reading and writing for business for communication

Accumulative Report FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Accumulative Report THE PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE OF BINH DUONG PROVINCE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES 🙢🕮🙠 ACCUMULATIVE REPORT Student: Nong Thai Thuy An Code: 2032202010001 Class: K202CD.NNAN01 Subject: READING AND WRITING FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION - Bình Dương, 2021 - Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report ASSESSMENT Examiner’s Signature Score In figures Examiner’s Signature In words Assessment Paragraphs Scores Examiner Writing (70%) 1 1 10 Sub total 10 Total 10 Nông Thái Thùy An Interview (30%) Examiner Writing (70%) Interview (30%) Page Accumulative Report Rubric for interviewing Scores Description The student has fully operational command of the language Their use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and shows complete understanding about the given reading texts 2.25 The student has fully operational command of the language Their use of English is sometimes unsystematic in accuracy and inappropriate usage However, they have to show their understanding about the given reading texts 1.75 The student has operational command of the language, though with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriate usage and misunderstandings in some situations However, they have a little understanding about the given reading texts 1.0 The student has an effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriate usage They expose some misunderstandings about the given texts Rubric for written responses Indicators Focus & Details Organization Word choice Written marking rubric Marks 0.25 0.2 0.15 0.1 There is one clear, wellfocused topic Main ideas There is one clear, well-focused topic There is one topic Main The topic and main idea are not are clear and are well supported by detailed and accurate information Main ideas are clear but are not well supported by detailed information ideas somewhat clear The introduction is inviting, states the main topic, and provides an The introduction states The introduction states the main There is no clear introduction, structure, or overview of the paper Information is relevant and presented in a logical order The conclusion is strong of the paper A conclusion is included topic conclusion included conclusion The author uses vivid The author uses vivid words and phrases The words and phrases The The author uses words that The writer uses a limited choice and placement choice and placement of words is inaccurate at times and/or seems overdone communicate clearly, but the writing lacks variety vocabulary of words seems accurate, natural, and not forced Nông Thái Thùy An the main topic and provides an overview are A is 0.25 clear 0.25 0.25 Jargon or clichés may be present and detract from the meaning Page Accumulative Report Sentence Structure, All sentences are well constructed and have varied structure and length The author makes no errors in grammar, mechanics, and/or spelling Most sentences are well constructed and have varied structure and length The author makes a few errors in grammar, mechanics, Grammar, and/or spelling, but Mechanics, & they not interfere with understanding Spelling Nông Thái Thùy An Most sentences are well constructed, but they have a similar structure and/or length The author makes several errors in grammar, mechanics, and/or spelling that interfere with understanding Sentences sound awkward, are distractingly repetitive, 0.25 or are difficult to understand The author makes numerous errors in grammar, mechanics, and/or spelling that interfere with understanding Page Accumulative Report Content Reading passage BRANSON’S NEW ROUTE TO MORE JOBS For many young people lucky enough to get a job after leaving school or college, the biggest shock transition to work is how few holidays they get Having spent their academic years working an eight or nine- month year, it can be depressing to realize that for the rest of working lives they will be able to take only four weeks off a year Many would jump at the chance to take three months off and that’s exactly what happened at Virgin Atlantic, the airline run by Richard Branson He believed the initiative will help to reduce unemployment Faced last autumn with recession and its failure to acquire more flight slots out of Heathrow airport, the company was having to consider redundancies Mr Branson wrote to the staff saying that cutting back on jobs was “something I have never wanted to do” Instead, he invited employees to take up to six months unpaid leaves and join in a job-sharing scheme The immediate crisis passed but the idea of a shorter working year took off When the company later asked for 300 volunteers to take three months unpaid leave, 450 put their names forward Mr Branson said: “to be fair and share it around, in some cases we said that people could only take weeks.” Most of the volunteers were cabin crew but other staff, including secretaries and pilots took advantage of the offer as well “And when they came back from their break… they definitely seemed to enjoy work more,” he said The company tends to recruit and train its own staff from scratch As Mr Branson said: “if you’ve been at college or on the dole, working only nine months still makes you a lot better off financially than you were before.” He believed there was a broader social benefit to be achieved “If you are only taking on people for nine months, that will enable others who would otherwise have no work or be living on the dole to have a chance too.” And he goes further “I think this should be the basis of a pattern across the whole European Community for the first few years of working life.” Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report Nor was a shorter working year applicable for the young people “ If older women and men with children can afford it because one partner’s working 12 months and the other nine, I think a lot of people would like to earn slightly less and be able to spend more time with their children,” said Branson This year the scheme is on offer again, although not over the busy summer period “All the people who took time off last year would like to it again.” Mr Branson said But its realization depended on whether the company could recruit enough people to allow 400-500 existing staff to take three months off The company was considering whether the arrangement should become a permanent feature, Mr Branson said “For new people taken on in most departments, we are thinking about making nine-month working as a standard contract.” Question 1: In less than 150 words, write a summary of the main ideas of the passage Question If you were the subject of such a scheme, what would you spend offwork months doing to improve your life? In no more than 250 words, write a paragraph to describe your plan ANSWERS Question In the "Branson's new route to more jobs”, author Richard Branson introduces a jobsharing scheme that employees spend a six-month year working and take three months off unpaid for cutting back redundancies job at Virgin Atlantic airline Specifically, his scheme shows some benefits for unemployed people who need a chance working job and even his staffs can be able to spend more time for themselves or their family Firstly, depending on the company could recruit enough and train the new staff from scratch even they have been still been at college or people have no work for allowing the existing staffs to take three months off unpaid And actually, the initiative helps to reduce unemployment Secondly, the scheme makes the staffs not only the young people have a shorter working year but also the older women and men can spend much time for their family After they come back from their breaking, they definitely enjoy working more The company considers making nine-month working as a standard contract Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report Question Currently, I think about what I want to achieve in my off-work months to improve my life which using spare time for things that enhance the mind, and relaxes and unwinds after a long working time First, I will be relaxed by playing sports, watching movies, playing scrabble, reading books, and writing a diary Some scientists say that these physical and mental activities serve as a tonic and refresh me to face new challenges Central to my first idea is the benefit of spending spare time for doing some recreational activities, is to promote brain’s ability, which will enable them to become more intellectual and brilliant Second, improving my life by rest is particularly important, which can make it possible for me to relax after long working a nine- months year We all require to unwind time to recover from the hassle of works and everyday life Anything cannot let else encroach on my relaxing time Don’t check the inbox for messages and turn off a mobile phone Otherwise, the lines between the day off and working days will begin to blur, and you won’t feel refreshed Finally, I personally believe my off-work months to what is best for help me to drive the further toward enriching my brain and remain a good healthy at relaxing time Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report Reading passage MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES UNDER ADVERSE CONDITIONS THE CHALLENGE It is a great deal easier to motivate employees in a growing organisation than a declining one When organisations are expanding and adding personnel, promotional opportunities, pay rises, and the excitement of being associated with a dynamic organisation create feelings of optimism Management is able to use the growth to entice and encourage employees When an organisation is shrinking, the best and most mobile workers are prone to leave voluntarily Unfortunately, they are the ones the organisation can least afford to lose - those with the highest skills and experience The minor employees remain because their job options are limited Morale also suffers during decline People fear they may be the next to be made redundant Productivity often suffers, as employees spend their time sharing rumours and providing one another with moral support rather than focusing on their jobs For those whose jobs are secure, pay increases are rarely possible Pay cuts, unheard of during times of growth, may even be imposed The challenge to management is how to motivate employees under such retrenchment conditions The ways of meeting this challenge can be broadly divided into six Key Points, which are outlined below KEY POINT ONE There is an abundance of evidence to support the motivational benefits that result from carefully matching people to jobs For example, if the job is running a small business or an autonomous unit within a larger business, high achievers should be sought However, if the job to be filled is a managerial post in a large bureaucratic organisation, a candidate who has a high need for power and a low need for affiliation should be selected Accordingly, high achievers should not be put into jobs that are inconsistent with their needs High achievers will best when the job provides moderately challenging goals and where there is independence and feedback However, it should be remembered that not everybody is motivated by jobs that are high in independence, variety and responsibility KEY POINT TWO Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report The literature on goal-setting theory suggests that managers should ensure that all employees have specific goals and receive comments on how well they are doing in those goals For those with high achievement needs, typically a minority in any organisation, the existence of external goals is less important because high achievers are already internally motivated The next factor to be determined is whether the goals should be assigned by a manager or collectively set in conjunction with the employees The answer to that depends on perceptions of goal acceptance and the organisation's culture If resistance to goals is expected, the