BE Book With Answer
BE Book With Answer
BUSINESS ENGLISH
UNIT ONE: NEW BUSINESS
I. Starting up:
A. What conditions are important for people starting new businesses? Choose the four most
important from this list. Can you think of any others?
1. interest rate (C) a) total value of goods and services produced in a country
2. exchange rate (D) b) general increase in prices
3. inflation rate (B) c) cost of borrowing money
4. labour force (F) d) price at which one currency can buy another
5. tax incentives (G) e) percentage of people without jobs
6. government bureaucracy (I) f) people working
7. GDP ( gross domestic product) (A) g) low taxes to encourage business activity
8. unemployment rate (E) h) money from overseas
9. foreign investment (H) i) official rules / regulations / paperwork
10. balance of trade (J) j) difference in value between a country‟s imports and exports
B. Try to complete this economic profile without looking back at the terms in Exercise A.
The economy is stable following the problems of the past two years. By following a tight
monetary policy the gorvernment has reduced the interest rate to 2%. After going up
dramatically, the inflation rate is now down to 8%. The last six month has seen a slight
improvement in the exchange rate against the dollar. The GDP has grown to 0.15%.
Exports are increasing and the balance of trade is starting to look much healthier.
The unployment rate continues to be a problem as it is still 16%. In order to
stimulate the economy and attracts foreign_investment the government is offering new
Tax incentives as well as making a renewed effort to reduce _ government bureaucracy.
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Finally, a large skilled labour force means there could be attractive investment opportunities
over the next five years.
D. Alans says most businesses fail because people don’t understand the market. What other
reasons can you think of?
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HOW TO ADD THE HUMAN TOUCH
By Dough richard
B. Read the article carefully, then decide whether these statements are True or False according to
the article.
1. If you want your new business to succeed, you yourself first need to gain all the necessary
skills and experience. F
2. New entrepreneurs sometimes rightly decide to let another person lead the company they
started up. T
3. Good cashflow managem,ent is a necessary condition for a business to be successful. T
4. An effective team will have experience in three key areas. T
5. You need to put in a lot of time and effort before you can enjoy the rewards of owning a
fast-growing start-up. T
6. Building the right team is the magic formula to setting up a successful business. F
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IV. Language Skill: Socialising
A. Making Contacts:
1. What activities are involved in socialising? Add some more to the following list.
- Introducing visitors
- Greeting visitors
2. You will hear three dialogues about people meeting visitors.Complete the chart.
Mr Syms: I can‟t belive it‟s so sunny here. It makes a nice change _ from England!
Kasia : How was the weather when you left ?
Mr Syms: It was raining as usual. This summer has been terrible .
Kasia : Well, we‟ve been very lucky here. The last couple of weeks has been very warm
.Mr Syms: Do you normally get good summers here?
Kasia : It depends. Ususally we get at least a few hot days, but sometimems it rains a lot.
Mr Syms: I imagine the winters here must be pretty cold .
Kasia : Oh yes. Sometimes it goes down to minus 15.
Mr Syms: Well, at least it never gets that cold in England. The winter there is usually just grey
and wet . It can be quite depressing!
Kasia : Ugh! Well, I‟m glad the weather is nice for your visit here.
2. The weather is one of the most popular small-talk topic. It is a topic everybody can
talk about. Put the words below into the right categories.
Words describing temperature Words describing the sky Words to do with water
Cold Cloudy Damp
Roasting Hazy Drizzling
Mild Sunny Humid
Freezing Overcast Pouring
Warm Grey Rainy
3. Roleplay: Work in pair. Use the profiles below to practise meeting visitors.
. Student A: Christ: You are meeting Catherine Brown, a supplier from Britain, at the
airport in Franfurt. You have never met before but have spoken a lot over the phone.
Catherine is carrying heavy bags. Greet her and ask about the flight. Make some
small talk ( weather, job, company) and take her to your car.
