Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Contents
Unit 1a .......................................................................................................................................3
Reporting results .......................................................................................................................3
Measuring performance ...........................................................................................................3
Annual reports ..........................................................................................................................4
Unit 1b .......................................................................................................................................6
Green initiatives............................................................................................................................6
Assessing environmental impact .............................................................................................6
Recyclebank ..............................................................................................................................7
SELF-STUDY ..........................................................................................................................9
Unit 2a .................................................................................................................................... 18
Health and safety....................................................................................................................... 18
Injuries at work ...................................................................................................................... 18
How safe is your workplace?................................................................................................ 20
Unit 2b .................................................................................................................................... 24
Rights at work ........................................................................................................................... 24
Know your rights ................................................................................................................... 24
Problems at work ................................................................................................................... 26
SELF-STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 27
Unit 3a .................................................................................................................................... 36
Business expenses ................................................................................................................. 36
Claiming expenses ................................................................................................................. 36
A new expenses claims system............................................................................................. 38
Unit 3b .................................................................................................................................... 42
Business Travel...................................................................................................................... 42
Airline services ...................................................................................................................... 42
SPEAKING ........................................................................................................................ 43
SELF-STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 47
Unit 4a .................................................................................................................................... 54
Flexible benefits........................................................................................................................ 54
Benefits .................................................................................................................................. 54
How flexible benefits work................................................................................................... 55
The advantages of flexible benefits ...................................................................................... 57
LISTENING........................................................................................................................... 58
Unit 4b .................................................................................................................................... 60
Staff appraisal ........................................................................................................................ 60
The role of appraisals ............................................................................................................ 60
SPEAKING............................................................................................................................. 60
Monitoring performance ....................................................................................................... 62
SELF-STUDY ....................................................................................................................... 65
Unit 5a .................................................................................................................................... 71
Marketing disasters................................................................................................................ 71
The marketing mix ................................................................................................................ 71
Promotions that failed ........................................................................................................... 73
Unit 5b .................................................................................................................................... 75
Going global.............................................................................................................................. 75
1
Unit 1a
Reporting results
Measuring performance
SPEAKING
1 Which of these can give you information about the performance of a company? The
share price, the annual report, newspapers or magazines? Which information is the
easiest to find? Which information do you think is the most accurate?
LISTENING
2 Listen to a television report about Fairways, a supermarket chain. Which of the
following are mentioned? Did they rise or fall?
profit
turnover
share price
sales volume
dividend
to decrease
to go up to soar to plunge
to increase to go down
Whats the meaning of 'to bottom out' and 'level off or 'remain stable'? Do you
know which word is the opposite of this?
5 Adverbs and adjectives can be added to indicate how large or small a change is
or how quickly or slowly it takes place. Work in pairs. Sort these adjectives /
adverbs into the correct place and write them into the chart.
Adjectives / adverbs
sudden / suddenly; substantial / substantially; significant / significantly; gradual /
gradually; steady / steadily; sharp / sharply; consistent / consistently; dramatic /
dramatically; marginal / marginally modest / modestly considerable / considerably
Size of change
Speed of change
Annual reports
READING
Look at the following extracts from the CEO's statement in four annual reports.
Which extract does each sentence below refer to?
A
Strike action and unfavourable exchange rates led to losses that were almost balanced by
gains from our ongoing resource efficiency programme, which delivered an impressive
100m of cost performance improvements. Another source of revenue was the recent
disposal of Dennox, our wholly-owned subsidiary.
B
The company made steady progress, with profits before tax and exceptional items
increasing to 596m. Careful cash management continues to be a major feature of the
company's strong performance. Despite pressures from increased investment activity, the
balance sheet shows net cash at 3.2bn after expenditure of 346m.
C
Trading volume increased by 4.5%, which was well up on recent years, and
turnover rose by 3%. Operating margins also increased, as a result of the
restructuring programme that was completed at the end of last year. Although
successful, the programme meant a reduction in net cash to 472m.
D
Our major achievement last year was the 4.8bn acquisition of a speciality
chemicals business. This investment, along with the planned sale of assets,
will help streamline the company's range of businesses. Trading profit fell by
7% due to disappointments in non-core activities, confirming the logic of the
actions we are taking.
1 The company enjoyed a substantial increase in its sales.
2 The company offset some of its poor trading results by selling assets.
3 The CEO explains why substantial investment was necessary.
4 The CEO refers to the success of previous organisational changes.
5 The company's cost-cutting measures are proving very successful.
6 The CEO refers to the company's success in controlling new spending.
7 The company is currently implementing a major transformation programme.
SPEAKING
2 Which company has the best results? Which has the worst?
Unit 1b
Green initiatives
Assessing environmental impact
SPEAKING
1
Work in pairs. Find out the following information about your partner's
workplace, school or company. Add up the total score. Then read the assessment
of the environmental impact.
+3
+3
+2
+1
Energy consumption
We make use of sustainable energy sources such as solar or wind power.
+3
+3
+2
+2
6
+2
Transport
We subsidise employees' or students' use of public transport.
+3
+2
+1
Total
Thank you for your co-operation.
Environmental questionnaire assessment
0-9
2 Think of three things your company or school could do to reduce its impact
on the environment.
Recyclebank
LISTENING
1
direction of his company as it enters the UK market. Listen and choose one letter
(A, B or C) for the correct answer.
1
Mr Hsu began by
cities by
A making it more difficult for people to use landfills.
B charging more for putting rubbish into landfills.
C cutting municipal waste in half.
4
The PR campaign
Jonathan Hsu
SPEAKING
2 What do you think this quote means? Discuss this with your partner. Then summarise
the main points of the Recyclebank scheme. Which do you think will convince people to
change the way they think about the environment? Can you think of examples of re-using
household items rather than buying new ones?
3 The company you work for has had problems implementing their environmental
policies. The management needs to find ways to encourage employees to follow these
regulations.
You and your partner have been asked to make some recommendations. Discuss the
situation together and decide:
how to convince employees to separate rubbish and re-use paper
how to encourage employees to turn off machines and lights when they are not in use.
You have three minutes to discuss this topic and come to a conclusion. Then work with
your partner to write out five questions an examiner might ask after your discussion.
Discuss the questions and the answers you would give.
SELF-STUDY
1 Complete the description of the graph with the correct form of the following verbs.
recover peak fall shoot up collapse rise
Share price
January-December
2 Complete each sentence with a suitable preposition.
1 The shares peaked ________________260p in September.
2 Sales fell _________________ 5.6m _________________ 4.8m.
3 There was a decrease ______________ net profit.
4 Sales rose _____________ 2m. This was a rise ______________ approximately 4%.
3 Use these words in the correct form to connect the ideas below. There is more than
one possible answer.
lead to; due to; mean; as a result of
1 sharp fall in profits <= long strike
There was a sharp fall in profits due to a long strike.
2 favourable exchange rate => increase in profits
______________________________________________________________________
3 sales fell <= bad weather in the summer
______________________________________________________________________
4 strong competition => reduction in margins
______________________________________________________________________
5 share price collapse <= bad publicity
_____________________________________________________________________
4 Complete the crossword.
10
Across
1 An annual payment made to shareholders
4 Before tax is deducted
5 A company's... activities are its most important
7 The purchase of another company
8 Money spent now in order to bring future benefit
Down
1 The sale of a subsidiary
2 ... profit = profit after costs have been deducted
3 The sales of a company
6 The things a company owns which have value
Adjectives and adverbs
5 Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capital letters.
1
SUDDEN
SUBSTANTIAL
STEADY
at the moment.
Growth is looking _____________at the moment.
4
NOTICEABLE
11
MARGINAL
SLIGHT
How many words can you find in the unit and the audioscript which go after the
word environmental?
environmental
performance
____________________
green
initiatives
____________________
____________________
____________________
The Recyclebank wanted to make it clear that they were supplying consumers and
on our planet, we hope that people will begin to reduce energy consumption.
3
Socially
responsible
companies
try
to
improve
their
environmental
________________.
5
waste management.
6
Companies
and
communities
working
together
can
find
environmental
CONSUME
REDUCE
12
We hope residents will start to work on the _____________ of waste in our communities.
3
PENALTY
COMPLY
We're hoping to achieve 100% _____________ with all major government regulations.
5 PUBLICISE
Our campaign has received a great deal of __________________
6 HAZARD
We are reducing the __________________ by-products arising from our production
processes.
7 STRENGTH
When we began our company, we felt _________________ that helping the environment
could also help the economy.
8 Match the verbs with a similar meaning. Then think of a noun to follow each pair
of verbs.
reduce
approach
provide
use
found
cut down on
deal with
start
increase
supply
consume
raise
waste
Determiners
9 Choose the correct word to fill each gap.
To: All Heads of Department
Re: Waste Management
It has come to the board's notice that the
company wastes far too (1) ........paper in its offices
13
B much
C plenty
2 A all
B any
C enough
3 A that
B this
C these
4 A all
B each
C any
5 Aa
B each
C all
6 A any
B all
C every
7 A much
B enough
C both
8 A this
B that
C the
9 A some
B much
C several
10 A An
B Any
C This
11 A these
B those
C them
12 A that
B this
C any
Reading Test
Read the advertisement below about a mobile phone company.
14
A Active
B
A make
B Fit
C Physical
D Energetic
B allow
C prepare
D mean
15
A throughout
B over
C about
D within
A holds
B remains
C stays
D keeps
A claims
B calls
C demands
D enquires
A mind
B thought
C vision
D sight
A duration
B course
C time
D life
A standards
B grades
C marks
D results
A transferred
B conveyed
C given
D dispatched
A awareness
B attention
C consideration
D intention
10
A spent
B paid
C re-invested
D supplied
11
A maintains
B provides
C continues
D supports
12
A connection
B unity
C join
D combination
13
A introductions
B modernisations
C innovations
D differences
14
A character
B feature
C property
D factor
15
A prefer
B select
C limit
D reduce
Reading Test
Read the newspaper bulletin about a joint venture.
