INGLÉS PARA LAS

CIENCIAS
ECONÓMICAS

Facultad de Ciencias Económicas

Universidad Nacional del Litoral
Overview
Vocabulary
1 CAREERS
-Career moves
Discussion questions
Language review *How ambitious are you?
-Modals: ability, requests
and offers *Do you have a career plan? Where do you want to be in 10 years' time?

Reading *Which of the following would you prefer to do?

-Ten ways to improve a) Work for one company during your career
your career b) Work for several different companies
c) Work for yourself
Listening
-Improving your career *Which of the following areas do you work in (or would you like to work
in)? Why?
Speaking 1Sales and marketing 4 Administration and personnel
-Job interview 2Finance 5 Production
3 Management 6 Research and development (R&D)
Writing
-Informal email *What should you do to get ahead in your career? Choose the four most
important tips from the list below. Compare your ideas in a group and
try to agree on a final choice.
1 Change companies often
2 Use charm with your superiors
3 Attend all meetings
4 Go to your company's social functions
5 Be energetic and enthusiastic at all times
6 Be the last to leave work every day
7 Find an experienced person to give you help and advice
8 Study for extra qualifications in your free time

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 Vocabulary

A) The phrases below all include the word career. Match them to their correct
meanings. Use a good dictionary to help you.

a) Career move 1-Chances to start/improve your career

b) Career break 2-Ideas you have for your future career
c) Career plan 3-Something you do to progress in your job
d) Career opportunities 4-Period of time away from your job to, for
example, look after your children

B) Complete these sentences with the verbs from the box. Use a good dictionary to
help you.
make take have decide offer

1 Employees in large multinationals ......... excellent career opportunities if they are wi-
lling to travel.
2 Some people ............................ a career break to do something adventurous like sailing
round the world or going trekking in India.
3 One way to ............................ a career move is to join a small but rapidly growing com-
pany.
4 Certain companies ............................. career opportunities to the long-term unemplo-
yed or to people without formal qualifications.
5 Ambitious people often ........................... on a career plan while they are still at school
or university.

C) Look at the groups of words below. Cross out the noun or noun phrase which
doesn't go with the verb in each group.

1 make a fortune 4 do research

a progress a mistake
a living a job
a training course your best
2 get progress 5 take a pension
a promotion time off
the sack early retirement
A nine-to-five job a break
3 earn a bonus 6 work flextime
a part-time job anti-social hours
money overtime
40 thousand an office job

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 D) Complete each sentence with the appropriate form of a word partnership from
Exercise C.

1 Goran is 59, but he does not want to .................... In fact, he is taking on more work!
2 When you ......................, you can arrange your own schedule, so this is very convenient when
you have children.
3 Luke is quite ambitious and does not want to be a sales assistant all his life. In fact, he hopes to
very soon.
4 Most university lecturers have to .............. in their specialist area.
5 In addition to your salary, you will .............. for achieving monthly targets.

Reading
Ten ways to improve your career
A) Discuss these questions in pairs.

1 What helps when trying to move ahead in your career?

Think about personal factors (e.g. ambition, motivation, etc.) and workplace factors (e.g. pro-
motion opportunities, etc.).
2 What practical advice could you give to someone who wants to get ahead in their career?
Make a list of three to five points.

B) Scan the article quickly to find out if any of the points you have listed in Exercise A are
mentioned.

Ten ways to improve your career

Ajilon Finance, a leading staffing and recruiting services firm, offers the following tips for
getting ahead in your career.
1 Make a list of your priorities and outline your tasks for the day. Write down your short-
and long-term goals, evaluate your progress fre- quently and stay focused.
2 Are you really present? You may physically be at work, but are you there mentally?
3 Learn how to work through others. Delegating tasks is an important skill to master at any
level.
4 Always look for opportunities to broaden your skills. For example, you can attend professio-
nal development seminars.
5 Socialise with colleagues. This will help you learn about what's happening in other depart-
ments.
6 Create your own goals. Determine where you want to be professionally and what skills you
need to reach that goal.
7 Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Accept challenges that force you to try so-
mething new.
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8 Be clear about what you want. If you believe you
deserve a promotion, ask for one.
9 Take time off and relax. Attending to your personal
life and doing things that make you happy will help
your performance at work. C 200 1 T ed Golf

10 Seek satisfaction. If you're disappointed by your cu-

rrent career, look for ways to transform your job into
more of what you want. If this does not solve the pro-
blem, maybe it's time to look for a new position.

'If you follow this advice, you will significantly increase

your opportunities to earn more money, get promoted
sooner and move ahead faster,' says Mr Lebovits, Pre- From Bussiness Wire
sident and Chief Operating Officer of Ajilon Finance.

C) Decide which tip each of the following sentences could be added to.

a) These are also a great way to network with influential people.

Tip 2/3/4

b) Each day, take a small step that brings you closer to that target.
Tip 5/6/7

c) If your boss refuses, ask him or her what you need to achieve in order to qualify for one.
Tip 6/7/8

d) It will also establish you as a team player within the company.

Tip 5/9/10

e) Pay attention to every single task that you do.

Tip 1/2/3

f) You may discover a secret talent or a hidden passion.

Tip 2/7/8

D) Match the verbs (1-5) with the noun phrases (a-e) to form expressions from the article.

1 to reach -C) a) a promotion

2 to get ahead b) a skill
3 to evaluate c) a goal
4 to deserve d) in one's career
5 to master e) one's progress

E) In pairs, discuss which three of theten tips in the article are the mostimportant.

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 Listening
Improving your career

A) Listen to two people, Debbie and Nikola, discussing Ten Ways to Improve Your Career.
Complete the table below with the number of the three tips they consider the most hel-
pful.

Debbie Nikola
1 Tipno . ............. . Tip no ................. .
2 Tip no ............. . Tip no ................. .
3 Tip no ............. . Tip no ................. .

B) Discuss these questions:

1 What do you think is the relationship between Debbie and Nikola? Why?
2 In your opinion, where are they from, and how old are they?

C) Listen to these extracts from the discussion and fill in the blanks.
Debbie ...If you want to move ahead in your ..................., you also need to evaluate
your ................... regularly. If you do that, you get a ................... idea of what
you’re good at,and also of the areas that you need to................... .....................
Debbie ...When a challenge presents itself, you have to take it on... If you ...................
it safe all the time, if you just settle into a ...................you'll never ...................
..................... in your career.
Nikola If you ................ do what you've always done, you'll only ...........what you’ve
already ....................

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 Language Review
Modals: ability, requests and offers

Modal verbs are very common in English. Match these functions to the examples: making an
offer, describing ability, making a request.

Can you help me? I can speak French and Spanish.

Could you repeat that, He could speak four languages
please? before he was ten.

Can I help you?

Would you like a drink?

A) Rearrange the words in 1 to 9 to make questions from a job interview. Then decide whet-
her each question is a) making a request, b) making an offer or c) asking about ability.

1 get you can I anything?

C.an I get you anything? (making an offer)
2 details contact your confirm I could?
3 can you software package use this?
4 speak languages any other you can?
5 about tell you job us your present more could?
6 tell your current salary me you could?
7 would you as soon as possible your decision let us know?
8 start you when can?
9 like coffee some more you would?

B) Match the questions in Exercise A with the interviewee's

answers below.

a) It's 43 thousand. 6
b) Yes, I use it a lot in my current job.
c) I can let you know next week.
d) Thank you. A coffee, please.
e) Yes, the address is the same, but my e-mail has changed.
f) I'd love some. Thank you.
g) Well, I'm currently responsible for European sales.
h)Yes, I can speak French and Spanish.
i) My notice period is two months.

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 C) Complete these sentences with the appropriate form (positive or negative) of can, could or
would.

1 I ..................... like to work overtime, even if the pay was very good.
2 I ..................... speak any foreign languages when I was ten years old.
3 I ....................... use a computer of course, but unfortunately I .................. use spreadsheets. It's
something I really want to learn.
4 If possible, I ...................... like to work regular hours.
5 Five years ago, I .................... speak English at all.

D) Choose the best option to complete the text.

Laura has always been 1) ________ . She is still at secondary school, but she 2) _______ on a
career plan. She 3) _______ exactly what she wants. She does not dream of 4) ________ a
fortune, she just wants to work for one of the big IT companies and 5) _______ research in
informatics.
‘Some people just wants to 6) ___________ a lof of money’, she says. ‘ For me, that’s not a
priority. Of course I 7) ___________ a good living , but what’s really important is to 8)
________ a job that I love. What I want more than anything else is to work 9) ______ a
dynamic company that’s strong on R&D and that 10) _______________ attractive career
opportunities.’

1) a) ambitious b) experienced c) charm

2) a) has decided already b) already decided c) has already decided

3) a) doesn’t know b) knows c) is knowing

4) a) moving b) making c) taking

5) a) work b) make c) do

6) a) have b) do c) make

7) a) like to make b) ‘d like to make c) made

8) a) have b) make c) work

9) a) at b) on c) for

10) a) can take b) can offer c) can improve

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 Case Study
Fast-Track Inc.

Background

Fast-Track Inc., based in Boston, US, sells corporate training videos and management training
courses. Fast-Track is looking for a new Sales Manager for its subsidiary in Warsaw, Poland. Fast-
Track advertised the vacancy only inside the company as it believes in offering career opportuni-
ties to its staff. The subsidiary's recent sales results were poor. Sales revenue was 30% below tar-
get. The reasons are:

 Sales representatives are not motivated and staff turnover is high.

 The previous manager had no clear strategy for developing sales in the area.
 Very few sales contracts were made.

A new appointment

There are three candidates for the position. They all already work for FastTrack either in Boston
or in Poland. Here is an extract from the job description for the position

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

 developing sales, achieving results and increasing customer numbers
 managing the sales team so that it is more motivated, dynamic and effective
He/She will be:
 a natural leader
 energetic, confident and outgoing
He/She will have:
 strong sales ability
 organisational and interpersonal skills
 a good academic background and suitable experience
 numeracy skills and the ability to handle administration
 linguistic ability
The position will involve frequent travel throughout the region

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Barbara Szarmach Tadeusz Vajda
Polish, aged 30 Polish, aged 52
Education Finished secondary Education University degree
school. Diploma in Marketing. (Engineering)
Experience Has worked for Experience Wide experience in a
Fast-Track as a sales variety of industries. Joined Fast-
representative since leaving Track five years ago as Regional
school. Has a good knowledge Manager for the south of Poland.
of computing.
Achievements Has been fairly successful, increasing
Achievements Has had the best sales results of the sales by 12% over the five-year period.
team during the last five years.
Languages Fluent Polish and English.
Languages Excellent Polish and Russian. English - good
Interviewer's comments Very calm and relaxed, he
vocabulary but not very fluent.
moves and talks slowly. A hard worker. Not creative but
Interviewer's comments Very strong personality. happy to get ideas from the creative members of a
Energetic and confident. Sometimes appeared aggressive team. Current staff think he is practical and reliable.
during the interview. Will she be a good team player?

1 Work in groups. You are members of the inter- Eva Rheinberger

viewing team. Discuss the strengths and weak-
nesses of each candidate. Decide who to select German, aged 42
for the vacant position. Note down the reasons Education University degree
for your choice. (History)
Experience Over 15 years as a
2 Meet as one group. Discuss your choices. Deci- sales representative in Germany,
de who should fill the vacant position. the US and Poland. Joined Fast-
Track a year ago.
Achievements A good sales record in all her previous jobs. In her first year
with Fast-Track her sales results have been satisfactory.
Languages Fluent German, English and Polish.
Interviewer's comments Quiet but knows her own mind. Rather nervous at
the interview. Might be good at team building but would probably depend
too much on other people. Likes administration. Didn't seem to have many
ideas about the future of the company.
Writing

Complete this e-mail from the head of the interviewing team to Liz Steiner, Sales Director of Fast-
Track. Write about at least three strengths of the candidate you have chosen. Then explain how
these strengths relate to the job description.
Dear Liz,

We recently interviewed three candidates for this position.

We have decided to appoint ...
I will briefly describe the candidate's strengths and explain the reasons for our decision ....
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Speaking Interaction
This activity provides practice material for the third part of the Speaking part of the exam. You are
going to work in pairs and ask and answer questions. One of you has prompts to ask questions
about a given situation. The other has information to answer your partner’s questions. Work in
pairs with the following sample material:

Work in pairs.
Student A: A friend of yours has found a job advertisement. You are interes-
ted in applying for this position, so you ask him/her questions about it.
Student B: You have information about a job position. Your friend is interes-
ted in it. Answer his / her questions.

CARD A CARD B

 Date? Marketing Department job vacancy

 Time? 23rd Oct – 8:30 AM

 Job position? Interview with Human Resources

 Bring? representative CV – info about referees Dress

 Recommendations? smartly. Punctuality!

Writing
A) Complete this e-mail to a friend of yours telling him/her about the job interview you
have arranged. Include:

 Where the job vacancy is

 When the interview will be (date and time)
 Who will interview you What you need to bring
 What recommendations they have given to you

Dear .......................,
I’m writing to tell you about a job interview I have arranged.
The company is offering a job vacancy in ...............................................
The interview will be on ..........................at ..............................., with ..........................
I need to bring ............................
They’ve told me I should ...........................................................

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 B) Now write a similar e-mail using the information in this card and the previous email
as a model.

Job vacancy in Sales Department

2nd June – 4 PM
Interview in English with Mrs Steiner (Sales Director)

CV – info about previous jobs

Extra Reading Practice 1

Read about job-sharing. Write these headings into each paragraph.
Get organised Set your limits
Put pen to paper Two become one
Open your mind Plan for disaster
Find the perfect partner Don't feel guilty

How to job-share

Wouldn’t it be nice if the working week finished on Wednesday? With a job-share it can. Here’s the
essential guide to making it work.
(0) Find the perfect partner Find someone you like. particular skills and qualities.
'Be prepared to communicate and share credit
(4) Managers should clarify what they expect in
and blame,' says Carol Savage, the managing
terms of hours, availability and results, and em-
director of Flexecutive, a flexible working consul-
ployees should manage their employer's expec-
tancy.
tations. Sue Osborn, a job-sharer for 21 years,
(1) Bosses should consider requests for flexible wor- says, 'We're often asked to do five-day weeks.
king from employees with children under six. So Eventually you just have to say no.'
embrace the benefits: 'Twice as much experien-
(5) Agree in writing arrangements for holidays, pa-
ce, skills, brainpower and energy,' Savage says.
rental leave, retirement, etc. Everyone should
(2) Always discuss the worst-case scenarios. When know where they stand from the beginning.
Margaret Mills, a teacher, lost her jobshare part-
(6) 'Do not work until lam at home to make up for
ner because of a family illness, a return to full-
not being in the office every day.
time work seemed inevitable. 'We had been over
-optimistic. I did manage to find someone else (7) Clients may not like having to deal with two peo-
who fitted in with me, but I . was very lucky.' ple so work closely together. As Savage says: 'A
job-share should be like a marriage - one voice,
(3) Plan the system for handing work over carefully
one unit.'
and play to each other's different strengths. De-
legate the workload according t each other's

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 Extra Reading Practice 2
Read the following text and insert the sentences below in the gaps.

