eas 1 Company Structures Reading 1 Read the first paragraph of the text about MIS Systems Corporation and complete the following ‘fact file’. IMTS Systems Coxporation Headquarters in » Specialises in 2 EEE EEE EEE Factories located in + and No. of employees « 2 Now read the rest of the text, in which Bernard Levesque describes the organisation of MTS Paris, and contplete the organisation chart opposite. ‘My name's Bernard Levesque ond I'm the Technical ane Quality Manoger ot MTS in Paris and work within the MTD — the Materials Testing Division, which makes equipment used by industria firms to test the strength and durability of naterials lke plastics, mezals and so forth, Were a subsidiary of MTS Systems Corporation, an American firm based in Minneapalis. MTS employs roughiy 2,200 people worldwide and is a feading supplier of inechanice! testing and simulation equipment, Our mgjar development and manufacturing operations are located in the US, Fronce and Germany, and we have sales and service offices around the world, Before | describe the organisation of my department, outline the structure from the top, starting with Werner Ongyert. our CED, who oversees all aspects of our activities here, Just below him is the General Menager jacques Mordelet, wha is my immediate superior. Then there's Spviane Yiloret, the Human Resources Director, ond Genevieve Cometti, the GM's Secretary, who olsn report directly to him, We have a management team that includes myself Dominique Faurieux, the Sales Manager, fean-Frencais Reinauld, the Finance Manager, and of course, jacques ‘Mardelet, who is also the Morketing Manager There ore also twe new departments ~ Customer Service and NYD, the Noise and Vibration Division — headed by Louis Regnier and Patrick Dhommee respectively Now, getting back to the way my department is organised, 'm responsible for operations, so I'm in charge of Purchasing and Pianeing, R&D and Quality, The Purchasing and Plenning Department schedules production based on orders provided by the soles team and forecasts from the Marketing Department. In R&D, there ave three sub-departments ~ Mechanical Engineering, Electronics, and Software Engineering — which are involved in developing now products and modifying existing products to meet custemer demands. They receive technical specifications from the Marketing Department and provide drawings, @ ports (ist and ossembly lastructions, Nothalie Launay works closely with me on Quality ~ an areo that. takes up nearly a third of my time, And finally there's the head of Shipping, 19s well as the person in chorge of Assembly, who also report to me,Company Structures i —= r INMETS Paris —— z 5 a I 1 fs 6 Technical and bi . ? Quality Manager LC L I Purchasing and | [' a iz is Planning EEE SESE eb eEEen Mechanical a ts. Engineering Vocabulary 3 Circle the word that does not belong in each horizontal group. firm company society subsidiary salary manager engineer employee 1 2 3 fimance product planning marketing, 4 ship assemble customer purchase plant facility patent —_factory A Match the following definitions to the groups of three words that you identified above. a b a e 5 1 2 3 manufacturing sites stages in the manufacturing process _ people who work in a company ae types of business organisation TEE different departments in a company _ Match cach of the words that you circled with the following definitions. payment for work, usually monthly. ‘an item that has been made an organisation or club with members who share similar interests, a document that gives the exclusive right to make or sell a new product 1a person who buys goods or servicesra) one Language Focus Present perfect and past simple 6 Complete the following company profile with elther the present perfect or past simple tense of the verb in brackets Procter & Gamble | Aas been (be) in the soap business since William Procter and James Gamble 2 (form) their partnership in 1837. In order to raise capital for expansion, the partners * (set up) a comporate structure in 1890, with an appointed president at the helm of the company. It (undergo) further restructuring in 1955, with the creation of individual operating divisions to better manage their growing lines of products. John £. Peppers (lead) the company since 1995, when he was elected Procter & Gamible's ninth Chaitman and Chief Executive Officer. The same year, the company & (move) from managing the business under two geographic areas, US and International, to four regions - North America, Latin America, Asia, and Europe/Middle East/Africa Ivory soap, which 7 (become) a common household name, # (come) onto the market in 1879. With the introduction and instant success of Tide laundry detergent in 1946, Procter & Gambie »__ (embark) on a strategy of rapid growth into new product lines as well as new markets around the world. The firm's commitment to innovation in technology @__ (help) Tide to remain their Single largest brand over the years. Perhaps the product that ___ (have) the greatest impact, however, is Pampers, the disposable nappy which they ‘2______ (launch) in 1961 ‘As a result of their aggressive expansion policy, Procter & Gamble sales ve (reach) $10 billion in 1980, Since then the company i (quadruple) the number of consumers it can serve with Its brands - to about five billion people around the world. In 1998 sales w__(rise) to $37.2 billion, Describing changes 7 Read the following sentences describing changes and decide if the verb or oun underlined is correct or incorrect. If it Is correct, put a tick (/) in the space provided. If itis incorrect, write the correction. 