In most lines 1-12 there is one extra word which does not fit in. Some lines, however,
are correct.
If a line is correct, write CORRECT.
If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS.
0 IT
00 - correct
Roysten plans US joint venture
0 Roysten, the engineering group, it plans to launch a US joint venture with
00 HarvestTate to set up a factory to make up to 1,000 buses a year. The
1 agreement is one the first product of the strategic alliance with HarvestTate
2 that Roysten announced the last May. Roysten's joint venture partner will be
3 Freerider, a HarvestTate subsidiary and leading manufacturer of school buses.
4 The two parties are aiming to lease out or buy a factory capable of producing
16
5 1,000 buses a year, which selling at $150,000 each. Until now the US school
6 bus market has been being dominated by the reassuring shape of John Lloyd's
7 yellow buses which have been made familiar to many all over the world
8 through an appearances in countless Hollywood films and American TV
9 series. This situation looks set to be change, however, with Roysten and
10 HarvestTate promising that a revolutionary new design with a number of
11 inbuilt safety features which are sure to find appeal to the nation's parents
12 regardless of cost. The market seemed to approve the move, with Roysten's
shares closing up 22p at 246p.
Writing Test
You are the office manager at an insurance company. You have arranged for contractors
to upgrade your computer system. This means the system will be shut down for a full day.
Write a memo of 40-50 words:
informing staff why the upgrade is necessary
telling them when it will happen
asking them to prepare alternative work for the day.
17
Unit 2a
Health and safety
Injuries at work
SPEAKING
1 Think of three accidents that can happen in an office.
READING
2 Read the questions below and try to decide on the correct answer.
1
A 2.5 million
B 1.5 million
C 1.3 million
people said they were suffering from work-related illnesses.
3
The percentage of office workers in the UK who suffer from repetitive strain injury
is
A 68%.
B 59%.
C 75%.
4
A recent survey found that the most stressful salaried job was
1 B Most reports agree that the most common type of accident in an office
occurs when someone slips or trips, loses their balance and then falls. This can
happen due to exposed wiring, bumping into a drawer that was left open, standing
on a chair to reach an object or slipping because floors are slippery or wet.
2 C According to statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
in the UK in 2010, about 1.3 million people said they were suffering from illnesses
caused by their jobs or which were made worse by their work. This was up from 1.2
million in 2008/09.
3 A An article published in a leading newspaper claimed that approximately
two-thirds of office staff (68%) were suffering from repetitive strain injury. This
injury can cost the economy up to 300,000 in lost working hours. Also known as
repetitive stress injury, this causes aching backs, shoulders, wrists and hands and is
often blamed on companies not providing ergonomic workstations for their
employees.
4 C A survey done in 2011 found that the most stressful salaried job was that of
a commercial airline pilot. Although salaries are high, pilots are responsible for the
safety of their passengers and crews, are expected to keep to their schedules even in
bad weather and often work irregular hours without enough time to really rest or
relax. The second most stressful job was that of PR officials who are responsible for
the images of their company and often deal with hostile members of the press. This
was followed by corporate executives who have to make major decisions affecting
large numbers of people.
SPEAKING
3 How do accidents happen? What can companies or schools do to prevent them?
SPEAKING
4 An employee is taken to the company doctor after he has had an accident at
work. Listen and complete Part D of the accident report form below with one or
two words or a number.
Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995
Report of an injury or dangerous occurrence
Filling in this form
This form must be filled in by an employer or other responsible person.
Part A
About the injured person
19
Step 4
Step 5
A Decide who might be harmed
B Look for the hazards
C Revise your assessment
D Record your findings
E Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards
2 Now choose the correct sentence from the opposite page to fill each gap. The first one is
already done for you.
5 STEPS TO RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk assessment is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work,
could cause harm to people, so that you can decide whether you have taken enough
precautions or should do more to prevent harm. Its aim is to make sure that no one
gets hurt or becomes ill. Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect your
business too if output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs increase, or you
have to go to court.
The important things you need to decide in risk assessment are whether a hazard is
significant and whether you have it covered by satisfactory precautions so that the risk
is small.
If you are a small firm and you are confident you understand the work, you can do the
assessment yourself. (0) ..I.. If you are not confident, ask your local Health and Safety
Inspector to advise you. But remember: you are responsible for seeing that adequate
precautions are taken.
Step 1 Walk around your workplace and look afresh at what could reasonably be
expected to cause harm. Ignore the trivial and concentrate only on significant hazards
21
which could result in serious harm or affect several people. (1) Because they
experience the workplace and work practices on a daily basis, they may have noticed
things which are not immediately obvious.
Step 2 Think about people who may not be in the workplace all the time, e.g.
cleaners, contractors, maintenance personnel. (2) There is a chance that they could
be hurt by your activities.
Step 3 Even after all precautions have been taken, usually some risk remains. What
you have to decide for each significant hazard is whether this remaining risk is high,
medium or low. First, ask yourself whether you have done all the things that the law
says you have got to do. Then ask yourself whether generally-accepted industry
standards are in place. (3) Remember: your aim is to make all risks small by adding
to your precautions if necessary.
Step 4 If you have fewer than five employees, you do not need to write anything
down, but if you have five or more employees, you must record the significant
findings of your assessment. This means writing down the more significant hazards
and recording your most important conclusions. You should keep the written
document for future reference. It will be particularly useful if an inspector questions
your precautions or if you become involved in an action for civil liability. (4) And
it can remind you to keep an eye on particular matters or causes for concern.
Step 5 At some time, you will undoubtedly bring in new machines, substances and
procedures which could lead to new hazards. (5) In any case, it is good practice to
review your assessment from time to time. Don't amend your assessment for every
trivial change or each new job; but if a new job introduces significant new hazards of
its own, you will want to consider them in their own right and do whatever you need
to keep the risks down.
22
A It also helps to show that you have done what the law requires.
B Improving health and safety need not cost a lot.
C Where such hazards are unavoidable, use appropriate safety equipment.
D But don't stop there - think for yourself, because the law also says that you must
do what is reasonable to keep your workplace safe.
E If there is any significant change, you should take this into account.
F Members of the public who visit your workplace should also be included.
G Ask your employees or their representatives what they think.
H For instance, electricity can kill, but in an office environment the risk is remote.
I Alternatively, you could ask a responsible employee, safety representative or
safety officer to help you.
What helped you to choose your answers? Underline the key words or phrases.
23
Unit 2b
Rights at work
6 Management consultants feel that companies should start thinking about formal
policies regarding social media usage by employees.
7 Companies will have to spend a lot of time in the future on retraining because many
good workers are leaving for better jobs.
Is posting comments always a good idea?
Two years ago Sarah James had a bad day at the office and when she came home she
logged into Facebook. A project Sarah had put a great deal of time and effort into was
criticised by her boss. As Sarah felt these comments were not justified she was very angry
and made a comment on her Facebook page. While Sarah thought she was just letting off
steam, the post was seen by a friend who told her boss about it. Sarah's boss then went to the
management of the company and got Sarah fired. Sarah, who had been working in the
same job for the past eight years, was shocked. She found an attorney and took her
company to court. She claimed that as her comment mentioned no names, it would be
impossible for anyone to know who the comment was about. The company's team of
lawyers convinced the judge that the image of the company had been damaged by the
plaintiff. Although Sarah feels that this was an unfair dismissal, one year later she is still
looking for a job.
These cases are becoming more and more common. Employees who have lost jobs because
they posted comments or jokes on Facebook feel that companies are being unfair. They
claim that staff must be informed about the consequences of using Facebook to
communicate with people they have on their list of friends. Management consultants are
saying that formal policies should be drafted to avoid future problems. A ban on social
networks seems to be an extreme answer to the problem. Many employees who have lost
their jobs are beginning to look into lawsuits. This means that in the future companies
may be faced with more and more time battling these cases in court. And in the end this
means that good workers may be dismissed and companies will be forced to spend time
retraining others to take over these jobs as well as lose their reputations as employeefriendly companies.
25
SPEAKING
4 Do you think the judgement was fair? Why/Why not?
5 Formulate an internet and social media policy for your company which is fair to
both management and employees. Write a 40-50 word memo informing all staff of the
policy.
Problems at work
SPEAKING
1 Five people talk about why they lost their jobs. Listen and decide the reason each
1
E refusal to commute
F refusal to work overtime
G repeated absence from work
H sexual harassment
SPEAKING
2 Do you think any of the speakers were treated unfairly?
3 Work in pairs. As a manager, how would you deal with the incidents below? Would
you:
take no action against the person?
have a friendly word with the person?
26
the
correct
word
to
complete
each
sentence.
1 When doing risk assessments, it is a good idea to (remember / review) them on a
regular basis.
27
HARM
INJURE
OBLIGE
FIND
HAZARD
SAFE
LIABLE
Keep a record of all accidents in case you become involved in a civil _____________
action.
3 Complete each sentence with a suitable preposition.
1
accidents
resulted
in
two
company
cleaners
Noun
exaggerate
...................
justify
...................
abusing
..................
ban
...................
behave
...................
30
negotiate
...................
refuse
...................
complain
...................
Passives
9
__________________________________
__________________________________
__________________________________
T Well, actually, he's not so upset. He's been applying for some other jobs and he's sure
that he (4 offer) __________________ a job by Elite Finance.
31
to leave?
T I'm not sure. Let's wait and see.
Reading Test
Look at the text below about a department store group and answer questions 1-6.
Each question has four suggested answers or ways of finishing the sentence A, B, C
and D.
