either of them. DISTANT 9. Their help was hugely ___. BENEFIT 10. Please keep e-mails short. ___ makes everyone’s lives easier. BRIEF 11. The school’s football pitch has been ___ over the summer to conform to new national standards. LONG 12. I don’t want to ___ the agony for you, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait another two days to know how much money you’ve won. LONG 1.4. Functions

Presenting information I’m going to talk about…. First of all, let’s look at………. After that……. As you can see from the bar graph………… Now, if we turn to……….. Now, turning to……. Finally , let’s look at………. In conclusion……….. So, to conclude…….

2. The place of work

2.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What jobs will disappear in the future? Why? What are the factors that contribute to job satisfaction?

2.2. Reading

Parts of the sentences in the following text have been removed. They are given in the box below the text. They are lettered A to I. Read the text and fill in the blanks numbered 1 to 8 with the corresponding missing parts A to I. There is one letter that you do not need. (Remember the tips?) The Natural Productivity Cycle In your personal life, when attending to business or working on side projects, how often do you spend 8 consecutive hours in front of a computer? It doesn’t make sense because 1 ___.

Everyone goes through alternating periods of high and low mental acuity. There are days when I work on personal projects for well over 8 hours, but the time is always

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divided into multiple sessions. I might spend a few hours coding a design, a few hours writing, and a few hours reading feeds, moderating comments, and responding to email.

I work this way because 2 ___. Any more than 3 hours in front of a computer and my eyes start hurting and I become restless. I lose the ability to do my best work. Instead of forcing myself to continue, 3 ___. These breaks maximize productivity by eliminating down periods. It’s counter productive to force work when the mental energy isn’t there.

The Problem with an 8 Hour Work Day A continuous 8 hour work day is a relic of the past. It makes sense for physical labour and manufacturing work, but with information workers it 4 ___. The ability of a factory worker to think analytically is irrelevant, he’s either cranking widgets or he isn’t.

In the case of the modern information worker, nearly all tasks involve creative or strategic thinking. The way someone answers an email or interprets a piece of information can differ drastically depending on his or her energy level. Nobody does their best work 5:30 in the afternoon after 5 ___

I can’t speak for all workers, but I’ve observed that productivity levels generally peak twice a day — first thing in the morning and shortly after lunch. The most productive period is the beginning of the day. People are capable of creative tasks like writing and solving complex technical problems. After a couple hours of intense work, 6 ___ like responding to email and tinkering with existing creations. Towards the end of the cycle, the mind is so cluttered and drained that workers resort to “work related activities” that appear productive but don’t contribute to the bottom line. The afternoon cycle is similar but the productivity peak isn’t as high. For different people the peaks and valleys will vary, but 7 ___

This number isn’t caused by slacking. You can’t force an information worker to be highly productive when the energy isn’t there. Workers can try their hardest, but the work just won’t have that creative edge. The low ratio of highly productive hours to total hours worked is the result 8 ____.

When workers reach the low energy part of the cycle, they can’t recharge with a non-work activity. The only option is office purgatory. You can’t be highly productive because you’re mentally fatigued, but you can’t recharge because the 8 hour work day requires the appearance of constant productivity. The result is millions of unproductive workers trapped at their desks when they’d rather be doing something else.

A energy levels drop and workers downgrade to less demanding tasks B we lose the ability to concentrate effectively within a few hours. C doesn’t account for the mental energy cycle. D overall I’d estimate only 3-4 hours a day could be classified as highly productive. E I switch to an activity that allows my mind to recharge. F of the continuous 8 hour work day. G the environment has become more accommodating. H it aligns with my mental energy cycle I they’ve been sucking down coffee all day to stay awake.

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2.3. Language in use

Fill in the gaps in the following text with ONE word. (Remember the tips?) Alternative Work Arrangements The obvious solution 1 ___ this problem is planning around the mental energy cycle 2 ___ breaking the work day into multiple segments. The traditional office setting doesn’t accommodate this because there are few available recharge activities. People can’t 3 ___ household chores, run errands, or engage in recreational activities without leaving the workplace.

Some companies have tried to make the work environment 4___ accommodating by offering meals, fitness centres, and special areas 5 ___ relaxation. Although these amenities are certainly an improvement, they’re expensive for employers and only partially satisfy employees.

The solution that 6 ___ the most sense is a remote work arrangement because it reduces employer costs and allows employees to adjust their work schedule 7 ___ their mental energy cycle. When a worker becomes mentally fatigued, they can go off the clock and engage 8 ___ recharge activities that are personally productive like exercise or relaxation. When energy returns, the worker can start working again 9 ___ a high level, effectively cutting 10 ___ the low productivity period of the cycle. Employers don’t pay for unproductive time and employees get to work in a more natural pattern that adjusts to their personal lives.

Why isn’t everyone doing this already? Many workers already are, and 11 ___ commutes get worse and communications improve, the number will continue to increase. Of course there will always be a need 12 ___ office workers in businesses (like doctor’s offices and law firms) that require daily customer interaction, but for most companies it really isn’t necessary.

There is also the argument that people need to collaborate 13 ___ person. This is steadily becoming less essential. Most office communications are already done through email 14 ___ instant messenger. Face to face meetings are certainly necessary, but for the vast majority of lower and mid level employees meetings are the exception and could be conducted via phone/video conference or condensed into one or two days 15 ___ week.

Another common objection is that employees will abuse remote work arrangements by slacking off. I’m inclined to believe that most adults value their employment enough that this isn’t a problem. In cases where supervision is required, web cams and other technology can 16 ___ used to monitor a worker.

I suspect the real reason remote work arrangements are still the exception is inertia. Companies are used to doing business in the office and are reluctant to change. There is also the presence of office politics. If one person is given a remote arrangement, jealous employees will complain. Doesn’t it make sense to give everyone what they want and save a boat load of cash on office space?

I may only be a kid in his 20′s, but I can tell when something just makes sense. I perceive an increasing number of people are noticing the same phenomena. Forty

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years from now we’ll be telling our grandchildren about the olden days when everyone’s mommy and daddy went to work in an office.

(http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/why-the-9-to-5-office-worker-will-become-a-thing-of-the-past/)


2.4.1. Match to make sentences.

1. I put a lot of effort … A on hold for ages.

2. They’ve made their decision … B about who’s going to get promoted.

3. It’s not in your interest to … C of work for over two months now.

4. The secretary’s kept me … D into writing this report.

5. I don’t know why you didn’t apply… E business along.

6. I think we’re all in agreement … F in your work.

7. Dean’s been out … G for that position. 8. The shop hasn’t been in … H accept a pay cut. 9. I’m glad you’re finally taking an interest …

I work, doesn’t he?

10. Jason lives fairly near his place of… J on this, aren’t we?

2.4.2. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space.

Although a certain percentage of graduates will still be 1 ___ (EMPLOY) six months after leaving university, the majority will have found 2 ___ (EMPLOY) by then. Many of these will even have been offered a job while at university, as a result of visiting a job fair. Job fairs are held at many universities each year. Companies come along to advertise jobs, which are usually in 3 ___ (MANAGE), and the career structures and benefit packages that go with them. Job fairs are an 4 ___ (EFFECT) way for undergraduates to find out what kind of job they might be interested in. If you go to a job fair, dress 5 ___ (PROFESSION). Don’t wear jeans and a T-shirt. Wear a suit! You don’t want to look 6 ___ (RESPONSIBLE) when you have your first 7 ___ (MEET) with your potential 8 ___ (EMPLOY). If you’re interested in a job on offer, you may have to fill out an 9 ___ (APPLY) form, so it’s 10 ___ (HELP) to take along relevant information with you. You’ll also need proof of all your 11 ___ (QUALIFY), so don’t forget to take photocopies of all your certificates with you.

2.5. Functions Forecasting

Certainty Probability Possibility Improbability

Will definitely+ vb. I am sure that…. To be bound to… It certainly + vb.

Will probably… X should + vb. X is likely to…. The likelihood is that…

X could + vb. It’s possible we… X may + vb…. There might be… There’s just a chance that….

X is unlikely to… I doubt if….

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3. Fund Raising

3.1. Lead-in

Consider the following questions: Is it necessary for a company to have its own fund-raising policy? Does a well-defined policy contribute to the success of the company in the business world? 3.2. Reading

Read the following text and fill in the gaps with ONE word. Corporations – How Corporations Raise Funds For Investment 1. By investing in new issues of a company’s stock, shareholders provide the funds for a company to begin new or expanded operations. However, most stock sales do not involve new issues of stock. Instead, when someone 1 ___ owns stock decides to sell some or all of their shares, that stock is typically traded on one of the national 2 ___ exchanges, which are specialised markets for buying and selling stocks. In those transactions, the person who sells the stock – not the corporation whose stock is traded – receives the funds from the sale. 2. An existing corporation that wants to secure funds to expand its operations has three options: It can issue new shares of stock, using the process described earlier. That option will reduce the share of the business that current stockholders 3 ___, so a majority of the current stockholders have to approve the issue of new shares of stock. New issues are often approved because if the expansion proves to be profitable, the current stockholders are likely to benefit 4 ___ higher stock prices and increased dividends. Dividends are corporate profits that some companies periodically pay out to shareholders. 3. The second way for a corporation to secure funds is by borrowing money from banks, from other financial institutions, or from individuals. To do this the corporation often issues bonds, which are legal obligations to repay the amount of money borrowed, plus interest, 5 ___ a designated time. If a corporation goes out of business, it is legally required to pay 6 ___ any bonds it has issued before any money is returned to stockholders. That means that stocks are riskier investments than bonds. On the other hand, all a bondholder will ever receive is the amount of money specified in the bond. Stockholders can enjoy much larger returns, if the corporation is profitable. 4. The final way for a corporation to pay for new investments is by reinvesting some of the profits it has earned. After paying taxes, profits are 7 ___ paid out to stockholders as dividends or held as retained earnings to use in running and expanding the business. Those retained earnings come 8 ___ the profits that belong to the stockholders, so reinvesting some of those profits increases the value of what the stockholders own and have risked in the business, which is known as stockholders’ equity. On the other hand, if the corporation incurs losses, the value of

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what the stockholders own in the business goes down, so stockholders’ equity decreases.

( http://www.the-unitedstatesofamerica.com/admin/rechterframes/2704.htm)


3.3.1. Match the words with the correct definition:

1. issues (par. 1) a. corporate profits that some companies periodically pay out to shareholders

2. to incur (par. 4) b. legal obligations to repay the amount of money borrowed, plus interest, at a designated time

3. transaction (par. 1) c. the value of a property after you have taken away the amount left to pay on the mortgage // the value of a company’s shares

4. to secure (par. 2) d. the action or process of buying and selling something

5. expansion (par. 2) e. a set of things, for example shares in a company, that are made available to people at a particular time

6. dividends (par. 2) f. money that you make by selling something or from your business, especially the money that remains after you have paid all your business costs

7. bonds (par. 3) g. to get money from a bank or from a person by promising to give them goods or property if you cannot return the money

8. returns (par. 3) h. a profit on money that you have invested

9. profits (par. 4) i. the process of making a business, organisation, or activity grow by including more people, moving into new areas, selling more products etc.

10. equity (par. 4) j. to lose money, owe money, or have to pay money as a result of doing something


3.4.1. Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the space. 1 ___ (WORK) at Shepparton Carpets Ltd voted today to continue with their industrial action. Union leader Elaine Watkins issued a statement saying: “Although we do not envisage an all-out strike at this stage, everyone at the plant will continue to refuse to work 2 ___ (TIME) until this dispute is settled. We urge (3) ___ (MANAGE) to reconsider their proposals.” The industrial action, which began three weeks ago, has affected 4 ___ (PRODUCE) at the factory. Joe Turner, Managing Director of Shepparton Carpets, has, however, refused to bow to union demands. “If Shepparton Carpets wants to survive, it has to become more 5 ___ (COMPETE),” he said. “It is my responsibility as an 6 ___ (EMPLOY) of over 500 7 ___ (EMPLOY) to ensure this company continues to make a profit. 8 ___ (PERIOD), we have to make changes to improve efficiency. If we don’t, we’ll be all out of a job. It may not be pleasant, but it is essential. Some of the working practices at the factory are, frankly, 9 ___ (ANTIQUE) and totally 10 ___ (APPLY) to the modern world. I just wish the unions would work with me on this, rather than fighting me every step of the way.”

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3.5. Functions

Trends upward movement: a rise to rise an increase to increase, to go up a climb to climb a jump to jump downward movement: a fall to fall a drop to drop a decline to decline a decrease to decrease use of prepositions: The percentage rose from….to…….

The amount stood / stayed at…… The figure rose by …….. There was a rise of…….

contrast contrast words or phrases: but, although, despite, in spite of the fact that, whereas, however, nevertheless in contrast (to)……. ……..while………. On the other hand…. ………against………. On the contrary …… ………compared to……….. In comparison (to)…… similarity both…..and……. like………X………. the same…………. X is similar to……….. Neither ……nor…….. Similarly…………..

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UNIT 4 – BUSINESS ETHICS

GLOSSARY – BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY Students should be able to use the vocabulary under BUSINESS ETHICS to communicate about:

Definition of business ethics

Importance of business ethics in today’s business climate

Basic ethical considerations that a company needs to address

Codes of ethics

Unethical behaviour in the workplace

Training in business ethics

account verb

acid rain noun [U]

age discrimination

biodegradable adjective

bioethics noun [U]

biological control noun [U]

carbon tax noun [C]

conservation noun [U]

corporate social responsibility noun [C]

decontaminate verb [T]

deforest verb [T]

depopulate verb [T]

dumping noun [U]

emission noun

environment noun [C or U]

ethic noun [C]

global warming noun [U]

globalisation noun [U]

green adjective

integrity noun [U]

just adjective

life-support system noun [C]

litter verb [T]

moral adjective

natural resources noun

noise pollution noun [U]

norm noun [C usually plural]

nuclear waste noun [U]

oil slick noun [C]

overpopulated adjective

ozone noun [U]

poison verb [T]

pollute verb [T]

positive discrimination noun

precept noun [C] FORMAL

preservation noun [U]

principle noun [C or U]

protected adjective

race discrimination noun

recycle verb [T]

refuse dump noun [C]

reusable adjective

scrap yard noun [C]

smog noun [S or U]

social conscience noun [U]

the polluter pays principle

throwaway adjective

unethical adjective

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UNIT FOUR – BUSINESS ETHICS

1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What is business ethics?

Reflection topic Business ethics is concerned with issues of morality in commercial decision making. Ethical questions include the relationship between business and the environment, between companies and their employees, product types, quality, pricing and many other aspects of business. Categorise the following commercial practices using a scale from 1 to 5: 1 = acceptable in some circumstances 2 = usually acceptable 3 = depends on situation

4 = usually unacceptable 5 = always unacceptable

Do not forget to give reasons for your choices. * manufacturing and selling cosmetics tested on animals * making employees redundant without any warning * making false claims of selling environmentally-friendly products when, in fact, they are harmful for the environment * employing illegal immigrants as cheap labour and depriving them of their legal rights * doing business with companies which exploit children * exaggerating your company’s achievements in negotiations * dropping your prices to force competitors out of the market.

2. English in use

2.1. You are going to read a text about business ethics. For each blank think of ONE word that can best fit in the context. e.g. 0 – what

Let's Start With "What is ethics?" Simply put, ethics involves learning 0 ___ is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing -- but "the right thing" is not nearly 1 ___ straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a 2 ___ of "Should Bob steal from Jack?" or "Should Jack lie to his boss?" (Many ethicists assert there's always a right thing to 3 ___ based on moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depends on the situation -- ultimately it's 4 ___ to the individual.) Many philosophers 5 ___ ethics to be the "science of conduct." Twin Cities consultants Doug Wallace and John Pekel explain that ethics includes the fundamental ground 6 ___ by which we live our lives. Philosophers

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have been discussing ethics for at 7 ___ 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Plato. Many ethicists consider emerging ethical beliefs to be "state of the art" legal matters, i.e., what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a law, regulation or rule 8 ___ Values which guide how we ought to behave are considered moral values, e.g., values such as respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, etc. Statements around how these values are applied are sometimes called moral or ethical principles. So What is "Business Ethics"? The concept has come to mean various things to various people, but generally it's coming to know what is right or wrong in the workplace and doing what's right -- this is in regard 9 ___ effects of products/services and in relationships with stakeholders. Wallace and Pekel explain that attention to business ethics is critical during times of fundamental change -- times much 10 ___ those faced now by businesses, 11 ___ nonprofit and for-profit. In times of fundamental change, values that were previously 12 ___ for granted are now strongly questioned. Many of these values are no longer followed. Consequently, there is no clear moral compass to guide leaders through complex dilemmas about what is right or wrong. Attention to ethics in the workplace sensitizes leaders and staff to how they 13 ___ act. Perhaps most important, attention to ethics in the workplaces helps ensure that when leaders and managers are struggling in times of crises and confusion, 14 ___ retain a strong moral compass. However, attention to business ethics provides numerous other benefits, as well. Note that many people react that business ethics, with its continuing attention to "doing the right thing," only asserts the obvious ("be good," "don't lie," etc.), and so these people don't take business ethics 15 ___. For many of us, these principles of the obvious can go right out the door during times of stress. Consequently, business ethics can be strong preventative medicine.

(adapted and abridged from http://www.articles911.com/Business_Ethics/)

2.2. Read the second part of the article about business ethics and fill in the gaps with the words in the box. There is one word that you do not need:

daily, mismanagement, misunderstanding, remedies, practices, preaching Two Broad Areas of Business Ethics 1. Managerial mischief. Madsen and Shafritz, in their book "Essentials of Business Ethics" (Penguin Books, 1990) further explain that "managerial mischief" includes "illegal, unethical, or questionable 1 ___ of individual managers or organizations, as well as the causes of such behaviors and 2 ___ to eradicate them." There has been a great deal written about managerial mischief, leading many to believe that business ethics is merely a matter of 3 ___ the basics of what is right and wrong. More often, though, business ethics is a matter of dealing with dilemmas that have no clear indication of what is right or wrong. 2. Moral mazes. The other broad area of business ethics is "moral mazes of management" and includes the numerous ethical problems that managers must deal with on a 4 ___ basis, such as potential conflicts of interest, wrongful use of resources, 5 ___ of contracts and agreements, etc.


2.3. Read the last part of the text and use the following words to form a word that fits in the same numbered space in the text. (Pay attention to the part of

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speech which is missing in the sentence so that you can choose the right word.)

1. special 2. expect 3. poor 4. research

5. supply 6. emerge 7. organise 8. guide

Business ethics is now a management discipline. Business ethics has come to be considered a management discipline, 1 ___ since the birth of the social responsibility movement in the 1960s. In that decade, social awareness movements raised 2 ___ of businesses to use their massive financial and social influence to address social problems such as 3 ___, crime, environmental protection, equal rights, public health and improving education. An increasing number of people asserted that because businesses were making a profit from using our country's resources, these businesses owed it to our country to work to improve society. Many 4 ___, business schools and managers have recognized this broader constituency, and in their planning and operations have replaced the word "stockholder" with "stakeholder," meaning to include employees, customers, 5 ___ and the wider community The 6 ___ of business ethics is similar to other management disciplines. For example, organizations realized that they needed to manage a more positive image to the public and so the recent discipline of public relations was born. 7 ___ realized they needed to better manage their human resources and so the recent discipline of human resources was born. As commerce became more complicated and dynamic, organizations realized they needed more 8 ___ to ensure their dealings supported the common good and did not harm others -- and so business ethics was born. Note that 90% of business schools now provide some form of training in business ethics. Today, ethics in the workplace can be managed through use of codes of ethics, codes of conduct, roles of ethicists and ethics committees, policies and procedures, procedures to resolve ethical dilemmas, ethics training, etc.


3. Reflection topic

STOP AND THINK! Do you think that as societies become richer, consumers become more critical and more likely to adopt ethical standpoints?

4. English in use

In the following article some of the underlined parts are correct; some have a mistake in them (a grammar mistake, a vocabulary mistake, a spelling mistake, a missing word, an unnecessary word, and inappropriateness in the context). If the part is correct, write CORRECT in its corresponding numbered space; if the part is incorrect, write the correct version in its corresponding numbered space:

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9 Myths About Business Ethics (1) Business ethics in the workplace is about prioritising moral values for the workplace and ensuring behaviours are aligned with those values -- its values management. Yet, myths abound about business ethics. Some of these myths arise from general confusion about the notion of ethics. Other myths (2) arise from narrow or simplistic views of ethical dilemmas. 1. Myth: Business ethics is more a matter of religion than management. Diane Kirrane, in "Managing Values: A Systematic Approach to Business Ethics," (Training and Development Journal, November 1990), (3) asserts that "altering peoples’ values or souls isn't the aim of an organizational ethics program -- managing values and conflict among them is ..." 2. Myth: Our employees are ethical so we don't need attention to business ethics. Most of the ethical dilemmas faced by managers in the workplace are highly complex. Wallace explains that one knows when they have a significant ethical conflict when there is presence of a) significant value conflicts among differing (4) interests, b) real alternatives that are equality justifiable and c) significant consequences on "stakeholders" in the situation. Kirrane mentions that when the topic of business ethics comes up, people are quick to speak of the Golden Rule, honesty and courtesy. (5) But when presented with complex ethical dilemmas, most people realize there's a wide "gray area" when trying to apply ethical principles. 3. Myth: Business ethics is a discipline best led by philosophers, academics and theologians. Lack of involvement of leaders and managers in business ethics literature and discussions has led many to believe that business ethics is a fad or movement, having little to do with the day-to-day realities of running an organization. They believe (6) business ethics is primary a complex philosophical debate or a religion. However, business ethics is a management discipline with a programmatic approach that includes several practical tools. Ethics management programs have practical applications in other areas of management areas, as well. 4. Myth: Business ethics is superfluous -- it only asserts the obvious: "do good!" (7) Many people react that codes of ethics, or lists of ethical values to which the organization aspires, are rather superfluous because they represent values to which everyone should naturally aspire. However, the value of a code of ethics to an organization is its priority and focus regarding certain ethical values in that workplace. For example, it’s obvious that all people should be honest. However, if an organization (8) is struggling around continuing occasions of deceit in the workplace, a priority on honesty is very timely -- and honesty should be listed in that organization’s code of ethics. Note that a code of ethics is an organic instrument that changes with the needs of society and the organization. 5. Myth: Business ethics is a matter of the good guys preaching to the bad guys. Some writers do seem to claim a moral high ground (9) while lamenting about the poor condition of business and its leaders. However, those people well versed in managing organizations realize that good people can take bad actions, particularly when stressed or confused. (Stress or confusion are not excuses for unethical actions -- they are reasons.) Managing ethics in the workplace includes all of us working together to help each other remain ethical and to work through confusing and stressful ethical dilemmas.

