Unit 1 - Management

LISTENING 1: Don Aiken, Managing Director of ELM Electronics, has a meeting with some
of his company's senior executives to discuss staff morale, He feels that many of the employees
are not happy in their work, and that this is affecting their efficiency. At the meeting are Patricia
White, Personnel Manager, Jonathan Laidlaw, Production Manager and William Cooper,
General Manager. Listen to their conversation.
AIKEN: OK, we'll get started then, shall we? You've all received my memo, so you know I
want to discuss the question of staff morale. What I want to know is, are our
employees satisfied, on the whole, with their jobs? And if they aren't, what can we
do about it? Please be frank with me. Right, Patricia, perhaps you'd give us your
opinion first.
WHITE: Very well. I think my opinion will be the same as everyone else's in this room. On
the whole, I'd say morale's very low at the moment. It's hard to find anyone who
has a good word to say about the company. But it's not surprising is it really,
when you think about it?
AIKEN: What? You mean, the fact that we've just laid off two hundred or so workers?
Everyone's afraid they'll be the next to go?
WHITE: That's part of it. No one feels his job's safe. People are anxious, worrying about
when the next round of redundancies will come
AIKEN: I hope it won't. Making people redundant is not the most pleasant of jobs, I can
tell you. But what else can you do when your profits are falling? How about you,
Jonathan, do you agree with Pat?
LAIDLAW: A hundred per cent. People are unhappy, they do fear the future. But I'm not sure
morale's low just because we've had redundancies. I mean, lots of firms have had
to get rid of workers. But the people who remain are loyal and enjoy their jobs.
AIKEN: What are you getting at, Jonathan?
LAIDLAW: What I'm saying is, even if times are difficult, we seem to be having a lot of
problems here. More than our fair share, perhaps.
AIKEN: Like what, for example?
LAIDLAW: Well, look at our labour turnover. 16% for the company as a whole. And wasn't it
over 20% in my department, Production? That's far too high. And what about our
graduate trainees - a third had left by the end of the year. AIKEN Mm... that's
food for thought, I must admit. And absenteeism was high too, wasn't it? I
believe we lost more working hours last year than ever before. Bill, how do you
feel about all this?
COOPER: Jonathan's right. I don't think the recession's causing all our problems. I can tell
you this, though, I've never had a year like last year. Two strikes by the machine
shop workers, people complaining to me about this, that and the other. We even
had a fight on the shop floor. A couple of workers had a go at one of the foremen.
Something to do with allocating overtime hours. It never used to be like that in
my department.
AIKEN: I think I'm getting the picture now, and it's not a very pretty one. Thank you for
being so frank with me.
WHITE: May I make a suggestion, Don?
AIKEN: By all means, Patricia.
WHITE: I've been thinking about this problem of staff morale for some time now. And you
know, I may have come up with the answer. At least, I have a positive suggestion
to offer
AIKEN: Uh huh
WHITE: Why don't we carry out an opinion survey? Let's find out what our staff really
think about us. We could ask them all sorts of questions, like: Are they satisfied
with their jobs and working conditions? What do they think of their superior? Do
they have enough responsibility in their work? Enough variety? ... that sort of
thing. A surveycould tell us what's going wrong in this firm.
AIKEN: An interesting idea, Pat. Very interesting indeed. Of course, we've never done
anything like it before. Maybe now's the time to start. Any comments, anyone?
COOPER: I like the idea too, Don. If we had a survey, it would show staff that we care how
they feel. They would understand that we're interested in solving their problems.
That might be a first step towards improving their morale.
LAIDLAW: A survey's a good idea, I think, as long as the information is treated as
confidential. Everybody must feel free tospeak the truth, or else the data won't be
of any use to us.
AIKEN: A good point, Jonathan. We must bear that in mind when we prepare our opinion
survey.
LISTENING 2: Same as above
LISTENING 3: Vanessa McIntyre is Marketing Manager of the Candymix Company Limited, a
manufacturer of confectionary products. She receives a phone call from Ralph Harris, Head of
Research and Development. Ralph has some bad news about a new product his department are
developing. It's a biscuit, consisting of a wafer covered with chocolate, whose brand name will
be Krackle. Listen to their conversation
MCINTYRE: Hello, Vanessa McIntyre speaking.
HARRIS: Hello Vanessa. Ralph here
MCINTYRE: Hello Ralph
HARRIS: How's everything going?
MCINTYRE: Fine. And you?
HARRIS: Not too good, I'm afraid.
MCINTYRE: Oh? What's the trouble?
HARRIS: It's the Krackle biscuit. It won't be ready for test marketing by January. I'm sorry.
We've run up against some problems, I'm afraid. We're going to need more time.
MCINTYRE: Oh no. Everything was going fine, I thought. What are the problems, then?
HARRIS: They're technical. We can't seem to get the right type of wafer yet. It's not crisp
enough. After we coat it with chocolate, it seems to go soft for some reason.
Because of that, it doesn't make the right crackling sound.
MCINTYRE: I don't understand. I tasted some of the Krackle biscuits last week. I thought they
were just fine.
HARRIS: But you're not a teenager, Vanessa - they know what they want.
MCINTYRE: Mm.
HARRIS: Look, our brief- and it came from the Board, don't forget - was to develop a new
biscuit for young people.
MCINTYRE: True.
HARRIS: It had to look different, and taste different, from everything else on the market.
Right?
MCINTYRE: Yes,
HARRIS: It had to have a crackling sound when you ate it. And it had to be nutritious - the
sort of biscuit children would take to school and eat at lunch-time. Uh?
MCINTYRE: OK, OK But you've done that, surely? Or come pretty close.
HARRIS: That's not good enough. Everyone in our department's tried Krackle. And they've
taken it home and tried it out on their children. None of us think we've got it right
yet.
MCINTYRE: Mm ... all I can say is, it's damned annoying. When will it be ready by?
HARRIS: Mm ... with a bit of luck - by the end of March, or thereabouts
MCINTYRE: The end of March. Good Heavens! That means we'll never get it on the market
by June. No way!
HARRIS: I'm sorry. Things don't always go as you plan, Vanessa
MCINTYRE: It's really disappointing. It means I won't meet one of my main objectives for
next year.
HARRIS: Oh?
MCINTYRE: Yes, I agreed with George Holbrook that Krackle would be on the market by the
beginning of June. Huh, it's not on, is it?
HARRIS: No, it isn't. And I won't be meeting my objective either, for that matter. I said to
George we'd have Krackle ready for test marketing by January. Our Managing
Director's certainly not going to like it, is he?
MCINTYRE: Not at all. He doesn't accept excuses when you don't meet your objectives. He's
so ... rigid. Trouble is, my salary increase and bonus depend on meeting
objectives
HARRIS: Mine too. Even so, I'm not going to cut corners, Vanessa. They'll get the product
they asked for, or none at all.
MCINTYRE: That's fair enough, I suppose.
HARRIS: There is one thing we could do.
MCINTYRE: Yes?
HARRIS: Maybe we could talk to George. Tell him he's got to bemore flexible, if this
MBO programme is going to work properly. We could ask him to change the objective for
Krackle. Substitute September for June.
MCINTYRE: It's certainly worth a try. But are you sure it'll be ready for test marketing in
March?
HARRIS: Positive. We'll have solved the technical problems by then
MCINTYRE: OK. I'll fix up a meeting with George. He might bend if we're persuasive enough
- you never know!
HARRIS: Good. We'll get round this one, don't worry. Ha! I don't know what you think
about the MBO programme, but I reckon things were a lot simpler in the old days when no one
had ever heard of Management by Objectives.
MCINTYRE: Mm ... maybe you're right. Let me think about that one.
LISTENING 4: Same as above
LISTENING 5: Marion and Polyanna work at the head office of Superfare, a group of food
stores. Marion's boss, Edward, is Director of Special Projects. Polyanna's boss, Gerald, is
Financial Controller of the organisation. While having lunch together, Marion and Polyanna
discuss their respective bosses. Listen to their conversation.
