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    Livro 07 PDF

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    Natan Borges

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    CURSOS DE IDIOMAS BUSIN LISH Cee ES INTERATIVO PROGRAMADO Pieter ana re bd 080 BUSINESS ENGLISH © BUSINESS ENGLISH PLANO GERAL DA OBRA BUSINESS ENGLISH 6 uma ob puneaa2 em 300 lames semanas de 64 pga. Toda eicdo conti 2 unde de ects (Unt de 24 pias cad me ‘ataentesoguds de um Caderno de Exercicos de B pigews covespendente #08 temas abordados ne Spa unidoce| AS FITAS. ‘OF minis diego eros descrtivesaoesena dos os faseuoe eo raproduados om 15 tas et. "se qe acompannam as eases 8 duas em aos femanas (com 08 fosceulos 1, 3,5, 7 € assim por hart, até otal da cole, (Coaa ta abrange2 vues eatvos nia © curso BUSINESS ENGLISH 6 uy curs eisoroso gor expe tii dleretas de comacranta de bequanges, ‘vel 1 racaoo para pessoas com cones Nivel 2. Aces! 2 peseaae com nivel médio IM. Incicado pra pessoas ue dominam eS do asi aprsartam une sna ‘Smart tet sere, Asam, a eSes pra Onl 10 morcasas com ¥astersco "ara o nivel 2 Zanorsos (°"; pra o rive 3, 3 atric Ircalmenteierefque seu iv", *" Ou **") oe {aco com ograu de conhecinero ue vob ton da {ngunigas,0iga apenas 35 es dss rv! 8 lin! do cro, So ro passe Zao nivel Segui, Avorheta [fa] que aparece no niio das lines, 8 ‘marge da pigina, cco ae 0 exo desctvo ob © ‘Sogo est terrane ropreduido na ft cael ‘COMO ACOMPANHAR 0 CURSO Para obtr 0 mano aprovetament, esti a Un ‘ado fas o eerie ae cmproanidopropostos ‘no final das Sestes. Oepos canta as reposts na ‘ime pigina de cada undade Ensen orcs Cs {as rexoortas ros duos lias pdginas do pre Ca orn. Seer quar dvds, vot unade ea Senois de dominar bem 0 conteGdo & unidade ® 0s exerios do Cader, ousa afta, acomparhan {9 0 tonto elo volume Para acter seu agrerzado, voc conta com os sequrtes apsos nas uniodes: VO toma cert! de cada tnt ets resurido numa breve rose oat (Subject. 2. As expresses do inguagem covered a com becenaio sto vodundas em nota de odaoe 13s onesies comune a0 mando Jos neg8605 #30 ‘qu aporcem ro nal doe svete 44Na penultna pagina de cada uncade ha um alos ‘rio das paras rates mais sada ra odes, 00 NUMeROS aTRasADOS 2 eaore Glove mantém suas gublcactes om eso fue a Sis meses ands se recomimento. AS publ Cantos acoso obverse polo propa da dima ‘fo em bancas), Eola ene as opedes aban: 1. NAS BANCAS ravi 6 omairo ov dtrbuidor Chinoga de sua 2. PESSOALMENTE Deis aos andeecos aba. Sto Paulo Pea Ales isa, 18 - Coto (011) 226-1881 « 229-9827. io de Jana: Rua Teodoro da Siva, #21 Fores: (0211 877-4225 @ 677-2355, 3. POR CARTA, Dretamente 3 Edtora Globo, stor de Nomeros Ara aos, Cama Post 289, CEP 05458-020, Alonavie, Bonen, SP © 1990 by Edtoral Paneta De Agostini S.A, Boce ono, Eeponha {© 1998 by Ector Gabo pare a inque portugues, fem tetra bas, Cooraenico reson do crs orignal Say Kench ‘Asseesora:Kstine A. 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) HUMAN RESOURCES Contents 13 ™ A Corporate Business G Introduction The human element in business and industry. © Fresh Frozen Foods Pic: Human Resources Some of the responsibilities of Personnel, the department controlled by the director of human resources. 0 Dialogue: A Staff Problem Finding a replacement for a departmental manager. ™ Business Executives O An Executive Writes Letters making urgent requests. © An Executive Travels Travel Dialogues - Checking in at a hotel ™ Business Matters 1 Some Questions and Answers about Banks and Overseas Trade (5) Export documentation, finance and factoring, 0 Offices (3) ‘The advantages word processors have over ordinary typewriters. ™ Business News O Japanese Transplants Prosper The increasing prosperity of Japanese car manufacturing plants in the U.S.A. | The Use of English in Business. 0 The Tenses (5) The Present Perfect Continuous. Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrases Used ™ Answers 289 A CORPORATE BUSINESS Introduction Foal Subject: The human element in business and industry. Company personnel is variously’ described as staff, personnel, the workforce, human resources, the human element, etc. Some companies have a staff manager, others a personnel manager, others a human resources manager. They all deal with the people working for the company, though. Sometimes a distinction is made between the white collar workers — the office staff, and the blue collar workers, the factory personnel. Here again ‘staff’ is associated with offices and ‘personnel’ with factories. We associate ‘turnover’ with the amount of business a company does. There is another turnover, however. This is staff turnover and it reflects the length of time? personnel stay with a company or indeed? in an industry. A company that pays low wages or where working conditions are poor will generally have a high turnover of workers. Likewise‘ an industry in which the work is dangerous, dirty, generally low-paid and with such inconveniences as shift work, will probably have a high turnover as well. An industry which generally has a low staff turnover, like banking, for example, may suddenly change to a high staff turnover as a result of increasing competition staff continually changing jobs because they are offered better terms by another company. itis interesting that in some countries, and Japan is a classic example ot this, labour turnover is very low with workers very often staying with a company all their working lives. On the other hand, the country with the highest turnover in executives is the United States, where it is considered that if an executive is really ‘worth his salt’ other companies will want him. if other companies are always wanting him, he will naturally change his job for a better one more often. The reverse is the case in countries like France, where companies tend to be® more paternal in their attitude to their staff and where executive turnover is relatively low. The importance in industry of supply and demand does not only apply to products and services, it also applies to human resources. In