A But rising levels of remuneration demonstrate that the profession's growing importance is widely
recognised.
B At one time, a professional qualification was required in order to progress to the top of HR.
C Other departments and senior executives used to see HR managers as having a purely
administrative role.
D Since it's one of the few areas where you can see the whole operation, it can lead to an
influential role on the board.
E Being seen as someone who just ticks off other people's leave and sick days does not help build a
sense of loyalty.
F They therefore need to be competent in many aspects of a company's operations.
G On the other hand, recruiting the wrong staff can lead to disaster.

The best person for the job

Employees can make a business or fail, so the people who choose them have a vital role to play.

Employees are a company's new ideas, its public face sion are attracted by a long-term goal. (
and its main asset. Híríng the ríght people is therefo-
3)……. Nothíng happens in the company which ísn't
re a sígnífícant factor in a company's success.
affected by or doesn't impact on its employees, so
(O) ... G. If the human resources department makes the HR department is a crucial part of any business.'
mistakes with hiring, keepíng and dismissing staff, a
Not all operational managers agree. An informal
business can disappear overníght, Many companies
survey of attitudes to HR departments that was
now realise that recruiting the best recruiters is the
carried out last year by a leading business journal
key to success.
received comments such as 'What do they actually
Sarah Choi, Head of HR at Enco plc, believes that contribute?' (4)……...
thinking commercially is a key quality in HR. 'Every
As Choi points out, salaries have never been hígher
decision an HR manager makes needs to be relevant
and, in addition, HR managers often receive
to advancíng the business. (1) .................
substantial annual bonuses. '-
That's no longer the case. HR managers have to think
Despite the financial rewards, HR managers often
more strategícally these days. They continually need
feel undervalued, and this is a major reason for many
to think about the impact of their decisions on the
leavíng their jobs. (5)……. However, a lack of traíníng
bottom line. (2) .............. For example, achief
and development is a more sígníficant factor. 'These
executive will expect the HR department to advise on
days, good professional development opportunities
everythíng from the headcount to whether to pro-
are considered an essential part of an attractive
ceed with an acquísítíon.'
package,' Choi explains.
Why do people go into HR in the first place? Choi has
a ready answer. 'I think most people in the profes-

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 Extra Reading Practice 3

Look at the leaflet, read the information and choose the correct option:
1- QA Apprenticeships is aimed at helping students find… .
a) a part-time job
b) a training course that suits them
c) a permanent job

2- Candidates who are interested in getting a job,... .

a) have to pay for the training
b) don’t have to pay for the training
c) have to pay a small fee

3- Only 6% of the QA apprentices…. .

a) succeed in getting a full-time job
b) get a job when they finish
c) can’t get a full-time job

4- Candidates will need ...... to fill in the application form.

a) a lof of time
b) a little time
c) more than 5 minutes

5- If you are interested in getting a job, you can… .

a) call or send an email
b) phone or use their webpage
c) send a text message

6- QA Apprenticeships offers jobs… .

a) in different fields of your interest
b) only in the Information Technology industry
c) in the Information Technology and Digital industry

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14
 2 ORGANISATIONS
Overview
Vocabulary
- Describing organisations Discussion questions
- Organisation structure
A. Which of these companies would you like to work for? Why?
Language Review
1 a family owned company
- Present Simple
2 a multinational company
- Present Continuous
3 your own company (be self-employed)
- Past Simple
- Present Perfect
4 a non-profit organisation (NPO) e.g. Rotary International, Unicef, Doctors
without Borders
Reading
- A successful organisation B. Which of these departments would you like to work in?
Listening 1-R&D (Research and Development) 2-Customer Services
- Analysing company organisa- 3-Human Resources 4-Sales and Marketing
tion
5-Production 6-Finance
Writing
7-Administration 8-Legal
- An informal email
9-Logistics 10-Public Relations
Speaking
- For-profit and not-
11-IT (Information Technology)

forprofit C. Match these activities to the correct department in exercise B.

organisations
a) deal with complaints b) draw up contracts c) carry out research
- Leadership
d) train staff e) run advertising campaigns f) issue press releases
- Characteristics of a company
g) operate assembly lines h) prepare budgets/accounts
i) keep records j) transport goods
k) install and maintain systems equipment

Vocabulary For-Profit Organisations

A. Match the words and phrases (1-8) to their definitions (a-h)
1 subsidiary a) An office where people answer questions and make sales over the phone
2 factory/plant b) A building from which goods or supplies are sent to factories, shops or
customers
3 call centre
c) A place through which products are sold
4 service centre
d) A place where faulty products are mended
5 headquarters
e) A company which is at least half-owned by another company
6 distribution centre
f) The main office or building of a company
7 warehouse
g) A building for storing goods in large quantities
8 outlet
h) A large building or group of buildings where goods are made (using ma-
15 chinery)
 B. Complete the sentences below with words and phrases from the box.
share price workforce profit turnover subsidiary market share head office
1 The amount of money a company receives from sales in a particular period is called
its .........................
2 The money a company makes after taking away its costs is its .........................
3 A company which is more than 50% owned by a parent company is called .........................
4 The employees in a particular country or business are called the .........................
5 The percentage of sales a company has in a particular market is its .........................
6 The main building or location of a large organisation is its .........................
7 The cost of a company's shares is its .................... .

C. Complete the extract from a company report with appropriate words or phrases from the box in
Exercise A.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
I am pleased to say the company has continued its excellent performance. We are changing, growing
and doing well at a difficult time for the industry. 1.Turnover was € 57.2 million, an increase of 15% on
last year, and 2............................... rose by 5% to € 6.4 million.
We are a highly competitive business. We have increased our 3 ............................... to 20%. Conse-
quently our 4 ...............................has risen and is now at an all -time high of €9.6. Increased produc-
tion and strong demand have had a positive effect on our cash flow, so we are able to finance a num-
ber of new projects. We have successfully moved to our new 5 ............................... in central London.
We are now planning to start full production at the recently opened Spanish 6 ............................... in
October.
Finally, thanks once again to our loyal and dedicated 7 ............................... Our employees will always
be our most valuable asset.

D. Complete the chart and make sentences about the companies. For example:
Cisco Systems is an American IT company which supplies Internet equipment.

16
 Listening Presenting a company
Listen to a presentation about Tara Fashions.

Reading
What do you know about Google?
What is special about working for it?
Watch the following video and find out about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyhpr8KjP4o

A. Read paragraph 1 of the article and choose the best definition of perks:
a) Happiness and confidence in the workplace
b) Something your employer gives you in addition to your pay
c) High-quality food and drink

B. Match the underlined words in the text to these definitions:

 Achievement; something done with skill ______________
 Leading, important, well-known _____________
 Movable articles, such as tables or chairs, required for use or ornament in a house or office
_________
 The power or ability to attract or stimulate the mind or emotions ______________
 To increase in weight, speed, height, or amount _______________

17
 C. For each sentence, choose the correct option (a or b) according to the text:
1. a) Google promotes the idea of staff getting together.
b) Google doesn’t foster teamwork.
2. a) Every month, managers get money to build teamwork or reward staff.
b) Every three months, managers get money to build teamwork or reward staff.
3. a) Ninety per cent of Google Italy workers thought it was a friendly place to work.
b) Everybody working for Google in Italy thought it was a friendly place to work.
4. a) The design of Google offices is different from that of most offices.
b) Google follows traditional office design.
5. a) Employees are free to choose their objectives.
b) Employees are free to decide how to fulfil their objectives.
6. a) Employees have the opportunity to listen to well-known or important authors.
b) Google gives employees money to attend talks about prominent books.

Success can be a game with many players by Sarah Murray

One of the side effects of the free food for Google staff is what is known as the 'Google 15' – the
number of pounds that employees typically gain after joining the Internet company. But whether it is
providing snacks and gourmet meals in the canteen, annual skiing trips or games rooms at the office,
the philosophy behind such perks is the same – getting staff to meet each other, interact in informal
settings and encourage teamwork.
One way the company does this is to hold competitions in everything, from office decorating to
dancing and football, with prizes for the winners. Managers also receive a quarterly 'celebratory fund'
either to reward accomplishments or to build teamwork by going bowling, go-karting or dining out.
The Best Workplaces survey indicates that such initiatives have a powerful effect. At Google Ita-
ly, for example, 90 per cent of the employees agreed that 'people celebrate special events around
here'. Also in Italy, 100 per cent agreed that 'this is a friendly place to work' and 96 per cent agreed
that 'there is a “family” or “team” feeling here'.
Another part of Google's objective is to make its workplace feel fun. Massage chairs, table-
tennis tables, video games, lava lamps, hammocks, beanbags, bicycles, large rubber balls, couches
and scooters are all part of the furniture in Google offices.
However, when it comes to the serious business of work, great emphasis is placed on engaging
employees, 'What makes Google a great workplace is that the nature of the work itself is very cha-
llenging and interesting', says Nick Creswell, the company's university programmes manager for Euro-
pe, the Middle East and Africa. 'And for the type of people who really enjoy an intellectual challenge,
that's the biggest appeal of working here'.
Fostering this intellectual activity is a policy giving employees a large degree of independence in
deciding how to work and how they do their jobs. 'There's a real culture of autonomy and empower-
ment', says Mr Creswell. 'Individuals within the business understand what their own goals are within
the context of their teams, and they have a lot of freedom to go out and make those happen'.
Even when it comes to learning and development, many programmes are voluntary and infor-
mal. Often it may be a case of inviting university faculty in to discuss their latest research. Google also
invites prominent
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 Language Review Non-Profit Organisations

Organizations with 'social' aims such as helping those who are sick
or poor, or encouraging artistic activity, are non-profit organisations
(BrE) or not-for-profit organizations (AmE). They are also called
charities, and form the voluntary sector, as they rely heavily on
volunteers (unpaid workers). They are usually managed by paid
professionals, and they put a lot of effort into fund-raising, getting
people to donate money to the organization in the form of donations.

A. Read the text below. What verbal tenses are used to describe the history of charitable giving in
the US?
A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHARITABLE GIVING IN THE US
charitable giving: The act of giving money or other items of value to charitable organizati-
ons

Charity has been part of human culture for thousands of years. There are numerous instances of cha-
ritable acts in ancient civilizations dating back as far as 2500 BCE (or 4,500 years ago), which is around
the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids.
More recently over the last 30 years or so, donations to charitable organizations have increased con-
sistently year-over-year, far outpacing the rate of inflation. Today, charitable giving is becoming a co-
re value of western culture. In 2013 over 95% of US households donated money to charity. In 2014
Americans donated an estimated $335 billion dollars to nonprofit organizations. What is more, peo-
ple all across the globe give a portion of their income to nonprofit organizations that are commited to
helping solve the world’s issues.

Charitable giving on the Rise in the US

The value of donations to charity comprises approximately 2% of total national gross domestic pro-
duct (GDP) in the US. Charitable giving has shown a consistent growth pattern over the past 30 years,
and is reaching levels not seen since before the Great Depression.
 Total estimated charitable giving in the US rose 4.4% between 2012 and 2013, to $335.17 bi-
llion in contributions.
 Giving by individuals totaled an estimated $240.60 billion, rising 4.2% in 2013.
 In 2013, the majority of charitable donations were given to: religion (31%), education (16%),
human services (12%), and grantmaking foundations
Source: adapted from https://blog.winspireme.com/a-brief-history-of-charitable-giving-infographic
B. Now complete the rules with the words present simple, present continuous, present perfect or
past simple.
A. We use the _______________ to describe completed actions or events which took place at a
particular time or over a period of time in the past.
B. We use the _______________to describe current or temporary situations.
C. We use the _______________to describe actions and situations which are generally true.
D. We use the _______________ to describe past actions that affect us now and to talk about life
experiences.
19
 C. The following text is about the history of charity organisations in Britain. Read it and for each gap
choose the correct option: A, B or C.

Britain has a long history of charitable giving

The oldest registered charity 1. _____ back to the Twelfth Century. Many of the earliest charities 2
_____ by religious groups, the nobility, or wealthy individuals to help the neediest members of society.
This was normally the poor – especially orphans and widows and the sick or disabled. Help was provi-
ded in the form of shelter, food, clothing and caring for the sick. Charitable organisations often 3 _____
of hospitals, orphanages and poor houses.
As the number of charities 4. _____ over the centuries, so has the range of causes. While many chari-
ties still 5. _____ on helping the poor and caring for the sick and injured, many others 6. _____ global
issues like climate change, conflict, and HIV and AIDS. It's interesting to note that in Britain health cha-
rities like Cancer Research remain the most popular cause to donate to.

What kind of people donate to charity?

In the UK, about 50% of adults 7. _____ to charity which means we have one of the highest giving levels
of any country in the world. As most UK charities 8. _____ any money from the government, donations
from individuals are the most important source of funding for a charity to carry out its work.
In the past, charitable donations 9. _____ to be quite localised – for example giving to the parish
church or hospital, but today around a quarter of donors give to overseas causes. International aid cha-
rities like the British Red Cross and Oxfam usually 10. _____ a lot of their funds to help people in coun-
tries affected by natural and man made disasters – for example the earthquake in Haiti, the Pakistan
floods and the conflict in the Ivory Coast.
(retrieved from: https://www.want2donate.org/giving-guide/history-of-british-charities)

For extra practice, visit our e-learning classroom.

20
 Speaking 1
A. Watch the video This is what makes people happy at work and choose the correct option:
Who are surveyed?
a) All workers
b) Only some workers
How does Mr Bush describe employees’ expectations as regards happiness?
a) They agree on the same expectations
b) They disagree
How many workers are satisfied with their job?
a) 60 %
b) 40 %
Happy employees affect companies in terms of…
a) Revenue growth
b) Revenues and turnover
In the example that Mr Bush gives, what is more costly for the company?
a) The laptop itself
b) The process of acceptance of the laptop
What strategy does Four Seasons implement in order to build employees’ confidence?
a) Ask the employees to do whatever the customers ask them to.
b) Tell employees to decide how to deal with customers’ requests.
Receiving an unfair treatment…
a) does not affect employees’ trust.
b) makes employees lose confidence.
Salesforce is an organisation that…
a) cared about bridging the gender gap.
b) overlooked the difference between men and women’s pay.
What does the speaker mean by listening?
a) To avoid being arrogant and look for the best idea.
b) To keep eye-contact and give a compassionate look.
According to him, what’s the reason to change?
a) to be a better person.
b) to follow your beliefs.