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6. Myth: Ethics can't be managed. Actually, ethics is always "managed" -- but, too often, indirectly. For example, (10) the behaviour of the organisations’ founder or current leader is a strong moral influence, or directive if you will, on behaviour or employees in the workplace. Strategic priorities (profit maximization, expanding market share, cutting costs, etc.) can be very strong influences on morality. Laws, regulations and rules directly influence behaviours to be more ethical, usually in a manner that improves the general good and/or minimizes harm to the community. Some are still sceptical about business ethics, believing you can't manage values in an organization. Donaldson and Davis (Management Decision, V28, N6) (11) note that management, after everything, is a value system. Sceptics might consider the tremendous influence of several "codes of ethics," such as the "10 Commandments" in Christian religions or the U.S. Constitution. Codes can be very powerful in smaller "organizations" as well. 7. Myth: Business ethics and social responsibility are the same thing. The social responsibility movement is one aspect of the overall discipline of business ethics. Madsen and Shafritz (12) refine the definition of business ethics to be: 1) an application of ethics to the corporate community, 2) a way to determine responsibility in business dealings, 3) the identification of important business and social issues, and 4) a critique of business. (13) Items 3 and 4 are often matters of social responsability. (There has been a great deal of public discussion and writing about items 3 and 4. However, there needs to be more written about items 1 and 2, about how business ethics can be managed.) Writings about social responsibility often do not address practical matters of managing ethics in the workplace, e.g., developing codes, updating polices and procedures, approaches to resolving ethical dilemmas, etc. 8. Myth: Our organization is not in trouble with the law, so we're ethical. (14) One can often be unethical, yet operate within the limits of the law, e.g., withhold information from superiors, fudge on budgets, constantly complain about others, etc. However, breaking the law often starts with unethical behaviour that has gone unnoticed. The "boil the frog" phenomena is a useful parable here: If you put a frog in hot water, it immediately jumps out. If you put a frog in cool water and slowly heat up the water, you can eventually boil the frog. The frog doesn't seem to notice the adverse change in its environment. 9. Myth: Managing ethics in the workplace has little practical relevance. Managing ethics in the workplace involves identifying and prioritizing values to guide behaviours in the organization, (15) and establishing associated policies and procedures to ensure those behaviours are conducted. One might call this "values management." Values management is also highly important in other management practices, e.g., managing diversity, Total Quality Management and strategic planning.


5. English in use

Read the following article about codes of ethics. In some of the lines there is an extra word which is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit with the meaning of the text. If a line is correct, write CORRECT against the corresponding number; if there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in capital letters against the corresponding number (Tip: focus on the meaning of the sentence and on the natural word order.):

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Ethics Tools: Codes of Ethics 1…According to Wallace, "A credo generally describes the highest values to which the same 2…company aspires to operate. It contains the `thou shalt's. A code of ethics specifies the 3…ethical rules of operation. It's the `thou shalt not's." In the latter of 1980s, The Conference 4…Board, a leading business membership organization, found that 76% of its corporations surveyed had codes of ethics. 5…Some business ethicists also disagree that codes have any value. They explain that too 6…much focus is put on the codes themselves, and that codes themselves are not 7…influential in managing ethics in the workplace. Then many ethicists note that it's the 8…developing and continuing dialogue around the code's values that is most important. 9…Occasionally, employees react to codes with suspicion, believing in the values are 10…"motherhood and apple pie" and codes are for the window dressing. But, when managing 11…a complex issue, especially in a crisis, having a code is critical. More important, it's 12…having developed a code. In the mid-70s, Johnson and Johnson updated their credo in a 13…series of challenge meetings. Bob Kniffin, Vice President of External Affairs, he 14…explains, "We pored over each phrase and word. However we asked ourselves, `Do we 15…still believe this?' Our meetings have resulted in some fine tuning, but basically we didn't 16…change the values. The meetings infused the values in the minds of all of us managers."


6. Reflection topics

STOP AND THINK! ETHICAL MARKETING is providing a product or service in a way which considers not only the consumers and the users of the product, but also the general public, the wider needs of society and the environment. Try to decide on a reasonable ethical position on the issues below. Are there any particular conditions that we should take into consideration when choosing which of them are acceptable or unacceptable?

Selling unhealthy food despite warnings

Marketing sweets and junk food snacks to small children

Marketing cigarettes

Using overtly sexual images to sell products

Focusing too much on anorexic looking body shape when marketing products for teenagers

Selling environmentally unfriendly products AND at the same time claiming they do little harm to our environment.

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7. Reading comprehension

Read the following article. Some sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from sentences A- J the one which fits each gap (1-9). There is one sentence which you do not need to use. Ethical Decision-making Quick Test by Bruce A. Hamm

Often, making ethical decisions in the work place is a delicate balancing act between competing forces. Easy decisions like "should I embezzle hundreds of thousands of dollars" are obvious and generally do not require much help or analysis to determine whether they are ethical or not. 1 ___. Having a quick test allows you to make the easy decisions and recognize when the decision may be a bit more difficult. If at any point, you cannot legitimately answer the question, you might consider asking someone else for help. 2 ___. Remember, generally the decisions are yours and you have to live with the results, so be prepared to accept responsibility for them. Is it legal? This is the first filter through which your ethical decision will pass. 3 ___. A business law professor in an MBA course once stated that the law is generally about 12 years behind society's concept of ethical practices. Don't simply stop your ethical decision making process at whether an action is legal. It may not be against the law but it may also not be the right thing to do. If the answer is no or raises objections, you must stop, reject the action and take another course 4 ___. How would it look in the news? Okay, you've determined that your action is legal. Now, how would it look to the rest of your community, the nation and ever more frequently, the world? It's one thing for you or even your close associates to know about your decisions and actions but entirely another when people outside your inner circle know about them. 5 ___ Would you be embarrassed to have these events known? How would your company perceive publicity surrounding your actions? If the answer is unacceptable, stop, reject the action and take another course. If the answer is acceptable, go on to the next criteria. Does it comply with our company values? What are your company values? Okay, let's first assume your company values are legitimate ones. Do your actions conform to them? For example: if your values say something about treating employees fairly, do you have a legitimate process for applying discipline and/or discharge? Do managers fire people in the heat of an emotional upheaval or is there an appropriate escalation of discipline before the company allows such a step? 6 ___. If your action conforms to your corporate values, move on to the next criteria. Under the same circumstances, would I want the result of this decision to happen to everyone? Am I treating others as I want to be treated? How do you want to be treated? If you've made a mistake do you take responsibility for it? Have you accepted appropriate discipline with an attitude conducive to correcting the behaviour? 7 ___. If you've done something well, do you expect an appropriate reward, even if it is only verbal? Do you give that same level of reward to your staff or co-workers? For decisions concerning others, is the result of the

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action fair? Does the person affected get only the appropriate degree of reward or discipline? Would others agree with your perception of the outcome? If no, stop, reject the action and take another course. If yes, move on to the next criteria. How will I feel after the decision is known? Can I face myself the next morning? This is the man in the mirror story (updated to include the woman in the mirror). 8 ___. How do you feel about the decision? Even if it is a tough decision and the outcome would affect someone negatively, have you acted out of the overall best interest of everyone concerned? If the answer is no, stop, reject the action and find another course. If yes, take the action with good confidence you've resolved your dilemma. Often with subsequent information we regret our actions but we also realize that we make decisions with the information available at the time. If the decision does not need to be made immediately, have you given your proposed action enough reflection to feel confident about its outcome? This process may seem long and involved. 9 ___. Every time you discard a particular option run the next alternative through this same practice. Taking the time to review decisions with an ethical perspective is critical to making the right choices. When a company's people focus on their ethical behaviour, everyone involved is better off.

(adapted and abridged from http://www.work911.com/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=3935)

A. If it is legal, go on to the next criteria. B. If your ethical dilemma is obviously at odds with your company values, stop, reject the action and take another course. C. When you shave or apply your makeup and you think of the action you will take, can you look yourself in the mirror and know you are satisfied you've done the right thing? D. It's a bit tougher when the decision is between two competing right things to do. E. In general, they may even share part of the responsibility. F. However, the more you use it, the more quickly you can work through the decision review process on subsequent occasions. G. The word discipline has its origins in the Greek word meaning to teach not to punish. H. Talk to your supervisor or, if you are lucky enough to have an ethics officer or ethics helpline, talk to whoever can help you make the final decision. I. How will the people you don't know perceive your actions? J. Legal and ethical are not equivalent concepts. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 3

Watch Barry Schwartz’s lecture On our loss of wisdom (follow the link http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html). Do you agree with him? Why? Do not write more than 250 words. You should

submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet.

Deadline: 20 December.

http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html


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UNIT 5 – MANAGEMENT


Students should be able to use the vocabulary under MANAGEMENT to communicate about:

Definition of management

Managerial tasks

Basic managerial skills

Managerial responsibilities

Leading versus managing

Management styles

Women in senior managerial positions

action plan noun [C]

administer verb [T often passive]

assess verb [T]

authority noun

autocrat noun [C]

boss (MANAGER) noun [C]

bureaucracy noun [C or U]

campaign verb [I]

CEO noun [C]

chairman, chair, chairperson noun [C]

challenge noun [C]

chief noun [C]

collaborative working noun [U]

consensus noun [U]

coordinate verb [T]

decentralisation noun [U]

decision-maker noun [C]

delegate verb [T]

democratic adjective

deputy noun [C]

direct verb

employer noun [C]

empower verb [T]

executive adjective

facilitate verb [T]

feedback noun [U]

goal noun [C]

governor noun [C]

guide noun [C]

head noun [C]

hierarchy noun [C]

implement a policy/plan/decision verb [T]

implementation noun [U]

laissez-faire approach noun [C]

leader noun [C]

line manager noun

manage verb [T]

MD noun [C]

mediate verb [I, T]

mentor noun [C]

middle management noun [U]

motivation noun [U]

office noun [C]

operator noun [C]

outcome noun [C]

oversee verb [T]

paperwork noun [U]

partner noun [C]

people skills noun [C usu. pl.]

plan noun [C]

president noun [C]

prioritise verb [I, T]

problem-solving noun [U]

rationalise verb [I or T]

restructure verb [T]

silent partner noun [C]

sleeping partner noun [C]

strategist noun [C]

supervisor noun [C]

team noun [C]

vice president noun [C]

vision noun [C]

vote of confidence noun [C]

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UNIT FIVE – MANAGEMENT

1. Management – Art or Science?

1.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! How would you define management? What is the role of a manager?

1.2. Reading

Read the following article. While reading, fill in the gaps with ONE word. Which of the two approaches do you favour? The Art and Science of Management One of the enduring questions in the field of management is whether it is an art or a science. Webster's College Dictionary defines an art as “skill in conducting any human activity" and science as "any skill or technique that reflects a precise application of facts or a principle." Reflected in the differences in these definitions is the use of precision in science, in that 1 ___ is a particular, prescribed way in which a manager should act. Thus, management as a science would indicate that 2 ___ practice, managers use a specific body of information and facts to guide their behaviours, but that management as an art requires no specific body of knowledge, only skill. Conversely, those who believe that management is an art are likely to believe that there is 3 ___ specific way to teach or understand management, and that 4 ___ is a skill borne of personality and ability. Those who believe in management as an art are likely to believe that certain people are 5 ___ predisposed to be effective managers than are others, and that some people cannot 6 ___ taught to be effective managers. That is, even with an understanding of management research and an education in management, some people will not be capable of being effective practising managers. Foundations of the Management as a Science Perspective Practising managers who believe in management as a science are likely to believe that there are ideal managerial practices for certain situations. That is, when faced with a managerial dilemma, the manager 7 ___ believes in the scientific foundation of his or her craft will expect that there is a rational and objective way to determine the correct course of action. This manager is likely to follow general principles and theories and also create and test hypotheses. 8 ___ instance, if a manager has a problem with an employee's poor work performance, the manager will look to specific means of performance improvement, expecting that certain principles will work in most situations. He or she may rely 9 ___ concepts learned in business school or through a company training programme when determining a course of action, perhaps paying 10 ___ attention to political and social factors involved in the situation.

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Many early management researchers subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary driver of 11 ___ perspective. Scientific management, pioneered by Frederick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and others, attempted to discover "the one best way" to perform jobs. They used scientific processes to evaluate and organise work 12 ___ that it became more efficient and effective. Scientific management's emphasis 13 ___ both reducing inefficiencies and on understanding the psychology of workers changed manager and employee attitudes 14 ___ the practice of management. Foundations of the Management as an Art Perspective Practising managers who believe in management as an art are unlikely to believe that scientific principles and theories will be able to be implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather 15 ___ generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, as a contrast 16 ___ the example given previously, a manager who has a problem with an employee's poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgement when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending 17 ___ the context of the problem. Henry Mintzberg is probably the most well-known and prominent advocate of the school of thought that management is an art. Mintzberg is an academic researcher whose work capturing the actual daily tasks of real managers was ground breaking research for its time. Mintzberg, through his observation of actual managers in their daily work, determined that managers did not sit at their desks, thinking, evaluating, and deciding all day long, working for long, uninterrupted time periods. Rather, Mintzberg determined that mangers engaged in very fragmented work, with constant interruptions and rare opportunities to quietly consider managerial issues. Thus, Mintzberg revolutionized thinking 18 ___ managers at the time that his work was published, challenging the prior notion that managers behaved rationally and methodically. This was 19 ___ line with the perspective of management as an art, because it indicated that managers did not necessarily have routine behaviours throughout their days, but instead used their own social and political skills to solve problems that arose throughout the course of work. Another scholar that promoted the notion of management as an art was David E. Lilienthal, who in 1967 had his series of lectures titled Management: A Humanist Art published. In this set of published lectures, Lilienthal argues that management requires 20 ___ than a mastery of techniques and skills; instead, it also requires that managers understand individuals and their motivations and help them achieve their goals. Lilienthal believed that effective managerial behaviour meant combining management and leadership into practice, by not only getting work done but understanding the meaning behind the work. Thus, he promoted the idea of the manager as a motivator and facilitator of others. This manager as an artist was likely to respond differently to each employee and situation, rather than use a prescribed set of responses dictated 21 ___ set of known guidelines. Another proponent of the management as art school of thought is Peter Drucker, famed management scholar who is best known for developing ideas related to total quality management. Drucker terms management “a liberal art". He argues that the discipline (i.e., the science) of management attempts to create a paradigm for

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managers, in which facts are established, and exceptions 22 ___ these facts are ignored as anomalies. He is critical 23 ___ the assumptions that make up the management paradigm, because these assumptions change 24 ___ time as society and the business environment change. Thus, management is more of an art, 25 ___ scientific "facts" do not remain stable over time.

(http://www.enotes.com/management-encyclopedia/art-science-management)


1.3.1. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with a word derived from the word given at the end of each sentence:

1. This should be a viable ... of good management. CHARACTER

2. All executives involved in the project did their job to the best of their ... .

ABLE

3. Given the very few clues we have, this is a hardly ... flaw in our business plan.

IDENTITY

4. In order to be a ... businesswoman, you have to be acquainted with the main issues of inter-gender communication.

SUCCESS

5. Unfortunately, I cannot attach too much ... to your statistics.

CREDIBLE

6. Good ... is essential for the success of any kind of business.

LEAD

7. One shouldn’t elude ... when dealing with serious occupational tasks.

RESPONSIBLE

8. His greatest ... is that of being a flawless leader. ACCOMPLISH

9. I would ... like to specify that we are behind schedule. PARTICULAR

10. The effort which you put into our project will turn out to be an invaluable ... .

INVEST

11. Acting in ... with present legislation will prevent any problems with the authorities.

ACCORD

12. The ... for this initiative to become fruitful are that all of you should work overtime.

REQUIRE

13. At the trade fair last year, our company received an award for ... .

EXCEL

14. ... talent is supposed to be in-born rather than acquired. MANAGE

15. Thanks to our ... intervention, the company didn’t go bankrupt.

TIME

1.3.2. Fill in the blanks with ten of the following fifteen phrasal verbs from the list. Use the remaining five in sentences of your own. You may want to consult a dictionary for the meaning of certain verbs.

call back call upon call for call up call out set out set back set forth set off set aside bring forth bring back bring about bring out bring up

1. We had to ___ the help of a consulting firm in order to solve our queries

regarding auditing. 2. They finally ___ to invite their business partners to the annual conference on

regional development.

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3. I’m sorry to ___ the subject of solvency but I’m afraid we have to deal with this issue as well.

4. Given that the new procedure failed, he decided to ___ the previous one. 5. Please, don’t hesitate to ___ me ___ as soon as you’ve got word from our main

investor. 6. I suppose we will have to ___ our differences and concentrate our efforts on

solving the problem in hand. 7. I wouldn’t like the problem of travel costs to ___ you ___ in your intention to take

part in this year’s trade fair. 8. Following the news of the market crash, desperate firm owners began to ___ for

help through all media. 9. I am sorry that Mr. Brown is not in his office now, but please don’t hesitate to

___ in an hour. 10. The new management restructuring has ___ significant changes in the

company’s policy.

1.3.3. A. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word derived from the one given in brackets. Art and Science in Management Research Noted 1 ___ (RESEARCH) Thomas Kuhn, in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, addresses issues associated with the state of current 2 ___ (SCIENCE) research and the opportunities for scientific discovery. Kuhn, in his previous editions of this text, drew distinctions between mature and 3 ___ (MATURE) fields of study. In mature fields of study, many of the central questions of that field have been answered, and strong consensus exists among researchers regarding the fundamental 4 ___ (ASSUME) of that field. Conversely, in immature fields of study, there is still a great deal of debate on major questions in the field, and gains in 5 ___ (KNOW) come sporadically. In many ways, management is an immature science. While its 6 ___ (FOUND) in psychology, sociology, and other related areas give it a long and rich history, the nature of the areas of study renders it immature. That is, due to the difficulties of studying human behavior in a number of disparate 7 ___ (SET), the study of management is still very young when compared with other fields of research (e.g., in the physical sciences). In fact, many scholars have argued that the social sciences (e.g., management research) suffer from envy of the physical sciences, in which "truths" are able to be determined through research. As such, social sciences researchers may strive to create a more "scientific" approach to their fields in order to grant them more 8 ___ (LEGITIMATE). B. In some of the sentences there is an extra word which does not fit with the meaning of the text. Find the extra word. Despite of its relative immaturity, some consistent answers have been developed in the field of management. In many ways this is due to the many increased sophistication of management research. However, there are still a number of research of gaps in management; despite our increased knowledge in some areas, there is still a very great deal of disagreement and confusion in other areas. In these circumstances, the practice of management is likely to will be dictated by the perspective of management as an art. Because of there are no hard and fast rules in certain circumstances, individual managers' experiences and skills must to guide them.

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Today, much of the management research conducted in academic institutions blends with the notion of management as an art and as a science. 1.4. Language focus: Reflexive Pronouns

1.4.1. Reflexive Pronouns Look at the following example of a reflexive pronoun: They are thus called upon to commit themselves to maximum performance and investment of their full potential in teams and project. Fill in with the suitable reflexive pronoun forms:

I

you

he

she

it

we

you

they themselves

1.4.2. Fill in the blanks with the right reflexive pronouns. 1. You should commit ___ more to our line of action. 2. She couldn’t find ___ a better position. 3. I should have more confidence in ___ when it comes to work involvement. 4. He keeps deluding ___ about how efficient a manager he is. 5. The firm didn’t manage to protect ___ from cut-throat competition. 6. We should show more consideration to ___ when we have to deal with

unscrupulous business partners like them. 7. I doubt whether they have given ___ a second chance to set things straight in

the department affairs.

2. Motivation and Work Relationships

2.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What is motivation? It is the role of the manager to motivate employees. Would you prefer a male boss or a female boss? Why?

2.2. Reading

A. Read the following text and choose the motivation theory that you like best.

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Motivation and Communication The ability to motivate others and improve morale is a “soft skill” – difficult to acquire and almost impossible to measure. Four key thinkers contributed to this field in the 1950s and 60s, and their work is still the basis for contemporary approaches: 1. Maslow developed his ‘hierarchy of needs’

a. self-actualisation needs b. ego (self-esteem) needs c. social needs d. security needs e. physiological needs

We move to the next stage up only when the lower need is met. And as soon as any need is met, then it is no longer a motivator. The bottom two are usually not an issue in business (unless you are hungry or in danger). After that, our next need is to feel accepted and part of a group (social need). If that happens, then next we have ego needs: recognition and acknowledgement from others, as well as a sense of status or importance. Finally, if that need is met, we want self-fulfilment (‘self-actualisation’ in Maslow’s terms): to achieve, to develop to our fullest potential. 2. Herzberg expressed similar ideas. He agreed that the most important motivators at work were the sense of achievement, earned recognition and interest in the job itself. But then there was another set of job factors (‘hygiene’ or ‘maintenance’ factors) that do not motivate employees, but can cause dissatisfaction if they are missing. These include salary, job security, working conditions and good relations with co-workers 3. McGregor observed that managers generally fall into two categories: Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X managers believe that most people dislike work and must be controlled and directed to achieve the organisation’s goals. Theory Y managers believe that most people like work and actively seek responsibility. They believe in empowerment (= giving employees the authority to make decisions without traditional managerial approval) and enabling (= giving them the tools). 4. Drucker believed in ‘management by objectives’ (MBO). MBO calls on managers to work with employees to formulate clear, ambitious but achievable goals. There has to be monitoring and measurement to ensure objectives are being met, and workers who achieve their objectives can be rewarded with pay rises, bonuses, etc. Communication Communication is two-way: top-down and bottom-up. It can also be external: the PR function handles this. Inside an organisation, informal communication happens all the time; everyone enjoys discussing ‘office politics’ at the water cooler and picking up information ‘on the grapevine’ (= passed from one person to another in conversation). Formal communication is through the medium of meetings, presentations, reports, etc. But two other key communication skills are required:

‘Active listening’. This means listening with full attention, not interrupting except to ask for clarification, and giving consideration to the other person’s point of view.

