Business

English








Unofficial syllabus composed from different sources
Without the permission of the authors
Only for the use of non-commercial educational purposes

Willem Kuypers
MASI 2012-2013

The Importance of English in the World of International Business

English is now a global language that belongs to all those who speak it.
(Nigel Newton, publisher)

It is technology that allows people to travel further and faster than ever before. It is
the Internet that links people regardless of their nationalities and the countries they live in.
And technology is also the reason why many business people are active globally and why
more entrepreneurs are on the move than ever before. In this world full of state-of-the-art
technology, English serves as an underlying common element in various situations, giving
particularly entrepreneurs and small companies a better chance on the market and an
important comparative advantage over those who lack the ability to communicate in this
language.
There is no doubt that professional knowledge and experience is essential for
entrepreneurs and managers. But reaching and staying at the top requires more than just
being knowledgeable and experienced. One of the reasons why some entrepreneurs are
very successful while others fail to succeed may lie in the ability to communicate knowledge
in English. Of course, entrepreneurs and companies can hire interpreters who are both fluent
and skilled. However, entrepreneurs cannot expect that people, who are not really drawn in
into a companys affairs, will set up relationships in the way loyal and dedicated employees
of the company can. The solution to this problem lies in the constant learning and studying of
English and other foreign languages. But first of all, it is vital that employers realize the
importance of learning (Business) English in the workplace. Over the years, research and
needs analyses have produced a wide range of the language-based tasks an employee
should be able to tackle in order to deal with the exigencies of the situations which may arise
at the workplace. These are the ability to:

communicate appropriately with superiors, colleagues and subordinates, and

to representatives of other companies from abroad,

assist an English-speaking (native or non-native) person,

participate in the social life of the company (e.g. sports and social clubs, etc.)
when visiting business partners abroad.

Finally, we should be aware of the fact that a quarter of the worlds population, i.e. 1.2
to 1.5 billion people, can speak English. Moreover, English has become the lingua franca of
international business. These and many other factors make learning English interesting and
necessary for all those who might be using it when they enter the fascinating world of
business.

EXERCISE 1
Match the following words to their synonyms.
1 regardless
A common language
2 state-of-the-art
B businessman
3 essential
C demand
4 entrepreneur
D latest, most modern
5 exigency
E deal with
6 enterprise
F irrespective
7 lingua franca
G a company, a business
8 tackle
H vital

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

EXERCISE 2
Decide whether statements 1-5 are true (T) or false (F).
1 English belongs among those languages that are commonly used in business.
2

The disadvantage of hiring translators lies in the fact, that they are not loyal and
committed enough.

Knowledge and experience are the two components of reaching and staying at
the top.

The lack of the ability to communicate in English has been the comparative
advantage for many.

Technical development is the reason why doing business is not only confined to
local endeavor any more.

EXERCISE 3
Combine the following words to form word-partnerships.
1 business
A business
2 state-of-the-art
B franca
3 communicate
C relationships
4 establish
D people
5 lingua
E technology
6 comparative
F speakers
7 international
G knowledge
8 native
H advantage

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Grammar: Present Simple versus Present Continuous

Exercise 1
Put the words in the brackets into present simple or present continuous
We set up the company in 2002 with a grant from the local government. We a) __________________
(provide) IT backup and support for a number of small and medium-sized businesses in the area. We
also b) ___________________ (design) web sites for local companies, and we c) _________________
(look) after them by doing regular maintenance, an so on. When we d) ___________________ (get) a
new customer, we always e) ___________________ (spend) a long time talking to them to find out
their needs. At the moment we f) ___________________ (set up) a website for a large local travel

agency, and in fact our chief programmer is in charge of that project. She g) ___________________
(have) discussions with them to find out what sort of features they h) ___________________
(require).
Exercise 2
Choose words to go into the gaps and put them into present simple or present continuous:
go
interview
vary

try
begin
depend

seem
think
lead

enjoy
sound
start

work
appy
put

1. He joined the company 25 years ago and he still __________________ for us.
2. We have got a competition on at work to find a name for our new range of cosmetics. The
marketing people __________________ to find a brand name that __________________ natural
and sophisticated.
3. The stock market is risky because the price of shares __________________ according to
economic conditions.
4. Normally political parties __________________ a period of great popularity in their early years,
then they __________________ through a period of stability and __________________ their
ideas into practice.
5. Now it __________________ that the present government __________________ to run into
difficulties, and people __________________ to criticize the Prime Minister.
6. We __________________ people from outside the company for the new post in the export
department, but I __________________ we ought to give the job to Mr. White.
7. Go down this road, turn right, and the road __________________straight to the industrial estate.
8. I __________________ for a transfer to our London office, but I dont know if Ill be successful.
It all __________________ on whether or not they have any vacancies.

Exercise 3
Complete this newspaper article about the Brazilian company Gerdau by using the words from
the list below. Each set of words fills two spaces:
is becoming / companies
is approaching / market share
is beginning / expectations

is making / flexible
is getting / right
is modernizing /law

is attracting / attention
is raising / plants

Geardau: a Brazilian success story

Gerdau, the Brazilian steel maker, (1a) _________________________ one of Latin Americas most
successful (1b) ______________________. It (2a) _____________________ productivity in its (2b)

_________________________; it (3a) _________________________ the price and timing of its

takeovers of smaller companies (3b)________________________; and, most important, it (4a)
_________________________ to understand investors (4b) _________________________. Investors
want a firm thats focused and transparent, with a simple share structure, and thats exactly what
Gerdau gives them.
The only problem in the short term is a problem of sucess. Gerdau (5a) _________________________
a 50% (5b) _________________________ in its domestic market, and so it (6a)
_________________________ the (6b) _________________________ of Cade, the monopolies
authority.
Those days its much easier to do business in Brazil. The government is simplifying the company-tax
structure, it (7a) _________________________ the labour market more (7b)
_________________________ by changing the restrictive labour laws, and it (8a)
_________________________ company (8b) _________________________ in general.
Exercise 4
Complete the sentences with given verbs. Use present simple or present continuous.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.

Even though Sarah says shes feeling better, I think she ______________ (still lose) weight.
Frank ______________ (collect) stamps in his spare time. Its his hobby.
The airline ______________ (currently offer) half-price tickets to Japan, but for one month only.
My mother ______________ (lock) all the doors and windows before she goes to bed.
Both ancient and recent records show that farmers ______________ (work) long hours.
She has an important project to finish by next week, so she ______________ (work) in the evenings at
present.
Philip is an excellent linguist. He ______________ (speak) six languages fluently.
How are you getting on with the book? At the moment I ______________ (read) chapter four.
She ______________ (only just recover) from the operation and ______________ (still find) it
difficult to move about.
What I ______________ (say) is that you ______________ (do) well in your job. Really!
I ______________ (tell) you the truth.
I ______________ (promise) Ill do everything I can to help you find a flat, although I
______________ (suggest) that you also advertise in the local newspaper. It can be difficult to find
accommodation, but I ______________ (hope) it wont be too long before youve got somewhere.
The fishing unions ______________ (negotiate) with their employers for a pay rise. If there is no
agreement by next week, they ______________ (threaten) to strike and ______________ (even talk)
about blockading ports around the country.
Now that the rice ______________ (cook) you ______________ (chop up) the carrots and tomatoes
and you ______________ (put) them in a dish

Numbers in Managerial Work

Introduction
For business purposes, it is vitally important to know how to say and write numbers in English.
Numbers are basically divided into cardinals and ordinals, which differ both in form and meaning.
Except simple forms more complex numeral phrases are discussed in this unit. How frequently
numbers are used reflects real life needs of spoken and written communication. Although the principle
of psychological ease favors the digit versions, some numbers tend to be written alphabetically.
Alphabetic forms are significantly more common for numbers lower than eleven and for round
numbers (e.g. six, forty). On the other hand, digit forms of cardinals are more common for numbers 11
to 19. The ordinals are far less common than the cardinals in our everyday life. They specify the order
and are often perceived as ordinary words. Because ordinals are almost always integrated in the text,
they are more likely to be written alphabetically.
It is obvious that managers should be skilled in using numbers fluently in their everyday work.
Though they can sometimes find it difficult how to say numeral phrases they often see written. Thus it
is highly advisable to students of business management to practice saying numerical expressions
whenever possible.

Cardinal numbers
Cardinals answer the question How many? or How much? and specify entities by quantity.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19

one
two
three
four
five
six
seven
eight
nine
ten
eleven
twelve
thirteen
fourteen
fifteen
sixteen
seventeen
eighteen
nineteen

20
21
22
25
30
33
37
40
44
48
50
56
60
69
70
75
80
83
90

twenty
twenty-one
twenty-two
twenty-five
thirty
thirty-three
thirty-seven
forty
forty-four
forty-eight
fifty
fifty-six
sixty
sixty-nine
seventy
seventy-five
eighty
eighty-three
ninety

100
101
110
112
195
199
200
256
300
389
400
444
500
600
672
700
800
900
999

a hundred / one hundred

a hundred and one
a hundred and ten
a hundred and twelve
a hundred and ninety-five
a hundred and ninety-nine
two hundred
two hundred and fifty-six
three hundred
three hundred and eighty-nine
four hundred
four hundred and forty-four
five hundred
six hundred
six hundred and seventy-two
seven hundred
eight hundred
nine hundred
nine hundred and ninety-nine

Notice that in British English we use and before the tens in a number.
In American English and is normally omitted.

110

British English

American English

a hundred and ten

a hundred ten

526

five hundred and twenty-six

five hundred twenty-six

831

eight hundred and thirty-one

eight hundred thirty-one

Exercise
Practise saying and writing these numbers.
a
b
c

556
97
823

d
e
f

34
748
111

g
h
i

669
82
905

j
k
l

432
333
90

Large numbers
When writing numbers greater than 999 we use a comma (,):
1,201

a thousand two hundred and one

14,225

fourteen thousand two hundred and twenty-five

25,000

twenty-five thousand

Note that commas are not used in dates (the year 2005). For more information see POINT 9.
1,000

a thousand / one thousand

5,836

five thousand eight hundred and thirty-six

10,000

ten thousand

12,000

twelve thousand

100,000

a hundred thousand / one hundred thousand

254,789

two hundred and fifty-four thousand, seven hundred and eighty-nine (BrE)
two hundred fifty-four thousand, seven hundred eighty-nine (AmE)

1,000,000

a million / one million

3,000,000

three million

500,000,000

five hundred million / half a billion

1,000,000,000

a billion / one billion / a thousand million

2,000,000,000

two billion

3,270,000,000

three billion, two hundred and seventy million

1,000,000,000,000

a trillion / a million million

In the singular, the words hundred, thousand, million or billion are preceded by a or one (for
example we can say a thousand or one thousand). One is a more formal expression and a greater
stress is usually put on this word by speakers than on the word a.
These days, financial statements are normally prepared on computer. In that case commas are not
used. That means that the number 75,684 appears as 75684.

