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Olton Colaboracores John Beate, Isabel Kench, Ron Found, Ale Whit, teatona Language Sklar Realzag: RBA, PoyetosEdtonales SA. Espnhe Comavtador ou arama de quale forma © sot ‘ha, ravaeao ou outros sama permed exressa © Impress: coment atest Srey ome xis Gabo S.A ua oo Curtame, 665, CEP 0506.01, Sto Pave Tele 011) 81574, SP, Bast Disnbucor excusve nar todo 0 Bras Fernando Chapio Dstnbudore S A us Teodore ds Siva, 807, CEP 20969 900, Ro ISON i colegio) -85 250.115 ‘CONSELHO DE. ‘AOMINISTRAGAO Roberto hinew Marino Joo Roberto Morn Fado A Fischer DiReTORA Fardo & Fisher Fernando & Costa Flv Boros Pine ‘lost Antone Soler DbivisAo DE FASCICULOS E LIVROS Distor Filo Bares Po toil Sandro RF. Expt (otra exccutva) Anil dos Santos Mon Coletoadore Hee Veloso inaducto! Merkating: Hetor de Sours Pano (retor) Coos 16. Orunmond (erent de martin, Essabete Garcia Banco lanl, Danilo Borges igeerte de grogurdol, Zita SR. Mie (cooréenadoal Dietor de Gculagb: Dietor de Servigos ao Ch Distor de Aasinatura: Unraars Romero [Assossoria do Comuniea ‘¢ Matting Dirt: Wison Paschal Jt Mauro Costa Santos eetn) ‘Servi de Apoio Editar Anton Care Marques Igerente)DIRECTORS AT WORK Contents Unit 59 @ A Corporate Business G Introduction Teamwork. © Fresh Frozen Foods Pic. Directors at Work Executive directors working separately and together. 0 Dialogue: Getting Blood out of a Stone The company's CFO is asked for money to buy special refrigerated showcases. ™ Business Executives © An Executive Writes The classic way of solving the insoluble. © An Executive Travels Travelling with cargo (2) ™ Business Matters 5 Some Questions and Answers about, Production (4) Quality control Executive Search (34) A researcher for international financial recruitment. § Business News © Portrait of a Hong Kong Businessman (1) A profile of Dickson Poon, the new owner of Harvey Nichols, the fashionable London department store. ™ The Use of English in Business © Composition (1) Writing letters, memoranda and reports. Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrasal Verbs ® Answers 1393-A CORPORATE BUSINESS Introduction ee 7. Subject: Teamwork Although the management of a company is made up of several parts, each with its own interests in mind’, it must act as a team when it comes to making decisions. There can be disagreement among the directors or managers, sometimes even acrimonious disagreement, provided it does not grow out of all proportion. Disagreement is a healthy statement? of differing points of view that must be acknowledged before compromises are made and a decision is taken that is acceptable to everyone. if no such compromises are made then disagreement becomes discord, which is harmful? and counter-productive. When managers are discussing matters strictly concerned with their own department, they can do so without reference to others. Examples of this would be.when the marketing department is deciding on the composition of its sales force or the transport department is deciding which trucks to use for which deliveries. When the marketing department is deciding when to launch a new product, however, it does so in consultation with production, so as to make sure that the product is ready when required. Likewise when production is deciding on ways! to increase its floor space, it does so in conjunction with transport and distribution so that together they can arrange for the speedy removal’ of finished products occupying valuable space. We shall now see, at executive-director level, how constant consultations and cooperation among directors guarantees the smooth running of top management and ensures that it functions as a team and does not become a disparate group of individuals tinged with megalomania. in mind em mente ‘ways maneiras 1304 2 statement declaragdo S speedy removal eliminagao répida Sharmful prejudicial tinged matizadoFresh Frozen Foods Plc. Directors at Work Subject: Executive directors working separately and together. The executive directors The five executive directors of Fresh Frozen Foods meet as a group about three times a week; but there are many ‘mini’ meetings at which only three are present. Even when working separately, they are always in close contact with one another and consultations among them are frequent. All information is shared; so they all know what is going on. One director could never surprise the others by saying that for the last three months, or even three weeks, he had been working on some project or other. As they are at the top of the pyramid there is considerable overlap in their work, which means that none of them can get very far without consulting at least one of his colleagues. The fact that they work so closely together does not prevent any of them from being ‘his own man’ or from running his department differently from the others, In any case, such diversity gives strength to the team as a whole. The director of human resources Charles Garrick has a problem that needs to be discussed with Paul Hemmings. It concerns a revision of salaries for new executives coming into the company. Garrick was told of the problem at a meeting this morning with Dominic Gascoigne and two of his assistants. These three form the team that interviews applicants for executive posts. ‘Six months ago they advertised for an assistant production manager for the Cambridge factory. The salary offered for the post was £18,000. The response was quite good: forty-two applicants in all’. Of these, fifteen were interviewed and three were selected for a final interview with the production manager at Cambridge. A month ago they advertised. for an assistant production manager for the Bishop's Stortford factory. This time, however, no figure® was given for the salary. It was stated that this would be negotiable. They received twenty- two replies. The CVs of the applicants were so good that they were obliged to interview twenty of them. They would normally have had great difficulty in short-listing three, but on this occasion it was relatively easy. The reason was that only three of them were prepared? to accept a salary below £24,000, which explained the high quality of the applicants. Garrick agreed with Gascoigne and the others that if the company wanted the best it would have to start thinking about offering higher salaries to incoming executives. They felt sure they would have the support of Frank Holloway in this, because he had always maintained that if you want the best you have to pay for it, and Fresh Frozen Foods did want the best. This is what Garrick must now discuss with Paul Hemmings, the director of finance. The director of business development Since Tim'Huddlestone's meteoric rise in the company as a result of a report he wrote suggesting a special catering pack of frozen convenience dishes for restaurants and cafeterias, all the young executives in the marketing 1395A CORPORATE BUSINESS 1396 department have been bombarding Harry Thomas with reports on how to increase sales. Having virtually ignored Huddlestone's report when it was given to him, Thomas is now anxious to make sure that no report is passed over. Indeed, he sends them all to Leslie Carrington, the one responsible for the recognition given to Huddlestone’s report. Carrington had just read Norman Tufinell's report ‘Freezer Cabinets for Small Shops’ and was quite impressed with the idea. Tuftnell's thesis is that if the company supplied freezer cabinets to small shopkeepers who cannot afford to invest in one themselves, it could sell them the cabinet over a three or five- year period with the condition (an amicable agreement in writing) that they only stock Triple F products in the freezer during the period they are paying for it. By the time they had finished paying for it and were tree to sell the products of other companies, Triple F would have become established with their customers, especially in conservative country districts, where people don't like changing from one brand to another. In addition, of course, the company would have the free publicity of its name on the cabinet, rather like the Coca Cola name on showcases for drinks. Included with the report was a comprehensive list of models and prices, together with discounts given on orders for 10, 100, and even 1,000 freezer cabinets. Carrington discussed with Harry Thomas the idea set out in this beautifully written and presented report and they both agreed that it was worth giving it a try, even if only as a pilot scheme in one area; though this was dangerous because as soon as other companies saw what was happening, they might well act themselves. Carrington had several reservations about the idea, not least the ethical one of laying down’? conditions. There was also the problem of financing the operation. The next step, of course, would be to discuss it with the man who held the purse strings: finance director Paul Hemmings. ‘THE TUFFNELL REPORT Freezer Cabinets for Small Shops A study of a means to increase sales of frozen foods Contents Page 1. Introduction 2 2. Details of hire purchase sale of freezer cabinets 3 3. Customer incentives to purchase 45 4. Study of calculated sales in one specific area 67 5. Financing the project 8 6. Proposed agreement 9 7. Advertising value of project 10 8 Conclusions 11-12 9. Appendices 13-15 (i) Figures for 4 above (i). Figures for 5 above (ii) Freezer-cabinet manufacturers’ brochuresThe director of production Soon after arriving at the office this morning David Humphries received a telephone call from Handley Food Products to say that Giles Morley, their deputy managing director, was on his way up from Salisbury and should be arriving very shortly. The caller gave no further information other than that the matter was urgent and very serious. Within minutes of arriving Morley had told the whole story. Having stepped up production in order to build up stocks for the launching of their Handley's Gourmet Foods range, they suddenly found themselves short of cold-storage space. ‘Bad planning’, said Humphries with a look of annoyance". While arrangements were being made to move stock out to Group warehouses, an old cold-storage chamber was brought back into service. This broke down during the night and had to be repaired. Unfortunately the maintenance man ‘on night duty left just before he was due to be relieved, so that the day ‘engineer knew nothing about the breakdown. That same morning they had an inspection from the local health department as part of the check-ups under the new 1990 Food Safety Act. Samples were taken of all the stock, including several from the old storage chamber. Two days later, at eight o'clock in the evening, no fewer than five inspectors arrived to close down the factory until further notice. Some of the samples analysed had contained dangerous amounts of toxic bacteria. This action would mean not only loss of production and a heavy fine", but also adverse publicity that could ruin the Salisbury company, Humphries’ immediate reaction was that a staff shake-up was necessary. Heads would roll, as they, deserved to. This could never be allowed to happen again. They would have to send a team down to Salisbury immediately and carry out their own inspection. Humphries decided to go along and discuss the matter with Charles Garrick. The director of finance In order to help decide whether or not to agree to large investments being made in capital equipment, Paul Hemmings always insists on having a memorandum stating the short-term yield of the investment and justifying the purchase. Clearly he would have to agree to the purchase of machinery that would pay for itself and start contributing to the company's profit within a year. Alter all, the money he controls must come from somewhere. This morning he received a request for new machinery for the Evesham factory. As Evesham was the Group's show factory, the one that appeared in all its publicity brochures, normally it was allowed to have whatever it requested. On this occasion, however, Hemmings decided that a recession atfects every and not just some parts of the Group. He could not, therefore, agree to such excessive expenditure at such a time, He called in the CFO and they discussed the matter. As it was concerned with production and to a certain extent’? business development and therefore did not affect the internal affairs of the finance department, agreement was reached immediately. Hemmings decided he should now discuss the matter with David Humphries and Leslie Carrington. If no agreement could be reached, they would all have to speak to Frank Holloway about it "Slaying down impor Mannoyance —_aborrecimento ‘2heavy fine muita pesada 1397 "certain extent certo pontoA CORPORATE BUSINESS 1398 Key business words Comments on key structur Text Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions: 1, Do the five executive directors meet as a group about three or about five times a week? 2. Are all five or only three directors present at the mini meetings? 3. Are consultations among the five directors rare or frequent? 4. Is there considerable or very little overlap in their work? 5. Does diversity among the directors give strength to the team or does it weaken it? What does Charles Garrick need to discuss with Paul Heminings? . When did they advertise for an assistant production manager for the Cam- bridge factory? 8 How many applicants were there for the post of assistant production man- ager for the Bishop's Stortford factory? 9. What did Garrick, Gascoigne and the others agree that the company should start thinking about doing if it wanted to get the best executives? 10. Why is Thomas now anxious to make sure that none of the reports of the young executives in the marketing department are passed over? 11, What did Carrington think of Tuffnell’s idea of freezer cabinets for small shops? 12. Was Tuttnel's report poorly written and badly presented? 13. What did Humphries say about Handley's suddenly finding themselves short of storage space? 