‘Assertiveness’. This means stating your needs and opinions confidently and clearly, without on the one hand being indirect or ‘suffering in silence’, or on the other being aggressive and rude.

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B. Read the following text and choose the personality type that you think you belong to. Teamwork A team (or ‘taskforce’ or ‘working party’) needs a variety of personality types to perform well:

‘Head’ people who are good at thinking and problem-solving

‘Hands’ people who are good at doing and acting

‘Heart’ people who are good at networking and resolving conflicts Once a team has been set up, it usually goes through the five stages identified by Bruce Tucker: 1. Forming – people get to know each other 2. Storming – this refers both to ‘brainstorming’ as ideas get suggested for the first time, and also to conflicts that arise as team members clarify their roles and expectations. 3. Norming – members sort out a way of working together and begin to ‘own’ and share the team objectives. 4. Performing – members focus on solving problems and doing tasks. Progress can be seen as they pass various milestones (= events that mark an important stage in a process). 5. Adjourning – the job is finished, and there is often a public recognition and celebration of achievements. 2.3. Vocabulary development

2.3.1. Fill in the missing letters. 1. The level of confidence and positive feelings that people have, especially people

who work together, is their level of ‘mo_ _ _ e’ (slightly different from ‘motivation’ which is linked to doing things).

2. When we have the recognition and respect of the others, it adds greatly to our ‘self-es_ _ _ m’ (= the feeling that we are valued and important).

3. When we have been successful, it is good to have the ‘ackn_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ nt’ (= public recognition and thanks) of others.

4. Developing to our fullest potential was called ‘self-actualisation’ by Maslow. A more common term is ‘self-ful_ _ _ ment’.

5. Being successful after a lot of effort gives us a ‘sense of ach_ _ _ _ _ _nt’. 6. Giving people more control over their work is called ‘em_ _ _ _ _ _ _nt’. 7. Giving someone the tools and skills to do something is called ‘en_ _ _ing’ them. 8. Successful managers are neither passive nor aggressive. Instead, they are

‘ass_ _ _ _ve’. 9. Business leaders need to have vision and ‘comm_ _ _ _ nt’ (= enthusiasm,

determination and a strong belief in what they are doing). 2.3.2. Read the text and then answer the questions below. The work of Maslow and Herzberg has been developed into the theory of ‘job enrichment’. This theory states that there are five characteristics affecting an individual’s motivation and performance.

1. Skill variety – the extent to which the job demands different skills. 2. Task identity – the degree to which a job has visible outcome.

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3. Task significance – the degree to which a job has an impact on the work of others.

4. Autonomy – the degree of freedom and choice that people have in scheduling work and determining procedures.

5. Feedback – the amount of direct and clear information that is received about performance.

The first three factors above contribute to the meaningfulness of the job. The fourth gives a feeling of responsibility. The fifth contributes to a feeling of achievement and recognition. Job enrichment tries to maximize the above five factors within the constraints of the organisation. It also includes two specific strategies:

a. job enlargement – combining a series of tasks into one challenging and interesting assignment

b. job rotation – moving employees from one job to another Find a word in the text which means: 1. making something better and more enjoyable 2. result 3. power to make independent decisions 4. quality of being serious, useful and important 5. making something bigger 6. piece of work that you must do as part of your job or course of study 2.3.3. Study the collocations referring to decision making. Check any unknown words in the dictionary.

achieve, define, establish, fail in, fall short of, fulfil, identify, meet, reach, set

an objective

address, cause, clear up, create, deal with, give rise to, handle, overcome, resolve, solve, tackle

a problem

accept, agree to/with, come up with, make, offer, put forward, reject, rule out, take up, turn down

a suggestion

arrive at, come to, defer, make, overrule, overturn, postpone, put off, reach, reverse, take

a decision

collective, critical, crucial, difficult, hard, important, joint, key, major, tough, unanimous

decision

anticipated, desirable, eventual, expected, favourable, final, likely, satisfactory, successful

outcome

Now divide the words in each box into three groups, based on their meaning.

achieve, meet, reach, fulfil

define, identify, establish, set

fail in, fall short of an objective

a problem

a suggestion

a decision

decision

outcome

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2.3.4. Match the team roles in the box to the descriptions below. This task is based on the ideas of Belbin and Margerison-McCann.

Coordinator Innovator Evaluator Finisher Implementer Promoter Shaper Specialist Team worker

‘Head people’ 1. ___________ - solves difficult problems with creative ideas; not afraid to

challenge norms; may ignore details. 2. ___________ - thinks carefully and accurately about things; listens patiently;

may lack energy to inspire others. 3. ___________ - has expert knowledge in key areas; may be uninterested in all

other areas. ‘Hands people’ 4. ___________ - takes basic ideas and makes them work in practice; methodical

and organised; can be slow. 5. ___________ - gets involved quickly with lots of energy; more interested in the

final result than the process; may be impatient. 6. ___________ - likes completing things on time, on budget, and to specification;

can worry too much. ‘Heart people’ 7. ___________ - central person who makes sure everyone works well together;

helps everyone focus; can be seen as too controlling. 8. ___________ - caring, a good listener, and works hard to resolve problems; may

have difficulty making decisions. 9. ___________ - enthusiastic, sees the big picture and good at explaining it to

people outside the group; can be too optimistic and lose initial energy.

2.3.5. Fill in the blanks with the required dependent preposition: 1. I feel deeply committed ___ my employees. 2. We should contribute more ___ the development of this business. 3. The board of directors finally decided ___ a plan for future restructuring. 4. She should pay more attention ___ the way in which she treats her

subordinates. 5. There have been no changes ___ salary agreements. 6. The influence ___ human resources policy is due ___ the increased pressure

___ the part of international competition. 7. ___ what means do you think we could reduce costs? 8. I’m afraid that the manager is opposed ___ our strategy of concentrating ___

cost reduction only. 9. Our cooperation could be conducive ___ further success. 10. I would like to ensure ___ particular that no change ___ the company has taken

place ___ the absence of careful deliberation. 2.4. Language focus: The tense system: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

2.4.1. The tense system: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous Compare: Human resources management works in close collaboration with senior executives.

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(permanent situation) Jane is working for Mr. Jones this week because his secretary is on holiday. (temporary situation) Present Simple Form: short infinitive;! 3rd pers. sg: + s;? do/ does(3rd pers. sg.); - don’t/ doesn’t He writes. Does he write? Yes, he does/ No, he doesn’t. It indicates:

habitual actions/ regular, repeated actions: He goes to work at 7 every morning.

general truths, permanent situations: The sun shines. planned future actions, performed according to a schedule: The train leaves

at 8 o’clock. Specific adverbs: every day/ month/ year…, often, usually, always, never Present Continuous Form: to be (in the present) + verb + -ing It indicates:

an action happening now: I am reading now. an action happening in a limited period of time, a temporary situation: I am

writing the paper today. an arrangement in the near future: We are visiting them next week. complaints about bad habits: Why are you always interrupting?

! STATE VERBS ARE NOT normally used in the continuous form:

verbs of perception: see, hear, smell, feel, notice, recognize verbs of emotion: want, refuse, forgive, wish, like, hate, dislike, prefer verbs of mental activities: think, understand, know, mean, believe, suppose,

remember, forget, realize verbs of possession: have, own, possess, belong verbs of appearance/ seeming: seam, signify, appear (= to seem), contain,

consist, keep (= to continue), concern, matter the auxiliaries; exception: to have = to eat: I am having lunch.

Their progressive meaning is suggested by using CAN in front of some of them: I can hear. He can see. 2.4.2. Find the mistakes in the following sentences and correct them.

1. We work in your office till they finish painting ours. 2. Our firm is usually getting in touch with customers by mail. 3. Their company does not do very well these days. 4. Since we all work in the same office, we are spending most of our time

together. 5. They want to know if the price is including VAT. 6. Human resources policy is giving consideration to various internal and

external factors. 7. At present our CEOs try to establish the priorities for the further development

of the firm. 8. What do you think this job is involving? 9. Are you realising that if we don’t apply the new procedure in due course we

will suffer great profit losses?

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10. Most managers are not able to attend the meeting because they are having flu.

11. I know that the competition is tough this year, but we survive on the market. 12. We sell our shares in the company. Do you want to buy them? 13. While Sarah is on holiday, Tracy handles her work as a secretary. 14. To be honest, I am doubting whether you will be able to succeed in this

move. 15. You shouldn’t pay any attention to the new manager. He is just sarcastic

again. 2.5. Writing

Choose a leader that you admire. Explain why you admire them. Write approximately 300 words.

3. Multinationals

3.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What determined the need for multinational corporations? What factors influence communication in a multinational corporation?

3.2. Reading

Read the following text and fill in the blanks with ONE word. Then answer the question in the title. Multinationals: heroes or villains of the global economy? Foreign-owned multinationals employ one worker in every five in European manufacturing and one in seven in US manufacturing. They sell one euro in every four of manufactured goods in Europe and one dollar in five in the United States. Yet policy-makers and the public 1 ___ the world have mixed feelings about multinationals: they see them 2 ___ as welcome bearers of foreign wealth and knowledge or as unwelcome threats to national wealth and identity. Policy-makers want multinationals to invest in their country, but are unhappy when national firms close 3 ___ domestic activities and open up foreign ones or when foreign brands compete successfully with national ones. This Jekyll and Hyde perception of multinationals stems more 4 ___ ambiguous feelings about large market players with no national identity than from rigorous economic analysis. Indeed, the debate 5 ___ multinationals is rarely grounded on economic arguments and there is little understanding of what multinationals are, or of what costs and benefits they bring to local economies.

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Multinationals are often different 6 ___ purely national firms and some concerns are legitimate. They are relatively large and they do have competitive power in the market place and bargaining power in the policy-making arena, particularly in smaller developing countries. They are global players that can circumvent local regulations and policies 7 ___ easily than national firms. They are footloose, able to move activities between their plants 8 ___ relatively low cost, removing benefits as rapidly as they deliver them. And they do mass-produce standardised products, jeopardising product variety.

Yet other features of multinationals also explain why countries compete fiercely to attract them. They often bring scarce technologies, skills and financial resources. They are fast in 9 ___ advantage of new opportunities and contributing to national wealth creation. They are bound by international standards and market competition and they often offer better employment conditions and product qualities 10 ___ national firms. Moreover, multinationals are 11 ___ just giant corporations like Microsoft or Coca Cola. Many small and medium-sized enterprises, firms with limited market power in domestic and foreign markets, have one or more foreign subsidiaries. Investing abroad and thus becoming a multinational is a strategy open to many types of firms.

What are multinationals? Multinationals are firms that own a significant equity share – typically 50% or more – of another company operating in a foreign country. They include modern corporations 12 ___ IBM, General Motors, Intel and Nike, but also small firms like Calzaturificio Carmens, a shoemaker employing 250 workers divided 13 ___ Padua (Italy) and Vranje (Serbia).

The activities of multinationals are best measured by firm-level data like sales or number of employees. Unfortunately, these data 14 ___ not widely available. Instead, researchers rely on data on flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) recorded from balance of payment statistics and which are available across time, industrial sectors and for many receiving and sending countries.

FDI is an investment in a foreign company where the foreign investor owns at least 10% of the ordinary shares, undertaken 15 ___ the objective of establishing a ‘lasting interest’ in the country, a long-term relationship and significant influence on the management of the firm. FDI flows are different from portfolio investments, which can be divested easily and do not have significant influence on the management of the firm. Thus, to create, acquire or expand a foreign subsidiary, multinationals undertake FDI.

(http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/CP167.pdf)


3.3.1. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences using a suitable word derived from the word given at the end of each sentence:

1. We have decided to form a(n) ... with partners we have so far considered rivals.

ALLY

2. Companies like Coca-Cola are world famous ... . NATION

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3. I wouldn’t like to create any ... as concerns the terms of this contract.

UNDERSTAND

4. All countries in the third world need relief supplies given their ... state.

DEVELOP

5. I am sorry that because of your incompetence the problem we are dealing with has become ... .

MANAGE

6. No discrimination based on ... will be exercised by this multinational company.

ETHNIC

7. I don’t want to sound ... of your achievement but I think you need to practise PR a bit more.

APPRECIATE

8. ... –issued ordinance enables small companies to retain a larger part of their profits.

GOVERNMENT

9. Turning on the answer phone I discovered to my dismay that all messages were rather ... .

COMPREHEND

10. She is a brisk, ... woman who has shown great competence in dealing with all our clients so far.

BUSY

3.3.2. Fill in the blanks with the required dependent preposition:

1. We are sure that the present crisis stems ___ our MD’s inability to deal ___ cultural diversity in our company.

2. I am afraid I cannot find any solution ___ our major problem. 3. In order to make it a perfect match you will have to gear the components of

this device ___ the abilities of the other. 4. Our success is dependent ___ your manner ___ coping ___ this merger. 5. I wouldn’t like to impose my way ___ you, but you should understand my

concern. 6. By allowing ___ slight variations ___ the original design, you will be able to

manage this problem ___ your own. 7. Differences ___ cultural attitudes have to be taken ___ account. 8. What is your attitude ___ the Italian way? 9. His approach ___ cultural diversity lacks ___ careful preparation. 10. You have to possess ample preparation ___ management to ensure a

successful outcome of this meeting. 3.3.3. Write ONE word in each gap: I was working as an IT Manager for a small publishing company (in fact, I was standing 1 ___ for the actual manager while she was away on maternity leave) when the company was taken 2 ___ by a large multinational media organisation. It was in the depths of the recession, and initially our new owners promised to see our small company 3 ___ the hard times. Things got worse, though, and they finally backed 4 ___ of their agreement. Our company closed 5 ___. We were all made redundant – it was horrible! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do next. I 6 ___ down several offers of work as I didn’t want to rush into anything. Then, one day, I woke up and thought: “I’m going to set 7 ___ my own business!” At first it was tough. I had to 8 ___ to everything myself – I was the only employee! – but I set 9 ___ it with dedication and refused to give up, whatever happened. Over the last five years, as the company’s grown, I’ve taken 10 ___ more and more staff. Dickson’s now employs over five hundred people. I set 11 ___ to be successful, and I’ve managed it, I feel very lucky, although, to be honest, luck has nothing to do with it. It just takes hard work and commitment. I don’t feel

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satisfied yet, though. We’re bringing 12 ___ new products all the time, and I want to continue doing that. I also want to speed 13 ___ our production process to make it more efficient. I’m not planning to slow 14 ___ any time soon! 3.3.4. Complete the following passage, using suitable words from the box below:

agreement equity stalemate/deadlock deal compromise (v) inflexible counter-proposals concession investment negotiate shareholding withdraw/pull out

Many countries, such as Nigeria and India, are trying to get more control over their economies. They welcome foreign 1 ___ but insist that their own nationals own a percentage of the company’s 2 ___. The size of the 3 ___ varies, ranging from 20% to 60%, though it can be higher or lower. When governments try to increase their nationals’ equity shareholding, foreign companies are not pleased. Generally, they try to 4 ___ with the government to keep the percentage as low as possible. They argue and haggle, make proposals and 5 ___, to persuade the government to give way and make some kind of 6 ___. If the foreign company employs many local people, or earns a lot of foreign currency, the government may be willing to 7 ___. Some governments are very 8 ___ and will make no concessions. In this case, the negotiations end in a 9 ___, with neither side giving way. The foreign company ends up by 10 ___ from the country. This usually leads to feelings of great bitterness on both sides. No company wants to leave a country. In general, the foreign firm will make every effort to reach 11 ___ or make some sort of 12 ___ with the host government. 3.3.5. Study the following list of expressions. If necessary, use a dictionary. get back on one’s feet (again) get a foot in the door fall on one’s feet have/get cold feet put one’s foot down put one’s foot in have a foothold in Rewrite the following sentences replacing the words in italics with the correct forms of the expressions above. 1. The management has acted firmly concerning smoking in the factory. 2. We don’t have a contract with them but we’ve taken the first steps towards getting one. 3. I was laid off in January but I was really lucky because I found an even better job a month later. 4. I made a bad mistake when I told our Marketing Director that the new product would fail. 5. For some time, we were planning to enter the US market. Then, at the last moment, we lost our nerve and decided not to.

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6. The group of department stores made losses for three years running. However, now it has recovered. 7. It took three years’ hard work, but at last we’ve got a secure position in the Japanese market. 3.4. Language focus: The tense system: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous

3.4.1. The tense system: Past Simple vs. Past Continuous Simple Past Form: Regular verbs: - ed: worked, dropped, played, tried Irregular verbs: 2nd form: see, saw; write, wrote; buy, bought Interrogative: Did he buy? Negative: did not/ didn’t It indicates:

a past, finished action, having no connection with the present: He told me to be punctual. When I was 20 I lived in London.

An action performed in the past: We met two weeks ago. a past habit: He played football twice a week. = He used to play… = He

would play….. Specific adverbs: yesterday, last week/ month/ year…, two days/ months/ years….ago, when Past Continuous/Progressive Form: to be (in the past tense) + verb + -ing I was running. Was I running? Yes, I was. No, I wasn’t. It indicates:

past actions in progress: I was writing when he entered the room. gradual development: It was getting cold. Parallel actions in the past, one of which is in development: We listened to

the radio while we were having lunch. A gradual action, interrupted by a past, momentary action: I was writing

when he entered. An action continuing, especially after the time it was expected to finish: At

ten I was still reading. Specific adverbs: at….o’ clock, at that time, this time yesterday, this time last month… !!! Simple and Progressive Past while, as, when, whenever introduce the Past Progressive: While/ as I was crossing the street, I saw him. When I was talking to him, she came in. They listened carefully whenever he was delivering a speech. 3.4.2. Choose the correct tense in the following sentences: 1. When the manager arrived he noticed/was noticing that the secretary had left. 2. I was trying/tried to get in touch with your secretary all day yesterday but I

couldn’t.

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3. He typed/was typing the contract when his boss came/was coming in. 4. What did you do/were you doing yesterday as I tried/was trying to get through to

you? 5. At that time he worked/was working in a pharmaceutical company. 6. I realised/was realising that somebody was ringing me up/rang me up as I was

going/went into the conference room. 7. My secretary did not understand/was not understanding how the new computer

programme was working/worked. 8. It was only later that I found out/was finding out there was somebody who

knew/was knowing that she spent/was spending time in prison at the time for tax evasion.

9. As nobody watched/was watching, it was easy for me to conduct the transaction my way.

10. He was going/went on his business trip to France when her plane crashed/was crashing.


Using the list you have drawn in the previous activity, comment (in approximately 300 words) on the statement ‘Multinational corporations are robbing poor countries of their national assets’. (Remember the suggestions?) You should submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet. Deadline: 15 March


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UNIT 6 – RECRUITMENT

GLOSSARY – BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY Students should be able to use the vocabulary under RECRUITMENT to communicate about:

The recruitment process

Recruitment strategies

Role of the Human Resources Department

Candidate selection

Interviewer/interviewee training

Equal opportunity in hiring

apply verb [I]

applicant noun [C]

apply yourself verb [R]

appoint verb [T]

appraisal noun [C, U]

assign verb [T]

assign sb to sth phrasal verb

assignment noun [C, U]

be at work

be in work/out of work

biodata noun [U]

blue-collar adjective

bonus noun [C]

candidate noun [C]

career noun [C]

clerk noun [C]

deadline noun [C]

delegate verb [I, T]

division of labour noun [U]

do a good/bad job

employ verb [T]

entry-level adjective

fire verb [T]

flexitime noun [U]

freelance adjective, adverb

fringe benefit noun [C]

go on strike

golden handshake noun [C]

hard-working adjective

headhunt verb [T]

hectic adjective

hire verb [T]

in the line of duty

incentive noun [C]

in-service adjective

intake noun [U]

job noun [C]

layoff noun

livelihood noun [C, U]

load noun [C]

motivation noun [U]

night shift noun [C]

occupation noun [C]

off-duty adjective

office hours plural noun

opportunity noun

part-time adverb, adjective

performance appraisal noun [C]

placement noun [C, U]

position noun [C]

post noun [C]

probation noun [U]

profession group noun [C]

qualification noun

recruit verb [T]

redundancy noun [C, U]

referee noun [C]

remuneration noun [C,U]

résumé noun [C]

retire verb [I]

sack verb [T]

self-employed adjective

shift group noun [C]

shortlist noun [C]

Situations Vacant noun [S or U]

skilled adjective

temp noun [C] INFORMAL

tenure noun [U] FORMAL

testimonial noun [C]

under pressure

understaffed adjective

unemployed adjective

unprofessional adjective

unqualified adjective

unskilled adjective

welfare noun [U]

white-collar adjective

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UNIT SIX – RECRUITMENT

1. The Recruitment Process

1.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! Should people accept any employment conditions simply because they are unemployed? Why?

1.2. Reading

Read the text below and fill in the gaps with ONE word. Main Recruitment Process Steps The aim of the HRM Function is 1 ___ the recruitment process design as simple as possible. The HR Recruiters should not forget about this main goal during the design phase of the recruitment process development. The recruitment process is simple on the high level, but it contains a lot of interaction 2 ___ different participants in the recruitment process. The HRM Function, the line manager and candidates need to receive and share a lot of information and their interaction is usually the main issue during the recruitment process. The main steps of the recruitment process are:

1. Job Design 2. Opening Job Position 3. Collecting CVs 4. Preselection of CVs 5. Job Interviews 6. Job Offer

The job design is the most important part of the recruitment process. The job design is a phase about design of the job profile 3 ___ a clear agreement between the line manager and the HRM Function. The Job Design is 4 ___ the agreement about the profile of the ideal job candidate and the agreement about the skills and competencies, which are essential. The information gathered can be used during other steps of the recruitment process to 5 ___ it up. The Opening of the Job Position is generally the job of the HR Recruiter. Skilled and experienced HR Recruiters should decide 6 ___ the right mix of the recruitment sources to find the best candidates for the job position. This is another key step in the recruitment process.

