UNIT 01

INTRODUCTION TO
BUSINESS ENGLISH

Business Language in Classrooms

Many people who are studying business English are studying it with a teacher, either alone or
in a small group. These classes provide a real opportunity to practice English which is important in
real business situations. You can use the classroom like a business meeting – not like a classroom.
Forget that there is a ‘teacher’ and ‘students’; instead, think of all the people as participants in a
business meeting, use the language which is normally used in business. Treat the class as a meeting
and practice interrupting, changing the subject, asking for more details etc. using business like
language. Here are some business words expressions:
Exercise 1. Explain the following words and make up sentences with either of them:
1. to mind one’s own business 9. To be out of business

2. bad business 10 Booming business

3. dirty business 11 To build up business

4. Business hours 12 Start-up business

5. Personal business 13 Business competition

6. Monkey (funny) business 14 Business cooperation

7. Annual business 15 Business relation

8. To be in business 16 Business executive

Exercise 2. Choose three words which you consider the most important ones in any business
from the list below. Explain your answer:
Investment business
Promotion Customer
Challenge Result
Respect Profit
Team spirit Prestige

Exercise 3. Read the text about business and answer the questions below:
Business is an organized approach to providing customers with the goods and services they
want. The word business also refers to an organization that provides these goods and services. Most
businesses seek to make a profit - that is, they aim to achieve revenues that exceed the costs of
operating the business. Prominent examples of for-profit businesses include Unilever, Indomart

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Group, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, and Shell Group. However, some businesses only seek to
earn enough to cover their operating costs. Commonly called non-profits, these organizations are
primarily non-governmental service providers. Examples of non-profit businesses include such
organizations as social service agencies, foundations, advocacy groups, and many hospitals.
Business Operations
A variety of operations keep businesses, especially large corporations, running efficiently and
effectively. Common business operation divisions include: (1) production, (2) marketing, (3)
finance, and (4) human resource management.
(1) Production, includes those activities involved in conceptualizing, designing, and creating
products and services. In recent years there have been dramatic changes in the way goods
are produced. Today, computers help monitor, control, and even perform work. Flexible,
high-tech machines can do in minutes what it used to take people hours to accomplish.
Another important development has been the trend toward just-in-time
inventory.
The word inventory refers to the amount of goods a business keeps available for wholesale
or retail. In just-in-time inventory, the firm stocks only what it needs for the next day or
two. Many businesses rely on fast, global computer communications to allow them to
respond quickly to changes in consumer demand. Inventories are thus minimized and
businesses can invest more in product research, development, and marketing.
(2) Marketing
Marketing is the process of identifying the goods and services that consumers need and
want and providing those goods and services at the right price, place, and time. Businesses
develop marketing strategies by conducting research to determine what products and
services potential customers think they would like to be able to purchase. Firms also
promote their products and services through such techniques as advertising and
personalized sales, which serve to inform potential customers and motivate them to
purchase. Firms that market products for which there is always some demand, such as foods
and household goods, often advertise if they face competition from other firms marketing
similar products. Such products rarely need to be sold face-to-face.
On the other hand, firms that market products and services that buyers will want to see, use,
or better understand before buying, often rely on personalized sales. Expensive and durable
goods - such as automobiles, electronics, or furniture - benefit from personalized sales, as
do legal, financial, and accounting services.
(3) Finance
involves the management of money. All businesses must have enough capital on hand to
pay their bills, and for-profit businesses seek extra capital to expand their operations. In
some cases, they raise long-term capital by selling ownership in the company. Other
common financial activities include granting, monitoring, and collecting on credit or loans
and ensuring that customers pay bills on time. The financial division of any business must
also establish a good working relationship with a bank. This is particularly important when
a business wants to obtain a loan.
(4) Businesses rely on effective Human Resource Management (HRM) to ensure that they
hire and keep good employees, and that they are able to respond to conflicts between
workers and management. HRM specialists initially determine the number and type of
employees that a business will need over its first few years of operation. They are then
responsible for recruiting new employees to replace those who leave and for filling newly
created positions.