14, What did the health department's analysts find in some of the samples they took from Handley's? 15. What would Hemmings’ reaction be if it was demonstrated that required machinery would pay for itself and start contributing to the company's pro- fits within a year? no Notes on the Introduction teamwork trabalho em equipe * Note the phrase when it comes to making decisions — quando se trata de tomar decisces, * Note the use of compromises (concessdes) in the phrase before compromises are made. Compare with the verb to compromise (transigir) in the following: ‘They wanted to have the meeting on Friday and we wanted to have t on Monday, so we compromised and had it on Wednesday. That was the first and last compromise we ever made with them. Two months later they went out of business.Notes on the Text ——— — freezer cabinets congeladores, freezers pilot scheme programa piloto Food Safety Act lei de higiene alimentar capital equipment bens de capital, equipamentos short-term yield rendimento de curto prazo * Note the expression his own man (um homem de idéias proprias) in the phrase from being his own man. * Note the phrase the team as a whole ~ 2 equipe como um todo. * Note the use of shortlisting in the phrase difficulty in short-listing three. ‘There were twenty two on the original list of applicants. This number was. reduced to three. The list of three is known as the short list and the verb to shortlist means to put on the short-list. * Note the phrase meteoric rose — uma ascensdo metedrica. * Note the use of the verb to ignore (ignorar, ndo tomar conhecimento) in the phrase Having virtually ignored Huddlestone’s report. * Note the phrase it was worth giving it a try - valia a pena tenté-lo. * Note the use of the expression to hold the purse strings (ter a chave do cofre) in the phrase the man who held the purse strings. * Note that the caller refers to the person who telephoned (called). * Note the use of the phrasal verb to move out (trar) in the phrase to move stock out © Note that a staff shake-up means a reorganisation of the staff, usually getting rid or transferring or demoting those who are not very good. © Note that the expression heads will roll, means literally that heads roll after decapitation. Used metaphorically, however, it means that someone will be punished for this mistake. Also metaphoricaily someone will pay for this. Key business words Comments on key structurs Non-Executive Directors ‘An instance was recently reported in the British press of a boardroom coup in which the chair- man of a very well-known company was de- posed. Having lost his job, he went to see friends in the City to ask them to use their in- fluence to get him reinsted, he had no success, however. All his friends could do was to advise him to check who the directors were the next time he was asked to serve on a board. There is now much discussion about the need to have more non-executive directors on boards. They are generally chosen (particularly in the US) for their being able to bring more business to the company and sometimes for their spe- cial expertise. They are not chosen, however, to function as independent critics of company policies and strategies. If they were and if there were more of them on boards, it might help to prevent boardroom coups and the dismissal of chairmen, 1399A CORPORATE BUSINESS Dialogue Getting Blood out of a Stone ‘Subject: The company’s finance director is asked for money to buy special ef refrigerated showcases, fi Leslie Carrington wants to install refrigerated showcases in some of the ware- | houses so that customers can see the products and be more tempted’ to order them. Supported by his personal assistant Tim Huddlestone, he is now trying to convince Paul Hemmings, the finance director, to supply the money to finance the installation of the showcases. HEMMINGS: But we're in a recession, Leslie. According to some experts it hasn't even bottomed out yet. In these circumstances how on earth can we afford an investment of £739,000 to install refri- gerated showcases in the warehouses? ARRINGTON: But it's an essential investment, Paul. Have you got the brochure there, Tim? Tm: Yes, here it is. CARRINGTON: Thank you. There, what do you think of those? HEMMINGS: Very good, very good indeed; but during a recession they can't ‘even be considered. CARRINGTON: All right; but what about installing just a few?? For example we could fit our four super warehouses at a total cost of no more than £148,000. Just £148,000 to install the best showcases on the market. They are the best, aren't they, Tim? Tw: -Yes indeed. They're frost free. Their automatic defrost’ gives high product visibility, which stimulates impulse buying. CARRINGTON: In a few weeks these showcases will have paid for themselves, Paul HEMMINGS: £739,000 is too much. We just can't afford it. Not with bank in- terest rates at 17 per cent. Tim: They're modular design, which makes them easy to install, they have maximum mobility, and no special plumbing or electrical wiring* is required. CARRINGTON: Which means we could move them to another warehouse quite easily if we wanted to. HEMMINGS: We can't move what we haven't got, and at £739,000 we are Not going to have them. Tw: They're maximum capacity, using minimum floor space; ideal for | small warehouses as well as big ones. There are single, 2, 3, or 4 door models available, suitable for fresh, chilled’ and frozen foods. HEMMINGS: Why don't we consider the matter in six months’ time? f=] ARRINGTON: All right®; you win, Paul. Remember, though; six months from 1400 now and they'll cost a lot more than £739,000. Incidentally, |‘assume? you won't oppose the installation of showcases in the super warehouses now. That will only cost £148,000. HEMMINGS: Very well. If Frank agrees to it, so will L | must go now, I've got a meeting. See you later. Tw: What was all that about £739,000, sir? CARRINGTON: The only way to get £148,000 out of a finance director is to ask for £739,000. Dialogue Comprehension Answer the following questions: 1. Do some experts say the recession hasn't peaked or hasn't bottomed out yet? 2. What does Paul Hemmings think about the refrigerated showcases when he sees them in the brochure? What would be the cost of fitting the four super warehouses with refrigerat- ed showcases? |. What does the automatic defrost do for the product on show? Does Hemmings say that bank interest rates are at 12 per cent? How does the modular design of the showcases affect their installation? What special plumbing and electrical wiring do the showcases have? Do the showcases use a lot of floor space or very little? 1. What sort of foods are the showcases suitable for? ). What does Carrington say is the only way to get £148,000 out of the finan. ce director? ~ Seenons Notes on the Dialogue refrigerated showcases _vitrines retrigeradas impulse buying compra por impulso plumbing encanamento « Note the use of super warehouse. This refers to WLs (Large Warehouses), four of which are slightly larger than the others and are referred to as super- warehouses, Compare store and superstore; market and supermarket. * Note that frost free means that the glass of the showcases does not get frosted up (ndo se congela). * Note that refrigerated showcases have to be automatically defrosted (degeladas) otherwise it would be almost impossible to see the products on show. * Note the use of modular — separate units. Modular systems are very prac- tical because it is possible to add to them simply by adding more units. "tempted tentados chilled ‘estriado 2 just a few 0 alguns all right ‘muito ber “automatic defrost degelo automatico "assume suponho “wiring, fiagéo Key business words Comments on key structures. 1401BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Writes Letter 1 A branch manager com- plains, 1402 Subject: The classic way of solving the insoluble. When a company executive (in the present case a branch manager) has a grievance’, the letter in which it is expressed is normally brief and to the point. The grievance is stated and appropriate action requested, if not demanded. It is precisely because the letter is brief and to the point that anger and frustration may on this occasion be controlled. If the writer is a valued member of the siaff, a solution will speedily? be found — even if it is the classic solution, as in this case. TWEED & BILLINGTON PLC 168-172, High Street Canterbury Kent _CL3 4SB ‘Tel: 0232 420 2195 Fax: 0232 426 378 JS/FT 16 August, 1991 Mr C.V. Deckes Personnel Manager ‘Tweed & Billington Plc. 40, Rutherford Way Rochester Kent KN4 310 Dear Mr Deekes, When I was transferred to manage our branch here in Canterbury two years ago (12 August, 1989), it was on the understanding that it was on a temporary basis and that I should be back at Rochester by Christmas. In the interests of the Company (in times when it is difficult to find executives with the experience necessary to manage a branch with a tumover as high as this one) I agreed to stay on untill a new manager, arrived to take over. My prolonged stay here has been at the cost of great inconvenience to my family and myself, so that at this stage I do not think I am being unreasonable in requesting, a transfer back to my job in Rochester. I should be most grateful if you would give this request your most urgent attention so that a solution may be found as soon as possible. Yours sincerely, Pa Branch ManagerTWEED & BILLINGTON PLC 40 Rutherford Way Rochester Kent KN4 3TU, Tel: 0251 234 1677 Fax: 0251 237 9812 cua 20 August, 1991 Me J. Sumers Manager ‘Tweed & Billington Plc. 168-172, High Street Canterbury Kent CL2 4S Dear Mr Summers, On reading your letter of 16 August, explaining how your temporary transfer to the Canterbury branch is fast developing into an undesired permanence, I decided that something had to be done straight away. I went along to see the general manager to see if he could come up with a solution. He could not. Together we went to see the managing director. After an hour's discussion that included consultations with the CFO, it was agreed that we should advertise immediately for a branch manager with qualifications and experience on a par with your om. As we do not know how long it will take to find the right person for the job, we are raising your salary by 12 per cent, backdated to take effect from 1 January 1991. You will continue to receive this salary for as long as you are obliged to remain as branch manager. I trust that you find this temporary solution satisfactory. Yours s: ly, ‘1 Manager cov Notes on the Text and Letters ‘* Note that arise in salary is the classic solution referred to above for solving the insoluble in a situation like this. By backdating the rise, the executive concerned will receive at once a sum large enough to keep his wife happy. ‘grievance motivo de queixa ? speedily rapidamento Letter 2 ‘Answer to Letter 1 Comments on key structures 1403BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Travels SCHMIDT: McGit: ‘SCHMIDT: McGILL: McGit; McGi: McGitL: ScHMIDT: McGiL; | ‘SCHMIDT: McGiLL; ‘SCHMIDT: 1404| ScHMIDT: ‘SCHMIDT: ScHmior: oe Subject: Travelling with cargo (2), George McGill, a Scottish computer engineer living and working in Dusseldort, is explaining to his friend Manfred Schmidt the best way for two men and a container of spare parts to get from Dusseldorf to Stirling in Scotland. Schmidt has just said that Stirling is twenty-five kilometres nearer to Glasgow than to Edinburgh. McGill now shows him that this is not absolutely true. On the map | used both Edinburgh and Glasgow are large dots’. | measured the distance from these dots to the Stirling dot and found there was a difference of twenty-five kilometres. Glasgow being the nearer. Have you got a large-scale map? Yes, | think there's one in that drawer. No. In this one perhaps. Yes, here we are: The British Isles. Is this big enough? Perfect. Now on this map you see Glasgow not as a dot but as. a huge conurbation. Edinburgh is similarly represented though much smaller. Less than half the size in fact. Now let's find the airports. Edinburgh airport is outside the city and on the west side, the side nearest to Stirling. It is about three kilometres from the M9 Motorway, which goes direct to Stirling. Perfect communications. Yes, indeed. Look at Glasgow, though. The airport is outside the city to the south-west. It, too, is three kilometres from a motorway, the MB, but to get to Stirling you have to drive through the centre of Glasgow. Imagine doing that during the day. Yes, | see what you mean. Then once you are through Glasgow, the motorway comes to an end? and you have to travel on the main road through several towns before you connect up with the M80 Motorway fifteen kilometres south of Stirling, We must now get on to British Airways to confirm seats on the flight. Our engineer and technician can be at Dusseldorf Airport with the container by about 15.30, which means they can take the 16.25 flight to Edinburgh. Changing at London Heathrow, presumably No, this is the daily flight to Birmingham, so they'll change for Edin- burgh there. They should arrive at 17.30. if they go to Glasgow, they'll arrive at 17.35. We've saved® five minutes already. As soon as they get to Edin- ‘burgh, they can rent a light van, load on the container and drive up the motorway to Stirling, That would take® too long. These repairs are urgent, remember. | shall contact the Scottish company again and tell them the arrange-ments. They will then have a van ready to take the container to the factory and a car to meet the engineer and technician. McGit: You Germans are so organised. SCHMIDT: With a little help from our British friends, of course. Dialogue Comprehension ——————— ———— Answer the following questions: 1. How were the towns marked on the map Schmidt used to measure dis- tances? . Did McGill use this map or did he ask for a large-scale one? . Did Schmidt find the map McGill wanted in a drawer or a cupboard? Is Glasgow more or less than double the size of Edinburgh? Which is the nearest motorway to Edinburgh Airport? . In which direction is Glasgow Airport from the centre of the city? What happens to the M8 Motorway once it has passed through Glasgow? . Where will the two Germans travelling from Dusseldorf to Edinburgh have to change planes? 9. Does McGill suggest that the two Germans rent a car when they gel to Edinburgh? 10. Who will send a car to the airport to pick the two men up? SNOAEer Notes on the Dialogue conurbation conjunto urbano light van caminhonete leve, furgao * Note the omission of the relative pronoun in the phrase On the map (that) | used. Notice the use of though in the following: Though much smaller - Embora muito menor. Look at Glasgow, though —- Mas veja Glasgow. * Note the phrase Once you are through Glasgow - depois de passar por Giasgow.. Note the phrase get on to - entrar em contato, telefonar. ‘dots pontos “presumably presumivelmente 2 drawer gaveta S saved ‘economizamos comes to an end termina, chega ao fm would take levaria B |, Key business words Comments on key structures 14051406 | BUSINESS MATTERS Some Questions and Answers about... Production (4) SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ANTHONY: ANTHONY: ANTHONY: & ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: SHEPHERD: ‘SHEPHERD: SHEPHERD: ‘SHEPHERD: + Subject: Quality control. Anthony's conception of quality control was like most people's: he imagined several white-coated inspectors walking round the factory with clipboards, tak- ing samples of products at random’, checking them, if necessary analysing them, noting down the result, and taking appropriate action if the percentage of rejects passed a certain limit. Mr Shepherd now explains to him what quality control really is. Well, your idea of quality control is more or less the same as most People’s; it has practically no reflection of reality at all. | suspected that might be the case. To start with you can't control quality unless you control the means? of producing a more or less perfect product. it would be absurd to take samples and note down they were all dirty when you hadn't checked the workplace for cleanliness in the first place. Right In the workplace itself the quality controllers are responsible for checking, that is controlling, everything from the lighting and heat- ing to ventilation and waste disposal. They check the power, gas, water, everything. | thought that would be the work of the maintenance staff. It is. But as we've said before, there's always a lot of overlap in responsibilities. Some operations, for example, are controlled in- dependently by production, quality control and maintenance. Yes, of course. Quality control also make sure that there is always enough ma- terial of the right quality available at the right time. Isn't that production planning's job? Oh, of course, this is another example of overlap, isn't it? Quite right. Then comes the machinery; they control that too. They make sure it is the right type capable of doing the work in accor- dance with the product's specifications. They also control the work- force, making sure there are enough skilled and unskilled operatives and that not only do they all know what they have to do but also that they are conscious of the fact that they are personally respon- sible for what they do. Is that all they do or is there more? There's the product itself. They have to make sure it coincides with the designer's specification. They themselves develop the means of testing to see that it does. I had no idea that the work of quality control was so comprehen- sive.‘SHEPHERD: ‘SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: ‘SHEPHERD: ‘SHEPHERD: It has to be if it is to be efficient. In some industries the quality control is very lax’, but in others like engineering, particularly aero- ‘space, and pharmaceutical products, for example, all need a high- ly efficient quality control department. Really we could say that in controlling quality, quality control are controlling production. They are indeed. I'l try to explain it without a diagram. 