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Obligation / Necessity
1We often use must when the obligation comes from the person speaking or writing. We must ask them to dinner when they're
over here.
2We use mustn't to say that something is prohibited, it is not allowed.
You mustn't smoke in here.
3We often use have to to show that the obligation comes from another person or institution, not the speaker.
You have to renew your residence permit after three months. (This is the law.)
Lack of obligation / Lack of necessity
We use don't have to when there is no need or obligation to do something. You don't have to wait for your order. You can collect it now.
• Compare the uses of must not and don't have to here.
| Modal verbs 1 |
We mustn't rush into a new partnership too quickly. We don't have to make a decision for at least six months.
Indirect questions are often used to ask for possibly sensitive information politely.
Could you tell me what your salary is? May I ask why you want to leave your current post?
We also use indirect questions and statements to sound generally more polite and less abrupt.
Do you know why the e-mail system is down?
I wonder how long we should allow for the
trip into town. I think he doesn't want to be disturbed right now.
She feels it's not a good time to raise the issue.
Indirect questions have the same word order as statements.
You want to work abroad, (statement) Could you tell me why you want to work abroad?
We can use the following expressions to introduce indirect questions and statements.
I wonder / can't remember / have no idea /'d like to know /'m not sure when
the interview starts.
For yes / no questions we use if or whether.
| Indirect questions and statements |
Will he apply for the job? (direct question) I don't know if he'll apply for the job. I wonder whether he'll apply for the job.
С
First conditional
1We use conditional sentences when discussing the terms of an agreement, making hypothetical proposals, bargaining and making concessions.
If you order now we will give you a discount.
We will reduce the price by 10% if you give us a firm order in advance. If we give you go days'credit instead of 60, will you give us the interest you would have paid? The use of if+ will + base form of the verb suggests that the acceptance of the condition is the basis for a deal.
2We use unless in conditional sentences to mean if not.
We won't be able to start construction unless you train our personnel.
3/\s long as and provided that are also used to state conditions.
We will sign the contract as long as you guarantee prices for the next eighteen months.
We can reach agreement on a joint venture provided that our firm has a representative on your board.
Second conditional
If the proposal is more tentative and possibly less feasible we use past verb forms.
If we said we were prepared to deliver in
March would you make a firm order? If you agreed to create more jobs we might
| 9 Conditions |
| __________________________________________________ У 154 J |
think about a productivity deal. If the Government found some extra money, would you be prepared to create a subsidiary in our country?
1 We sometimes use one verb after another verb. Often the second verb is in the infinitive form:
We are continuing to cut our manufacturing costs.
Management agreed to offer generous redundancy terms to all staff affected.
• The verbs below are often followed by the infinitive.
| intend | attempt | promise | plan |
| mean | try | arrange | offer |
| want | pretend | hope | forget |
| seem | fail | wish | expect |
| claim | guarantee |
2 But sometimes the second verb must be in the -ing form (the gerund). This depends on the first verb.
The decision involves reducing our heavy losses.
• The verbs below are usually followed by the gerund.
| admit | appreciate | contemplate |
| give up | involve | deny |
| enjoy | consider | carry on |
| mean | mind | justify |
| can't stand | don't mind | remember |
| resent | detest | recommend |
| risk | delay | miss |
| suggest | avoid | put off |
| look forward to |
3 Some verbs can be followed by the gerund or the infinitive form without a big change in meaning.
She started loading the software. /She started to load the software.
• Sometimes, however, the meaning changes.
She stopped to read the manual. (She stopped what she was doing in order to read the manual.)
| 10 Gerunds and infinitives |
She stopped reading the manual. (She no longer bothered to read the manual.)
1 The past simple is common when we describe a sequence of events or tell a story in chronological order about events that happened in the past.
On Mondays December 1984, a poisonous cloud of gas escaped from a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. Eye witnesses described a cloud in the shape of a mushroom which rose above the plant and then descended over the town.
2 We use the past perfect to situate an event that happened before another past event.
By the end of the week, 1,200 people had died and at least 10,000 had been affected
very seriously.
3 The present perfect is used to describe past events of current significance.
A major problem for doctors in Bhopal was lack of information on how to treat the chemical's effects. A pathologist said: 'Why hasn't Union Carbide come forward to tell us about the gas that has leaked and how to treat it. Is it not their moral duty? They have not come forward.'
4 We use the past continuous to describe unfinished events which were in progress around a particular past time.
By Monday 10 December, the death toll had risen to 2,000 and American lawyers representing Indian families were suing Union Carbide for $12.5 billion in compensation. Meanwhile journalists were asking the company difficult questions about its safety procedures and the share price was dropping sharply as investors became worried about the billions of dollars of compensation that the company might have to pay.
(Adapted from Ian Marcouse, Business Case Studies,
| 11 Narrative tenses |
Longman 1990)
1We use who or that in a relative clause to identify people.
The people who/that we employ are very highly qualified. As people is the object of the clause, the relative pronoun can be left out.
The people we employ are very highly qualified.
If the relative pronoun defines the subject of the sentence, it must be included.
A counterfeiter is a person who copies goods in order to trick people.
2We use that or which in a relative clause to identify things.
Have you read the report that/which I left on your desk?
If that or which identifies the object of the clause it can be left out. Have you read the report I left on your desk?
\fthat or which defines the subject of the sentence, it must be included.
Organisations that are flexible can respond to change.
3Non-defining clauses provide extra information about the subject or object of a sentence. The extra information is separated by commas.
Philip Condit, who was chairman of Boeing, wanted the airline to become a global company.
Note that it is not possible to use that. The Dorfmann hotel, which is situated 30 kms outside Vienna, charges U5$ 1,400 per person.
| 12 Relative clauses |
Again, it is not possible to use that in a non-defining clause.
| 13 Passives |
Modal verbs 2
1We use a passive structure when we are not interested in who carries out an action or it is not necessary to know.
The company was founded in 1996. Some changes have been made.