21
 Case Study
PROFILE: BRYANSTON ORGANIC & NATURAL MARKET
Bryanston Organic and Natural Market is an outdoor organic market located in Johannesburg, South
Africa. It is not a typical business –it is operated by a trust which is one of the main fundraisers for the
local community. It is a place for local traders to sell their goods; each trader has a stall at the market
and currently there are about 150 traders selling a range of goods including food, drinks, jewellery, clo-
thing, toys, homeware and health products.
Introduction
There are a number of reasons why organisations develop in the way that they do. Some of these
reasons are external, others internal to the organisation.
1. Think about what political reasons and economic changes have taken place in your country recently.
How do you think these changes have affected some of the main organisations in your country?
2. In many countries there have been a lot of changes recently in how people think about the environ-
ment; one example of this is that more people prefer to buy organic goods.
Tick the statements below which you agree with, and then in pairs discuss your results.
 Putting ‘organic’ on products is just a way of raising prices.
 Organic food and drink tastes better.
 If I buy a T-shirt made of organic cotton and made in an environmentally friendly way, I feel better.
 How do you know it’s organic? Anyone can put that label on their products.

3. Do you prefer to buy fresh food at a supermarket or at a market?

Why? Would you expect different customers in these places?

Output: Describing the history of an organisation

Stage 1:
Find out about a company of your interest and write a brief description (about 200 words) including:
- Type of company (family-owned, multinational, non-profit, etc.)
- The origins and founders of the company
- Product or service they offer / Activity they do
- Staff
- Your own opinion about the organisation: would you like to work for them?
Stage 2:
Present your findings to the class.

22
 Writing
A. Carina, CEO of Bryanston, went to Estonia to present her company. She wrote an email to her
friend, Jake, telling him about her stay in that city. Choose the correct forms of the verbs in brackets
to complete this e-mail.
To: Jake Williams
Subject: Estonia
Hi Jake
Sorry for not replying to the e-mail you 1._________ (have sent/sent) last week. I 2. ____________ (am/have
been) on business to Estonia for a week and only 3. _____________(returned/ have returned) yesterday.
The visit 4. __________(didn’t start/ doesn’t start) well though! Unfortunately my bus to the airport was late
and I 5. ___________ (almost missed/ have almost missed) the plane. Anyway, I 6. __________ (had/ have) a
good time and I 7. ___________ (already plan / am already planning) another trip!
Best wishes
Carina

B. Imagine you travelled to a foreign country to present your company. Write an email to a friend
telling him/her about your experience.
Include the following information:
- apologize for not writing earlier
- say where you travelled to, how long you stayed there and when you returned
- mention the problems you had during your visit and your free-time activities. Write about
80 words.

Speaking 2
A. Interaction:
A successful organisation needs a good leader. Work in pairs and ask and answer questions about a
leadership programme.

Student A: You are interested in taking a leadership course. Your colleague has information about it.
Ask questions using the prompts below:

23
 Student B: You have found an advertisement about a leadership programme. Your colleague is
interested in attending the programme. Answer your colleague’s questions about it:

B. Long turn: Look at the question. Answer it considering the points below.

When you think about the answer

to the question, consider the
three items presented in the box:

- Which perks would you like your company to offer? Think about examples. Why do you consider
those perks important? For example: I would like my company to offer paid birthdays off because
I could relax all day, doing whatever I want to do. The next day I would be back at work, rested
and happy.
- What would you prefer: a boring but well-paid job or a more exciting job, with a lower salary?
Do you think your preferences would change according to the stage in your career (whether
you’re starting your career or you have many years of experience)? What other factors could have
an impact on the relevance given to salary?
- Would you like the company to offer opportunities for promotion? Why?

24
 Speaking practice: Interaction
The following activity provides practice for the third part of the speaking test:
You are planning to set up a new business to sell homemade food to 9-5 workers in the city.
Talk together to discuss where to set it up, what kind of food you should offer, the cost and
options of payment, among other things. Then make your decisions. Here are some ideas to
help you:
∙ Business location
∙ Business infrastructure
∙ Delivery options
∙ Types of food
∙ Price: frequency of payments? Discounts?

Before you share your ideas with your partners, think about all the factors you should consider
before setting up a new business:
 Taking into account who your target customers are, which could be the best location to
attract potential customers?
 Which facilities/installations do you need to provide this service?
 Would it be a good idea to deliver the product? Why? Would you do it for free? Could you
offer any other options?
 What kind of food should you offer? Should you give different options? Think about fast
food, healthy food, vegetarian/vegan options, etc.
 Which different options of payment could you offer? Should customers pay after every meal
or could you offer a special price/discount for those who pay for the whole week/month?

Asking for opinions Agreeing Making suggestions

How do you feel about….?
What do you think of/about…?
What’s your opinion of ….?
I agree with you / your idea /your I think we should /could ….
suggestion
Perhaps / Maybe we could ….
I think so too How about finding/looking for/
organising/designing...
Why don’t we find/do/organise...

I think that… /I think (it’s a good I see/understand what you mean, I’m afraid I don’t think so...
solution/idea) but ….
I don’t think that… / it’s (the best I’m afraid I can’t/don’t agree with you Sorry, but I think...
solution) because...
In my opinion…. Maybe you’re right, but… I’m sorry, I don’t agree/I have to disa-
gree with you there.
Perhaps it’s true but….
I believe/feel/guess…. I see your point, but I don't think it Actually, I'm not sure that’s the best
would work plan

25
 Extra Reading Practice 1
Read and fill in the gaps with the sentences below. There is an extra sentence.

ACQUISITION
When should a company consider acquisition as a way forward?

There are many circumstances in which a company
may wish to take over another organísatíon through
an acquisition.
The need to keep up with a changíng environment
often dominates thinking about acquisitions. One
compelling reason to develop by acquisition is the
speed with which ít allows the company to enter new
product or market areas. (O) ....G.... This is particu-
larly true of e-commerce.
The strength of competitors may influence a com-
pany to. choose acquisition as a way forward. In
markets that are static and where market shares of
companies are reasonably steady, ít can be difficult
for a company to break into the market, since its pre-
sence may create excess capacity. (1) ............. .
There may also be resource considerations. There
may be a lack of resources or skills to compete
successfully, so they must be acquired.
(3) ................ It may also be that it has knowled-
ge of a particular type of production system, busi-
ness process or market need. In an international
context, acquisition is often a means of gaining
market knowledge.
Sometimes there are reasons of cost efficiency
which make acquisition look attractive. A cost
efficiency could arise from the fact that an esta-
blished company may already be very experien-
ced and have achieved efficiencies which another
company would find difficult to achieve quickly
by internal means. (4) ............... .

The same arguments also apply when an established
supplier in an industry acquires a competitor. This
may either be to gaín the competítor's market share
or, in some cases, to shut down its capacity in order
to restore a situation where supply and demand are
more balanced.
There may be financial motives for acquisition. If the
share value of a company is high, the motive may be
to spot and acquire a firm with a low share value.
(2) .................... An extreme example is asset
stríppíng, where the main motive for the acquisition
is short-term gaín by buyíng up undervalued assets
and selling them on bit by bit.
In consumer goods industries, cost efficiency is
usually the reason for an acquisition.
Acquisition can also be driven by the expecta-
tions of key shareholders. Share-holders usually
expect to see continuing growth, and acquisition
may be a quick way to deliver this growth. But
there are considerable dangers that an acquisition
can lower share price rather than increase it.
(5) ................. This is more likely when the de-
cision to acquire ís speculative as opposed to
strategíc, There are some shareholders who fa-
vour acquisition simply to bríng a short-term
boost to share value.

A The necessary development and organisational learning would be too slow.

B In the same way, an organisation can increase manufacturing opportunities.
C Indeed, this is one of the major reasons for the more speculative acquisitions that take place.
D It may be that the parent company may not have sufficient understanding of the acquired business,
and this could remove value.
E For example, a company may be taken over for its research and development expertise.
F If, however, the company enters by acquisition, the risk of reaction from industry rivals is reduced.
G In some cases, a market is changing so fast that acquisition becomes the only way of successfully
breaking into it.
26
 Extra Reading
Practice 2
Read the leaflet. For each of the prompts below, choose the correct answer a, b or c.
1. The main aim of Help and Care is…
a. to make a profit.
b. to help older people.
c. to make donations.
2. At the moment Help and Care is looking for…
a. stylish people to work in their charity shop.
b. people who can give advice to older individuals.
c. people to work for free in their charity shop.
3. Help and Care and Oakhaven Hospice Trust…
a. work together to help the local community.
b. are not two different charities.
c. run two charity shops in Southbourne.
4. If you want to get more information about Help and Care’s charity shop, you can…
a. phone the shop manager.
b. visit the website of the shop.
c. go to the car park at the rear of the shop.

27
28
3 SALES Reading Writing

Vocabulary -Fruits of the rainforest in a -Marketing strategy

Overview profitable harvest - Reply to customers’
-describing products
-The marketing mix orders
-online shopping
Listening Speaking
Language Review
-Case study: Ramblers way -Buying a product
-passive voice
Farm -Shopping online
-modals of obligation

Case Study
Profile: Ramblers Way Farm
In 1970, Tom and Kate Chappell founded Tom's of Maine as one of the first makers of natural and eco-
friendly personal care products like toothpaste. In 2006 they sold the company to Colgate for $100 million.
In October 2009, they started Ramblers Way Farm: a family business producing soft, comfortable wool
clothing, based on the principles of ecological and social responsibility. The sheep are raised on farms in
the USA which use farming practices that do not harm the environment. The clothing is also manufactured
in the USA, which means that, unlike most clothing sold in the USA, it does not need to be imported. This
reduces the carbon footprint of the business and contributes to the domestic economy.

Listening 1: A value-centred business

1 Listen to the beginning of an interview with Tom Chappell and answer the questions.
1 What does a value-centred business mean?
2 What values of the company does Tom Chappell mention?
3 What choice for customers does he mention?
4 How does Tom Chappell make sure that Ramblers Way Farm is part of the local community?
2 In pairs, discuss the following questions.
1 What do you think non-profits means? 2 What type of non-profit organisations do you think
Tom Chappell gives money to? 3 Do the values he mentions make you more or less interested in
finding out about the company's products? Why ?

Listening 2: Communicating values to the customer

1 How do you think Ramblers Way Farm can communicate its values to its customers? Write down so-
me ideas.
2 Now listen and see if you were right. Read exercises 3 and 4. Predict the answers then listen and
check.
3 What is the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) policy of the company in relation to the follo-
wing?
1 customers returning items
2 correspondence (Ietters and email) from customers
4 How did Tom Chappell make sure his values were implemented in the manufacturing process?

Listening 3: Engaging with the customer: In the final part of the interview, Tom Chappell
gives an example of an interaction with a customer. Choose the best option to complete the senteces.
28
1 The customer wrote a very critical letter about
a the price of a product.
b the quality of a product.
2 He had a bought
a J-shirt online.
b looked at a T-shirt online.
3 Tom Chappell reacted by
a writing back to the customer.
b immediately offering the customer a free shirt.
4 The customer said that
a now he could understand why the final product cost what it did.
b the final product was still over-priced.
5 What happened next?
a Tom Chappell sent him a free shirt.
b The customer ordered a shirt.

Language focus: Past simple, past continuous and past perfect

1 Look at the sentences below taken from the interview with Tom Chappell.
1 I was looking for responsible manufacturing practices, so it took some time.
2 He had gone online, looked, was interested, saw the price and wrote a very harsh letter.
Which sentence uses the past continuous? Which sentence uses the past perfect?
2 Complete the rule for the use and formation of the past perfect and the past continuous.
1 Use the _________________ to talk about events that happened before another action in the past (the
past of the past).
2 Use the _________________ to talk about actions or situations happening over a period of time in the
past. 3 The past continuous is formed with the past of __________ + the -ing form of the verb 4 The past
perfect is formed with __________ + the ____________ form of the verb
3 The past continuous is often used to talk about a situation in progress at a particular time in the past,
e.g. In September we were making a profit.
The past continuous can also be used to describe a situation or action in the past that is interrupted by
another one (in the past simple), e.g. I met David as I was coming in yesterday.
Which of the two actions in the example above started first?
4 Write sentences from the prompts. Put one verb in the past simple and one in the past continuous.
1 I/ find / the supplier / when / look / on the Internet
2 When / you / phone / me / I / have lunch / with a client
3 She / do a second job / but / give it up / when / start / her new job
4 They / find out about / the product / while / they / attend / a trade fair / in Moscow
5 As / I / leave building / I / see / the visitors from Dubai
6 We / have / a meeting / when / the director's phone / ring
29
5 Time expressions, such as when, before, after, as soon as and by the time, are often used with the past
perfect, e.g. By the time he'd finished the job, he was exhausted. Remember that the past perfect shows
that an event happened before another event in the past.
Complete the sentences with the correct form (past simple or past perfect) of these verbs.
find send speak change
1 They had already made the decision, before we ____________to them.
2 The order arrived just after we __________ them a reminder.
3 By the time we'd solved the production line problem, our client ________ another supplier.
4 As soon as we ___________the faulty part, everything worked fine.

6 The past perfect is often used to give a reason for a past event, e.g. The registration for the April works-
hop dropped down to seven, because people had transferred to the one in May.
Match the past actions 1-4 with a reason a-d, then put the verb in brackets in the past perfect.
1- The machine wasn’t working again a) because I ___________ from her since last week.
(not hear)
2- I called her today b) because we _________ all the information we
needed. (not receive)
3- We didn’t make a decision today c) because that’s what they ________ us to do. (ask)

4- We invoiced them separately d) because someone __________ it. (unplug)

Discussion questions 1
A. Describe some of your favourite products. Why do you like them? What
do they say about you? Which of these products could you not do with-
out?
B. What product would you most like to own? Why?

30
Vocabulary 1 Describing products
A. Check that you know the meanings of the adjectives below. Then work in pairs. Think of products that
match the words.
economical comfortable attractive reliable expensive practical fashionable popular
B. Write adjectives with the opposite meanings to those in Exercise A.