use of participation in goal-setting should increase acceptance If participation is inconsistent with the culture, however, goals should be assigned If participation and the culture are incongruous, employees are likely to perceive the participation process as manipulative and be negatively affected by it KEY POINT THREE Regardless of whether goals are achievable or well within management's perceptions of the employee's ability, if employees see them as unachievable they will reduce their effort Managers must be sure, therefore, that employees feel confident that their efforts can lead to performance goals For managers, this means that employees must have the capability of doing the job and must regard the appraisal process as valid KEY POINT FOUR Since employees have different needs, what acts as a reinforcement for one may not for another? Managers could use their knowledge of each employee to personalise the rewards over which they have control Some of the more obvious rewards that managers allocate include pay, promotions, autonomy, job scope and depth, and the opportunity to participate in goal-setting and decision-making KEY POINT FIVE Managers need to make rewards contingent on performance To reward factors other than performance will only reinforce those other factors Key rewards such as pay increases and promotions or advancements should be allocated for the attainment of the employee's specific goals Consistent with maximising the impact of rewards, managers should look for ways to increase their visibility Eliminating the secrecy surrounding pay by openly Nông Thái Thùy An Page Accumulative Report communicating everyone's remuneration, publicising performance bonuses and allocating annual salary increases in a lump sum rather than spreading them out over an entire year are examples of actions that will make rewards more visible and potentially more motivating KEY POINT SIX The way rewards are distributed should be transparent so that employees perceive that rewards or outcomes are equitable and equal to the inputs given On a simplistic level, experience, abilities, effort and other obvious inputs should explain differences in pay, responsibility and other obvious outcomes The problem, however, is complicated by the existence of dozens of inputs and outcomes and by the fact that employee groups place different degrees of importance on them For instance, a study comparing clerical and production workers identified nearly twenty inputs and outcomes The clerical workers considered factors such as quality of work performed and job knowledge near the top of their list, but these were at the bottom of the production workers' list Similarly, production workers thought that the most important inputs were intelligence and personal involvement with task accomplishment, two factors that were quite low in the importance ratings of the clerks There were also important, though less dramatic, differences on the outcome side For example, production workers rated advancement very highly, whereas clerical workers rated advancement in the lower third of their list Such findings suggest that one person's equity is another's inequity, so an ideal should probably weigh different inputs and outcomes according to employee group Question 1: In less than 150 words, write a summary of the main ideas of the passage Question 2: Among the six mentioned strategies in motivating employees, which one you think is the most effective? In no more than 250 words, write a paragraph to describe your ideas ANSWERS Question In this essay, the author indicates the ways of facing the challenge to managers is how to motivate employees under adverse conditions that can be divided into six strategies "Key point one", making the motivational from carefully matching employees to jobs "Key point Nông Thái Thùy An Page 10 Accumulative Report two", the management have to ensure employees have specific goal which assigned by a manager and depended on perceptions of goal acceptance and the organization's culture "Key point three", management's perceptions of the employee's ability whether goals achieved, managers must be sure employees are confident, and "Key point four", the manager can personalize the rewards as a reinforcement employees' different needs "Key point five", the managers need to make rewards more visible and potentially more motivating "Key point six", one person's equity is another's inequity that the reason why the managers should transparent the inputs and outcomes to get rewards Question According to "Motivating employees under adverse conditions the challenge", we find six strategies in motivating employees If I had to choose one of the most effective, that is "Key point four" Personally, I agree with this view In the art of management, rewarding employees for their outstanding performances is an indispensable way to uphold the motivation and endeavor for working Managers use their knowledge to personalize rewards acts as a reinforcement performance's staffs and motivated to work Workers, who would have to work hard as the bees to make ends meet, should be rewarded for their efforts to the organization As a result of giving pay, promotions, autonomy, job scope, and depth, the employees would make great efforts to complete work This way makes a significant contribution to boosting a level of employees' productivity, having a beneficial effect on driving the growth of the firm In addition, allowing the high achievers to participate in goalsetting and decision-making as acts rewarding the staffs become great motivation in their jobs, so working man not only feels respect worthy but also show the great dedication of health and enthusiasm to their lines of work In conclusion, a competent and considerate employer is deemed to know their employees' potential and internal demands thoroughly in order to apply the most suitable rewards that satisfies a large number of the company's members Nông Thái Thùy An Page 11 Accumulative Report Reading passage "I am from a large, poor family and for many years we have done