He has been promoted to the post of Sales Director.
A new low-alcohol lager is being developed.
2If we also want to mention who performs the action we can use a phrase beginning with by.
The self-extinguishing cigarette was invented by KajJensen. The prototype is being checked by the design team.
3In a passive sentence, the grammatical subject receives the focus.
You will be met at the airport by a company driver.
(You receives the focus of attention.) Compare with:
A company driver will meet you at the
airport.
4The passive is often used to describe processes and procedures.
First of all an advertising agency is contacted and the aim of the campaign is discussed. Then a storyboard is created and, if acceptable, the TV commercial is filmed and broadcast at prime time.
5We also use the passive in a formal or impersonal style.
It was felt that our design should be more
| ___________________________________________ У 156J |
innovative. Company procedures must be respected at all times.
We use different modal verbs to say that an event or situation is certain, probable or possible.
1We often use will/won't with an adverb to show how certain we are that something will or will not happen.
Price-cutting in the car industry will certainly continue next year. But we probably /definitely /certainly won't cut our prices again.
2We use should, ought to, be likely to when we think something will probably happen:
Our profits are likely to improve next quarter.
• When we expect something will not happen, we use shouldn't, ought not to, be unlikely to.
That shouldn't be a problem. The government's forecasts are unlikely to be wrong this time.
3We use may, could, may not, might not when there is only a possibility that something will or will not happen.
The situation may improve in the longer term.
There could be a recession next year. The new model's success might not be enough to save the company.
4We use must or can't to make a logical deduction.
She must be exhausted after such a long delay.
| J |
They can't be serious. That's an impossible deadline to meet.
i Brands
A Definitely. In my opinion, she's ideal. She's well-known in Asia, she's got an excellent reputation in the industry. She's got a modern factory and a large customer base: I'd say she's just what we're looking for. M Right. Valerie, what do you think?
V I agree because she's very good at marketing. I've met her several times. She'll work twenty-four hours a day to get a sale. Just the sort of person we want. M Barbara, you're shaking your head. What's your opinion? В I'm afraid I can't agree. I don't think she's suitable at all. All her products sell at the lower end of the market. They're in the cheaper price ranges. But our Luc Fontaine range is exclusive. The male and female perfumes are for people who don't mind spending a lot of money to look good. They're not a good match for what she's selling. M So what do you suggest then?
В I think we should find someone else. I do have someone in mind. I met Hiroshi Takahashi recently. He's based in Nagoya. His healthcare company is doing really well. He makes various skin products and sells them under well-known European labels. In my opinion, his company has a lot to offer. Why don't we meet him and see if he's interested?
0 1,6 (MM = Marketing Manager, SD = Sales Director)
MM Pietro, can I have a word with you? I've just been talking to Gina Delassi. Majestic's new Purchasing Manager. They're going to cancel their contract with us. They won't change their mind. SD Why, what's the problem? That's fifty percent of our business: we
can't afford to lose them. What reason did they give for cancelling? MM You know that Cafe Velvet has just launched a new advertising campaign? Well, Majestic's Head Chef is endorsing it! They're introducing Cafe Velvet in all their hotels. Cafe Velvet is also talking to the supermarkets, apparently. SD What can we do? Are you talking to other hotel chains? Any ideas on who we can get to endorse our product? We need to talk to the supermarkets about our new campaign. MM Yes, our department has already brainstormed a shortlist of possible celebrity names. And we have drawn up an action plan to target supermarkets. We aim to put these plans before the board next week. SD Good to see a sense of urgency. Don't forget to survey other hotel chains. We can't rely on one chain in the current situation.
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2 Travel
accident on the freeway. When I got there the lower level of the airport parking lot was flooded. Next my carry-on baggage was too big and heavy so 1 had to check it in. When we arrived the subway was closed and there were no cabs at all. After a long time trying to read the schedule and waiting for forty minutes, we finally got a bus downtown and found the hotel, but the elevator wasn't working and our rooms were on the fifth floor.
Q 2.3 (I = Interviewer; ST = Stephanie Taylor)
I What arc the main priorities for business travellers today? ST The first thing I'd say is the need for, for good organisation: for
someone to organise everything for you. Erm.. .air tickets of course - transport to and from the airport... accommodation. It's really important to erm, to have, to have that support. And the second thing I'd say relates to the airline that you choose or the cost of the flights. I think it's important to balance cost concerns with the need for comfort for the business traveller. So. on a short haul flight into Europe, perhaps cost is, er, is the main factor - looking for a cheap ticket, erm - whereas travelling to a different continent, it's important to, to look more at the comfort factor: plenty of space and. and, sleep, the ability to sleep on the flight. So cost, comfort is important. And then thirdly, (think, for the business traveller, erm, it's a big advantage if you can be very patient, because, er, there are often delays, and also, enn, it's important to be able to work in the airport. It is sort of an extension of your office when you're travelling a lot. So, if you're in a business lounge, that's okay, but it's also important to be able to work in an economy class, general airport, I think. So it helps to be very patient. I With new communications technology, do businesspeople need to travel so much?
ST Yes, I think they probably do, particularly... I think it's particularly important to establish good face-to-face relations with colleagues or with customers. Perhaps after the first meeting you can continue your relationship by telephone and by Internet. But I think, er, yes, from a PR perspective, and contact with customers. I think business travel will continue to be as important as it is now.
\ ) 2.4 (I = Interviewer; ST = Stephanie Taylor)
I What are the best travel experiences you've had? ST Ooh, lots, lots. Particularly, it's particularly good when you get a great hotel with beautiful towels and beautiful bathrooms and nice soft bed, erm, and good sports facilities. Things like that - that's always a luxury. Erm, and the Virgin, the Virgin lounge, I think. That's a good experience with all the high tech things. 1 like that. I What are the worst?