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 A business’s HRM division also trains or arranges for the training of its staff to encourage
worker productivity, efficiency, and satisfaction, and to promote the overall success of the
business. Finally, human resource managers create workers’ compensation plans and
benefit packages for employees.
Exercise 4. Discuss the following questions:
1. Give definition to the word business.
2. What is the difference between for-profit and non-profit organizations? Support your
answer with relevant examples.
3. What is production?
4. Specify the notion of ‘just-in-time inventory’.
5. What is marketing?
6. Define such business operation as finance.
7. What does the HRM involve?
Exercise 5. Discussion. How do you see your future profession? Please answer the following
questions:
What kind of work are you interested in:
1. well paid work
2. interesting work
3. work in a large and famous company
4. quiet work
5. work in an industry which has future prospects
6. prestigious work
7. a kind of work such as not to sit the whole day in the office
8. to travel a lot
Please, discuss advantages and disadvantages of your future profession:
a. Do you think that your future profession is prestigious?
b. Do you think it will be still prestigious and well paid by the time you graduate?
c. How difficult is it to find a good work in your field?
d. Is there a competition in your group?
e. Do you think that competition among your coeds is a good stimulus to study well or it just
makes communication between you more difficult?
Exercise 6. Do the questionnaire, and then compare your answers with a partner:
How do you rate yourself as entrepreneurs?
1. Are you a self-starter?
a. I only make an effort when I want to.
b. If someone explains what to do, then I can continue from there.
c. I make my own decisions. I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do.
2. How do you get on with other people?

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 a. I get on with almost everybody.
b. I have my own friends and I don’t really need anyone else.
c. I don’t really feel at home with other people.
3. Can you lead and motivate others?
a. Once something is moving, I’ll join in.
b. I’m good at giving orders when I know what to do.
c. I can persuade most people to follow me when I start something.
4. Can you take responsibility?
a. I like to take charge and to obtain results.
b. I’ll take charge if I have to but I prefer someone else to be responsible.
c. Someone always wants to be the leader and I’m happy to let them do the job.
5. Are you a good organizer?
a. I tend to get confused when unexpected problems arise.
b. I like to plan exactly what I’m going to do.
c. I just like to let things happen.
6. How good a worker are you?
a. I’m willing to work hard for something I really want.
b. I find my home environment more stimulating than work.
c. Regular work suits me but I don’t like it to interfere with my private life.
7. Can you make decisions?
a. I am quite happy to execute other people’s decisions.
b. I often make very quick decisions which usually work but sometimes don’t.
c. Before making a decision, I need time to think it over.
8. Do you enjoy taking risks?
a. I always evaluate the exact dangers of any situation.
b. I like the excitement of taking big risks.
c. For me safety is the most important thing.
9. Can you stay the course?
a. The biggest challenge for me is getting a project started.
b. If I decide to do something, nothing will stop me.
c. If something doesn’t go right first time, I tend to lose interest.
10. Are you motivated by money?
a. For me, job satisfaction cannot be measured in money terms.
b. Although money is important to me, I value other things just as much.
c. Making money is my main motivation.
11. How do you react to criticism?

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 a. I dislike any form of criticism.
b. If people criticize me, I always listen and may or may not reject what they have to
say.
c. When people criticize me there is usually some truth in what they say.
12. Can people believe what you say?
a. I try to be honest, but it is sometimes difficult or too complicated to explain things
to other people.
b. I don’t say things I don’t mean.
c. When I think I’m right, I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
13. Do you delegate?
a. I prefer to delegate what I consider to be the least important tasks.
b. When I have a job to do I like to do everything myself.
c. Delegating is an important part of any job.
14. Can you cope with stress?
a. Stress is something I can live with.
b. Stress can be a stimulating element in a business.
c. I try to avoid situations which lead to stress.
15. How do you view your chances of success?
a. I believe that my success will depend to a large degree on factors outside my
control.
b. I know that everything depends on me and my abilities.
c. It is difficult to foresee what will happen in the future.
16. If the business was not making a profit after five years, what would you do?
a. give up easily.
b. give up reluctantly.
c. carry on.
Key to the questionnaire:
1 a=0 b=2 c=4 9 a=2 b=4 c=0
2 a=4 b=2 c=0 10 a=0 b=2 c=4
3 a=0 b=2 c=4 11 a=0 b=4 c=2
4 a=4 b=2 c=0 12 a=2 b=4 c=0
5 a=2 b=4 c=0 13 a=2 b=0 c=4
6 a=4 b=0 c=2 14 a=2 b=4 c=0
7 a=0 b=4 c=2 15 a=0 b=4 c=2
8 a=2 b=4 c=0 16 a=4 b=2 c=0
Look at your rate:

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 44 or above You definitely have the necessary qualities to
become the director of a successful business.
You have a strong sense of leadership; you can
both organize and motivate and you know
exactly where you and your team are going.
Between 44 and 22 You may need to think more carefully before
setting up your own business. Although you do
have some of the essential skills for running
business, you will, probably, not be able to deal
with the pressures and strains that are a part of
the job. You should perhaps consider taking
some professional training or finding an
associate who can compensate for some of your
weaknesses
Below 22 Managing your own business is not for you. You
are better suited to an environment where you are
not responsible for making decisions and taking
risks. To operate successfully you need to follow
well defined instructions and you prefer work
that is both regular and predictable

