UNIT 4: BUSINESS IS BUSINESS

In this unit, you will learn the following:

Grammar

 Link words: to, in order to, so as to/ so that, in order that

 Present perfect with yet, since, for,just,still
 Present perfect continuous

Pronunciation

 Shift of stress from verb to noun, noun to adjective, and from adjective
to noun.
 Constructive and corrective sentence stress.
 Sound-Spelling links

Vocabulary

 Prefixes: mis, dis, in, un…………..

 Words and phrases related to business

Functions

 Complaining (orally and in writing)

 Apologizing
 Asking and answering questions
 Making comments

Skills

 Reading business letters

 Reading for general ideas
 Reading for specific ideas
 Managing through a conversation
 Listening for gist
 Listening for specific information
 Making inferences
 Writing a report
Warming up:

1. What is business? What are the activities related to business?

2. What does the idea of “Business Is Business” imply?
3. What does the picture show?
4. Why do people go to banks?
5. What do they use to deposit or withdraw money from bank accounts?

Suggested answers:

1. It is work relating to the production, buying, and selling of goods and

services.
2. It means that business does not comply with health, safety, and
environment regulations/its aim is to make profits only.
3. It shows a bank.
4. They go to banks to keep their money / to deposit money into bank
accounts.
5. They use cheques.

Words to say( page159)

Teacher draws a table on the blackboard and shifts from verb to nouns to
adjectives pronouncing them and making pupils repeat after her/him.

Verb nouns adjectives

Produce/………………/ Product/………………./ Productive/……………………/
Production(s)/ Unproductive/………………../
………………. /
Productivity/…………………./
Producer/…………………………/
Produce/…………………………./
DISCOVERING LANGUAGE

Before you read

Look at the picture and answer the following questions:

a. Why is the expression “handle with care “written on the box?

b. What do you think the woman does for a living?
c. What does she feel?
Suggested answers:

a. The expression “handle with care” is written on the box because it

contains easily broken objects.
b. She is a seller/ a business woman……..
c. She is angry because the vases have been broken in transit.

As you read

Activity One: Read the letters 1-4 below and identify the one which the
picture above best illustrates:

Remark: Teacher should give the correct order of the letters to avoid the
confusion of pupils.

The answer: Letter 4.

Activity two: Reread the letters and then choose a or b to complete each
sentence:

1) These letters are:

a. Job application letters.
b. Business letters.
2) Business letters are:
a. Formal letters.

b. Informal letters.

3) The beginning of the letters explains:

a. The details.
b. The purpose for writing

4) The middle of the letters contains:

a. Expressions of gratitude to the reader.

b. details

5) The end of the letters explains:

a. What will happen next.

b. The purpose of the letter.

The Answers

1. They are business letters.

2. They are formal letters.

3. The beginning of the letters explains the purpose for writing.

4. The middle of the letters contains the details.

5. The end of the letters explains what will happen next.

Activity Three: Answer the following questions according to the texts:

1. How many glass vases did Mrs Djeffal order?

2. Has her order been received? If yes, what did the company send her as an
order acknowledgement?
3. Did the company dispatch the glass vases to Mrs. Djeffal?
4. Was Mrs. Djaffal satisfied with the order she received? What did she do
then?

The Answers

1. She ordered 4000 glass vases.

2. Yes, it has been received. They sent her a duplicate, duly signed, as an
order acknowledgement.
3. Yes, it did
4. No, she wasn’t. She wrote a letter of complaint.

Activity four: Complete the following using a ,b ,c or d :

a. A letter of complaint
b. Order acknowledgement
c. Order placement
d. Advice of dispatch

1. The letter in which Mrs Djaffal ordered the vases, is

called………………………………………
2. The letter Mrs Djeffal received from the company acknowledging her that
the order has been received ,is called……………………………………….
 3. The Letter Mrs Djaffal received from the company telling her that the
vases were dispatched to her, is called………………………………..
4. The letter in which Mrs. Djaffal showed her dissatisfaction, is called……

The Answers

1. Order placement
2. Order acknowledgement
3. Advice of dispatch
4. A letter of complaint

AFTER YOU READ

Grammar desk ( page 162)

Read the sentences below and answer the questions:

1. We are writing to complain about the consignment of the glass vases.

2. Let us know in order to enable us have the damaged items replaced.
3. We would like our order to be processed so as not to miss the Summer
Sale.
a. What does each of the link words written in bold type express?
b. What is the negative form of each of them?
c. What is the tense of the verbs that come after the link words?