MARION: Honestly, Polly, I don't think I'll be working here much longer. Edward's driving
me up the wall. He's impossible to work for. Absolutely impossible.
POLYANNA: Oh? I've always thought he was rather nice. Mind you, he always seems to be in a
rush - never has a minute to talk to you.
MARION: That's it. He's always rushing around in a panic. And he never gets anything done.
It's so ... frustrating. I can't stand it much longer.
POLYANNA: It's not that bad surely
MARION: It is. Look what happened last week. We had a report to get ready for
Wednesday's board meeting. Right?
POLYANNA: Uh huh.
MARION: We'd been given Friday as the deadline for submitting it. So what happens?
POLYANNA: You didn't meet the deadline, uh?
MARION: Dead right. And why? Because Edward decided to prepare all the statistics for the
appendices himself. I could easily have helped him - I begged him - but he didn't
want to know. He's so stubborn - you wouldn't believe it!
POLYANNA: Ah, one of those: wants to do everything himself, then can't understand why he
never finishes anything on time.
MARION: Yes. Then blames you when people start complaining. Typical!
POLYANNA: Oh come on...
MARION: Anyway, I was telling you about the report. So, Friday came, it still hadn't been
finished. Panic! Edward works on it all Saturday morning. And, believe it or not,
I have to come in over the weekend. Work all day Sunday on the word-processor
to get it ready for Monday morning.
POLYANNA: Unbelievable!
MARION: Yes, and no extra payment for it. Just part of the job. That's what happens when
you work for the Director of Special Projects!
POLYANNA: Oh well, but at least he's a very nice guy - not like some of the managers round
here.
MARION: Yes, I suppose you're right. But I do wish Edward would plan his time better. It'd
be so much simpler. You're lucky. Gerald's obviously highly efficient.
POLYANNA: Mm, he certainly knows how to use his time effectively. He's got some useful
little tricks, actually.
MARION: Tricks? What do you mean?
POLYANNA: Well, to plan his time. Like at the end of the day makes a list of things he has to
do the next day. You know. phone calls he's got to make, meetings to attend,
work that's got to be done - that sort of thing.
MARION: Oh, I see.
POLYANNA: Yes. It helps him to get a good start to the day. He always knows what he's got to
do.
MARION: Any other things he does? Maybe I can pass on a few tips to Edward?
Diplomatically, of course.
POLYANNA: Mm, well... I've noticed Gerald always does the important jobs first. He never
puts them off, and he works on them until he's finished them. He never gives up
on a job. MARION: Oh, interesting. He must be very patient.
POLYANNA: Mm. Another thing. If he's working on a tough problem, he keeps his door shut.
Heaven help anyone who disturbs him then! Once, I even had to ask the
Managing Director to come back
MARION: You didn't, Polly
POLYANNA: Mm. He was nice about it. He knows what Gerald's like,
MARION: I suppose so. Any other tips to pass on to Edward?
POLYANNA: Let's see... Nothing else really. Oh yes, there is one other thing. Gerald makes a
lot of phone calls. Hates sending memos. Avoids them like the plague. Saves time,
of course-phoning. I mean. MARION Oh, it must be great working for him.
POLYANNA: I don't know about that. He does give me a lot of work to do, you know. He's very
clever at passing the buck
MARION: Passing the buck? Oh, I think that's what's known as delegating work' round here,
isn't it?
POLYANNA: I dare say you're right.
MARION: Oh well, back to the grindstone, I suppose. And to dear Edward
POLYANNA: Bye, Marion.

Unit 2 - Work and motivation

LISTENING 1: Trafalgar Products, manufacturers of hi-fi equipment, has a problem in its
Production Department. Some of the production workers are taking too much time off work.
Absenteeism, particularly among part-time workers, is too high. And the number of man hours
lost per employee is much higher at Trafalgar Products than at similar firms. Don McCaul,
Managing Director, talks about the problem with three other executives: Sara Marshall,
Personnel Manager, Kerry Webb, Production Manager and Frank Collins, Financial Director.
Listen to their conversation
Section 1:
MCCAUL: I must say, I'm worried about this problem. Absenteeism affects our productivity.
And the quality of our products. We wouldn't need so many inspections if people spent more
time on the job. Don't you agree, Frank?
COLLINS: Absolutely, Don. The trouble is, in my opinion, that we're not hard enough on
staff who take too much time off. I mean, some of them take twenty or thirty days off each year.
They seem to think it's their right to do it. We ought to come down on those people like a ton of
bricks.
MARSHALL: That's all very well, Frank, but they are entitled to thirty days paid sick leave a
year. It's in their employment contract.
COLLINS: Entitled? Does that mean to say they have to take it? Every year. That's taking
advantage of the system, surely?
MARSHALL: All right, but...
MCCAUL: Look, Sara, Frank's got a point, we are too lenient with staff who take time off.
We've got to take a tougher line with them. What do you say, Kerry?
WEBB: Yes, I go along with that, Don. We must do something. Soon
Section 2:
WEBB: I'd like to suggest something - I've been thinking about it for some time.
MCCAUL: Uh huh.
WEBB: It might be a good idea to interview staff who take too much time off. We could
check attendance records, say, for the last three years. If anyone was absent-on
average for more then twenty days a year, they would have to see someone in
Personnel. And Sara could try to find out why they were taking so much time off.
What do you think, Sara?
MARSHALL: Mm, it's not a bad idea, that I might get some useful information from them. If I
was sympathetic ... and didn't appear to be judging them.
COLLINS: Ha! They'd probably say the job was boring. Or they had a sick aunt to look after.
You'd never find out the real reason, I bet you.
MCCAUL: Maybe you're right, Frank. But at least they'd know we were keeping an eye on
them. And that we value the work they do for us.
COLLINS: Perhaps
WEBB: I'd like to make one other suggestion, if I may
MCCAUL: Go ahead, Kerry.
WEBB: Well, at my last company, they used to send each person his or her attendance
record, at the end of the year. It was a good idea... you see, we all got them at the
same time, and we used to ask each other how many days off they had. If you'd
had too many days off, people joked about it. You know, told you to pull your
socks up. Quite effective, really
MCCAUL: I like that idea-attendance records. They wouldn't be too hard to prepare, would
they. Sara?
MARSHALL: No, I don't think so. Not if I had that new assistant you've been promising me for
months, Don!
MCCAUL: Ha, Ha! That's one up to you, Sara.
Section 3:
COLLINS: You know, I heard about a good scheme when I was in America. A way of
reducing absenteeism, and encouraging people to get to work on time.
MCCAUL: Tell us about it, Frank.
COLLINS: OK then. I forget the name of the firm. Anyway, if any of their employees had
100% attendance and punctuality recor during the month, the names of the
employees were put on pieces of paper. The pieces of paper were then put into a
box. And a draw was held. The person whose name was picked out of the box got
a prize. Cash-a hundred or two hundred dollars, something like that.
MCCAUL: Was the scheme successful, do you know?
COLLINS: Oh yes. Attendance improved a great deal at the company. And not many people
had sick leave, if they could help it.
MARSHALL: Ah, that's interesting. Frank. So if you had sick leave, your name wasn't entered in
the draw
COLLINS: That's right. You had to have perfect attendance. No absences at all. And you
couldn't be late for work.
WEBB: That doesn't seem very fair to me, Frank. In fact, it's rather inhuman, isn't it? I
don't think our workers would be motivated by that sort of scheme. Anyway, the
unions
wouldn't buy it.
MCCAUL: I agree with you, Kerry. That sort of thing might work in America but it
wouldn't go down well here.
COLLINS: I don't agree. Anyway, there would be no harm trying it. What have we got to lose?
I don't think our workers would turn their noses up at the chance of earning some extra cash
MCCAUL: You could be right but... I doubt it somehow.
LISTENING 2: Same as above
LISTENING 3:
Interviewer: A recent survey rated Procter and Gamble as one of the best workplaces in
the UK. How does the company create job satisfaction among its staft?
