IIPEA

2022-2023

ANGLAIS ECONOMIQUE

Niveau: LICENCE 3

Dr DAKOURI RODRIGUE PARFAIT

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 Introduction

Course Description:

Entitled Business English, this course is designed for Licence 3 students in Economic
Science. It is framed in texts study. Each text focuses on the language of skills students will
need. As well as developing specialized business vocabulary and language for use in
international business environments, learn how to do business-related tasks such
as business writing and reports, how to deliver effective presentations, put forth opinions
and conduct meetings.

General objective:
The Business English course is designed to prepare students to use English in a present or
future work situation. Students will develop English skills with a focus on business contexts
and environments, and they will learn vocabulary that is used regularly in the business world.
This course will help practice and enrich communication skills by using English in specific
business settings and situations.

Specific Objectives:
At the end of this course, students will:
Develop basic skills to deal with people in business situations
Increase their knowledge of key business concepts worldwide
Write and read basic business reports, faxes, and memos
Expand vocabulary related to general business situations
Develop confidence to deal with people and basic issues in the business world
Methodology:
The exercises can be dealt with on your own for self-study, yet the coaching of a teacher in
the classroom context will bring a great stimulating impact

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 TEXT 1: FIAT MONEY

Money is the key element of any exchange. As so, it is the only means that is
accepted for the payment of goods or services. At this point, one question is important.
What are the different forms of money accepted as means of payment? Initially, money
existed under a metal form. This is known as coin. However, difficulties to carry a great
sum of coin, made very necessary to invent a lighter form of money. The result of this
invention was the creation of banknote or bank-bill also called note or bill. Though
notes were lighter than coins the same worries still existed. In addition of the existing
problem, a security problem appeared. In fact some users were victims of robbery.

To solve the problem, a light and secured money was to be found. Inventors gave
birth to the third form of money. This was the check or (cheque). At last, the evolution
of new technologies offered ’’the most ultra – secured’’ and personalized means of
payment: the electronic money. For the time being, it is the last invention which is
supposed to overcome the troubles with money.

I-COMPREHENSION CHECK (10pts)

Say if these statements are TRUE or FALSE

1-Money exists in paper, in metal, in note and electronically form………………
2- Notes are very heavy…………………………
3- People invented notes because there was a lack of metal………………..
4- Cash payment is the payment with fiat money. It is generally made between
individuals…..
5- In primitive- times the only means of exchange was the cumbersome one, known
as barter…….
6- Difficulties to carry a great sum of coin, made very necessary to invent a lighter
form of money…………..
7-Electronic money is first invention of money…………………….
8-Coin represents the main means of exchange for the payment of goods…………..
9- Barter occurs when people directly exchange their goods for someone else’s
goods…….
10- Banks are financial institutions where individuals or organizations keep their
money………………

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 II. VOCABULARY CHECK: Applying for a job, answer like 11….k…. (5pts)

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below

1-references 2-short-list 3-experience 4-vacancy 5-qualifications 6-fill

in 7-interview 8-applicants 9-apply 10-application forms

In times of high unemployment there are usually very many (a) ___when a (b)
____is advertised. Sometimes large numbers of people (c) ____, and send off (d)
____for a single job. It is not unusual, in fact, for hundreds of people to (e) ____ To
a firm for one post. This number is reduced to a (f) ____of perhaps six or eight, from
whom a final choice is made when they ail attend an (g) ____. Very possibly the people
interviewing will be interested in the (h) ____the candidates gained at school or
university and what (i) ____they have had in previous jobs. They will probably ask for
(j)____written by the candidates' teachers and

ANSWER

1………. 2…….. 3……… 4……….. 5………. 6……. 7………… 8……….. 9…………. 10………
III-TRANSLATION:

Translate the following passage into French. (3pts)

Banks now offer a wide range of accounts and savings plans. A current account (
cheking account ( US) enables its holder to pay in or withdraw money at will and to
make payments by cheque or by bank-card. A current account does not normally earn
interest and may be liable to bank charges if the account is overdrawn.

Translate the following passage into English (2pts)

L'argent est l'élément clé de tout échange. C'est donc le seul moyen accepté pour le
paiement de biens ou de services. Initialement, l'argent existait sous une forme
métallique. C'est ce qu'on appelle la pièce de monnaie.

