UNIT 1

AGGETTIVI:
value for money (convenienza) timeless reliable
durable sexy fun
Fashionable cool classic
upmarket sophisticated stylish
inexpensive Well-made

VOCABULARY
o BRAND
LOYALTY The tendency to always buy a particular brand
NAME The title given to a product by the company that makes it
AWARENESS How familiar people are with a brand (or its logo and slogan)
IMAGE The ideas and beliefs people have about a brand
STRETCHING Using an existing name on another type of product of a different product
category. The new product is called spin-off

o PRODUCT
LAUNCH The introduction of a product to the market
RANGE The set of products made by a company
LIFECYCLE The length of time people continue to buy a product
PLACEMENT When products are used in films or tv programmes
ENDORSEMENT The use of a well-known person to advertise products
(appoggio,
sostegno)

o MARKET
LEADER The best-selling product or brand in a market
CHALLENGER The second best-selling product or brand in a market
SHARE The percentage of sales a company has
SEGMENT Customers of similar age, income level or social group
RESEARCH Information about what consumers want or need

CHIEF EXECUTIVE: is the most senior corporate, executive or administrative officer in charge of managing
an organization

SHAREHOLDER: individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private
corporation

SHARE: unit of capital owned by a shareholder

ARTICLE – RESTLESS PURSUER OF LUXURY’S FUTURE

Sydney Toledano is Dior’s chief executive and one of the longest-serving one in the luxury industry.

He must balance:
o The demands of shareholders
o The value of a historic label (etichetta)
o The need of exclusivity and for expansion

He routinely communicates with:

o Arnault, the main shareholder of Dior and demanding boss
o Dior’s clothes designer (Galliano)
o Dior’s jewellery designer (De Castellane)

Best advice:
o When times are bad, get out of the office. When things are good, spend time on the organization
o Look for newness, look for what is happening next
o Forget the calculator
o Understand people from different countries and what they want

Toledano travels almost every week to one of Dior’s 224 stores around the world.
In the 1980’s he worked in China at the French leather-goods house Lancel and there he realized China
would one day be prime territory for luxury.
Factory owners worked very hard but they would bring you to restaurants, they wanted to enjoy life.
Toledano thought one day they were going to have money and they were going to spend it.

Mr Arnault
Wanted to take a small couture house he had bought out of bankruptcy and build it into the biggest luxury
group in the world (LVMH)

Dior:
o Can double in 5 years
o Growth coming from middle east, china and Europe

Dior needs:
o To develop its network
o To perfect its supply chain

The next wave of luxury buyers:

o Middle east
o Russia
o Hong Kong
o South Korea

A brand should anticipate its customers’ needs and invest early in markets that may not show real growth
for up to 6 years.
CASE STUDY 1 – HUDSON CORPORATION
A luxury luggage manufacturer is facing increased competition from cheaper imports.

BACKGROUND:
Hudson Corporation makes top-of-the-range luggage and travel accessories.
It is a well-known brand name in the USA.
Its suitcases and bags are associated with high quality, traditional design and craftmanship.
Hudson emphasizes in its advertising that its product are “made in America”.
Recently the company’s market share in USA has decreased.
One reason for this has been the increased competition from Asian companies selling similar products at
much lower prices.
A year ago, the management decided to boost sales by entering the European market, focusing initially on
Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy.

MARKET RESEARCH:
How consumers perceive the company’s brand in the USA
Expensive 72% Old-fashioned 68%
Exclusive 56% Exciting 15%
Value for money 48% Innovative 18%
Good quality 82%

MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR EUROPE – OPTIONS

STRATEGY 1 – REPOSITION THE BRAND

o Sell Hudson suitcases and bags at medium price ranges
o Manufacture the products in a county where labour costs are low (china, india)
o Do not promote the products are made in America
o Use a high volume, low-cost strategy for Hudson’s core products

STRATEGY 2 – DEVELOP THE HUDSON BRAND

o Promote the Hudson products as an exclusive brand and keep the made in America tag
o Sell the products in higher price ranges
o Use product placement in films and television to support the brand
o Hire a famous, sophisticated, influential man and woman to endorse the products

STRATEGY 3 – HIRE A TOP DESIGNER

o Employ a top designer to product a new range of smaller suitcases and shoulder bags aimed to
businesspeople travelling in Europe and at rich, younger, fashion-conscious buyers
o Sell the products under a new label

STRATEGY 4 – DEVELOP A WIDER PRODUCT RANGE

o Sell a wider range of products under the Hudson label as trolley-backpacks, document cases,
briefcases, name-card holders, shoulder bags for men and women
o Sell at lower, competitive prices

STRATEGY 5 – STRETCH THE HUDSON BRAND

o Put the Hudson brand on high quality watches and jewellery
o Make an agreement with the swiss manufacturers of these top of the range products

STRATEGY 6 – DEVELOP SALES USING E-COMMERCE

o Sell the existing product lines via internet at the very competitive prices
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

STRATEGY 1
- reducing manufacture costs - shift to a lower customers level
- increase sales - lower the quality
- being more international - possibility to decrease the income
- loss of distinction from similar product brand

STRATEGY 2
- maintain a certain status - more costs to support advertising
- endorsement and placement - less people buy (reducing the customers range)
- keep the quality and exclusiveness - complaining about expensiveness

STRATEGY 3
- innovation - more costs to support: manufacture, designer’s
- new label, new curious customers salary, materials…
- keep the businesspeople customers - management problems to handle and coordinate
2 labels

STRATEGY 4
- increase the customers range - a range of products too much wide
- be more competitive in the market - more costs

STRATEGY 5
- reach new markets and new customers - more costs
- make the Hudson brand known - possibility to flop
- new partnerships

STRATEGY 6
- reach new customers in different part of the - costs for delivery service
World - problems of the electronical structure and
- be more known network, safety of personal data and payment info,
- advertising possible shutdowns by hackers

MY OPINION
In my opinion the best chance for Hudson to expand sales in European market is a mix of 2,3,4 and 6
strategies.

The reposition of the brand is not the best one Hudson could use. In one hand it’s ok to lower prices
seeing as people think its products are expensive, on the other hand customers appreciate the good
quality, so exporting the manufacture abroad could lower the general expectations on the final products.

In order to defeat competition, Hudson needs to develop its brand.

Advertising, product placement and endorsement are the best options every company has because the
main interest is always catch customers’ attention and persuade them to buy. If they see a famous actor or
actress advertising a product, they’ll be more willing to buy it. Same thing if the product is used in a movie
or tv programme.
It’s also very important to keep the made in America tag because people want to know where products are
created. Products made in America, likewise in Europe induce people believe the good quality and
endurance of them. Instead a production in China or India could be seen as less valuable in terms of quality
of materials and manufacture.

