Business English Pair Work 1

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English Pair Work I Steve Flinders and Simon Sweeney Illustrated

by Nevllle Swalne

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S E R I E SE D I T O R :N I C K B R I E G E R

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In memory of Frunk Zappa (1940-93)

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Contents

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Introduction

Teachers'Notes PairworkActivities Activity I

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StudentA StudentB Activity

Ice breaker Advertising Agendas Bank charges Budget presentation Businessanecdote Businessetiquette Businessgifts Businessinitials Buying and selling Cashflow problems Companyof the year Company organization Company presentation Companytour Companyvisit Corporateculture Corporate sponsorship Costs and reducing overheads Customer care Customercomplaint Customsholdup Employeemorale Entertaining visitors Environmentally friendly office Equal opportunities Franchising Health and safety ln-house magazine Interview techniques Job application Large versus small companies Late payment of invoice

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StudentA StudentB

1 0 1 34 Managementand leadership

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Glossary

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A-Zof Language Functions

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CommunicationSkill Table

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skills for women Managementqualities Market research Market survey Meeting arrangements Mission statement Pay versusbenefits Performance appraisal Presentinginformation Pressand public relations hoduct endorsement Production delays hofit and loss account Project management Quality Quiz 1 Qaiz2 Raising finance Recruitment Recycling Relocation Salestargets Small talk 1 Small talk 2 Spare parts Team building Time management Training priorities Transportation Work environment Work rotas Works council

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Teachers'notes

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1 lce breaker

2 Advertising

Introducti.on 'Ice breakers' are short exercisesfor use with a new classto help peopleto get to know eachother.

Introduction This role play revolves aroundhow to allocatemoney availablefor advertisins.

Lead-in Ask why it is important for businesspeople to be able to: r 'breakthe ice'with strangers . ask polite questionsto find out more about business contacts o be able to say clearly and concisely who they are, what they do and wherethey comefrom.

Lead-in Questions: o what methodsof advertisingare there? o what methods would be suitable for advertisins sportsequipment?

Method o With a group class,divide studentsinto As and Bs. There are two possible methods.Either Bs ask all their questions,then As questionBs. Or students takeit in tums to aska question. r If the group is not too large, get studentsto walk around so that all the As interview all the Bs and vice versa. Follow-up I Get selectedstudentsto tell the whole group in one or two sentences: - their name - their job title and main responsibility - their company,companyactivity (if necessary)and companylocation. You may wish to provide a model, for example:,My name is Sylvia Smith and I'm a language trainer responsiblefor business English training at ABC Pharmaceuticals, basedin Berlin.' Explain rhat this is a vital skill which everyonein the group must be able to perform with easeby the end of the course.If somestudentsare unsureabout their job titles, get others to make suggestions.If uncertainty persists in any case, suggestthat both you and the student try to get more information beforeyour next meeting. 2 Get studentsto write short personaland professional profiles of their partners, for example as in a job applicationform.

Method 1 Direct studentA to statean initial position. B should respond with some general comments and observations- on football sponsorship,for example.A needs to choosebetweena broadly-basedpackagecentred on athleticssponsorship,or a n.urowercampaignled by TV advertising. Student B has to change A's mind - away from football sponsorship. 2 Make sure learnerscome to an agreementon a total packageand that all points in their roles are included in the discussion. Follow-up After giving feedback, noting the positive achievementsof the negotiation,suggestan exchangeof letters summarizingthe agreement.

3 Agendas Introduction The activity involves a discussion on the telephone aboutplanningan agendafor a meeting. Lead-in I Discussthe themeof quality: - what is quality? - how do companiesraise and maintain quality standards? 2 Then elicit commentson agendas: - shouldall businessmeetingshave agendas? - are written agendasalwaysnecessary? - the answer could be that all meetingsneed clear objectives,but they may not always be written down.

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Teachers'notes ! Method 1 After the introductory discussion above, students preparetheir roles and B starts,reminding A about his/her letter and making some general critical remarkstogetherwith suggestions. 2 T\ey should reach agreementon a new agendabut postponesomediscussionto the meetingitself. Note that the final agendadependson other people'scommentstoo. Follow-ip They shouldproducea new agendatogether.

Method Explain the two roles - A as presenter,B as a listener who needsto understandpreciselywhat A is sayingand to questionany part of the budgetthat is not totally clear. Follow-up Someleamersmay chooseto presentsomeother information relating to their own work or interests and invite questionsfrom their partners.This would be a good opportunity to reversethe roles of presenterand listener.

6 Businessanecdote

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4 Bankcharges Introduction This activity is essentiallyabout customerservicein a familiar context:a bank. Lead-in I Ask studentsto discusswhat they think of banksand the quality of servicethey provide. They may recall somepersonalexperiences,good and not so good. 2 Move discussionon to the natureof customerservice and why the conceptis important. Method ./ A begins the role play by ringing with a complaint. B has to decide how to respond.The role play is potentially highly conflictive, much depending on how student B, the bank employee,decidesto resolve the two problems involved. There are several possible ways to resolve the difficulties, depending on the bank'skeennessto provide a customer-friendlyservice. Follow-up Have studentswork togetherto createa short dialogue basedon handling a complaint to a bank. Reversethe roles so B is making the complaint. Altematively get them to change the context from banking to another serviceindustry.

5 Budgetpresentation Introduction The activity provides practice in presentinginformation and in listening to a presentationand asking for explanations. Lead-in Check students'understandingof key vocabulary,such asbudget,salesbudget,costof salesandcostof selling.

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Introduction This activity can be used to finish off a lesson or a course, or as a break between two more extended, intensiveactivities. Lead-in Is it important for businesspeople to be able to tell anecdotes?Why is it important for businesspeople to be able to tell them clearly and CONCISELY? Method 1 Tell studentsthat there are six stages.Tell them how long you would like them to spend on each one. (l-ltlz minutesper stage.) 2 Signalto studentswhen the time for eachstageis up. Be firm aboutthe changeover. 3 Listen in to each pair. Be ready to prompt students who havedifficulty coming up with ideas. 4 When the exerciseis over, get students,still in pairs, to go over the story again in order to improve and polishit. 5 Invite selectedpairs to report their stories to the whole group. Follow-up 1 Get studentsin pairs to tell each other their own businessanecdotes.Get partnersto report back to the group the anecdotesthey have just heard. Again, at every stage. encourageclarity and conciseness they have the anecdote to write down 2 Get students inventedor their own anecdote. 3 Languageanalysisand feedback.

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7 Businessetiquette Introduction This activity encouragesstudentsto reflect upon everyday businessbehaviour, to formulate rules for their

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Teachers'notes ou'n behaviour,and to leam about the rules goveming otherpeople'sbehaviour. bad-in \\hat aspectsof businessetiquetteare important in the srudents'own culture?What happensif you break the rules.r .llethod I Even' studenthas five different areasto cover. Tell -{s and Bs that they are going to take it in turns to .Je:cnbe certain aspects of business behaviour to eachother. I .\s and Bs shouldreadtheir copies.Give them a little Iune to think about the rules goveming their own behaviourfor eacharealisted on their own sheets. -: Get .{s to lead with Shakinghands.As tell Bs what the conventionsfor shakinghandsare in their countn'icompany/departmentas appropriate.Bs should then comment on the differencesbetweenwhat As havedescribedand their own experience. -1 Get Bs to do the samewith Businesscards and contirue alternationuntil the end. Follow-up I Generalreportingback. Get eachA to report on a B areaand vice versa,leadinginto generaldiscussion. I lnvite opinions about other areasof everydaybusiness life, for example, punctuality, the status of deadlines,smokingat work. 3 .{sk whether any of these areas are codified or u'hetherany of them shouldbe.

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8 Businessgifts Introduction The activity is basedon an internal discussionto formulate policy on employeesreceiving gifts from suppliersor customers. I*ad-in To introducethe theme,ask: o what is the purposeof businessgifts? . aregifts commonin your country? . can they causeproblemsor conflict? r what sort of things could be presentedas gifts? Method Studentsshould engagein a wide-rangingdiscussion, bringing in all the points on their role cards.Get them to reacha generallyagreednew policy on gifts.

Follow-up A jointly producedmemo stating company policy on receivinggifts.

9 Businessinitials Introduction Like the quizzes,this can be treated as a quite lighthearted exercise to round off a lesson or a course. There is neverthelessa seriousand useful pedagogical objective.It is importantfor businesspeopleto be able to read the internationalbusinesspress.Unfamiliar sets of initials are often a barrier to understandingwhen reading in a foreign language.This activity includes some of the more common sets of initials from the worlds of business,politics,economics,computing,etc. Method 1 Get Bs to test As on setsof initials l-16. Bs should give the correct answer after each attempt by As; where necessarythey should explain eachansweras far as they can, and scoretheir partnersout of 16. 2 Now reverseroles and get As to testBs. 3 Pairsreport back to the group with teacherclarifying any remaining problem sets. Ask studentsif their companyhas a VP for HR or R&D, what their company's USP is, or whethertheir companyruns a TQA programme. Follow-up I Ask studentsto provide their own sets of initials in English to testthe rest of the class. 2 Provide newspapers/news magazinesfor the group and askthem to identify eitheras many setsof initials as possiblefrom the quiz; or other setsof initials for further quiz work. Answers MD Managing Director. The manager with overall responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company(British English). VP Vice-President.Usually with a departmentalor geographical responsibility, for example: Vicehesident in charge of Human Resourcesor VicePresidentSales,Centraland SouthAmericanReeion (AmericanEnglish). R&D Researchand Development.The division of a company doing the technical or scientific work neededto find new products. PA PersonalAssistant. A senior executive's helper. PAs are usually thought to be more than secretaries but lessthanmanagers.

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Teachers'notes MBA Master in BusinessAdministration. The most importantbusinessschoolor university qualification in business.Some students do the MBA straight after their first degree;others get a few years'job experiencefirst.

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PR Public Relations.The job of Public Relationsis to ensurethat the public image of a companyis as positive aspossible. PhD Doctor of Philosophy.The doctoratecan, however, be in any of a wide range of subjects,not just philosophy.

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EU European Union. The political and economic group whosecurrentmembersareAustria, Belgium, Denmark, Eire, Finland, France,Germany,Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Swedenand the United Kingdom.

ECU EuropeanCurrency Unit. A currency which is an averageof a certain number of other European currenciesand possibly the future single cunency for all the membersof the EuropeanUnion (EU).

GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The main internationalfree trading agreementbetween nations,aiming to reduceas far as possiblethe barriers to trade across national frontiers. The most recent GAff was eventually signed in 1994 after lengthy negotiationsknown asthe UruguayRound.

OECD Organizationfor Economic Cooperationand Development.An economic researchand forecasting agencyfunded by the rich industrializednations and basedin Paris, whose aim is to encourageeconomic growth, high employmentand financial stability amongits members.

IBM International Business Machines. Still the world's biggestcomputercompany.

ABB Asea Brown Boveri. A major Swiss-Swedish engineeringcompany.

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SAS ScandinavianAirline Systems.The airline company for the Nordic countries.

JAL JapanAirlines. The main Japaneseairline company.

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WP Word Processing.Typing and editing text on a computer.

DTP Desk Top Publishing. The computer-based activity which producestext with integratedgraphics and varied layout, for examplefor a newsletter, CY or home-producedmagazine.

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CPU CentralProcessingUnit. The brain of a computer.

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AOB Any Other Business. The last item on the agendaof a meeting.

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GDP Gross Domestic Product. The measureof the wealth created by a country in a year, excluding moneyeamedfrom abroad.