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Student B: Catherine: You have just arrived at the airport in Franfurt and have made
arrangements for your business partner, Christ, to pick you up. You have spoken a lot
over the phone but have never met before. You are carrying several heavy bags.
Your flight was fine and you had a DVD to watch.
C. Entertaining visitor.
1. Bruno and Carlo are entertaining Anna at a local restaurant. Listen to the conversation
and answer the questions below.
2. Match the two halves to make sentences from the dialogues. Listen again if necessary.
restautant friends
holidays sport (jogging)
family cultural differences (Greece, Turkey, France)
mutual accquaintances their jobs
2. The answers to the questions below are too short. Make them longer by adding extra
information and a question, as in the example.
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2. A: And how old is your daughter?
B: She‟s six.
( recent started school)
( you / children?)
3. A: What kind of dog do you have?
B: An Alastian.
( fun but needs lots of exercise)
( you / pets?)
4. A: So, how long have you been with the company?
B: Six years.
( joined after university)
( you / be with your company long?)
5. A: Have you been to Moscow?
B: Yes, I have.
( three years ago / on business)
( you?)
6. A: And do you do any sports?
B: I play squash
( once a week with friends)
( you / sports?)
7. A: It‟s so hot today. Is it normally like this in the summer here?
B: No, it‟s not.
( very hot for us / usually 25 degrees)
( weather / where you live?)
3. Commenting on what people say is a good way to keep a conversation going. Match
B’s comments to what A says. Sometimes more than one answer is possible.
A. B.
1. I just got married last year actually. C F a. That must be very stressful.
2. My husband is a meteorologist. B b. Really? That‟s an interesting job!
3. Last year I won a prize for one of the c. Oh, congratulations!
products I designed. C F E d. You must be very proud of her.
4. The project deadline is next week and e. That must have been very exciting.
and we‟re not going to make it. A f. You must have felt very pleased.
5. My daughter has just got a place at one of g. Oh, I‟m sorry to hear that. I imagine that
the best universities in the country. C D was a difficult time for you.
6. Before I got this job I was unemployed for
two years. G
7. I went to Peru on holiday last year. E
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4. Work with a partner to make small talk at a restaurant. Use the information in your
file to ask questions and keep the conversation going.
File A: You are having dinner in a restaurant with an important business partner. (You are
the host). Ask your partner questions to keep the conversation going.
Here are some things your partner mentioned earlier:
● He/ She has recently bought a new house.
● His / Her partner has a new job.
● He / She wants to go to Italy on holiday this year. Begin
by saying something about the food.
File B: You are having dinner in a restaurant with an important business partner. ( You are
the guest). Ask your partner questions to keep the conversation going.
Here are some things your partner mentioned earlier:
● He/ She plays badminton in her free time..
● He/ She has an adopted son.
● His / Her mother is visiting at the moment.
Begin by asking your partner a question about the restaurant.
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UNIT TWO: SALES
A. SELLING ONLINE
I. Starting up
1. What kind of products and services are best sold on the Internet?
II. Vocabulary
1. Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
1. We ask customers who are not fully satisfied to goods within seven days.
a) discount b) refund c) return
2. In order to get a full _ , customers must send back goods in the original packaging.
a) discount b) refund c) return
3. Goods will be within 24 hours of your order.
a) despatched b) purchased c) exchanged
4. Goods are kept in our until ready for delivery.
a) stock b) storage c) warehouse
5. Products and services offered at a large discount are generally a(n) .
a) sale b) bargain c) offer
2. Combine words from boxes A and B. Make phrases that match the definitions (1-6).
A B
credit-card cooling off money back guarantee stock period
method of interest-free out of credit details payment
1. the time when you can change your mind and cancel an order. Cooling-off period
2. the name, number and expiry date on your credit card. Credit-card details
3. the way you choose to buy the goods you want. Method of payment
4. when you can pay some time after you buy, but at no extra cost. Interest-free credit
5. when the goods you require is not available. Out of stock
6. a promise to give your money back if you are not happy. Money back guarantee
III. Listening
1. 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.
