309630849-business-builder-4-6-pdf.pdf

B u s i n e s s Builder

Modules 4 5 6

Contents Introduction Needs Analysis Discussions and meetings

Minu inutes

Activity ity ty type

4.1

Giving and asking for opinions Giving and asking for opinions: informal discussions and formal meetings.

40-50

Language Wo Work

4.2

Developing an argument Linking words: In fact, For instance, However, However, On the whole, At least, Therefore. Therefore.

50-60

Language Work

4.3

Agreeing and disagreeing Technique Techniques: s: standard standard phrases, phrases, synonyms, synonyms, examples, examples, Yes, but ... questions. ns. ..., questio

40-50

Language Wo Work

4.4

Developing a complex argument Linking Linking phrases: phrases: listing listing points, points, giving giving both sides, saying what might might happen, happen, moving on.

40-50

Langua ge Work

4.5

Making suggestions Solving Solving business problems: problems: making, making, accepting accepting and rejecting suggestions. suggestions.

40-50

Langua ge Work

4.6

Checking understanding Asking for repetition. Asking for more information. Paraphrasing. Clarifying.

40-50

Language Wo Work

4.7

Diplomatic language Speaking carefully: coul negative questions, questions, qualifiers. qualifiers. could, d, might might,, just just,, seems seems, negative

40-50

Language Work

4.8

Chairing: Chairing: opening opening the meeting meeting Welcoming. Explaining objectives. Looking at the agenda. Asking someone to start.

30-40

Language Wo Work

4.9

Chairing: managing the discussion Asking for opinions. Checking understanding.Avoiding side-tracks. Moving on.

50-60

Language Wo Work

4.10

Topics for discussion Lists of free discussion topics.

30-40

Skills Practice

4.11

Problems, Problems, problems problems Solving Solving everyday problems: problems: making suggestions suggestions,, agreeing agreeing and disagreeing.

30-40

Skills Practice

4.12

What makes a good chairperson? Meeting: Meeting: how to chair meetings. meetings.

40-50

Skills Practice

4.13

World leaders Meeting: allocating a budget and planning an itinerary.

50-60

Skills Practice

4.14

Product launch: WOW! WOW! Clothing Meeting: marketing plan for launching a new brand of clothing.

40-50

Skills Practice

4.15

A public relations problem Meeting: dealing with a public relations crisis.

40-50

Skills Practice

4.16

Personal training needs Presentation and meeting: evaluating training needs of other group members.

60-90

Skills Practice

4.17

Reducing costs Meeting: making financial cuts across different departments.

40-50

Skills Practice

4.18

Appraisal meeting Meeting: Meeting: work problems, problems, promotion, promotion, salary negotiation, negotiation, personal personal developm development. ent.

40-50

Skills Practice

4.19

Economic predictions Meeting: predictions for a variety of economic and financial indicators.

40-50

Skills Practice

This page has been downloaded from www.businessenglishonline.net. www.businessenglishonline.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2002.


Modules 4 5 6

4.20

Bad news! Meeting: choosing an alternative location for the class using formal decision-making.

4.21

4.22

40-50

Skills Practice

Dialogue Dialogue building: building: discussion discussion Open framework for writing a discussion.

variable

Skills Practice

Dialogue Dialogue building: meeting meeting Open framework for writing a meeting extract.

variable

Skills Practice

Minutes

Activit vity ty type

Business correspondence 5.1

An introduction to business correspondence Layout and structur structure e conventions of a letter. letter. Style Style differences: differences: letters, letters, faxes, faxes, e-mail. e-mail.

50-60

Language Wo Work

5.2

The style of written English Differences between spoken and written language. Letter and e-mail writing style.

50-60

Language Work

5.3

Types of business document Typical business documents in a supplier/customer transaction.

30-40

Language Wo Work

5.4

Topics for letters, letters, faxes and e-mails e-mails List of topics for practising business correspondence.

variable

Skills Practice

5.5

Easilife and Novex An exchange of correspondence between a supplier and customer.

varia ble

Skills Practice

5.6

Adventure and Suntime An exchange of correspondence between travel companies. Follow-up meeting.

variable

Skills Practice

Minutes

Activity type type

Business reports 6.1

An introduction to report writing Structure, Structure, style and language language of a business business report.

50-60

Language Wo Work

6.2

Linking words and paragraph structure Cohesion: Cohesion: sequencing, sequencing, generalizing, generalizing, contrasting, contrasting, rephrasing rephrasing etc. Paragraph Paragraph structure structure..

50-60

Language Work

6.3

The style of business reports Impersonal Impersonal style: style: passive, passive, compound compound nouns. nouns. Balanced Balanced style: ‘vague’language.

50-60

Language Wo Work

6.4

Figures and graphs Approximate and exact numbers. Writing numbers. Describing information in a chart/table.

30-40

Language Wo Work

6.5

Topics for practice reports List of topic ideas for writing reports.

variable

Skills Practice

6.6

Using notes to write a report Organizing and expanding given information: a report on negotiations or an investment report.

variable

Skills Practice

6.7

Report: personal management skills Free writing practice: student’s own skills in one of a range of management areas.

variable

Skills Practice

6.8

Report: the impact impact of information technology technology Free writing practice: the impact of IT on either the student’s business or society. society.

variable

Skills Practice

This page has been downloaded from www.businessenglishonline.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited Limited 2002.


Modules 4 5 6

4.20

Bad news! Meeting: choosing an alternative location for the class using formal decision-making.

4.21

4.22

40-50

Skills Practice

Dialogue Dialogue building: building: discussion discussion Open framework for writing a discussion.

variable

Skills Practice

Dialogue Dialogue building: meeting meeting Open framework for writing a meeting extract.

variable

Skills Practice

Minutes

Activit vity ty type

Business correspondence 5.1

An introduction to business correspondence Layout and structur structure e conventions of a letter. letter. Style Style differences: differences: letters, letters, faxes, faxes, e-mail. e-mail.

50-60

Language Wo Work

5.2

The style of written English Differences between spoken and written language. Letter and e-mail writing style.

50-60

Language Work

5.3

Types of business document Typical business documents in a supplier/customer transaction.

30-40

Language Wo Work

5.4

Topics for letters, letters, faxes and e-mails e-mails List of topics for practising business correspondence.

variable

Skills Practice

5.5

Easilife and Novex An exchange of correspondence between a supplier and customer.

varia ble

Skills Practice

5.6

Adventure and Suntime An exchange of correspondence between travel companies. Follow-up meeting.

variable

Skills Practice

Minutes

Activity type type

Business reports 6.1

An introduction to report writing Structure, Structure, style and language language of a business business report.

50-60

Language Wo Work

6.2

Linking words and paragraph structure Cohesion: Cohesion: sequencing, sequencing, generalizing, generalizing, contrasting, contrasting, rephrasing rephrasing etc. Paragraph Paragraph structure structure..

50-60

Language Work

6.3

The style of business reports Impersonal Impersonal style: style: passive, passive, compound compound nouns. nouns. Balanced Balanced style: ‘vague’language.

50-60

Language Wo Work

6.4

Figures and graphs Approximate and exact numbers. Writing numbers. Describing information in a chart/table.

30-40

Language Wo Work

6.5

Topics for practice reports List of topic ideas for writing reports.

variable

Skills Practice

6.6

Using notes to write a report Organizing and expanding given information: a report on negotiations or an investment report.

variable

Skills Practice

6.7

Report: personal management skills Free writing practice: student’s own skills in one of a range of management areas.

variable

Skills Practice

6.8

Report: the impact impact of information technology technology Free writing practice: the impact of IT on either the student’s business or society. society.

variable

Skills Practice

This page has been downloaded from www.businessenglishonline.net. It is photocopiable, but all copies must be complete pages. Copyright © Macmillan Publishers Limited Limited 2002.

4.1 Giving and asking for opinions

Busine Busine ss Builde Builde r Tea cher Reso urce Series

Teacher’s Notes Notes

4. 2a Developing an argument

Busine ss Builde r Tea cher Reso urce Series

Teacher’s Notes

4. 2b Developing an argument


Teacher’s Notes

4. 3 Agreeing and disagreeing


Teacher’s Notes

4. 4

Developing a complex argument


Teacher’s Notes

4.4

Business Builder Tea cher Resou rce Series

Developing a complex argument A

Worksheet

Study this extract from a talk about tourism. Are any of the problems the same for your country? W ell, in this cou ntry w e are facing tw o m ain problem s:firstly the fact that ou r tourism industry is based on just one m ain product, that is to say ‘ sun an d sand’type h olidays, an d secondly the fact that the tourists w ho com e h ere d on’ t spen d very m uch m oney. It’ s true that our econom y has benefited from tourism , but on the o ther hand I’ m sure yo u’ llag ree that w e’ ve h ad too m uch poor quality construction an d too little atten tion to plan ning. W e m ust learn from these m istakes, otherw ise w e w illdestroy our few rem aining natural areas. A s reg ards the p roblem of low spen ding by our visitors,the o nly solution is to im prove the p roduct w e offer. U nless w e do this,w e w on’ t survive in the future. O ther countries no w offer beach holidays at cheaper prices than ours. So w e have to look for new m arkets, both in term s of the type o f custom er w e attract an d the geo grap hical reg ions they visit. A s far as developing new reg ions is concerned , w e n eed to support tourism in the interior of the country, particularly ‘ culturaltourism ’ . To start w ith, w e urgently need to restore m any old churches, castles an d other historic buildings,an d then w e also need to m arket the attractions of these rural areas m ore actively. O n the w hole I’ m reasonab ly optim istic ab out the future of our industry, but it’ s go ing to becom e m ore an d m ore im portan t to pay atten tion to custom er service. In particular w e m ust give m ore training to em ployees in the hotel an d restau ran t sectors.

B

Complete the table with the underlined phrases from section A. Remember that most phrases have two parts. For one thing, ... and for another, ...

Listing more than one point

Giving both sides of an argument

Saying what will happen in certain circumstances

1

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

2

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In general..., although ...

3

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

4

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

If w e ..., it’ llprobably m ean that ...

5

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

6

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

In relation to ...

Introducing another point

C ! Macmillan

7

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

8

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––---––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Write the script for a short talk on the future of the tourist industry in your city or country. Use phrases from section B. Then work in small groups: read out your scripts and develop a discussion. Publishers Ltd 2002

15

This page may be photocopied for use in class

4. 5 Making suggestions


Teacher’s Notes

4.6 Checking understanding


Teacher’s Notes

4.7

Diplomatic language


Teacher’s Notes

4.8 Chairing: opening the meeting


Teacher’s Notes

4. 9a Chairing: managing the discussion


Teacher’s Notes

4. 9b Chairing: managing the discussion


Teacher’s Notes

4.10 Topics for discussion


Teacher’s Notes

4.11


Problems, problems

Teacher’s Notes

AIM.

PROCEDURE.

To practise solving everyday problems through making suggestions, agreeing and disagreeing.

1

T IME.

30–40 minutes PREPARATIO N.

Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. Prepare 10 pieces of paper numbered 1–10. You will need one set of numbers for each group of students at stage 3.

2

3

4

Read out a few of the ‘problems’ from the worksheet and get initial reactions, suggestions and humorous comments from the students. Establish a light-hearted atmosphere where all suggestions are interesting and valid, no matter how crazy. Write up on the board the headings Making suggestions, Agreeing and Disagreeing and elicit a few phrases for each. Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions and phrases. Then refer to the ten ‘problems’ and allow time for the students to read through. Remind the students that they can invent details and personalize the problems. Divide the class into small groups. Explain that it is an informal discussion, not a formal meeting, so chairing will not be necessary. However the person who leads the discussion should take responsibility for trying to clarify any suggestions that are unclear. Place the 10 pieces of paper face down in the middle of each group. Ask students to take turns picking a number. Start the activity, circulate and make a note of good/bad language use. (Note: This activity always works better if students are forced into choosing a number randomly.) Hold a short feedback slot.

© Paul Em m erson 19 99 . Pub lished by M acm illan H einem ann Eng lish Lang uag e Teaching

4.11


Problems, problems

Worksheet

Form small groups to have a discussion. Follow this sequence: 1 2 3

O ne p erson cho ose a problem from the list and explain it in you r ow n w ords to the others. Everyone think of possible solutions to the problem . C hoose the best solution. Repeat for the other people in the group.

Making suggestions H ow about ... (+ -ing )? W hy not ... ? It’ s just an idea, but w hy d on’ t you ...? H ave you ever thought of ... (+ -ing ) I know , m aybe you could ...

Agreeing That sounds like a good idea. That m ight be w orth trying. Yes, I think that w ould w ork really w ell because...

Disagreeing I’ m not sure about that because ... D o n’ t you think a better alternative w ould be ... ? I’ m afraid I don’ t really like that idea.

1 You’ ve been feeling very tired recently, although at bed tim e you can’ t get to sleep. You seem to have little energy for doing anything at the m om ent. 2 You h ave a debt of $3 00 0 o n your V ISA card. You d on ’ t have m uch cash at the m om ent. 3 You feel that you are a little overw eight. You have tried dieting an d exercise m an y tim es but each tim e you give up after a few w eeks. 4 Your son has recently been caught trying to break into a car an d steal the radio. Yo u can’ t understan d it as he is no rm ally so w ell-beh aved. H e refuses to talk about it. 5 A friend of you rs has just lost her job at the age o f 50 due to reorganization in her com pany. She w as a M arketing M anager, and w as successful in her w ork. She h as applied for m any job s bu t never even gets an an sw er. 6 Yo u have invited your boss for dinner at your house tonight and have p repared a beautiful m eat dish. Suddenly you rem em ber that your boss is vegetarian. H e/She is due to arrive in 45 m inutes. W hat dish can you prepare to im press him /her? 7 You’ ve got to buy a p resent for you r retired aunt. You don’ t have m uch m oney or m uch tim e to go looking. 8 Yo ur m other-in-law lives in the sam e block. Sh e o ften visits and usually finds som ething to criticize. 9 Your job is boring, bad ly paid an d you don’ t really like your colleagues. U nfortunately new jobs are h ard to find these days. 10 Yo u w an t to im prove yo ur En glish b ut you have very little tim e and it is im possible to atten d regular classes.


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PHOTOCOPIABLE

4.12


What makes a good chairperson?

Teacher’s Notes

This role-play is particularly suitable as the very first meetings role-play on a course. AIM.

To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting about how to chair meetings. T IME.


Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. PROCEDURE.

1 Write up on the board the worksheet title and use it as the basis for a short class discussion. Elicit and write up various functions of the chairperson and a phrase to go with each one. For example: Explaining the objectives of the meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to ... Asking for opinions: What’s your view on this, X? Asking for clarification: I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Can you explain that again? Summarizing: So, ... Letting one person speak: One at a time, please. First X, then Y. Taking control of the discussion: Right. Checking agreement: Good. Does everyone agree? Changing to a new topic: Can we move on to ... ? Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting in section B. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A in the box. Read out situation 1 and the three possible responses as an example, and remind students to number their first and second choice response. Then allow time for the students to complete the task by reading the other situations and numbering their chosen responses. Circulate, helping with vocabulary, while the students work individually.

3 Refer to the instructions for section B. Explain that the role of chair will rotate to allow several students to practise being chairperson. Appoint the chair for situations 3/4 and 5/6 before you begin and remind students that there are some phrases on the board to help them when they are in the chair. Finally, explain that you are ‘invisible’ and they should deal with anything that happens in the meeting on their own, as they would in real life. You might occasionally supply a word but apart from that they should ignore you. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 4 Hold a short feedback slot. Using the role-play with different numbers of students

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Hold simultaneous meetings. 2– 6 students: Follow the instructions above. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes working alone to read section A and number their first and second choices. Refer to section B and ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and continue in the chair for all six items. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.