It’s not convenient sell all the products in higher price range because a 72% of people think these luggage
and accessories are too expensive.
Hudson should divide its production into 2 ranges: the higher range for businesspeople and rich buyers
and a lower one of core products and more.
Hiring a top designer, Hudson could sell more innovative and exciting products under a new and exclusive
label in order to distinguish it from the other range.

At the same time Hudson could develop a wider product range, more common for people and of every day
using. These products should be sought at lower and competitive prices.

At the end, the e-commerce is the best way to increase sales. So, people can buy core products and also
the exclusive ones. Through e-commerce Hudson can apply special discounts in particular days of the year
or for new customers, in order to let people, buy also the exclusive label’s products.

The strategy of brand stretching could be insidious. It would end up in failure in both products: luggage
and watches, if the management and marketing teams aren’t able to coordinate the sales.
Besides, deciding to concentrate on watches manufacture could lower more and more the sales on the
core range

If I had to choose 2 of the strategies above, I would go for strategies 2 and 4 basically.
Strategy 2 because of product endorsement and placement but also to remark the made in America tag
and the good quality associated to it. It is important to maintain a high status for the brand and its key
products.
On the other end, it is possible to develop a wide range of products of everyday use and sell them at lower
prices to catch the great portion of customers in the market.
UNIT 2 – TRAVEL

o VOCABULARY
cabin Jet
cancellations luggage
checks Queues
food room
seats trolley

PEAK TRAVEL Happens at times when the largest number of people are travelling
CHECK IN When you go to desk at a hotel/airport to say you have arrived
FREQUENT FLYER POINTS Are awarded by airlines to reward customers loyalty
UPGRADE A change to a better seat or level of service
LOUNGE A room in a hotel/airport where people can sit and relax
BOARDING PASS A card you must show in order to get on a plane
GROUND STAFF All the people who work at the airport, but not the pilots or cabin
crew

o BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

ENGLISH AMERICAN
underground subway
City centre downtown
Carry-on baggage Hand luggage
single One way
return Round trip
motorway freeway
Public toilet restroom
elevator lift
Coach class Economy class
timetable schedule
Car park Parking lot
queue line
bill check
Reservation Booking
Ground floor First floor
ARTICLE – COUNTING THE WAYS TO BRIDGE THE GULF

Edmond Moutran is chairman and chief executive of Memac Ogivily & Mather, a multinational advertising
and communication company.

He spends 60% of his working week in the air:

o 200 days in Beirut
o 40 days in Dubai
o 40 days in Bahrein
o 25 in the UK
o One week in each of Cairo, Jordan, Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait, Tunis and Algeria
o South Africa once a year
o Barcelona once or twice a year for conferences
o Paris four times a year

His choice of airlines is dictated by convenience, but his preference is for Middle East Airlines:
- new aircraft
- equipment
- well-trained, fresh and energetic staff.

o His second choice: Gulf Air

o Third: Emirates
o Fourth: British Airways
o Fifth: Air France

He travels with his wife, who worked with him until recently. She likes first class.
He uses also business class.
He travels in economy class in an emergency.

He uses airline lounges. He likes the good chairs, newspaper and television.
Airlines that spend millions on décor and have uncomfortable chairs really need to look at themselves.

MEA:
o Gets him a car to the airport
o Open a special counter for him as an individual
o Staff takes his boarding pass, check him in and walk him through to the lounge
o Saves him about one hour of standing in line
You can’t get this special treatment on other airlines

What annoys him most about flying?

o The attitude of the crew and staff sometimes. If they’re tired of their jobs, they should give it up.
o He also dislikes the casual attitude of ground staff. Employees should be trained to cope with
customers who have problems

Why he hates travelling to the US:

o Ground staff
o No one has time to answer a question
o Lack of openness shown by airlines when there are problems and delays
CASE STUDY 2 – BUSINESS TRAVEL SERVICES

BTS provides a full range of corporate travel services. They’re highly experienced in handling all the
requirements of today’s business traveler.
Among its clients are multinational companies and one of the most important is NeoTech. Recently
NeoTech’s senior executives have had problems when they have been on business trips organized by BTS.

BTS consultants work to produce top-value fares and best itineraries to suit the needs of your staff.
It minimizes the expenses by arranging your staff’s travel at the right price, getting additional discount for
you and establishing direct contact with the best services providers.
All the overseas partners are selected because of their high standard of service, attention to detail and
quality of product.
BTS offers: flights, hotel bookings, car rental, conference bookings, insurance

HOTEL PROBLEM
Check in at the Excelsior Hotel. The receptionist told him he have been upgraded.
The upgraded room wasn’t safe for his money and the lighting was very bad. There was also a group of
noisy people next door.
He stayed there for 1 hour or so, then asked to move to another room.
The new room was no better. No shower because there was no water for 4 hours. The coffee machine
didn’t work and the ice machine was out of order. The desk was too small.
Called the receptionist, she seemed too busy to do anything.

COST LUGGAGE
Travel in Atlanta. 2 luggage didn’t arrive. Report the loss to the airline, they promised to find the bags
and send them to him.
Some weeks later they wrote saying they couldn’t find the bags and asked to fill a claim form.
He didn’t hear from them for another month, then they asked him to send receipts for all my missing
articles, but he didn’t have receipts for the lost items.
3 months later no news from the airlines. The airline is recently merged with another company.

CAR RENTAL PROBLEM

The rental office at the airport couldn’t give me the car I had reserved. It was the medium price range
250$ a week. Instead they offered him:
- a smaller car, which was uncomfortable and had a small trunk
- a bigger car for an extra 20$ a day
He was expecting a free upgrade, but the clerk at the desk refused to do so. His attitude was take it or
leave it. So I hired the bigger car. When the company billed him, he ended up paying 490$ for the car

DIVERTED FLIGHT
Flight to Moscow was diverted to Helsinki because of bad weather. There was confusion at Helsinki
because the airline sent all the passenger to the same hotel for the night.
Some passenger became very aggressive when they tried to get a room. He had to share the room with
another passenger.
The hotel made all passengers pay for their rooms.
The next day they had to wait 6 hours in a cold terminal for the flight to Moscow
The airline didn’t pay for the hotel expenses. They said the circumstances were beyond their control.
HOTEL PROBLEM
In this case the executive called the reception either when he was in the first room either in the second.
He complained about the lack of safety and silence and in the second room about the cold water and
room’s furniture.
He did everything he could in his power, but the hotel staff didn’t resolve any problem properly.
Regarding this case, BTS should refund the executive of the price paid for the night or give him a special
discount for the next reservation in the same hotel or new ones.
BTS should have a meeting with the hotel management in order to resolve these issues or in the worst
scenario end the partnership and look for a better hotel.