1. Our experience shows that customers will sometimes buy ……online………., sometimes order
on the ……telephone……………., and sometimes go into the stores to pick up goods. So we
need to understand what our customers want.
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2. Our operations are fully integrated. The prices that we show on the ………website………. are
……identical………….to the prices that you would pay in the ……store………….
3. You can call up a call centre and ……enquire………….about an
………order………….that you placed through any ……channel……
4. We don‟t ……run………….operations side by side; we run a truly …intergrated…..multi-channel
offer.
2. Listen to the interview with Indira Thambiah, Head of E-Commerce at Argos. Check your
answers.
3. Listen to the second part of the interview with Indria Thambid. In her experience, there are some
keys to successful online selling. Complete the notes below.
Keys to successful online selling:
1. Understand or recognise ……what the costumer want…………..
2. Provide ……good images... and …good information, technical information on all the product…
3. Be very clear about …price of products and the information that run along sides the product….
4. Be very clear about …what delivery options are…………………………………..
4. Listen to the last part of the interview. Decide whether the following 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 online.
3. A good website is one that is easy to navigate, easy to find, and easy to transact with.
IV. Reading
1. In pairs, discuss positive and negative ways in which online shopping affects the retail business.
2. Match these words and phrases from the article below(1-7) with their meanings
1. the high street e a) a situation which you have to make a very difficult choice
2. cut throat g b) to go to different shops to compare prices and quality before you buy
something
3. a dilemma a c) operating in a building, not on the Internet
4. bricks-and-mortar c d) the difference between the cost of buying or producing something and
the price you sell it for
5. dual pricing f e) the street in a town where you can find most shops and banks
6. a margin d f) setting two different prices online and in shops for the same goods
7. to shop about b g) extremely or unfairly competitive
3. Skim the article and find out why some retailers are worried.
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Worry for retailers as web
shopping clicks into place
By Elizabeth Rigby
B. ORDERING GOODS
I. Starting up:
What are the steps involved in placing an order for a company?
II. Listening:
1. Jean Duban works as a salesperson for the International telecommunications supplier
TEGID in Lyon. Listen to his phone conversation and complete the notes.
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Customer Order:
From Junko Hanamur, JapanCom in
Quantity: model # :
model # :
Delivery by Friday morning to
Need to fax contract
2.
2. Look at the following Order form. Where can you write details about the things in the box?
Listen to Peter Sung phoning Atlantic Bikes and complete the order form
Total
Comments :
III. Speaking:
Authorized by : Grand Total
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Look at this order form. What question would you ask to complete it? Now
ask your partner question to find out the missing information.
Order No:
Total : 51.750
Comments :
Delivery: 2 weeks
Payment: Letter of Credit
Discount: 10% (51.750 – 5.175 = 46.575)
FILE B
Your partner will ask you questions to complete an order form. Here is
the information they need.
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1. Which person ….
1. has received a bill which is too high? C
2. is waiting for a delivery? B
3. has received the wrong quantity of goods? D
4. wants to buy something, but can‟t? F
5. would like to receive a cheque? H
6. has an IT problem? A
7. is waiting for a call? E
8. can‟t read a document? G
2. Now match the responses below to the complaints in the picture.
a. I‟m sorry about that. I‟ll check with the transporter. …….B
b. I do apologise. I‟ll dispatch the missing items today. …….D
c. One moment, please. I‟ll connect you to the Accounts Department. ……H
d. Sorry about that. I‟ll send it again. …..G
e. Yes, I‟m afraid there‟s only one person there today. Would you like to fax the
details? ……F
f. I‟m sorry to hear that. I‟ll inform the IT support department immediately. ….A
g. I do apologise. I‟ll send you a credit note for the difference. …….C
h. I‟m sorry about that. I‟ll ask him to call you immediately. ……E
II. Listening:
1. Two customers are making complaints. Listen to these extracts from the phone calls and
complete the table.