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RAM RandomAccessMemory. The dynamic system memory of a computer that holds programmes and datawhile they arebeing worked on. AGM Annual General Meeting. The meeting, for example,of a company'sshareholders,which takes placeoncea year. GNP Gross National Product. The measure of the wealth created by a country in a year, including moneyearnedfrom abroad. VAT The general tax applied at each point of exchangeof goodsor services. The 4 Ps Price, homotion, Packaging,Place.Theseare the main componentsof the MarketingMix, the most importantfactorsin the marketingof a product. LO Intemational Labour Organization. A United Nations Agency concemedwith the rights, protection and healthand safetyof workersworldwide. CEO Chief Executive Officer. The manager with overall responsibilityfor the day-to-dayrunning of the company. (More commonly used in American English). VIP Very Important Person.Rich, famous,or powerful peoplewho receivespecialtreatment.Major airports,for example,often have a VIP lounge. HR Human Resources.The managementof such things as pay and conditions for all people who work in a company.

USP Unique Selling Proposition.What every company shouldhave - a unique reasonwhy customers shouldbuy from them ratherthan from any other. TQA Total Quality Assurance.An approachto seeking to achievethe highestquality of product or service provided by getting everyonein the organization to focus on quality all the time. IMF Intemational Monetary Fund. A fund set up in 1947 and to which most of the countries in the world belong, which exists to lend money to countries in financialdifficulties, particularlyto help with balanceof paymentsproblems.The IMF often withholds loans to govemmentsif it doesnot approveof their economicpolicy plans.

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Teachers'notes

10 Buyingand selting Introduction Negotiation is an important skill not only for people involved in the kind of lengthy discussionneeded,for example,to set up this kind of agencyagreement;but also in informal everyday situations like persuading someoneto stay on late at work or changinga holiday date. This activity can be useful practicefor both for_ mal or large-scalenegotiation and informal or smallscalenegotiation. Lead-in In what situationsare negotiatingskills necessary? Are theseskills relevantonly in the workplace? Method I Give studentsplenty of time to read their activity sheets.Calculatorscould be useful. 2 Set a clear time limit - 20 or 25 minutes should be enough- for the activity, and give studentstwo or threeminutes'waming beforeyou stopthem. 3 Get studentsto start with some small talk before going into the main body of the negotiation. 4 Get eachpair to summarizethe main points of their agreementso that each participant is clear about what hasbeenagreed. Follow-up I Get selectedpairs to talk through the stagesin their negotiationin order to analysethe reasonsfor their particularresult. 2 Get studentsto write down the terms of their agreement.

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11 Cashflowproblems

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Introduction The activity is a fairly complex face-to-facediscussion betweena cautiousfinancemanagerand an ambitious marketingmanagerreluctantto turn away a major order.

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3 In discussion,both sidesneedto reachagreementon exactly what is possible and what stepsneed to be takennext. Follow-up I Togetherboth studentscould work out a letter to the customeroffering a unit price discount but requesting tight paymentterms. 2 They could also work out a revised cash budget on the basisof the order and a possiblebank loan.

12 Companyof the year Introdaction This activity can help studentsro focus, albeit in a potentially lightheartedway, on the perennialproblem of how to make small businessesgrow. If necessary, the situation could be adapted to the context of a departmentor profit centre if participantsall work in largeorganizations. Lead-in In what situationsarecompaniesgiven prizes?What type of prizesare given?What companieshave won prizes? Method I If you suspectthat studentsmay not be very forthcoming about imagining their own company into existence, brainstorm an example with the whole classbeforethe activity begins. 2 Note that the list of preferencesfor A and B are different. Follow-up During feedback,find out what the students'ownideas wereandlist them on the board.Seewhetherany pattem emergesfrom the choicesmadeby the differentpairs.

13 Companyorganization

Lead-in As a lead-in, discussthe meaning,causesand implications of cashflowproblems.

Introductinn The activity is based on a face-to-face discussion where both sides need to resolve a problem: how to designa new organizationfor their companieswho are planningto merge.

Method I Both sidesneed a few minutesto preparetheir roles and absorbthe informationthey have. 2 B should start by outlining the order and askinghow much cash is available. A is pessimisticabout the cashflowsituation.

Lead-in Startby asking: o why companieshavehierarchies o why companieshavestructuredorganization r if thereare alternativesto traditional companystructures.

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Method o Each side needsto explain its primary objectivesand to outline its concems.There will be sometrade off betweenthe two. o Studentscan sit side by side and actually draw up a fresh organization chart based on their preferred optionsand what they can agreeon. Follow-up Ajoint presentationof the new structureusing a board or OHP.

14 Companypresentation Introduction Introducing oneselfand one's work is a common communicationneedin intemationalbusiness.This activity gives an oppornrnity to practise a relatively formal presentation. Lead-in To introduce the theme, discussthe function of trade fairs and what goeson at suchevents. Method This is a two-part activity in which studentsboth presenta fictitious companyand hearaboutone. 1 Ask A to present Conta Inc. B intemrpts with requestsfor clarification and/or further information. B can alsotake notes. 2 Next, B presentsEdile S.p.A. and the roles are therefore reversed. Follow-up Ask learnersto presenttheir own or anotherreal company that they know well. Suggestthey include saying who they are and what their responsibilitiesare.A further follow-up is to try a similar presentation,but much more informally.

15 Company tour Introduction It is important for businesspeople to be able to talk clearly and concisely about their company'sproducts, history and organization,as well as being able to guide visitors round the workplace. Lead-in Which companiesreceive visitors?Are there any speAre there any specialrisks cial security arrangements? aboutshowingvisitors around?

Method 1 The notesbelow the plan on A's sheetare only brief guidelinesfor A, who will need time to preparethe presentation.The preparationcould be done before the lesson. 2 EncourageBs to preparelots of questionsso that the activity is as interactive as possible. Discourage monologuesfrom As. Follow-up I Repeatthe activity with the roles reversed. 2 Get As and Bs to write follow-up lettersto the visit: - As sayingthey arehoping for businessfrom Bs - Bs saying whetheror not they have decidedto do businesswith As.

visit 16 Gompany

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Introduction This is an information gap exercise which also providespracticein numbersand spellingand checking information. It can thus be used with lower level

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Lead-in Ask the studentsif: o they haveany problemswith spellingforeign names o they have any problemswith understandingnumbers o if the! have any special strategiesfor spelling and counting. Method 1 Get studentsto write down any information, e'g. car registrationor telephonenumbers,that they give to their partners. 2 At the end of the activity, get studentsto check that all the information has been correctly transferred. Follow-up Repeat the activity with the roles reversed.Partners now know what information they have to give so shouldgive a more polishedperformance'

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culture 17 Corporate

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Introduction The main aim of this activity is to provoke discussion so don't be too concemedif the studentsfail to come up with a coherent policy by the time you call the group together.

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Teachers'notes bad-in Ask srudentsif they know any companieswith their o*n specialculture.What are the characteristicsof corporate culrure?Does it help employeesto work better together?

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Methd Encouragestudentsto add ideas in the same spirit to the list. Follow-up I In the group discussionfollowing the activity, get srudentsto identify the assumptionsunderlying the variouspossiblepolicieson the list, e.g. that companies are too hierarchical, that there are not enough women in top management,etc. and find out if they agreewith theseassumptionsor not. Which onesdo they think are nonsensical? Why? 2 Get the group to brainstorm their own equally unorthodoxpolicy suggestions.

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18 Corporate sponsorship Introduction The activity is designedto encourageextensivediscussion. Studentsmay wish to invent details of the company they both representand such details may influence the final choice.Otherwise,there is no obviously right answer. I*ad-in Why do companiesoffer sponsorship?What types of eventsdo they sponsor?What benefitsdoes each side get? Method Sincethis activity involves quite a lot of reading,allow time for this before beginningthe activity or distribute the activity sheetsbeforethe lessonbegins. Follow-up I Systematizefeedbackfrom the group by asking for the strongand the weak points of eachfile and writing them up on the board. 2 Get studentsto write a letter of acceptanceto the sponsorshiprecipient and of rejection to the other two causes.

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19 Costsand reducingoverheads

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Introduction The activity involves a fairly detailed face-to-face

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negotiationin which eachparticipantwill haveto compromise in order to reach the desired objective. See alsoActivity 27 on franchising. Lead-in To introducethe theme,check students'understanding of cosfs,cost of salesandcost of selling. Method Each player in the negotiationapproachesthe problem from a rather different perspective:A is more conservative in termsof defendingemployees'interests,while B is more inclined to defend shareholdersand seek improvedproductivity. Consequently,compromiseand bargaining will be required. Encourage students to begin by statingtheir agreedobjectives(to find savings of l0%o)and to find issueson which they agreebefore going into detail on more problematicareas.As a general principle, suggestthat they should only compromise where they get something in retum - in other words, in concedinga point they shouldgain a concession in anotherarea.This may involve looking at two or three points together - a common negotiating approach. Follow-up Set up a similar negotiation involving more participants,so that the negotiationinvolves teams.

20 Customercare Introduction This activity emphasizesthe importance of looking after your customers- thosewho buy a productas well asthosewho buy a service. Lead-in In your introduction to this activity, ask about the distinction betweeninternal customers(other employees within the same organization whom you serve) and extemal customers(those outside the company who pay you to provide them with a product or service). Ask studentshow far they serveinternal as opposedto externalcustomersin their work; and ask them whether they shouldbe more focusedon extemalcustomers. Method After the Bs have administeredthe questionnaireto the As, the partnerscanreverseroles. Follow-up I The group can prioritize the different featuresofcustomer care listed in the questionnaire.One technique

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Teachers'notes ! for getting a large group to arrive at a final list is: a) to get eachpair to agreeon a list of priorities; then b)to get two pairs together to agree on a common list; then c) to get two groups of four to agreeon a common list, etc. 2 Get detailedfeedbackon how well your studentsfeel their organizations serve their intemal and their externalcustomers,and how thesetwo kinds of service cogld be improved.

21 Customercomplaint Introduction This activity practisestwo important communication and businessskills. As have to turn an unhappy customer into a happy one. Bs have to avoid being fobbed off with lessthan what they regardastheir properdue. Lead-in Ask students: r in what situationsthey have made complaints over the last few months o whethertheir complaintshavebeenwell handled o why it is important for companiesto be able to deal efficiently with complaints. Method 1 Allow adequatetime for the heavierreadinginput or distributethe activity sheetsbeforethe sessionbegins. 2 Ensure that both partners are clear about the final outcomeof the discussionby getting them to write noteson the agreementreachedand comparenotes. Follow-up 1 Get eachpair to report back on their agreementand tabulateall the agreementson the board. 2 Get feedback on how the encounter between Bs' firmness and As' desire to win over the customer swayed the discussion one way or the other. Brainstorm language gambits which As and Bs might haveused. 3 Get studentsto write A's letter apologizing for the inconvenience,summarizing the agreementreached, etc.

22 Customsholdup Introduction This is a telephoneconversationbetweentwo people with verv different concems.

Lead-in To setup the theme,ask: r what causesdelaysat frontiers o what documentsareneeded o how candelaysbe keptto a minimum r if the problemsat frontiersare the sameeverywhere o if the solutionsto the problemsare the sameeverywhere.

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Be tactful aboutthe issueof corrupt officials - in some placesmention of comrption may be acceptableonly if it refersto othercountries!

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Method Studentshave a reasonableamountof freedomin how to resolvethe problemhere.The discussionis led by A statingthe problem and askinghow it may be resolved. B respondsand togetherthe two positions are brought closer - or not, dependingon the degreeof obduracy held by the official, B, or rectitudeheld by A.

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F Follow-up Some studentsmight like to role play a face-to-face meeting at the frontier, with other studentsplaying relatedroles,including the driver.

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morale 23 Employee Introduction This activity begins with an exchangeof information, followed by discussion.It is important for the students to completethe first part satisfactorilybefore they start the second. Lead-in Ask the studentsin what way morale affects the way people work. What are the possible results of poor employeemorale?