Helen Tucker: First of all we listen to our employees. We run a survey annually across
our whole corporation, that's globally and we take it very seriously, we ask a number of
questions looking at people's pride in the company, their work/life balance, how they're learning
and developing themselves. How their manager is managing them and developing them, and if
they understand how their work fits in? We also ask if they have a trusted counsellor and mentor
in the company to give them guidance and if they understand about all their benefits and
compensation and if they feel they're getting adequately rewarded for the work that they do? So,
you can see it's a very comprehensive survey and you get a lot of data back from that and we take
it seriously and look at what are the action steps that we then take from that survey in order to
make this a wonderful place to work.
LISTENING 4:
Interviewer: In your experience have job priorities among employees changed
much over the last ten years?
Helen Tucker: Yes, they certainly have changed in the last ten years. We've seen a huge move in
terms of how people want to get their work done, some want to work on a reduced work
schedule, that's something very new. Others want to work from home as opposed to having the
commuting time coming to the office. Other people want to work exceptionally hard but they
still want energy left at the end of the day and time left at the end of the day and end of the week
in order to give something back to the communities that they live and work in, in order to have a
social life outside work whilst still making a significant contribution to their business. One of the
areas here that's important is flexible work arrangements. As an employer you can really help
generate a very positive working environment and one where individuals are very satisfied by
offering a range of different options. So, for example, looking at part-time work, not just for
mums coming back from maternity leave, but for, not just for jun, junior managers, but also for
senior managers potentially working four days a week, one of our board in finance, he works
four days a week spending the fifth day with his children. And we look at parents' ability to
manage child care, what happens if your child is sick so that you can have an emergency cover
for your children, so you can then get back to focussing on your work knowing that your child is
being very well taken care of even if they're too sick to go to their nursery or day care place, We
look at what happens if someone has to travel on an emergency basis and perhaps they're looking
after an older relative at home, or have young children, or even pets that they need to take care of
and how do we help them with that provision. And the other area that people are very interested
in in terms of job priorities is understanding the environmental impact of where they're working,
So some people will be choosing their workplace based on the ethical standards and the
principles and values of their employer and I think that's more than you ever saw even ten years
ago. There's a lot of emphasis on sustainability, meaning from a manufacturing point of view are
they using raw materials from renewable sources, for example, or in an office environment is
there significant recycling of waste materials happening. We've recently introduced a car share
scheme here at the office so that we're not having as much emissions and as much traffic for the
local area because it's very busy here and it impacts everybody coming to the office because the
traffic is so bad in the mornings.
LISTENING 5:
KRISHNA SRINIVASAN:
I would say that coming from an auditing world where the pays are typically really low,
especially when compared to the banking guys, one of the core things that was a driver in
retaining our staff was, I would say, problems. The more you give them challenging problems,
and the more you make them excited about solving the problem, the monetary aspect just goes
out of the picture, and I have seen staff who have been almost telling every day that they want to
quit the firm, but have never quit the firm for the last seven years, just because they've had so
many challenging problems, that they just enjoyed solving, and you ask them, 'Why didn't you
move, given that you would have had such a high pay increase in another place?' They'd say,
'Well, the pay would be great, but I don't think I'll face as many challenging puzzles or whatever
problems Isolved here over there.' So I think the motivation of the mind or the ultimate passion
that you have is still a core driver, no matter how many hygiene factors or whatever that you
learn in motivation
CARLO DE STEFANIS:
Managers can make the difference from this point of view. I think it is hard to engage people just
setting up or devising a set of rules or a set of incentives to motivate people. Statistics in a way
say that when people leave a company they leave their boss first. So really, it's about a balance of
being a manager and being leader, having a vision, inspiring other people, helping them to
develop that can get them engaged, I think
SAKTIANDI SUPAAT:
Something just came up about motivation, if I may raise the point ... Talking about managers that
can motivate somebody, another additional point that I thought useful to bring up is a manager
which is influential, and knows how to be an intermediary between the senior management and
his staff, can motivate the staff, because he knows what the organization wants, and he's
influential enough to convince the organization to do things that the staff wants. So having a
manager that is influential and able to actually influence the organization is I think a great
motivator, I mean from my perspective.
 Unit 3 - Company Structure
LISTENING 1:
Bertram: All right, Sam, welcome to San Antonio. Now, I just want to tell you who's who at
Warndar, so you know who to go to when you have questions, OK?
Sam: OK
B: Now, let's start here in Marketing; I'm the Business Development Manager, and I have a team
of four reporting in to me; two salesmen, Jake Smith, our Art Director, and Saidah Hussain,
who's our PR Officer. You'll be working mainly with Jake and Saidah in PR, but you're going to
report directly to me.
S: All right.
B: As I told you, we're a small company, so the organization is simple for the moment, but we're
growing fast, so that's going to change as we hire new staff. For example, right now we don't
really have an HR Department – Monica Overstreet, our Office Manager, takes care of HR.
S: Yes, I met Ms Overstreet last time I was here.
B: That's right. She also looks after Finance, and she has two accountants working under her.
Now then, as you probably know, Warndar Technologies was founded by Merilyn Warner, our
CEO, and David Darren, who's now COO.
S: COO? B: Yeah. Chief Operating Officer. Basically, David runs the business on a day-to-day
basis. Merilyn deals with strategy; she's often away at our parent company in Houston. S: Uh-
huh - so Warndar is a subsidiary of the Irysis group, right?
B: That's right. They took us over a couple of years ago. Anyway, there are three other
department heads who all report to David. Roxane Pawle is our IT Manager in charge of IT and
Technical Support. She's new - she joined six months ago when our old IT Manager resigned.
S: Really?
B: Yeah. He was appointed Head of IT in a big firm up in Washington. Nice job, but too much
stress. They fired him after only three months!
S: Wow!
B: Yeah. Anyway, Roxane has a web developer and two support engineers reporting to her, OK?
Now, the biggest department here is R&D. Doug Pearson has seven research scientists in the lab.
Doug coordinates our development programs; so he liaises with me in Marketing and with our
Program Manager, Herb Monroe. Herb manages the Engineering Department, and he's
responsible for building our product package. He has a team of three: two software engineers and
a technical writer.
S: OK
B: All right, I think that's everyone. So, let's go and meet Saidah - unless you have any questions?
LISTENING 2: Same as above
LISTENING 3:
(I = Interviewer, TK = Tamar Kasriel)
I: What new business opportunities do you see developing in the future?
TK: Well, I think that in developed markets, consumers over the last 10, or 20, or even
30 years have got more and more money for spending and so we are going to see a development
in services and in luxuries and in the kind of sectors where companies can be more targeted onto
a particular group of consumers. For example targeting older people who are going to be a
growing and important segment, and also things like beauty services for men, for example,
things that we don't really need but we feel that we want.
I: And which business sectors do you see expanding and contracting in the future?
TK: Well, I think in many market places we are going to see a split into two extremes.
At one extreme we are going to see areas where the supplier, the company can be very price
competitive for example, if you think about the growth of discount supermarkets across Europe
and also in the United States. At the other extreme we are going to see the growth of companies
where they can charge a premium, they can charge consumers for something a bit special and
we'll see there the growth in services and luxuries.

Unit 4 - Managing Across Culture

LISTENING 1:
1a - Version 1:
Simon: Morning, Tiffany. Good weekend?
Tiffany: Oh, yes, it was cool. And you?
S: No, not really. Listen, Tiffany, come into my office, I need to talk to you.
T: Oh, no, what now?
S: Look, I hear you had a problem with Maureen on Friday.
T: Oh, that. Yeah. That idiot refused to help me! Who does she think she is?!
S: You mustn't talk about your colleagues like that. Maureen is a very experienced
assistant and a valuable member of the team.
T: Maybe, but she still refused to help me
S: Yes, but she had a good reason to refuse. Maureen was very busy on Friday and
you didn't ask for help you demanded her immediate attention. As a future
manager, you should show respect to all the staff.
T: But I was just trying to finish the job.
S: Well, you won't get results from people like Maureen if you're rude.
T: Look, I was tired. I had a difficult week, OK?