without breakfast Ever since I joined the Street Kids International program I have been able to buy my family sugar and buns for breakfast I have also bought myself decent second-hand clothes and shoes." Doreen Soko 'We’ve had business experience Now I'm confident to expand what we've been doing I've learnt cash management, and the way of keeping money so we save for reinvestment Now business is a part of our lives As well, we didn't know each other before - now we've made new friends.' Fan Kaoma Participants in the Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative Program, Zambia Introduction Although small-scale business training and credit programs have become more common throughout the world, relatively little attention has been paid to the need to direct such opportunities to young people Even less attention has been paid to children living on the street or in difficult circumstances Over the past nine years, Street Kids International (S.K.I.) has been working with partner organisations in Africa, Latin America and India to support the economic lives of street children The purpose of this paper is to share some of the lessons S.K.I and our partners have learned Background Typically, children not end up on the streets due to a single cause, but to a combination of factors: a dearth of adequately funded schools, the demand for income at home, family breakdown and violence The street may be attractive to children as a place to find adventurous play and money However, it is also a place where some children are exposed, with little or no protection, to exploitative employment, urban crime, and abuse Children who work on the streets are generally involved in unskilled, labour-intensive tasks which require long hours, such as shining shoes, carrying goods, guarding or washing Nông Thái Thùy An Page 12 Accumulative Report cars, and informal trading Some may also earn income through begging, or through theft and other illegal activities At the same time, there are street children who take pride in supporting themselves and their families and who often enjoy their work Many children may choose entrepreneurship because it allows them a degree of independence, is less exploitative than many forms of paid employment, and is flexible enough to allow them to participate in other activities such as education and domestic tasks Street Business Partnerships S.K.I has worked with partner organisations in Latin America, Africa and India to develop innovative opportunities for street children to earn income • The S.K.I Bicycle Courier Service first started in Sudan Participants in this enterprise were supplied with bicycles, which they used to deliver parcels and messages, and which they were required to pay for gradually from their wages A similar program was taken up in Bangalore, India • Another successful project, The Shoe Shine Collective, was a partnership program with the Y.W.C.A in the Dominican Republic In this project, participants were lent money to purchase shoe shine boxes They were also given a safe place to store their equipment, and facilities for individual savings plans • The Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative in Zambia is a joint program with the Red Cross Society and the Y.W.C.A Street youths are supported to start their own small business through business training, life skills training and access to credit Lessons learned The following lessons have emerged from the programs that S.K.I and partner organisations have created • Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone, nor for every street child Ideally, potential participants will have been involved in the organisation's programs for at least six months, and trust and relationship building will have already been established • The involvement of the participants has been essential to the development of relevant programs When children have had a major role in determining procedures, they are more likely to abide by and enforce them Nông Thái Thùy An Page 13 Accumulative Report • It is critical for all loans to be linked to training programs that include the development of basic business and life skills • There are tremendous advantages to involving parents or guardians in the program, where such relationships exist Home visits allow staff the opportunity to know where the participants live, and to understand more about each individual’s situation • Small loans are provided initially for purchasing fixed assets such as bicycles, shoe shine kits and basic building materials for a market stall As the entrepreneurs gain experience, the enterprises can be gradually expanded and consideration can be given to increasing loan amounts The loan amounts in S.K.I programs have generally ranged from US$30-$100 • All S.K.I programs have charged interest on the loans, primarily to get the entrepreneurs used to the concept of paying interest on borrowed money Generally the rates have been modest (lower than bank rates) Conclusion There is a need to recognise the importance of access to credit for impoverished young people seeking to fulfil economic needs The provision of small loans to support the entrepreneurial dreams and ambitions of youth can be an effective means to help them change their lives However, we believe that credit must be extended in association with other types of support that help participants develop critical life skills as well as productive businesses Question 1: In no more than 150 words, write a summary about the above article Question 2: To give a chance to develop the economic lives of street children in Vietnam, from your perspective, which programs mentioned in the article can be applied? In no more than 250 words, write a paragraph to describe your ideas ANSWERS Question In this article, the author shares information about the Street Kid International program with their partner organization in some countries to help the economic lives of street children and in difficult circumstances They provided for many children not only are a lot of programs as Bicycle Courier Service