ESP BUSINESS ENGLISH UNIT ONE NEW BUSINESS

DA NANG UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS ESP BUSINESS ENGLISH Edition UNIT ONE: NEW BUSINESS I Starting up: A What conditions are important for people starting new businesses? Choose the four most important from this list Can you think of any others? - low taxes - skilled staff - low interest rates - cheap rents - stable economy - good transport links - training courses - high unemployment - a strong currency - government grants B Many economies contain a mix of public- and private-sector businesses Think of companies you know in the areas below Which are public-sector companies and which are private-sector companies? - post office - TV / newspaper - cars - airlines - rail - water - telecoms - energy II Vocabulary: Economic terms A Match the economic terms (1-10) with their definitions (a –j) interest rate exchange rate inflation rate labour force tax incentives government bureaucracy GDP ( gross domestic product) unemployment rate foreign investment 10 balance of trade a) total value of goods and services produced in a country b) general increase in prices c) cost of borrowing money d) people working e) price at which one currency can buy another f) percentage of people without jobs g) low taxes to encourage business activity h) money from overseas i) official rules / regulations / paperwork j) difference in value between a country‟s imports and exports B Try to complete this economic profile without looking back at the terms in Exercise A The economy is stable following the problems of the past two years By following a tight monetary policy the government has reduced the _ _ to 2% After going up dramatically, the _ _ is now down to 8% The last si x month has seen a slight improvement in the _ against the dollar The G _ has grown to 0.15% Exports are increasing and the _ of _ is starting to look much healthier The _ continues to be a problem as it is still 16% In order to stimulate the economy and attracts _ the government is offering new as well as making a renewed effort to reduce _ Finally, a large skilled _ means there could be attractive investment opportunities over the next five years C Listen to the report and check your answers to Exercise B D Write sentences about the economic profile of your country III Listening: Starting new businesses A Work in group Make a list of things that are important to before you start a new business B Alan Martin, a young entrepreneur, descibes five important steps for setting up a business Listen and complete the chart below Did you have the same ideas as Alan Step 1: …………………………………… Step 2: …………………………………… Step 3: …………………………………… Step 4: …………………………………… Step 5: …………………………………… C Listen again and answer the questions What percentage of business ideas fails? Why they fail? What two questions does your market research need to answer? What two things does a business plan help you to do? What does it usually include? Name three things Which step does Alan think is the most important? Why? D Alans says most businesses fail because people don’t understand the market What other reasons can you think of? IV Reading: The Human Touch A Go through the article quickly to find the four elements that a good team needs A good team needs: ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… ……………………………… HOW TO ADD THE HUMAN TOUCH By Dough richard When thinking about how you start your business, getting the right team together will be the most important and the most difficult decision you make The reason is simple No one person has all the skills, experience, contacts or reputation that are recruited to get a business up and running So, in order to succeed, you will have to form a core team of people Before that, however, you can only know who else you need by knowing your strengths and your weaknesses Having a great business idea does not mean that you have the skills to manage others The hardest of all your decisions may be to let someone else lead the company you founded What, then, does the team need? First, it needs the ability to sell – and in particular the ability to persuade others to buy into your vision Second, the team needs the ability to count The business is managed by managing the flow of cash It may be the accountant‟s job to your books, but it is your responsibility to understand them so well that you use them to drive the business Third, the team needs experience There are three types: customer experience, product experience and start-up experience If you are going to sell an Internet service to restaurants, you need experience in the development of Internet services and the experience of running reastaurants If your team has only one or the other, you will either know what product to build or how to build it, but not both Fourth, the team needs to have contacts, relationships, a network Having people who can help you informally or formally will help your business succeed Finally, you and your team must be fully aware that starting a business means giving up two things- time and money It frequently means working evenings and weekends and being last in line for payment Succeeding with an innovation-based company