Problem Solution
Call 1 There is the mistake with the We will send the correct as
shipper soon as possible by Friday
Call 2
Match the two parts to make sentences from the dialogues. Then listen again to check your
answers.
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1. There seems to be a C a. more specific so I can tell our customers.
2. Sorry, but I need something A b. it‟s still not working correctly.
3. Can you manage delivery F c. mistake with the shipment.
4. I can confirm that H d. someone will be here by noon?
5.I‟m afraid that B e. fixed the problem yesterday.
6. Somebody should have E f. by Friday?
7. I‟ll personally get G g. on to the service unit immediately.
8. Can you confirm that D h. you‟ll receive the sensors first thing Friday morning.
2. Complaining effectively.
When making a complaint, it is helpful to use the following three-step approach:
1. Describe the problem.
2. State your request clearly (what, when, how, who).
3. Confirm agreements.
Listen to the phone calls in exercise again. Do speakers follow the three-step approach
when making their complaints?
2. Linda Matthews, a purchaser at Logistics International, is ringing Alena Novak, a sales rep
at Paper 4U in Prague. Listen to their conversation and take notes. What is the problem and
what action will Alena take to fix the problem?
IV. Speaking:
Practice making and dealing with a complaint with a partner.
Student A: Look at the information on FILE A
Student B: Look at the information on FILE B
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Tell supplier what is wrong
Suggest a solution.
Confirm
FILE A: (supplier)
1. You work for Electromart Wholesale. Student B is a customer. Deal with his/her
complaint and correct the information in the order form below. Use you own name.
ELECTROMART WHOLESALE
Customer Order number Date Quantity Item Model
number
City Stores RF5254C May 19 150 Dishwasher DC7309Z
200 Calculators BF6022
2. Change roles. Now you are a customer. Call Electromart and make a complaint. Use
your own name and the information below.
You are calling from Allied Stores. You placed an order on May 16. The order
number is RF5137A. You ordered 80 hairdryers, model number KM3269, but you
only received 60. You also ordered 50 desk lamps, model number 843CX but you
received model number 843CW.
FILE B: (customer)
1. Student A deals with customer complaints at Electromart Wholesale. You are a customer,
Call Student A and make a complaint. Use your own name and the information below.
You are calling from City Stores. You placed an order on May 19. The order
number is RF5254C. You ordered 150 dishwashers, model number DC7305Z, but
you only received model number DC7309Z. You also ordered 250 electronic
calculators, model number BF6022 but you received 200. 8
3. 2. Change roles. Now you work for Electromart Wholesale. Student A is a customer.
Deal with his/her complaint and correct the information in the order form below. Use
you own name.
ELECTROMART WHOLESALE
Customer Order number Date Quantity Item Model
number
Allied Stores RF5137A May 16 60 Hairdryer KM3269
50 Desk lamp 843CW
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UNIT 3: NEGOTIATION
3.1 PROCEDURES OF NEGOTIATION
A. Warm-up:
1. In what circumstances do you have to negotiate in your everyday life or negotiate at
work?
2. What do customer and supplier often negotiate?
3. What skills and qualities do you think a good negotiator has?
4. Do you think people should tell the complete truth when negotiating?
B. Types of Negotiation:
If people negotiate with each other, they talk in order to reach an agreement which is not
their mutual advantage (good for them both). For example:
- customer-supplier negotiations 7
- merger or takeover negotiations 6
- wage negotiations 1
- trade negotiations 3
Negotiations also take place to settle disputes (decide arguments) such as:
- contract disputes 5 - labour disputes - trade disputes 2
Match the headlines to the types of negotiations mentioned above:
1> Arrange these phrases Jose uses at the beginning of the negotiation in the correct order:
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a. As you all probably know, Mr. Watanabe and I met at Aerospace Trade Fair in
Frankfurt last year and we had a very interesting discussion about the possibility of our
two companies working together.
b. I believe you‟re flying back on Friday evening, so that gives us three days. I think two
days should be enough to cover all the points. On the third day, Friday, if we have an
agreement, I‟ll ask our lawyers to finalize conditions for the contract with you.
c. Mr. Watanabe, good to see you again. How are you? Let me introduce my colleague:
Sandra Lisboa, our chief purchasing officer.
d. Shall we go to the conference room and make a start?
e. Well, we‟ve looked at the potential market for our new plane, and looks as if we will
need 100 engines over the next three years.
f. Would you like some coffee or tea, or would you prefer juice? How was the flight?