Exercise 7: How would you generally feel happy or unhappy, if you were in the following
situations. Use the words in italics to help you decide:

1. The company you work for is well-known for its job security.
2. You were suddenly made redundant.
3. You received a promotion.
4. You were given an increment.
5. You worked unsociable hours.
6. You had a steady job.
7. You had adverse working conditions.
8. You suddenly found yourself unemployed.
9. You took time off work because of repetitive strain injury.
10. The office where you work has sick building syndrome.
11. You receive regular perks as part of your job.
12. Somebody called you a workaholic.
13. Your company doesn’t give you many incentives.
14. Your boss announces that there is going to be some downsizing of the workforce.
15. Your work didn’t offer much job satisfaction.
16. Your company has a generous incentive scheme.
17. You receive a commission for the work you have done.
18. You receive support from a union.
19. You were under stress.
20. You were forced to resign.
21. You received a cut in your salary.
22. Your company gave you sickness benefit.
23. You found your job very demanding.

Exercise 8: Match sentences 1-6 in the first box with one of the sentences A-F in the second.
Use the words in italics to help you:

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 1. Sinta is the assistant manager of a BRI bank and she works from 8.30 to 5.30 every day.

2. Diana works on the production line of a factory which makes cars. She uses a machine to spray paint
onto the finished car parts.

3. June works for herself. She is a photographer. She works every day for about eight or nine hours.

4. Julita is a cleaner for a company in Jababeka, but she only works there for about three or four hours a
day.

5. Annisa has a powerful job in the personnel office of a large multinational company. She is responsible
for employing new people and getting rid of those that the company doesn’t want to employ anymore.

6. Maria works in the finance department of an international college in Bekasi.

A She is a semi-skilled blue-collar worker in a manufacturing industry

B She is a self-employed and works full-time. She likes to describe herself as freelance.

C She is responsible for hiring and firing.

D She calculates the wages, salaries, pension contributions and medical insurance contributions of all the
staff.

E She is a full-time white-collar worker in a service industry

F She is an unskilled part-time employee

Exercise 9: Now read this essay and complete the gaps with one of the words or expressions
from Exercise 7 and 8. You may need to change the form of some of the words:
‘Some people live to work, and others work to live. In most cases, this depends on the job they
have and the conditions under which they are employed. In your opinion, what are the elements
that make a job worthwhile?’

In answering this question, I would like to look first at the elements that combine to make a job
undesirable. By avoiding such factors, potential 1) __________ are more likely to find a job that
is more worthwhile, and by doing so, hope to achieve happiness in their work.

First of all, it doesn’t matter if you are an 2) ____________ worker cleaning the floor, a
3)_______________ 4)______________ worker on a production line in one of the
5)____________, or a 6)____________ worker in a bank, shop or one of the other
7)_____________ : if you lack 8)_____________, with the knowledge that you might lose
your job at any time, you will never feel happy. Everybody would like a 9) ____________ in
which he or she is guaranteed work. Nowadays, however, companies have a high turnover of
staff, 10) ____________ new staff and 11) ____________ others on a weekly basis. Such
companies are not popular with their workers. The same can be said of a job in which you are
put under a lot of 12)___________ and worry, a job which is so 13)____________ that it takes
over your life, a job where you work 14)____________ and so never get to see your family or
friends, or a physical job in which you do the same thing every day and end up with the industrial
disease that is always in the papers nowadays – 15)_______________ .

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 With all these negative factors, it would be difficult to believe that there are any elements that
make a job worthwhile. Money is, of course, the prime motivator, and everybody wants a good
16) ____________. But of course, that is not all. The chance of 17) ____________, of being
given a better position in a company, is a motivating factor. Likewise, 18) ___________such as
a free lunch or a company car, an 19)____________scheme to make you work hard such as a
regular 20)___________ above the rate of inflation, 21)___________ in case you fall ill and a
company 22)_____________ scheme so that you have some money when you retire all combine
to make a job worthwhile.

Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find all of these. There is, however, an alternative. Forget
the office and the factory floor and become 23) ___________ and work for yourself. Your future
may not be secure, but at least you will be happy.

Unit 1. Source of References

1. Aspinall Tricia, Bethell George. Test your Business Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge
University Press, 2013.

2. Bruce Kay, Parrish Betsy, Wood Allan. Business Review. Longman Group UK Limited,
2012.

3. Cambridge ESOL. BEC 1, 3. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

4. Deller Sheelagh, Jones Rodri. Vista. Advanced English Learning. Heinemann Publishers
(Oxford) Ltd., 2012.

5. Encarta Encyclopedia Delux. Microsoft Corporation, 2014.

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