takes everything: all of your time, all your great ideaslots of personal sacrifices – and it may take all of your money There is no magic formula to building a business It is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle But it is worth remembering that the team is the most important piece Financial Times B Read the article carefully, then decide whether these statements are True or False according to the article If you want your new business to succeed, you yourself first need to gain all the necessary skills and experience New entrepreneurs sometimes rightly decide to let another person lead the company they started up Good cashflow managem,ent is a necessary condition for a business to be successful An effective team will have experience in three key areas You need to put in a lot of time and effort before you can enjoy the rewards of owning a fast-growing start-up Building the right team is the magic formula to setting up a successful business IV Language Skill: Socialising A Making Contacts: What activities are involved in socialising? Add some more to the following list - Introducing visitors - Greeting visitors You will hear three dialogues about people meeting visitors.Complete the chart Dialogue Dialogue Dialogue 1 Have the speakers met before? Is the dialogue formal or informal? Where are they meeting? What problems did the visitors have during the journey? What are they doing next? Which a b c d Compete the sentences from the dialogues Listen if necessary You be Raj It‟s great to _ meet you in _ after all our phone calls and emails I _ you haven‟t been long It‟s a _ to meet you How was your ? Hi, Paul, good to you _ Sorry to keep you Can I _ you with your _? Would you taking this? sentences above are used to: Welcome or greet the visitors? (1,2,4,6) Talk about the journey (5) Offer (or ask for) helping with something? (8,9) Apologize for a delay? (3,7) B Talking about weather Kasia Janiak is accompanying Mr Syms from the airport to his hotel Look at the dialogue below Listen and complete the gaps What is the topic of their conversation? Mr Syms: I can‟t belive it‟s so _ here It makes a nice from England! Kasia : How was the when you _? Mr Syms: It was as usual This summer has been _ Kasia : Well, we‟ve been very here The last couple of weeks has been very Mr Syms: Do you normally _ _ summers here? Kasia : It depends Ususally we get at least a few _ days, but sometimems it rains a lot Mr Syms: I imagine the winters here must be pretty Kasia : Oh yes Sometimes it _ _ to minus 15 Mr Syms: Well, at least it never gets that cold in England The winter there is usually just grey and _ It can be quite depressing! Kasia : Ugh! Well, I‟m glad the weather is nice for your visit here The weather is one of the most popular small-talk topic It is a topic everybody can talk about Put the words below into the right categories cloudy hazy roasting cold humid sunny Words describing temperature damp mild warm drizzling overcast freezing pouring Words describing the sky grey rainy Words to with water Roleplay: Work in pair Use the profiles below to practise meeting visitors Student A: Christ: You are meeting Catherine Brown, a supplier from Britain, at the airport in Franfurt You have never met before but have spoken a lot over the phone Catherine is carrying heavy bags Greet her and ask about the flight Make some small talk ( weather, job, company) and take her to your car Student B: Catherine: You have just arrived at the airport in Franfurt and have made arrangements for your business partner, Christ, to pick you up You have spoken a lot over the phone but have never met before You are carrying several heavy bags Your flight was fine and you had a DVD to watch C Entertaining visitor Bruno and Carlo are entertaining Anna at a local restaurant Listen to the conversation and answer the questions below Have the hosts been ot the restaurant before? Why is Anna hungry? What we discover about Bruno‟s wife? Who is driving? What they plan to later? Match the two halves to make sentences from the dialogues Listen again if necessary This looks I hope I‟m absolutely I‟m afraid they don‟t have How many courses What you It comes with asparagus I‟ll have the soup What would you like 10 Let‟s see if we can a are we having, Carlo? b to drink? c followed by the pasta d recommend? e catch the waiter‟s attention f menus in English here g you like it h starving i a really nice place j and small potatoes roasted in the oven D Keeping a conversation going Anna, Bruno, and Carlo are finishing their meal Tick the topics they talk about he restautant friends holidays sport family cultural differences mutual accquaintances their jobs The answers to the questions below are too short Make them longer by adding extra information and a question, as in the example A: So, you live near here? B; Yes, I ( only km) Our house is only two kilometres from here ( you / live?) What about you? Do you live near here A: And how old is your daughter? B: She‟s six ( recent started school) ( you / children?) A: What kind of dog you have? B: An Alastian ( fun but needslots of exercise) ( you / pets?) A: So, how long have you been with the company? B: Six