S: Tiffany, everyone gets tired, and I'm getting tired of your attitude. You apologize,
or there'll be trouble. Do you understand?
T: Me? Apologize to some stupid little secretary? No way!
1b - Version 2:
Simon: Morning, Tiffany. Good weekend?
Tiffany: Oh, yes, it was cool and you?
S: Yeah, I had a good weekend too - apart from having to finish off this report. How
about you? What did you do?
T: I went to the swimming pool yesterday. Gorgeous weather.
S: Mm, sounds good. Er, Tiffany, have you got a minute?
T: Sure.
S: Come in. I just wanted to have a quick word. I hear you had a problem with
Maureen on Friday.
T: Oh, that. Yeah. That idiot refused to help me! Who does she think she is?!
S: Well, Tiffany, I think perhaps you should be more careful about how you talk
about your colleagues. Maureen is a very experienced assistant and a valuable
member of the team.
T: OK, but she still refused to help me.
S: Well, you might want to think about why she couldn't help you. Maureen was
very busy on Friday, and I understand you didn't really ask for help so much as
demand her immediate attention. We try hard to respect all our staff here. As a
future manager, I think you ought to do the same.
T: But I was just trying to finish the job.
S: Well, I understand that, and I appreciate that you work hard and that you expect
other people to show the same commitment. But, don't you think you might get
better results from people like Maureen by being a little more diplomatic?
T: Yeah, OK. I'm sorry, you're right. I was tired. I didn't mean to be rude.
S: OK. It can happen to anyone. Why don't you ask Maureen to have a coffee with
you, and just clear the air? OK?
T: OK. Thanks, Simon.
LISTENING 2:
2a - Sandra: I got my first placement in a PR firm in Paris. Our teachers had told us to be careful
about dress code, being on time, and so on. But I had a problem I really wasn't expecting. The
first day, I arrived at eight thirty and I was a bit surprised because I had to wait an hour and a
half for my supervisor to arrive. In fact, most people came in at about eleven o'clock. But
everybody was very friendly. They gave me a project to work on and I thought, great, I can
really do a good job here and, you know, make a good impression. Well, for the first two weeks I
worked from nine in the morning to about seven in the evening. I didn't really have a social life
because I only got home about eight, but, like I said, I wanted to make a good impression. But
then gradually, people became less friendly, and stopped talking to me. I couldn't understand
why they were giving me these funny looks, especially when I went home in the evening.
Anyway, in the end, I went and asked my supervisor what I'd done wrong. And, in fact, the
problem was that most people didn't go home until 9 or 10pm. So because I left at about seven, I
was breaking the unwritten rules. They all thought was lazy! I mean, I knew I was the first to
leave, but I arrived at 9am, and I was working really hard, you know?! But as far as they were
concerned, you couldn't do any real work before eleven, so arriving at nine in the morning didn't
count!
2b - David: I'm a department manager in the civil service. The department's actually very
informal and friendly - we're all quite young and everyone's on first name terms. We all have
lunch together in the canteen and we often go to the pub for a drink after work. We have one or
two interns per year. We try to make them feel at home and part of the team, and usually it's fine.
But, a year or two ago, I had a problem with an intern I was supervising. At first, everything was
fine. Monica was very bright and friendly, and got on well with everybody. But then one day we
had a crisis in the office. My manager needed one of Monica's files for an important meeting at
10am. We couldn't find it, and unfortunately Monica wasn't in the office; she wasn't answering
her phone, and she didn't arrive until ten fifteen! In fact, she'd been to the dentist's, but she hadn't
told me that she'd be late. Well, as you can imagine, I was stressed out and I made it very clear
that this was unacceptable. And Monica just burst into tears, so I had to tell her that, you know,
that was unprofessional too. Anyway, after that, things were never the same. She stopped
socializing with the rest of the team; she wouldn't say anything in meetings and she didn't even
eat in the canteen with us anymore. I tried to explain that it was my job to tell her when there was
a problem, and that it wasn't personal. But she couldn't accept that. For her, a boss was a boss,
and a friend was a friend, and you couldn't be a boss and a friend.
LISTENING 3:
I: How do you prepare people to do business intemationally?
JT: How we prepare people to do business internationally really depends on the task that
they're undertaking on behalf of their company or organisation. For example, if you're being sent
by your company to live and work overseas for a period say of two or three years, as an assignee,
then we would provide you either with a one-or two-day programme covering such issues as:
cultural awareness, practical issues of living in, working in, as well as how to deal with culture
shock, which everybody goes through when they go on assignment. We'll also deal with
particular issues such as schooling, health care and, in particular parts of the world increasingly,
with security. However, if, as is the case now, many more people are not actually going to live
overseas but have intemational responsibility. You need a different set of learning tools and that
is, first of all, a general cultural awareness and understanding of how you should really operate
when dealing with people with other cultures; teaching you how to negotiate contracts;
communication, just generally whether that's by telephone, by e-mail or even by the written word.
The words that you choose have a very different effect on the recipient depending on which
culture you're conversing with Another important area these days is presentation skills. In the
past it has been assumed that you use the same presentation from your home country when
presenting to a more multi-cultural audience. That's very much not the case, and we teach people
even down to the kind of words you use on the slides, the colours you use, and indeed how to
deal with questions and answers and manage your audience because of course in different
cultures there's a different response. Finally, it's very important we believe here at Famham
Castle, to underpin all this with some ability to communicate in the host language. Whilst
English is still very much regarded as the international language of business, it is increasingly
expected that people will make at least some effort and attempt to learn the language of the
people that they are dealing with, particularly in a social environment. It really demonstrates an
interest and an affinity with the people that really you are trying to build relationships with and,
of course, business is all about building relationships.
LISTENING 4:
I: And are there certain skills and techniques for doing business internationally, which can
be applied in any culture?
JT: I think rather than skills and techniques there are some very strong personality traits that
those people who tend to be more successful in an intemnational business environment tend to
demonstrate. For example, flexibility and adaptability would be a particularly strong requirement,
the ability to observe, participate in something and adapt your own set of skills and knowledge
and your own way of doing things. To actually listen more carefully would be another strong
trait that you really ought to demonstrate. 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.
LISTENING 5:
I: And can you give us examples of typical cultural mistakes made by people doing
business internationally?
JT: There are lots of quoted examples and I think they are really to do with attitudes,
particular facets of cultures. For example, timc 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
wbo 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 coines 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 thcy 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 achicve anything out of that meeting.

Unit 5 - Recruitment
LISTENING 1:
Sophie: As you know, we haven't reviewed salaries for over a year. The Board has agreed
a maximum 5% increase from the first of October and I'd like you to come back to me with
recommendations for all your staff. I've produced a list, here with the relevant data about each
employee in Marketing.
Tim: That's fine, I've got one or two people who deserve more than 5%, particularly
those who came from London and New York last year. They actually took a drop in salary and
they've reminded me about this several times. It's eighteen months since we had our last raise,
too.
Sophie: Well, we might be able to give more in one or two cases if you reward less in
others. Don't forget the rate of inflation is not expected to rise much in Britain this year and so
far, touch wood, we haven't had to make any staff redundant.
Tim: What's the position likely to be on the bonuses at the end of the year? Will they be
slashed? And are there any other staff developments on the horizon?
Sophie: Well, we are proposing to carry out the performance reviews in November and
early December and that will determine the final bonus amounts. We're trying to separate the
salary review from the performance review in future. We're also looking at flexible working and
maternity and childcare issues. Your department is particularly vulnerable here as you have less
staff and therefore a number of people who work too many hours. Also, there are several women
on maternity leave at present who I believe you would like back. Frankly, Tim, I'm worried
about the number of hours some of your staff are working. It has to be contained.
Tim: OK, I hope we'll have the opportunity to discuss some of these issues at the
management meeting. Thanks, Sophie. I'll get back to you within a week.
LISTENING 2:
Jason: I'm afraid we've got a problem, Klaus. The 3% increase Management agreed for
the plant has been rejected by the Union.
Klaus: Oh! What's behind it?