4.12


What makes a good chairperson? A

Worksheet

Work individually. Imagine you are the chairperson in each situation below. What would your response be? Number your first and second choice each time.

B

Have a meeting to reach a group decision on the best and second best response for each situation. Change the role of chairperson after every two items: And now I’m going to hand over the chair to ... 1

Yo u are expecting ten participan ts for a 9 .00 am m eeting. It is 9.02 an d only eight peo ple are present. Th e tw o m issing peo ple are n ot key participan ts. N o one told you of an y plan s to be late.

a b c 2

Beg in the m eeting w ith those p resent. C all the tw o peo ple o n their m obile p hones to see if they are co m ing. W ait another few m inutes and then b egin.

Th e m eeting h as been running for 25 m inutes.So m e p articipan ts have not spoken , although they ap pear to be interested an d atten tive.

a b c 3

A sk one o f the n on-con tributors for an opinion or reaction. A sk the n on-con tributors in a frien dly w ay w hy they are n ot speaking.

A s chairperson, you have introduced a topic. H ow ever, no-one w an ts to beg in the d iscussion.

a b c 4

D o nothing at the m om en t, but con tinue to m onitor the situation.

A sk a gen eral question to the g roup. A sk a g en eral question to one p erson. A sk an easy, specific question to one p erson.

The m eeting has been run ning for 45 m inu tes and half the agenda item s have been covered. Yo u notice, through non-verbal beh aviour, that the interest level of the group is falling.

a b c 5

Say you w ill shorten the m eeting, then finish the cu rren t item an d close the m eeting. Su ggest a five-m inute b reak. Sp eak m ore loudly and in a m ore lively w ay.

O ne p articipan t starts talking for a long tim e about a top ic that is no t on the agen da.

a b c

Say in a frien dly w ay I

feel this is a bit of a side-track , then

refocus the d iscussion.

Th an k the p articipan t an d suggest you discuss the topic at the n ext m eeting. Th an k the p articipan t an d suggest you discuss the topic at the end of the m eeting if there is tim e.

6

Tw o peo ple, sitting together, keep w hispering to each other. It has been going on for som e tim e.

a b c

A sk them to share their discussion w ith the g roup. A sk one o f them a specific question to refocu s their atten tion. Pau se at an ap propriate p oint w hile yo u are talking an d look at them . W ait until they stop.

© Paul Em m erson 19 99 . Pub lished by M acm illan H einem ann E ng lish Lang uag e Teaching

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PHOTOCOPIABLE

4.13


World leaders

Teacher’s Notes

AIM.

To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting about allocating a budget and planning a sightseeing itinerary. T IME.



1 Read out from the worksheet the first paragraph in the box. Let the students react and elicit a few ways that they might prepare the room (e.g. see list on worksheet) and some suggestions for places to visit. 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Consider also whether you need to re-elicit any language for the chairperson (see stage 1 of Teachers Notes for worksheet 4.12). Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the box again and refer to section A and the spending options and schedule underneath the box. Indicate the item ‘Gift’ where the students can think of an idea (perhaps something with the Language School logo?). Explain that during the preparation the pairs don’t need to make any definite decisions. Allow 10 minutes for the preparation. Divide the class into pairs and circulate, helping with vocabulary. 4 Refer to section B and the agenda at the bottom of the worksheet. Appoint a chairperson for the meeting. If necessary, explain that you are ‘invisible’ and they should deal with anything that happens in the meeting on their own, as they would in real life. You might occasionally supply a word but apart from that they should ignore you. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 5 Hold a short feedback slot.

Using the role-play with different numbers of students

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Split pairs who worked together at the preparation stage. Hold simultaneous meetings. 2–6 students: Follow the instructions above. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes working alone to read the worksheet and prepare some ideas for the budget and programme. Refer to the agenda and ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and go through the agenda. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.


4.13


World leaders

Worksheet

N ext m onth the Presidents/Prim e M inisters of Am erica, Russia, C hina, Jap an, G erm any, France, the U K and the coun try w here you are no w are com ing to this roo m to have a secret m eeting abou t a m ajor international crisis. Th e m eeting w ill be on a Saturday and w ill last from 9.00am until 4.00pm . O n Sunday these leaders w ill go on a sightseeing tour of the city w here you are now w ith their w ives/hu sband s. You are the organizers of the w eeken d. You have a bud get of $4 00 0 to spend on preparing the room , and you m ust also plan the sightseeing day.

A

Work with a partner to prepare for the meeting. Study the options below for how to spend the $4000. Then study the schedule for the sightseeing day and think of ideas for the visits.

B

Form a group, choose a chairperson and have a meeting.

Preparing the room

Cost

1 Security review and report by specialist firm

800

2 H ire of notebook PC w ith Internet access (per com puter)

200

3 H ire of printer, scanner, fax and photocopier

400

4 Translator (per languag e –only bilingual translators available)

400

5 Executive secretary to take notes of the m eeting

400

6 C offee, sandw iches, biscuits

300

7 Redecoration, flow ers on the table, pictures on the w alls

600

8 H ire of tem p orary air-conditioning unit

200

9 Flip chart & m arker pens; place cards

200

10 G ift (__________________________________________ )

?

Schedule for sightseeing on Sunday 9.30 - 1.00 1.00 - 3.00 3.00 - 5.30 8 .0 0

V isit to on e or tw o historic buildings/places of interest Lunch Further visit C u ltu ral even t (th eatre, o pera etc.)

Agenda for the meeting 1 2 3

C hairperson’ s opening com m ents D ecision on how to spend the $40 00 budg et D ecision on the prog ram m e for Sun day


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PHOTOCOPIABLE

Total per item

4.14


Product launch: WOW! Clothing

Teacher’s Notes

This role-play is for single-nationality groups or at least groups where all members come from the same market area (e.g. Europe). This is because all the students need to be aware of the same media opportunities at agenda items 6 and 7. AIM.


To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting about planning a marketing campaign for launching a new brand of clothing.

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Split pairs who worked together at the preparation stage. Hold simultaneous meetings. 2–6 students: Follow the instructions above. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes working alone to read the worksheet and prepare some ideas. Ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and go through the agenda. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

T IME.



1 Read out from the worksheet the first paragraph in the box. Let the students react and elicit a few issues that they might have to discuss (e.g. see agenda on worksheet). 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Consider also whether you need to re-elicit any language for the chairperson (see stage 1 of Teachers Notes for worksheet 4.12). Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the box again and refer to section A, the background information and agenda. Discuss with the class who the main competitors are (e.g. Gap/Benetton/Tommy Hilfiger) and ask them to fill in this information on the sheet. Explain that during the preparation the pairs don’t need to make any definite decisions. Allow 10 minutes for this preparation. Divide the class into pairs and circulate, helping with vocabulary. 4 Refer to section B. Appoint a chairperson for the meeting. If necessary, explain that you are ‘invisible’ and they should deal with anything that happens in the meeting on their own, as they would in real life. You might occasionally supply a word but apart from that they should ignore you. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 5 Hold a short feedback slot.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

36


4.14


Product launch: WOW! Clothing

Worksheet

Yo u w ork for H otspot International, a m arketing consultancy. H otspot has just w on the co ntract to launch a new brand of clothing in you r m arket. Yo u w illhave a m eeting to discuss your launch cam paign.

A

Work with a partner to prepare for the meeting. Study the background information and agenda. Discuss some ideas to present to the meeting.

B

Form a group, choose a chairperson and have a meeting.

Background information Client: Product: Target Market: Main Competitor: Client objective: Campaign length:

W O W ! C lothing (W O W ! is a franchise) A fullran ge of casual, m id-price clothing for both sexes 15 -24 age grou p _________________ To obtain 10% m arket share in first year Tw o m onths

Agenda 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8

! Macmillan

C hairperson’ s op ening com m ents. Bran d im ag e. (fun? sporty? rad ical an d alternative? O ther?) Style o f cam paign. (controversial? h um orous? em phasizing quality? em phasizing value for m oney? O ther?) Slog an to prom ote the b rand. W ell-know n person ality to prom ote the brand. (Som eone from the w orld of po p m usic? sport? H ow w illthe p ersonality be u sed?) M edia m ix.D ecide w hat % of the bu dg et w illbe spen t on : TV ___ Radio ___ N ew spapers ___ M agazines ___ Posters ___ Sponsorship of m usic/sports ___ U se of chosen m edia. TV: w hich channels? w hat tim es? w hat type o f advert? Radio: w hich stations? w hat tim es? w hat type of advert? N ew spapers: w hich ones? w hat type of advert? M agazines: w hich o nes? w hat type o f advert? Po sters: bus-shelters? m etro? large road side sites? Sponsorship: w hat type of even ts? Special lau nch event that w illget good m edia coverage.

Publishers Ltd 2002

37


4.15


A public relations problem

Teacher’s Notes

AIM.


To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting about dealing with a public relations crisis.

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Students with the same role should prepare together first. 6 students: Use the roles as given on the worksheet. 5 students: Combine the two marketing roles. 4 students: Combine the two marketing roles. Also, the President represents the views of the Finance Director. 3 students: Do not divide roles, instead all three students can comment on anything. The role-notes are ‘memos’ from people in the various departments and can be read by everyone. Do still choose a President to chair the meeting. 2 students: As for 3 students, but without a chair. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes to read the worksheet and prepare some ideas. Ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and go through the agenda. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

T IME.



1 Read out from the worksheet the first paragraph in the box. Let the students react and elicit a few issues that they might have to discuss (e.g. see role notes on worksheet). 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Consider also whether you need to re-elicit any language for the chairperson (see stage 1 of Teachers Notes for worksheet 4.12). Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the box again and refer to section A. Ask students to choose their roles (see box below if you do not have six students). Allow a few minutes for students to read their own rolenotes and think about what they are going to say. Circulate, helping with vocabulary. 4 Refer to section B. If necessary, explain that you are ‘invisible’ and they should deal with anything that happens in the meeting on their own, as they would in real life. You might occasionally supply a word but apart from that they should ignore you. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 5 Hold a short feedback slot.

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4.15


A public relations problem

Worksheet

Yo ur com pany sells pre-coo ked m eals through large superm arket chains. Last m onth you launched a new line w ith an expen sive advertising cam paign on the television. Th e lau nch w as very successful. Yesterday som e n ew spapers reported new research w hich show s that eating genetically m odified soya beans m ay increase the risk of can cer in rats. Yo ur new line o f food uses genetically m odified soya. Th is m orning a con sum er grou p p hon ed your com pany asking for an interview and a pu blic statem ent. Yo ur com pany w illgive a p ress con ference tom orrow . Yo u have b een called to an urgent m eeting to discuss the situation.

A

Prepare to have a meeting. Choose your roles (you may have to combine roles). Read your own role notes.

B

Have a meeting using the agenda below.

Role-notes President

Yo u w illchair the m eeting using the ag enda b elow . Try to get agreem ent on w hat you need to do. Start by asking everybody in turn to describe the situation from their point of view .

Marketing Director

Sh ould you stillprom ote the n ew line o r sho uld you recallthe p roducts (take them off the m arket)? H ow can you restore confidence in you r products?

Marketing Manager

Yesterday afternoon your phone d idn’ t stop ringing –superm arket m an ag ers w ere calling to know if the food w as safe an d w hat action you w ere taking. O rders for pre-cooked foo d are 2 5% dow n. O ther prod ucts carrying your brand n am e are also sho w ing low er sales.

Finance Director

A ny solution has to be justified in term s of cost. Recalling the p roduct an d lau nching a new line w illbe very expen sive. A new ad vertising cam paign or new packag ing w illbe expensive.

Product Manager

M an y other tests have sho w n that these gen etically m odified vegetab les are safe. Probab ly there w as a m istake in the experim en t. Further tests m ay n ot give a clear an sw er. Th e problem is that consum er groups like to m ake trouble.

Public Relations Officer Yo u w illspeak at a press con ference tom orrow . W hat w illyou say? H ow can you lim it the dam age to your sales and your com pany im age?

Agenda 1 2 3

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C hairperson’ s opening com m ents Im m ed iate action reg arding the n ew line Press con ference tom orrow : w hat to say

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4.16


Personal training needs

Teacher’s Notes

For 4+ students this role-play works as a presentation + meeting activity. For 2/3 students it works as a presentation + report writing activity. 5 Refer to section C. Emphasize that the decision on who they would send should be made solely on the basis of training needs and the arguments presented, not cost. Appoint a chairperson for each meeting and set a time limit. Ask one of the groups to go to another room. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. Alternate between the two rooms and control the timing so that they both finish at about the same time. 6 Hold a short feedback slot.

AIM.

To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting that evaluates the real training needs of other students in the group. T IME.


Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. It is essential that a second room is available at section C so that there can be two simultaneous meetings and students do not hear themselves being discussed. If this is not possible, do not do section C as a meeting. Instead, students could write individual reports.

Using the role-play with different numbers of students 4+ students: Follow the instructions above. 2/3 students: Follow stages 1–3, but without dividing into two groups. Students simply present to the other student/s. It will not be possible to have a meeting but students can write individual reports evaluating the proposal/s instead. Join in yourself with questions to the presenters. 1:1 lesson: Refer only to section A and the list of possible courses. Ask the student to prepare the presentation for homework. Listen to the presentation in the next class and ask challenging questions as a ‘training manager’ who needs to be convinced. Record it onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

PROCEDURE.

1 Write up on the board the two-line heading from the box on the worksheet. Let the students react and brainstorm a few ideas for training courses that group members need in real life. Briefly introduce the idea of the two groups who will each choose a ‘winner’. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Refer to section A and the list of possible courses in the table. Explain that students can use these ideas, or think of another real-life training course that they need. Allow 20 minutes for students to prepare their presentations. Emphasize that students should make notes only, not write a full text. Circulate, helping with vocabulary, while the students work individually. (Alternatively, set this for homework). 3 Refer to section B. Divide the class into group A and group B and ask them to sit on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. Explain that the students from group A will give their presentations in turn. Set a time limit of 4 minutes for each presentation and 4 minutes for questions. Remind group B members to take a few notes. Start the activity. It may be necessary to control the timing so that the students have approximately equal lengths of time. 4 When all the group A students have given their presentations, change group roles so that the old group B now give their presentations while the old group A listen, ask questions and take notes.

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4.16


Personal training needs

Worksheet

COMPETITION Persuad e your colleagues to send you on a training cou rse

A

Work individually. Choose a short training course that you would like to go on (see the list below for ideas). Prepare a short presentation explaining why you would benefit from going on this particular course. Use your real-life training needs to persuade your colleagues that you should go.

B

Divide into two groups of equal size. At the end change group roles. Group A Give your presentations to Group B. Group B Listen carefully to each presentation and take a few notes. Ask follow-up questions and give the presenters every chance to explain their case.

C

Each group has enough money to send just one person from the other group on a training course. Have meetings in different rooms to decide on who you would send. Ideas for training courses

Training Course

Location and Duration

Details

Business English

UK

Intensive cou rse of Business English. C ontact w ith other students

2 w eeks

from around the w orld. Som e free tim e to see the localarea.

A dvan ced

C alifornia

A dvan ced training for an integ rated suite of business softw are.

So ftw are

2 w eeks

C o vers w o rd -p ro cessin g, sp read sh eets, d atab ases an d n etw o rks. So m e free tim e to visit C alifornia.

O utdoor Training

Job Rotation

Lake D istrict,

D evelopm en t of team w ork, self-con fiden ce, ab ility to take

N W En glan d

decisions under stress –an d a tim e to reflect.Ph ysically

2 w eeks

dem anding but w ithin the capabilities of the average person.