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Method 1 Before the studentsbegin,make it clear to As and Bs that they have different lists of suggestionsfor increasingcompanymorale on their activity sheets. Underlinethe fact that they are not expectedto compete by shortlisting more of their own key actions thantheir parmers'.The objectiveis simplyto get what they both agreeis the bestpossiblepolicy defined. 2 You could encouragethem to simulateformal meetings with Bs and then As making shortpresentations of the ideaslisted. They will needextra time to prepare this. This should then be followed by an open discussionof the merits of eachidea in tum. 3 Studentsmay wish to add their own ideas.

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Teachers'notes 4 Ensure that each pair is clear about what it has agreedbeforecalling a halt. Follow-up I Brainstormstudents'ownadditionalideas. 2 Discusshow far there is a group consensusand why some,if any, of the ideasare generallyconsideredto be more feasiblethan others. 3 Get studentsto write a short report recommendinga plan of actionto the company'stop management.

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24 Entertainingvisitors

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Introduction This is a fairly extensive telephone conversationin which two new businessassociates get to know each other a little and discusspossibleentertainmentfor one of them, who is planningto visit the other.

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Lead-in Ask: o what types of entertainmentcompaniescould provide for businessassociatesin your country r what sort of entertainmentyou would like if you were visiting other countries. Method o Much of the content here needs to be genuinely basedon students'interests and preferences and on local entertainmentavailable. o An interestingway to do this is for A to explain to B what is availableby referring to a local 'What's On' guide or newspaper. r The conversationhasthreemain partsafter the initial introduction: i) outlining possibleentertainmenton offer ii) B's preferencesand interests iii) planningan entertainmentitinerary for B's visit. Follow-up o A fax from A confirming ideasand/orarrangements. o Reversingroles: B should return the invitation and try to fix up entertainmentthat A would like. r Repeatthe activity placing emphasison either very formal or very informal typesof hospitality.

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25 Environmentally friendlyoffice

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Introduction This activity can be particularly interestingwith groups of studentsfrom different companies,different sectors and different countries.

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Lead-in Ask studentsfirst of all what nationallaws exist on, for example,packaging,air andwaterpollution, etc.and ask if they know how legislationdiffersin any othercountry. Method Before the activity begins,you may wish to presentor elicit someof the languagewhich studentsmay use in prioritizing the ideas, particularly comparativeforms occurring in such expressionsas: 'Oh no, I think using recycledpaperis much more importantthan . . .' Follow-up I Find out how many peoplefeel this is a relevantand useful topic and how many do not think that safeguardingthe environmentis important. 2 Get feedbackon students'ownideas.Additionalsuggestionsmight be: - tuming off computersand other office equipment when not in use - avoiding unnecessarychemicalsby, for example, glues,pump-actioncontainusingvegetable-based ersratherthan aerosols - using refillable laserprinter cartridges - using scrappaper for notesrather than brand new memo pads - using electronic mail where possible rather than paper. 3 Questionsfor the group: - what environmentallyfriendly stepsdo you take in your own offices?What more could you and your colleagues do? - how environmentallyconsciousdo you think your company is as a whole? What more could your companydo?

26 Equalopportunities Introduction This is a straightforwardcollaborativediscussionbased on prioritizinga seriesof points. Lead-in Discuss the meaning of equal opportunities and the importance of the issue, with reference to students' own country/countriesand/orexperience. Method The objective of the activity is to prioritize a seriesof initiatives following discussioncomparingthe relative merits of different proposals.As each studenthas the same list of points, they should discussthe merits of eachone,then decideon an order of importance.

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27 Franchising

Method 1 B should start with a general outline of the health and safety position and some ideas on how to improve matters. A replies with commentson B's remarksbut proposesmore radical changes. 2 Encourage students to paraphraseeach other with 'What you're like 'So you think. . .'and expressions saying is . . .' before suggestinga slightly different emphasis.

Introductioi The activity is a face-to-facenegotiation where both sides will need to compromisein order to reach an agreement.

Follow-up A jointly-produced plan of action to presentto other colleaguesin the form of a shorttalk.

Lead-in Introducethe themeby askingstudentsto namefamous franchisors. Examples are McDonald's, Benetton, Hertz, Kentucky Fried Chicken.Ask: o how franchisesoperate o what is the relationshipbetweenfranchisorand franchisee.

29 In-housemagazine

Method Once studentshave read and understoodtheir roles, A, the franchisee,should start by outlining some general objectivesand by talking aboutthe presentsituation.B, the franchisor,will need to be conciliatory.If the dis'only make cussionfollows the negotiatingprinciple of a concessionif you get somethingin retum', then the result shouldbe a lively exchangeof offers and counter offers,but compromisewill be necessary' Follow-up I An exchangeof letters outlining the basis for continued collaboration. 2 A jointly prepared statementexplaining what they have agreed.

Introduction The activity is based on a face-to-face discussion between colleagues,one more radical and more progressivethan the other.Consequently,somepersuasion will be required. Lead-in Discussthe issuesinvolved in health and safety.How are theseissuestreatedin the students'country/countries?How are thev discussedand checked?

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Introduction Discussingthe contentsof an in-housemagazinegives the studentsan opportunityto discussthe type of information that shouldbe includedin such amagazine. Lead-in Ask: r if their companyhasan in-housemagazine o ifthe] readit o how do they rate it o how would they improve it. Method o There are really two parts to this activity' The full version involves drawing up a businessplan for the magazine (see the section beginning: Identify the objectivesof the magazine. . .) as well as deciding on the content.This versionis likely to take up considerablymoretime. o For studentswith less businessexperienceor less time or both, the activity can centre on deciding on contentalone.

28 Healthand safety

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31 Jobapplication Introduction Although studentsmay appreciatethe fantasyelement in the activity, they shouldneverthelessbe encouraged to treat it as a serious exercise in recruitment. The respectivepartnersshould make initial assessments of thejob or of the applicant,as appropriate.

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If appropriatetelephonesare not available,get pairs to sit back-to-back. Follow-up I During the activity, monitor in particularthe way the call startsand ends,and commenton the authenticity of thesestagesfor the various pairs. Get good pairs to simulate model openings and closings for the others. 2 Discuss how the recruitment processmight go on after this stage. 3 Get studentsto write a short letter from either the PA or the applicant,following on from this call.

32 Largeversussmallcompanies Introduction Large companiescan be very powerful; small companies can be very flexible. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Lead-in As a short lead-in, and before distributing the activity sheets,ask studentswhether they prefer working in a large or small organization. Elicit just one or two advantagesand disadvantages for each. Method I This exerciseshould be approachedas a debate:A has to argue the advantagesof working in a small company;B has to speakin favour oflarge organizations. Warn studentsthat they may find themselves being asked to expressopinions that they do not necessarilyhold. Point out that this is good debating practice. 2 Roles can be reversedto see if further additional ideasare generated. Follow-up An A and a B from different pairs can be asked to debateagainin front of the group.

33 Latepaymentof invoice Introduction This is a relativelyshortand simpleactivity,wheretwo sides have conflicting interests.The topic relates to customerservice:the creditordoesnot wish to upseta c\s\orner. but at the sarnetitne is keen to reee\\R,\ha moneyowedas soonaspossible.

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35 Managementqualities Introduction The activity is an informal face-to-facediscussionwhich involvesreadinga list of points and prioritizing them. Lead-in As an introductionto the theme,ask studentsto brainstorm ideason the qualitiesof a good managerand the attributesrequiredin a managementteam.

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34 Managementand leadershipskills for women Introduction This activity is useful for training personnelas well AS of general interest to women, in particular those in management or supervisorypositions. Lead-in Ask students: r if they think men and women have similar management skills . if they think men and women have equalopportunities in the workplacein their country/countries. Method Although experiencedtrainers may be interested in spendingthe time necessaryto devisetraining ideasfor all five areas,most studentswill probably be happy to concentrateon discussingoneproblemareaanddevising a trainingideafor this areaonly.In this casepairsshould: 1 discusswhich areato concentrateon 2 discusshow bestto handlethe problem 3 devisea training idea. Follow-up I Pairs give feedback to the group of the training ideas.If time permits,pairs can take over leadership of the group to try out the training idea they have devised. 2 Studentswho (rightly) point out that the problem areasare relevantto men just as much as to women, can be told that theseareaswere in fact identified for a successful real-life training programme aimed specificallyat women.The legitimacy of identifying suchareascan,ofcourse,be debated.

Method 1 Students should first discuss the points listed and make sure they understandthem all; then set about prioritizing them and come to a negotiatedagreement on the right order. 2 If disagreementsoccur, compromise or trading of ideasmay be necessaryto reachan agreedorder. Follow-up o Individual pairs can report reasonsfor their decisions and/or report any disagreementsthey had and how they were resolved. o Some studentsmay like to assessthemselveson the basisof someof the qualitieslisted.

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36 Marketresearch Introduction The activity is a discussionbetweentwo people,one of whom has provided a service with which the other is not happy. Lead-in Introduce the theme by asking if studentshave any experienceof marketresearchand what they seeas the advantagesof market researchfor producersand service providersand for consumers.A possibleansweris that the results of market researchhelp producersto provide products or services which match consumer needsand wants. Method I Preparationis vital. Monitor the preparation:it may be necessary,during the preparation,to prompt A, the hotelier,towardsa set of demandsto resolvethe difficulty. 2 Once the discussionbegins, A raisesvarious objections to the survey technique and reporting. B, in assuringthat the researchis preliminary, avoids the since issueand potentiallyfuels A's dissatisfaction, marketresearchis very expensive.

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37 Marketsurvey Introduction This is a questionand answeractivity involving a questionnaire.It could be completedvery quickly, though a variation could be that the respondentdoes not like someof the questionsand challengesthe designof the questionnaire! Lead-in Begin by prompting discussionon the purposeof market researchand the importanceof market surveysfor companies.

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39 Missionstatement

Method Simple questions and answers,with the interviewer notingthe answers.B cangive genuineresponses. A variation could be that B plays a role where the respondentreally likes to talk a great deal around the questions,so delayingthe (impatient)interviewer. Follow-up Reversethe roles and repeatthe activity. Get students to repeatthe activity severaltimes with other students or teachers,in orderto collectdatafor a groupofpeople. Studentscould also designtheir own questionnaireon a different topic of their choosing.

Lead-in Ask students: . if their companyhasa missionstatement I 3trd,if so, what it is r what its purposeis o ifit is useful.

38 Meetingarrangements

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Introduction This is a potentiallydifficult and time-consumingactivity which requiresthe exerciseof a variety of different skills, including note-taking and writing. Students' efforts will, however, be rewarded in having given thought to somefundamentalquestionsabout the nature and raison d'dtre of their own businessorganization. Have available some mission statementsfrom real companiesto show to studentseither at the activity or at the feedbackstage.

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Method I As with other telephoningactivities, use an internal line, or seatstudentsback-to-back.They shouldhave a pencil to takenotes. 2 Remind students that good telephoning technique includes summarizingany agreementat the end of the call to confirm that everythingis clear. 3 Give feedbackand repeatthe exerciseif necessary, specifically to improve telephoningtechnique.

Introduction The activity involves a telephone call and making arrangementsto meet but each individual has a different attitude.B (the agent) is fairly reluctantto devote time to A's products- or a meeting.The objectiveis to agreeon a meeting. Lead-in Discussthe role of agentsand the natureof the manufacturer-agent relationship. When is the relationship problematic?One possibleansweris when the agentis not effectiveor when he/shehasother priorities or sells competingproducts.