Exercise
Practise saying and writing numbers a l.

26,000,000

8,000,000,000,000

1,262

5,004

2,473

3,630,005

6,000,000,000

2,224,000

1,066

10,000,001

64,975

9,897,123

In imprecise numbers, hundreds, thousands, millions or billions take a plural form.

Compare:
The coat cost nine hundred pounds.
The coat cost hundreds of pounds.
The antique clock cost thousands of pounds.
The cruiser Queen Mary 2 cost hundreds of millions.
I can give you hundreds of examples.
The article the and the preposition of occur in millions of English sentences.
Their product has become extremely successful, the company is selling thousands pieces a
week.
Some execs earn millions of dollars a year.
Damage the hurricane caused is estimated at hundreds of millions dollars.
During the night 400,000 bats can eat tons of insects.

Decimal points
Unlike the Slovak language, English uses a decimal point (.) for decimals
Compare:
12,001
twelve thousand and one
12.001

twelve point oh oh one

The figure 0 (zero)

The figure 0 is usually called nought [no:t] (or naught) in British English, and zero [zi:ru] in
American English. The word zero is the most common alphabetical form referring to 0.
The figure 0 in decimals
Before a decimal point we say either naught or zero:
0.7

naught point seven (BrE)

zero point seven (AmE)

After a decimal point we say oh [u]:

0.02
0.006

naught point oh two

naught point oh oh six

The figure 0 in some situations

a

Hotel room numbers

Im on the top floor, room 901.

(nine oh one)

Bus numbers

You can take the bus No. 802.

(eight oh two)

Flight numbers

IB 340

(three four oh)

BA 401

(four oh one)
(nineteen oh five)

Years

1905

Car registration numbers

BA 307 DM

Bank account numbers

0200834061

Temperature

3C

three degrees below zero

+5C

five degrees above zero

The figure 0 in sport

Zero scores in team games are called nil [nil]. We say it e.g. in football scores.
Artmedia Bratislava Glasgow Rangers: 0 0 (nil nil)
Juventus Turin Bayern Munich: 2 1 (two one to Juventus)
A: Whats the score?

B: 3 0. (three nil)

Spain won the match 1 0 (one nil).

In tennis the word love is used. It is said that this expression comes from the French word loeuf that
means the egg the figure 0 looks like an egg.
Forty love; Agassi to serve.
The score is 15 0 (fifteen love).

Temperature
Numbers are also used to show the temperature.
The temperature outside fell to minus 25.
In July 2006 the daily temperature in Bratislava was in the mid-thirties (i.e. about 3436C).
C stands for Celsius which is an abbreviation for a temperature scale in which water freezes at 0 and
boils at 100. In contrast, Fahrenheit (F) represents a scale of temperature in which water freezes at
32 and boils at 212.
Celsius = 5/9 x (xF 32)

Fahrenheit = (9/5 x xC) + 32

Exercise
How much is it?
1

29C = xF

x = F

76F = xC

x = C

21C = xF

x = F

68F = xC

x = C

Telephone numbers
We say each figure separately pausing after groups of three or four. When the same digit
comes twice we usually say double. Numbers of area codes are grouped together.

035 442 368

0421 2 5349 1122

oh three five / double four two / three six eight

oh four two one / two / five three four nine / double one double two

043 553 877

oh four three / double five three / eight double seven

041 643 999

oh four one / six four three / nine double nine

Exercise A
Whats your phone number? _____________________________
Practice saying your phone number as quickly as possible.

Exercise B
Write these numbers in full. Show breaks ( / ) between groups.
(0181) 645 744
(0033) 135 786 390
(0043) 718 578 88
(0192) 553 449
(00420) 654 27 389

10

Decimals
In English all the numbers after a decimal point are read separately.
a

10.66

ten point six six (NOT ten point sixty six)

0.328

6.55

3.14159

0.002

One of the exceptions to the above mentioned rule is to be found in the banking sector. Providing
service for their clients bank dealers make deals in the foreign exchange market. Dealers purchase or
sell currencies for immediate delivery (spot rate), or for delivery later (forward rate).

The spot inter-bank price is 212.6135 (two hundred and twelve point sixty-one thirty five.
Prices
If the number after the decimal point is a unit of money, it is read like a normal number.
a

12.70

twelve euros seventy OR twelve euros and seventy cents

8.30

eight pounds thirty

SKK 98.50

ninety-eight crowns fifty OR ninety-eight Slovak crowns fifty

$46.90

SFr14.25

British money
There are 100 pence in a pound. Sums of money are named as follows:
1p

one penny (informal one p OR a penny)

5p

five pence (informal five p)

4.65

four pounds sixty-five OR four pounds and sixty-five pence

American money
There are 100 cents () in a dollar. Sums of money are named very much as in British English.
However, some coins have special names.

one-cent coins

pennies

ten-cent coins

dimes

five-cent coins

nickels

a twenty-five cent coin

a quarter

Ordinal numbers
Ordinals answer the question Which? and place entities in order.
1st

first

11th

eleventh

11

21st

twenty-first

2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th

12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th

second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
eighth
ninth
tenth

twelfth
thirteenth
fourteenth
fifteenth
sixteenth
seventeenth
eighteenth
nineteenth
twentieth

30th
40th
50th
60th
70th
80th
90th

thirtieth
fortieth
fiftieth
sixtieth
seventieth
eightieth
ninetieth

The names of kings and queens are said with ordinal numbers.
Henry VIII

Henry the Eighth

Louis XIV

Louis the Fourteenth

Elisabeth II

Elisabeth the Second

In sentences, ordinal numerals are usually preceded by the definite article (the) or a possessive
pronoun (e.g. my, your, their, etc.).

Henry was doing his second week as a young trainee and had just about finished his first report
on sales when the phone rang.

Dates
In English we write 20 December but we say the twentieth of December or December the twentieth.
We can write the date using dots (.) or slashes (/): 20.12.05 or 20/12/05.
In British English the day of the month comes first and the month follows, so 21.12.05 is 21 December
2005. On the other hand, in American English, the month comes first, and the day second, so 12.01.05
is December 1, 2005.

Years
We write 1997 and 2005 but say nineteen ninety-seven and two thousand and five or twenty oh five.
We write decades as the 1960s or 1980s or just the 80s and we say the nineteen sixties or the nineteen
eighties or the eighties. Notice that there is no apostrophe before the s.
The abbreviations BC (before Christ) or BCE (before common era) used after a date show that
something happened before the birth of Christ. In contrast, AD (Anno Domini) indicates that a date is
a number of years after the birth of Christ.

What do you think world population will be by 2060 AD?

The Phoenicians lived on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean between 2300 and 300 BC.

Exercise
Practise saying the following dates:

(1) 31 December 2005 .

(2) 6 January 2006 ..
(3) 25 February 1987 ..
(4) 1 August 2004 ...

12

(5) 11 September 2001

(6) 1 May 2002 ...
(7) 30 June 2003 .
(8) 1 November 1999 .
(9) 4 August 1998 ..
(10) Your birthday: _____________________________________________________
Centuries
Note how the names of centuries relate to the years in them.
1501 1600

the 16th century

1601 1700

the 17th century

1701 1800

the 18th century

1801 1900

the 19th century

1901 2000

the 20th century

Clock time
In English, hours are frequently specified without using the 24-hour clock. The expressions a.m. and
p.m. indicate whether something happens in the morning, in the afternoon, or at night.
1

Its a quarter past two. OR Its fifteen minutes past two.

The word minutes is often omitted in spoken English. Its fifteen past two.

What time do you usually leave for work?

Half past eight. OR I usually leave

work at half past eight.

Whats the time? Is it quarter to three?

No, it isnt. Its ten to three.

The 24-hour clock is used in formal English, for example for flights, schedules, and timetables. In
conversations a.m. (from the Latin ante meridiem) is used for the hours up to noon and p.m. (from the
Latin post meridiem) for the time interval from midday to midnight.
12.00

24.00

twelve at noon

twelve at night

twelve a.m.

twelve p.m.

noon, noontime

midday

midnight

twelve hundred hours

twenty-four hundred hours

Exercise A
Use the 24-hour clock to say and write the following:

13

17h00

13h05

seventeen hours OR

Exercise B
Practise saying and writing the following times. Do not use the 24-hour clock.
1

10.45

1 p.m.

5.25 a.m.

7.55 p.m.

10

9.20 a.m.

11

9.40

12

Fractions and percentages

%

Fractions

/5

4
9

/5
/10

a / one half
two fifths
a / one quarter
three quarters
a / one third
two thirds
four fifths
nine tenths

50%
40%
25%
75%
33%
66%
80%
90%
%

Fractions
1
/4

/8

Mathematical expressions
Calculating
+

or *

plus / and / add

minus / subtract / deduct / take away
times / multiplied by

14

 or /
=
20 + 5 = 25
20 4 = 16
5 x 4 = 20
10 : 3 = 3.333

divided by
equals / is

Twenty plus five is twenty-five.

Twenty and five equals twenty-five.
Twenty minus four is sixteen.
Twenty take away four equals sixteen.
Five times four equals twenty.
Five multiplied by four is twenty.
Ten divided by three is three point three recurring.

Square, cube and root

102
ten squared
103
ten cubed
104
ten to the power (of) four
106
ten to the power (of) six
The preposition of is optional.
25

the square root of 25

Numbers as nouns and adjectives

Note that numbers can also function as nouns in both singular and plural or as adjectives.
a football eleven (noun)
the eighties (noun)
In the following examples numerals act as adjectives.
a five-pound note

an eight-month waiting list

a ten dollar note

a twenty pound price cut

a five-foot deep hole

a fifty thousand dollar car

a six-mile walk

a ten-minute walk to work

a two-month old baby

an eleven degree fall in temperature

a six-foot tall man

a five pence stamp

a twelve week term

four four-hour lessons

Numbers in English Idioms

Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning is not immediately obvious from looking at the
individual words in the idiom. For example, the expression It takes two to tango. means that both
people are equally responsible for what they have done. One cannot know this by only looking at the
single words. A lot of idioms are fixed in their form, and can be neither changed nor varied. However,
in some cases it is possible to make slight grammatical or vocabulary variations. To learn more about
English idioms you can visit the website http//www.dictionary.cambridge.org/idioms.

15

Idioms listed below have been chosen according to the fact that all of them contain one or more
numerals. Read the sentences below and try to find some equivalents in Slovak. Then learn them by
heart. Always try to recognize idioms whenever you come across them. Later on they may become
part of your active vocabulary.
1

Thanks a million!