LOST LUGGAGE
The executive lost his luggage and did everything a normal passenger could do with airline’s customer
service.
He reported the loss and filled a claim form, but when the airline asked receipts for all the missing articles
he couldn’t meet their request. It’s pretty obvious that people don’t keep receipts of everything bought for
long time. Plus when travelling you can carry items bought years ago, like the luggage itself.
The executive could have called BTS itself and explain the issue so that BTS could have kept personally the
communication with the airline and so find the luggage.
In fact BTS arranged everything and have a business contract with that airline.
BTS can speak directly to the airline management and report the problem, something a passenger can’t
normally do. In this case there are more chances to find the luggage.
In the meantime, BTS can refund a sum to the executive in order to cover the expenses done during the trip
and in the eventuality it isn’t possible to find the luggage, cover an extra sum for the inconvenience paid
half by the airline and half by BTS.

RENTAL PROBLEM
Before paying for the bigger car, the executive should have called BTS reporting the issue in his booking.
It could have been a simple misunderstanding between BTS and the rental company or however something
that could have been easily fixed.
Besides, the rental company was pretty rude and didn’t try to come up with a compromise.
So, when the executive has been billed with an extra 240$ compared to what he should have paid, he
would have called BTS and ask for a refund.
BTS should ascertain who is responsible for the inconvenience and, in case it has been rental company’s
fault which wanted to increase its income tricking people, it BTS should look over its partnership.
What customers want is a kind service and able to meet your needs, something that car rental couldn’t
offer.
BTS should refund the difference paid by the customer or paying him a 140$ and plus car rental for his new
trip.

DIVERTED FLIGHT
Diverted flight wasn’t something expected, but when the airline sent all the passenger to the same hotel
and it was almost impossible find a single bedroom, the executive could have called BTS and inform it
about the change of plans and maybe asking for a BTS partner hotel in Helsinki.
However the executive shared a room with other passengers and had to pay personally, something that
could have been avoided if BTS had been called.
If the customer had filed a claim, BTS would have contacted the airline to know the reasons why all the
passengers were sent to the same hotel and why the hotel made them pay personally when it was airline
duty.
A lot could have been done, but in this case there isn’t something big that BTS can do because it wasn’t
informed in time and everything has been handled between the airline and the hotel. BTS can only pay
partially the amount paid for the room and improve its customers service in case of diverted flights.
UNIT 3 – CHANGE

VOCABULARY
ASSESS = valutare/stimare REASSESS = rivalutare/ riesaminare
ORGANISE REORGANISE
CENTRALISE DECENTRALISE
DATE = datare UPDATE
DEVELOP REDEVELOP = riconvertire /recuperare
GRADE UPGRADE - DOWNGRADE
LAUNCH RELAUNCH
LOCATE RELOCATE
REGULATE DEREGULATE
SIZE = classificare DOWNSIZE = ridurre personale/ tagliare
UPSIZE = aumentare di misura o capacità
STRUCTURE DESTRUCTURE
TRAIN = preparare/ formare DETRAIN = scendere dal treno/togliere dal treno
RETRAIN = riqualificare / aggiornarsi

ARTICLE – MERCEDES STAR TWINKLES ONCE MORE

In 2002, Mercedes suffered as dramatic fall as any luxury brand could, as it reported its first losses for
nearly 2 decades and saw its quality slip so far that newspaper were full of stories of cars that kept on
breaking down.

Dieter Zetsche in 2005 became Head of Mercedes and chief executive of its parent company.
Mercedes changed a lot in 3 years going from the worst-performing of the large luxury car makers to the
trailblazer.
Executives at its bigger-selling rival BMW look enviously at its return on sales especially compared with
BMW’s

Much of that turnaround is due to Mr Zetsche. He was not the first automotive executive to take on 2 jobs,
but he has been one of the most successful with it, using his operational experience at Mercedes to help
him at Daimler.
Combining roles is essential for his management style. He is also keen to stress that Mercedes has a team
approach.

Mr Zetsche was hard from the outset cutting 14.500 jobs between production and administrative staff.
That broke the pattern of Mercedes providing a job for life to workers, but it had a dramatic effect on the
bottom line. Mr Zetsche says: “productivity gains don’t get you anything if you don’t reduce personnel”.

Mercedes’ recent success is also linked to a big improvement in its product quality and the launch of some
well-praised models, headed by the new C-class saloon.
Mercedes is building cars that people want to buy again and, for once, they even look better than BMW’s.

The debate on reducing carbon-dioxide emissions could hit Mercedes hard. But the company for now is
choosing to highlight the launch of 20 fuel-efficient models this year.

All of this has put a spring back in the step of a company that also acts as a mirror on German society.
CASE STUDY 3 – ACQUIRING ASIA ENTERTAINMENT

Decker company is a diversified media group with interest in broadcasting and internet services which
recently merged with a Hong Kong-based media company, Asia Entertainment.
Decker company decided to acquire the Asian group:
o To expand its presence in a dynamic new market, China
o To use Asia Entertainment for further expansion into Asian markets as Singapore, Malaysia and
Vietnam
o Asia Entertainment has a growing online presence through its successful DVD viewing service

Comment:
Asia Entertainment seems to be good fit with the Decker Group.
However there may be problems when a different style of management, the Australian way of doing
things is introduced into the Asian company.
The new Chairman and chief executive will be Scott Henderson, graduated from Harvard. He has a
reputation for being a strong leader who isn’t afraid to take difficult decisions. He is also a fluent speaker of
Mandarin in Chinese.

PROBLEMS: the change of ownership and new management in Asia entertainment have caused many
problems. Staff are very unhappy about the changes.

REAPPLYING FOR POSITIONS

The management has asked all the employees to re-apply for their jobs. Staff feel very uneasy and
insecure. People don’t want to compete against each other for jobs

REDUNDANCIES (licenziamenti)
Redundancies are expected. Employees in HR and sales feel particularly threatened and they’re looking
for new jobs, which is affecting productivity.

COMPENSATION
Staff are already being made redundant. However the compensation package is poor. They’re also
receiving no help to find new jobs

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS

The management has insisted that all staff must improve their English, but no financial help has been
offered towards the cost of English courses

MANAGEMENT STYLE
Typical comments made by the staff:
o They’re trying to do things too fast, there’s a new computer system we don’t understand and
they’re ordering lots of Australian films for our rental service that we don’t know
o They want an informal atmosphere, but we don’t want to use first names bc they’re not used to it
o The food in the staff restaurant is awful and we have to eat a lot of food they’re not used to.
There are too many dairy products and not enough fresh vegetables and fish
o Most of the management jobs have been given to Australians. There aren’t many Chinese in senior
position
They don’t know what is the strategy. Quite a few of them don’t know who our boss is or what our
duties are
o They feel we’re losing their Chinese identity. Their bosses don’t understand them, their customs are
so different. Their new managers are only interested in results
After the merger, the Chinese staff is trying to resist the changes even if they’re very unhappy about them.
The merger caused a big change in terms of management, culture and even job positions.
Nevertheless quite of them are still working for Asia Entertainment because they don’t want to lose their
precarious and also poor job. If they wanted to seek for something else, they wouldn’t be helped by the
company and the chances to find a new job would be limited.
However HR and sales staff was under pressure due the redundancies, so most of them were looking for
other jobs.

