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English
Pair Work I
Steve Flinders and Simon Sweeney
Illustrated

by Nevllle Swalne

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Introduction

Teachers'Notes
PairworkActivities
Activity
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StudentA StudentB Activity

Ice breaker
Advertising
Agendas
Bank charges
Budget presentation
Businessanecdote
Businessetiquette
Businessgifts
Businessinitials
Buying and selling
Cashflow problems
Companyof the year
Company organization
Company presentation
Companytour
Companyvisit
Corporateculture
Corporate sponsorship
Costs and reducing overheads
Customer care
Customercomplaint
Customsholdup
Employeemorale
Entertaining visitors
Environmentally friendly office
Equal opportunities
Franchising
Health and safety
ln-house magazine
Interview techniques
Job application
Large versus small companies
Late payment of invoice

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StudentA StudentB

1 0 1 34 Managementand leadership

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IT2
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Glossary

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A-Zof Language
Functions

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CommunicationSkill Table

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skills for women

Managementqualities
Market research
Market survey
Meeting arrangements
Mission statement
Pay versusbenefits
Performance appraisal
Presentinginformation
Pressand public relations
hoduct endorsement
Production delays
hofit and loss account
Project management
Quality
Quiz 1
Qaiz2
Raising finance
Recruitment
Recycling
Relocation
Salestargets
Small talk 1
Small talk 2
Spare parts
Team building
Time management
Training priorities
Transportation
Work environment
Work rotas
Works council

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1 lce breaker

2 Advertising

Introducti.on
'Ice breakers'
are short exercisesfor use with a new
classto help peopleto get to know eachother.

Introduction
This role play revolves aroundhow to allocatemoney
availablefor advertisins.

Lead-in
Ask why it is important for businesspeople to be able
to:
r 'breakthe ice'with strangers
. ask polite questionsto find out more about business
contacts
o be able to say clearly and concisely who they are,
what they do and wherethey comefrom.

Lead-in
Questions:
o what methodsof advertisingare there?
o what methods would be suitable for advertisins
sportsequipment?

Method
o With a group class,divide studentsinto As and Bs.
There are two possible methods.Either Bs ask all
their questions,then As questionBs. Or students
takeit in tums to aska question.
r If the group is not too large, get studentsto walk
around so that all the As interview all the Bs and
vice versa.
Follow-up
I Get selectedstudentsto tell the whole group in one
or two sentences:
- their name
- their job title and main responsibility
- their company,companyactivity (if necessary)and
companylocation.
You may wish to provide a model, for example:,My
name is Sylvia Smith and I'm a language trainer
responsiblefor business English training at ABC
Pharmaceuticals,
basedin Berlin.'
Explain rhat this is a vital skill which everyonein
the group must be able to perform with easeby the
end of the course.If somestudentsare unsureabout
their job titles, get others to make suggestions.If
uncertainty persists in any case, suggestthat both
you and the student try to get more information
beforeyour next meeting.
2 Get studentsto write short personaland professional
profiles of their partners, for example as in a job
applicationform.

Method
1 Direct studentA to statean initial position. B should
respond with some general comments and observations- on football sponsorship,for example.A needs
to choosebetweena broadly-basedpackagecentred
on athleticssponsorship,or a n.urowercampaignled
by TV advertising. Student B has to change A's
mind - away from football sponsorship.
2 Make sure learnerscome to an agreementon a total
packageand that all points in their roles are included
in the discussion.
Follow-up
After giving feedback, noting the positive achievementsof the negotiation,suggestan exchangeof letters
summarizingthe agreement.

3 Agendas
Introduction
The activity involves a discussion on the telephone
aboutplanningan agendafor a meeting.
Lead-in
I Discussthe themeof quality:
- what is quality?
- how do companiesraise and maintain quality standards?
2 Then elicit commentson agendas:
- shouldall businessmeetingshave agendas?
- are written agendasalwaysnecessary?
- the answer could be that all meetingsneed clear
objectives,but they may not always be written
down.

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Method
1 After the introductory discussion above, students
preparetheir roles and B starts,reminding A about
his/her letter and making some general critical
remarkstogetherwith suggestions.
2 T\ey should reach agreementon a new agendabut
postponesomediscussionto the meetingitself. Note
that the final agendadependson other people'scommentstoo.
Follow-ip
They shouldproducea new agendatogether.

Method
Explain the two roles - A as presenter,B as a listener
who needsto understandpreciselywhat A is sayingand
to questionany part of the budgetthat is not totally clear.
Follow-up
Someleamersmay chooseto presentsomeother information relating to their own work or interests and
invite questionsfrom their partners.This would be a
good opportunity to reversethe roles of presenterand
listener.

6 Businessanecdote

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4 Bankcharges
Introduction
This activity is essentiallyabout customerservicein a
familiar context:a bank.
Lead-in
I Ask studentsto discusswhat they think of banksand
the quality of servicethey provide. They may recall
somepersonalexperiences,good and not so good.
2 Move discussionon to the natureof customerservice
and why the conceptis important.
Method
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A begins the role play by ringing with a complaint. B
has to decide how to respond.The role play is potentially highly conflictive, much depending on how
student B, the bank employee,decidesto resolve the
two problems involved. There are several possible
ways to resolve the difficulties, depending on the
bank'skeennessto provide a customer-friendlyservice.
Follow-up
Have studentswork togetherto createa short dialogue
basedon handling a complaint to a bank. Reversethe
roles so B is making the complaint. Altematively get
them to change the context from banking to another
serviceindustry.

5 Budgetpresentation
Introduction
The activity provides practice in presentinginformation and in listening to a presentationand asking for
explanations.
Lead-in
Check students'understandingof key vocabulary,such
asbudget,salesbudget,costof salesandcostof selling.

Introduction
This activity can be used to finish off a lesson or a
course, or as a break between two more extended,
intensiveactivities.
Lead-in
Is it important for businesspeople to be able to tell
anecdotes?Why is it important for businesspeople to
be able to tell them clearly and CONCISELY?
Method
1 Tell studentsthat there are six stages.Tell them how
long you would like them to spend on each one.
(l-ltlz minutesper stage.)
2 Signalto studentswhen the time for eachstageis up.
Be firm aboutthe changeover.
3 Listen in to each pair. Be ready to prompt students
who havedifficulty coming up with ideas.
4 When the exerciseis over, get students,still in pairs,
to go over the story again in order to improve and
polishit.
5 Invite selectedpairs to report their stories to the
whole group.
Follow-up
1 Get studentsin pairs to tell each other their own
businessanecdotes.Get partnersto report back to the
group the anecdotesthey have just heard. Again,
at every stage.
encourageclarity and conciseness
they have
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2 Get students
inventedor their own anecdote.
3 Languageanalysisand feedback.

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7 Businessetiquette
Introduction
This activity encouragesstudentsto reflect upon everyday businessbehaviour, to formulate rules for their

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Teachers'notes
ou'n behaviour,and to leam about the rules goveming
otherpeople'sbehaviour.
bad-in
\\hat aspectsof businessetiquetteare important in the
srudents'own culture?What happensif you break the
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I Even' studenthas five different areasto cover. Tell
-{s and Bs that they are going to take it in turns to
.Je:cnbe certain aspects of business behaviour to
eachother.
I .\s and Bs shouldreadtheir copies.Give them a little
Iune to think about the rules goveming their own
behaviourfor eacharealisted on their own sheets.
-: Get .{s to lead with Shakinghands.As tell Bs what
the conventionsfor shakinghandsare in their countn'icompany/departmentas appropriate.Bs should
then comment on the differencesbetweenwhat As
havedescribedand their own experience.
-1 Get Bs to do the samewith Businesscards and contirue alternationuntil the end.
Follow-up
I Generalreportingback. Get eachA to report on a B
areaand vice versa,leadinginto generaldiscussion.
I lnvite opinions about other areasof everydaybusiness life, for example, punctuality, the status of
deadlines,smokingat work.
3 .{sk whether any of these areas are codified or
u'hetherany of them shouldbe.

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8 Businessgifts
Introduction
The activity is basedon an internal discussionto formulate policy on employeesreceiving gifts from suppliersor customers.
I*ad-in
To introducethe theme,ask:
o what is the purposeof businessgifts?
. aregifts commonin your country?
. can they causeproblemsor conflict?
r what sort of things could be presentedas gifts?
Method
Studentsshould engagein a wide-rangingdiscussion,
bringing in all the points on their role cards.Get them
to reacha generallyagreednew policy on gifts.

Follow-up
A jointly producedmemo stating company policy on
receivinggifts.

9 Businessinitials
Introduction
Like the quizzes,this can be treated as a quite lighthearted exercise to round off a lesson or a course.
There is neverthelessa seriousand useful pedagogical
objective.It is importantfor businesspeopleto be able
to read the internationalbusinesspress.Unfamiliar sets
of initials are often a barrier to understandingwhen
reading in a foreign language.This activity includes
some of the more common sets of initials from the
worlds of business,politics,economics,computing,etc.
Method
1 Get Bs to test As on setsof initials l-16. Bs should
give the correct answer after each attempt by As;
where necessarythey should explain eachansweras
far as they can, and scoretheir partnersout of 16.
2 Now reverseroles and get As to testBs.
3 Pairsreport back to the group with teacherclarifying
any remaining problem sets. Ask studentsif their
companyhas a VP for HR or R&D, what their company's USP is, or whethertheir companyruns a TQA
programme.
Follow-up
I Ask studentsto provide their own sets of initials in
English to testthe rest of the class.
2 Provide newspapers/news
magazinesfor the group
and askthem to identify eitheras many setsof initials
as possiblefrom the quiz; or other setsof initials for
further quiz work.
Answers
MD Managing Director. The manager with overall
responsibility for the day-to-day running of the
company(British English).
VP Vice-President.Usually with a departmentalor
geographical responsibility, for example: Vicehesident in charge of Human Resourcesor VicePresidentSales,Centraland SouthAmericanReeion
(AmericanEnglish).
R&D Researchand Development.The division of a
company doing the technical or scientific work
neededto find new products.
PA PersonalAssistant. A senior executive's helper.
PAs are usually thought to be more than secretaries
but lessthanmanagers.

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Teachers'notes
MBA Master in BusinessAdministration. The most
importantbusinessschoolor university qualification
in business.Some students do the MBA straight
after their first degree;others get a few years'job
experiencefirst.

PR Public Relations.The job of Public Relationsis to

ensurethat the public image of a companyis as positive aspossible.
PhD Doctor of Philosophy.The doctoratecan, however, be in any of a wide range of subjects,not just
philosophy.

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EU European Union. The political and economic

group whosecurrentmembersareAustria, Belgium,
Denmark, Eire, Finland, France,Germany,Greece,
Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain,
Swedenand the United Kingdom.

ECU EuropeanCurrency Unit. A currency which is

an averageof a certain number of other European
currenciesand possibly the future single cunency
for all the membersof the EuropeanUnion (EU).

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The

main internationalfree trading agreementbetween
nations,aiming to reduceas far as possiblethe barriers to trade across national frontiers. The most
recent GAff was eventually signed in 1994 after
lengthy negotiationsknown asthe UruguayRound.

OECD Organizationfor Economic Cooperationand

Development.An economic researchand forecasting agencyfunded by the rich industrializednations
and basedin Paris, whose aim is to encourageeconomic growth, high employmentand financial stability amongits members.

IBM International Business Machines. Still the

world's biggestcomputercompany.

ABB Asea Brown Boveri. A major Swiss-Swedish

engineeringcompany.

SAS ScandinavianAirline Systems.The airline company for the Nordic countries.

JAL JapanAirlines. The main Japaneseairline company.

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WP Word Processing.Typing and editing text on a

computer.

DTP Desk Top Publishing. The computer-based

activity which producestext with integratedgraphics and varied layout, for examplefor a newsletter,
CY or home-producedmagazine.

CPU CentralProcessingUnit. The brain of a computer.

AOB Any Other Business. The last item on the

agendaof a meeting.

GDP Gross Domestic Product. The measureof the

wealth created by a country in a year, excluding
moneyeamedfrom abroad.

RAM RandomAccessMemory. The dynamic system

memory of a computer that holds programmes and
datawhile they arebeing worked on.
AGM Annual General Meeting. The meeting, for
example,of a company'sshareholders,which takes
placeoncea year.
GNP Gross National Product. The measure of the
wealth created by a country in a year, including
moneyearnedfrom abroad.
VAT The general tax applied at each point of
exchangeof goodsor services.
The 4 Ps Price, homotion, Packaging,Place.Theseare
the main componentsof the MarketingMix, the most
importantfactorsin the marketingof a product.
LO Intemational Labour Organization. A United
Nations Agency concemedwith the rights, protection and healthand safetyof workersworldwide.
CEO Chief Executive Officer. The manager with
overall responsibilityfor the day-to-dayrunning of
the company. (More commonly used in American
English).
VIP Very Important Person.Rich, famous,or powerful peoplewho receivespecialtreatment.Major airports,for example,often have a VIP lounge.
HR Human Resources.The managementof such
things as pay and conditions for all people who
work in a company.

USP Unique Selling Proposition.What every company shouldhave - a unique reasonwhy customers
shouldbuy from them ratherthan from any other.
TQA Total Quality Assurance.An approachto seeking to achievethe highestquality of product or service provided by getting everyonein the organization to focus on quality all the time.
IMF Intemational Monetary Fund. A fund set up in
1947 and to which most of the countries in the
world belong, which exists to lend money to countries in financialdifficulties, particularlyto help with
balanceof paymentsproblems.The IMF often withholds loans to govemmentsif it doesnot approveof
their economicpolicy plans.

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10 Buyingand selting
Introduction
Negotiation is an important skill not only for people
involved in the kind of lengthy discussionneeded,for
example,to set up this kind of agencyagreement;but
also in informal everyday situations like persuading
someoneto stay on late at work or changinga holiday
date. This activity can be useful practicefor both for_
mal or large-scalenegotiation and informal or smallscalenegotiation.
Lead-in
In what situationsare negotiatingskills necessary?
Are
theseskills relevantonly in the workplace?
Method
I Give studentsplenty of time to read their activity
sheets.Calculatorscould be useful.
2 Set a clear time limit - 20 or 25 minutes should be
enough- for the activity, and give studentstwo or
threeminutes'waming beforeyou stopthem.
3 Get studentsto start with some small talk before
going into the main body of the negotiation.
4 Get eachpair to summarizethe main points of their
agreementso that each participant is clear about
what hasbeenagreed.
Follow-up
I Get selectedpairs to talk through the stagesin their
negotiationin order to analysethe reasonsfor their
particularresult.
2 Get studentsto write down the terms of their agreement.

11 Cashflowproblems

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Introduction
The activity is a fairly complex face-to-facediscussion
betweena cautiousfinancemanagerand an ambitious
marketingmanagerreluctantto turn away a major order.

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3 In discussion,both sidesneedto reachagreementon

exactly what is possible and what stepsneed to be
takennext.
Follow-up
I Togetherboth studentscould work out a letter to the
customeroffering a unit price discount but requesting tight paymentterms.
2 They could also work out a revised cash budget on
the basisof the order and a possiblebank loan.

12 Companyof the year

Introdaction
This activity can help studentsro focus, albeit in a
potentially lightheartedway, on the perennialproblem
of how to make small businessesgrow. If necessary,
the situation could be adapted to the context of a
departmentor profit centre if participantsall work in
largeorganizations.
Lead-in
In what situationsarecompaniesgiven prizes?What type
of prizesare given?What companieshave won prizes?
Method
I If you suspectthat studentsmay not be very forthcoming about imagining their own company into
existence, brainstorm an example with the whole
classbeforethe activity begins.
2 Note that the list of preferencesfor A and B are different.
Follow-up
During feedback,find out what the students'ownideas
wereandlist them on the board.Seewhetherany pattem
emergesfrom the choicesmadeby the differentpairs.

13 Companyorganization

Lead-in
As a lead-in, discussthe meaning,causesand implications of cashflowproblems.

Introductinn
The activity is based on a face-to-face discussion
where both sides need to resolve a problem: how to
designa new organizationfor their companieswho are
planningto merge.

Method
I Both sidesneed a few minutesto preparetheir roles
and absorbthe informationthey have.
2 B should start by outlining the order and askinghow
much cash is available. A is pessimisticabout the
cashflowsituation.

Lead-in
Startby asking:
o why companieshavehierarchies
o why companieshavestructuredorganization
r if thereare alternativesto traditional companystructures.

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Method
o Each side needsto explain its primary objectivesand
to outline its concems.There will be sometrade off
betweenthe two.
o Studentscan sit side by side and actually draw up a
fresh organization chart based on their preferred
optionsand what they can agreeon.
Follow-up
Ajoint presentationof the new structureusing a board
or OHP.

14 Companypresentation
Introduction
Introducing oneselfand one's work is a common communicationneedin intemationalbusiness.This activity
gives an oppornrnity to practise a relatively formal
presentation.
Lead-in
To introduce the theme, discussthe function of trade
fairs and what goeson at suchevents.
Method
This is a two-part activity in which studentsboth presenta fictitious companyand hearaboutone.
1 Ask A to present Conta Inc. B intemrpts with
requestsfor clarification and/or further information.
B can alsotake notes.
2 Next, B presentsEdile S.p.A. and the roles are therefore reversed.
Follow-up
Ask learnersto presenttheir own or anotherreal company that they know well. Suggestthey include saying
who they are and what their responsibilitiesare.A further follow-up is to try a similar presentation,but much
more informally.

15 Company
tour
Introduction
It is important for businesspeople to be able to talk
clearly and concisely about their company'sproducts,
history and organization,as well as being able to guide
visitors round the workplace.
Lead-in
Which companiesreceive visitors?Are there any speAre there any specialrisks
cial security arrangements?
aboutshowingvisitors around?

Method
1 The notesbelow the plan on A's sheetare only brief
guidelinesfor A, who will need time to preparethe
presentation.The preparationcould be done before
the lesson.
2 EncourageBs to preparelots of questionsso that the
activity is as interactive as possible. Discourage
monologuesfrom As.
Follow-up
I Repeatthe activity with the roles reversed.
2 Get As and Bs to write follow-up lettersto the visit:
- As sayingthey arehoping for businessfrom Bs
- Bs saying whetheror not they have decidedto do
businesswith As.

visit
16 Gompany

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Introduction
This is an information gap exercise which also
providespracticein numbersand spellingand checking
information. It can thus be used with lower level

students.

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Lead-in
Ask the studentsif:
o they haveany problemswith spellingforeign names
o they have any problemswith understandingnumbers
o if the! have any special strategiesfor spelling and
counting.
Method
1 Get studentsto write down any information, e'g. car
registrationor telephonenumbers,that they give to
their partners.
2 At the end of the activity, get studentsto check that
all the information has been correctly transferred.
Follow-up
Repeat the activity with the roles reversed.Partners
now know what information they have to give so
shouldgive a more polishedperformance'

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culture
17 Corporate

Introduction
The main aim of this activity is to provoke discussion
so don't be too concemedif the studentsfail to come
up with a coherent policy by the time you call the
group together.

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bad-in
Ask srudentsif they know any companieswith their
o*n specialculture.What are the characteristicsof corporate culrure?Does it help employeesto work better
together?

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Encouragestudentsto add ideas in the same spirit to
the list.
Follow-up
I In the group discussionfollowing the activity, get
srudentsto identify the assumptionsunderlying the
variouspossiblepolicieson the list, e.g. that companies are too hierarchical, that there are not enough
women in top management,etc. and find out if they
agreewith theseassumptionsor not. Which onesdo
they think are nonsensical?
Why?
2 Get the group to brainstorm their own equally
unorthodoxpolicy suggestions.

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18 Corporate
sponsorship
Introduction
The activity is designedto encourageextensivediscussion. Studentsmay wish to invent details of the company they both representand such details may influence
the final choice.Otherwise,there is no obviously right
answer.
I*ad-in
Why do companiesoffer sponsorship?What types of
eventsdo they sponsor?What benefitsdoes each side
get?
Method
Sincethis activity involves quite a lot of reading,allow
time for this before beginningthe activity or distribute
the activity sheetsbeforethe lessonbegins.
Follow-up
I Systematizefeedbackfrom the group by asking for
the strongand the weak points of eachfile and writing them up on the board.
2 Get studentsto write a letter of acceptanceto the
sponsorshiprecipient and of rejection to the other
two causes.

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19 Costsand reducingoverheads

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Introduction
The activity involves a fairly detailed face-to-face

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negotiationin which eachparticipantwill haveto compromise in order to reach the desired objective. See
alsoActivity 27 on franchising.
Lead-in
To introducethe theme,check students'understanding
of cosfs,cost of salesandcost of selling.
Method
Each player in the negotiationapproachesthe problem
from a rather different perspective:A is more conservative in termsof defendingemployees'interests,while
B is more inclined to defend shareholdersand seek
improvedproductivity. Consequently,compromiseand
bargaining will be required. Encourage students to
begin by statingtheir agreedobjectives(to find savings
of l0%o)and to find issueson which they agreebefore
going into detail on more problematicareas.As a general principle, suggestthat they should only compromise where they get something in retum - in other
words, in concedinga point they shouldgain a concession in anotherarea.This may involve looking at two
or three points together - a common negotiating
approach.
Follow-up
Set up a similar negotiation involving more participants,so that the negotiationinvolves teams.