2
3

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Im in seventh heaven.

Danny: Comenius University is the best university in the whole region.

John: Yes, its second to none, isnt it?

6
7

Mary: Professor Schumacher is the most clever man Ive ever met.
Kate: Yes, hes second to none, isnt he?

The Browns wanted to move next month but their new house is being built very slowly. It
happens this way nine times out of ten.

Martin is an adult now so he has to learn to stand on his own two feet.

10

The Queen is a very famous person, but she has always kept both feet on the ground.

11

As George is a very ambitious man, he will never settle for second best.

12

Living in France and working in the United Kingdom gives Frank Peters the best of both
worlds British salaries and a French lifestyle.

13

Everything is at sixes and sevens in that institution.

14
15

Eventually the director managed to kill two birds with one stone.
James: Who do you think is to blame the creative director or the copywriter?
Sean: Its six of one and half a dozen of the other.

16
17

David always seems to be the odd one out. He never fits in any team.
Mark saw Patrick and Carol in a bar looking tenderly into each others eyes. Mark put two
and two together, and decided they must be in love.

Review
Practise saying and writing the following numerical expressions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

251
3 + 16
$384
67.32
0.12
0.006
3500
193
2467
1999

11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

9.15 a.m.
4th century
-13C
28.70
2004
10.20 p.m.
13th century
5 August 2006
Sk3,000,0000
89F

Quiz: How much do you know about English.

Guess the figures related to English.

16

1. How many people speak English as their first language?

a. 375m b. 407m c. 570
2. How many people speak English as their second language?
a. 200-470m b. 470m-1bn c.1bn-1.2bn
3. What is the population of native English speakers in the USA?
a. 200m
b. 210m
c. 215m
4. How much of Canadas population speak English?
a. 73%
b. 76%
c. 81%
5. How many definitions does the Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition include?
a. 600,000
b. 670,000 c. 700,000
6. According to the survey by Joseph.M.Williams how many percent of business English words
come from French?
a. 35 b. 41 c. 53
7. How much of the worlds mail is written in English?
a. 3/4
b. 2/3
c. 4/5
Number idioms
Complete each sentence with one of the following words
eleventh
first
forty

nineteen
ninety-nine
one

second
sixth
two

1. At the __________________________ hour they managed to get together enough money to buy
the house.
2. Im tired of playing __________________________ fiddle to him! Why cant I take some of the
decisions for a change?
3. She always talks __________________________ to the dozen. You never have a chance to get a
word in edgeways.
4. He was in __________________________ minds about whether to go to the dance or not.
5. I wasnt going to go out but on __________________________ thoughts I need some fresh air.
6. Hes gone upstairs to have __________________________ winks after all his exertions.
7. The service in that shop is __________________________ to none.
8. Some __________________________ sense made her look up as he pulled out his gun.
9. Changing nappies has become __________________________ nature to me since my son was
born.
10. __________________________ times out of hundred you can arrive late and he wont notice, but
today had to be my unlucky day!
11. I dont believe in love at __________________________sight. Youve got to get to know people.
12. Hes back to square __________________________ now that theyve turned down his
application.
13. She came off __________________________ best in the argument.
14. They dont know the __________________________ thing about running this kind of business.
15. As he had a car, he was __________________________ up on me when it came to inviting girls
out.

17

The fundamental principles of management

Discussion
1. What is management? Is it an art or a science? An instinct or a set of skills and techniques that
can be taught?
2. What do you think makes a good manager? Which four qualities do you think are the most
important?
A
being decisive: able to make quick decisions
B
being efficient: doing things quickly, not leaving tasks unfinished, having a tidy desk
and so on
C
being friendly and sociable
D
being able to communicate with people
E
being logical, rational and analytical
F
being able to motivate and inspire and lead people
G
being authoritative: able to give orders
H
being competent: knowing ones job perfectly, as well as the work of ones
subordinates
I
being persuasive: able to convince people to do things
J
having good ideas
K
being highly educated and knowing a lot about the world
L
being prepared to work 50 to 60 hours a week
M
wanting to make a lot of money
3. Are there any qualities that you think should be added to this list?
Which of these qualities can be acquired? Which must you be born with?
The fundamental principles of management
Im not comfortable with the word manager any more, because it implies subordinates.
(Peter Drucker, management guru)
Management generally refers to two things: Firstly, it is a group of people in managerial positions
working in an organization; secondly, it is a discipline that studies what managers do.
All organizations are run by managers, who are responsible for planning, organizing, leading and
controlling the people and the work of the organization in such a way that the company achieves its
goals.
PLANNING involves setting goals and deciding on courses of action, developing rules and
procedures, developing plans both for the organization and for those who work in it, and forecasting
that means predicting or projecting what the future holds for the company.
ORGANIZING requires identifying jobs to be done, recruiting people to carry them out, setting up
departments, delegating authority to subordinates, establishing an organizational structure and
coordinating the work of the subordinates.
LEADING means making workers get the job done, keeping up morale, promoting corporate culture,
communicating and sorting out problems.
CONTROLLING includes setting standards, such as quality standards, comparing actual
performance with these standards and then taking corrective measures as required.
Most organizations are made up of several types of managers. At our faculty, for example, there is a
dean, five vice-deans (for international affairs, science and research, full-time studies, external studies,
and legislation and information technologies), four department chairs, a secretary and others. In most
companies, you can find first-line managers who are often called supervisors. Production supervisors
supervise the assembly line workers. All first line managers have one thing in common their

18

subordinates are non-managers. The next management level consists of members of the middle
management, such as production manager, human resources manager (or personnel manager), finance
manager. The managers at the top of an organization are members of the top or senior management.
They are usually referred to as executives. Although functional titles vary from company to company,
top executives are often entitled as following: President, Vice President, Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Managing Director (MD). In big companies, beneath the top
management level there may be more levels of middle managers whose positions carry the term
manager or director. In this case managers would typically report to directors, who in turn would
report to members of the top management.
Top managers normally deal with planning and setting objectives. Middle managers then take these
objectives and translate them into specific projects for their subordinates to execute. First-line
managers then concentrate on directing and controlling the employees who work on these projects
(e.g. a company needs to hire two IT specialists).
Finally, it is important to mention that all managers at all levels spend about three quarters of their
working day with people. Thus their ability to talk and listen to their co-workers or business partners is
of great importance. Moreover, they have to attend countless meetings, negotiations and conferences.
(Adapted and edited from: G. Dessler: Management: Leading People & Organizations in the 21st
century.)
EXERCISE 1
Complete sentences 1-9 using the words in the table below.
manage

manager

managed

management

managing

managerial

manageable

managership

Sally was offered the of the newly opened restaurant.

All strategic decisions are made at the top level.

Tim was appointed Director for his excellent skills.

A good knows how to use the skills of his subordinates.

They have built an excellent team for the company.

A well- company is likely to succeed on the market.

The number of employees has been reduced to a more level.

The job agency is looking for people who are good at .

Our new software helps you data more effectively.

EXERCISE 2
Match the job descriptions with the job titles.
1 The top manager in American English.

Information Systems Director

2 This person is responsible for personnel issues.

Managing Director

3 This person is responsible for computer operations.

Customer Service Manager

19

4 This person is responsible for organizing trainings.

Marketing Director

5 This person is responsible for relationships with

customers.

CEO

6 This person is responsible for buying.

Staff Development Officer

7 This person is responsible for promotion & selling.

Human Resources Director

8 The top manager in British English

Purchasing Director

EXERCISE 3
Use the words from the table to complete the following sentences. One of the words
has to be put into its correct form.
entrepreneurship

entrepreneur

entrepreneurial

enterprise

enterprising

Graduates in Finance Management with an approach are welcomed.

The area near Bardejov could soon become an zone.

To support economic development in the region the government has close links with
local .

Private has not waited for government to take action.

There are men like Richard Branson or Bill Gates wanting to change the
world.

The Browns have been running their family since 1999.

EXERCISE 4
Explain the following terms.
1 Free or private enterprise
2

Public enterprise

Enterprise centre

Enterprise culture

Enterprise economy

Enterprise zone

Listening
Listen to Steve Moody talking about responsibilities of a store manager and answer these two
questions:
1. Why are Marks & Spencers store managers limited in giving accountability to their staff and
delegating responsibilities?
2. What do they concentrate on instead?

20

What makes a good manager?

You are a good manager what would you do in the following situations?
1. One of your employees is a very creative person, but he or she always comes late e.g. for the
meeting, to work. Your company is an advertising agency.
2. You have found out that one of your employees keeps photocopying materials for her son who
needs them to school. She has been working for the company for 10 years, and she is a very nice and
helpful person. Anyway, her photocopying is rather costly, and your company is trying to cut costs.
3. Think about another problem like situation and ask your colleagues for advice.
Top Management
A. Complete the text using the correct form of these verbs:
achieve
employ

allocate
establish

balance
follow

deal with
require

develop
set

The top managers of a company (1) have to __________________ objectives and then develop
particular strategies that will enable the company to (2) __________________ them. This will involve
(3) __________________ the companys human, capital and physical resources. Strategies can often
be sub-divided into tactics the precise methods in which the resources attached to a strategy are (4)
__________________.
The founders of a business usually establish a mission statement a declaration about what the
business is and what it will be in the future. The businesss central values and objectives will (5)
__________________ from this. But because the business environment is always changing,
companies will occasionally have to modify or change their objectives. It is part of top managements
role to (6) __________________ todays objectives and needs against those of the future, and to take
responsibility for innovation, without which any organization can only expect a limited life. Top
managers are also expected to set standards, and to (7) __________________ human resources,
especially future top managers.
They also have to manage a businesss social responsibilities and its impact on the environment. They
have to (8) __________________ and maintain good relationships with customers, major suppliers,
bankers, government agencies, and so on. The top management, of course, is also on permanent standby to (9) __________________ major crises.
Between them, these tasks (10) __________________ many different skills which are almost never
found in one person, so top management is work for a team. A team, of course, is not the same as a
committee: it needs a clear leader, in this case the chairman or managing director.
B. Complete the following collocations:
1. to set __________________
2. to allocate __________________
3. to take __________________
4. to set__________________
5. to __________________ and __________________ good relations

6. to __________________ a crises

21

Company Structure
The growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest.
(John D. Rockefeller, American industrialist and philanthropist)

These days many big companies represent complex systems requiring large capital
investments provided by shareholders. Shareholders, i.e. people who own a company,
usually choose managers who are to run the company for them. At the top of the company
hierarchy is the Board of Directors, headed by the Chairperson (or President). The Board of
Directors is responsible for strategic decision-making. This body also appoints a Managing
Director (or Chief Executive Officer) responsible for the running of the company and many of
its directors may have executive responsibilities. Senior managers spend most of their time
on administrative tasks, organizing work, communicating with people and ensuring that the
companys goals are achieved. The position of Managing Director often combines the role of
the highest executive with membership of the Board. His role enables him to be a close link
between the board and the management team.
Executive directors are actively involved in the companys affairs. Whenever the
Board of Directors makes a strategic decision, executives are responsible for implementing
it. For example, the board of a European company may wish to penetrate the NorthAmerican market; the executive directors have to choose the right course of action to
implement the decision.
While the executives know a lot about the day-to-day running of the company, nonexecutive directors can have some deeper knowledge and expertise of their field. So a good
board, which works efficiently, is made up of both executive and non-executive directors.