Method I Before starting, discusswith the group the kind of languagein generaland the typical structuresassociated with mission statements.Write suggestionson the board for reference during the exercise, for example:we want to. . ., we need. . ., we believe in. . ., we believethat. . . 2 Studentsin pairs will move from discussion,through note-taking, to drafting and redrafting their own statements.Give as much help as possible.If available,provide studentswith word processingfacilities while working towardsthe final draft. Follow-up 1 Ask pairs to readout their own drafts.Look for common threadsto developin the discussionphase.

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E 2 Ask students: o what missionstatementsachieve o who shouldwrite them o how much the personnel of the company as a whole should be consulted during the drafting stages.

40 Payversusbenefits Introductiiln This activity can be of generalinterestto all managers and of specific professional interest to managers involved in humanresourcesand personnel. Lead-in Ask studentshow companiesthat they know remuneratetheir employees. Method Presentthe activity in generaltermsand go throughthe details of the current packagewith the group to ensure the terms are clear, before handing out the activity sheets.Notes: o PRB. The manager earned a performance-related bonus of f10,650 out of a possiblemaximum of f20,000 last year. o Long-term disability cover. This is a form of insurancewhich providesthe managerwith an income in the event of his/her being unable to work for an extended period through accident or illness. (The cover is private becausethe govemmentof the country in which both the studentswork does not make adequateprovision for this.) o Parking. The company curently pays for the managerto park in a city centrecar park every day when he/shecomesto work. The companydoes not have its own car park and cheapparking is impossibleto find. r Annual health screenins.A detailed medical examination. Follow-up 1 Get feedback on the results of each negotiation. Clearly, a figure close to f40,000 is good for A (the personnelmanager)while B will have aimed to get more. Find out how close to the total of f40,000 eachpair were. 2 Ask whetherthe fact that the manager(B) only managedto eam just over 5OVoof his potential PRB last year reflectswell or badly on him/her. Can we draw any conclusionsabouthis/herquality as a manager?

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appraisal 41 Performance Introduction The activity is an internal discussionmeeting,therefore informal, leading to a decision on a problematic employee. Lead-in Discussthe meaningof performanceappraisaland ask: r what its purposeis o if performance appraisal is used in the students' country.

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Method B shouldstartby introducingthe purposeof the discussion and outlining the problem. The discussionshould move from generalobservationsand opinions to specific decisionsand agreement. Follow-up o Joint preparationof a memo outlining the agreement reached. o There is also scope for generalclass discussionof the issuesinvolvedin problemssuchasthoseoutlined in the activity.

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information 42 Presenting Introduction The activity is an opportunityto presentinformation in a well-structuredmanner and to respondto questions' SeealsoActivity 14 on Companypresentation. Lead-in To introducethe theme,ask studentsto brainstormthe most important characteristicsof good presentation technique. Possible answers include: well prepared, well organized,appropriateand relevant,clear,enthusiasticallypresentedand supportedby good visuals.

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Method Two minutes is very little preparationtime and three minutesis a very short talk. Offer a model as an example. The key objective is to get over a limited amount of information in a well structuredand coherentfashion, with an introduction, a middle and an end. After each presentation,the partner and other students(and you) canaskquestions.

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Follaw-up 1 Get feedbackfrom eachpair on the developmentand outcomeof eachnegotiation. 2 Discussthe advantagesand disadvantages ofproduct endorsementin more detail. If necessary,point out that sometimesthe arrangementcan backfire, for example if the pop star endorsing your product is accusedof child abuseor the athleteendorsingyour running shoesconsistentlyfails to win races.

43 Pressand public relations

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Introduction The activity is a potentially highly conflictive intervie'*'. A has to be very calm under pressurefrom both the siruation and from aggressivequestioningby the press. l*ad-in Discussthe importanceof public relationsand the relationship betweenPR and corporateimage (see introductionrn activitysection). Ilethod -\ tace-to-faceinterview. It would be fun to video record this if possible, and play it back as part of a ne\r'sextractor documentaryon pollution. Follov-up Ertend the video idea to build the interview into a discussionof the problem of industrialpollution. A further possibiliry would be to bring in other roles, such as environmental campaigners,employees, relatives of employees,other managers,local residents,etc., and havea wider debatein the shapeof a public meeting.

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44 Productendorsement Introduction Michael Jacksonand Pepsi becamea famous double act. But who benefitedin the end? Lead-in Lead in by asking for examplesof product endorsements by famous people and discussing briefly the advantagesand disadvantagesof this form of product promotion. Method This activity is essentially a preliminary negotiation involving an information gap. Studentsshould prepare a strategybefore they begin the negotiationand should try to anticipatethe argumentsof the other side as part of their preparation.

45 Production delays Introduction This is a telephoneactivity basedon seriousorganization problemsin a subsidiary. Lead-in Ask: r what the relationshipis betweena head office and a subsidiary o when problemsarise o how problemscan be resolved. Method A, at the headoffice, telephonesthe subsidiaryto know what is going on. A may chooseto insist on visiting the subsidiary.As usual with telephoneactivities, prompt studentsto summarizeany agreementat the end. Follow-up . A should write a confirmatory fax, outlining main pointsof the discussion. . B should write a memo to an English-speakingcolleaguein Portugal. o The situation could be extended to a face-to-face meeting.

46 Profitandlossaccount Introduction The activity is basically a telephoned information transfer between colleagues,though explanationsare requiredto supportthe details. Lead-in As a lead-in to the subject,check that studentsunderstandwhat a profit and loss accountis. Ask them to say if the following statementsare true (T) or false (F): o it showsthe healthof a companyat a given moment(F) o it showsthe trading performanceof a companyin a particulartime period (T)

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o it showsforecastsalesfor the coming year.(F) Method I B asksa seriesof questionsto completeinformation required on the latest profit and loss account for a sister company.He/she also asks a series of questions in order to clarify certainaspects. 2 B should paraphraseor repeat certain answers to make surethere are no mistakesin the transferof the information or in understandingthe answersto the further questions. Follow-up Find other examplesof profit and loss accountsand positions. assess the strengthof companies'trading

47 Proiectmanagement Introduction The activity is basedon an informal face-to-facemeeting between a project leader and his/her assistant. There is a strong disagreement,so diplomacy and tact are importantqualitiesfor both sides. Lead-in Discussthe purposeof project planning and its importancein industry. Method In group meetings an assistantwould be unlikely to citicize his or her boss'splans.Remind studentsthat in this case,the meeting is private and informal and the disagreementsare real. They must, however, reach agreement.This discussionmay be lengthy,sincethere are severalpoints to raiseand to agreeon. Follow-up Togetherthey may prepare a joint plan to presentto othermembersof the team.

48 Quality Introduction Increasingly,companiescompeteon quality, but quality cannot be achievedwithout the involvement of the whole workforce. So a good quality programmewill involve people - often people who were previously scepticalaboutsuchprogrammes.

Lead-in What doesquality mean?What effect doespoor quality have on customers?How important is quality for competing in the marketplace? Method Getting each pair to choose the six most desirable features for their quality programme may require a generoustime allowance.Start by getting each pair to eliminate the features that neither member wants to retain. Follow-up I Compare the shortlists drawn up by the different pairs.How similar are they? 2 Discusshow suchquality programmescan be implemented. 3 Ask studentswhat experiencethey have had of quality assuranceprogrammesboth as employeesand as consumers(noticing a conspicuousimprovementin a company'sproductsor services).

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52 Recruitment Introduction This activity involves finding the most suitable candidatefor thejob.

Follow-up I Get feedbackfrom all the pairs on which applicant was preferredand why. 2 Discussthe advantagesand disadvantagesof different stagesin the conventionalrecruitmentprocess: - arereferencesreliable?Is testingreliable? - can a potential employer really leam anything from an interview? - how well do interviewersinterview?

53 Recycling Introduction The activity involves an informal face-to-facediscussion betweencolleagues.The essentialobjective is to agreeon priorities and on a plan of action. Lead-in Discussrecycling,its purposeand value and students' experienceof it. Method The activity has two parts. Studentsshould decide on the three key advantagesof recycling and any drawbacks involved. They should then formulate a policy for the companyinvolved. Follow-up Combinethis activity with other environment-related studies from other sources.(Activity 43 also concems an environmentalissue.) Studentsmay also commenton recycling policies in companiesor institutions they are familiar with, as well asdomesticrecycling. Design a questionnaireto find out the extent of recycling and people'sviews on the subject.

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Lead-in r Discussrecruitmentproceduresexperiencedby your students,either as job applicantsor as employment providers. . Give some practice in paraphrasinginformation so that studentsdo not readout the file cardsverbatim. Method Judge whether studentsare able to structurethe telephone meeting without help or whether you should advisethem to postponediscussionuntil all the candidateshave beendescribed.Encouragegenuinesummarizing and paraphrasingrather than reading out the file cardsverbatim.Give an exampleof how to do it.

54 Relocation Introduction This is a difficult activity becausethe positions of the two parties are initially quite far apart. You should monitor the processby which the studentssucceedin finding - or fail to find - a solutionto a problem which hasno obvioussolution. Lead-in Briefly discussthe notions of win-win, win-lose and lose-lose in negotiation and ask the students to describebusinesssituationsin which it is betternot to compromise.

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Follow-up 1 Reproducethe table on the board and get studentsto fill in the missingfigures. 2 Discussfigurescentralto the students'ownwork. 3 Discussthis kind - and other kinds - of incentivefor salespeopleand others. Figures in $US First quarter

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Lead-in Ask: o why settingtargetsis important o what happensif targetsare not met. Method Therearetwo setsof figuresto exchange: o each partner has a couple of figures missing for the otherregions o eachpartnerhas only his/her own revisedfigures,so the proceduremight be: a) exchangethe missing fourth quarter figures for the otherregions b) calculate and agree on the totals for the other regions c) calculateown revisedtotal (strictly speakingit is not necessaryto exchangeall the revised figures unlesseach wants to check the other's figures in detail) d) add the two revised totals and comparewith the otherregionaltotals . as you can seefrom the figuresbelow, your students have indeedwon the pize - but don't give the game awav: let them find out for themselves.

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55 Salestargets Introductian This activity is a straightforwardexchangeof figures betweenthe two partners.It may thereforelast rather less time than a first glance suggests.Pocket calculatorswill be useful.

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56 Smalltalk 1

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Introduction This is difficult but the activity practisesa very important skill - steeringthe conversation'Eachbox contains: r four nouns o threeverbs r threeadjectives

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Method Ten minutes for the activity. Comparescoresand experiencesat the end: which were the easiestand which were the most difficult words to elicit and why? Then reversethe roles. Follow-up I Discussthe importanceof taking the initiative and steeringthe conversation.

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Follow-up A fax confirming the order from both sides.

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57 Smalltalk 2 Intrduction Tell lour srudentsthat they have the opportunity to temporarill' ,rssumea new persona.Encouragethem to rn\.entinterestingones.

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L.od-in . Lead in u ith brainstormingon ways of opening a !-onversationin a plane. r Encouragesrudentsto userealisticgambitsto open. . Talli about balancebetweenthe two members:you do not want to hear one talking a lot more than the erther.lbu expectto hear lots of questionsfrom both partners. .llethod i Srudensfill in the form. I Srudentstalk to eachother for ten minutes. Follov-up Crt t-eedback from all membersof the group,for example: o \r hat \r'asthe most interestingthing you heard? . $'hat was the most surprisingthing you heard? . what future do you predictfor the personyou met?

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Introduction The activity is a telephonedialogue,basedon information transfer. Both sides have information that they needto convey.As purchaserand supplierthey needto reachagreementon an urgentorder.

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feedback,suggestimprovements- thinking in particular abouttheseaspectsof language.