11 imagine the diagram. put. The material is processed and the re- First you have you' sult is the product. Which is the output. Exactly. At this point quality control take a sample and compare it with what has previously been established as the slandard pro- duct. If the sample corresponds to the standard established, no- thing happens. If there is some deviation, however, then they will do one of two things. Even if the deviation is minimal? | was just about to explain. Sorry. They will do one of two things: if the deviation is minimal, that is to say within the limits established for acceptable deviation, they will allow the process to continue. If, however, the deviation passes the established limits, then they will be forced to adjust the process to correct the fault. You mentioned about taking a sample just now. Presumably, this sample is made up* of so many units. Of course. They might say 100 units for one product or a lot more or fewer for another. They then find the percentage of rejects. ‘And according to this percentage they take action or do nothing. That's right. The method of working out these percentages is only of interest to quality control people really. Would you like me to explain it to you? Not for the moment, thank you. | now have a good idea of the function of the quality control department. | prefer to assimilate that first You are quite right. There is plenty of time to go into technical details once the general idea has been well and truly digested. You make quality control sound like a pudding. "at random Stax ‘made up 130 acaso relaxado, tolerante cconstituida 1407BUSINESS MATTERS. 1408 Key business words Comments on key structures. Dialogue Comprehension Answer the following questions: 1. How does Anthony's idea of quality control compare with most people's? 2, What do the quality controllers check in the workplace in addition to light- ing, waste disposal and water? 3. Which departments sometimes control the same operation independently? 4. Whose job is it besides the quality control department to control the supply of raw material? 5. What must each of the operatives be conscious of? 6. Which industries does Mr Shepherd say need a highly efficient quality con- trol department? 7. What happens when the sample taken corresponds to the standard established for the product? 8. What are quality control forced to do when the deviation from the standard product passes the established limit? 9. What doesn't Anthony want Mr Shepherd to explain until he has assimilated the general idea he has of quality control? 10. What does Mr Shepherd say should be well and truly digested before going into technical details? Notes on the Dialogue rejects _rejeitos, produtos defeltuosos input entrada, matéria-prima output saida, producao Note that no reflection of reality is the same as does not reflect reality - ndo refiete a realidade. + The phrase | suspected that might be the case is the samme as saying That's what I thought - Eu desconfiava que era assim. * Note the idiomatic inclusion of with in the phrase to start with (to begin with) - para comegar. Compare the following What is the plan for tomorrow? Well, to start with we must contact Smith & Hampton. How did the meeting go? Well, to begin with the lawyer didn’t turn up. * Note the use of the preposition for with responsible in the phrase res- Ponsible for checking * Note the phrase | was just about to explain ~ Eu ia justamente explicar. + Note the construction of the phrase Would you like me to explain it..? and also the fact that the polite Would you like is used instead of Do you want. The transiation, however, is Quer que eu explique...?Executive Search (34) Subject: A researcher for international financial recruitment. [+] Zz When an executive recruitment agency (executive search agency or headhunter) receives 100 applications for a post, what does it do about the 99 unsuccessful applicants? Presumably, the best of them go on the agency's applicants database to provide a ‘stock’ of ‘products’ to offer companies seeking management staff and top executives. All the companies the agency deals with would go on to a client database and a ‘researcher’ would main- tain and develop both databases. The term ‘headhunter’ originated not surprisingly in the USA. It is now widely used, particularly in the UK and Germany. The French have translated it into ‘chasseurs de tétes’. Many Italians, however, use the English form as ‘cacciatore di teste’ is a bit too literary. Notes on the Text applicants candidatos Key business database banco de dados words * Note the use of closely (estreitamente) in the phrase working closely with Comments on key management and consultants. structures * Note the use of expected in the phrase will be expected to analyse. Al- though expect is usually translated as esperar, here it has the meaning of contar com. It is usually used in the passive voice, so that We expect the applicant to know (esperamos que 0 candidato saiba) would be the applicant is (will be) expected to know. * Note that team player and self starter (both US terms) refer to one who is capable of working as one of a group or individually on his own initiative. 1409BUSINESS NEWS. Portrait of a Hong Kong Businessman (1) Subject: A profile of Dickson Poon, the new owner of Harvey Nichols, the fashionable London department store. ‘The Japanese retail acquisitions in London are best summarised in the words of the ‘Financial Times’. ‘In recent months Japanese companies have bought the Acquascutum and Daks-Simpson fashion groups, taken a minority stake in Laura Ashley and reached! a trading agreement with Liberty’. Now apparently it is the turn of the Hong Kong Chinese. Under the heading ‘Niche market success for Hong Kong businessman’ there appeared in the ‘Financial Times’ of August 16, 1991 an interesting profile? by Angus Foster of Dickson Poon, who has just taken over the London fashion store Harvey Nichols. Foster writes: Like many Asian success stories, Mr Dickson Poon’s started with a loan from his family. In 1980 Mr Poon borrowed HK$Sm from his father, a wealthy’ Hong Kong watch' retailer. He opened his first shop in Central, the colony’s shopping and fi- nancial district, and went on to acquire the rights to distribute premium Wester brand names like Charles Jourdan and Hermes. As Hong Kong con- sumers became increasingly affluent and image conscious through the 1980s, Mr Poon’s timing was astute, Ten years later his main company, Dickson Con- cepts, made net profits of HK$223m (£17m) for the year to March 1991, from turnover of HKS2.2bn. It hhas built up a list of quality brand names and in 1987 bought ST Dupont, the French company fa- mous for its lighters® and pens. Mr Poon’s private interests, about which he is reticent, include D&B Films, possibly the second largest film producer and distributor in south-east Asia, roughly® 20 per cent of Hong Kong cinemas and various property and other assets. “The secret of our business philosophy, if there is ‘one, is to identify market niches. By so doing, if we are able to find an angle others cannot identify, what may seem to be a saturated market place all of a sudden becomes very successful’, Mr Poon said yesterday. Mr Poon seems to have acquired hhis accent ~ tinged with English upper class — from his education at Uppingham. His preppy look may have been added during his time at university in Los Angeles. Seached ° Siagerin Swatch relégio de pulso 1410 wealthy rico roughly aproximadamente.Text Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions 1, From whom did Dickson Poon borrow the money to set himself up in business in 1980? 2. Which Western companies’ rights did he acquire after opening his first shop? 3. Why was Mr Pon's timing astute in acquiring these rights? 4, What is the French company ST Dupont famous for? 5. If Mr Poon’s company has a business philosophy, what is it? 6. Was Dickson Poon educated at a school in France and university in Japan? Notes on the Text fashion group empresa especializada em roupas de moda fashion store /oja de moda « Note the phrase became increasingly affluent - tornaram-se cada vez mais ‘cos. ¢ Note the use of by so doing - by doing this (by identifying market niches). Compare the following: You should sell it. By doing so (by selling it) you could make a substan- tial profit. «Note the phrase (referring to his accent) tinged with the English upper class - com sotaque da aristocracia mglesa. Key business words Comments on key structures 1991 - A Good Year for Champagne ‘According to the ‘Financial Times’, growers in the champagne of north-west France (an area of 290 x.240 kilometres) have ‘just started to gather in what promises to be the thrid high-quality crop running’ and that they ‘expect to harvest enough grapes for 270m bottles, about the same as the previous two years’. Although a recovery in world demand is anticipated, much depends on the UK and US, the world's first and second largest importers. Champagne, however, is a Grink associated with celebrations and there isn’t much to celebrate during a recession 411THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS Composition (1) a 1412 The layout Subject: Writing letters, memoranda and reports. Anything that is written that occupies more than half a page should have its beginning, middle and end. Obviously this is hardly possible in anything less than half a page; though even a letter of three short paragraphs may follow this basic rule of composition. Note the order in the following example: Introduction (the beginning) Development (the middi Conclusion (the end) Dear Mr Wellard, In view of the fact that the present recession shows no signs of abating, it is evident that every possibility of cutting down on overheads must be investigated. It is with this in mind that | am writing to you. As you know, both our companies have a fairly extensive network of warehouses and transport depots. It occurs to us that we might con- sider some form of cooperation in order to reduce much of the un- necessary expense of distribution. | have set out in the enclosed a few suggestions which, if carried out, would be to our mutual benefit. If any of our proposals interest you, we should be delighted to hear from you. Yours sincerely, Peter Heathfield Managing Director Notes: The writer does not begin by suggesting the two companies cooperate, even though that is the purpose of his letter. He begins with an introduction stating there is a recession and something must be done to cut down on over- heads. In the second paragraph, the development, he suggests that if the two com- panies cooperate, it would be to their mutual advantage. The middle part of such a letter would normally be a development of several paragraphs, but in this case the enclosed memorandum covers that. Although only one short sentence, the end is clearly separated from the middle. In the following letter the development consists of two paragraphs forming the ‘middle’ of the communicationDear Ms Clark, With reference to your advertisement for an export manager (Eastern Europe), | should like to be considered for the post. As you see from the enclised CV, | have all the qualifications, including fluent German, with the one exception that | have had no experience in Eastern Europe. All my business experience has been in the German Federal Republic, though | have travelled extensively in Eastern Europe (please see details of these trips appended to CV). Aged 29 and single | am free not only to travel but also to reside abroad — instead of having a London-based export manager who travels abroad from time to time, you might prefer to have one resident in Budapest, for example, who travels to London from time. | mention this because if | were responsible for a zone in the UK, it would be logical for me to reside in that zone. If selected, | should be able to start work almost immediately. | look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely, John Carter Let us now look at the memorandum that Peter Heathfield enclosed in his letter to Mr Wellard (see previous page). It is a relatively short memorandum, in fact if it were any shorter, it would not be a memorandum at all (though per- haps it would qualify as a ‘memo’. It consists of five paragraphs, three of which form the main, middle part, of the memorandum, Note that Mr Heathfield does not call it a memorandum but refers to it as ‘a few suggestions’. He could also have said ‘observations’. When comments, sug- gestions and observations are set out formally, as in this case, they can be considered as a form of memorandum. SUGGESTIONS REGARDING POSSIBLE COOPERATION BETWEEN JD. BIN- GLEY & SONS AND CLAXFORD PRODUCTS WITH A VIEW TO REDUCING THE OVERHEADS OF EACH OF THE TWO COMPANIES CONCERNED. (Please note that, as stated, the following are essentially suggestions and do not represent a fixed basis for a possible agreement between the above- mentioned entities.) With the number of companies going out of business now reaching epidemic proportions, it would seem that the only way of beating the recession and averting almost inevitable disaster is for enterprises to cooperate more with one another in order to reduce overheads to a minimum. In the case of our own two companies, an agreement to cooperate would be of considerable mutual benefit. Both our companies operate in the southern counties and although we are concerned with the same market, none of our products can be 1413THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS 1414 described as being directly competitive with one another. This being the case, there is no obvious reason why some form of cooperation between us may not be considered, particularly as regards ware- house networks and transport depots. Both our companies have a network of warehouses throughout the southern region. In some cases, notably in Maidstone, Kent; Hove, ‘Sussex; Basingstoke, Hampshire, and Salisbury, Wiltshire, these ware- houses are on the same industrial estate (in Salisbury they actual- ly face each other in the same road). Here, surely, some form of cooperation could be agreed upon to reduce the almost prohibitive cost of maintaining warehouses that are half empty. Both our companies have no fewer than five transport depots, all of which are attached to warehouses. These are at present necessary because trucks are obliged to make deliveries of stock over a wide area. By cooperation on transport and distribution, we could save on time, fuel and labour costs. In addition, it might even be possible to close down altogether some of the depots. While this suggested cooperation between our companies is not in- tended to reach the point of sharing the same desk-top copier or word Processor, there is a large area in which considerable economies could be made. No doubt once round a table, we could discover much more than is mentioned here. Note: In the above’ suggestions set out in the form of a mini memorandum, the paragraphs are’ short because they deal with one specific aspect of the matter. This is better than lumping everything together in one central para- graph. The fact that the ‘tniddle’ of the memorandum is made up of short Paragraphs does not mean that those paragraphs have escaped from the Clear-cut beginning, middle and end form of the memorandum as a whole.Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrases Used ccandidatos capital equipment bens de capital, tos conurbation conjunto urbano database bhanco de dads fashion group empresa especializada em roupas de moda fashion store loja em moda Food Safety Act Jei de higiene alimentar impuise buying compra por impulso entrada, matéria-prima light van camnponete fev, furgao niche market nicho de mercado ‘output said, pilot scheme programa pioto plumbing retrigerated vitrines refrigeradas. rejects: rajeitos, produtos defeituosos short-term yild rendimonto a curto prazo trabalho de equine Phrasal Verbs Used to lay down conditions. estabelecer condigoes ‘to make up cconstituir to move something out ‘muda, tar algo 1415ANSWERS: Answers to the questions on page 1398. 1. They meet about three times a week 2. Only three of them are present. 3. They are frequent. 4, Thete is considerable overlap, 5. It ves strength to the team. 6. He needs to discuss with him a revision of salaries for new executives coming into the company. 7. They advertised six months ago. There were twenty two. ‘8. They agreed that it should start thinking about offering higher salaries to incoming executives. 