Read the text above and answer the following questions.

1

Who has the overall responsibility for the running of the business?

Who usually appoints a Managing Director?

What does the position of Managing Director often involve?

What makes a good board?

22

Fill in the organization chart using the terms below.

Director for Production

Managing Director
Sales Manager
Supervisory Board
Brand Manager
Board of Directors
Financial Director
Marketing Director
Director for R&D
Analyze the organization chart and answer these questions.
Who belongs to the senior management?

Who belongs to the middle management?

Who are individuals?

Which bodies have been mentioned above?

23

Name company departments and define their duties.

department

duties

Listen and decide which departments the following people work in?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Fill in the gaps using the expressions in the table below.
Board of Directors

collective

executives

strategy

CEO

management

objectives

Supervisory Board

The 1 monitors the policies of the executive management as well as the general
course of action. The main task of the 2 is to ensure that business issues and
practices are shared across the company. 3 are entrusted to their Board of Directors
under the chairmanship of the 4 . The members of this body have
5

powers and responsibilities. They share responsibility for the

of the company, the implementation of the 7, and the

achievement of the companys goals and 8 .

GAME: Find the colleague who

24

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

Recruitment and selection
The process of finding people for particular jobs is recruitment or, especially in American English,
hiring. Someone who has been recruited is a recruit or, in American English, a hire. The company
employs or hires them, they join the company. A company may recruit employees directly or use
outside recruiters, recruitment agencies, employment agencies or, in AE, search firms. Outside
specialist called headhunters may be called on to headhunt people for very important jobs,
persuading them to leave the organizations they already work for. This process is called headhunting.
Fred is a van driver, but he was fed up with long trips. He looked into the situations vacant pages of
his local newspapers, where a local supermarket was advertising for van drivers for a new delivery
service. He applied for the job by completing an application form and sending it in.
Harry is a building engineer. He saw a job in the appointments pages of one of the national papers.
He made an application, sending in his CV (curriculum vitae) or rsum (AE) and a covering letter
(cover letter in AE) explaining why he wanted the job and why he was the right person for it.
Situation, post and position are formal words often used in job advertisements and applications.
Selection procedures
Dagmar Smidt is the head of recruitment at a German telecommunications company. She talks about
the selection process, the methods that the company uses to recruit people:
We advertise in national newspapers. We look at the backgrounds of applicants: their experience of
different jobs and their educational qualifications. We do not ask for handwritten letters of
application as people usually apply by email. Handwriting analysis belongs to the 19th century.
We invite the most interesting candidates to a group discussion. Then we have individual interviews
with each candidate. We also ask the candidates to do written psychometric tests to assess their
intelligence and personality.
After this, we shortlist three or four candidates. We check their references by writing to their
referees: previous employers or teachers that candidates have named in their applications. If the
references are OK, we ask the candidates to come back for more interviews. Finally, we offer the job
to someone, and if they turn it down, we have to think again. If they accept it, we hire them. We only
appoint someone if we find the right person.

EXERCISES
Complete the following sentences with appropriate terms from the text above:
1. I phoned to check on my application, but they said they had already _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ someone.
2. This job is so important, I think we need to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ someone.
3. The selection process has lasted three months, but we are going to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ someone next week.

25

4. I hope she _ _ _ _ _ _ _ because if she _ _ _ _ _

again.

_ _ _ _ the job, we will have to start looking

5. That last applicant was very strong, but I understand he has had two other _ _ _ _ _ _ already.
6. They have finally _ _ _ _ _ a new receptionist.
7. Computer programmers wanted. Only those with UNIX experience should _ _ _ _ _ .

Now divide the used words into two groups:

What a company personnel department does
What a person looking for work does -

When employees give notice, i.e. inform their employer that they will be leaving the company
(as soon as their contract allows), in what order should the company carry out the following
steps?

A either hire a job agency (or for a senior post, a firm of headhunters), or advertise the
vacancy
B establish whether there is an internal candidate who has the expertise and could be promoted
(or moved sideways, transferred or relocated) to the job
C examine the job description for the post, to see whether it needs to be changed (or indeed,
whether the post needs to be filled, whether downsizing should not take place)
D follow up the references of candidates who seem interesting
E invite the short-listed candidates for an interview
F make a final selection
G receive applications, curricula vitae and covering letters, and make a preliminary selection
(a short-list)
H try to discover why the person has resigned
I write to all the other candidates to inform them that they have been unsuccessful

1. Complete the following chart with the letters A-I

26

2. Look at the following extracts from CVs and application letters of different candidates.
Which of them do you think would help the candidate get an interview, and why?

27

READING:
Pay and Benefits
My name is Luigi and I am a hotel manager in Venice. I get paid a salary every month. In summer
we are very busy, so we work a lot of extra hours, or overtime. The money for this is quite good.
Working in a hotel, we also get nice perks, for example free meals.
I am Ivan and I work as a waiter in Prague. I like my job even if I do not earn very much: I get paid
wages every week by the restaurant. We get the minimum wage: the lowest amount allowed by law.
But we also get tips, money that customers leave for us in addition to the bill. Some tourists are very
generous!
I am Catherine and I am a saleswoman based in Paris, I get a basic salary, plus commission: a
percentage on everything I sell. If I sell more than a particular amount in a year, I also get extra money
a bonus, which is nice. There are some good fringe benefits with this job: I get a company car, and
they make payments for my pension, money that I will get regularly after I stop working. All that
makes a good benefits package.
My name is Alan. I am a specialist in pay and benefits. Compensation and remuneration are
formal words used to talk about pay and benefits, especially those of senior managers. Compensation
package and remuneration package are used especially in the US to talk about all the pay and
benefits that employees receive. For a senior executive, this may include share options (BE) or stock
options (AE): the right to buy the companys shares at low prices. They may be performance-related
bonuses if the manager reaches particular objectives for the company.
Compensation is also used to talk about money and other benefits that a senior manager (or any
employee) receives if they are forced to leave the organization, perhaps after a boardroom row. This
money is in the form of a compensation payment, or severance payment. If the manager also
receives benefits, the payment and the benefits form a severance package.
In Britain, executives with very high pay and good benefits may be referred to as fat cats, implying
that they do not deserve this level of remuneration.
EXERCISE 1
Write down appropriate terms that correspond to their synonyms or explanations.
1

To move employees from one place to another one or from one

type of job to another within a company

The process of reducing the number of employees in order to

make a company more profitable

They reveal certain personality traits

A person who gives an opinion about someone who is applying

for a job

The end of ones working life before the usual age

Non-financial things given to employees

A person who answers questions in an interview

Qualifications, skills and knowledge needed for a job

A large amount of money given to a senior manager when he

leaves a company

10

Extra payments added to salaries as a reward

10

28

EXERCISE 2
Match 1-12 with their synonyms or descriptions in A-L.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L

aptitude
job hunter
unemployed
job profile
salary or wage
remuneration
teleworking
job sharing
induction
job hunting
gold-bricking
employed

the evasion of work or duty

pay
introduction to a new organization
job holder
looking for employment
jobseeker
talent for doing a particular task well
pay applied to senior executives
jobless
working for a company from home
two or more people do one job
job description

EXERCISE 3
Which expression is the odd one? Circle it and justify your choice.
1

put down take down set down record set up

lay off transfer fire dismiss sack

employ take on hire recruit select

cutbacks vacancies dismissals layoffs redundancies

appraise assess instruct evaluate measure

EXERCISE 4
Choose the appropriate terms that correspond to their definitions.

application form

job dissatisfaction

commuter

job enlargement

covering letter

job enrichment

CV

job freeze

employee retention

outplacement

freelance

upsize

Working for different companies or organizations rather than

being directly employed by one

The companys own printed form which applicants have to

complete to apply for a job

To increase the size of the company by employing more people

A structured document including personal, educational,

employment, and recreational information about a person

29

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

When a company helps people it is making redundant find new

jobs in other organizations

The company has stopped recruiting people

The process of keeping employees and not losing them to rival

firms

The expansion of a job by adding further tasks or

responsibilities

A letter job applicants include with a form or rsum when

applying for a job

10

This person travels a quite long distance to work every day

10

11

An employees feeling of not being satisfied with their jobs

11

12

The process of making a job more satisfying for the person

doing it

12

8
9

EXERCISE 5
Finish the following definitions:
1

A job interview is

Overtime is

EXERCISE 6
Find as many expressions based around the word employ as you can.

Preparation for writing

Listening
Look at the job advertisement below. You will hear a conversation in which Fiona Scott is telling a friend about
the advertisement. Listen to the conversation and complete the missing information.
Prefer a camping trip to a cocktail party?
Patagonia has a new position open:
(1) _________________ __________________ ASSOCIATE
Job is based in (2) __________________ . Candidates must have substantial (3) _____________ /
_____________ experience and strong (4) _____________ skills. They must have serious proficiency in
technical sports (skiing, kayaking, climbing ) and outdoor experience. (5) _____________ mother tongue.
Environmental background a plus. No glamour its a gritty job!
Patagonia is a (6) ________________ company which designs and distributes functional (7) _____________
____________ .
Send CV with a picture to:
Nathalie Baudoin
Patagonia Gmbh
Reitmorstrasse 50
8000 Munich 22 Germany
The interviews will be in Munich during the last week of (8) _____________.