1 2 Domestic sales of toothpaste have raised by 4.5% over last year ison (or increased / gone up) Procter & Gamble increased its market share in the Busopean personal care category with the acquisition of the Blendax {ine of products. ‘The consolidation of product development operations in Asia brought about a reduce in the research and development staff ‘The candle part of the business saw a rapid decline after the electric light bulb was invented, “The successful nationwide marketing campaign rose shampoo sales dramatically “With the introduction of efit packs for liquid laundry detergents, packaging was reduced by 65%, Consumption of traditional cotton nappies has dropped dramatically since the introduction of the disposable nappy. ‘There was @ 10096 raise in business in South Aftica in 1994,Company Structures i Writing 8 writea report on Mannesmann AG using the information below. Your report should contain three sections: ‘+ general information ‘+ history of the company + changes in the group's structure ‘Mannesmann core business sectors and percentage of total sales Yaa Headquarters: Disseldorf, Germany Employees worldwide: 116,247 ‘Annval sales 1998: DM 37.3 billion (EUR 19 billion) Changes in the Group's Structure 1980 now in es i | I 1890 Foundation of steel tube i business in Bevin by Max i ee ectnavamate i Headquarters move to 1893 i I Disseldort | p I 1893-1952 Acquistion of companies } related to steel tube i jeans : ish steel and tube mils 1952-55 | i in raz, Canad and Turkey : I | E : 1987-88 Acqutionotrintele | i Sachs AGyan automate | i (recon ‘ i Foundation of Mannesmann 1989 i Mobifurk Gmibi, 2 collar | phane company t 1990 Estabishfestprvate : communications network = | feeeteeomreniae I Dr klaus Esser becomes 1999 Chairman For the latest information on Mannesmann AG, visi thelr ‘web site tap fwwwamannesiancomS 10 Ze ia 2 Recruitment Reading ‘Read the following text which explains how job advertisements differ in three European countries. Job Ads: Reading Between the Lines Checking out job advertisements Is popular with execuewes worldwide Buc though che activi s universal is the same erve of che advertisements? Are executive poshiors in Stferent counerles advertised inthe same way? ‘A comparison of the obs pages of The Tones of London, Le Monde of Paris and Germany's Fronkfurter Algereine Zetang aggests not. First, what UK job seskers consider an essential piece of information — what the post pays ~ is absent from French and German adverts. tis cen eft wo applicants 10 raise this ‘themselves. In coneast, most British advertisements mention not only salary, but also other material incentives including a car and fringe benefits. French of German advertvements rarely cefer to these. ‘The attention glen t0 rewards in the UK incieates ha importance of the jab and its responsibil. In France and Germany, that information 15 _dven by the lavel of experiance and ‘qalfestions demanded Sslary can be assumed to correspond with this, i French and German adverts are vague about macarial rewards, they fare precise about qualifications. They usualy demand ‘a degree in ., nt simply ‘a. degree’. In Germany, for example, a technical director for a machine tool company wil be ‘oxpected to have a Dip-tng degree in ‘Mechanical Engineering. International Management (adapted) French advertisements go further They may specify not just the ¢ype oF sronde école dagre, buc sometimes parcicular set of institutions (Formaion supérieure X, Conwee, ‘Mines, HEC, ESSEC), these being the most famous grondes 6ols. AI this contrasts with the vague call for ‘graduates’ (or ‘graduate proforred) which ¥s found in the UK British companies often give the Impression thac they have a pardcular ‘ype of applicant in mind, but are not sure about the supply and will omider others. Their wording suggests hope and uncertainty a Io this advertisament from The Times: "Whilst educational standards are obviously important, large measure cf personal oomph is ely wo secure the success of your application’ In the UK gualifeations beyond egree level ke employers nervous, but in France or Germany iis difiule 10 be “overqualiid’. Many people on Gorman executive boards have doctorates and the French regard five for ix years of intensive post- Doccolouréat study at 2 grand école a5 Weal eraining.Brish managers are not selected primarily for their inceligence, as managers are in France, or for their expert lenowledge, a in Germany. Instead, ‘the Bish give importance t© 30a political and leadership skis, * oontph = enthusiasm ** racy = bold, exciting ‘This diferance also shows in the personal qualities mentioned. Bish advertisements stress energy, ability 1% communicate and motivate German advertisements tke achievement, but ie tends to be less porsonalitydeiven, German companies want candidates with sound knowledge, experiance and comperante in ter fiidThey rary recruit novices as do Briseh ‘employers. French advertisements refer more to intellectual quater like anatytical aptitude and independence Eran ghe tone of the job adverzements is different inthe three countries. By French and Gorman standards, British advertisements are very 1309". They smarace young executives with challenges such as:"Are you reaching your potential’, whereas French and Gorman advertisements are boringly direct, aiming. to. give information ‘doom whe job rather than to seh ‘All this points to vireo diferent conceptions of management. The French regard it as incellectually ‘complex, the Germans as technically complex, and the British as imerpersonaly complex. But they ‘agree on one ching: ies complex. Toa Leu BarsousRecruitment Now complete the chart with the information each country provides in its advertisements, lux France Germany Salary 1 essential piece | 2Notmentioncd | 3 Not mentioned ofisformaton Material incentives 7 - i 8 9 Degrees/qualifications 7 ‘School attended iL HE a2 Personal qualities i ia P| Tone of job advertisement |'6 ed a Conceptions of management |! i 21 Vocabulary 2 Match the words and expressions in the box with the headings below. job seekers doctorate initiative interviewees bonus candidates company car _job offer applicants advertisement diploma independence confidence qualifications interview pension plan shortlist enthusiasm degree health insurance 1 fringe benefits 2 education 3. stages in recruiting 4. personal qualities 5 people looking for work uwPrac) Language Focus Present simple and present continuous 3 Read the following interview with Margi Bogart, Product Marketing Manager at Mindsteps, Inc. Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or present contimuous tense. ! 