Деловой английский (стр. 1 )

Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации

Федеральное агентство по образованию

Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования

«Тобольский государственный педагогический институт имени »

Деловой английский

Учебные материалы для студентов

направления подготовки «лингвистика» (заочная форма обучения)

для организации самостоятельной работы

составитель:

к. ф.н., доцент

Тобольск – 2009

Contents

Unit #1. Employment……………………………………………………….……………3

Unit #2. Organization…………………………………………………….……………....6

Unit #3. Globalization………………………………………………...………………......9

Unit #4. Brands…………………………………………………………….…………….12

Units for individual work

Unit #1. Presentation……………………………………………………………….……15

Unit #2. Business correspondence………………………………………………………18

Unit #3. Marketing………………………………………………………………………24

A task for to get a credit in Business English…………………..26

Unit #1. Employment

I. Read the text about legal forms of organization, translate and explain italicized words

Personnel

Personnel refers to all the people who work for a firm. Most large companies have special personnel(staff) departments which are responsible for employer-employee relations. The most important services provided by Staff or Human Resources department are recruiting, deciding which applicants are most suitable for employment by the firm, and developing and implementing personnel policies and procedures for the benefit of the company as well as the employees.

To replace workers who retire or quit and to fill new jobs created most businesses need to hire/employ, personnel. Depending upon management policy and the nature of the position, recruiting could be done internally or externally. Internal recruitment means that the person chosen for the position is selected from the current employees of the company. This is either by promotion or transfer. When promoted an employee receives a job with more authority and responsibility than his present job and usually expects to receive an increase in salary. A transfer refers to a job or department change for a worker. A transfer without promotion is a lateral transfer. It may involve different working conditions and hours. Filling vacant positions with inside candidates has several benefits. Employees see that competence is rewarded, and morale and performance may thus be enhanced. The organization is more likely to have a more accurate assessment of the person's skills. Inside candidates also require a shorter induction period than the outsiders. Finally, existing systems of communication within the company ensure that information about vacancy circulates quickly as well as cheaply (compared to the other forms of recruiting method).Yet this method can also misfire. Employees who apply for jobs and don't get them may become discontented; informing them why they were rejected and what remedial action they might take to be more successful is thus essential. A second disadvantage is that internal recruitment places a limit on the number of applicants and may not give a true picture of the competition from outside. However, perhaps the biggest drawback is "inbreeding" When an entire management team has been brought up through the ranks, there may be a tendency to make decisions "by the book" and to maintain the status quo, when an innovative and new direction is what's called for External recruitment means that the company is looking for new workers from outside the firm. If the organization is looking for employees with special training or education it can make arrangements with the placement office at the university campus to interview graduating students. Some companies are seeking top level managers who they will recruit from other firms, often from their competitors. Another way is to refer to the employment/recruitment agencies (US search firm) operated by the government (Job Centers, Professional and Executive Recruitment) or privately owned agencies. Within the first category applicants can be selected from nationwide sources. As the organizations are state-operated, they are socially responsible and secure and can produce applicants quickly. These public agencies are major source of hourly-paid, blue-collar mercial agencies are active in filling vacancies within certain sector or for certain jobs. For the employer, the attractions are the ease of using the service and that it can be used to fill temporary posts at short notice although the staffs produced by such agencies are likely to stay only for a short time. Sometimes companies pay a fee or commission to the management selection consultants or executive placement service which can become an important source for management posts.

Most recruitment involves a job announcement or advertising containing a description of the job/position, produced by the personnel department. For job ads to bring results, there are two issues to address: construction of the ad and media to be used. If the firm is not well known, the job description may begin with some basic information about the company and its products. This is followed by the title of the position the company wants to fill. Then the duties and responsibilities of the job are given, as well as where that position fits in the organizational chart (who the person reports to and who the person supervises). Next appear the qualifications for the job, such as the professional training or skills needed. The salary and fringe benefits paid for by the company should also be mentioned. Finally, the job description will tell the applicant exactly what to do if he if interested in the position. People who are interested can apply for the job by sending in a letter of application or covering letter (US cover letter and a curriculum vitae or CV (US cover letter) containing details of their education and experience. A company may also ask candidate to complete a standard application form. Company's Human Resources department will then select the most suitable applications and prepare a short list of applicants, who are invited to attend an interview. In the interview the applicant's personality and ability to work with others may be judged.