Read sentences 4, 5and6, and then answer the questions:

4. I will keep the damaged item s in our warehouse so that your business
agent here in Algeria can inspect them.
5. Our dispatch department is processing your order today in order that
the consignment will reach you on time.
6. We sent them early so that you wouldn’t miss the Summer Sales.
a. What do the words in bold express?
b. What tenses are the verbs that followed the link words?
c. How do you express negative purposes?
 Complete the following rule:

 We express……………………………….using: - in order to
- So as to ₊…………………..
- To
 Their negatives are: -in order………
- So as ………… +stem
- …….to
 We can also express purpose using:

-………………

-………………… +modals (can-could-may-might-will-would-should)

 Their negatives are:-In order that

-so that +………………+……………

ANSWERS

1 -a .They express purpose.

B. In order not to/ so as not to/not to.

C .It is the infinitive without to (stem).

2 -a. Sentences 4, 5 and 6 express purpose.

b. The verbs are preceded by modals.

c. We use in order that / so that +modal +not

THE RULE:

 We express purpose using: ₋ in order to

- So as to ₊stem

- To

 Their negatives are: -in order not to

- So as not to +stem
- not to
 We can also express purpose using:

-so that

-In order that +modals (can-could-may-might-will-would-

should)

 Their negatives are:-In order that

-so that + modal +not+ stem

ACTIVITY ONE (page 162)

The answers:

a. Dear Sir,
I am writing to congratulate you for the new baby.
b. Dear Sir,
I am writing to apologize for the offence.
c. Dear Sir,
I am writing to apply for the job advertised in USA today.
d. Dear Sir,
I am writing to enquire about the quotation for spring and summer
clothing.
e. I am faxing you information about the merger of our company with the
Yamakachi Company.

Activity two: Rewrite the sentences below using so that instead of

the link words in bold type.
 a. Would you therefore please let us know about your wishes as soon as
possible in order for us to reserve the rooms you need.
b. Please, place your order for our new range of products by 15 December
so as to benefit from the discount prices on the price list.
c. We are advertising the new product in order to make consumers know
about it.
d. We would like our order to be processed promptly in order not to
miss the summer sale.

The Answers

a. Would you therefore please let us know about your wishes as soon
as possible so that we reserve the rooms you need
b. Please, place your order for our range of products by 15 December
so that you can benefit from the discount prices on the price list.
c. We are advertising the new product in order that consumers can
know about it.
d. We would like our order to be processed promptly in order that you
will not miss the summer sale.

ACTIVITY THREE (act 2 page 172)

The Answers

A. She took more than forty word processing lessons so that she could have
a job promotion.
B. The government refuses to increase the wages in order that they may
not cause inflation.
C. The company recruited an expert in marketing so that the sales would
increase.
D. The government imposed new tariffs on imports in order that the local
industry could be protected.
E. The government will lower the duties so that private exporters may not
be disappointed.
 WRITE IT RIGHT
Imagine you are a British businessman interested in opening a shopping
Mall in El Madania. Send a letter to your consulate in Algeria to ask
for information.
 Complete your letter:
 2 Tiddington Road,

Stratford-Upon-Avon,

Warwickshire, England

The British consulate in Algeria

3 Chemin Capitaine Hocine Slimane

(ex Chemin des Glycines),

Hydra, Algiers

15 June 2012

Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to ………………………………….….about the city of El Madania.

I am a ……………………………. Iam manufacturer of clothes and shoes and I am

interested in ………………………………………..in the city of El Madania. Would you
please………… me information about the following:

a. Safety in the city

b. …………………………
c. ……………………………

Thank you for any information you can……………………me with.