Mark one letter A, B, C or D for the answer you choose.
Walters Department Stores
Walters is a familiar name on the UK's high streets, operating from 32
department stores situated either in prime city-centre locations or out-of-town retail
parks. Although some competitors have successfully branched out into gourmet readyto-eat foods or experimented with financial services, Walters has chosen to specialise
in the clothing, accessories and home product markets. By offering a range of
competitively-priced merchandise of a high standard to its customers, Walters has
become one of the country's favourite department stores.
Over recent years there has been a steady decline in the number of UK
department stores which do not belong to a chain. On the other hand, the top three
national department store groups account for an increasing proportion of the
department store market. This clearly reflects their ability to make a success of this
retailing format in the UK. Walters is a market leader within this group, differentiating
itself from its main competitors as a large space clothing-led retailer offering its own, as
well as international brands.
The creation of an attractive selling environment is one of the most
important aspects of successful retailing. Walters has devoted a significant amount
of management time to providing an appealing, highly visual and efficient
environment which makes shopping there a pleasure. Exciting and creative
32
merchandise stands provide each section with a clearly distinguishable look, and
these are frequently updated in all stores.
Department stores can appeal to people of all age groups, from teenagers to
money-conscious pensioners, but they are particularly popular with the 30-50 age
category. Consumers here are generally in the higher income groups and are more
demanding in terms of the quality of service they expect. This age group is expected to
account for an increasing proportion of the overall population over the next decade. By
the year 2025, this age group is projected to grow by five times as much as the total
population.
We aim to give our customers the widest possible product choice, and we have
been highly successful in developing our own brands, which now account for almost 50
per cent of sales. We have also recently commissioned a number of leading designers,
who are designing additional clothing, accessories and home furnishing lines to suit
our customer profile. Despite the lack of TV commercials or newspaper
advertisements, these exclusive ranges are already attracting new customers into the
stores through innovative online advertising and use of social media sites. We are also
considering running magazine adverts. To maximise the profit generated by each store,
we at Walters constantly monitor and adjust the allocation of retail space dedicated to
each of these product categories.
1
on television.
in newspapers.
in magazines.
on the Internet.
34
35
Unit 3a
Business expenses
Claiming expenses
SPEAKING
1 What expenses do people typically incur on a business trip?
2 What would you do in the following situations? Discuss them with your partner.
Situation One
On a three-day business trip to Paris, you travel around the city using the underground
system to visit clients. You find this the cheapest and most convenient way of travelling.
On your last night there, you begin filling in your expenses claim sheet. When you read
the small print, you notice you are authorised to claim a lump sum of 25 per day for
taxis.
Situation Two
Your first business trip for your new company has been successful and you have secured an
important new contract. You invite your client out to dinner at an expensive restaurant.
However, at the end of the meal, he insists on paying the bill. It comes to 125. He passes
you the receipt after he has paid and says you could claim this back on expenses. 'Everyone
does it,' he says.
Situation Three
You discover that a colleague has made a false claim for expenses for a five-day trip to
Hamburg. He was booked into a hotel which cost 80 per night, but he only stayed there
for one night. He then checked out of the hotel and spent the rest of the week with an old
friend. However, he made an expenses claim for all five nights.
36
LISTENING
3 Roger Hargreaves works in an accounts department. He telephones three people
about their expense claims. Listen and complete the forms below with one or two
words or a number.
Sofrac Limited
Expenses Claim Form - Management
Name: David Holdos
Full details (inc
Accommodation
Business Travel
date)
July 3. 2011
Carilands
Train
M ea l/Drin ks
Business Trip
Hotel
(1)
One night
(3)
(4)
84
56.70
Total
(2)
Telephone Message
To: Alan Haywarth
Date: 30.7.2011
Time: 3.30 pm
Roger Hargreaves from Accounts called about expenses for your trip to (5) _________
last. He hasnt got the (6) ________________ . He needs this asap. If you cant find it,
you should (7) ________________ . Hes sorry but Accounts cant make (8) _________
like last time.
Expenses Claim Form - Management
Name: Chris Evans
Full
details
Date: 24.7.2011
Accommodation
Business Travel
One night
(11)
N/A
Total
(inc date)
Two-day
(12)
recruitment
trip to Paris
(9)
June
6
(10)
37
SPEAKING
4 Explain the system for claiming expenses in your company or another institution.
Do you have any suggestions for improvement? Discuss this with your partner.
Dear all,
As you know, this department has undertaken an extensive survey into alternative
systems of handling corporate travel expenses and expenses claims. In recent months, a
corporate charge card [Amex] and an automated expenses reimbursement system have
been trialled successfully in several departments. This system will now be implemented
throughout the organisation. The main benefits of the new system are that cash advances
will no longer be necessary and administrative time can be reduced. It will also cut the
38
cost of processing each claim and should produce a substantial saving on the time
employees spend on claiming expenses. The system should be fully operational within the
next ten weeks. A brief outline of how the system works is given below.
Claiming Expenses
All charges on the company credit card for business travel will be automatically updated
in an online personal expense account. Employees are then asked to log in to their
accounts and fill in the relevant details of their expenses. This will include codes for hotels
or airlines and any other necessary information indicating the business purpose of each
expense. Employees who have entertained guests will be asked to supply their names and
companies for our records. The system will automatically send reminders when the
information is due and payment will follow in the subsequent month. There are built-in
limits for client entertainment and meal allowances so you need to have these cleared if
you go over them. Please scan receipts and attach them to the online expense claim.
Remember to keep originals of receipts.
Auditing procedures
Line managers will receive automatic emails when claims are submitted and are
asked to monitor them. All employees are advised to use a private credit card for
personal expenses.
Full details of the new system will be sent to all senior managers within the next few
days. Please distribute this information within your team.
Many thanks,
Julie
Account Manager
39
SPEAKING
2 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this system.
LISTENING
3
Five people call the Accounts Department and leave messages about their
You work in the Accounts Department and are responsible for checking
40
SPEAKING
5
The Accounts Department of the company you work for is considering a new
policy for client entertainment. At the moment, sales people are given a fixed amount
each month and many of them feel it is too low. They find it difficult to take clients to
good restaurants and often find they cannot take taxis.
You have been asked to make suggestions on how to change this policy. Discuss the
situation together and decide:
if salespeople should have unlimited amounts provided they turn in all receipts and
write a report for their line manager explaining the expenses
if sales people should be given a company credit card for client entertainment and
asked to put all client-related expenses on the card.
41
Unit 3b
Business Travel
Airline services
SPEAKING
1
Work in groups. Look at this list of airline services. Agree on the three
1
2
3
4
5
A business class section
B flat beds
C free newspapers and magazines
D airmiles
E in-seat power facilities
F in-flight entertainment
G on-board duty-free sales
H business lounges
SPEAKING
4 Work in pairs. Ask your partner about airline trips he or she has taken. What
kind of service was offered? Which was the best and why?
Taking on the grown-ups
SPEAKING
1 What differences are there between mainstream airlines and low-cost airlines?
READING
2 Read the article on the following page. What advantages and disadvantages are
mentioned for business travellers on low-cost airlines?
43
Low-cost carriers have been competing with mainstream airlines for a number of
years, but have mostly targeted economy class passengers with their policy of
undercutting prices. Several, however,
business travel market segment by expanding their routes and offering a more
flexible flight schedule.
2
However, a no-frills airline will still have problems competing in areas that
business
travellers
have
long
taken
Another area to look at carefully is the cost-benefit ratio. Many low-cost carriers
advertise extremely low fares but when the customer adds in the charges for fees,
taxes, luggage, check-in, priority check-in, seat selection and paying by credit card,
the costs may be the same, and in some cases even higher than on mainstream airlines.
This is an area that will certainly need to be addressed or low-cost carriers will fail to
survive in the competitive world of air travel. They have to keep in mind that value-formoney is a high priority in the business world.
4
A number of low-cost carriers have also been using more remote airports where
the fees are lower. Several are considering returning to primary airports and hubs.
Their corporate sales departments are looking into the benefits they can offer business
travellers and convenience will certainly be at the top of the list. After all, a
businessperson
who
can
take
taxi
to
primary
airport
will
not
be interested in a long bus trip into the city from an airport located too far away from
44
where he or she needs to be. As time equates to money on business trips, this factor
alone may be the deciding one in choosing a carrier.
5
Another problem the no-frills market will have to face is in-flight comfort.
Business travellers are used to fully reclinable seats and a great deal of legroom as well
as a feeling of privacy, something most low-cost carriers cannot offer. However, it will
be interesting to see how this market develops, as airlines such as AirAsia are already
offering flat bed style comfort at a fraction of the price. In addition, business travellers
like having a dedicated check-in desk, fully-refundable flexible tickets and the feeling
of being pampered. If they are expected to insert a coin into a slot on the toilet door,
stand in a queue and hope they get the seat they prefer or carry their lunch onto the
plane, most will stay with the mainstream airlines.
6
There are, of course, a number of factors the no-frills airlines can consider. In
some cases they offer the only direct flight between certain locations which is an
advantage for them. However, if passengers need to transfer to a connecting flight,
most will choose the mainstream airline which guarantees rebooking on the
connecting flight if the first flight is delayed. It will be interesting to see how the lowcost carriers respond to the market over the next few years and we may see a major
change both in business travel and the expectations of business travellers.
3 Read the article again. Think of a title for each paragraph.
4 Read the article again. Are the following statements true or false?
1 The differences between mainstream and low-cost airlines are becoming less clear.
2 Low-cost airlines are always cheaper than mainstream airlines.
3 Low cost carriers are looking into ways to attract businesspeople.
4 Business people are used to having special treatment when they travel.
5 Most no-frills airlines can offer the same services as mainstream airlines.
6 The future of low-cost airlines versus mainstream airlines regarding business travel
shows very positive signs.