In-C om pany

You spend one m onth in every departm ent of your com pany to learn ab out every aspect of the business.

Junior Board

In-C om pany

You w ork w ith other m iddle m anagers on a ‘ junior’Board of D irectors. You are g iven the opportunity for top-level an alysis and po licy m aking.

O ther (your idea)

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4.17


Reducing costs

Teacher’s Notes

This role-play is for students with some business experience. It is particularly good where there is a mix of business backgrounds in the group as each student can choose the role they know most about. AIM.


To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting about making financial cuts across several departments.

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Students with the same role should prepare together first. 6 students: Use the roles as given on the worksheet. 5 students: Combine the marketing and sales roles. 4 students: Combine the marketing and sales roles. Also, the chairperson now represents the views of the Human Resources Department. 3 students: Do not divide roles, instead all three students can comment on anything. The role-notes are ‘memos’ from people in the various departments and can be read by everyone. Do still choose someone to chair the meeting. 2 students: As for 3 students, but without a chair. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes to read the Consultants’ recommendations and the role-notes (which are ‘memos’ from people in the various departments). Ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

T IME.



1 Read out from the worksheet the first paragraph in the box. Let the students react and elicit a few issues that they might have to discuss (e.g. see consultants’ recommendations on worksheet). 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Consider also whether you need to re-elicit any language for the chairperson (see stage 1 of Teachers Notes for worksheet 4.12). Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the first paragraph of the box again and refer to section A and the consultants’ recommendations. Read the recommendations aloud and clarify any unknown vocabulary. Explain that ‘currency units’ has been used to avoid stating an exact figure or currency. One unit could be, for example, $10,000 – but this doesn’t matter. 4 Refer to section B and the role-notes. Ask students to choose their roles (see box below for combining roles). Allow a few minutes for students to read their own role-notes and think about what they are going to say. Circulate, helping with vocabulary. 5 Refer to section C. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 6 Hold a short feedback slot.

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4.17


Reducing costs

Worksheet

Yo u w ork for a m ed ium -sized m an ufacturing co m pan y. Yo u m ake high-quality office furniture. Foreign com petitors have recently entered you r m arket. Yo u m ust reduce costs urgently to m ake your com pany m ore com petitive. Yo u have to m ake savings of 50 curren cy un its. A firm of consultan ts has suggested som e p ossible savings in a report w hich is sum m arized below .

A

Study the consultants’ recommendations.

B

Prepare to have a meeting. Choose which department/s you will represent (you may have to combine roles) and read your own role-notes. There will be a neutral President.

C

Have a meeting to decide how to reduce your costs by 50 currency units. Balance the desire to protect your own department with the need to assist the company. Consultants’ recommendations Department

Staff

Estimated savings (units)

30

• better quality con trolto red uce w aste an d defects ..................10 • save energy ................................................................................5 • better m aintenance o f m achines ................................................5 • freeze investm ent in new equipm ent........................................10 • red uce inventories (stocks) of finished goods............................10

6

• red uce advertising budget........................................................15 • reduce m arket research into n ew product ideas..........................5

12

• reduce entertaining and travelco sts ........................................10

Human Resources

2

• increase salaries by 2% less than the rate o f inflation ..............15 • cut staff in alldepartm ents............................5 units per person • chan ge staff cars every four years instead of every tw o years ..10 • reduce training budget ..............................................................5

Accounts

6

• red uce receivables (m oney ow ed by custom ers)........................10 • pay su ppliers later ....................................................................10 • delay upgrade of com puters ......................................................5 • reduce dividend to sh areholders ................................................5

Production and Operating

Marketing Sales

Role-notes President

Yo u are n eu tral an d w illchair the m eeting. Start by asking everybody in turn to describe the situation from their point of view .

Production and Operating

Yo u think the sug gested savings for quality control an d red ucing inven tories are

Marketing

Red ucing the ad vertising budget w on’ t help. In fact it w illm ake the situation w orse.

Sales

It is vital to keep good relationships w ith custom ers, an d your sales team needs to

exaggerated.

take them out to lunch occasionally.

Human Resources

If you give a sm allsalary increase you risk losing skilled w orkers.

Accounts

Yo u think the figures for im proving cash-flow are exag gerated .

Th e training budget is an investm en t for the future.

Yo u w an t to keep the g ood relationship you have w ith suppliers. ! Macmillan

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4.18


Appraisal meeting

Teacher’s Notes

AIM.

PROCEDURE.

To practise a meeting between line manager and employee to discuss work problems, promotion opportunities, a salary increase and personal development.

1

T IME.


Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class, and fold them across the middle. 2

3

4

5 6

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Write up on the board the phrase Appraisal meeting. Give the meaning of ‘to appraise’ (to judge the value or quality of something). Then ask what an appraisal meeting is (a regular meeting, usually annual, where the work of an employee is formally evaluated and future opportunities are discussed). Ask students what kind of issues are usually covered in an appraisal meeting (e.g. see worksheet). Tell the students that they are going to practise an appraisal meeting between employee and line manager. (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. Divide the class into pairs and appoint Employees and Line managers. Give out the correct half of the worksheet to each student. Group together pairs of students with the same role and ask them to prepare ideas together. Allow 5–10 minutes for this. Circulate, help with vocabulary, and prompt them to think about what they want from the meeting. Regroup into the A/B pairs who will do the activity. Each manager will stand by the door, inside the room, waiting for their employee. Each employee will start the activity outside the classroom. They knock on the manager’s ‘office door’ in turn and have separate discussions in different parts of the room. Start the activity, circulate and make a note of good/bad language use. Hold a short feedback slot. (Now, or in the next-class) The As and Bs change roles and repeat the activity. Hold another short feedback slot.


4.18


Appraisal meeting Student A:

Worksheet

Employee

Yo u are going to have an appraisalinterview w ith you r line m anager. These m eetings are standard practice in yo ur com pany. In the m eeting you should cover the points below . Problem in the team .O ne o f your colleagues, Bill, is very difficult to w ork w ith. H e is no t a g ood team m em ber and his behaviour is affecting you r w hole d epartm ent. Yo u think your m anager should talk to Bill and possibly m ove him to another departm ent. Prom otion.Find out about opportunities for prom otion. Salary increase for next year.N eg otiate your salary increase for next year. Yo u w ould like 4% ab ove the rate of inflation. Yo ur com pany has a policy of rew arding perform ance an d you r departm ent is doing w ell at the m om ent. Tim e-keeping.Yo u live a long w ay from your w ork and it’ s som etim es difficult to arrive on tim e in the m orning. Yo u w ould like to start an d finish half an hour later than everyone else. Personal developm ent.Your m anager w ill ask you these questions. A nsw er honestly, based on you r reallife job. • W hat do you see as your strengths and w eaknesses? • H ave you any ideas ho w you can develop you rself as a team m em ber? • H ow could your job or the system be im proved? 

Student B:

Line manager

Yo u are going to h ave an appraisalinterview w ith an em ployee (one of your best w orkers). These m eetings are standard p ractice in yo ur com pany. In the m eeting yo u should co ver the points below . Prob lem in the team .A few w eeks ago this em ployee had an argu m ent w ith ano ther team m em ber, Bill. It seem s that both sides w ere at fau lt. Relations betw een them have been difficult since then . M en tion this in the m eeting, but very tactfully (be careful not to offend). Prom otion.O pportunities for prom otion are very lim ited at the m om ent. Your com pany has just dism issed a lot of peo ple an d there are no vacant posts. H ow ever, no m ore dism issals are planned and you can reassure this em ployee that his/her job is safe. Salary increase for next year.N eg otiate this em ployee’ s salary increase for next year. Th e econom ic clim ate is still difficult an d you can’ t offer very m uch –m ayb e tw o percentag e points above inflation. Listen to his/her case and neg otiate w hat you think is a reason ab le increase. Tim e-keeping.O ccasionally this em ployee is late for w ork. Th is gives a bad exam ple to the other staff. Last M onday m orning, for exam ple, this em ployee w as very late and g ave no excuse. Personal developm ent.A sk the em ployee these questions. H e/she w ill an sw er based on his/her reallife job. • W hat do you see as your strengths and w eaknesses? • H ave you any ideas ho w you can d evelop you rself as a team m em ber? • H ow could your job or the system be im proved? ! Macmillan

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4.19


Economic predictions

Teacher’s Notes

This role-play is for students who already know a little about economic data for one particular country. Notice, however, that absolute values for the different indicators are not required, only guesses at percentage changes. Absolute values for some countries are available from the back pages of the Economist, and a photocopy of this could be used as a lead-in. AIM.


To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting to make predictions for a variety of economic and financial indicators in one country.

7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Split pairs who worked together at the preparation stage. Hold simultaneous meetings. 2–6 students: Follow the instructions above. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes working alone to read the worksheet and prepare some ideas. Ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and go through the agenda. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

T IME.



1 Read out the first paragraph from the box in the worksheet and establish which country they are going to discuss (presumably where the majority of the group come from). Write up on the board the words Economic and Financial Indicators and elicit most/all of those given in the worksheet. Remember to decide with the students which major currency/currencies they are going to compare their own currency with. 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to revise any language for making predictions. Elicit on the board, for example: I think inflation will probably/probably won’t increase by 4% I expect inflation will increase by 4% I’d be surprised if inflation increases by 4% I doubt if inflation will increase by 4% 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the box again and refer to section A and the tables of indicators. Remind the students that the pairs should try to guess the changes as preparation for the meeting, but they don’t need to be very accurate. Allow 10 minutes for this preparation. Divide the class into pairs and circulate, helping with vocabulary. 4 Refer to section B. Appoint a chairperson for the meeting. If necessary, explain that you are ‘invisible’ and they should deal with anything that happens in the meeting on their own, as they would in real life. You might occasionally supply a word but apart from that they should ignore you. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 5 Hold a short feedback slot.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

AIM.

46


4.19


Economic predictions

Worksheet

You have been asked to m ake p rediction s abou t the econom y of on e cou ntry w here you alldo business. This inform ation is needed to help you r com panies plan their operations and m ake investm ent decisions. D ecide w hich country you are going to discuss: _______________________

A

Work with a partner. Study the list of economic and financial indicators below. What do you think the situation will be 12 months from now? Make a prediction (percentage increase/decrease) for each indicator and write the figure in the ‘first guess’ column. If you feel that you don’t have sufficient information, leave a blank and move on.

B

Form a group, choose a chairperson, and have a meeting to reach a group decision on your predictions.

Economic Indicators

12 months from now (% +/–) First guess Group decision

G ross dom estic prod uct (G D P) Inflation (consum er prices) C onsum er spending (retailsales) G overnm ent spend ing Salaries (earnings) U nem ploym ent Im ports Exports

Financial Indicators

12 months from now (% +/–) First guess Group decision

Interest rates Value of stock m arket C urren cy u nit / dollar, eu ro, yen (choose w hich) H ouse p rices

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4.20


Bad news!

Teacher’s Notes

This role-play uses a formal decision-making process. This process is straightforward and familiar to many business people, but read through first and check you understand it.

To practise chairing and participating in meetings in the context of a meeting to choose an alternative location for the next day’s lessons using a formal decisionmaking process.


7+ students: Divide the class into more than one group. Hold simultaneous meetings. 2– 6 students: Follow the instructions above. 1:1 lesson: Follow stages 1 and 2 above as normal. Then give the student a few minutes working alone to read the worksheet and prepare some ideas. Ask them to introduce the meeting as chairperson and go through the agenda. Come in yourself as another participant. Record the discussion onto cassette for later feedback and reformulation.

T IME.



1 Read out from the worksheet the first paragraph in the box. Establish that the building is only unavailable for one day, and that the students should be imaginative and think of all possible options for a new location. Let the students react and elicit a few issues that they might have to discuss (cost/comfort/availability of chairs and tables/noise/privacy/if it is easy to get there/weather for outdoor locations/places to have coffee breaks and lunch). 2 (Option) Consider whether you need to re-elicit any language that you have recently worked on in class. Consider also whether you need to re-elicit any language for the chairperson (see stage 1 of Teachers Notes for worksheet 4.12). Leave these phrases on the board for the students to refer to in the meeting. 3 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Read the information in the box again and refer to section A and the grid. This grid is explained by the notes on the worksheet which the students will read. Choose a chairperson and ask them to draw the grid on the board (leave a bit of space for extra rows). Ask the other students to write down some suggestions for where to have the class. Allow a few minutes for this preparation. Circulate, making sure that suggestions are specific and prompting students to think of reasons to support their suggestions. 4 Refer to section B. Allow time for all the students to read through the stages of the decision-making process before you begin. Remind the students that at stage 3 there is a simple 3-point system for each row, not a full ranking into order, so that several different ideas might have 3, 2 or 1 points. Similarly for the weightings at stage 5. Start the activity, sit away from the students, and make a note of good/bad language use. 5 Hold a short feedback slot. ! Macmillan

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4.20


Bad news!

Worksheet

Bad new s! Th is building is not availab le for the next day of the course. Yo u w ill have to find som ew here else to have the class for just one day. Yo ur teacher is too busy to help but can give a norm al lesson in the new place. You w ill have to pay any extra co sts you rselves. So rry!

A

Choose a chairperson. He/She should draw a large grid on the board like the one below. Everyone else work individually and think of two or three ideas for where to have the class. Prepare some arguments. Be specific, for example instead of saying ‘in a café’, say which café.

B

Read through stages 1–7 of a formal decision-making process shown below. This is a standard process often used for making complicated decisions. Then use this process to have a meeting to decide where to have your lesson on the next day of the course.

Criteria 1 Cost

weight

Café ?

x?

2 3 4 5

Stages of a formal decision-making process

! Macmillan

1

W rite up all you r ideas on a separate part of the board. Brainstorm som e m ore. Then cho ose the good o nes and w rite them across the top o f the grid ( t try to decide w hich is the Café ? etc.). D on’ best yet.

2

D ecide w hich criteria yo u w ill use to help cho ose b etw een the d ifferent ideas cost? ( noise? etc.). W rite them under ‘ C riteria’ .

3

D iscuss each idea in relation to ‘ C ost’ .Fill in the first row of the grid using a sim ple three-point system : w rite 3 for the b est alternative/s (in this case the cheapest one/s), 2 for the n ext best an d 1 for the w orst (in this case the m ost exp en sive).

4

Rep eat for the other criteria. Fill in the rem aining row s.

5

D ecide how im portan t each criterion is.Th is is its w eight. U se a sim ple three-point system : w rite x3 (tim es three) for the m ost im portant criteria, x2 for the next m ost im portant and x1 for the least im portant.

6

M ultiply each n um ber in the grid by the w eight, then cross out the old num ber and put the new num ber in its place.

7

A dd the num bers in each colum n and put the totals at the bottom . The idea w ith the highest total is the best choice.

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4.21


Dialogue building: discussion AIM. To provide a framework for practising a real-life discussion of the student’s own choice.

ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE (CLASSWORK ). 1 Tell students that they are going to write a short discussion together in pairs. Use any discussion topic that both students are interested in. For example: – one of the discussions from this/another book, before doing it as a fluency exercise – one of the discussions from this/another book, after doing it as a fluency exercise Note that it is not necessary to write the dialogue with the same partner who was/will be involved in the class discussion. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Divide the class into pairs. Explain that the pair will think of and write the dialogue together, and that both students should keep a record of the whole dialogue. Set a time limit for the task (e.g. 30 minutes). Start the activity and circulate. 3 Ask the pairs to practise reading their dialogues together quietly. Then ask the best pair/s to read out their dialogues for the class. 4 (Option) Take the written dialogues from each pair and redistribute them (so the pairs remain the same but they have another pair’s dialogue). First ask the students to study their new dialogues together quietly and make sure they can read them. Then ask them to practise reading the dialogues aloud.