Unfortunately the new management made a lot of mistakes, first of all do not respect the Chinese culture.
The food in the staff restaurant is more Australian than Chinese, so like the general atmosphere among the
offices. Chinese staff would like an informal environment but not using first names because it’s not in their
culture compared to Occidentals.
It’s a whole new situation where Asia entertainment feels like they have lost their identity, for example the
Chinese staff is forced to improve their English. English is extremely important in business context and in
this case could help a lot to coordinate the activities between the old Chinese company and the Australian
one, but it’s necessary give the staff English courses financed by the new group itself.
Even the customs are different and so the Chinese staff is aren’t fully able to meet their requests because
basically they don’t know what they want and how. That’s what happens when there’s a merger of 2
companies extremely different geographically and culturally speaking.

At the same time the Australian way of doing is considered too much oppressive and insensitive.
Most of the managerial position in the new company are hold by Australians instead being divided between
the 2 old companies, while it’s asked to reapply for the other job positions.
It’s not what happen normally because there should be jobs either for Australians either for Chinese people
Besides Decker company wants to adopt its computer system in the new company while Asia
Entertainment staff doesn’t have idea of what It is and how it works.

The management staff should look for improvements in the whole organization. Establishing rules and
procedures that meet everyone’s uses and give specific roles and duties.
It’s not easy mix different cultures and ways of doing business. It is also important to create teamwork and
a peaceful atmosphere. So the new group can arrange some meetings for the staff at the end of day,
something like little parties in order to let the new mixed staff know better and discover different uses and
food. Everyone should feel comfortable in the workplace and it’s company’s duty helping out.
Another great thing could be arranging not only an English course but also a Chinese one, in order to
understand better this new culture but also to use it in business contexts.

Although the main purpose of the merger for Decker company is expanding its market in Asia, however the
Chinese group shouldn’t be seen just a means to reach it, but a source of wealth in terms of staff, ideas,
projects, culture, ways of doing business.
In the future when it comes about merger, foreign staff shouldn’t be exploited but it is important to
combine different sources.
UNIT 4 - ORGANISATION

VOCABULARY

SUBSIDIARY A company which is at least half-owned by another company

FACTORY/PLANT A large building or group of buildings where goods are made using
machinery
CALL CENTRE An office where people answer questions and make sales over the phone
SERVICE CENTRE A place where faulty products are mended
HEADQUARTERS The main office or building of a company
DISTRUBUTION CENTRE A building from which goods or supplies are sent to factories, shops or
customers
WAREHOUSE A building for storing goods in large quantities
OUTLET A place through which products are sold

R&D Carry out research and develop new products

Customer service Deal with complaints
Human resources Train staff
Sales and marketing Run advertising campaigns
production Operate assembly lines
finance Prepare budget/accounts
administration Keep records
Legal Draw up contracts
logistics Transport goods
Public relations Issue press releases
IT Install and maintain systems equipment

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Success in doing something

INITIATIVES Important new planes to achieve an aim
AUTONOMY Independence/freedom to make your own decisions
EMPOWEREMENT Giving people the power to do something
FACULTY Teaching staff

How to describe organisations:

bureaucratic democratic
decentralised centralised
Impersonal hierarchical
caring professional
Market-driven dynamic
conservative progressive
ARTICLE – SUCCESS CAN BE A GAME WITH MANY PLAYERS

One of the effects of free food for Google staff is what is known as the Google 15, the number of pounds
that employees typically gain after joining the internet company.

Google’s philosophy:
o Getting staff to meet each other
o Interact in informal settings
o Encourage teamwork*
Through:
o Providing snacks and gourmet meals in the canteen
o Annual skiing trips
o Games rooms at the office

*One way the company does this is to hold competitions in everything: from office decorating to dancing
and football, with prizes for winners.

Managers also receive a quarterly “celebratory fund” either to reward accomplishments or to build
teamwork by going bowling, go-karting or dining out.

The best workplaces survey indicates that such initiatives have a powerful effect.
At Google Italy à 90% of the employees agreed that people celebrate special events around there
à 100% agreed that is a friendly place to work
à 96% agreed that there is a family or team feeling there

Another part of Google’s objective is to make its workplace feel fun:

- massage chairs - lava lumps - bicycles - scooters
- table-tennis tables - hammocks - large rubber balls
- video games - beanbags - couches

When it comes to the serious business of work, great emphasis is placed on engaging employees.
“what makes Google a great workplace is that the nature of the work itself is very challenging and
interesting. And for the type of people who really enjoy an intellectual challenge, that’s the biggest appeal
of working here”.

Fostering this intellectual activity is a policy giving employees a large degree of independence in deciding
how to work (in terms of the hours they work and how they do their jobs).
There’s a real culture of autonomy and empowerment.
Individuals within the business understand what their own goals are within the context of their teams, and
they have a lot of freedom to go out and make those happen.

Even when it comes to learning and development, many programmes are voluntary and informal.
Often it may be a case of inviting university faculty in to discuss their latest research.
Google also invites prominent writers to give lunchtime talks about their books.
CASE STUDY 4 – INSTEP’S RELOCATION
A US-based shoe manufacturer must decide whether to relocate the head office of its European subsidiary
Instep, from Paris to a small industrial town 120 km away.

Background:
3 years ago, Instep moved its factory to a small industrial town in northern France.
The plant is modern with new equipment. A large warehouse and distribution centre were built near the
factory.
Instep is now considering moving staff from the Paris office to a purpose-built, 6-storey building in the
same town.
Beauchamp has a population of 25000, with a high proportion of young people.
The relocation, if it goes ahead, will create employment opportunities for local inhabitants.

The vice president of the parent company has come to Paris to discuss the proposed relocation with 2
senior managers from the Paris subsidiary and an independent relocation consultant.

Message from the vice president to all staff:

A decision concerning the proposed relocation to Beauchamp will be made in the near future.
The relocation offers our company significant benefits:
o The reduction in costs will boost our profits
o The town council in Beauchamp has offered us tax incentives to relocate to their town
o The relocation will result in improved working conditions and better communication.

MY OPINION
Relocation has its advantages and disadvantages, like everything.
The advantages are what the vice president wrote to the staff, like: reduction in costs because the company
shouldn’t pay anymore rent in Paris for its offices, tax incentives granted by Beauchamp town council and
improved working conditions and better communication.
Besides it could create employment opportunities for local inhabitants.
Concentrate the whole manufacturer such as service centre, distribution centre and main headquarters in a
single place could really help the management to coordinate production, marketing and sales.