years ( joined after university) ( you / be with your company long?) A: Have you been to Moscow? B: Yes, I have ( three years ago / on business) ( you?) A: And you any sports? B: I play squash ( once a week with friends) ( you / sports?) A: It‟s so hot today Is it normally like this in the summer here? B: No, it‟s not ( very hot for us / usually 25 degrees) ( weather / where you live?) Commenting on what people say is a good way to keep a conversation going Match B’s comments to what A says Sometimes more than one answer is possible A B I just got married last year actually a That must be very stressful My husband is a meteorologist b Really? That‟s an interesting job! Last year I won a prize for one of the c Oh, congratulations! products I designed d You must be very proud of her The project deadline is next week and e That must have been very exciting and we‟re not going to make it f You must have felt very pleased My daughter has just got a place at one of g Oh, I‟m sorry to hear that I imagine that the best universities in the country was a difficult time for you Before I got this job I was unemployed for two years I went to Peru on holiday last year Work with a partner to make small talk at a restaurant Use the information in your file to ask questions and keep the conversation going File A: You are having dinner in a restaurant with an important business partner (You are the host) Ask your partner questions to keep the conversation going Here are some things your partner mentioned earlier: ● He/ She has recently bought a new house ● His / Her partner has a new job ● He / She wants to go to Italy on holiday this year Begin by saying something about the food File B: You are having dinner in a restaurant with an important business partner ( You are the guest) Ask your partner questions to keep the conversation going Here are some things your partner mentioned earlier: ● He/ She plays badminton in her free time ● He/ She has an adopted son ● His / Her mother is visiting at the moment Begin by asking your partner a question about the restaurant Unit Two: MARKETING 2.1 PRODUCT POLICY A Starting up: 1.“The four Ps” form the basis of the marketing mix If you want to market a product successfully, you need to get this mix right Fill the gaps in these sentences, using t he words from the list distribution hire purchase mail order price promotion need rival posters image end-users product labels satisfy design place outlets a What is marketing mix? If consists of “the four Ps”: providing the customer with the right at the right _, presented in the most attractive way ( ) and available in the easiest way ( _ ) b What is “a product” ? A good product is not just an assembled set of components: it is something customers buy to _ a _ they feel they have The _ and the of the product are as important as its specification c What is “price” ? The product must be priced so that it competes effectively with products in the same market d What is “promotion”? The product is presented to customers through advertising (TV commercials, , etc), packaging (design, _, etc.), publicity, P.R and personal selling e What is “place” ? Your product must be available to customers through the most costeffective channels of _ A consumer product must be offered to _ in suitable retail _ or available on or by Listen to four consumers talking about different products Decide which of the four Ps each speaker is discussing Think of some products you have bought recently Why did you buy them? Which of t he four Ps influenced your decision to buy? Give three examples of brands to which you are loyal Why are you loyal to them? Discuss with your partners to think of the reasons for consumers' brand loyalty B Vocabulary: Brand Management Match these word partnerships to their meanings: B loyalty a) the name given to a product by the company that makes it R image b) using an existing name on another type of product A stretching c) the ideas and beliefs people have about a brand N awareness d) the tendency to always buy a particular brand D name e) how familiar people are with a brand P R O D U C T f) the set of products made by a company g) the use of a well-known person to advertise products h) when products are used in films or TV programmes i) the introduction of a product to the market j) the length of time people continue to buy a product launch lifecycle range placement 10 endorsement Complete these sentences with word partnerships from exercise 1: BRAND The creation of Virgin Cola, Virgin Air, Virgin Rail and Virgin Bride is an example of Consumers who always buy Levi‟s when they need a new pair of jeans are showing Not enough people recognise our logo; we need to spend a lot more on raising PRODUCT David Beckham advertising Vodaphone is an example of _ A consists of introduction, growth, maturity and decline The use of BMW cars and Nokia phones in James Bond films are examples of C Listening: Why people buy brands? Why you think some people dislike brands? 