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The next step is collecting CVs and preselecting them. This step in the recruitment process is very important today 7 ___ many organisations waste a lot of time in this step. Today, the organisation cannot wait with the preselection of the CVs. Generally, this should be the last step done purely by the HRM Function. The job interviews are the main step in the recruitment process, which should be clearly designed and agreed 8 ___ HRM and the line management. The job interview should discover the job candidate who 9 ___ the requirements and fits best the corporate culture and the department. The job offer is the 10 ___ step of the recruitment process, which is done by the HRM Function; it finalises all the other steps and the winner of the job interviews gets the offer from the organisation to join.

(http://hrmadvice.com/hrmadvice/hr-processes/recruitment-and-selection/recruitment-process-design-and-development/main-recruitment-process-steps.html)



1. If you are looking for a job you should carefully read the ... page of newspapers.

APPOINT

2. Generally companies decide to advertise their job ... in a newspaper.

VACANT

3. If you decide to apply for a job you must be sure that you meet the ... specified in the job description.

REQUIRE

4. You should send your CV and a letter of application at the address ... in the advertisement.

SPECIFIC

5. Your letter of application should ... your suitability for the job you are applying for.

EMPHATIC

6. After reading the CVs and the letters sent by the ..., the company will draw a shortlist of candidates, who are invited to attend an interview.

APPLY

7. Henkel needs young candidates for position in ... teams. CULTURE

8. The company offers a ... salary and generous benefits. COMPETE

9. ... count as much as work experience. QUALIFY

10. It is useful to have recommendations from two or three ... (e.g. former employers, teachers, etc.).

REFER

1.3.2. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the required preposition. 1. Our company finally decided to advertise ___ their newly launched products. 2. As Mr. Jones retired, Peter decided to apply ___ the position of senior

production manager. 3. Should you need further information, apply ___ our PR assistant. 4. If you want this job you should be ready to work ___ pressure. 5. You will be responsible ___ all aspects of production if you want this position. 6. Our employees are very committed ___ our company’s goals. 7. Try not to be envious ___ John’s success! You know he deserves a promotion. 8. My letter comes ___ reply to your advertisement for the position of operations

officer.

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9. Mr. Jackson is not really interested ___ the position of customer services assistant.

10. This position involves looking ___ very young children. 1.3.3. Read the following tips to help you get on at work. Then match the phrases in the first column with their appropriate explanation in the second column in the table.

First, you need to get your foot in the door.

Learn to take things in your stride whatever happens.

Don’t pin your hopes on others. If necessary, have the courage to go it alone.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – try to keep your options open.

Keep in with your colleagues – you may need their support.

Keep your ear to the ground – you hear important things on the grapevine.

If you can make a name for yourself, things will get easier.

Always keep your feet on the ground.

1. get your foot in the door a. have a sensible and realistic attitude

2. take sth/things in your stride b. make sure you find out about recent developments in a particular situation

3. pin (all) your hopes on others c. rely on only one thing for success

4. go it alone I d. become well known and respected by many people

5. put all your eggs in one basket e. get your first opportunity to work for an organisation or business, which could later bring you success

6. keep in with sb. f. stay friends with sb. because you think you will benefit from it

7. keep your ear to the ground g. hope that sb. will help you or that sth. will happen because all your plans depend on this

8. on the grapevine h. accept and deal with sth. difficult without letting it worry you

9. make a name for yourself i. do sth without help from anyone

10. keep your feet on the ground j. by talking in an informal way to other people

1.3.4. Complete the text. Sandra got her 1 ___ in the door when she was very young, and once she started at Berwick’s, she took everything in her 2 ___ and quickly made a 3 ___ for herself. She was offered jobs in other cities but wanted to keep her 4 ___ open by staying in London where she could keep her ear to the 5 ___ and wait for something really exciting to come up. She was 6 ___ her hopes on getting a top job with C&M, and when she heard on the 7 ___ that they wanted someone to run the Singapore office, she applied for it and got it. In a couple more years, she’ll have enough experience to go it 8 ___ if she wants to, but I know she has continued to 9 ___ in with her colleagues at Berwick’s, so who knows where she’ll end up. 1.3.5. Make up sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning of the phrases in the table above.

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1.4. Language focus: The tense system: Present Perfect Simple

1.4.1. The tense system: Present Perfect Simple The verbs in bold in the following sentence are in the Present Perfect tense. You have just graduated (preferably in business administration) at university level or you have already worked for several years at a consumer goods producer (cosmetics experience is beneficial). Form: to have (in the present) + the Past Participle I have seen her. /Have I seen her?/ Yes, I have. No, I haven’t. It indicates: - action begun in the past that continues in the present: I have known him for two

years. Specific adverbs: for, (ever) since, all day, often, seldom, ever, never always, yet - past action with results in the present: He has broken his leg. Specific adverbs: already, recently, lately, so far, till now, up to now, up to the present, - just finished action: He has just entered. Have you seen him yet? Specific adverbs: just, yet, already - an action that has been completed: They have repaired the fax. 1.4.2. Choose the correct tense (Past Simple, Present Perfect Simple) of the verbs given in brackets to fill in the blanks in the following sentences:

1. Our company (to buy) ten new computers last month. 2. They (not hear) from their business partner since last summer. 3. Jane (attend) a seminar on recruitment techniques yesterday. 4. It is the first time that we (find) the right person for the job. 5. She (work) as a marketing assistant for twenty years, that is between 1960

and 1990. 6. He already (send) three letters of application to three different companies. 7. How many times you (apply) for a job? 8. When (come) the new manager to this factory? 9. Until recently nobody (know) how to operate the new security system in the

office. 10. When the executive (arrive) we (feel) very confident of the company’s

success.

2. CVs and letters of application

2.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What personal qualities recommend you as a potential reliable employee?

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2.2. Reading

The most common contents of a CV include: Personal Details Skills and Career Summary Key Achievements Qualifications Career History Don't forget: The ultimate test of YOUR CV is whether it meets the needs of the person making the buying decision, and whether YOU feel comfortable with its content and style.

(http://www.contentmonster.co.uk/Job_hunting)

a) Look at the structure of a CV. CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL DETAILS Name: Date of birth: Nationality: Marital status: Address: Telephone: EDUCATION/QUALIFICATIONS PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/WORK HISTORY/WORK EXPERIENCE (you can mention your employment periods either in ascending or in descending order; you may want to mention outstanding achievements during each period) ADDITIONAL SKILLS (mention any training courses or periods of part-time employment that you consider relevant) INTERESTS (mention your favourite pastime activities, organisations or associations that you may belong to especially if they are in a field relevant to the position you are applying for) REFERENCES (give two or three names of persons who have known you for some time and can recommend you for the job) b) Consider the following advice on writing a letter of application (also called covering letter). The letter of application introduces you and your CV to a recruitment consultant or potential employer. Such a letter should contain three distinct parts: Introduction and statement of source Statement of relevance to role advertised Conclusion

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Introduction and Statement of Source The first section should clearly state the source of the advertisement, ie the newspaper name, Internet or other source, the date that it was advertised, the job number and reference number, if provided. Examples of the first paragraph in a letter of application are:

"I am writing to express my interest in applying for the role of Sales Manager, advertised in The Times on 13 May, 2000, Reference number MX/67845."

Or "Following our recent conversation, I am writing to express my interest in the position of Architect that was advertised on your Internet site on 13 February, 2000."

The purpose of this first paragraph is to clearly put you in the running for the job you have applied for. Busy recruiters recruit a number of positions with similar titles at the same time, and advertise these on similar dates. The first paragraph should give you a fighting chance for the job by at least getting your application into the right pile. Statement of Relevance to Advertised Role The second section of your letter of application should clarify why you are an appropriate candidate for this particular job. In preparing to write the second section, you should read the advertisement clearly and identify the selection criteria articulated in the advertisement. You should also be guided by conversations that you have had with recruitment consultants or company recruiters, so that you clearly understand what they think is important in the role. They often give you extra clues that are not in the advertised media. How you express this section is up to you. For example, you might be more comfortable with the succinct:

"I believe I am ideally suited to this role because I have over 15 years experience in sales, tertiary qualifications, managed accounts in excess of Ł10,000 etc, etc"

or you may prefer bullet-point form, for example: "I believe I am ideally suited to this role because: I have 15 years experience in sales I have tertiary qualifications in sales and marketing I have managed accounts well in excess of Ł10,000"

Concluding Section

In concluding your letter, express your interest in the job and provide any particular contact details that may be unique, for example:

"I look forward to discussing this application with you in the near future. I can be contacted on XXX or alternatively, XXX during work hours."

Another example might be: "I look forward to discussing this application with you in greater detail in the near future and will be available for interview at a mutually convenient time."

(www.contentmonster.co.uk/Job_hunting)

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2.3.1. Fill in the blanks in the following text with the words and phrases given below: ago among hygiene suppliers brand styling sales market field worldwide kind leading since consistent continuously ___ its foundation over 126 years ___ our company has put ___ focus on customer oriented product development. The Schwarzkopf & Henkel division is one of the largest of its ___ in the world and its ___ -name products business is ___ expanding. With our cosmetic products we achieved ___ of 2085 million Euro in 150 countries ___. We hold ___ market positions in all of the international ___ segments of our strategic business units. Our company stands for brand-name products in the ___ of hair colorants, hair ___ and care, toiletries, skin care, oral ___ and fragrances. The Schwarzkopf Professional hairdressing unit is ___ the world’s four leading ___ of hair salon products.

(http://www.9.henkel.com/int_henkel/cosmetics) 2.3.2. Look up the following phrasal verbs. Fill in the blanks in the sentences below with the required tense form of the suitable phrasal verb. break in break off break out break through break with look after look for look forward look into look out 1. The meeting was interrupted when the secretary ___ to say that the building was

on fire. 2. They ___ negotiations weeks ago because of the financial crisis. The value of

our shares fell dramatically when the scandal about the merger ___. The new management had almost no difficulty in ___ the lines of competition.

3. We are deeply sorry, but we had to ___ our allies after more than one flaw were identified in the contract. We are very disappointed to find out that our MD is always ___ his own interests only.

4. Our company ___ an experienced production manager. 5. In conclusion, we ___ to your reply. 6. We will have to ___ the possibility of hiring more PR assistants. 7. If you don’t ___ you may end up in bankruptcy. 2.3.3. Study the phrases given in the table below.

close on (used with time, age, distance, etc.) almost; very nearly

part of the furniture sth/sb so familiar that you no longer notice it/them

take sb under your wing look after sb who has less experience than you

the tricks of the trade the clever ways of doing things in a particular job

pass sth on (to sb) give sth to sb else, especially after receiving it yourself

take some doing (inf.) be difficult to do, or involve a lot of effort or time

throw your weight around/about

(inf.) tell people what to do in a bossy way

Correct the mistake in each sentence. 1. You need someone to show you the tricks of the business.

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2. I’ve been there all my life, so I’m some of the furniture. 3. It’s a hard job and it’ll make some doing. 4. The boss tells me what to do, and I pass it through to the others. 5. It was lucky for me that Mary took me under her arm and helped me. 6. Simone has worked here close by ten years. 7. He’s very bossy and likes to throw his size about.

2.3.4. Make up sentences of your own to illustrate the meaning of the phrases in 2.3.3.

2.4. Writing

Write a CV and a letter of application in response to the following job advertisement:

(http://www.mori.com)

2.5. Language focus: The tense system: Present Perfect Continuous

2.5.1. The tense system: Present Perfect Continuous Present Perfect Continuous/ Progressive Form: to be (in the present perfect) + verb + ing: He has been writing for two hours. Has he been writing?/ Yes, he has. No, he hasn’t. It indicates:

an action or situation in progress (and not the completion of that action): I have been reading the book.

Temporary actions or situations: I’ve been living in London (for two years). Actions in the recent past we know about because of a present evidence:

You are wet. You have been walking in the rain.

Research Executive / Executive Assistant

We are currently looking for researchers to join MORI's Social Research Institute.

To fill these roles you will need the following skills & experience: An understanding of issues facing the public sector and their relevance to SRI's work An ability to work on a wide range of research projects under the supervision of a project

manager First class report writing skills An understanding of the demands of working in commercial environment An ability to work on a number of different projects simultaneously and to prioritise a

demanding workload A Research Executive is generally expected to have at least 1-2 years' relevant research experience, while those with less experience generally join at the Executive Assistant level. To find out more about our work, visit the Social Research Institute. If you are interested in this vacancy, please send your CV and your letter of application to Deborah Poole Human Resources Administrator MORI House 79-81 Borough Road London SE1 1FY

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Actions indicating ‘how long’ something has been going on: How long have you been playing chess?

!!!!!! If you want to emphasize a situation in progress and not its completion present perfect progressive can be used with verbs like: see, hear, look, taste, smell, want, realize, remember: I’ve been wanting to meet you for ages. But If you want to emphasize the completion of the action, present perfect is used: I’ve always wanted a good computer.

there are verbs that suggest an action in progress by their meaning: live, rain, sit, study, wait, work (they can be used both with the present perfect simple and the present perfect progressive, with little difference in meaning): He has worked/ has been working in this office for two years.

2.5.2. Choose the correct form of the verb in the following sentences:

1. This morning our secretary has written/has been writing more than twenty letters to our suppliers.

2. I have been applying/have applied for various jobs since September. 3. They have been trying/have tried to attract them into a profitable partnership

for a very long time, but with little success. 4. Our production manager has made/has been making the same mistake

again. 5. How many times have you brought up/have you been bringing up the issue

of working overtime in a production meeting? 6. Sales figures have improved/have been improving lately. 7. He has answered/has been answering the phone since 10 o’clock. That’s

why he is so tired. 8. We haven’t seen/haven’t been seeing our partner since the end of July. 9. The candidate hasn’t said/hasn’t been saying a word about his qualifications

yet. 10. Why haven’t we thought/haven’t we been thinking of this solution earlier? It

could have saved us.

3. The interview

3.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What is the role of the job interview?

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3.2. Reading

Read the following text and fill in the gaps.

Job interview Advice Before your interview, find 1 ___ everything you can about the company (read their annual report which can be obtained 2 ___ telephoning them). Re-read your application, thinking through your own career and the questions they might ask you. You should try to anticipate the general questions which they will ask and also prepare some questions to ask them. To do well at the interview you will need to convince the interviewer you are technically qualified to do the job. You will 3 ___ need to show that you are sufficiently motivated to get the job 4 ___ well and that you will fit in with the company’s organisational structure and the team in which you will work. You should dress smartly for the interview and should leave home earlier 5 ___ you need to on the day of the interview – you may de delayed by traffic or 6 ___ other reasons. Be courteous to all employees of the company. At the interview itself you must be positive about yourself and your abilities – but do not waffle. When you are being interviewed it is very important that you give out the right signals. You should always look attentive – so do not slouch in your chair. Never lie to anyone in an interview, your 7 ___ language and tone of voice or the words you use will probably give you 8 ___– classic body language giveaways include scratching your nose and not looking directly at the other person when you are speaking to them. If you have a moustache you may want to consider shaving it off – people with moustaches can be perceived as being aggressive. You can always grow it again once you have got the job.

(http://www.contentmonster.co.uk/Job_hunting) 3.3. Vocabulary development

3.3.1. Match the words and phrases with their corresponding definitions:

1. anticipate a. yearly

2. waffle b. expect, foresee

3. annual c. pleasantly neat and clean in appearance

4. slouch d. polite, respectful and considerate

5. smartly e. talking a lot without saying very much that is clear or important

6. delay f. rub

7. giveaway g. realise, notice, see or hear it especially when it is not obvious to other people

8. courteous h. sit/stand/walk in a lazy or tired way, with your shoulders and head dropping down

9. scratch i. cause somebody to be late

10. perceive j. revealing, disclosing (usually something secret)

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1. ... should be dressed smartly when attending a job interview. VIEW

2. This handbook will offer you ample ... on how to best use the computer system.

GUIDE

3. The auditor will ... have done the right thing while going through our papers.

HOPE

4. You must be well-prepared ... if you want to succeed in being recruited for a promising job.

HAND

5. She couldn’t ... her shyness in front of the recruitment board. COME

6. Your CV is sadly ... . We are sorry to inform you that you have not been offered this position.

CONVINCE

7. Being ... prepared, you risk missing out on one of the biggest career opportunities you’ve ever had.

SUFFICE

8. Thanks to her ... skills the candidate selection process left us with one of the best professionals we could have ever found.

ORGANISE

9. Without wanting to sound ..., I think that this firm is not really one of the best.

COURT

10. The failure of certain candidates to submit a complete application package resulted in their immediate ... from the job contest.

QUALIFY

3.3.3. The following text describes a typical selection process, but the sentences are in the wrong order! Re-arrange the sentences in each section so that the whole text makes sense. The first sentence has been done for you.

1. Firstly, a vacancy is advertised 2. and suitable candidates are invited for interview. 3. These are sorted 4. and applications are received. 5. and applicants are interviewed. 6. After that, a final short list is drawn up. 7. Next, appointments are arranged 8. A job offer is made to the successful candidate, 9. and one of them is selected. 10. and finally, an employment contract is signed. 11. The candidates on the list are interviewed again,

3.3.4. Read the text below and select the best option. If you have 1 ___ the interview stage, your CV and letter of application must have been 2 ___! The company now wants to know more about you. But there is still more work to do if you want to get that job! Make sure you have 3 ___ the company as thoroughly as possible - use the Internet, company reports, recruitment literature etc. 4 ___ yourself of why you applied to this company. Make a list of the skills, experience, and interests you can 5 ___ the organisation. Finally, try to 6 ___ the questions you will be expected to answer - imagine you are the interviewer! 1. A gained B reached C arrived D achieved 2. A effective B important C impressive D significant 3. A researched B inquired C examined D discovered

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4. A remember B remind C imagine D summarise 5. A show B present C offer D demonstrate 6. A ask B suggest C give D predict 3.4. Language focus

A. The Subjunctive Synthetic: present subjunctive: identical with the short infinitive: be, have, work…. It indicates:

a possible action: It is necessary that you be here. It is important that the president inform the investors…

expressions: Suffice it to say…. So be it! Synthetic: past subjunctive: identical with the past tense simple It indicates:

an action contrary to reality: I wish I were a doctor. (but I’m not) It’s time you went home. She behaved as if she were the headmaster.

It is used after:

if, if only, as if, as though wish (to indicate regret, an unreal fact)

The synthetic subjunctive is rarely used. Analytical: Form: Should/ would/ may/ might/ could + short infinitive Should/ would/ may/ might/ could + perfect infinitive It indicates:

hypothetical facts/actions (suppositions, doubts, conditions, concessions, purposes): They took the airplane so that they might arrive in time.

A less probable condition: If he should succeed, I will be happy. In negative purpose sentences, after lest, for fear, in case: They paid for

fear they shouldn’t get the merchandise. It is used with:

impersonal expressions: it is advisable/ important/ essential/ desirable/ possible/ likely/ probable/ strange/ unusual/ impossible/ (un)fortunate/, remarkable, surprising: It is important that the chairman should call the meeting.

it is/ was a pity/ shame/ surprise/ wonder: It was a pity (that) they should be fired.

the nouns: idea, hint, thought, reason, supposition: The idea that they should be present annoyed her.

the verbs: command, order, demand, insist, request, suggest, propose, arrange, offer, agree, settle: They requested the goods should be delivered fast.

adjectives: to be + glad, anxious, pleased, sorry: I was glad that he should graduate this summer.

After: although, though, whatever, however, no matter: He will win whatever he should do. // so that: They phoned so that I wouldn’t be taken by surprise. I took the money so that they could buy the firm.

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B. Active/Passive Voice Rule: to be (any tense required) + the Past Participle of the verb to be conjugated They give her flowers. Flowers are given to her. She is given flowers. The use of the passive

When the logical subject is obvious or is not important: Goods should be delivered as soon as possible.

When the object is more important than the logical subject: The manager was informed on the situation.

When the speaker avoids mentioning the logical subject: The order has already been placed.

In formal notices: Passengers are requested not to… Newspapers: President sacked because… Processes in science or engineering: The wheel is tested…

Passive Structures:

modals + passive: The meeting can be postponed. Passive + infinitive + object: with the verbs: advise, believe, expect, feel,

forbid, mean, order, report, request, require, say, teach, understand: They were advised to negotiate the price.

It + the passive of: agree, announce, discover, expect, hope, suggest: It was suggested that they would work hard.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 5 Write a short text of your own using the phrases given in 2.3.3 (page 79). You should submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet. Deadline: 20 APRIL


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UNIT 7 – BUSINESS TRAVEL

GLOSSARY – BUSINESS ENGLISH VOCABULARY Students should be able to use the vocabulary under BUSINESS TRAVEL to communicate about:

Definition of business ethics

Importance of business ethics in today’s business climate

Basic ethical considerations that a company needs to address

Codes of ethics

Unethical behaviour in the workplace

Training in business ethics

accommodations plural noun

B and B noun [C]

bank holiday noun [C]

bed and breakfast noun [C or U]

bellboy noun [C]

book verb [I or T]

business class noun [U], adverb

caravan site noun [C]

charter verb [ transitive ]

check in/check into sth phrasal verb

check out phrasal verb

clerk noun [C]

cruise verb

destination noun [C]

disembark verb [I] FORMAL

doorman noun [C]

double room noun [C]

double-book verb [I; T]

economy class noun [U], adverb

ecotourism noun [U]

embark verb [ intransitive ]

fare noun [C]

first class adjective, adverb flight noun [C]

full board noun [U] gate noun

guide noun [C]

half board noun [U]

holiday noun

hotel noun [C]

inn noun [C]

itinerant adjective

jet lag noun [U] journey verb [I usually + adverb or preposition]

land verb

lobby noun [C]

motel noun [C]

motor inn noun [C]

national holiday noun [C] overseas adverb

package tour noun [C]

passage noun

passport noun [C]

public holiday noun [C]

public transport noun [U]

reception noun [U]

reservation noun

resort noun [C]

return ticket/fare etc noun

schedule noun [C]

self-catering adjective, noun [U]

shuttle verb [I or T]

sightseeing noun [U]

suite noun [C]

the sights noun

tour verb

tourist noun [C]

travel verb

twin-bedded adjective

vacancy noun [C]

valet noun [C]

visa noun [C]

youth hostel noun [C]

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UNIT SEVEN – BUSINESS TRAVEL

1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! Think about three problems that a businessperson may encounter on his/her business trip.