10. Because he vitually ignored Huddlestone's report when it was given to him. 11, He was quite impressed with it 12 On the contrary, it was beautifully writen and presented. 13. He said it was bad planning. 14. They found dangerous amounts of toxic bacteria. 15. He would have to agree to the purchase of the ma- cchinery. Answers to the questions on page 1401. 1. They say it hasn't bottomed out yet. 2. He thinks they are very good, 3 would be £148,000. 4. It gives it high visibility '5. No, he says they are at 17 per cent 6. It makes them easy to install. 7. They don’t have any. & They use very litle. 9. They are suitable for fresh, chilled and frozen foods. 10. He says the only way is to ask for £739,000. Answers to the questions on page 1405. 1. They were marked with dots. 2. He asked for a large-scale one, 1416 3, He found it in a drawer. 4, Itis more than double the size. 5. The M9 is. 6 tis south-west 7. comes to an end. 8, They will have to change at Birmingham. 9. No, he suggests they rent a light van 10. The Scottish company wil Answers to the questions on page 1408. 1. lis more or less the same 2. They check heating, ventilation, power and gas. 3. The production, qualty control and maintenance depart- ments. . Its the job of production planning. They must be conscious of the fact that they ar ssonaily responsible for what they do. . He says the engineering, particularly aerospace, and pharmaceutical products industries do. Nothing happens. ‘They are forced to adjust the process to correct the fault He doesn't want him to explain the method of working ut percentages. 10. He says the general idea should, per- em~ Answers to the questions on page 1411. 1. He borrowed it from his father. 2. He acquired the rights of Charles Jourdan and Hermes. 3, Because Hong Kong consumers became increasingly affluent and image conscious through the 1980s. 4. Nis famous for its lighters. and pens. 5. Its to identity market niches. 6 No, he was educated al 2 school in England and university in the USA.EXERCISES 5g After having carefully studied the texts and dialogues in the main section of the course, do the tests and exercises on the following pages. When these have been done, turn to pages 7 and 8 and check with the answers. In this way you will know if the material in the main section has been assimilated, Assimilation Test 1 Fill in the spaces with the correct word. The number of letters in each word is indicated by the number of dashes. 1. The five executive directors of Fresh Frozen Foods meet as a _____ about three times a week; but there are many ‘mini’ meetings at which only three are present. Even when _______ separately, they are always in close contact with one another and _ _ among them are frequent. Al information is shared; so they all know what is on. One director could never surprise the others by saying that for the last three months, or three weeks, he had been working on some _______ or other. AS they are at the top of the pyramid there is considerable _. in their work, which means that none of them can get very far without consulting at least one of his colleagues. The fact that they work so _ together does not prevent any of them from being ‘his own man’ or from __. his department differently from the others. In any case, such diver- sity gives __. ._ 10 the team as a whole. 2. Like many Asian .- stories, Mr Dickson Poon's started with a loan from his family. In 1980 Mr Poon _. _ HK$5m from his father, a wealthy Hong Kong watch retailer. He opened his first shop in Central, the colony's shopping and financial district, and went on to acquire the _. to distribute premium Western brand names like Charles Jourdan and Hermes. As Hong Kong x _.. became increasingly affluent and _____ conscious through the 1980s, Mr Poon's timing was astute. Ten years later his main company, Dickson Concepts, made ___ profits of HK$223m (£17m) for the year to March 1991, from turnover of HK$2.2bn. It has _____ up a list of quality brand names and in 1987 bought ST Dupont, the French company famous for its lighters and pens. Mr Poon’s _______ interests, about which he is reticent, include D&B Films, possibly the second largest film producer and _. in south-east Asia, roughly 20 per cent of Hong Kong cinemas and various __. _ and other assets. Now check your answers with the original texts and see how many of the 20 spaces you have filled correctlyAssimilation Test 2 There are eleven mistakes in the following dialogue. The first mistake has already been corrected. Now see if you can find and correct the other ten mistakes. HEMMINGS CARRINGTON vo TM 11 CARRINGTON 12 HEMMINGS 13 CARRINGTON ‘6 TM 1s CARRINGTON 19, HEMMINGS Rm 22 CARRINGTON 2s HEMMINGS a TM HEMMINGS CARRINGTON HeMMinGs an T™ ® as CARRINGTON arked- The company's finance director is tieFfor money to buy special refrigerated showcases. Leslie Carrington wants to install refrigerated showcases in some of the warehouses $0 that customers can see the products and be more emptied to order them. Supported by his personal assistant Tim Huddlestone, he is now trying to convince Paul Hemmings, the finance director, to supply the money to finance the installation of the showcases. But we're in a recession, Leslie. According to some experts it hasn't even bottled out yet. In these circumstances how on earth can we atford an investment of £739,000 to install refrigerated showcases in the warehouses? But it's an essential investment, Paul. Have you got the brooch there, Tim? Yes, here itis. Thank you. There, what do you think of those? Very good, very good indeed; but during a recession they can't even be considered. All right; but what about importing just a few? For example we could fit our four super warehouses at a hotel cost of no more than £148,000. Just £148,000 to install the best showcases on the market. They are the best, aren't they, Tim? Yes indeed. They're frost free. Their automatic defrost gives high product visibility, which aggravates impulse buying. In a few weeks these showcases will have paid for themselves, Paul. £739,000 is too much. We just can't afford it. Not with bank interest rates at 17 per cent. They're modular design, which makes them easy to install, they have maximum mo- bility, and no special plucking or electrical wiring is required. Which means we could move them to another warehouse quite messily if we wanted to. We can't move what we haven't got, and at £739,000 we are not going to have them. They're maximum capacity, using minimum floor space; ideal for small warehouses a8 well as big ones. There are single, 2, 3, or 4 door models available, suitable for fresh, spilled and frozen foods. Why don't we consider the matter in six months’ time? All right; you win, Paul. Remember, though; six months from now and they'll cost a lot more than £739,000. Accidentally, | assume you won't oppose the installation of show- cases in the super warehouses now. That will only cost £148,000. Very well. It Frank agrees to it, so will |. | must go now, I've got a meeting. See you later. What was all that about £739,000, sir? The only way to get £148,000 cut of a finance director is to ask for £739,000.Translation Test Translate the following sentences into English: 1. O que fazem exatamente os “cacadores de cabeca’ (consuttoria de empregos para executivos)? 2. Estas vitrines refrigeradas sdo ideais para expor os produtos. 3. Onde temos de mudar de aviéo? 4. Quantos candidatos hé para a vaga? 5. O departamento de controle de qualidade examina com muito cuidado cada amostra que colhe. 6. Eles publicaram um antincio pedindo um subgerente de produgao para a fabrica de Bristol. 7.As vitrines ocupam muito espaco? 8. As pessoas ndo gostam de mudar de marca. 9. Sao freqiientes as consultas entre os diretores? 10. Ele fez uma fortuna vendendo relégios de pulso. 11. O segredo do sucesso desta empresa 6 encontrar e explorar nichos de mercado. 12. Para chegar a um acordo, os dois grupos tiveram que transigir bastante. 18. O aumento de salario serd retroativo. 14, Dois fiscais do departamento de satide vieram inspecionar a fabrica. 15. Ha muitas lojinhas que tém congelador e vendem comida congelada.Letter-Writing Test Write out the letters below using the information given for each one. 1. When | took over/management last year/small-components factory here/Bedford/was/understanding/ antiquated machinery/main workshop/be replaced without delay/X44 Mark Il Robots. IVnow exactly fifteen months since | arrived/still working/these museum pieces/Industrial Revolution. | really must insis’some action be taken before/too late. If/present situation continues/jusvfew more months/will ‘mean/total collapse/our production/probably/closure/factory. | beg you/treav/matter/utmost urgency. Dear Mr Trubshaw, Yours... 2. Your letter/23 October arrived just half/hour before we/due/have/meeting/discuss/financing/new machinery/small-components factory/which you/manager. Vpleased/inform you/resulvour deli- berations/which/come/very welcome news indeed. Our discussions/based/report specially prepared/ us/by/Business Development Investment Committee/which recommended/immediate purchase/ fifteen X44 Robots. When your letter/tead ouvii/decided/Robots must be installed/in operation by/ middie/next month. | trust/speedy action/meets/your approval. Dear Mr Carfax,Language Exercises — eee —— A. 1. When will they sell the business? They've already sold it 2. When will you write your report? 3. When will Smith bring the files back? 4, When will the send the invoice? 5. When will see the new machine? 6. When will Miss Brown leave the firm? B. 1. Have you seen the new machine? Yes, | saw it yesterday. 2. Have they spoken to the foreman? 3. Has Smith paid the bill? 4, Have they chosen the site for the factory? 5. Have you shown Miss Brown the new word processor? 6. Have they taken the empty boxes away? ©. 1.1Il write my report tomorrow. Smith wrote his yesterday. 2. I'l clean my truck tomorrow. We... 3. I'll check my oil tomorrow. 4. il plan my route tomorrow. The other drivers . 5. I'l change my tyres tomorrow. Johnson 6.1'll collect my pay tomorrow. We .. . 1. When | came in, Smith was talking to the manager. He's still talking to him. 2. When Harris went out, Ms Brown/doing/photocopies.3. When | arrived, Smith/Dean/discuss/agenda. 4. When the boss left, Jones/type/letter. 5. When the lights went out, Brown/chatting/Miss Carter. 6. When Tom went to coffee, the girls/checking/invoices. 1.1 started working with computers in May. We've been working with computers since May too. 2. | started learning Japanese a year ago. Smith .. 3.1 started reading this report about an hour ago. 1 4. started coming to the office earlier last winter. Miss Jones 5. started taking work home about a month ago. We... 6. | started using this machine on Monday. HarrisAnswers Assimilation Test 2 frisked asked aggravates stimulates. 9 ‘emptied tempted plucking plumbing @ bottied bottomed messily easily = brooch brochure soiled chilled. = importing instaling accidentally incidentally © hotel total oo Translation Test 1, What exactly do headhunters do? 2. These refrigerated showcases are ideal for showing the products. ‘3. Where have we got to change planes? 4. How many applicants are there for the post? 5, The quality contro! department examines very carefully every sample it takes. 6. They advertised for an assistant production manager for the Bristol factory. 7. Do the showcases occupy much space? 8. People don't like changing brands. 9 Are consultations frequent among the directors? 10. He made a fortune selling watches. 11. The secret of this company's success is achieved in finding and exploiting niche markets. 12, To reach an agreement the two groups had to compromise quite a lo 13. The rise in salary will be backdated. 14, Two inspectors from the health department have come to inspect the factory. 15, There are a lot of small shops that have freezer cabinets and sell frozen foods. Letter-Writing Test 1. Dear Mr Trubshaw, When | took over the management last year of the small-components factory here in Bedtord, it was on the understanding that the antiquated machinery in the main workshop would be replaced without delay by X44 Mark ll Robots. It is now ‘exactly fiteen months since | arrived and we are still working with these museum pieces from the Industrial Revolution, | really must insist that some action be taken bolore it ig too late. IW the present situation continues {cr just a few more months, it will mean the total collapse of our production and probably the closure of the factory. | beg you to treat this matter with the utmost urgency. Yours sincerely, Dear Mr Carfax, Your letter of 23 October arrived just half an hour before we were due Io have a meeting fo discuss the financing of new machinery for the small-components factory of which you are manager. | am pleased to inform you of the result of our deliberations, which will come as very welcome news indeed. Our discus- sions were based on a report specially prepared for us by the Business Development Investment Committee, which recom- mended the immediate purchase of fiteen X44 Robots. When your letler was read oul, it was decided that the Robots must be installed and in operation by the middle of next month. | trust our speedy action meets with your approval Yours sincerely,Language Exercises ‘A. 1. When will they sell the business? Theyve already sold it. 2. When will you write your report? "ve already writen it 3. Wen will Smith bring the files back? He's already brought them back. 4, When will he send the invoice? They've already sent it, 5. When will see the new machine? ‘ve already seen it 6. When will Miss Brown leave the firm? She's already left B. 1. Have you sean the new machine? Yes, | saw it yesterday, 2, Have they spoken to the foreman? ‘Yas, they spoke to him yesterday. 3. Has Smith paid the bill? ‘Yes, he paid it yesterday. 4. Have they chosen the site for the factory? Yes, they chose it yesterday. ‘5. Have you shown Miss Brown the new word processor? Yes, | showed it to her yesterday. 6. Have they taken the empty boxes away? Yes, they took them away yesterday. C1, Ml write my report tomorrow. ‘Smith wrote his yesterday. 2. Il clean my truck tomorrow. We cleaned ours yesterday, 3. Il check my oil tomorrow. | checked mine yesterday. 4. Ill plan my route tomorrow. ‘The other drivers planned theirs yesterday. 5. Mil change my tyres tomorrow. Johnson changed his yesterday, . I started coming to the office Hi collect my pay tomorrow. We collected ours yesterday. When | came in, Smith was talking to the manager. He's still talking to him, When Harris went out, Ms Brown was doing the photocopies. ‘She's still doing them. When | arrived, Smith and Dean were discussing the agenda. They're stil discussing it ‘When the boss left, Jones was typing a letter. He's stil typing it ‘When the lights went out, Grown was chatting to Miss. Carter, He's stil chatting to her. When Tom went to cotfee, the girls were checking the invoices. They're stil checking them. | started working with computers in May. We've been working with computers since May 100. | started learning Japanese a year ago. ‘Smith has been learning Japanese for a year too. | started reading this report about an hour ago. ‘ve been reading it for about an hour too. lier last winter. Miss Jones has been corning earlier since last winter too, . | started taking work home about a month ago. We've been taking work home for about a month too. | started using this machine on Monday. Harris has been using it since Monday too.SIR FRANK HOLLOWAY Contents Unit 60 ™ A Corporate Business © Introduction Corporate celebrations. 1 Fresh Frozen Foods Ple. Sir Frank Holloway The annual general meeting and other events. 0 Dialogue: A Special Celebration A special dinner to celebrate the announcement in the Queen's birthday honours list of the award of a knighthood to Frank Holloway, now Sir Frank Holloway. ™ Business Executives © An Executive Writes Giving notice to leave the ‘company and resigning as a member of a committee. © An Executive Travels Lost luggage. = Business Matters 1D Some Questions and Answers about Production (5) Maintenance. 