WRITING

Model answer

Dear Mr Kasaba,

I’d like to welcome you to the company (a) and to let you know that I’m arranging an induction day
for you on Tuesday(b). Firstly, the Design Manager is going to introduce you to the design team(c1).
After that, Ahmed Barak, the Production Manager, is showing you the production process(c2). After
lunch, I’ll introduce you to the marketing team and finally we’re meeting the customer service
team(c3).

Please contact me if you have any questions(d).

Kind regards,

II. Writing:
Read the following job advertisement on www.glassdoor.com and the candidate’s profile.

Sales and Marketing Manager

Cathay Pacific - HCMC
Key Responsibilities
+ Develop strategic plans and direction of the team
+ Identify brand building opportunities through the sponsorship of events and organizations
+ Evaluate and develop sales and tactical promotions
Requirements
 Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business or equivalent major
 At least 05 years of experiences in Sales and Marketing (with 03 years in a managerial
position)

Candidate’s profile
+ Khang Tran, 28-years-old
+ Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, University of Finance and Marketing
+ Marketing Intern (02 years) and Marketing Manager for StudyLink (04 years)

Write an email of job application for the position advertised. Make up information where
necessary.

Subject: Sales and Marketing Manager, Khang Tran

Dear Mr. Bach Nguyen,

I am
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…
As you can see
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
With a B.A degree
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Thank you ……………………………………………………………………………… .

Yours ……………… ,

Khang Tran

SUGGESTED ANSWERS

Subject: Sales and Marketing Manager, Khang Tran

Dear Mr. Bach Nguyen,

(Introduction: 5 marks)

I am responding with enthusiasm to your job posting on www.glassdoor.com for the position of Sales and
Marketing Manager. I believe my extensive experience and skills in this field are an excellent match for the
job.

(Body: 10 marks)

As you can see in my CV, I worked as Sales and Marketing Manager for StudyLink for 4 years. During that
time, I developed strategic plans and my team was successfully achieved the goals set up. We built and
raised brand awareness by being the main sponsor for competitions held at universities.

With a B.A. degree in Marketing and the experience accumulated while working as a Marketing Intern for
StudyLink, I have a full understanding of the importance of sales and tactical promotions.

(Closing: 5 marks)

Thank you for your time and consideration. I can be reached anytime via this email address or my cell phone
(0164 …….. )
 Yours sincerely,

Khang Tran

USEFUL LANGUAGE

Opening:

 I am writing to apply for the Programmer position advertised in the Times union.
 I would like to apply for the post/ position of … which you advertised in … on …
 I believe that my strong technical experience and education will make me a very
competitive candidate for this position.
Closing:

 If you need further information, please let me know.

 I look forward to speaking with you about this employment opportunity.
 I would welcome the opportunity to discuss further details of the position with you
personally.

LISTENING

PART 1: QUESTION & RESPONSES

1 Hi, I’m Matt, the Project Manager.

A Let’s go and say hello.

B Are you the Project Manager?

C Hi, nice to meet you in person.

2 How’s it going?

A Not bad, not bad.

B We’re going on a trip.

C To London next week.

3 Did you have a good trip?

A Great to meet you finally.

B Sorry to be in a rush like this.

C There was a bit of a delay at the airport.

4 Can I get you anything to drink?

A Not bad at all.

B Yes, once before.

C No thanks, I’m fine.

5 Sorry to rush off like this.

A No problem. We can leave it there.

B Great. It’s always the same.

C It’s my first time here.

1 Did you have a good flight?

A Yes, it was, thank you.

B Not really, there was a long delay.

C Yes, about an hour ago.

2 Is this your first time in Budapest?

A Yes, I was here before.

B I’m sorry about that.

C Actually, I was here last week.

3 Where are you based exactly?

A In a small office.

B New York.

C That would be nice, thanks.

4 Are you free for dinner this evening?

A Sorry, I’m meeting a client.

B Yes, I do.

C That’s a good idea.

5 Do you work with Sara Lintell?

A No, she doesn’t.

B Why? You know her?

C Yes, thanks.

PART 2: SHORT LISTENING

1 Which structure does Maria’s company have?

A: Does your company have a traditional organisation structure?

B: I think it does, but it doesn’t have as many levels as some.

A: So it’s a tall structure, then?

B: I wouldn’t say it was tall but it’s not flat either.

A: So it’s got more levels than a flat structure and fewer than a tall one?

B: That’s it exactly.

2 Whose recruitment were employees involved in in Elsa’s company?

A: Elsa, did you know the employees in my firm chose the new CEO?

B: Wow! Did they make the right choice?

A: Yes. We all work closely together and we knew he was the best person for the job.

B: In our company, bosses have made some bad choices recruiting managers. I’d like to help recruit
department heads, but we don’t. However, we do choose the team leaders for our projects.