2. Vocabulary

a. Match the following words meaning ‘trip’ with their definitions. Use a dictionary:

1) journey 2) voyage 3) travels 4) flight 5) drive 6) tour

7) crossing 8) ride 9) expedition 10) outing 11) excursion

a. a long trip, either by sea or in space b. a trip that involves travelling by plane c. a trip to a place to see specific things of interest d. a short trip in a car or bus, or on a bicycle or motorbike e. a short trip made by a group of people, usually lasting less than a day f. an organized trip for a group of people g. a trip to a very distant place for a long period of time, often with a specific

aim such as scientific research h. a trip from one piece of land to another, across water i. a trip that involves travelling by car j. a series of trips made over a period of time, especially to a place that is far

away k. a trip from one place to another, often one that is long or difficult

b. Fill in the blanks with the words from II.a.:

1. How long is the ___ to New York? 2. Did you have a tiring ___ 3. Their ___ across the Atlantic was full of problems. 4. His essays are based on his ___ in South Africa. 5. They went on a two-week ___ to Italy last month. 6. My ___ to work usually only takes 15 minutes. 7. Come on, I’ll give you a ___ to the museum. 8. An overnight ferry ___ is quite dangerous in this area. 9. The school ___ to the science museum was boring for the kids. 10. Their ___ to the South Pole was very adventurous. 11. The travel agency organised a(n) ___ to local places of interest.

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3. English in use

a. Read the first part of a text about travel tips and fill in each gap with one suitable word: e.g. 0 - a 1. Business travel can become 0___ rut. Challenge yourself and your corporate travel agent to come up 1___ alternatives to save money or time. It is surprisingly easy to get into a familiar pattern when 2___ travel to the same destination repeatedly. 2. Assess where you stay. Are you staying in the 3___ effective place when you visit your customers? Are you being lulled into complacency 4___ frequent traveller programs? Check out the business alternatives. There are several newer chains of budget hotels for the business traveller. Use 5___ Internet to see which other hotels have last minute deals in your area. 3. Organize your office - at work and 6___ the road. This is the time to evaluate your electronic gadgets and consolidate your important information. Clean out your address book 7___ organize your computer files. If you have an assistant or colleagues, 8___ together to brainstorm ways to improve communication and coordination while you are out 9___ the office. What new technologies 10___ help you? Fax boxes? Picture messaging? Fast mobile data connections? Don't forget the batteries! b. Read the second part of the text. Some of the underlined parts are correct; some have a mistake in them (a grammar mistake, a vocabulary mistake, a missing word, an unnecessary word, and inappropriateness in the context). If the part is correct, write CORRECT in its corresponding numbered space; if the part is incorrect, write the correct version in its corresponding numbered space: 4. Review your car rental company choice. As car rental fleets shrink and prices rise, (1) you may find it is more cheaper to use a taxi. These sites can help you budget for the taxi fares. Can you get a better corporate deal from a car hire company (2) if everyone uses them for their business travel? 5. Review your travel safety skills. Do you know (3) how to avoid from getting robbed? Escape a hotel fire? (4) Choose one safe taxi? Business travellers are prime targets. (5) Take old labels off your luggage - they shout business traveller to the crooked. Have a map of (6) where are you going. 6. Improve your stress management skills. Accept it, (7) business travel is stressing. Current issues with airport security make it inevitable that your next business trip will include (8) a significant amounts of stress. There are many coping techniques (9) to effectively reduce stress. Practice deep breathing or muscle stretches. They will come in handy the next time you're stuck in the system. 7. Review your business travel programme and frequent fliers schemes. Have you access to lounges, now and next year? (10) Use these to ease those business travel journeys.

(adapted and abridged from http://www.nrgpax.com/businesstravel/article001.htm)

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4. Reading comprehension

a. Read the following article about how airlines have changed their offers since September 11, 2001. Some sentences have been removed from the extract. Choose from sentences A- I the one which fits each gap (1- 9). A. It could be anything from a sole trader running a news agency to a firm employing several hundred people with an annual travel budget of about £100,000. B. The scheme runs until June, but SAS plans to continue to operate some kind of SME programme. C. But the points are awarded on any airline as part of an itinerary that includes a segment flown on Swiss. D. Under the scheme, cash credits are offered against any KLM flight of any class or fare type and redeemed as free flights. E. We decided on a web-based corporate loyalty programme to make it cost effective.” F. Unable to qualify for corporate deals because they do not generate enough travel, SMEs have been ignored by travel providers. G. However, the market exists and we have been working hard to find ways to develop a relationship with this sector H. “We are looking at extending On Business to include semi-restricted tickets,” says Stuart Beamish, BA’s senior manager, loyalty marketing. I. “It would be a huge benefit for our customers to get our partner airlines on board,” says Thomas Brandt, Delta’s general manager, distribution planning. Will small businesses fill the airlines’ large gaps? Airlines discover, post-9/11, that small can be profitable Airlines striving to hold on to their share of a tough corporate market are increasingly looking to nurture business travellers they have previously ignored. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are companies which have a fraction of the travel budgets of the £1m-plus spend of large firms. 1___ Not any more. Pressures to fill aircraft and the competitive threat of low-cost airlines have seen airlines launch rafts of incentives, including cash rewards, free flights and upgrades, to show SMEs that they really are wanted. Airlines use different criteria, such as number of trips, value of travel spend or size of company, to define an SME. 2___ Typically, a PA (Personal Assisstant), financial director or company boss will be responsible for administering the schemes in-house. Over the past 12 months, airlines including KLM, Swiss, and SAS have all introduced initiatives to try and win such managers on board. KLM estimates that the 3.8 million or so UK-based SMEs can save up to 10 per cent of their travel costs through its cashback loyalty programme, BlueBiz. 3___ As with most airline schemes, not only does the company benefit, but the individual can also collect frequent flier mileage points on flights taken. KLM’s e-commerce manager Glyn Duggan explains: “Due to their volume levels, SMEs had fallen off our radar. “But after the US terror attacks of 9/11, we began looking at various options to get this market back on track. 4___

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SAS’s new PayBack Programme offers cash rewards of up to 15 per cent of the annual travel spend or a maximum of 20 return tickets between the UK and Scandinavia depending on the level of expenditure. Bmi’s Company Returns scheme has similarly gone down the cash reward and points route. SAS spokesman Jeff Rebello says the incentive is a two-pronged attack — to increase the loyalty of existing customers and to switch passengers from other airlines. 5___ British Airways is planning to relax some of the restrictions of the On Business scheme that it introduced for SMEs four years ago. More discounted fares will be included in the programme across all cabins to appeal to cost-conscious SMEs, a move partially driven by the impact of low-cost carriers. 6___ About 10,000 companies have enrolled with On Business, with half “actively redeeming” points for travel rewards, he says. Eligible BA fares earn companies points that can be exchanged for travel rewards, including free flights, hotel accommodation and limo transfers. Swiss has gone a step further by offering credit points, each worth 1 euro, towards free flights. 7___ The development of airline alliances has prompted Delta Air Lines to try to extend its SkyBonus scheme to cover partner SkyTeam carriers, including Air France and Korean Air. 8___ The US-based airline ventured into the SME market three years ago, courting companies with an annual travel spend of between £8,000 and £80,000. “The SME is notoriously hard to pinpoint, quite a complex group of companies. 9___ adds Brandt.

(adapted and abridged from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,5466,00.html) b. Read an article about the impact of terrorism on business travel. For questions 1-10, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. The cut and thrust of survival War, terrorism and Sars have changed the nature of business travel. Security and cost-cutting are the main issues and the corporates are calling the tune. On Virgin Atlantic flight VS022, which arrived at Heathrow from Washington DC at 7am on Monday, passengers travelling Upper Class could have no 1___ about service. Of 50 business-class seats in the new Airbus A340-600, only eight were taken. There were more 2___ members in the front cabin than passengers. One senior business travel agency executive commented: “They say things are getting better. I say, ‘Emperor’s new clothes.’” Transatlantic business 3___ are a crucial barometer to airline health and although British Airways said last week that there has been “some improvement” in premium traffic, it has not been as fast as predicted. If it is bad for BA, it is even worse for its transatlantic 4___ Until next Friday, United Airlines is offering a return business-class fare to New York for £999. The standard BA return costs just over £4,000.

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War, terrorism and Sars have 5___ British business travel badly. From a peak of 8.87 million travellers in 2000, numbers fell by 10 per cent to eight million in 2002. Government figures for the nine months to September 2003 show a further slump of 170,000 business passengers over the same period in 2002. Yesterday, BA announced a fresh round of job cuts, knowing that the only way to compete with the no-frills airlines and its traditional rivals is on cost. Unfortunately for BA, cost-cutting is also top of the 6___ for its passengers. A London-based economic think tank, the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), says in a new report that it expects business 7___ in Europe to grow by 2.7 per cent this year. But Douglas McWilliams, coauthor of the report, added: “The business travel sector is increasingly exposed in a world where a blowtorch is being applied to every conceivable kind of corporate expense. Business travel is typically 2-3 per cent of corporate cost and is generally regarded as the largest single controllable 8___.” The report says surveys of American corporate travel purchasers indicate that they believe that, since 2000, they have managed to negotiate down their prices for business travel by 20 per cent. 1. A. complaints B. complainings C. demands D. misgivings 2. A. team B. crew C. pilot D. flying 3. A. trips B. crossings C. travels D. routes 4. A. rivals B. enemies C. partners D. foes 5. A. kicked B. punched C. hit D. damaged 6. A. tree B. head C. world D. agenda 7. A. trip B. voyage C. excursion D. travel 8. A. expense B. tax C. fine D. fare 5. English in use

Read the second part of the article. Use the words below to form a word that fits in the same numbered space in the text. 0. busy

1. emphasize 2. provide 3. increase 4. large 5. power

6. improve 7. place 8. global 9. supply 10. address

11. stable 12. stringent 13. agent 14. profit 15. warn

e.g. 0 - business The decline in passenger numbers is now levelling off, but the nature of 0___ travel has changed irrevocably: events since September 11 have made that inevitable. There is a new 1___ on briefing travellers and staying in touch. Information 2___ such as Control Risks and Country Briefings provide assessments, while technology 3___ allows employees to stay in touch while on the road. Executive jet travel, 4___ because of concerns over security, is also now “extremely buoyant” according to Christian Rooney, marketing and sales director of Bookajet, one specialist operator. The company has just opened a new base at Southampton airport and now uses five jets. Technology, while helping corporates track and control expenditure, has also 5___ employees to book flights and hotels themselves while still following company travel policy. According to Delta Airlines, only 29 per cent of UK business travellers now

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prefer to book with a travel agent, with two-thirds choosing to book using the internet. British Airways will, in April, no longer issue paper tickets on the 75 per cent of its routes where electronic tickets can be used. Fast 6___ technology on board aircraft is also now delivering live TV news and e-mail, while wireless-free use of laptops in hotels and airports is rolling out at a frenetic pace. The idea that videoconferencing will one day 7___ travel has largely been disproved, however. While it does have a role, the underlying need for face-to-face contact is growing due to the “ratcheting up” of 8___, according to the CEBR report. McWilliams said: “Maintaining and enhancing business relations, both in-house and with customers and 9___, needs a regular dose of direct contact.” It is a point being echoed by all sectors of the industry, not least those hotel, airline and credit card suppliers desperate to see a return to regular corporate flying. But they also argue that companies, having 10___ the issue of cost cutting, will be leaner and more positive about travelling. A report out this week from Company Barclaycard concludes: “Overall, the figures indicate that business travellers are on the move more, thanks to confirmed new business rather than trying to secure it, an indication of greater 11___.” This positive view relies, naturally, on the continued stability of world events. Corporates may be starting to travel again, but the increasing 12___ of US immigration is one striking example of how fragile confidence remains in travel. John Melchior, executive vice-president of global corporate travel 13___ Radius, summed up the mood: “Companies have adjusted and are becoming more 14___. Those who have survived know that there won’t be such a big dip in world events again. “There are certain dangers out there, but we still have to travel. Now we have to know where travellers are, and to give them 15___ of potential problems. We all have to accommodate that.”

(adapted and abridged from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,5466,00.html)

6. Writing

Write a short text in which you should use as many of the words and phrases given below as possible. air hostess connecting point airline office departure lounge air turbulence airport hotel direct flight airport terminal

arrival airport economy class business class excess baggage baggage reclaim ground transportation boarding pass booking procedures

check-in landing security check take off unclaimed luggage weight limit

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UNIT EIGHT – CULTURE AND CIVILISATION

1. Human rights and cultural diversity

1.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What is cultural diversity?

1.2. Reading

Read the following text and express your opinion on the “new world order”. The Challenge of Human Rights and Cultural Diversity by Diana Ayton-Shenker The end of the cold war has created a series of tentative attempts to define "a new world order". So far, the only certainty is that the international community has entered a period of tremendous global transition that, at least for the time being, has created more social problems than solutions. The end of super-power rivalry, and the growing North/South disparity in wealth and access to resources, coincide with an alarming increase in violence, poverty and unemployment, homelessness, displaced persons and the erosion of environmental stability. The world has also witnessed one of the most severe global economic recessions since the Great Depression of the 1930s. At the same time, previously isolated peoples are being brought together voluntarily and involuntarily by the increasing integration of markets, the emergence of new regional political alliances, and remarkable advances in telecommunications, biotechnology and transportation that have prompted unprecedented demographic shifts. The resulting confluence of peoples and cultures is an increasingly global, multicultural world brimming with tension, confusion and conflict in the process of its adjustment to pluralism. There is an understandable urge to return to old conventions, traditional cultures, fundamental values, and the familiar, seemingly secure, sense of one's identity. Without a secure sense of identity amidst the turmoil of transition, people may resort to isolationism, ethnocentricism and intolerance. This climate of change and acute vulnerability raises new challenges to our ongoing pursuit of universal human rights. How can human rights be reconciled with the clash of cultures that has come to characterize our time? Cultural background is one of the primary sources of identity. It is the source for a great deal of self-definition, expression, and sense of group belonging. As cultures interact and intermix, cultural identities change. This process can be enriching, but disorienting. The current

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insecurity of cultural identity reflects fundamental changes in how we define and express who we are today.

(http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1627e.htm)


1.3.1. Match the following words and phrases from the text with their right definitions:

1. tremendous (adj.) a. a state of confusion, excitement, or anxiety

2. disparity (n) b. a state in which someone can be easily harmed or hurt

3. emergence (n) c. to have a lot of a particular thing, quality, or emotion:

4. prompt (v) d. to have a good relationship again with someone after you have quarrelled with them

5. confluence (n) e. when something begins to be known or noticed

6. brim (v) f. to make people say or do something as a reaction

7. turmoil (n) g. a difference between two or more things, especially an unfair one

8. vulnerability (n) h. the action of trying to get, achieve, or find something in a determined way

9. pursuit (n) i. a situation in which two or more things combine or happen at the same time

10. reconcile (v) j. very big, fast, powerful


1. Good knowledge of cultural differences is ... to any definition of cultural interaction.

VALUE

2. Sometimes cultural traits may suffer changes beyond ... . RECOGNISE

3. A(n) ... traveller will fail to do justice to cultural difference. EXPERIENCE

4. A visitor to your country should be offered plenty of ... in exploring local culture.

COURAGE

5. You might find a lot of ... locals while travelling in foreign countries.

APPROACH

6. Nationalists would like their country’s traditions to be ... . CHANGE

7. Sometimes it’s difficult to choose when you are faced with a huge ... of tourist attractions.

DIVERSE

8. I wouldn’t like to sound ..., but you should get more involved in the mores of your host country.

REASON

9. I am neither moral, nor immoral. My ... is often a mystery to my friends.

MORAL

10. Her ... at Heathrow airport made her miss her connecting flight.

ORIENTATION

1.3.3. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the required preposition.

1. I am sorry to say that you are a candidate___ a suitable background for his job involving talking ___ foreigners.

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2. My approach ___ dealing ___ cultural difference is a most successful one. 3. My experience draws ___ my travels ___ the world. 4. What is prejudice based ___ and how could you steer clear ___ it? 5. My job is related ___ handling a wide range ___ tourist services. 6. He is ___ a background not entirely suited ___ his job description. 7. He finally succeeded ___ setting things straight. 8. Her capacity ___ hard work in PR is overwhelming. 9. His prejudice ___ other nationals boils down ___ xenophobia. 10. My affiliation ___ this political party will be ___ an extremely short duration.

1.4. Language focus: The tense system: Past Perfect

1.4.1. The tense system: Past Perfect Form: had + Past Participle: I went to work after I had finished my lunch. Had I finished…? Yes, I had. No, I hadn’t. It indicates:

a past, completed action that takes place before another past action: He gave me the book when he had finished reading it.

An action finished before a certain moment in the past: I had written the paper by ten o’ clock.

The Past Perfect is not compulsory when after and before establish the sequence of the actions. 1.4.2. Use the Past Perfect where necessary.

1. The two parties (reach) an agreement when the member of our group made the suggestion, so he had to accept it.

2. The Parliament (pass) this law a very long time ago. 3. By the time I called the office the secretary (leave). 4. When we wanted to complain about the PR officer being rude, the manager

(fire) him. 5. Discrimination (be) a current practice in the company long before she

brought up the issue. 6. They changed their policy after a group of unsatisfied clients (sue) the

company. 7. When they arrived the conference (begin) and they did not want to disturb

the participants, so they left. 8. The chairman opened the session after everybody (consult) the agenda. 9. We wanted to help them but by the time we got there they (finish) writing the

recommendations. 10. When she decided to accept the offer it was too late. Someone else (hire) as

an assistant manager.

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2. Universal human rights and cultural relativism

2.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What human right do you consider to be the most important? Why? How can you account for the fact that discrimination still persists in our world?

2.2. Reading

Read the following article. Some sentences have been removed from the text. Choose from sentences A-J the one which fits each gap (1-9). There is one sentence which you do not need to use. How can universal human rights exist in a culturally diverse world? As the international community becomes increasingly integrated, how can cultural diversity and integrity be respected? Is a global culture inevitable? If so, is the world ready for it? How could a global culture emerge based on and guided by human dignity and tolerance? 1 ___ Cultural relativism is the assertion that human values, far from being universal, vary a great deal according to different cultural perspectives. Some would apply this relativism to the promotion, protection, interpretation and application of human rights which could be interpreted differently within different cultural, ethnic and religious traditions. In other words, according to this view, human rights are culturally relative rather than universal. Taken to its extreme, this relativism would pose a dangerous threat to the effectiveness of international law and the international system of human rights that has been painstakingly constructed over the decades. If cultural tradition alone governs State compliance with international standards, then widespread disregard, abuse and violation of human rights would be given legitimacy. Accordingly, the promotion and protection of human rights perceived as culturally relative would only be subject to State discretion, rather than international legal imperative. 2 ___ Universal Human Rights and International Law Largely through the ongoing work of the United Nations, the universality of human rights has been clearly established and recognized in international law. Human rights are emphasized among the purposes of the United Nations as proclaimed in its Charter, which states that human rights are "for all without distinction". 3 ___ The Charter further commits the United Nations and all Member States to action promoting "universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms". As the cornerstone of the International Bill of Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms consensus on a universal standard of human rights. In the recent issue of A Global Agenda, Charles Norchi points out that the

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Universal Declaration "represents a broader consensus on human dignity than does any single culture or tradition". Universal human rights are further established by the two international covenants on human rights (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), and the other international standard-setting instruments which address numerous concerns, including genocide, slavery, torture, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, rights of the child, minorities and religious tolerance. These achievements in human rights standard-setting span nearly five decades of work by the United Nations General Assembly and other parts of the United Nations system. As an assembly of nearly every State in the international community, the General Assembly is a uniquely representative body authorized to address and advance the protection and promotion of human rights. 4 ___ This consensus is embodied in the language of the Universal Declaration itself. The universal nature of human rights is literally written into the title of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its Preamble proclaims the Declaration as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations". This statement is echoed in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, which repeats the same language to reaffirm the status of the Universal Declaration as a "common standard" for everyone. Adopted in June 1993 by the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights in Austria, the Vienna Declaration continues to reinforce the universality of human rights, stating, "All human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent and interrelated". This means that political, civil, cultural, economic and social human rights are to be seen in their entirety. 5 ___ As if to settle the matter once and for all, the Vienna Declaration states in its first paragraph that "the universal nature" of all human rights and fundamental freedoms is "beyond question". The unquestionable universality of human rights is presented in the context of the reaffirmation of the obligation of States to promote and protect human rights. The legal obligation is reaffirmed for all States to promote "universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all". It is clearly stated that the obligation of States is to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights. 6 ___ Furthermore, the obligation is established for all States, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other instruments of human rights and international law. No State is exempt from this obligation. All Member States of the United Nations have a legal obligation to promote and protect human rights, regardless of particular cultural perspectives. Universal human rights protection and promotion are asserted in the Vienna Declaration as the "first responsibility" of all Governments. 7 ___ The non-discrimination principle is a fundamental rule of international law. This means that human rights are for all human beings, regardless of "race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status". Non-discrimination protects individuals and groups against the denial and violation of their human rights. To deny human rights on the grounds of

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cultural distinction is discriminatory. Human rights are intended for everyone, in every culture. Human rights are the birthright of every person. If a State dismisses universal human rights on the basis of cultural relativism, then rights would be denied to the persons living under that State's authority. The denial or abuse of human rights is wrong, regardless of the violator's culture. 8 ___ As a legal standard adopted through the United Nations, universal human rights represent the hard-won consensus of the international community, not the cultural imperialism of any particular region or set of traditions. Like most areas of international law, universal human rights are a modern achievement, new to all cultures. Human rights are neither representative of, nor oriented towards, one culture to the exclusion of others. 9 ___ A Human rights are the natural-born rights for every human being, universally. They are not privileges. B Not selective, not relative, but universal respect, observance and protection. C These are some of the issues, concerns and questions underlying the debate over universal human rights and cultural relativism. D Universal human rights do not impose one cultural standard, rather one legal standard of minimum protection necessary for human dignity. E Human rights must be approached in a way that is meaningful and relevant in diverse cultural contexts. F As such, it serves as an excellent indicator of international consensus on human rights. G Everyone is entitled to human rights without discrimination of any kind. H One cannot pick and choose which rights to promote and protect. They are all of equal value and apply to everyone. I Universal human rights reflect the dynamic, coordinated efforts of the international community to achieve and advance a common standard and international system of law to protect human dignity. J By rejecting or disregarding their legal obligation to promote and protect universal human rights, States advocating cultural relativism could raise their own cultural norms and particularities above international law and standards. 2.3. Vocabulary development

2.3.1. Fill in the blanks in the following text with the words given in bold: requirements diversity pressures sense arguments Many companies and organisations adopt equal opportunities policies because of external ___ Wilson and Iles suggest that this response "varies between a narrow

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minimalist response to legislative ___, and a wider concern that people should be treated equally, based on ethical and human rights or moral ___ Managing ___ on the other hand is internally driven, from a ___ of commitment by the organisation and its key players".

opportunities force staff The driving ___ behind introducing diversity management policies is seen as the ‘business case’ - that a diverse workforce will result in more focused marketing, greater creativity and decision making and happier ___ who stay longer and benefit from organisational ___

public range profile volunteers organisation Looking at the marketing example - the voluntary sector supports and works with a diverse ___ of service users, supporters and partners. If the ‘public face’ of an ___ reflects that diverse public, then individuals will more easily identify with it, thinking "this is an organisation for me". Volunteers are the ___ face of many organisations, and if diverse, will be more welcoming to users and members. Also, if ___ are drawn from a wide sector of the community, then they each tell their friends and family, raising the ___ of your service.