30

The Curriculum Vitae

Fiona Scott decides to apply for the job at Patagonia. Study her CV carefully to see how she has presented the
information about herself. Where do you think each of the following headings should be placed?
References
Education

Activities
Skills

Personal Details
Professional Experience

(1) ________________
Fiona Scott
52 Hanover Street
Edinburgh EH2 5LM
Scotland
Phone: 0131 449 0237
E-mail: Fiona.scott@caledonia.net
(2) ________________
1995 1996
1992 1995
1986 1992
(3) ________________
2000 present

1996 2000
Summers of
1994 and 1995

London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Diploma in Public Relations
University of London
BA (Honours) in Journalism and Media Studies
Broadfield School, Brighton
A levels in German (A), English (B), History (B) and Geography (C)
Public Relations Officer, Scottish Nature Trust
Responsible for researching and writing articles on all aspects of the Trusts activities
and ensuring their distribution to press
Editor of the Trusts monthly journal
In charge of relations with European environmental agencies
Press Officer, Highlands Tourist Board
Preparation of promotional materials and brochures
Coordinator of media coverage

The Glasgow Tribune newspaper

Two three-month training periods as assistant to the Sports Editor
Arranging and conducting interviews
Preparation of articles covering local community sports events

(4) ________________
IT
Languages
Additional

Office 2000 and Windows NT, Excel, Internet, Powerpoint

Fluent German and proficient in French
Driving licence (car, motorcycle)

(5) ________________
Cross-country skiing, rock climbing and swimming
Ski instructor (grade II)
Secretary of the local branch of Action, an association organizing sports activities for disabled children
(6) ________________
Geoffrey Williams
Professor of Journalism
University of London

Brenda Denholm
Sports Editor
The Glasgow Tribune

31

The Letter of Application

The letter of application can be as important as the CV in that it often provides the first direct contact between a
candidate and an employer. If this letter is not well written and presented, it will make a poor impression. The
letter of application normally contains four paragraphs in which you should:
confirm that you wish to apply and say where you learned about the job
say why you are interested in the position and relate your interests to those of the company
show that you can contribute to the job by highlighting your most relevant skills and experience
indicate your willingness to attend an interview (and possibly say when you would be free to attend)
Below you will find details from Fiona Scotts letter of application. Look at the outline of the letter on the left
and indicate where the information below should go.
a. Although I am presently employed by a non-profit
making organization, it has always been my intention
to work in a commercial, environment. I would
particularly welcome the chance to work for your
company as I have long admired both the quality of the
products that it provides and its position as a defender
of environmental causes. As you will notice on my
enclosed CV, the job you are offering suits both my
personal and professional interests.

E. Phoning REVISION
2
3

b. I would be pleased to discuss my curriculum vitae

with you in more detail at an interview. In the
meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you
require further information. I look forward to hearing
from you.

c. Dear Ms. Baudoin

e. I am writing to apply for the position which was

advertised last month in the Independent.

d. 8th January 2006

f. 52 Hanover Street
Edinburgh
EH2 5LM
UK

g. Nathalie Baudoin
Patagonia Gmbh
Reitmorstrasse 50
8000 Munich 22
Germany
h. My work experience has familiarized me with many
of the challenges involved in public relations today. I
am sure that this, together with my understanding of
the needs and expectations of sport and nature
enthusiasts, would be extremely relevant to the
position. Moreover, as my mother is German, I am
fluent in this language and would definitely enjoy
working in a German-speaking environment.

9
Fiona Scott
10

i. Fiona Scott

32

j. Yours sincerely

Grammar: Past Simple versus Present Perfect

Look at the following sentences:

Ten years later, one of his colleagues discovered a new drug.

My university classmate has discovered a vaccine against the swine flu.
Which tense is used in the first sentence and the second sentence?
Which tense has a connection with the present? Which tense only tells us about the past? What other rules
apply to the usage of the two tenses?
Exercise 1
Complete the following company profile with the correct form of the verbs. Choose one from the two
tenses discussed above.

Colgate-Palmolive Company
William Colgate 1.. (found) the Colgate Company in 1806 as a starch, soap and
candle business in New York. For the first hundred years, the company 2.. (do) all its
business in the USA. However, in the early 1900s, the company 3.. (begin) an
aggressive expansion program that 4. (lead) to the establishment of Colgate
operations in countries throughout Europe, Latin America and the Far East. Recently, it
5. (become) a truly global consumer products company, worth $6.6 billion and
selling to more than 160 countries.
Colgate-Palmolives five main sectors of business are Oral Care, Body Care, Household Surface Care,
Fabric Care and Pet Nutrition and Health Care. In the area of Oral Care, Colgate-Palmolive is the
world leader in toothpaste. Since 1980, the company 6.. (increase) its share of this
market by more than 12% to over 40% today. Oral care revenues 7 (grow)
significantly in recent years and in 1991 they 8. (exceed) $1.3 billion.
The company 9 (always pay) close attention to the environment. It
10. (already make) great progress in the use of recyclable bottles and
packaging
materials.
In
1990
the
American
council
on
Economic
Priorities
11.. (choose) Colgate-Palmolive is one of the four most socially
responsible companies in the United States.
Exercise 2

Fill in the gaps with the present perfect or the past simple of the verbs in brackets.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

This is only the second time I ________________ (ever fly) in an aeroplane.

The child ____________ (sleep) from seven till seven without waking once.
Sarah _____________ (grow) five centimetres since last month.
I _____________ (send) Ed three emails last week but he __________ (not reply) to any of
them yet.
_______________ (you learn) to play chess when you were a child?
I _____________ (buy) this bicycle five years ago and I _____________ (use) it every day
since then.
How long _______________ (you have) that bad cough?
The train ________________ (just arrive), so hurry and you might catch it.
I __________________ (never see) such a beautiful rainbow before.
I __________________ (dream) about a beautiful desert island last night.
On Sunday we _____________ (meet) outside the cinema as usual.
When _______________ (you get) that jacket? I ___________________ (not notice) it before.
I _______________ (do) all the housework. The flat is really clean now.
A young couple ___________ (buy) the house next door. But they didnt live there long.
Our visitors _____________ (arrive). They are sitting in the garden.

33

16. Theres still a problem with the television. Someone ______________ (repair) it, but then it
broke down again.
17. Prices _____________ (go) up. Everything is more expensive this year.
18. My sister __________ (run) away from home. But she came back two days later.
19. I _____________ (lose) my bank card. I cant find it anywhere.
20. The match ____________ (start). United are playing well.
21. I _____________ (make) a cake. Would you like a piece?
Exercise 3
Complete the cover letter with the correct form of the verbs in the brackets. Use present tenses, future
simple and past simple.
Dear Sir or Madam
I 1 (write) to apply for the post of export marketing assistant
which 2 . (be) advertised) in the last edition of Enterprise magazine. I 3
.. (believe) that I 4 .

(have) the right combination of

academic and personal qualities to do the job.

I am in my final year of an international marketing course and I 5 ...... (look) for
a permanent position.
Last summer I 6... (work) in an export company in Athens where I 7
. (find out) a lot about different aspects of the business. In that job, I 8
. (learn) to deal with orders. The same company 9
.. (already offer) me a job but I 10 .. (feel ) I would learn more
about the import-export trade in a larger business such as yours.
I am bilingual in French and Greek and I 11 . (study)
English for ten years. I 12 ... (come) to London next month for an intensive
language course so I 13 .... (be) available for an interview then. I look forward
to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully
Marie-Pierre Velios

34

TELEPHONING
1. Your are going to read an article about using the telephone in business. Before you read, guess
the answers to the following questions. Then read the article to see if you are right.
A In a survey, companies failed to answer .................. of calls within ten rings.
1 10%
2 20% 3 50%
B ............ of all sales enquiries begin on the phone.
1 50%
2 70% 3 90%
C A telephonist could answer ................ calls in a year.
1 30,000
2 300,000 3 3,000,000
Companies lose millions of dollars of business through bad telephone handling. A survey found that
company switchboards failed to answer one out of five calls within ten rings, or reply to 10% of calls
within 20 rings. Ninety percent of all sales enquiries begin on the telephone, so this is the opportunity
to project a healthy company image one of friendliness, efficiency and professionalism. Staff should
be aware that bad telephone behavior can result in millions of dollars in lost revenue. In the insurance
business, for example, failure to answer promptly could see a policy of a quarter of a million dollars
go straight to the competition!
A single telephone receptionist can answer as many as 300,000 calls a year. Companies should train
personnel in skills of transferring a call, placing calls on hold, dealing with angry callers, answering
correspondence by phone, using a callers name, and taking messages correctly. Callers should not
hear expressions like shes just gone out or hes not with us anymore. Surveys show that customers
want a prompt response by a real person (not a machine) who can make a decision.
For a great many of a firms customers, the first and often the only impression they carry in their
minds is the one generated by the people they talk to on the phone. The quality of a firms response to
a call is one of the chief factors in creating a perception of good or bad service. And remember, more
business is lost through poor service than by poor product performance.

2. Vocabulary
A. Match 1-8 with replies a-h below to form pairs of exchanges from telephone calls, as in the example,
then listen and check.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

I dont know the times of the trains.

a. At last! Ive been trying to get through to you all

day.
Would you like to leave a message? ..
b. Have you tried looking it up in the phone book?
Im afraid I cant hear you. Its a really bad line. .. c. Hold on, Ill see if shes here today.
Simon Green speaking. ..
d. Yes. Could you ask him to call me back. please?
Id like to speak to Mr. Moore on extension 868, please.. e. Dont worry, Ill ring up the station.
Can I speak to Julia, please? ..
f. Thank you caller, Im putting you through.
Im sure hes there. ..
g. OK, Ill hang up and try again.
I cant find her number anywhere. ..
h. So am I, but sometimes he wont pick up the
phone.

B. Match the phrasal verbs in A a-h to definitions below.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

connect ____________________________
wait ____________________________
answer ____________________________
put the phone down / end the conversation ____________________________
return a call ____________________________
search for a word or number in a book ____________________________
phone ____________________________
make contact with ____________________________

35

Things that annoy people when they phone companies:

1 calls that arent answered quickly (i.e. longer than 3 rings)
2 while-you-wait advertisements
3 calls which are answered but then you have to wait in a queue
4 irritating music
5 calls being diverted around the building
6 people who answer the phone without identifying themselves
7 people who sound bored or annoyed
8 people who eat or drink on the phone
9 people who try to have two conversations at once
10 people who hang up without saying goodbye
1. You are going to hear two telephone conversations.
Listen to call A.
A On the list above , tick the things that happen which annoy the caller.
B Correct the message below, then compare your answers with a partner.
C Is there anything positive about the message?
Tuesday 3:50
Corinne,
Shevaun OConnor rang.
Staying at the Bell Hotel. Room 90.
Tel. 7948682
Roger

2. Listen to call B and underline the correct alternative in italics.

a Jean-Jacques Giradoux is a student of advertising/marketing.
b He is calling Paradise Marketing to arrange a work placement/meeting.
c Melanie Collins asks him to send back an information pack/application form.
d The closing date for applications is the end of the month/next week.
How is call A treated differently from call B?

Requests and messages

3. Complete the sentences from the previous telephone conversations.
1 ..Corrine Peters, please.
2 ...a message for her?
3 .. that Siobhan OConnor rang, please?
4 I that she gets it.
5 Human Resources. Melanie Collins .
6 if .. give me your name and address.
7 spelling that , please?
8 Right, let me . to you.
4. Which expressions are useful for:
A
B
C
D

asking to speak to someone? ..

giving and taking messages? ..
asking for and checking spelling? ..
identifying yourself? .