Jason: They want the same increase as the white-collar staff- at least 5%. The union
representatives held a meeting with their members last night and failed to reach agreement.
Klaus: What was your counter-argument?
Jason: We haven't had an official meeting yet - that will be next week. But I told them
that sales were down and that if things got worse, we might have to think about some
redundancies in Amsterdam. I also reminded them that they had a 3% review a year ago.
Klaus: Did you know that the white-collar staff haven't had a review in salary for two
years now? We froze their salaries because we had lost a huge contract and then there was a
recession, but we decided to review the shop-floor workers to avoid industrial action. All this
happened just before you joined.
Jason: I see. Well, I know they want at least 5%. It appears there have been rumours of
an economic downturn in the industry and the transfer of work to the Polish subsidiary. So of
course the staff are nervous about the future of the plant. Despite this, they still feel 3% is too
low and doesn't compensate them for loss of overtime over the last six months.
Klaus: It doesn't make any sense. But I must say I thought it might happen.
Jason: We've got to plan our tactics. We can't offer 5%, that's for sure, but we don't want
any strikes at present. Let's talk to the management committee again before the meeting.
LISTENING 3: Same as above
LISTENING 4:
(I = Interviewer, SK = Dr Simon Kingston)
I: How do you identify and attract the best candidates for a particular job?
SK: Well, the most important thing for us at the beginning is to have clear and full
briefing from our clients. So we spend a great deal of time talking to a range of people in the
client organisation. And then, according to the sort of job that we are sccking to fill, we will use
three different sorts of method for identifying candidates. One, the most obvious one, is
advertisement in appropriate newspapers or journals. The second is by asking for nominations
froin within our client organisation of appropriate candidates. And the third, and most labour
intensive for us, is our own, original rescarch. And that will be derived from our database, from
talking to authoritative sources in the relevant market place, and then from beginning to map the
business sector in which we think we are most likely to find good candidates. All three of those
different incthods of identifying candidates will cross-reference, and ideally we'd like to find
candidates who're sourced from each of the three areas. And sometimes, 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.
LISTENING 5: Same as above

Unit 6. The different sectors of the Economy

LISTENING 1:
Interviewer: Mr Sullivan can you tell us first what exactly credit agencies do?
S: Well, basically, we offer a range of services in two main areas: information and insurance.
Some of our clients are interested in information to help them manage credit risk, and others
come to us for insurance. But many companies, like Eisenhart Games, need both information and
insurance.
I: What sort of information can you provide?
S: We have details of over 50 million businesses in countries all over the world. So, for example,
we can help Daryl by telling him how businesses and countries in the Middle East are doing
financially, we can tell him if his prospective customers pay, and how quickly they pay; and, in
particular, we can warn him if one of his customers gets into financial difficulty.
I: And you give each company a rating which indicates how reliable they are?
S: Yes, companies - and also countries - are given a rating. This gives us a quick guide to how
safely you can do business with a particular company or in a particular country. Actually, there's
much more than just the rating. Clients like Daryl receive detailed credit reports which help them
decide if and how to work with different companies.
I: I see. Now, what about credit insurance? Is that something new?
S: Well, it's relatively new over here in the States, but not in Europe. European companies have
been using it for a long time. Seventy per cent of European companies use credit insurance,
whereas in the States the figure is below 5%.
I: Why is that? S: Essentially because European firms have to export, because their internal
markets are too small. Until now, the majority of American firms have done most of their
business in America, so they didn't need credit insurance unless the customer was very risky.
Nowadays, companies like Eisenhart need to export, so they're discovering the advantages of
credit insurance. For example, it means that in Saudi Arabia, Daryl can trade on open account,
with no need for letters of credit, which take a lot of time and are relatively expensive.
I: I see. Talking of expense, what does credit insurance cost? S: Well, of course, it depends on
the contract. The more risk the insurer takes on, the higher the premium will be. But, on average,
I would say, for international credit insurance, between a quarter and 1% of sales.
LISTENING 2:
Paul: Oh, Jenny, did you pick up my tickets?
Jenny: No, I'm picking them up this evening. I have to be there before six, so I'll be able to drop
them off here by 6.30.
P: That's great! What time's the flight?
J: It's at 23.10. But it's OK - check-in doesn't open until 21.15. You've got plenty of time.
P: Hmm ... I've got the finance committee tonight. That usually goes on until at least half seven.
I'll only just have time to go home and pick up my suitcase. I probably won't see the kids for a
week now. They'll be in bed by quarter to eight. When do I get back from the States again?
J: On Sunday morning. You've got six meetings between tomorrow morning and Friday. That
leaves you a day to visit New York, and you fly back late on Saturday evening.
P: Well, I don't think I'll have much time to visit New York. I've got the Merosom pitch to
prepare for next Monday. I'm going to be jet-lagged on Sunday, so I'll have to do it before flying
back.
J: Oh, yes, that's right. When do you expect Merosom to announce their decision?
P: Well, they said within three weeks. By the way, have you got the files for the New York
meetings?
J: Yes, they're all ready. Do want to look at them now?
P: No, I've got another meeting!
J: Well, you'll have to read them during the flight, then.
P: Hmm ... I suppose so.
J: OK. Well, I'll get on, then, unless you've got any other questions?
P: Er, yes, just one. When am I going to sleep?
LISTENING 3:
Frederick: Good evening, Riaz!
Riaz: Oh, hello Frederick. Everything OK?
F: Yes, fine, thanks. I just wanted to give you these applications, if you've got a moment?
R: Yes, of course. Have a seat.
F: Thanks.
R: OK, so what have we got here?
F: Well, first of all, there's Ms Koepple in room 406. She's with Cool Breeze. It's a record label
based in Buenos Aires. Now, know you don't like record companies, but ...
R: Yes, Frederick, and you know very well why I don't like record companies and those vulgar
rock groups they send us, always causing damage and disturbing the other guests. Argentina, you
say?
F: Yes. But Ms Koepple says they want to organize a big conference for their executives. There
won't be any rock groups or that kind of thing, just corporate executives. So,
they're applying for our credit card.
R: Well, it's true we need to develop in the conference market. It's good business, and it often
brings in more business by word of mouth. But Argentina ... OK, leave it with me and I'll look
into it. How big is Ms Koepple's bill?
F: Well, she's been here for four nights. Leaving on Saturday. She's spending a lot of money -
maybe six thousand dollars so far. But she's very nice, very friendly. I'm sure she won't leave
without paying.
R: Hmm ... She's applying for a credit limit of twenty thousand. Let's keep an eye on her, anyway.
Let me know if her account goes over ten thousand dollars, OK?
F: Sure.
R: What else have you got there?
F: The next one is Mr Kobayashi from Tokyo. Remember him?
R: Oh, yes. The second-hand car salesman?
F: Yes. He's a really difficult customer. We've had to move him to a different room three times
this week because he didn't like the view, or it was too far from the restaurant ...
R: Well, he may be difficult, but his credit's good. He seems to have built himself quite an
empire over there. Kobayashi Auto Sales is doing very well. We've never had any problem with
his people.
F: Well, I wouldn't buy a car from him. He never looks you in the eye, never smiles, never says
thank you. He wants us to raise his credit limit, but I don't trust him.
R: Let me see. From fifty up to a hundred thousand, eh? All right, I'll think about it.
F: Right. And this last one is our old friend Mrs Saman and her team from Egypt.
R: Oh, no. Are they still coming here? I thought we stopped their credit last year.
F: No, the company paid up in the end, remember?
R: Yes, I do now. Charming lady, of course, but that company - what's it called? Black Nile,
that's it. They invented the concept of the slow payer! I think it took 18 months to get them to
pay their last invoice. What does she want now?
F: Well, she wants us to raise their credit limit to a hundred thousand, too.
R: Oh, no way!
F: But there are ten of them this time, and she's such a wonderful little old lady!
R: I should really suspend their credit and insist on cash in advance. They're on, let's see ... thirty
thousand dollars. It's just too big a risk. Have you seen the latest cash-flow figures? Our
customers are taking longer and longer to pay, and uncollectibles have gone over 3%! I'm getting
a lot of pressure from management to take firm action.