One of the disadvantage could be the restricted space available for the entire supply chain because the
town is small and there are other industries too in the same area.
Another disadvantage is the final amount to realize the relocation and move the entire headquarter like
furniture, documents, computers, file cabinets and more.
Besides there’s the problem concerning the staff living in Paris because they should move definitely to a
new town and change lifestyle. It could plausibly happen that someone decides to resign and new
managers should be hired among local inhabitants.

In my opinion, relocation would be the right choice.

Moving to a single location is surely great for coordination in case of compelling communication between
different centers because you don’t have to wait hours before receiving a reply, but you can go in person at
the center explaining the concerning matter.
Relocation is more convenient rather than paying rent or taxes in different places. Furthermore taxes and
other costs are much expensive in Paris than small towns. Bigger are the offices and structures you need,
more you have to pay for them.
So, approximately, the amount the manufacture should pay for headquarters in Paris is the same for the
entire complex in Beauchamp.
The board of directors should strongly consider this option and surely the benefits and the cons.
UNIT 5 – ADVERTISING

VOCABULARY:
ADVERTISING MEDIA METHODS OF ADV VERBS TO DO W/ ADV
Banner ads Advertorials = pubblicità communicate
Redazionale

Billboards/hoardings commercials Endorse

= cartelloni pubblicitari = approvare, sostenere,
appoggiare

Leaflets/flyers cinema place

Pop-ups exhibitions run
posters Free samples sponsor
= assaggi gratuity

internet target
Outdoor advertising
Point of sale = punto vendita
press
Product placement
radio
sponsorship
television
Viral advertising

Clever Inspiring
Powerful Informative
Interesting Eye-catching
Strange Sexy
Shocking Original
funny Controversial

PUBLICITY STUNT Something done to get people’s attention

DESIGN FEATURES An important, interesting or typical part of something
HONDA SLOGAN A short phrase that is easy to remember
POSTER CAMPAIGN A series of actions intended to get a particular result
PRESS COVERAGE Newspaper and magazines
ARTICLE

In a new definition of publicity stunt, Channel 4 and Honda have tuned to a team of skydivers to tackle the
problem of viewers turning out of traditional advertising.

On a night, the broadcaster was due to devote an entire 3 minute 20 sec break in the middle of Come Dime
With Me, its dinner party program, to a live skydiving jump in which 19 stuntmen spelt out the carmaker’s
brand.
à it was the first live advertisement in modern times
à the campaign was the latest attempt by advertisers and broadcasters to find alternatives to the 30-sec
Spot

The development of digital video recorders (sky+ and Tivo) allow to skip ads.
So advertising agencies and channels’ sales teams have been forced to collaborate on more innovative
attempts to keep the viewer’s attention.

Channel 4 campaign was called “innovating the break” and that concept was made to break the boundaries
of TV advertising.

The campaign follows initiatives such as LG’s “scarlet” campaign:

The television manufacturer ran ads appearing to trail a glamorous new TV show which turned out to be a
promotion for the design features of tis hot new series of screens.

The live advertisement, designed to demonstrate the power of television ads, was backed up by a complex
multimedia and public relation campaign.
The campaign’s developers spent more than a month pushing the Honda slogan of “difficult is worth doing”
before that night’s slot.

A poster campaign, a series of TV teaser advertisement and a website have been backed up by digital
advertising and press coverage.
All are building up to a traditional 30-sec advertising campaign, starting on June 1.

The 30 sec ad is alive and well.

For Honda, however, the elements surrounding the core 30-sec campaign are designed to generate the
intangible buzz of word-of-mouth advertising.

That skydive would almost certainly go on YouTube.

Commercially that was a fantastic result, as it means that Honda’s marketing investment became more
efficient because consumers were doing their marketing for them.
CASE STUDY 5 – ALPHA ADVERTISING
A large advertising agency with a reputation for creating imaginative and effective campaigns is competing
for new business.
Alpha advertising is competing for several new contracts. It has been asked to present ideas for exciting
new campaigns to the management of the companies concerned. Concepts are required for the following
new goods and services.

PANTHER AIR
• An on-demand jet charter service, based in Hamburg
• High standards of safety, quality and service
• Expert advice on choice of plane; competitive prices
• Target consumers: top business executives and VIPs

AIM: to target the world’s top business people

E-BOOK
• An electronic book recently launched-slim; it can fit into a pocket or handbag
• It has a 200-novel memory and sells at 250 euros
• When turned on, it takes readers straight to the last page the were reading
• A next read feature à the e-book consults a database related titles which may been of interest
to the reader.
It then makes recommendations for downloading or purchase
• The e-book is pre-loaded with 150 books

AIM: an international press and TV campaign

SAFE HEAVEN: A NEW GROUP OF HOTEL IN YOUR COUNTRY

• Rooms at competitive prices
• Excellent facilities: a mini-spa on every floor, free aerobics classes 3 times a week, musical
entertainment in the lounge every evening
• Hotels all in downtown areas
• Hotel restaurants offer a wide range of local dishes, prepared by well-known chefs
• A comprehensive advice service for all guests

AIM: a creative campaign to attract more customers

PANTHER AIR
The principal addressees of this campaign are world’s top business people.
A normal advertising campaign through TV and radio ads, banners, billboards aren’t well-suited for this
kind of customers and it couldn’t get enough attention.
It’s essential to target properly customers and through suitable means, like in this case sponsorships with
important industries but also through economy and finance newspapers, even on internet
The businessman has to be attracted by this innovative and exclusive service, while he’s for example in a
lounge reading a newspaper and waiting for his plane to take off. This way, the next time he has to
travel, he’ll think about that ad and book a private flight.
The key message should be “only the best safety, quality and service for your trip”.
A TV ad may be used, with ad-hoc 30-sec spot, during TV news because it’s what normally business
people tend to watch.
Internet is the most powerful mean, so Panther air could add pop-up videos in the middle of economy
and finance articles, displaying their different kind of planes and all the services they could offer.
It’s important to underline the key points like quality, expert advice and competitive prices despite it’s a
luxury service.

E-BOOK
E-book is a recent product able to attract a lot of readers and more, even people who haven’t read a
book for ages.
The target is mixed: young people, businesspeople, elderly ones etc
Gaining international press is an aim that could be easily reached signing partnership with major
international newspaper. Everyday readers can save money and time and also sporadic ones may be
more interested in world news if displayed in this new electronic device.
So the press should contain special ad informing readers that the same newspaper is also available as e-
book and it could be consulted easily and 100% no paper waste.
Besides, e-book companies and newspaper have to agree upon readers subscription’s price.
But that’s TV ads that can really boost the sales. In fact through commercials is easy to create an original
spot able to stand out all the key points.
At the beginning, a woman brings out of her handbag her e-book and shows to the audience what it is
and all the book available and how to download them, thanks also to the recommendation the device
makes following personal preferences.
It may be clever to shoot the spot during the evening or in conditions where natural lighting is poor and
makes reading difficult. The ad may be also shoot on a bus, train or somewhere else where holding a
book in a hand is uncomfortable in order to emphasize the concept and message that it’s possible read
everywhere everytime.