Some people feel the most important function of the personnel department in the development of personnel policies. A company should have a specific formal written procedure for dealing with its employees. These procedures should state working conditions, salary scale, and fringe benefits such as paid vacation, paid sick leave, group insurance, pension or retirement plan-all things received in addition to pay. Part of the policy may also include a procedure for notifying employees of openings or promotional opportunities. In addition, there is often a procedure for handling employees' grievances. All of these items may be part of a union contract between the employer and the employees who are members of a union.

II. Vocabulary and speech exercises.

1. Fill in the gaps giving the English equivalents of the Russian words in brackets and translate the sentences into Russian:

1.  He has all the ____(квалификацию) for a headhunter: a limitless capacity for talking on the phone, and a lot of rich personal ____(связи).

2.  Before we invite you to attend an interview we will need ___ (рекомендацию) from your former employers.

3.  People involved in recruitment should be given information about the characteristics of people born under various ____ (астрологические знаки).

4.  It should be born in mind at the recruitment stage that people don't change and that their childhood experiences have a strong influence on forming their ____ (характер).

5.  Most employers require from their applicants at least three year's ____ (опыт) in a particular sphere of work mentioned in a job advertisement.

2. Match the words with their corresponding definitions:

1. recruitment 2. absentee record e up to expectations 4. deliver 5. high-flier 6. steady performer 7. to bear in mind 8. ability 9. fundamentals 10. to cope with 11. skills 12. to groom 13.repackage 14. low esteem 15. lack of emotional warmth

a. надежный исполнитель b. оправдывать надежды, ожидания c. набор персонала d. учет отсутствия на работе e. помнить, иметь в виду f. основы g. (зд) оказаться на высоте положения h. способность, умение i. навыки j. (зд) придать более привлекательный облик k. готовить к определенной деятельности, тренировать l. отсутствие эмоциональной теплоты m. низкая самооценка n. справиться, совладать о. умный человек, способный выдвинуться ("птица высокого полета")

3. Translate the sentences into English:

1.  Она перестала искать работу уже довольно давно, т. к. ей уже больше сорока, и работодатели думают, что нанимать человека ее возраста слишком дорого.

2.  Существует целый ряд характеристик почерка, на которые смотрят графологи, чтобы создать представление о личности подающего заявление на работу.

3.  Резюме должно содержать наиболее важную информацию для той должности, которую вы хотите занять, поэтому укажите лишь одно или два ваших наиболее существенных навыка или умения, оставив все остальное для интервью.

4.  Такие черты характера как беспокойство, низкая самооценка не меняются в течении всей человеческой жизни.

5.  Три четверти людей испытывают волнение по поводу предстоящего интервью, но следует помнить, что эта нервозность может помочь им потерять работу еще до ее получения.

4. Read and summarize the following article.

Specific types of interviews

Telephone interviews

Telephone interviews are increasingly used by companies as an integral part of the recruitment process. Most commonly they are used as a method of initial screening, but some use them as far down the line as third or fourth interviews. The majority of companies inform you in advance and usually pre-arrange a time with you, but be prepared for those who just ring! Be prepared. You could be called at any time so make sure:

·  The message on your answering machine is suitable;

·  Flat-mates are briefed to take a detailed message;

·  The telephone is answered in a sensible manner - no silly comments by flat-mates, or loud music in the background;

·  Keep a list of job applications by the phone, plus a copy of your CV, pen and paper, a diary in case you are invited to a meeting, questions to ask a potential employer.