1c 2f 3d 4b 5a 6e
2> Discussion: Discuss these questions with other members of your group:
a. Is socializing an important pre-negotiation strategy in your country? What does
this socializing typically consist of?
b. What elements help you in judging whether you wish to negotiate with a particular
person or group of people (e.g. physical appearance, level of responsibility)? Or do you
consider such factors to be irrelevant?
A. Reading
1. You are going to read about negotiating. Before you read, check your understanding of the
words and phrases(1-10) below by matching them with their definitions (a-j)
2. Read the text by Eric J. Adams, which gives advice about negotiating. Which of the negotiating
tips do you think is the most difficult to put into practice?
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The Art of Business: Learn to Love
Negotiating
A few tips. Business Tips
Be prepared. Before you negotiate, know exactly what you want and be ready
to articulate your position; a negotiating meeting is no place to figure out the terms
that are acceptable to you. You won’t get every deal point, but at last you’ll know in
advance what your parameters are. In fact, it helps to break down your concerns into
three categories: nice to have, like to have, and must have. Walk through several
“what if” scenarios beforehand. Anticipate counter-proposals and compromises and
think about how you will react to each.
Be inquisitive. Don’t be shy about asking questions. Skilful questions can
transform a negotiation from an adversarial conflict into a partnership. By asking
questions, you’ll also get your client to reveal more. Start with open-ended questions
and move narrower, more direct questions. Once you have asked a question, be quiet
and listen carefully.
Avoid significant early concessions. At the very least, remain neutral to the
customer’s initial demands until trade-off opportunities emerge or your gentle
attempts at persuasion don’t work.
Be prepared for disagreement. There will be disagreement and disappointment
during any negotiation. But how you disagree will affect the outcome and ultimately
affect your relationship with the client. When you disagree, look for the common
ground or set the point aside until later. At the end of your discussions, you may find
you have four or five points of disagreement. You can then exchange deal-point
concessions until all points of contention are dealt with.
Expect the unexpected. Always have a good idea in advance of how you’ll
respond if things do not work out as you plan.
Finalize all agreements. Don’t leave details hanging. It is often amazing how
two people sitting in the same room can have different perspectives concerning what
was agreed upon. To ensure that everyone is clear, summarize the agreement verbally
or shortly afterward in a letter of agreement.
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1. A lot of people regard negotiation as a win-lose contest in which there must
always be a winner and a loser. How possible is it for a negotiation to be win-win?
2. Read the suggestions in The guide to tough trading:
a) Is the philosophy a win-lose or a win-win one?
b) Who is each piece of advice for: the buyer, the seller, or both?
c) Are there any rules you would change, or others you would add?
B. Reading:
Read the article and then fill each gap below with one word:
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Researchers who have studied the negotiating process recommend separating the
people from the problem. An analysis of negotiating language shows that, for example,
indirect and impersonal forms are used. This necessity to be hard on the facts and soft on the
people can result in the sometimes complex, almost ritualistic, style of negotiating language.
Language varies according to the negotiating style. In negotiating you can use either
co-operative style or a competitive one. In the co-operative style the basic principle is that
both parties can gain something from the negotiation without harming the interests of the
other. Or in other words that both parties will benefit more in the long run in friendship and
co-operation even if they make some concessions. This type of negotiation is likely to take
place in-house between colleagues and departments, or between companies where there is a
longstanding relationship and common goals are being pursued.