20 Customercare
Introduction
This activity emphasizesthe importance of looking
after your customers- thosewho buy a productas well
asthosewho buy a service.
Lead-in
In your introduction to this activity, ask about the distinction betweeninternal customers(other employees
within the same organization whom you serve) and
extemal customers(those outside the company who
pay you to provide them with a product or service).
Ask studentshow far they serveinternal as opposedto
externalcustomersin their work; and ask them whether
they shouldbe more focusedon extemalcustomers.
Method
After the Bs have administeredthe questionnaireto the
As, the partnerscanreverseroles.
Follow-up
I The group can prioritize the different featuresofcustomer care listed in the questionnaire.One technique

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for getting a large group to arrive at a final list is:
a) to get eachpair to agreeon a list of priorities; then
b)to get two pairs together to agree on a common
list; then
c) to get two groups of four to agreeon a common
list, etc.
2 Get detailedfeedbackon how well your studentsfeel
their organizations serve their intemal and their
externalcustomers,and how thesetwo kinds of service cogld be improved.

21 Customercomplaint
Introduction
This activity practisestwo important communication
and businessskills. As have to turn an unhappy customer into a happy one. Bs have to avoid being fobbed
off with lessthan what they regardastheir properdue.
Lead-in
Ask students:
r in what situationsthey have made complaints over
the last few months
o whethertheir complaintshavebeenwell handled
o why it is important for companiesto be able to deal
efficiently with complaints.
Method
1 Allow adequatetime for the heavierreadinginput or
distributethe activity sheetsbeforethe sessionbegins.
2 Ensure that both partners are clear about the final
outcomeof the discussionby getting them to write
noteson the agreementreachedand comparenotes.
Follow-up
1 Get eachpair to report back on their agreementand
tabulateall the agreementson the board.
2 Get feedback on how the encounter between Bs'
firmness and As' desire to win over the customer
swayed the discussion one way or the other.
Brainstorm language gambits which As and Bs
might haveused.
3 Get studentsto write A's letter apologizing for the
inconvenience,summarizing the agreementreached,
etc.

22 Customsholdup
Introduction
This is a telephoneconversationbetweentwo people
with verv different concems.

Lead-in
To setup the theme,ask:
r what causesdelaysat frontiers
o what documentsareneeded
o how candelaysbe keptto a minimum
r if the problemsat frontiersare the sameeverywhere
o if the solutionsto the problemsare the sameeverywhere.

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Be tactful aboutthe issueof corrupt officials - in some

placesmention of comrption may be acceptableonly if
it refersto othercountries!

Method
Studentshave a reasonableamountof freedomin how
to resolvethe problemhere.The discussionis led by A
statingthe problem and askinghow it may be resolved.
B respondsand togetherthe two positions are brought
closer - or not, dependingon the degreeof obduracy
held by the official, B, or rectitudeheld by A.

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Some studentsmight like to role play a face-to-face
meeting at the frontier, with other studentsplaying
relatedroles,including the driver.

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23 Employee
Introduction
This activity begins with an exchangeof information,
followed by discussion.It is important for the students
to completethe first part satisfactorilybefore they start
the second.
Lead-in
Ask the studentsin what way morale affects the way
people work. What are the possible results of poor
employeemorale?

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Method
1 Before the studentsbegin,make it clear to As and Bs
that they have different lists of suggestionsfor
increasingcompanymorale on their activity sheets.
Underlinethe fact that they are not expectedto compete by shortlisting more of their own key actions
thantheir parmers'.The objectiveis simplyto get what
they both agreeis the bestpossiblepolicy defined.
2 You could encouragethem to simulateformal meetings with Bs and then As making shortpresentations
of the ideaslisted. They will needextra time to prepare this. This should then be followed by an open
discussionof the merits of eachidea in tum.
3 Studentsmay wish to add their own ideas.

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4 Ensure that each pair is clear about what it has
agreedbeforecalling a halt.
Follow-up
I Brainstormstudents'ownadditionalideas.
2 Discusshow far there is a group consensusand why
some,if any, of the ideasare generallyconsideredto
be more feasiblethan others.
3 Get studentsto write a short report recommendinga
plan of actionto the company'stop management.

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24 Entertainingvisitors

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Introduction
This is a fairly extensive telephone conversationin
which two new businessassociates
get to know each
other a little and discusspossibleentertainmentfor one
of them, who is planningto visit the other.

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Lead-in
Ask:
o what types of entertainmentcompaniescould provide for businessassociatesin your country
r what sort of entertainmentyou would like if you
were visiting other countries.
Method
o Much of the content here needs to be genuinely
basedon students'interests
and preferences
and on
local entertainmentavailable.
o An interestingway to do this is for A to explain to B
what is availableby referring to a local 'What's On'
guide or newspaper.
r The conversationhasthreemain partsafter the initial
introduction:
i) outlining possibleentertainmenton offer
ii) B's preferencesand interests
iii) planningan entertainmentitinerary for B's visit.
Follow-up
o A fax from A confirming ideasand/orarrangements.
o Reversingroles: B should return the invitation and
try to fix up entertainmentthat A would like.
r Repeatthe activity placing emphasison either very
formal or very informal typesof hospitality.

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25 Environmentally
friendlyoffice

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Introduction
This activity can be particularly interestingwith groups
of studentsfrom different companies,different sectors
and different countries.

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Lead-in
Ask studentsfirst of all what nationallaws exist on, for
example,packaging,air andwaterpollution, etc.and ask
if they know how legislationdiffersin any othercountry.
Method
Before the activity begins,you may wish to presentor
elicit someof the languagewhich studentsmay use in
prioritizing the ideas, particularly comparativeforms
occurring in such expressionsas: 'Oh no, I think using
recycledpaperis much more importantthan . . .'
Follow-up
I Find out how many peoplefeel this is a relevantand
useful topic and how many do not think that safeguardingthe environmentis important.
2 Get feedbackon students'ownideas.Additionalsuggestionsmight be:
- tuming off computersand other office equipment
when not in use
- avoiding unnecessarychemicalsby, for example,
glues,pump-actioncontainusingvegetable-based
ersratherthan aerosols
- using refillable laserprinter cartridges
- using scrappaper for notesrather than brand new
memo pads
- using electronic mail where possible rather than
paper.
3 Questionsfor the group:
- what environmentallyfriendly stepsdo you take in
your own offices?What more could you and your
colleagues
do?
- how environmentallyconsciousdo you think your
company is as a whole? What more could your
companydo?

26 Equalopportunities
Introduction
This is a straightforwardcollaborativediscussionbased
on prioritizinga seriesof points.
Lead-in
Discuss the meaning of equal opportunities and the
importance of the issue, with reference to students'
own country/countriesand/orexperience.
Method
The objective of the activity is to prioritize a seriesof
initiatives following discussioncomparingthe relative
merits of different proposals.As each studenthas the
same list of points, they should discussthe merits of
eachone,then decideon an order of importance.

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Teachers'notes
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Follow-up
o Leamers can suggest initiatives which could be
introduced in their own working environment to
improve equalopportunities.
. Students can discuss what measureshave already
beentakenand decidehow effectivethey havebeen.

27 Franchising

Method
1 B should start with a general outline of the health
and safety position and some ideas on how to
improve matters. A replies with commentson B's
remarksbut proposesmore radical changes.
2 Encourage students to paraphraseeach other with
'What you're
like 'So you think. . .'and
expressions
saying is . . .' before suggestinga slightly different
emphasis.

Introductioi
The activity is a face-to-facenegotiation where both
sides will need to compromisein order to reach an
agreement.

Follow-up
A jointly-produced plan of action to presentto other
colleaguesin the form of a shorttalk.

Lead-in
Introducethe themeby askingstudentsto namefamous
franchisors. Examples are McDonald's, Benetton,
Hertz, Kentucky Fried Chicken.Ask:
o how franchisesoperate
o what is the relationshipbetweenfranchisorand franchisee.

29 In-housemagazine

Method
Once studentshave read and understoodtheir roles, A,
the franchisee,should start by outlining some general
objectivesand by talking aboutthe presentsituation.B,
the franchisor,will need to be conciliatory.If the dis'only make
cussionfollows the negotiatingprinciple of
a concessionif you get somethingin retum', then the
result shouldbe a lively exchangeof offers and counter
offers,but compromisewill be necessary'
Follow-up
I An exchangeof letters outlining the basis for continued collaboration.
2 A jointly prepared statementexplaining what they
have agreed.

Introduction
The activity is based on a face-to-face discussion
between colleagues,one more radical and more progressivethan the other.Consequently,somepersuasion
will be required.
Lead-in
Discussthe issuesinvolved in health and safety.How
are theseissuestreatedin the students'country/countries?How are thev discussedand checked?

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Introduction
Discussingthe contentsof an in-housemagazinegives
the studentsan opportunityto discussthe type of information that shouldbe includedin such amagazine.
Lead-in
Ask:
r if their companyhasan in-housemagazine
o ifthe] readit
o how do they rate it
o how would they improve it.
Method
o There are really two parts to this activity' The full
version involves drawing up a businessplan for the
magazine (see the section beginning: Identify the
objectivesof the magazine. . .) as well as deciding
on the content.This versionis likely to take up considerablymoretime.
o For studentswith less businessexperienceor less
time or both, the activity can centre on deciding on
contentalone.

28 Healthand safety

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Follow-up
After getting feedbackon the various models of corporatecommunicationproposedby students,widen the
discussionto include other tools of internal communication:
o how do you makeintemal communicationeffective?
r how do you makeintemal communicationtwo-way?
etc.

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30 lnterviewtechniques

Introduction
The activity is a collaborativediscussion,studying and
sharingopinionsbeforemaking an assessment.

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Lead-in
lntroduce the topic of interviewing by asking students
abouttheir experienceof interviewsandaboutwhat kind
of questionsthey would expectto get in a job interview.
Method
Srudentssit side by side. There are three parts to the
activity. First, students study the job advertisement,
then classify the questions,then assesstheir usefulness
in a job interview. In this last part they shouldjointly
a reasonfor their decision.
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Follow-up
I Use the questionsas a framework for interviewing
other students(or eachother)for thejob in question.
2 Study other job advertisements,work out likely
questionsfor an interviewing panel,and set up interviewswith otherstudents.

31 Jobapplication
Introduction
Although studentsmay appreciatethe fantasyelement
in the activity, they shouldneverthelessbe encouraged
to treat it as a serious exercise in recruitment. The
respectivepartnersshould make initial assessments
of
thejob or of the applicant,as appropriate.

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Lead-in
Ask students:
o what typesof job applicationforms they havefilled in
o what the purposeof a form is
o whether a form is more effective than an open application.
Method
The procedureis as follows.
I B (the applicant)calls A (the currentPA who is leaving the job) to find out what has happenedto his/her
application.
2 A apologizes- hasbeenvery busy.
3 B asksA questionsaboutthe post while, altemately,
4 A asks B questions about his/her experience, tanguages,etc.
5 A should take the initiative to bring the call to an
end,tell B what will happennext and say goodbye.

If appropriatetelephonesare not available,get pairs to

sit back-to-back.
Follow-up
I During the activity, monitor in particularthe way the
call startsand ends,and commenton the authenticity
of thesestagesfor the various pairs. Get good pairs
to simulate model openings and closings for the
others.
2 Discuss how the recruitment processmight go on
after this stage.
3 Get studentsto write a short letter from either the PA
or the applicant,following on from this call.

32 Largeversussmallcompanies
Introduction
Large companiescan be very powerful; small companies can be very flexible. So what are the advantages
and disadvantages
of each?
Lead-in
As a short lead-in, and before distributing the activity
sheets,ask studentswhether they prefer working in a
large or small organization. Elicit just one or two
advantagesand disadvantages
for each.
Method
I This exerciseshould be approachedas a debate:A
has to argue the advantagesof working in a small
company;B has to speakin favour oflarge organizations. Warn studentsthat they may find themselves
being asked to expressopinions that they do not
necessarilyhold. Point out that this is good debating
practice.
2 Roles can be reversedto see if further additional
ideasare generated.
Follow-up
An A and a B from different pairs can be asked to
debateagainin front of the group.

33 Latepaymentof invoice
Introduction
This is a relativelyshortand simpleactivity,wheretwo
sides have conflicting interests.The topic relates to
customerservice:the creditordoesnot wish to upseta
c\s\orner. but at the sarnetitne is keen to reee\\R,\ha
moneyowedas soonaspossible.

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Lead-in
Ask:
r why late paymentis a problem
o wh! do companiesdelaypayment.
Method
1 A, the creditor,telephonesB. Studentsshouldnot sit
face-to-facefor telephoningtasks.If possible,usean
intemal phoneline for a more effectiverole play.
2 A should securea promiseof when paymentwill be
made.

35 Managementqualities
Introduction
The activity is an informal face-to-facediscussionwhich
involvesreadinga list of points and prioritizing them.
Lead-in
As an introductionto the theme,ask studentsto brainstorm ideason the qualitiesof a good managerand the
attributesrequiredin a managementteam.

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Follow-up
Repeatthe activity, reversingroles. Seeif the outcome
is any different.

34 Managementand leadershipskills
for women
Introduction
This activity is useful for training personnelas well AS
of general interest to women, in particular those in
management
or supervisorypositions.
Lead-in
Ask students:
r if they think men and women have similar management skills
. if they think men and women have equalopportunities in the workplacein their country/countries.
Method
Although experiencedtrainers may be interested in
spendingthe time necessaryto devisetraining ideasfor
all five areas,most studentswill probably be happy to
concentrateon discussingoneproblemareaanddevising
a trainingideafor this areaonly.In this casepairsshould:
1 discusswhich areato concentrateon
2 discusshow bestto handlethe problem
3 devisea training idea.
Follow-up
I Pairs give feedback to the group of the training
ideas.If time permits,pairs can take over leadership
of the group to try out the training idea they have
devised.
2 Studentswho (rightly) point out that the problem
areasare relevantto men just as much as to women,
can be told that theseareaswere in fact identified for
a successful real-life training programme aimed
specificallyat women.The legitimacy of identifying
suchareascan,ofcourse,be debated.

Method
1 Students should first discuss the points listed and
make sure they understandthem all; then set about
prioritizing them and come to a negotiatedagreement on the right order.
2 If disagreementsoccur, compromise or trading of
ideasmay be necessaryto reachan agreedorder.
Follow-up
o Individual pairs can report reasonsfor their decisions
and/or report any disagreementsthey had and how
they were resolved.
o Some studentsmay like to assessthemselveson the
basisof someof the qualitieslisted.

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36 Marketresearch
Introduction
The activity is a discussionbetweentwo people,one of
whom has provided a service with which the other is
not happy.
Lead-in
Introduce the theme by asking if studentshave any
experienceof marketresearchand what they seeas the
advantagesof market researchfor producersand service providersand for consumers.A possibleansweris
that the results of market researchhelp producersto
provide products or services which match consumer
needsand wants.
Method
I Preparationis vital. Monitor the preparation:it may
be necessary,during the preparation,to prompt A,
the hotelier,towardsa set of demandsto resolvethe
difficulty.
2 Once the discussionbegins, A raisesvarious objections to the survey technique and reporting. B, in
assuringthat the researchis preliminary, avoids the
since
issueand potentiallyfuels A's dissatisfaction,
marketresearchis very expensive.

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Each side should write a letter to the other summarizing opinion and statingwhat shouldhappennext.

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37 Marketsurvey
Introduction
This is a questionand answeractivity involving a questionnaire.It could be completedvery quickly, though a
variation could be that the respondentdoes not like
someof the questionsand challengesthe designof the
questionnaire!
Lead-in
Begin by prompting discussionon the purposeof market researchand the importanceof market surveysfor
companies.

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39 Missionstatement

Method
Simple questions and answers,with the interviewer
notingthe answers.B cangive genuineresponses.
A variation could be that B plays a role where the
respondentreally likes to talk a great deal around the
questions,so delayingthe (impatient)interviewer.
Follow-up
Reversethe roles and repeatthe activity. Get students
to repeatthe activity severaltimes with other students
or teachers,in orderto collectdatafor a groupofpeople.
Studentscould also designtheir own questionnaireon a
different topic of their choosing.

Lead-in
Ask students:
. if their companyhasa missionstatement
I 3trd,if so, what it is
r what its purposeis
o ifit is useful.

38 Meetingarrangements

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Follow-up
1 Write a fax confirming detailsof the arrangement.
2 Reversethe roles and repeatthe exercise,or set up a
similar situation perhapsbased on students'actual
commitments.

Introduction
This is a potentiallydifficult and time-consumingactivity which requiresthe exerciseof a variety of different
skills, including note-taking and writing. Students'
efforts will, however, be rewarded in having given
thought to somefundamentalquestionsabout the nature
and raison d'dtre of their own businessorganization.
Have available some mission statementsfrom real
companiesto show to studentseither at the activity or
at the feedbackstage.

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Method
I As with other telephoningactivities, use an internal
line, or seatstudentsback-to-back.They shouldhave
a pencil to takenotes.
2 Remind students that good telephoning technique
includes summarizingany agreementat the end of
the call to confirm that everythingis clear.
3 Give feedbackand repeatthe exerciseif necessary,
specifically to improve telephoningtechnique.

Introduction
The activity involves a telephone call and making
arrangementsto meet but each individual has a different attitude.B (the agent) is fairly reluctantto devote
time to A's products- or a meeting.The objectiveis to
agreeon a meeting.
Lead-in
Discussthe role of agentsand the natureof the manufacturer-agent relationship. When is the relationship
problematic?One possibleansweris when the agentis
not effectiveor when he/shehasother priorities or sells
competingproducts.

Method
I Before starting, discusswith the group the kind of
languagein generaland the typical structuresassociated with mission statements.Write suggestionson
the board for reference during the exercise, for
example:we want to. . ., we need. . ., we believe
in. . ., we believethat. . .
2 Studentsin pairs will move from discussion,through
note-taking, to drafting and redrafting their own
statements.Give as much help as possible.If available,provide studentswith word processingfacilities
while working towardsthe final draft.
Follow-up
1 Ask pairs to readout their own drafts.Look for common threadsto developin the discussionphase.

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2 Ask students:
o what missionstatementsachieve
o who shouldwrite them
o how much the personnel of the company as a
whole should be consulted during the drafting
stages.

40 Payversusbenefits
Introductiiln
This activity can be of generalinterestto all managers
and of specific professional interest to managers
involved in humanresourcesand personnel.
Lead-in
Ask studentshow companiesthat they know remuneratetheir employees.
Method
Presentthe activity in generaltermsand go throughthe
details of the current packagewith the group to ensure
the terms are clear, before handing out the activity
sheets.Notes:
o PRB. The manager earned a performance-related
bonus of f10,650 out of a possiblemaximum of
f20,000 last year.
o Long-term disability cover. This is a form of insurancewhich providesthe managerwith an income in
the event of his/her being unable to work for an
extended period through accident or illness. (The
cover is private becausethe govemmentof the country in which both the studentswork does not make
adequateprovision for this.)
o Parking. The company curently pays for the managerto park in a city centrecar park every day when
he/shecomesto work. The companydoes not have
its own car park and cheapparking is impossibleto
find.
r Annual health screenins.A detailed medical examination.
Follow-up
1 Get feedback on the results of each negotiation.
Clearly, a figure close to f40,000 is good for A (the
personnelmanager)while B will have aimed to get
more. Find out how close to the total of f40,000
eachpair were.
2 Ask whetherthe fact that the manager(B) only managedto eam just over 5OVoof his potential PRB last
year reflectswell or badly on him/her. Can we draw
any conclusionsabouthis/herquality as a manager?

3 Ask how many of the group have experienceof perpay and how they feel aboutit.
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appraisal
41 Performance
Introduction
The activity is an internal discussionmeeting,therefore
informal, leading to a decision on a problematic
employee.
Lead-in
Discussthe meaningof performanceappraisaland ask:
r what its purposeis
o if performance appraisal is used in the students'
country.

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B shouldstartby introducingthe purposeof the discussion and outlining the problem. The discussionshould
move from generalobservationsand opinions to specific decisionsand agreement.
Follow-up
o Joint preparationof a memo outlining the agreement
reached.
o There is also scope for generalclass discussionof
the issuesinvolvedin problemssuchasthoseoutlined
in the activity.

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42 Presenting
Introduction
The activity is an opportunityto presentinformation in
a well-structuredmanner and to respondto questions'
SeealsoActivity 14 on Companypresentation.
Lead-in
To introducethe theme,ask studentsto brainstormthe
most important characteristicsof good presentation
technique. Possible answers include: well prepared,
well organized,appropriateand relevant,clear,enthusiasticallypresentedand supportedby good visuals.

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Method
Two minutes is very little preparationtime and three
minutesis a very short talk. Offer a model as an example. The key objective is to get over a limited amount
of information in a well structuredand coherentfashion, with an introduction, a middle and an end. After
each presentation,the partner and other students(and
you) canaskquestions.

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r Allow longerpreparationtime for slightly longertalks.
o Allow studentsto chooseother topics, which may be
businessor study related,or concernpersonalinterEStS.

r Allow extra preparationtime for the inclusion of a

visualsupport.

Follaw-up
1 Get feedbackfrom eachpair on the developmentand
outcomeof eachnegotiation.
2 Discussthe advantagesand disadvantages
ofproduct
endorsementin more detail. If necessary,point out
that sometimesthe arrangementcan backfire, for
example if the pop star endorsing your product is
accusedof child abuseor the athleteendorsingyour
running shoesconsistentlyfails to win races.