TIME. variable PREPARATION. Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. Consider which of the two procedures below you will use. PROCEDURE (INDIVIDUAL HOMEWORK ). 1 Tell students that they are going to write a short dialogue based on a typical discussion that they have in their job. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Remind them that they should personalize the dialogue as much as possible. Ask them to write the dialogue for homework and bring it to the next lesson. 3 In the next lesson collect in the dialogues and correct them. 4 (Option) Leave one of the dialogues uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. In the next lesson ask students to try to correct/improve this dialogue in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Build up the reformulated dialogue on the board line by line. As a round up, practise reading the new dialogue aloud in open/closed pairs, focusing on pronunciation.

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Publishers Ltd 2002

Teacher’s Notes

50


Business Builder

4.21

Tea cher Resou rce Series

Dialogue building: discussion

Worksheet

Write a short dialogue using the model below. Person A

Person B

G ive an op inion and develop your argu m ent



A sk a question

Rep ly



G ive an op inion and develop your argu m ent

D isagree



C heck you understan d/A sk for clarification

Reply and con tinue



A gree and develop your argu m ent

C heck you understan d/A sk for clarification



Rep ly

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Publishers Ltd 2002

51


4.22


Dialogue building: meeting

Teacher’s Notes

AIM. To provide a framework for practising a real-life meeting extract of the student’s own choice.

ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE (CLASSWORK ). 1 Tell students that they are going to write a short meeting dialogue together in threes. Use any meeting where all three students can predict the content. For example: – one of the role-plays from this/another book, before doing it as a fluency exercise – one of the role-plays from this/another book, after doing it as a fluency exercise Note that it is not necessary to write the dialogue with the same partners who were/will be involved in the role-play. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Divide the class into threes. Explain that the threes will think of and write the dialogue together, and that all three students should keep a record of the whole dialogue. Set a time limit for the task (e.g. 30 minutes). Start the activity and circulate. 3 Ask the threes to practise reading their dialogues together quietly. Then ask the best three/s to read out their dialogues for the class. 4 (Option) Take the written dialogues from each three and redistribute them (so the threes remain the same but they have another three’s dialogue). First ask the students to study their new dialogues together quietly and make sure they can read them. Then ask them to practise reading the dialogues aloud.

TIME. variable PREPARATION. Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. Consider which of the two procedures below you will use. PROCEDURE (INDIVIDUAL HOMEWORK ). 1 Tell students that they are going to write a short dialogue based on a typical real-life meeting that they have in their job. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student. Remind them that they should personalize the dialogue as much as possible. Ask them to write the dialogue for homework and bring it to the next lesson. 3 In the next lesson collect in the dialogues and correct them. 4 (Option) Leave one of the dialogues uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. In the next lesson ask students to try to correct/improve this dialogue in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Build up the reformulated dialogue on the board line by line. As a round up, practise reading the new dialogue aloud in open/closed threes, focusing on pronunciation.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

52


4.22

Business Builder Tea cher Resou Resou rce Series

Dialogue building: meeting

Worksheet

Write a short dialogue using the model below. Chairperson

Person B

Person C

1

O pen the m eet eeti ing : w elcom e, exp lain o b jectives

2

In tro d u ce an id ea an and d d evelo p yo u r arg u m en t

3

C he heck ck u nd er ers stan andi ding /A sk for clarificatio n A sk C fo r an o p in io n

4

C on tinu e

5

6 7 9

In terru p t/A sk a q u est esti io n D isag sagr ree

8

R ea eact ct to B ’ s op op in io n an d develop your ar argu gu m ent C o n tin u e/ e/R R ep epl ly

10 Su Sum m m ar ari ize th e disc scu u ss ssi io n –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

53


5.1 a


An introduction to business correspondence


5.1b


An introduction to business correspondence


5.2a


The style of written English 3

AIM. To review the differences between spoken and written language and practise writing a series of letters and emails in an appropriate style.

4

PREPARATION. Make one copy of the worksheet (two pages) for each student in the class. (Option) You may need pins or blu-tack at procedure stage 6 below.

5e

6d

7i 8g

9k

Refer to the instructions for section C. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

POSSIBLE ANSWERS. 1 W e are w ritin g w ith refer eferen ence ce to to you r Marketing ad vertisem en t in a rece recen n t ed itio n o f Marketing Monthly Monthly . 2 W e w ou ld b e grat gratef eful ul for som e inform nform ati ation abou ab ou t

PROCEDURE. 1 Write up on the board a few Anglo-Saxon/Latin pairs for example: tell/inform, nice/sympathetic, go back/return, because/due to the fact that . Then write up just one member of other pairs and elicit the equivalent: need/require, ask/enquire, enough/sufficient, can/have the ability to, now/at the present time, try/attempt, send/transmit, call/telephone etc. 2 Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions and develop a class discussion. The difference is most obviously between spoken and written language, but encourage students to see that it is actually more one of informal and formal usage. For example: – the langua language ge of an e-mail e-mail is is usually usually more informal than the language of a fax, which in turn is more informal than the language of a letter (yet they are all written) – the languag languagee of a letter letter of of congratula congratulations tions or thanks will be more informal than a letter of complaint (yet they are both letters) – the languag languagee of an e-mail e-mail between between collea colleagues gues will will be more informal than an e-mail between customer and supplier (yet they are both e-mails)

Publishers Ltd 2002

Refer to the instructions for section B. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

ANSWERSS. 1c 2a 3f 4b 10 h 11 l 12 j

TIM IME E. 50–60 minutes + homework time

! Macmillan

Teacher’s Notes

your you r prod prod uct range an ge. . 3 Than Th ank k you for you you lett etter dat da ted M arch arch 1 2 enq en q u irin g abo ab o ut ou r p ro d ucts. ucts. 4 W e reg regr ret to in fo rm you th at yo yo u r o rd er is go in g to be del de layed. forw ard ard to seein g you yo u in Fran Fran kfurt kfurt n ext 5 I lo o k forw m onth. 5

Refer to the instructions for section D. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

POSSIBLE ANSWERS. Marketing M onthl onthly y . 1 I saw you yo u r recen t ad vert vert in Marketing send d som e inform nform ati ation abou ab ou t your you r prod prod uct 2 Please sen range. Th anks ks for you you r e-m e-m ail of M arch arch 1 2 abo a bo ut ou r 3 Than products. 4 I am very very sorry bu b u t you yo u r o rd er is go in g to b e late. 5 I lo o k forw forw ard ard to seein g you yo u in Fran Fran kfurt kfurt n ext m on th. (sam e)

58


5.2b


The style of written English 6

Refer to the instructions for section E and the text in the box. Ask the students to write their letters individually, and set a time limit of 15 minutes for this task. Start the activity, circulate and help with vocabulary. See stage 6 of worksheet 5.1 for the feedback procedure.

Teacher’s Notes POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION F: LETTER).

D ear Sue Su e Taylo r

Th an k yo u fo r you yo u r last letter and an d I ap o lo g ize for taki ak in g so lo n g to rep ly. W ith referen ce to to th e p ro b lem s you have ha ve been be en havi ha ving w ith your you r m achine, ne , I am afr afraid th at w e are u n ab le to accep acce p t respo esp o n sib ility. It app ap p ear ea rs fro m you yo u r d escri escrip tio n th at th e m an u facturer’ acturer’ s in stru cti ctio n s w ere ere n o t fo llo w ed , an d th is m u st b e the reason ea son fo r th e fau lt.

Th an k yo u fo r you yo u r letter of M arch arch 2 . U n fo rtu n ately it w ill n o t b e p o ssi ssib le to d eliver th e ar a rtw o rk b y M arch arch 2 0 . To com co m p lete ete th th is jo b to o u r n o rm al h ig h stand an d ard ard s w ill req u ire three three w eeks. ee ks. W e ar a re sur su re that tha t you yo u w ill b e p leased ea sed w ith th e results.

W e have h ave checked ou r files and no te tha that t you did no t ren ew you r m ain tenan en ance ce co n tract last year. Yo u r g u arantee h as th th erefor erefore e exp ired an d it w ill n o t b e p o ssi ssib le fo r you yo u to claim fo r th is rep air un d er th th e guarantee.

W e n o te from o u r recor eco rd s th at our ou r last in voice h as no t been be en pai pa id. W e w ou ld like to to rem rem ind you that ha t w e are are u n ab le to su p p ly fu fu rth er artw o rk u n til th is in voi vo ice is pai pa id. W e loo k forw forw ard ard to receiving you r paym pa ym ent en t sho sh o rtly.

O u r Servi Service D epar ep art tm ent en t w ill con tact you soon soo n to arran g e a suitab le tim e fo r ou r eng en g in eer ee rs to to visit.

POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION E: LETTER).

Please ea se do d o n o t h esitate ate to con co n tact m e if you yo u req u ire an an y fu rth er in fo rm atio n .

POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION F: E-MAIL). Yo u r sin cer ce rely 7

Th an ks fo fo r you yo u r e-m ail. So rry I to o k so lo n g to rep ly. I’ m afraid w e can c an n o t acce ac cep p t respo esp o n sib ility for th e p ro b lem s w ith you r m achi ach ine. ne . It app ap p ears th at you d id n ’ t fo llo w the m an u factur factu rer’ s in structi ructio n s.

Refer to the bullet point. Ask the students to write their e-mails individually, and set a time limit of 10 minutes for this task. Start the activity, circulate and help with vocabulary. See stage 6 of worksheet 5.1 for the feedback procedure.

W e have h ave checked ou r files and an d they sho sho w that ha t you d id n ’ t ren ew you yo u r m ain ten an ce co n tract last year yea r. U n fo rtu n ately th th is m ean ea n s th at you w o n ’ t b e ab a b le to claim fo r th is rep air. O u r Ser Se rvice D ep artm en t w ill con tact you so o n to arr arrang an g e a ti tim e fo fo r o u r eng en g in eers to visit.

POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION E: E-MAIL). D ear Sue Th an ks fo fo r you yo u r e-m ail o f M arch arch 2 . I’ m sorr sorry, b u t w e can ’ t d eliver th th e artw o rk b y M arch 2 0 . W e’ ll n eed ee d th ree w eeks ee ks for fo r th is jo b , b u t I’ m sur su re th e resul esu lts w ill b e rea real lly go go o d.

Please g et in to u ch ag a g ain if you n eed m o re in fo rm atio n .

POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION G: LETTER).

I see see tha that you yo u h aven ve n ’ t pa paid o u r last in vo ice yet. ye t. It’ s g o in g to b e d ifficul cu lt to send an y m o re ar a rtw o rk u n til you yo u p ay.Please ea se tr try an d d eal ea l w ith th is as so so o n as p o ssib le.

Th an k yo u fo r you yo u r recen ece n t in q u iry ab o u t o u r Italia kitchen ch en tiles. U n fo rtu n ately w e ar a re tem p o rarily ou out o f sto ck o f th ese ti tiles du e to to very very hi h ig h d em and an d . W e ho pe to to g et new sup plies in the the n ext few w eeks, eeks, an d I w ill con co n tact you yo u ag ain as soo so o n as th th ey ar a rrive. In the m ean tim e, I am sendi en ding you a copy co py o f ou r lates atest t broch broch ure ure w hich show s ou r com plete ete prod prod uct range an ge. .I h o p e it w ill b e o f in terest to you yo u .

B est w ish es 8

(Homework option) Do sections F and G as homework activities on different days. As a roundup have a general discussion about the style of speech, e-mails and letters. Note from these examples that e-mail style is not the same as speech as is often wrongly stated. In fact e-mail style is shorter, simpler, more factual and more direct than speech.

If yo yo u req u ire an y fu fu rth er in fo rm atio n , p lease ea se do do not h esitate to co n tact m e.

POSSIBLE ANSWER (SECTION G: E-MAIL). Th an ks fo fo r you yo u r e-m ail ab o u t o u r Italia ki k itchen ch en tiles. U n fo rtu n atel ately w e ar a re tem p o rari arily ou o u t o f sto ck. W e ho pe to get ge t new ne w sup plies in the next ne xt few w eeks, and an d I w ill con co n tact you yo u ag ain as soo so o n as th th ey a rrive. In th e m ean tim e, I am sendi en ding you a cop y of ou r latest atest brochure. If you n eed m ore in form ati atio n , p lease co n tact u s agai ag ain .

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

60


5.2a


The style of written English A

What is the difference between the first and second word in these pairs of words? get/obtain

B

Thanks/Thank you

I’ ll/I w ill

job/occu pation

about/w ith reference to

Match each phrase on the left with a phrase on the right. Informal (spoken) language

Formal (written) language

Th an ks for your letter. I’ ve just seen yo ur ad vert in ... C an you tell m e about ...? because So rry, I can’ t m ake the m eeting. H ere are ...

a b c d e f

7 W hat exactly do you n eed? 8 Just sen d the stuff back. W e’ ll pay. 9 I’ ve got som e bad new s. Th ere’ s no m ore un til next m on th. 10 G ood n ew s! I’ ve just heard that ... 11 There isn’ t m uch left. You better m ove fast. 12 If you’ d like any m ore details, just let m e know .

g h i j

1 2 3 4 5 6

C

Worksheet

I am w riting w ith referen ce to the ad vertisem en t in .. due to the fact that Thank you for you r letter dated 14 M arch. Please find enclosed ... I am afraid I w ill not be able to atten d the m eeting. I w ould b e grateful if you cou ld send m e som e inform ation ab out ... Please return the goods at our expense.

W e are pleased to inform you that ... Please let m e kn ow you r exact requirem ents. If you req uire any further inform ation, please do not hesitate to contact m e. k W e regret to advise you that the g oods you require are tem porarily out of stock. l Please note that ou r stocks are lim ited . W e advise custom ers to order as soon as possible to avoid disappointm ent.

The phrases below are typical of informal spoken English. Rewrite them as sentences for a business letter. Some words have been given to help you. 1

It’ s ab out that ad . w e saw in Marketing Monthly . (writing /reference to/recent edition) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

2

C an you send us som ething abo ut w hat your com pan y sells? grateful/information/range ( ) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

3

Thanks for your letter of M arch 1 2 asking about w hat w e sell. d ( ated/enquiring /products) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

4

I have som e b ad new s.I’ m afraid your order is go ing to be late. r(eg ret/inform/delayed ) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

5

See you in Frankfurt next m onth! (look forward ) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

D ! Macmillan

Rewrite the sentences from section C as sentences for an e-mail. The style will be brief and direct. Publishers Ltd 2002

59


5.2b


The style of written English E

Worksheet

The language in the text below is informal, spoken English. Rewrite it in a clear, simple, positive style appropriate for a business letter. Keep the basic meaning of the original, but change words and phrases freely. H i Sue I got the letter you sent on 2nd of M arch. You w ant the artw ork by the 20th? Yo u m ust be joking! If you w an t a g ood job it’ s go ing to take at least three w eeks. Yo u’ ll be lucky to g et anything from us until early A pril. A nyw ay, you haven’ t even paid for the last artw ork w e sent you ! W e need that m oney right now . You’ re not getting an ything else until you pay. A ll the b est

• When you finish, write the same information as an e-mail. This will be similar to the version you have just written, but shorter and more direct.

F

Repeat the previous activity. Rewrite the text below in a clear, simple, positive style appropriate for a business letter. When you finish, write the same information as an e-mail. Th an ks for your letter –sorry Ididn’ t get in touch until now . W ell, ab out your problem w ith the m achine –it’ s not our fault. You obviously d idn’ t follow the instructions –that’ s w hy it’ s broken. Yo u w ant to claim for it under your guarantee? N o w ay! D on’ t you rem em ber - you didn’ t renew you r m ainten an ce contract last year. A nyw ay, som eone from ou r Service D epartm ent w ill contact you som e tim e to talk abou t w hen o ur engineers are com ing. I’ ll be here if you w an t a ch at.