Unfortunately co-operative style negotiations without a trace of competition are rare. In
most negotiating situations there is something to be gained or lost. There can be a danger in
adopting a co-operative mode, as unscrupulous people may take advantage of co-operative
people.
The opposite mode to co-operative negotiating is competitive negotiating. Negotiators
see each other as opponents. Knowledge of the other party‟s needs is used to develop
strategies to exploit weaknesses rather than to seek a solution satisfactory to both sides. This
type of negotiating may be appropriate in the case of one-off contracts where the aim is to
get the best result possible without considering future relationships or the risk of a
breakdown in negotiations. Needless to say, the language in this type of discussion may
become hostile and threatening even if it remains formal.
In reality most negotiations are a complex blend of co-operative and competitive mode.
Negotiating successfully implies dealing appropriately with the four main components of any
negotiation: facts, people, competition, cooperation.
Skilled negotiators are sensitive to the linguistic signals, as well as the non-verbal
ones of facial expressions, gesture and behaviour, which show the type of negotiating mode
they are in.
Language reflects tactics and therefore a study of the language used in negotiating
brings a greater awareness of the negotiating process.
(Adapted from Negotiate in French and English by Pamela Sheppard and Benedicte Lapeyre)
1. Good negotiators must know their …subject/facts………. well and they must know
their company‟s ……policy……. But they must also consider ……human/personal……
factors because they are dealing with ……people……….
2. Negotiators are affected by the participant‟s ……attitude………., as well as logic.
3. Research has shown that it can help to separate the ……people…….. from the
……problem……. This can be done by using special negotiating ……language……
4. In a ……co-operative…….. style of negotiation, the participants try not to harm each other‟s
……interests….... In order to maintain a good long-term …friendship…. they both make
……concessions.............
5. In a ……competitive……… style of negotiation, the parties are …opponents…….
This style may be suitable for a ……one-off…….. contract. The language here can
become ……hostile……… and……threatening………
6. Most negotiations are a ……blend/mixture…… of the two styles. A good negotiator
must be aware of the ……… linguistic/verbal……. and ……non-verbal…….. signals
which show the style being used.
7. The four main factors involved in a negotiation are ……facts……..., ……people……..,
……competition………. and ………cooperation………….
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3.3 LANGUAGE SKILL: NEGOTIATING
A. Language of Negotiation:
1. Probing: One way of furthering negotiation is probing (asking the right questions and
listening carefully to the answers). Here are some probing questions:
a. What is the situation on production at your plant at the moment?
b. What sort of quantities are you looking for?
c. What are we looking at in the way of discount?
d. What did you have in mind regarding specifications?
e. What were you thinking of in terms of delivery dates?
f. How important to you is the currency for payment?
Match the replies (1-6) to the probing questions (a-f):
1) Perhaps 100 units per year over five years. b
2) We can offer ten per cent if the quantities are right. c
3) We‟d like to see a ten per cent improvement in performance. d
4) We‟d prefer US dollars. f
5) We‟ll need the first 30 units in six months. e
6) We‟re operating at full capacity. a
Practice:
Practise by probing in a negotiation. First check you understand the terms below:
Price : $65 per piece
Credit period : 30 days
Delivery time : 8 weeks
Minimum order: 500 pieces
Discount : 5%
Warranty period: one year
These phrases will help the supplier to justify his or her position:
I'm afraid it's customary.
it's company policy.
we always insist on this.
2. Proposal and counter-proposal:
Through a series of proposals or offers from one side and counter-proposals or
counter-offers from the other side, the two sides work towards an agreement which
will benefit them both. Here are some ways of making compromise:
If you offer more flexible payment conditions, will be able to + infinitive
As long as engine performance improve by ten per cent, can agree to + infinitive
On condition that you deliver 20 engines by May, then we could consider + V-ing
Supposing that you provide good technical support, may offer + noun
Provided that you supply documentation in Portuguese, might offer to+ infinitive
Providing that this contract works out OK,
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1> Use expressions above to complete phrases below, using the correct form of the words
in brackets:
a) If you offer more flexible payment conditions / might / consider / pay / higher price.
b) As long as engine performance improve by ten per cent / may / offer / price/ $550,000 per unit
c) On condition that you deliver 20 engines by May / will/ able / consider / more flexible
/price.
d) Supposing that you provide good technical support / might / agree / work / you / future
e) Provided that you supply documentation in Portuguese / could / consider / send „
personnel /you /training.