2 MINOSTEPS™ “| work (work) for Mindsteps, Inc., a start-up firm located in Silicon Valley that 2 (develop) human resources management software for large corporations that shave) at least 2,500 employees. Currently, we “ (market) our main product called CareerSteps, which is a software program that * (help) employees to assess their interests, values, and skills in order to create a career development plan. More and more corporationss_______ (buy) CareerSteps as a cost effective solution to the issues that human resources: departmente_______ (face) such as staff tumover, motivating workers, and increasing employee productivity. Thanks to the success of an Initial pilot, this year Hewlett- Packard « 125,000 of their employees around the world. As the Product (make) CareerSteps available to Marketing Manager, |, (coordinate) the planning and (manage) the business and marketing efforts for the product. An important aspect of my job " (involve) making oure the product 2 (mest) the marketing requirements once it 6 completed. At the moment, | = (contact) potential clients and + (work) on the marketing requirements for the next: version of our product. On Tuesday, we . (present) the innovative features of the new version of CareerSteps to our main customers”Listening Recruitment Wi 4&3 You will hear five extracts from a job interview. Decide which of the questions below are answered in each extract. Be careful - three of the questions are not answered! Extract I: Extract 2: Extract 3: Extract 4 Extract 5: What is your current job? What are your long-term career goals? What part of the job do you least enjoy? What are the most important rewards you expect from your career? Why do you think you would be good at this job? What would you say has been your greatest achievement so far? What have you done that shows initiative? What do you think of working as part of a group? sa meno oe 5 Listen again and complete the following notes that the interviewer took. bs bods Bib bs bob. Bs bo E bee bop ke : (oR P RE PEE REUTER E EH E Studied + at university Previous experience: worked for 2 Productions, Learnt various aspects of thes process. Current position: + ait Nomad Productions, Has worked therefor years, Sometimes dees the job of the « : thes checking ~ Prefers co-ordinating a ‘ 4nd resolving * 13Retailing Reading 1 Read the text about a controversial customer service programme at Safeway, ‘a major American supermarket chain. Choose the best sentence (A-1) from the list opposite to complete each gap. ae : grees IOLA RS 7 ” aOR Be EX ATF MMO eB A US Grocer’s Embrace of Customer Service afeway launched its Superior | Those who are graded as having | _ In recent interviews, half « dozen Service Program about five | poor customer service akills are sent | Safeway workers said the rigid years ago. Among its rules: | (o-a raining program to learn how (o | implementation of the Superior Make eye contact with the | be ftiendics.» Service Program has ef some costomer, smile, greet him or ter, | Corporate effoits to brighten the | workers feeling so oversressed that offer samples of products, make | shopping experience -suchas yellow | they quit. Suggestions about “other possible | happy-face stickers and “have-amnice- | Some workers suid they had been purchases that could go with the items | day” slogans ~ have typically drawn | penalized for not smiling even though being boughs, and accompany them to | mixed reactions. But few have caused | they flt they coutd not, One woman locate items they cannot find as much angst® among the sales staff | said she was markcd. down by "To encourage staff to follow the | as Safeway'shas. thas also had some | mystery shoppers when she’ was rules, Safeway employs an | unexpected side effects. going through a painful divorce, Undisclosed number of “mystery | There have been complaints Ty | ~The policy of leading customers to shoppers” whose job is to act like | female workers in California who say | a product they cannot find also causes: regular customers, > Workers | that male customers have | ‘some problems, workers said. © ‘who do well eam a chance at winning | misinterpreted their friendliness and, | Lonely elderly people in partial $500 worth of company stock, and | according to some Sefewsy workers, | shey said, sometimes seek to be managers whose workers "are | the whole program is contributing to | accompanied for an extended period, extremely friendly can receive | growing morale problems among the | even tough their entire shopping onal bonuses staf. list Thiematonal Mera Tbe (adapted SS programme | * angst = anxiety, unhappiness progea “4Vocabulary Retailing @ A Safeway officials said they were not aware of any employee who had ‘resigned because of the program. B The majority of customers seem to be very happy with the improved service, C Some cynical workers cal it smile school; others call it clown school. D Some shoppers seem to enjoy directing workers around the store. E_ The sampling policy is being abused by some shoppers. F G They believe the program has resulted in increased sales. ‘They grade workess on a 19-point scorecard, and the results affect the | performance evaluations of the worker and his/her managers. Hi There have been debates on the Intemet and among customers about false and genuine friendliness. T Il also includes thanking shoppers by name at the checkout by using formation from thelr credit, debit or Safeway card. 2 Combine a word from A with one from B to match each of the definitions below. A B department hunters, shopping pitch sales stores stock chains retail offers special centres bargain turnover 1 a persuasive argument to sell a product 2 ‘the rate at which goods are sold, 3 sales promotions to attract customers 4 shops with outlets in many locations 5 customers who seek the lowest prices 6 large shops, usually located in city centres, which sell a wide variety of products 7 retail facilities where customers have access to a variety of different stores in the same location 18Language Focus = Make and do 3 Complete the sentences below with the correct form of make or do and a oun from the box. suggestions loss research mistake plans. money their best decision complaint business Price isnot the only thing customners consider when making a decision about which product to buy 2. Since the early 1980s, many manufacturers have into developing environmentally-friendly products. 3. Many retailers have extended opening hours and some are now even on Sundays. 4 A customer has —___a__ about the poor quality of some frozen foods on sale at our store, 5 We a last year of approximately $50,000. 6 Customers receive a questionnaire in which they are invited to about new products that they would like to see on sale. 7 The cesults show that retailes caat more by introducing prectuets that carry their own brand name. & At the moment they are to expand business into other countries. 9. The friendly shop assistants 7 to ensure that customers are satisfied. 10 The customer complained that the employee had aa and overcharged her for tke CD player. 