Types of telephone interview

·  Unannounced. Someone from the organization, or a recruitment agency acting on their behalf, calls you after receiving your CV or application form. Questions are often similar to those asked at a first face-to-face interview.

·  Prearranged. Here you are contacted beforehand to arrange a time to carry out a telephone interview. You are likely to be fully briefed as to the style of questions at this stage. It is possible that you could have an automated interview, where you are sent a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and asked to call the company within a specified time period. You are then required to respond to various statements via a touchtone telephone. The time you take to respond may be taken into account.

·  Sales interview. This is only likely if it is appropriate to the job you have applied for. You are asked to try and sell something to the interviewer.

·  Research interviews. Some companies ask you to carry out a piece of research prior to the telephone interview and ask you questions on it. For example if you have applied to the graduate recruitment scheme of a supermarket, they may ask you to carry out some customer research on a certain product or aspect, such as store layout, and then ask for your findings.

Video interviews

Although rare, these are not unknown, particularly if you have applied for a position overseas. As far as possible, you should treat them as traditional interviews; dress as you would for a conventional interview, address your answers to the interviewer (i. e. to the camera rather than the display screen) and listen carefully to the questions and instructions, asking the interviewer to repeat anything that you don’t understand.

Face-to-face interviews can be carried in the following ways.

 One-to-one interviews

As the name suggests, this is a meeting between the candidate and one interviewer. Try to develop a rapport between yourself and the interviewer.

Sequential interviews

In this case you have several interviews in turn with different interviewers. Usually each interviewer asks questions to test different sets of competencies. However this is not always the case. You may find yourself answering the same questions over and over. If this does happen make sure you answer each one as fully as the time before.

Panel interviews

In this type of interview you are questioned by several people sitting on a panel. The actual number of interviewers can vary, but there is usually a chairperson to co-ordinate the questions, a specialist who knows about the job in detail and a personnel manager. Such interviews are popular in the public sector.

Unit #2. Organisation.

I.  Read the text about legal forms of organization, translate and explain italicized words.

Legal forms of company organization.

I. A student of a business school should understand the different ways in which commercial and non-commercial organisations are constituted. The areas which have to be covered span the whole range of commercial business entities, from the sole trader to the multinational company. In addition, the student must also consider non-commercial organisations, such as charities, clubs and public sector bodies. As the scope of this subject is broad, little more than a basic understanding is necessary in terms of the legal aspects of different organisations. It is necessary, however, to know the objectives of different types of business, their key features and the advantages and disadvantages of each. This article provides an overview of types of organisation which may be useful in both complementing recommended reading and summarising the main learning points.

The sole trader

Features: in legal terms, the sole trader operates as an individual. Business finances cannot be separated from personal finances insofar as the sole trader carries unlimited liability and is personally responsible for obligations incurred. There are many thousands of sole traders in the UK turning over anything from a few thousand pounds to more substantial amounts annually. The numbers are increasing all the time: in his book «The Age of Unreason», Charles Handy contends that this type of business will continue to be of increasing importance as businesses rely less on permanent, full-time staff and are more prepared to ‘buy in’ services as and when required. This process has been accelerated by the emergence of shorter career expectations, especially in ‘white collar’ professions. For example, in banking and finance and the information technology industries, those deemed to be surplus to requirements can often set up a small consultancy and sell their services to their former employers as well as their competitors. Operating on a low-cost base, often from the private residence, the sole trader can survive and sometimes prosper from a relatively small client definition, the sole trader is the single owner of the business. As such, he takes all income and incurs all obligations. The legal framework smiles on this method of operation: the small business does not have to be registered and until the annual turnover reaches over £300,000, it does not even have to be audited. Income tax is payable on net profit.