ST Probably related to bad accommodation, but probably more, I think, to do with those things out of your control. Just to choose one example, it would be a flight back from the US which was delayed, and delayed, and delayed, and finally cancelled. And we all slept on the floor of the airport, with no information. And it was very hard on the floor.
x ) 2.5 (I = Interviewer; ST = Stephanie Taylor)
I What further developments do you see in business travel? ST Hum. Perhaps, particularly in the area of accommodation, I think hotels will need to improve their standards in general. There are some very good hotels already, but I think more hotels will provide facilities for businesspeople...perhaps some specific facilities for businesswomen.
О 2.6 (R = Receptionist, PK = Philippa Knight, MB = Maria
Bonetti) Conversation 1
R Good morning. CPT. How may 1 help you?
PK It's Philippa Knight here. Could you put me through to extension
281. please? R Certainly. Putting you through. MB Hello. Maria Bonetti speaking.
PK Hello Maria. It's Philippa Knight from The Fashion Group in New York.
MB Hi Philippa, how are things?
PK Fine thanks. I'm calling because I'll be in London next week and I'd like to make an appointment to see you. I want to tell you about our new collection.
MB Great. What day would suit you? I'm fairly free next week, I think. PK How about Wednesday? In the afternoon? Could you make it then? MB Let me look now. Let me check my diary. Oh yes, that'd be no
problem at all. What about two o'clock? Is that OK? PK Perfect. Thanks very much. It'll be great to see you again. We'll have
plenty to talk about. MB That's for sure. See you next week then.
PK Right. Bye.
MB Bye.
О 2,7 (R = receptionist, PK = Philippa Knight, MB = Maria Bonetti)
Conversation 2
R Good morning, CPT. How may 1 help you?
PK I'd like to speak to Maria Bonetti, extension 281, please.
R Thank you. Who's calling, please?
PK It's Philippa Knight, from The Fashion Group.
R Thank you. I'm putting you through. ... Hello, I'm afraid she's engaged at the moment. Will you hold or can I take a message?
PK I'll leave a message, please. The thing is, I should be meeting Ms Bonetti at 2 p.m.. but something's come up. My plane was delayed and I've got to reschedule my appointments. If possible, I'd like to meet her tomorrow. Preferably in the morning. Could she call me back here at the hotel, please?
R Certainly. What's the number, please?
PK It's 020 7585 3814. I'll be leaving the hotel soon, so if she can't call me back within, say, w ithin the next quarter of an hour. I'll call her again this morning. Is that OK?
R Right. I've got that. I'll make sure she gets the message.
PK Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
R Goodbye.
3 Organisation
similar in three ways. First, they're future oriented: they have a very clear sense of where they are headed. Second, they're customer- driven: they invest huge time and energy in understanding and responding to their markets. And third, they are values-driven. By that I mean that people inside the organisation are very clcar about the values that should guide their decisions and behaviours - the principles by which the business is run.
О 3.5 (L = Louise, M = Marcus)
Conversation 1
L Hello Marcus, nice to see you again.
M Hi Louise. How are you?
L Fine, thanks. 1 haven't seen you for ages. We last met at the Frankfurt fair, didn't we? How's everything going?
M Pretty well at the moment. I'm still in the same department and I got promoted last year, so I'm now head of data processing. I'm in charge of about thirty people.
L Fantastic!
M How about you? Are you still in Accounts?
L Actually no. I changed my job last year. I'm in marketing now. I'm really enjoying it.
M That's good.
L Yes, but the big news is, Marcus, I got married last year.
M Really? That's great! Well, congratulations! Anyone I know?
0 3.6 (DL = Don Larscn, EK = Erika Koenig)
Conversation 2
DL Hi. my name's Don Larsen.
EK Pleased to meet you. I'm Erika Koenig.
DL Which part of the group do you work for?
EK I've just joined MCB. We provide financial services. How about you?
DL I work for Atsource Solutions.
EK I don't know much about Atsource Solutions. What sort of projects do you work on?
DL Well, we're basically an outsourcing business. We supply large companies with various services including payroll, IT services and human resources.
EK Is Atsource Solutions a new company?
DL No, we're well established. The company was founded in 1978. It's organised into three divisions. We have over six thousand employees; we've got our headquarters in Frankfurt and offices in over twenty countries - we're pretty big.
Q 3.7 (J = John, M = Miriam, H = Heinz)
Conversation 3
1 Heinz, I'd like you to meet Miriam. She's on a work placement here, she'll be with us for the next three months.
M Nice to meet you. Heinz.
H It's a pleasure.
J Miriam speaks fluent Italian, so she could be very useful when you're dealing with our Italian customers. Also, she's very keen on skiing. So you two should have something in common.
H Oh. that's interesting. Have a seat, Miriam. Would you like a drink?
4 Change
already seen some major changes in attitudes as people see the barriers eliminated. In the past, the IT systems stopped people improving the way they did things. Now those barriers have been eliminated and you find that many people feel released and able to embrace new ways of doing things. For some people that's more difficult. But we're already, we have already delivered over seven hundred million pounds in measurable benefits.
0 4.2 (I = Interviewer, MM = Maggie Miller)
1 And which was the most successful change and why?
MM The whole programme has been very, very successful. The things that have been easier have been those where the change was limited to one division or one function. But the one initiative that I'm proudest of, probably, is the change in all our point-of-sale systems - and that's the tills at the front of the stores. We have about five hundred stores, each of which have up to fifty sales tills. And we embarked on a programme to replace all those tills, their associated cabling, system software and infrastructure in a very short time period. And a lot of people said we couldn't do it. In fact, we changed those tills at a rate of twenty-two stores per week. And that involved replacing the hardware and the software and the technical environments for fourteen thousand sales tills. We had to retrain a hundred thousand people, and it involved the installation of five hundred tonnes of equipment. That change happened very rapidly and didn't - for every store, we made the change overnight and we didn't have to delay the opening of any store on any day. That was a huge commitment and a huge achievement on the part of a very large number of people.
I And what advice would you give to businesses planning change?