16Retailing Writing 4 You work 1 ork as a retail consultant and Supermarket to cons rey or dele prune se to confucta customer suvey tnt ranch in Colchester followi repo ng a number of complaints, Writ Sf eingieiad and Your tecadascadatiows Eee Customer survey ~ Wright's Supermarket, Colchester 19 March 4100 people interviewed (at various times) Complaints 4, Opening hours — store often dosed at quarter to 7 but says 7 ——> admit people up to 7+ make con door announcement 5 mins before closing ~ goeant open until 10 — people can't buy things ——>- do another survey to find out the best con the way to work time to oper = why not open on Sundays? > One month trial period? 2, Product avoilabiity ond quality = things tke breod ond rill not tft atthe ———>- review stocking procedures end of the day (new computer system’) —- some products past their sell-by date 3, Customer service = Tong queues > employee traning pregramone — shop ossistants dont know where Bins Fe (employee ofthe month awark?) ~ coshiers never put shopping in bogs > Another survey in 6 months to check on improvements? ceo enero wv18. Reading Units 1-3 Read the article below about a company employee. In most of the lines 1-12 there is one extra word, It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text. Some lines, however, are correct. Ifa line is correct, write CORRECT. If there is an extra word in the line write the extra word in capital letters. ‘The exercise begins with two examples,(@) and (00). Examples 0 CORRECT 00 LasT LOUIS GILLET AT WORK Louis Gillet has worked as a Quality Controt Manager at the Paris office of Unibond, the plastics manufacturer, for over last 12 years. Unibond is a subsidiary of Unibond Corporation, a US firm which based in Detroit. As a result of the company’s aggressive expansion policy, and sales reached €7.| million in 1999, Since then the number of fulltime employees at Unibond Corporation has been risen by approximately 200%.The company now does employs roughly 1,000 staff. ts major development operations are located in the UK and France. Louis is currently at working in the company’s London office, where he isin the charge of a team involved in Research and Development. Compared to French standards, Louis finds that the UK office is much more like informal and he feels he can speak to his superiors without any of problems. Louis says ‘I enjoy learning about the different ways ‘of working. France may be close to the UK, geographically, but in business things are not very similar, especially in terms of what people are expect from a career! i Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Reading 5)istening ‘© you will hear David Smith talking to a group of businessmen about the success of his company, Asda, a supermarket chain, Foreach question, mark one letter a, b or c for the correct answer. 1 According to David a to be successful Asda has had to keep changing. 1b many staff have worked for Asda for over a decade, © Asda has introduced new staff contracts. 2 The main reason for Asda’s success is its a efficient processes and systems, b bighly-qualified team of senior managers. © focus on good communication throughout the company. 3 David says that Asda has a a fiat management structure b more staff than other UK supermarkets. © good relationships with its suppliers 4 What does David say about meetings at Asda? ‘a Meetings are often held in the canteen, b Team meetings take place every week © Participants do not sit down at meetings. 5 Asda’s senior managers visit stores regularly to see if staff are following procedures correctly. b to find out what staff think about the company. © to check new staff have settied in well. 6 What is a benefit of working for Asda? a Employees receive a store discount. 1b Childcare is organised for employees’ children. © All employees can take part in free legal courses, 7 Asda stores receive money to spend on @ patties for staff, & anything they want © office equipment. 8 What happens in all Asda stores at the start of the day? ‘@ Employees all have breakfast together. 1b The CEO has a meeting with senior staff members. © Feedback is given on how the company and branch are doing, be Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Listening 3) 19Speaking 1 © zésten to an Intemational Recruitment Officer answering the journalist's question below. Complete the list in the box, Listen again and check your answers What is important when recruiting managers? + personal qualities + qualifications 2 |©¥ ts a good idea while listening to people to think about what follow-up questions you could ask. Which follow-up question(s) would you like to ask the Recruitment Officer? Make a list then fisten to the recording. 3 '= Now listen to what the recruitment officer says in response to one of the journalist's follow-up questions. Which follow-up question do you think the recruitment officer was asked? Listening — © Look at the notes below. You sill hear a telephone conversation about a job advertisement. Write one or two words or a number in the numbered spaces on the notes below. Notes on job advert Post vacant: ' Salary: £32,000 : Fringe benefit(s):* | Post specifications: degree in * : preferred i Excellent * required 20Writing You work in the Customer Services Department of a large retail company. Your boss has asked you to give a short presentation to your colleagues about a recent customer sarvey. Write a note to your boss: + agreeing to give the presentation + outlining what you will speak about ‘+ suggesting a date for the event. Write 40-50 words. = Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Writing 1) an22 Reading Look at the statements below and the advice given by a Human Resources Manager. Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement 1-7 refer to? For each statement 1-7, mark one letter (A, B, C or D). You will need to use some of these letters more than once. 1. the relevance of your previous work experience 2 the best time to ask financial questions 3 the importance of preparing your questions for an interview 4 the need to show you are a team player § the kind of research you can do before the interview 6 the importance of showing that you know a lot about the company 7 the most appropriate types of questions to select ‘A Imagine the situation. It is nearly the end of your hour-long interview, when ‘you are asked if you would like to ask any questions. What do you say? Well, ‘most people just say the first thing that comes into theit heads, which does not always impress the interviewers. A few minutes spent thinking about, and even making notes on, the questions you would like to ask can ensure that you make a good impression during the interview. B You may want to ask about aspects such as the salary, fringe benefits and bonus scheme that the company is offering, but I recommend that you try not to ask questions like these straight away. It is much better to leave these until the end of the interview. Instead, at the start ask questions that show your interest in the company and why you think that you would be good at ‘he job advertised € Before the interview find out about the company’s latest prosiuicts or services so you can then ask detailed questions about them in the interview. For ‘example, you could ask about the company’s current marketing campaign for ‘one of their successful prociucts. The interviewers will be impressed that you are so familiar with what they do. D Ask about opportunities to get involved in different areas of the business Being flexible and versatile is important in all aspects of business life. Ask whether you will be expected to collaborate on projects and then show how people-orientated you are. Give fots of examples to demonstrate how you hhave worked successfully 2s part of different groups in the past. b= Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Reading 1)Writing You are a Human Resources Director for a plastics company. Your boss has asked you to give a presentation about your company to a group of visitors next week. Write an e-mail to your boss: + agreeing to give the presentation * saying what you will talk about ‘suggesting a location for the event. Write 40-50 words. Be Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Writing 1) 23aa 4 Franchising Reading 1 Read these replies fo some questions about The Sport Shoe franchising program, and complete the gaps with the pliraes from the box. training course store design start-up costs ‘gross sales, franchise agreement direct financing opening inventory royalty fee {eves fie Starch Arps *seeurty Step t 4 2 me < 8 Ee Slee: srt 24 ‘The average __ ranges between $250,000 and $400,000 depending on the size of the store. This figure includes the franchise fee of $25,000 for a neighborhood store or $100,000 for an Expo location (over 10,000sa.It). Also included in the tees are estimated costs for: real estatelrent;utlity deposit; leasehold improvements; initial inventory; Insurance; Grand Opening advertising; signage; working capital No, The Sport Shoe* does not provide: for you. We do have business relationships with various financial insttutions, Those institutions have @ working knowledge of ou franchise program and can assist you with your financing needs, ‘The continuing services, or__, equals 4% of the gross sales derived from the franchise business. This ‘ee entitles you to te continued use of The Sport Shoe name and trademark, and all the benefits that come with being. pert ofthe The Sport Shoe® organization, You buy your__ directly from vendors such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, otc. The Sport Shoe" will assiet you in opening your vendor accounts and our buyers will assist you in making your buying decisions. Once a site has bean selected, The Sport Shoe” wil provide you with atn) consistent with Tae sport shoe* concept and a fixture inventory sheet. You will purchase these items dicecly From the approplate supper. Building name recognition of The Sport Shoe* will be an important part of your franchise business. You will be required to spend $10,000 on Grand Opening advertising during your frst 60 days of operation. Alter the Grand Opening you are requited to spend a minimum of 4% a month of the ‘on such advertising as print, radio, TV erect mall, etc ‘You and your designated employee will participate in an initial that wil nctude classroom and in-store taining. The classes will provide instruction on store gperations, personael policies, merchandising, and ‘accounting. During your first week of business a trained representative of The Sport Shoe® will provide additional on site training with your emplayees, ‘once your application is approved, the____signed, and the franchise fee is paid, you can expect t to take a5 long as six to eight montns to be ready to open. The Sport Shae* will do whatever is necessary to help you expedite the process. ers as programme — neighbourhood property program ——nelghbothaod real estate SEEVocabulary Franchising 2 Now read the questions and match them with the replies. a How much is the fee for continuing support services? b_ What about store design and fixtures? © How long does it take to open a The Sport Shoe® franchise? Does The Sport Shoe® offer financial assistance? © How much training will T receive? What about advertising? § How do I get my opening inventory? 1h What is the anticipated start-up cost for a The Sport Shoe® store? 3 Decide if the following statements refer to the franchiser (FR), the franchisee (FE) or the information is not given in the text (NG). 1. Receives a small percentage of total sale. Pays an initial fee of $25,000. Provides marketing assistance. Seeks individuals with business qualifications. Buys inventory directly from suppliers. Offers assistance in opening vendor accounts. Runs training courses for store employees Has a minimum of $250,000 cash to invest. 9 Must cover monthly advertising expenses. 10 Does not charge for renewing the franchising agreement. ween ee A Make nouns by adding a suffix City, -ness, -ment, -tion) to the words below. You should also make any necessary spelling changes. flexible e invest dedicate £ communicate popular & agree Ho fit h aware ‘Complete the sentences below with the nouns from Exercise 4. ‘The increasing of home entertainment amongst consumers is fuelling the expansion of the home video rental industry. 2 Weare meeting next week to sign the lease for the shop. 3 Growing of the stress-reducing benefits of regular ‘exercise has Jed 10 an increase in gym franchises. 4 Franchisers will only consider candlidates who can make an initial of at least $85,000, 5. Employees who take initiative and constantly seek ways to improve service are rewarded for their _ ee 6 Some companies have on-site exercise facilities as they believe that physical plays an important role in the well-being of the Hw aoce employees. 7 Running your own business requires a lot of ___as you often have to do whatever is needed to be successful. 