45
SPEAKING
5 How do you see the future for mainstream and low-cost airlines?
READING
6
Look at the comments below from passengers who flew with low-cost airlines.
SELF-STUDY
1 Complete the telephone conversation with questions.
T Hello. This is David Bridge from Accounts. I'm just ringing about your expenses
claim for your Paris trip. You only wrote down the total figure you spent - but I need
more information.
Oh, sorry. What do you need to know?
T
manager
2 meal
claim
3 small
allowance
4 line
5 short
notice
48
Noun
supply
..................
reimburse
..................
claim
..................
authorise
..................
require
..................
automate
..................
Relative pronouns
4 Correct
any
mistakes
with
the
relative
pronouns
49
flight
baggage
free
check-in
allowance
scheduled
desk
in-flight
catering
reclining
status
priority
seat
7 Change the following words into adjectives. Put them into the correct group below.
reason; exclude; bear; annoy; disappoint; compete; refund; entertain; transfer; recline; select.
- ive:
- ing:
-able:
8 Put these actions into a logical order.
A
We checked in.
We took off.
5 No-frills carriers target economy class customers _______ their policy of cost-cutting.
6 These times don't fit in ____________ your plans.
7 Fastjet provides the best value ________ terms __________in-flight catering.
8 Some low-cost carriers are trying to take the grown-ups.
10 Complete the sentences with the following verbs
undercut; transfer; survive; fail; raise; compete.
1 Heavy competition means some no-frills airlines may not __________________.
2 Several mainstream airlines _____________ on price with low-cost carriers.
3 Normally, low-cost airlines do not guarantee a __________ to a connecting flight.
4 We don't intend to _________ ticket prices. We intend to lower them.
5 Their prices______________ most other airlines by as much as 50% on some routes.
6 Certain airlines may______________ to attract customers if they maintain such high
prices.
Indirect questions
11 Re-arrange the words to make indirect questions.
1
B sole
C single
D unique
1 A
course
B manner
C approach
D technique
2 A
fruitful
B inventive
C beneficial
D productive
3 A
history
B story
C report
D account
4 A
disabled
B weak
C sick
D injured
5 A
employees
B colleagues
C subordinates
D workmates
6 A
pieces
B divisions
C quarters
D sectors
7 A
agendas
B lists
C programmes
D tables
8 A
project
B plan
C system
D procedure
9 A
prompting
B motivating
C persuading
D moving
10 A
train
B improve
C guide
D learn
11 A
raised
B supported
C promoted
D developed
12 A
replied
B answered
C returned
D responded
13 A
remain
B continue
C rest
D stand
14 A
use
B engagement C exercise
D employment
15 A
maintaining
B staying
D lasting
C continuing
53
Unit 4a
Flexible benefits
Benefits
SPEAKING
1 Work in pairs. How would you define benefits? What is the difference to pay? What
benefits do most companies in your country offer? Can people choose the benefits
they want?
READING
2 PricewaterhouseCoopers, the global professional services firm, operates a flexible
benefits system called Choices. Which of the following might the employees below be
interested in?
additional holiday; childcare vouchers; company car; additional cash; accident insurance;
pension scheme; retail vouchers; travel insurance; critical illness insurance.
Julie is in her thirties and has a baby daughter. She has plans to return to work as soon as her
daughter is old enough to go into day care.
Mark joined PricewaterhouseCoopers after graduating from university. He enjoys
travelling. He would like to take a trip around the world with his girlfriend, who is still a
student.
Susie and her partner both work full-time in well-paid jobs. Since they have no children,
security is not a high priority. They are more concerned with enjoying life.
54
SPEAKING
3 Imagine that a company you work for introduced a flexible benefits package.
What benefits would you choose?
firm's flexible benefits system. What are the three categories of benefits?
How Choices works
The way your pay and benefits are put together under Choices is easy to understand:
Rewards and benefits
At PwC our goal is to provide you with the best combination of financial rewards and
benefits possible. We work hard at finding the most competitive offers in the
marketplace for your benefits package and understand how important financial reward is
to employees. Your reward package is made up of your base pay, 25 days of annual leave
and bonus opportunities which increase with grade and length of service.
Choices allowance
Your Choices allowance is the additional amount over and above your base pay and your
annual leave which is provided to help you fund your benefits. With your Choices
allowance you can put together a package of benefits to suit your needs. This includes
4/o base pay pension funding for managers and above, as well as for all employees who
have been with the company for at least five years.
Core benefits
As part of Choices, you are provided with certain minimum benefits which are funded
by the firm and are not optional. These benefits include a minimum number of days'
holiday, life assurance, personal accident insurance, income protection and private
medical insurance. All employees will also be able to join the pension plan from the day
they begin work and benefit from the matched funding provided by the company.
Matched funding ranges from 2-15% of base pay, depending on your grade and length of
service.
55
Flexible benefits
Staff can choose to make use of holiday trading. This means that employees can opt to
have a minimum of 20 days or a maximum of 30 days annual leave by agreeing to
adjustments in salary. In addition, employees can choose from a package which offers
additional pension contributions, dental insurance, health screening, bicycles (part of the
'Cycle to Work' scheme) and childcare vouchers. And as lifestyles and needs change, you
have the chance to review your package every year and make any necessary changes to
better suit your needs.
Voluntary benefits
There is a wide variety of voluntary benefits which employees can opt into. These
include retail vouchers for discounts at shops, discounted gym memberships and a
concierge service which can be used to book holidays or theatre tickets. Due to PwC's
bargaining power, negotiations with third-party suppliers enable us to offer excellent
deals for our employees.
2 Are the following statements true or false?
1 The amount of pension contribution made by the company depends on how long you
have worked there and your position.
2 The employee has to pay for all of the benefits offered by the firm.
3 Employees can have cash rather than life assurance.
4 All employees receive medical insurance.
5 Holiday trading allows employees to vary the amount of days off in exchange for
pay.
6 Voluntary benefits are paid for by the company.
SPEAKING
3 How important are benefits to you when considering a job offer?
56
5
With Choices you can decide how much cover to have and whether to include members
of your family. This may be useful when you start to think of the additional childcare
costs if you or your partner were to suddenly die or become disabled.
LISTENING
2 Carolyn Wilkinson, Senior Employee Benefits Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers,
talks about the Choices scheme. Listen and choose one letter for the correct answer.
1 PricewaterhouseCoopers launched Choices in order to
A cater for the different needs of its employees.
B reduce the company payroll costs.
C keep employees happy after the merger.
2 PricewaterhouseCoopers can offer benefits more cheaply because
A it deals with cut-price providers.
B all its benefits are tax-free.
C of its bargaining power.
3 The purpose of the roadshows was to
A distribute the printed information across the country.
B give employees a chance to ask about Choices.
C stop employees worrying about the merger.
4 In what way were the roadshows successful?
A They allowed employees to choose their benefits.
B They were attended by the majority of UK
employees.
C They increased awareness of the Choices scheme.
5 PricewaterhouseCoopers encouraged participation by
A providing further details on its intranet site.
B sending detailed information to all employees. C telephoning all employees with
more information.
58
Carolyn Wilkinson said that the most popular benefit has been
recruitment?
A It has improved the response to advertised vacancies.
B It has helped the firm recruit the people it
wants.
C It has raised brand awareness among
graduates.
8
4 Work in pairs. Do you think flexible benefits are a good idea? Which benefits
would you choose and why?
59
Unit 4b
Staff appraisal
1 Work in pairs. What do you know about staff appraisals? What is their purpose?
2 Look at the list of reasons for appraising staff. Which do you think are the three
most important? Why?
to assess training and development needs
to help improve current performance
to review and evaluate past performance
to assess promotion prospects
to set performance objectives
to review pay
LISTENING
3 Five people talk about their appraisals. Listen and decide the main topic of each
extract.
1 ....
2 ....
3 ....
4 ....
5 ....
60
A current performance
B future targets
C job description
D past performance
E pay
F promotion prospects
G training
H working environment
SPEAKING
4 How can you best prepare for an appraisal? Work in pairs and discuss the
questions on this form. Choose either your current job or a job you are training to
do.
Job: ________________________
1 What are your main duties and responsibilities?
2 Are you satisfied with your performance in the last year? Why/why not?
Give examples.
3 What would you consider to be your most important achievements of the last year?
4 What parts of your job do you find to be the most difficult?
5 What parts of your job are the most/least interesting?
6 What could be done to improve your performance? What can you do? What can your
boss do?
7 What kind of work would you like to be doing in one/two/five years?
8 What kind of professional or personal development would benefit you in the next two
years?
61
Satisfactory
Excellent
N/A
improvement
A Time management
B Communication skills
D Administration work
E IT skills
F Meeting deadlines
G Creativity
H Problem-solving
I Decision-making
L Leadership skills
M Adaptability
6 Now take turns holding an interview. Ask your partner the questions from the
form and discuss his or her performance and career goals. Find out how your
partner plans to work on the areas where he or she needs improvement. Ask for
specific examples.
Monitoring performance
READING
1 Read the article about staff appraisals. Do you agree with the article? Can you
suggest any ways to change the system to make it more effective?
62
reached, the reality is that they are often nothing more than the pretext on which pay
rises are given, or not given. Pay is, of course, a subject that always leads to problems.
Given the problems associated with staff appraisals, why is it that, with no legal
requirement, companies continue to run them? The answer is simple: it is impossible to
manage something you know nothing about. As any HR Manager can tell you, the best way to
learn about someone is to talk to them. Effective people management relies on knowledge
and appraisals are still the best way to build up that bank of knowledge.