43 Pressand public relations

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Introduction
The activity is a potentially highly conflictive intervie'*'. A has to be very calm under pressurefrom both
the siruation and from aggressivequestioningby the
press.
l*ad-in
Discussthe importanceof public relationsand the relationship betweenPR and corporateimage (see introductionrn activitysection).
Ilethod
-\ tace-to-faceinterview. It would be fun to video
record this if possible, and play it back as part of a
ne\r'sextractor documentaryon pollution.
Follov-up
Ertend the video idea to build the interview into a discussionof the problem of industrialpollution. A further
possibiliry would be to bring in other roles, such as
environmental campaigners,employees, relatives of
employees,other managers,local residents,etc., and
havea wider debatein the shapeof a public meeting.

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44 Productendorsement
Introduction
Michael Jacksonand Pepsi becamea famous double
act. But who benefitedin the end?
Lead-in
Lead in by asking for examplesof product endorsements by famous people and discussing briefly the
advantagesand disadvantagesof this form of product
promotion.
Method
This activity is essentially a preliminary negotiation
involving an information gap. Studentsshould prepare
a strategybefore they begin the negotiationand should
try to anticipatethe argumentsof the other side as part
of their preparation.

45 Production
delays
Introduction
This is a telephoneactivity basedon seriousorganization problemsin a subsidiary.
Lead-in
Ask:
r what the relationshipis betweena head office and a
subsidiary
o when problemsarise
o how problemscan be resolved.
Method
A, at the headoffice, telephonesthe subsidiaryto know
what is going on. A may chooseto insist on visiting the
subsidiary.As usual with telephoneactivities, prompt
studentsto summarizeany agreementat the end.
Follow-up
. A should write a confirmatory fax, outlining main
pointsof the discussion.
. B should write a memo to an English-speakingcolleaguein Portugal.
o The situation could be extended to a face-to-face
meeting.

46 Profitandlossaccount
Introduction
The activity is basically a telephoned information
transfer between colleagues,though explanationsare
requiredto supportthe details.
Lead-in
As a lead-in to the subject,check that studentsunderstandwhat a profit and loss accountis. Ask them to say
if the following statementsare true (T) or false (F):
o it showsthe healthof a companyat a given moment(F)
o it showsthe trading performanceof a companyin a
particulartime period (T)

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o it shows the principal costs a company has to meet

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o it showsforecastsalesfor the coming year.(F)

Method
I B asksa seriesof questionsto completeinformation
required on the latest profit and loss account for a
sister company.He/she also asks a series of questions in order to clarify certainaspects.
2 B should paraphraseor repeat certain answers to
make surethere are no mistakesin the transferof the
information or in understandingthe answersto the
further questions.
Follow-up
Find other examplesof profit and loss accountsand
positions.
assess
the strengthof companies'trading

47 Proiectmanagement
Introduction
The activity is basedon an informal face-to-facemeeting between a project leader and his/her assistant.
There is a strong disagreement,so diplomacy and tact
are importantqualitiesfor both sides.
Lead-in
Discussthe purposeof project planning and its importancein industry.
Method
In group meetings an assistantwould be unlikely to
citicize his or her boss'splans.Remind studentsthat in
this case,the meeting is private and informal and the
disagreementsare real. They must, however, reach
agreement.This discussionmay be lengthy,sincethere
are severalpoints to raiseand to agreeon.
Follow-up
Togetherthey may prepare a joint plan to presentto
othermembersof the team.

48 Quality
Introduction
Increasingly,companiescompeteon quality, but quality cannot be achievedwithout the involvement of the
whole workforce. So a good quality programmewill
involve people - often people who were previously
scepticalaboutsuchprogrammes.

Lead-in
What doesquality mean?What effect doespoor quality
have on customers?How important is quality for competing in the marketplace?
Method
Getting each pair to choose the six most desirable
features for their quality programme may require a
generoustime allowance.Start by getting each pair to
eliminate the features that neither member wants to
retain.
Follow-up
I Compare the shortlists drawn up by the different
pairs.How similar are they?
2 Discusshow suchquality programmescan be implemented.
3 Ask studentswhat experiencethey have had of quality assuranceprogrammesboth as employeesand as
consumers(noticing a conspicuousimprovementin a
company'sproductsor services).

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49 Quiz 1
Introdaction
This activity can last as long or as short a time as you
want, so make a clear decisionin advanceon the time
limit you want to set and whether you are going to
introduce it as a quick end-of-lessonquiz lasting ten
minutesor a main activity involving lots of discussion
and supplementaryquestioning.
Method
. As can ask Bs all the questionsand then reverse
roles. This can also be good listening practice if Bs
arenot shownthe sheet.
. As and Bs can askeachother questionsin turn.
r As can ask Bs the questionsin Quiz I and then Bs
can ask As the questionsin Quiz 2.
FolLow-up
Lots of possibilitiesfor discussionand a real opportunity for membersof a group to leam more about each
other and to get to know eachotherbetter.

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51 Raisingfinance

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Introduction
The activity is basedon a friendly meeting betweena
;trmpan]'executiveand an independentfinancialadviser.
Lead-in
To Lnrroducethe topic, discussraising finance,ensuring
that srudentsunderstandthe various ways a company
mar chooseto do this as explainedin the students'
Lntroductions.
.llethod
- Thoroueh preparationis important: studentsneed to
undentandthe balancesheet.
i -\. representingthe company, outlines the present
prrsitionof the company.He/shewants adviceon the
hlielihood of raising finance.
-: B respondsby asking for more information and then
ans\\ers.giving reasonsfor his/heropinions.
-l Encouragestudentsto check their understandingof
uhat the other says by paraphrasing.Elicit/suggest
phraseslike 'So, you're saying .' and 'So what
rou meanis . . .'
Follolc-up
Look at examples of balance sheets from company
repons. Identify the key figuresto assessthe health or
other$ise of the companiesinvolved.

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52 Recruitment
Introduction
This activity involves finding the most suitable candidatefor thejob.

Follow-up
I Get feedbackfrom all the pairs on which applicant
was preferredand why.
2 Discussthe advantagesand disadvantagesof different stagesin the conventionalrecruitmentprocess:
- arereferencesreliable?Is testingreliable?
- can a potential employer really leam anything
from an interview?
- how well do interviewersinterview?

53 Recycling
Introduction
The activity involves an informal face-to-facediscussion betweencolleagues.The essentialobjective is to
agreeon priorities and on a plan of action.
Lead-in
Discussrecycling,its purposeand value and students'
experienceof it.
Method
The activity has two parts. Studentsshould decide on
the three key advantagesof recycling and any drawbacks involved. They should then formulate a policy
for the companyinvolved.
Follow-up
Combinethis activity with other environment-related
studies from other sources.(Activity 43 also concems an environmentalissue.)
Studentsmay also commenton recycling policies in
companiesor institutions they are familiar with, as
well asdomesticrecycling.
Design a questionnaireto find out the extent of recycling and people'sviews on the subject.

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Lead-in
r Discussrecruitmentproceduresexperiencedby your
students,either as job applicantsor as employment
providers.
. Give some practice in paraphrasinginformation so
that studentsdo not readout the file cardsverbatim.
Method
Judge whether studentsare able to structurethe telephone meeting without help or whether you should
advisethem to postponediscussionuntil all the candidateshave beendescribed.Encouragegenuinesummarizing and paraphrasingrather than reading out the file
cardsverbatim.Give an exampleof how to do it.

54 Relocation
Introduction
This is a difficult activity becausethe positions of the
two parties are initially quite far apart. You should
monitor the processby which the studentssucceedin
finding - or fail to find - a solutionto a problem which
hasno obvioussolution.
Lead-in
Briefly discussthe notions of win-win, win-lose and
lose-lose in negotiation and ask the students to
describebusinesssituationsin which it is betternot to
compromise.

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Method
Be preparedfor the activity to last only a short time (in
the caseof neither party being willing to compromise)
or quite a long time (where there is readinessto compromise). If somepairs finish the activity quickly, get
them to write eachother follow-up letters.
Follow-up
1 Get feedbackon the outcomesfor the different pairs
in the group and the processby which the outcomes
were arriyedat.
2 Ask students if they have ever been involved in
negotiatinga problem where the two sides were so
far apart that there seemedlittle chance of agreement. Discussdifferent strategiesin sucha situation.
3 Get studentsto write formal letters to each other as
A or B with their versionsof the decisionsreached.

Follow-up
1 Reproducethe table on the board and get studentsto
fill in the missingfigures.
2 Discussfigurescentralto the students'ownwork.
3 Discussthis kind - and other kinds - of incentivefor
salespeopleand others.
Figures
in $US
First
quarter

North

West

South

East

Lead-in
Ask:
o why settingtargetsis important
o what happensif targetsare not met.
Method
Therearetwo setsof figuresto exchange:
o each partner has a couple of figures missing for the
otherregions
o eachpartnerhas only his/her own revisedfigures,so
the proceduremight be:
a) exchangethe missing fourth quarter figures for
the otherregions
b) calculate and agree on the totals for the other
regions
c) calculateown revisedtotal (strictly speakingit is
not necessaryto exchangeall the revised figures
unlesseach wants to check the other's figures in
detail)
d) add the two revised totals and comparewith the
otherregionaltotals
. as you can seefrom the figuresbelow, your students
have indeedwon the pize - but don't give the game
awav: let them find out for themselves.

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93,137 94,005 85,21

93'140

Second
quarter

l0 | , 104 98,776 85,439 99,505

Third
quarter

103,771 99,422 87,624 102,099

Fourth
quarter

95,106 100,471 89,423 102'500

Totaf

393,068 392,174 347,697 397,344

Figures
in $US

Central
East
East
West
West
Central Central Central Central Revised
Revised Total
Revised lnitial
lnitial

55 Salestargets
Introductian
This activity is a straightforwardexchangeof figures
betweenthe two partners.It may thereforelast rather
less time than a first glance suggests.Pocket calculatorswill be useful.

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First
quarter

46,0| 0

Second
quarter

48,763 48,963 51,309 5l'309 100'772

Third
quarter

49,345 49,727 5l,499

Fourth
quarter

49,557 50,847 51,446 50'230 l0l '077

Totaf

46,9l0 47,194 47,668 94'578

51,699 l0l '426

193,675 196,447201,148 200'906 397'353

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56 Smalltalk 1

Introduction
This is difficult but the activity practisesa very important skill - steeringthe conversation'Eachbox contains:
r four nouns
o threeverbs
r threeadjectives

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Ten minutes for the activity. Comparescoresand experiencesat the end: which were the easiestand which
were the most difficult words to elicit and why? Then
reversethe roles.
Follow-up
I Discussthe importanceof taking the initiative and
steeringthe conversation.

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.\sk selectedpairs to perform in front of the others.
Get feedbackfrom the group on successfuland less
successfu
I steeringgambits.

Follow-up
A fax confirming the order from both sides.

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57 Smalltalk 2
Intrduction
Tell lour srudentsthat they have the opportunity to
temporarill' ,rssumea new persona.Encouragethem to
rn\.entinterestingones.

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L.od-in
. Lead in u ith brainstormingon ways of opening a
!-onversationin a plane.
r Encouragesrudentsto userealisticgambitsto open.
. Talli about balancebetweenthe two members:you
do not want to hear one talking a lot more than the
erther.lbu expectto hear lots of questionsfrom both
partners.
.llethod
i Srudensfill in the form.
I Srudentstalk to eachother for ten minutes.
Follov-up
Crt t-eedback
from all membersof the group,for example:
o \r hat \r'asthe most interestingthing you heard?
. $'hat was the most surprisingthing you heard?
. what future do you predictfor the personyou met?

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58 Spareparts

Introduction
The activity is a telephonedialogue,basedon information transfer. Both sides have information that they
needto convey.As purchaserand supplierthey needto
reachagreementon an urgentorder.

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Discuss:
r the relationshipbetweenpurchaserand supplier
o the importance of spare parts for certain types of
equipment.

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feedback,suggestimprovements- thinking in particular abouttheseaspectsof language.

Method
Sameprocedureas in other telephoneactivities. Both
sidesneed to refer to the information they have, citing
needsand production schedulesrespectively.The conversation will realistically include pauses while the
supplier checksinformation and the purchaserconsiders what he/sheis told. Stalling language,spacefilling
and supportingsilence is important in telephoning.In

59 Teambuilding
Introduction
We usedto have leaders;now we have teams.Success
dependsmore and more on picking and developinga
winning team.
Lead-in
This exerciseis designedto help studentsunderstand
that colleaguesmay work in very different ways, yet
each may make a vital contribution to meeting shared
objectives. Ask students about their experiencesof
working together with people who have a different
approachfrom their own.
Method
I Studentsmay wish to definewhat kind of project it is
that they are working on. This in turn will influence
what kind of people they need to carry it through.
Parametersfor the project could include:
o objective
o time scale
o budget
o overallsizeofteam
o functionsof key teammembers.
2 Studentscandiscuss: \
o the functions(jobs) neededfor the project asa whole
o the roles they themselveswill play
o the roles to be played by two or more other people
to be recruited to the team.
Follow-up
1 Find out where studentsfeel they might be on the
wheel and what kind of personthey feel is required
for thejob they currentlydo.
2 Discusswhetherthe wheel could be a useful tool in
creatingbalancedteams.
3 Get studentsto write a job advertisementfor one of
the missing team members,describingthe characteristics of the personthey are looking for.

60 Timemanagement
Introduction
Everybodyin employmentwill have an opinion on this
issue.The fairly simple matching exerciseis intended

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Teachers'notes
as a preliminary to discussionwithin eachpair of more
detailed and additional ways of managingone's time
more successfully.
Lead-in
Ask studentsaboutthe importanceof:
o deadlines
o schedules
o keepingappointments
e time-management
systemse.g. filofaxes.
Method
I A presentsproblem 1 to B. B choosesthe most
appropriatesolution from the four alternatives- a, b,
c and d - and proposesthis to A. Note that both the
list of problemsand the list of solutionsfor A and B
are different.
2 A continueswith problems 2, 3 and 4 with B suggesting the best remaining solution each time. If B
has chosenwrongly, it will finally becomeapparent.
A and B can now sort out any mistakesin selection
together.
3 Roles are now reversedand B presentsa new problem 1 to A, etc.
Follow-up
I Elicit the time managementproblems that students
have and the solutionsthat thev recommendto each
other.
2 Get the group as a whole to formulate somegolden
rules for time management.These might be along
the lines of:
- do it now
- getridofclutter
- plan your day.

2 Then there are two stages:first to prioritize the nine

different training options,then to eliminate the least
useful. They may also decide that others could be
postponeduntil later.
Follow-up
Preparea short presentationto the board of directors,
outlining key training needs,requestingfull financial
resources,time and full backing from the training
department.The presentationshould explain why the
training is so important.

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62 Transportation
Introduction
Quite a challengingrole play, involving a salespitch
from one side and an important comparisonof two offers
followed by a decisionfrom the prospectivepurchaser.
Lead-in
Ask:
o what types of transport are used for what types of
goods?
o what problemsface transportationcompanies?
o what problems face companiesusing transportation
services?
Method
The activity requires a good level of preparationand
understanding of their roles from both sides.
EssentiallyA has to listen to B trying to sell a particular transportationserviceand at the sametime compare
it with an offer alreadyon the table from a Greek company. A's role is the more complicatedone, and he/she
is also the decisionmaker.When readv.B calls with a
preparedsalespitch.

61 Trainingpriorities
Introduction
This is a short activity basedon working together to
studya list of optionsandto agreeon their relativevalues.

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Both sides can write a letter confirming their requirements(A) or their offer (B).

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Ask leamerswhat kind of training they think is most
useful for companiesworking in intemationalbusiness.
They shoulddraw up a list of optionswhich could then
be comparedwith the training types presentedin this
activity.

63 Workenvironment

D{

Introduction
The activity is a face-to-facediscussion,involving a
sharing of both information and opinions. The atmosphereshouldbe constructiveandpositive.

Method
I To preparefor the activity, both studentsshouldfully
understand the information on the company
involved.

Lead-in
Introduce the theme by talking about good and bad
working conditions and their consequences for
productivity,morale,staff tumover and sickness.

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Method
1 A beginsby outlining generalintentionsand reminding the employees'representativeof the company's
concerns,while also not wanting to raise expectations too high. Note the low budgetavailable.
2 T\e objective is to reach a satisfactory position,
whereboth sidesfeel they haveachievedsomething.
3 Studentsshould note what they agreeand summarize
it.

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o A can write a glowing account of improvements
being made,either for companynotice boardsor for
an in-housemagazine.
o B can write a letter supportingthe improvementsbut
pointing out other areaswhere progressshould be
made and requestinga longer term commitment to
thesefurther improvements.

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64 Workrotas
Introduction
A fairly straightforward conflict in this face-to-face
informal meeting over holiday plans and production
schedules.There might just be room for compromise,
or else B will simply refuse - but must explain why
and get A to understandthe position.

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65 Workscouncil
Introduction
A fantasy activity for general discussionfor all categories of businesspersonnel.Tell studentsthat they
can choosemore than one option but that they must
decideclearly how all the moneyis to be spent.
Lead-in
Ask studentsaboutjoint decisionmaking in their companies.Ask if there is a works council and in what
areas there is consultation between employer and
employees.
Method
Opendiscussionwithin eachpair.
Follow-up
1 Get feedbackfrom the group. Alternatively use the
method describedin the Teachers'notes to Activity
20, Follow-up 1, to get the whole group to reach a
collectivedecision.
2 Get feedbackon students'own ideas.Which of the
ideasgiven did they think were best and which were
worst?
3 Get studentsto write to the rest of the staff on behalf
of the works council, explaininghow the money is to
be spentand giving reasons.

Lead-in
Introducethe theme by asking about potential conflict
of interest over holiday plans and company requirements. Family holidays and school holidays may coincide with companies'busiesttimes. How can such
difficulties be resolved?

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A, the boss,has a meetingwith B, a line supervisor,to
see if he/she can change holiday plans. A should
explain why and offer some compensationor altemative deal. B may simply refuseor enter into somekind
of negotiation.Of course,a further problem will be to
presentthe family with the changedholiday arrangements,which might be disastrous.
Follow-up
o Discussthe responsibility of a managerto think of
employees'generalwell-being,includingfamily cirAsk what would happenif the company
cumstances.
decided to pay the holiday cancellationfee and to
insist on the supervisorchangingplans.
o Discussthe extentto which companyneedsprevail
over personalor family needsin a given culture.

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(lntroducing
selfandothers;questioning)

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Get the following information about your partner. One of you can ask all the questions
f.rst or you can take it in turns to ask each question.

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1 Prolessional
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outyourpartner's:

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activity
cofilpafl!'s
jobtitle
department
jobresponsibilities
(inonesentence)
location.
office

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yourpartner's:
Find
outabout

.
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home
family
education
favourite
sport
tastes
inmusic
languages.

YOUSTART.

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25

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StudentA

ADVERTISING

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(Measuring
urging)
negotiating;
andcalculating;

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Advertising is one aspectof promotionat activity used by companies to increase consumer awareness of
the company and itsproducts, and to improve salespertormance.

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You work in the marketing department of a sports shoe manufacturer. You have contacted an
advertising agency and asked for suggestions for a campaign to promote your brand, Sporto. You
want to *1u campaign within a budget of f250,000 - no more.

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sponsoredthe local football team last year but the team performedbadly and receivedvery
Iittlenationaltelevisioncoverage
think the footballteamwill do well this year- they havea rich chairman,five new players
and a new manager

want the brand nameSporto to be promotednationally

havelittle interestin a specificallylocal market

think internationalrecognitionwould be a good bonus
want some guaranteein terms of increasedsales
want to be involvedin planningthe detailsof any advertisingcampaign
think TV advertisingis too expensive.

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AGENDAS

A
Student

(Agreeing/d
isagreeing
; iudging)

An agendacons,bfsof the pointsthat will be discussedin a meeting,in orderto reachagreed

d objective:
objectives.
^lotall meetingshave writtenagendas,but everyone
shouldunderstandthe objectivesof a meetingan.
and
<tow whatr.ssueswill be discussed,withinan agreedtime.

-.h projectleaderfor a new quality programme,you have sent the following agendato various
: -,lleaguesand have askedfor comments.One of them telephonesyou to discussthe planned
.genda.

llepartmental
Development
Group
Ouality

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forMeeting
- 11.00
Time:
9.30
Date:
January
14,19-.
Place:
Head
Room
2*17.
Office.
1. Customer
feedback
2. lnternal
suggestions
3. Quality
standards
- Please
Gomments
welcome
call

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. have recentlybeen abroadand have not had time to preparea full agenda- you specifically
welcomesuggestionson improvingthis one

. thinkqualityimprovement
is the keyelementfor businesssuccess
o ?rworkinghardto createa totalqualityethosin the company
. welcomeideason qualitybut youaresurethata separatepublication
is not
or newsletter
nEOeSSary.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

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1996

27

StudentA

BANKCHARGES

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(Measuring
correcting;obliging;
andcalculating;
regretting)

l-

=
L-

Bankchargesare the feespaid to banksfor the variousseruicestheyprovide.Bankschargeintereston

the moneytheylend,but alsochargefeesfor settingup loansand overdrafts,or for assistingin funds,
transfers,currencyexchange,the provisionof references,adviceand a widerangeof financialseruices.

=
L-

Your bank has sent you the following notification of a funds transfer from a Chinesecustomer.You
noticethat you havebeencreditedwith only f 1,995when it shouldhavebeenf2,020lessa f,10
handling charge.You call the bank.