SAFE HEAVEN
Nowadays it’s pretty common watching commercials about holidays and accommodations because
people’s main interest is convenience and good service at the same time.
The campaign has to focus on holidays in own country and the good experience local hotels they can
offer.
Advertising can follow the internet direction.
For example, the advertisement could be posted on the major booking websites, especially in a specific
section, the one for last minute holidays. A clickbait banner could be: “Free weekend or a sudden desire
to take a break? It’s not necessary to go abroad when you can have the best travel experience in your
own country”.
The ad should report detailed information about the hotel structure, what you can find inside, menu
restaurants attaching concerning images. Besides, if booking a deluxe room or a suit, there could be
given a special discount for treatments and gym. Same thing if you book dinner in the exclusive
restaurants, the hotel chain can give you a 10% discount on one overnight stay.
UNIT 6 – MONEY

VOCABULARY

EQUITY STAKE Money risked when a business owns part of another company
RECESSION A period of time when business activity decreases because the economy is doing
badly
SHARES Equal parts into which the capital or ownership of a company is divided
DEBT Money owed by one person or organization to another person or organization
STOCK MARKET A place where company shares are bought and sold
FORECAST A description of what is likely to happen in the future

PROFIT MARGIN The difference between the price of a product or service and the cost of
producing it
INVESTMENT Money which people or organizations put into a business to make a profit
BANKRUPTCY When a person or organization is unable to pay their debts
DIVIDEND A part of a company’s profits paid to the owners of shares
PRE-TAX PROFITS The money a business makes before payment to the government
ANNUAL TURNOVER The amount of money which a business obtains in a year from customers by
selling goods or services

TRADING The area of a financial market where a particular company does business
TRADERS People who deal in shares and bounds
EARNINGS The profits that a company makes in a particular period of time
FINANCIAL ANALYST Someone who carefully examines the financial state of a company
RESEARCH ANALYSIS The careful examinations of the performance of companies and stocks
EQUITIES The capital that a company has from shares rather than from loans
DERIVATIVES Things such as options or futures based on underlying assets such as shares,
bonds and currencies
BUSINESS SECTOR the part of the economy made up by companies
BEAR MARKET A financial market in which prices are falling
VOLATILITY Sudden and quick change

decline Level off Gain fall fluctuate rise

increase decrease rocket halve improve jump
double Peak plummet recover triple drop

1984 = nineteen eighty-four 3.15£ = three pounds fifteen

2012 = two thousands and twelve or twenty twelve 7.80$ = seven dollars eighty
16.5 = sixteen point five ¼ = a quarter
17.38% = seventeen point three eight per cent ½ = a half
0.185 = nought zero point one eight five 2/3 = two thirds
3560 = three thousands five hundred sixty
ARTICLE – KIERAN PRIOR: GOLDMAN SACHS’S WHIZZ-KID WHEELER DEALER

Kieran Prior and John Yeatts are two bright and ambitious twentysomethings from very different worlds.
They became friends working on the noisy, frenetic trading desk at Goldman Sachs’s London offices.

Prior, 23, just a year older than Yeatts, enjoyed giving practical advice, teasing the American about his
Saturday-night dates. Yeatts returned the favour.
When traders ordered lunch delivered to their desks, Yeatts cut up Prior’s food and fed him one small bite
at a time.
Prior was born with a rare condition that affects his movement and impairs his speech.
He can’t get out of his wheelchair unaided and has never been able to walk.

Despite these physical limitations, Prior is thriving on Goldman’s trading desk, the most demanding and
competitive testing ground in finance, winning the admiration of colleagues while gaining experience,
confidence and responsibility.

It’s not easy managing investments of any size for the high-powered trading machine that supplies much of
the earnings of Wall Street’s most profitable firm.
Prior is able to do so with such physical limitations.

Gary Williams, who hired Prior, has enormous respect for his determination.
He is an exceptionally smart, perceptive guy who has purposefully risen to and overcome so many
challenges
The noise of trading floor make trading more difficult for someone in Kieran’s position but the challenge
actually appeals to him.

Intellectually, Prior has few limits.

Since joining Goldman as a financial analyst in the equity division, Prior’s IQ score of 238 puts him in the top
1% of the world’s population has risen from performing basic research analysis and trading euro stoxx
futures to running a 50 million dollars group pf European equities and derivatives.

Prior joined Goldman 4 days after he graduated. Early on, he caught the attention of John Thornton,
Goldman’s then president, as Thornton was walking across the trading floor and stopped for a brief chat.

Kieran’s sheer, raw talent is impressive and when you add to that the determination he shows getting
through the day in a place like Goldman Sachs, which is so demanding, it is just breathtaking.

Prior is free to invest in almost any business sector, but recently narrowed his focus to just 20 companies
because of the extreme volatility in the markets.

Prior joined Goldman in a bear market, and these markets are the most difficult he has ever seen, so he’s
just using this period of volatility to learn as much as he can.
UNIT 7 – CULTURES

VOCABULARY
Climate Social customs and traditions
architecture Ceremonies and festivals
religion language
geography institutions
Historical events Cuisine
Behavior and attitudes arts
Shaking hands bowing
Being informal or formal humor
Eye contact Socializing with contacts
Small talk before meetings Accepting interruptions
Giving presents Being direct

Break the ice
Thrown in at the deep end
Don’t see eye to eye
Got into hot water
Put my foot in it
Get on like a house on fire
Like a fish out of water
Real eye-opener
Make someone you have met less nervous and more willing to talk
Given a difficult job to do without preparation
Disagree with someone
Get into trouble
Sayor do
Quickly have a friendly relationship with someone
Feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation
An experience where you learn something surprising or something
you didn’t know before

o GREETINGS
• You must greet the oldest person first
• You don’t have to be serious all the time.
The Chinese have a great sense of humor. You should be ready to laugh at yourself sometimes
• You mustn’t move to a first-name basis until advised to. You should address the person by an
honorific title and their surname

o BUSINESS CARDS
• You should exchange cards after the initial introduction
• You should hold the card in both hands when offering it
• You mustn’t write on someone’s card unless asked to

o GIFT-GIVING
• You shouldn’t give flowers, as many Chinese associate these with funerals
• You mustn’t give four of anything, as four is an unlucky number
ARTICLE – STANDARD BANK OVERCOMES CULTURE SHOCK

It is increasingly common for multinational businesses to send employees on international assignments but
without the right cross-cultural skills.

Mullen, head of learning and development at Standard Bank discusses the impact that cultural challenges
can have on employees relocating to another country.
Employees must understand the host country-culture.