Un- In- Im-

unattractive

C. Complete these sentences with these words:

Well high best long hard high
1 I BM manufactures high-tech computer products.
2 Timberland makes a range of ............ -wearing footwear.
3 Ferrari produces ................. -quality sports cars.
4 Coca-Cola and Pepsico both developed ........... -selling soft drinks.
5 Duracell sells ................... -lasting alkaline batteries.
6 Levi jeans are a ................. -made clothing product.
D.Use the adjectives in Exercise C to describe other companies and products. For example, Nestle ma-
kes many of the world's best-selling food products.
E. Match the verbs (1-8) to their meanings (a-h). Then put the verbs into a logical order to show the life
cycle of a new product.
1 launch a) to stop making
2 test b) to build or make
3 promote c) to introduce to the market
4 manufacture d) to change in order to improve
5 modify e) to try something in order to see how it works
6 discontinue f) to make a plan or drawing
7 design 1stt g) to increase sales by advertising, etc.
8 distribute h) to supply to shops, companies, custo-
mers

Speaking
Long turn

31
Reading 1

Fruits of the rainforest in a profitable harvest

Read the article carefully.
Then choose from the list below the heading which best summarises each section.
You will need four headings only.
a) A national passion goes global
b) A secure future
c) Guarana: some historical background
d) Making guarana: an age-old process
e) The advantages of globalisation
f) The challenges of going global
g) The most popular fruit in the world
h) Think globally, act locally

32
 Language Review
Passive Voice: Present Simple and Past Simple
We make the passive using ‘be’ – in a suitable tense – and the past participle (‘done’, ‘played’ etc.). We
use the passive:

1) … when we don’t know, or we are not interested in, who does an action. My car was stolen yester-
day. We don’t know who stole the car. A lot of wine is produced in France. It’s not important who pro-
duces the wine.

2) … when the main topic of the sentence isn’t who did the action. Television was invented in the 1920s
by John Logie Baird. The main topic here is television – we aren’t particularly interested in ‘who’. Ken-
nedy was assassinated in 1963. In English we tend to put the most important thing at the start of the
sentence.

3) … more in written English than in spoken English. War and Peace was written by Tolstoy. You often
see the passive in textbooks. The mixture is heated to 500C̊. Scientific texts especially use the passive.

1. Rewrite these sentences in the passive:

1. I confirm the reservation.
2. We deliver the goods every Monday.
3. We arranged a meeting.
4. They cancelled the contract five days ago.
5. They execute all orders carefully.
6. Somebody made a mistake.
7. We processed your order yesterday.
8. She did not sign the contract

2. Complete the text with the present simple passive form of the verbs in brackets:
Roses are one of Kenya’s most important crops, and Kenyan flowers are exported (export) all over the
world.
Some of the roses ______________________ (produce) in glasshouses, and others _________________
(grow) in the open air.
When the flowers __________________ (pick), they __________________ (take) to cold storage
rooms. Here they ___________________ (cool) to 1ºC so that they will last longer.
The flowers __________________ (pack) into flat boxes, and then they _________________ (transport)
to the airport in refrigerated lorries. They _______________ (fly) to Germany, the UK, and other Euro-
pean countries, where they ________________ (sell) to supermarkets and other outlets.
Holland also has a large floriculture industry. Many of the roses that _______________ (import) to Ho-
lland ________________ (repackage). Then they ___________________ (export) to countries like Japan
and the USA.
33
 3. Read about the history of Airbus. Complete the text with the past simple passive of the verbs in
brackets.

Airbus was formed (form) in 1970 when the French company Aerospatiale and the German company
Daimler-Benz Aerospace agreed to work together to manufacture large passenger planes. The two
companies ______________ (join) by the Spanish company Casa in 1971, and British Aerospace beca-
me part of the consortium in 1979. The first aircraft, the A300 _____________ (produce) in 1972. The
first planes were very successful, and 55 planes _________________ (order) by different airlines, mos-
tly European. However, in 1975, the company had serious problems, and no orders ____________
(receive) for sixteen months. The problems ______________ (solve) when the American company Eas-
tern Airlines leased four A300B4s in 1977. The planes were very popular. The following year, 23 A300s
________________ (sell) to Eastern Airlines, and 46 more planes _______________ (buy) by other US
Airlines. This let Airbus into the American market, which at the time ______________ (dominate) com-
pletely by Boeing.

In 2000, Airbus began work on the A380, the biggest passenger plane in the world. It _______________
(design) to have 555 seats, two decks, shops, bars, and even a gymnasium. When the A380
_______________ (launch) in January 2005, 45 of the new planes _________________ (order) by Emi-
rates of Dubai at a cost of $19 billion, making this the biggest deal in aviation history.

34
 Discussion questions 2
A. What do you or don't you like about shopping? What are the advantages of shopping on line?
B. Which items have you bought online? Why?
C. C. Which items would you not buy online, and why? Give three reasons why some people prefer
not to buy goods and services online

Vocabulary 2
A. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
1 We offer a discount to customers who buy in bulk.
a) refund b) discount c) delivery
2 We ask customers who are not fully satisfied to ......................... goods within seven days.
a) discount b) refund c) return
3 In order to get a full .......................... , customers must send back goods in the original packaging.
a) discount b) refund c) return
4 Goods will be ... ....................... within 24 hours of your order.
a) despatched b) purchased c) exchanged
5 Goods are kept in our ........................... until ready for delivery.
a) stock b) storage c) warehouse
6 Products and services offered at a large discount are generally a(n)……..
a) sale b) bargain c) offer

B. Combine words from boxes A and B. Make phrases that match the definitions (1-7). For example,
credit card details - 2 the name, number and expiry date on your credit card.
A credit card cooling off money back method of interest-free out of after-sales
B stock period credit guarantee service payment details
1 the time when you can change your mind and cancel an order
2 the name, number and expiry date on your credit card
3 the way you choose to buy the goods you want
Speaking
4 when you can pay some time after you buy,
but at no extra cost
5 when the goods you require are not available
6 a promise to give your money back if you are
not happy
7 the help you get from a company when you
start to use their product

35
 Listening Multi-channel retail
A. Work in pairs. Discuss which words from the box you could use to complete the sentences
below about Argos, the UK's largest multi-channel retailer.
channel enquire identical integrated online order run store telephone website
1 Our experience shows that customers will sometimes buy ........................ , sometimes order on
the ............... and sometimes go into the stores to pick up goods. So we need to understand what our
customers want.
2 Our operations are fully integrated. The prices that we show on the .................. are to the prices that
you would pay in the ………………………………
3 You can call up a call centre and ..................... .... about an ....................... that you placed through
any .
4 We don't .......................... operations side by side; we run a truly .................. multi-channel offer.
B. Now listen to the interview with Indira Thambiah, Head of E-Commerce at Argos, and com-
plete the sentences in Exercise A.
C. Here are some of the keys to successful on line selling, in Indira's experience. Listen to the
second part of the interview and number each point in the order in which she mentions them.
a) to be very clear about the price of the product and about any promotions
b) to be very clear to the customer about what the delivery options are
c) to provide good images and good information
d) to understand or recognise what the customer wants
D. Work in pairs. Discuss whether you think these statements are true or false.
1 A lot of people research products online and then go to the store to pick that product up.
2 Customers on the high street behave very differently from customers on line.
3 A good website is one that is easy to navigate, easy to find, and easy to transact with.
E. Listen to the last part of the interview. Are the statements in Exercise D true or false, in Indi-
ra's experience?

Language Review
Modal verbs to express advice, necessity/obligation and prohibition
 We use should or shouldn't to say that it is a good or a bad idea to do something. Online retailers
should acknowledge all orders by e-mail. Websites shouldn't be too complicated.
 We use have to or need to to say that something is necessary or very important. The site has to
work quickly and effectively. On line retailers need to offer guarantees to their customers.
 We use don't have to or don't need to if something is not necessary. You don't have to queue
when you buy online. If you buy now, you don't need to pay anything until next year.
 must is very similar to have to. I really must try to spend less money online.
 But mustn’t is not the same as don't have to. You use mustn't to say that somebody is not al-
lowed to do something. You mustn't use the Internet at work for personal purposes. (= Don't use
the Internet at work for personal purposes.)
36
A) Read these rules of an online book club. Then answer the questions.
~ You must be 18 or over.
~ You shouldn't give your password to anyone.
~ You don't have to buy every month.
~ You don't have to buy our recommendations.
~ You need to buy ten books per year.
~ You don't have to pay after each purchase.
~ You must pay within three months.
1 Can you join if you are 17? No
2 Can you give your password to a friend if you want to?
3 Is it necessary to buy a book every month?
4 Is it necessary to buy the recommendations?
5 Can you buy only five books per year?
6 Is it necessary to pay after each purchase?
7 Is it necessary to pay within three months?
B) Complete these sentences (1-8) with suitable endings (a-h).
1 It's getting late
2 I can work from home
3 I've been transferred to Madrid
4 This deal is too important to lose
5 We lost our database once before
6 I'm afraid this report is urgent
7 I think we're all in agreement
8 We've still got plenty of stock in the warehouse
A) so we don't need to order any more yet.
b) so we must not make a mistake.
c) so you must not forget to back up the files.
d) so you'll have to stay and finish it.
e) so I have to learn some Spanish.
f) so we have to go.
g) so I don't have to go into the office much.
h) so we don't need to discuss it any further.

Reading 2
Introduction to the marketing mix (4Ps)
Read the introduction and the product section of the article below and decide if these statements are true or
false.
1 The 4Ps are used by companies to think about their marketing strategy.
2 The company changes its marketing mix to satisfy the needs of its target market.
3 If you have high prices, you need to provide a high-quality product.
4
37A logo doesn't add any value to a product.
The Marketing Mix
The marketing mix (also known as the 4Ps) is used by
business to help them to reach their objectives and to
plan and visualise their strategy. These 4Ps are control-
lable variables, which have to be carefully managed and
must meet the needs of the defined target group of cus-
tomers.
Product When placing a product within a market
many factors and decisions have to be taken into con-
sideration. These include: Product design: Will the de-
sign be a USP (Unique Selling Point) for the organisation
as we saw with the Apple iMac or iPhone? Product qual-
ity: Quality has to be consistent with other elements of
the marketing mix. A premium pricing strategy has to
reflect the quality a product offers. Product features:
What features will you add that may increase the bene-
fit offered to your target market? Branding: A brand is a
tool which is used by an organisation to differentiate
itself from competitors. Think about the Nike logo and
how this influences people's ideas on the product.
Place This refers to how an organization will dis-
tribute the product or service they are offering to the
end user. The organization must distribute the product
to the user at the right place at the right time.
There are two channels of distribution they can use:
1 Indirect distribution involves distributing your product
by the use of a 'middleman', for example a manufactur-
er can sell to a wholesaler and then the wholesaler sells
to the retailer.
2 Direct distribution involves distributing direct from a
manufacturer to the consumer - for example, Dell Com-
puters selling directly to its target customers. The ad-
vantage of direct distribution is that it gives a manufac-
Marketing terminology
Find these phrases in the introduction and Pro-
duct section of the article and match them with
the correct definition, a or b.
1 Controllable variables
a) factors which are under the company's control
b) factors which control the company
2 A USP (Unique Selling Point)
a) an exclusive place where the product is sold
b) an exclusive feature of the product that no other
competitor product has
38
Price
Pricing is one of the
most important ele-
ments of the mar-
keting mix, as it is
the only one of the
4Ps which generates
a turnover for the
organisation. The remaining 3Ps are costs for the
organisation. Pricing should take into account the
following factors: costs of producing the product,
prices competitors charge, company objectives,
target group and willingness to pay.
There are three main pricing strategies an organi-
sation can adopt:
1 Penetration pricing - the organisation sets a low
price to increase sales and market share.
2 Skimming pricing - the organisation sets an ini-
tial high price and then slowly lowers the price to
make the product available to a wider market.
The objective is to skim profits off the market lay-
er by layer.
3 Competition pricing - setting a price in compari-
son with competitors.
Promotion A successful product or service
means nothing unless the benefits are communi-
cated in an effective message delivered on a
channel that is seen or heard by the target mar-
ket. Examples of channels include advertising,
public relations (developing positive relationships
with the media), personal selling (selling a prod-
uct or service one-to-one). direct mail, sports
sponsorships, in-store promotions, etc. Compa-
nies with effective message strategies include:
Nike: Just do it and Toyota: The car in front is a
Toyota.
3 Premium pricing strategy
a) a strategy of high prices
b) a strategy of competitive prices
4 Target market
a) aims and objectives of the company in a specific
market
b) group of customers that the company is aiming
its products at
5 Differentiate itself from the competition
a) show clear differences from competitor products
b) avoid differences with competitor products
Group Reading
Work in groups of three. Student A reads the paragraph about Price, Student B reads about Place and
Student C reads about Promotion. Answer the questions below on your paragraph and make notes.
Price
1 How is Price different from the other 3Ps?
2 What are the differences between penetration pricing, skimming pricing and competition pricing?
Place
1 What does Place mean to the orqanisation?
2 What is indirect distribution? What is direct distribution?
Promotion
1 Why is Promotion important to the company?
2 What examples of promotion channels are given?

Speaking
The following activity provides practice for the third part of the speaking test. Work in pairs.

You work for an electronics company. You are going to launch a new smart phone and
have to decide how you are going to show it to wholesalers. Talk together about the kind
of launching strategy you are going to use and decide on the best one. Here are some
ideas to help you:

 a dinner party and demonstrations

 free samples
 a website
 brochures
 video conferences
 a tea party and a hands-on experience

Follow-on questions:
- What other launching strategies can you use?
- Who is the product targeted at? How old are your potential customers? What are their
interests?
- How can you show the product to your target audience?

39
Writing
A. You own an electronics store and you reply to one of your customers’ order. Complete the
e-mail with the phrases provided below:
has been charged to your credit card If you have any queries Looking forward to
Thank you for

To: atkinson@btinternet.com
From: dgbelectronics@easynet.co.uk
Subject: Your order 15/5
Dear Mr. Atkinson,

1. ....................... your order of May 15 . We confirm that you have ordered the following
items from our online catalogue:

4 smart phones Samsung Galaxy S4

4 smart cameras Samsung Wb800f

We are now dealing with your order. The sum of £ 8,000 2. ........ , and the goods will be
sent on May 20th. 3. ................................. , please contact us at dgbelectron-
ics@easynet.co.uk.
4. .............................................. doing business with you again.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Benth
DGB Electronics

B. Imagine you own an electronics store. One of your customers has ordered two Samsung S5 smart
phones and four Samsung Series 3 Dual Core laptop computers. Reply to his order. Include the follo-
wing information:
-thank your customer for the order and confirm it
-tell him/her how much the products are and when you will send them
-tell your customer that you would like to continue doing business with him/her.
Use the e-mail above as a model. Write about 80 words.