F: Well, be careful: Mrs Saman told me yesterday that her brother is a very senior government
official. And remember, we have a lot of guests from Egypt now. We don't want to upset them.
R: Yes, that's true. You never know who Mrs Saman might talk to. She's a very influential old
lady. All right, leave it with me, Frederick. I'll let you know what I decide tomorrow.
LISTENING 4: Same as above
LISTENING 5:
1 World oil prices have continued to fall today, with US sweet light crude dropping more than $3
to $63.20. Several members of OPEC, the 13-nation producers' group, which is responsible for
producing about 40% of the world's total supply, want to cut output by at least one million
barrels a day to increase prices.
2 US software giant Microsoft has posted profits and sales figures well above analysts'
expectations. The company made a $4.37 billion profit during the first three months of its
financial year, up from $4.29 billion a year ago, while turnover rose 9% to $15.06 billion.
3 In South Korea, Hyundai Motor Company has reported a 38% fall in third-quarter net profit,
which was slightly better than expected, in a difficult year. Hyundai say that although global auto
demand is shrinking, demand for smaller cars is rising. German car maker Daimler has reported
a €213 million profit for the quarter, a dramatic turnaround from the €1.5 billion loss it made in
the same period a year ago.
4 Although the service sector represents threequarters of the British economy, a report published
today by an American consulting company suggests that British manufacturers are still doing
well. The UK is currently the world's sixth-largest manufacturer, but the country appears set to
remain in the top ten for the next 15 years. Even though it is expected to slip to ninth place by
then, its share of global manufacturing value added is forecast to dip by just one percentage point.
5 Mixed news from the airline sector today. While figures from the Association of European
Airlines show that airline traffic has fallen for the first time in 25 years, because of the economic
slowdown, Airbus has published its latest Global Market Forecast, which foresees a demand for
some 24,300 new passenger and freight aircraft valued at US$ 2.8 trillion between now and 2026.
This will create an average annual delivery of some 1,215 aircraft. The current decrease in traffic
is expected to be temporary, and the long-term forecast for passenger traffic is that it is expected
to grow at an average rate of 4.9% per year.
6 In another study published today, it is predicted that the rapidly growing biofuel market,
involving cereals, sugar, oilseeds and vegetable oils, will keep farm commodity prices high over
the next decade. The study, co-written by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, predicts prices will rise by
between 20% and 50% in the next ten years.

UNIT 7: PRODUCTION
LISTENING 1:
Interviewer: Mr. Wang, you often say that packaging is the manufacturer's last chance to seduce
the customer.' Why is that?
Wang: Yes. In today's highly competitive marketplace, many products are almost identical. So
branding is not enough That's especially true here in Asia, where there may be literally hundreds
of competitors making the same product in the same city. You have to differentiate; you have to
communicate the difference which makes your product a better choice. I agree with Jack Trout
when he says, 'Every aspect of your communications should reflect your difference. The bottom
line is: You can't overcommunicate your difference.
I: So, packaging is the best way to communicate your difference?
W: Exactly. You know, 75% of purchasing decisions are madeat the point of sale. And because
most stores are selfservice, your product is alone on the shelf, surrounded by its competitors.
According to Wal-Mart - and they're the world's largest retailer, so they should know! - your
product has to pitch its promise to the customer in three seconds or less, from up to fifteen feet
away. If your packaging is not attractive, effective and distinctive, how are you going to
communicate its difference?
I: OK, so packaging is critical, and manufacturers spend millions of dollars on it. So why are
there so many failures?
W: The big problem is a lack of communication. Typically, there are several different groups of
experts, all working in their own specialized field: market research people who know nothing
about design, designers who know nothing about manufacturing, and production people who
know nothing about consumer needs. Traditionally, you keep your design team well away from
business and manufacturing constraints because you don't want to limit their creativity.
Unfortunately, the result is inevitably a compromise. You start out with an original, creative idea,
but then you find out it's impractical, for reasons of cost or technical limitations. So, it gets
watered down, simplified, adapted. In the end, you are left with a package which is easy to make,
easy to transport and within budget, but it's no longer what the consumer wanted! So, you get
focus groups where consumers don't really like any of the concepts that are presented. That
means, either you start all over again, or you have to choose the least unpopular option!
I: How do you avoid this problem at New China Packaging?
W: Well, basically, what we do is to build what we call a 'task
force'. This a cross-functional team with people from all the different departments involved in
the project. We put them all together in a hotel, with all the tools they need to produce mockups
and prototypes. Then we literally lock the door and we don't let them out until they produce
something that everybody is enthusiastic about!
I: And do you include consumers in the task force?
W: Yes, indeed. We need the end user's input right from the beginning. Everything is consumer-
led. And, because we know that what consumers say they need and what they really need are
frequently two different things, we also observe them using the product. Frequently, we can
detect behaviours and needs that the consumer is not even conscious of.
I: Really? Uh-huh. So, who else is involved?
W: Marketing, manufacturing, designers, consultants - everyone who has a stake in the product.
I: And how long does the process take?
W: Traditionally, months or sometimes years. But today, our task forces can usually deliver an
optimal solution in one week, sometimes less. And remember, when they deliver, every aspect of
the package is consumer-validated, realistic and feasible. So, this extremely short turn-around
means that the manufacturer can react very, very quickly to changes in the market, almost in real
time.
LISTENING 2:
Good afternoon, everybody. Imagine you're on a fishing trip. It's the middle of the night. It's dark,
it's foggy, and you're sailing your boat between dangerous rocks. Are you afraid? Not at all. You
are supremely confident, checking and adjusting your route with just a touch of a finger on a
screen. How do you do it? Well, I'm here today to tell you about the Chart Tech i3, an
extraordinary, nautical information system, where a touchcontrolled screen enables you to
operate several different navigation functions with a touch of the finger. Let's start with the
Touch Screen Command. Just by touching the screen, you can view and change charts, calculate
distances, create a route and a lot more. The large colour display screen automatically shows you
a bird's-eye view of where you are and where you're going. Moving on to what's below the water,
thanks to the radar overlay, you see exactly what the fish are seeing and the Touch Screen 3D
Fishfinder, will help make your fishing trips are considerably more successful! Now, can I just
turn to communications? The Chart Tech i3 can send fax, email and voice messages. You can
request and receive weather reports based on your actual GPS position. And you can even
automatically monitor vital onboard systems when you're away from your boat. So, I'll just sum
up the ChartTech i3's main features. Let's just go back to our midnight fishing trip. First, Touch
Screen Command lets you navigate between the rocks with just one finger and a bird's-eye view.
Secondly, the underwater radar and fishfinder shows you where the rocks are, and where the fish
are hiding. Finally, the communications function mean you can receive and send important data
on the weather, your location and your boat at any moment. I'd like to finish by inviting you to
try the ChartTech is for yourself. Our website has an incredibly realistic simulation that you can
try out without ever getting your feet wet. Thank you very much
LISTENING 3:
Good morning, everybody. Would you like to know at all times exactly where your young child
or teenager is? How comforting would it be to know that your elderly mother is safely back
home from the shops? How much would it be worth to know precisely where your sales reps or
technicians were? And how much time would you save if you knew where your dog was hiding?
Well, here's the answer. I'm here this morning to present the Pingman, a revolutionary new
personal GPS tracking device and to ask you, members of the Board, to approve the investment
needed to start production. Now, I know you're going to be very excited by the Pingman, so I'm
going to give you a quick overview of the product in about fifteen minutes. After that, there'll be
a hands-on demonstration, and I've allowed some time for questions and discussion after that.