some cases, of course, people are becoming products themselves and in professional sport they even have a price tag. ‘variously de diversas maneiras the length of time quanto tempo Sindee de fato “likewise (da mesma forma Son the other hand por outro lado tend to be tendem a ser Fresh Frozen’ Foods Plc. Human Resources Subject: Some of the responsibilities of Personnel, the department controlled by the director of human resources. ‘The personnel department The name of this department has not been updated, though the title of its director has. One reason for not calling the department of the director of human resources the human resources department is that the name is too long. It therefore retains its old name of personnel department. Every day in the offices, corridors, lifts and canteens of Fresh Frozen Foods people can be heard saying ‘Ask Personnel’ or ‘Ring’ Personnel’ or ‘Pop along® and check with Personne'’. This department is the largest in the company and will remain so because none of its sections is large enough to become a separate department. In addition, there is far too much overlap in these sections; their work is not as clearly defined as is the work of marketing, advertising and sales, for example. Let us, therefore, take a look at the work done by this enormous department. The sections within the department Recruitment Personnel is responsible for recruiting statf: for contracting executives, engaging office staff and taking on personnel for the factories. As soon as there is a vacancy, it must be filled; and recruitment has the task® of contacting the labour exchange to inform them of the vacancy and advertising the vacancy in the local press. In the case of a top executive these advertisements would appear on the ‘Executive Search’? pages of the national newspapers. Once an applicant for a vacancy has been interviewed and engaged, then his or her personal particulars are passed on to personnel records. Records Once upon a time" staff records were kept’? on indexed cards, now they are computer processed and all new information concerning the employee is immediately added to the computer bank. This information is made available ‘on the computer network to other departments, so that the production manager has easy access to the records of those employed at the factory, for example, and the chief accountant to those who work in accounts. When an employee requests an interview with the director or manager of the department, the latter is able to consult the computer for information before or during the interview. This is especially convenient when the interview has not been Previously arranged. telefonar ey co. Ko Comconwer 5 (ecm PRODUCTION ) DELIVERY ‘CONTROL FACTORY |__ wareHouse NV) WAREHOUSE ‘CONTROL CUSTOMER OR (> loePornimncose Frederick Goss & Sons When the transport and distribution company Frederick Goss & Sons was taken over by the Group in 1960, it had a fleet of over 100 trucks supplying food retailers throughout the country. It also had an excellent network of warehouses, which, though mostly quite small, were very well placed. The firm had been founded in 1924 and as a result most of its warehouses and depots occupied prime sites in large provincial towns. By gradually selling off these sites and using the proceeds 1o build much larger warehouses and depots on land which cost very tlle but which was ideally situated near the main roads and motorways, the Group converted its subsidiary Goss into a very strong firm that was not only capable of taking care of the Group's transport needs but had the spare’® capacity to accept work from other companies. Very conscious of the fact that Fresh Frozen Foods is not just a large company but a multinational company, Frank Holloway sees the need to have a transport fleet consisting of at least 200 modern trucks that will advertise the Group throughout the UK and the Continent as they travel from place to place loaded with Triple F products. A decision will be reached soon on whether to invest money in Frederick Goss and maintain it as a revamped subsidiary or merge it to become ani integral part of Fresh Frozen Foods. Meanwhile Robert Sibley will continye as the company's chief executive for as long as it remains an independent subsidiary. He might even be its salvation, because it is rumoured that Frank Holloway does not know what he would do with Sibley if he carried out his merger plan. He would not like to give him the golden handshake because Sibley is too good a man to lose; but there is nowhere he would fit into the present management. At the moment Sibley is visiting the subsidiaries in North America to see how they manage their transport departments. When he comes back, he will report to Frank Holloway, who will no doubt want to talk about the future of Frederick Ross & Sons. caller pessoa que telefona "moved carregadas ‘"frace to its source encontrar a origem “places coloca ” steps ‘medidas, providéncias spare e sobra ‘The problem According to the ‘Financial Times’ about 850 hypermarkets and 7,000 supermarkets are re- sponsible for 90 per cent of all food and drink sales in France today. Recent takeovers and mergers have meant that there are fewer but larger companies operating in this sector. The big hypermarkets are reaching saturation point and growth rate has fallen over the past three years from 11 per cent to 6.3 per cent. Soon the point will be reached at which growth can only be achieved by one company al the ex- pense of the others. But that is not all. Competition is coming from the 40 stores that German companies have op- ened in France. With profit margins in some cases down to 1 or 1.5 per cent French stores cannot compete with the heavy price cutting and big discounts of the Germans. What is the solution? On page 319 there is one possibility 317 318 A CORPORATE BUSINESS. Key business words Comments on key structures Text Comprehension ee Answer the following questions: 1. Is the distribution department divided into three or four sections? 