=
L-

=
L-

CREDIT BAI\K INTERNAIIONAL

=
l-

Datei24 Junel9-.

King'sCross Branch

l-

youraccount.
notethatwehavecredited
Please

l-

Yourref. LeePen& Co - China

lnvoice
dated 2 MayI9-.

total f,2.020.00
lnvoice

To F. PeterssonS.A.

00878654
Accountnumber:

l=
f-

AM0UNTf t,ee|.00p

-l

ForCreditBankInternational

t'-J

HLT

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YOUSTART.

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f'i

-_
L-

\,-_

BUDGETPRESENTAilON

StudentA

judging; hesitating
(Questioning;
; forecasting)

4
-

2
=
-

Budgeting involves combining sales forecasts with expected costs. Effective planning requires accurate
budgeting and also a clear understanding of the effects of variations in any particular figure, from raw
materialcosfs to unit price or promotional costs.

At a finance meeting you have to present the following sales budget for an existing product, a mobile
telephonecalled the CX20.
Invite intermptibns and questions. If you cannot give all the information that you are asked for,
promise to provide that information at a future meeting.

----

150
100

0L
0

Fig.I Foreco$
soles
over
fourquorfers

One200

Iwo:350 Ihree375

Four:25 |otol= 1,000

--

Fig.2 Unilsoles
forecost
over
fourquorlers

--

Estimoted
effedof l0%unifpriceincreose

-,
t
t1
I
L-

IL
-

Unilprice:

Soles:
Iohlcoslofsoles:

(ostofselling:

fl65

fl50
fl 50,000

fl60,875

r50,000

150,000
t78,000

t78,000

Totol
costs:

fl28,000

fl 28,000

profit:
Gross

f22,000

t12,875

Estimoted
effedof l0%unilpri(einffeose
would
beo 2.5%
dropinsoles.

L-

,I
I

@PenguinBooks1996

29

(continued)
BudgetPresentation

StudentA

F
=

Sales Forecast

l-

n Rtetso perunit
400 I Rtetosperunit

U)
o
E
U)

|
350
|
300
|
250
|
200
|

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=
L-

150l

100
|-

uof
0t
0

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2
Ouarters

ofl0%unilpri(einneose
Fig.3 htimoted
effecl
On e :1 9 5 Two:341 Ihree:367

lourzf2

fslsl= 915

L-

=
lE

Note:
The costof selling coversall promotionalactivity, including advertising,salescommissions,fees
to agentsand distributors, distribution, and storageand transport. The costof salesincludes
fixed overheads(rent, heating,wagesand salaries)and variable costs(raw materials,overtime
payments).

tL-

b-F

YOU:
. think marketshare is not going to be greatlyaffectedby a small price increase
. have cut costs but cannot do so any more

H
!
--/
!i.J

. think the marketis ratherprice sensitiveand that saleswill fall, but that a temporaryloss in
saleswill not be significantin the long term

trr

. feel that improvedprofits now will help to boost sales in the future

<
li

. do not think competitorswill lowertheir prices.

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YOUSTART.

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30

@ PenguinBooks 1996

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L
!l
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-

L
=,

t-

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=
I
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=
L
=

BUSINESS
ANECDOTE

StudentA

(Telling
; sequencing
; emphasizing)

An anecdoteis a shortstory whichyou tell,usualtyaboutsomethingwhichhappenedto

you or to someoneyou know.Beingable to tell a storyis a veryuseful skitt,bothgenerally
and in business:whentalkingto thepersonsittingnert b you duringa ptanejourney,for
example.Thisactivitygivesyou the chanceto practisetellinga storyin a business
context.
You and your partner are goingto tell eachother a story about a company.Youwill
begin the story using the first sentencebelow,then your partner will take over,then
you will take over again,and so on.Try to talk for about one and a half minutes each
time beforehanding over.

l!

1 When Jo Batsoukis and Les Chan left

businessschool,they immediately
founded a company making . . .

L
L

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I

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3 But they were beginning to have

financialproblems....

L
t
)
i-

5 Then one morning came a telephone

call from the President of . . .

r
:
=
-

YOUSTART.

:
I

:
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@PenguinBooks1996

31

BUSINESS
ETIQUETTE

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing
; questioning)

F
F

Busrnessetiquette- formsof politebehaviour- can varynotjust fromone countryto another,but also

fromone professionto another,fromcompanyto company,evenfromdepartmentto department.This
exercisewill helpyou measurehow far you and your partnerfollowdifferentcodesof etiquette.
Five areasof businessetiquetteare listed below.In eachcase,tell your partner what the rules or
conventionsare in the companywhere you work, using the questionsto help you. Then get your
partner to tgll you how his or her conventionsdiffer from yours and discussthe differences.

tr
F
=

>.
=
l-

I
.
o
.
.

Shoking
honds:
doyoushoke
honds
wilhpeople:
youfirstmeet
when
fiem?
youmeel
ovor|
lime
ftem?
youhoven'l
when
fiemforalong
time?
seen
yousoygoodbye
when
lothem?

o llgVOI?

Arefie rules
formen
different
ondforwomen?

(using
youknow
Mr,Mrs,
Miss
orMsl?
collpeople
byfteirfirstnome
orbyfteirfomily
nome
(using
youhove
collpeople
nome
Mr,Mts,Miss
orMs)?
orbyfteirfomily
iustmetbytheirfirstnome

3 Men's
dress:
a
a
a
a
a

L-

=
-

t=
L-

2 l{omes:
doyou:
a

F
b-J

whol
weor
lowork?
domen
oreftereonyrules
telling
men
whol
they
musl
weor?
domen
olwoys
hove
loweor
olie?
does
whol
lhey
weor
chcnge
o((ordlng
lofieweofier?
posible
would
it be
formen
loweor
shorb
inveryholweother?

F
d

tr
-/
li

,<
td
=<

T
a
a
a
a
a

Women's
dress:
whot
dowomen
weol
towork?
orefiereonyrules
telling
women
whot
|heymusf
weur?
freeloweor
theylike?
orewomen
onyiewellery
dowomen
olwoys
hove
loweor
$ockings
0rfights?
wholfieyweor
lofteweofter?
does
chonge
o((ording

E->r
7.4

F
I
,-/
Y
- l
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IrJ

5
.
.
.

Conplimenls:
orgeneroloppeoron(e?
work
complimenl
eorh
ofteronfiehdress
dofemole
colleogues
(omplimenf
oppeoronce?
work
eoch
other
onfteirdress
orgenerol
domole
colleogues
(ompliment
oppeolon(e?
orgenerol
workcolleogues
mole
colleogues
onfteirdress
dofemole

)
:

Now your partner will ask you about five other areas of businessetiquette.

YOU START.

=
@ PenguinBooks 1996

l.i

' - g

!-

BUSINESS
GIFTS

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing;
permitting
emphasizing;
;
vetoing)

i-

i-

Businessgifts are sometimes sent to customers or clientsin the hope that they build goodwiil - and hetp
secure business.ln many cases the activity is pertectty reasonable and open - but in some cases the
practice of offering and receiving gifts is connected to dubious behaviour,malpractice or itlegal activities.

=
-_
-,

2
-

You are one of two purchasing directors in a large manufacturing company with a $ZOmturnover.
One of your purthasers has been sent a caseof Grand Cru Bordeaux wine by a supplier. Someof
vour management colleaguesfeel he should not have acceptedthis gift. At present the company has
no policy on receiving grfts.
Together with your partner, decide on a new company policy on receiving grfts.
Prior to your meeting you draw up the following options:

MEMO

=
4
-_

Giffs - what to do??

- Nogifto ehouldbeaccepted.
- Onlyqifto up lo a certainaqreedvalueohouldbeaccepted.
Allgifto ehouldbe pooledand useda6 ?rizeoin the com?any
Chrietmaeraffre.

4
-4
4
-,

YO U:

4,
-_

. tend to think that gifts compromiseyour colleagues- they are morelikelyto buy from
companieswho supplythe best gifts, not those offeringthe best productsand the best
service.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

-_
=
=
=
i-

=
=
tII

\
I
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@ PenguinBooks 1996

JJ

INITIALS
BUSINESS

StudentA

(Knowing;correcting)

When reading the pressin a foreign language, understandingthe initialscan sometimes create almost
as many problems as understanding the words.
Here is a quizto test and increase your knowledge of some basic - and not so basic sets of initials
which you could meet when reading the business press in English. First test your partner on what
the foliowing sets of initials stand for. Then your partner will give you a similar test. Then compare
scores.Warning: each test gets harder as you go along!

MD

Director)
(Managing

YP

(Vice-President)

R&D

(Research
andDeveloPment)

PA

Annum)
(Personal
AssistanVPer

MBA

Administration)
(Masterin Business

EU

(EuroPean
Union)

GAIT

andTrade)
onTariffs
(GeneralAgreement

IBM

Machines)
Business
(lnternational

SAS

AirlineSystems)
(Scandinavian

lO

WP

or word processing)
SNordProcessor

||

RAM

AccessMemorY)
(Random

l7

AGM

Meeting)
(Annual
General

l3

GNP

Product)
(GrossNational

14 VAT

(ValueAddedTax)

l5

The 4 Ps

Place)
Packaging,
Promotion,
(Price,

l6

ILO

(lnternational
LabourOrganization)

1
f
J

J
J
1

f
1

J
J
-l
{
r{

_|
i{

-|
|.-

-l
I
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WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER

-l

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-|
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3.+

@PenguinBooks1996

l.-.a

II 1O BUYINGANDSELLING
t

rr
r

rt
r
-

rr
r
rr
r
r
r
r
-

I
I

StudentA

(Negotiating;
urging;declining;reiecting)

3,wng and selling a product or seruice, especially abroad, often involves negotiation - an agreement
''lugh discussion
of the terms of the buying and selling arrangement.

r--u are an import-export agent specializing in high-tech consumer products. You want to negotiate
r:. agreement with the foreign manufacturer of an exciting new computer game. You are now going
. . rave a meeting with this person (your partner). Using the table below,negotiate an agreement
- ,';ering:
. th number of units that you will agree to take: although you think it's a good product, you are
careful about committing yourself too much to a small, unknown company
. the terms of payment
. your discount on the standard price.

Ouontity

Distount

10,000
points
Score:25

90doys
points
Score:Z5

30%
points
Score:25

20,000
poinls
Score:Z0

60doys
points
Score:20

20%
points
Score:Z0

30,000
Score:
15poinls

3Odoys
15paints
Score:

15%
Score:
15points

40,000

ll%o

kore:l0 points

Holfinodvonre
Holf
wifiin30doys
Score:
I0 points

50,000
points
Score:S

lnodvonre
points
Score:S

5o/o
points
Score:S

Score:
l0 points

YOUwouldalsolike the manufacturerto provide:

. a CD-Romversionof the softwareas soon as possible.Thereis hugedemandfor CD-Rombasedgamesin your country.Score5 pointsfor deliveryof a CD-Romversionin 6 months,10
pointsfor deliveryin 4 months,15 pointsfor deliveryin 2 months
c Dwpackagingadaptedto the local market:score 5 points if the manufactureragrees

. promotionalliteraturein the main languageof your region:score5 points if the manufacturer

agrees.

\egotiate an agreementwith the manufacturer.Aim to get as many points as possiblebut do not

:er-ealyour scoringsystemto your partner.At the end of the negotiation,summarizeyour
,sreementunder all six headings(quantity,terms,discount,adaptation,packagingand literature)
:nd compareyour scorewith your partner's.Remember:
your objectiveis to get as many points as
possiblebut alsoto carry on doingbusinesswith the manufacturerafter the negotiationis finished.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

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@PenguinBooks1996

35

r-

11 CASHFLOW
PROBLEMS

StudentA

judging; urging; negotiating)

(Forecasting;

Cashflow problems occur when a company has insufficient funds available to meet existing operating
cosfs. A company may have full order books, but still suffer from funding problems while they wait for
customers to pay.

F
You work in the finance department of a company which has received an urgent order for 150
trailers from the government of a Gulf state. The trailers must be custom-built to meet highly
specific reqtirements and must be delivered in only three months.
Your existing production budget is not able to meet this order on top of present cost commitments.
To raise the necessary funds would involve a 25Voincrease in expenditure to buy the materials and
to hire workers and a further f,200,000in other costs,making a total increase of f,550,000.This is
well above the estimated closing cash balance for the year.
You have a meeting with a colleague in the marketing department to discuss the order. You have to
decide what to do. Here is a copy of the cash budget for the present year:

tr
=
t-

tF-

b-

Openingcashbalance({)
Add

220,500

rcraintc

l-

a!-

Collectionsfrom customers
(Saleslessf | 80,000increasein debtors)
Totalcashavailable
Lesspayments
For materials
(Purchases
less{80,000 increasein creditors)
For sellingexpenses
For directlabour
Manufacturi
ng overheads
For capitalequipment
For generalexpenses

2,400,000

t-

2,620,500

400,000
380,000
600,000
500,000
2s0,000
92,000
2,272,000

Totalcashneeded

398,500

Closingcashbalance

F-

<

F
t

F
d

tr

J
F
)
tl

J
J
J

H
b{

YOU:
. think that the 9550,000requiredto meetthe order cannot be raisedwithin the existing cash
budget
o hsd to know the time schedulefor payment
palment with order + 25o/o
o would want the following terms: 25o/o
on delivery+ the balance
within threemonths,i.e.paymentcompletedwithin six months
e USUsll)schedulepaymentsfor your products over twelve months from the order.This would
be unacceptable
. wonder if other sourcesol finance could help you to meetthis order.

bt

f
J
J
_l
Fr
J

b{

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

36

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@PensuinBooks1996

l-l
.J

12 COMPANY
OFTHEYEAR

StudentA

judging;urging)
(Agreeing/disagreeing
; emphasizing;

3ne way of encouraging smallbusrnesses to grow is to organize competitions with prizes for young
:ompanies with special entrepreneurialflair.A money prize can be very usefulfor a company with
znbitions to expand but limited finance to do so. The only danger for competitors, successful and
-''rsuccessful,is for them to spend more time on the competition than on doing business!

\,:,u and your partner together run a successful small business. You have just won a regional young
::--iness competition sponsoredby the local press,television,local government and the local
:hamber of commerce.
Frrst decideon the following:

Company
activity:
!

at

Mainmarkets:

I
t-

Turnover:

Netprofitmargin:

,J
L

L
1
L
q
L
I
1

Number
of employees:

\orr decidehow you are going to spend the f100,000 first prrze.Some suggestionsare given below.
Share your ideas with your partner and agree on a common plan. You should decide which options
:o go for and how much of the money to spend on each. Draw up a final investment plan for the
'.i-holesum of monev.

YOU would like to:

. organize a well-earnedand much needed holiday for both managing partners

. lease new offices (since you feel that your existing offices are not very good for your image)

r S?ve (some of) it

o upgr?dthe company'scomputersystem
=
I

. buy a marketsurvey from an agencyto researchnew markets

o cotlltnissiona managementconsultancyto do a full audit of your company'sfinancesand

managementprocedures

. buy managementtraining for you and your partnerso that you are both readyfor the next
step in your company'sgrowth.

4
I

t-

List your own ideas.

I
=
I
l-

YOUSTART.

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@PeneuinBooks1996

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StudentA

ORGANIZATION
13 COMPANY
(Declining/rejecting;
iudging;likingand preferring)

=
F
=
=

Companyorganizationis sometimesdescribedin an organizationchaft or organigram,oftena simplified

for keypersonnel.
diagramshowingareasof responsibility

=
=

Your company,Altman Kopp, is involved in negotiations with a competitor, KEP Ltd, over a possible
merger. In an informal meeting, you discuss ways to combine the two businesses into a single
organization, allowing for the following facts:

F
f-l--

PresentStructureof AltmonKoPP:

M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f )
Chemicals Division

Medical Products Division

L-

F i n a n c (ef )
S a l e s( f )
Marketing(f)

F i n a n c (ef )
S a l e s( f )
Marketing(f)

Administration& Personnel(f )
CorporatePlanning(f )

f=
F
=

Present Structure of KEP Ltd:

M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f )
Chairman of the Board (f)
Board of Directors

F i n a n c (ef )
Administration(f)
( F e r t i l i s e r s( f) )
Production
( C h e m i c a l s( f) )
Production
(f)
CorporatePlanning

Marketing(f )

tr
H u m a nR e s o u r c e(sf )

F
---J

F
)

LT

YOU:

J
J
Lr
_l

o w?rt to keepthe basic structure of your presentcompany,but would like to enlargeit to

take in the new product areasthat your potentialpartnersspecializein
o plan to reducethe numberof Altman Kopp directorsfrom the presenteight to five or six
o woht approximatelyequal representationon the new board but would acceptfewer board
membersif the Chairmanof the Board is from your company
o wort to reduceyour presentMarketingand Sales Departmentsto a single department
o wort to createa new Logistics Departmentinsteadof CorporatePlanning
who is also on the Board,is retiring.
. know that the Headof Personneland Administration,

trl

l
H

l
J

:
ll

YOU START.

38

@PenguinBooks1996

"i
:

L
-

t_PRESENTATION
t_ 14 COMPANY
(Questioning
; sequencing)
t:
t_t-

StudentA

l-

l-

l-

LL:
!-

Tradefairsare opportunitiesfor individualsand companiesto make contactswithpotentialcustomers

and otherprofessionalsin the industry.Whilemany companieshope to sign up ordersfor goods, most
are happyto improveconsumerawarenessof the companyand to promotethe corporateimage.

t_are at a trade fair. Introduceyour companyto someonewho visits your stand.Use the following
t_- lbu
profile as a sourceof key facts about your company.
t:
t_t:
Roberlo/a
Zofl
t_- Marketing
Deputy
Vice-President
t(Florida)
C0NTA
Limited
Roosevelt
Building
5

l-

!-

t-

l-l

L-

120-12424thStreet
Tampa
F133660-0047

tt-

Tel(1)81354679900

t-

r-

L.
LLLl-1

t-

L
-

L
-

t
-

L.
,L
LLLL:
LL:
LL-

Name:
Sector:
Markets:

C0NTA
lnc.
Property
development
Japan,
SouthKorea,
Singapore,
Malaysia,
Taiwan,
Philippines,
USA.
199-Sales:
$93.3m
Hotel/leisure:
(21.7%)
$20.25m
Management
(8.0%)
services: $7.sm
Engineering:
$ 1 5 . 0 5( 1
m6 . 1 % )
Property
trading:
1.6%)
$ 1 . 4 5(m
ProperU
investment: $49.05m
(52.6D
100
90

l-l

Grosssales

Netprofit

80

fl

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@PeneuinBooks1996

39

.E-

(continued)
14 CompanyPresentation

StudentA

location of head office (osaka)' the

Be prepared to add other information about the
numberof direct employees (890)'
number of overseas subsidiaries (eigfttl a"a the
Ask about:
tfr"r, ask the other person about his/her company'

name'turnover,markets'sales
o GOtnp?hy
growth
r flaffie/locationof Americansubsidiary
. numberof emPloYeesin USA
r salSof USAsubsidiary
. if the companywas recentlyinvolved in a maior
takeover.

Internrpt to ask for clarification or additional information

wheneveryou like'

=
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-l
Note:
As an alternative' presentyour own company'

=
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F

YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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F

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@PenguinBooks1996

\=
t-_

15 COMPANY
TOUR

StudentA

(Greetings
andfarewells;sequencing;
questioning,
welcoming)

\4
!-

-_
L-

4
i.=

Showing a visitor round your company can be a usefulway of winning customersas well as promoting
the image of your company.

4
You work for a manufacturer of sweets and chocolates,a subsidiary of a major US food company.You
are going to show an important potential client (your partner) round your company.Before you go
round, make a'short presentation of the main features of the tour, using the plan below.Your visitor
,your partner) has a copy of the same plan.

4
!

4.
4

Start by telling your visitor very briefly about the company's main products, its history and its
organization. Then talk through the tour which you are about to make. You want to impress your
risitor with the quality of your products, the sophistication of your technolory and the good morale
ofyour staff.

-_
=
L,

I
I

L,

4
1
>

4
4
1
4
I
4
-

A This is where you are now: the product range.

B A million Munchy Crunchies (chocolate-coatedbiscuits) per day producedhere.

D
E

{l
4

-,

G
I
4

Your medium-range box of milk chocolates- Lotsachocs- produced and packed here.
Warehouse:in the processof being fully automated.
Computer centre: company's local area networks and direct links with the US managed from
here.
Personnel:includes mini-hospital, managed by company doctor,and company health and fitness
centre; you are very proud of your policies on health, safety and welfare.
Very active: numerous sports clubs and leisure time activities for employees,their families and
retired members.

Tell your partner that you'll be happy to answer questions during your talk. Remember that this is
only an introduction to the tour you are about to make.

I
i-

tI

rt -

YOU START.

L-

@ Penguin Books 1996

4l

StudentA

VISIT
16 COMPANY

(Questioning
; regretting)

=
=

Before you visita company, it is usefulto check with the personyou are visiting about how to get in.
you
Somecompanies, for'exaipte those involved in defence, can have strictsecurity procedures which
need to know about in advance.

=
-

you work in a large company which sometimes does top secret research for the government. At the
moment there are worries aLout losing these contracts and about sPFng, and security is tight. You
are looking forward to receiving a visii tomorrow from someoneyou met recently at a trade fair and
have already sent the fax below.You are about to call your contact for the information you need
when you receive a call.