But if you have any questions that can't wait, feel free to interrupt me. OK? I've divided my
presentation into three sections. First of all, I'm going to talk to you about the background to this
project and the current offers on the market. After that, I'll be talking about the prototype, the
specifications and the data we've collected from tests and focus groups. Finally, I'd like to
present a business plan which will show you why we expect the return on investment on this
product to be considerable. Is everybody happy with that agenda? OK, so, let's start with the
background. Now, GPS tracking systems are not new, but until now they've been too heavy, and
too unreliable indoors to be used as a personal tracking device. What's new about the Pingman is
that we can build it into a wrist strap or collar small and light enough to be worn comfortably by
a small child or a dog. For the first time, it will be possible to locate the wearer via the Internet,
anywhere in the world, indoors or out, 24 hours a day... ... does that answer your question? OK,
so, I'd like to wrap up the presentation and move on to the demonstration. Let me just summarize
what I've already told you. Firstly, I explained why there is a huge market just waiting for this
product. Secondly, presented the different specifications for the child, adult and animal versions
we intend to launch, and the positive reactions we've had during trials. Last, but not least, have
given you the strongest possible reasons why you should approve this investment: extraordinary
sales forecasts, strong cash flow and unprecedented profitability. Now, if you'd like to move to
the back of the room, our R&D staff are ready to start the demonstration and to answer your
questions. Thank you very much for your attention.
LISTENING 4:
Jack Jr: OK, so, we all agree on that then? A completely new range of pizzas for the 21st century,
featuring fusion cuisine with the best of contemporary Chinese and Western influences? Great.
We'll need at least five really new recipes, so see what you can come up with.
Mick: We'll need new names for each new pizza, then, Jack...
J: Of course, but we can come back to that later. OK, so, can we move on to point two-new
promotional ideas? What suggestions do we have? Billie?
Billie: Well, obviously with the new pizza range we should do a relaunch. And what about doing
specials at different times in the year? You know, New Year, National Day, Dragon Boat
Festival.
J: Well, Billie, it's been done before, but I guess we could do that. Why not? Mick?
M: What about BOGOF?
J: I'm sorry?
M: You know, B.O.G.O.F. - buy one, get one free. Two pizzas for the price of one. And another
idea would be to have a two-pizza box. The pizzas stay hotter when you have two in
a box.
J: Hmm... I'm not sure that's a direction we really want to go in. The franchisees won't like it, and
we want to get away from the idea that Big Jack's is just good for filling your stomach.
M: Well, what about a gourmet club? Customers get special privileges if they become members.
Or feature different national cuisines each month - Indian in the first month, Thai in the second,
and so on?
B: Yes, that's good, Mick. And don't forget the Internet – what if you could build your own pizza
and order your take-out or delivery online?
J: Sounds like it might be expensive, Billie, but yeah, that's more the kind of thing I had in mind.
Anyway, let's go on to points three and four on the agenda. I think we can take them together,
because the box depends very much on the logo and the colour scheme. Billie, I think you feel
strongly about this?
B: Yes, Jack, I do. We've had our current logo ever since your dad started the business. The Big
Jack logo was perfect thirty years ago, but a lot of things have changed since Big Jack's time.
Apart from anything else, the symbolism is all wrong, and remember, people are very sensitive
to that kind of thing here.
J: What do you mean, the symbolism is all wrong? Green and red are the colours of Italy, it's
what pizza is all about!
B: Maybe, but the green chequered table-cloth on the round table-it symbolizes old-world values
that people in Hong Kong just don't identify with. And it's well-known that green isn't a good
colour for packaging for the Chinese
M: Oh, really? Why's that?
B: Oh, you know, it's that thing about green hats - it means your wife is, you know, seeing
another man...
J: Billie, this is all very interesting, but ...
M: No, hang on, Jack. I think Billie's right. We have to take this kind of thing into account. And
the box: the box is really important. It's easily the best way we have to communicate with our
customers. Couldn't we have a more exciting box, as well as new colours and graphics? I mean,
every baker in the city sells pizza in the same standard box as us. We need to differentiate! An
octagonal box would be good, maybe with a window so you can see the delicious hot pizza
you're carrying?
J: Well, as long as it doesn't complicate storage or delivery, don't see why not. But it seems to me
we need to get more advice on this. I trust you'll agree that we need to have some brand-building
and packaging consultants work on this... We'll consider their proposals at our next meeting.
LISTENING 5: Same as above
 UNIT 8: LOGISTICS
LISTENING 1:
Speaker 1: My job is to organize the transport of goods either by sea, air, road, or rail. An
important part of the job is dealing with customer requests about the most suitable mode of
transport. My responsibilities also include negotiating good shipping rates with shipping lines
and transport companies. I also make booking reservations, that means I book space on a ship,
train, lorry, or airplane. Another part of the job is to consolidate a number of shipments under
one bill of lading. Apart from that, I have to deal with all the necessary documentation and, in
many cases, I arrange customs clearance on behalf of my clients
Speaker 2: I'm responsible for getting freight and passengers to their destination safely and
on schedule. Most of my customers are internationaI transport or shipping companies. In my lob
I have to make sure that the cargo is not damaged onboard the ship or while loading or unloading.
I'm also responsible for financiaI aspects; that means, for example, I have to keep an eye on the
budget and estimate costs. Additionally, I advise customers on shipping rates and prepare
quotations for our sales office.
Speaker 3: Generally my job is to know where every piece of stock is at any given moment.
When new goods arrive, I check where to put them in the warehouse. For all this, I use modern
computer systems and sophisticated hardware and software. Our warehouse management system
helps us store and retrieve the goods quickly. Another part of my job is to liaise with departments
such as transport and production. Apart from that, I ensure that vehicles, machines, and any other
kind of equipment are maintained to a high level. And last but not least, I take care that health
and safety standards are maintained
LISTENING 2:
Transcription: Same as above
LISTENING 3:
Transcription:
Robert: OK, let's get started. You know that we need to discuss negotiation
strategies with one of our medical equipment suppliers today. I suppose we all agree that we are
interested in a more co-operative relationship with our supplier, BAF. I think we would
definitely benefit from a strategic partnership. How do you feel about that?
Peter: I agree. I think we could lower costs considerably and work more efficiently if we
co-operated more closely. But we need to think about reasons why they should enter into a
partnership with us. What are your thoughts on that, Gisele?
Gisele: I think you're right. That's why we should tell them that it will be to their
advantage to work with us because we are the market leader.
Peter: Yes, and I also suggest telling them that this a good opportunity to associate with
a major pharmaceutical brand like ours.
Gisele: That sounds good. In my opinion, it would also be important to point out
that we're interested in establishing a long-term agreement.
Peter: Good idea. And why don't we say that it's their chance to enter the pharmaceutical
market? So far they haven't had access to this market.
Gisele: Yes, good point.
Robert: Excellent. Thanks for your comments. I'll work out a catalogue with the
points we have covered today and will send it to you tomorrow.
LISTENING 4:
(GFT Global Carrier) Provider 1
We are one of the world's leading transport companies with a freight volume of 600,000
containers per year. As a major non-vessel operating common carrier (NVOCC), we can offer
our customers competitive rates with all major shipping lines as well as flexible solutions for
different sea freight requirements. We specialize in solutions for full container loads (FCL) and
less than container consolidated toads (LCL). We also provide our customers with services such
as web-based tracking for cargo in transit.
(Home Tex International) Provider 2
As a specialist in home textiles, we can offer our clients customized services to meet their needs.
With more than 25 years'experience in the industry and a modern fleet of vehicles, we can ensure
fast, safe delivery of your consignments. Our services include order picking, packing,
distribution and handling of all transport documentation. Our team will be happy to assist you in
all matters regarding your order.
(Cargo Express) Provider 3
Cargo Express is Asia's leading provider of air freight services. Specializing in consolidated air
freight forwarding, we can provide you with tailor-made solutions for your air transport
requirements. We work closely with air carriers around the world and can offer our customers a
wide range of flexible and cost-effective services. These include collection, consolidation,
customs clearance, distribution, and online tracking of all cargo movement
LISTENING 5:
Peter: OK, this is how the systems works. lt's actually quite simple. After the goods have
arrived at the packing location, the first step is to scan in the barcode of the shipping box. After
that you enter the Packing location dialogue.
Mike: OK, I got that. What is the next step?