2. Does the planning section or the warehouse section analyse the inform- ation it gets from marketing and production planning? 3. Is the object of the distribution plan to satisly the needs of the company's customers or its transport subsidiary? . Do all or only some of the factories have their own warehouse? Are factory warehouses normally half or only a quarter full? When are orders computer processed at delivery control? Are the products of the Group generally packed in wooden and plastic boxes? 8. How many cases are there normally in each unitised load? 9, What is a pallet? 10. Are the trucks loaded in the loading bay or inside the warehouse? 11. Is the Group's warehouse system time wasting, uneconomical and ineft- icient? 12. Has Frederick Goss & Sons been a subsidiary of the Group since 1960 or 1970? 13. Did the Group quickly sell off the warehouse and depot sites of Frederick Goss? 14, Does Frank Holloway want to have a transport fleet of 200 trucks at the very most? 15. What is Robert Sibley doing in North America at the moment? Nowe Notes on the Introduction plete Rid delivering the goods entrega das mercadorias losses perdas, prejuizos local shop loja vizinha by failing to deliver por nao entregar the business concerned —_ 0 negécio em questo the pride of the company 0 orgulho da empresa * Notice how the gerund is used in the ‘Subject’ Delivering the goods on time. Here it is the equivalent of a noun (in this case, entrega) and not an infinitive equivalent as in keen on continuing. Gerunds are often used as the sub- jects of sentences. Compare the following: manufacturing goods... _fabricago de produtos. invoicing of goods... faturamento de mercadorias. checking invoices. verificagao de faturas... * Note the phrase keen on ~ gostar, querer muito, ter vontade de etc. Compare: We are not keen on the idea. Nao nos agrada muito a idéia. They are keen on signing a contract. Querem muito assinar um contrato. Notes on the Text ———— warehouse holding stocks _armazém com os estoques destination destino cardboard cartons caixas de papelao stack (to stack) monte, pilha (amontoar, empithar) unitised loads cargas unitérias pallet plataforma portable platform plataforma portatl fork-lit truck pa carregadeira aisles corredores loading bay area de carga e descarga manage administram Notice the use of in theory and in practice, a much-used phrase in bus- iness. Companies have their rules setting out what should be done and how it should be done. These rules are occasionally ignored. In the case used in the text the theory represents what should be done according to the rules, and the practice what is actually done. « Note the word traced in the phrase traced to its souce. The verb to trace is very common, particularly in offices. Here are some common examples: We cannot trace your order. ‘Nao encontramos seu pedido. We have traced the error to an order received last year. Encontramos um erro em um pedido do ano passado. We traced the letter to a small company in York now closed down. Encontramos 0 remetente da carta: uma pequena empresa ja fechada na cidade de York. ‘* Notice the use of revamped ~ renovado, remodelado. This verb is used a lot in business. It can refer to anything from the redecoration of a retail branch to the re-designing of a product that needs to be updated or the repainting of a transport fleet in different colours and in a more up-to-date style. Note the use of it is rumoured that... - diz-se que, hd um boato de que... Inevitably in any large organization there are rumours about everything, which makes this a much-used verb. Possible Solution to the Problem Posed on Page 317 Key business words Comments on key structures: There seems to be only one way out for these French companies: they must find ways of cut- ting their costs. This can be done in the area of logistics. Their transport and warehouse system should be made more efficient. The Financial Times quotes the case of one group — Mous- quetaires — as an example of a retailer with its ‘own specialised warehouses situated on road junctions and not on the outskirts of cities. It has a huge transport fleet of 940 trucks and 1,300 trailers that can carry 22 tonnes of produce compared with the normal 14 tonnes. It quotes another example in Bahlsen, a company with logistics costs amounting to 9 per cent of its tur- nover seven years ago. Since then it has doub- led its turnover without increasing it transport and warehousing costs. Information taken from FT supplement on distribution serv ices published on 6 November 1990. 319 320 A CORPORATE BUSINESS Dialogue More Staff Problems Subject: Moving staff around to fill a temporary absence. David Humphries, the director of production, had not long arrived at the office ‘one Monday morning when Susan Andrews, the quality control manager, phoned to ask if she could come and see him. She said it was rather important. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Susan entered. Hum- Phries was surprised to see that for once! she was not holding a mass of pa- pers. She sat down, smiled a little nervously and then announced that she was expecting a baby and would soon need to be away from the office for a few months. Later on David Humphries went along to see Charles Garrick. HUMPHRIES: Good morning, Charles. | expect you would like to. know what brings me to your incomparable department so early on a Mon- day morning. Garrick: Yes. Would you like to sit down and tel! me all, so thal your prob- ‘lem may swiftly be resolved, your troubles disappear instantly and your inimitable smile replace your present expression of woe? HUMPHRIES: | say, you are eloquent this morning} I've come to-see you about ‘Susan Andrews, my quality control manager. Garrick: She hasn't given in her notice, | hope. HUMPHRIES: No, but she'll be off for a few months, she’s not sure how many, as from the beginning of February. She's expecting a baby. Garrick: — Well, if i's only for a few months her assistant, George Shelley, can take over. HumPHRies: He could have taken over but last week he went to see the doc- tor