G

Repeat the previous activity. Rewrite the text below in a clear, simple, positive style appropriate for a business letter. When you finish, write the same information as an e-mail. I got you letter about our Italia kitchen tiles. Yo u w an t to buy som e, right? G reat! Just one p roblem , w e h aven’ t got an y tiles to send you. Th e thing is, w e’ re just getting so m an y orders. Th ings are g oing crazy around here, it’ s just tiles, tiles, tiles. Look, don’ t w orry. I’ ll get in touch as soon as w e get som e m ore. I’ m sure it w on’ t be long. M ean w hile, I’ m gonna send you our latest brochure –you’ ll love it. It’ s full of great photos and you can see everything w e sell. G ive m e a call if you w ant to. Bye.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

61


5.3


Types of business document AIM.

Teacher’s Notes ANSWERS.

1b

To review the typical documents of a full customer/supplier transaction. 3

T IME.

30–40 minutes

PROCEDURE.

Write up on the board the pair enquiry/order and ask the class to explain the difference (an enquiry is a request for information while an order is a request to supply goods – they are both sent by the customer). Then write up the pair invoice/receipt and ask the class to explain the difference (an invoice is a bill that requests payment while a receipt proves that payment has been made or they are both sent by the supplier). Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

4e

5a

6h

7 i 8 f 9 g 10 j

Refer to the instructions for section B. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate. 1 En quiry 2 Reply to an enquiry 3 (given) 4 Q uotation 5 C ou nter-prop osal 6 (given) 7 O rder, w ith a co vering letter 8 (given) 9 C om plaint 10 Reply to a co m plaint 11 Rem inder 12 (given) 13 Receipt 14 Statem ent 15 (given)

Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class.

2

3c

ANSWERS.

PREPARATIO N.

1

2d

4


ANSWERS.

1 C ou nter-prop osal 2 C om plaint 3 En quiry 4 Reply to a cou nter-proposal 5 Reply to an enquiry 6 Reply to a com plaint 7 C overing letter (w ith the order) 8 Rem inder

62


5.3


Types of business document A

Match each document type on the left with a definition on the right. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

B

Worksheet

an enquiry

a b c d e f g h i j

a quotation an estim ate a counter-proposal an order an invoice a rem ind er a receipt a statem ent a com plaint

a request to supply goods (sent by the cu stom er) a req uest for inform ation (sen t by the custom er) an ap proxim ate calculation of the cost of som ething the p rice given for goods or a p iece o f w ork a letter w here the custom er tries to get better term s a do cum ent that proves you h ave paid for som e goo ds a list of am ounts paid an d stillow ed , sent every m onth a b illfor goods sen t or w ork d one a letter to a cu stom er abo ut an unpaid invoice a letter saying you are not satisfied ab out som ething

Complete the sequence 1–15 with the business documents in the box. Enquiry Complaint Counter-proposal Order, with a covering letter Receipt Quotation Statement Reply to an enquiry Reminder Reply to a complaint Customer sends 1 3 5 7

2 4 6

Req uest for a q uotation

9

C

Supplier sends

12

Paym ent

15

Further paym ents

Rep ly to a counter-proposal

Goods are dispatched 8 Invo ice Goods arrive, but there is a problem 10 The problem is solved 11 13 The customer starts to place regular orders 14

In which documents from section B would you find the following sentences? 1

Iam afraid your m inim um quan tity is too high for our first order. Please let us kn ow if you are able to red uce this.

2 3 4

W hen w e opened the package w e noticed that som e of the go ods w ere dam aged. W e saw you r advert in a recent issue o f Engineering m ag azine. W e are interested in ... U nfortunately it is no t possible to red uce the delivery tim e, but w e co uld offer a discou nt of 2% for an order of this size.

5

Th an k yo u for your letter of 21 A prilasking ab out ... . W e are p leased to en close our curren t brochure an d price list.

6 7 8

W e ap ologize for sending the w rong parts. This w as due to a com puter error in our packing departm ent. Please find en closed our order for ... . O ur ban kers w illbe p leased to provide referen ces. W e n ote from our reco rds that you r acco unt for the first quarter is stillnot paid. W e h ope to receive paym en t of this account as soon as po ssible.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

63


5.4


Topics for letters, faxes and e-mails AIM.

PROCEDURE. 1

To provide a stimulus for practising a variety of business correspondence. T IME.

variable PREPARATIO N.

2

Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. Note that the worksheet is a stimulus for a homework activity.

3 4

5

! Macmillan

Teacher’s Notes

Publishers Ltd 2002

64

Tell students that they are going to write a letter (or fax) and an e-mail based on a typical real-life document that they have to write in their job. Elicit the basic difference between the style of a letter and an e-mail (the latter is shorter and more direct). Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions. Allow a few minutes for the students to read through the possible topics. Emphasize that they should only choose one topic, but that some topics have two letters/faxes. They should choose between letter and fax according to whichever medium they most often use in real life. They will write an e-mail version of every letter/fax. Remind the students that the topics are deliberately open to allow for personalization. Ask them to write the letter/s and e-mail/s for homework and bring them to the next lesson. In the next lesson collect in the documents and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the document pairs uncorrected, and photocopy one copy for each student. First ask the students to try to correct/improve the letter (or fax) in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line. Then repeat for the e-mail. For further practice repeat with another topic on another day.


5.4


Topics for letters, faxes and e-mails

Worksheet

C hoose one o f these topics. A dap t the topic to m ake it sim ilar to docum en ts you w rite in your ow n real-life job. Th en :

A

Write a business letter or fax (you decide which). Some topics have two letters/faxes.

B

Write exactly the same document/s as an e-mail (shorter and more direct). 1 a) W rite a letter/fax from a poten tial new custom er to yo ur com pan y req uesting inform ation about som e products you sell.

b) W rite a letter/fax in rep ly: than k them , provide further inform ation ab out the specific products, suggest action for them to take.

2 a) W rite a letter/fax from a real-life cu stom er/sup plier abroad to you, asking to visit your com pan y. b) Th en w rite a letter/fax from yourself in rep ly: give d etails of the visit an d say how m uch you are looking forw ard to seeing him /her.

3 W rite a letter/fax from you to a hotel ab road to enquire ab out accom m odation. Say w here you found their nam e, m ention room s and dates and any specific requirem ents.

4 a) W rite a letter/fax from you to one o f your real-life suppliers com plaining ab out a typicalproblem that often occurs.

b) Th en w rite a letter/fax from the supplier in rep ly: ap ologize, explain an d prom ise action. 5 a) W rite a letter/fax from a real-life cu stom er to your com pan y com plaining ab out a typical problem that can occur in your business.

b) Th en w rite a letter/fax from your com pan y in rep ly: ap ologize, exp lain an d prom ise action. 6 W rite a letter/fax from you to a real-life custom er telling them that the goods they req uire are no longer available. O ffer an alternative.

7 a) W rite a letter/fax from you to a real-life cu stom er req uesting paym en t of an unpaid invoice. b) Th en im ag ine that you had received a sim ilar letter from one o f your sup pliers an d w rite a rep ly. 8 W rite a letter/fax than king som eb ody from an other com pan y for their tim e or help. 9 W rite a letter/fax to a real-life colleague/custom er/sup plier telling them ab out a chan ge in your plan s. G ive a reason an d sug gest/describe an alternative.

10 Im ag ine that you saw an ad vert for a job in a real-life com pan y w here you w ould like to w ork. W rite a letter of ap plication: m en tion the p ost an d the advertisem en t, m en tion w hy you are applying, briefly discuss you r w ork experien ce and say you are enclosing your C V.

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5.5


Easilife and Novex: Student A

Teacher’s Notes

In this worksheet students work in pairs and write to each other. Try to match ability levels of students within each pair. See next page of Teacher’s Notes for a suggestion on how to divide the writing across five lessons/homeworks. For lower levels, worksheets 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 are necessary preparation for this worksheet. AIM.

To practise an exchange of correspondence between a supplier and a customer. T IME.

3

40–50 minutes in the first lesson, then 30–40 minutes per lesson over 4 more lessons + homework time PREPARATIO N.

Make copies of the Student A worksheet for half the class, and of the Student B worksheet (next page in this book) for the other half. PROCEDURE.

1 Write up on the board the two headings Customer sends and Supplier sends and elicit this sequence (which will be revision for students who have done worksheet 5.3): Customer sends Supplier sends Enquiry Reply Request for quotation Quotation Counter-proposal Reply Order Dispatch advice Complaint Reply Tell the students that they are going to work with a partner to exchange correspondence following this sequence and the whole activity will last several lessons. Elicit and write up a typical structure for a business letter (which will be revision for students who have done worksheet 5.1): The date The receiver’s address Dear Mr./Mrs/Ms. X Referring to previous correspondence The reason for writing Giving information Reference to action taken or needed Referring to future contact Yours sincerely (British English)/ Yours truly (American English) Leave this list on the board. Ask the students whether every letter will have this structure (clearly no – for instance the letter of enquiry has no reference to previous correspondence as it is the first contact between the writer and reader). 2 Divide the class into pairs of approximately equal ability and appoint As and Bs in each pair (it is better if the pairs do not actually sit side by side). Distribute the correct worksheet to each student. Allow time for the students to read the information in their box and the sequence in the left-hand ! Macmillan

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4 5

6

7 8

9

66

column. Deal with any unknown vocabulary (‘terms’ are conditions for a sale; ‘a concession’ is something given by one side in order to reach an agreement). Ask the students to read their instructions for document 1, the letter of enquiry. Remind them to use the full layout of a business letter (see worksheet 5.1) with the first letter, but after that it is not necessary. They should, however, put a date on all correspondence for later reference. Remind them that there are opportunities for adding their own ideas in this and other documents. Remind them also to write clearly as their partners will have to read and respond to the letter. Start the activity, the students writing individually. Circulate and help with vocabulary. Make a note of good/bad language use. Hold a short feedback slot. Ask the students to exchange their letters with their partner (you are the postman/woman). Give the students a moment to read through the letter they have just received and ask their partner questions if they cannot read any words. Tell them to take the letter away and write a reply (document 2 on the worksheet) for homework. Remind them to keep all copies of their partner’s correspondence and to return them only at the end of the whole sequence. In the next lesson ask the students to exchange their letters written for homework. Allow time for the students to read through the letter they have just received and ask questions if they cannot read any words. When they are ready, refer to document 3 on the worksheet and ask them to write this in class. Circulate and help with vocabulary. Make a note of good/bad language use, both from the letter they received and the letter they are writing. Hold a short feedback slot. Continue with the sequence suggested on the next page of Teacher’s Notes. The students will develop a personalized correspondence with their own partners, however at any one time they will all be working on the same document type. (Option) To vary the feedback procedure take one student’s uncorrected document and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Ask students to try to correct/improve the document in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated document on the board line by line. This page may be photocopied for use in class

5.5


Easilife and Novex: Student B

Teacher’s Notes

Suggested staging of the ten documents Lesson 1: Lesson 2: Lesson 3: Lesson 4: Lesson 5:

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Write and exchange 1 in class and set 2 as homework. Students exchange and read 2. Then they write and exchange 3 in class as the reply. Set 4 as homework. Students exchange and read 4. Then they write and exchange 5 in class as the reply. Set 6 as homework. Students exchange and read 6. Then they write and exchange 7 and 8 in class. Set 9 as homework. Students exchange and read 9. Then they write and exchange 10 in class as the reply.

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5.5


Easilife and Novex: Student A

Worksheet

You are the Sales Director of Easilife Office Furniture. Yo ur com pany m anufactures and supplies office furniture. Yo ur ad dress is Yo rk H ouse, 97 C an non Street, London EC 4 5A D . Yo ur partner’ s com pan y sells com pu ters.

You are going to exchange correspondence with your partner because you are interested in each other’s products. Before you start, look at the left column to see the whole sequence. 1

Enquiry

W rite a letter to the Sales D irector of N o vex C o m puter Solutions

Yo u are thinking abou t buying

to ask for gen eral inform ation abou t their com pu ters. Their

som e new com puters.

address is 34 Salisbury Road, M ilton Keynes, M K4 8K P. (U se the fulllayo ut of a b usiness letter in this first letter.)

2

3

4

5

Reply to an en qu iry

Reply to N ovex’ s letter, enclosing som e brochures, price lists etc.

N ovex are interested in you r

Yo u know the nam e of their Sales D irector, so use it at the start

products as w ell.

of your letter.

Requ est for a quo tation

W rite an e-m ailto N ovex, asking for a quo tation for som e specific

You ’ re interested in their

prod ucts (for exam ple: eigh t com pu ters). You m ay think o f

com puters.

other questions.

Q uo tation

W rite a fax to N o vex. G ive them a qu otation. State yo ur term s of

Be positive and h elpful. Yo u

sale: price, any discou nts (e.g. prom pt paym ent), delivery tim e.

m ight have a new custom er.

D eal w ith an y other qu estion s in N ovex’ s last e-m ail.

C ounter-proposal

Send an e-m ailto Novex, m aking a counter-proposal. For

You w ant the com pu ters, bu t

exam ple, you m ay w ant a better price, a larger discoun t or a

m aybe you can get better

shorter delivery tim e.

term s.

6

7

Reply to a coun ter-prop osal

Reply by e-m ail. Begin by apo log izing for the delay in replying ,

You cann ot give N ovex w hat

then tellthem that you can’ t accept their counter-prop osal.

they w ant, bu t m ake a sm all

H ow ever, you are prepared to o ffer som ething (less than they

concession to get the bu siness.

w ant).

O rder

Their reply is acceptable and you now w ant to m ake an order.

Yo u’ ve decided to buy the

W rite a short letter to N ovex to sen d w ith your order form .

com pu ters.

8

D ispatch advice

W rite an e-m ailto Novex. Thank them for their order and tell

Let N ovex know you ’ ve sent

them that the goods w ere sent this m orning.

the g oo ds.

9

C om plaint

The com puters have arrived! H ow ever, one of them has a sm all

You have a problem .

fault. A lso, there is a m istake on the invoice. W rite an e-m ailto N ovex.

10

Reply to a com plaint

Reply by e-m ail. A pologize for the dam aged furniture.A sk N ovex

D ealw ith their problem .

to return the piece, and say you w illsend a replacem ent im m ed iately. A pologize and give a reason for the m istake in the invoice –say you w illsend a new one.

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67


5.5


Easilife and Novex: Student B

Worksheet

You are the Sales Director of Novex Computer Solutions. Yo ur com pany supp lies com pu ters. Your ad dress is 34 Salisbu ry Road , M ilton K eyn es, M K 4 8K P. Your partner’ s com pan y sells office furniture.

You are going to exchange correspondence with your partner because you are interested in each other’s products. Before you start, look at the left column to see the whole sequence. 1

2

3

En qu iry

W rite a letter to th e Sales D irecto r o f Easilife O ffice Fu rn itu re to

You are thinking ab out

ask for gen eral inform ation ab out their office furniture. Th eir

buying som e new office

address is York House,97 C annon Street, London EC4 5A D . (U se

furniture.

the fulllayout of a business letter in this first letter.)

Rep ly to an en qu iry

Rep ly to Easilife’ s letter, enclosing som e brochu res, price lists etc.

Easilife are interested in

You kn ow the nam e of their Sales D irector, so use it at the start

yo ur p ro du cts as w ell.

o f yo ur letter.

Requ est for a qu otation

W rite an e-m ailto Easilife, asking for a qu otation for som e

You’ re interested in their

specific products (for exam ple: 20 typ ist’ s ch airs, four execu tive

office furniture.

desks and four executive arm chairs). You m ay think of other questions.