(adapted from http://www. mori.com/digest/2000)

2.3.2. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with a word derived from the word given at the end of each sentence:

1. ... at the working place is a topical issue in both the western and eastern world.

EQUAL

2. Women usually contend that they have ... work opportunities as compared with men.

EQUAL

3. Bill Clinton’s visit to Romania was a ... moment. HISTORY

4. Exploring the ... sites of London could be a quite rewarding experience.

HISTORY

5. He is a government official extremely ... with different people in very high circles.

INFLUENCE

6. After months of strenuous research, the main causes of their failure to meet international standards remained ... .

IDENTIFY

7. This question ... addresses those prone to xenophobia. PRIMARY

8. ... tourists flock to the big cities of the world every day in search of yet unimagined sensations.

NUMBER

9. Because your application is incomplete, it will rest ... until a further date.

PROCESS

10. After accumulating lots of practice in organising package tours, the travel agency decided to ... their findings in a report published in a local journal.

THEORY

2.3. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the required preposition.

1. My methods differ a lot ___ the more conventional ones. 2. The history of this project dates back ___ 1985. 3. What did you have ___ mind when you called that company? 4. The reasons ___ establishing a new basis ___ cooperation are ___my

depth. 5. Let’s focus ___ this issue now and we will look ___ the other one ___ a later

date. 6. ___ the present framework of rules, we have to abide ___ each one of them.

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7. Equality ___ job opportunities is essential. 8. Her influence ___ the whole project is undeniable. 9. There’s no visible difference ___ the way they are treating immigrants ___

their country. 10. There has been no shift ___ our regulations since they came ___ force.

2.4. Language focus: The tense system: Past Perfect Continuous

2.4.1. The tense system: Past Perfect Continuous Form: to be (in the past perfect) + verb + ing: I had been writing. Had I been writing? Yes, I had. No, I hadn’t. It indicates: a past action in development before another past action and also continuing that moment: When he came she had been reading for two hours. !!!!!!!!!!!! often used in past perfect and past perfect progressive sentences: when, after, as soon as, before, by the time e.g. After they had been quarrelling for minutes, I asked them to stop. We had been waiting for weeks before we got the money. They had been negotiating for hours by the time I got there. 2.4.2. Choose the correct form of the verb in the following sentences:

1. The staff complained that they had asked/had been asking for better working conditions for two months.

2. We had hoped/had been hoping to solve our problem easily and were very disappointed when we couldn’t.

3. Our partners had looked forward/had been looking forward to the contract to be signed and became quite angry when it had been cancelled/had been being cancelled.

4. The whole staff had worked/had been working until the last minute and they had no time left to decorate the room for the meeting.

5. The newspapers had been publishing/had published a lot of articles on the accident for weeks when they found out about it.

6. We had been discussing/had discussed all day with our partners and by 10 o’clock the agreement wasn’t signed.

7. Our competition had done/had been doing everything they could to attack us and we had to take steps towards fighting back.

8. When the PR assistant arrived, the customers had waited/had been waiting for her for hours.

9. He asked us why we had written/had been writing such a long preamble to our report.

10. After the President had looked/had been looking through our papers for a while, he decided to speak.

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3. National stereotypes

3.1. Lead-in

STOP AND THINK! What do you understand by ‘stereotype’? To what extent are national stereotypes fair? How can you fight prejudices related to national stereotypes?

3.2. Reading

How would you characterise the British? Read the following text and then state what you agree with and what you disagree with. What is "Britishness"? The survey conducted by MORI on behalf of the British Council among the successor generation in thirteen countries reveals what foreigners think about all aspects of British society and culture. The United Kingdom is both loved and loathed for its traditions. The images most often quoted of the Great Britain in the survey are the Queen and the Royal Family, kilts, castles and rugby. This has implications for public diplomacy. What can be done to close the gap between perceptions overseas and the reality of contemporary Britain without ignoring the strengths of our traditions for which we are respected? Arts "British arts represent their culture - very reserved and grey" - Malaysia "Avant-garde, eccentric, mad" - France "They don't have any famous artists. They like soccer." - Saudi Arabia Sixty-six percent of those polled believe that Britain’s reputation in the arts is based more in the past than in the present. There is a clear lack of knowledge about British contemporary arts. When asked to identify one or two contemporary artists Elton John and Hugh Grant topped the list with 5% each. A worrying 60% were unable to name a single artist. The area of British culture where people had the most knowledge was pop music and film. Business and finance "The British are managers by nature." - Egypt "They manufacture things carefully. You buy a British garment and you know it will last forever." - Mexico Whilst 81% of people rated British goods and services as "good" overall and 74% think British managers are good, the country comes behind the United States, Japan and Germany when it comes to having world-beating companies. British business is seen as too risk averse. "This permanent up-and-down risk which the Americans

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take is much too exhausting for the Britons." - Germany. However Britain is recognised as a b financial centre, though still behind the USA and Japan. Education "They are well educated, well brought up people, able to keep up conversation." - Russia "There is a high educational standard which the English are associated with, and if I wanted to go abroad to study, this would be the only place." - Poland Seventy-six percent of people questioned regard the British as well educated. British higher education is particularly well respected with 88% of people rating it as "good". However the United States still emerged as the market leader in higher education. Fifty-eight percent of respondents believe that qualifications from the United States have the most credibility with potential employers. Media "Even the more cultured people read the tabloids to be informed. Most of the scandals coming from the Royal Family are found there." - Mexico A significant minority (28%) believe that the British media cannot be relied on to tell the truth. In Germany only 5% of people trust the truthfulness of the British media. However the British media were regarded as being more truthful than their counterparts in most of the countries surveyed. Science and Technology "The British are exploring more...cloning sheep and genetics and scary stuff." - South Africa Whilst 62% of respondents agree that Britain has a b reputation for scientific and technological innovation, the UK was ranked well behind the United States, Japan and Germany. Society "They are well brought up people. Even if they don't like you too much, they try to be nice." - Russia "The UK are one of the first democracies in Europe" - France Sixty-five percent of people questioned agree that the UK is a good model of democratic government. A grudging 58% agree that the British legal system ensures that everyone gets a fair trial. Sixty-five percent also believe that the country has a good health care service. British institutions may be respected but a significant 41% believe that British people are not very welcoming towards foreigners.

(http://www. mori.com/digest/2000)


3.3.1. Match the words and phrases with their corresponding definitions:

1. tabloid a. hate, detest

2. grudging b. poll, research of public opinion

3. emerge c. pause, break, distance

4. averse d. aesthetically new and experimental

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5. counterpart e. popular, relating to the tastes of common people

6. avant-garde f. opposed, objecting to, unfavourable to

7. gap g. exit, appear as

8. loathe h. newspaper publishing scandalous material

9. pop i. equivalent, analogue

10. survey j. hesitant, ill-disposed towards


1. He sometimes uses ... language. LOATHE

2. Please give me a ... of prices for oil. QUOTE

3. The tabloids made much ado about the fact that she was ... in the royal scandal.

IMPLICATE

4. Your ... behaviour could irremediably harm the relationship between the two countries.

DIPLOMATIC

5. These are just a few of the ... underscoring our excellent policies regarding cooperation among states.

STRONG

6. My ... has often been reviled in tabloids. ECCENTRIC

7. I hereby wish to ... your contribution to our success. KNOW

8. Their ... efforts led to fruition. EXHAUST

9. Her ... skills are impeccable at all social gatherings. CONVERSATION

10. I’m sorry to say that the degree of your intelligence is ... in this case.

SIGNIFY

3.3.3. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with the required preposition. 1. I am speaking ___ behalf ___ all those who feel wronged by the Romanian

Constitution. 2. IN the survey appear the figures ___ this year’s rate ___ diplomatic blunders

___ the part ___ Romania. 3. Your behaviour will have consequential implications ___ public diplomacy. 4. The gap ___ my abilities as a diplomat and yours is enormous. 5. I respect this small country ___ its great traditions. 6. His fame ___ successfully handling conflict situations is one ___ his advantages. 7. Teenagers are prone ___ identifying themselves ___ pop stars. 8. How do rate ___ a diplomat? 9. The English are associated ___ a proverbial reserve ___ definition. 10. Our country is the market leader ___ button manufacturing. 3.4. Language focus: Modal Verbs

3.4.1. Modal Verbs Read the following examples from the text: Later on… you may be able… (par. 4) You must enter as an immigrant… (par. 5) The job seeker…should be prepared… (par. 4) A college in foreign commerce would definitely help… (par. 1) Modals May Form: may// May he?// may not It indicates:

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Possibility: He may come today. (to be possible) Probability: We may get that contract. (to be probable) Permission: You may leave. (to be allowed/ to be permitted) Might Form: might/ might he// might not It indicates: - NOT the past of may BUT a stronger possibility/ probability/ uncertainty: You might be right (but I strongly doubt). Must Form: must// Must he……..?// must not = mustn’t It indicates: necessity/ obligation imposed by the speaker: I must be punctual. invitation, emphatic affirmation: You must see the exhibition. Probability, logical necessity: He must be at home. An unexpected/ contrary action: They must annoy us with their problems! It is replaced by: to have to, to be obliged/ forced/ compelled to…. Should Form: should// Should you?// should not = shouldn’t It indicates: obligation: You should be present at the meeting. Instructions/ advice: He should welcome them at the airport. Expectation: The business should be profitable. Past, unfulfilled expectation: They should have discussed the matter in detail. Ought to Form: ought to/ ought not to It indicates: Moral obligation: You ought to visit him at the hospital Duty: You ought to write that report. Not a very strong obligation in the past, present or future: He ought to play chess that day/ now/ to morrow. Advisability: You ought to organise that meeting as soon as possible. Necessity: He ought to be present at the conference. Desirable, not performed action: You ought to have helped them. They ought not to have gone there alone. Supposition, probability: You ought to communicate them the decision by now. Would Form: would/ would you?/ would not = wouldn’t It indicates: Polite request: Would you listen more carefully? Opposition/ resistance/ unwillingness: They would not meet us. Past habit = used to: I would stay in that chair, drink my tea and read a book. Invitation: Would you have some more cake? Refusal (in the negative): I wouldn’t accept that. Criticism of somebody’s behaviour: She would keep talking without listening to her friends. 3.4.2. Rephrase the following sentences so that they contain one of the modals above:

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1. If you cannot find a job in your country, you emigrate to a foreign job-rich place. 2. Don’t consider heading overseas to seek work without money in your pocket. 3. Don’t go unless you are prepared to accept any job. 4. Sometimes you are forced to accept a monotonous job. 5. There are jobs you didn’t accept in your native country. 6. Later on, of course, you will have the opportunity to apply for creative work. 7. The job seeker heading overseas has to take on jobs that have been turned

down flat by natives. 8. To work overseas you need to obtain a work permit. 9. It is advisable you find a job for which no work permit is needed. 10. Women will be able to work au pair. Under this arrangement, any girl is

supposed to get bed and board. 11. Their duty is to act as baby sitters. Their daily activity is to give general

household help. 12. Their employers are also obliged to pay them a sum of money. 3.5. Functions

Cause, effect and purpose

Cause Effect Purpose

Result in…. Lead to… Since As Due to… Owing to the fact that… Because of…

This means that…. As a result of….

So that In order to

The tense system: Revision Simple tenses – Continuous tenses

Present Simple used for actions in the present, for things that are always true or that happen regularly, and for opinions and beliefs I/we/you/they enjoy (do not enjoy) he/she/it enjoys (does not enjoy)

Present Continuous/Progressive used for actions or events that are happening or developing now, for future plans, or to show that an event is repeated I am enjoying (am not enjoying) we/you/they are enjoying (are not enjoying) he/she/it is enjoying (is not enjoying)

Past Simple used for completed actions and events in the past I/we/you/they enjoyed (did not enjoy) he/she/it enjoyed (did not enjoy)

Past Continuous/Progressive used for actions or events in the past that were not yet finished or that were interrupted I was enjoying (was not enjoying) we/you/they were enjoying (were not enjoying) he/she/it was enjoying (was not enjoying)

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Future Simple used for actions and events in the future I/we/you/they will enjoy (will not enjoy) he/she/it will enjoy (will not enjoy)

Future Continuous/Progressive used for actions or events in the future that will continue into the future I/we/you/they will be enjoying (will not be enjoying) he/she/it will be enjoying (will not be enjoying)

Perfect tenses – Continuous tenses

Present Perfect used to show that an event happened or an action was completed at some time before the present I/we/you/they have enjoyed (have not enjoyed) he/she/it has enjoyed (has not enjoyed)

Present Perfect Continuous/ Progressive

used for actions or events that started in the past but are still happening now, or for past actions which only recently finished and whose effects are seen now I/we/you/they have been enjoying (have not been enjoying) he/she/it has been enjoying (has not been enjoying)

Past Perfect usually used to show that an event happened or an action was completed before a particular time in the past I/we/you/they had enjoyed (had not enjoyed) he/she/it had enjoyed (had not enjoyed)

Past Perfect Continuous/Progressive used for actions or events that happened for a period of time but were completed before a particular time in the past I/we/you/they had been enjoying (had not been enjoying) he/she/it had been enjoying (had not been enjoying)

Future Perfect used to show that something will be completed before a particular time in the future I/we/you/they will have enjoyed (will not have enjoyed) he/she/it will have enjoyed (will not have enjoyed)

Future Perfect Continuous/Progressive used for actions or events that will already be happening at a particular time in the future I/we/you/they will have been enjoying (will not have been enjoying) he/she/it will have been enjoying (will not have been enjoying)

Writing

Define the stereotype for your nationality. Use adjectives from the table below.

able

accepting

adaptable

bold

brave

calm

caring

cheerful

clever

complex

confident

dependable

dignified

energetic

extroverted

friendly

giving

happy

helpful

idealistic

independent

ingenious

intelligent

introverted

107

kind

knowledgeable

logical

loving

mature

modest

nervous

observant

organised

patient

powerful

proud

quiet

reflective

relaxed

religious

responsive

searching

self-assertive

self-conscious

sensible

sentimental

shy

silly

smart

spontaneous

sympathetic

tense

trustworthy

warm

wise

witty


Watch Gordon Brown’s (former British Prime Minister) lecture on Global Ethic vs national interest (follow the link http://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown_on_global_ethic_vs_national_interest.html) and express your opinions. Do not write more than 250 words. You should submit your homework electronically ([email protected]). (type of document: Word). Do not send material downloaded from the Internet. Deadline: 18 May

http://www.ted.com/talks/gordon_brown_on_global_ethic_vs_national_interest.html


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APPENDIX 1 – ADJECTIVES + OBLIGATORY PREPOSITION ADJECTIVE PREPOSITION

A

accustomed to

accused of

acquainted with

addicted to

annoyed about/with/at

allergic to

amazed at/by

anxious about

appreciated for

ashamed of

associated with

astonished at/by

aware of

angry with

afraid of

attached to

B

bad at

based on

beneficial to

boastful for

bored with

brilliant at

busy with

C

capable of

careful with/about/of

certain about

characteristic of

clever at

connected with

conscious of

content with

crazy about

crowded with

curious about

D

dissatisfied with

doubtful about

delighted at/about

derived from

different from

disappointed with

E

eager for

eligible for

enthusiastic about

excellent in/at

excited about

experienced in

exposed to

envious of

F

faithful to

familiar with

famous for

fed up with

free of/from

frightened of

friendly with

fond of

furious about

furnished with

full of

G

generous with/about

guilty of/about

gentle with

good at

grateful to

H

happy about

hopeful of/about

I

identical with/to

immune to

impressed with

inferior to

indifferent to

innocent of

interested in

involved with

incapable of

J

jealous of

K

kind to

keen on

L

late for

limited to

http://www.bedavaingilizce.com/prepositions/adj_pre.htm#TOP











109

lucky at

M

nervous of/about

notorious for

O

opposed to

P

patient with

pessimistic about

pleased with

polite to

popular with

presented with

proud of

punished for

puzzled by/about

Q

qualified for

R

ready for

related to

relevant to

respectful for

responsible for

rid of

S

sad about

safe from

satisfied with

scared of

sensitive to

serious about

sick of

similar to

shocked by

skilful at

slow at

sorry for/about

successful in

suitable for

sure of/about

superior to

surprised at

suspicious of

sympathetic with

T

terrible at

terrified of

tired of

thankful to/for

trilled with

troubled with

typical of

U

unaware of

upset about

used to

W

wrong with/about

worried about










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APPENDIX 2 – GRAMMAR FILES

111

ENGLISH GRAMMAR FILES

WHAT DO THEY CONTAIN? The ENGLISH GRAMMAR – MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX contains information regarding the different parts of speech and clauses existing in English and their function. The grammar is of great use for undergraduate students with a business/economics profile at the Babeş-Bolyai University. HOW ARE THEY ORGANISED? The English grammar presented here is divided into two parts: morphology and syntax. The first part contains theoretical information regarding the different parts of speech and their use in a particular context: the noun, the adjective, the adverb, the article, the pronoun, the numeral, the verb. The second part offers a short perspective on the main problems raised by English syntax: nominal clauses, time clauses, conditionals, reported speech, sequence of tenses, and clause connectors. The ENGLISH GRAMMAR – MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX is based on official curricula and helps students clarify some of the most important problems related to English grammar. HOW CAN WE USE THEM? Each sub-unit comprises theoretical information related to a specific grammar problem: definition, use in context, exceptions that can occur, and some examples. The student’s task is to obtain further information and practice by consulting the recommended bibliography. The grammar items will be customized by the teacher in course formats and test formats. Students are expected to be able to use the parts of speech and the clauses indicated in the ENGLISH GRAMMAR – MORPHOLOGY AND SYNTAX along with related topics indicated in the bibliography. Further guidance will be provided by the teacher. RECOMMENDED SOURCES1 Alexander, L.G., Longman English Grammar, Essex, 1988. Brieger, N., Sweeney, S., The Language of Business English: Grammar & Functions, Hertfordshire, Longman, 1994. Leech, G., Svartvik, J., A Communicative Grammar of English, Longman, Essex, 1975. Thomson, A. J., Martinet, A. W., A Practical English Grammar, University Press, Oxford, 1986. Vince, M., Advanced Language Practice (London: MacMillan Heinemann ELT, 1994) Vince, M., Intermediate Language Practice (London: MacMillan Heinemann ELT, 1998) Mann, Malcolm &Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination B2, MacMillan Mann, Malcolm &Taylore-Knowles, Steve (2008). Destination C1&C2, MacMillan Swan, Michael (2009). Practical English Usage, OUP

Swan, Michael, Baker, David (2012). Grammar Scan. Diagnostic Tests for Practical English Usage, OUP DISCLAIMER Students should note that the listed items do not necessarily cover the topics in an exhaustive manner; other/more information should be obtained by the student from other books and tests; assigned course leaders will provide information in this respect. Students are expected to devote ample time to reinforcing grammar problems, based on the guidance provided by the aforementioned sources. Mastery of the grammar presented here requires constant practice and self-study.

1 Free-access online grammar sites: http://www.ego4u.com; http://www.englishpage.com/grammar;

http://www.englishgrammarsecrets.com

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MORPHOLOGY

THE NOUN

The plural form of nouns

Regular spelling Singular Plural

-s after most nouns: letter letters

-es after nouns ending in product products

-o2: echo echoes

-ss: mass masses

-x: box boxes

-ch: watch watches

-sh: crash crashes

consonant + -y becomes -ies: company companies

Irregular spelling

Some endings in -f/-fe take -ves: shelf shelves

Nouns with plurals in -en: child children

No change species species

Foreign plurals, e.g. criterion criteria

Irregular spelling: internal vowel change

The following nouns form their plurals by changing the internal vowel(s)

foot/feet, tooth/teeth, man/men, mouse/mice3 , woman/women.

Countable and uncountable nouns Countable nouns are things that we can count. e.g.: coin, book, banknote, card, report,

letter, partner, etc.

We can use some and any with countable nouns:

e.g.: I've got some dollars.

Have you got any pens?

We can use a few and many with countable nouns:

I've got a few dollars.

I haven't got many pens. Uncountable nouns take a singular verb and are not used with a/an. The words some,

any, no, (a) little, much, plenty of, etc. can be used with uncountable nouns.