2 Read the article again and choose one letter for the correct answer.
1
You work in the HR department. Look at writing tips on page 85, then write a
SELF-STUDY
1 Read through the unit. Find more benefits.
holidays
power
2 pension
centre
3 base
costs
4 bargaining
leave
5 payroll
discount
6 annual
scheme
7 bulk
turnover
8 staff
pay
65
3 Complete each sentence with the correct form of the word in capital letters.
1 DIVERSE
The system recognises the _______________ of all our employees.
2
IMPLEMENT
APPLY
CHALLENGE
After the merger took place, we had to answer a lot of ___________________ questions
from employees.
5
OPTION
RECRUIT
SECURE
AWARE
66
67
6 You are a manager of an electrical goods wholesaler. Due to a computer error, you
have not paid an important supplier's invoice. Write an email of 40-50 words to the
supplier:
apologising for the mistake
explaining how it happened
saying when the invoice will be paid.
7 Choose the correct word to complete each sentence.
1 We feel it is important for management and employees to (exchange / change)
ideas.
2 Many employees see appraisals as a chance to (propose /air) grievances.
3 We managed to (achieve / meet) all our deadlines this year.
4 We (estimated / evaluated) last year's performance at my appraisal.
5 I complained about my workload, so we had a detailed look at my (description /
responsibilities).
6 We discussed my (progress / promotion) prospects.
7 Could you (update / remind) me on our performance so far this year?
8 We don't have a formal training (culture / policy).
8 Complete the appraisal questions with the correct form of the following words.
Then answer the questions about yourself.
frustrate develop success responsible good
1 What are the most important responsibilities in your job?
2 What has gone ___________ in your job over the past year?
3 What helps you do your job __________ ?
4 What causes you concern or ___________ ?
5 How would you like your job to _________ in the future?
Reading Test Part Two
Read the article below about corporate travel.
Choose the correct sentence from A-G to fill each gap.
68
airlines,
loyalty schemes such as airmiles are no longer a way of filling empty seats, but an
important source of revenue.
69
The schemes also provide airlines with useful information about their
customers. Airlines all have relationship marketing departments that use this
information to build detailed profiles of scheme members. This allows them to
approach the right person with the right product at the right time.
Example 0 - G
A
For frequent flyers this means more than just reduced levels of comfort.
As well as free flights, they provide access to airport lounges and priority on over-
booked flights.
D
This means air mileage addicts can shop around for the best deal and still add miles
to their accounts.
E
With communications systems cheaper and easier to use, many journeys are now
unnecessary.
F
Oneworld members, for example, are awarded points by partner airlines such as
cause.
70
Unit 5a
Marketing disasters
Look at the advertisement below. Discuss these features of the marketing mix:
Product, Place, Promotion and Price. How do each of these apply to the advert?
71
2 Look at the four stories on about marketing disasters. Which story does each piece
of marketing advice below refer to?
1 Don't change something which is already a proven success.
2 Don't spend more on the promotion than the product.
3 Don't let competitors dictate your strategy.
4 If things go wrong, change the name.
5 A marketing mistake can put a company out of business.
6 Doing things too quickly can produce disastrous results.
7 Work out the exact cost of a promotional gift.
A good idea a t the tim e ...
Some marketing ideas seem heaven sent. But what happens when they become promotions from hell?
Adrian Stoppard reports.
Every
strikes and the
advertising
'perfect'
examples show, it is easy to get carried away with the excitement and not think
things through carefully enough.
A Cleaned out
Hoover offered any customer who spent at least 100 on its products two
complimentary flights to Europe and the US. The offer attracted more than double the
anticipated applications, leading to the dismissal of three senior managers and a bill
for19m.
B Another one bytes the dust
A large computer hardware retailer positioned itself at the bottom end of the market
by undercutting all its competitors. To attract customers, it offered a 0% interest Buy Now,
Pay One Year Later deal. People did buy, but unfortunately, serious cash flow problems forced
the company into liquidation before customers repaid them.
C Washday blues
Lever Brothers rushed Persil Power onto the market to coincide with a rival
company's launch of its own new washing powder. Despite millions of pounds spent on
research, Persil Power was fatally flawed, having the unfortunate effect of damaging
clothes. It was quickly withdrawn and reformulated.
D The unreal thing
72
The best has been made even better,' said the CEO of Coca-Cola about its decision
to change the flavour of Coke for the first time in its 99-year history. However, of the 150
million people who tried the new Coke, nearly two-thirds preferred the original. The
company was forced to re-launch the old Coke as Coke Classic three months later.
SPEAKING
3 How could the companies have avoided these mistakes?
LISTENING
2 Three people talk about these failed promotions. Listen and decide which promotion
each person is talking about.
1
2
3
SPEAKING
3 Work in pairs. Your company is considering launching a new healthcare
product. They are interested in selling to both men and women and are looking
into marketing strategies to reach both groups.
You have been asked to come up with marketing ideas.
Discuss the situation together and decide:
where to advertise the product and what type of promotions to do
where to sell the product.
4 Work in pairs. Look at the promotions again. Which disaster would have
been the easiest/most difficult to avoid? Explain why.
5 Have you heard of any marketing disasters or failed products? What were
they? Which of the four Ps of marketing did the companies get wrong? What
should they have done?
74
Unit 5b
Going global
Degree of
Low
High
local adaptation
required
Low
Expected returns
High
3 The Marriott Corporation had been in the hotel business for about thirty years
when the management decided they needed to become an international company. It
was therefore necessary to decide on a strategy of globalisation. Put these Marriott
brands into the framework.
'Marriott' brand (full-service hotels)
'Courtyard' brand (mid-price hotels)
'Residence Inn' brand (long-term-stay hotels)
Marriott Senior Living Services (retirement communities)
4 Now read the case study and check your answers.
75
Marriott
CASE STUDY
As the company began its globalisation, it had to decide which product lines to start
with. Figure 1 represents a framework to identify those product lines suitable for
early globalisation. As indicated, each line of business in the company's portfolio
should be evaluated along two dimensions - potential pay-off (expected returns) and
potential risk (degree of local adaptation required).
The first dimension focuses on the potential profits of globalisation. In Marriott's
case, the two products with the highest margins were its full-service hotels (the 'Marriott'
brand) and long-term-stay hotels (the 'Residence Inn' brand). In a business such as the
Marriott hotels, where the principal customers are globetrotting corporate executives, a
worldwide presence can create significant value because the company can use a centralised
reservations system and develop globally standardised services which assure customers of
high quality.
The second dimension refers to the level of adaptation required to enter foreign
markets. Since any new development involves risk, the greater the degree of local
adaptation required, the greater the risk of failure. For the Marriott Corporation, both its
'Marriott' and 'Courtyard' brands could successfully offer globally standardised services,
whereas the retirement communities and the long-term-stay hotels would require far more local
adaptation.
Thus, full-service hotels offered both a greater pay-off and less risk and seemed to be the
best candidate for globalisation. However, since Marriott began to expand internationally, the
'Courtyard' brand has become more popular in the international market. It proved to be an
extremely adaptable brand and the management team quickly realised that offering ergonomic
work space, Internet access, business libraries and 24-hour food service would attract
business travellers around the globe. The marketing strategy of billing it as 'The business
hotel designed by business travellers, for business travellers' has certainly paid off. The cost
of staying at a Courtyard is lower than the up-scale Marriott hotels, but being a high volume
product has greatly improved the returns on the brand.
76
SPEAKING
5 Work in pairs. Discuss the following questions.
1 How can a worldwide presence add value to a company?
2 What are the risks involved in adapting a product for a foreign market?
3 What needs to be taken into account when adapting a brand to an international
market?
Entering the market
LISTENING
1 Donald Fraser, a consultant at Kennedy, McLeish & Partners (KMP), talks about
advising companies on exporting. Listen and choose one letter for the correct answer.
1 Companies approach KMP for advice on choosing
A the right products to export.
B the most suitable foreign market.
C the best way of entering a market.
2 The safest method for a company to enter a foreign market is
A having an agreement with a local company.
B setting up its own local production.
C finding a joint venture partner.
3 What is the main advantage of joint ventures?
A They are the cheapest way of entering a market.
B They are a risk-free way of doing business.
C They provide important market knowledge.
4 The danger with a joint venture is that one company might
A refuse to share know-how with the other partner.
B use the arrangement as the basis for a takeover.
C exploit and then leave the other partner.
5 A subsidiary is the best way of entering a market when
A high sales volumes are expected.
77
78
SELF-STUDY
1 Read through the unit and find more words and phrases connected with promotion.
to offer a prize
to attract customers/interest
2 Complete the sentences with market or marketing.
1 The company positioned itself at the bottom end of the _______________
2 A __________________ failure can put a company out of business.
3 He's the manager of the ________________ Department.
4 A rival company stole their ____________ share.
5. They rushed their new product onto the ________________ before they had fully
tested it.
3 Match the words
1 boost
a product
2 undercut
sales
3 attract
competitors
4 withdraw
market share
5 run
customers
6 avoid
a competition
7 win
mistakes
payknowjoint
take
decisionteam-
over
off
building
venture
how
making
5 Match the words to make compound adjectives. Then think of a noun to go after
each adjective.
1
2
3
4
5
6
midlongworld
whollyriskhigh
wide
price
free
volume
term
owned
6 Rewrite each of the sentences without changing its meaning. Use a form of the
word in italics.
1 They decided on a global approach to operations. They decided to globalise
operations.
2 We acquired a company last year.
We _______________ last year.
3 We expanded into international markets successfully.
The global _________________ was a success.
80
Test
Questions 1-12
You will hear three telephone conversations.
Write one or two words or a number in the numbered spaces on the forms below.
You will hear each conversation twice.
Conversation One (Questions 1-4)
Look at the form below.