3. Reaching agreement:
It‟s important to check the points of an agreement to avoid misunderstandings. You could
say:
- Let me just go / run over the main points. (repeat and summarize)
- On A, we agreed that ……..
- As far as B is concerned (in relation to B), we agreed ………..
- We still have the question of C to settle….
- And there‟s still the outstanding issue of D.
- We‟ll send you a written proposal.
- We‟ll draw up a contract based on these points.
- I think that covers everything.
Arrange the phrases Jose uses to close negotiations in the correct order: 18753246
1. Let me just run over the main points. On engine quantities,
2. I think that covers everything.
3. If you agree to the proposal, we‟ll draw up a contract based on those points.
4. payment to settle, and there is also still the outstanding issue of documentation.
5. we agreed that you would improve the power of the engine by ten per cent.
6. we agreed that you would supply us with 120 units over four years. As far as performance
is concerned,
7. We still have the question of the currency for
8. We‟ll send you a written proposal on these last two issues.
B. Listening:
1. You will hear three parts of a negotiation between Michelle, the manager of a bookstore
chain, and a website designer. Listen to each part and complete the chart.
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What the
Negotiating point What Michelle wants What they agree
designer wants
Schedule for One month One month
setting up the Two months
website
$50 an hour
Payment terms Fixed amount $6,000
2. Listen again to the first two parts of the conversation. After each part, complete the missing
words.
priority
I agree
normal fee
we prefer
offer
mind if I
as
long as
How about
agree to
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3. Listen again to the third part of the negotiation. Note down all the expressions for agreeing and
disagreeing. Decide whether they express a) strong b) polite or c) hesitant agreement or
disagreement.
FILE B
You are a supplier of window. This is what you want. When you have finished, fill in
what you get.
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UNIT FOUR: MONEY
I. Starting up:
A. Answer these questions individually. Then compare your answers with a partner.
1. How much cash do you have with you at the 4. If you go for a meal with someone you don‟t
moment? Do you: know well, do you:
a. know exactly? a. offer to pay the whole bill?
b. know approximately? b. suggest dividing the bill into equal parts?
c. not know at all? c. offer to pay the whole bill but expect
2. Do you normally check: them to pay next time?
a. your change d. try to avoid paying anything?
QUIZ
b. your bank statements and credit card bills? 5. If you lend your friend a small amount of
c. your receipt when shopping? money and they forget to pay it back, do you:
d. prices in several shops before you buy a. say nothing?
something? b. remind them that they owe you money?
3. Do you: c. arrange to go for a drink with them and
a. give money to beggars? say you‟ve forgotten your wallet or
b. give money to charities? purse?
c. give away used items, such as clothing?
B. What do your answers to the questions in exercise A say about your attitude to money? What do they say
about your culture.
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In our home markets it has been another excellent year. 1…pre-tax profit… are up by £23 million, and
the 2…forecast… for the next quarter is equally good. Profits from abroad are down because of a
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…recession… in Japan. However, our performance overall has been good, and the 4…EPS……… have
increased to 26.4p and the 5…dividend…… will be increased to 4.3p per share, which will please our
shareholders.
We plan to issue new 6…shares……… in order to finance expansion in Asia. We also plan to increase our
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…investment……… in plant and equipment before entering the Chinese market. We are particularly
pleased with our performance in France and Germany where 8…profit……… have increased. As a result
of using a new distributor, our costs fell giving us a 9…gross margin…… of 40 percent on our main
product line. We will use any extra cash to reduce the level of our 10……debt……….