I look forward to…………………………………………………

Yours faithfully

Jean Klein

 The Answer
 Dear Sir / Madam,

I am writing to enquire about the city of El Madania.

I am a British businessman. I am a manufacturer of clothes and shoes and I am

interested in opening a shopping mall in the city of El Madania. Would you please send
me information about the following:

a. Safety in the city.

b. The economic situation in Algeria.
c. The geographical situation of the city of El Madania .

Thank you for any information you can provide me with.

I look forward to receiving your reply.

Yours faithfully

Jean Klein

Jean Klein

Activity two: Reread your letter and label its basic parts. Use the
following:

1. The dateline
2. Salutation
3. Signature
4. The sender’s address
5. The receiver’s address
6. The body
7. The reason for writing
8. Closing + Name
9. What action you would like the reader to do.

The Answer:

1. The dateline: 15 June 2012

2. Salutation: Dear Sir/ Madam

3. Signature: Jean Klein

4. The sender’s address: 2 Tiddington Road, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warkshire,

England.

5. The receiver’s address: The British consulate in Algeria

6. The body: I am a British businessman………………the geographical situation of El

Madania

7. The reason for writing: I am writing to enquire about the city of El Madania

8. Closing + Name: yours faithfully Jean Klein

9. What action you would like the reader to do: I look forward to receiving
your reply.

Activity Three: Make the best use of the information above to write a reply
to Mr. Jean Klein. Follow the order below:

1. Thank Mr. Jean Klein for his enquiry.

2. Say you are sending an information report.
3. Express appreciation for any help.
4. Invite further contact.

Pay attention to the format of your letter

The suggested letter

 The British consulate in Algeria

3 Chemin Capitaine Hocine Slimane

(ex Chemin des Glycines),

Hydra, Algiers

July 10 th,2012

Mr. Jean Klein

2 Tiddington Road,

Stratford-Upon-Avon,

England.

Dear Mr. Jean Klein,

Thank you for your enquiry about opening a business in El Madania. The enclosed
report describes both the location of the city and the economic situation in Algeria.
In addition, we have included a report about safety in the area.

We can help you devise and planning strategies that will define your goals and
develop plans to achieve them. We are proud to serve such a discriminating and
exacting clientele.

If you have any questions regarding your business, please contact us.

We look forward to serving you.

Sincerely yours,

The consul

Prepared by: Mrs. Boulkaboul Madjda

 SAY IT LOUD AND CLEAR
1. Watch and listen to this video.
Double click on the icon, and the video will open with Real Player.

Procedure:
 The teacher writes the same sentence on the board many times.
She /he asks the pupils to listen to the sentence and underline the
stressed word.
 Pupils listen to the video, underline the stressed word on their copy
books.
 The sentence:
Are Peter and Helen visiting us on Friday?

 The teacher asks the following questions:

1. Do the answers change when the stressed word changes?
2. Complete the following sentence:
 Sentences should have at least …………….(one) main stress.
When you change the stressed word, the …………………….. (the
meaning ) ………………………(changes) , and therefore the
……………………(answers) change too.

More practice:
Task 2 page 164:
Answer the questions above correcting your partner as in the short
dialogue below:
Aim:
The focus is on corrective stress.
The pupils take the example of the video and their textbook as models
to write short dialogues.
 WORKING WITH WORDS
Task 1 page 165:
Use the prefixes in the box to form words out of the underlined phrases. Then,
replace the underlined phrases with the words you have formed.

Mis- dis- in- re- im- un- mal-

Aim : to introduce the prefixes above and their meanings.
First:
Read the meanings of the following prefixes:
Prefix Meaning / use Example

dis + verb negative/opposite dislike / disembark / dismiss / disconnect

im + adjective opposite impossible / impolite / impatient / imperfect

in+adjective opposite indirect / inadequate/ informal / indecisive

mis + verb/noun wrongly/ badly mistook / mishandle/misunderstand

un + verb / adjective negative / opposite unlock / unhappy/ unreasonable / unhappy

Re + verb again Rethink / remake / rewrite/

Now, read the paragraph of task 1 and use te prefixes to replace the
underlined phrases:
Key to the exercise:
Memo
The employees of the company are dissatisfied with their working
conditions. Some of them complain about mistreatment and malpractice while
others say that the wages are unfair and that the managers are insensitive to
their feelings.
The present organization of our company is inefficient. It is time to
rearrange and reorganize it so as to re-establish good labour relations.
It is impossible to improve production and productivity if the policy of
wages is not reconsidered.