MM I think it would be to plan very carefully, and especially if there's a lot of computer system change, to recognise that the computer system change is a tiny piece of what's required, that there are three pieces you need to focus on. One has to do with people - their attitudes, the culture and how they're rewarded. Another has to do with the business processes - how they have to change - and the third leg is the computer systems. It's important to focus on all three and plan very carefully. And I've heard someone from computer company HP say that in their change programme they put four times the amount of effort into the new way of working than the old because, by their very nature, people and companies will refer...revert to the old ways of working if you don't put a quite disproportionate amount of effort into doing things the new way.
О 4.3 (С = Carl, N = Nancy, M = Max, S = Stefan)
С Can we move on to the next point, the open-plan office? Nancy, would you like to begin?
N I like the idea. It's good for communication, people see each other at the office, it's, er, it's good for team spirit, too. There's more interaction between people, and people work harder when they're on display.
M I'm not sure I agree with you there. With open-plan offices, there's a problem of privacy.
С OK Max, thanks. Em, Stefan, what do you think?
S I agree with Max about privacy. What if you want to have a private conversation or make a private phone call?
С Well ... erm ... I suggest we use meeting rooms for private conversations or calls.
S Meeting rooms? Yes, that's true. I suppose ...
M Could I just say something? I don't think it works.
С Let Stefan finish please, Max...
M Well I'm not happy about it. I don't think we should have a vote
about it now. I mean, I think we need a report or an extra survey done about this.
С How do you mean, 'an extra survey'? Are you saying we need to bring in a consultant?
M No, I was thinking of someone inside the company.
С OK, I think a report is probably better. I propose that someone
prepares a report on the open-plan idea, by, say, the end of the month. Is everyone agreed?
All Yes, right, agreed.
С Right, can we move on to the next item on the agenda, 'hot-desking'. Max?
M Frankly, 1 was shocked to see the proposal about hot-desking. I don't think it's a good idea at all. It will upset people and it just won't work.
С ОК. how do you feel about it Nancy?
N I'm pretty sure hot-desking won't work unless we have an open-plan office. I don't think hot-desking works in closed offices.
S Sorry. I don't follow you, Nancy. What exactly are you saying?
N What I mean is, we could change to an open-plan system but I'm against introducing hot-desking now. It's not good to change everything too quickly. Staff need time to get used to changes.
4.4 (I = Interviewer, H\V = Hugh Whitman)
I imagine you'll be making some changes, Mr Whitman, now that you're in charge at Metrot.
HW Yes, there will certainly be some changes, there always are when you acquire another company. Metrot is a fine company, that's why we bought it. It has a skilled workforce and excellent products. We think we can help Metrot to become more dynamic and efficient. We want it to compete successfully in European markets where there are big opportunities for us. I You say, more efficient. Does that mean reorganisation? Job losses? 1
believe that the staff at Metrot are worried about this. HW It's too early to say. But there could be some staff cutbacks in the short term. We shall see. Our plan is to expand the company and create as many job opportunities as possible. I What about the factories? Some people say you're thinking of relocating some of the factories and selling off some of the land you've acquired.
HW I don't want to comment on that. Our aim is to build Metrot and make it a strong company at the leading edge of technology, with an image for quality, reliability and good service. I I see. Thank you. Mr Whitman. I wish you the best of luck in your new position.
5 Money
art than a science. However, there are three areas that a venture capitalist will look at. A venture capitalist will look at the market; it will look at the industry; and they will look at the management team. Now the market is an important area because, as an investor, I want to invest in a business which is selling product into a fast-growing market, a large and fast-growing market, because as an investor, if I invest a million pounds, I want to make five million pounds as my return. So, that means I need to invest in a market that is growing very quickly. And the market, it's important to note, is all about the buyers - so who is going to buy my product, at what price are they going to buy it?
The second area is industry and the industry is all about the sellers. So, it's all about the competition. So if you're Renault you're competing against Volkswagen. BMW, and er Mercedes Benz, for example. So, as an entrepreneur starting a business I need to make sure that I have a lot of competitive advantage. And in many cases I deal with technology companies. That means I need to have some intellectual property or some patents which protect my technological advantage.
So. the second area is industry, and the final area, which I think is the most important, is the area of the management team. And management teams are very difficult to assess, but venture capitalists look at three areas. They look at the experience of the management team - i.e. how well do they understand the market and the industry that they are going into. They look at the ability of the management team to execute on their business plan. So, if they've said they're going to turn a business - create a business - with revenues of ten million pounds, as an investor, how much do I trust that view? And finally, which is a very subjective area, is - does this individual manager have the personal commitment to deliver on this plan? Are they willing to work twenty-four hours a day to ensure that my one million pounds turns into five million pounds?
0 5.4 (I = Interviewer, HC = Hugh Campbell)
1 Can you give us an example of a really good business proposal?
H Well, the most exciting business that we've worked with recently has been a spin-out from Oxford University. And, as you can imagine, from Oxford University they have a lot of intellectual property, so they have a lot of competitive advantage. Secondly, this business is focused on developing software for the computer games industry. The computer games industry is a very exciting market - it's been growing very, very strongly over the last few years, and will continue to do so with the success of people and games like Lara Croft. Now the management team was a difficult area because, although the management team were very technically strong, they didn't have a lot of management experience. But the investor decided to invest a million pounds and the first thing they did after investing was to hire a commercial director to run the company alongside the two founders with technical backgrounds.
0 5.5 (I = Interviewer, HC = Hugh Campbell)
1 And have you ever missed investing in any big business opportunities?
НС I think there is one company in particular that I now kick myself about, and this is a company in the market of Internet advertising. And I missed out on this mainly because I didn't understand or I couldn't predict the market opportunity.
As you know the Internet bubble collapsed very publicly in 2000 and 2001. And this business that 1 met offered me an opportunity to invest a million pounds at a valuation of five million. But I decided to turn them down, even though the team was very good, mainly because I couldn't understand how anyone could make any money advertising on the Internet.