You will hear a woman placing an order for office supplies.
81
Order Reference
XR 4930
Date Received
15/10/2O11
Customer Name
Lacey Graphics
Delivery Address
(1)
Hailsham
Industrial
Estate
Hailsham
For the attention of:
(2)
Order Details
Delivery Date
(4)
Payment Method
Invoice
Don't forget
82
18
19
20
21
22
A make an enquiry
B offer help
C cancel an appointment
D accept an invitation
E refuse an offer
F confirm information
G make a complaint
H change an order
Listening Test Part Three
Questions 23-30
You will hear a radio interview about supermarkets choosing to go green.
For each question, 23-30, choose one letter A, B or C for the correct answer.
You will hear the interview twice.
23
A is not planning to change the way they look at their carbon footprint.
B
plans to equalise the carbon they use in production with the amount of carbon they
consume.
C has already begun to plant trees and grow produce.
25
86
Supplementary Exercises
Business and the environment
Getting started
1 Work in pairs. Make a list of six things offices can do to be more environmentally
friendly, e.g. use less heating / air conditioning.
2 Work with another pair and compare your lists.
Which are the best ideas?
Which of these things does your company or
school do?
The green office
READING
1 Work in pairs. You are going to read an article about making offices more
environmentally friendly. Before you read, decide whether you think these
statements are true (T) or false (F), and give reasons for your opinions.
a Environmentally friendly offices have higher costs.
b It's hard to make an office environmentally friendly.
c Environmentally friendly offices are more efficient places to work.
2 Now read the article quite quickly, ignoring the gaps. Which of the statements in
Exercise 1 does the passage suggest are true, and which are false?
Making the office greener
Due to climate change, few business people can fail to realise the importance of the
environmental issues that now affect all parts of our day-to-day lives. All businesses, no
matter what size, can help to save resources, 1 G In practice, it only takes a few steps to
87
achieve considerable environmental savings, and these need not impact upon the
effectiveness of the business.
If you take a look a round your workplace, you are bound to have any number of
computers and other equipment in use. Of course, computer equipment consumes
electricity. Most people will start up their computer in the morning and only switch it off at
night, leaving it on all day, often wasting power. 2 Yes, it may take a while for the PC to
boot up in the morning, but think of the energy saved.
Modern operating systems have a feature so that if a PC is left idle for a pre
determined time, it will automatically enter standby mode, switching off the monitor and
hard disk, effectively sending the PC to sleep. 3 The benefit of using standby mode is that
the PC will restart a lot quicker than from 'cold', but remember it will still be consuming
some power.
Twenty years ago, computer vendors were foretelling the death of the printer as we
entered the age of the paperless office. 4 Accepting that printers will be with us for the
foreseeable future, there are some steps we can take to reduce the cost of printing.
Recycling printer cartridges is an obvious measure, as is using recycled paper or
maybe a paper of less thickness or weight. Double-sided printing is also a great way of saving
money, as is encouraging printing only when it is absolutely necessary. 5 If it is blank
on one side and not confidential in nature, then use the blank side as note paper, so at least
you are maximising the use of the paper.
Most computers are under-utilised. 6 Unfortunately, the energy a computer
consumes is pretty much the same if it is busy or quiet, due to the fact that it still needs
cooling and the monitor still needs powering. To deal with this issue, many companies are
changing their working methods and asking staff to share computers, so that fewer
computers are used. This saves money, space and energy.
3 Read the article again and note the subject of each paragraph in a few words.
Example: 1 All businesses can save resources.
4 Six sentences have been removed from the article. Read these sentences and
underline the words and phrases which refer to something in the article.
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A Their hard disks are often half empty, and their central processor is only active for
a small fraction of the working day.
B Once you have finished with the documents, recycle the paper appropriately.
C A few minutes taken to set this up on each PC can start to save money from day
one.
D Get staff involved in these measures, perhaps by holding a short brainstorming
session one morning.
E Clearly this is not the case, as we simple humans are often better at interpreting
data from a piece of paper than we are on a screen.
F An obvious solution would be to power it down when you go out for lunch and
certainly when you leave the office at night.
G In addition, by reducing waste, a business can save money and establish itself as a
socially responsible employer.
5 Now choose the best sentence (A-G) above to fill each of the gaps. Do not use any
letter more than once. There is one sentence you will not need.
Vocabulary
Quickly find these words and phrases (1-8) in the article. Then match them with their
definitions from Cambridge dictionaries (a-h).
1
issues
impact upon
idle
foretelling
foreseeable
confidential
maximising
appropriateley
Reducing waste
Vocabulary
1 Business English students often confuse method and way. Complete these extracts
with the correct form of method or way.
1 Double-sided printing is also a great of saving money.
2 Many companies are changing their working and asking
staff to share computers.
2 Read these explanations. Then complete the sentences below with way or method.
way or method?
You can pay in a number of ways. What's the best way to pay? What's the best
way of paying?
to get
to the top.
3 Many people find that reading on-screen is not the easiest to
read documents.
4 The course teaches the most effective and reliable of
staff appraisal.
5 The quickest to send us the translation would be by email.
6 We have advertised job vacancies many times and as a of
recruitment, it has proved to be effective.
7 We were not impressed by the t he company treats its
employees.
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WRITING
1 Read this memo and choose the best options in italics.
MEMO
Dear colleagues
1 Because of / Due rising fuel bills, we need to reduce the 2 volume / amount of electricity
we use in this office. I'd be 3 grateful/pleased for any ideas you have on the best 4
methods / ways to do this. I'll 5 give / provide a box of chocolates for the best idea
Isabel Mengual
Office Manager
2 Work in pairs. Do you think reducing electricity consumption is a good way to
reduce costs? Why? / Why not?
3 Work in pairs. Imagine you are administrative assistants in a large international
company. Your manager has complained about the amount of waste in the office. She
has asked you to email your colleagues in the office to:
explain why it is necessary to reduce waste
ask them to suggest how to reduce waste
offer a prize for the best suggestion.
Discuss what you can say for each of the points above.
4 Work alone. Write the email in about 40-50 words. When you have finished,
compare your email with your partner's.
5 Exchange your email with a different partner and write a brief reply to the email
you have received.
Suggest how waste can be reduced.
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Exercise 1.
3 Listen again and choose the correct answer - A, B or C - for each question.
1
According to Harriet, how can large companies make their environmental policy
more effective?
A by making employees aware of it
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B by recycling paper
C by making one person responsible for it
4
Which of these reasons does Harriet mention for more people working from home
in the future?
A Employees will be more productive working at home.
B Employees would prefer to spend more time with their families.
C Companies will look for ways to reduce their costs.
6
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Business English students often confuse travel, journey and trip. Read this extract
from the CALD and write the correct word (travel, journey or trip) in the examples (1-3)
below.
The noun travel [U] is a general word which means 'the activity of travelling'. Use journey [C] to talk about
when you travel from one place to another. A trip [C] is a journey in which you visit a place for a short
time and come back again.
95
travel, and you have been invited to a meeting about it. Discuss this question and
make some notes on your ideas.
What is important when deciding whether to travel on business or stay in the
office? Think about: meeting clients, expanding your business, meeting colleagues
from different offices, etc.
LISTENING
2 Listen to Dimitri, a sales manager, talking about business travel.
1 What does he say about each of the points in Exercise 1?
2 Complete each of these phrases, which Dimitri uses to organise his information,
with one word.
a First, and by far the most ________________ is
b Secondly, and also ________________
c
3
What is important when choosing a hotel to stay at? Think about location, facilities,
etc.
What is important when preparing for a trip abroad? Think about local customs,
local working hours, etc.
What is important when choosing an airline to fly with? Think about prices,
schedules, etc.
5 Change partners and take turns to give your presentations. You should each
speak for about one minute. When you have finished, your partner should:
say if there is anything they disagree with, and why
ask you a question about what they have heard.
Arranging to travel
WRITING
1 You work in the sales department of an international company. Complete this
email you received from your team leader, Dimitri, by writing one word in each gap.
Hi Magda,
I'm sorry to give you such short notice, but I'd like you to go to the Mobile World
Congress in Barcelona
1 . the end of this month. We really need to meet manufacturers 2
. would be interested 3 . using our new mobile software.
You could stay 4 . the Flotel Palace 5 . you're there.
Thanks Dimitri
2 Read Dimitri's email again. What words does he use to:
1 apologise? 2 instruct?
3 suggest?
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to
meet
their guests' demands and create loyalty programmes which will retain interest and bring
repeat visits.
For many years, search engines were the main 7 . of finding hotels and
conference venues, but things are changing with the emergence of social networks. Using
hotel-review websites like TripAdvisor, people can now select a hotel 8 . on
previous guests' comments. With Facebook, they can find reviews on their Friend list.
Another new service called Room77 goes even further by 9 . users submit reviews
of individual rooms in hotels. With the 10 . of such services, selecting a hotel and
even a specific room is getting easier for the traveller.
The 11 .
consumers' behaviour. Travellers are booking hotels on tablets and other mobile devices
while they are in 12
still
on
media
and
mobile
Mobile
the
road.
With
technology,
fast-changing
travellers'
behaviour
social
will
continue to 15 .
1
2
3
B
B
B
A
A
A
attracting
providing
allowance
appealing
asking
budget
C
C
C
bringing
offering
finance
D
D
D
catching
suggesting
resource
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4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
entry
worth
effort
possibility
depending
helping
implementation
facility
transfer
possibility
check
develop
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
approach
value
work
chance
based
assisting
extension
readiness
transport
occasion
control
adjust
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
reach
benefit
force
manner
focused
aiding
progress
ease
translation
opportunity
supervise
evolve
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
D
access
profit
trouble
way
arising
supporting
growth
usefulness
transit
chance
oversee
advance
SPEAKING
Work in small groups. Discuss these questions.