40
Extra reading practice 1
Read the text and choose the correct option:
Speaking Your Customers' Language
Modern international trading practices are highlighting the growing importance of language training
Modern-day business really does transcend na-
tional barriers. Thanks to sophisticated lT and
communications systems, businesses can now
market their products on a truly global scale. The
world is indisputably becoming a smaller place, as
service and manufacturing companies search the
international marketplace for new suppliers and
clients. Businesses must, however, be aware that
once they expand the area in which they operate,
they face increased competition. The standard and
quality of their goods become increasingly im-
portant in keeping up with competitors. But most
of all, it is the service element accompanying the
goods which is crucial to a company's success in a
particular market. This new philosophy has led to
many companies, some of which have even
offered products of a lesser quality, gaining suc-
cess overseas. Although globalisation may, in
some senses, have brought national economies
closer together, societies around the world still
have radically different expectations, processes
and standards. These are not a function of eco-
nomic change, but are more deep -rooted and
difficult to alter. They can be a major problem for
business es expanding abroad, with the greatest
obstacle of all being the language barrier. If you
have to deal with clients, suppliers and distribu-
tors in a range of countries, you will not only need
the skills to communicate with them, you will also
need to reconcile any national biases you have
with the diverse ways of doing business that exist
around the globe. The value of effective communi-
cation is not to be underestimated. New technolo-
gy such as videoconferencing and email has played
a part in making the communication process
easier, and it may also be possible that the intro-
duction of language interpretation software will
help with some global communications problems.
41
But, of course, it is the human element of the
communication process that is so vital in busi-
ness, especially in negotiations, presentations
and teambuilding. It is essential for managers to
meet regularly with staff, customers and part-
ners, so that issues can be discussed, messages
communicated and feedback obtained. The val-
ue of well-organised language training is im-
mense, and can bring benefits to all levels and
departments within a multinational organisa-
tion. Unfortunately, however, many organisa-
tions have a very narrow view when it comes to
training of any kind. Often, an urgent require-
ment has to be identified before training is au-
thorised. Then, a training company is employed
or a programme is developed in-house, the
team is trained, and that is seen as the end of
the matter. However, the fact remains that
training programmes are effective only if they
are relevant to a company's broader, long-term
needs. They should be regarded as an invest-
ment rather than a cost Changes in expecta-
tions and attitudes are certain to continue for
companies that trade globally. Although such
companies are not yet faced with their interna-
tional partners and clients demanding that busi-
ness be conducted in their mother tongue, they
realise that overseas competition is increasing
fast.1f these companies want to contínue to
achieve success on the international trading cir-
cuit, they must be prepared to adapt to situa-
tions and speak the local language. If not, some-
one else will.
1. According to the first paragraph, improved communications have enabled companies to
A offer a wider variety of products and services.
B expand beyond their domestic markets.
C perform better than their international competitors.
D open more manufacturing facilities abroad.

2. Some companies have succeeded at an international level even though they have
A produced inferior goods.
B failed to adapt products for local markets.
C ignored the standards set by their competitors.
D reduced the standard of the service they offer.

3. Approaches to doing business vary between countries beca use of

A local economic considerations.
B the existence of cultural differences.
C strong wishes to remain independent.
D regulations about business practices.

4. The writer thinks that the use of modern technology will

A speed up the process of language interpretation.
B never replace the need for face-to-face interaction.
C help solve the problems involved in maintaining strong teams.
D not lead to greater communication between companies and clients.

5. A common weakness of training courses is that they

A are developed by the wrong team.
B do not give good value for money.
C are provided only if there is an immediate need.
D do not deal with a company's specific requirements.

6. Why should companies do business in the language of the countries they are operating in?
A to prevent other companies taking their business
B to help them find new international partners
C to meet clients' current expectations
D to become more aware of their competitors' activities

42
Extra reading practice
Read the leaflet and, for each prompt, choose the correct answer a, b or c.
1. The seminar…
a. is held in the afternoon.
b. finishes at 12 pm.
c. takes place early in the morning.

2. You have to pay $50 if...

a. you are not a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
b. if you are a member and register in October.
c. you are a member and register before October 1st .

3. In the seminar you learn...

a. how to apply the knowledge of sales that you already have.
b. how to process sales facts and data.
c. how to increase your number of customers.

4. You can register...

a. only by e-mailing kelly.rowe@sekchamber.com.
b. only by calling at 606.432.5504.
c. at the website of the Chamber of Commerce.

43
 early bird: a person who registers early.

44
 Overview 4 WORKING CONDITIONS
Vocabulary
-Human resources
-Conflict

Language review
-Will, Going to and
Present Continuous
-May/might/could to Discussion questions
express possibility
1) In your opinion, which factors below are important for getting a job? Choose
-Zero, First and Se-
cond conditional the five most important. Is there any factor missing from the list? Which do you
think are not important? Why?
appearance marital status experience personality
Reading
intelligence age/gender contacts/connections
-Building positive qualifications references sickness record family background
relationships at work
education hobbies/interests
Listening
- Retaining staff -
Short-term planning Vocabulary 1 Employing the right people
- Employer branding
Writing 1) Complete the text with the words and phrases in the box below.

- Writing a memo These days, many applicants submit their 1. ………………….. speculatively to com-
Speaking panies they would like to work for. In other words, they do not apply for an
- Talking about con- advertised job, but hope the employer will be interested enough to keep their
flict at work CV on file and contact them when they have a vacancy. When replying to an
advertisement, candidates often fill in a(n) 2. …………….. and write a(n) 3.
……………….. . The employer will then invite the best candidates to attend a(n) 4.
……………….. . Sometimes candidates will take a(n) 5. ………………….. before the
interview to assess their mental ability and reasoning skills. These days, it is
normal for successful candidates to have to work a(n) 6. …………………….. in a
company. This is usually three or six months; after that, they are offered a per-
manent post.

curriculum vitae (CV)/resumé probationary period

interview application form psychometric test
covering letter

45
 2) Match the verbs (1-6) to nouns (a-f) to make word partnerships.

1. to train a) vacancy/post 1
2. to shortlist b) an interview panel
3. to advertise c) the candidates
4. to assemble d) references
5. to make e) new staff
6. to check f) a job offer

3) Now decide on a possible order for the events above from the employer’s point of view.

Speaking and Vocabulary 2 Human Resources Planning

Discuss the following questions in pairs.
1) Which of the following companies would you prefer to work for? Why?
- a company that manufactures a well-known luxury brand
- a small company that has a good reputation as an employer, but makes boring products
- a large multinational that makes a wide range of products
2) Would you prefer to have a very well-paid but boring job or an interesting job with a good salary?
Why?
3) In times of economic crisis, which of the following ideas do you think is the most effective?
- Fire some people and keep some on full-time contracts
- Ask everybody to work part-time.
4) How important do you think it is for the Human Resources Department to think about the above
questions? What tasks do Human Resources departments usually do?

46
 5) Look at the words and phrases in BOLD in the text on the previous page. Match them with the
definitions below.
a) the process of learning the skills you need to do a particular job ....................
b) the act of starting to employ new people ...................
c) the combination of money and other benefits (= rewards) that an employee receives for doing their
job ……………….
d) the state of being well; health ...................
e) the process of finding people to work for a company ..................
f) a system for analyzing how well the employees are doing their jobs ................
g) the process in which an organisation grows or becomes more advanced .................
h) the state in which a place is not in danger or at risk ................

Listening 1 Retaining staff

Dr Ursula Knorr is the head of the Institute for Leadership and Human Resource
Management at Sr. Gallen University in Switzerland.
1) You are going to listen to an interview with Ursula Knorr. Before you listen
discuss the following questions.
1) How do you think companies can retain staff?
2) Do you think companies should share talented employees or try and keep the
best employees for themselves?

2) Listen and choose the correct answers.

1) What is the first way of retaining staff that Ursula Knorr mentions?
a) Making all employees participate in executive seminars.
b) Making people do challenging tasks.
2) What is a “talent alliance”?
a) When a company cannot give an employee a new challenging position, the employee is sent
to another company where they can develop.
b) When a company works with other organisations to offer its employees development semi-
nars.
3) What does “individual and life-cycle oriented HR management” consist in?
a) Considering how employees’ needs change over their lifetime.
b) Considering the particular needs of employees who are parents of young children.

47
Listening 2: Short-term planning
1) In the second part of the interview Ursula Knorr talks about short-term and long-term planning.
What period of time do these cover? Why is it hard to put an exact number on short- term and long-
term planning?
2) In a financial crisis why do some companies prefer to keep people rather than let them leave the
company?
3) Now listen and complete the following gaps with one or two words.
Short-term planning is something like 1. __________ __________ time, 2. _________ ___________ time;
long-term planning is three to 3. ________ _________. It depends on how you define your planning
cycle. [...] Companies need to have short-term regulations: reduced 4. __________ __________,
sabbaticals and options for taking 5.__________ __________ . [...] Companies cannot foresee how the
crisis is going to 6. _________ and they are reluctant to let people go 7. __________ .

4) Discuss the following questions.

1) How do you think companies can keep staff motivated at times of crisis?
2) Have you heard of anybody being asked to work fewer hours (for less salary)? How would you feel in
this situation?
3) What problems might companies have with retaining staff when the economy is healthy?

Listening 3: Employer branding

1) Do you know what employer branding is? Listen to the last part of the interview with Ursula Knorr
and decide if the statements below are right or wrong. Tick the statements which are right ( v ).
a. “Employer branding” has to do with what makes a company attractive as a workplace. .......
b. Employer branding is not connected with product branding. ......
c. Porsche and Rolls-Royce are attractive to employees. ......
d. You shouldn’t lie about how great your company is to work for. .......
e. Small companies in Switzerland and Germany usually launch expensive branding campaigns. .......
f. Small companies have to show what makes it unique to work for them. .......

48
Language Review:
Future forms will, (be) going to and the Present Continuous
May/Might/Could to express possibility

1) Underline the correct future form to complete these sentences.

a. Natalia is helping / will help you if you want.
b. I am going to recommend / will recommend you for promotion at the next meeting.
c. We are meeting / will meet the head of HR this afternoon to discuss the recruitment strategy.
d. The economic situation means we are going to have / will have problems meeting the sales targets.
e. I hope he is making / will make a lot of money when he finishes his course.
f. Jessica might/will get a job in the sales department. I think this is possible.

2) Analyze the sentences above. Complete the rules below about the use of future forms.
a. Use ………………………. to talk about decisions at the time of speaking and for offers and requests.
b. Use ………………………. to talk about intentions.
c. Use ………………………. to talk about arrangements.
d. Use …………………….. to talk about predictions with present evidence.
e. We use ……………………… to talk about predictions when there is no present evidence. However, we
feel certain about these predictions. We usually use this modal verb after think, hope and expect.
f. We use the modal verbs……………………/may and could to make predictions that we are uncertain
about and to express possibility.

3) Choose the correct future forms in these sentences.

a. I have the plan for the new training programme and it is going to be / is being great!
b. There is a meeting about the idea of a talent alliance. Will you go /Are you going to go?
c. Do you think the balance between employees' work and how much they are paid will change/is
changing in the near future?
d. I’m flying /will fly to Amsterdam early tomorrow morning.
e. The financial crisis is causing many problems. Our sales figures are not going to be / will not be good.
6. I don't think the meeting is going to start/will start before 10 am.
f. I don't have time right now but I will call / am going to call you later.

49
 4) Match these sentence halves together

1. There are some problems with the a) am going to talk to them about our
product development so it seems we Employee Value Proposition.

2. I’ll just make some extra copies b) am having lunch with the CEO on
because Wednesday, so could you take care
of my phone messages then?

3. We have planned our next meeting with c) are not going to launch the product
the board and I next month as planned.

4. I think we d) will you give her the recruitment

figures and tell her about our plans
for the future?

5. Looking at my timetable for next week, I e) more people have come.

see that I

6. She needs some help finishing f) will find a large number of

the report so potential recruits by visiting a
university careers centre.

5) Match the sentences above with the situations described

a. The person has the intention of presenting a new idea to the top management of the
company ............
b. The person has a request for another member of staff. ............
c. The person has made a decision at the time of speaking. ............
d. The person is making a prediction based on present evidence. ............
e. The person is making a prediction based on his or her personal opinion. ...........
f. The person is talking about an arrangement in the future. ...........

50
 CASE STUDY
Organising a conference
Background

VMI, an international financial services company based in Valencia, Spain, is

holding its first international conference later this year. The Chief Executive,
senior managers at head office and about fifty managers from its overseas
subsidiaries and sales offices will attend. The aim of the conference, in order
of priority, are:
 to allow managers to get to know each other and become a stronger
international team.
 to thank managers for their hard work.
 to discuss how the company can improve its products and services.
The conference will take place next month. Participants arrive on Friday even-
ing and leave on Monday morning. The budget is $2,000 per participant.
This is an important event and the Marketing Department must plan it careful-
ly.
Read the following conversation between two colleagues in the Marketing De-
partment discussing the planning in the conference. Make notes about the
four features the conference venue must have.

Conference venue specifications

51
A= Alex M=Max
A: Only four more weeks to go till the big day! I’m so anxious!
B: So am I! We know we’ve got to get this right. It’s a key event for the company, and it will affect our
image.
A: I’m sure it will. That’s why we have to be careful when choosing the venue. So, let’s put our heads to-
gether … What sort of venue do we need? Let’s try and come up with a list of essentials.
M: It’s certainly got to have a spacious conference room.
A: Absolutely! We’re expecting over 70 delegates, so we’ll definitely need a large conference room. In
addition, let’s not forget that at times the participants will have to split up into special interest groups, so
we’ll need access to a number of seminar rooms as well. How many do we reckon?
M: Preferably four. I’d say, but if we can have more, all the better…Now then…what else?
A: Remember the problems we had last year with late arrivals and early departures? Some people spent
more time on the airport shuttle than they did on the plane!
M: Yeah, that was pretty disastrous. We can’t allow that to happen again. The venue’s got to be within
reasonable distance of an international airport.
A: Right. Let’s recap and see what we’ve got so far…Three things, I think: reasonable access to an inter-
national airport as you’ve just said. Next, one large conference room, and then preferably four or more
seminar rooms. We’re getting there…Anything else?
M: Fun, of course! All work and no play make managers dull conference participants. So, the venue’s got
to provide a wide choice of leisure activities.
A: Fine. Let me write that down …so… a wide choice of leisure activities. Yeah, I agree, that’s important.
The conference programme is really intensive, so the delegates will need to relax. I’m sure.