TEXT 2: Finance

EXERCISE 1: vocabulary check: Fill in the gap with the suitable word (7 pts)

A) loans; B) ownership; C) granting ; D) capital ; E) bills; F)

management; G) raise, H) product.

Finance involves the 1……. of money. All businesses must have enough 2…. on
hand to pay their 3….., and for-profit businesses seek extra capital to expand
their operations. In some cases, they 4….. long-term capital by selling 5….. in

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 the company. Other common financial activities include 6…, monitoring, and
collecting on credit or 7…… and ensuring that customers pay bills on time. The
financial division of any business must also establish a good working
relationship with a bank. This is particularly important when a business wants
to obtain a loan.

Answer 1……… 2………. 3………… 4……… 5………. 6………. 7………..

EXERCISE 2: Match the words in column A to their definition or synonym in

column B (5pts)

column A column B
1- Consumption A- absence of something that is needed or required
2-Inflation B- decrease in something
3-Demand C- a rise to a greater number, quantity, degree…
4-Offer D – a return to a normal state.
5-Supply E- to become or make something become global, international
6-Shortage F- higher prices
7-Drop G- quantity available in market
8-Increase H- customer interest in acquiring something
9-Recovery I- have something for sale or hire
10- To globalize J – act of using something up

ANSWERS: 1 ……….2 ……… 3……… 4 …… 5 …….. 6 ….… 7 …... 8 ….… 9 ……….

10 ……...

EXERCISE 3: Translation (8pts)

1-Finance is the management of money and includes activities like investing,

borrowing, lending, budgeting, saving and forecasting

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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2- The company needs to be run smoothly and productively at all times so that
the manager is always prepared for any emergency.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3- The stock market is the platform through which shares — or pieces of ownership
of a company — are bought and sold by investors.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

4- A firm should be aware of its Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and the

Threats it faces in the market place.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

5- Les entreprises exerçant la même activité et offrant des produits ou services

plus ou moins similaires sont des entreprises concurrentes.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

6- L’objectif de l’entreprise est d’obtenir des capitaux nécessaires et suffisants

pour entreprendre, maintenir ou développer une activité.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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7- La finance recouvre l’activité de financement qui consiste à fournir
l’argent nécessaire à la réalisation d’une opération économique.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

8- Au Moyen Age, l’Eglise interdisait le prêt a intérêt car elle considérait

comme immoral que l’argent puisse produire de l’argent.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

TEXT 3: BANKING

Banks are financial institutions where individuals or organizations keep their

money and which offer other services such as loans and transfers. The commercial
banks are those, which allow deposits and withdrawals. Merchant banks lend only to
companies and deal in international finance. Banks offer interest on money placed in
certain accounts and make their own money by investing and by exchanging interest
on loans. Building Societies, which used to be finance houses concerned only with
savings and loans regarding house purchases, now have a similar status to the high
street banks, and the post office also acts as a bank. Most banks belong to the clearing
system, which allows customers’ cheques drawn on any particular bank to be honored
by another.

Banks now offer a wide range of accounts and savings plans. A current account (
cheking account ( US) enables its holder to pay in or withdraw money at will and to
make payments by cheque or by bank-card. A current account does not normally earn
interest and may be liable to bank charges if the account is overdrawn. Deposit
accounts, investment accounts, etc. are all types of savings accounts, which earn
varying accounts of interest. Loans are granted at rates of interest related to the length
and account of the loan, and will reflect the current rate of interest set by the central
bank. Overdraft facilities may also be granted.

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I-COMPREHENSION CHECK answer the following questions
1-what are Banks?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2- Name the types of bank mentioned in the text

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

3-what are the characteristics of Merchant banks?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

4-give the different types of account mentioned in the text.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

II. VOCABULARY CHECK match each word to its synonym

1-bank a- financing
2- Merchant b- saving account
3-purchase c-current account
4-loan e- bank note
5-deposit account f-treasury
6- cheking account g-seller
7-investment h-bargain
8-bill i-credit

ANSWERS: 1 ……….2 ……… 3……… 4 …… 5 …….. 6 ….… 7 …... 8 ….…

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III-TRANSLATION: Translate the following passage into French
. Barter occurs when people directly exchange their goods for someone else’s goods.
One drawback of barter is that you must find someone who has what you want and who
wants what you have before any exchange occurs.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
TEXT 4: THE CONSUMER SOCIETY