to earn money by delivering parcel and messages, The Shoe Shine Nông Thái Thùy An Page 14 Accumulative Report Collective were lent money to buy shoe shine boxes and given a safe place to save plans, Youth Skill Enterprise Initiative supported to start their small business with all loans to be linked to training program as business, life skills and access to credit But also, are emerged lessons that being an entrepreneur is not for everyone or street children, the provision of small loans to support the dreams and ambition of youth can be an effective means to change their life Question In the world in general and Vietnam in particular, children without no parental care have become one of the top issues on the agenda To participate in social responsibility, we can play the role of good citizens by helping the street children in difficult circumstances Giving them the chance to work and study for a better life in "The Youth Skills Enterprise Initiative" is both the best choice for helping the street children in Viet Nam and not difficult to apply in our country This program should be associated with the Red Cross Society and the volunteer of the Children Protection Group Street youths are supported to build small businesses after having the education program primarily, and taught through life skills, business skills, and credit But anyone or street children cannot be easy to become a businessman, when children have a major role in performance business, they have to abide by and enforce the development of relevant trading program The objective of this initiative is to continue our efforts towards facilitating these street-connected children to have a voice and the better economic platform, in a way that they become enabled enough to come forward and speak for themselves After all, the importance of providing children street some business skills, life skill can allow them a degree of independence, is less exploitative and is flexible enough to allow them to participate in other activities such as education Nông Thái Thùy An Page 15 Accumulative Report Reading passage HOW SHOPS CAN EXPLOIT PEOPLE'S HERD MENTALITY TO INCREASE SALES A trip to the supermarket may not seem like an exercise in psychological warfare but it is Shopkeepers know that filling a store with the aroma of freshly baked bread makes people feel hungry and persuades them to buy more food than they had intended Stocking the most expensive products at eye level makes them sell faster than cheaper but less visible competitors Now researchers are investigating how "swarm intelligence" (that is, how ants, bees or any social animal, including humans, behave in a crowd) can be used to influence what people buy At a recent conference on the simulation of adaptive behaviour in Rome, Zeeshanul-hassan Usmani, a computer scientist from the Florida Institute of Technology, described a new way to increase impulse buying using this phenomenon Supermarkets already encourage shoppers to buy things they did not realise they wanted: for instance, by placing everyday items such as milk and eggs at the back of the store, forcing shoppers to walk past other tempting goods to reach them Mr Usmani and Ronaldo Menezes, also of the Florida Institute of Technology, set out to enhance this tendency to buy more by playing on the herd instinct The idea is that, if a certain product is seen to be popular, shoppers are likely to choose it too The challenge is to keep customers informed about what others are buying Enter smart-cart technology In Mr Usmani's supermarket every product has a radio frequency identification tag, a sort of barcode that uses radio waves to transmit information, and every trolley has a scanner that reads this information and relays it to a central computer As a customer walks past a shelf of goods, a screen on the shelf tells him how many people currently in the shop have chosen that particular product If the number is high, he is more likely to select it too Mr Usmani's "swarm-moves" model appeals to supermarkets because it increases sales without the need to give people discounts And it gives shoppers the satisfaction of knowing that they bought the "right" product - that is, the one everyone else bought The model has not yet been tested widely in the real world, mainly because radio frequency Nông Thái Thùy An Page 16 Accumulative Report identification technology is new and has only been installed experimentally in some supermarkets But Mr Usmani says that both Wal-Mart in America and Tesco in Britain are interested in his work, and testing will get under way in the spring Another recent study on the power of social influence indicates that sales could, indeed, be boosted in this way Matthew Salganik of Columbia University in New York and his colleagues have described creating an artificial music market in which some 14,000 people downloaded previously unknown songs The researchers found that when people could see the songs ranked by how many times they had been downloaded, they followed the crowd When the songs were not ordered by rank, but the number of times they had been downloaded was displayed, the effect of social influence was still there but was less pronounced People thus follow the herd when it is easy for them to so In Japan, a chain of convenience shops called RanKing RanQueen has been ordering its products according to sales data from department stores and research companies The shops sell only the most popular items in each product category, and the rankings are updated weekly Icosystem, a company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, also aims to exploit knowledge of social networking to improve sales And the psychology that works in physical stores is just as potent on the Internet Online retailers such as Amazon are adept at telling shoppers which products are popular with like-minded consumers Even in the privacy of your home, you can still be part of the swarm Question 1: In less than 150 words, write a summary of the main ideas of the passage Question 2: What lessons you like most from