Now over the last two or three years, although the media have written a lot of negative things about the Internet, you and I and everybody around this table continues to spend time - more and more time - on the Internet. And so actually this business' business model started to look very exciting. And last year the business was sold to a US competitor for one hundred and sixty million pounds. So the numbers are, are very exciting. I was offered an opportunity to invest and take twenty percent of the business for five million pounds and it's now been sold, two years later, for a hundred and sixty million. So I think if I'd have taken up that opportunity I'd probably be on my yacht down in Monaco right now.
О 5.6 Unibrand
We plan to increase sales by at least ten percent this year. We have excellent sales opportunities in South America and Asia. We are opening twenty new sales offices in those areas and increasing our marketing effort. We have already launched a new perfume and wc
expect it to be very successful. Technoprint
It's been another excellent year for our inkjet sales. They increased fourteen percent worldwide, even though prices generally for inkjets have fallen because of competition. Our sales of cartridges increased by over twelve percent. Our sales of laser printers remained steady. Our new laser printer has great potential. We expect it to dominate the market as it has several unique features. We will continue to reduce costs by sourcing components from low cost countries.
OLF
I am delighted to report another outstanding performance. Visits to our website have increased to 82,000 daily. We now have over 400,000 regular users. We are launching a multimedia advertising campaign to promote our new ranges of jewellery and travel accessories. We expect to increase our sales target by at least fifty percent and become the leading on-line designer clothing company.
AV
There are fantastic possibilities for our company. The Brazilian government have been very cooperative. They have helped to build a new road to our sites. The area is rich in diamonds. We expect to reach a turnover of at least two million euros by the end of this year, and to declare a dividend for the first time. We will issue new shares to finance the exploration of two new sites.
6 Advertising
0 6.1 (I - Interviewer, JTW = Jeremy Thorpe Woods)
1 What are the key elements of a really good advertising campaign? JTW The most important thing nowadays is to be able to gain the
consumer's attention. It is much more difficult than it has been in the past to get a share of their attention because there's so much competition out there. So, campaigns have to cut through all the competition and the competitive clutter and they have to be able to involve their target audience. You have to have a very clear point of view, you have to be very single-minded in what you need to say, and I think, certainly in the UK, you have to be able to be entertaining and involving in getting your point across. That is generally the key to a good advertising campaign. The other thing about a campaign is it demands consistency.
Q 6.2 (I = Interviewer, JTW = Jeremy Thorpe Woods)
I Can you talk us through the typical planning and launch stages of a campaign?
JTW Well, it starts way before you would ever see anything on television or hear it on the radio. The early stages are in discussion with your clients, where you are talking to them about the business objectives for their company and their brands. And in that process you would develop a marketing strategy. Once you've done that you then need to go and understand in some depth and detail your target audience. So, typically you would go through a research stage where you would observe them, get to know them through qualitative research and understand what motivates them, how they think and feel about the communication. Once that's been done, you pull all those pieces together and develop a creative brief where you start talking to your creative partners about idea generation and then that would take two to three weeks for them to come up with a communication idea, which you would then discuss with your client. But most importantly, you go back to your target audience and talk to them about the idea because it's very rare that you will get it right first time. You then go and make the communication campaign. A thing that's particularly important is that once you have your campaign in the market, is that you use further research to track how it's working in a real sense, to get some feedback for the next stage of the development. So that would be a typical process and, to be honest, each campaign is different and sometimes you can shortcut those, sometimes you have to do more.
Об.з
Formal presentation
Could I have your attention please? Good morning everyone. On behalf of myself and Focus Advertising, I'd like to welcome you. My name's Sven Larsen, I'm Commercial Director. This morning, I'd like to outline the campaign concept we've developed for you. I've divided my presentation into three parts. Firstly, I'll give you the background to the campaign. Secondly, I'll discuss the media we plan to use. Finally, I'll talk you through the storyboard for the TV commercial. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to
interrupt me. Informal presentation
Right let's get started. Hi everyone, I'm Dominique Lagrange. As you know, I'm Creative Director of DMK. Good to see you all. I'm going to tell you about the ideas we've come up with for the ad campaign. My talk is in three parts. I'll start with the background to the campaign, move on to the media we plan to use, and finish with the storyboard for the commercial. If there's anything you're not clear about, go ahead and ask any questions you want.
0 6.4
1 I wonder if any of you here know the answer to this question: What's the most popular holiday destination in Europe for people under the age of twenty-five?
2 When I was on holiday a few years ago in Greece, I remember talking to the owner of a taverna. He said to me that in twenty years' time, the little island where he lived would be a popular tourist resort.
3 Let me start by giving you a statistic: ninety-two percent of all Americans do not possess a passport. Think about that, and consider the opportunity it presents to the travel industry.
4 We're facing a crisis with our market share. What are we going to do about it?
5 Someone once said that 'travel broadens the mind'. What I hope to do in this presentation is to demonstrate how to convince the next generation of travellers that this is still true.
7 Cultures
Adaptability, listening and I think really to take an approach with a very positive attitude. I think anybody who approaches cultural issues with a very negative attitude will get a very negative response from the people they are trying to do business with.
0 7.3 (I = Interviewer, JT = Jeff Toms)
1 And can you give us examples of typical cultural mistakes made by people doing business internationally?
|T There are lots of quoted examples and 1 think they are really to do with attitudes, particular facets of cultures. For example, time would be a very important cultural aspect that you really do have to learn if you are from a western culture then how you do approach time and how you do business. For example, in a country like Saudi Arabia would be very important.
Other examples are really attitudes to hierarchy. For example: there are many US corporations who have very young, high-flying business, very successful business executives. For example, if you send one of those individuals to meet and do business with a senior Asian businessperson, again Japan comes to mind, then they will be met with a very distinctively negative response, and what indeed will happen is that the senior Asian businessperson will see it very much as an insult, probably either leave the meeting or refuse to attend the meeting and will actually send somebody who they think is of equal status and age to negotiate with that individual and because that lower individual, more junior individual doesn't have the authority then you're very unlikely to achieve anything out of that meeting.