1
2
3
4

EE

Gate A
Gate B
Gate C
Gate D

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southbound

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for +lc rrpufty ynfe' oo tlv gM"M1y..
bnnga W56Yt o( sqw forn4 idertb'fi:zrtton
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YOUNEEDTO KNOW:

o lour contact'sfull nameand companyname

. th car registrationnumberand type of car so that you can reservea space
. whot kind of identiticationyour contact will bring: passport,identity card . . . (it has to havea
photo)and the number.
you are embarrassedabout having to ask for all these details.Say you'll fax the numberof the
parking space bY the end of the daY.

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WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER
A'

I
@PeneuinBooks1996

17 CORPORATE
CULTURE

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing ; f orecasting ; hesitating)

-.e
culture of a company is the set of beliefs, valLtes,attitudesand organizationat characteristicswhich
-ake it unique. Some managers
and businessobseruersbelieve that changing the culture of an
:'Eanization is the best way to significantlyimprove its businesspertormance.
':

:,,uand your partner woke up this morning to find yourselves joint heads of a large international
: - mpany. Unfortunately, it is losing a lot of money.You both feel that a major transformation of the
:"lture of the company is needed and you have brainstormed ten possible policies below. Now go
:::rough the list and decidetogether which ones you will implement.

- fie loinlmonoging
- should
I You
giveupyourbig
dhectors
offices
onfielopfloorsnde$oblhh
yourbose
bythemoin
photocopier
onfieground
floor.
2 Abolish
poy,
individuol
poybosed
infioduce
0nteom
peilormonce.
3 Aimfor50%
ofmonogers
tobewomen
within
fie nexttwo
(Al|hemomenl
yeors.
60%
ofyouremployees
ond5%ofyour
senior
monogers
orewomen.l
'senior'
4 Abolhh
monogemenf.
Reduce
thenumber
ofloyers
in
|heorgonizolion
possible.
0sfor0s
5 Abolhh
fiePersonnel
Deportment.
6 Moke
ollmonogers
flyeconomy
dos.
(ompony
(ors.Poy
7 Abolish
people
0nollowonce
when
fieyhove
todrive
on(ompony
busines.
- yourselves
- weor
E Moke
ollemployees
induded
0(ompony
uniform.
9 Moke
meelings
shorler,
hove
everyone
stund
up.
l0 In$eod
ofmonogers
opproising
getsubordinotes
subordinoles,
loopproise
monogers.
-:--,u
may come up with your own ideas as well.
YOU START.

@PenguinBooks1996

43

I
SPONSORSHIP
18 CORPORATE

StudentA

judging;urging;negotiating)
(Forecasting;

:
,

'

:J
-J
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l-J

l-l

Corporate sponsorshipis big business.Companies give money to sporting, culturaland charitable

organizationsas a way of biinging the company's name and products to the attention of a wider public.
your company has decided to spend a large sum of money on some kind of sponsorship.Yoy-an-d
your partner have been made responsibl" for t".o-mending the bestoption to the Board. You have
,rro"tiirt"a three possible organizations you could sponsor.The cost of each option is approximately
the same.Yori are now in a meeting with your partner to decide on the best option.

:J
:
:

:J
>/
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F-.

FILE T
The football club in the city where your company is based has just
lost its sponsor after going down from the national frrst to the
second division at the end of the last season.Norr the club is
desperately looking for a replacement.The manager has been
sacked and replaced by a well-kno\Mnex-international player with
no previous managerial er<perience.There are no new players in
the team. The club has large debts. Advanced sales of season
tickets are poor and some people Iresaying that the number of
spectators next season could be 20%odown on last ye.rr. Hovvever'
sponsorship would give your company excellent opportunities for
advertising the company logo on the team shirt, in the weekly
match progrramme and around the ground.You can expect two or
three home matches to be televised live during the season.There
are also good opportunities for corporate hospitality at home

_l

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matches.

fILE 2
The gwernment has reduced the grrantit normally gives to your
locJcity orchestra which as a result will have to disband if it is
unable to find money from another source.In fact, you have
already been approached by a committee of local art lovers,
including some representatives from the city council, seeking
your help. The orchestra currently does not have a permInent
conductor.The average age of the players (who are emplqled on
a part-time basis) is 49.The orchestra normally gives six to eight
concerts per year, almost always in the TovrnHdl and another two
or tluee during the city's annual cultural festival. one or two of
these concerts might be broadcast on national radio each year.
The orchestra has a reg:ional rather than a national reputation but
has traditionally been central to local cultural life. some people
say its progTarnmesare too conservative: it rarely plays twentieth
century music' sponsorship would put )rour comp'rny name on
concert plogrranrmes and on all promotional literature.You would
have free tickets for all concerts to offer to clients and prospective
customers.

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18 Corporate
(continued)
Sponsorship

StudentA

FILE 3
Your city is the base for a young troupe of dancers who, in a short
period of time, have gained a reputation for exciting
choreogrraphyand irurorrativetechniqne. One national newspaper
critic hailed them as'the most exciting development in modern
ballet in the last twenty yeus.'Thetroupe is especially popular
with young people: some of their most enthusiastic fans had never
previously been to a performtrnce of ballet. So far they have
managed on a shoestring budget but are now receiving invitations
to perform elsewhere in the country and even abroad, and they
need money to invest in rehearsal rooms, to pay an administration
manager, and so on.At the moment they have no permanent
headguarters.The troupe uenow actively looking for a sponsor
and would be willing to incorporate the sponsor's name into their
own name.Their activities are not, however, without controversy:
there have been complaints about political bias in the themes
presented in the dancing and some people have been shocked at
what they see on the stage.You know that one of the Board
members is unhappy about his teenage children attending their
performances. On the other hand, you have been advised
privately that the troupe could have an international reputation
within the next ten years.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

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45

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19 COSTSANDREDUCING
OVERHEADS

StudentA

-J
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(Judging
; forecasting)
; emphasizing

Costs include production costs and the costs of selling. All aspectsof a company's
expenditure should be recorded as costs and good management aims to keep costs to a
minimum within an agreed budget.

-r{

You wqrk for a subsidiary of an international company.Your head office has sent
instructions that costs should be reduced by l|Vo next year.
Discuss the following options with a colleague and decide which options you would
introduce to meet the required savings.

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(5%
of1,000
sovingl
odofototol
loyoffI 00workers
(2.5%
loyoff50workers soving)
(2%soving)
suppliels
fromdomestic
in$eod
ofbuying
imporl
more
rowmoleriok
innon-essenliol
oreos
offteploil(l%soving)
lOw
energy
lighting
use
fiom25"(to22'((2%
soving)
reduce
heofing
(3.5%
plodud
soving)
plons
ronge
loupgrode
exisling
suc(essful
obondon
(2%
(d dividend
by| % soving)
toshoreholders
(2%
(ontrodors
sovingl.
lo
moinloin
equipmenl
employ

are very keento developthe companyin the mediumand long term

know that the marketis very competitiveand customersare easily attractedto
competitors'products

are sensitiveto employees'opinionsand wishes

think that the companyshould not reduceits workforce

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think the companyshould not changeto using contractorsfor routinework,

especiallywhere maintenanceis concernedand safety could be affected
realizeyou will haveto compromiseon some of these ideas.

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20 CUSTOMER
CARE

StudentA

(Questioning
; iudging)

Customercareis knowingyour customers,knowingwhatthey want,reactingto their

changingneeds,and keepingcloseto them.lt is importantfor all membersof business
organizationsto thinkabout whotheircustomersare and how theycan improvetheir
sruice to them.

\bur partner is a work colleague who is part of a special task force set up by top
menagement to improve customer care throughout the company.The first job of the
ta-.k force is to find out how customer-consciousstaffmembers think the company is
at the moment. (Later on, employeeperceptionsof customer attitudes will be
compared with customer attitudes themselves.)

t1
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tt

lbur partner is going to ask you questions from a customer attitude survey to find out
trow _vouthink customers rate your organization's current performance.

YOU:

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r ?rrSrvrthe questions with reference to your own organization.

YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

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@PenguinBooks

47

21 CUSTOMER
COMPLAINT

StudentA

*J

judging;negotiating;
(Blaming;
declining/rejecting)

=
=

Whena customercomplains,it is importantto resolvetheproblemas quicklyand courteouslyas possible.

=
=

You are the customer relations manager for a British company offering package skiing holidays. You
have received a letter of complaint from a dissatisfied customer.

=
=
-

23 Pennylong Avenue
London NW25PG
27 February I99-

=
-

Customer Relations Manager

Super Skibreak Holidays
27 Porthill
Road
Oxford OX4 2AR

=
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Holiday

receipt

n u m b e r F S B / 4 0 3 9 9 4 /0 2 / 7 8
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have

cki'ino

iust

returned

hroaks"

from

ovtrpmaTrr

one of

vorrr so-enlIed

d-iqnnnnintod

"Fehrttarv

r^r'ith \zn1rr .omn:nv'q

service for the following reasons.

1 The two-star hotel described in your brochure as a
"comfortable family-run
hotel" in fact offered only
basic facilities
The food was poor.
and was dirty.
"
i
f
2 Your brochure also says that
insufficient
snow in
your resort causes lifts
andlor ski school to c1ose,
we'11 do our best to arrange free coach transport to
another resort where skiing is possible." Although
skiing conditions were so poor on three days out of
six that the skiing was unsafe, as your own 1ocal
representative himself admitted, we were not provided
promised.
with the transportation
The

arral itv

of

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-w- a S S o b a d

that

feel

that

I
you should refund me the whole cost of the holiday.
should therefore be grateful if you would arrange for me
to receive the sum of 8691.40 as soon as possible. If I
do not receive a satisfactory
reply within seven days, I
shall take 1ega1 advice.

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(continued)
21 Customer
Complaint

StudentA

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\bu have talked to the local representative who says:

I
I

1 that the hotel is indeed family-run and is usually appreciated for its friendliness.
This usually compensatesfor its fairly basic facilities. Unfortunately there was a
serious flu epidemic in February which led to staff shortages - hence the problems
rrith the food. The customer did not mention hotel problems to the rep.

2 although the snow was not good, there was no question of the lifts or ski school
closing. Most of the other holiday makers would have missed half or one day's
skiing at most becauseof the conditions. Your rep. denies admitting that the
conditions were very poor on three days out of six.

Call the customer (your partner) to resolve the problem.

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YOU:
. feelthat the claimfor a total refundof 8691.40is unjustifiedalthoughyou are
preparedto pay some compensation
r wohtto satistyyour customer'sdemandsand convincehim/herof your
oommitmentto good customerrelations- at minimumcost to your company.
YOUSTART.

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@PeneuinBooks1996

49

b-

HOLDUP
22 CUSTOMS

StudentA

(Questioning;
urging;expressingamazement;
regretting)

=
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goods.
accompanying
Frontierdelaysare usuallycausedby errorsin the documentation
Occasionallyotherproblemsarise wherethe goodsin a particularconsignmentdo not
matchthe descriptiongivento customsauthorities.

l-

t=

You are a director of a manufacturing company,AllenDeal Inc. One of your drivers

has beenarrestedat an international frontier with a consignmentof printed circuit
boardsand other componentsthat he was bringing to your factory.The delivery is
vital for a major contractthat is alreadybehind schedule.Contactthe customs
authority at the frontier and find out:
. the reasonfor the delay
o what is happeningto the driver
o when the lorry can continueits journey.

t-.
l=
l-r
FI

lE

YOU:
. desperatelyneedthe componentsto be allowedto continuethe iourneyat oncea massive$1.5mcontractis dependenton work beingcompletedwithin a tew
days.A holdupwill makethis impossible
o cohhot leaveyour office today - you are due to meet an importantcustomerthis
afternoon
. know that the managingdirectorwent into hospitallast week,sufferingfrom
stress
. knowthat if the companydoes not completethe orderon time,the contractwill
be lost and the companywill haveto sack 100workers
. have heardthat this country frequentlystops lorries at its frontier and there is a
rumourthat the customsofficialsare corrupt.Youdon't know if this is true . . .

ltL=
trtrb!!r
/__1

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@ PeneuinBooks 1996

Li

= 23 EMPLOYEE
MORALE
=

StudentA

(Urging;sequencing
; agreeing/disagreeing)

-=
-

-=
=

Many companiesare reducingthe size of the workforce,whileat the same time expecting
theiremptoyeesto providea highlevelof customercare.Maintainingthemoraleof the
staff is both difficultand necessary,and is becomingmoreand morea central
managementchallenge.

--

=
>
-

You and your partner, in the Human Resourcesdepartment of a company which is in

the process of reducing its workforce by 20Vo,meet to devise a strategy to ensure that
employee morale remains as high as possible during the period of downsizing.

Tell your partner about the following list of five strategic actions which you have
drawn up. Your partner will also tell you about the points which he or she has noted.
Then, together, choosethe five key actions for your strategy in order of priority.

=
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YOU want to:

1 introduce an annual employee opinion survey with responsibility tor analysis of
results and implementation of actions held by the Director of Human Resources

2 introduceweeklyteam briefingsystemsfor all employees

3 createa suggestionsschemewith attractivefinancial rewardsfor prize-winning
suggestions
4 haveall staff attenda seriesof seminarsled by seniormanagementexplaining
the businessobiectivesof the company

=
>

5 providean in-housecounsellingserviceto dealwith problemsof employee

stress.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

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@ Penguin Books 1996

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J)

VISITORS
24 ENTERTAINING

-J
StudentA :J
4
d

(Greetingsandfarewells;introducingselfandothers;
questioning
; sequencing)
; welcoming

_t

-J

r<

Corporateentertainmentis oftenan importantpart of buildinggood rektions with

businesspartners.Enteftainmentmay be formaland highlyplanned,involvingprominent
peoptefrom thecompanyor the region;in other cases,entertainmentmay be more
personalandinformal.

-J
.- l
1

--|

:J
-l

You hre about to receivea visitor from another city or country who has cometo your
hometown for the first time. You telephonehimlher to plan a fairly detailed
entertainmentpackage,lastingthree days.After this time, you plan to begin some
informal businessdiscussions.

:-

I
H

=-

YOU:

. shouldoutlinesome ideason how your visitor could spendthe threedays

. find out what would interestyour visitor

l-

. learnwhat he/shelikes to do to relax

l-

. try to work out a fairly detaileditinerarywith your visitor.

!-

Remember- after three daysyou have to start informal discussionsaboutbusiness.

:
f-

YOU START.
-

When you have finished,your partner invites you to visit his/her hometown in
return. You accept!

:-

WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER

:!-

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@PeneuinBooks1996

t_
t-FRIENDLY
A
Student
t: 25 ENVIRONMENTALLY
OFFICE
t_(Sequencing;
urging;agreeing/disagreeing)
t_t:
t_- More and more companies are becoming concerned about the effect their activities have on the natural
Some companies are carrying out environmentalaudits, others are publishing
t: environment.
environmentalaccounts which try to measure this impact. There is no doubt that this will become a major
activity of companies in the future.
t_t_- -\ part of a campaign to make your company more environmentally friendly, you and your colleague
been made responsible for improving the environmental balance in the office block where you
t_- have
both work.
t_- Look together at the following suggestions and prioritize them.
t-t-I Seporole
wosle
forpoper
bins
ondplosfics.
t(before
2 Seporole
woste
bins
forboileries
recyding).
t(before
woste
fornewspopers
recyding).
3 Seporole
bins
ondmogozines
-

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(before
4 Seporofe
wo$e
bins
forgloss
recyding).

tr{
tt--

plonl
6 Anindoor
onevery
desk.

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perdepodmenl
qu0l0
8 Adoilyphohcopying
loreduce
fie number
of
by250/,
phobcopies
mode.

poper
5 Use
ofrecyded
fff ftephofocopier.

rd

7 Adoily
record
forollphobcopies
sheet
mode.

tl

t' t

9 Apolicy
r00ms.
oftuming
offollelectric
lights
inuno(cupied

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| 0 Punishmenf
ofemployees
who
leove
lights
rooms.
oninunoccupied
| | Use
oflowenergy
light
bulbs
firoughout
thebuilding.

LJ

l2 Redudion
offielemperolure
by5'( firoughod
fiebuilding.
glozing
| 3 In$ollofion
ofdouble
firoughoul.

t_t-

| 4 Incenlives
loencouroge
fionsporl
rofierfion
employees
totrovel
lowork
bypublk
bycor.

l-

youroffices
youondyourporlner
l5 Anyother
suggeslions
which
conoffellomoke
ploces.
m01e
envilonmenlolly
fiiendly

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@PenguinBooks1996

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J
26 EQUALOPPORTUNITIES

StudentA

=
-r

:J
-J
-J
-l
lEl

(Agreeing/disagreeing;
correcting
; likingandpreferring)

F-l

l-a

Equatopportunities,san area wheremanycompaniesand manysfateshaverulesor legislation

designedto protect specificgroups from discriminationor unfair treatment.Such areas as termsof
job securityand workingconditionsare affectedby equal
contract,wagesand salaries,career prospects,
opportun itiespolicies.

F-.

_J
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l-l

E'

You are part of a discussiongroup which must producerecommendationsto the Board on ways to
improvethe.positionof womenin the company.

:J
I
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L-a

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Note that:

b-a

. 58o/o
of the 400 companyemployeesare women
o onl! 5o/ool managementpositions are held by women

:J
J
bra

. th companyhas no policy on encouragingwomen to return to work after maternityleave,

consequentlyonly a very small numberdo return
. th Chairmanhas said he wantsto improvethe positionof womenin the company.
In discussionwith a colleague,prioritize the following suggestions(from the most important to the
least important) to createan enlightenedand progressivepolicy for employment.

t-a

J
lha

Jts
J
:

leove.
molemifi
. Aclively
towork
ofter
fuking
women
lorelurn
encouroge
promolions.
forinlernol
loopply
women
. lmprove
en(ouroging
troining
opporlunilies,
inlernol
ilghts.
. [ncouroge
porl{ime
etc.
with
fullemployee
w0*,iob+hodng,
more
(flexilime).
. lnfioduce
flexible
timerobling
. Provide
focilities.
a6che
. lmprove
wilhfulliobsecurity.
molernity
leove
posilions.
. Seloqu0l0
inmonogement
represenfolion
forfemole
conditions.
inemployment
. (orporole
horossmenl
tobeinduded
sfolemenl
0nsexuol
immediotely.
horossmenl
. Apromise
loinve$igole
reports
ofsexuol
frommonogemenf
. More
woment
choice
ofdothing.
lowords
liberol
ofiilude

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YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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27 FRANCHISING

(Judging;knowing;hesitating;
correcting;
declining/rejecting)

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LLL.
Lr-

StudentA

tranchising is running a business which appears to be part of a chain of similar businesses,each with
3e same name, image and ethos, similar products and a similarmarketing strategy.Afranchisee pays a
+anchisor a fee and in return gets advice and support on how to run the business.

E
L'

L-

\bu are the manager of a franchised fast food outlet in a medium-sized town. Your relationship with
:he franchisor, Eet Up, is not very good.You have scheduled a meeting with an Eet Up
representative to try to sort out some problems.
In preparation for the meeting you have written the following letter, which lists key points in order
:t importance to you. You should aim to achieve some,but not all, of the improvements listed. Your
rand-r*ritten notes to yourself are added, showing your thoughts.

L'

A. Cook
Area Manager (Franchise
Eet Up
Park Grove
-ondon SW152RT

L'

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Agreements)

22 November 19-

)ear Mr Cook,
following
our recent
conversation,
I write
to confirm the
points for discussion at our meeting next month. I would like
to talk about the following changes to our present agreement
which is due for renewal in the Spring of next year:
- a reduction in the franchise fee from the present
$ S O ,O O O

LL,t-

t-

per year

tl- -

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$40^6,ooo-kev poinLlll

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tLou w
w daf r
ud
b s

TncraneinTsatinqfrwn

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, 1

tLhr ree

costs
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+L ILl e^

^j+^

s_LLg.

2a0.
121gfe

- freedom-to buy i-ngredients 1oca11y. SaUe10%

- Eet Up to run more on-si-te staff trai-ning.
It's benbad
- preparation of a quarterly business r"pofa to Eet Up,
not monthly.
- Eet Up to sponsor special promotions, such as
combinations with theatres, cinemas, c1ubs, etc.
- Eet Up to send more information
on market trends.

t_
,^1
t_
-t_
' 1

Looking forward

l--

-,

to

a successful

meeti_ng,

Best regards,
4
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4.
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YOU:
r w?Dtto remainwith Eet Up
. think the expansionof your businessshould bring more benefitsto you, ratherthan to the
franchisor.
YOUSTART.
@PenguinBooks1996

55

=f

28 HEALTHANDSAFETY

StudentA

(Obliging;
permitting;
emphasizing;
urging)

IJ

Companies are controlled by legislation affecting health and safety. ln addition, many have their own
policies to ensure that health and safety rssues are constantly monitored and improved where necessary.

Your company has a very bad record on health and safety. Employee representatives and
government officials have demandedimmediate improvements;otherwise the company may be
forced to close.

You have a'meeting with a colleague to discuss ways to improve the situation.

The following is an extract from a report on incidents concerning health and safety in recent
months.