Colleagues from different countries

• might share similar professional knowledge and skills within a single international organization
• but their ways of working, social skills, body language and ways of doing business are likely to be
completely different.
• They may have different patterns of behavior which need to be understood and appreciated in order
for everyone to work together successfully.

Unacceptable for Chinese office workers in Hong Doing such thing in London would make people
Kong to use door-close button on a lift no matter extremely angry
how many people are also getting in

Common for South Africans to ask personal a British colleague may perceive this as impolite
questions of their counterparts shortly after being and inappropriate
introduced

Latin Americans don’t need much personal space British colleagues need personal space

Global companies should never underestimate the effect that culture can have on international
assignments.
Cultural awareness is much more than simply knowing about a country’s history and geography. It is about
understanding how and why cultures work differently.
It is also important to understand your own cultural make up in order to work more effectively , maximize
teamwork and strenghten global competence.

The wide range of nationalities needs to communicate effectively in order to work ad one team.

The bank recognized that in order to harmonize working practices within its culturally diverse office, it
needed to provide foreign workers with:
• a meaningful understanding of British business culture and communication styles.
• It also needed to to offer practical support which allowed employees to cope with the challenges of
living and working in an unfamiliar environment.

Visible manifestations of cultural shock:

reactions to day-to-day issues such as the weather, public transport and social etiquette.

Standard Bank has engaged Communicaid, a European culture and communication skills consultancy, to
design a tailored training solution which introduces delegates to some of the key cultural differences that
are likely to face in the UK.
UNIT 8 – HUMAN RESOURCES

VOCABULARY
appearance Hobbies/interests experience Personality
intelligence Maritial status Contacts/connections qualifications
references Age/gender Astrological sign handwriting
Blood group Sickness record Family background education

Curriculum vitae/résumé Psychometric test

= before the interview to assess the mental ability and
reasoning skills
Application form interview
Probationary period Covering letter
= 3 or 6 months before people can be
offered a permanent post

To train New staff

To shortlist The candidates
To advertise A vacancy/post
To assemble An interview panel
To make A job offer
To check references

Enthusiastic person Has lots of energy and often gets excited

Adaptable person Is able to change with new situations
Methodical person Is concerned with details and getting things right even if it takes time
Reliable “ Is someone you can trust and depend on
Ambitious “ Is determined to succeed in their career
Objective “ Is able to see different points of view
Creative “ Is able to come up with ideas
Analytical “ Likes to assess (stimare) and evaluate
Authoritative “ Is respected and listened by others
Practical “ Can see how to put ideas into action
ARTICLE – WOMEN AT WORK

When Nguyen Thu Hang was a child, her mother was a housewife in a small village whose women residents
had no say in decision making, either at home or in the community.

Now a mother herself, Hang not only shares her husband’s burden of earning money for the family and
bringing up children, but also a career and social ambitions.

Women have a good education and careers of their own in Hanoi and they’re more respected in the family
and society.
They have become much more self-confident and are discovering their worth and fulfilling their potential.
They decide important issues in their life, such as work and education for their children

Hang carries a sleek laptop, get out of an elegant Mercedes and enters a building where she works as the
general director of Viet Hoang Trade and Investment Company, which specializes in constructions and real
estate.

Many other Vietnamese women also pursue careers these days and have stormed the corporate
boardroom to affirm their increansingly important roles.

Women account:
- 52% workforce in the service sector
- 50% agricultural and fisheries sector
- 37% industry and constructions

Almost a quarter of all companies are run by women, many of whom are also the driving forced in the
family.

The greater role of women is attributed to the effective policies of promoting them.
The state and the parties are interested in women’s advancement.
The National Legislature has approved Law the on Gender Equality and the Anti-Domestic Violence Law.
The government has national programmes for vocational training and preventing trafficking of women and
children.

Women’s own effort to acquire knowledge and education have been a major factor in their advancement.
They make over the 40,2% of all university graduates, including 9,8% of PhDs and 30,5% of master’s degree
recipients.

But women still face a number of difficulties, including poverty, underemployment, domestic violence,
prostitution and gender inequality.
CASE STUDY 8 – FAST FITNESS
A chain of health clubs need to find a new manager in Brasil

Fast fitness owns and operates a chain of health and leisure clubs in the US.
2 years ago the company decided to enter the South American market. It began by opening 6 clubs in Brasil
The clubs appeal to people aged 20-40
All the clubs have a gymnasium, an aerobic studio, a swimming pool, sun decks, a café, bar and clubroom.
4 clubs are located in areas where large numbers of Japanese, Spanish, Chinese and Italian people live.

The performance of the clubs has been disappointing and none of them has reached their turnover and
profit targets.
Many members haven’t renewed their membership and the clubs haven’t attracted enough new members.

Fast fitness recently advertised for a general manager to boost sales at the clubs and increase profits
• Salary negotiable and excellent benefits package
• Leading, coordinating and motivating staff
• Increasing the revenues and profits of the clubs in Brasil
• Exploiting new business opportunities
• Liaising with and motivating the team of managers and staff
• Contributing to marketing plans and strategies
• Dynamic, enthusiastic and flexible person
• Strong interest in fitness and health
• A good track record in previous jobs
• Ability to work with people from different cultural backgrounds
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• Flair of new ideas and organizational skills

CANDIDATES:

• MARTINA GOMEZ (34, Brazilian, Divorced with 2 children)

EDUCATION: finished secondary school + 2 years training at a school of dance and theater

EXPERIENCE: several years as professional dancer in theaters and on TV

Instructor in a small fitness center

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT:
- introduced fitness programs in the center for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease and
multiple sclerosis (she received an award for this)

SKILLS: qualified in first aid, fluent Spanish and Portuguese

PERSONALITY: warm, friendly, dynamic

APPEARANCE: hippy look

COMMENTS:
She hope to build new schemes and initiatives to help people in the community to achieve a
healthier lifestyle.
She believes her main asset is her creativity

INTERESTS: pop music, running a weekly aerobic class

• SILVIA COMINELLI (38, American and married without children)
EDUCATION: trained as a dietician (Berkeley university) + master in Sports Psychology
EXPERIENCE: worked for several years as adviser to the national football team
Currently sport organizer in a women’s college
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: helping the national football team to win the World Cup
SKILLS: fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish
PERSONALITY: ambitious, assertive, outspoken, nothing will stop her from achieving her goals
APPEARANCE: casual clothes
COMMENTS:
She loves to motivate people to exercise. She believes Fast Fitness must spend a lot of money on
multimedia advertising to improve profits and offer big discounts to new members.
She is taking an evening course in Business studies to upgrade her academic qualifications

INTERESTS: hiking and photography

• SEAN WILDER (52, American, married to Brazilian and 4 children)

EDUCATION: B.sc. Physics (Yale UN) and M.A. Sports Management (UN of Southern California)
EXPERIENCE: Taught English and Spanish at high schools for 10 years
Ran sports programs for the school
Currently teaches English in a private language school in Brasil

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT:
Achieving happiness by marring the right person
SKILLS: fluent English, Portuguese and Spanish

PERSONALITY/APPEARANCE: very good looking, relaxed, self-confident. Dressed very casually.