1 Executive Search (35) How to start up as a headhunter. ® Business News 1 Portrait of a Hong Kong Businessman (2) A profile of Dickson Poon, the new owner of Harvey Nichols, the fashionable London department store. 1 The Use of English in Business © Composition (2) Writing letters, memoranda and reports. © Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrasal Verbs ™ Answers 1417A CORPORATE BUSINESS Introduction SS * 1418 Subject: Corporate celebrations. Informal functions in which the management meet, eat, drink and chat with members of the staff are an essential ingredient to the smooth running’ and success of a company. The company identifies itself with its staff and the staff are more conscious of being part of the company. Corporate celebrations range from a firm's centenary banquet to the birthday party of a branch manager; from a cocktail party at the opening of a new department to lunch in a hotel as a reward for having the best sales in the area or the cleanest shop or the most efficient office. If there is nothing to celebrate then something must be found. Whether such celebrations are directly connected with the company itself, as in the cases mentioned above, or have no connection at all, as in the case of the annual Christmas party, the aim? of the celebration is that staff and management should meet informally so that everyone has a chance to show that outside working hours he or she is human and capable of laughing and joking with anyone. The fact that almost all the conversation of those present is connected with their work is yet another indication of the value of such functions in strengthening ties® between the company and staff. A company that uses its centenary to organise a whole series of staff dinners, cocktail patties, receptions and excursions throughout the year is investing in its future, since the closer management and staff are, the better it is for the company. We shall now see how several functions are organised at the offices, factories and warehouses of Fresh Frozen Foods. Ostensibly they are to celebrate the knighthood of Frank Holloway; but they are, of course, a way of bringing people together after work. They all enjoy themselves at the company's expense, though the company benefits in the long runt, ‘running funcionamento Zaim ‘objetivo strengthening ties reforcando lagos ‘im the long run a longo prazoFresh Frozen Foods Pic. Sir Frank Holloway Subject: The annual general meeting and other events. ** A popular man Such is the changing connotation of words that no reference today to a ‘hands-on’ chief executive would cause eyebrows to be raised or secretaries to feel apprehensive. This particular buzzword, which refers to the CEO who does not spend all his time in his office but circulates and gets to know his staff personally, is usually applied to Frank Holloway, who may often be seen chatting to one of the cleaners, asking a young accountant about his motorcycle or talking about sport with a group of invoice clerks. Frank Holloway is essentially a hands-on chief executive and for that reason he is genuinely popular with all the staff. It is not surprising, therefore, that when the News got round that he had been given a knighthood’, everyone was delighted. Initial response Carrington read about Frank Holloway's knighthood in the ‘Financial Times’, delivered to him every day with the daily newspaper, his own and his wife's magazines and the children’s comics. The FT gave the news front page coverage, complete with a photograph of Holloway addressing a conference of the CBI two months previously. As he drove through the main gates, Carrington stopped to tell the news to Jim, the gate-keeper’. ‘I's not “Mr Holloway” now, Jim’, he said. ‘As from today it's “Sir Frank". Jim spent the next hour stopping every car that came in to tell the driver the news. When Frank Holloway's secretary Marianne Denison heard the news she immediately consulted the secretaries of the other directors as to whether she should now say ‘Sir Frank’ instead of just ‘sir. Charles Garrick contacted his fellow directors to discuss the news and they then all went along to Frank Holloway's office to congratulate him. Frank was delighted with their response and spent almost five minutes chatting about how he felt. He then said: ‘'m so glad you've come along together because we can now discuss the AGM’ The AGM The annual general meeting of Fresh Frozen Foods Pic. was always held’ during the first week in August. Some cynics said that this was to make sure that most of the shareholders, including the most vociferous, would be on the French Riviera or in Majorca or Capri. This was not the case, however. The ‘company’s financial year was from 1 July to 30'June, and as the law states that the AGM must be held within three months of the end of the financial year, this meant that it had to be held in July, August or September. August was chosen and hardly anyone objected. Even companies as prosperous as Fresh Frozen Foods receive complaints from shareholders about the date of the AGM, but these are politely® rejected. The annual general meeting of a company, even a large multinational, is usually a brief formality. As few shareholders attend (unless, for example, Sknighthood titulo de cavalero (sir) *held vrealizada *gate-keeper portero *politely ——_cortesmente 14191420 A CORPORATE BUSINESS Notification to share- holders of the Annual general Meeting results have been disastrous or the company has been involved in a scandal), the statutory routines are soon over. These include: the declaration of the dividend; the consideration and approval of the accounts; the election of rotating directors or the confirmation of those appointed since the previous AGM; and the appointment and remuneration of auditors. Triple F's results this year (that is the year 1 July 1990 - 30 June 1991) were far above® expectations. They were certainly far better'® than had been predicted in the financial columns of the national newspapers. Turnover for the year was £1,680,430,000, 20 per cent up on the previous year. Such results during a recession are really quite extraordinary. It was hardly surprising, therefore that head office was flooded with letters, faxes and telegrams of congratulation for Frank Holloway on his knighthood. Shareholders are notoriously quick to complain when a company's results are bad but not normally so quick in their praise for exceptional results or in acknowledging any good news concerning the company and its management. Fresh Frozen Foods is an exception in this sense. If the shareholders are lucky in having such a fine management, the company is equally lucky in having very appreciative and supportive shareholders. Fresh Frozen Foods Pic. announced that its annual general meeting would take place al the Renown Hotel (a large modern hotel with facilities for conferences and events like AGMs) on Thursday August 2, 1991 at 4.00 p.m. This year there would be more press interest than usual. A multinational that can raise its turnover by 20 per cent during a recession and whose CEO has just been knighted provides excellent material for the financial journalists. Fresh Frozen Foods Pic Great West Road, London WE4 2HC To our shareholders, we have pleasure in inviting you to attend the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of shareholders of our company, which will take place at the Renown Hotel, Russell Square, London WC2 3CM, on Thursday August 2, 1991 at 4.00 p.m. for the purpose of considering and voting upon the following agenda: 1. Submittal of the report of the Board of Directors; 2. Approval of the statement of Net Assets as of June 30, 1991 and the Statement of Operations for the year ended June 30, 1991; 3. Allocation of the net profits and decision of the distribution of a final dividend; 4. Discharge of the Directors; 5. Receipt of and action on nomination of Directors; 6. Any other business. Resolutions on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting will require no quorum and will be taken at the simple majority of the shareholders pre- sent or represented at the meeting. If you cannot attend the meeting personally, please sign and date the en- closed proxy form and return it to Lowell's Bank Plc., 494 Moor Street, London EC2, for the attention of Ms Lavinia Crighton. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSCelebrations Charles Garrick was in charge of organising the knighthood celebrations. Sir Frank himself was against the idea on the grounds that it would be very embarrassing for him. Garrick told him to look at it from the company’s point of view: it would give the staff something to celebrate and be a golden opportunity to invite everyone to a reception at a hotel. Such functions from time to time are very good for staff morale. The function was duly organised to take place at the Royal Berkshire Hotel. The evening began with cocktails and speeches. Various members of the staff said a few words and Jim the gate-keeper was persuaded to propose the toast" Sir Frank then replied by thanking everyone for their good wishes and then took advantage of the occasion to talk enthusiastically about the excellent progress the company was making. The evening then continued with a buffet supper for everyone and the use of the hotel discotheque for those who preferred dancing to eating and drinking. Garrick monitored the opinions of the staff for some time after the event and he was well pleased with the result Another function was a dinner offered in Sir Frank's honour by the board of directors. This took place in a private dining-room at the Royal George Hotel. In addition to the directors of the company the managing director of each of the overseas divisional boards was invited. The other guest was Archibald Kennedy, the general manager who, according to Carrington, was invited to keep order. The dinner was yet another success for Garrick, the master organiser. Garrick also had a hand in advising on many of the factory and warehouse celebrations. They were not on the scale of the head office event but they served their purpose in bringing management and employees together socially and after work in offices, factories and warehouses to drink to the company's popular CEO, whom everyone was genuinely’? pleased to see honoured with a knighthood. Over the next three months Sir Frank was offered a celebratory lunch or dinner by the management of every subsidiary or factory he happened to be visiting. He used these occasions to impress upon those present that it was their efforts that made the company what it was and he encouraged them to continue. He quoted from the chairman’s statement at the annual general meeting, speaking with enthusiasm about what had been accomplished in just one year: the Grimsby and Perth subsidiaries had been completely restructured; Fresh Frozen Foods (Europe) Lid had become a realty made up of companies from Sweden, Italy, Spain, Germany and Holland; dynamic management in Australasia had helped overcome the recessions there; political changes in South Africa had meant that there was now a bright future for all the African companies; in North America they were continually looking for new ideas, new products, new plant and new markets and were an inspiration to the rest of them; and so on, Sir Frank's enthusiasm was infectious. He was an injection of optimism everywhere he went. Postscript Caroline Corby was given her job back as advertising manager. It is not clear how this happened but rumour had it'* that her successor left unexpectedly to marry an American girl, live in New York and work in advertising on Madison Avenue. far above muito acima "genuinely _sinceramente "far better §——muitissimo melhor ‘and soon eassim por diante "toast rind ‘rumour had it segundo boatos 1421A CORPORATE BUSINESS 1422 Key business words Comments on key structures, Text Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions: 1. Is ‘hands-on’ a buzzword or a technical term? 2. Does a hands-on chief executive circulate a lot or does he spend all his time in his office? . Is ‘hands-on’ usually or never applied to Frank Holloway? . Is Frank Holloway popular or unpopular with the staff? Was everyone delighted or disgusted about his knighthood? 3. Where did Carrington read about Frank Holloway’s knighthood? ”. What was Frank Holloway doing in the photograph of him published in the ‘Financial Times’? |. Why did the annual general meeting of Fresh Frozen Foods have to be held before the end of September? 9. How did the turnover of Fresh Frozen Foods in the financial year 1990/91 compare with the 1989/90 year? 10. Who would be attracted by the fact that the group's turnover was up 20 per cent during a recession and their CEO had just received a knighthood? 11. Why was Sir Frank against the idea of his knighthood being celebrated in the company? 12. How did the evening at the Royal Berkshire Hotel begin? 13. What reason did Carrington jokingly give for Archibald Kennedy's being invited to the dinner in Sir Frank's honour? 14. Who offered Sir Frank celebratory lunches and dinners over the next three months? 15. What did Sir Frank quote from when he spoke about what had been accomplished in one year? Nose 2 Notes on the Introduction centenary banquet banquete do centendrio reward recompensa * Note the phrase outside working hours - fora do expediente. = Note how yet is used to give emphasis in the phrase yet another indication ~ mais uma indicagao. Compare the singular yet another with the plural yet more in the following: yet another strike mais uma greve yet more production mais produgéo ainda yet another bill ‘mais uma fatura yet more problems — mais problemas ainda * Note the use of ostensibly (aparentemente) in the phrase Ostensibly they are to celebrate the knighthood of Frank Holloway. In actual fact the knighthood celebration is an excuse to get all the staff together.Notes on the Text _—_—_— AGM (Annual General Meeting) assembiéia anual de acionistas statutory routines rotinas estatutérias rotating directors diretores rotativos auditors auditores chairman's statement declaragao do presidente do conselho ‘* Note that although a hands-on CEO is one who leaves his office a lot to find out what is going on in the various departments, he will naturally chat to the staff about matters not strictly concerned with work. His primary reason for such visits is clearly not to chat to staff about sport but about their work. ‘= Note that the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) is an organisation re- presenting industry in dealing with the government. It is particularly active in matters of labour relations, taxation, technical legislation and industrial train- ing. Note the reference (in the phrase the law states that the AGM must be held withing three months of the end of the financial year) to the date of the annual general meeting. Actually, the law says that not more than fifteen months may elapse (passar) between one annual general meeting and another. Since the AGM comes after the end of the financial year, this means that a company has three months in which to hold it «Note the reference to rotating directors. These are directors who serve on the board for one year and who have to be re-elected in order to serve a further year. In this way a bad director does not have to be dismissed, he is simply not re-elected. ‘= Note the use of yet for emphasis in the phrase yet another success (mais um sucesso). Key business words Comments on key structures Storage revolution using hand-held computers. With the high cost of buying or renting retail premises on prime sites in towns and cities, com- panies can no longer afford to have large areas of their shops set aside for storage. When planning the opening of a new shop or store, they make sure thal the storage space is kept to an absolute minimum. As soon as stocks get low, fresh deliveries are made quickly and efficiently. Marks and Spencer's, the UK retail clothing chain. At their super store at Marble Arch in Lofidon very limited stocks are carried and fresh deliveries are made every day, sometimes within three hours of ordering. Even the system of ordering has changed. Now stores staff order supplies 1423A CORPORATE BUSINESS Dialogue A Special Celebration Subject:A special dinner to celebrate the announcement in the Queen's birth- =e day honours list of the award! of a knighthood to Frank Holloway, now Sir Frank. Holloway. &) A private room at the Royal George Hotel (an 18th Century coaching inn that has added immeasurably’ to its traditional English attractions by engaging a French chef to do the cooking) is the scene tonight of a dinner given in honour of Frank Holloway, whose knighthood for ‘services to industry’ was announced this week. In addition to the main board, the managing directors of the four divisional boards are also present so that, the words of Don Murrey, ‘the whole world’ is represented. Cecil Hartwell, the chairman, has given a short speech, as has Russ Hopkins, Sir Frank himself is now coming to the end of his own speech. SiR FRANK: | will end, gentlemen, by saying that no success of mine would have been possible without the tremendous efforts of my ex- ceptional colleagues on the board, at head office and in our companies overseas. | am proud to say that in management we have such excellence in depth, so many brilliant young men and women coming through®, that we need not feel the slightest* apprehension for our future. We shall go from strength to strength; of that | am convinced. Great part of our success in recent years has been due to our board's always having taken the right decision. This has been possible because our non-executive directors, in their wisdom, have never opposed the executive directors. HUMPHRIES: Ha, ha. GARRICK: Ha, ha SIR FRANK: And because the executive directors with equal wisdom, have Never opposed me! Au Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. SIR FRANK: As far as my own performance is concerned, this has been based on the daily advice given to me by Jim, the head office gale-keeper. ALL! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. SiR FRANK: Thank you all, gentlemen, for your kind attentions this evening, It is an occasion | shall remember and treasure always. CARRINGTON: You'll soon have to start thinking about writing your autobio- graphy, Frank. HaRTWELL: ‘Squash and the Triple F’ HUMPHRIES: ‘Golf, Squash and the Triple F’. GARRICK: "Sportsman behind a desk’, HARTWELL: You'll be much in demand to serve on CBI committees. SiR FRANK: To chair CBI committees. 1424)CARRINGTON: Your opinion will be sought® by the media on all matters con- cerning food. ‘And you'll have to appear on TV to defend the industry every time someone is poisoned’ by a tin of soup. Gentlemen, gentlemen, it is very late and we've all had a long day. | therefore suggest that we ask the waiter... to bring another bottle of brandy! Dialogue Comprehension — ‘Answer the’ follwing questions: 1, What evidence does Sir Frank give that the company has excellence in depth in management? What does he say he is convinced of? What does he jokingly say his own performance is based on? Does he end his speech on a serious or frivolous note? What does Carrington think Sir Frank will soon have to start thinking about? . What title does Humphries suggest for the autobiography? Who does Hartwell say will want Sir Frank to sit on committees? ‘Who, according to Carrington, will seek Sir Frank's opinion on all matters concerning food? . What does Humphries say Sir Frank will have to appear on TV for? 1. Does Sir Frank suggest they ask the waiter to bring the bill? PNMHSON Se Notes on the Dialogue to chair committees _presidir comités ‘* Note the reference to the Queen's birthday honours list. This is the Publication in June (on the Queen's official birthday) of a list of all those who are to receive honours in recognition of service to society. Another list is Published on New Year’s Day (The New Year’s honours List). Note the phrases in their wisdom (em sua sabedoria) and with equal wisdom (com igual sabedoria) award prémio, concessao Streasure valorzarei 2immeasurably — enormemente sought cconsuttada 3coming through saindo poisoned ‘envenenado “slightest a minima Key business words Comments on key structures, 14251426 BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Writes + Letter 1 ‘Giving a month's notice to leave the company. Subject: Giving notice to leave the company and resigning as a member of a committee. ‘A company's terms of employment will state how much notice an employee is required to give if he wishes to leave. For manual workers this is usually ‘one week, for office workers one month and for executives up to three months. In giving formal written notice that they are leaving employees are not obliged to state their reasons, though some reason is normally given. If their departure is due to a serious disagreement with the company, this is not normally referred to in the letter giving notice. The same applies to letters of resignation from posts held. 41, Weedon Drive, Paxted, Kent 1N4 3uS 3 May, 1991. Dear Mr Predergast, Now that my son and daughter are married and both living in London, my wife is keen) to move nearer to them. We have now found a house. in south Tondon and hope to be moving same time in June. This means, of course, that I shall be leaving in the invoice, department: a % I am therefore writing to give one month's notice to leave the company. This will take effect from Monday 6 May, so that my last day will be Friday 31 May. I have enjoyed my seven years with the company and regret having to leave. I trust that my departure will not cause any undue inconvenience. Yours sincerely,Greenways Bowfield Norfolk SA7 2WB 4 March, 1997 Gharles Landowe Esq. State Fenton & Hudson Ltd Queensway Buckley Dear Charles, Having spent five years on the staff welfare committee, I mst now regrettably tender my resignation. Over the past six months it has become increasingly difficult for me to attend meting regularly and punctually. Since I have no wish to be a one-necting-in-three member of the committee, I prefer to hand over my place to someone who can attend more often than I have been able to do recently. ‘The next meeting, scheduled for Thursday 14 March, will therefore be my last. I trust you will have no problem in finding a replace ment. Yours sincerely, amok) Notes on the Text and Letters © Note that both these letters were written from the homes of the writers and were probably written by hand; though the second may have been typewritten. ‘Note that The first letter, though not written by an executive, is not very different in style and content from one written by, for example, the deputy accounts manager. The only difference is that ‘my job in the invoice department’ would be 'my job as deputy accounts manager’. Note that to tender (apresentar) is the formal way of offering one's resig- nation, Letter 2 Resigning as a member of a committee. Comments on key structures 14271428) BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Travels ** Subject: Lost luggage. Some years ago a famous airline had a huge poster’ announcing a new fast flight to New York with the words ‘Lunch in London, dinner in New York’, under which someone had written ‘And luggage in Sydney!’ Edward Hislop had heard this anecdote many times but had remained unperturbed. He had been flying for years and had never lost even a small suitcase. Until today, that is. Having waited to collect his case at the carousel for half an hour, he told an official? at London Airport that his case had not appeared. The man directed him to the lost luggage desk. He went across to the clerk on duty. CLERK: Good morning, sir; can | help you? HisLoP: | hope so. | arrived an hour ago on the flight from Milan, but my luggage doesn't seem to have arrived with me. I've waited at the ‘carousel for half an hour, but there's no sign of it. CLERK: In that case, you'd better fill in a lost luggage claims form. HistoP: Is this a claims form? It looks like* an application to train as an astronaut. If airlines can have computers for when passengers check their luggage in, why can't they have them for when their luggage is lost? CLERK: | think even filling in a form like this is better than the way they deal with lost luggage in some parts of the world. A passenger told me the other day what happened to him at Kisangani Airport in Zaire. Histor: | can imagine. CLERK: His suitcase was not on the trolley that came from the plane so he went to report the fact. The official told him that if it wasn’t on the trolley, it was lost. When asked how long it would take to find it, the official replied that it was impossible to find lost luggage. If it was Possible to find it, it wouldn't be lost. Faced with such logic, the passenger had no answer. Histor: So what happened? CLERK: He was lucky; getting into a taxi a few minutes later, he saw a man walk by with his case. He rushed at the man, who dropped! the case and rant. Hisop: | think | will fil in this form, CLERK: It looks complicated, sir; but really i’s quite simple. Your name, flight number, airline, description of case, contents, where you will be staying during the next few days, if you are insured, where. PorreR: ‘ere’s a case for you. It got stuck in the mouth of the carousel. It could have stopped there all day, but | 'appened to notice it on my way to the... Histor: That's my case. What a relief. Now | won't have to fill in this ghastly? form. You found it yourself, did you? PoRTER: That's right, sir. It was stuck? in the mouth of the carousel. Oh, thank you, sit. Much obliged. As the Americans say ‘ave a nice day’ CieRK: Actually, all the Americans | know say ‘Have a nice day’Dialogue Comprehension ee ‘Answer the following questions: 1. When did Hislop’s plane arrive from Milan? 2. What does the clerk give Hislop to fill in? 3. What does Hislop think about the form the clerk gives him? 4, Where did the incident of the passenger's lost luggage mentioned by the clerk take place? 5. What did the passenger do when he saw that his suitcase was not on the trolley? 6. Why did the official at Kisangani say that it was impossible to find the lost luggage? 7. What was the passenger doing when he saw the man walk by with his suitcase? 8. What does the clerk say about the lost luggage claims form? 9. Who found Hislop's case? 10. Where did he find it? Notes on the Dialogue —_—— —— carousel entrega automatica de bagagem lost luggage bagagem extraviada claims form formuléio de reclamacao (luggage) trolley carrinho (de bagagem) * Note the phrase my luggage doesn’t seem to have arrived - parece que minha bagagem nao chegou, © Note that to train as an astronaut refers to the training needed to become an astronaut. © Note that when asked means When the official was asked. * Note that to walk by is the same as to walk past - passar por diante. * Note that although rush means to go quickly, in this context it means to attack. The difference being the use of at, which implies aggression. Com- pare the following examples of rush to and rush at: He rushed to the bank to cash the cheque. He rushed at the man who had stolen his case. * Note that the porter does not pronounce the h in here, happened and have. ‘poster cartaz Sdropped ——_deixou cair 2unperturbed —imperturbéve! ran ‘salu correndo 3 official funcionario. ” ghastly horrorosa ‘looks like parece stuck preso Comments on key structures 14291430) BUSINESS MATTERS Some Questions and Answers about... Production (5) Subject: Maintenance. ee Anthony has received a note from the staff manager to say that on Monday he i is to begin a course on management at a business school, as a result of which his stay in the production department must end today. Anthony had been ex- pecting this, but he thought he would get more than two days’ notice. He explains the situation to Mr Shepherd and they begin their last conversation ‘on production. ANTHONY: Could we just recap’ a moment, Mr Shepherd? Would you say that basically production consists of production planning, produc- tion contro! and quality control? SHEPHERD: Yes, and maintenance, of course. ANTHONY: Yes, of course. | forgot about that. Would | be right in thinking there is such a thing as maintenance planning? ‘SHEPHERD: You would, indeed. Planning is the basis of all organisation and in an organised environment like production, maintenance has to be planned. Let's go through a typical plan. First you have your assets register. ANTHONY: Would that be some sort of inventory? ‘SHEPHERD: That's right. It's an inventory of the buildings and plant to be main- tained. Then you need your maintenance schedules. ANTHONY: Telling you when the maintenance must be carried out. SHEPHERD: Right again. These schedules tell you when the items on the register are due for inspection, lubrication and preventive maintenance. ANTHONY: How do the maintenance staff know what they have to do in each case? There is a work specification card for each item. This gives them instructions on what is to be done, the grade of labour needed and the estimated time for the execution of the work. Then comes maintenance control. ‘SHEPHER( ANTHONY: Of course; like production control and quality control. I'm now getting a clear picture of the concept of production: first plan and then control. But then marketing is planning and monitoring, so | suppose it's basically the same. Anyway, you were, saying... SHEPHERD: The maintenance control office issues the work card and detailed instructions. When the scheduled work has been. done, the docu- ments are returned to the office, where the work is recorded? If there is any corrective work to be done, it is initiated there at the office ANTHONY: If they have a record of absolutely everything, then clearly they really do control maintenance.‘SHEPHERD’ ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: SHEPHERD’ ANTHONY: SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: ANTHONY: ‘SHEPHERD: They have to, We won't go into too much detail now but | could mention the resourcing schedule, that's the manpower allocation system that makes sure the labour is available and at the same time that the optimum use is made of it What about materials? That comes under what is known as maintenance support or- ganisation, which controls all the information about spare parts, tools and all the materials needed for efficient maintenance. Maintenance seems to be a very independent unit. Up to a point’ it is. There has to be continual liaison* with produc- tion, though. They can’t just maintain plant without any reference to the user’. So liaison with production must be considered as part of main- tenance planning. Yes, indeed; an organised part. Liaison is not just a question of saying at the last minute ‘Will it be all right if we check your machine tomorrow?’ That is not planning, | suppose that's what used to happen, though. ‘And I'm sure it stil does in many places. Next is overhaul. From time to time all plant has to be overhauled. This can be at regular intervals or as a result of monitoring the state of equipment. Here 's a perfect example of liaison with the user being important. Final- ly we have costing and training. Well, | suppose even maintenance has to be cost conscious. Absolutely right. A costing system forms part of the maintenance planning system. It ensures adequate control; that is the accurate costing of work and materials used in maintenance. There is a code on all documents (work cards, maintenance requests, time sheets, etc.) t0 indicate cost allocations. ‘You mentioned training. What is that in the context of maintenance? I's simply making sure the operatives are trained to do the work, particularly after new plant has been installed. The same applies to their supervisors, of course; after all, they are the ones who Are ultimately responsible. Well, Anthony, | hope I've managed to give you some idea of what production is all about. You have, indeed, In the short time I've been here I've learned a lot. Shall we celebrate my graduation from your department with an orange? Lost in the world of maintenance planning, | quite forgot it was orange-time. ‘recap ® recorded 2up to a point “liaison Suser recapitular ‘anotade, registrado até certo ponto ccontato, ligagdo 1431BUSINESS MATTERS. Dialogue Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions: 1. Does Anthony include or exclude maintenance in his summary of what pro- duction consists of? 2. What does Mr Shepherd say about maintenance in an organised environ- ment like production? 