2.Listen to two speakers talking about brands What reasons does each person give for liking or disliking brands? D Reading : Read the following text, and write a brief heading for each paragraph: PRODUCTS AND BRANDS Marketing theorists tend to give the word product a very broad meaning, using it to refer to anything capable of satisfying a need or want Thus services, activities, people (film stars, singers), places (holiday resorts), organizations (hospitals, colleges), and ideas, as well as physical objects offered for sale by retailers, can be considered as products Sales of physical products can usually increase by benefits such as customer advice, delivery, credit facilities, a warranty, after-sales service, and so on Some manufacturers use their name (the family name) for all products, e.g Philips, Colgate, Yamaha Others, including Unilever and Procter & Gamble, market various products under different brand names, with the result that many customers are unfamiliar with the name of the manufacturing company The major producers of soap powders, for 10 Through a series of proposals or offers from one side and counter -proposals or counter-offers from the other side, the two sides work towards an agreement which will benefit them both Here are some ways of making compromise: If you offer more flexible payment conditions, will be able to + infinitive As long as engine performance improve by ten per cent, can agree to + infinitive On condition that you deliver 20 engines by May, then we could consider + V-ing Supposing that you provide good technical support, may offer + noun Provided that you supply documentation in Portuguese, might offer to+ infinitive Providing that this contract works out OK, 1> Use expressions above to complete phrases below, using the correct form of the words in brackets: a) If you offer more flexible payment conditions / might / consider / pay / higher price b) As long as engine performance improve by ten per cent / may / offer / price/ $550,000 per unit c) On condition that you deliver 20 engines by May / will/ able / consider / more flexible /price d) Supposing that you provide good technical support / might / agree / work / you / future e) Provided that you supply documentation in Portuguese / could / consider / send „ personnel /you /training 2> Practise by making more compromises Here are some cues: The supplier wants the customer to: - make their payment in dollars - pay in cash - pay a 20% deposit immediately - pay the balance within 30 days - accept a penalty clause for cancellation - place regular monthly order of at least 750 pieces - recommend them to other potential clients Supplier: We'd like you to make your payment in dollars Customer: If we pay in dollar, will you give us a discount for bulk purchase? Supplier: Yes, we could accept that / No, I'm afraid that's not possible Reaching agreement: It‟s important to check the points of an agreement to avoid misunderstandings You could say: - Let me just go / run over the main points (repeat and summarize) - On A, we agreed that …… - As far as B is concerned (in relation to B), we agreed ……… - We still have the question of C to settle… - And there‟s still the outstanding issue of D - We‟ll send you a written proposal - We‟ll draw up a contract based on these points - I think that covers everything Arrange the phrases Jose uses to close negotiations in the correct order: Let me just run over the main points On engine quantities, I think that covers everything 23 If you agree to the proposal, we‟ll draw up a contract based on those points payment to settle, and there is also still the outstanding issue of documentation we agreed that you would improve the power of the engine by ten per cent we agreed that you would supply us with 120 units over four years As far as performance is concerned, We still have the question of the currency for We‟ll send you a written proposal on these last two issues B Listening: You will hear three parts of a negotiation between Michelle, the manager of a bookstore chain, and a website designer Listen to each part and complete the chart Negotiating point What Michelle wants Schedule for setting up the website Payment terms Website design What the designer wants What they agree Two months Fixed amount $6,000 Two covers per page Listen again to the first two parts of the conversation After each part, complete the missing words 24 Listen again to the third part of the negotiation Note down all the expressions for agreeing and disagreeing Decide whether they express a) strong b) polite or c) hesitant agreement or disagreement C Speaking: Practise negotiating Learner A look at File A Learner B look at File B FILE A You are a builder and are looking for a supplier of windows for some offices you are building This is what you want When you have finished, fill in what you get You want You get in two weeks Delivery years Warranty $5,000 Price 10% Discount 60 days Credit period FILE B You are a supplier of window This is what you want When you have finished, fill in what you get Delivery Warranty Price Discount Credit period You want in six weeks months $10,000 0% 30 days You get 25 UNIT FOUR: MONEY I Starting up: QUIZ A Answer these questions individually Then compare your answers with a partner How much cash you have with you at the moment? Do you: a know exactly? b know approximately? c not know at all? Do