the passage and why? In no more than 250 words, write a brief proposal for your business ANSWERS Question According to the passage "How shop can exploit people's herd mentality to increase sales", the author sends to readers some lessons of how "swarm intelligence" can be used to influence what consumers buy First, the simulation of adaptive behaviors that set up this tendency to buy more playing on the herd instinct when shoppers walk past other tempting Nông Thái Thùy An Page 17 Accumulative Report goods to reach everyday items Second, the Enter smart-cart technology which every product as a radio frequency identification tag, it gives shoppers the satisfaction the right product because everyone else bought Third, the Power of social influence when people see the downloaded rank of song, they follow the crowd Last, a chain of convenience shop in Japan that ordered their products according to sales data, they just sell the most popular goods Question To the managers of Magic Supermarket! Do you think this time we need to have something new for changing our retailers? I am sure that Enter smart-cart technology can help our supermarket get new wind, both encourage shoppers to buy and keep customers informed about what others are buying I am writing this proposal to recommend you exploit this new way to increase sales Shopping by using the enter smart-cart combines a sort of barcode services that stores buyers’ experience, and make it possible to select and a screen on the shelf tell they how many people have chosen these products In each trolley has a scanner that reads information about products for relaying them to the computer It can help customers decide to buy goods by "swarm-moves" like that "right" product because everyone else bought The smart-cart technology itself is often the leading element that inspires trust in the shopping process and lets them know they’re dealing with a professional provider Meanwhile, on the owner’s side of the axis, this leads to accelerated checkout and out-of-the-box possibilities to cross-sell related products and please customers with ‘just-what-I-wanted’ offers For the benefits this new technology, I strongly recommend that you allow our company to apply this way I’m sure you won’t regret with your decision Let me know if you would agree with our suggestion through my personal phone number at any time or to email address: nongthaithuyan.anana@gmail.com Nông Thái Thùy An Page 18 Accumulative Report Reading passage HOW FAIR IS FAIR TRADE? The fair-trade movement began in Europe in earnest in the post-war period, but only in the last 25 years has it grown to include producers and consumers in over 60 countries In the 1950s and 60s, many people in the developed world felt passionately about the enormous disparities between developed and developing countries, and they believed the system of international trade shut out African, Asian, and South American producers who could not compete with multinational companies or who came from states that, for political reasons, were not trading with the West The catchphrase ‘Trade Not Aid’ was used by church groups and trade unions – early supporters of fair trade – who also considered that international aid was either a pittance or a covert form of subjugation These days, much fair trade does include aid: developed-world volunteers offer their services, and there is free training for producers and their workers Tea, coffee, cocoa, cotton, flowers, handicrafts, and gold are all major fair-trade items, with coffee being the most recognisable, found on supermarket shelves and at café chains throughout the developed world Although around two million farmers and workers produce fair-trade items, this is a tiny number in relation to total global trade Still, fair-trade advocates maintain that the system has positively impacted upon many more people worldwide, while the critics claim that if those two million returned to the mainstream trading system, they would receive higher prices for their goods or labour Fair trade is supposed to be a trade that is fair to producers Its basic tenet is that developed-world consumers will pay slightly more for end products in the knowledge that developing-world producers have been equitably remunerated, and that the products have been made in decent circumstances Additionally, the fair-trade system differs from that of the open market because there is a minimum price paid for goods, which may be higher than that of the open market Secondly, a small premium, earmarked for community development, is added in good years; for example, coffee co-operatives in South America frequently receive an additional 25c per kilogram Lastly, purchasers of fair-trade products Nông Thái Thùy An Page 19 Accumulative Report may assist with crop pre-financing or with the training of producers and workers, which could take the form of improving product quality, using environmentally friendly fertilisers, or raising literacy Research has shown that non-fair-trade farmers copy some fair-trade farming practices, and, occasionally, encourage social progress In exchange for ethical purchase and other assistance, fair-trade producers agree not to use child or slave labour, to adhere to the United Nations Charter on Human Rights, to provide safe workplaces, and to protect the environment despite these not being legally binding in their own countries However, few non-fair-trade farmers have adopted these practices, viewing them as little more than rich-world conceits So that consumers know which products are made under fair-trade conditions, goods are labelled, and, these days, a single European and American umbrella organisation supervises labelling, standardisation, and inspection While fair trade is increasing, the system is far from perfect First and foremost, there are expenses involved in becoming a fair-trade-certified producer, meaning the desperately poor rarely participate, so the very farmers fair-trade advocates originally hoped to support are excluded Secondly, because conforming to the standards of