2 Certain nouns ending in –o take –s ending, e.g.: nouns of foreign origin (piano – pianos), abbreviations (kilo – kilos, memo - memos). 3 In Computer Science: mice or mouses

113

e.g.: There's little hope for our business to grow. The most common uncountable nouns are:

accommodation, advice, assistance, baggage, behaviour, business, conduct, damage, difficulty, education, equipment, evidence, harm, health, help, homework, hospitality, information, knowledge, laughter, leisure, luck, luggage, machinery, money, news, patience, permission, progress, publicity, research, rubbish, safety, scenery, shopping, traffic, transport, travel, trouble, understanding, wealth, weather, wine, work, writing Many uncountable nouns can be made countable in the following way:

a piece of cake/information/baggage/ advice/furniture/work/ equipment, a glass of water/beer/wine, a jar of jam, a sheet of paper, an item of news, a drop of water/oil, a box chocolates, a metre of cloth, a packet of biscuits/tea, a slice of bread, a loaf of bread, a pot of tea, a cup of tea, an ice cube, a game of football/chess, a kilo of meat, a bottle of wine/beer/whisky, a tube of toothpaste, a bar of soap/chocolate, a flash of lightning

The Genitive case 1. ’s genitive (the possessor + ’s + the thing possessed) is used with animate nouns e.g.: Emily’s relations

the child’s toys my partner’s office the company’s working capital

-when the nouns are in the plural, the genitive is formed in the following way: a) regular plurals: noun followed by ’ e.g.: our partners’ conditions b) irregular plurals: noun followed by ’s e.g.: women’s bags children’s clothes 2. prepositional genitive - with of (the thing possessed + of + the possessor) is used with inanimate nouns e.g.: the legs of the chair

THE ADJECTIVE

Order Opinion / Size/ Age/ Style/ Colour/ Origin/ Material/ Purpose/ Noun e.g.: long blue denim skirt: She is wearing a long blue denim skirt.

wavy brown hair: He is the one with the wavy brown hair. beautiful old Welsh farmer’s cottage: It is a beautiful old Welsh farmer’s cottage.

Degrees of comparison

Adjectives Positive Comparative Superlative

1-syllable adjs.

adj. + -er/ -est

cheap

small

big

cheaper

smaller

bigger

the cheapest

the smallest

the biggest

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2-syllable adjs.

adj. + -er/ -est

more/ the most + adj.

clever

heavy

rapid

cleverer

heavier

more rapid

the cleverest

the heaviest

the most rapid

3 or more syllable adjs.

more/ the most + adj.

expensive

interesting

more expensive

more interesting

the most

expensive

the most

interesting

Irregular adjs. good

bad

little

many/ much

far

old

better

worse

less

more

farther/ further

older/ elder

the best

the worst

the least

the most

the farthest/ the

furthest

the oldest/ the eldest

THE ADVERB

Types

- adverbs of manner: badly, unlikely, etc. - adverbs of place: abroad, indoors, etc. - adverbs of time: definite time (last Monday, tomorrow), indefinite time (recently,

early, etc.) - adverbs of frequency: definite frequency (every day, etc.), indefinite frequency

(always, etc.) - adverbs of degree: enough, fairly, badly, etc.

Order

1. manner 2. place 3. time e.g.: Barbara read quietly in the library all afternoon.

Degrees of comparison

Adverb type positive comparative superlative

1. same form as adjective

fast faster fastest

2. –ly adverbs of manner easily more easily most easily

3. some adverbs of frequency

rarely more rarely most rarely

4. exceptions badly worse worst

far farther/further farthest/furthest

late later last

little less least

much more most

well better best

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THE ARTICLE

Definite form: the use: - before a noun which is defined

e.g.: The management strategies have worked.

- omitted before nouns in the plural, uncountable or abstract nouns, when we talk about them

in general

e.g.: Money doesn't grow on trees.

Indefinite form: a/an use: - with singular countable nouns, when we don’t specify which one we talk about.

e.g.: They decided to launch a profitable project as soon as possible.

Have you ever done business with an estate owner?

Zero use: - before: proper nouns, names of meals, days of the week, abstract nouns, names of substances,

names of countries/ cities/ streets/ buildings/ mountains/ continents, sports, activities, colours

e.g.: Creativity is essential in advertising.

I have an appointment with the MD on Tuesday.

THE PRONOUN

Personal Subject pronouns come before the main verb:

I; you; he/ she/ it; we; they

e.g.: I think it's cost-effective. Do you agree? Object pronouns come after the main verb:

me; you; him/ her/ it; us; them

e.g.: We asked them a question. John gave us the answer. Possessive pronouns - No apostrophe before s with possessive pronouns.

mine; yours; his/ hers/ (its); ours; theirs

e.g.: Is this document his or hers?

Demonstrative

this; that; these; those

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e.g.: What is that?

I would like one of those.

These proposals are interesting

Reflexive

myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

We use a reflexive pronoun if the object of the verb is the same as the subject. Compare:

I'm enjoying the training. I'm enjoying myself.

Jill introduced me to her associate. Jill introduced herself to me.

Indefinite are words that replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace.

Singular: another, anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody, everyone,

everything, little, much, neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one, other, somebody, someone,

something

Plural: both, few, many, others, several

Singular or plural: all, any, more, most, none, some

e.g.: Somebody is here today.

Is anybody on duty?

Nobody is here today.

Relative

subject of the following

verb (cannot be omitted)

object of the following

verb (can be omitted)

possession (cannot

be omitted)

people who/that

He is the new employee. He

was given a bonus.

He is the new employee

who/that was given a

bonus.

whom/who/that (informal)

There's the contractor.

We met him yesterday.

There's the contractor

whom/who/that we met

yesterday.

whose

That's Mr. Brown. He

refurbished his office

last month.

That's Mr. Brown,

whose office was

refurbished last month.

things

/animals

which/that

I bought a computer. It

doesn't work properly.

I bought a computer which/

that doesn't work properly.

which/that

Here's the report. I found it

on the top shelf.

Here is the report

which/that I found on the

top shelf.

whose/of which

(formal)

There's the camera.

Its lens is broken.

There's the camera

whose lens/the lens

of which is broken.

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THE NUMERAL Types: cardinal and ordinal. Cardinal

0 zero

1 one

2 two

3 three

4 four

11 eleven

12 twelve

14 fourteen

20 twenty

40 forty

100 one hundred

1,000 one thousand

1,000,000 one million

1,000,000,000 one billion

NOTE! 4, 14 and 40 ▬ 40 is the only one written without a –u after –o (see the spelling above)

Ordinal

1st first

2nd second

3rd third

4th fourth

5th fifth

11th eleventh

12th twelfth

13th thirteenth

20th twentieth

31st thirty-first

52nd fifty-second

73rd seventy-third

89th eighty-ninth

137th one hundred thirty-seventh

THE VERB Classification 1. According to the form: -regular verbs: e.g. work-worked -irregular verbs: e.g. write-wrote-written 2. According to the role played in the predication: -auxiliary verbs: (be, have, do, shall, will, should, would) precede a notional verb to form the categories of tense, mood, voice, aspect -linking verbs: + a nominal part (e.g. be in love, fall asleep, make sure, prove useless, rest assured, get tired, grow old, turn pale etc.) -notional verbs: (I write/ I am writing) function as predicates in the sentence -modal verbs: (e.g. can/could, may/might, shall/should, will/would, must, ought to, have to, need etc.)

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TENSES

1. PRESENT SIMPLE vs. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Present Simple

Verb (+ -s/ -es for 3rd pers. sg.)

Auxiliary: DO/ DOES

Present Continuous

TO BE (am/ are/ is) + Verb-ing

Auxiliary: BE

Habitual actions or permanent states

e.g.: She works in a bank.

The secretary writes the minutes of all meetings.

Repeated actions with always,

forever, constantly (often to

show annoyance)

e.g.: You're always leaving the

phone in the kitchen.

She is always making

unintelligible signs! Nobody

understands her.

Arranged future actions (timetables, programmes,

etc)

e.g.: The conference starts at 9 o’clock next Monday.

Actions in progress/ temporary

actions

e.g.: He is describing a graph at

the moment.

Laws of nature/scientific facts and instructions

e.g.: First you dial the number, then you speak into the

receiver.

Fixed arrangements for the near

future

e.g.: They are going on a

business trip to Spain tomorrow.

Dramatic narration

e.g.: The lights go out and the workers get out the

warehouse.

Current trends and

developments

e.g.: Oil prices are rising at

present.

Time Expressions: usually, often, always, sometimes,

never, normally, regularly, every day, in the morning, on

Mondays, etc.

Time Expressions: now, at

present, at the moment, for the

time being, this month, these

days, still, today, tonight,

nowadays, etc.

NOTE!

State verbs describe a state and do not have continuous forms. These include verbs

related to:

senses: see, hear, smell, feel, taste

thinking: think, agree, believe, consider, doubt, expect, feel (=think)

emotion & feeling: feel, forgive, hate, loathe, like, dislike, love, mind, wish, etc

other: appear/seem, be, belong, have (=possess), keep (=continue), matter, owe,

possess/own etc

• Verbs of the senses can have continuous forms, but then there's a change in meaning.

I'm seeing my lawyer tomorrow. (= a prior arrangement) but: Do/Can you see those

buildings? (ability to see)

• The verbs think, consider and expect can have continuous forms when they refer to an

activity.

Be quiet, please! I'm thinking. but: I think you are wrong. (= I believe)

• Have can have continuous forms in certain expressions such as: have a bath, have a nap,

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have fun, have a good time, etc.

We were having a good time at the party when we heard the news. but: Since you have

his phone number, you can call him. (= possess)

2. PAST SIMPLE vs. PAST CONTINUOUS

3. PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE vs. PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Present Perfect Simple

TO HAVE (have/ has) + Past participle

(regular/ irregular vbs.)

Auxiliary: HAVE/ HAS

Present Perfect Continuous

TO HAVE (have/has) + BEEN + Verb-ing

Auxiliary: HAVE/ HAS + (BEEN)

Recently completed actions

e.g.: She has just looked at the report.

They have just audited the state-owned

enterprise.

Past actions producing visible results in

the present

e.g.: She has been calculating the

expenses. (The calculator is on the table.)

Chinese companies have been

maintaining an inflexible hierarchy.

Actions beginning in the past and

continuing up to the present, focusing on

An action beginning in the past and

continuing up to the present, focusing

Past Simple

Verb + – ed (regular verbs)/ 2nd form (irregular

verbs)

Auxiliary: DID

Past Continuous

TO BE (was/ were) + Verb-ing

Auxiliary: WAS/ WERE

Actions completed in the past when there is direct

or indirect time reference

e.g.: He called a meeting an hour ago. (direct time

reference)

She phoned before the boss came. (indirect time

reference)

My old computer processed data at a low speed

before it was updated.

Past actions in progress/ at a

given point in time

e.g.: She was still working at eight

o'clock yesterday evening.

I was developing an online database

at this time last year.

Past habitual actions

e.g.: He travelled/used to travel a lot when he was a

sales representative.

Past action in progress interrupted

by another action

e.g.: She was leaving when the

phone rang.

Past actions happening one after the other

e.g.: He stood up, picked up his briefcase and left

the office.

Simultaneous past actions

e.g.: While Jane was delivering the

presentation, Tom was taking notes.

In Conditionals Type II

e.g.: If you knew Henry Ford you would follow his

example.

Polite inquiries

e.g.: I was wondering if you could

mention the turnover of your

company to me.

Time Expressions: yesterday, then, when, ago, How

long ago... ?, last night/ week/ year, etc.

Time Expressions: while, when, as,

all morning/evening, day, night, etc.

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the result (time – not relevant)

e.g.: He has written three letters.

on the action especially with for or since

e.g.: She has been waiting for two hours

but there's still no sign of him.

Indefinite past actions or experiences

e.g.: She has seen this balance sheet. (We

do not know when.)

I've been to Berlin twice.

Action showing annoyance, irritation or

surprise

e.g.: What have you been doing to my

computer?

Repeated actions still continuing

e.g.: He has worked as a driver for four

years. (He is still a driver.)

Time Expressions: since, for, yet, already,

just, ever, so far, recently, lately, still, how

long, etc.

Time Expressions: for, since, how long,

lately, recently, etc.

4. PAST PERFECT SIMPLE vs. PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS

Past Perfect Simple

HAD + Past participle (regular/ irregular vbs.)

Auxiliary: HAD

Past Perfect Continuous

HAD + BEEN + Verb-ing

Auxiliary: HAD + (BEEN)

Past action which happened before another

past action

e.g.: She had already typed all the letters

before her boss arrived.

Managerial accountability had been a must in

our company before the appointment of the

new manager.

A longer past action which continued up

to another past action

e.g.: She had been reading all day long when

Tom came home with their new associate.

He had been offering counselling for two

years when he was dismissed.

In Indirect Speech and thoughts in the past

e.g.: I told him how much I had enjoyed

meeting him.

I thought I had ordered a new catalogue, but I

couldn’t find it.

Actions producing visible results in the

past

e.g.: She was covered in dust because she

had been refurbishing the outlet.

In Conditionals Type III

e.g.: He would have saved the business from

disaster if he had asked for the help of a

troubleshooting company.

Time Expressions: before, after, already, just,

for, since, till/until, by the time, never, etc.

Time Expressions: for, since, how long,

before, until, etc.

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5. MEANS OF EXPRESSING FUTURE TIME

Future Simple

WILL + Verb

Auxiliary: WILL

Be going to

BE + GOING TO + Verb

Auxiliary: BE + (GOING

TO)

Future Continuous

WILL + BE + Verb-

ing

Auxiliary: WILL +

(BE)

Future Perfect Simple

WILL + HAVE/HAS + Past

participle (regular/ irregular

vbs.)

Auxiliary: WILL +

(HAVE/HAS)

Future Perfect Cont.

WILL + HAVE/HAS +

BEEN + Verb-ing

Predictions,

offers,

promises,

requests,

suggestions

e.g.: Will you

help me with

the annual

report? /Shall I

get you the job

description?

Will you help

me find a well-

paid job in the

oil industry?

Intentions

e.g.: I know my assets

are valuable. I'm going

to sell them tomorrow.

I’m going to read the

job advertisements in the

local newspaper.

Actions in

progress at a

certain time in the

future

e.g.: I'll be flying to

Paris this time

tomorrow.

The board will be

examining all

applications this time

next week.

Actions finished before a

certain future time,

usually with before, by,

by then, by the time,

until/till

e.g.: By the end of July he

will have been in

partnership for two months.

By the end of June, he will

have been working on

probation for one month.

On the spot

decisions

e.g.: “Your

approach is not

flexible enough.”

“I see. I’ll

improve it right

away.”

Planned actions

e.g.: She is going to sit

for an interview next

month.

Logical

assumptions

about sb.'s

actions in the

present

e.g.: He will be

working in his

office now.

Logical assumptions

about sb.'s actions

e.g.: He will have applied

for the job by now.

Opinions,

hopes, fears,

especially with

think,

expect,

suppose,

imagine,

fear, etc.

e.g.: I think he'll

pass the test.

Possible action seen in

the future as a result of

sth. else

e.g.: He doesn't know

how to analyse the

situation. He's going to

make a fool of himself.

Previously

planned actions

(instead of

Present

Continuous)

e.g.: I’ll be seeing

the President of

the company

tonight. Would you

like me to tell him

the news?

Future Perfect Cont.

An action up to a certain

time in the future,

emphasising the

continuity, usually with

by... for

e.g.: By next Sunday, they

will have been using the

new premises for two

years.

When it is not

certain

whether sth.

will happen

When there is evidence

that sth. will definitely

happen

Note

by/before are used with

Future Perfect in positive

sentences; until is used

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(prediction)

e.g.: Perhaps

it'll rain

tomorrow.

e.g.: She's going to

have a nervous

breakdown.

in negative sentences

e.g.: She will have cleared

her bank account by 6

o'clock.

She won't have deposited

any money until 6 o'clock.

Time Expressions

tomorrow, the day after tomorrow,

tonight, soon, next week/month/year, in a

week/month/year, shortly, etc.

Time Expressions

this time tomorrow, now, by the end of July, by

now, for two months, until, etc.

Voice

ACTIVE vs. PASSIVE VOICE

Tenses Active Voice Passive Voice

Present Simple (am/are/is +

past participle)

Past Simple (was/were +

past participle)

e.g.: The assistant types

reports.

They always book

charters in advance.

e.g.: The assistant typed

reports.

The committee found

cheap accommodation

near the city centre.

e.g.: Reports are typed (by the

assistant).

Charters are always booked in

advance.

e.g.: Reports were typed (by the

assistant).

Cheap accommodation was found

near the city centre by the

committee.

Present Continuous

(am/are/is + being + past

participle)

Past Continuous (was/were

+ being + past participle)

e.g.: The assistant is

typing reports.

e.g.: The assistant was

typing reports.

e.g.: Reports are being typed (by

the assistant).

e.g.: Reports were being typed (by

the assistant).

Present Perfect (have/has +

been + past participle)

Past Perfect (had + been +

past participle)

e.g.: The assistant has

typed reports.

e.g.: The assistant had

typed reports.

e.g.: Reports have been typed (by

the assistant).

e.g.: Reports had been typed (by

the assistant).

Future Simple (will + be +

past participle)

Future Perfect (will + have +


e.g.: The assistant will

type reports.

e.g.: The assistant will

have typed reports.

e.g.: Reports will be typed (by the

assistant).

e.g.: Reports will have been typed

(by the assistant).

Conditional (would + be +

past participle)

e.g.: The assistant would

type reports.

e.g.: Reports would be typed (by

the assistant).

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Conditional Perfect (would +

have + been + past participle)

e.g.: The assistant would

have typed reports.

e.g.: Reports would have been

typed (by the assistant).

Present Infinitive (to be +

past participle)

Perfect Infinitive (to + have

+ been + past participle)

e.g.: The assistant ought

to type reports.

e.g.: The assistant ought

to have typed reports.

e.g.: Reports ought to be typed (by

the assistant).

e.g.: Reports ought to have been

typed (by the assistant).

Gerund (being + past

participle)

Perfect Gerund (having +


e.g.: The assistant hates

people asking her to type

reports.

e.g.: The assistant

remembers her boss

having asked her to type

reports.

e.g.: The assistant hates being

asked to type reports (by her boss).

e.g.: The assistant remembers

having been asked to type reports

(by her boss).

Present/ Future modals

(modal + be + past participle)

Past modals (modal + have


e.g.: The company might

give Susan a new office.

e.g.: Several employees

may have handed in their

resignations.

e.g.: Susan might be given a new

office.

e.g.: Resignations may have been

handed in by several employees.

NOTE!

The object of the active verb becomes the subject of the passive verb. The subject of the

active verb becomes the “agent” of the passive verb and is preceded by “by”. The agent is

omitted when it is a) a pronoun, b) words like one, someone, people, etc, c) easily

understood. (Someone destroyed the documents. - The documents were destroyed.) Most

transitive verbs can be used in the passive.

MODAL VERBS Characteristics: - defective (some of their forms are missing) - the same form in all persons e.g. I can swim./ He can swim. - the negative is formed by putting not after the modal and the interrogative by inverting subject and modal verb e.g. He must not do that./ May he come? - followed by the infinitive in any of its forms e.g. You shouldn’t laugh at his mistakes./ We must have taken a wrong turning.

Modal verb Use

Must • high probability

e.g.: He must be the General Manager.

• internal obligation

I must read the agenda first.

Have to • external obligation

e.g.: You have to attend the meeting!

Could • past ability

e.g.: He could read the accounts last year.

• probability/ possibility

e.g.: It could be him, but I’m not sure.

Should • advice

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e.g.: You should help the blue-collar worker!

May • probability/ possibility

e.g.: He may arrive earlier than expected.

• permission

e.g.: You may sign the contract now.

Might • probability/ possibility

e.g.: She might help you, but I doubt it.

Can • ability

e.g.: He can easily make or break deals.

• request

e.g.: Can you hand me the ledger?

GERUNDS AND INFINITIVES THE GERUND Form:

TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE

Present writing being written

Perfect having written having been written

e.g.: I consider moving to the town.

I considered moving to the town. He denied having been there.

-it may have its own subject e.g.: He resented my/me being promoted.

She insisted on the children doing the washing. Use: 1. as a subject e.g.: Learning a language is difficult. 2. as an object after the verbs: appreciate, admit, avoid, be busy, consider, deny, delay, detest, dislike, enjoy, escape, excuse, finish, imagine, keep on, mention, mind, miss postpone, practise, recollect, suggest, understand, risk, can’t help, can’t resist, can’t stand, it’s worth, want, need e.g.: I tried to avoid meeting him.

I can no longer delay writing him. She is busy preparing for the party. I suggest going. Do you mind my smoking?

3. Gerund or Infinitive? a) propose = intend: I propose to go to London on Wednesday. (Infinitive) = suggest: I propose resting for half an hour. (Gerund) b) forget, remember, recollect, regret + Infinitive (= simultaneous actions) e.g.: Did you remember/ didn’t you forget to post the letter? forget, remember, recollect, regret + Gerund (= past actions) e.g.: I remember posting the letter, but she says, she hasn’t received it.

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c) stop + Infinitive e.g.: I stopped to greet him. (stop in order to do sth./ with the purpose of doing sth.) stop + Gerund e.g.: He stopped talking. (= quit, finish)

He stopped me from listening to the radio. (prevent sb. from doing sth.) d) go + Infinitive e.g.: Let’s go to buy him a present. go + Gerund e.g.: Let’s go dancing/ shopping/ fishing/ hunting. e) try + Infinitive: I tried to open the door. (attempt) + Gerund: Why didn’t you try using a screw-driver? (experiment) 4. Verbs + Prepositions: to succeed in, to apologize for, to complain of/ about, to thank for, to look forward to, to be fed up with, to insist on, to intend on, to object to, to forget about, to worry about, to rely on, to think of/ about, to depend on, to forgive for, to argue about, to approve of, to blame for, to care about, to warn about, to boast of, to dream of, to threaten with, to spend on, to prevent from, to punish for, to inform about, to count on, to feel like, to learn about, to aim at, to hesitate at, to fight / struggle against, to retire from, to believe in, to consist of, to participate in, to decide on, to focus on, to concentrate on e.g.: I’m looking forward to meeting him.

He succeeded in passing the exam. She apologized for being late.

5. Adjectives + Prepositions (to be angry, anxious, certain, enthusiastic, happy, optimistic, pleased, sure, worried + about) (to be astonished, bad, clever, delighted, expert, good, surprised + at) (to be responsible, sorry, suitable, useful + for) (to be consistent, correct, experienced, fortunate, helpful, interested, late, quick, slow, successful + in) (to be afraid, ashamed, aware, certain, convinced, fond, guilty, proud, tired + of) (to be based, dependent, keen + on) (to be accustomed, opposed + to) (to be bored, content, disappointed, happy, satisfied, sick, upset + with) 6. Nouns + Prepositions (to have doubts + about) (to have cause, reason + for) (to have belief, confidence, delight, difficulty, experience, faith, interest, luck, pride + in) (to have habit, intention, hope, opportunity + of) (to have contribution, objection, opposition + to) 7. Instead of, without, against, in spite of/ despite + Gerund e.g.: He stayed at home instead of going for a holiday.