Method Sameprocedureas in other telephoneactivities. Both sidesneed to refer to the information they have, citing needsand production schedulesrespectively.The conversation will realistically include pauses while the supplier checksinformation and the purchaserconsiders what he/sheis told. Stalling language,spacefilling and supportingsilence is important in telephoning.In

59 Teambuilding Introduction We usedto have leaders;now we have teams.Success dependsmore and more on picking and developinga winning team. Lead-in This exerciseis designedto help studentsunderstand that colleaguesmay work in very different ways, yet each may make a vital contribution to meeting shared objectives. Ask students about their experiencesof working together with people who have a different approachfrom their own. Method I Studentsmay wish to definewhat kind of project it is that they are working on. This in turn will influence what kind of people they need to carry it through. Parametersfor the project could include: o objective o time scale o budget o overallsizeofteam o functionsof key teammembers. 2 Studentscandiscuss: \ o the functions(jobs) neededfor the project asa whole o the roles they themselveswill play o the roles to be played by two or more other people to be recruited to the team. Follow-up 1 Find out where studentsfeel they might be on the wheel and what kind of personthey feel is required for thejob they currentlydo. 2 Discusswhetherthe wheel could be a useful tool in creatingbalancedteams. 3 Get studentsto write a job advertisementfor one of the missing team members,describingthe characteristics of the personthey are looking for.

60 Timemanagement Introduction Everybodyin employmentwill have an opinion on this issue.The fairly simple matching exerciseis intended

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Teachers'notes as a preliminary to discussionwithin eachpair of more detailed and additional ways of managingone's time more successfully. Lead-in Ask studentsaboutthe importanceof: o deadlines o schedules o keepingappointments e time-management systemse.g. filofaxes. Method I A presentsproblem 1 to B. B choosesthe most appropriatesolution from the four alternatives- a, b, c and d - and proposesthis to A. Note that both the list of problemsand the list of solutionsfor A and B are different. 2 A continueswith problems 2, 3 and 4 with B suggesting the best remaining solution each time. If B has chosenwrongly, it will finally becomeapparent. A and B can now sort out any mistakesin selection together. 3 Roles are now reversedand B presentsa new problem 1 to A, etc. Follow-up I Elicit the time managementproblems that students have and the solutionsthat thev recommendto each other. 2 Get the group as a whole to formulate somegolden rules for time management.These might be along the lines of: - do it now - getridofclutter - plan your day.

2 Then there are two stages:first to prioritize the nine different training options,then to eliminate the least useful. They may also decide that others could be postponeduntil later. Follow-up Preparea short presentationto the board of directors, outlining key training needs,requestingfull financial resources,time and full backing from the training department.The presentationshould explain why the training is so important.

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62 Transportation Introduction Quite a challengingrole play, involving a salespitch from one side and an important comparisonof two offers followed by a decisionfrom the prospectivepurchaser. Lead-in Ask: o what types of transport are used for what types of goods? o what problemsface transportationcompanies? o what problems face companiesusing transportation services? Method The activity requires a good level of preparationand understanding of their roles from both sides. EssentiallyA has to listen to B trying to sell a particular transportationserviceand at the sametime compare it with an offer alreadyon the table from a Greek company. A's role is the more complicatedone, and he/she is also the decisionmaker.When readv.B calls with a preparedsalespitch.

61 Trainingpriorities Introduction This is a short activity basedon working together to studya list of optionsandto agreeon their relativevalues.

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Introduction The activity is a face-to-facediscussion,involving a sharing of both information and opinions. The atmosphereshouldbe constructiveandpositive.

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Method I To preparefor the activity, both studentsshouldfully understand the information on the company involved.

Lead-in Introduce the theme by talking about good and bad working conditions and their consequences for productivity,morale,staff tumover and sickness.

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64 Workrotas Introduction A fairly straightforward conflict in this face-to-face informal meeting over holiday plans and production schedules.There might just be room for compromise, or else B will simply refuse - but must explain why and get A to understandthe position.

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65 Workscouncil Introduction A fantasy activity for general discussionfor all categories of businesspersonnel.Tell studentsthat they can choosemore than one option but that they must decideclearly how all the moneyis to be spent. Lead-in Ask studentsaboutjoint decisionmaking in their companies.Ask if there is a works council and in what areas there is consultation between employer and employees. Method Opendiscussionwithin eachpair. Follow-up 1 Get feedbackfrom the group. Alternatively use the method describedin the Teachers'notes to Activity 20, Follow-up 1, to get the whole group to reach a collectivedecision. 2 Get feedbackon students'own ideas.Which of the ideasgiven did they think were best and which were worst? 3 Get studentsto write to the rest of the staff on behalf of the works council, explaininghow the money is to be spentand giving reasons.

Lead-in Introducethe theme by asking about potential conflict of interest over holiday plans and company requirements. Family holidays and school holidays may coincide with companies'busiesttimes. How can such difficulties be resolved?

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ICEBREAKER

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(lntroducing selfandothers;questioning)

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Eginning of a trainingcourse.

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Get the following information about your partner. One of you can ask all the questions f.rst or you can take it in turns to ask each question.

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1 Prolessional Find outyourpartner's:

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(inonesentence) activity cofilpafl!'s jobtitle department jobresponsibilities (inonesentence) location. office

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2 Personal yourpartner's: Find outabout

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home family education favourite sport tastes inmusic languages.

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ADVERTISING

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(Measuring urging) negotiating; andcalculating;

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Advertising is one aspectof promotionat activity used by companies to increase consumer awareness of the company and itsproducts, and to improve salespertormance.

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You work in the marketing department of a sports shoe manufacturer. You have contacted an advertising agency and asked for suggestions for a campaign to promote your brand, Sporto. You want to *1u campaign within a budget of f250,000 - no more.

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sponsoredthe local football team last year but the team performedbadly and receivedvery Iittlenationaltelevisioncoverage think the footballteamwill do well this year- they havea rich chairman,five new players and a new manager

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want the brand nameSporto to be promotednationally

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havelittle interestin a specificallylocal market think internationalrecognitionwould be a good bonus want some guaranteein terms of increasedsales want to be involvedin planningthe detailsof any advertisingcampaign think TV advertisingis too expensive.

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AGENDAS

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(Agreeing/d isagreeing ; iudging)

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An agendacons,bfsof the pointsthat will be discussedin a meeting,in orderto reachagreed d objective: objectives. ^lotall meetingshave writtenagendas,but everyone shouldunderstandthe objectivesof a meetingan. and r 7.4

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Conplimenls: orgeneroloppeoron(e? work complimenl eorh ofteronfiehdress dofemole colleogues (omplimenf oppeoronce? work eoch other onfteirdress orgenerol domole colleogues (ompliment oppeolon(e? orgenerol workcolleogues mole colleogues onfteirdress dofemole

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Now your partner will ask you about five other areas of businessetiquette.

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BUSINESS GIFTS

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(Agreeing/disagreeing; permitting emphasizing; ; vetoing)

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Businessgifts are sometimes sent to customers or clientsin the hope that they build goodwiil - and hetp secure business.ln many cases the activity is pertectty reasonable and open - but in some cases the practice of offering and receiving gifts is connected to dubious behaviour,malpractice or itlegal activities.

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You are one of two purchasing directors in a large manufacturing company with a $ZOmturnover. One of your purthasers has been sent a caseof Grand Cru Bordeaux wine by a supplier. Someof vour management colleaguesfeel he should not have acceptedthis gift. At present the company has no policy on receiving grfts. Together with your partner, decide on a new company policy on receiving grfts. Prior to your meeting you draw up the following options:

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Giffs - what to do?? - Nogifto ehouldbeaccepted. - Onlyqifto up lo a certainaqreedvalueohouldbeaccepted. Allgifto ehouldbe pooledand useda6 ?rizeoin the com?any Chrietmaeraffre.

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. tend to think that gifts compromiseyour colleagues- they are morelikelyto buy from companieswho supplythe best gifts, not those offeringthe best productsand the best service.

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9

INITIALS BUSINESS

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(Knowing;correcting)

When reading the pressin a foreign language, understandingthe initialscan sometimes create almost as many problems as understanding the words. Here is a quizto test and increase your knowledge of some basic - and not so basic sets of initials which you could meet when reading the business press in English. First test your partner on what the foliowing sets of initials stand for. Then your partner will give you a similar test. Then compare scores.Warning: each test gets harder as you go along!

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MD

Director) (Managing

7

YP

(Vice-President)

3

R&D

(Research andDeveloPment)

4

PA

Annum) (Personal AssistanVPer

5

MBA

Administration) (Masterin Business

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EU

(EuroPean Union)

7

GAIT

andTrade) onTariffs (GeneralAgreement

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Machines) Business (lnternational

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SAS

AirlineSystems) (Scandinavian

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or word processing) SNordProcessor

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AccessMemorY) (Random

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Meeting) (Annual General

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Product) (GrossNational

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(ValueAddedTax)

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The 4 Ps

Place) Packaging, Promotion, (Price,

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(lnternational LabourOrganization)

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(Negotiating; urging;declining;reiecting)

3,wng and selling a product or seruice, especially abroad, often involves negotiation - an agreement ''lugh discussion of the terms of the buying and selling arrangement.

r--u are an import-export agent specializing in high-tech consumer products. You want to negotiate r:. agreement with the foreign manufacturer of an exciting new computer game. You are now going . . rave a meeting with this person (your partner). Using the table below,negotiate an agreement - ,';ering: . th€ number of units that you will agree to take: although you think it's a good product, you are careful about committing yourself too much to a small, unknown company . the terms of payment . your discount on the standard price.

Ouontity

Distount

10,000 points Score:25

90doys points Score:Z5

30% points Score:25

20,000 poinls Score:Z0

60doys points Score:20

20% points Score:Z0

30,000 Score: 15poinls

3Odoys 15paints Score:

15% Score: 15points

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kore:l0 points

Holfinodvonre Holf wifiin30doys Score: I0 points

50,000 points Score:S

lnodvonre points Score:S

5o/o points Score:S

Score: l0 points

YOUwouldalsolike the manufacturerto provide:

-

. a CD-Romversionof the softwareas soon as possible.Thereis hugedemandfor CD-Rombasedgamesin your country.Score5 pointsfor deliveryof a CD-Romversionin 6 months,10 pointsfor deliveryin 4 months,15 pointsfor deliveryin 2 months c D€wpackagingadaptedto the local market:score 5 points if the manufactureragrees

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. promotionalliteraturein the main languageof your region:score5 points if the manufacturer agrees.

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\egotiate an agreementwith the manufacturer.Aim to get as many points as possiblebut do not :er-ealyour scoringsystemto your partner.At the end of the negotiation,summarizeyour ,sreementunder all six headings(quantity,terms,discount,adaptation,packagingand literature) :nd compareyour scorewith your partner's.Remember: your objectiveis to get as many points as possiblebut alsoto carry on doingbusinesswith the manufacturerafter the negotiationis finished.

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11 CASHFLOW PROBLEMS

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judging; urging; negotiating) (Forecasting;

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Cashflow problems occur when a company has insufficient funds available to meet existing operating cosfs. A company may have full order books, but still suffer from funding problems while they wait for customers to pay.

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F You work in the finance department of a company which has received an urgent order for 150 trailers from the government of a Gulf state. The trailers must be custom-built to meet highly specific reqtirements and must be delivered in only three months. Your existing production budget is not able to meet this order on top of present cost commitments. To raise the necessary funds would involve a 25Voincrease in expenditure to buy the materials and to hire workers and a further f,200,000in other costs,making a total increase of f,550,000.This is well above the estimated closing cash balance for the year. You have a meeting with a colleague in the marketing department to discuss the order. You have to decide what to do. Here is a copy of the cash budget for the present year:

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2,400,000

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12 COMPANY OFTHEYEAR

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judging;urging) (Agreeing/disagreeing ; emphasizing;

3ne way of encouraging smallbusrnesses to grow is to organize competitions with prizes for young :ompanies with special entrepreneurialflair.A money prize can be very usefulfor a company with znbitions to expand but limited finance to do so. The only danger for competitors, successful and -''rsuccessful,is for them to spend more time on the competition than on doing business!