about some pains he's been having recently and was told he would have to have an operation‘. He'll be off for about two ‘months. Would you like to resolve the problem? Swiftly, please. Garrick: We are in luck, my dear chap®. About a month ago | was over in Belfast. | wanted to see how things were at Northern Ireland Can- ning. Harry McMullen, the quality control manager there is due to retire shortly and he was telling me that his young assistant is brilliant. ‘If | don't retire soon’, he said, ‘this young fellow will take over my job’ HumPHRIES: But we can't have a young man, brilliant though he is, as quality control manager of the Group — even just for two months. GARRICK: | quite agree; but we can have Harry McMullen in charge. He's More experienced than anyone. When he retires, he will be giv- ing classes on quality control at the Belfast Polytechnic Business ‘School. I'm sure he would be delighted to come and help us out. HUMPHRIES: | say, Charles, why don't we invite Harry McMullen, the quality con- trol manager of Northern Ireland Canners, to take over till George ‘Shelley comes back? GARRICK: That's a good idea, David. Now why didn’t | think of that? Dialogue Comprehension Answer the following questions: 1. Did Susan Andrews tell Mr Humphries that she was leaving the company? 2. Does Mr Garrick hope that Susan Andrews hasn't asked for a transfer to another department? 3. How long will Susan Andrews be away from work? 4. Is George Shelley the assistant manager of production planning or quality control? . Why will George Shelley be off from work for two months? . Why did Mr Garrick go to Belfast about a month ago? Did Harry McMullen tell Mr Garrick that his assistant was slow and unre- liable? 8. Is Mr Humphries in favour or against having Harry McMullen's assistant as a temporary replacement for Susan Andrews? 9. Where will Harry McMullen give classes on quality control when he retires? 10. Who have Humphries and Garrick decided will take over from Susan An: drews until George Shelley comes back? Notes on the Dialogue temporary absence auséncia tempordria Key business to be away from the office _ estar fora do eseritorio words resolved resolvido can take over pode assumir due to retire deve aposentar-se in charge como chefe, no comando * Note that it is not necessary to repeat So that ... may - para que... possa- in Comments on key the following sentence: structures So that your problem may swiftly be resolved, (so that) your troubles (may) disappear instantly and (so that) your inimitable smile (may) replace your present expression of woe. * Notice the use of though in ‘brilliant though he is’ - embora seja brifhante. Compare the following expensive though they are ‘embora sejam caros even though they are expensive embora sejam caros despite their being expensive —_apesar de serem caros ‘* Note that in the negative interrogative the contraction don't is used instead of do not, which is not possible. Compare the following: Don't you export to Africa? Doesn't he know the manager? Can't they deliver the goods? Mustn't we park over there? Won't you go to the meeting? Wouldn't they sign the contract? Yor once pola primeira vez “te have an operation ser operado 2 woe ppreocupagao, dor in luck com sorte ‘I say ouga "chap amigo, “cara” 321 322 BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Writes ** Letter 1 ‘The answer to Letter 1 in Unit 13 Subject: Immediate answers to urgent requests. When an urgent request is received, it should be answered immediately. Even if the request cannot be satisfied for the moment, at least it should be made clear that something is being done. The following letters are the answers to Letters 1 and 2 of Unit 13. Both answers contain a brief explanation on why it had not been possible to contact them by telephone. Maintenance Servises Lid Cornwall Terrace Sandgate Kent ST4 32B Tel: 0432 322144 ayes 1 October, 1990 Me Harold Faber General Manager Kent Industries Plc Park Forest Canterbury ent CT 27H Dear Mr Faber, In answer to your fax, just received, we are able to inform you ‘that our chief technician is making arrangements to send two of our staff to repair your boiler. He will be telephoning you later on to let you know exactly when they are coming. We regret you were unable to contact us by telephone earlier on. ‘This was due to the fact that our telephonist had had to leave the switchboard a short while and had not connected the automatic receiver. ‘Yours sincerely, Bi keaat— Manager CRAWFORD AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY PLC Bedford Industral Estate Bedford NL4 3YU Tel: 0544 677 8564 Fax: 0544 722 2099 B/Fo 6 August, 1990 Me Ron Culford Grove Fam ‘Torrington Lane Midsummer Norton ‘Somerset SX1 30D Dear Mr Culford, Your fax has just been received and we are doing all we can to find a speedy solution to your urgent problem. We shall be telephoning you later this morning or at the very lastest this afternoon. We regret you were unable to contact us by telephone. We had trouble with the lines but now all is well. ‘Yours sincerely, Tepes —— Sales Manager Notes on the Text and the Letters due to the fact devido ao fato de switchboard central telefénica (PBX) automatic receiver, (U.S.) answering machine _ secretaria eletrénica * Note that both letters begin with the action taken to resolve the problem. The brief explanation about the telephone not being answered comes after. '* Notice the use of on in later on and earlier on. By using on it is not nec- essary to add this morning or this afternoon, * Note that a short while means for a short time, which suggests slightly ong- er than a moment. Letter 2 The answer to Letters 2 in Unit 13. Key business words Comments on key structures 323 324 BUSINESS EXECUTIVES An Executive Travels + Subject: Travel Dialogues - Hotel room service. M. Bernard Giradoux, an executive of the French firm Construction Moderne, is in London on business and is staying at the Park Hotel. From his room he telephones hotel reception CLERK: Girapoux: CLERK: GiRADoUx: CLERK: GiraDoux: CLERK: GiRADOUX: ‘CLERK: GiRADOUX: CLERK: GIRADOUX: WAITER: GiRADOUX: waren: GIRADOUX: (CHAMBERMAID: GIRADOUK: (CHAMBERMAID: Girapoux: Reception. Can | help you? Yes, room 421 here. Have you, please, a street plan of cen- tral London that I could borrow! for half an hour? Yes, of course, sir; ll send it up right away’. Is there anything else you need, sir? Yes, the chambermaid has forgotten the bath towels. At the moment I have only one small hand towel. il see to it right away, sir. Thank you very much. By the way, | asked room service for coffee and a sandwich half an hour ago and | am still waiting. IM chase them up for you, sir. Chase them up or bring them up, | do not mind so long as | get them fairly soon, Very good, sir Just one final thing. | have been trying to get Air France on the telephone but have had no success. Do you think you could get them for me, please? | want to speak to someone about changing my flight to Paris tomorrow. Someone is knocking fon the door: | think my coffee and sandwich have arrived Very good, sir. Il ring you as soon as | get through to Air France. Thank you very much. Come in, Ah, you have brought my coffee and sandwich, | observe. Yes, sir. 'm sorry about the delay. As | was bringing it up, | heard a scream*: a lady had fallen down on the stairs. Putting the tray on the hall table, | rushed to her aid®. After helping her to her room, | went down to the bar to tell her husband ‘When | got back your coffee was nearly cold, so | took it back to change it That was very kind of you. (He tips the waiter) Oh, thank you, sir. Much obliged®. Shall | come back for the tray in about half an hour, sir? Yes, that will be fine. Meanwhile | think | have another visitor. I've brought your towels, sir. 'm sorry | forgot to replace” them this morning, but just as | finished your room | heard a scream. A lady had fallen down on the stairs perhaps? Absolutely right, sir. How did you know? Excuse me, that’s the telephone. | should like to deal with it before my coffee gets cold Text Comprehension Answer the following questions: What does M. Giradoux ask the reception clerk if he could borrow? Does the clerk say he will send it up when he has time? What has the chambermaid forgotten to leave in the bathroom? How long ago did M. Giradoux ask room service to bring him some coffee and a sandwich? Who has M. Giradoux been trying to get on the telephone? When will the reception clerk ring M. Giradoux? What happened when the waiter was bringing M. Giradoux's tray up? Does M. Giradoux give the waiter anything? When does the waiter say he will come back for the tray? Does the chambermaid say she is sorry she forgot to make the bed this morning? sone Seenon Notes on the Dialogue street plan, (U.S.) map guia de ruas Key business chambermaid camareira words delay atraso tip (to tip) gorjeta (dar gorjeta) excuse me desculpe deal with it resolver 0 assunto * Note the use of borrow. This is not translated directly but normally as an Comments on key equivalent expression. As examples of direct translations and equivalent ex- structures pressions compare the following: Direct: We need two trucks. - Precisamos de dois caminhées. Equivalent: Good moming. - Bom dia (ndo Boa manhé). Could | borrow? - Poderia me emprestar? (melhor que Eu poderia tomar emprestado?) * Note the difference between fall down the stairs and fall down on the stairs. ‘* Note that chambermaid is the girl who cleans the rooms in a hotel. This is not to be confused with waitress, who serves the tables in a restaurant. * Note the expression chase up (apressar a/guém). This is much used in business. For example: to chase up a department slow in doing something; to chase up the warehouse for not delivering an order; to. chase up a salesman for not having visited a customer as usual; etc Clearly M. Giradoux, who is not familiar with the expression, thinks it is a synonym of bring up ~ carry up, take up, for example. ‘borrow tomar emprestado Said, help ajuda, auxilo 2right away agora mesmo, jd much obliged muito agradecido scream gnitar replace substitu, repor ‘rushed com 325 326 BUSINESS MATTERS Some Questions and Answers about. Banks and Overseas Trade (6) ers Subject: Receiving payment for exported goods. A week or so after his talk with the bank manager on the subject of exporting Mr Barrat has had to come into town to see his solicitor. Afterwards he de- = cides to go into a nearby Italian restaurant that serves morning coffee. As he sits down at one of the vacant tables, he sees his bank manager come in. He greets him and invites him to sit down and have coffee with him, MANAGER: The coffee machine at the bank has broken down, so | thought I'd take ten minutes off! and pop out? for a coffee. Barratt: I'm glad you did. | can now ask you a few more questions about exporting. MANAGER: If you don't mind, I'l ask you a question first. What exactly is sys- tems furniture — the office furniture that you make? BaRRATT: It's two things: it's furniture specially designed for computers, that is with a slightly higher shelf on the desks and tables so the VDU is at eye level; and it’s also what we call modular furniture — you know, those tables and pieces of furniture that interlock. MANAGER: Ah, yes, | know; you can arrange them in L, H and Z shapes, can't you? BARRATT: Yes, that's right. You must come along to the factory one day and ll show you round. MANAGER: | should be delighted. I'll be able to visit your export department then. Barratt: Talking of exports, I've been reading those interesting little book- lets you gave me. I'm still a bit apprehensive about the financial side of the operation, though. Could we just recap on that? MANAGER: Yes, of course. If you are doing business in a country where they generally pay on time, you've no worries. In some countries, though, they have the tradition of extending their period of credit for 90 days or more. You would need to seek our advice in cases like that BanRaTT: What about bad debts? Manacer: Those are even worse than delayed payment. As | said the