I am against spending so much money.

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THE INFINITIVE Form:

TENSE ACTIVE PASSIVE

Present to write to be written

Present Continuous to be writing

Perfect to have written to have been written

Perfect Continuous to have been writing

e.g.: I am glad to see you. (Present)

He turned out to be sleeping. (Present Continuous) I was glad to have met him. (Perfect) He turned out to have been waiting for us for a long time. (Perfect Continuous)

Use: 1. As a subject: e.g.: To learn languages is difficult. 2. After some adjectives: bad, difficult, easy, good, hard, possible, impossible, necessary, useless, nice, clever, good, kind, wise, silly, stupid, selfish e.g.: It is hard to understand him. (He is hard to understand.)

It was wise of her not to go there. 3. After some verbs: afford, agree, aim, appear, arrange, begin, bother, care, claim, decide, demand, determine, expect, fail, happen, hesitate, forget, hope, hate, intend, learn, like, love, manage, offer, mean, need, prepare, pretend, promise, refuse, remember, regret, propose, prove, start, tend, seem, swear, threaten, try, trouble, turn out, want, wish e.g.: I happened to be in the shop when he came in.

He seems to have lost something. The police hope to solve the crime soon.

4. Accusative + Infinitive: advise, allow, appoint, ask, beg, challenge, dare, command, direct, enable, encourage, expect, force, help, implore, inspire, instruct, invite, lead, order, persuade, remind, request, stimulate, teach, tell, trust, want, warn e.g.: Why do you want me to be here?

He asked her not to cry. I’d like you to help me.

! Accusative + short Infinitive a) let, make, have e.g.: Let me help you.

Don’t make me laugh! Why don’t you have the tap mended?

b) verbs of perception (hear, see, notice) e.g.: I see the clouds gather. !!- to Infinitive in Passive Voice e.g.: He was seen to go into the building.

We were made to work hard. 5. Nominative + Infinitive a) after intransitive verbs (seem, appear, prove, happen, turn out)

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e.g.: He seemed to be pleased with the results. b) after verbs of perception e.g.: He was seen to go into the building. c) After the following verbs: say, tell, believe, think e.g.: He is said to be clever.

He is believed to have been promoted. 6. Too, Enough e.g.: It is too difficult for me to understand.

I’m not rich enough to buy a house. This glass is too dirty to drink from.

7. The first/ the second/ the last/ the only + to Infinitive e.g.: He loves parties, he is the first to come and the last to leave. 8. For + to Infinitive e.g.: They arranged for her to come.

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SYNTAX

THE SENTENCE

group of words expressing a thought in the form of a statement, question, instruction or exclamation, usually containing a verb.

types

simple

complex relationship between sentences

coordination

subordination

THE CLAUSE

a word or group of words ordinarily consisting of a subject and a predicate; sentences consist of one or more clauses.

WORD ORDER

in English, word order is very important

a sentence in English usually contains at least three elements: subject, verb, and object

the typical word order in an English sentence is as follows positive sentences:

Subject Verb

Indirect Object

Direct Object

Adverb of Place

Adverb of Time

Adverb of Manner

The final form of the contract

was signed in the conference hall

yesterday.

Our latest advertisement

promotes a healthy way of life

in a shocking way.

My colleague told me to solve the problem.

questions:

Interrogative Auxiliary verb

Subject Other verb(s)

Indirect Object

Direct Object

Adverb of Place

Adverb of Time

Adverb of Manner

What did the travel agency

offer to our company?

Are you going to start

a strike

in front of the factory

tomorrow?

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TYPES OF SUBORDINATE CLAUSES

Noun Clauses

in sentences noun-clauses perform the same functions that nouns do;

they can play the following roles:

subject of a verb

object of a verb: after such verbs as: imagine, know, learn, remember, say, tell, think, wonder, etc.

subject complement: after such nouns as: concern, desire, mistake, opinion, problem, question, truth, wish, etc. + the verb “to be”

object of a preposition: after such expressions as: to be aware of, to be concerned with, to be responsible for, to listen to, to learn about, etc.

adjective complement: after such adjectives as: afraid, glad, happy, sad, etc.

Relative Clauses

play the role of an adjective;

can describe persons, things and events;

are introduced by relative pronouns such as: who which

that whom whose

where when why

etc.

types

defining: provide essential information and the main clause does not make proper sense without it; no comma between the main clause and the relative clause

e.g. Only applicants who have work experience will be shortlisted for the interview.

non-defining: provide additional information about the subject and can be omitted; always written between commas

e.g. The vice-president, who had no idea about their plans, rejected their offer.

Time Clauses

show the moment when an action takes place;

introduced by such conjunctions as: after, as, before, since, until, when, while

can show: an action taking place after the action in the main clause:

e.g.: We should read the business plan extremely carefully before the bank offers them the loan.

an action taking place before the action in the main clause:

e.g.: After they had delivered the product improperly, they decided to offer us a discount due to the damages.

an action taking place at the same moment as the action in the main clause:

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e.g.: When the manager arrives, I will tell him you phoned.

an action at a non-specific time:

e.g.: Always ask for further information when something is not clear enough.

never use a future form in a time clause! in time clauses

future becomes present e.g.: You will send me the papers. I will give you an answer when you send me the papers.

future perfect becomes present perfect e.g. He will have taken a decision by the end of the week. He will inform us as soon as he has taken a decision. NOTE Not all sentences introduced by when are time clauses! When can also introduce noun clauses, in which case a future form can be used after when. e.g. Compare I will start writing the report when she comes.

(when will I start? – time clause) I would like to know when he will come.

(what would I like to know? – direct object clause)

Conditional Clauses

show a condition;

are introduced by: if, unless, provided, but only if types

Conditional Clause Main Clause

first probable condition

Present Simple If the company applies an equal opportunities policy,

Future Simple people of all races will find a job.

second improbable condition

Past Simple If companies provided more jobs,

would + Inf. unemployment would be reduced.

third impossible condition

Past Perfect If the managers in the company had attended courses on communication,

would have + 3rd form of the verb there wouldn’t have been any consumer complaints.

Combinations of types two and 3 may occur, depending on the meaning. e.g. Compare All the employees who worked on the project were fired.

If I had worked on that project I would be unemployed now.

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If I had worked on that project I would have been fired. NOTE

no future form should be used in conditional clauses! However, if can also introduce noun clauses, in which case the above rule no longer applies e.g. Compare I will buy the house if he signs the contract.

(under what conditions will I buy the house? – conditional clause) The manager wanted to know if he will sign the contract.

(what did he want to know? – direct object clause)

SEQUENCE OF TENSES

Reported Speech

reported or indirect speech refers to the situation in which we report what somebody said

o requests and commands – reported with the infinitive o statements

the verb of the subordinate (object clause) remains in the same tense as it was in the direct speech when the main clause contains a verb in the present;

when the verb in the main clause is in the past tense, the following changes occur in the subordinate clause:

tenses (backshift):

DIRECT SPEECH INDIRECT SPEECH

Present Simple Past Simple

Present Continuous Past Continuous

Present Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple

Present Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Past Simple Past Perfect Simple

Past Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Past Perfect Simple Past Perfect Simple

Past Perfect Continuous Past Perfect Continuous

Future Simple Future in the Past

Future Continuous Future Continuous in the Past

modal verbs

may might

can could

must had to / was, were to

have to had to

will would

shall should

adverbs and pronouns

132

here there

now then

today that day

yesterday the day before / the previous day

last week the week before / the previous week

tomorrow the next day / the following day

next week the next week / the following week

this that

these those

o questions

the word order of the subordinate clause follows the word order of the declarative sentence.

Clause Connectors

conjunctions

dependent words

transitional expressions

Conjunctions Dependent words

Transitional expressions

cause and effect clauses: show the cause of the action from the main clause or its result.

for so

as because if since so that unless

accordingly as a result consequently for this reason hence otherwise then therefore thus

comparison and contrast clauses: can show either a comparison or a concession;

but yet

although as / than even though though whereas while

by comparison by contrast even so however in the same way likewise nevertheless on the contrary on the other hand similarly still

examples and conclusions

after for example for instance in conclusion in summary in fact in other words in particular of course specifically

time clauses: show the moment when the action from the main clause took place.

and after as before since

also afterward at the same time besides

133

until when (+ever) while

earlier eventually finally first furthermore in addition later meanwhile moreover next now soon then too

134

FUNCTIONS FILES

135

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FUNCTIONS c

WHAT ARE THEY? The BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FUNCTIONS are lists of expressions covering the business English topics studied by 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students majoring in a business/economics-related field at the Babeş-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania (the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Faculty of Business, the Faculty of European Studies and International Relations and the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration). HOW CAN THEY BE USED? Each list comprises expressions related to a specific function, identified by a heading. The expressions are accompanied by essential grammatical information and relevant examples. It rests with students to look up these vocabulary items for meanings, other examples and collocations (see RECOMMENDED SOURCES below). These functions will be customized by course leaders in syllabus/course formats and also test formats. Students majoring in business/economics-related fields are officially expected to master the usage of the items to be found on these lists, along with related elements (collocations and other expressions), with the help of the sources recommended (see below). Further guidance will be available in class, from the assigned course leaders. RECOMMENDED SOURCES1 Brieger, Nick, Sweeney, Simon. (1994/later). The Language of Business English. Grammar and Functions, New York: Prentice Hall. Lesikar, R. V., Pettit, J. D. Jr., Flatley, M. E. (1993). Basic Business Communication. 6th Edition. USA: Richard D. Irwin. Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2nd edition), Cambridge University Press, 2005/later Longman Business English Dictionary, Longman, 2007/later Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (2nd edition), Macmillan, 2007/later Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English, Oxford University Press, 2002/later DISCLAIMER Students should note that the listed items do not necessarily cover the topics in an exhaustive manner; other/more words and phrases may be used in customized course books and tests – assigned course leaders will provide further information in this respect. While all topics will be introduced in class, students are expected to devote ample time to reinforcing vocabulary (home assignments), based on the guidance provided. Mastery of the functions listed here presupposes constant practice and self-study for success.

1 Websites with more information on the sources indicated: http://www.cambridge.org/elt/dictionaries/cald.htm, http://www.pearson.ch/LanguageTeaching/Dictionaries/Dictionaries-British/1449/9780582306066/New-Edition-Longman-Business-English.aspx, http://www.macmillandictionaries.com/home.htm, http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/isbn/0-19-431243-7?cc=global. Free-access online dictionaries: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/, http://www.ldoceonline.com/, http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/teachersites/oald7/?cc=global.

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1. LIKES AND PREFERENCES

1.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “I would rather make a bet than just sit and watch.” (Bill Gates, http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20060623/118480/)

1.2. FORMS & USES: 1.2.1. Like They like the new managing director. I like to do things by the book. He likes visiting his clients daily. She likes me to keep to my agenda. 1.2.2. Would like I would like a better computer. They would like to have less frequent business trips. I would like all the files ready for tomorrow. 1.2.3. Prefer I prefer small banks to large banks when taking a loan. I prefer to have our meeting in the afternoon. They prefer investing in shares. She prefers me to do prepare the minutes right after each meeting.

1.2.4. Would rather I would rather not bring this up in the meeting. I would rather you waited until later.

2. ASKING FOR AND GIVING OPINIONS

2.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “Are you absolutely positive that you are deducting the correct amount of tax from your employees’ salaries?” (http://www.sanlam-cobalt.co.za/needs.jsp) 2.2. FORMS AND USES 2.2.1. ASKING FOR OPINIONS 2.2.1.1. Strongly Are you absolutely positive/ convinced/ sure that you can manage on your own? Do you honestly/ really think that this is the best option? Do you honestly/ really believe that he is the best for the job? 2.2.1.2. Neutrally Do you think this proposal is formal enough? Do you believe that we are the best on the market? Do you consider that they are not important rivals? Am I right in thinking that we should raise salaries? 2.2.1.3. Tactfully Would I be right in thinking/ assuming that you were unprepared for the meeting? Am I to understand that you would like to leave?

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2.2.2. GIVING OPINIONS 2.2.2.1. Strongly I definitely/ certainly/ think that he is not a good manager. I am convinced/ positive/ sure that we can find a replacement. I strongly believe that this is the best job I have ever had. I really feel that I shouldn’t have gone to that interview. I have absolutely no doubt that you will manage in your new position. I really do think that this is an excellent opportunity for you. It is my strong belief that you should not give up. 2.2.2.2. Neutrally In my view/ opinion we should reconsider our marketing strategy. I think/ believe/ consider/ feel that our prices are exaggeratedly high. As I see it he will leave before the end of the year. To my mind we should revamp our products as soon as possible. From my point of view he is not cut out for this job. As far as I am concerned you should have chosen another bank. 2.2.2.3. Weakly I am inclined to think that you would be better off in the creative department. I tend to think that we are losing market share.

3. AGREEING AND DISAGREEING

3.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “I totally agree with you. If you want a profitable home based business you have to find leaders. Then train the leaders.” (http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/2460#post42053) 3.2. FORMS AND USES: 3.2.1. Partial agreement *with someone

I would agree with you, but the statistics are irrelevant. To a certain extent/ Up to a point we could trust him. You may have something there, but I’m not sure they will believe you. I can see what you mean, but how will you manage financially? You may be right, but shouldn’t you consider other alternatives as well?

*to something

To a certain extent/ Up to a point I think the teambuilding was a success. That may be true, but their prices are higher.

I would accept that, but I would require a new computer. 3.2.2. Agreement * with someone I totally agree with you. I am in total agreement with you. I completely/ fully agree. *to something I totally accept that I have to do his job too.

I fully/ completely agree to the terms of the contract. I am all in favor of the strategy. 3.2.3. Disagreement *with someone

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I can’t/ don’t agree with you. I beg to differ. *to something I can’t/ don’t accept that.

4. CAUSE AND EFFECT 4.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “Germany's finance minister has admitted for the first time that the introduction of euro notes and coins almost five months ago has led to significant price rises across the country and left consumers feeling they are carrying the burden of the transition to the new currency.” (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2002/may/13/theeuro.europeanunion) 4.2. FORMS AND USES: *to lead to

The sudden rise in prices has led to decreased purchases. *to result in

His lack of motivation resulted in his being fired. *to bring about

The sharp drop in interest rates brought about changes in people’s lifestyles. *to give rise to

The more frequent trainings gave rise to an increased level of satisfaction among employees.

*to account for Insufficient incentives account for a low level of job satisfaction in this organization.

*to be responsible for Fewer opportunities to travel are responsible for insufficient networking with other companies.

*to arise from Uncertainty arises from improper communication among staff.

*to stem from Increased demand in our product stems from our competitive prices.

*because/ as/ since/ for I could not attend the meeting because I was busy with clients.

*due to/ because of/ owing to/ as a consequence of/ on account of + noun phrase Due to the recent merger between our rivals, we are in danger of becoming uncompetitive.

*therefore/ so/ accordingly/ consequently/ as a consequence/ as a result/ hence/ thus/ because of this/ that is the reason why

A lot of students graduated this year. Therefore, there are fewer job opportunities.

5. REQUESTING INFORMATION AND ACTION

5.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “Do you happen to know how the ratio of market value to sales revenue has changed over the years?” (http://www.customersandcapital.com/book/kentons_interview/) 5.2. FORMS AND USES: 5.2.1. Requesting information 5.2.1.1. Directly

Could you tell me where to look for him? Do you know when the meeting starts?

I'd like to know how much this book costs. Could you find out when she will be back?

I'm interested in buying this house.

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I'm looking for information on this flight. Does your company offer stimulating incentives to its employees?

5.2.1.2. Indirectly Do you happen to know what the interest rate is? I wonder if you know how to reach her. I wonder if you could tell me how to order this product. Could you fill me in a bit on the latest news? Can you put me in the picture about the new colleagues? 5.2.2. Requesting action 5.2.2.1. Directly Please send me the report before noon. 5.2.2.2. Indirectly

Could you please send me an e-mail with the details of the contract? I wonder if you could photocopy this file for me. Do you think you could lend me your laptop? Would you mind sending me that report today?

6. OBLIGATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 6.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: "If capitalism is to be given a good name, then essentially capitalists need to give back to society."

(Richard Branson, http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/apr/28/citynews.mondaymediasection)

6.2. FORMS & USES: THE OBLIGER 6.2.1. Oblige someone to do something *require:

These attitudes require us to re-evaluate our mission. *force:

They have forced us to comply with new regulations. *compel:

The new market reality has compelled us to think of environmentally friendly practices.

*make: These changes have made us realize the managerial approach was indeed working.

*demand: He demanded that we quit smoking during lunch breaks. *oblige:

The team leader has obliged us to adopt the new dress code. 6.2.2. Oblige someone not to do something *prohibit: The law prohibits employers from discriminating against the elderly. *forbid: The code of ethics forbids us from accepting gifts from clients. * ban They have banned them from attending future fairs.

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THE OBLIGED 6.2.3. Obliged to do something *must I must write a lot of reports daily. *have to I have to prepare a presentation for tomorrow’s meeting. *need to They need to speak to the manager about the issue at hand. *be required to She is required to interact with potential buyers. *be supposed to The team is supposed to meet a tight deadline. *be forced to Tania was forced to bring the discussion to an end. 6.2.4. Obliged not to do something *must not/ mustn’t

These rules must not be broken or termination of employment follows short. *not be allowed to The company is not allowed to apply for bank loans. *not be permitted to/be prohibited from

The employees are not permitted to make personal phone calls while at work. *may not Accountants may not cook the numbers. *cannot/ can’t

The manager cannot dismiss employees without a formal notice. 6.2.5. Not obliged to do something *need not/needn’t You needn’t agree with all company policies. *not have to/not need to Managers don’t have to have a solid economic background.

7. ABILITY AND INABILITY

7.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “If you can shape your business life or your working life, you can just look at it as another extension--you just fulfill all your values as a human being in the work place.” (http://www.shareguide.com/Roddick.html) 7.2. FORMS AND USES 7.2.1. MAKING SOMEONE ABLE OR SOMETHING POSSIBLE The training courses enable employees to improve their skills. These regulations allow us to react effectively in a crisis. The bank permits us to request account assistance. Employees can be promoted fast in our company. We are able to use any consultancy business on the market. Andrew is capable of working overtime when requested. The pessimistic sales report has prevented us from achieving our targets. Our superiors prohibit us from engaging in informal talks at the workplace. They cannot predict market changes with enough precision. Our competition is unable to attract more target customers. Unfortunately, Robert is incapable of working in a team effectively.

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8. ADVISING AND SUGGESTING

8.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “As a young entrepreneur you ought to love what you do. Without passion, great success is hard to come by.”

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2002/may/13/theeuro.europeanunion) 8.2. FORMS AND USES: 8.2.1. Suggestions involving the speaker *shall we

Shall we get into it right now? *why don’t we

Why don’t we all calm down a bit? *let’s

Let’s recap what we have decided on so far. *I suggest we should/we should/ we ought to

We should try to target the right age group in our ads. 8.2.2. Suggestions to another person *why don’t you Why don’t you confront him tomorrow? *how about

How about bringing him along on the trip? *I suggest you should/I think you should

I think you should follow company rules. *I would advise you to/ I would recommend I would advise you to use a better bank. *it is advisable It is advisable for you to thoroughly research the market. 8.2.3. Reported suggestion

The manager advised us to make better use of our time. William recommended that we should all get familiar with new company directives. She suggested that we (should) learn a foreign language.

9. SCALE OF LIKELIHOOD

9.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “The European Union and NATO have much in common, sharing members and pursuing similar goals. But instead of cooperating on defense, analysts say, the two organizations are engaged in a bitter competition that is bound to damage the credibility and effectiveness of both.” (http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/04/news/defense.php) 9.2. FORMS AND USES: 9.2.1. Certainty

I am absolutely sure/certain/positive that our department will have the best performances this year. Our salaries will definitely/ certainly go hand in hand with the amount of work we do around here. Employees are certain/ sure/ bound to react vehemently to this downsizing wave.

9.2.2. Probability It is (very) likely/ probable that employee turnover will decrease. Sales are (quite) likely to pick up. Hot-desking should become a viable option.

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9.2.3. Possibility

Our mission statement may/ might be changed to reflect the revolutionary management style.

9.2.4. Improbability

It is (very/ highly) unlikely/ improbable that Mr. Black will step down as president. New employees are unlikely to be recruited. 9.2.5. Impossibility I am sure/ certain/ positive that turnover will not increase shortly. Profit definitely/ certainly won’t go up. Work-related practices cannot (possibly) change overnight.

10. INTERRUPTING 10.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “Can I interrupt you for a moment? This meeting is about something another issue.” 10.2. FORMS AND USES

Formal

Informal

I’d like to add something here if I may.

I have a point to make here.

May I say something here?

Can I interrupt you for a moment?

Sorry to interrupt but…

Excuse me but…

Wait a minute!

Hold on!

Hang on!

11. INTRODUCING ONESELF AND GIVING PERSONAL INFORMATION 11.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “May I introduce myself? I am Mary Jones from the HR department.” 11.2. FORMS AND USES

Formal

Informal

Allow me to/ I’d like to introduce myself. I am …/ I am from …/ I work

in …

May I introduce myself? I am …/ I am from …/ I work in …

How do you do? I am …/ I am from …/ I work in …

Hello!/ Hi! I am …/ I am from …/ I work in …

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Responses

Formal

Informal

Pleased to meet you.

How do you do?

Hello!

Hi!

12. MAKING COMPLAINTS 12.1. SAMPLE SENTENCE: “I would like to make a complaint about your recruitment policy.” 12.2. FORMS AND USES

Formal

Informal

I’d like to complain/ make a complaint about …

I have got a complaint to make about…

I am not prepared to tolerate/ put up with … any longer.

I am rather annoyed/ upset/ disturbed about…

I have had enough of you doing that.

I am fed up with them behaving like that.

It is about time you did that.

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