1 Do social media and internet reviews affect the decisions you make and I he way you
spend money? How?
2 What things do you use mobile communication technology to do? Does it affect the
way you travel?
Conference problems
LISTENING
1 Work in pairs. Read this list of things (A-l) which could go wrong at a conference and
discuss what the problem could be in each case.
A
the access
the accommodation
the programme
the dates
the staff
the technology
the location
2 You are going to hear five colleagues in a meeting complaining about things
which went wrong in different conferences they attended. Listen and choose the
problem from Exercise 1 (A-l) that each speaker is complaining about.
1 Candice 2 Igor 3 Paula 4 Harry 5 Susan
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101
Business conferences
Getting started
Work in small groups.
1 Why do business people go to conferences?
2 What aspects of conferences does each of the photos show?
Arranging conference facilities
LISTENING
I
You are going to hear two telephone conversations with Sally McBride, who is
organising a conference for the South Pacific Tourism Organisation. Before you listen,
read Sally's notes carefully. What type of information do you need for each gap?
Conversation 1
South Pacific Tourism Organisation Annual Conference.
Number of delegates: 550 plus 1 (numbers to be emailed)
Also: eight 2 ...
3 . : traditional dance
Gala dinner with fireworks - Air New Zealand's 4 .. on programme.
Conversation 2
South Pacific Tourism Organisation Annual Conference
Equipment available:
In main conference room: screen, projector and 5 .............................
Guest speakers should, bring 6 ..
Meeting rooms: screens and projectors; sound equipment available 7
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2 Listen to the two conversations and v/rite one or two words in each of the gaps in
Exercise 1.
3 Work in pairs. Read this message which Sally wrote to her assistant. What
instructions does Sally give, and what reasons does she give for them?
Sofia,
I'm afraid I've had to go to an urgent meeting with a client, so can you phone the National Auditorium for
me and tell them we need a cinema projector to show the new promotional film? Tell them it needs to
be in the main auditorium as part of the opening session.
Thanks, S
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Work in pairs. You are going to read some advice about going to business
conferences. Before you read, look at these statements. Which do you think are the
best three pieces of advice? Why?
1 You needn't attend each session.
2 Be flexible about how you use conferences.
3 Get one useful idea from each session.
4 Highlight the points you want to act on later.
5 Organise meetings before you arrive.
6 Think how the things you hear relate to your work.
7 Try to meet people who are valued by your colleagues.
2 Read sections A-D quite quickly. What is the main idea of each section?
A I realised that I had never read my notes from the last conference. However, the Action
Steps that I had come up with during the conference had fortunately been noted separately
and dealt with after the conference. I had recorded these Action Steps with a star next to
each, making it easier to distinguish them from other notes. There were people I planned to
follow up with and a few ideas for improving one of our products.
B
Every presenter at a conference has his or her own style. Some people tell a story,
sometimes there is a video or set of images, and sometimes there is a full slide presentation.
Given our short memories and the great amount of stimuli, it is important to distil each
presentation down to a central point. After each presentation, ask yourself what struck you,
what did you learn? Perhaps there was a specific tip that you could adapt when you get
back to your office - or some piece of counter-intuitive advice that is worth additional
consideration upon your return to real life.
C
How should you spend your time at a conference? Should you cut off a great
conversation with a fellow attendee to make the next session? Don't assume that you
104
should go to every event. The greatest benefits of a conference are often circumstantial,
outside the organised events - a chance conversation in the coffee line could make all the
difference. A great conference is especially fertile ground for collaboration. So don't feel
pressured by the structure.
D Conferences are more than just the programming, they are an assembly of like-minded
people. How often do you get uninterrupted time to discuss matters of interest with
industry peers from around the world? Many frequent conference-goers claim that their
greatest conference experiences happened during the 'downtime'. Don't leave these benefits
up to chance. Reach out to your contacts in advance and suggest grabbing an early
breakfast together, lunch or dinner during the conference. Encourage each person to invite
one or two people that they deeply respect, thus broadening the potential of the meeting.
adapted from 5 Tips for Making the Most of a Conference by Scott Belsky
3 Which section (A, B, C or D) does each statement from Exercise 1 (1-7) refer to?
4 Work in pairs.
1 What other advice would you give to people attending a conference?
2 Which conference activities do you / would you enjoy most: the sessions, the
networking, or the meals and entertainment? Why?
SPEAKING
Work in pairs. This year, your company has decided to send a small number of staff to
an international conference for your industry being held in Guangzhou, China. You
have been asked to make recommendations.
Discuss the situation and decide:
1 how staff should be selected to go to this conference
2 what sort of follow-up there should be when the staff return.
105
Networking at a conference
LISTENING
1 Match each of the phrases (1-8) with one of the functions (a-h).
1 He's a great manager, isn't he? Really gets things moving.
2 How about having lunch together the next time you're in Zurich?
3 I thought it was very persuasive. I wish we'd had the same idea ourselves.
4 It's unfortunate. You see, what happened was this ...
5 Look, if you like, I could drop her an email and ...
6 No, we'd be really happy if you people did it for us. Would it interest you?
7 Great to meet you at last. I've heard about you from various friends, so this really is
a stroke of luck.
8 You know, if I were you I'd try B&H. They're really the best people for this sort of
thing.
a
Arranging to meet
Congratulating someone
Explaining a problem
Offering a contract
Recommending an organisation
Greeting someone
You are going to hear five short conversations in which people are networking
during a break at a conference. Listen and, for each conversation, decide what the
main speaker is doing. Choose from the options (a-h) in Exercise 1. (Note: the
speakers will not use exactly the same phrases as those in Exercise 1.)
106
Conversation 1:
Conversation 2:
Conversation 3:
Conversation 4:
Conversation 5:
Role-play
Work in pairs. You are at a conference. You have never met before, but you have a
mutual business friend, Patrick Wu. Before you start speaking, study your role and
think about some of the things you can say.
Student A
Introduce yourself.
Say how you know Patrick Wu (you used to work together).
Ask Student B how he/she knows Patrick.
Tell Student B you are interested in talking to someone who can find places for your
company to advertise on the Internet.
Respond to Student B's suggestions.
Student B
When Student A introduces him/herself, say you've heard about him/her from Patrick
Wu.
Say how you know Patrick Wu (one of your best customers).
Ask if Student A is enjoying the conference.
You have a lot of contacts in the advertising industry, and one of your specialities is
web-based advertising.
Suggest a meeting somewhere else at another time to organise the advertising.
A destination management company (DMC)
LISTENING
107
1 Work in pairs. You are going to hear Charlotte Weston talking about the
company she works for, Pacific World. Before you listen, discuss this question.
What are the advantages for an organisation of employing a specialist company to
organise their travel for them?
2 Listen and choose the correct answer - A, B or C - for each question.
1 What does Pacific World do?
A It sells package holidays.
B It organises journeys to specific destinations.
C It prepares the trip at the destination.
2 Event-management agencies use DMCs because they
A employ more creative staff.
B know the area better.
C can reduce costs.
3 Who are typical clients for Pacific World?
A marketing agencies
B pharmaceutical companies
C IT companies
4 Why are DMCs essential for organising conferences in China?
A They can handle phone calls and correspondence.
B They know how to do business there.
C They speak Chinese.
5 Why is Shanghai a good place to hold a large conference?
A It is more fashionable than Hong Kong.
B It offers competitive rates.
C It has suitable venues.
6 The finance company has chosen Shanghai for their conference in order to
A motivate their staff.
B develop their business in China.
C teach staff about Chinese finance.
108
SPEAKING
1 Work in pairs. Discuss these questions.
1
hotels
accessibility, etc.
Which places in the world would you most like to go to for a conference?
2 Work in small groups. Your company has decided to hold a two-day conference for
people from your company, and you have been asked to help plan it. Discuss the
situation together and decide:
what kinds of activities should be organised for the main part of the conference
what entertainment could also be provided
where the conference should be held.
109
Promoting AXE
READING
1
Work in pairs. You are going to read an article about Unilever's promotion of
their AXE deodorant spray in the USA. Before you read, discuss these questions.
1 How are deodorants and toiletries promoted in your country?
2 Which promotional activities do you think would be suitable for promoting a
deodorant spray? Why?
2
Read the article quickly to find out which promotional activities were used.
Unilever
A large multinational company based in Britain and Holland which produces foods, cleaning products and toiletries
young women
young men
by answering an advertisement
by participating in a game
113
the free CD
There was an increase in the percentage of young men who knew about AXE.
Vocabulary
Match these words and phrases from the text (1-6) with their definitions (a-f).
1 launch (line 1)
2 ploys (line 10)
3 hyped (line 15)
4 hits (line 35)
5 brand awareness (line 52)
6 market share (line 54)
a
publicised strongly
tactics/tricks
114
1 Work in pairs. You are going to hear Christina Bunt talking about Tesco's own
brands. An 'own brand' is a product which a supermarket sells with its own name
on it, e.g. Tesco washing powder or Tesco coffee. Before you listen, discuss why
supermarkets have own brands.
2 Listen and choose the best answer-A, B or C - for each question.
1
to increase sales
to reduce costs
What is the main reason for supermarkets having own brands nowadays:'
Tesco can sell its value brands more cheaply than other brands because ...
Work in small groups. You are going to read extracts from an article about
Levi's marketing strategy in India and China. Before you read, look at the company
background box and discuss this question.
How do you think the Indian and Chinese markets are different from Levi's traditional
markets?
Levi's
Levi Strauss (Levi's) is a clothing manufacturer established in 1873 and based in San Francisco, California.
Known particularly for their denim jeans, their traditional markets have been North America and Europe.