Our performance in Italy should improve significantly following the 11……bankruptcy………… of our
biggest competitor. However, we should not become too satisfied with our share price as economic
conditions remain uncertain and the 12…revenues………… will continue to reflect this. Share prices will
not rise in the short term.
B. Now listen to a presentation of the actual results and complete the missing figures for gaps a-h.
Consolidated Profit and Loss
For the year ended Dec 31 in $m
Forecast Actual
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Money in Turnover (sales revenue) 700 704
2
C. Listen again and answer the following questions
1. Why was gross profit higher than expected?
2. Where did the company decide to have parts made?
3. Which budgets went over the forecast limits?
4. What is expected to happen to the marketing budget in future?
5. How much will shareholders receive per share?
6. What prediction does the speaker make about retained profit?
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Wal-Mart Target Wal-Mart Target
4th quarter 4th quarter Full year Full year
Total profit $2.7 bn $832m $8.9 bn $1.84 bn
Who is the presenter for? People who place order People involved in international project management Department Heads
4
a. …First of all…… , let me thank you all for being here today.
b. Let me ……introduce………… myself. My name is…Don Taylor
c. I‟m here today to ……present……… our new semi-automatic shelving system.
d. My talk is …particularly…… relevant to those of you who …place order… for the different parts we supply.
Presentation 2
a. I‟m happy that so many of you could ……make it………… today at such short……notice…………………
b. As you can see on the ……screen……………, our ……topic………… today is project documentation.
c. This is extremely ……important…….for all of us who are directly …………involved………………..
in international project management, right?
Presentation 3
d. I‟m ……aware………………….. that you all have very tight ……schedules………………..,
so I appreciate you taking the time to come here to day.
e. As you ……probably……know, my name is …..Susan Webster........ I‟m the new …human
resources… manager here at Weston Ltd.
f. Today‟s topic will be very important for you as ……Department Heads….. since …I’ll need ………
your help to evaluate and select candidates for training.
2. Listen to excerpts from these presentations and say what visuals are used.
Presentation 1: Presentation 2: Presentation 3:
Now listen again and complete the sentences.
Presentation 1
1. The next chart shows the breakdown by age in our company.
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2. You can see that the biggest segment (…) indicates the percentage of employees in the age
group 30 to 50.
Presentation 2
3. Let‟s now have a look at the sales figures over the past five years.
4. The key in the bottom left-hand corner shows you which colour represents which area.
5. OK, so I‟d like to first draw your attention t the sales figures for France – that‟s the blue line
here.
Presentation 3
6. Now I‟d like you to take a look at this next slide which shows how the cost of living
developed in Europe between 2003 and 2007.
7. If you look at the bar chart on the left , you will see that the highest increase was in 2001
with a rise of 2 percent .
3. Match the two parts to make sentences used to talk about visuals.
1. On the next page j a. from this picture, the design is absolutely new.
2. My next slide shows d b. you can see the specifications for the TP model.
3. As you can see a c. customers have complained about the service.
4. Let me just show you some i d. how much the market has changed.
5. To illustrate this e e. I‟ll show you our latest poster.
6. Let‟s now have a look g f. attention to the figures in the lefthand column.
7. Here we can see how many c g. at the figures on the next page.
8. I have a slide h h. which shows the market development in 2005.
9. I‟d like to draw your f i. interesting details.
10. In the upper right hand corner b j. how you will see a photo of the new XTK model.
Inviting questions 3
c, f
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2. Add the following phrases to the table above.
a. Thank you all for listening. f. Are there any questions?
b. In my opinion, we should… g. I‟d like to run through my main points again…
c. We just have time for a few questions. h. As a final point, I‟d like to …
d. To sum up then, we… i. I‟m now nearing the end of my talk…
e. OK, I think that‟s everything I wanted to say… j. Just to summarize the main points of my talk…
k. What I‟d like to suggest is …