3. Is the assets register an inventory of buildings and plant to be sold? 4, What tells you when the items on the assets register are due for inspection, lubrication and preventive maintenance? 5. What card specifies the work to be done, the labour needed and the estimated time for the execution of the work? Where do the maintenance staff get the work specification cards from? ‘What is the manpower allocation system called? Why does there have to be continual liaison between maintenance and production? 9. Is plant overhaul a comprehensive or a brief examination of machinery and installations? 10. Who checks that the maintenance operatives have done their work in accordance with instructions? eno Notes on the Dialogue Key business _ assets register registro de ativo fixo words — maintenance schedules programas de manutencao Preventive maintenance ‘manutengao preventiva work specification card ficha de especificacao de trabalho maintenance control office escritério de controle de manuten¢ao manpower allocation distribuigao de mao-de-obra overhaul vistoria, revisdo geral Comments on key * Note the phrase Would | be right in thinking (that)...? - Eu estaria certo em structures pensar que...? * Note the phrase Let's go through ~ Vamos examinar. * Note the phrase I'm now getting a clear picture - Ayora estou tendo uma idéia lara, ‘* Note the double emphasis in the use of really do. Compare the following They control maintenance. They do contro! maintenance. They really control maintenance. They really do control maintenance. * Note the phrase | suppose that’s what used to happen - Suponho que era isso 1432 que acontecia,Executive Search (35) Subject: How to start up as a headhunter. ss Let us imagine that two or three young executives working in the personnel departments of well-known companies suddenly find themselves redundant, victims of the recession. Confident of their own abilities they decide to set up an executive recruitment agency. The senior partner is JD, who has invested £10,000 (his redundancy pay and savings) in the enterprise. The other two. CL and WN have invested £5,000. They also manage to get loans from their banks amounting to another £12,000. With this money they open a smart office, complete with modern furniture, computers in abundance, secretaries recruited from the most attractive members of their respective families and the obligatory selection of tropical plants, on the sixth floor of an office block in Watford, Hertfordshire. Here they are conveniently near London but without its prohibitive rents and overheads. Having decided that initially their target market is to be in the area of sales, they place advertisements in trade journals. They advertise for prospective ‘products’ and prospective clients. Here are two ‘specimens, one from each category. 321 1976 (weekends) to discuss this in more detail. At STAR RECRUITMENT we have ac- cess to the most comprehensive data- Leading food-processing company has retained us to recruit five ambitious SALES PROFESSIONALS to sell their products in London and home counties. Opportunities exist if you are currently selling in this field but wish to change to work where the rewards for hard work are much more generous. Superb salary package on offer. Contact Tim Weatherby on 0221 321 5589 or 0221 base of salespeople in the UK. This ‘means we can put you in touch with quality candidates now. You do not need to wait for the results of advertis- ing. Telephone us right now on 0221 321 4478. Star Recruitment, 66, Gilham Road, Watford, WE4 3NT, Herts, With the responses to these advertisements, Star Recruitment will set up a database of products (those wanting jobs) and clients (those wanting staff) Notes on the Text redundant demitidos Key business redundanoy pay indenizagao por demissdo words target market _-mercado-alvo * Note that trade journals are those publications specialising in the sectors of industry. journais liko ‘The Engineer’, ‘Modern Farming’, ‘The Textile industry’ ‘Retail Fashion’, etc. * Note that smart is the same as elegant Comments on key structures 14331434 BUSINESS NEWS Portrait of a Hong Kong Businessman (2) Subject: A profile of Dickson Poon, the new owner of Harvey Nichols, the fashionable London department store Laake In the second part of the profile of Dickson Poon, published in the ‘Financial Times’ of August 16, 1991, Angus Foster tells us more about Poon himself, his company and his future. The article continues’ In Hong Kong Mr Poon is renowned for his style and occasional lavishness'. Last year he threw one of the colony’s most talked-about parties. His brash? invitations became de rigeur for the mantelpieces? of Hong Kong's tycoons and jet set Al this for @ man who is only 35 and looks even younger. He says he works hard, enjoys exercise and considers work to be his hobby. ‘I’s never im- portant how many hours I work each day’, he added. Dickson Concepts now derives less than half its prt fits from Hong Kong and the company has moved ‘on to other emerging’ Asian markets as well as Europe. Profits in Japan are expected to increase rapidly from about HK$2m last year as a licensing and franchise agreement signed between ST Dupont and Marubeni gets underway®, Profits last year actually fell for the first time, due to the Gulf crisis and fewer tourist arrivals in Hong Kong, but are expected to rise again as consumer spending picks up’. After doubling profits each year in the late 1980s, growth will be much slower. Mr Poon said he was attracted to Harvey Nichols because it has ‘great name’ and an international image. ‘It could offer excellent potential for development as a brand. We want to further inter- rationalise and expand it, he said. Mr Poon is quick to tell journalists his companies are ‘aggressive in marketing, conservative in financing’. His debt to his father ‘has long been paid back", he said. He main- tains that only one venture has not been a success, In 1983 he took on the agency for Lamborghini cars in Hong Kong just before the company’s property market collapsed. ‘We sold 10 cars in the first year but then discovered we had exhausted the market. It wasn't really a failure®, we came out of it breaking even’, he said. Mavishness —_abundiincia, fartura gets underway comeca 2brash atrevidas *picks up recupera-se Smantelpiece —_parapeito de lareira paid back —_devolvido ‘moved on passou-se failure fracasso emerging emergentesText Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions: 1. Where did Mr Poon throw a most talked-about party iast year? 2. Is Mr Poon one who likes to work a little from time to time or is he a workaholic? 3. Does his company, Dickson Concepts, derive 90 per cent of its profits from Hong Kong? 4, Will the licensing and franchise agreement signed between ST Dupont and Marubeni increase profits in Hong Kong or Japan? 5. Was last year’s fall in profits due to the recession in South-East Asia or the Gulf crisis? 6. What does Mr Poon say that Harvey Nichols could offer excellent potential for development as? Notes on the Text tycoons magnatas consumer spending gastos do consumidor Note that renowned is between well known and famous, though it is often used as a synonym of both. * The expression jet set has now been almost superceded by yuppies — those who fly around the world as though travelling by bus. ‘* Note the reference to profits last year being affected by the Gulf crisis. This does not mean the Gulf War, which was this year. ‘* Note that to further internationalise means to internationalise more - to make more international. *Note the use of long (hd muito tempo) in the phrase has long been paid back. # Note the use of exhausted (esgotado) in the phrase we had exhausted the market. More Japanese Success According to a news item in the Economist Japan's fourth largest car maker, Mazda, is going to launch a new range of luxury cars (called Amanti) in North America. This is bad news for European luxury-car makers, who in July were beaten in sales for the first time. Toyota's ‘Lexus and Nassan’s Infiniti outsold Mercedes and BMW. 1435,THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS Composition (2) ** The director of production 1436 Subject: Writing letters, memoranda and reports. We have seen how the beginning, middle and end system of writing is used in letters and short memoranda. Here now is an example of its use in short narrative. The beginning, opening or introduction, sets the scene and tells us that Morley is coming to London on urgent business. In the middle, the main body of the narrative, Morley tells his story. The end is one short paragraph telling us of Humphries’ reaction and what he intends to do. Soon after arriving at the office this morning David Humphries received a telephone call from Handley Food Products to say that Giles Morley, their deputy managing director, was on his way up from Salisbury and should be arriving very shortly. The caller gave no further information other than that the matter was urgent and very serious. Within minutes of arriving Morley had told the whole story. Having stepped up production in order to build up stocks for the launching of their Handley's Gourmet Foods range, they suddenly found themselves short of cold-storage space. ‘Bad planning’, said Humphries with a look of annoyance. While arrangements were being made to move stock out to Group warehouses, an old cold-storage chamber was brought back into service. This broke down during the night and had to be repaired. Unfortunately the maintenance man on night duty left just before he was due to be relieved, so that the day engineer knew nothing about the breakdown. That same morning they had an ins- ection from the local health department as part of the check-ups under the new 1990 Food Safety Act. Samples were taken of all the stock, including several from the old storage chamber. Two days later, at eight o'clock in the evening, no fewer than five inspectors arrived to close down the factory until further notice. Some of the samples analysed had contained dangerous amounts of toxic bacteria. This action would mean not only loss of production and a heavy fine, but also adverse publicity that could ruin the Salisbury company. Humphries immediate reaction was that a staff shake-up was neces. sary. Heads would roll, as they deserved to. This could never be allowed to happen again. They would have to send a team down to Salisbury immediately and carry out their own inspection. Humphries decided to go along and discuss the matter with Charles Garrick. In the above example it is quite obvious that the long middle paragraph forms the body of the narrative. In the following example, however, we have three short paragraphs of equal length. In spite of their being equal length, there is a clear difference in their content. The first explains Hemmings’ attitude in general to requests for capital investment, the second gives one specific case for con- sideration and the third the action Hemmings takes.In order to help decide whether or not to agree to large investments being made in capital equipment, Paul Hemmings always insists on having a memorandum stating the short-term yield of the investment and justifying the purchase. Clearly he would have to agree to the purchase of machinery that would pay for itself and start contributing to the company's profit within a year. After all, the money he controls must come from somewhere. He called in the CFO and they discussed the matter. As it was con- cerned with production and to a certain extent business development, it did not affect the internal affairs of the finance department, so agree- ment was reached immediately. Hemmings decided he should now dis- cuss the matter with David Humphries and Leslie Carrington. If no agreement could be reached, they would all have to speak to Frank Holloway about it. This morning he received a request for new machinery for the Evesham factory. As Evesham was the Group's show factory, the one that appeared in all its publicity brochures, normally it was allowed to have whatever it requested. On this occasion, however, Hemmings decided that a recession affects every and not just some parts of the Group. He could not, therefore, agree to such excessive expenditure at such atime. The beginning of a report may be in the first paragraph or first two or three paragraphs of the report itself or as 2 separate introduction. In the following example we have a report on a visit to a warehouse and transport depot. There is a three-paragraph introduction, which may or may not be separate as a for- mal introduction. Note that although the introduction is the beginning, the visit to the property the middle and the comment and conclusions on the visit the ‘end, the introduction itself also has a clearly defined beginning, middle and end, as may be seen in the example below. At a board meeting on 18 March 1991 it was decided that as over fifty per cent of production sells in London and the home counties, the company should have a warehouse and transport depot in that region. Instead of looking for a site on which to build these installations, how- ever, it was decided to buy up those of another company selling off assets or in liquidation. Such an opportunity presented itself on 15 ‘September, when W.T. Dyson & Sons advertised the sale of just such @ property. The warehouse and transport depot of W.T. Dyson & Sons occupy a three-acre site at Longford, within a mile of the Orbital Motorway and the M4 (see map in Appendix i). The asking price is £2,250,000, which is quite low compared with current prices in that area. We also have the chance of employing any of the present workforce we may need ourselves. The director of finance Writing a report 1437THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS 1438 On 16 September | faxed a letter to Dyson & Sons expressing our in- terest in the property and requesting an appointment to inspect. The following day | received an answer and on the morning of Friday 20 September | went along to see round the place. REPORT ON A VISIT MADE TO INSPECT THE LONDON WAREHOUSE AND TRANSPORT DEPOT OF W.T. DYSON & SONS Beginning: an introduction leading up the actual inspection of the property. Brief explanation of how the company became interested in the property. Brief details of location and price of property. Brief description of how and for when the inspection of the property was arranged. Middle: the actual inspection of the property. Details of arrival, reception and initial discussions with representatives of Dyson & Sons. Description of offices, their condition and suitability. Le ee ee ee Description of warehouse, its condition and suitability. Description of transport depot, its condition and suitability. Comments on the workforce and their suitability for possible employment. Details of final discussions before leaving. End: Conclusions based on visit and recommendations regarding possi- ble purchase. Brief comparison with other properties inspected recently, listing ad- vantages and disadvantages of this one. Recommendations for possible purchase and next steps to be taken.Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrases Used AGM (Annual General Meeting) assets register fucitors carousel centenary banquet chair (to) committees chairman's statement consumer spending lost luggage luggage trolley maintenance control “office maintenance schedules manpower allocation overhaul preventive maintenance redundancy pay redundant rotating directors statutory routines target market trade journal tycoon ‘work specification card assombléia anual de ‘aconistas registro de ativo fixo auditores fentraga automatica de ‘bagagem, estarra roiante banquete centenanio presidir comités ‘declaragao do presidente do conselho {gastos do consumidor bagagem extraviada carrinho de bagagem escritério de controle de ‘manutengao programas de manutengao ‘istribuigao de mao-de-obra revisdo geral, vistora ‘manutengao preventiva indenizagao por demissao funcionerio demitido diretores rotativos rotinas estatutarias ‘mercada-alvo revista comercial especiaizada magnata ficha de especificagdio de trabalho —————— Phrasal Verbs Used ‘to come through sair ‘0.90 through a document examinar um documento to move on passar-se to pay back money evolve dinheiro to pick up. recuperar-se to walk by ppassar por diante1440 ANSWERS: Answers to the questions on page 1422, 1. Its a buzzword, . He circulates a lot tis usually applied to him, He is popular. Everyone was delighted, He read about it in the ‘Financial Times’ . He was addresing a conference of the CBl Because of the end of the financial year twas 20 per cent up. 10. The financial journalists would, 11. Because it would be very embarrassing for him. 12. It began with cocktails and speeches. 