36

Phoning -REVISION
A. You want to phone someone in a company. You pick up the phone. You hear the dialing tone and dial the
number on the keypad. You dont know the persons direct line number, so you dial the number of the
companys switchboard. One of these things happens:
a. The number rings but no one answers.
b. You hear the engaged tone (BrE) / busy tone (AmM) because the other person is already talking
on the phone. You hang up and try again later.
c. You call later and the number is engaged again. It is very hard to get hold of this person.
d. You get through, but not to the number you wanted. The person who answers says youve got the
wrong number.
e. The operator answers. You ask for the extension of the person you want to speak to.
f. You are put through to the wrong extension. The person offers to transfer you to the right
extension, but you are cut off the call ends.
g. The person you want to speak to is not at their desk and you leave a message on their voicemail.
You ask them to call you back or to return your call.
B. You are trying to phone Delia Jones. She works in a large company. Match your possible reactions (1-7)
to the things (a-g) described in A above.
1. Thats strange. Their switchboard isnt big enough to handle all the calls they get.
2. Thats ridiculous! A company with 500 employees, but no one answers the phone.
3. I ask for Delia Jones and they put me through to Della Jones!
4. Delia seems to spend all day on the phone. Her lines always busy.
5. Thats strange. Im sure I dialed the right number.
6. Oh no I hate this oh well, Id better leave a message.
7. They never seem able to find the extension number!
Voicemail
C. Correct the nine mistakes in Annelise Schmidts voicemail message.
Hi James, this is Annelise calling out of Sprenger Verlag in Hamburg. Its very difficult to get hold to you. I
phoned to you earlier, but your telephone central placed me through to the bad telephone. Anyway, Im calling to
you to discuss the contract we were talking about in Frankfurt. Ill call further later or perhaps youd like to ring
to me here in Hamburg on 00 49 40 789 1357. Bye for now.
Phone, call and ring
call
to

phone
telephone
give someone a
call

someone

BrE: to ring someone, to ring up some, to ring someone up, to give

someone a ring
Informal BrE: to give someone a bell, to give someone a buzz
AmE: to call someone, to call up someone, to call someone up

D. Which of these sentences are correct?

Correct the mistakes.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

It would be good to see Anna soon. Ill phone to her and see when shes free.
I gave Brian a call yesterday and we had a long chat.
Why dont you ring up at Pizza Palace and order some takeaway pizza?
I rung them five minutes ago but there was no answer.
Call me up next time youre in New York.
Give me a ring when youre next in London.
Ill give her the bell and well fix up a meeting.
When you get some news, make me a buzz.

37

STRESS

M A N A G E M EN T

Hard work never killed a man the harder your people work, the happier and healthier they
will be.
(David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy and Mather advertising agency)

Irrespective of what we do, everyone has already experienced stress at some time in
his or her life. Because of the direct relationship between good employment practices and
the companys success stress management is becoming a hot topic for many institutions and
businesses. Nowadays, many employees face stressful situations or suffer from stressrelated illnesses. Thus companies should actively be responsible for the health and well
being of their employees, which requires special attention to stress. Effective stress
management is based on the collective and individual willingness to understand and accept
elements causing stress. Furthermore, from the financial point of view, effective stress
management can be profitable compared with ignoring the problems. If stress is managed
effectively, it has positive effects on company performance, its success and profitability.
Organizations that take active steps to manage stress have greater attraction for
potential employees, and their staff spend a high proportion of their working time being
productive rather than off sick or using flimsy excuses to mask the real problems. Moreover,
it is generally believed that businesses taking a positive approach to the management of
stress are highly respected and valued not only by their employees but also by the outside
environment.
High blood pressure, heart diseases, tiredness, exhaustion, hair loss, and insomnia
are only a few stress-related symptoms. For instance, studies show that stress can reduce
the power of our immune systems. A study in the U.K. exposed 266 people to a common
cold virus and then tracked who became sick. 28.6 percent of those with few signs of stress
caught the cold. However, the figure jumped to 42.4 percent for those who were under high
stress.
There is an increasing recognition that company employees also have other
legitimate interests away from their working place. So people who do not commit themselves
to their work to the exclusion of else cannot be judged as those who lack commitment or
loyalty. Managers therefore should not ask their subordinates to do something they are not
willing to do themselves. For example, Julius Caesar never asked his troops to do anything
that he was not prepared to do if they rode, so did he; if they walked, so did he too.

38

Stress can originate from many sources, such as:

personal problems, e.g. divorce

change in job responsibilities

illness

outstanding personal achievement

death of a close relative or friend

problems with your boss

change in financial status

change in work hours or conditions

mortgage or loan

recreation

change to different work

Christmas

A balance between work and the rest of life should be ensured. People should take
proper holidays. They should not be allowed to work overtime for a longer period of time.
Regular inspections of the company premises should be carried out to ensure that working
conditions are good and stress-free. Finally, as with every aspect of managerial work, the
quicker stress-related problems are recognized, the less long-term damage is caused to both
businesses and individuals.
Are these statements True or False?
1. Diseases such as flu or cold are often caused by stress.
2. A good manager always serves as a role model for his subordinates
3. The article claims that companies are responsible for the health and well-being of their
employees.
4. Employees as well as employers are to be willing to identify stressors.
5. People spend less productive time at work in the organizations which manage stress.

Bibliography

[1]

Pettinger, R.: Stress Management. Capstone Publishing 2002. ISBN 1-84112-319-6

[2]

http://holisticonline.com/stress/stress_introduction.htm (visited 11/11/08)

Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four As

Change the situation:
Change your reaction:

Avoid the stressor.

Alter the stressor.

Adapt to the stressor.

Accept the stressor.

Give advice
In the last few years there has been more and more administrative work, with no time for reading or
research. I feel pressure building up. I have begun to feel overwhelmed by work: I feel as if I am not
able to do it. In other words I am under stress, very worried about my work. That is the reason why I
became ill last month. I am sure this was caused by stress, it was stress-induced. I do not want to end
up like one of my colleagues who became so stressed out because of overwork that he had a nervous
breakdown. He was so worried about work that he couldnt sleep or work and had to give up. He is
completely burned out and it will take time till he can start working again.

39

MANAGEMENT STYLES
Power is the great aphrodisiac.
(Henry Kissinger, American politician)

The organization of people at different ranks in an administrative body is called hierarchy.

The amount of responsibility of employees in an organization depends on the position that they
occupy in its hierarchy. Managers are usually responsible for leading employees working directly
under them their subordinates. To accomplish the task effectively, they use their authority, which
is the official power to give orders to people and to take decisions. In many organizations, employees
do only what they expect to do, and are expected to do, within the level of the hierarchy. Some
companies apply traditional, authoritarian management styles, for example they do not allow a union
(i.e. an organization of workers, usually in a particular industry that protects their rights and interests).
Decisions are imposed from above in a top-down approach. Moreover, leaders are distant and
remote, not easy to get to know or communicate with. On the contrary, there are now a number of
organizations around the world that have adopted different management styles in order to empower
their employees. Empowerment means giving employees more responsibility to control their own
work and make their own decisions. Thus managers can delegate authority to their subordinates. This
means that employees at lower levels of the company hierarchy are empowered to take decisions
without asking their managers. Furthermore, managers encourage their subordinates to use their own
initiative and to play an active role in the success of the organization. Managers are more open and
approachable, their employees find it easier to talk to them. There is also more management by
consensus, which means that decision-making has become more decentralized and decisions are made
by asking employees to contribute in a process of consultation. On the other hand, a problem of
keeping control of all operations in a company has arisen. Thus controlling is regarded as one of the
key issues of modern management.
For instance, the Brazil company Semco was created in the 1950s as a company
manufacturing centrifuges for the vegetable oils industry. Over the years, the company has
modernized by expanding its range and investing in other businesses. If you think that Semco is a
company full of crazy people or a group of nutters, you are not entirely wrong. However, it is not by
chance that unconventional ideas are created at this company. They are created and managed within an
open management model that gives little credence to what many other companies consider important,
such as appearance and formalities.
Principles and Values at Semco
At Semco, they follow a few basic rules which, they believe a dependable and reliable company
should follow. Some of them are mentioned below:

40

Value honesty and transparency over and above all temporary interests.

Seek balance between short-term and long-term profit.

Offer products and services at fair prices which are recognized by customers as the best on the
market.

Provide the customer with differentiated services, placing our responsibility before profits.

Encourage everyones participation and question decisions that are imposed from the top
down.

Maintain an informal and pleasant environment, with a professional attitude and free of
preconceptions.

Maintain safe working conditions and control industrial processes to protect our personnel and
the environment.

Have the humility to recognize our errors and understanding that we can always improve.

Listen to the following text and decide if the statements A H are true (T) or false (F).
A

Semler started the company himself.

Semler gave control to the managers.

The company does not have a hierarchy of levels.

There is a new CEO every three months.

Everyone is responsible for their own secretarial work.

Workers can elect their managers.

Semler decides on the number of working hours and pay.

Semler feels that people become more responsible when they make the
decisions.

Find the expressions in the text that correspond to their explanations below. The first letter has
been given.
1

What managers do, with or without talking to employees

Not easy to talk to

If managers ask employees to take on responsibility

If decisions are made not only in a companys main office, the

company is this

41

Authoritarian managers do not their decisions

A very important issue

If employees decide without asking a manager they use ...

The power to give orders and take decisions

DISCUSSION
Which of these statements do you agree with?
A. manager should:
1. know when your birthday is.
2. know where you are and what youre doing at all times during working hours.
3. not criticize or praise.
4. not interfere in disagreements between members of staff.
5. not ask people to do things theyre not prepared to do themselves.
6. be available at all times to give staff advice and support.
7. keep their distance from staff and not get involved in socializing outside work.
8. use polite language at all times.
9. work longer hours than their staff.
10. comment on the personal appearance of their staff.
B. What is the role of a manager? Choose your top three roles from the following.
coach / motivator
organizer
mediator
facilitator
problem-solver
leader
instigator
mentor
dictator
decision-maker
MANAGEMENT QUALITIES
Complete the table by writing the opposite and noun forms.
Considerate
inconsiderate
Creative
Decisive
Diplomatic
Efficient
Flexible
Inspiring
Interested
Logical
Organized
Rational
Responsible
Sociable
Supportive
Choose the worst qualities of a manager and rank them (1=worst)

42

consideration

Match these pairs of contrasting management styles.