Partnerships

Key features: a partnership in the UK is usually made up of between two and twenty individuals trading towards a common objective or set of objectives. These may be verbally agreed between those concerned or (more usually) set out in a partnership agreement. This agreement will also define the ownership criteria as well as the role the partners have to play in the business. It may also set out conditions for dissolving the partnership, including limitations on setting up new enterprises within a certain period and within a specified geographical catchment area should a partner decide to leave. A partnership is in many ways an extension of the sole trader in that the individual partners business affairs are indistinguishable from their personal finances. They reap all the profits, divided according to agreed criteria (again, set down in the partnership agreement) and carry full liability. If the business fails, there is a direct personal impact on the finances of the individual partner. Like a sole trader, a partnership has few regulatory obligations. There is no registration requirement, except for those partnerships responsible to professional bodies. Specific rules apply to partnerships operating under Scots law, however. The individuals making up the partnership are jointly and severally responsible for their own financial affairs. From a tax perspective, each must complete his own self-assessment form, and the partnership as a whole must also submit a return. Management responsibilities can be divided according to the choices or consensus of those involved. Some partnerships are husband and wife businesses. Some are formed on the basis of the complementary skills of those involved.

Limited companies

Key features: A limited company is a separate entity from the individuals who own it. It has a distinct legal personality, as established by Saloman v. Saloman 1897. A company can take many forms, including a privately-owned company, a public limited company and a company limited by guarantee. There is also a small number of unlimited companies in the UK, though there is little advantage in operating in this panies have a formal constitution set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. The Memorandum sets out the framework of the business in a set of clauses name, registered office, objects (objectives) and so on and defines the company’s relationship with the outside world. The objectives of the business are, therefore, defined formally, though they may be interpreted in different ways by directors and executives. The Articles are the internal constitution, laying down how directors are elected and removed, rights and duties of shareholders and other internal constitutional panies are regulated by statute, principally the Companies Act 1985. Constitutional documents have to be registered with the Companies Registry and held on public file. The Act governs a wide range of matters, including submission of statutory returns, meetings and types of resolution which may be considered. The earnings of limited companies are subject to corporation tax, not personal taxation as with other trading entities. A company can only be formed within the framework set down by the 1985 Act. One method of adopting this corporate form used by entrepreneurs is to buy a dormant company ‘off the shelf’. This can be done for a few hundred pounds. All companies are owned by their shareholders, whose democratic rights within the company are defined by the Articles but also by statute. The latter also contains provisions on ‘dissentient rights’ essentially, the protection of minority shareholder groups. The ‘trustees’ for the shareholders are the Board of Directors, responsible for setting the general direction and policy of the company. These can be executive (full-time) or non-executive (part-time). The Chief Executive may or may not be a director but will nearly always have a significant input into policy matters. It is quite usual for there to be several executive directors in key areas such as finance, information technology and marketing. Depending on the size of the company, there can be varying degrees of complexity of organisation. Small companies are similar in many ways to unlimited businesses, whilst public companies quoted on the Stock Exchange can have many thousands of employees, often operating across international frontiers.

2. Understanding organizational structure

The organisation chart describes in diagrammatic form the structure of the organisation. It is the skeleton upon which every other activity depends, more importantly, it is the framework which explains the communication pattern, process and the linking mechanisms between the roles. It illustrates to everyone who communicates with whom, how the control system works, who is in control, who has authority and above all, who is responsible. It explains how the organisation is coordinated and how individual departments relate. Formal structures are often based on specific tasks and it is how these tasks are allocated and the authority which they carry are explained by the organisational structure.

A business organisation may be structured in many different ways, depending upon the environment within which it operates.

Traditionally, the structure – and therefore the communication process – is based upon a hierarchy of individual departments, although more and more organisations now see the product and the market as more fundamental to structure than individual departments. There are always problems with any organisational structure. Traditional organisations based on departments often tend to be bureaucratic and slow in distributing information, whilst organisations which are more aware of the external environment often lack the formality and control of the traditional organisation. The typical organisation chart assumes a hierarchical structure, reflecting communication flowing downwards from top management to the departments further down the organisation. But of course communication also flows in reverse, instructions received from above have to be acted upon and reported.