other day, you would need to consult ECGD if you ever have any doubts about prompt payment. Through them you can cover yourself ag- ainst such risks as customer default, exchange controls, political risks that prevent payment, like war, for example. BarRATT: Exporting seems to be a bit of a war in itself. | say, do have some more cottee, Manager: Thank you. Of course, you can always use factoring, which although. & reducing your margins, does ensure that you get prompt payment against your invoices ater shipment BARRATT: MANAGER: BARRATT: MANAGER: BARRATT: MANAGER: BARRATT: MANAGER: BARRATT: MANAGER: Ht my export business develops | shall seriously have to consider factoring as a possibilty of getting payment without any hassle’, Isn't it possible to get paid in advance for goods? As far as advance payment is concerned, nobody is going to pay you £10,000 in advance and then sit and wait for the goods to be shipped. Advance payments are normally reserved for the sending of small orders, usually by air freight. If the order is urgent then the customer is prepared to pay in advance. Then comes documentary letters of credit, which is slightly more ‘complicated. Not if your bank handles* it. We, the bank, say to your customer ‘tf you present all the documents showing that the goods have been shipped, we shall pay you for them’. There can, of course, be com- plications, like the goods not being up to standard, for example. How can you guarantee that the goods are up to standard if you don't see them before they are shipped? You would get a third party to inspect them before they left the country, All this you would stipulate in the sales contract, which is reflected in the terms and conditions of the letter of credit. The paying bank cannot accept any deviation from these terms. For this reason documents presented under letters of credit often have to be rejected by banks because they are incomplete or incorrect. Which causes further delays and in the case of big orders poss- ible cash flow problems. Exactly. I'm afraid® | seem to be painting a very black picture, but | have to tell you the things that can happen, which does not mean that they will happen. We shall be happy to explain all about the internationally accepted checking methods that can reduce such risks and about the different types of letters of credit designed for a wide range of business and so on when you are ready to start exporting. |'m beginning to think that Lloyds is a very good bank. I've always thought so. ‘take ten minutes off descansar dez minutos 2 pop out Shassie “handles 31m afraid ‘air por um momento, dar um pul Id fora luta, biga, discuss4o cuida temo que 327 328 BUSINESS MATTERS Key business words Comments on key structures, Dialogue Comprehension Answer the following questions: What has Mr Barratt had to come into town for? Why has the bank manager come to the Italian restaurant for morning cof- fee? What is modular furniture another name for? What does Mr Barratt tell the manager he has been reading? . What does the manager say are worse than delayed payments? What can an exporter cover himself against through ECGD? ’. What is the disadvantage of factoring? What are advance payments normally reserved for? Why do paying banks often have to reject documents presented under let- ters of credit? 10. Is there only one type of letter of credit designed for all types of business? OPNONES Vo Notes on the Dialogue shelf estante, prateleira pieces of furniture méveis interlock que se ligam uns aos outros (médulos) recap (to) recapitular bad debts divides incobréveis customer default cliente inacimplente exchange controls _controles cambiais up to standard dentro dos padrées third party terceiro(s) wide range ampla linha * Note the use of or so, meaning approximately. Compare the following approximately a week a week or so about £10 £10 or so around four ounces —_four ounces or so * Notice that so that (para que) is often reduced to so as in the following: with a slightly higher shelf so (that) the VDU is at eye level ‘* Note the expression painting a very black picture - passando uma pés- sima imagem. * Note that happy does not mean feliz in the following: We shall be happy to explain - Teremos o maior prazer em explicar. | shall be happy to sign ~ Terei muito gosto em assinar, Offices (4) Subject: Office equipment and furniture, ry Mr Henderson, the office manager of Colbert & Winters, is very pleased with the progress in furnishing and equipping the new and much larger premises the company is moving into next month. Typewriters and word processors have been ordered as well as no fewer than ten photocopiers of various sizes; an offset-litho duplicator and an addressing machine will be delivered tomorrow and eight electronic calculators with printing facilities early next week Mr Henderson had just read a memo from the managing director about increasing the use of dictating machines. It comments on the time wasted taking down dictations in shorthand and then typing them out, thus! doubling the time spent by a secretary or shorthand-typist in producing the final letter or report. It lists all the advantages (though none of the disadvantages) of dictating machines, including the convenience of not having to take a secretary away from work she is engaged on in order to take down dictations, of being able to dictate after normal office hours and of being able to switch them off when dictating is interrupted by telephone calls or visits. Mr Henderson thought of the secretary who had worked hard to learn shorthand and who now could not use it, and also of how depersonalised her work would become. Nevertheless, he made a note to enquire about the various dictating machines on the market, As far as furniture is concerned, that has all been settled’. In fact at this very moment men are taking modular furniture into the new offices. Even the problem of the chairs has-been resolved. Two days ago the office manager received the managing director's comments on the subject in a memo. Alter indicating the style