COMMENTS:
He believes that his greatest quality is to be calm under pressure. The secret of being a good
manager is to delegate tasks and not get too friendly with staff.
He doesn’t have many ideas for improving the clubs’ profits.
He thinks fast fitness is spending too much on advertising and instead it should focus on existing
members and persuade them to sign up new members.
INTERESTS: jogging, cinema, his wife and family

• PAULO GONCALVES (36, Brazilian and single)

EDUCATION: left school at 16 + 3 years training at RADA (royal academy of dramatic arts) in London
EXPERIENCE: 2 trips around the world in his early twenties
Taught English in Japan for 2 years
Played a variety of roles in Brazilian movies, then specialized in action movies
Has spent last 2 years in Florida working as a gym instructor
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT:
Playing a role in a successful Hong Kong movie with Jackie Chan
SKILLS: black tie in karate, extensive knowledge of martial arts, fluent Portuguese, Spanish and English
PERSONALITY: very fit and muscular. Dressed formally in Armani suit.
APPEARANCE: Strong personality, confident, articulate
COMMENTS:
Some interesting ideas for improving fast fitness.
He thinks many people will join the clubs when they know he is the manager.
He wants to use his name and photograph in all publicity for the clubs
INTERESTS: politics, cooking, socializing
MY OPINION
If I had to choose among the candidates for the general manager position, I would pick Silvia Cominelli.
She studied nutrition and has a master in sport psychology. Besides, she’s the only one who’s taking or
already have a specific knowledge in business. Even if we’re talking about sports clubs, a General manager
must be able to find new business opportunities and most importantly be able to realize them.

Martina Gomez and Paulo Goncalves don’t have experience neither in business or management, they are
simple gym instructors that could be hired, though.
They have expertise and could be great resources in order to improve clubs’ organization and courses.
Martina has developed a fitness program for people affected by Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis
that could be inserted among the other programs and it could reach a new type of clients.
She’s friendly, warm, she loves sport and wants to build new schemes and initiatives that could help people
to achieve a healthier lifestyle. She could be hired as a Vice General manager.
While Paulo, expert in martial arts, confident and with a strong personality is the right person for a karate
course either for children or adults.
Martial arts have always been appreciated and especially in a country such as Brazil could be useful in order
to let people defend themselves or attack in case of danger. A special course could be dedicated to women.
Paulo couldn’t be general manager for his lack of general expertise and management, but also because he’s
a very self-confident and arrogant person, sometimes these could be considered as virtues but in this
context it could be too much, it’s not what the advertisement ask for.
In every context, sports club or company the general manager has to be a strong person but not selfish
because the main interest mustn’t be his personal purposes and career but everyone’s success and well-
being. In fact a manager should motivate the team of managers and staff and be a benchmark.

Sean Wilder doesn’t have a lot of ideas and thinks that Fast Fitness is spending too much on advertising. He
has a M.A in sports management but he’s never fully worked in this sector, so he isn’t able to contribute to
marketing plans and strategies. He could have a little knowledge but it doesn’t seem he can be the perfect
candidate Fast Fitness is looking for.

As I said earlier, Silvia Cominelli is the right person. She worked for several years as adviser in the US
football team, so a very long experience in the sports’ sector.
She has also a strong personality and precise aims, first of all making a strong advertisement campaign in
order to get more new members as possible using new multimedia means. She has sense of affair and she’s
really focused on increasing incomes and motivate people to exercise at the same time.
She’s the one who appears more qualified than anyone else and with a good track record in previous jobs
with outstanding communication and interpersonal skills.

It’s not easy to find a candidate who has all the qualities and what it’s requested in the advertisement.
Silvia and so the others may check with some but not all them, in fact it’s fundamental identify the most
important ones.
For example we don’t know if Silvia is able to work with people of different cultural background seeing as
she’s worked with only American people, a quality that Sean Wilder certainly has because he worked as a
teacher both in America and Brazil.

At this point the main interests for Fast Fitness are boosting sales and increasing incomes, so it’s necessary
a person with economical expertise, a leader able to coordinate and motivate staff, and who’s better than
Silvia?
UNIT 9 – INTERNATIONAL MARKET

VOCABULARY
Companies Poverty
Competition Prices
Environment Standards
Gap Unemployment
opportunities workers

Barriers Deregulation
Tariffs Developing industries
Liberalize Quotas
Open borders Subsidize
Strategic industries dumping
Customs Laissez-faire
Free port regulations
restrictions

We’re trying to break into … the Japanese market

You should carry out (effettuare, compiere,
eseguire)
If you would like to place
If you can’t meet
They’ve quoted (fare un preventivo)
Let us know if you want us to arrange
It’s essential to comply with (rispettare, obbedire,
adempiere a…)
… a market survey before you make a major
investment
…an order, press one now
… the delivery date, let us know as soon as possible
… us a very good price for the consignment
…insurance cover for the shipment
… all regulations if you want the delivery to go
thorugh without problems
ARTICLE A

The US should focus on improving its overall economic competitiveness instead of seeking protectionism to
combat its economic slowdown – said the White Paper: American business in China released by the
American Chamber of Commerce China, Shanghai and South China.

US shouldn’t argue for a stronger currency to reduce its trade deficit with China, since the value of a the
Yuan isn’t fundamental cause of the deficit.

The US economy is currently showing, while its trade deficit with China remains high, standing at 163,3
billion dollars in 2007.
The deficit has led to protectionism against Chinese goods and investment in the US.
The 2 countries should make defending and preserving the openness of the trade relationship a core
commitment.
Instances of co-operations between the 2 countries far exceeded instances of dispute.

An open US and an open China will lead to sustained benefits for both US companies and citizens back
home.

ARTICLE B

The US trade deficit with China cost 2.3 million American jobs over 6 years.
Even when they found new jobs, workers who had lost jobs to Chinese competition saw their earnings
decrease by an average of 8146$ each year because the new jobs paid less funded in part by labor unions.

US manufacturers, labor unions and many lawmakers have long accused China of manipulating its currency
to give Chinese companies an unfair advantage in international trade and we are pressing China to
continue to allow the yuan to rise against the US dollar.

China has said the US should recognize how much its yuan currency has already risen against the dollar (it
is about 20% higher since China revalued its currency in 2005).

China has also said the fact that Americans save much less of their incomes than the Chinese do has
increased the trade deficit.
Chinese-made goods have been extremely popular in recent years with US consumers looking for low
prices.