1. autocratic
a. collaborative
2. centralizing
b. controlling
3. directive
c. delegating
4. empowering
d. democratic
5. hands on
e. people-orientated
6. task-orientated
f. laissez-faire
LISTENING
A. Listen to the first part of the interview with Niall Foster, an expert on management styles, and
answer the following questions:
1.
What does Niall say a successful manager must do?
2.

What does Niall do before he makes contact with people in other countries?

B. Listen to the second part of the interview and note down Nialls five key points on ways managers
can get the best out of people.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Richard Bransons
10 secrets of success
Richard Branson became famous as a hippy businessman in the 1960s when he set up a record company.
Today he runs the successful Virgin airline and hes still breaking many of the traditional rules of management.
So how does he do it?
Complete the text with suitable words listed below.
temper
questions

day
memory
money

qualifications

single

memos

decisions

failures

1 He regularly works an eleven-hour ., starting around eight and finishing around seven at night.
2 He spends a lot of time talking to people on the telephone but he never sends .. .
3 He rarely holds board meetings. He makes . on the phone or on the tennis court.
4 He has a good . and he writes peoples names on his hand so he doesnt forget them.
5 He invites every one of his 10,000 employees to a party at his home in Oxfordshire every year.
The last part cost around 100,000 pounds
6 He continually his employees about every aspect of the business and he tries to pick holes in
their arguments to find out whether their ideas will work.
7 If he becomes annoyed in meetings, he leaves the room. He hardly ever loses his .
8 He employs people he likes personally. This is more important to him than .
9 He has had several business in the past and nearly went bankrupt several times but he has
always survived. He puts his success down to good ideas, good people, and good luck.
10 He didnt go into business to make . He went into business because he wanted a challenge.

43

International business styles

Listen and complete the following sentences.
The characteristics of management often vary according to ., which can
determine how managers are trained, how they lead people and how they approach their jobs.
The amount of responsibility of any individual in a company depends on the position he or she
occupies in its . Managers, for example, are responsible for leading the people
directly under them, who are called .. . To do this successfully, they must use
their , which is the right to take decisions and give orders. Managers
often .. . This means that employees at lower levels in the
company hierarchy can use their ., that is make decisions without asking their
manager.
In pairs read the portraits of managers in five different countries and decide which country each
one corresponds to.

Germany
Poland
Sweden
The United Kingdom
The United States

1 Managers from this country

Consider professional and technical skills to be very important.
Have a strong sense of authority.
Respect the different positions in the hierarchy of their companies.
Clearly define how jobs should be done.
Are very loyal to their companies and expect their subordinates to obey them.
Are often older than in other countries.
2 Managers from this country
Receive a general education.
Delegate authority.
Take a practical approach to management.
Have relatively formal relationships at work
Encourage their employees to work individually.
Believe it is important to continue education and training at work.
3 Managers from this country
Consider social qualities to be as important as education.
Pay close attention to the quality of working life.
Do not use as much authority as in other countries.
Appreciate low-level decision-making.
Encourage their employees to take an interest in their work.
Are often women.

44

4 Managers from this country

Generally attend business schools.
Communicate easily and informally at work.
Admire the qualities of a leader.
Expect everyone to work hard. Individual performance is measured and initiative is rewarded.
Have competitive and aggressive attitudes to work.
Often accept innovation and change.
5 Managers from this country
Have either gained their experience in state-owned enterprises or are competitive self-starters.
Older managers hold technical degrees rather than business qualifications.
Work very long hours and expect their subordinates to do so.
Are extremely innovative, optimistic and determined.
Are quick to invest in the development of new products, market techniques and methods of
production and distribution.
What about management practices in Slovakia?

Complete the notes on different attitudes to:

Time

Relationship building

Addressing people

Physical contact

Conversational topics

45

GRAMMAR: Nationalities
The most common suffixes for nationalities in English are:
-ian
-an
-ean
-ish
-ese
-i
The English names of many countries end in ia (Albania, Algeria). The adjectives from these countries end
in ian. Do the adjectives from:
Argentina
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Egypt
Bahamas
Ghana
Hungary
Iran
Italy
Jordan
Indonesia
Mozambique
Norway
Palestine
Peru
Ukraine
Russia
The adjectives from the following countries end in an or ean:
Angola
Chile
Germany
Kenya
Libya
Mexico
Morocco
Paraguay
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Uganda
Uruguay
Venezuela
Zaire
Zimbabwe
New Zealand

Korea
Singapore
USA
Guatemala

The adjectives from the following countries end in ish:

Britain
Denmark
England
Finland
Poland
Scotland
Spain
Sweden

Ireland
Turkey

The adjectives from the following countries end in ese:

Burma (Myanmar)
China
Japan
Portugal
Senegal
Sudan

Lebanon
Taiwan

Nepal
Vietnam

Faroe Islands

The adjectives from the following countries end in i:

Bangladesh
Iraq
Israel
Kuwait
Oman
Pakistan
Yemen
Practice: What are the adjectives from these countries?
Bangladesh
Belgium
Ethiopia
Ireland
Lebanon
Morocco
Norway
Peru

Korea
Turkey

The adjectives from these countries are irregular. Do you know them?
Afghanistan
Czech Republic
Greece
Philippines
Netherlands
Switzerland
Thailand
Wales

Slovakia

Exercise
Match the words from the three columns below to make sentences. Transform the names of the countries
into adjectives.
Example: Sherry is a Spanish wine region.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Sherry
Aer Lingus
Benetton
Peugeot
Motorola
Focus
Philips
Carlsberg
IKEA
The Times
Lisbon
Odessa
Aker AS
Moussaka
Lindt

Denmark
Norway
France
Holland
Spain
Italy
USA
Britain
Greek
Swiss
Ukraine
Germany
Ireland
Portugal
Sweden

furniture retailer
capital
telecommunications company
beer
electronics company
industrial company
clothing manufacturer
seaport
chocolate
car manufacturer
wine region
airline
dish
weekly magazine
newspaper

46

GRAMMAR: VERB + PREPOSITION

1. Here is a list of verbs, complete them with the most commonly used prepositions
apply . job
approve . holiday
believe . love
belong . me
suffer asthma
benefit .. heritage
compete . rivals
sympathise .. them
hope . better future

concentrate facts
consist .. three parts
cooperate . suppliers
decide new strategy
rely . ones charm
depend . customers
focus . better results
take care customers
qualify 2010 Fifa Cup

insist . coming on time

know . you
lead .. better results
listen . your boss
specialize .. advertising
object ones ideas
pay . products
comply .. safety standards
wait . you

verb + object + preposition

With some verbs the object comes before the preposition. Here are some common examples.
add sth to
inform sb about/of
split sth into
compare sth with/ to
protect sb from
translate st into

explain sth to
spend sth on
borrow sth from
invite sb to
thank sb for

share sth with

blame sb for
invest sth in
tell sb about
divide sth into

ask sb about/for
insure sth against
supply sb with
congratulate sb on
prevent sb from

2. There is a difference in meaning between about and of. What is the difference between the
sentences?
Gillian reminded me about the appointment.
Gillian reminded me of my sister.
Verb + different prepositions
1. They agreed to give us better terms of payment. OK, I agree with you about the need for
cutting costs.
2. I must apologize to Susan for my awful behavior last night.
3. Shall we ask for the bill? Ask the waiter about the dish of the day.
4. Im going to complain to the manager about the service in here.
5. I heard about the news from a colleague of mine. Ive never heard of that company.
6. I learnt a lot about insurance from my last job.
7. This problem results from bad planning and it will result in chaos.
3. Complete the sentences with the correct preposition
1. I really sympathise .. your problem, but theres not a lot I can do.
2. Positive thinking is so important. You really have to believe .. yourself.
3. Ill wait you outside.
4. What youre saying can only lead . one possible solution.
5. Of course the size of our order will depend .. the price.
6. Your CV is strong in most areas, but what do you know .. marketing?
7. Imports always suffer .. the effects of a strong dollar.
8. I always have to look smart my boss doesnt approve .. informal clothes.

47

4. Complete the sentences with one word from list A and one word from list B.

A: agreed, apologised, apply, belong, comply, explain, heard, hoping, insist, listen, pay qualify,
rely, remind
B: about, on, from, with, to, for

1. You can .. the goods in twelve monthly instalments.

2. Excuse me, but does this umbrella .to you?
3. The first thing is to . the client to find out their needs.
4. I asked my lawyer to . the contract .. me.
5. Everybody .the decision. It was unanimous.
6. Theres a new job in R&D. I wonder if Chris is going to .it.
7. Jill is a good team member. You can always .her in a crisis.
8. Theyve ..for the delay and said that the items are in the post.
9. Im certain to forget. me ..it nearer the time.
10 Its been a disappointing year. Were .better results now.
11. Have you Jackie recently? She hasnt written for ages.
12. Does this product European safety standards?
13. No, no, I .on paying. Youre my guest.
14. If we build the factory in that area well ..for a regional aid grant.
5. Underline the correct preposition.
1. I think we should ask them for/about/with more information.
2. Can you supply us for/about/with enough parts for 5,000 vehicles?
3. You remind about/of/for someone I know.
4. If I forget, remind me about/of/for it again at the end of the meeting.
5. The management blamed the union against/from/for causing the strike.
6. I am writing to inform you for/about/on our new range of products.
7. We might have to split the order for/in/into two separate shipments.
8. Can you thank Mr Mateus about/for/with all his help.
9. Id like to congratulate Patricia on/for/about winning Employee of the Month.

48

TRAVELLING
They say travel broadens the mind; but you must have the mind.
(G. K. Chesterton, English essayist, novelist, and poet)
1. Which means of transport do you use? What are the advantages and drawbacks of travelling
by public transport and of using your own car? Fill in the following chart.
Means of transport:
Public transport

Travelling in your own car

Advantages

Advantages

Disadvantages

Disadvantages

2. Find words that correspond to their explanations.

1

The general idea of going from one place to another

Going somewhere by ship

Going somewhere for business/shopping or for a short period

Going a long distance, perhaps by land

3. Complete the sentences 1-8 using drive, flight, ride or tour.

1

Would you like a _____________ on my new Harley-Davidson?

The Japanese tourists went on a guided _____________ of the city.

She took her mother on a nice, quiet _____________ in her new car.

Iberia has a _____________ from Madrid to London tomorrow evening.

The band is going on a _____________ of cities in the United States.

How old were you when you learned to _____________ a bike?

Thank you for flying with Lufthansa. We hope you have had a good _____________.

Can you _____________ a car?