07.4
11 was thrown in at the deep end when my company sent me to run the German office. I was only given two days' notice to prepare.
2We don't really see eye to eye about relocating the factory. The Finance Director wants to move production to the Far East, but the rest of the board want it to remain in Spain.
3I got into hot water with my boss for wearing casual clothes to the meeting with our Milanese customers.
4Small talk is one way to break the ice when meeting someone for the first time.
5I really put my foot in it when I met our Japanese partner. Because I was nervous, I said 'Who are you?' rather than 'How are you?'
6I get on like a house on fire with our Polish agent; we like the same things and have the same sense of humour.
7When I visited China for the first time I was like a fish out of water. Everything was so different, and 1 couldn't read any of the signs!
8My first meeting with our overseas clients was a real eye-opener. I had not seen that style of negotiation before.
О 7.5
A So where did you go for your summer holiday?
В Italy.
A Did you have a good time?
В Yes. It was OK.
A And which part of Italy did you go to?
В Tuscany.
A I went to Pisa - really enjoyed it. What did you think of it?
В Nothing special.
A Oh right. So, ... how's it going at work?
В We're really busy.
A That's really good, isn't it?
В I don't know about that.
0 7.6
1 I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name.
2 I'm sorry. I'm afraid Vm going to the opera on Tuesday.
3 Not for me thanks; I'm not very keen on fish.
4 I'm sorry. I really must get going. It was really nice talking to you.
5 Welcome to our headquarters.
6 Michael, can I introduce you to John Perry? John's over from the States. John, this is Michael Andrews, my boss.
7 Let me get this.
8 Here's to our future success.
9 I'm very sorry to hear about what happened.
Ю I'm sorry I'm late. The traffic was terrible.
0 7.7
A Is this your first visit to the Far East?
В No, I come here quite often.
A Oh really. What do you do?
В I'm the Marketing Director for a small import-export company.
A How long have you been there?
В Nearly ten years.
A Have you been to Hong Kong before?
В No. This is my first trip.
A Business or pleasure?
В Business, I'm afraid.
A How long have you been here?
В A week.
A And how long are you staying?
В Till tomorrow night. A Where are you staying? В At the Peninsula Hotel. A What's the food like?
В It's very good, but eating at the Peninsula can be quite expensive. A So, what do you think of Hong Kong?
В I really like it. There's so much to do.
0 7,8 (СЕ = Catherine Eng)
СЕ I'll talk first about building relationships with the Chinese, then move on to suitable conversation topics. After that, I'll comment on gift- giving and, finally, mention a couple of points to think about when dealing with Chinese visitors.
It's important to remember that business relationships with the Chinese are built on personal trust and respect. Everything you do during visits must show that you consider your visitors to be important people. Developing a personal relationship and having a good social programme will often be more important than a business meeting.
Remember that status is important. The most senior person may not speak English as well as other, more junior, members of the group. However, you should pay careful attention to everything that person says.
Make an effort to learn and use a few words in Chinese. Your visitors will appreciate this. If there's someone in your company who speaks Chinese, it may be better to use that person instead of a professional interpreter. It will be cheaper and the Chinese may trust a company member of staff more quickly.
Be careful about topics for discussion at social events. Don't embarrass visitors by introducing 'difficult' topics. They will be eager to learn about life in your country and about its culture. Now a word about gifts. Chinese people will often refuse a gift a number of times before finally accepting. Don't offer anything that's too expensive. Give similar gifts to people who are at the same level of importance. Wrap your gifts in red paper which is considered a lucky colour. Chinese people will appreciate any famous brands of the country they're visiting.
Punctuality is very important. They expect people to arrive on time for a meeting. To arrive late shows a lack of respect. 'Sincerity' is highly valued by the Chinese.
8 Employmentsometimes, when we're very fortunate, we will find an individual who comes referred from each of the three approaches. In respect of our own research, it's always very valuable for us to be able to speak, at the beginning of a search, to experts in a given sector, perhaps people from the media, commentators, sometimes academics who have wide networks of their own, that are independent from any single client organisation but span a broad cross-section of companies and organisations. And on those occasions, frequently those people will have access to, may have met, rising stars in a given sector, and can offer us an autonomous, an independent view of the skills and abilities of some of those people. And furthermore they may frequently have ideas on the interests and likely level of availability of people. So that when we make an approach to someone we haven't spoken to before, we do it in an informed way.
Q 8.3 (I = Interviewer, SK = Dr Simon Kingston)
I What advice would you give to someone planning an ambitious business career?
SK I think there isn't one single pattern for success in a business career. But there are one or two things that are apparent and common themes in the careers of a lot of successful people. One of those is an honest understanding of the individual's own strengths and weaknesses, and that allows them, I think, both to plan the sort of organisations in which they will work and which they are likely to succeed; but also, very importantly, allows them to react rapidly but appropriately to opportunities that are unplanned that present themselves. And I do think that's something that distinguishes really successful people from those who are average in their professions. I do think one of the other characteristics that is apparent amongst very successful business leaders is a curiosity that even thirty years in the same sort of business doesn't dilute or indeed destroy. At the very top of major organisations, people like Sir John Browne, now Lord Browne, at BP, demonstrates, even after a lifetime with a single company, which one might say has meant he has been engaged in a very similar sort of activity for the whole of his career - he demonstrates real interest in innovation and also an open-mindedness about the structure of the industry that he leads and how it ought to consider its role and indeed the very essence of what it does in the future. That ability to remain interested in the core essence of one's business is, I think, something that distinguishes the successful. Many of the rest of us lesser mortals get bored very easily, or lose the ability to spot the interest and to sustain motivation and momentum on the strength of it.