you normally check: a your change b your bank statements and credit card bills? c your receipt when shopping? d prices in several shops before you buy something? Do you: a give money to beggars? b give money to charities? c give away used items, such as clothing? If you go for a meal with someone you don‟t know well, you: a offer to pay the whole bill? b suggest dividing the bill into equal parts? c offer to pay the whole bill but expect them to pay next time? d try to avoid paying anything? If you lend your friend a small amount of money and they forget to pay it back, you: a say nothing? b remind them that they owe you money? c arrange to go for a drink with them and say you‟ve forgotten your wallet or purse? B What your answers to the questions in exercise A say about your attitude to money? What they say about your culture II Vocabulary: Financial terms A Match the definitions to with the financial terms a to f Money owed by one person or organization to another person or organization a period of time when business activity decreases because the economy is doing badly difference between the selling price of a product and the cost of producing it a place where the company shares are bought and sold money which people or organization put into a business to make a profit equal parts into which the capital or ownership of a company is divided B Match the sentences halves Earnings per share are a A forecast is b Bankruptcy is c A dividend is d a b c d e f gross margin recession shares debt stock market investment a part of the profits of a company paid to the owners of shares a company‟s profits divided by the number of its shares a description of what is likely to happen in the future money in which businesses receive from selling 26 Pre-tax profits are e Revenues are f goods or services when a person or organization is unable to pay their debts the money a business makes before payment to the government C Complete this report with the terms from Exercises A and B In our home markets it has been another excellent year 1……………… are up by £23 million, and the 2……………… for the next quarter is equally good Profits from abroad are down because of a 3……………… in Japan However, our performance overall has been good, and the 4……………… have increased to 26.4p and the 5……………… will be increased to 4.3p per share, which will please our shareholders We plan to issue new 6……………… in order to finance expansion in Asia We also plan to increase our 7……………… in plant and equipment before entering the Chinese market We are particularly pleased with our performance in France and Germany where 8……………… have increased As a result of using a new distributor, our costs fell giving us a 9……………… of 40 percent on our main product line We will use any extra cash to reduce the level of our 10 ……………… Our performance in Italy should improve significantly following the 11……………… of our biggest competitor However, we should not become too satisfied with our share price as economic conditions remain uncertain and the 1……………… will continue to reflect this Share prices will not rise in the short term III Listening: The Profit and Loss Account (P&L) A Study the incomplete P&L below Complete the document with t he following headings Research and development costs Cost of materials Gross profit Interest receivable Turnover Dividend B Now listen to a presentation of the actual results and complete the missing figures for gaps a-h C o n s o l i da t e d P r o f i t an d L o s s For the year ended Dec 31 in $m Money in _ _ (sales revenue) Other earnings Gains on fixed assets and operations _ on investments Money out Cost of making goods _ and all manufacturing expenses Money in minus cost of Salaries and personal costs making goods _ Forecast 700 Actual 704 250 175 244 162 (100) (200) 825 a _ _ c _ 27 b Other money out Other costs and expenses Indirect costs and overheads _ Loss on fixed assets Loss on foreign operations Marketing and distribution costs (25) (50) (25) (100) (100) (22) _ (25) (88) e _ d Gross profit minus other money out Trading / operation profit 525 f _ Money left when shareholders have been paid 95 430 g _ _ Profit for shareholders (6 _) Retained profit h C Listen again and answer the following questions Why was gross profit higher than expected? Where did the company decide to have parts made? Which budgets went over the forecast limits? What is expected to happen to the marketing budget in future? How much will shareholders receive per share? What prediction does the speaker make about retained profit? IV Reading: Reporting financial success A Before you read the articles, decide which of these statements are true Both Wal-Mart and Target Stores are based in the UK Wal-Mart is the world‟s largest retailer Target is not a competitor of W al-Mart B Work in pairs Student A read Article below and Student B read Article Complete the parts of the chart which relate to your article 28 Wal-Mart 4th quarter Target 4th quarter Wal-Mart Full year Target Full year Total profit % increase in profits / earnings Earning per share Sales revenues C Exchange information with a partner and complete the chart D Read both texts and answer the questions Which