Peter: Well, following that you can see and access all positions in the picking container
Mike: I see.
Peter: lf you use this function, you can form one or several packages and once the
package is complete, the system will automatically calculate the weight using a data interface
between the scales and the system.
Mike: Sounds good. What about the shipping labels?
Peter: That is actually the next step. The system witt print the shipping label after you
have selected the means of transport. And now we come to the last stage of this process. After
the order has been completed, the delivery note is printed automatically.
LISTENING 6:
Speaker 1: Open account
We mainly do business in Europe, where most of our customers expect us to give them open
account terms. Obviously, this method of payment is good for the buyers, but not for us as
exporters because we don't really have any control over the payment process. We can ask the
customer to pay at a certain date or within a certain period, but we can never be sure that they
will pay then. To protect ourselves against non-payment or customer insolvency, we usually take
out credit insurance.
Speaker 2: Letter of credit
With customers we haven't done business with before, we always use a letter of credit. lt allows
us to agree detailed terms with the buyer, which can't be changed once they have been fixed.
Above all, it's one of the most secure payment methods in foreign trade. The buyer's and seller's
bank work together and offer the seller a commitment of payment. With a documentary credit
like this we can be sure that we'll be paid for the goods we supply.
Speaker 3: Advance payment
We're a small company specializing in high quality computer hardware. Our company policy is
that customers have to pay up front. That means the customers transfer the money before we ship
the hardware to them. Because we're a small business, our cash flow situation doesn't allow us to
offer customers longer credit periods. We wouldn't be able to cope with delayed payment or
customers not paying at all. For us as sellers, it's the most secure payment method. We know, of
course, that most of our customers would prefer other payment facilities
LISTENING 7:
Transcription: Same as above
LISTENING 8:
Yes, nowadays companies do not want to hold inventory. Inventory is capital tied up that could
otherwise be used to grow the business, so there are always pressures to keep inventory as low as
possible. Now throughout the business of course we need inventory, we need equipment that we
demonstrate to the customer, and we need certain stocks of materials used in manufacture, but
always the strategy is to have the suppliers deliver when it's needed in the production process,
and that can keep us agile, it enables us to react to sales and market demands without stocking
large amounts of inventory which, as I said, has a large cost implication. So we move the
responsibility to the suppliers to deliver to our factories when the demand is there.
The manufacturing processes in Leica tended to be based on MRP, which is Material
Requirements Planning, quite a sophisticated IT-based forecasting of the parts needed for
production, but under Danaher we've changed that to a Kanban system which is a pull system.
When a part is used it's immediately replaced by another in that bin and it pulls all the way
through to the manufacture, so it's not just-In-Time as such, but it is a direct link between the
demands of the customer on finished products and the supply of the components from our
individual suppliers.

UNIT 10: QUALITY

LISTENING 1:
(I = Interviewer, MA= Mike Ashton)
I: How do you define quality in business? How important is it?
MA: Delivering good quality is absolutely fundamentally important to any business. I believe the
best way to define quality is to look very closely at customers expectations and then to look at
the ability of a business to meet or exceed those expectations, consistently. Customers generally
place great trust in the ability of their favourite brands or companies to address their
requirements dependably, wbether it be a soap powder, a hotel room, or a massive conference
facility. Our job in our business is to make sure that our customers requirements are very clearly
understood, and to ensure that at every stage in the guest's journey through our hotels, we are
able to address our guest's needs smoothly, easily, and efficiently.
LISTENING 2: (I = Interviewer, MA= Mike Ashton)
I: How should quality improvement be measured?
MA: We well as a general guide, I'd say quality improvement should be measured consistently
over a period of time, and very accurately, so that everybody believes in the reports and the
figures that are circulated round an organisation. But in three specific ways, we at Hilton
measure the quality of our performance. Every year we contact thousands of guests to understand
just how satisfied they are with all the important areas in our business, whether it be the way they
arve and depart from a hotel, or the quality of their bedroom and the food that they eat. We
contact all of our tcam members, the people who work for us around the world to understand
how satisficd they are with the experience of working for Hilton, their career development, and
the training they receive. And finally we look at how efficiently and consistently we deliver our
own operational standards. So, if we for example say that no-one should take longer than a
couple of minutes in a queue to be checked into our hotel, are we delivering that consistently
around the world? And we do that through mystery visits to all of our hotels. That gives us guest
satisfaction, operational efficiency and the satisfaction of our team members, in all of our hotels
around the world.
LISTENING 3: (I = Intervicwer, MA= Mike Ashton)
I: Does high quality mean high cost?
MA: I guess it can do, but I think what's more important is, is investment in high quality,
something which will pay dividends to a company, will it help to build profitability? Certainly
delivering good quality consistently is not something that can be done without any cost to an
organisation. Investment in good people, in good training, in efficient practices and processes
will always mean that there is investment required. However, it should also be at the heart of
delivering what any organisations' customers are looking for, and if they are satisfied, and if they
keep coming back as a result, then what should follow, is healthy revenues, and even healthier
profits, and that for me makes investment in quality something that's very affordable, in fact it's
absolutely essential.
LISTENING 4: (CSR – Customer Service Representative, TG = Teresa
Green)
CSR: Good afternoon. Electrical Goods Department.
TG: Hello. This is Teresa Green. I'm calling about the DVD player I bought from you a few
weeks ago. Unfortunately there's a problem with it.
CSR: I'm sorry to hear that. What seems to be the problem?
TG: It doesn't work.
CSR: Could you give me some details, please?
TG: Well, the eject mechanism's not reliable. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't
CSR: Can you bring it in? Then we can look into the matter and we'll probably send the machine
back to the manufacturer.
TG: I'm sorry but I'd prefer to exchange it.
CSR: I'm afraid it's not our policy to replace items. We'll send it back to the manufacturer for
repair.
TG: Well, that's not really good enough. I'd like a different make and I don't mind paying a little
more for a better model.
CSR: All right then. Bring the machine in and we'll see what we can do for you.
LISTENING 5:
1. The worst time is seven to eleven in the morning. There are always big queues at the check-in
desk, and it's very disorganised. I also missed a flight because of the long line at passport control
- there are always huge queues there.
2. It's just like the airports back home for us smokers. I had to go right outside the terminal to
have a cigarette before my flight. And I wasn't the only person there, I can tell you. I hoped you
British would be a bit more understanding about smoking. We're not criminals, are we?
3. There's a buge duty-free shop - that's good. But the staff are too keen to get you to spend your
money. They follow you round the shop offering special promotions. They really hassle you. The
other services are poor. They need more dispensers for candy bars, beverages, magazines and so
on in the waiting areas. Such things are useful when your flight is delayed.
4. It's difficult to get information about flights. The public announcements are either non-existent
or so quiet you can't hear them above people talking. The TV screens could provide updates on a
regular basis but the information is very vague. A few weeks ago, my flight was delayed four
hours. Engine trouble. Noone told us anything. There should be more airport staff to deal with
emergencies.
5. You need to provide guards or officials to watch passengers and their belongings. I put my
briefcase down when I was getting money out of a cash machine. It was gone in a flash, never
saw who took it. I had my laptop in it, and I wasn't insured. I talked to another passenger; he'd
had small things stolen from his luggage on three occasions.
6. I find the worst service is at the point where I pick up my suitcase as it comes off the plane.
There's this huge room but it only has two conveyor belts and they break down all the time. You
often wait about twenty minutes for the first bags to appear. So now I expect to wait at least
thirty minutes before I pass through customs. Oh and another thing, you need more trolleys, all
over the airport, not just at the point where you pick up your luggage.
7. The facilities for disabled people like me could be better. I had to pay eighteen pounds to use a
wheelchair to get to the plane. I think it's outrageous. I don't know whose responsibility it is.
8. Well, my complaint is that there is nowhere to park. I travel everywhere by car. Your car park
is much too small. The other day I spent forty minutes driving around until I found a space. It
was only my good luck that someone was leaving. This is the twenty-first century, isn't it? You'd
think airports of all places would be prepared for the increased traffic!