8 E-mail makes with franchising associates around the world faster, more convenient and less expensive, 28ac Language Focus — Adverbs 6 Complete the passage below with the adverbs in the box. curently generally eventually always recently already: By the time the shop opens, the bakery staff have * already prepared the daily supply of muffins, sweet American-style Cakes, which are popular with our early- morning customers who 2 come in for a coffee and snack on thelr way to work. After the morning rush, we start making a seiection of fresh sandwiches for the lunchtime crowd. We are 3 testing the popularity of a new line of hot Italian-style sandwiches called ‘panini. Mid- afternoon, when business slows down, I+ spend an hour or two ‘checking supplies anct placing orders for the next day. § our sales have risen considerably, probably as a result of the ads we've been running in the local newspaper. f business continues to grow at the same pace, we may «_______ expand our premises to include more seating. Used to do; used to doing 7 Read the following sentences and decide if the underlined expression is cor rect. If it is correct, put a tick (/) in the space provided. If it is incorrect, write the correction. 1 Customers are_used to getting speedy service, so I sometimes have to handle counter sales when we get a rush, Z 2. Laura Pyke was used to work as an accountancy teacher at a small business college before she becaine the owner of a Big Apple Bagels franchise. 3. When my husband and | first started our franchise, I wasn’t used to working such Jong hours and at the weekends, but I've leat to manage my time more efficiently. 4 Filter coffee used £0 be our best-selling drink, but people now prefer Italian-style cappuccinos and caffe lates. 5 How much time did you used to spend doing the accounts before you invested in a personal computer? 6 Mary didn’t use to get much satisfaction from her nine-to-five office job, so site decided to set up her own business. 26Franchising Listening — 8 ©) You will hear Quentin Halliday talking about some of the problems that a franchisee has to face. Listea and decide if the following statements ae true BE ~ porfaise @). 1. Being a franchisee is not the same as running your own business. 2. A stubborn person whe does not like following orders would be an ideal franchisee. 3. Franchisees can lose theit franchise if they do not follow the company policies. 4. Franchisees must make a substantial Investment, 5 Owning a franchise is an easy way to make a lot of money fast. 6 Franch troubles. ers will provide loans to franchisees that are having financial 7 Hiring and keeping reliable employees is often a challenge for franchisees. 8 Franchisees must be willing to work lng hours and do any job that needs to be done. 27International Business Styles Reading 1 Paragraphs 1-9 contain advice for business leaders. Choose the appropriate heading for each paragraph from the ist below. a A leader should be a good teacher and communicator A leader must manage time and use it effectively b © A leader must have technical competence. a A leader must provide vision. A leader must be visible and approachable. A leader shoukt be introspective. A leader should be dependable, zene A leader should be open-minded. 4 A leader should have a sense of humour. 1. In large organisations, leaders should spend no more than four hours a day in their offices. The rest of the time, they should be out with their people, talking to lower-level employees and getting their feedback on problem. areas. They should be making short speeches and handing out awards. They should be travelling widely throughout their organisations. 2 The best leaders are those whose minds ate never closed and who are eager to deal with new issues. Leaders should not change their minds too frequently after a major decision has been made, but if they never reconsider, they are beginning to show a degree of rigidity and infle that creates problems for the organisation. 3. Executives must take a disciplined approach to their schedules, their post, their telephone calls, their travel schedules and their meetings. Staying busy and working long hours are not necessarily a measurement of leadership effectiveness. 4 Leaders may run efficient organisations, but they do not really serve the ong-term interests of the institution unless they plan, set goats and provide strategic perception. 5. The leader must he willing to pass on skills, to share insights and experiences, and to work very closely with people to help them mature and be creative, 6 Leaders should let people know that life is not so important that you can’t sit back occasionally and be amused by what is happening. Laughter can be a great reliever of tension. 7 Reliability is something that leaders must have in order to provide stability and strength to organisations. Leaders mast be willing to be flexible but consistency and coherence are important elements of large organisations. 8 Jeaders must not only understand the major elements of their businesses Dut must also keep up with any changes. 9 Leaders should he able to look at themselves objectively and analyse where they have made mistakes and where they have disappointed people. ityInternational Business Styles Wl Vocabulary 2 Read the following passage and choose the correct word from A, B ot Cto fin each gap. | Recent research at business schools in the USA has shown that traditional management styles are rapidly becoming obsolete. In the traditional model, __ to ensure that decisions are cartied out by » at lower levels of the senior management exercises its + ‘company » However, in todays rapidly evolving business environment, it has become dear that + is something thot oll manegers will have to live with ond adapt to. In the modem digital organisation 5 is no longer restricted to senior manogers, and employees are not expected to blindly « orders from above. Because of the increasing complexity of business, managers have had to tasks to people at lower levels and to®_ ___them to take the necessary decisions. It has become a system where what you cchieve, in other words your’, , is what determines not only the respect that other people in the organisation have for you but also how you ore for the work that you accomplish. As one manager puts it, "Today you have to be very careful about what you say to someone who works for you because tomorrow that same person could be your boss!" 1A custom B