company: feels confident about the future? has developed a more fashionable image? had particularly good results overseas in the last 12 months? is not planning to increase prices? did better than the American stock market forecast? feels its success is due to the variety of its goods? E Match the words to make word partnerships from the text consumer a division tax b pressure international c refunds quarterly d spending price e earnings F Read the articles again and check your answers Match the word partnerships in exercise E to their definitions the money people spend on goods and services 29 money given back at the end of the financial year company profit for a three-month period part of a company which deals with or is located overseas decreasing or freezing the price of goods and services in order to gain an advantage over competitors V Language Skill: Giving presentations I Opening a presentation Listen to the opening sentences of the three presentations and complete the table Which presentations are formal and which less formal? Presentation Presentation Presentation Presenter‟s name Presenter‟s position / function Topic of presentation Who is the presenter for? Listen to the openings again and complete the sentences Presentation a ………………………… , let me thank you all for being here today b Let me ………………… myself My name is… c I‟m here today to ………………… our new semi-automatic shelving system d My talk is ……………… relevant to those of you who …………… for the different parts we supply Presentation a I‟m happy that so many of you could ……………………… today at such short………………………… b As you can see on the ………………………, our ……………………… today is project documentation c This is extremely …………………………….for all of us who are directly …………………………… in international project management, right? Presentation d I‟m …………………………… that you all have very tight …………………………… , so I appreciate you taking the time to come here to day e As you ……………………know, my name is … I‟m the new …………… manager here at Weston Ltd f Today‟s topic will be very important for you as …………………………… since …………………… your help to evaluate and select candidates for training Put the sentences from above in the correct category (a-d) a Saying what the topic is: ……… b Welcoming the audience: ……… c Saying who you are: ……… d Saying why the topic is relevant for the audience: ……… Now put a-d in the order you would use to start a presentation ……… ……… ……… ……… 30 II Structuring a presentation The project manager of a construction company is giving a presentation to his colleague Put the sentences in the right order Then listen and check          This morning I‟d like to update you on the current status of work at the construction site The information I give you today should help you with planning your next steps b For those of you who don‟t know me, my name is Gordon Selfridge Let me just write that down for you OK I‟m the project manager in charge of the Bak Tower building project in Dubai c I‟ve divided my presentation into three parts d Hello, every one e Then I‟ll move on to the problems we‟re facing with our local suppliers f First of all, let me thank you for coming here today I‟m aware that you‟re all busy preparing for the annual meeting this week, so I really appreciate you taking the time to be here g I‟ll start off by showing you some photos of the building site and discussing the progress we‟ve made since January h My talk should take about 30 minutes Please feel free to interrupt me at any time with questions i I‟ll end with some ideas for reducing labor costs that we‟ve been looking into j Oh, and don‟t worry about taking notes I‟ll be handing out copies of the PowerPoint slides a Complete the sentences with the prepositions in the box about a b c d e f g h at for into of on to with Thank you ………… coming all this way I‟ve divided my presentation ………… three parts First of all, I‟ll give you an overview ………… our financial situation First, we‟ll be looking ………… the company‟s sales in the last two quarters In the first part of my presentation I‟ll focus ………… the current project status Point one deals ………… APG‟s new regulations for Internet use Secondly, I‟ll talk ………… our investment in office technology After that I‟ll move on ………… the next point III Referring to visual aids What are these visuals called in English? Match the numbers to the descriptions a bar chart c technical drawing e map g pie chart b table d flow chart f graph h organizational chart Which of these visuals would you use to describe: a your company‟s market share? b the steps to be followed from order placement to delivery of a product? c your company new organizational structure? 