13. He said he had been inviled to keep order. 14, The management of every subsidiary and lactory he happened to be visiting did. 15. He quoted from the chairman's stalement at the annual ‘general meeting, O@Nomsen Answers to the questions on page 1425. 1. He says there are so many briliant young men and women coming through 2. He says he is convinced that they wit! go from strength to strength 3, He says itis based on the daily advice given to him by vim, the head office gate-keeper, 4. He ends it on a serious note. 5. He says he will soon have to start thinking about his autobiography. 6. He suggests Goll, Squash and the Triple F- 7. He says the CBI wil. & The media wil 9, He says he will have to appear on TV to defend the Industry every time someone is poisoned by a tin a soup. 10. No, he suggests they ask him to bring another bottle of brandy. Answers to the questions on page 1429, 1. Marrived an hour ago. 2. He gives him a lost luggage claims form, 3. He thinks it looks like an application to train as an astronaut, 4, It took place at Kisangani Airport in Zaire, 5. He went to report the fact 6 Because it it was possible to find it it wouldn't be lost 7, He was getting into a tax. 8 He says it looks complicated, but really i's quite simple. 9. A porter did. 10. He found it stuck in the mouth of the carousel. Answers to the questions on page 1432. 1. He excludes it 2. He says it has to be planned. 3. No, itis an inventory of buildings and plant to be main- tained. 4, The maintenance schedules do. 5. The work specification card does, 6. They get them from the maintenance control office. 7. tis called the resourcing schedule. 8 Because they can't mainiain plant without relerence to the user, 9. It's a comprenensive examination. 10. The supervisors co, Answers to the questions on page 1435. 1. He threw it in Hong Kong. 2. He is a workaholic, ‘3. On the contrary, it derives less than half its profits from Hong Kong. 4. It will increase profits in Japan, 5. It was due to the Gulf crisis. 6. He says it could offer excellent potential for develop- ‘ment as a brand.EXERCISES 80 ‘After having carefully studied the texts and dialogues in the main section of the course, do the tests and exercises on the following pages. When these have been done, turn to pages 7 and 8 and check with the answers. In this way you will know if the material in the main section has been assimilated. Assimilation Test 1 Fill in the spaces with the correct word. The number of letters in each word is indicated by the number of dashes. 1. Such is the changing __ of words that no reference today to a ‘hands-on’ chief executive would cause _. _ to be raised or secretaries to ____ apprehensive. This particular buzzword, which _ to the CEO who does not spend all his time in his office but _. _— and gets to know his staff personally, is usually _______ to Frank Holloway, who may often be seen chatting to one of the cleaners, asking a young _ about his motorcycle or talking about sport with a group of _______ clerks. Frank Holloway is essentially a hands-on chief executive and for that reason he is _ — popular with all the staff. I is not surprising, therefore, that when the news got_____ that he had been given a knighthood, everyone was delighted 2. In Hong Kong Mr Poon is _. for his style and occasional lavishness. Last year he __. one of the colony's most talked-about parties. His brash __. .. became de rigeur for the mantelpieces of Hong Kong's and jet set. All this for a man who is only 35 and looks even younger. He says he _____ hard, enjoys exercise and considers work to be his hobby. ‘t's never important how many __ | work each day’, he added. Dickson Concepts now derives less than haif.ts _______ from Hong Kong and the company has moved on to other emerging Asian . a well as Europe. Profits in Japan are expected to __. __. rapidly from about HK$2m_ last year as a licensing and franchise __. _ signed between ST Dupon and Marubefii gets underway. Now check your answers with the original texts and see how many of the 20 spaces you have filled correctly,Assimilation Test 2 There are eleven mistakes in the following dialogue. The first mistake has already been corrected. Now see if you can find and correct the other sen migeice mistakes, + Subject: A special dinner ts sepanints Coreen ‘announcement in the Queen's Birthday Honours List of the 2 award of a knighthood to Frank Holloway, now Sir Frank Holloway. 2 A private room at the Royal George Hotel (an 18th Century coaching inn that has added immeasurably « to its traditional English attractions by engaging a French chief to do the cooking) is the scene tonight of a dinner given in honour of Frank Holloway, whose knighthood for ‘services to industry’ * was denounced this week. In addition to the main board, the managing directors of the four divisional 7 boards are also present so that, in the words of Don Murrey ‘the whole world’ is demented. Cecil » Hartwell, the chairman, has given a short screech, as has Russ Hopkins. Sir Frank himself is now + coming to the end of his own speech. 10 SIR FRANK — | will end, gentlemen, by saying that no success of mine would have been possible " without the tremendous efforts of my exceptional colleagues on the board, at head ® office and in our companies overseas. | am proud to say that in management we have 3 such excellence in depth, so many brilliant young men and women coming through, “ that we need not feel the slightest apprehension for our butcher. We shall go from 8 strength to strength; of that | am convinced. 16 Great part of our success in recent years has been due to our board's always having ” taken the right decision. This has been possible because our non-executive directors, 0 in their wisdom, have never opposed the executive directors. 1» HUMPHRIES — Ha, ha. = GARRICK —Ha, ha. 2 SiR FRANK — And because the executive directors with equal wisdom, have never deposed me! 2 AL Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. 2 SIR FRANK As far as my own performance is concerned, this has been based on the daily advice x given to me by Jim, the head office gate-keeper. a AL Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. zs SIR FRANK — Thank you all, gentlemen, for your kind attentions this evening. It is an occasion | shall 2 remember and treasure always. ARRINGTON You'll soon have to starve thinking about writing your autobiography, Frank. HARTWELL ‘Squash and the Triple F’. HUMPHRIES — ‘Golf, Squash and the Triple F’. a» GARRICK ‘Sportsman behind a mask’. HARTWELL You'll be much in demand to serve on CBI committees. SiR FRANK To ‘bear’ CBI committees. CARRINGTON Your opinion will be sought by the greedier on all matters concerning food. HUMPHRIES And you'll have to appear on TV to defend the industry every time someone is poisoned by a tin of soup. y SIR FRANK — Gentlemen, gentlemen, itis very late and we've all had a long day. | therefore suggest that we ask the waiter.. to bring another bottle of brandy! sae esTranslation Test Translate the following sentences into English: 1. Quantas vezes vocé jé perdeu bagagem viajando de aviéo? 2. A mila vai querer saber 0 que voo8 acha da recesséo. 8. Qual cartéo especifica o trabalho a ser feito? 4. Vocé leu a deciaragao do presidente do conselho? 5. Estou, portanto, escrevendo para pedir minha demisséo do cargo de presidente do comité financeiro. 6. Aluguéis e despesas gerais de pequenas empresas em cidades grandes sao proibitivos. 8. A imprensa estava muito interessada nos resultados de nossa empresa este ano. 9. Eles dobraram seus lucros outra vez? 10. Os magnatas orientais estéo comprando muitas empresas americanas e européias. 11. As comemoragées do centenério da empresa terminaram com um grande banquete no Hotel Windsor. 12. A reunido geral anual seré celebrada no Hotel Regente no dia 2 de outubro as 16 horas. 19, A administragao dinémica contribuiu bastante para nosso progresso. 14. O diretor superintendente aproveitou a ocasio para falar sobre os problemas de produgao. 15, Temos que fortalecer os lagos entre a diretoria e o pessoal da empresa.Letter-Writing Test Write out the letters below using the information given for each one. 1. For some time now I/been seriously considering leaving/company order/set up/my own. At last this/ become possible/and everything/now ready/me/begin independentiy early next month. Vtherefore writing/give one month's notice/take effect/Monday 6 June/so thal/last day/assistant technical manager/be Friday 1 July. Venjoyed/six years working/company/made many friends/gained/lot va- luable experience. In some ways/Vsorry/be leaving, Dear Mr Murphy, » Having saU/no fewer/tour different committees over/past ten years/| think/time/come/me/cease being/ committee man/dedicate more/my spare time/other things/particular/tamily, therefore writing/inform you/I/be resigning/Youth Industrial Training Committee as from/end/this month/which means/last meeting/be/Tuesday 28 March. John Brady/our chairman/list'those who may be interested/taking (on my duties/so/I/not think there/be any difficulty/finding/replacement. With all/wishes. Dear William,Language Exercises — EES — A. 1, What will you do if you lose your job? It | lose my job, I'll set up on my own. 2. What would Smith do .... at 3. What would they have done... 4, What will Ms Dean onsen 5. What would you and Harris... 6. What would Jones have B. 1. Who will you see if the manager's busy? il see the assistant manager. 2. Who would Smith 3. Who would they have ... 4, Who would Miss Jones. 5. Who will you and Tomkins .. 6. Who would Harris Have C. 1. Where will you park if the car park's full? Il park behind the office. 2. Where would Smith .. 3. Where would they have 4, Where will Ms Hall 5. Where would Dean have 2 6. Where would you and Jones .. D. 1. Whose machine will you use if yours breaks down? Vl use yours. 2. . the They use yours.Jones He'd've used yours. as on Ms Flynn She'd use yours. you and Jones We'll use yours. YOU 'd've used yours. E. 1. When will you retire if the firm still needs you? Il probably put retirement off for a year or two. NEY sn They'd probably put retirement off for a year or two. Ie. He'd probably have put retirement off for a year or two, Miss Dean... She'll probably put retirement off for a year or two. you and Dean i We'd probably put retirement off for a year or two. 6 hey They'd probably have put retirement off for a year or two.Answers Assimilation Test 2 separate celebrate" deposed opposed «= @ chiet chet “ stave start wo denounced announced mask desk ao demented represented bear chair on screech speech greedier media ao butcher future “ Translation Test 1. How many times have you lost your luggage travelling by air? 2. The media will want 1o Know what you think about the recession. 3. Which card specifies the work to be done? 4, Have you read the chairman's statement? 5. 1am therelote writing to resign as chairman of the finance committee. 6. Rents and overheads for small companies in big cities are prohibitive, 7. What is the system of allocation of manpower called? 8, The press was very interested in the results of our company this year. 9, Have they doubled their profits again? 10. Oriental tycoons are buying a lot of American and European companies, 11, The centenary celebrations of the company ended with a great banquet at the Windsor Hotel. 12. The annual general meeting will be held at the Regent Hotel on 2 October at 4.00 p.m. 13. Dynamic management has contributed a lot to our progress. 114, The chief executive took advantage of the occasion to speak about the problems of production. 15. We must strengthen ties between the management of the company and the staf. Letter-Writing Test 1. Dear Mr Murphy, For some time now | have been seriously considering leaving the company and setting up on my own. At last this has become possible and everything is now ready for me to begin independently early next month. | am therefore writing to give one month's notice to take etfect trom Monday 6 June, so that my last day as assistant technical manager will be on Friday 1 July. | have enjoyed my six years working for the company, have made many friends and gained a lot of valuable experience. in ‘some ways | am sorry to be leaving Yours sincerely, 2. Dear Wiliam, Having sat on no fewer than four different committees aver the past ten years, | think the time has come for me to cease being a committee man and dedicate more of my spare time to other things, in particular my farily | am theretore wting to inform you that | shall be resigning from the Youth Industrial Training Committee as ftom the end of this month, which means that my last meeting will be on Tuesday 28 March. John Brady, our chairman, has a list of those who may be interested in taking on my duties, So | do not think there will be any diiculty in finding a replacement With all best wishes, Yours sincerely,Language Exercises ‘A.1, What will you do if you lose your job? If lose my job, Il set up on my own, 2. What would Smith do ithe lost his job? It he lost his job, he'd set up on his own. ‘3. What would they have done if they had lost their jobs? IW they'd fost their jobs, they've set up on their own, 4. What will Ms Dean do if she loses her job? IW she loses her job, shell set up on her own, ‘5. Whal would you and Harris do if you lost your jobs? Hf we lost our jobs, we'd set up on our own, 6. What would Jones have done if he had lost his job? It he'd lost his job, he'd've set up on his own B. 1. Who will you see if the manager's busy? Fl See the assistant manager. 2. Who would Smith see if the manager was busy? He'd see the assistant manager. 3, Who would they have seen if the manager had been busy? ‘Theyd've seen the assistant manager. 4. Who would Miss Jones see if the manager was busy? ‘She'd see the assistant manager. 5. Who will you and Tomkins see if the manager is busy? Well see the assistant manager. 6. Who would Harris have seen if the manager had been busy? He'd've seen the assistant manager. . 1. Where will you park if the car park's ful? I park behind the otic. 2. Where would Smith park i! the car park was ful? He'd park behind the otfce. 3. Where would they have parked if the car park had been full? Theyd've parked behind the office 4, Where will Ms Hall park if the car park is full? Shell park behind the office. 5. Where would Dean have parked if the car park had been full? He'd've parked behind the offic. Where would you and Jones park if the car park was fui? We'd park behind the office. Whose machine will you use i yours breaks down? 1 use yours. Whose machine would they use if theirs broke down? They'd use yours. Whose machine would Jones have used if his had broken down? He'd've used yours. Whose machine would Ms Fiynn use it hers broke own? She'd use yours. Whose machine will you and Jones use if yours breaks down? Weill use yours. Whose machine would you have used if yours had broken down? Vive used yours . When will you retire if the firm stil needs you? "l probably put retirement off for a year oF two. When would they retire ifthe firm stil needed them? Theyd probably put retirement off for a year or two. When would he have retired i he firm had stil needed him? He'd probably have put retirement off for @ year or two. When will Miss Dean retire the firm stil needs her? Shell probably put retirement off for a year or two. When would you and Dean retire if the firm still needed you? We'd probably put retirement off for a year or two. When would they have retired if the firm had still ‘needed them? They'd probably have put retirement of for a year or two.