\,:,u and your partner together run a successful small business. You have just won a regional young ::--iness competition sponsoredby the local press,television,local government and the local :hamber of commerce. Frrst decideon the following:

Company activity: !

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Number of employees:

\orr decidehow you are going to spend the f100,000 first prrze.Some suggestionsare given below. Share your ideas with your partner and agree on a common plan. You should decide which options :o go for and how much of the money to spend on each. Draw up a final investment plan for the '.i-holesum of monev.

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. organize a well-earnedand much needed holiday for both managing partners

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. lease new offices (since you feel that your existing offices are not very good for your image)

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o upgr?d€the company'scomputersystem = I

. buy a marketsurvey from an agencyto researchnew markets

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o cotlltnissiona managementconsultancyto do a full audit of your company'sfinancesand managementprocedures

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. buy managementtraining for you and your partnerso that you are both readyfor the next step in your company'sgrowth.

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ORGANIZATION 13 COMPANY (Declining/rejecting; iudging;likingand preferring)

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Companyorganizationis sometimesdescribedin an organizationchaft or organigram,oftena simplified for keypersonnel. diagramshowingareasof responsibility

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Your company,Altman Kopp, is involved in negotiations with a competitor, KEP Ltd, over a possible merger. In an informal meeting, you discuss ways to combine the two businesses into a single organization, allowing for the following facts:

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PresentStructureof AltmonKoPP:

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M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f ) Chemicals Division

Medical Products Division

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F i n a n c (ef ) S a l e s( f ) Marketing(f)

F i n a n c (ef ) S a l e s( f ) Marketing(f)

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Administration& Personnel(f ) CorporatePlanning(f )

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Present Structure of KEP Ltd: M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f ) Chairman of the Board (f) Board of Directors

F i n a n c (ef ) Administration(f) ( F e r t i l i s e r s( f) ) Production ( C h e m i c a l s( f) ) Production (f) CorporatePlanning

Marketing(f )

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o w?rt to keepthe basic structure of your presentcompany,but would like to enlargeit to take in the new product areasthat your potentialpartnersspecializein o plan to reducethe numberof Altman Kopp directorsfrom the presenteight to five or six o woht approximatelyequal representationon the new board but would acceptfewer board membersif the Chairmanof the Board is from your company o wort to reduceyour presentMarketingand Sales Departmentsto a single department o wort to createa new Logistics Departmentinsteadof CorporatePlanning who is also on the Board,is retiring. . know that the Headof Personneland Administration,

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t_PRESENTATION t_ 14 COMPANY (Questioning ; sequencing) t: t_t-

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Tradefairsare opportunitiesfor individualsand companiesto make contactswithpotentialcustomers and otherprofessionalsin the industry.Whilemany companieshope to sign up ordersfor goods, most are happyto improveconsumerawarenessof the companyand to promotethe corporateimage.

t_are at a trade fair. Introduceyour companyto someonewho visits your stand.Use the following t_- lbu profile as a sourceof key facts about your company. t: t_t: Roberlo/a Zofl t_- Marketing Deputy Vice-President t(Florida) C0NTA Limited Roosevelt Building 5

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120-12424thStreet Tampa F133660-0047

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Tel(1)81354679900

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Name: Sector: Markets:

C0NTA lnc. Property development Japan, SouthKorea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines, USA. 199-Sales: $93.3m Hotel/leisure: (21.7%) $20.25m Management (8.0%) services: $7.sm Engineering: $ 1 5 . 0 5( 1 m6 . 1 % ) Property trading: 1.6%) $ 1 . 4 5(m ProperU investment: $49.05m (52.6D 100 90

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(continued) 14 CompanyPresentation

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location of head office (osaka)' the Be prepared to add other information about the numberof direct employees (890)' number of overseas subsidiaries (eigfttl a"a the Ask about: tfr"r, ask the other person about his/her company'

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name'turnover,markets'sales o GOtnp?hy growth r flaffie/locationof Americansubsidiary . numberof emPloYeesin USA r sal€Sof USAsubsidiary . if the companywas recentlyinvolved in a maior takeover.

Internrpt to ask for clarification or additional information

wheneveryou like'

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15 COMPANY TOUR

StudentA

(Greetings andfarewells;sequencing; questioning, welcoming)

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Showing a visitor round your company can be a usefulway of winning customersas well as promoting the image of your company.

4 You work for a manufacturer of sweets and chocolates,a subsidiary of a major US food company.You are going to show an important potential client (your partner) round your company.Before you go round, make a'short presentation of the main features of the tour, using the plan below.Your visitor ,your partner) has a copy of the same plan.

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Start by telling your visitor very briefly about the company's main products, its history and its organization. Then talk through the tour which you are about to make. You want to impress your risitor with the quality of your products, the sophistication of your technolory and the good morale ofyour staff.

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A This is where you are now: the product range. B A million Munchy Crunchies (chocolate-coatedbiscuits) per day producedhere.

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Your medium-range box of milk chocolates- Lotsachocs- produced and packed here. Warehouse:in the processof being fully automated. Computer centre: company's local area networks and direct links with the US managed from here. Personnel:includes mini-hospital, managed by company doctor,and company health and fitness centre; you are very proud of your policies on health, safety and welfare. Very active: numerous sports clubs and leisure time activities for employees,their families and retired members.

Tell your partner that you'll be happy to answer questions during your talk. Remember that this is only an introduction to the tour you are about to make.

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VISIT 16 COMPANY

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(Questioning ; regretting)

= =

Before you visita company, it is usefulto check with the personyou are visiting about how to get in. you Somecompanies, for'exaipte those involved in defence, can have strictsecurity procedures which need to know about in advance.

= -

you work in a large company which sometimes does top secret research for the government. At the moment there are worries aLout losing these contracts and about sPFng, and security is tight. You are looking forward to receiving a visii tomorrow from someoneyou met recently at a trade fair and have already sent the fax below.You are about to call your contact for the information you need when you receive a call.

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17 CORPORATE CULTURE

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing ; f orecasting ; hesitating) -.e culture of a company is the set of beliefs, valLtes,attitudesand organizationat characteristicswhich -ake it unique. Some managers and businessobseruersbelieve that changing the culture of an :'Eanization is the best way to significantlyimprove its businesspertormance. ':

:,,uand your partner woke up this morning to find yourselves joint heads of a large international : - mpany. Unfortunately, it is losing a lot of money.You both feel that a major transformation of the :"lture of the company is needed and you have brainstormed ten possible policies below. Now go :::rough the list and decidetogether which ones you will implement.

- fie loinlmonoging - should I You giveupyourbig dhectors offices onfielopfloorsnde$oblhh yourbose bythemoin photocopier onfieground floor. 2 Abolish poy, individuol poybosed infioduce 0nteom peilormonce. 3 Aimfor50% ofmonogers tobewomen within fie nexttwo (Al|hemomenl yeors. 60% ofyouremployees ond5%ofyour senior monogers orewomen.l 'senior' 4 Abolhh monogemenf. Reduce thenumber ofloyers in |heorgonizolion possible. 0sfor0s 5 Abolhh fiePersonnel Deportment. 6 Moke ollmonogers flyeconomy dos. (ompony (ors.Poy 7 Abolish people 0nollowonce when fieyhove todrive on(ompony busines. - yourselves - weor E Moke ollemployees induded 0(ompony uniform. 9 Moke meelings shorler, hove everyone stund up. l0 In$eod ofmonogers opproising getsubordinotes subordinoles, loopproise monogers. -:--,u may come up with your own ideas as well. YOU START.

@PenguinBooks1996

43

I SPONSORSHIP 18 CORPORATE

StudentA

judging;urging;negotiating) (Forecasting;

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Corporate sponsorshipis big business.Companies give money to sporting, culturaland charitable organizationsas a way of biinging the company's name and products to the attention of a wider public. your company has decided to spend a large sum of money on some kind of sponsorship.Yoy-an-d your partner have been made responsibl" for t".o-mending the bestoption to the Board. You have ,rro"tiirt"a three possible organizations you could sponsor.The cost of each option is approximately the same.Yori are now in a meeting with your partner to decide on the best option.

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FILE T The football club in the city where your company is based has just lost its sponsor after going down from the national frrst to the second division at the end of the last season.Norr the club is desperately looking for a replacement.The manager has been sacked and replaced by a well-kno\Mnex-international player with no previous managerial er -

You and your partner, in the Human Resourcesdepartment of a company which is in the process of reducing its workforce by 20Vo,meet to devise a strategy to ensure that employee morale remains as high as possible during the period of downsizing.

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Tell your partner about the following list of five strategic actions which you have drawn up. Your partner will also tell you about the points which he or she has noted. Then, together, choosethe five key actions for your strategy in order of priority.

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YOU want to: 1 introduce an annual employee opinion survey with responsibility tor analysis of results and implementation of actions held by the Director of Human Resources

2 introduceweeklyteam briefingsystemsfor all employees 3 createa suggestionsschemewith attractivefinancial rewardsfor prize-winning suggestions 4 haveall staff attenda seriesof seminarsled by seniormanagementexplaining the businessobiectivesof the company

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5 providean in-housecounsellingserviceto dealwith problemsof employee stress.

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VISITORS 24 ENTERTAINING

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(Greetingsandfarewells;introducingselfandothers; questioning ; sequencing) ; welcoming

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Corporateentertainmentis oftenan importantpart of buildinggood rektions with businesspartners.Enteftainmentmay be formaland highlyplanned,involvingprominent peoptefrom thecompanyor the region;in other cases,entertainmentmay be more personalandinformal.

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You hre about to receivea visitor from another city or country who has cometo your hometown for the first time. You telephonehimlher to plan a fairly detailed entertainmentpackage,lastingthree days.After this time, you plan to begin some informal businessdiscussions.

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YOU:

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. shouldoutlinesome ideason how your visitor could spendthe threedays . find out what would interestyour visitor

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. learnwhat he/shelikes to do to relax

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. try to work out a fairly detaileditinerarywith your visitor.

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Remember- after three daysyou have to start informal discussionsaboutbusiness.

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When you have finished,your partner invites you to visit his/her hometown in return. You accept!

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t_ t-FRIENDLY A Student t: 25 ENVIRONMENTALLY OFFICE t_(Sequencing; urging;agreeing/disagreeing) t_t: t_- More and more companies are becoming concerned about the effect their activities have on the natural Some companies are carrying out environmentalaudits, others are publishing t: environment. environmentalaccounts which try to measure this impact. There is no doubt that this will become a major activity of companies in the future. t_t_- -\ part of a campaign to make your company more environmentally friendly, you and your colleague been made responsible for improving the environmental balance in the office block where you t_- have both work. t_- Look together at the following suggestions and prioritize them. t-t-I Seporole wosle forpoper bins ondplosfics. t(before 2 Seporole woste bins forboileries recyding). t(before woste fornewspopers recyding). 3 Seporole bins ondmogozines -

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perdepodmenl qu0l0 8 Adoilyphohcopying loreduce fie number of by250/, phobcopies mode.

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9 Apolicy r00ms. oftuming offollelectric lights inuno(cupied

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J 26 EQUALOPPORTUNITIES

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(Agreeing/disagreeing; correcting ; likingandpreferring)

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Equatopportunities,san area wheremanycompaniesand manysfateshaverulesor legislation designedto protect specificgroups from discriminationor unfair treatment.Such areas as termsof job securityand workingconditionsare affectedby equal contract,wagesand salaries,career prospects, opportun itiespolicies.

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You are part of a discussiongroup which must producerecommendationsto the Board on ways to improvethe.positionof womenin the company.