gesture © authority 2. A bosses B subordinates © partners 3. A calture B hierarchy © headquarters 4A initiative B change € etiquette 5 A knowiedge —B communication decision-making 6 A obey B operate € value 7A reward B signal delegate 8 A empower B infer © familiarise 9 A relationship B_education performance 10. A rewarded B scheduled © measured 29Language Focus The imperative 3 ingrid Kloren is the Human Resources Director of a major multinational group. She has just completed a pilot project on electronic or ‘remote’ teamworking and has written the following memo to other human resources managers within the group. Complete the memo using the inoperative forms of the verbs in the box. In some cases you will need to use the negative. set use keep encourage contact. —give makeswe punish —_ let expect pay organise create restrict. take schedule Tor “The managers of all HR departments From: Ingrid Kioren, Human Resources Director Dati 23March Subject: Guidelines for remote teamworking ‘As you ate all are, we have heen cancising an remtnal ot project on sing leone cra er tearverking, ign Tl shorly be forwarding a comple epor on is ret | have edo oto some general guldeines, Based on his experince for managors who may already be involved in sir projets. + Atake sure Wat you srange for face toa meetings ook pace befor th taf ho project in oder to eatabish relationships 2 cloar objectives for the toam to achieve, ®_____in constant contact with your team by e-mail, voicemal and telephone conferencing, “ Video conforencing more thar is necessary 2s experiance shows that ‘some foam members may find this indmidating 5__ time to talk 1o people individually to find out i they have any problems. They may not alhenvise volunteer this ivformation, ® Virtual meetings at times that are inconvenient for pattcipants ving in Asa result, you'll enjay the benefits of the world’s most global banking group, whether you. are in your home, your high street, on holiday or on business. There are currently 22 million people in over 40 counities around the world who enjcy the Gitibank difference. > International Currency Accounts If you travel often, invest internationally or you are an expatriate, we have personal Current Accounts in US Dolles, Sterling and Euro to help you menage your Financial affuits more efficiently. Whether you want to pay in US Dollars on your regular trips abroad, or you went to svoid hefty transaction charges when you send cheques to the US, or you simply want to save on ceurrency exchange costs he US Dollar Account is for you. * 24-hour free telephone banking with CittPhone Banking Short of making deposits or cash withdrawals, CitiPhone lets you conduct business conveniently over the phono. © ‘You have a choice of methods, a touch-tone phone will speed you through automated procedures, or CitiPhone Bankers are on hand if you prefer the personal touch. Total control of your finances, anytime, anywhere ... World Wide Wishful-chinking? With Citibank's Internet Banking, you ea access your Citibank Account ftom almost anywhere you have access to the Internet. § Change a standing order, Download your account details. ‘Transfer funds between your Citibank Accounts. And you'll see your balance change instantly. At Citibank we're not just content with giving you total control of your finances, worldwide, 365 days @ year: plus no fees - with us your finances are productive as well, 32Vocabulary Banking A Call free in the UK or around the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. B Alternatively, use our free Internet Banking or withdraw cash from over 350,000 cashpoints worldwide. € Full additional overdraft facilities are available to you based on your personal net worth and individual requirements. D You can pay bills. E Our service Is based on a simple promise. F This account gives you the ability to buy, borrow, save and transfer funds in Euro, and still withdraw cash in the local currencies. G We have harnessed the latest technology to deliver an easier, and more accessible banking service. Hi We think you'll enjoy it too. 1 You will always have the power of the world’s most international currency when you travel on business or pleasure. 2 Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right to form common banking collocations. 1 open interest 2 purchase D bills 3 eam © funas 4 make @ an account 5 withdraw e adeposit 6 pay f financial data 7 transfer g cash 8 download goods 3 Replace the words in italics with expressions from Exercise 2. 1 ‘The Citicard allows you to take out money from cashpoints around the world, 2. With Citibank, you can receive a percentage on yout current account balance. 3. Just fi! out and return the application form or call a Ci set up a banking arrangement. 4 You can put money into your account by post at bank Representative to Citibank branches and Citicard Banking Centres. 5 Ondine banking services let you ‘move money irom one account to another quickly and easily 6 All you need is a modem or Internet connection to transfer account information onte, your personal computer 7 Just by using the key pad on your phone, CitiPhone Banking lets you sete invoices from wherever you are 8 The Citibank Euro Account allows you to ___ up products sn local currencies without paying any exchange rates. 33Language Focus _First and second conditional A put the verbs in brackets into the appropriate conditional form, using the information given, 1. You have a £500 overdraft and have just received a letter from the bank asking, you to reduce this by £200 by the end of the month, or they will start legal proceedings against you. It you do not reduce (not reduce) your overdraft, the bank will start (start) legal proceedings 2. One of your clients has written to you applying for @ personal loan, However, she has not included enough information about her financial situation for you to decide whether or not to approve the loan. Ifyou (have) more complete information, you (be able to) make a decision, 3. You have just received a selection of press articles about your bank. Two of them are in German. Unfortunately Jack Wubben, who is the only person in the office who speaks German, is on holiday. If Jack Wabben (be) here, he ______ (translate) the articles, 4 Tor the second year running, the results of your bank have been very disappointing. If the situation ___. (not improve) significantly next year, the bank (have to) consider closing some of its branches. 