The marketing team sent out a questionnaire to find out what type of venue the
participants preferred. They have selected four to choose from. All prices include
the cost of flights.

Seaside 24
Out of town 23
Preferred location
City 28
Island 25

52
 TASK
You are members of VMI’s Marketing Department.

 Work in small groups. Discuss which hotel best meets the require-
ments of the conference. Remember to use the expressions below to
give and express your opinion and also to ask for someone else’s
opinion.
 Then meet as one group and listen to each other’s ideas.

Here you have some phrases that might be useful for your discussion in groups.

Asking for opinions Expressing opinions

How do you feel about that? I believe…

What is your point of view? I’m sure that…
David, I would really appreciate your I have no doubt…
view. There’s no doubt in my mind that…
Do you have any thoughts on this? I’m quite certain that…
Do you have any views on this? I think…
Does anyone have any other Well, if you ask me…
comments? I’d like to point out that…
In my opinion…
I feel that…
Responding to opinions
My impression is that…
I see what you mean.
You’ve got a point there. Agreeing
That’s a very good point.
That’s a great suggestion. Absolutely.
That’s one way of looking at it. Exactly.
I totally agree with you.
I have exactly the same opinion as
you.

53
 Disagreeing
Expressing reservations
I totally disagree.
I’m not sure that’s such a
I’m afraid I can’t agree with you there.
good idea.
Sorry but I have to say I don’t agree.
Don’t you think that…?
I can’t go along with that at all.
I’m concerned that…
It’s out of the question.
I understand what you are saying, but I
have a different opinion.
I agree with you to a point but I disagree
about…
I know what you mean but…
I don’t really agree with you.
I think it might be better to…

HOTELS

1 MAZAGAN BEACH RESORT, CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

 Seaside location
 5-star hotel
 Two large conference rooms but no seminar rooms
 Large swimming pool, sauna, tropical garden, shops and nightclub.
 Price $1,500 per participant, including meals and all entertainment at the hot
(it is a one-hour-drive to the town)
 Advantage: Very attractive beach
 Disadvantage: Few cultural attractions

54
 2 HOTEL MODA, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
 4-star hotel
 One conference room and two seminar
rooms
 Spacious bedrooms. Large swimming
pool (open to the public), sauna, jacuzzi,
hairdressing salon, satellite TV
 Price: $950 per participant, including meals and two guided tours.
 Advantage: low cost means more money for cultural tours, sightseeing, the opera,
etc.
 Disadvantages: Half an hour by underground to the city centre. Heavily booked in
summer

3 HOTEL MATONG, TIOMAN, MALAYSIA (an island off the east coast)
 5-star hotel
 Wide choice of large and small confer-
ence rooms
 Spacious grounds with tropical gardens
 Golf course, tennis courts and football
pitch
 Price: $1,350 per participant, including
meals
 Advantages: Beautiful island setting – peaceful and quiet
 Disadvantage: Not very accessible

4 HOTEL COLOSSUS, LAS VEGAS, USA

 5-star hotel
 Magnificent architecture in the Greek style
 Huge rooms, with spacious balconies. Own
casino
 Outstanding conference facilities.
Seminar rooms available at extra cost.
 Price $ 1,950 including meals and one tour:
$50 spending money for the casino
 Advantages: Easy access from airport. Many extras such as free use of car included
in the price

55
Reading
1) Read the following text and insert the sentences below in the gaps.

Building Positive Relationships at Work by Joel Garfinkle

Building positive workplace relationships is vital for career success. Relationships can positively or nega-
tively affect your satisfaction with the job, your ability to advance and gain recognition for your achieve-
ments. When you build positive relationships, A) _____________You feel a closer bond to the people
you spend the majority of your time working with.
However, for a lot of people, relationship building isn’t natural or easy to do. B) _____________They as-
sume they already know how to do it. Don’t fall into that trap. Everyone – even the most outgoing, en-
gaging personalities – can improve their skills in this critical area. The ten tips listed below are for any-
one who wants to build positive workplace relationships.
Apply these tips to interactions with your boss, team members, project managers, senior management,
vendors, clients, customers, direct reports and administrators.

1. Share more of yourself at meetings. One of the best ways to build relationships is to let others
know who you are. C) _____________Other people will either get to know you, like you or want to
hear more from you. They will find you more approachable and thus the chance of building relation-
ships begins to occur. If you are fearful to share at meetings, think ahead of time what you want to
say so that you are more prepared.
2. Speak positively about the people you work with, especially to your boss. Get in the habit of speak-
ing positively to others and providing quality feedback about the people who work with. Many times
the information that gets shared (whether positive or negative) comes back to the person who is be-
ing discussed. D) _____________and will know that you are on their side. That will build trust. Be
careful of the workplace gossip that is so prevalent and don’t contribute to it.
3. Improve your interpersonal skills by supporting other people’s work. Having a team attitude gives
you a big competitive advantage. Ask how you can get involved with others. This will form a closer
connection because you are working directly with someone else to help them meet their goals. They
will appreciate your support E) _____________
4. Ask others to become involved in your projects or activities. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help
and bring them onto your projects. F) _____________You’ll enjoy working with others in getting
more things done.
5. Write thank you notes. Write notes of appreciation to the people who are doing exemplary work,
making positive contributions and going above the call of duty. These notes can be hard-written, sent
via email or done by voice mail. Send them to people above you, below you or at the peer level. G)
_____________
6. Initiate conversations by asking questions. When we first meet someone it can be a bit intimating.
We often don’t know what to say or how to say it. Asking questions is a great way for you to listen
and let the other person share. They will feel closer to you when they have shared about themselves
and you demonstrate you’re interested in what they have to say. Then share something about your-
self H) _____________

56
 7. Initiate repeated interactions and communications. An important part to building relationships is
to continue interacting with the person you have gotten to know. As you get to know each other
better, personally and professionally, you establish a closer connection that can greatly impact your
satisfaction.
8. Participate in activities with others that don’t involve work. As you get to know someone, you
might find similar interests that may warrant an outside the work activity. This can greatly impact
relationships because you are beginning the process toward friendship. Go out to lunch together I)
_____________ If you are married, you can visit with other couples to establish more connection at
work.
9. Share information. The information you share can be directly related to their work or it can be
about a subject you know they will enjoy reading. You are thinking of them and helping them with
the right information or content.
10. Introduce yourself at social work events. Social events like lunches/dinners with colleagues,
retreats, conferences and holiday parties are good places to interact in an informal setting. J)
_____________ you’ll find they are more inclined to let down their guard. It will be easier for you to
get to know them and for you to share about who you are.
Building positive relationships often provides increased resources to help you get your job done and to
be more efficient. You’ll enjoy greater satisfaction at work… and so will those around you.

Source: https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/articles/build-positivework-relationships/building-
positive-relationships-at-work

1.and get to know you better which is vital to creating a more connected working relationship.
2. Colleagues like to be appreciated and will feel closer to you by having been noticed and
thanked for their contributions.
3. during the work day or do things in the evenings or weekends.
4. If you can reach out and introduce yourself to some of the people who you work with or who
you want to know better,
5. Most refuse to admit this is a concern because it is such a basic, common sense concept.
6. People will enjoy hearing that you have said supportive things about them
7. so the relationship becomes a two-way interaction that can help establish a bond.
8. The more they can participate in the activities you are working on, the better you get to
know each other.
9.This can come by sharing your expertise, knowledge and personality at meetings.
10. you feel more comfortable with your interactions and less intimidated by others.

57
Language Review: Zero, First and Second Conditional
 Zero conditional
if + present simple + present simple
This describes situations that are generally or always true.
If you spend a long time working with a colleague, you feel a closer bond to them. If people build positive
relationships at work, they have more chances of being successful in their careers.
 First conditional
if + present simple, will + base form of the verb
This describes a possible condition and its probable result.
If you share more of yourself at meetings, people will find you more approachable.
If you help your colleagues meet their goals, they will appreciate your support.
 Second conditional
if + past simple, would + base form of the verb
This describes an unlikely condition and its probable result.
Peter doesn’t like working with a team. If he worked with others, he would get more things done.
If I were you, I would go out to lunch with my colleagues.
 Conditionals and negotiating
Conditionals are often used when negotiating.
If you give me a pay rise, I will stay in the company.

1) Complete the extracts from company brochures with the present simple or future form of the verbs
in brackets.

58
 2) Write the correct form of the verbs in brackets to complete these First Conditional sentences.
a. If you finish everything tonight, we ___________ (give) you the day off tomorrow.
b. If you ______________ (sign) the contract now, we’ll give you a signing-on bonus.
c. If you ______________ (exceed) the sales target, we’ll pay you a higher commission.
d. We _____________ (give) you a 5% discount if you order today.
e. If you deliver by the end of the month, we __________ (pay) all the transport costs.
f. We ____________ (reduce) the price if you pay all the advertising costs.

3) What would you do if you saw two colleagues having an argument? Choose the correct form of
the underlined verbs:
a. If I see/saw two colleagues having an argument, I wouldn’t get involved.
b. If a colleague criticised me, I won’t/wouldn’t pay attention to them.
c. If I saw a colleague stealing something, I would/will talk to them in private first.
d. If my new boss never listen/listened to my ideas, I’d try to talk to his or her superior.
e. If my boss asked me to work till midnight, I will/would tell him or her that I want a day off.

59
4) Match the following sentence halves to make conditional sentences.
1. I think that if you offer them some concessions, a. would you make a firm order?

2. If I didn’t win so many deals, b. will you make a firm order?

3. If they bothered to pay promptly, c. they’ll do the same.

4. If they pay within 30 days, d. they’d do the same.

5. If we give you a larger discount, e. we’d offer a 5% cash discount.

6. If we were able to give you a larger discount, f. we’ll offer a 5% cash discount.

7. If you paid late, g. we’ll have to close your account.

8. If your payment is overdue, h. we’d have to close your account.

9. Perhaps if you offered them some concessions, i. my commission will decrease.

10. Unless I win this deal, j. my commission would decrease.

5) Complete the sentences with ‘ll, ‘d, won’t or wouldn’t.

a. We ‘d give you a more substantial discount if you paid cash.
b. If they didn’t find our terms satisfactory, they __________ continue doing business with us.
c. So if we order 200 units, you __________ give us a 10% discount, is that right?
d. We __________ be able to order more if you can’t deliver within a week.
e. If you can’t deliver this week, we _________ have to turn to another supplier.
f. We _________ have to look for another supplier if you were able to dispatch immediately.
g. I’m sure we __________ get this contract unless we offer a lower price.
h. If I were you, I __________ look for a more reliable supplier.

60
 6) Choose the best option to complete the text.
To recognise conflict situations and deal with them before they get very bad is one of the responsibili-
ties of anybody 1. _______ is in a management position. A good number of personal qualities are nec-
essary in order to handle conflict 2. _______.
First of all, you 3. ________ be sympathetic towards the two sides involved, and show that you really
want to understand their problem.
It is often a good idea to try and solve the emotional side of the conflict to begin with, 4. ________ it
is difficult for people to think or even express themselves clearly as long as they are full of feeling such
as anger, fear or hatred. Of course, you yourself cannot become angry or upset, because if you run out
of patience, you 5.________ things worse. As some people say, you should try and remain cool, 6.
________ and *collected at all times.
Secondly, a certain amount of 7. ________ will also help you, as very often you cannot apply old solu-
tions to new problems.
Another key quality is consistency. Indeed, if you 8. _______ your behaviour or attitude depending on
who you talk to, you will probably make enemies and you may soon lose your credibility.
* collected: showing control over your feelings; controlled

1 A) which B) who C) where

2 A) success B) succeed C) successfully

3 A) have to B) can C) don’t have to

4 A) so B) although C) because

5 A) would only make B) will only make C) only made

6 A) nervous B) calm C) weak

7 A) creativity B) profitability C) informality

8 A) change B) changed C) will change

61
 Speaking section: the following activity provides practice for the third
part of the speaking test

A company wants to motivate staff to work harder. Talk together about some of the things
the company could do to motivate them and then decide which three things would be the
best.

STAFF MOTIVATION
Higher salaries

More training

Bonus payments

More holidays

Flexible working hours

Private health insurance

New offices

Free company transport

Follow-on questions:
 What other things could the company do to motivate staff?
 Is it important to motivate staff? Why?

62
 Writing
1. Dan Smith writes a memo to his boss. He reports the problems they are having in the company
at the moment. Complete the gaps in the memo. Use the phrases below. There are four extra
phrases.

Think it may be a problem with We are still having problems with

I feel that we should Say the trouble is with I don’t like

I do not feel confident with We are fed up with You must

To: Stephen Powers

From: Dan Smith

Date: July 26
th

Subject: Computer problems

1)……………………………………the five new computers we have purchased from Bryan Hansen at the Hometown Com-
puter Company. Two notebook computers won’t boot

up. Hometown’s technicians 2) …………………………………….. the motherboards, but they can’t solve the problem. One
monitor continues to make a high-pitched whining sound.Two desktop computers came infected with viruses.

3) …………………………………. check into sending these computers back and get new

ones from another supplier. 4) ………………………………………….any equipment from

this supplier.

2. You also work for Stephen Powers’ company and have encountered some other problems. Write
a memo to your boss:

 say what the problem is

 give details of the problem
 say what you think the company should do
Write about 60-80 words. Use the memo above as a model.