I-VOCABULARY CHECK
A-Fill in the gap with the following words : A) spending power B) mass consumption
C) well-being D) products E) competitors F) market segment G) cut-throat competition
H) management, I) analyze ( there are two extra words) Do not copy the text. Answer
like this: 1 business.
In our consumer society, happiness and 1…….. are equated with the amount of
2……… we can buy - with our 3……….. which is usually associated with a certain social
status. In other words, the more we buy or own, the better we feel. From mass
production this has led to 4………… When a market is saturated, consumers are
persuaded to buy doubles and disposables. As a result, at the end of the 20th century,
commerce has become a world of 5…………. A company must be aware of its 6…………
and what they are doing. There is competition when two companies or more act
independently to sell the same category of products to the same 7………….
Competition becomes fierce when there is a wealth of goods and services available,
giving customers a massive choice.

ANSWERS: 1 ……….2 ……… 3……… 4 …… 5 …….. 6 ….… 7 …....

B-match the words on the left with their meaning on the right. Do not copy the table.

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1 shareholder a- department responsible for finding customers and making sales

2 headquarters b- to give up a job

3 Sales c- person who holds or owns shares in or a part of a company
Department

4 staff d- study of consumers’ needs & preferences

5 dismiss e- the people who work for a firm or a particular department
6 resign f- to remove or discharge from employment;
7 end-user g- creation and maintenance of a good public image
8 consumer h- the person who is the last and real user of a product
9 market research i- the person who buys and uses a product
10 public relations j- a company’s principal or main office or centre of control

ANSWERS: 1 ……….2 ……… 3……… 4 …… 5 …….. 6 ….… 7 …... 8 ….… 9 ……….

10 ……...
TEXT5: COMMODITY MONEY
Any object that is used as money may be called commodity money. But in order
to understand a money object more clearly, we should ask. “What was it used for?“ If
we answer this question, we will discover the function or purpose of the money object.
Nowadays the uses of money are mostly economic. There are four economic functions
which are usually given in the beginnings of elementary textbooks on banking or
commerce. But in the past the use of money was not limited to these four economic
functions. There were other equally important functions which were social, religious,
magical or decorative. Sometimes the economic function was specialized and restricted
to buying slaves or paying the bride price. We should try to understand those people
and their money object as they were, and not from the point of view of modern
economic functions of money.
In addition to these functions of money, we should look at its qualities. What were
the various forms of money like? Were they light? Heavy? Countable? Decorative?
Beautiful? Useful? Portable? Hard to get? Perhaps they combined some of these
qualities. But one thing is certain. They were fully acceptable as payment which could
be used to make further payments; otherwise they could not be called money.
Finally, it is of interest to note the country of origin of the money and the extent of the
area where it was acceptable. Was it special-purpose local money? Or was it general–
purpose regional money ?

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 VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
A- FIND OUT THE FOLLOWING MEANING FROM THE TEXT :
1- With the purpose of= ……………………………………………………………
2- Distinctly, Obviously=……………………………………………………….
3- Disclose, reveal=………………………………………………………………………..
4- Commonly, familiarly=……………………………………………………………….
5- Impartially, proportionately=…………………………………………………….
6- Extra, additional=……………………………………………………………………….
B- MATCH THE WORDS IN COLUMN A WITH THEIR EQUIVALENTS IN COLUMN B

COLUMN A COLUMN B

1. Commodity o DIFFERENT
o LIMITED TO
2. Purpose o ARTICLES OF TRADE
3. Mostly o MAYBE
o MAINLY/CHIEFLY
4. Various o OBJECTIVE/AIM

5. Perhaps
6. Restricted to

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 GRAMMAR : asking questions

Ask questions about the underlined words or phrases.