=
-

January 12:

C a s u a Lw o r k e r e t e c t r o c u t e d b y f a u L t y
wiring.
F e b r u a r y 1 5 : F o r k L i f t a c c ' id e n t
worker
hospitaLized. The operator was not
quatif ied to use a fork Lift.
F e b r u a r y1 7 : W o r k e r f a L L s o f f a r o o f w h i t e c a r r y i n g
out a repair.
A p r i[ 4 :
ChemicatIeak f rom a fauIty waste pipe.
May 19:.
C h e m i c a tt e a k : u n d i L u t e d c h I o r i n e
agents pottuted nearby river.
J u L y? =
Roof bIown off storage depot in a
storm. Two workers injured.
August 23=
Fire on a rubbish tip.
S e p t e m bre ? = N i g h t s e c u r i t y m a n a t t a c k e d b y
intruder. Not discovered for two hours.
Receivedhospitat treatment.
0ctober 16:
Lorry crashes i n despatch area.
W it n e s s e s s a y d r i v e r u t a s g o i n g t o o
f a s t . A I o t o f d a m a g ec a u s e d t o
vehicLe: driver unhurt.

i-

=
=
F
lF
F
F
l-

YO U :
o w?rt immediatedecisionson what must be done and a firm date for implementingany changes
. think that cost is not the issueas failureto improvematterswill resultin the closureof the
factory
. know that the governmentis planningmuch stricterruleson healthand safety,including
powersto fine companieswhich allow accidentsto happen
o w?ht an end to using untrained,casuallabour
o wort a detailedtraining programmeestablishedto improveworkers'awarenessof safety issues
. think that a bettertrained,full-timeworkforcewould improveboth safetyand productivity
. think that maintenanceand house-keeping
on site could be improvedwithout incurringmaior
costs,e.g.by improvingdisposalof wasteproducts.

=
F

=
=
=
=

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.
56

=
@ PenguinBooks 1996

L
E

\H
L.
t-

\
l-

29 IN.HOUSE
MAGAZINE

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing
; likingandpreferring
;
measuring
andcalculating)

\E

\5
L.

5
I

!
5-

An in-housemagazinecan be an importanttootfor internalcommunication.

tt can serueto
informstaff membersof importantcompanydevelopmentsand encouragethemto identify
withcorporateobjectives.

IL
=,
I
L.

4
I
4,
L

You and your partner are membersof a small task forceformedto upgradeyour company'sin-housejournal.Youhavebeengivena free hand to draw up a set of
recommendations
to submit to seniormanagement.
You must:

4,

. identifythe objectivesof the magazine

l-

. decideon how oftenthe magazineshouldappear

l-

. decideon the pagesize,numberof pagesand generallook

4,
1
IL
=
t4

. thinkof a name
. draw up a budgetfor a magazinewith a circulationof 5,000(editorial,designand
productioncosts).

For the content,decidewhich of the following you think shouldor shouldnot appear
in eachissue:

-4

o o hesSsgefrom the Chairmanof the company

o rec|rtsalesfigures

. otherfinancialinformationrelatingto the company'sperformance

r nwSand photographsof new recruits

t-

o hews and photographsof recentretirements

. featurespresentingindividualemployees

. featurespresentingthe work of individualdepartments

--

o colrlp?hysports news,socialclub news,newsfrom the company'svariousclubs

and associations

. interviewswith seniorexecutives

-a

. tradeunion news

o ? sulrllrlaryof coverageof the companyand its productsin the nationaland

specializedpress

d_

. future plansfor expandingor contractingthe workforce

o reGerltacquisitions,ioint ventureagreements
r rechtproductlaunches,newsof futureproductplans.

-_

Can you think of anythingelsewhich shouldbe included?

=.

YOUSTART.

a_

@ Penguin Books 1996

57

-F
<

TECHNIQUES
30 INTERVIEW

StudentA

ng)
(Judging; agreeing/disagreei

I=F
F
F

questionsasked'Many
lnteruiewingtechniqueaffectsboththe styteof an interuiewand the typeof
possible
aboutthe applicant'
b discoveras muchas
interuiewsusea combinationof approaches

F
E

Look at the followingjob advertisement:

F
F

MAilAGER
MARKEilNG

=
F
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compony
developmenl
young
softwore
Anexponding
inLondon
office
wifiitsheod
wilh950employees,
ond
Rotlerdom
inLondon,
sites
ondwifiproduction
groduote
ombitious
forodynomic,
islooking
Poris,
$rolegic
ond
selling
indired
wiftexperience
seclor.
preferobly
inorelevonl
plonning,

aF

F
F
=
F

08005656ondoskfor
Telephone
forfurther
Professionol
Freephone
form.
ondonoPPlitotion
detoils

F
F
I

F
I

into three groups: Personav

with your partner, classify the following interview_questions
(AP),
Hypothetical (H)' Then assess
psychological (pp), Academic and Profe-ssionalBackground
and 5 = rot useful at all' Give
them on a scale of L to 5: where 1 = most useful in ajob interview'
reasonsfor your assessments.
in conflict with colleaguesin your
1 Can you give an example of a situation where you have been
presentjob or in a Previousjob?
2 bo you enjoy working alone or do you prefer teamwork?
in this company?
B How does your op"ri"rr." until now pi"p."" you fol the work
4 How does your family feel about your relocation to London?
- your backgtound is in the food sector - is
5 Given your lack of experience in software development
this likely to be a Problem?
6 What do you do when you need to relax?
in a particular market, what would you
7 If aproduct you were responsible for was obviously failing
do to resolve the situation?
years'time?8 How do you see the future of the computing industry in ten
involved with in your present job?
9 Can you describe a particul., pro5".lit at y:ouhave Leen closety

l:
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Il

|-

f
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31 JOBAPPLICATION

StudentA

(Questioning;
urging)

A job apptication is a formal request for a job. You usually make an application by replying
to an adveftisement. People who apply for a iob are iob applicants.

\-

t=

L
-_
L
=

L
4

t-_
L
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td

tttd

You are the personal assistant to a well-known film director, planning to leave for a
s'ell-earned rest after five years in the post. You placed the job advertisement below in
the national press and received several good applications, including a very interesting
one from your partner. Although you acknowledged this some weeks ago, you have
been too busy to invite him/her to interview. You now receive a call from him/her to
find out what is happening and to get more information about the job. You can tell the
applicant (your partner) about:
. travel: you travel constantly, to all parts of the world, and are away on location

for monthsat a time

sometimes
. hours:from0 to 24 hoursperday- thereareno typicalworkinghours
elementis
r po|: the basesalaryis nothingspecial,the performance-related
relatedto the successof the latestfilm
o problems:livingout of suitcases,the director'sterribletemper,actorsand
whofall ill, etc.. . .
actresses

You can invent other details about the job but you are not at liberty to reveal the
director'sname.

rd

In turn, you would like somemore information about this applicant:

t
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.
.
.
.
.
o
.
.
o

languagesspoken?
typing?
driving licence?
tough?
adaptable?
coh get on wellwith all sorts of people?
experience?
availableas from when?
plus otherquestionsof your own.

HELP! MY PA IS LEAVING ME!

Ld

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lLLL

In fact,we'repartingon goodtermsafterflve
FASTlf you've
yearsbut I needa replacement
film
got whatit takesto be PAto a well-known
at thisnewsPaPer
writeto BoxXPA14T5
director;
now Goodsalary(performance-related).

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required.
experience
filmindustry
No previous

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@PenguinBooks1996

59

31 Job Application(continued)

StudentA

4
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t-

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:-

MEGA MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

7l GracechurchStreet
London N1 1QA
T e l :0 1 7 12227548Fax:01713586037

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Berlin - London - Paris - New York - Rome - San Francisco

rl1.rnn1. rznt
- L n a n Ky o u

frnor r

advertised
shortly

1
y1o6 u1 1rr rrter eceen tn t

post. You will

A
arp- -pl l l- -i ^c- +ai l L ^o* n r ^o- r

hear from us very

=
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Yours sincerely,
/ ' - r t

the

l A

/-!^ru Jh,4*Devito

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Linda

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SMALL
32 LARGEVERSUS
COMPANIES
t_-

StudentA

l-

l-

t_
t_
t_
t_t_

judging;correcting)
(Likingandpreferring;

b.

l-

l-

r
,d

L,d

t_
L-J

L_L-

A company's workforce may range in size from one employee to tens of thousands of
people. Some people prefer to work in small companies, others prefer to be part of a large
organization.

In this activity, you are going to debate with your partner the advantages of working
for large and small companies.You prefer small companies,your partner prefers
large. Use the arguments below to help you win the argument. Add your own
arguments to the discussion.
YOU believe the following arguments:

td

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LL
L
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1 In a small company,you know everyone. Small companies are friendlier.It's good to

be able to get to know the people you work with really well.
2 In small companies,you can sort out problems face-to-face.
3 There's more variety to your work in a small company.You have to be ready to turn
your hand to more or less anything.
4 You are more independent in a small company.When you want to do something, you
don't have to wait for permission from all kinds of people above you.
5 When you work for a small company,you feel proud of making a direct contribution
to the successof the organization.
6 People who work in big companies are too ready to conform.

)4

)4
)4

V
IJ

7 You know where you are in a small company: you're not afraid that you'll suddenly
lose your job without warning.
8 The advantages of working in a small company are freedom, flexibility and
openness.
9 You've got more chance of realizing your full potential in a small company.
You also think that . . .
YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

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6l

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OF INVOICE
33 LATEPAYMENT

StudentA

negotiating)
(Urging;emphasizing;

:J
:J
r:J
:J
- l
td

may sometimescreatedifficultieswherenaturallyone companywants

Cashftowconsiderations
immediatepaymentbut the otherprefersto delayas long as possible.

:J
d

:J
- l

It is now January 7th. Your companysent the following invoicefive weeksago,plus a reminder a
week ago.You have still not receivedpayment.

4
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=
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KWAN SERVICES

--

450-58Jalan Bukit Bintang

55100Kuala LumPur, MalaYsia
Tefephone(03) 77878779 Fax (03) 77878562

:
-

INVOICE
=
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ArndalePromotions
112DepotRow
PO Box4567
NewZealand
Auckland,

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H

1992 December

tfd

Ref.Yourorderdated24 September
Report
SingaporeMarketAnalysisConsultancy

$us4'ooo

Fee:

$US 567

Expenses:

:
:

t-

$us4'567

TorAL Now DUE

Bankdetails:
KWANSeruicesCurrentaccountNo.70852406
BranchSortingCode:20-99-56
CreditBankInternational,
Malaysia'
KualaLumpur,
JelanMelaka200,
Terms:
30 daysfromdateof invoice.

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TelephoneArndale Promotions.

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YOU:

. havea seriouscashflowProblem
r ur$entl| need payment
o remird your partnerof the terms stated on your invoice.

t-

YOUSTART.
62

@PenguinBooks1996

4
i-_
i>

l-

ICEBREAKER

StudentB

(lntroducing
selfandothers;questioning)

1
L-

4
{
l-

1
i1

L
.{

lce breakersare shortactivitieswhichhelppeopleget to knoweachotherat the

beginningof a trainingcourse.
Get the following information about your partner.One of you can ask all the questions
first or you can take it in turns to ask eachquestion.

L
1

L
1
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1
t1

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5
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1 Professional
Find
outyourpartner's:
o 110fi10
o C0lTlpilll!

o c0rTrp?n!'s
(inonesentence)
activity
. jobtitle
. department
. jobresponsibilities
(inonesentence)
. office
location.

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2 Personal
yourpartner's:
Find
outabout
.
.
.
.
.
.

home
family
journey
towork
leisure
timeactivities
favourite
holiday
location
favourite
restaurant.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

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StudentB

ADVERTISING

r+a

:J

r4l

urging)
(Measuring
negotiating;
andcalculating;

)
HJ

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:J
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r4{

Advertising is one aspectof promotional activity used by companies to increase consumer awareness of
the company and its products, and to improve sales pertormance.

r{
d

You work for an advertising agency.You specialize in the sportswear sector.You have received the
following letter:

l-a

rd

You prepare the following notes:

l-a

You prepare the following notes:

REGIS & BENNETT SPORTSCOMPANY
9-10 HouchenIndustrial Estate
Coventry CY3 2TH
Telephone01203542181Fax 01203 542281
L.

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Adrrorticino

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L O N D O NS W 3

Marr

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-^epnt

! v f f v w f r r 6

we look
for

meeti

np -

forward

to

Write

hearing

a new campaign to

tO

your

Promote our

C ^ ^ - + ^
L U
O P U L

Please

call

i rl oa c

Kind

rcoerds

to

arrange

meeting

to

discuss

Wortsddinsts.
+ W esAtruIt-tf5,0n
3. TVadYuhlsnq' ettputsire,
W-WWTnqeaseitt
&Ntunef

atilMneSS.

t Costesttrral!.:2oQ060
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No b fofubatl spqnsoY*uptooo'wnsir'4@-

Sillett

Marketing

U- thal-

2. runrtisnq n sP(s

6CMuL1I4S

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- tarqels
tYaqazu-rds

Dear Lee,

suggestions

iWqa-etLetc{'c

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'+
0n
Co* uttta,[u. I tOO,

114 Kings Road

confirm that

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halvertiseus.tlt
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Barker ,

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Department

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YOU:

o cohhot give any guaranteeon increasedsales but you can guaranteeincreasedGonsumer

awarenessof the brandname,Sporto,if your clientagreesto your suggestions
. have useful contactswith famous Olympicathletes- they are looking for sponsors
r c?nrot, of course,be sure that they willwin gold medals
o ?ccptthat TV advertisingis expensive- but it is the most effective
- perhapsup to 8100,000more.
o would like your clientto agreeto spendmorethan 8250,000

F-

YOURPARTNERWILLSTART.

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AuENDAS

B
StUdENt

judging)
(Agreeing/disagreeing;

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=
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An agendacons,btsof the pointsthat will be discussedin a meeting,in orderto reachagreedobjectives.

\ot all meetingshave writtenagendas,but everyoneshouldunderstandthe objectivesof a meetingand
<nuw
<nowwrrat
whatrSuues
rssueswilt
willue
withinan
be (Jr$cu5.5ect,
discussed,wtuuIl
an agteeu
agreedurIle.
time.

=
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F
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\bur company is planning a new quality programme. You are new to the company and you feel that
,rcmmunications within the company are not very good.You have received the following agenda.

?
L

Departmental
Group
OualityDevelopment

L
ll

Agenda
lorMeeting
- 11.00
Time:
9.30
Date:
14,19-.
January
Place:
Head
0ffice.
Room
2-17.

I;

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1. Customer
feedback
2. Internal
suggestions
3. Ouality
standards

1'

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- Please
Gomments
welcome
call

Ring the project leader with your questions and./orsuggestions for ways to improve the agenda.

I
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YOU:
. leel that the agenda is too vague - it should be more explicit. Make suggestions

. think the order of the three items is wrong - the questionof standardsis the most importantso

r-_
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. believethat communicationswithin the companywould be improvedby havingan internal

quality newsletter
. insistthat your suggestionis discussedin the meeting.

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103

StudentB

BANKCHARGES

|r-

(Measuring
obliging;
correcting;
andcalculating;
regretting)

lt-

Bankchargesare the feespaid to banksfor the variousseruicestheyprovide.Bankschargeintereston

the moneytheylend,but aisocharge feesfor settingup loansand overdrafts,or for assistingin funds
transfers,currencyexchange,the provisionof references,adviceand a widerangeof financialseruices.
You are a clerk for Credit Bank International. A small business customer calls with a query about a
funds transfer that you have handled. Here is a copy of the notification of the funds transfer:

F
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CREDIT BAI\K INTERNAIIONAL

Date:24JuneI9-.

King'sCross Branch

ll-

youraccount.
Please
notethatwehavecredited

l-

Yourref. LeePen& Co - China

l-

lnvoice
dated 2 MayI9-.

total f.2,020.00
lnvoice

To F. Petersson
S.A.

00878654
Accountnumber:

FEE:-

AM0UNT{t ,e95.00p

l-

ForCreditBankInternational

t:-

HLT

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Below is an extract from the agreement between the bank and the customer regarding international
funds transfers.

l-r

Funds
Translers
16.International
fromcertransfers
Inaddition,
transfers.
0f t10 onallinternationalfunds
charge
CBIwilllevya standing
soaffected
total.Countries
charge
of 2%of theinvoice
to anadditional
maybeliable
taincountries
Please
African
states.
andseveral
Korea,
Malaysia
North
Korea,
South
lran,lraq,Japan,
include
China,
list.
thebank
forthecomplete
contact

-)
tH- t

ts

'

eYOU:
o realizthat the t25 deductionwas wrong- it should havebeen810
r realizethat becausethe transferwas from China,the bank should have chargedan extra 2o/oot
the invoicetotal (t40.40)
o calculatethat the customershould only have been creditedwith t2O2Oless t10 less t40.40 =
t1,969.60p
. explainthe mistakesto the customerand decidewhetherto debitthe customer'saccountfor a
further25.40p.

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WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER
104

@ Penguin Books 1996

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L
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BUDGETPRESENTATION

StudentB

(Questioning
; iudging; hesitating
; forecasting)

L
1

L
=

L
1

Budgetinginvolvescombiningsalesforecastswithexpectedcosts.Effectiveptanningrequiresaccurate
cudgetingand also a clearunderstanding
of the effectsof variationsin any particutarfigure,fromraw
naterialcosfsto unitprice or promotionalcosts.

L
-

L
1
L
I
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\bw partner presentsa salesbudgetfor an existingproduct,a mobiletelephonecalledthe CX20,to

a financemeeting.He/sheis proposinga unit priceincreaseof t\Vo.He/sh"o."r the following
illustrationsto showthe effectsof the priceincrease:

4
!

1
!-

I
!

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I

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1
I\-

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4
L
4
L

-4

tig. I torecosl
soles
over
fourquorfers

One:200 Iwo:350 Three:

375

Four:75 lotol= 1,000

I
-

Fig.2 Unilsoles
forerosl
over
fourquorters

--f

=
-

lstimoted
effedof l0%unilprice
inaeose

Unilprice:

Soles:

fl50

fl65

fl50,000

fl 60,875

Totol
coslofsoles:

f50,000

[oslofselling:

t78,000

t50,000
t78,000

-,-..4

Totol
cosls:

fl 28,000

fl28,000

profit:
Gross

822,000

832,875

!-

Estimoted
effecof | 0%unitprice
increose
would
beo2.50/o
ilopinsoles.

@PensuinBooks1996

105

StudentB

(continued)
BudgetPresentation

l-

SalesForecast
E Rtttso perunit
I Rtet0s perunit

o
-g
(g

250
200

150
100

t-r

=2
Quarters

>-

in(reose
ofl0%unilpilce
effecl
Fig.3 htimoted
0ne:195

Iwo:341 Ihree:367 loutzl2

lolol= 975

ts
tl-

tr

YOU:

*-

Discussthe price rise.Ask the following:

t:-

r wh! is the cost of sellingso high?

. how importantdo you think marketshareis?

E-

o dr there other ways to makethe return on this product greater,insteadof raising the price?

E-

. how price sensitiveis the market?

r ?re thereways to increasethe pricewithout losingsales?

F
l-

o could salesbe increased?

o wh?t if competitorsloweredtheir pricesduringthe year?

=E-

WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER

t-1

F
F
Fl:.
*.
F

ts
E106

@ Penguin Books 1996

L
5
L

5
i::::-

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t-

t5

BUSINESS
ANECDOTE

StudentB

(Telling
; sequencing
; emphasizing)

L
l-

ti-

L
t1

t,1
L
{
L
1

t1
!-

,1

An anecdote is a short story which you tell, usualty about something which happened to
you or to someone you know. Being able to tell a story is a very useful skill,both generalty
and in business: when talking to the person sittingnext to you during a plane journey, for
example. This activity gives you the chance to practise telling a story in a business
context.

You andyour partner are going to tell each other a story about a company.Your
partner will begin the story and then, after two or three minutes, you will take over,
using the first sentence below.Then your partner will take over again, then you will
take over again, and so on. Try to talk for about one and a half minutes each time
before handing over.

1
L.

2 The big breakthrough came when . . .

L
1

L
1
l-

4 Jo and Les began to have different

ideas about how the company should be
run...

l-

I
!

6 Now Jo and Les are

--1

YOURPARTNERWILLSTART.

-2
4

-,
4
-.
-_
-_
L

@PensuinBooks1996

t0'l

ETIQUEfiE
BUSINESS

StudentB

(Agreeing/d
isagreeing; questioning)
Business etiquette- forms of polite behaviour - can vary not iust from one country to another, but also
from one pro;,fessionto another, from company to company, even from department to department. This
exercise wilt hetp you measure how far you and your partner follow different codes of etiquette.

-f:-

'frr

li-

your partner is going to tell you about five areas of office etiquette. In each case' your partner will
first tell you how peJple behave in his or her company or department and will then ask you what
the rules or conventiorr, ."" in the company or department where you work. Discuss the differences.
Now do the same for the five areas below. First tell your partner how people behave in your company
or department, then ask him or her about his or her workplace, then discuss the differences.

>!=

F
-F-

conlod:
business
yourbusiness
t00new
cord
doyoupresenl
cords:
I Business

F-

c 05S00fl0syOUmeef?
:-

your
. during
meeting?
. olfieendofyourmeeting?

F-

2
.
.
.
.