5. One of your major business clients has just hinted that it may change bantks unless you arrange more favourable credit terms, Ifyou (not provide) them with cheaper credit, you (lose) one of your best customers. 6 Abank representative has just refused your request for a £2,000 loan because you do nat have enough money in your savings account. Ifyou (have) more money in your account, the bank tend) you the £2,000. 7 Your bank manager has just told you that she can only lend you £5,000 to enable you to buy a new cat. The car you want costs £11,000 and you only have £4,000 of your own money available. Ifyou (not find) the remaining £2,000, you eee (not be able to) buy it, 8 You have recently applied for a transfer from your present job in Londen to another position with the company’s Scottish subsidiary. If your application (be) successful, you (have to) move house to Edinburgh. 9 You are making arrangements with your bank for a holiday in Italy next month. Ifyou (take) traveller's cheques it (cost) less than if you (buy) foreign currency. 10 A filend has invited you to join her as a partner in a new business venture. You feel that you do not have the necessary experience. Ifyou (have) more experience, you _ faccepty her offer. 11. You are talking to a customer who has asked you to replace a lost credit card for the fifth time. ‘fyou____ lose) your card again in the future, I'm afraid that the bank (Gefuse) to issue a replacementListening Banking 5 (You wit near Bertrand Soleil speaking about his personal on-line banking experiences. Listen and decide if the statements below are true (T) oF false (F). eo erva 10 He decided to try on-line banking services when he bought his computer five years ago. Hee doesn’t read the printed account statements that the bank sends him. He can use on-line banking to buy shares. He consults his accounts several times a week. One of the on-line services he finds most useful is access to a five-year account history database. It’s not possible to transfer money to other people's accounts. He has to go to the bank to arrange loans. He usually communicates with his account manager by e-mail He pays 10 euros a month for the use of on-line banking services He hopes that on-line banking will eventually lead to lower banking costs. 35.RACY Units 4-6 Reading Read the article below about franchising your business Choose the best sentence to fill each of the gaps. For each gap 1-§ mark one letter (A-G). Do not use any letter more than once. ‘There is an example at the beginning, (0). Franchising your business sells the right to operate 2 busines, using the same forma, name, brand and trademark as the “franchise This is wheter it involves providing a product or a service «__G__ While the fianchise is essentially selFemployed and owns the individual unit, they must operate the business according to the tems of the franchise agreement and to the procedures et out in the franchise operating manuals. Franchisees also pay for continuing supprt fem the owner ofthe ‘business system. Payment is often a proportion of tamorer. ‘There area number of advantages of franchising a business Firstly, fachisoes invest their own capital in the business, end eecively pay the start-up costs fo each individual outlet. This means thatthe capital cost #0 che ffenchiser of expansion is reduced. Using the financial resources of individual franchisees albo means company’ can expand more rapcly via franchising Jn addition to the individual fee, the franchiser reesives an ongoing income from the franchisee ‘As the network grows, the franchser can benefit fiom increased buying power, enabling products and services © be purchased on improved terms. 2 ‘Such reductions in costs are posible bcanse eran f the factions usually provided by a Cental Head Office are caried ou locally by fnchises, Problents with recruiting staff, for example, become the tesponsbiliy of individual franchisees. Franchisees, who have their own capita invested are generlly more motivated and T he term ‘franchising’ refers to a system where a company ‘A Choosing suitable franchisees is a time-consuming process, which can also be very costly. development. B A group of highly enthusiastic franchisees can provide a valuable source of suggestions for improving business performance, © That's why it would be more profitable for a franchisee to Tun his ow business, rather than taking on a franchise. D This support usually takes the form of national promotions, training courses, administration services, and continuing product, service and system E Ifa franchiser does their job properly, there are huge start-up costs included in ‘the initial piloting of the operation. F The franchiser saves on personnel and administrative costs. G Fach outlet within a franchise network is owned and run by a ‘franchisee’ committed to the success of the individual business than employed managers. # ‘Their ideas can, of course, thea go on fo benefit the whole nefwork. As We have just seen, there are may advantages of franchising a business. However, iti important to note that it is not always as straightforward as it might seem at firs, Its {important for someone thinking of franchising a business to think through all the isones involved first. For example, while itis true that it generally costs less to establish a franchise operation than it does a company-owned network, itis not tue tht franchising aa business needs litle capital. ‘The franchiser aves to put Up ioney for developing the package, recruiting and ‘raining franckjsees and then providing the necessary suppor, In addition, there is often litle profit in the early stages until the franchisees have had the chance to build up their businesses. ‘The franchiser also has less flexibility regarding the future development ofthe business ashe or she is locked into franchise agreements lasting a number of years, ° ‘The franchiser needs to draw up a detziled list of erteria agains, ‘hich to judge all progeectiw Aanchisces — ranging fiom their finaneiat position to the state of theix heath! Although the fiaachisee i obliged to operate the business following the terms fof the agreement, the fianchiser will have less control over, franchisees’ activities than they would over employed managers, ‘And 2 final issue to consider is that if a franchisee wants to temtinate the franchise agreement, it will be much more difficult than getting ti of an employee. Introduction pages 2-3 (BEC Vantage Reading 2) 36