However, in many modern organisations where conventional communication structures either do not exist or are less formal, communication tends to be horizontal, between individuals and departments, rather than the upwards or downward flow assumed by so many to be the normal case. This type of structure is often referred to as the Matrix structure. Its great advantage is that it is cross functional whilst maintaining functions and the commitment and specialisation of individual departments. At the same time it allows adaption to change, encourages commitment to the organisation as a whole, improves communication and perhaps most importantly of all, reduces the need for slow, laborious communication up and down the traditional hierarchical structure.

II. Vocabulary and speech exercises.

1.  Match English and Russian words and expressions.

1.  председатель 2.  директор-распорядитель 3.  руководитель отдела маркетинга 4.  коммерческий директор 5.  научно-исследовательская деятельность 6.  стоимость акций 7.  устоявшийся рынок 8.  преуспевать 9.  преимущество 10.  ответственный 11.  дающий прибыль 12.  ввести кого-либо в совет директоров 13.  филиал 14.  головная компания

a)  prosper b)  sales manager c)  profitable d)  subsidiary e)  advantage f)  research and development department g)  marketing manager h)  parent company i)  chairman j)  put smb on the board of directors k)  share price l)  responsible m)  established market n)  managing director

2. Translate the sentences into English:

1.  В настоящее время торговля России
определяется малым и средним бизнесом.

2.  Многонациональные предприятия с их иерархической структурой являются образцом современного бизнеса.

3.  Организации хотят привлечь необходимых им людей и найти способы их мотивации.

4.  Офисы открытого типа более удобны для руководителей: можно наблюдать за работой основного персонала

3. Discuss advantages and disadvantages of the open type offices. Do you want to work in such an office if you were an employee? if you were an employer?

4. Match the English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents:

1. in the guise of 2. self-employed 3. sole trader 4. SME (small & medium) 5. multinational 6. productive 7. creative 8. hot-desking 9. teleworking 10. telecommuting 11. core staff 12. open plan offices

а. многонациональная b. основной персонал с. созидательный, творческий d. частный предприниматель e. дальняя связь f. малый или средний бизнес g. офисы открытого типа, с открытой планировкой h. работа по телефону (телеграфу) i. производительный, производственный j. под видом, под маской чего-либо, в виде ч/л k. совместное использование рабочего места 1. занятый собственным делом, работающий не по найму

5. Fill in the gaps giving the English equivalents of the Russian words in brackets and translate the sentences into Russian:

1. ____(Индивидуальное частное предприятие) is represented by a single person who sets up and runs the company and has _____(неограниченная ответственность) for its business debts.

2. In а _____(акционерное общество) the capital is divided into shares and ____(Акционеры) have _____(ограниченную финансовую ответственность).

3.  A house, a car and insurance policy are personal _____(имущество).

4.  A mortgage and a bank loan determine _____(финансовая ответственность заемщика).

5.  Banks do want to know the way how _____(акционерные общества) were set up because it could affect the relationship with the bank.

6. Translate the sentences into English:

1.  Если вы решаете открыть свой собственный бизнес, вам необходимо определить тип собственности, способ распределения прибыли и степень ответственности в случае банкротства.

2.  Индивидуальное частное предприятие, в отличие от других видов организаций, требует наименьшее количество капитала и меньше всего сотрудников.

3.  Товарищество может обанкротиться, и в этом случае партнеры вынуждены будут продать свое личное имущество.

4.  Все партнеры товарищества несут неограниченную финансовую ответственность в случае банкротства.

Unit #3. Globalization

I. Read the text about globalization, translate and explain italicized words.

* * *

Global economic, political, social, environmental and cultural interdependence is not a new phenomenon. But it is certainly increasing dramatically at this point in history. Decisions taken by people, companies and governments in one part of the world influence people, companies and governments in other parts of the world overnight – sometimes positively, too often negatively.

Globalization is the defining theme of current times and the mantra of the moment. Interpretations of what globalization actually is and whether it is inherently good or bad differ widely.