he then listed the types of chair to be ordered, Simple, fixed-seat chairs for general office staff and typists; the same type of chair but with arms for section chiefs; swivel chairs for secretaries; swivel chairs adjustable for posture for top secretaries; and larger, more comfortable, swivel and tilt chairs covered in leather for managers. The managing director made no comment about his own chair. A well-known designer is at present working on it. Notes on the Text furnishing ‘mobiliar addressing machine méquina de enderecamento dictating machines —_itafones shorthand taquigrafia swivel chairs cadeiras giratorias tilt chairs cadeiras reciindveis leather couro thus assim settled decidid, resolvido 329 BUSINESS NEWS A Commodity in Trouble Subject: Australians worried by the fall in wool prices. eH When supply exceeds demand, prices fall. In the commodity market, overproduction provides the excessive supply that sends tumbling prices. Everyone knows of the problems of OPEC (prior to the Gulf crisis) and their attempts to control the production of their members in order to prevent an cil glut and the inevitable fall in price that this brings. Coffee is another example. There are so many countries growing coffee that when there is an exceptionally good year, the bottom falls out of the market. At the moment it is the turn of wool to suifer. in the Financial Times of October 9 Kevin Brown 330 teports from Sydney: Australia’s Federal Cabinet yesterday approved a series of tough measures de- signed to rescue the wool industry from falling prices caused by overpro- duction. Wool producers could find themselves paying up to 50 per cent of their in- come next year to the Wool Corpora- tion, which aims to maintain stability by purchasing the product if the price falls below a set figure. Australia is the world’s biggest wool producer and exporter. Earlier this year the government forced the Wool Cor- poration, which represents growers, 10 reduce its floor price from 870 cents a kilogram to 700 cents in order to stimulate demand from overseas buyers. Sales have continued to be slow, however, and the market indicator (average price) closed at 704 cents kilogram at the end of last week: only 4 cents above the floor price The package approved by the Cabinet increases the maximum woo! tax from 25 to 30 per cent, and provides for a further increase to 50 per cent from the start of the 1991-92 season next June The Wool Corporation levies the tax to finance the purchase and storage of wool which fails to sell above its floor price. The Corporation said the rate would remain at 25 per cent for the moment. However, the amount of wool offered at auctions is to be reduced from 170,000 bales per week to 140,000, forcing farmers to hold stocks longer. scheme, the report continues: ‘After commenting on the government's legislating to finance a sheep slaughter Corporation officials said that there were no official figures for the numbers of sheep that had already been slaugh- tered, but suggestions that millions might have been killed were ‘specula- tion’, The biggest problems are likely to occur during the coming summer months in Western Australia and parts of Queensland, where dry conditions ill make wool production even less Viable than in other areas, officials said. Wool production has soared over the past year as Australian farmers have moved out of other troubled crops, par- ticularly grains. The result will be a wool clip of Ibn tonnes this year — about 20 per cent more than the Cor- Poration’s highest annual sales. Text Comprehension ‘Answer the following questions: 1. Does the price of a commodity rise when there is a glut? 2. Does the bottom fall out of the market when there is a scarcity or a glut of a commodity? 3. How much could Australian wool growers find themselves paying to the Wool Corporation next year? 4, Was the Wool Corporation forced to reduce its floor price by 210 cents earlier this year? 5. How many bales is the amount of wool offered at auctions to be reduced by? 6. Why has Australian wool production soared over the past year? Notes on the Text ‘commodity ‘mercadoria tumbling prices —pregos que caem rapidamente glut inundacao, excesso tough measures medidas duras set figure cifra estabelecida growers produtores levies the tax aplica 0 imposto fails to sell deixa de vender auctions leilbes bales fardos sheep slaughter abate de ovinos moved out of | deixaram de se dedicar a troubled crops —_cultivos probleméticos grains graos, cereais wool clip produgo de a * The Commodity Market is the market dealing in raw materials. * OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. * Note the following pairs of opposites: soaring prices tumbling prices ceiling price floor price (maximum and minimum price) overproduction underproduction glut sarcity * Note the expression the bottom falls out of the market. This is used to in- dicate an absolute lack of demand for a product or service. © Note that slaughter is the term used for killing animals. A slaughterhouse or abattoir is matadouro, abatedouro. * Note that in Key business words to move out of - sair de ~ is translated in its textual meaning of deixar de se dedicar a Key business words Comments on key structures 331 THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS. The Tenses (6) +e The construction of the Past Simple The Past Simple of the verb ‘to go’ Subject: The Past Simple. Being a simple tense the past simple naturally has many similarities with the present simple. The only difference between the two tenses in the interroga- tive, negative and emphatic is that ‘did’ replaces ‘do’ and ‘does’. Compare the following: Interrogative Do you work in this department? Did you work in this department? Does Miss Jones work in this office? Did Miss Jones work in this office? Negative I do not use this typewriter. I did not use this typewriter. He does not use this word processor. He did not use this word processor. Emphatic They do arrive at the office at nine o'clock. They did arrive at the office at nine o'clock. He