0 8.4 (A = Andrew, В = Bob, M = Maria)
A Good, everyone's here now. There's coffee if you want it. Right, can we start please? As you all know, Roberto's been working as assistant to Carla Nunez for six months now. He's just finished his probationary period. How do you feel about offering him a full-time contract?
В I'm not sure we should do it really. It says in this report that he's been late to work a few times and he can be rather ...
M Oh, I don't think that's too important...
A Could you let him finish, please?
M Oh, sorry ...
В Another thing about Roberto I'm not happy about. He leaves exactly on time every day. Also he doesn't have lunch with us very often, you know, he goes off on his own ...
A I'm not sure that's relevant.
В Mmm, maybe.
A 1 think we should move on now if we're going to finish by eleven o'clock...
M What about his actual work? In my opinion, it's fine. He's contributed to several of the innovation projects.
A Well, I think we should discuss this a bit more. What exactly do you mean by 'contributed to the innovation projects'?
M By providing administrative support to the management team - sometimes beyond the call of duty. For example, he stayed behind one evening and typed up all of the results from the feedback seminars. I could go on. This shows he's motivated to go further in the company.
A Well, thanks very much, Maria. You've made your views very clear. OK, let's go over what we've agreed. Roberto will have a further probationary period of three months. After that...
Q 8.5 (I = Interviewer, GP = Guido Passerelli)
1 Could you please tell me why you want to leave your present job, Mr Passerelli?
GP Certainly. I'm glad you asked me that. It's very well paid, as you know, organising stunts, and the people who do stunts are just great.
But the job needs a lot of planning skills and is very responsible. If you make a mistake, someone can get badly injured or even killed. To be honest, I don't want that level of responsibility any more. It's time to make way for a younger man.
I Right. You've told us about your experience and qualities, what would you say is your main weakness - something you lack and would like to put right, maybe?
GP My main weakness? Hmm. Let me think. Well ... I suppose some people would say I expect too much of people who work for me. I have high standards and 1 get impatient if people don't do their job properly. But I'm trying to learn to be more patient; nobody's perfect, are they?
I Finally, could you summarise why we should offer you this job?
GP I think I can offer you a lot. I've got energy - even though I'm fifty- two - I'm in excellent shape physically. I'm a brilliant planner and I've got lots of ideas for improving your profits. I've spent a month studying your organisation and visiting your clubs. I know what to do to get you back on your feet.
8.6 (I = Interviewer, ML = Martine Lemaire)
Could you please tell me why you want to leave your present job?
ML Yes, I feel 1 have the ability to perform well in a more challenging
job. I'm the Assistant Sales Manager but it doesn't seem that I'll get the opportunity to advance any further. Basically, I'm not fulfilling my potential. The job you offer is exciting and much better paid. It matches perfectly my interest in health and sports.
I You've told us about your experience and qualities, what would you say is your main weakness?
ML Oh, what a funny question ... I don't know, really. I'm not aware of any weakness, I mean I have lots of friends and get on well with everyone really. Sorry, I can't think of anything at the moment.
I Finally, could you summarise why we would offer you this job?
ML I think my training as a dietician could benefit Slim Gyms a lot. I could advise your members on their diet and help them to have a healthier lifestyle. I've got excellent interpersonal skills, and if I get the job, I'll build up a first class management team by ensuring regular team-building activities are part of their working week. This way I hope to encourage good communication. I am sure this strategy will make Slim Gyms profitable again.
Q 8.7 (I = Interviewer, DC = David Chen)
I Could you please tell us why you want to leave your present job, Mr Chen?
DC Right. I suppose, basically, I need a new motivation. I've achieved everything I can in my present job. The work's no longer challenging. I'm not stimulated any more. I'm a member of Slim Gyms; I've been going to your club for several years. I really like the one in my area, but I feel it could be better managed. So, 1 like the idea of working for you - it's a very attractive job.
I OK. You've told us about your experience and qualities, what would you say is your main weakness?
DC That's a difficult question. I probably have many weaknesses. I try to be polite and helpful at all times, but maybe sometimes I should be more forceful, more assertive when I give my opinions. I try to be pleasant with everyone; I don't like having arguments with people, even if I'm right. Maybe this is my weakness, I don't know.
I Finally, could you summarise why we should offer you this job?
DC I'd say I have a good combination of business and sports experience - that'd be useful for Slim Gyms. And my knowledge of Chinese culture, and the language, would be a big advantage. There are a lot of Chinese people in this city who would join the clubs if I were in charge. I think people like me and respect me. I'm a very fair and honest person.
0 8,8 (I = Interviewer, GD = Gloria Daniels)
1 Could you please tell me why you want to leave your present job, Mrs Daniels?
GD Why? Well quite frankly, I'm tired of all the travelling. It's such a stressful job, the money's pretty good but I need to spend more time at home, more time with my family. I think it's important to get the balance right between work and your personal life. I'm not sure I've got that right at the moment. So 1 think it's time to change my job.
I OK, you've told us about your experience and qualities, what would you say is your main weakness?
GD Oh dear, I've got so many! I am very competitive, I know. Too
competitive. If I don't get what I want, I can get a little upset. I need to accept that you can't always win in life, but it's hard for me to do this. I think that's definitely my main weakness.
I Finally, could you summarise why we should offer you this job?
GD That's easy. I'm a people person; I'm a really good communicator. I love all sports. When I do a job, I give a hundred and ten percent. I'm
a winner, and that's what you need now to turn Slim Gyms around. 1 can promise you, I'd do a really good job.
9 Trade_____________________________
0 9.1 (I = Interviewer, IM = Ian McPherson)
1 Perhaps you could summarise for our listeners the points you've made so far, Ian. You started by telling us what free trade is.
IM Right, I defined it as a situation in which goods come into and out of a country without any controls or taxes. Countries which truly believe in free trade try to liberalise their trade, that's to say, they take away barriers to trade, they remove things which stop people trading freely. They have open borders and few controls of goods at customs.