63
Extra Reading Practice 1
Fill in the gaps with a sentence from the box below. There is an extra sentence.
Issues in the recruitment world
In the competitive world of investment banking,
good senior executives are not easy to find. So
what should the industry's hard-pressed direc-
tors do when they need to find senior staff? In-
creasingly, they decide to call in the
headhunters. These are busy and profitable
times for the recruitment agencies that domi-
nate the world of executive search and selection.
(1).... They needed new people to revitalise their
operations, and the result has been a boom in
the recruitment market. Pinnacle, a leading re-
cruitment agency, has helped various UK invest-
ment banks to rebuild their entire senior man-
agement teams. It is hard to overstate the signifi-
cance of this.(2)….
But now everything has changed, and Pinnacle is
not the only major player in the field. Some ana-
lysts believe that rival recruitment specialists ALT
Associates has a larger share of the market. How-
ever, there is little doubt that over its 13-year
history, Pinnacle and its chairman, Matthew Ed-
wards, have built up an impressive reputation.
Edwards estimates that his company controls
between 10 and 15 per cent of the headhunting
market for senior investment
64
banking jobs in the UK. (3)...... Rather, it is the
high- calibre jobs and people that Pinnacle deals
with that define the company's success. For ex-
ample, the company was recently commissioned
to find a new chairman for NBS Bank, a vacancy
that was one of the most talked about in the
banking world.
Most HR directors recognise that head-hunters
such as Pinnacle play a valuable role in the
recruitment process.
(4) …Some are concerned that a few companies,
including Pinnacle, have too much power over
high-Ievel recruitment. (5) …. As Tim Davidson,
HR Director at Cawfield Bank, explains, 'They can
be kingmakers. These are the people who decide
who gets a future and who doesn't. If Edwards
forms a view about an individual, it can affect
their ability to get a particular job. That view
could just have been formed on a bad
day.' (6)......
Final decisions in the selection process are always
taken by his clients, he says, whoever they are.
The role of head-hunters should not be exagger-
ated. Many companies never use them. But as
top executives are hard to find, there will always
be a role for people like Matthew Edwards.
 Extra Reading Practice 2

1. People were allowed to attend this seminar:

a) only if they paid.
b) only if they had registered before.
c) even if they didn’t have work experience or a minimum Certificate level.
2. People were asked to bring:
a) a problem to be solved.
b) lunch and refreshments.
c) skills to make their ideas a success.
3. This session of the seminar was:
a) held in Denmark.
b) held during the weekend.
c)
65 seven hours long.
 5 COMPETITIVENES
Overview
Vocabulary
Discussion questions
-Competitiveness
-Location 1) What do you think competitiveness means? And what about competition?
-Price
2) Read the following definitions and check your ideas.
Reading
-Competitive advantage Competitiveness (noun): the fact of being able to compete successfully with oth-
Language Review er companies, countries, organizations, etc.

-Reported Speech
-Indirect questions
Listening
-An office abroad
- Pricing strategy
Speaking
-Price trends
Competition (noun:) the situation in which people or businesses are trying to be
more successful than each other, for example by making more sales in a market.
Source: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english
3) Competitive is the adjective that derives from the nouns above. Think
about how competitive you are.
Are you

- Drescribing a graph a) very competitive?

Writing b) fairly competitive?

-An informal email about a c) not at all competitive?

product launch
Notes: The adjective competitive can also be used to describe situ-
ations or activities in which people or firms compete with each oth-
er. Goods or services that are at a competitive price or rate are
likely to be bought, because they are less expensive than other
goods of the same kind.
Examples:
Only by keeping down costs will America maintain its competitive
advantage over other countries.
Japan is a highly competitive market system.
Universities are very competitive for the best students.

Reading
A) The text on the next page presents three strategies for firms to achieve some above-average
performance. Before you read it, discuss what strategies companies in the following sectors might use
to compete with their rivals:
a) supermarkets b) luxury cars c) clothing stores
64
 B) Read the first sentence only of each paragraph. What three strategies does the text mention? Do you
think they are similar to any of the ideas you discussed?

C) Match the words/phrases below to their definitions on the right. Then read paragraph one.
broad scope 1) saving money by producing goods in large quantities
Breadth 2) wide range
segment 3) width
economies of scale 4) a section of a market or industry

D) Match the words below to the definitions. Then read paragraphs two and three.
attributes 1) see, realise

perceive 2) ability to last a long time

uniqueness 3) something very unusual and special

durability 4) qualities

E) Match the words below to the definitions. Then read paragraphs four and five.
tailors 1) making the best use of

to the exclusion of 2) adapts

optimizing 3) the opposite of wide

narrow 4) not including

THREE STRATEGIES TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Cost leadership is perhaps the clearest of the three strategies. In it, a firm sets out to become the low-cost
producer in its industry. The firm has a broad scope and serves many industry segments, and may even
operate in related industries; the firm’s breadth is often important to its cost advantage. The sources of
cost advantage are varied and depend on the structure of the industry. They may include the pursuit of
economies of scale, technology, preferential access to raw materials and other factors.
The second strategy is differentiation. In a differentiation strategy, a firm seeks to be unique in its indus-
try along some dimensions that are widely valued by buyers. It selects one or more attributes that many
buyers in an industry perceive as important, and uniquely positions itself to meet those needs. It is re-
warded for its uniqueness with a premium price.
The means for differentiation are peculiar to each industry. Differentiation can be based on the product
itslef, the delivery system by which it is sold, the marketing approach, and a broad range of other factors.
In construction equipment, for example, Caterpillar Tractor’s differentiation is based on product durabil-
ity, service, spare parts availability, and an excellent dealer network.

65
The third strategy is focus. This strategy is quite different from the others because it rests on the choice of a
narrow competitive scope within an industry. The focuser selects a segment or group of segments in the in-
dustry and tailors its strategy to serving them to the exclusion of others. By optimizing its strategy for the
target segments, the focuser seeks to achieve a competitive advantage in its targets segments even though it
does not possess a competitive advantage overall.
A firm that engages in each strategy but fails to achieve any of them is ‘stuck in the middle’. It possesses no
competitive advantage. This strategic position is usually a recipe for below–average performance. A firm that
is stuck in the middle will compete at a disadvantage because the cost leader, differentiation, or focusers will
be better positioned to compete in any segment. In most industries, quite a few competitors are stuck in the
middle.
From Competitive Advantage,
By Michael Porter

F) Answer these questions about the text:

1. Which sentence best expresses the main idea in paragraph 1? A firm can get a competitive advantage by:
a) selling goods in many markets.
b) making as wide a range of goods as possible.
c) producing goods more cheaply than its rivals.

2. Which sentence best expresses the main idea in paragraphs 2 and 3?

When a firm uses a differentiation strategy:
a) it tries to persuade consumers that iths products have special qualities.
b) it tries to reach a small group of loyal customers.
c) it wants to attract as many buyers as possible.

3. Which of these sentences best expresses the main idea in paragraph 4? If a firm chooses focus as its
strategy, it tries to:
a) do better than its rivals in a small part of the market.
b) prevent other firms from entering the market.
c) do business in a large number of narrow markets.

4. In the final paragraph, does the writer say it is a good or bad thing for firms to be stuck in the middle?
Why?

66
 Language focus Reported Speech and Indirect Questions
Many times, in order to be competitive and not to lose position in the
market, companies need to adapt to new situations in a challenging
and constantly changing business world. Thus, the ability to change
becomes a key factor to gain competitiveness.

Anne Deering is Head of Transformation Practice at International management

consultants AT Kearney. You are going to read some extracts from an interview
with her.

Extract 1:
I: How do you advise businesses which are planning to change?
A: The two important things to take into account when advising busi-
nesses is, first of all, help them understand what success looks like
– what they are going to change, how they are going to measure that
change, and how they will know they’ve been successful. And I think
the second key point is to make sure people are fully engaged in the
change, that they feel this is something they are doing for themselves
and not something which is being done to them.

A) The question made by the interviewer is a direct question. Read the question below and
follow the instructions:
Could you tell me how you advise businesses which are planning to change?
Is the indirect question asking for the same information as the direct one? Yes/No
What words are used at the beginning of the indirect question?

_____________
Indirect questions can also start with phrases like: Can you tell me…? Can/Could you let me
know…? Do you know…?

Although they ask for the same information, indirect questions are more
polite. Therefore, they are very useful in formal writing or when you have
a conversation with somebody for the first time.

Now look at the following examples:

Direct: Are employees involved in the process of change?

Indirect: Can you tell me if employees are involved in the process of change?

To make an indirect 'yes / no' question in which the verb “be” is used, we use 'if' and the
word order of a normal positive sentence.

Direct: Did people get involved in the process of change in your company?

67
Indirect: Do you know if people got involved in the process of change in your company?
To make an indirect 'yes / no' question using tenses that make direct questions by using 'do / does / did',
we need 'if' and we don't need 'do / does / did'.

Notice that, in this case, the principal verb (“got” in the example) is used in the Past Simple as the auxilia-
ry “did” has been omitted.
Direct: When will the process be finished?
Indirect: Could you let me know when the process will be finished?

To change a “wh-“ direct question to an indirect question for tenses that make questions using inversion,
change the word order back to a normal positive sentence.
Direct: Why did you contact AT Kearney?
Indirect: Can you tell me why you contacted AT Kearney?

For “wh-“ questions that need 'do / does / did', you make the indirect question by omitting the auxiliary
verb and using the order of a positive sentence.

Notice that, in this case, the principal verb (“contacted” in the example) is used in the Past Simple as the
auxiliary “did” has been omitted.

B) Read the report of part of this extract from the interview with Anne and then answer the questions be-
low:

Extract 2:
I: What are the typical problems that businesses face when they’re going through
change?
A: Change is a very difficult process. There are many problems, but I would say
the most important one is what we think of as change fatigue. Organisations have
often faced wave after wave of change, programme after programme. Organisations
become very cynical about programmes’ ability to deliver real change and change
that’s sustained over time, so it can be very hard to bring people along and
create passion, enthusiasm around change when they’ve seen it again and again.

Anne said that change was a very difficult process. She told the interviewer that there were

many problems related to it. She explained that organisations had often faced wave after wave

of change.

What tense are the reporting verbs in? Present Simple / Past Simple
What happens with the main verb after the reporting verb? It stays in the same tense as in direct speech / It
moves one step further back into the past.

68
Every time you use a reporting verb in the past simple (said/told/explained), the main verb after it must
be changed following this rule:

Direct Speech Reported Speech

Present Simple Past Simple

Change is a difficult process. Anne said (that) change was a difficult process.
Present Continuous Past Continuous

The business world is changing constantly. She said (that) the business world was changing
constantly.
Present Perfect Past Perfect

AT Kearney has helped lots of organisations. She mentioned that AT Kearney had helped lots
of organisations.
Past Simple Past Perfect

Nokia and Siemens merged their network She told the interviewer (that) Nokia and
businesses. Siemens had merged their network businesses.

Will Would
She explained that change would help compa-
Change will help companies to be more
nies to be more competitive.
competitive.
Can Could
Some people within the company can be She said (that) some people within the compa-
reluctant to change. ny could be reluctant to change.
May Might
There may be problems in the process. She told the interviewer (that) there might be
problems in the process.
Must Had to
Organisations must be willing to face new She added that organisations had to be willing
challenges. to face new challenges.
Have to Had to
All members of the company have to get She concluded that all members of the compa-
involved in the process. ny had to get involved in the process.

When reporting yes/no questions, we use “if” or “whether”. We change the tense following the rule in the
chart above if necessary.
‘Are you happy in your job?’ She asked if I was happy in my job.
If a question begins with a question word, we report the question using a different word order (the normal
positive order of sentences, as in indirect questions).
‘Why don’t you like your boss?’ He asked me why I didn’t like my boss.
IMPORTANT! If the reporting verb is used in the present simple tense, no change is necessary. For example:

She says that organisations become very cynical about programmes’ ability to deliver real change.
69
C) Read the last extract from the interview and complete the report about it:
I: Can you give us an example of an organisation that you have helped to
change?
A: We work with a range of organisations around the world.
One we’ve helped recently is Nokia and Siemens, which have merged their net-
work businesses. That was a very exciting change programme at a time of trying
to create better value for the organisation.

Anne said that they _________________ with a range of organisations around the world. She told the
interviewer that one company they ___________________ was Nokia and Siemens. She added that it
_______________ a very exciting change programme.

D) A management consultant is helping to introduce changes at a large engineering company. He

has prepared a summary for the Chairman about a recent management meeting. Change the words
in italics into what the people actually said.
For example, ‘I’m looking forward to the changes’. (Head of Finance)

The Head of Finance said (1) he was looking forward to the changes and (2) wanted
to know when the report would be published. The publication date will be decided by
the end of the week.
The Head of Research and Development was very unhappy and complained that (3)
nobody ever told her anything. I think that the most resistance to change will come
from her department.
The Head of Personnel was worried about the impact on staff morale brought about
by job losses. She said that (4) many staff had taken time off work. I would add that
this is the standard symptom of resistance to change and you often see increased
levels of sickness and absenteeism at the beginning of a change process, along with
uncooperative attitudes.
As you predicted, the Sales and Marketing Departments were both in favour of
change. The Head of Sales wondered (5) whether we could bring forward the next
round of changes.
The Head of Marketing said that (6) we needed to recognise that resistance to
change was natural. The Head of Production pointed that (7 ) the changes did not af-
fect the shop floor workers, but they should know what was going on.

70
CHOOSING THE RIGHT BUSINESS LOCATION
For your business, a good location is just as important as your product, employees or marketing strate-
gies. The place you choose to situate your company could determine whether or not your business makes
it. That’s why companies need to design a good business plan.
Every business plan needs to include information on competitive analysis. It’s one of the most important
points in your plan and should always be included, even when you are just doing an internal plan but es-
pecially when outsiders will read it. A competitive analysis is your chance to look closely at your market
and your competition, to learn what the others are doing and why. Companies that annually update their
plans should always include a competitive analysis to catch changes in the marketplace and in their com-
petition; startups need to know the landscape before they begin.
adapted from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/78596

A) Preview: A good location

Which location is best for each of the business activities 1-5? Choose from the list a-e.
1 bank A at an airport
2 big supermarket B near the sea
3 petrol station C in a town centre
4 duty-free shop D out of town
5 ship-building E beside the motorway

Vocabulary 1
B) What facilities does a region need to develop as both tourist resort and a business centre? Put the
following words in the correct group.
airport apartment blocks beaches road links shopping malls
villas theme park port hotel

Accommodation Infrastructure Attractions

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 Vocabulary 2 Collocations
C) Match the definitions 1-6 with a phrase combining a word from A and a word from B.
A B

capital bank
investment company
multi-national mall
service market
shopping office
regional sector

1. The companies in an economy that don't manufac- 2. A company’s local office in a different country or
ture anything but provide services such as banking, city from their main office.
insurance and tourism.
3. A place where people and businesses can deal 4. A financial institution that specializes in buying
in stocks and shares, raise finance and make stocks and shares, and also gives financial advice to
investments. businesses.
5. A large area, often inside a huge building, where 6. A large corporation with activities in many
there are lots of shops. different countries.

D) Use a collocation from exercise C to complete the sentences.

1. Shell is an example of a(n) ________________________
2. Hotels, restaurants and travel agents belong to the _____________________
3. Christian Hansen works as a share holder for ABM Amros, a(n) __________________
4. Fred Pierce is going to work abroad for two years at his company’s _______________
5. I’m going to the _______________ to buy some clothes for my trip.
6. Many wealthy people invest their money in the ____________________.