A: Well then, maybe you’ll choose the Chief Executive next.

B: I don’t think so.

3 What time does the presentation start?

A: Are you going to the presentation this afternoon?

B: Well, I’ve got to visit a new client at 1 o’clock but I should be back around 2.30. The presentation’s
at 2.45, isn’t it?

A: No, they’ve just changed it to 1.30.

B: Oh, no. I’ll call the client and see if he can make it 12 o’clock instead.

4 Who is going to meet Mr Jones at the airport?

A: Mr Jones, Production Manager of our main supplier is arriving at the airport in an hour. We need
someone to meet him there because Terry Ashall is off sick today.

B: What about Katy Coburg? She’s the Assistant Purchasing Officer.

A: She’s away at a conference. Can you go, Guy? After all you are our Production Supervisor. You’ve
met Mr Jones before.

B: Okay. I’m going now.

5 Where are the company headquarters currently?

Welcome to GSandes Group conference here in the future Dubai headquarters. I’m Alex Sandes and,
as many of you know, I’m based in Geneva, in Europe, at our headquarters. However, I’m pleased to
announce that from next January I’ll be moving here to our new head office. The Montreal office in
Canada will remain as a branch office, and we’ll relocate staff to other branches around the world.

6 Why is the company changing its structure?

We’ve decided to change the company structure to make it more efficient, so it’s going to be much
flatter than it is now. This is mainly because we’ve had a lot of complaints about incorrect orders and
late deliveries. We can stop this if the person who accepts the order is responsible for it right up to
the delivery.
7 What does the new client produce?

A: We’re meeting with Gray’s this afternoon.

B: They’re a new client, aren’t they?

A: Yes, they’re interested in us doing their marketing.

B: That’s great. I love those old-fashioned desks they make.

A: You’re thinking of Gracefield. Gray’s are the briefcase people.

B: Oh well, anything’s better than the office chairs we had to market last month. It’s not easy to
make an office chair interesting.

8 When did Paolo join the company?

A: Hi Paolo, nice to meet you. I’m Clara, Projects Coordinator.

B: Good to meet you finally, Clara.

A: As this is your first day here, I’ll introduce you to everyone. And are you free for dinner this
evening so you can meet the Project Manager, Gustav Drinkmann?

B: I already know him.

A: Do you?

B: We worked together two years ago. When did he join this company?

A: Six months ago.

PART 3: LONG LISTENING

I = Interviewer M = Mike Ungar

Listen to a radio interview.

I: I’m talking to Mike Ungar, CEO of Ungar Travel, an online travel company. Good evening, Mike.

M: Good evening, Yolanda.

I: Now, your company started as a traditional travel agency, didn’t it? But now you’re one of the
biggest online companies.

M: That’s right. We closed our last high-street branch two years ago.

I: So what did that mean for your staff?

M: Well, of course it was a shock for many of them. First of all, we spent hours trying to persuade as
many of the original staff as possible to stay. But many, generally the older and more experienced
ones, unfortunately, didn’t want to change the way they worked so we lost some good people.

I: And then you made a rather unusual announcement, didn’t you, when you changed the structure
of your organisation?
M: Well, the changing nature of our business meant that we had to change the way we ran the
company. First of all, we announced that we no longer needed managers for each branch, so I told
them that we wouldn’t have managers anywhere in the organisation.

I: And how did your staff respond after that announcement?

M: There was, of course, a very mixed reaction. Some staff were delighted, but the managers were
very worried that they’d lost their jobs. I think the most difficult thing was to convince them that we
still needed their skills, just in a different way. We offered them all training in the world of internet
business and those that took up the challenge have adapted well.

I: What about the employees who were not managers?

M: There was quite a strange reaction to the no manager policy. At first staff thought it would mean
that they could do what they liked, but once they realised they had to be their own managers and be
responsible for their own decisions and work, we had a few problems. In the traditional structure,
non-management staff report to their line manager and if anything goes wrong, it’s the boss’s
responsibility. Suddenly people no longer had someone else to blame if things went wrong. Some
people just don’t like or want to take responsibility for their work.

I: How did you overcome the problems with non-management staff?

M: It wasn’t easy. The new flatter structure involved people working in specialist teams and it soon
became obvious when someone was struggling or not working hard enough. For most people,
working in a team motivated them and they were all supportive of each other. The ones who didn’t
feel comfortable in the teams left the company.

I: Did that make other people question the no manager strategy?

M: Yes, it did but then we all talked about it and I discovered that the majority of people were happy
with the new working methods and structure. They were more efficient and productive. The
feedback indicated that they loved working for the company and that they really wanted to be there.

I: Did you find some people wanted to become the leaders of a group?

M: Yes, but all the team members choose their own team leaders, which avoids the old system
where bad managers were recruited by people who are never going to work with them. At least here
everyone feels they’ve got control over their own situation.