fair-trade certification is costly, some producers deliberately mislabel their goods The fair-trade monitoring process is patchy, and unfortunately, around 12% of fair-trade-labelled produce is nothing of the kind Next, a crop may genuinely be produced under fair-trade conditions, but due to a lack of demand cannot be sold as fair trade, so goes into the open market, where prices are mostly lower It is estimated that only between 18-37% of fair-trade output is actually sold as fair trade Sadly, there is little reliable research on the real relationship between costs incurred and revenue for fair-trade farmers, although empirical evidence suggests that many never realise a profit Partly, reporting from producers is inadequate, and ways of determining profit may not include credit, harvesting, transport, or processing Sometimes, the price paid to fair-trade producers is lower than that of the open market, so while a crop may be sold, elsewhere it could have earnt more, or where there are profits, they are often taken by the corporate firms that buy the goods and sell them on to retailers Nông Thái Thùy An Page 20 Accumulative Report There are problems with the developed-world part of the equation too People who volunteer to work for fair-trade concerns may so believing they are assisting farmers and communities, whereas their labour serves to enrich middlemen and retailers Companies involved in West African cocoa production have been criticised for this In the developed world, the right to use a fair-trade logo is also expensive for packers and retailers, and sometimes a substantial amount of the money received from sale is ploughed back into marketing In richer parts of the developed world, notably in London, packers and retailers charge high prices for fair-trade products Consumers imagine they are paying so much because more money is returned to producers when profit-taking by retailers or packers is a more likely scenario One UK café chain is known to have passed on 1.6% of the extra 18% is charged for fair-trade coffee to producers However, this happens with other items at the supermarket or cafe, so perhaps consumers are naive to believe fair-traders behave otherwise In addition, there are struggling farmers in rich countries, too, so some critics think fair-trade associations should certify them Other critics find the entire fair-trade system flawed – nothing more than a colossal marketing scam- and they would rather assist the genuinely poor in more transparent ways, but this criticism may be overblown since fair trade has endured for and been praised in the developing world itself Question 1: In less than 150 words, write a summary of the main ideas of the passage Question 2: What are the core principles of the Fair trade Standards applied in Vietnam? What are their benefits to Vietnamese consumers? In no more than 150 words, write a paragraph to describe your opinion ANSWERS Question In this passage, the author has written to help readers to understand deeply how fairtrade is in the world The fair-trade movement came from Europe because the enormous disparities between developed and developing countries make it not fair about trading Fairtrade can help producers that include aid both developed-world volunteers offer their services, and there is free training for producers and their workers Having many major os fair-trade items, especially coffee being the most recognizable and having face on Nông Thái Thùy An Page 21 Accumulative Report supermarket and cafe chains They have the core principles of the Fair trade Standards and have to adhere to the United Nations Charter on Human Rights despite their countries have not been obligated, too Which products are made under fair-trade conditions for customers know goods are and a single European and American umbrella organization supervises labeling, standardization, and inspection Many critics found the fair-trade nothing more than a colossal marketing scam, they would rather assist the genuinely poor in more transparent ways, but this criticism may be overblown since fair trade has endured for and been praised in the developing world itself Question Vietnamese producers start to join the fair-trade system in the last years Our country also emerges with more spices like pepper, cinnamon, ginger in both fair trades that the core principles applied in Vietnam are ensuring Fairtrade minimum price which is a fair market price, sustainable trade relationships ensuring environmental development with sustainable production According to experts, Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay a higher price for a product of clear origin which will not negatively impact the environment Applying fair trade, helping Vietnamese products access the domestic and foreign customers easily Fair Trade relationships provide the basis for connecting producers with consumers and for informing consumers of the need for social justice and the opportunities for change Consumer support enables Fair Trade Organizations to be advocates and campaigners for wider reform of international trading rules, to achieve the ultimate goal of a just and equitable Vietnam trading system Vietnamese shoppers can buy products in line with their values and principles They can choose from an ever-growing range of great products By buying fairtrade labelled products domestic consumers support small producers who are struggling to improve their lives Nông Thái Thùy An Page 22 ... employees for their outstanding performances is an indispensable way to uphold the motivation and endeavor for working Managers use their knowledge to personalize rewards acts as a reinforcement performance's... Trade relationships provide the basis for connecting producers with consumers and for informing consumers of the need for social justice and the opportunities for change Consumer support enables... command of the language Their use of English is appropriate, accurate and fluent, and shows complete understanding about the given reading texts 2.25 The student has fully operational command