Task 2 page 165: REJECTED AND REPLACED

The reasons:
This activity needs a large knowledge of technical English. And because the
rest of the unit doesn’t deal with financial vocabulary, I prefer to replace
it with an activity which will be very helpful for them in LISTENING AND
SPEAKING and in their everyday life.

The suggested activity (taken from: Cambridge University Press Test Your
Business Vocabulary In Use)
Activity:
Choose the best word from the brackets ( ) to fill the gaps. The first one
is an example:
1. We need to recruit four new people for our office in Manchester.
(join/recruit)
2. We are using a recruitment ..................to find them for us. (agency/head
hunter)
3. They advertised the ....................in the local newspaper last week.
(positions/applicants)
4. So far, 60 people have applied for the ..................... (works/posts)
5. We are going to look at all the letters of ................................. over the
weekend.( application/situation)
6. On Monday, we will draw up a ............................ of 10 or 11 people.
(reference/shortlist)
7. Then we’ll invite them all to come for an .........................
(interview/appointment)
8. We hope to ...................the successful applicants by the end of the month.
(apply/appoint)

*****************************************************************

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Task 1 page 166: Read the short texts below and answer the
following question:
Aim:
 A warming up to distinguish between situations wanted and
positions vacant.
The answers are:
a-advertisement
b-in newspapers and magazines
c-The short texts on the left hand side of the page are ‘work wanted’ ads; the
text on the right hand side is a firm offer of recruitment (situations vacant).

Task 2 page 166: Listen to your teacher as s/he simulates a dialogue and
say which advertisement (in exercise 1) above the speakers are talking
about.

Task 3: Read the job advert about the position vacant and fill in the
information chart about the job advertised.
Aim:
 To make pupils summarize the job offer in order to write
an application letter later.
Job advertised: ……………………………………………………………………
Job requirements: - ……………………………………………
- ………………………………………….
- …………………………………………
Job benefits: - ……………………………………………..
- ……………………………………………….
- ………………………………………………..
- …………………………………………………..

Read the following tip box, then do the activities:

Steps to follow to find a job!!

Imagine you have just finished your high studies, the first thing you do is
to look for a job. What are the different steps you should follow to get this
job?
First, you read the newspapers in order to look for the positions vacant.
Second, you apply for the job, it means you write an application letter.
But, this application letter must be accompanied with a C.V.
What is a C.V? It stands for Curriculum Vitae. In this CV, you write a
summary about yourself, your education, your professional experience and your
interests.
Third, when you receive a reply to your application letter, you will be
invited to attend an interview.
This interview is of great importance. So prepare yourself for it
seriously!!
I hope this job will be for you!!!

 Your Turn
I changed this activity, I replaced it with a more suitable activity –
at least for me- so that pupils can put into practice what they have
learnt so far. i.e apply for a job and write a C.V.
Activity 1: Imagine you are interested in the job advertised in
activity 1 of listening and speaking page 166. Write an application
letter following this lay out. But before this, complete your C.V.
A / complete this C.V with your personal information:

Personal information: Your photo

HERE
Name
Address
Date of Birth:

Nationality:

Telephone Number:

Mobile Number:

Email Address:

Gender:

EDUCATION
University of:

Degree Subjects:
 Relevant modules:
 Research project or dissertation:
 School :

2000 – 2000 :
2000 – 2000 :

EXPERIENCE

July 2000 – Sept. 2000 Employer – JobTitle

July 2000 – Sept. 2000 Employer – JobTitle

ACTIVITIES

Interests: (what are your interests?):

Qualities:

Personal/Skills
 Computing skills:
 Languages:
 Driving licence:
Now, complete this application letter so that you can send it!!!