Kissing:
lf so,when?
workcolleogues?
lokiss
o(ceptuble
sociolly
isil ever
work
colleogues?
orhug
emblo(e
doyouevel
thontheykissmen?
more
women
kiss
other
dowomen
kiss
ofiermen?
ever
domen

3
.
.
.
.
.

fieworkploce:
outside
colleogues
doyoumeel
Sociolizing:
forlunch?
ofierwork?
fordrinks
ofc colleogue?
orinfie home
inyourownhome
infie evening
oltheweekends?
ocfivity?
0rcultulol
sporling
olher
fieolreff some
cinemo,
formusic,

lendfo:
inyourcompony
dopeople
4 Hours:
eorly?
. sloileorly
ondleove
loh?
o slorlloteondleove
. slorl
lole?
ondleove
eorly
eorly?
o sloilloteondleove
Whol
h'loh'?
is'eorly'?
Whol
5
.
.
.
.

(onlocls,
doyou:
wifibusines
lunching
ot lumh:when
Businers
|helunch?
firoughod
tolkbusiness
ofthemeol?
theend
towords
only
tolkbusiness
themeol?
ofier
tolkbusines
ololl?
noffolkbusiness

lr
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lr
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@PenguinBooks1996

F.r
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WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER
108

l-

L
1

tt!
t=
t1

BUSINESS
GIFTS

StudentB

(Agreeing/disagreeing
permitting
; emphasizing;
;
vetoing)

1
I
,1
4
1

z
-

Businessgifts are sometimes sent to customers or clientsin the hope that they build goodwilt- and help
to secure business.ln many cases the activity is perfectly reasonable and open - but in some cases the
practice of offering and receiving gifts is connected to dubious behaviour, malpractice or illegat activities.

You are one of two purchasing directors in a large manufacturing company with a $70m turnover.
One of your punchasershas been sent a case of Grand Cru Bordeaux wine by a supplier. Some of
vour management colleaguesfeel he should not have acceptedthis gift. At present the company has
no policy on receiving grfts.
Together with your partner, decide on a new company policy on receiving gfts.
Prior to your meeting you draw up the following options:

1
I

MEMO

I
I
4
I

- Gifte policy-choiceo
- Any kindof qifLohouldbeacceptedwith a smilet.
- lf a new
and ouVVliere
shouldbe
Volicyio adopted,all emVloyeel
told by letter.
- Onlyeeniormanaqerlshouldaccew qifNo.

I
1-

-1
1
1

YO U:

4
-

o persor?lly like the idea of gifts - you have receivedsome good ones in the past
o receiveda case of GrandCru from the same companylast year - but you didn't tell anyone

. think you and your colleagueswould only iudge supplierson purelyobjectiveand factual
considerations.

YOUSTART.
4
--_
-

@PenguinBooks1996

109

INITIALS
BUSINESS

StudentB

=
=

(Knowing;correcting)

=
=

When reading the pressin a foreign language, understandingthe initialscan sometimes create almost
as many problems as understandingthe words.
Here is a quiz to test and increaseyour knowledge of somebasic - and not so basic - sets of initials
which you could meet when reading the business press in English. First test your partner on what
the following sets of initials stand for. Then your partner will give you a similar test. Then compare
scores.Warning: each test gets harder as you go along!

:=
:{
=
!-

cEo

Officer)
(ChiefExecutive

!r

2 VtP

(VerylmportantPerson)

3 H R

(HumanResources)

l-

4 P R

(Public
Relations)

l-

PhD

(Doctorof PhilosophyT

l-

ECU

(European
CurrencyUnit)

OECD

andDevelopment)
Cooperation
(Organization
for Economic

ABB

(AseaBrownBoveri)

'AL

(japanAirlines)

r-

=
J

IO DTP

Publishing)
(DeskTop

(CentralProcessing
Unit)

12 AOB

(AnyOther Business)

:-

I3

(GrossDomesticProduct)

cPu

GDP

F
I

<

14 USP

Proposition)
(UniqueSelling

I5

fl-otalQualityAssurance)

MonetaryFund)
(lnternational

Fr

TQA

16 IMF

hr

,J

J
J

YOU START.

'
F
-/
F
J

ts
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ts

t10

1996
@PenguinBooks

rLL'
rlL{

10 BUYING
ANDSELLING

B
Student

l{

(Negotiating;
urging;declining;reiecting)

L'

l-

t_
t-

Buying and selling a product or seruice, especially abroad, often involves negotiation - an agreement
through discussionof the terms of the buying and selling arrangement.

l{

L-

L
L
Lg
L
L
L
L.
L.
L.

You are the owner of a small company manufacturing computer games.You have just designed an
exciting new game which you want to sell abroad. You have arranged a meeting with a potential
agent (your partner), who operates in a region where there is a good market for new games. Using
the table below,.negotiatean agreement covering:
. the number of units that the agent will agree to take
. th terms of payment: you are a small company and have the usual cashllow problems

. the discounton the standardpricewhichyou agreeto paythe agent.

L-

0uontity

Terms

Disrount

10,000
Score:
5 points

90doys
Score:
5 points

30%
paints
Score:S

20,000
Score:
l0 points

60doys
ftore:l0 points

20%
kore:l0 points

30,000
Score:
15points

30doys
Score:
15paints

15%
kore:15points

40,000

l0%

Score:2|points

Holf
inodvonce
Holf
wilhin
30doys
Score:2?points

50,000
points
Score:25

Inodvonce
points
Score:Z5

5%
painls
Score:25

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Score:20pints

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The agent may also ask you to provide:

. a CD-Romversion of your sottware.The current version is on disk and is |BM-compatible,and,

althoughyou have begunthe adaptation,you don't expect it to be readyfor at least six
months:score 15 pointsfor deliveryof a CD-Romversionin 6 months,10 pointsfor deliveryin
4 months,5 pointsfor deliveryin 2 months
o Dewpackagingadaptedto the local market:score 5 points if you resist

r promotionalliteraturein the target language:score 5 points if you resist.

Negotiatean agreementwith the agent.Aim to get as many points as possiblebut do not reveal
your scoringsystemto your partner.At the end of the negotiation,summarizeyour agTeement
under all six headings(quantity,terms, discount,adaptation,packagingand literature) and then
compareyour scorewith your partner's.Remember:your objectiveis to get as many points as
possiblebut alsoto carry on doingbusinesswith your agent after the negotiationis finished.

Hl

YOUSTART.

l_
r-

Lrr-

@PenguinBooks 1996

tll

11 CASHFLOW
PROBLEMS

StudentB

judging;urging;negotiating)
(Forecasting;

ts
F
F
4

Cashflowproblemsoccurwhena companyhas insufficientfundsavailableto meetexistingoperating

cosfs.A companymay have full order books,but stillsufferfromfundingproblemswhilethey waitfor
customersto pay.

{
=
F

You work in the marketing departmentof a companywhich has receivedan urgent order for 150
trailers from the governmentof a Gulf state.The trailers must be custom-builtto meet highty
specificrequirementsand must be deliveredin only three months.
Yourcolleagueis in the financedepartmentand is not keenon the orderbecausethe presentcash
it. Discussthe orderand the presentcashsituationand decidewhat to
budgetcannotaccommodate
your
do.Find out from
colleague:
. how much cash is available
. the estimatedcost of completingthe order.

il

tfl

!-

{
LA

t{
F'

YOU:
. believeyour companyshouldacceptthe order- it could be a good lead-into other business

D-

. think that the existingcash budgetshould be redraftedto take into accountincomefrom the
saleof a further150trailers- remindyour colleagueof this

lr

o estimatethat the ordercould add t700,000to sales

F
-{

. think your companyshouldask the bankfor a short-termloan(aboutt250,000)to meetthe

costs of production
. think therewould be no practicalproblemin meetingthe order if supportfrom the bank can be
arrangedquickly
. imaginethat the customerwould accepta tight paymentschedulein exchangefor a discount
on the unit price- you can promiseto negotiatethis with the client
. think that a discounton the unit pricewould help securethe contract,if you can guaranteea
threemonthdelivery.

;<

ts._F
r.-

l{
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YOUSTART.

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@ PenguinBooks 1996

J
t-

rr 12 COMPANYOFTHEYEAR
rr

StudentB

(Agreeing/disagreeing;
emphasizing;
iudging;urging)

!l
t.
!
-

)ne wayof encouragingsmatl businesses

to grow is to organizecompetitions
withprizesfor young
:tmpanies withspecialentrepreneurialflair.
A moneyprize can be veryusefulfora companywith
=nbitionsto expandbut limitedfinanceto do so. Theonly dangerfor competitors,stJccessful
and
-lsuccessful,is for themto spendmoretime on the competitionthanon doing business!

l-

tt
I

i
L
,1

Yru and your partner together run a successfulsmall business.You have just won a regional young
-.:siness competition sponsoredby the local press,
television,local government and the local
:tamber of commerce.

tq

First decideon the following:

I
-

Company
activity:

1
I

1
!

Mainmarkets:
Turnover:

1
I
-

Netprofitmargin:

Number
of employees:

1
-_
-Z
--

\ow decidehow you are goingto spendthe f,100,000first prize.Somesuggestions

are givenbelow.
Shareyour ideaswith your partner and agreeon a commonplan.Youshoulddecidewhich options
to gofor and how much of the moneyto spendon each.Draw up a final investmentplan for the
u'holesum of moneY.
YOUwouldlike to:

=
-_

. expandthe workforce(how manypeople?who?)

. pay off the company'soverdraft(t27,000)

'4
=
>
-

4
4

. establishan office in your mainforeignmarket

. put the moneyinto a specialfund for eventuallybuyingout your maiorlocalcompetitor
. organizea marketingtrip to a part of the wortdwhich was previoustytoo far and so too
expensiveto visit
. give a specialbonusto all membersof staff
. boostthe trainingbudgetto provideall staffwith increasedtraining.
List your own ideas.
YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

4
=
-

@PensuinBooks1996

113

StudentB

13 COMPANY
ORGANIZATION
(Declining/rejecting
; iudging;likingand preferring)

F
l<

t:!:-

Companyorganizationis sometimesdescribedin an organizationchart or organigram,often a simplified

tor keypersonnel.
diagramshowingareasof responsibitity

t!=

Your company,I(EP Ltd, is involved in negotiations with a competitor, Altman Kopp, over a possible
merger. In an informal meeting, you discuss ways to combine the two businesses into a single
organization, allowing for the following facts:

=
=
=
=

Present Structure of KEP Ltd:

rLT

M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f )
C h a i r m a no f t h e B o a r d ( f )
Board of Directors

F i n a n c (ef )
Administration(f)
Production(Fertilisers)(f )
(f )
Production(Chemicals)
(f)
CorporatePlanning

Marketing(f )

-i
rJ

H u m a nR e s o u r c e(sf )

-)
H

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Fr
-J
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L-.

PresentStructureof AltmonKoPP:

lr-r

Managing
Director (f )
Chemicals Division

=
F i n a n c (ef )
S a l e s( f )
Marketing(f)

Finance(f )
S a l e s( f )
Marketing(f )
Administration& Personnel(f )
CorporatePlanning(f )

>ra

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YOU:

J
J
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:J
Fr

o walrt to reduceyour Boardfrom eight to four members

. believethat your companyshould be a separatefinancialand cost centre
. alreadyintend to mergeFinanceand Administration
o plsn to abolish the Sales Department,incorporatingit into Marketing

. for the purposesof the organizationchart, you plan to mergeyour productionactivities,with

everythingunder one director
o woht to abolishCorporatePlanning,bringingit underthe MarketingDepartment.

L-

:t

l-

:I
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YOURPARTNERWILL START.

tt4

@PenguinBooks196

D-

tt 14 COMPANYPRESENTATION
tt

StudentB

(Questioning
; sequencing)

L
I

II

t_
,
I
I

iI

rrade fairs are opportunitiesfor individuals and companies to make contacts with potentialcustomers
and other professionals in the industry. While many companies hope to sign up orders for goods, most
are happy to improve consumer awareness of the company and to promote the corporate image.

\bu are at a trade fair. You visit the stand of a company called Conta Inc. You talk to someonethere
a'oout Conta. Ask in particular about:

. where the company is based

o ovrS&ssubsidiaries
. number of employees.

Intermpt to ask for clarification or additional information whenever you like.

|l

Then talk about your own company,Edile S.p.A., using the following profile as a source of key facts.

I
I
-

THEO/A MARTIN
Sales& marketing Department

i
-

Edile I nternational (Singapore) Limited

48 TanneryRow, Cencon Building,
Singapore 1336
Tel747 7676Fax747 7688

:
=
:
=
:
=

Name:
Sector:
Markets:
199- Sales:

Edile S.p.A.
Property development
Italy, Europe, South East Asia, United States,Argentina.
$373m.

=
)
I

@ 250

! zoo
150

100

t
I

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@PenguinBooks 1996

115

(continued)
14 CompanyPresentation

StudentB

rJ

)
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:J
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-_J
lrJ

Include any of the following additional information:

>.d

>-a

Head ffice:
Subsidiaries:

Milan,ItalY'

>.-a

Edile International in France,Germany' UK' Argentina'

Singapore,United Statesof America (Chicago and New
York) and (planned for next year) Brazil and Japan'

liJ

WorTdwideemployees:

more than 4,000'

:J
:J
>-a

Current major project:

new SpaceResearchCentre in Houston, Texas.

>-l

Recent takeover of Bab Ltd (UK).

>-a

-J

:J
>-r
:J

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F-r

Note:
As an alternative, present your own company.
YOU START.

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It

15 COMPANY
TOUR

StudentB

(Greetings
questioning,
andfarewells;sequencing;
welcoming)

tL
tI
I

S"owing a visitor round your company can be a usefulway of winning customers as well as promoting
:-e mage of your company.

a
I

t
?
I
i
>

: : u are a potential client of a manufacturer of sweets and chocolates,a subsidiary of a major US

:,--d company.You are at the main plant of the company and one of its managers (your partner) is
::,rng to show you.round the site.
3efore you start, the manager is going to make a short presentation of the main features of the tour,
--:urg the plan below. He/she will tell you about the company's main products, its history and its
,rganization. Then he/she will talk through the tour which you are about to make.

7
L
P
L
F
I
.I

iI
i
B
ProductionArea 1:
ItlunchyCrunchleg

:
=
I

:
t

Y O U:

:
=

are lookingfor a companywhich:

:
=
I

:
=

. manufacturesquality products
. is technologicallysophisticated
. has progressivehuman resourcespolicies.
ask for as much detailas you can on:
. the company'sproducts
. its computerand telecommunicationssystems
. its health,safety and welfarepolicies

:
=
I

whileyou listento your partner'sinitialpresentation.

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

:
=
I

@PenguinBooks1996

tt7

L.J

StudentB

16 COMPANY
VISIT

)
>J

_l

rJ

(Question
ing; regretting)

Before you visit a company, it is usefulto check with the person you are visiting about how to get in.
Some companies, for example those involved in defence, can have strictsecurity procedures which you
need to know about in advance.

:J
I
r
:J

Dd

-l

=
>-l

You are planning to visit a contact whom you met at a trade fair and who works in a large company
which has recently tightened up its security becauseof industrial espionage.Your contact has faxed
you a plan of the premises but the bottom half of the page of the fax was eaten by your machine. The
meeting is tomorrow. Telephone your contact to ask how to get inside.

:J
:J

>.f

>-l

:J

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=
=
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sati ,.
2 GaFB
I Grbc
4 GalD

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explainthat there was a problemwith the fax

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find out whereyour contact'sofficeis

find out whereto park

tind out which gateto use.

YOU:

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=

YOUSTART.

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@PenguinBooks1996

I
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L-

17 CORPORATE
CULTURE
F
\-

StudentB

r{

t_

(Agreeing/disagreeing;
hesitating)
forecasting;

1
I
L

1
I

|
=

nake it unique.Somemanagersand businessobseruersbelievethat changingthe cultureof an

crganizationis the bestway to significantlyimproveifsbusinesspertormance.

L
,4
i_
,1
L
I

\bu and your partner woke up this morning to find yourselves joint heads of a large international
company.Unfortunately, it is losing a lot of money.You both feel that a major transformation of the
culture of the company is needed and you have brainstormed ten possible policies below. Now go
through the list and decide together which ones you will implement.

tI
t=

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- should
- fieioinlmonoging
give
upyoulbig
direclors
| You
your
bose
byfiemoin
ond
estoblhh
offices
onthetopfloor
floor.
onfieground
PhotocoPier

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t-

poy,
poybosed
0nleom
introduce
2 Abolish
individuol
pelformon(e.

wilhin
thenexllwo
lobewomen
ofmonogers
3 Aimfor50%
(Atfie momenf
yeors.
ond5%ofyour
60%
ofyoulemployees
monogels
orewomen.)
seniff

1
4
1

'senior'
in
ofloyers
Reduce
fie number
4 Abolish
monogemenl.
0sfor0spossible.
fteorgonizolion
Deporlment.
thePenonnel
5 Abolish

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flyeconomy
dos.
6 Moke
ollmonogers
(ompony
(ors.
people
fieyhove
when
0nollowonce
Poy
7 Abolhh
todrive
oniompony
business.
- weor
- yourselves
0(ompony
included
ollemployees
8 Moke
uniform.
up.
shnd
meelings
shorler,
hove
evetyone
9 Moke

=
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gelsubordinofes
opproising
subordinoles,
| 0 In$eod
ofmonogers
monogers'
looPProise

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You may come up with your own ideas as well.

YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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@PenguinBooks1996

ll9

18 CORPORATE
SPONSORSHIP

StudentB

judging;urging;negotiating)
(Forecasting;

=
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Corporate sponsorship is big business.Companies give money to sporting, cultural and charitable
organizationsas a way of bringing the company's name and products to the attention of a wider public.

Your company has decidedto spend a large sum of money on somekind of sponsorship.You and
your partner have been made responsible for recommending the best option to the Board. You have
shortlisted three possible organizations you could sponsor.The cost of each option is approximately
the same.You are now in a meeting with your partner to decide on the best option.

FILE T
The football club in the city where )rour company is based has just
lost its sponsor after going down from the national first to the
second division at the end of the last season.Now the club is
desperately looking for a replacement.The manager has been
sacked and replaced by a well-knorrn ex-international player with
no previous managerial experience.There rreno new players in
the team. The club has large debts. Advanced sales of season
tickets are poor and some people are saying that the number of
spectators next season could be 2Oo/odovrn on last year. However,
sponsorship would give your company excellent opportunities for
advertising the company logo on the team shirt, in the weekly
match programme and around the grround.Youcan e:rpect two or
three home matches to be televised live during the season.There
are also good opportunities for corporate hospitality at home
matches.

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The government has reduced the gnant it normally gives to your
local city orchestra which as a result will have to disband if it is
unable to find money from another source.In fact,you have already
been approached by a committee of local art lovers, including
some representatives from the city council, seeking your help. The
orchestra currently does not have a permanent conductor.The
average age of the players (who are employed on a part-time
basis) is 49. The orchestra normally gives six to eight concerts per
year, almost always in the Toum Hall and another two or three
during the city's annual cultural festival. One or two of these
concerts might be broadcast on national radio each year.The
orchestra has a regional rather than a national reputation but has
traditionally been central to local cultural life. Some people say its
progrrammesIretoo conservative: it rarely plays twentieth
century music. Sponsorship would put your company name on
concert prograrnmes and on all promotional literature.You would
have free tickets for all concerts to offer to clients and prospective
customers.

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18 Corporate
Sponsorship

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FILE 3
Your city is the base for a young troupe of dancers who, in a short
period of time, have gained a reputation for exciting
choreography and irurovative technique. One national newspaper
critic hailed them as'the most exciting development in modern
ballet in the last twenty years.'The troupe is especially popular
with young people: some of their most enthusiastic fans had never
previously been to a performance of ballet. So far they have
. managed on a shoestring budget but are now receiving invitations
to perform elsewhere in the country and even abroad, and they
need money to invest in rehearsal rooms, to pay an administration
manager; and so on.At the moment they have no permanent
headguarters. The troupe are novvactively looking for a sponsor
and would be willing to incorporate the sponsor's name into their
own name.Their activities are not, however, without contrwersy:
there have been complaints about political bias in the themes
presented in the dancing and some people have been shocked at
what they see on the stage.You knor that one of the Board
members is unhappy about his teenage children attending their
performances. On the other hand, you have been advised
privately that the troupe could have an international reputation
within the next ten years.

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19 COSTSANDREDUCING
OVERHEADS

StudentB

(Judging
; emphasizing
; forecasting)

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Cosfs include production costs and the costs of selling. Allaspects of a company's
expenditure should be recorded as costs and good management aims to keep costs to a
minimum within an agreed budget.

rd

You.work for a subsidiary of an international company.Your head office has sent

instructions that costs should be reduced by LUVonextyear.

Discuss the following options with a colleague and decide which options you would
introduce in order to meet the required savings.

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.
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.
.
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(5%
loyoffI 00workers
outof0lotol
of1,000
soving)
(2.5%
loyoff50workers
soving)
(2%soving|
fromdome$ic
suppliels
imporl
more
rowmoleriols
in$eod
ofbuying
lighfing
innon-essenfiol
oreos
offteplonl(l %soving)
uselOw
energy
reduce
heoting
from
25"(to22C(2%
soving)
(3.5%
produd
plons
soving)
ronge
toupgrode
exisling
su(cessful
obondon
toshoreholders
byl%(2%
soving)
rutdividend
(2%
sovingl.
employ
conlrodors
lomoinloin
equipmenf

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YOU:

. think the companycan savemoneynow beforea maiorinvestmentin new

venturesin two years'time

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. think your marketshareis very safeand that customerloyaltyis high

o ore sensitlveto shareholders'opinions

and wishes

. think that the companygenuinelydoes needto reduceits workforce

r-

. think usangoutsidecontractorscould be usefulfor many(but not all)

maintenance
tasks

. think safetywould not be affected

o realizeyou will haveto compromiseon someof theseideas.