4

5

Q u otatio n

W rite a fax to Easilife. G ive th em a q uo tatio n. State yo ur term s o f

Be positive an d helpful. You

sale: price, an y discounts (e.g. prom pt paym en t), delivery tim e.

m ight have a new custom er.

D eal w ith any other questions in Easilife’ s last e-m ail.

C ounter-proposal

Send an e-m ailto Easilife,m aking a counter-proposal. For

Yo u w an t the furniture, but

exam ple, you m ay w an t a better price, a larger discount or a

m aybe you can get better

shorter delivery tim e.

term s.

6

7

Reply to a coun ter-prop osal

Reply by e-m ail. Begin by apo log izing for the delay in replying ,

Yo u cannot give Easilife w hat

then tellthem that you can ’ t accep t their cou nter-proposal.

they w ant, but m ake a sm all

H ow ever, you are prepared to offer som ething (less than they

concession to get the bu siness.

w ant).

O rder

Their reply is acceptable and you now w ant to m ake an order.

Yo u’ ve decided to bu y the

W rite a sho rt letter to Easilife to sen d w ith you r order form .

office furniture.

8

D ispatch advice

W rite an e-m ailto Easilife.Thank them for their order and tell

Let Easilife kno w you’ ve sent

them that the go od s w ere sent this m orning .

the g oo ds.

9

10

C o m plaint

The office furniture has arrived! H o w ever, one piece is dam aged.

You h ave a problem .

A lso, there is a m istake on the invoice. W rite an e-m ailto Easilife.

Reply to a com plaint

Reply by e-m ail. A pologize for the faulty com puter. A sk Easilife to

D ealw ith their prob lem .

return it, and say you w illsend a replacem ent im m ediately. A pologize and give a reason for the m istake in the invoice –say you w illsend a new on e.

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69


5.6


Adventure and Suntime

Teacher’s Notes

In this worksheet students work in pairs and write to each other. Try to match ability levels of students within each pair. See below for a suggestion on how to divide the writing across three lessons/homeworks. For lower levels, worksheets 5.1 and 5.2 are necessary preparation for this worksheet. 4 Ask the students to exchange their letters with their partner (you are the postman/woman). Give the students a moment to read through the letter they have just received and ask their partner questions if they cannot read any words. Tell them to take the letter away and write a reply (document 2 on the worksheet) for homework. Remind them to keep all copies of their partner’s correspondence and to return them only at the end of the whole sequence. 5 In the next lesson ask the students to exchange their letters. Allow time for the students to read through the letter they have just received and ask questions if they cannot read any words. When they are ready, refer to document 3 on the worksheet and ask them to write this in class. Circulate and help with vocabulary. Make a note of good/bad language use, both from the letter they received and the letter they are writing. 6 Hold a short feedback slot. 7 Continue with the sequence suggested below. The students will develop a personalized correspondence with their own partners, however at any one time they will all be working on the same document type. 8 (Option) To vary the feedback procedure take one student’s uncorrected document and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Ask students to try to correct/improve the document in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated document on the board line by line.

AIM.

To practise an exchange of correspondence and then have a follow-up meeting. T IME.

30–40 minutes in each of three lessons + homework time. PREPARATIO N.

Make copies of the Student A worksheet for half the class, and of the Student B worksheet (next page in this book) for the other half. PROCEDURE.

1 Elicit and write up a typical structure for a business letter (which will be revision for students who have done worksheet 5.1): The date The receiver’s address Dear Mr./Mrs/Ms. X Referring to previous correspondence The reason for writing Giving information Reference to action taken or needed Referring to future contact Yours sincerely (British English)/ Yours truly (American English) Leave this list on the board. 2 Divide the class into pairs of approximately equal ability and appoint As and Bs in each pair (it is better if the pairs do not actually sit side by side). Distribute the correct worksheet to each student. Allow the students a moment to read the information in their box. Then refer to section A and ask the students to read the notes for their first letter. Deal with any unknown vocabulary. Remind them to use the full layout of a business letter (see worksheet 5.1) with the first letter, but after that it is not necessary. They should, however, put a date on all correspondence for later reference. Remind them that there are opportunities for adding their own ideas in this and other documents. Remind them also to write clearly as their partners will have to read and respond to the letter. Start the activity, the students writing individually. Circulate and help with vocabulary. Make a note of good/bad language use. 3 Hold a short feedback slot.

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Suggested staging of the four documents Lesson 1: Lesson 2:

Lesson 3:

70

Write and exchange 1 in class and set 2 as homework. Students exchange and read 2. Then they write and exchange 3 in class as the reply. Set 4 as homework. Students exchange and read 4. Then they have the meeting.


5.6


Adventure and Suntime: Student A

Worksheet

You are the Director of Adventure Holidays. Yo ur com pan y is a sm alltravelag en cy that offers holidays in unusuallocations.For travelto an d from the destination you use a charter flight operator called Su ntim e A irw ays.

A

You are going to exchange correspondence with your partner. Your two companies have been doing business together for several years. 1

W rite a letter to Su ntim e. • O pen by saying that you en close you r latest cheq ue. A pologize for the delay in sen ding it. • G ive the d ate o f the n ext group to M arocco (in three m onths’tim e). Yo u w illprobably have 50 peo ple. A sk for a q uotation for the seats. • Yo u h ave recen tly read a few stories in the n ew spap ers ab out sm allairlines go ing b an krupt. M en tion this very diplom atically –ask for som e inform ation ab out Su ntim e’ s finan cial situation.

2

Reply to Suntim e’ s letter. • O pen by referring to Su ntim e’ s letter an d saying you hope they received your cheq ue. • You are no t hap py abo ut the n ew term s. M ake a cou nter-prop osal. • Let Suntim e kn ow that you r com pany is in a good financial situation.

3

Reply by e-m ailto Suntim e’ s letter. • O pen by referring to Su ntim e’ s letter. Yo u accep t the quotation, but not the term s. • The m eeting is a go od idea –sug gest a tim e. You are no t send ing any m on ey now because you prefer to w ait untilthe m eeting. • It w ould be h elpfulto see a copy of Su ntim e’ s last an nual accounts before the m eeting.

4

Rep ly by e-m ail. • O pen by thanking Suntim e for their e-m ail. Yo u are sure the m eeting w illbe u seful. • Yo u are n ot happy about the airport tax. Yo u don’ t see w hy you should pay the extra cost. Yo u can’ t recover it from your custom ers now –in your catalogue it states that there w illbe n o hidden charges. Su ggest that you talk about this in you r m eeting. • Yo u h ave had som e bad new s –five of you r custom ers have canceled their holiday at the last m om ent and n ow you o nly need 45 seats.

B

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Now meet with your partner to discuss all the issues.

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5.6


Adventure and Suntime: Student B

Worksheet

You are the Director of Suntime Airways. Your com pan y offers charter flight seats to h oliday com pan ies. O ne o f your reg ular clien ts is A dven ture H olidays.

A

You are going to exchange correspondence with your partner. Your two companies have been doing business together for several years. 1

W rite a letter to A dven ture. • O pen by rem ind ing A dventure that paym ent of your last invoice is no w overdu e. • Your Finan cial D ep artm en t has started a n ew policy to im prove cash-flow . In future, allclien ts m ust pay a deposit of 50 % tw o m on ths before the fligh t and 5 0% on e m on th after. Tell A dventure ab out this new policy. • Yo u have recently read a few stories in the new spapers about adventure-type holidays going out of fashion. M en tion this very d iplom atically –ask for som e inform ation ab out A dven ture’ s financialsituation.

2

Reply to A dventure’ s letter. • O pen by referring to A dventure’ s letter and thanking them for the ch eque. • G ive them a q uotation for the flight: $400 per person return to C asablanca. Yo u w ould like 5 0% dep osit no w , as m en tioned in your last letter. Th is w illguarantee the availab ility o f the seats. • Let A dventure kn ow that you r com pany is in a g ood financial situation. • Sugg est that you have a m eeting tog ether to discuss the m atter in m ore detail. W hen w ou ld be con venient for A dventure?

3

Reply b y e-m ailto A dventure’ s letter. • O pen by thanking A dventure for their letter. • A dven ture’ s counter-proposal is not acceptab le. Yo u need to discuss this in the m eeting. A dventure is a valued custom er and you are sure you can reach a com prom ise that is acceptable to both sides. • You have som e bad new s –the M oroccan g overnm ent has just im po sed a 6 % airpo rt tax and so you r previous quote w illhave to g o u p.

4

Rep ly by e-m ail. • O pen by thanking A dventure for their e-m ail. The tim e they suggest for the m eeting is fine. • C onfirm that 50 seats are availab le o n the airplan e. Yo u w illdiscuss the n ew term s at the m eeting, but you stillneed a d ep osit now to guaran tee the seats. • Yo u annual accou nts are con fidential and can not be show n to clients. H ow ever, you are prepared to answ er any qu estions in the m eeting.

B

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Now meet with your partner to discuss all the issues.

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73


6.1a


An introduction to report writing 2

AIM.

To review the structure, style and language of a typical report and then practise writing a short report. T IME.

50–60 minutes + homework time PREPARATIO N.

Make one copy of the worksheet (two pages) for each student in the class.

1F

Write up on the board the heading Writing Business Reports. Tell the students that they are going to read a short report that discusses the topic of reportwriting. Write up these headings from the report: Introduction Structure of a report Sections and paragraphs The techniques of report writing The language of report writing Conclusion Ask the students what they expect to find mentioned under each heading and make a few notes on the board.

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Give out a copy of the worksheet (two pages) to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions. Ask the students to read the example report individually. When they finish the first reading ask them which of their predictions on the board were correct. Then ask them to read the report again, as instructed, and answer questions 1–5.

ANSWERS.

PROCEDURE. 1

Teacher’s Notes

3

4

74

2F

3F

4T

5T

Write up on the board and elicit the meaning of ‘layout’ (the way in which the parts of something are arranged). Ask students what techniques of layout the author has used. Elicit the following: headings and sub-headings, numbering, bullet points, consistent use of space (e.g. between sections). Ask students what kind of reports they write in their jobs and what they find difficult. Develop a short class discussion.


6.1b



6 7 8

Teacher’s Notes

Refer to the instructions for section B and the possible topics. Tell the students that they can choose any topic. They will start writing the report in class and then finish it for homework. Start the activity, the students working individually, and circulate. Make a note of good/bad language use. Hold a short feedback slot. In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section of the report and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated section on the board line by line.

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6.1a


An introduction to report writing A

Worksheet

Read the example report below. When you finish, read the report a second time and decide whether the author thinks statements 1–5 are True or False. 1 2 3 4 5

W hen revising you r report you should keep the sam e h ead ings and sections. T/F It is better to try to w rite g ram m atically correct sentences right from the start. T/F Rep orts are u sually full of long phrases an d com plex g ram m atical structures. T/F Your w riting style w ill dep en d partly on w ho w ill read the rep ort. T/F The passive em phasizes the action rather than w ho does the action. T/F

Writing Business Reports 1

Introduction Th is short rep ort sum m arizes the top ic of w riting business rep orts. It discusses the im portan ce of organ izing the rep ort into logical sections.It reco m m en ds som e tech niques for w riting clearly and also con siders som e im portant gram m aticalareas. The report em phasizes that planning and then rew riting several tim es is the key to successful rep ort w riting.

2

Structure of a rep ort Th e report you are now reading is typical of a short rep ort: first an introduction that describes the purpose and structure of the rep ort, then the body of the rep ort, an d finally som e recom m endations or con clusions. Lon ger reports m ay have other sections such as a sum m ary, tab le of conten ts or perhaps ap pen dices w ith extra, non-essential inform ation. M an y incom pany reports have a standard form at and so the w riter does not have to w orry abo ut the structure.

3

Sections and paragraphs Rep orts are often ab out com plex issues, so the w riter has to organ ize the m aterial very clearly into logical sections and sub-sections w ith ap propriate headings. D eciding how to do this is probably the m ost im portant step in report w riting. O f cou rse as you w rite you m ay m ove inform ation arou nd and change your heading s. W ithin each section the m aterial is divided into paragrap hs.Sh ort paragrap hs help the reader to see the structure of the argum ent and understand the inform ation. A sim ple rule is: one m ain idea, one p aragraph.

4

Th e techniques of rep ort w riting • Focus initially on the ideas, not the language an d gram m ar. Leave the language until the ed iting an d rew riting stag e. (Each version you w rite is called a draft). • U se sho rt phrases. K eep sentences brief and use sim ple g ram m atical structures. • U se an im personal style. Focus on facts and only nam e individuals w hen it is relevan t. • Present your po ints in a balanced w ay that show s you have considered the argu m ents carefully. • K eep the read er in m ind. For exam ple, a report w ritten for a senior m anager m ight be respectful an d polite, w ith suggestions for the m an ag er to consider. A rep ort for junior staff is m ore likely to use a direct style and have sho rt senten ces an d statem en ts rather than suggestions.

Continued ... ! Macmillan

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6.1b



Worksheet

The language o f report w riting

5.1 Linking w ords Sentences and paragraphs need linking w ords to help the reader understand the structure of the argu m ent. For exam ple: a sequ ence First, ... Second, ... Finally, ... ad ding an other, related idea Moreover, ... / In addition to this, ... a contrast However, ... / On the other hand, ... cause and result ... due to ... / Therefore, ... Linking w ords can also be used to sho w a personal attitude. For exam ple, if you begin a sentence w ith the w ord Clearly, w hat com es next w ill be o bvious. If you begin w ith the w ord Apparently , you are indicating that you are uncertain of your facts.

5.2 Form al langu age M ost business w riting is neu tral an d direct rather than form al. Th ree areas of gram m ar are useful w hen a m ore form al, im personal style is needed. They are: • The passive A decision is expected by the end of the year.

20,000 new jobs were created in the financial sector last year. The final payment will be made in September. •‘ It’+ passive It is recommended that we reduce the training budget by 10%. It should be emphasized that this data is only provisional. It was suggested/agreed that we use a different supplier. • C om pound nouns a planning meeting ; a production planning meeting the sales conference; the summer sales conference insurance documents; transport insurance documents Form al languag e like this is on ly used w hen it m akes the report easier to understand. For exam ple, in the secon d exam ple ab ove w e do not know w ho created the jobs, so the passive is better. Sim ilarly, in the sixth exam ple it is not im portan t w ho m ad e the sug gestion, so the passive is better. C om pound nouns avoid the use of long phrases full of prep ositions:‘ a m eeting about the p lanning of our production’ .

5.3 Inform al language C ontractions like It’s, we’ll, there’s and w ords and phrases typical of inform al speech like big, OK, nice, no way, fantastic should not appear in reports. 6

B

Choose one of the topics below and write a mini-report. • • • • •

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C onclusion Reports can b e about m any things: an analysis of a problem , a sum m ary of a com pleted job, the p rogress of a project, the results of an investigation. Th ere are few gen eral rules, but rem em ber that organ izing the m aterial into logical sections is the key. Finally, rem em ber also that the reader w ill be very busy, so b e as brief and clear as possible.

Sum m ary/evaluation of a new spaper/m agazine article. Sum m ary/evaluation of this cou rse up to no w . Su m m ary/evaluation of a recent m eeting/neg otiation (in real life or on this course). Rep ort w riting in m y job (types of rep ort, objectives, au dien ce, prep aration, conten t etc.). O pportunities for tourism in m y country.

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6.2a


Linking words and paragraph structure AIM.

ANSWERS.