(your address) ---------------------------

(Date ) -------------------------

(the employer’s address)

-----------------------------------

-----------------------------------

Dear Sir(s)/ Madam,

I would like to apply for the vacancy as a -------------------------(job) advertised in

------------------ (name of news paper) of ------------------(date).

I am ----------------(age) and at the moment I

-----------------------------------------------------------------(where you are working). I
----------------------------- (studies, diploma,) . I
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----- (professional experience, where you have worked before). I am good at
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- ( some of your qualities).

I am very interested in working as ------------------------------(job), because

------------------------------------------------------------------( reasons of applying).

I am available for an interview -------------------------- (dates and times) and I can start working
------------------------- (date), but if it is inconvenient for you, I would be happy to arrange
another date.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours faithfully

(signature)
 (your name capital letters)

Task 2 page 168: Study the dialogue sample below and act out snippets of it to rehearse for a
job interview (Books closed)

Aim:

 To revise the use of the present perfect simple and continuous and to
compare between the two tenses.
 This consolidation lesson will be presented in a PowerPoint.

Write it up:
Task 1 page 168: It is included in the power point.
Task 2 page 168: Use the information on the next page to write an annual
report for a company of your choice. Use the appropriate tense(s).

- Before writing the report, I need to explain the

necessary vocabulary through simple and easy activities
taken from:
- OXFORD WORD SKILL/ Intermediate/written by Ruth
Gairns and Stuart Redman.
Speaking about financial trends:
1/ Present the vocabulary:
A trend is the general direction in which a situation is changing.
A/
Trend Common verbs and examples Common nouns and examples
Go up, rise, increase, grow Rise, increase, growth
Eg: Prices have risen by 10 per cent. Eg:We saw some growth last
year.
Go down, fall, drop Fall, drop
Eg: Interest rates fell last month. Eg:There has been a drop in
sales.
Remain unchanged/stable SYN stay Stability
the same. Eg: There has been stability in
Eg: Prices have remained unchanged. the markets.
Peak Peak
Eg: Sales peaked in the third quarter. Eg: Sales reached a peak in
(third quarter = July to September) 2007.
Fluctuate Fluctuation
Eg: Sales have fluctuated all year. Eg: There has been some
fluctuation in prices.
 B/
Adjective
A slight rise in costs
A gradual rise in profits
A steady increase in the
interest rate.
A significant fall in
profits.
A sharp fall in sales
Meaning Adverb
Very small Costs rose slightly.
Slow and over a long period of Profits have risen
time. gradually.
Slow but regular and The interest rate has
continuing. increased steadily.
Noticeable and important. Profits fell significantly.
Very large and sudden. Sales have fallen sharply.

Activity 1: Look at the arrows and complete the sentences. (taken from the
same source mentioned above)
Example: There was a …slight fall………………………… in 2003.
1. Sales …………rose slightly………………………………. in 2004.
2. There was a …sharp rise/increase……………………………….in 2005.
3. Sales …remained stable/unchanged ………………… ……………………..in 2006.
4. In 2007, sales …fell slightly………………. ………………………… .
5. In 2008, sales …fell sharply…………………………… ……………………

Activity 2: Complete the sentences on the right. The meaning must stay the
same.
Aim:
 To use the adverbs appropriately.
Example:
There has been a sharp fall in sales. Sales have fallen sharply.
1.There was significant growth in sales. Sales ……grew/rose significantly……………………………
2. There was a gradual rise in the price. The price …rose gradually……………………………………….
3. There was a slight fall in profits. Profits ……fell slightly………………………………………………
4. There has been stability in costs. Costs have remained ……………stable/unchanged……
5. There has been a steady rise in sales. Sales have …………risen steadily……………………………….

Activity 3: Now, use the information and vocabulary studied so far to complete the
following annual report about the Algerian company SIM specialized in the production of
pastas. Use a different word each time
The short text is taken from the source mentioned previously.

Last year started well. In the first quarter sales ………increased……. Significantly. the second
quarter was even better: sales increased ……….(1)……. . They continued to ……(2)…… steadily in the third
quarter and reached a ……(3) ….. at 90.000. By the end of September, sales had ……..(4)………up ……(5)…………
almost 50 per cent. In the last quarter there was a slight …….(6)………., but it was still a good year. This
year has been very different. Sales …….(7)……….in the first half of the year – up one month and down the
next – but in the last three months they have remained …….(8)……. .