31 Listen to excerpts from these presentations and say what visuals are used Presentation 1: Presentation 1: Presentation 1: _ Now listen again and complete the sentences Presentation 1 The next _ shows the _ by age in our company You can see that the biggest _ (…) indicates the _ of employees in the age group 30 to 50 Presentation Let‟s now _ at the sales figures over the past five years The key in the bottom _ corner shows you which colour _ which area OK, so I‟d like to first _ your attention t the sales figures for France – that‟s the blue line here Presentation 32 Now I‟d like you to _ at this next _ which shows how the cost of living developed in Europe between 2003 and 2007 If you look at the _ on the _, you will see that the highest increase was in 2001 with a rise of _ Match the two parts to make sentences used to talk about visuals On the next page a from this picture, the design is absolutely new My next slide shows b you can see the specifications for the TP model As you can see c customers have complained about the service Let me just show you some d how much the market has changed To illustrate this e I‟ll show you our latest poster Let‟s now have a look f attention to the figures in the left-hand column Here we can see how many g at the figures on the next page I have a slide h which shows the market development in 2005 I‟d like to draw your i interesting details 10 In the upper right hand corner j how you will see a photo of the new XTK model IV Closing a presentation Look at these sentences and put them in the correct category in the table I‟ll just run through the three different options… We‟s suggest… Now I‟ll be happy to answer any questions you may have We‟d therefore recommend that we… Before I stop, let me go through my main points agai n Well, this brings me to the end of my presentation CONCLUSION OF A PRESENTATION Signalling the end of the presentation _ _ _ Summarizing the main points _ _ _ Recommending and suggesting something _ _ _ Inviting questions _ _ _ Add the following phrases to the table above a Thank you all for listening f Are there any questions? b In my opinion, we should… g I‟d like to run through my main points again… c We just have time for a few questions h As a final point, I‟d like to … d To sum up then, we… i I‟m now nearing the end of my talk… e OK, I think that‟s everything I wanted j Just to summarize the main points of my talk… to say… k What I‟d like to suggest is … 33 UNIT : BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE I STRUCTURE AND LANGUAGE OF A BUSINESS LETTER A Structuring the Body of letter: This part usually consists of three main paragraphs : ♦ The opening or introduction paragraph: Generally speaking, in this paragraph you will thank your correspondent for the reader’s letter (if replying to an enquiry), introduce yourself and your company if necessary, state the subject of the letter, and set out the purpose of the letter Here are some examples: - Thank you for your letter of 19 August which I received yesterday - We are writing to you concerning your order No.CU 154 which you placed four weeks ago ♦ The middle paragraph: This is the main part of your letter and will concern the points that need to be made, answers you wish to give, or questions you want to ask It is in the middle paragraphs of a letter that planning is most important, to make sure that your points are made clearly, fully and in a logical sequence ♦ The closing paragraph: You should thank the person for writing if your letter is a reply and if you have not done so at the beginning Encourage further enquiries or correspondence, and mention that you look forward to hearing from your correspondent soon Here are some examples: - Once again thank you for writing to us, and please contact us if you would like any further information…… We are sure that you have made the right choice in choosing this particular line as it is proving to be a leading seller If there is further information you want, we shall be happy to supply it, and look forward to hearing from you B.Useful Language There are usually fixed phrases for standard sections ( opening sentence, closing sentence,…) as well as the different things you can in a business letter (give news, give information, apologize, etc.) Can you think of any phrases to use for the following actions? Starting a letter (referring to previous meetings or correspondence) Explaining the reason for writing Giving bad news Giving good news Giving information Apologizing Ending a letter Now classify the following standard phrases Which of the actions (1-7) above could they be used for? a Do not hesitate to contact us again if you need further assistance b Further to our meeting last Friday … c Further to your enquiry, we are pleased to enclose … d I regret to inform you that …… e I am just writing to confirm … f I wish to advise you that according to the terms of our agreement … g If you have any further questions, please contact us h We are pleased to announce … i We are writing to give you further information about … j We are writing to inform you that … k We deeply regret any inconvenience caused by … l We look forward to hearing from you m With reference to your enquiry of 13 May, I am enclosing details of … n Thank you for your letter of June 14 II LETTERS OF A TYPICAL BUSINESS TRANSACTION A Letter of Enquiry and Reply Robinsons Furnishing Ltd., who manufactures furniture and household fittings, has recently received two enquiries about their products Unfortunately some of the letters are missing a) Classify the letters into the following types: Enquiry Reply to an enquiry Request for quotation Letter accompanying quotation b) Which letters are missing/ What you think they contain? A