YOUSTART.

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L20 CUSTOMER
CARE
Lr-a
(Questioning
; iudging)
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Customercare is knowingyour customers,knowingwhatthey want,reactingto their

changingneeds,and keepingcloseto them.lt is importantfor all membersof business
organizationsto thinkabout whotheircustomersare and how theycan improvetheir
seruiceto them.

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You are part of a specialtask forceset up by top managementto improve customer

your
carethroughout the company.Your first job is to find out how customer-conscious
colleaguesthink the companyis at the momentso that later on you can compare
employeeperceptionsof customerattitudes with customerattitudes themselves.
YOU:
. explainthe rating system belowto a fellow employee(your partner),then
o ?sk the questionsin the customerattitudesurvey below to find out how he/she
thinks customersrate his/hercompany'scurrent performance.

Lra

RATII{GS: Excellenl
Good
Sotisfocfory
Disoppoinling
Unoccepfoble

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doyouthinkyour(uslomers
roleyour(ompony
inlemsof:

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2 ofter-soles
service

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3 efficiency
4 friendlines
ondcourlesy

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5 frequency
ofconloct
6 undentonding
ofcuslomen'needs

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7 personolized
service
8 flexibility
porlnenhip,
9 building
long-ferm
loyolty
tocurlomers

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ofcuslomers'
future
needs

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For any rating lower than excellent, what can your company do to improve the way
customers see the company?

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@PenguinBooks196

r23

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21 CUSTOMER
COMPLAINT

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(Blaming;
declining/rejecting)
iudging;negotiating;

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Whena customercomplains,it is impoftantto resolvetheproblemas quicklyand courteouslyas

possible.

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You have just returned from a skiing holiday and have written the following letter of complaint to
the company which organized the package.

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7 . 3 P e n n v '* l- o
n p -A- ' v e n u e
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London NW2 5PG

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so

bad

that

feel

that

you should refund me the whole cost of the holiday. I

should therefore be grateful if you would arrange for me
to receive the sum of 8691.40 as soon as possible. Tf I
reply within seven days, I
do not receive a satisfactory
shall take legal advice.

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51r/ Ivlaoam,

"February
I have just returned from one of your so-ca11ed
skiing breaks" extremely disappointed with your company's
service for the following reasons.
1 The two-star hotel descrj-bed in your brochure as a
"comfortable family-run hotel" in fact offered only
The food was poor.
and was dirty.
basic facilities
"if insufficient
snow in
2 Your brochure also says that
t
o
c
1ose,
your resort causes lifts
a n d /o r s k i s c h o o l
we'11 do our best to arrange free coach transport to
another resort where skiing is possible." Although
skiing conditions were so poor on three days out of
sj-x that the skiing was unsafe, as your own 1ocal
representative himself admitted, we were not provided
promised.
with the transportation
The

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199-

Customer Relations

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@PenguinBooks1996

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(continued)
21 Customer
Complaint

StudentB

YOU:
r ?re unhappybecauseyou had really neededa breaklrom a very stressfuljob and
found the hoteland the skiing conditionsbelowyour expectations
. definitelyfelt that it was unsafeto ski at least half the time you were there
e would settle for less than you have claimedin your letter,but want Super
Skibreakto offer significantcompensationfor the inconvenienceyou have been
caused.
YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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t25

HOLDUP
22 CUSTOMS

StudentB

(Questioning
; urging; expressingamazement;
regretting)

=
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Frontier delays are usually caused by errors in the documentationaccompanying goods.

Occasionattyother problems arise where the goods in a particular consignment do not
match the description given to customs authorities.

>
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You are a customs official at a frontier check.A lorry from Allen Deal Inc. has been
stopped. The lorry is carrying electronic components and printed circuit boards. The
driver has been arrested and is now in police custody.The lorry has been held for
further examination of the cargo.

L-

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discoveredthat the electroniccomponentsinvolvedrequiredan export licence

and the driverdid not haveone
intend to searchthe lorry to examinethe cargo in detail in the next few days. You
are very busy at the moment
do not know where the driver is - the police havetaken him away
will not releasethe lorry untilyour boss says you can.This processsometimes
takes severalmonths
cannotdiscussthe possibilityof speedingup the releaseof the vehicleover the
phone,althoughyou could be willingto arrangea face-to-facemeeting.

WILLSTART.
YOURPARTNER

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23 EMPLOYEE
MORALE

StudentB

(Urging; sequencing
; agreeing/disagreeing)

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Many companiesare reducingthe size of the workforce,whileat the same time expecting
theiremptoyeesto providea high levelof customercare.Maintainingthe moraleof the
managementchallenge.

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,1

You and your partner, in the Human Resourcesdepartment of a company which is in

the proces.sof reducing its workforce by 20Vo,meet to devise a stratery to ensure that
employee morale remains as high as possible during the period of downsizing.

U-

Tell your partner about the following list of five strategic actions which you have
drawn up. Your partner will also tell you about the points which he or she has noted.
Then, together, choosethe five key actions for your stratery in order ofpriority.

YoU want ro:

1 introduce full consultation with the trade unions on future redundancies

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-_

pay for all staff

2 introduceperformance-related

>
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4 createcareerdevelopmentplansfor all staff involvingfull consultationwith each

individualstaff member

in particularfor the inDepartment,

5 increasefundingfor the Communications
housemagazine.

programmesfor all staff

3 promisetraining-for-all
and training-for-life

YOUSTART.

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127

)
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24 ENTERTAINING
VISITORS

StudentB

(Greetings
andfarewells;introducingselfand
welcoming;
others;questioning;
sequencing)

>-.

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Corporate entertainmentis often an important part of building good relations with

businesspartners. Entertainmentmay be formal and highly planned, involving prominent
people from the company or the region; in other cases, entertainmentmay be more
personaland informal.

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You are visiting a business partner for the first time. It is the first time you have gone
to his/rer home town.
Your partner telephones you to discuss a three day social programme, before you
finally begin to talk about business.

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YOU:
o ?hSWeryour partner's questions.

YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

Some weeks later, you telephone your partner to invite him/her to your home town.
Plan a single day's formal entertainment for your guest. Offer some top quality
corporate entertainment, including a private concert by local musicians sponsoredby
your company.
Check that your guest is pleased with your ideas. Change any aspects of the
programme that your partner is not happy about.

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25 ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY
OFFICE
(Sequencing
; urging; agreeing/disagreeing)

More and more companies are becoming concerned about the effect their activities have on the natural
environment.Some companies are carrying out environmentalaudits, others are publishing
environmentalaccounts which try to measure this impact. There is no doubt that this will become a major
activity of companies in the future.

As part of a campaign to make your company more environmentally friendly, you and your colleague
have been made responsible for improving the environmental balance in the office block where you
both work.
Look together at the following suggestions and prioritize them.

L
,

'

I Seporole
wo$e
bins
forpoper
ondplosfics.
(before
2 Seporole
wo$e
bins
forbotteries
reryding).
(before
3 Seporofe
wosle
bins
fornewspopers
ondmogozines
lecyding).

L1

(before
4 Seporote
woste
bins
forgloss
reryding).

poper
5 Use
ofrecyded
forthephohropier.

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plonl
6 Anindoor
onevery
desk.
7 Adoily
record
sheet
forollphotocopies
mode.
quolo
perdeporlment
8 Adoilyphotocopying
loreduce
number
by25%the
of
pholocopies
mode.
9 Apolicy
ofturning
offollelectric
lights
inuno(cupied
r00ms.
| 0 Punishmenl
ofemployees
who
leove
lights
rooms.
oninunoaupied
| | Use
oflowenergy
lighbulbs
throughod
fiebuilding.
12 Reduction
ofthelemperofure
by5"(ftroughout
thebuilding.
glozing
| 3 In$ollofion
ofdouble
ftroughouf.
| 4 Incenlives
loencouroge
employees
lofrovel
lowork
fionsporl
rofterfton
bypublic
byror.
youondyourportner
youroffices
| 5 Anyoftersuggeslions
whkh
conofferlomoke
pl0(es.
m0re
environmentolly
friendly

YOURPARTNER
WILLSTART.

IJ

@ PeneuinBooks 1996

r29

26 EQUALOPPORTUNITIES

StudentB

!F-

(Agreeing/disagreeing
; likingandpreferring)
; correcting

F
F

Equatopportunitiesis an area wheremanycompaniesand many stateshave rulesor legislation

designedto protectspecificgroups from discriminationor unfair treatment.Such areas as termsof
job securityand workingconditionsare affectedby equal
contract,wagesand salaries,career prospects,
opportun itiespolicies.

>t{
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You are part of a discussiongroup which must producerecommendationsto the Board on waysto
improvethe.positionof womenin the company.
Note that:

l-

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. 58o/o
of the 400 companyemployeesare women
o onf| 5o/o
of managementpositionsare held by women

>.

. the companyhas no policyon encouragingwomento returnto work after maternityleave,

consequentlyonly a very small numberdo return
. the Chairmanhas said he wantsto improvethe positionof womenin the company.

E-

In discussionwith a colleague,prioritize the following suggestions(from the most important to the

least important) to createan enlightenedand progressivepolicy for employment.

t-

leove.
molernity
. Actively
ofler
loking
lorelurn
lowork
women
en(ouroge
promolions.
forinternol
loopply
women
. lmprove
encouroging
fioining
opportunilies,
inlernol
dghts.
porl{ime
. [ncouroge
wilhfullemployee
work,
elc.
more
iob-shoring,
(flexilime}.
. Iniloduce
flexible
fime{obling
. Provide
fodlifies.
crdche
. lmprove
wififulliobsecudty.
molernily
leove
posilions.
. Seloqu0l0
represenlolion
inmonogemenf
forfemole
condifons.
inemployment
. (orporole
tobeinduded
hotossmenl
slolemenl
0nsexuol
immediotely.
horossmenl
. Apromise
reporls
ofsexuol
l0inve$igole
frommonogemenl
. More
ofdofiing.
woment
choice
lowords
liberol
ottitude

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27 FRANCHISING

StudentB

(Judging;knowing;hesitating;
correcting;
declining/rejecting)

L
L
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;ranchising is running a business which appears to be part of a chain of similar businesses,each with
:ne same name, image and ethos, similar products and a similar marketing strategy.A franchiseepays a
',anchisor a fee and in return gets advice and support on how to run the business.

r
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t-{

\bu are an area manager for a franchising company,Eet Up, which has over 300 fast food outlets.
\bu have a meeting with the manager of one of them, in a medium-sized town. You need to sort out
someproblems.
\bu have received the following letter - you have added some points showing your thoughts. You
realize you will have to compromise on some issues, but do not want to give much away.

A. Cook
Area Manager (Franchise Agreements)
Eet Up
Park Grove
London SW152RT

22 November L9-

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Dear Mr Cook,
Following
our
recent
conversation,
I
write
to
confirm the
points
for discussion
at our meeting next month. I would like
to talk
about the following
agreement
changes to our present
which is due for renewal in the Spring of next year:
- a reduction
in the franchise
fee from the present

$so, ooo per year . Av pre*vrt sizc, no rduottbn po*ible.

a

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llow wcln exbra, seating? Grqnt poosible.lhen 5'1ooh less

"
fee - depeMe on size.
- freedom to buy ingredients 1oca11y. Inpxeibbl: grand

and unifprnity is e*enbial!

idenbi\

- Eet Up -to run more on--site staff

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combi-nations with theatres,

cinemas, clubs , etc . Posoiblet
- Eet Up to send more information
on market trends . O.rc.
Looking forward

to

a successful

meeting,

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WILLSTART.

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@PenguinBooks1996

131

28 HEALTHANDSAFETY

StudentB

urging)
permitting;
emphasizing;
(Obliging;

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Companies are controlled by legistationaffecting heatth and safety. ln addition, many have their own
poticiesto ensure that heatth and safetyissues are constanttymonitored and improved where necessary.

F
t-

Your company has a very bad record on health and safety. Employee representatives and
gorr"rr*urrt officials have demanded immediate improvements; otherwise the company may be
forced to close.

You have a meeting with a colleague to discuss ways to improve the situation.
The following is an extract from a report on incidents concerning health and safety in recent

months.

=
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J a n u ar y 1 2 = C a s u a I w o r k e r e L e c t r o c u t e d b y f a u t t y
wiring.
worker
February15= Fork tift accident
hospitaLized. The operator llas not
quatified to use a fork Lift.
February 17:. ttorker faIts off a roof whiIe carrying
out a rePair.
C h e m i c a Lt e a k f r o m a f a u L t y H a s t e p i p e '
ApriL 4:
C h e m i c a LL e a k : u n d i t u t e d c h L o r i n e
t4ay 19=
a g e n t s p o Lt u t e d n e a r b Y r i v e r Roof bLown of f storage dePot i n a
JuIy 2;
storm. Two trorkers injuredFire on a rubbish tiP.
August 23=
N
ight security man attacked bY
r
2
=
Septembe
intruder. Not discovered for two hours'
ReceivedhospitaI treatment0ctober 16= Lorry crashes i n desPatch areaW it n e s s e s s a y d r i v e r u t a s g o i n g t o o
f a s t . A L o t o f d a m a g ec a u s e d t o
vehicte: driver unhurt.

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YOU:

. basicallyagreethat maior improvementsare necessary

o ?re not keen on spendinga lot of money
. think casuatlabourand fart-time labouris much cheaperthan employingfull'time,trained
workers
e or preparedto make radicalchangesit there could be improvementsin productivitywhich
cover the increasedGosts
o or reluctantto makemanyshort-termcommitmentson improvementsin workingconditions
or training.

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YOU START.

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29 IN.HOUSE
MAGAZINE

StudentB

(Agreeing/disagreeing
; likingandpreferring
;
measuring
andcalculating)

L
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An in-house magazine can be an important toolfor internal communication.lt can serue to

inform staff members of important company devetopmentsand encourage them to identify
with corporate objectives.

1
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You and your partner are members of a small task force formed to upgrade your company's in^housejournal. You have been given a free hand to draw up a set of

I-

recommendationsto submit to seniormanagement.

Youmust:

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. identifythe objectivesof the magazine

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. decideon how often the magazineshould appear

. decideon the pagesize, numberof pagesand generallook
. think of a name
. draw up a budgettor a magazinewith a circulationof 5,000(editorial,designand
productioncosts).
For the content,decidewhich of the following you think shouldor shouldnot appear
in eachissue:
o ? trless?gefrom the Chairmanof the company
r teChtsalesfigures
o otherfinancialinformationrelatingto the company'sperformance
. news and photographsof new recruits

o news and photographsof recentretirements

. teaturespresentingindividualemployees

i
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. featurespresentingthe work of individualdepartments

o colrlp?lly sports news,social club news,news from the company'svarious clubs
and associations

. interviewswith senior executives

V
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. tradeunion news
o ? sulrllrlaryof coverageof the companyand its products in the nationaland
specializedpress

. future plansfor expandingor contractingthe workforce

o rGer|tacquisitions,ioint ventureagreements
r roGehtproductlaunches,newsof futureproductplans

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Can you think of anything else which should be included?

YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

@penguinBooks
1996

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TECHNIQUES
30 INTERVIEW

StudentB

ng)
(Judging; agreeing/disagreei

=
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tnteruiewingtechniqueaffectsboththe styteof an interuiewand the typeof questionsasked.Many

interuiewsusea combinationof approachesto discoveras muchas possibleaboutthe applicant.

=
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Look at the followingjob advertisement:

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IUIAI{AGER
MARKEIING

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compony
young
developmenl
sofhvore
Anexponding
inLondon
office
wiftib heod
wilh950employees,
ond
Rofierdom
inlondon,
siles
ondwifhproduclion
groduole
ombitious
forodynomic,
islooking
Poris,
sfiolegic
ond
selling
indirecl
wilhexperience
seclor.
preferobly
plonning,
inorelevont

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08005656ondosklor
Ielephone
forluilher
Professionol
Freephone
form.
ondonopplkotion
detoils

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With your partner, classify the following interview questions into three groups: PersonaV
psychologicat(PP),Academic and Profes-sionalBackground (AP), Hypothetical (H). Then assessthem
reasons
ona scale of 1 to b: where 1 = most useful in a job interview, and 5 = Dot useful at all. Give
for your assessments.
in your
1 Can you give an example of a situation where you have been in conflict with colleagues
present job or in a previous job?
2 bo yon enjoy working alone or do you prefer teamwork?
3 How does yoot "*p"rience until to* p""pure you for the work in this company?
4 How does your family feel about your relocation to London?
food sector b Given your lack of experience in software development your background is in the
is this likely to be a problem?
6 What do you do when you need to relax?
would
n
I
If a product you were responsible for was obviously failing in a particular market, what
you do to resolve the situation?
8 i{ow do you see the future of the computing industry in ten years'tfme_?
your present job?
I Can you-describea particular project that y6u have been closely involved with in

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YOURPARTNERWILL START.

134

@ Penguin Books 1996

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31 JOBAPPLICATION

StudentB

(Questioning;
urging)

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A iob applicationis a formalrequestfor a job. Youusuallymake an appticationby replyingto an

advertisement.Peoplewhoapply for a job are job appticants.

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You saw the followingjob advertisementin the newspaperfive weeksagoand immediatelysent

your letter of application.Sincethen you have heard nothing apart from the acknowledgement
below.Call the current personalassistant(your partner)to find out what has happenedto your
application.You alsowant to know more about the job:

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rd

.
.
o
o
r
.

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And remember:this is the chanceof a lifetime - sell yourself!

o |ou speakyour own language,Englishand one other languagefluenily
o |ou can type, and have good word processingexperience
o |ou havea cleandriving licence
o |oU are hard-working,flexibleand havegood communicationskills
o |ou can start tomorrow.

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travel:how much and whereto?

hours:typicalworkinghours?
p?|: bonusesdependon what?
wh?t are the main problems?
the nameof the director!
ary otherdetailsyou would like to have.

HELP! MY PA IS LEAVING ME!

In fact,we're partingon good terms after five yearsbut I need a replacement
FASTlf you'vegot what it takesto be PA to a well-knownfilm directo; write
to Box XPAl475 at this newspapernow.Good salary(performance-related),
No previousfilm industryexperiencerequired.

tE
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MEGA MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

Ld

7I GracechurchStreet
LondonN1 lQA
Tel: 01712227548Fax: 0171 358 6037

H
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Berlin - London - Paris - New York - Rome - San Francisco

Thank you for your recent

advertised
post. You will
shortly.

application
for the
hear from us very

H
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Linda

Devito

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YOUSTART.
@PenguinBooks1996

135

SMALL
32 LARGEVERSUS
COMPANIES

StudentB

(Likingandpreferring;
iudging;correcting)

l-

=
=
l-

A company's workforcemay range in size from one employee to tens of thousands of

peopte. Some people prefer to work in smatt companies, others prefer to be part of a large
organization.

=
=
=

In this activity, you are going to debate with your partner the advantages of working
for large and small companies.You prefer large companies,your partner prefers
small. Use the arguments below to help you win the argUment. Add your own
arguments to the discussion.

=
=
F

YOU believe the following arguments:

1 In a big company,there are more people to meet. It's more stimulating.
2 Inabig company,if you don't get on with one group of people,you can get a transfer
to another department.

F.
F
E-

3 There's more opportunity for specialization in a big company.And there's more

mobility within the organization.

F
F

4 People in big companies earn more money.

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5 You feel proud of belonging to a company which has a national or even an

international reputation.

t-

6 People who work in big companies are not afraid of competing with large numbers
ofother able and talented people.
7 Big companies are stronger during downturns in business.You're less likely to lose
your job becausethe company is less likely to go bust.

ttr
F

8 The advantages of working in a big company are more resources,bigger

responsibilities, more opportunities.

9 You've got more chance of realizing your full potential in a big company'

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You also think that . . .

F
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YOU START.

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136

@PeneuinBooks1996

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LOF INVOICE
L- 33 LATEPAYMENT
L-J

StudentB

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(Urging;emphasizing
; negotiating)

IJ

La

L_-

Cashflowconsiderations
may sometimescreatedifficuttieswherenaturallyone companywants
immediatepaymentbut the otherprefersto delayas long as possible.

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It is now January 7th. You have not paid the following invoicefor servicesreceivedin November.
The creditor calls to ask about your intentions regardingthe payment.

!-,

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KWAN SERVICES
450-58JalanBukit Bintang
55100Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Telephone(03) 77878779 Fax (03) 77878562

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INVOICE
ArndalePromotions
112DepotRow
PO Box4567
Auckland,
NewZealand

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2 December199Ref.Yourorderdated24 September
SingaporeMarketAnalysisConsultancy
Report
Fee:
Expenses:

$Us4,ooo
$US 567

TOTALNOWDUE

$US4.567

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Bankdetails:
KWANServicesCurrentaccountNo.70852406
BranchSortingCode:20-99-56
CreditBankInternational,
JefanMelaka200,
KualaLumpur,
Malaysia.
Terms:
30 daysfromdateof invoice.

L
LLL YOUnotethat:
L_- r |ou havecashflowproblems
.
report supplied by KWANcametwo weeks later than they promised
L o th
|ou havea policy of paying60 days from invoicedate(but sometimesyou agreeto pay before
L- 60 days).
L YOURPARTNERWILLSTART.
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