115
2 Look at these descriptions (1-8) and the paragraphs (A-D) in the article. Which
paragraph does each description refer to?
1 a market which can't be ignored D
2 a marketing strategy which attracted negative comments
3 a new location for bringing a new product to market
4 a product which can now be worn in the office
5 a strategy to keep customers loyal
6 advertising that suggested that people should change their behaviour
7 employing people to express their emotions about the product
8 following their competitors' example
A When Diesel launched its 'Be Stupid' campaign to encourage consumers to take
risks and move beyond the smart and sensible life, the viral video got everyone's
attention. Word got around, and the video stacked up to 700,000 views on YouTube,
even though it was criticised widely in the media. 'Going viral' is the new watchword
for clothing brands. Most, if not all, have gone digital, and Levi's now seems to be
doing the same.
B At the launch of Denizen, its low-cost brand, in India, Levi's has brought in what
they call the 'Denizen 8', a team consisting of a software developer, a media planner, a
property consultant, an app developer, a writer and a student, all aged between 18 and
28. 'We're getting eight denim lovers from all over the country to become our brand
ambassadors,' says Sanjay Purohit, MD, Levi Strauss India. Eight might not seem to be
a very large number in a country of millions, but this team aren't just ordinary brand
ambassadors. The brand has them activated on the social media space. They blog
about the brand and how the brand makes them feel.
C The launch of Denizen in China last month was the first time that Levi's has moved
outside the United States for the global launch of a brand. Levi's has been known for its
strength in the premium and super-premium denim price segments and is now keen on
expanding the price ladder lower to prevent consumers from crossing over to
competitors. Through Denizen, the company seeks to attract the 18-28 age group with
affordable pricing. 'We are targeting consumers who are just out of college or have
116
taken on their first jobs and want a brand that could fit into their lifestyle and budget
needs. It made more sense to launch Denizen in emerging markets, particularly in Asia
first,' said Tod Gimbel.
D Denizen is the first clothing brand to have been built for the digital medium, as
most of its target group uses social media, Internet and mobile. India, being among the
three largest markets for Levi's in Asia, is also a market where denim is the fastestgrowing clothing category, producing 35 to 40 million pairs a year. With work
environments becoming more casual, for the younger generation, denim is the clothing
of choice. These consumers are typically young, middle-class, probably the first
generation to be university educated and the first to work in a foreign multinational.
adapted from The Economic Times
SPEAKING
Work in pairs. Prepare a short talk about a clothing brand you are both
familiar with. Take notes while you discuss these questions. When you are ready,
change partners and take turns to give your talks.
What image does it have?
How do you feel about the brand?
How is it marketed?
Launching a product
Getting started
Work in pairs. Talk about two or three new products that have appeared on the market in
the last ten years. Discuss:
how you first heard about them
if you think they are useful or desirable (if you would like to have them)
where you can buy them
117
READING
1 Read the article about Amanda Hamilton quite quickly and answer these
questions.
1 When did she realise there was a larger market for her product?
2 In what way(s) was her deal with Tesco remarkable?
2 Work in pairs. Six sentences have been removed from the article.
1 Underline words or phrases in the sentences (A-G) winch refer to something in
the article.
2 Discuss what the words/phrases might refer to.
A He liked it and came back, saying Tesco wanted to put it into 230 of its UK stores.
'He is someone mentioned in the text and 'it' may be chai.
B However, getting a good cup of tea for the journey was a real struggle.
C I started importing it, but it cost me an absolute fortune, so I worked on a range of
different recipes for my own chai and did some testing.
D But the major problem was raising finance and setting up a production facility.
E It really transformed the business.
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F Since then, Drink Me Chai has been taken up by Waitrose, another supermarket
chain.
G As a result, her chai latte product, and her company Drink Me Chai, had instant
access to retail customers across the UK.
3 Choose the best sentence (A-G) to fill each gap. There is one sentence that you will not
need.
The Drink Me Chai success story
For businesses that are starting out, it can take years to achieve a national
distribution deal, and many never do. Amanda Hamilton however, managed to get her
ready-to-drink tea into 230 Tesco stores before she had even settled on branding and
packaging for the product. 1 G
Like many business ideas, Hamilton's came out of a personal need. She started
by working firstly in advertising and then for the BBC, commuting by train into London.
2 . Eventually, with the help of the Prince's Youth Business Trust and a Business 2000
loan, she raised funds to open tea bars at railway stations offering a range of gourmet
teas to travellers. Tea was regarded as downmarket, but the tea bars were really trendy
mobile bars, offering lots of tastes and flavours.
It was en a visit to the US that Hamilton discovered that chai latte, a tea made
from a powdered mix of tea and spices, milk and sugar, was the fastest-growing drink
in the US. ' 3 Customers kept saying they preferred my version, so I stopped
importing US chai and sold my chai through the tea bars.'
Hamilton's customers also started to say that they would like to drink tha
product at home, which gave her the idea of sending a sample to a Tesco buyer. 'I had no
branding and no packaging, but I managed to get through and spoke to the buyer,' she
says. '4 It was a massive deal for me, but at that stage I could not afford my own
factory, so I had to source a co-packing facility to mix it and pack it for me.'
The drink was launched by a new company under the same name and produced
in spiced chai and vanilla chai flavours. 5 Tesco has recently launched Spiced Chai
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Light, which comes in individually wrapped 20g sachets, and Drink Me Chai is also on
sale in Gaffe Nero coffee bars, taking the brand into the catering market and bringing
Hamilton's success story full circle.
Hamilton's aim is for Drink Me Chai to be the number-one instant chai latte
brand in the UK and Europe in both the catering and retail markets. She still regards the
Tesco deal as the one that started everything, however. '6 It's highly unusual for a
national supermarket chain to take a product without any packaging or branding, she
says. The taste was so good that we managed to get a deal without those things.
adapted from the Daily Telegraph
121
Listen to Amanda Hamilton talking about how she has marketed chai. Make
122
123
Useful Language
124
6
6-8
10-12
14-17
18-22
24
28-31
the 4 bullet points giving details of what you are required to cover.
Nowadays the active form (I have asked, I led) is often used, particularly in
reports written for known readers.
The 3 main elements of the method (questionnaire, focus group and records) are
referred to later
Several phrases are used to show knowledge of standard vocabulary concerned
with this topic.
Note the use of a complex sentence to relate two points.
This paragraph goes into some detail about the poor management mentioned in
16.
Shows the writer has weighed up both the pros and cons of what they are going
to propose.
Bullet points are used to draw attention to each recommendation.
Note the use of headings to structure the report. They reflect the four bullet points listing
what should be included, and so Symptoms and Possible causes are more appropriate than
Findings.
Note that the writers personal opinion is expressed only in the Recommendations
section.
The Managing Director of your organization is concerned about the poor level of
staff motivation and has asked you to write a report on the situation.
Write your report for the Managing Director.
outlining how you carried out your research
describing the symptoms of the poor motivation
suggesting possible causes
proposing how to improve the level of motivation.
Write 200-250 words.
126
1
2
3
4
To
From
Date
Subject
5
6
7
8
Method
I have asked all staff to fill a questionnaire, and 45 per cent of them did so. I
Led a focus group discussion with six of those who returned the questionnaire.
And examined staff absence records.
9
10
11
12
Symptoms
The main symptoms of poor motivation that I found are rising rates of
Absenteeism and stuff turnover; poor timekeeping and the loss of several longTerm customers
13
14
15
16
17
Possible causes
Although in the questionnaire most people identified the level of pay and
Benefits as their main area of dissatisfaction, the in-depth focus group
Discussion concluded that this is less important than poor management and the
blame culture
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
Recommendations
Despite the difficulty of radically changing management style, this is the most
Pressing requirement if the loss of customers is to be stemmed. Other changes
Are also required, to give staff greater ownership of their work. I therefore
Recommend:
Managers should attend training by an external body, such as a consultancy
Team work should be introduced wherever possible, to give staff at all
levels
Greater responsibility for organizing their work and checking its quality.
Increased opportunities for training and job rotation should be created.
30
31
Shelley Howells
Jerry Handley
3 October
Staff motivation
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Assessment Reports
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129
130
131
Informative Reports
132
133
A Survey Report
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135
136
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Proposal Reports
21
25-27
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Too many customers purchase from your company once only, and the Sales
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1.
2.
3.
4.
To:
From:
Date:
Subject
5.
6.
7.
8.
Background
The proposition of customers placing repeat orders has halved in the last two
years to 12 per cent. One possible cause is the reduction in our sales
personnel through natural wastage.
9.
10.
Proposals
I suggest two ways of improving the customer retention rate.
11.
12.
One is to recruit three new sales people, to return to the full complement that
we had until two years ago. This would relieve the pressure on all sales staff
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
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20.
Implementation
The recruitment of new staff should be given top priority, as the process is
likely to take two or three months. Advertising the vacancies in local
newspapers is probably the most effective way of reaching potential applicants.
since the positions are unlikely to attract people living outside this area.
21.
22.
23.
As regards the discount scheme, perhaps a small group comprising staff from
Finance, Production and Sales could work out a viable scheme, which would
be attractive to customers but still give adequate profit margins.
24.
25.
26.
27.
Possible drawback
Clearly both schemes, particularly the recruitment of new staff, would entail
considerable costs. However, increasing the level of repeat orders would lead
to savings on advertising, and in the long run should improve profits.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Ian Wood, Paul Sanderson, Anne Williams, Marjorie Rosenberg: PASS CAMBRIDGE
BEC VANTAGE, Second Edition, Students Book, National Geographic Learning, 2013.
Guy Brook-Hart: Business BENCHMARK, Upper-Intermediate, Students Book, 2nd
Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Virginia Evans: Successful Writing - Proficiency. Berkshire: Express Publishing, 1999
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