Five w ords/phrases in the extract: Finally; For instan ce; M oreover; O n the w hole; H ow ever Show ing a sequence: Finally Talking generally: O n the w hole M aking a contrast: H ow ever A dd ing another po int: M oreover G iving an exam ple: For instance

To review linking words for cohesion and the use of paragraphs for structuring information, and then practise writing a short report extract. T IME.


Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. (Option) Students will need their copies of worksheet 6.1 for optional stage 6 below.

3

2

M atching task: In fact=A ctually; i.e.=Th at is to say; A s a result=Th erefore; In p articular=A bove all; O bviously=O f cou rse G iving the realinform ation: In fact/A ctually Saying som ething is obvious:O bviously/O f course G iving the m ost im portant exam ple: In particular/A bove all Rep hrasing in a d ifferent w ay: i.e./Th at is to say G iving a result/consequen ce: A s a result/Th erefore

Write up on the board three or four linking words from the tables in sections A and B and ask the students when and why you use these sorts of words (when you want to link/join two ideas; they make the structure of your argument clear to the reader). Then ask where in the sentence they are used (often at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma). Write up the two abbreviations e.g. and i.e. and elicit their meanings (e.g. means for example and comes from the Latin exempli gratia = example given; i.e. means in other words and comes from the Latin id est = that is). Write up an example to show how they are used: This product is aimed at people with a lot of free time, e.g. people on holiday and retired people. This product is aimed at retired people, i.e. people over 65 years old. Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

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ANSWERS.

PROCEDURE. 1

Teacher’s Notes

4

Refer to the instructions for section C. Remind students to look closely at the text to see which alternative shows the logic of the argument. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

ANSWERS.

1 In fact 2 In particular 3 C learly 4 in general 5 First 6 Th at is to say 7 Second 8 A bove all 9 on the o ther hand 10 In conclusion (Studen ts could ad d ‘ In conclusion’to the tab le in section A in the categ ory ‘ Sh ow ing a sequen ce’ .)

78


6.2b


Linking words and paragraph structure 5

Refer to the instructions for section D. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate. After checking the answers refer to the two bullet points at the end of the section and develop a short class discussion.

7

ANSWERS.

1b 2d 3f 4a First bullet: a topic senten ce introduces and sum m arizes the paragraph, m aking it easier for the read er to follow the argum ent. Second b ullet: a new paragraph introduces a new idea/top ic. 6

8 9

(Option) Refer to previous examples of reports to see if topic sentences are used. In section C of this worksheet, for example, the first two paragraphs are introduced by questions which have the same function as topic sentences. Refer also to the example report in worksheet 6.1. Go through paragraph by paragraph to see if a topic sentence has been used. (Answers by section: 1 yes 2 not exactly 3 yes (both paras.) 4 not relevant 5.1 yes (both paras.) 5.2 no (first para.) yes (second para.) 5.3 not relevant 6 no).

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Teacher’s Notes

Refer to the instructions for section E and the example below. Point out that in expanded paragraph 2 the topic sentence does not come right at the beginning – it comes second, with the first sentence providing a bridge (this is quite common). Set a limit of five paragraphs of writing. Start the activity, the students working individually, and circulate. Make a note of good/bad language use. Hold a short feedback slot. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line.


6.2a


Linking words and paragraph structure A

Worksheet

Linking words join one idea to another and help the reader to see how your argument is developing. Underline five linking words or phrases in this report extract about Kalia, an imaginary country. Finally, the K alian governm en t is giving m ore controlof eco nom ic policy to the reg ions.For instan ce, foreign com pan ies do not need a license from the Industry M inistry. M oreo ver, these com pan ies pay part of their taxes directly to the reg ion w here they are b ased rather than pay the w hole am ount to central governm ent. O n the w hole this has m ade investing in K alia m uch easier. H ow ever som e problem s, like the reform of ag riculture, can only be d ealt w ith at a national level.

Now complete the table with the words you underlined.

B

Showing a sequence

First Secondly After that

Talking generally

In general Typically

Making a contrast

On the other hand Nevertheless

Adding another point

In addition to this

Giving an example

For example e.g .

Match each word or phrase from the left box with one from the right box.

In fact

i.e.

In particular

As a result Obviously

Therefore

Actually

Of course

Above all

That is to say

Now complete the table by adding the ten words. Giving real/true/surprising information

C

As a matter of fact

Saying something is obvious

Clearly

Giving the most important example

Especially

Rephrasing in a different way

In other words

Giving a result/consequence

For this reason

Choose the correct words in this report extract. Look carefully at the whole context. How to Cut the Time You Spend On Reports D oes inform ation techn ology m ean the end of paper in our offices? (1) In fact/Moreover , the am ou nt of pap er used in business is slow ly going dow n, but not in allareas.(2) For this reason/In particular , the num ber of rep orts actually seem s to keep grow ing. (3) Clearly/Nevertheless som e rep orts are essen tial an d need to be studied carefully, but (4) above all/in general rep orts are o nly read very qu ickly, an d som e are n ever read at all. W hat can you do to redu ce the am ou nt you read and w rite? (5) First/As a matter of fact , see if each report is really n eeded. (6) That is to say/However , ask yo urself ‘ If this report w as destroyed in a fire tom orrow , w hat w ould be the result?’ . Th e answ er m ight surprise you. (7) For example/Second , keep your rep orts short an d easy to understan d. C an you use a grap h instead of text? Is the w riting clear and sim ple? (8) Typically/Above all, think o f you r read ers: are you telling them m ore than they need to know ? O ne sug gestion is only to circulate the sum m ary and recom m endation s. Your readers m ay m iss som e o f the details, but (9) especially/on the other hand if they w an t the fullrep ort they can ask for it. (10) In conclusion/Nevertheless, it is possible to save tim e o n rep orts, but it m ay m ean there is less inform ation in circulation.

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6.2b


Linking words and paragraph structure D

Worksheet

Look at paragraphs 1–4 from a report about Kalia. The first sentence is missing each time. Investment opportunities in Kalia 1 ..... Th e G overnm en t is liberalizing the econom y an d m an y nationalized industries are b eing privatized. Inflation is finally u nder controlan d industrialoutput is grow ing.

2

..... Roads and telecom m unications are b eing m odernized and a n ew port is being built at the m outh of the D elta river.

3

..... O ne o f K alia’ s success stories has been the g row th of softw are exp orts,an d leading m ultinational sup pliers like H ew lett-Packard an d A cer have strong K alian partners.

4

..... Th e reform process has slow ed dow n in recen t m onths as politician s fear that their policies are beco m ing unpopular, particularly am ong w orkers in the large state-ow ned industries. Th ere are also doubts ab out K alia’ s ab ility to generate enough electricity for its industrialsector.

Choose the best opening sentence for each paragraph from those in the box below (two are not used). a b c d e f

H ow ever, there are stillm an y problem s ah ead. O pportunities for investing in K alia have never been better. H igh interest rates are n ot the o nly cause of the econom ic recession. Rap id progress is being m ad e in the area of infrastructure. Reform of the finan cial sector w illbe crucial to K alia’ s continuing developm en t. The governm ent has recognized the im portance of inform ation technology.

• The sentences in the box are called topic sentences. What is a ‘topic sentence’? • In general, when do you start a new paragraph?

E

Write a few paragraphs for a report on The Future of My Market : • First write some topic sentences, each one introducing and summarizing a new idea. • Then expand each topic sentence into a full paragraph by adding another sentence or two. • Remember to use linking words to help the reader to see how your argument is developing. Example: The Future of the Financial Services Market Topic sentences 1 C om pan ies in the financialservices sector alloffer sim ilar products. 2 In the future, the tren d w illbe to produce solutions for individual custom ers rather than m ass m arketing .

3 4

M ore and m ore, finan cial products w illbe sold over the p hone and the Internet. Th e industry needs to m ake its products easier to understan d for the ordinary person.

Topic sentences expanded into paragraphs 1 C om pan ies in the financialservices sector alloffer sim ilar products.Th ere is very little differen ce betw een the p ension plans and life insurance policies of the m ain com pan ies. Som e m ay have a better past perform an ce than others, but this is no guide to the future. In fact the only real difference that the custom er notices is the advertising.

2

H ow ever, this situation can not last for m uch longer. In the future, the tren d w illbe to produce solutions for ...

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81


6.3a


The style of business reports

Teacher’s Notes

AIM. 5

To practise a variety of techniques used to produce an impersonal, balanced style such as the passive voice, compound nouns and ‘vague’ language, and then practise writing a short report. T IME.


POSSIBLE ANSWER.

Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class.

Effective report w riting d epends on g ood p lan ning and the w riting tech nique of the author. W hile w riting, you sho uld u se a good English-English dictionary, an d yo u m ust develop the h ab it of looking carefully at the exam ple senten ces. It can be said that there are no easy rules for rep ort w riting, but an ideal opportunity for im provem ent is to do som e w riting practice on a Business English co urse. You w ill only im prove after you w rite a few repo rts and w ork o n the prob lem areas.

PROCEDURE. 1

2

Write up on the board this sentence: It was suggested that our maintenance contract could be changed. Ask the students if the style is informal or formal (formal). Then ask them to identify any language techniques that create a formal style, and write on the board next to the appropriate words in the sentence: ‘It’ + passive / Compound noun / Passive Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions for the underlining task. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

6


ANSWERS.

1 2 3

ANSWERS.

a b c

Refer to the instructions for section B. Let the students read the two versions silently to see the difference (the first version always uses the three techniques from section A, whereas the second always avoids them). Then refer to the task after the two versions, to write a third, mixed version. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

It is reco m m en ded / sales rep orts / are p roduced construction project / is m an ag ed plan ning decision / w ill be m ad e

4 5

3

Refer to the instructions in the first bullet point. Do the task as a whole-class activity, eliciting the new versions to the board (emphasizing as you write that some information is unknown).

Sm oking is prohibited in public areas. It w as suggested that the ad vertising cam paign should run for a six-m onth period. A differen t form at for the annual sales account m igh t be considered. It w as ag reed that the office cleaning contract sho uld b e given to K leanU p. The dam con struction p roject w as delayed becau se of plan ning reg ulations.

ANSWERS.

a b c

? recom m ends that ? p rod uces a report of sales on a m on thly basis. It is vital that w e m an ag e the project to construct ? properly. ? w ill m ake the d ecision ab ou t planning in Jun e.

Emphasize that the new versions are nearly impossible to complete without more information. 4

Refer to the question in the second bullet point and have a whole-class discussion. Answer: the writer chooses the version which is simpler and easier to understand. In examples a– c the original versions are easier to understand even though the style is more formal (the question marks on the board represent unimportant information that does not need to be mentioned).

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6.3b


The style of business reports 7

Teacher’s Notes 8

Refer to the instructions for section D. Let the students read the sentences silently then ask them what they think of the style (it is too certain, strong and general – there is no balance or suggestion that the author has considered different possibilities). Refer to the rewriting task after the example sentences and the techniques in the table. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

8

POSSIBLE ANSWERS.

1 2 3

4 5

6 7

Th e U S stock m arket is likely to rise next year. Prop erty ten ds to be a very cyclical m arket. M any an alysts believe that the telecom m s sector has substan tially better poten tial than the rest of the m arket. It is probab le that inflation is less dan gerous now than in the 19 70 s. Bonds are a considerably safer investm en t than shares, but shares ten d to give a better return in the lon g term . G old prices are n ot expected to go any low er. In gen eral young peo ple invest for cap ital grow th and old people u sually invest for incom e, how ever this is not alw ays true.

! Macmillan

Publishers Ltd 2002

9 10 11

84

Taking everything into consideration, the b est option is probably to spread your m oney over several form s of investm en t.

Refer to the instructions for section E. Tell the students that they can choose either topic. They will start writing the report in class and then finish it for homework. Start the activity, the students working individually, and circulate. Make a note of good/bad language use. Hold a short feedback slot. In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated section on the board line by line.


6.3a


The style of business reports A

Look at the three sentences below. Underline examples of the techniques in the box. 1 Th e p assive

B

Worksheet

It’+ passive 3 C o m p ou nd n o un s 2 ‘

a b c

It is recommended that sales reports are produced on a monthly basis. It is vital that the construction project is managed properly. The planning decision will be made in June.

• •

Try rewriting the sentences without using any of the three techniques. Is it always possible? Using the techniques in the box is a choice the writer makes. How does the writer choose?

These two texts have exactly the same meaning. What is the difference between them? 1

Effective rep ort w riting dep en ds on good

2

Th e w riting of effective rep orts depen ds on

plan ning an d the w riting technique o f the

good planning and the technique of w riting of

au thor. W hile w riting, a good En glish-En glish

the author. W hile w riting, you should use a

dictionary should be u sed , an d the h ab it of

good En glish-En glish d ictionary, an d you m ust

looking carefully at the exam ple sen ten ces

develop the h ab it of looking carefully at the

m ust be d eveloped . It can be said that there

sen ten ces w hich are exam ples. Ican say that

are no easy rules for rep ort w riting, but an

there are no easy rules for the w riting of

ideal im provem ent opportunity is to do som e

rep orts,but an idealopportunity for

w riting practice on a Business English course.

im provem en t is to do som e p ractice in w riting

Im provem ent w illonly be m ade after a few

on a co urse of Business English. Yo u w illonly

rep orts have b een w ritten an d the p roblem

im prove after you w rite a few rep orts an d

areas have been w orked o n.

w ork on the areas w hich are a problem .

Write a third text with the same meaning, using a combination of phrases from the other two texts. Choose the phrases that you think are the simplest and clearest. The correct answer is a matter of personal opinion.

C

Rewrite the following sentences in a formal, impersonal style. 1

W e prohibit sm oking in the areas w hich are public.

Smoking 2

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Som ebody suggested that the cam paign for the advertising should run for a p eriod of six m onths.

It was suggested that –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 3

W e m ight con sider using a differen t form at for the sales accou nt that w e m ake an nually.

A different format –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 4

W e ag reed w e sho uld g ive the contract for cleaning the o ffices to K leanU p.

It was agreed that –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 5

W e d elayed the p roject to con struct a d am because o f regulations abo ut planning.

The dam ! Macmillan

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6.3b


The style of business reports D

Worksheet

Look at these sentences that come from a report on investment advice. What do you think of the writing style? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Th e U S stock m arket w illrise next year. Property is a very cyclicalm arket. A nalysts believe that the teleco m m s sector has better po ten tial than the rest of the m arket. Inflation is less dan gerous no w than in the 1 970s. Bonds are a safer investm en t than shares. Sh ares give a b etter return in the long term . G old prices w illnot go an y low er. Yo ung peo ple invest for cap ital grow th an d old peo ple invest for incom e, but this is no t alw ays true. Th e best option is to spread your m oney over severalform s of investm en t.

Rewrite the eight sentences using the techniques in the table. These techniques will help you to create a balanced style that shows you have considered the points carefully. Giving both sides of an argument

Making a statement less general

E

In general ... , however ... On the whole ... , but ... Many / Some usually / typically / often

Making a statement less certain

It is possible / probable that ... It seems / appears that ... ... tends to be ... ... is likely to / is expected to / will probably / mig ht ... ... probably will not / is not expected to / is unlikely to ...

Making a comparison more/less strong

++ substantially / considerably / much slow er grow th + a significantly / relatively m ore risky investm en t – a marg inally / slig htly m ore expensive option

Concluding

On balance, ... Taking everything into consideration, ...

Choose one of the topics below and write a short report. Use techniques from sections A and D to keep your style impersonal and balanced. 1

W rite a short rep ort describing the econom ic and political outlook for your country over the next year.