1- These pens are only 25 CFA,……………………………………………………………………
2- At day- time, these flowers were very nice…………………………………………………
3- Tom is by far the tallest student in our classroom, he is 1. 98 m,……………………
4- My village is 320 km to Abidjan,……………………………………………………………
5- This well is 30 m deep, …………………………………………………………………………
6- My father withdraws some money from his bank twice a month……………………

TEXT6: EDUCATION AND TRAINING

Because of factors such as the introduction of new technology, the growth of the
service sector and the globalisation of trade, all of which have had the effect of
increasing the demand for more highly qualified staff, universities and other places of
higher education are being asked to gear to corporate need and develop close
relationship with businesses. This has resulted in the creation of certain curricula,
which combine academic and vocational training, enabling students to keep up with
latest in scientific and technological developments as related to the world of work. The
ultimate goal of such programme is to develop successful partnerships between
universities and companies which will improve the career prospects of students leaving
university and ensure the development of in-company training schemes.
Training is used to further both the professional and personal development of the
workforce. It enables trainees to improve their inquiries their knowledge, assume
greater responsibility and achieve their ambitions. It also gives them long-term career
prospects either company or elsewhere. From the company’s point of view, it gains
better-qualified workforce and higher productivity. A great deal of technical training is
done on-the-job, which means training an individual under close supervision while he
or she is actually doing the job. Staff development (the acquisition of new skills and
qualifications which may lead to promotion) is often done off-the-job, i.e. by means of
training course organised away from the workplace. These may take several different
forms, such as evening classes over a long period or shorter, intensive, courses which
take place during working hours.

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I-VOCABULARY CHECK
A-Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct space in the passage below.

State, terms, seminar, degree, co-educational, private, primary, tutorial,

graduate, nursery school, grant, secondary, lecture, break up,
compulsory, fees, academic
When children are two or three years old, they sometimes go to a (a)_____where
they learn simple games and songs. Their first real school is called a (b)______
school. In Britain children start this school at the age of five. The (c)______year in
Britain begins in September and is divided into three (d)______ Schools
(e)_______for the summer holiday in July. (f)______education begins at the age
of about eleven, and most schools at this level are (g)_______which means boys and
girls study together in the same classes. In Britain education is (h)_____from five to
16 years of age, but many children choose to remain at school for another two or three
years after 15 to take higher exams. Most children go to (i)_______schools, which
are maintained by the government or local education authorities, but some children go
to (j)_____schools, which can be very expensive. University courses normally last
three years and then students (k)_____which means they receive their (l)______.
At university, teaching is by (m)_____(an individual lesson between a teacher and
one or two students), (n)______(a class of students discussing a subject with a
teacher), (o) (when a teacher gives a prepared talk to a number of students) and
of course private study. Most people who receive a university place are given a
(p)_____ by the government to help pay their (q)_____and living expenses.

B-Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

references short-list experience vacancy qualifications

fill in interview applicants apply application forms

In times of high unemployment there are usually very many (a) ____when a (b)
____is advertised. Sometimes large numbers of people (c) ____, and send off (d)
____for a single job. It is not unusual, in fact, for hundreds of people to (e) ____ To a
firm for one post. This number is reduced to a (f) ____of perhaps six or eight, from
whom a final choice is made when they ail attend an (g) ____. Very possibly the people

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interviewing will be interested in the (h) ____the candidates gained at school or
university and what (i) ____they have had in previous jobs. They will probably ask for
(j)____written by the candidates' teachers and employers.

C-Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

commute salary prospects promotion retire

pension ambitious perks increments commission

Job satisfaction is important but I have 3 wife and baby so I have to think about money
too. If a job interests me, I need to know what (a) ____it offers and also whether there
are regular annual increases, called (b) ____. I want to know if I will receive a
(c)____when I (d) ____at the age of 60 or 65. If the job is selling a product, I ask if
III receive a percentage of the value of what I sell, called (e) . It is also important
to know if there are extra advantages, like free meals or transport, or the free use of a
car. These are called (f) ____or fringe benefits. Are the future (g) ____good? For
example, is there a good chance of (h) ____to a better job, with more money and
responsibility? Is the job near my home? If it isn't, I'll have to (i) ____every day and
this can be expensive. I am very keen to be successful. I am very (j) ____. I don't want
to stay in the same job ail my life.

D-Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

unemployment dispute go on strike dismiss

deadlock shop steward on the dole redundant picket line

1,600 workers at the Ace Cycle Factory decided to (a) ____last week following a (b)
____with the management, who last month decided to (c)____two men for
unsatisfactory work. The men complained to their (d)____, who told the union. The
management and the union have had talks but these soon ended in (e)_______. The
area in which the factory is situated is already an area of high (f)______,with one adult
in five (g)______(out of work and receiving state aid). The striking workers have
formed a (h)______outside the factory gates to prevent other workers from going in
to work. The management say that 20% of the workers will have to be made
(i)______next year anyway because of the decreased demand for cycles.

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