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Note that:

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. 58o/o of the 400 companyemployeesare women o onl! 5o/ool managementpositions are held by women

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. th€ companyhas no policy on encouragingwomen to return to work after maternityleave, consequentlyonly a very small numberdo return . th€ Chairmanhas said he wantsto improvethe positionof womenin the company. In discussionwith a colleague,prioritize the following suggestions(from the most important to the least important) to createan enlightenedand progressivepolicy for employment.

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leove. molemifi . Aclively towork ofter fuking women lorelurn encouroge promolions. forinlernol loopply women . lmprove en(ouroging troining opporlunilies, inlernol ilghts. . [ncouroge porl{ime etc. with fullemployee w0*,iob+hodng, more (flexilime). . lnfioduce flexible timerobling . Provide focilities. a6che . lmprove wilhfulliobsecurity. molernity leove posilions. . Seloqu0l0 inmonogement represenfolion forfemole conditions. inemployment . (orporole horossmenl tobeinduded sfolemenl 0nsexuol immediotely. horossmenl . Apromise loinve$igole reports ofsexuol frommonogemenf . More woment choice ofdothing. lowords liberol ofiilude

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27 FRANCHISING

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(Judging;knowing;hesitating; correcting; declining/rejecting)

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tranchising is running a business which appears to be part of a chain of similar businesses,each with 3e same name, image and ethos, similar products and a similarmarketing strategy.Afranchisee pays a +anchisor a fee and in return gets advice and support on how to run the business.

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\bu are the manager of a franchised fast food outlet in a medium-sized town. Your relationship with :he franchisor, Eet Up, is not very good.You have scheduled a meeting with an Eet Up representative to try to sort out some problems. In preparation for the meeting you have written the following letter, which lists key points in order :t importance to you. You should aim to achieve some,but not all, of the improvements listed. Your rand-r*ritten notes to yourself are added, showing your thoughts.

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A. Cook Area Manager (Franchise Eet Up Park Grove -ondon SW152RT

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Agreements)

22 November 19-

)ear Mr Cook, following our recent conversation, I write to confirm the points for discussion at our meeting next month. I would like to talk about the following changes to our present agreement which is due for renewal in the Spring of next year: - a reduction in the franchise fee from the present $ S O ,O O O

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- freedom-to buy i-ngredients 1oca11y. SaUe10% - Eet Up to run more on-si-te staff trai-ning. It's benbad - preparation of a quarterly business r"pofa to Eet Up, not monthly. - Eet Up to sponsor special promotions, such as combinations with theatres, cinemas, c1ubs, etc. - Eet Up to send more information on market trends.

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YOU: r w?Dtto remainwith Eet Up . think the expansionof your businessshould bring more benefitsto you, ratherthan to the franchisor. YOUSTART. @PenguinBooks1996

55

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28 HEALTHANDSAFETY

StudentA

(Obliging; permitting; emphasizing; urging)

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Companies are controlled by legislation affecting health and safety. ln addition, many have their own policies to ensure that health and safety rssues are constantly monitored and improved where necessary.

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Your company has a very bad record on health and safety. Employee representatives and government officials have demandedimmediate improvements;otherwise the company may be forced to close.

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You have a'meeting with a colleague to discuss ways to improve the situation.

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The following is an extract from a report on incidents concerning health and safety in recent months.

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January 12:

C a s u a Lw o r k e r e t e c t r o c u t e d b y f a u L t y wiring. F e b r u a r y 1 5 : F o r k L i f t a c c ' id e n t worker hospitaLized. The operator was not quatif ied to use a fork Lift. F e b r u a r y1 7 : W o r k e r f a L L s o f f a r o o f w h i t e c a r r y i n g out a repair. A p r i[ 4 : ChemicatIeak f rom a fauIty waste pipe. May 19:. C h e m i c a tt e a k : u n d i L u t e d c h I o r i n e agents pottuted nearby river. J u L y? = Roof bIown off storage depot in a storm. Two workers injured. August 23= Fire on a rubbish tip. S e p t e m bre ? = N i g h t s e c u r i t y m a n a t t a c k e d b y intruder. Not discovered for two hours. Receivedhospitat treatment. 0ctober 16: Lorry crashes i n despatch area. W it n e s s e s s a y d r i v e r u t a s g o i n g t o o f a s t . A I o t o f d a m a g ec a u s e d t o vehicLe: driver unhurt.

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YO U : o w?rt immediatedecisionson what must be done and a firm date for implementingany changes . think that cost is not the issueas failureto improvematterswill resultin the closureof the factory . know that the governmentis planningmuch stricterruleson healthand safety,including powersto fine companieswhich allow accidentsto happen o w?ht an end to using untrained,casuallabour o wort a detailedtraining programmeestablishedto improveworkers'awarenessof safety issues . think that a bettertrained,full-timeworkforcewould improveboth safetyand productivity . think that maintenanceand house-keeping on site could be improvedwithout incurringmaior costs,e.g.by improvingdisposalof wasteproducts.

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= = = =

YOURPARTNER WILLSTART. 56

= @ PenguinBooks 1996

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29 IN.HOUSE MAGAZINE

StudentA

(Agreeing/disagreeing ; likingandpreferring ; measuring andcalculating)

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An in-housemagazinecan be an importanttootfor internalcommunication. tt can serueto informstaff membersof importantcompanydevelopmentsand encouragethemto identify withcorporateobjectives.

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You and your partner are membersof a small task forceformedto upgradeyour company'sin-housejournal.Youhavebeengivena free hand to draw up a set of recommendations to submit to seniormanagement. You must:

4,

. identifythe objectivesof the magazine

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. decideon how oftenthe magazineshouldappear

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. decideon the pagesize,numberof pagesand generallook

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. thinkof a name . draw up a budgetfor a magazinewith a circulationof 5,000(editorial,designand productioncosts).

4

For the content,decidewhich of the following you think shouldor shouldnot appear in eachissue:

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o o hesSsgefrom the Chairmanof the company

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o rec€|rtsalesfigures

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. otherfinancialinformationrelatingto the company'sperformance

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r n€wSand photographsof new recruits

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o hews and photographsof recentretirements

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. featurespresentingindividualemployees

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. featurespresentingthe work of individualdepartments

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o colrlp?hysports news,socialclub news,newsfrom the company'svariousclubs and associations

-

. interviewswith seniorexecutives

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. tradeunion news

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o ? sulrllrlaryof coverageof the companyand its productsin the nationaland specializedpress

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. future plansfor expandingor contractingthe workforce

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o reGerltacquisitions,ioint ventureagreements r rec€htproductlaunches,newsof futureproductplans.

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Can you think of anythingelsewhich shouldbe included?

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@ Penguin Books 1996

57

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TECHNIQUES 30 INTERVIEW

StudentA

ng) (Judging; agreeing/disagreei

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questionsasked'Many lnteruiewingtechniqueaffectsboththe styteof an interuiewand the typeof possible aboutthe applicant' b discoveras muchas interuiewsusea combinationof approaches

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Look at the followingjob advertisement: F F

MAilAGER MARKEilNG

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compony developmenl young softwore Anexponding inLondon office wifiitsheod wilh950employees, ond Rotlerdom inLondon, sites ondwifiproduction groduote ombitious forodynomic, islooking Poris, $rolegic ond selling indired wiftexperience seclor. preferobly inorelevonl plonning,

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08005656ondoskfor Telephone forfurther Professionol Freephone form. ondonoPPlitotion detoils

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into three groups: Personav with your partner, classify the following interview_questions (AP), Hypothetical (H)' Then assess psychological (pp), Academic and Profe-ssionalBackground and 5 = rot useful at all' Give them on a scale of L to 5: where 1 = most useful in ajob interview' reasonsfor your assessments. in conflict with colleaguesin your 1 Can you give an example of a situation where you have been presentjob or in a Previousjob? 2 bo you enjoy working alone or do you prefer teamwork? in this company? B How does your op"ri"rr." until now pi"p."" you fol the work 4 How does your family feel about your relocation to London? - your backgtound is in the food sector - is 5 Given your lack of experience in software development this likely to be a Problem? 6 What do you do when you need to relax? in a particular market, what would you 7 If aproduct you were responsible for was obviously failing do to resolve the situation? years'time?8 How do you see the future of the computing industry in ten involved with in your present job? 9 Can you describe a particul., pro5".lit at y:ouhave Leen closety

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31 JOBAPPLICATION

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(Questioning; urging)

A job apptication is a formal request for a job. You usually make an application by replying to an adveftisement. People who apply for a iob are iob applicants.

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You are the personal assistant to a well-known film director, planning to leave for a s'ell-earned rest after five years in the post. You placed the job advertisement below in the national press and received several good applications, including a very interesting one from your partner. Although you acknowledged this some weeks ago, you have been too busy to invite him/her to interview. You now receive a call from him/her to find out what is happening and to get more information about the job. You can tell the applicant (your partner) about: . travel: you travel constantly, to all parts of the world, and are away on location

for monthsat a time sometimes . hours:from0 to 24 hoursperday- thereareno typicalworkinghours elementis r po|: the basesalaryis nothingspecial,the performance-related relatedto the successof the latestfilm o problems:livingout of suitcases,the director'sterribletemper,actorsand whofall ill, etc.. . . actresses

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You can invent other details about the job but you are not at liberty to reveal the director'sname.

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In turn, you would like somemore information about this applicant:

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languagesspoken? typing? driving licence? tough? adaptable? coh get on wellwith all sorts of people? experience? availableas from when? plus otherquestionsof your own.

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HELP! MY PA IS LEAVING ME!

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In fact,we'repartingon goodtermsafterflve FASTlf you've yearsbut I needa replacement film got whatit takesto be PAto a well-known at thisnewsPaPer writeto BoxXPA14T5 director; now Goodsalary(performance-related).

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59

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31 Job Application(continued)

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MEGA MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

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7l GracechurchStreet London N1 1QA T e l :0 1 7 12227548Fax:01713586037

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Berlin - London - Paris - New York - Rome - San Francisco

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hear from us very

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Yours sincerely, / ' - r t

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SMALL 32 LARGEVERSUS COMPANIES t_-

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judging;correcting) (Likingandpreferring;

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A company's workforce may range in size from one employee to tens of thousands of people. Some people prefer to work in small companies, others prefer to be part of a large organization.

In this activity, you are going to debate with your partner the advantages of working for large and small companies.You prefer small companies,your partner prefers large. Use the arguments below to help you win the argument. Add your own arguments to the discussion. YOU believe the following arguments:

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1 In a small company,you know everyone. Small companies are friendlier.It's good to be able to get to know the people you work with really well. 2 In small companies,you can sort out problems face-to-face. 3 There's more variety to your work in a small company.You have to be ready to turn your hand to more or less anything. 4 You are more independent in a small company.When you want to do something, you don't have to wait for permission from all kinds of people above you. 5 When you work for a small company,you feel proud of making a direct contribution to the successof the organization. 6 People who work in big companies are too ready to conform.

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7 You know where you are in a small company: you're not afraid that you'll suddenly lose your job without warning. 8 The advantages of working in a small company are freedom, flexibility and openness. 9 You've got more chance of realizing your full potential in a small company. You also think that . . . YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

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OF INVOICE 33 LATEPAYMENT

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negotiating) (Urging;emphasizing;

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may sometimescreatedifficultieswherenaturallyone companywants Cashftowconsiderations immediatepaymentbut the otherprefersto delayas long as possible.

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It is now January 7th. Your companysent the following invoicefive weeksago,plus a reminder a week ago.You have still not receivedpayment.