does leave the office at five o'clock. He did leave the office at five o'clock. In the affirmative there is only one inflection (see table below) and not two, as in the present. Thus instead of | go, you go, he goes, etc. we have | went, you went, he went, etc. Although it is necessary to learn the past tense of the irregular verbs — went the past of go above in the example — the formation of the past tense of regular verbs is very simple: ed or in some cases ied or just d are added to the infinitive. As the past tense of regular verbs is the same as the past participle, then the same rule applies. See page 284, The Tenses (4) in Unit 12. As a complement to the section in Unit 12 on the spelling of the ed ending verbs we now have a table (see page 333) on the three distinct pronunciation groups. It is possible to practise these three pronunciations by underlining all the ed ending verbs in the sections that are recorded on cassette and then following the cassette with the text or dialogue, listening carefully to the pro- Nunciation of the words underlined, ‘Affirmative Emphatic Interrogative Negative 1 went 1 did go Did! go? | 1 didn't go You went You did go Did you go? | You didn't go He went He did go Did he go? | He didn't go We went We did go Did we go? | We didn't go You went You did go Did you go? | You didn't go They went They did go Did they go? | They didn't go id t a ended passed robbed landed commenced closed paraded lunched bagged needed wished hauled waited stopped programmed started helped fined greeted looked relerred inspected briefed lived congratulated putfed renewed laughed played boxed amazed From the above table it may be appreciated that after d or t the ed is pro- nounced Ad. After a sibilant sound /ssss/ or /sh/ or /ch/; after p, k and f (in- cluding laugh which ends in an A/ sound) and atter x (which is really the sound ks - box=/boks/) the ed is pronounced AY (there is no difference in pronuncia- tion between passed and past). Finally, in the remaining endings ed after b, g, |, m, n, etc. is pronounced /d/ (there is no difference in pronunciation be- tween fined and find). Note that it is possible to find exceptions to the above rule, but exceptions are rare. There are five basic uses of this tense: The uses of the 1. When referring to a general truth or fact. Past Simple 2. When referring to desires, feelings or impressions. 3. When referring to a state or an action at a specific time. 4 When referring to a state or action over a longer period. 5. When referring to habitual actions in the past. 1. When referring to a general truth or fact in the past: Companies had difficulty in importing raw material. Good technicians were very hard to find. Women worked long hours in the textile mills. Farm labourers earned very low wages. 2. When referring to desires, feelings or impressions: - They wanted to build a new factory. | felt | had to leave the company. He had the impression that the crisis would continue. We thought we should export more. 3. When referring to a state or an action at a specific time: Johnson was the manager in 1949. Our sales fell considerably in January. The chiet executive arrived at nine o'clock. The committee met on Wednesday 2 July. 4. When referring to a state or action over a longer period: He was the manager from 1965 to 1978. They were the leading company throughout the 1960's. Our company had factories in India for half a century. She worked at head office for over twenty years. 333 THE USE OF ENGLISH IN BUSINESS Ago 5. When referring to habitual actions: He arrived at the office punctually at nine o'clock every morning and left at five o'clock in the afternoon. They regularly held meetings to discuss progress. They typed out the stock list every Friday afternoon. They always complained about our prices. Note that when referring to an habitual action in the past we can use would or used to. Compare the following: He often went to staff meetings. He would often go to staff meetings. He often used to go to staff meetings. They sometimes refused to work overtime. They would sometimes refuse to work overtime. They sometimes used to refuse to work overtime. The word ago is what remains of the old English word agone. The original three days agone (trés dias "passados") became three days ago, wich is the equivalent in Portuguese of trés dias atras, faz trés dias. Although ago can be used with any past tense, it is normally associated with the past simple, as in the following examples: We began exporting to Africa ten years ago. They changed from bottling to canning fruit more than half a century ago. | spoke to the production manager about it ten minutes ago. They stopped selling imported meat ages ago. Used with first and last. This construction with first and last (the first time and the last time) only exists in the past simple. It is used very much in business because it is very specific, Compare the following: When did you first meet to discuss the project? When did they first mention they were interested in exporting? When did he first complain about the quality of our products? When did you last discuss the matter with the managing director? When did we last check the stock at the Bradford warehouse? When did they last increase their prices? Glossary of the Key Business Words and Phrases Used addressing machine maquina de enderegamento auction leiléo automatic receiver, (U.S) __secretéria eletrnica ‘answering machine bale fardo chambermaid camareira commodity mercadoria ‘customer default chente inadimplente default (see customer dear de pagar default) dictating machine ditafone exchange controls Controles cambiais forklift truck 4 carregadera furnishing (to furnish) ‘mabiia (mobilar) ‘glut inundagao, excesso ‘grains gros, cereais ‘growers produtores leather couro levy tax ‘pica impostos loading bay 4érea de carga e descarga losses perdas, prejuzos pallet plataforma Portable platform plataforma portati retire aposentar (se) shorthand taquiagrafia slaughter house

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