Few will question the fact that globalization is much more than a purely economic phenomenon, with increased flows of money, people, goods and services crossing national frontiers at ever greater speeds, driven forward by technology. Underlying the economic facts of globalization is a much more controversial process, with values, cultures, and aspirations of men and women being penetrated by market processes.

Globalization presents us with new opportunities. Goods and services can more freely be sold across the borders, the distance between North and South, East and West is steadily diminishing, the Internet has given us new opportunities for exchanging ideas, thoughts and information and outdated aristocracies and traditions are being swept away.

However, globalization also confronts us with new problems. The economic forces are becoming more and more intractable, weak groups are being marginalized, inequality is increasing, financial crises are being exacerbated, the cultural identity is being re-shaped, community and family ties are being broken down and global crime is on the increase. Seen from the South, globalization so far has had a positive impact on civil and political rights of the citizen vis-à-vis the national state, but a largely negative impact on social, environmental and economic rights of people.

ECONOMIC GLOBALISATION

Free trade is not a goal or an end in itself. Free trade must take place within a regulated framework, which caters for social redistribution and protection of the environment.

Goods, services and investments move across borders with increasing speed and increasing freedom, creating economic advantages for many nations and many people. But as it has been established above, this form of globalization also creates numerous problems. Environmental problems are growing; social inequality is greater than ever; poverty is still a reality for billions of people.

Fifty years ago, the average tariff level on industrial goods in the rich countries in the North was over 40 percent. Today it has fallen to under four percent. This is one aspect of liberalization.

Over the same fifty-year period, the gap between rich and poor has widened. Inequality has increased, not only in the South, but also in a number of rich countries. At the same time we have witnessed a dramatic rise in environmental problems. The tropical rain forest is disappearing at unprecedented speed; the ozone layer is threatened by pollution; everything indicates that increasing CO2 emissions will lead to global warming and an unstable climate, with serious negative consequences for countries whether industrialized or developing.

It must also be recognized that smaller and weak economies of the South until now have primarily felt globalization as a burden rather than a help. They have been weakened by economic liberalization policies and structural adjustment packages.

The intensity of global competition has put the environment as well as working conditions under pressure all over the world. Free trade zones and tax havens are examples of this "race to the bottom", where standards fall in an attempt to attract investments. In many countries the minimum wage is falling, while working conditions are deteriorating and job insecurity increasing. At the same time, the companies are only required to meet rather lax environmental requirements.

But it is important to recognize that the link between trade and inequality is not as simple as that. A country like Brazil has in fact been using trade barriers actively in an attempt to stimulate development, but inequalities are nevertheless the greatest in the world. In South Korea and Singapore, where openness and liberalization have been the focus, living conditions are much more equal. In almost all rich countries the trade barriers have gone down in recent years, but while the inequality has increased in USA, Norway and Italy it has diminished in Denmark, France and Australia. In some poor countries trade barriers have only cemented the privileges of the rich elite and been harmful to the poor. In other developing countries current trade liberalization puts the heaviest burden on the poorest and the most marginalized parts of the population.

The same applies to the environment. In many cases, free trade leads to a more efficient use of resources and counteracts environmentally harmful subsidies and policies. Examples of how high trade barriers maintained outdated and polluting technologies are plentiful in Eastern Europe and in a number of developing countries.

Similarly, the protectionist and subsidized European agricultural policy is producing huge environmental problems. A liberalization involving the removal of the current types of subsidies would reduce the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and thus benefit the environment. In this case more free trade would produce a better environment.

But the opposite can also be the case. There are many examples of more free trade creating more environmental problems, because the price of the goods does not fully reflect the actual environmental costs of production. For example, it is clear that transport costs fall far short of covering the costs of destruction inflicted in the forms of acid rain, particle pollution and global warming. On the other hand trade liberalization can also lead to more efficient transport patterns – especially between countries with long geographical borderlines.