Suleiman and Sons Import-Export Agents Cairo A April 2015 Dear Sirs We have been authorised by a multinational firm which owns a chain of hotels to negotiate the purchase of furniture and fittings for a new hotel to be opened in Alexandria in the autumn of this year Your name has been given to us by the British Chamber of Commerce in Cairo who informs us that you may be able to supply us with the following items: beds, tables, chairs, wardrobes We would hope to place a substantial order if your prices are competitive We would be grateful if you would send us your catalogue and price list by return We should also like to know the approximate period of delay before any order would be despatched We look forward to hearing from you Jackson Brothers High Street Oxford B 26 April 2015 Dear Sirs We thank you for your letter of 15 April concerning our enquiry about the purchase of your products We have looked carefully at your catalogue and your terms of payment We would like to know if you would be prepared to allow a discount of 8% on the following stock trial order: 20 wardrobes catalogue 23/70 10 dining table " 24/61 40 chairs " 27/22 10 writing tables " 22/81 Would you also let us know whether you will be able to complete this order by the end of June? Yours Faithfully Marie Weston Yours Faithfully A Suleiman D C Jackson Brothers High Street Oxford April 2015 Dear Sirs We have been informed by Messr McDougall, who has been doing business with you for a number of years, that you may be able to supply us with a whole range of furniture and fittings for our department store We would be pleased to receive your catalogue and pricelist We are also interested in your terms of payment and in the discounts offered for bulk orders Would you also include details about delivery times? We look forward to hearing from you Yours Faithfully Robinsons' Furnishings Ltd Beck Lane London SW 18 15 April 2015 Dear Sirs We thank you for your letter of April and appreciate your interest in our products Please find enclosed our catalogue and price list, as well as details of our trade discounts and special terms for large or regular orders Our prices are CIF Since your enquiry does not specify the kind of goods you require, we are not able to give you details about the present availability of the goods However, we can assure that on receipt of confirmation, we normally require no more than two weeks before despatch to destinations in this country We hope that you will find your terms satisfactory and we look forward to receiving your order Marie Weston Yours Faithfully M Archer A Suleiman and Sons Import and Export Agent Cairo E 21 April 2015 Dear Sirs We thank you for your letter of 12 April and for your catalog price list and terms of payment We would be grateful if you would quote for the supply of the following items: 150 double beds catalogue 05/72 180 wardrobes " 06/53 150 writing tables " 22/81 120 upright chairs " 27/22 We note your terms of payment as indicated in the price list and your discount for orders over 1000 but hope that you will be able to grant us a discount of 10% in respect of the size of this order Please note that delivery is required by 17 September without fail We would appreciate an early reply Yours Faithfully A Suleiman F Robinsons' Furnishing Ltd Becklane London SW18 15 May 2015 Dear Sirs We thank you for your letter of 26 April and have pleasure in submitting the enclosed quotation Unfortunately we regret that we can not allow a discount of 8% as requested Manufacturing costs and freight charges have risen considerately in recent months and our profit margin does not enable us to meet your full request However, we would be pleased to offer you a special discount of 4% for this first order as well as our usual 2.5% discount if payment can be made within one month from date of invoice Delivery is guaranteed within three weeks of receiving your order We hope that these terms will meet with your approval and that we will receive confirmation of your order in the very near future We look forward to the pleasure of serving you Yours Faithfully M Archer Study letter A and C Work with a partner to figure out what the functions of a letter of enquiry are Here are the functions which appear in a Reply to an enquiry Rearrange them in the right order Focus attention on important information Acknowledge the letter Close the letter and add the appropriate ending State what action you are taking Answer any specific questions the enquirer asked, for example about prices and delivery Invite the enquirer to ask for further information What should you write to represent these functions? .. .UNIT ONE: NEW BUSINESS I Starting up: A What conditions are important for people starting new businesses? Choose the four most important from this... cost of borrowing money d) people working e) price at which one currency can buy another f) percentage of people without jobs g) low taxes to encourage business activity h) money from overseas... profile of your country III Listening: Starting new businesses A Work in group Make a list of things that are important to before you start a new business B Alan Martin, a young entrepreneur, descibes