Listening: An office abroad

A) Now listen to Declan Murphy, who advises businesses on international expansion.
Which of these topics does he mention?
__economy
__access to regional markets
__inflation
__cost of renting office space
__unemployment
__labour costs
__currency
__taxation
__prospects for growth
__attitudes to foreign businesses
__infrastructure
Vocabulary 3 Collocations
A) Match the words with a topic from the list above to make a positive factor. You can use
some words more than once.
e.g. a strong economy

low high strong weak stable easy positive good

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Oral Interaction: Talk to your partner
The multinational company you work for is setting up a new branch in another city. They are planning
the facilities the new site should have for all staff. Talk together about some of the facilities the com-
pany can offer and then decide which three things would be the best.

Facilities for Staff

Car park
Personal lockers
Canteen
Social activity room
Sports area
Library
Child care centre
Medical emergency centre

Before you share your ideas with your partners, think about how the staff could benefit from
the facilities presented above:
- Why would it be convenient for the staff to have a car park?
- What could the employees keep in their personal lockers?
- What kind of food should the canteen offer?
- What activities could the staff do in the social activity room? How could they benefit from
doing these activities?
- What sports could the staff play in the sports area? What are the advantages of doing team
sports?
- What kind of activities could the employees do in the library? What kind of books could they
read or borrow?
- How could the staff benefit from having a child care centre in the company?
- What kind of medical emergency service should the centre offer?
Write down your ideas. Use the dictionary to look up the words that you don’t know. When
you finish, exchange ideas with your partners.

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 Follow-on questions:
Also, think about the answers to these questions. Write down your ideas and then present
them to your partners.

 What other things could the company do to provide staff with a suitable working envi-
ronment?
 How important is it for staff to have a comfortable working environment ? Why?
 Do you think employees will benefit from social activities organized at the company
site?

SETTING THE RIGHT PRICING STRATEGY

Effective pricing is essential for a business. That’s only way they’d know at what price
they should offer a product, while a good profit margin and keeping up with the
competition. A business can pick from a variety of pricing strategies and the selection de-
pends on different factors.
A business can set a price to maximise profitability on each unit sold or on the overall market
share. It can set a price to stop competitors from entering the market, or to increase its
market share, or simply to stay in the market.
Pricing is one of the most important components when it comes to creating marketing strat-
egies. The price is one of the first things that a consumer notices about a product and is one
of the deciding factors when it comes to their decision to buy it or not.
Source: https://www.intelligencenode.com/blog/competitive-pricing-strategy-see-products-
priced/

74
 Preview: Speaking
Price trends
1) Are products and services increasing in price at the moment? Which products and services are in-
creasing the most in price? Food? Education? Health? Clothing?
Cars? Cell phones? Internet service? Cable TV service? Housing?
2) Look at the graph and complete each sentence with a different item from the graph.

1- Spending on ……………………………… increased up

to 2006 and then fell sharply to less than 400
million dollars.

2- Spending on ……………………………………increased
the most.

3- Spending on ……………………………………… rose

steadily from 2011 to 2016.

4- Spending on ………………………………………
decreased slightly during the period 2006- 2007.

Spending per million dollars

3) How important is price to you? When you want to buy something, which do you do?
a- Make sure you get good value for money?
b- Spend time looking for the lowest possible price? c- Not worry about price, just buy what you
want?

Vocabulary
A) Put the words and phrases in the correct column.

cut drop fall lower put up raise rise reduce push down rocket

increase decrease

B) Complete the text below with the verbs in the box. There may be different possible answers.

increasing pushed up rose go up increased reduce cut

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Economic trends Earn less, spend more? Growth slows, but consumers still spending Con-
sumer spending in the US 1. ………………………….. last year, mainly because the oil compa-
nies 2. ……………………………….. the price of oil to the highest level for several years. Higher
oil prices meant that spending on petrol for cars, as well as home heating, 3.
……………………… . However, salaries did not 4. ………………………………….. to match
the rise in spending. Many companies 5. ……………………………….. jobs at the start of the
year in order to 6. ……………………………… their costs. These companies are still not 7.
………………………………… their workforce. Economic growth remains slow and current
trends seem to continue.

Listening: Pricing strategy

A) A company wants to improve profitability. Which do you think is the best of the strate-
gies below?

Strategy Profit increase (%)

1 Reduce costs by one per cent.

2 Increase the volume of sales by one

per cent.
3 Increase all its prices by one per
cent.

B) Callum Taylor, a marketing expert, talks about pricing

strategy on a radio programme about business. How much
can a company expect to increase its profit using each of
the above strategies? Listen to part one and complete the
table.

C) Listen to part two and choose the most appropriate answers.

1- The first method Callum mentions is …

a- not a simple pricing strategy.
b- a complex “cost-plus” strategy.
c- calculating the cost of producing an item and adding the profit margin you want to have.
2- The second method…
a- consists in matching customers’ expectations.
b- involves finding out how much money customers want to spend on the product.
c- involves setting the price before finding out about your customers.

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3- The third way …
a- does not look at the competition.
b- involves setting your price higher than your competitors.
c- asking for the same price as your competitors or a lower price.

4- Before setting a price, companies should …

a- know that pricing is not difficult to get right.
b- think carefully about two main factors.
c- ask for a lower price if they are offering a quality product or a special service.

Listening and speaking

Describing a graph
People at work often have to describe graphs, figures and diagrams that show, for example, changes in
price, sales or other data. The following phrases are useful for describing graphs. Match them with the
graphs below and complete the missing numbers or dates.
1 increased from 95 to ________
2 fell to a low point in ________
3 remained steady at ________
4 reached a peak of ________

A. Compay _________ _________, B. Changes in ________ of C. Average cost, __________ an

first six months of the year ________ during last year ________, 2000-2005

D. Average cost of travel, ________ to E. _________ of __________, last

__________, five years three years

77
 1) Listen to descriptions of the five graphs on the previous page and check your answers.
2) Listen again and complete the titles of the graphs.
3) The indexes in the previous exercise are out of date. Now look at the graph about consumer
spending trends in the UK between 2019-2022 and describe them.

Source: https://tradingeconomics.com/

Speaking practice: long turn

How can a company gain competitiveness?

 Location
 Ability to adapt to change
 Pricing strategy

When you think about the answer to the question, consider the three items presented in
the box:
- Where should your company be located to gain competitiveness? Does the best location for
a company depend on the type of business activity of the company? Give some examples.
What facilities does an area need to develop to be a good location for a company?
- What changes does a company need to adapt to? Take into account changes in the political,
social and economic context, market trends, consumers’ preferences and methods of selling.
- Which pricing strategy is the best one if you want to gain competitiveness? Consider the
three pricing strategies presented in the section Listening: Pricing strategy.
Write down your ideas. Use the dictionary to look up some useful words to express your
opinions. Be ready to share your work with your partners.

78
 Writing Task
1. One of the writing tasks that you will have in the exam is a guided writing activity in
which you are expected to complete with phrases given:
Sofia, who is an Italian customer and will attend the company’s product launch, sends an
e-mail to her colleague in England. Read the e-mail and complete the text with the
phrases given. There are 5 extra phrases.

if the traffic I’m arriving I’ll tell you you are too busy I’ll take a taxi
you’re not too busy Just to let you know if the transit I arrive I take a taxi
Hi Pat,
1_____________ my travel plans for next week. 2_____________ at Heathrow
Aiport on Tuesday 3rd at 3.15 p.m. 3_____________a taxi to the hotel and hope to be
there by about 1 p.m. 4_____________ isn’t too bad. It will be good to see you again
and I hope 5 _____________ at the product launch tomorrow evening. We have so
much to talk about!
Kind regards,
Sofia

Read Pat’s reply to Sofia’s e-mail. Complete the text with the phrases in the box. There
are 3 extra phrases.

It will save Looking forward to meeting Can you let me know Thanks for
I’ve booked It saves Looking forward to hearing from I can come to the airport

Hi Sofia,
1_________________ your travel details. Don’t worry about a taxi. 2_____________ to
meet
you. 3_____________ a lot of time and we can talk in the car.
4_____________your flight number? Which terminal are you arriving at?
5_____________ a table for dinner at your favourite restaurant – the one we went to last
time.
So you see, everything is arranged for your visit.
6 ______________ you! All the best,
Pat

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2. The last writing task you will have at the exam is to write an e-mail, a memo or letter. Look
at the card with information about the last product launch at the company you work for.
Write an e-mail to your assistant – who is working on the organization of the next product
launch – telling him/her how the last one was organized in the company. Include the follow-
ing information:

PRODUCT LAUNCH
 How the product was launched
Event date: 20th November- 7 pm
Type of event: Product demonstrations and
Time the event was held
dinner party

The marketing strategy used Venue: Hilton Hotel - New York

Customers and stakeholders were contacted by
How many people attended the email and phone
party Number of guests present at the event: about 250
Social media was an important factor as marketing
How they were contacted
strategy: special website created featuring product
characteristics

Speaking Practice: Interaction

Sales in the Company Department you work for have been decreasing steadily. The Management
Board are thinking of introducing some benefits to motivate sales staff. Talk together about the
different kinds of benefits that can be suitable for the sales staff and decide which three are the
best.

Perks and bonus

Flexible schedules

Health club memberships

Life insurance

Legal insurance

Paid vacation leave

Retirement benefits

Day-care and children tuition reimbursement

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 Before you share your ideas with your partners, think about how the staff could benefit from the
perks presented above:
- How could the staff benefit from having flexible schedules? What everyday activities could they do
if they had flexible schedules?

- What kind of activities could the employees do in a health club? Why would health club member-
ships improve employees’ health condition and performance at work?
- Why would it be important for employees to have life insurance? Think about how the employees’
families would benefit from this.
- In which situations would employees need legal advice?
- How could employees benefit from having paid vacations? Would this help to improve their perfor-
mance at work?
- What kind of retirement benefits should employees have? Do you think this perk would be attrac-
tive to all the employees or only to senior staff?
- How could the staff benefit from day-care and children tuition reimbursement? Do you think this
perk would be attractive to all the employees or only to the ones who have children or are thinking
of starting a family?

Write down your ideas. Use the dictionary to look up the words that you don’t know. When you
finish, exchange ideas with your partners.

Follow-on questions:
 What other benefits can the company offer staff to motivate them and increase sales?
 What do you think is more effective: money benefits or other extra benefits? Why?
 Can benefits affect company cash flow in the long run?

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Extra Reading Practice 1
Look at the statements and read the article “Getting the Price Right” Which section (A-D) does each state-
ment (1-7) refer to?

A Chief executives need to pay more attention to pricing, according to Roberto Lippi of the Apex Group, a
consultancy that offers advice on pricing strategy. He accepts that low inflation figures in many industrialised
countries makes raising prices tough, but argues that this should not necessarily deter companies. He gives the
example of the airlines, which, with their minimum stay requirements and massive premiums for flexibility, led
the way in sorting customers into categories, based on their willingness to pay.

B The key to pricing is to avoid alienating customers. As Lippi points out, once a bad price has been estab-
lished, it can be very difficult to turn the situation around. He gives the example of a consumer goods company
that went bankrupt largely because it did not price its digital cameras properly. In contrast, he cites the case of a
Swiss drug company that introduced software for every sales representative's laptop, enabling them to provide
consistent and accurate price quotes. To help staff with this innovation, the company also created a new post of
director of pricing strategy.

C Many of today's managers have the benefit of modern technology to help them with pricing. Supermarket
chains, for example, can easily track customers' 'elasticity' - how their buying habits change in response to a
price rise or a discount. But although a company can now measure this sort of thing in a more sophisticated way,
following basic rules is still the most common way of setting prices. Most bosses still worry more about their
costs than the prices they charge; one recent survey found that they spend as little as 2% of their time on pric-
ing.

D One popular approach to pricing is illustrated by the car companies that charge extra for product add-ons
such as electric windows, instead of offering them as part of the standard price. Although many customers are
prepared to pay extra, Lippi recommends that companies make sure that price differences reflect real differ-
ences in the product, either in quality or in the extra service on offer. The worst approach is to try to keep the
pricing structure secret from customers. Nowadays, that is more likely to lead to lost contracts than large profits.

1. the failure of a company to set its prices appropriately

2. a context that makes it difficult to increase prices
3. the consequences of companies trying to conceal their approach to pricing
4. the means by which a company ensured precision in the prices it offered
5. the fact that companies can learn about the effects of a price reduction
6. the first sector to price products according to how much customers were prepared to spend
7. the widespread use of rough guidelines to determine prices

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Extra Reading Practice 2
Look at the leaflet, read the information carefully
and choose the correct answer:
1.The “Business and Leadership Series” event is…
a) free.
b) only for members of the Chamber of Com-
merce.
c) cheaper for members than for non-members.
2. The five sessions…
a) are held during the same month.
b) take place at the same venue and time.
c) are presented by different experts in the field.
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3. Registration is…
a) not necessary for the event.
b) carried out at Residence Inn.
c) carried out by phone and email.
4. Overcoming” in this context (See Feb 11 ses-
sion) means…
a) to defeat someone in a struggle or conflict.
b) to overpower in body or mind.
c) to succeed in controlling.
 Comprensión oral Comprensión escrita

Los Comprender el sentido general y los Comprender satisfactoriamente información

puntos principales de información a partir de textos fácticos sobre temas rela-
estudiantes fáctica sobre temas generales y te- cionados con sus intereses y su campo aca-
son capa- mas familiares relacionados con su démico y laboral.
ces de: campo académico y laboral. Identificar las conclusiones principales explí-
Comprender los puntos principales citamente señaladas en textos argumentati-
de una discusión sobre temas gene- vos claros.
rales, académicos o laborales que Leer un texto con el fin de localizar la infor-
sean claramente presentados. mación deseada, obtener información de di-
ferentes partes de un texto para completar
una tarea específica

Producción oral Producción escrita

Proporcionar descripciones o presen- Escribir sobre aspectos cotidianos de su am-
taciones simples de personas, condi- biente personal y laboral, por ejemplo: luga-
ciones de vida o laborales, experien- res, trabajo, estudio, etc.
cias personales o laborales.
Realizar descripciones básicas de
Intercambiar ideas, acordar o disentir eventos, actividades y experiencias per-
con relación a temas generales sonales.
(intereses, planes personales, etc.)
Redactar correspondencia (e-mails, memos,
situaciones laborales claras y directas
etc.) sobre temas de su entorno personal o
Hacer o responder preguntas relacio-
laboral con el fin de comunicar información
nadas con temas generales o de su
concreta y directa.
campo académico y laboral, siempre
que sean concretas y directas

84