Key:
1. Sharply
2. Rise
3. Peak
4. Gone
5. By
6. Fall/drop
7. Fluctuated
8. Stable/unchanged

Prepared by Mrs. Cheref Miassa

 Reading and Writing
Activity 1 page 170 :

Warm up activity:

Watch, listen and take notes

Pupils will see a video and then will comment on the content.

What is the video about ? general discussion.

- Now, take your books page 170 and read your text.

Activity 2 page 170 : Read the text below and check your answers to the
previous question

Text : American Women at work

Activity 3 : Read the text again and answer the questions below.

A. Why did American women go to work outside home during world war two ?
B. Why did they continue to work after the war ?
C. What did their highly salaried husbands buy them cars for ?
D. What did they furnish them with TV sets for ?

Key :

A. American women went to work outside home during world war two so that
they might help in the war effort.
 B. They continued to work after the war in order to contribute in the
rebuilding of their country.
C. Their husbands bought them cars so that they can drive their children to
school.
D. They furnished them with tv sets so that to prevent them from being
bored.

Activity 4 : Say whether the following statements are true of false. Correct
the false ones.

A. After WWII, American women’s life became much more comfortable.

B. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, American women had to work outside home.
C. In the 1980’s, the number of working women decreased.

Key :

A. True

B. False. On the contrary, they could make the choice to stay at home and
take care of their children.

C. False. The number of working women increased since a considerable

number of them became business owners in the late 80’s.

Activity 5: Vocabulary:

Choose the right answer:

1. To supply
This word means : a- To take

b- To provide

c- To help
 2. To support
This word means: a- to bear

b- to encourage

c- to nourish

3. Owner

This word means: a- partner

b- proprietor

c- seller

Activity 4 page 171: Read the information in the tip below. Then
deduce/infer the central idea developed in each of the paragraphs of the
text above.

Aim: To introduce the definition of a paragraph to the pupils

To use ICT (File writing in Use of ICT’s in teaching English)

Key:

Paragraph 1:

WWII gave women the opportunity to work outside their home.

Paragraph 2:
The decrease in the number of working women in the 60’s and 70’s is due to
economic prosperity.

Paragragh 3:

American women worked outside again in the late 70’s and 80’s because of
economic crisis in addition of becoming aware of the value of economic
independence.

Activity 3 page 173: Write a confidential report using link words so that /in
order that and modals might/would/could. Have a look on the tip box below
first.

Aim:

This activity is a synthesis of what pupils learnt in this unit. It includes the use
of link words and modals as well as the production of three coherent paragraphs
in the form of a business report by taking into account the Tip Box
recommendations.

Key:

Confidential Report

Introduction:

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the performance of Leila Derradj,

Production Manager of Autocar, during the year 2007. The report details the
decisions that Leila Derraj took month by month in several areas.
Findings

Leila Derraj was appointed on January the 2nd, 2005 so that she would help
increase production.

In February, she re-organised the department so as to have more control on

the staff and the work to be done.

In March, she introduced break time for workers on the assembly line so that
they could improve production. She introduced also a ‘flexible time ‘ scheme for
female employees of the company.

In April, she put suggestion boxes in order that workers might give their
opinion on the company.

On June, she held a meeting with the workers so that they could participate
in decision-making. Finally, she introduced new items in work contract for
workers as to improve their working conditions.

Conclusion:

Leila Derraj’s decisions have led to a new management style. The annual turnover
has increased steadily. There has been a peak in productivity and sales have
increased considerably which has made profits reach a sharp rise.

Prepared by: Mrs. Khiari Mouna

 Project Work
It is clear that the project work was presented, discussed from the
beginning of the unit. The teacher explains the project on page 174

COMPILING A BUSINESS PORTFOLIO

The project work is verified periodically by the teacher, corrects and

provides feedback to his pupils.

The presentation of this project marks the end of the unit!