49

4. Read the following text and decide which is the best word to complete gaps 1-8.
I have learned, often the hard (1)_____________, that there are a few simple rules about how to
make life easier both before and after the journey. First of all, you must always check and doublecheck departure times. This is absolutely essential. It is amazing how few people do this really
carefully. Once I arrived at the airport a few minutes before ten. I thought she had said that the plane
left at 10.50. I walked calmly to the departure gate, thinking I (2)__________ had a little time to spare.
I hadnt bothered to take a good look at the ticket. The clerk at the desk told me politely but firmly that
the departure time was 10.15 and that, (3)_____________ to international regulations, the flight was
now closed.
Secondly, you should remember that even in this (4)_____________ of credit cards, it is still
important to have at least a little of the local currency with you when you arrive in a country. This can
be absolutely essential if you are flying to a place few tourists normally visit. A few years ago I was
sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma. I flew there from London via Dallas with very little time to
(5)_____________ planes in between. I arrived there at midnight and the bank at the airport was
closed. The only (6)_____________to get to the hotel was by taxi and, since I had no American
dollars, I offered to pay in British pounds instead.
Listen buddy. I only take real money! the driver said angrily. Luckily, I was able to
(7)_____________ a few dollars from a clark at the hotel, but it was very embarrassing.
The third and last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your
(8)_____________ before you leave. It may be very different from the weather at home. I feel sorry
for some of my colleagues who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in March or April, when it is still
fairly cool in places like London, Berlin or New York, to places like Athens, Rome or Madrid, where
it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day. Few people understand just how it is to have
the right sort of clothes with you in these days of rapid air (9)_____________.

path

road

way

street

still

yet

then

already

regarding

relating

according

referring

period

time

term

age

exchange

change

transfer

alter

way

manner

path

route

borrow

lend

gain

beg

goal

aim

objective

destination

travel

trips

journeys

voyages

(From: New Success at First Certificate)

50

Air travel
5. Answer the clues. The number of letters is given.
1A______
2__I___
3_____R_
4____-___
5____T
6_____R
7_A_____
8_V______
9__E_
10 _ L _ _ _ _
an area of land where aircraft can land and take off, be kept, repaired, etc. (7)
a trip by airplane, especially carrying passengers on a regular service (6)
a member of cabin staff who looks after the passengers needs (7)
the act of leaving the ground by an airplane
a person who flies an airplane, captain (5)
a big building where planes are kept (6)
the act of coming down onto the ground again from the air (7)
the science or practice of flying (8)
all the people working on an airplane (4)
a plane without an engine (6)
6. Put each of the following words or phrases into its correct place in the passage below.
air vents
co-pilot
flight
passenger
trip
size

cabin
crew
flight engineer
passenger list
tourist

captain
cruising speed
galley
safety belts
attendants

carry
distances
jet-propelled
seats
take-off

Airliner
Airliners, or (a) __________________ planes, differ from light planes not only in (b)
__________________ but also in speed and equipment. They are designed to (c)
__________________ a greater number of people over longer (d)________________ without
stopping to refuel.
A passenger airliner has a comfortable (e) __________________ with soft carpets, adjustable
upholstered (f)______________, washrooms, and individual (g) __________________ and reading
lights. It has a (h) __________________ for preparing food. Many airliners offer (i)
__________________, or economy class service, which costs less than first-class travel.
The (j) __________________ of four-engine airliners range from about 350 mph for propeller-driven
planes to more than 500 mph for (k) __________________ planes.
The (l) __________________ of an airliner works as a team to make the trip smooth and pleasant.
While the passengers take their seats, the pilot or (m) ______________, co-pilot, flight engineer, and
stewardesses prepare the plane for (n)___________. The pilot, assisted by the (o)
__________________, checks the instruments and tests the controls. The (p) __________________
checks the other mechanical equipment. The stewardesses check the (r) __________________, make
sure that the passengers fasten their (s) ______________ for (t) ________________. Later, the flight
(u) __________________ distribute magazines, serve meals, and do other things to make the (v)
__________________ enjoyable.

51

7. LISTENING
a) Listen to these statements. Where do they take place?
a) in a taxi
c) at a railways station
e) on a plane
b) at an airport
d) at a hotel
1 ____ 2 ____ 3 ____ 4 ____ 5 ____ 6 ____ 7 ____ 8 ____
b) Listen and complete the flight details.
1. Flight _________
2. Flight _________
3. Flight _________
4. The plane _________ from _________ 38.
5. You fly from _______________.
6. The _________ flight to _________ is now boarding.
7. You are in _________ 35, _________ E.
8. The plane _________________ .
c) Listen to each part of the recording. Then answer the questions.
Part 1
1. What time is the next train to Manchester?
Part 2
2. Which flight is boarding at gate 23?
Part 3
3. What time does the train leave?
4. Which platform does it leave from?
Part 4
5. The passenger chooses a flight. What time does it leave?
6. When does the flight arrive?
7. What is the flight number?
8. Which terminal does it leave from?
Ships
8. Choose from the given words those related to the indicated subject.
(to) board
charts
crew
fleet
hold
liner
navigator
seasickness
voyage

bow
cliffs
cruise
freighters
knots
loaded
overboard
stern
waves

bunks
coast
deck-chairs
galley
latitude
mate
rope
stewards
warship wreck

1. Which of the above are kinds of ships?

2. Which of the above are parts of a ship?
3. Which of the above are things found on a ship?
4. Which of the above are people found on a ship?

52

cabins
compass
docks
gang-way
life-jacket
moored
rudder
stormy

captain
cranes
(to) embark
harbour
lighthouses
(to) navigate
seamen
vessels

Final Review
1. Complete the passage below using the appropriate word or phrases.

At the top of the company hierarchy is the ..........................., headed by the ........................(or
president). The board is responsible for making policy decisions and for determining the company's
strategy. It will usually appoint a .......................(or chief executive officer) who has overall
responsibility for the running of the business. .................................or line managers head the various
departments or functions within the company.
When a company needs to .......................... or employ new people, it may decide to advertise the job
or .......................... in the appointments section of a newspaper. People who are interested can then
..................... the job by sending in a ................................. or covering letter and a ...........................
containing details of their education and experience. In some cases a company may prefer to do this
initial selection after asking candidates to complete a standard .................... . The company's human
resource department will then select the applications that it considers the most suitable and prepare a
............................ of candidates or ......................., who are invited to attend an ............................ .
Another way for a company to ......................... is by using the services of a ...................................
(US-search firm) who will provide them with a list of suitable candidates.
2. Which departments do the following people work in?
1

John:

We produce quarterly reports to show how our company is doing. Last

week we were busy with providing data for the companys annual
report.

Malcolm:

Lucy:

Currently our company is not doing very well and weve had to cancel
two departments, lay off some workers and review salaries of all
employees.

Mary:

Before launching our latest product, we must decide where it will be

sold and which groups of customers we want to target.

George:

Linda:

Jane:

Im a member of a team of innovators and weve just finished work

on our latest vacuum cleaner. This model will be more powerful
than our previous one.

At this moment we are having problems with the quality of our

motorbikes. Thats why were working on several improvements of
our manufacturing system.
Communication is a key aspect of my work. In my department we
answer enquiries by our customers, potential clients or the press.
Our department is responsible for establishing sales plans and targets for
our sales representatives.

3. Polish up your English! Correct the following common mistakes

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I have been assistant for a financial manager

I am responsible for running of personnel department
We need to ensure a high customer satisfaction
I want to use my skills into practice
As you see on my CV

53

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

graduated from faculty of management

please contact me in case you have questions
please contact me if you will find my CV interesting
I would welcome to work for your company
I am looking for a work
I have many experience
I have no problem to deal with customers
I speak fluently French and German
I prefer to work with people
I would prefer working with people
please contact me in case you are interested in more information
to participate on meetings
with my great experiences I think I would be a suitable candidate
I dispose of both practical and theoretical knowledge
Ive enclosed my CV for your consideration

4. What do the following phrases mean?

Outplacement
Remuneration
Induction
Referee
Gold bricking
CV
CEO
PR
Objectives
Strategy
Delegate authority
Coach
Insomnia
Subordinates
Superiors
Tackle
Enterprise
Managership
Managerial
Job hunter
Job profile
To impose decision

I. Reading Comprehension
Find words that correspond to the following definitions in the text The Importance of English in the World of
International Business:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

to connect
on the highest level of development (adj.)
well informed about a subject
businessmen, managers
study or investigation

Find words in the second paragraph that mean the opposite than the following words:
6) unnecessary, unimportant
7) excluded, separated
8) to come to an end, disappear

54

Are the following statements true or false?

9) Business people travel less than before because technology has enabled them to do most business from
their office.
10) Many companies prefer to use interpreters when doing business with foreigners, because they can create
a better relationship with them since they know the language.
11) It is important that employees are able to socialize with business partners in English.

II. Vocabulary
1. Write a definition
Lingua franca is _________________________________________________________________________
2. Match the words in the two columns:
1. increment
A increase
2. elaborate
B a letter of application
3. annual
C independent
4. covering letter D complex
5. successive
E recruit
6. freelance
F yearly
7. candidate
G following
8. hire
H applicant

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

3. Use the words in the sentences in their correct form:

overtime
persuasive
report
square
resign
commission
dozen
refer
discretion
1. ________________ is very important, if you want your relationship with co-workers to be good.
2. The shop assistants in that store work on ________________, that is why they are trying so hard.
3. This is so unfair! I am back to ________________ one.
4. If I got paid for all the ________________ I have done this month, I would be very well off.
5. Top managers are often ________________ to as executives.
6. The meeting was very unproductive. Maria speaks nineteen to the ________________ and nobody else
gets to say a word!
7. Being ________________ is a quality, which matters if you want to be a good negotiator.
8. In my previous job I ________________ directly to the Finance manager.
9. Have you heard the news? Our CEO ________________ and they are looking for a new one.

III. Grammar and Structure

1. Match an appropriate suffix to the following words. Indicate any changes to the stem.
-ment
- ness
-ation
- ity
1. agree______
4. improve______
2. invite______
5. sick______
3. infinite______
6. regular______
2. Underline the correct form of the verb in italics in the following sentences.
1. I regretted / have regretted moving to London from the day I arrived. Id love to go back to Rome.
2. Now that the soup cooks / is cooking you throw in/are throwing in some pasta.
3. We had / have had the dishwasher for five years now.
4. Did you ever have anything broken / Have you ever had anything broken when you were a child?
5. How do you get on / are you getting on with the exam preparations? Well, I am about to start
revise/revising
3. Correct the mistake in each of the following sentences.
1. These are the glasses I wear ever since I was 30. ____________________________________________
2. She is having discussions with them to find out what sort of features they are requiring.
___________________________________________________________________________________
3. Sylvia reminds me about my sister. She is so much like her. ___________________________________
4. This process consists from three stages. ___________________________________________________
5. We are always testing samples of every consignment. ________________________________________

55