0 9.2 (I = Interviewer, IM = Ian McPherson)
1 OK, then you gave several examples of barriers to trade.
IM Yes, I said that there are two main barriers: tariffs and subsidies. Tariffs are taxes on imported goods; so that the imports cannot compete so well against domestic products. Subsidies are money paid to domestic producers so that they can sell their goods more cheaply than foreign competitors. Tariffs and subsidies are barriers to trade because when people are given a choice, generally they will buy the cheapest product.
I You mentioned other barriers, less important ones, perhaps.
IM Uh huh. I talked about quotas, which limit the quantity of a product which can be imported, and I discussed other restrictions on trade, such as expensive licences for importers, which add greatly to costs; and regulations relating to documents which a company must have to export its goods to certain countries - the documents can be very complicated and difficult to complete, so they slow down trading.
0 9.3 (I = Interviewer, IM = Ian McPherson)
1 I asked you if free trade was always a good thing.
IM And I answered, in principle, yes, it is a good thing, it's beneficial to countries.
I Why?
IM Countries which open their markets usually have a policy of
deregulation, that's to say, they free their companies to compete in markets, without government control or subsidies. Because of this, consumers in free trade areas are offered a wider range of high- quality products at lower prices. People in those areas can move to the most productive parts of the economy and get better jobs with higher wages or salaries. OK?
I So why do so many countries protect their industries and not allow free markets?
IM I gave three reasons, if you remember.
Firstly, some people say, why should we practise free trade if other nations compete unfairly? For example, dumping is fairly common in international trade. When companies dump goods in overseas markets, they sell goods at very low prices, usually for less than it costs the company to produce the goods. Companies can usually only do that when they are heavily subsidised by their governments. Secondly, many people believe that strategic industries must be protected. These are industries that are very important to the economy: steel, power, communications, and so on. In the United States, many Americans think that the steel industry should be protected against cheap imports from Brazil and other countries. If the US depends too much on foreign-made steel, they argue, this could be bad in a time of war.
Finally, some say that in developing countries, industries need to be protected until they're strong enough to compete in world markets. This is the infant industry argument: certain industries have to be protected until they can stand on their own feet, as it were. My final point was that throughout the world, there is a trend towards liberalising trade and removing trade barriers. The most successful economies tend to have open markets, and most of their industries have been deregulated.
О 9.4 (BF = Bella Ford, RdS = Ranjit de Silva)
BF If I order five thousand boxes of tea, what discount will you offer us?
RdS On five thousand nothing. But if you buy ten thousand boxes, then we'll offer you ten percent.
BF OK, I'll think about that. And tell me, if we placed a very large order, say fifteen thousand boxes, would you be able to despatch immediately?
RdS We can normally guarantee to despatch a large order within two weeks. But if you order at a peak time, like just before Christmas, it will be impossible to deliver that quickly.
BF I take it your price includes insurance?
RdS Actually, no. Usually, you'd be responsible for that. But if the order
were really large, that would be negotiable, I'm sure.
BF What about payment?
RdS To be honest we'd prefer cash on delivery, as this is our first contact with you. If you were a regular customer, we would offer you thirty days' credit, maybe even a little more.
BF That's alright. I quite understand.
RdS Look, how about having some lunch now, and continuing later this afternoon. Then we could meet for an evening meal.
BF Yes, let's continue after lunch. If I had more time, I would love to have dinner with you, but unfortunately my flight leaves at seven tonight.
0 9.5 (I = Interviewer, KW = Kevin Warren)
1 When you go into a negotiation, do you always expect to win?
KW I guess the honest answer to that is I always have a clear expectation of what I expect to achieve, and 1 guess I would like to always win. Let me illustrate that for you. Something that was sort of shared with me very early in my career was the mnemonic L-I-M and that's Like, Intend, Must. What would 1 like to do, what would I intend to do, and what must 1 do? And this is probably well illustrated by a recent contract that we negotiated in the UK with a major leisure company. And, I guess our 'Like' was, we would like to win the business there and then, in the negotiation on that day. I guess our 'Intend' was that we must leave that group thinking we are a very professional and competent outfit who can best meet their needs. And I guess our 'Must' was, we must have done enough to keep the dialogue open and ensure that our competitor didn't win the business on that day. So, the short answer is, you don't always win. I always want to win, but I don't always expect to win - but I certainly expect to deliver the objective that we went in to achieve.
0 9.6 (I = Interviewer, KW = Kevin Warren)
1 Could you give me some tips for negotiating?
KW Yes. I think everybody has their own tips. But these are things that have worked for myself and the people I've worked with, and it's more around avoiding classic errors. And I guess the first one is to identify who the decision maker is. I've lost count of the occasions at every level, from first-line salesman through to board director, board to board negotiations, where I've seen fantastic presentations, superb dialogue and the person that's been sitting across the table, so to speak, is not the decision maker. So that's the first tip, make sure you know who you're talking to.
The second one is that all salesmen, if they're good salesmen, tend to be very enthusiastic about what they're selling. That could be a product or a service, or even a social occasion, but it's all selling at the end of the day. And in their enthusiasm, they focus on their need, rather than the buyer's need. So, for example, in our own case I've seen on many, many occasions people basically go straight to the point - we're here to sell you Coca-Cola, it's the world's number one brand, you must want it. What they haven't done is establish the buyer's need. So, for example, the buyer's need may be in a grocery store that they want to supply the world's number one brand to encourage consumers to come in and purchase their range of products. The manager of a ball bearing factory might want a vending machine because if he supplies a free, or discounted refreshment service it keeps his union employees happy. So the important thing is to understand the buyer's need. Now, it's not impossible to sell without establishing that need. But it tends to mean you'll never have a long-term relationship. So, for example, again the workplace example, 1 could come in, bang, sell you a Coca-Cola vending machine, pay you maybe a small royalty. Because I never established your need, if another soft drinks supplier walks through the door and just offers you more money, you will probably switch. Whereas if we'd established the fact that all you were interested in was offering a service and you wanted it