2

Rew rite this short rep ort ab out the future o f the Internet. Yo u can chan ge the original an d introduce your ow n ideas. Th e Internet is the m ost im portan t technological ad vance since the w heel. So on you w illnever have to leave hom e. C inem as w illdisappear as people dow nload m ovies on dem and, sho ps w ill disappear as peo ple w alk through virtual superm arkets and order goods w ith a click o f the m ouse. In the service sector everyone w illw ork from hom e and video conferen cing w illrep lace m eetings. People w illm eet future h usban ds and w ives through on-line ch at areas that select peo ple w ith sim ilar interests. M ost peo ple w illlive inside Inform ation V illag es w ith green spaces an d high w alls. Th e rem ainder w illlive outside the w alls w here arm ed guards w illfeed them soup an d give them blan kets du ring the w inter.

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6.4


Figures and graphs

Teacher’s Notes 2

AIM.

To practise a variety of ways for expressing numbers in a written context and to review language for referring to charts and tables.

ANSWERS.

T IME.

1 m uch less than 50 % 2 a little u nder 50% /alm ost 3 abo ut 50 % /arou nd 50 % (also ap proxim ately 50 % 5 a little over 50% ) 4 exactly 50% /precisely 50% 6 con siderably m ore 50 % /sligh tly m ore than 50 % 7 d 8 c 9 b 10 a than 50 %


Make one copy of the worksheet for each student in the class. (Option) If you choose to do section D in class you will need to have a range of magazines and newspapers available that have short articles with graphs and charts (e.g. copies of the Financial Times, Economist, European etc.).

3

1c

Write up on the board the worksheet title Figures and graphs. Sketch on the board a line graph, a bar chart and a table. Elicit the three names. Use the line graph to elicit the words horizontal axis and vertical axis. Use the table to elicit row and column. Then write up these words and elicit/explain the difference between them: a number (‘a number’ is a word or symbol used to count) a figure (‘a figure’ is a specific amount, i.e. a number that refers to something. It is especially used for official information) statistics (‘statistics’ are facts obtained by analyzing numbers. They refer to a collection of figures) So we say unemployment/export/rainfall/crime/ official figures (or statistics), but we do not use the word ‘numbers’ in phrases like these.

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Publishers Ltd 2002


ANSWERS.

PROCEDURE. 1

Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and ask them to look at section A. Refer to the instructions. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate.

4

2f 3d

4e

5a

6b

Refer to the instructions for section C. Divide the class into pairs, start the activity and circulate. Vocabulary note: GDP = Gross Domestic Product.

ANSWERS.

1 graph 2 on 3 A s 4 than 5 to 6 table 7 figures 8 arou nd 9 colum n 10 only 11 section 12 app end ix 5

6

86

Refer to the instructions for section D. Ask the students to write the report for homework. If you choose to start this activity in class you will need to have a range of appropriate magazines/newspapers available. In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them.


6.4


Figures and graphs A

Worksheet

Write the descriptions in the box on the appropriate lines 1–6. considerably more than 50% around 50% a little over 50% exactly 50% almost 50% a little under 50% much less than 50% about 50% precisely 50% slightly more than 50% 40 %

1 2 3 4 5 6

48 % 48% –52% 50 % 52 % 60 %

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

and

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

and

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

and

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

and

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Some words can express a personal view. Match the words in italics with the meanings. 7 as many as 200 units w ere sold 8 only 200 units w ere sold 9 nearly 200 units w ere sold 10 barely 200 units w ere sold

B

190 sold. I’ m disappointed . 190 sold. I’ m pleased. 200 sold. I’ m disappointed . 200 sold. I’ m pleased.

Numbers can be written as symbols (10) or words (ten). Match the rules with the examples. 1 2 3 4 5 6

C

a b c d

U se sym bols for dates,large am ounts U se w ords for ordinals (first, second ) U se w ords for tw o nu m bers in succession U se w ords at the beg inning o f a sentence U se w ords for estim ates U se w ords for nu m bers below ten

a b c d e f

A bou t tw o hun dred em ployees There are three m ain recom m endation s $1 00 ,00 0 w illbe p aid o n 28 A ug ust W e w illneed tw enty fou r-person team s Tw elve co untries took p art in the talks Th is is our third an nual rep ort

Choose the correct words to complete this report extract. 1995

Total intra-Mercosur trade 15

Argentina Brazil Paraguay Uruguay

10

n b $

5 0

1990

91

92

93

94

95

p opulation m

G D P $ bn

G D P per head $

34.3

282.7

8,250

156.0

676.0

4,350

4.9

8.9

1,800

3.2

17.2

5,400

Th e (1) graph/graphic (2) by/on the left show s the g row th in trade b etw een the four M ercosur countries of So uth A m erica in the early nineties. (3) Like/As can be seen from the ch art, trad e g rew from a little less (4) that/than $5 bn in 19 90 (5) to/until nearly $16bn in 1995. The (6) table/chart on the right refers to (7) numbers/figures for 199 5. It show s that Brazilw as by far the largest coun try, w ith a pop ulation of (8) around/nearly 150 m illion.H ow ever,A rgen tina had the highestliving stan dards –see third (9) column/row .

The poorest cou ntry w as Paraguay, w ith a G D P per head of (10) almost/only $1,800. Further details on living stan dards can be fou nd in (11) section/chapter 2.2 of the (12) supplement/appendix .

D ! Macmillan

Find a magazine or newspaper article with a series of graphs and charts. Write a short report describing this information, similar to the one in section C. Publishers Ltd 2002

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6.5


Topics for practice reports

Teacher’s Notes

AIM.

PROCEDURE. 1

To provide a stimulus for writing a variety of business reports. T IME.



2 3

4

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Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions. Allow a few minutes for the students to look at the possible topics (it is not necessary to read the full notes in class). Remind the students that they should only choose one topic, and that some topics are deliberately open to allow for personalization. Ask them to write the report for homework and bring it to the next lesson. In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line. For further practice repeat with another topic on another day.


6.5


Topics for practice reports

Worksheet

C hoose one o f these top ics to practise w riting a b usiness rep ort. If possible, ad ap t the top ic you choose to m ake it sim ilar to the reports you w rite in your ow n real-life job.

Mini-reports 1 2 3 4 5

M ag azine article. W rite a rep ort sum m arizing an article that you have read. M eeting/N eg otiation. W rite a rep ort sum m arizing a recent m eeting or neg otiation (in real life o r on this course). Tourism O pportunities. W rite a report to your colleagues on w hy they sho uld spen d their next holiday in your country/city, an d recom m en dations for places to visit. W eekend trip. W rite a report to your colleag ues w ith recom m endations for w here you should go next w eekend for a social/cultural visit. C ourse evaluation. W rite a rep ort that evaluates this course up to now .

Work-related 6 7 8 9

Yo ur career. A Person nel O fficer has just interview ed you for a job. W rite h er rep ort ab out you, including your career, your ab ilities an d achievem en ts. A nnual report. W rite the introduction to your com pany’ s A nnual Report. M arket report. W rite a report analyzing recen t changes in your m arket. Progress report: departm ent. W rite a report describing the w ork of your departm en t/section over the last quarter.

10 Prog ress rep ort: project. W rite a rep ort describing the progress of one particular project you are curren tly involved w ith. 11 Product launch. W rite a briefing docum ent to give to journalists about a new product or service that your com pany is go ing to launch. 12 Prod uct description. W rite a rep ort giving a detailed description of one of your products (size, shape, colour, m aterials, technical specifications, features etc.). 13 Im provem ents. W rite a report to your colleag ues at w ork suggesting h ow to m ake im provem ents in one or m ore of the follow ing: recruitm en t m ethods, distribution, productivity, quality, ad vertising, m otivation, training, brand im age, tim e m anagem ent. 14 Real-life report. W rite p arts of a real-life report that you have to w rite in the n ear future. Current affairs H ot’topic from your country. W rite a rep ort to your colleagues on the co urse that describes an 15 ‘ eco nom ic/political/social/en vironm en tal topic that has been talked ab out recently in your country. 16 Traffic. W rite a rep ort to the Tran spo rt M inister of you r country sug gesting rad ical new m easures for controlling traffic in the capital city.

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6.6


Using notes to write a report AIM.

Teacher’s Notes

PROCEDURE. 1

To practise writing a report by organizing and expanding given information. T IME.



2 3

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Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions. Remind the students that they should only choose one topic. Emphasize that the notes are not in any order, and organizing the information is a necessary step. Allow a few minutes for the students to look at the two topics (it is not necessary to read the full notes in class). Ask them to write the report for homework and bring it to the next lesson. (Vocabulary note: layoff = the dismissal of a worker because there is not enough work. The word redundancy is also used in British English.) In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line.


6.6


Using notes to write a report 1 2 3 4

Worksheet

C ho ose on e o f the top ics below . Study the n otes carefully. Th ey are n ot in an y special order. D ecide how to organize the inform ation to m ake a report. Expan d the ideas to w rite a short rep ort. Yo u are free to ad d your ow n ideas as w ell.

1

Yo u are the H um an Resources D irector of a retailban k w hich n eed s to cut a large n um ber of jobs. Your rep ort w illbe called Prog ress rep ort on future layo ffs. • M anagem ent has prom ised no com pulsory layoffs and h as offered attractive packages for staff leaving voluntarily: pen sion protection, cash paym en ts,retraining. • Backg round: 1) strong co m petition; 2) custom ers prefer telep hone an d o n-line services. O ur respo nse to the p roblem : concentrate o perations at a few O peration C en ters (O .C .s). • U nion w an ts m anagem ent to m aintain a register of form er staff. Peo ple from this register w ould be co ntacted first to filltem porary po sts.Th is is un acceptab le to m an ag em en t. • W e w illneed to close 350 b ran ches over the next five years.10,000 layoffs w illbe needed (quarter of w orkforce). • N o ag reem ent w ith U nion on size of retraining bu dg et. U nion w ants $6 00 0 p er em ployee. W e have offered $ 40 00 . • Staff m orale very low in present situation. Should im prove in long term –w hen the new O .C .s start w orking. • H ow m uch con troldo w e have over retraining ? W illleavers be free to g o an yw here on any cou rse? Som e o f the retraining could be done in-com pan y at cheaper cost. Investigate an d prep are rep ort for next m eeting.

2

Yo u w rite a colum n for a finan cial new sletter that rep orts on investm en t opportunities. Finosa is an im ag inary Fren ch pharm aceu ticals com pan y. Yo ur rep ort w illbe called Finosa shares –a g ood tim e to buy? • Finosa has a n ew drug to treat narrow ed arteries, called V ipax. A t a recen t presentation, M r. G erard H ab erer, research an d developm en t director at Finosa said ‘For us Vipax is a very

important product. W e expect to find a very big market for this product’. • 53 % of Fino sa’ s shares are ow ned by the Bergam ot cosm etics grou p. Four w eeks ago Bergam ot an nounced that they w an t to sellsom e o f these shares. Since then, Finosa’ s share p rice h as clim bed from 70 euros to 84 euros. • The pharm aceuticals industry has been going through a p eriod of con solidation, w ith a lot of m ergers an d acquisitions. • M r. Ph illipe C ottet, a p harm aceuticals analyst in Paris,w rote last w eek ‘The price of Finosa shares

already includes the profit potential of their new products. Finosa are making very optimistic sales forecasts.’ • Finosa is the w orld’ s 12th. largest pharm aceuticals com pan y in term s of sales. • Th e m ed ical journal ‘ Th e D octor’said ‘The benefits of using Vipax are exaggerated. The high cost

of Vipax in comparison with existing treatments such as aspirin will restrict its sales.’ • Th e Paris stock exchan ge is fullof rum ors that an other Fren ch drugs group, Labsynth, is interested in form ing som e sort of m erger w ith Finosa. Labsynth h ave d en ied these rum ours.

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6.7


Report: personal management skills AIM.

PROCEDURE. 1

To practise writing a report on the student’s own skills in one of a range of management areas. T IME.



2 3

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Teacher’s Notes

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Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions. Remind the students that they should only choose one topic. Allow a few minutes for the students to look at the four topics (it is not necessary to read the full notes in class). Ask them to write the report for homework and bring it to the next lesson. (Vocabulary note: to assess = to think carefully about a situation and make a judgment about it.) In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line.


6.7


Report: personal management skills

Worksheet

C hoose one o f the follow ing four topics. Th e ideas in brackets w ill help you to start thinking ab out each topic, but only choose a few ideas that are relevant to you. W rite a sho rt rep ort: • Introduce the topic in general. • D escribe your ow n experience of the areas you have chosen. G ive real exam ples and assess your ow n perform ance. • Recom m end som e practicalideas for person al im provem ent.

1 Your report will be called Assessing my personal skills: Communicating clearly (Body lan guag e; Listen ing an d asking questions; U sing the phone; U sing e-m ail; U sing the fax; U sing the Internet; Reading efficiently; Taking notes; W riting letters; W riting rep orts; W riting proposals; C oach ing staff; G iving feedback; C hairing m eetings; G iving presen tations; U sing visual aids; Leading training sem inars; Selling products; N egotiating; Pu blic relations)

2 Your report will be called Assessing my personal skills: Managing time (A ssessing w ork p atterns; Tim e d em an ds of differen t tasks; Plan ning an d prioritizing; U se of a tim e plan ner;M an ag ing your staff/colleagues/m an ag er;D eleg ating effectively; D ealing w ith problem s; Filing pap erw ork; Filing on the co m puter; Rethinking w ork space; Filtering m aterial; C irculating m aterial; M aking an d taking phone calls; Reading an d w riting; U sing e-m ail; U se of tim e in m eetings; Travelling to w ork; Travelling as part of your job; Sched uling tim e off)

3 Your report will be called Assessing my personal skills: Motivating people (A ssessing m otivation levels of you r staff; Reco gnizing an d balan cing needs; Estab lishing basic n eeds: sup ervision/au tonom y/security/status/w orking conditions/salary an d ben efits; M otivating through: ad van cem en t/responsibility/job interest/recognition/opportunities to ach ieve; Im proving com m unication; D ealing w ith staff problem s and m istakes; Su pporting staff; En courag ing initiative; En riching jobs; Setting goals; M otivating groups; Lead ing a team ; D eleg ating; A ppraising effectively; D efining perform an ce; Rew arding achievem en t; C eleb rating success; Building careers)

4 Your report will be called Assessing my personal skills: Managing change (C au ses of chan ge: technological/social/eco nom ic/activities of com petitors; Rate of chan ge; Reactive chan ge: responding to a crisis; Proactive chan ge: an ticipating an d prep aring for the future; C hoosing areas for chan ge; C onsulting custom ers/em ployees;C larifying objectives; C hoosing a tim escale; Iden tifying an d allocating tasks; M aking an action plan ; A ssigning responsibility; U sing plan ning tools/checksheets/sched ules; D eveloping com m itm en t; Em pow ering peo ple; A nticipating effects; D ealing w ith resistan ce; M inim izing neg atives; Testing an d checking plan s;M onitoring progress; M aintaining m om entum ; Providing training; C onsolidating chan ge)

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6.8


Report: the impact of information technology AIM.

PROCEDURE. 1

To practise writing a report on how information technology affects either the student’s own business or society in general. T IME.

variable PREPARATIO N. 2


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Teacher’s Notes

Publishers Ltd 2002

3

94

Give out a copy of the worksheet to every student and refer to the instructions. Remind the students that they should only choose one topic. Allow a few minutes for the students to look at the two topics (it is not necessary to read the full notes in class). Ask them to write the report for homework and bring it to the next lesson. In the next lesson collect in the reports and correct them. (Option) Leave one of the reports uncorrected, and photocopy one copy of this for each student. Choose a section and ask students to try to correct/improve it in pairs. In feedback listen to all the suggestions for reformulations and discuss with the class which is the best. Consider both style and grammatical accuracy. Build up the reformulated version on the board line by line.


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