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KWAN SERVICES

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450-58Jalan Bukit Bintang 55100Kuala LumPur, MalaYsia Tefephone(03) 77878779 Fax (03) 77878562

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ArndalePromotions 112DepotRow PO Box4567 NewZealand Auckland,

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Ref.Yourorderdated24 September Report SingaporeMarketAnalysisConsultancy

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TorAL Now DUE Bankdetails: KWANSeruicesCurrentaccountNo.70852406 BranchSortingCode:20-99-56 CreditBankInternational, Malaysia' KualaLumpur, JelanMelaka200, Terms: 30 daysfromdateof invoice.

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TelephoneArndale Promotions.

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34 MANAGEMENT ANDLEADERSHIP SKILLSFORWOMEN

StudentA

(Urging; negotiating; agreeing/disagreeing)

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Companiesand trainingorganizationsare increasinglyofferingcoursesespeciallyfor women,for examplein leadershipskillsand assertiveness, in orderto help women increasetheirself-confidence and theirbeliefin theirown ideasand actionsin professionalandpersonalsituations.

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You and y'our partner are helping with the design of a new training programme which will eventually be followed by alt female employees who are managers or who have management potential, as part of the company's overall employee development progTamme.

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You have identified five problem areas to look at during the course.

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1 Dealing with a team member who is not pulling his or her weight. 2 Handling former colleagues who are jealous of your success.

I

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3 Managing employees who are older than you.

L

4 Managing men.

,

5 Supervising a close friend.

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Decide with your partner:

. the best way to handlethese problems

its

. a trainingidea(roleplay,simulation, game,discussion, casestudy. . .)to help the courseparticipants to learnhowto handleeachsituationbetter.

= > -

YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

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35 MANAGEMENT QUALITIES

StudentA

= L-r

(Sequencing ; judging;agreeing/disagreeing)

= t-r

It is difficultto find universalagreementon the specificpersonalityand professional whichmakea good manager.Teambuildingusuallyaims to covera range characteristics of qualitiesas one individualcannothaveallthe positivemanagementattributes.

t-

Discussthe following characteristicsof what makesa goodmanagerand, with your partner,rank them in order of importance:

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. obility lomolivole

T E E E tl E E E E E E E E tl E

. obility todelegole

l

. obility with rolleogues logelonwell . lerhnicol knowledge . experien(e indifferenl industriol seclors ofmonogemenl people . obility fomoke lough . willingnes lowork upto60hours oweek . confidence inmoking decisions of0norgonizolion o (0n(0r1t fromfietoplofie bofiom ofevery employee forwell-being . obility oclivity detuils of(ompony tounderstond . obility corporole obiectives toplon ondunderslond . knowledge oftheworld inleresfs . highly wifiwide ronge 0fpelsonol individuol educoted ondcultured . (ommilmenl tomoking money psychologicolmoke-up . $oble heolth ond . supporlive fomily

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36 MARKETRESEARCH

-

StudentA

(Questioning; likingand preferring)

E -_

Companiessometimesemployexternalconsultantsto carryout marketresearchto help themtarget productsand seruicesbetter.Somemarketresearchis veryuseful,but the techniquesused to gather informationhave to be carefullydesigned.

= > =

\bur company owns a chain of hotels and restaurants. You receive a market research report from an agencywhich has investigated guests'opinions in some of your hotels.

> -

PRELIMINARY REPORT

-,

Number of respondents:1,147

-l

Survey technique: Customers staying in your hotels were asked to complete a form which was left in hotel rooms.

-l

Analysisbypurposeof visit: Business: 787o Private/tourism:22Vo

4 -

Analysisby duration of visit: One nght: 48Vo 2 nghts:33%o 3 niehts: ljvo

d

J

More than 3 nghts:9%o

Analysis by servicesused: Bed & Breakfastonly:65Vo Evening meal:35Vo

1

Quality Assessment: I = outstanding 2 = very good

1

3 = average { = poor

I Welcomeon arrival : Quality of serviceat reception: F acilitie s available from reception: Rooms,comfort,decor,etc.: Beds: Room service: Valuefor money: Breakfast: Dinnerlrestaurant:

4 J.

I 1 1

5 = very bad

2.5 2.I

3.0 2.4 3.0

2.6 3.4

2.8 2.9

> J

YOU:

-

= = E -!

. are not happywith the survey . think it needsmuch moredetailedinformationto be useful,for example:what does it meanto say the welcomeon arrivalwasrated2.5?Howcould it be improved?Whatdo customersexpect? o also want to know what needsto be done to improvethe beds,if they are ratedonly as average? . want to know how relevantit is that the survey respondentswere self-selected,i.e.they chose to fill in the forms.Whatpercentageof guestsactuallycompletedthe forms? . wantto know what variationtherewas betweendifferenthotelsin the group.

=

YousrART.

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-

StudentA

37 MARKETSURVEY (Questioning; likingand preferring)

Market research is the activity of collecting information about consumers and what consumers want and need. This information is used to help produce the goods and seruices which will ensure success for the company.

= := F

You work for a market research organization. You want to find out more information about consumer needs in the camera market. You are out on the street conducting interviews using the following questionnaire. Introduce yourself and explain what you are doing. Then, if your partner agrees to help, ask the questions.Fill in his/her answers on the form.

= L-

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AUDIO VISUAT EOUIPMEilT - SECT0R: CAMTRAS MARKET SURVEY I Doyouown ocomero?YES/I'|0 how oldisil? 2 lf YES, fion3yrs o)lesfionI yr b)l-2 yn c)2-3yn d)more 5. lf N0goonfoquesfion moke isil? 3 Whol (pleose slole). CAN0]|/KODA|(/MI1'l0WNlK0t'l/0LYMPUS/PANAS0l'llUPMlfil|(VS0NY/Zt]'llTH/other 4 How much diditcost? dl morethon5350 o) lesthonSl50 b)Sl5l-250cl 5251-350 tobuy0(0mer0 infienexlyeor? YtS/l'|0 5 Doyouplon lospend? 6 How much doyouplon d)morethon5350 b)Sl5l-250c)$251-350 o)lesthonSl50 formoney? oreftebest volue ofcomero doyouthink 7 Whidmoke(s) (pleose $ole) knoVother ON0N/K0DA|(/MlN0tWNl|(0N/0LYMPUS/PANAS0IIIVPRAKIIWSO}'|Y/Ztl{lTH/don'l useinoyeor? rollsoffilmdoyounormolly 8 l|owmony fton20 o)fewer fton5 b)6-10 c)I l-20 d)more Nume ofrespondenl: Age:Under1616-18 19-24 25-30 3l-45 46-60 0ver60

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Morilolslalus: single monied divorcedseporoted

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Addres:

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Dole:

Iime:

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Finally, ask for the respondent's name and address. If he/she gives you this information, his/her name will automatically be placed in a prize draw. The first prize is a two-week holiday in the Seychelles.

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YOU START. 66

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38 MEETING ARRANGEMENTS

StudentA

(Obliging; declining/rejecting ; urging;judging) -

Onedefinitionof a meetingis:the gatheringtogetherof a groupof peoplefor a controlleddiscussionwith a specificpurpose.The essentialelements of i meetingaie,

= _ -

o c . o o

= = >

d purpose:problem-solving, idea-gathering or training dDagenda:the listof pointsto be discussed the members:the chairperson,the secretaryand the othermembers d ESult:the outcomeof theprocess 2 r€pottiusuallythe minutes(writtenby the secretary).

-

4 E = > J

Your company exports its electrical goods around the world. Unfortunately one of your overseas agents is not selling many of your products. You want a meeting next week to discuss ways to improve sales.Telephoneyour agent to ask for a meeting. YOU:

t

. think a meetingis absolutelynecessaryto relaunchthe partnership

4

. wdllt to show a videoabout new sellingmethodsused by your company

=

r w?rt to discusssalesperformance,lookingat graphsand other illustrations

= >

o w?ht the meetingnext week! . haveheardthat your partneris doing very well sellingother products.

J

Here are your appointments for next week: 4 4

l3 Monday

4

DepartmentMeeting 1 0a . m .

1

l6Thursday

I

| 4 Tuesday

l7 Friday

4

| 5 Wednesday

| 8 Saturday

4

Showtraininqvideoto re4ional ealesteam

| 9 Sunday

4 -, -1

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39 MISSIONSTATEMENT

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StudentA

permitting) (Knowing;iudging;urging;sequencing;

A missionstatement is a statement of the aims, purpose and future activities of an organization. The objective of the missionstatement is to define - for the company's employees, its customers and its shareholders - what kind of organization it is, what it believes in, and in which direction it wants to go.

= = = =

You and your partner both work for the same international company.You have been given the job of producing an effective mission statement for your company.Your task is to draft a first version of the statement for circulation, about a dozen sentenceslong.

!-

Your draft could include statements about:

=

. the usefulnessof the company'sproductsandservicesin the community . the company'sobjectives . th€ company'svalues . th€ company'spolicieson qualityandon customercare . th€ company'sprincipleson personnel . the company'spolicyon the environment andtowardsthe countriesof the developingworld o anythingelseyou thinkis important.

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= -_

40 PAYVERSUSBENEFITS

StudentA

(Negotiating;declining/rejecting; urging)

-l = = -t-

',lost employees get some benefits from their employer in addition to their basic pay. Some senior nanagers receive very generous fringe benefits from their companies, which together are worth much nore than the salary alone. Some people prefer to receive just money for the work they do; others prefer :c receivepay plus other kinds of benefit. The totalof what you receive is cattedyour remuneration sackage.

-L 4

-a --

In this exercise,you play the role of a personnel manager talking to your partner who is an =recutive in the company where you both work. Until now, the company has offered its more senior :nanagers a wide range of benefits in addition to basic salary. Now, however, the company wants to ::rt the range of benefits being offered and wants to bring earnings under tighter control. Look at :he information below and discuss with your partner how his or her remuneration package can be altered.

-4 1 Current package per annum 4

J

Base salary Performance-related bonus last year (Note: ma:rimumpossible PRBwas Company car and private use of petrol Long-term disability cover Subsidized lunches Employer contributions to company pension fund Private medical insurance Parking Life assurance Annual health screening Financial planning

4

Health club membersNp Total

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$20,000 910,650 s,20,000) s3,600 91,500 s1,250 91,200 s1,200 s950 s300 9200 s200 sl50 $41,200

J

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4 4

YO U: . wsrt to keepthe new packageas close to 840,000as possible,and preferablybelow it, unless justified by performance r ?re empoweredto increasethe performance-related elementof the packageaccordingto your judgement,but you cannot increasebasic salary by more lhan 25o/"

1

. wdr|tto reduceyour administrationcosts and thereforewant to minimizethe numberof fringe benefits you offer

4

o w?rt to keepyour managershappy.

J,

YOUSTART. J

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=

41 PERFORMANCEAPPRAISAL

StudentA

your (Emphasizing; blaming;telling;expressing fearlworry;vetoing)

= = = = =

Evaluation and appraisal are used to ensure that employees develop their full potential within the company.Accurate assessment is vital in determiningpay, career development and the company's commitment to individuals.

You are a manager in a production company.You have a meeting with a colleague to discuss an employee who is doing badly at work. Last week he failed to arrive on Monday and Tuesday, he was late on Thursday and on Friday he incorrectly completed work record forms.

= = = =

Here is an internal report on the employee involved: -

EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION & HEALTH REPORT STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

F

F T

F Name: Sex: Position:

John Casenove M Lineoperator/Chargehand

History John Casenovejoined the company three years ago. For eighteenmonths his record was above average,with a good level of performance,low absenteeismand excellent inter-personalrelations. He was promoted to chargehand18 months ago. For six months he respondedwell to the promotion and continued to be a valued employee.

F = F t-

t{ F -

Recent problems Casenovebeganto arrive late for work and was frequently absent.A supervisor'sreport said he appeareddepressedand uninterested.He was offered counselling by the company counselling service.The offer was refused. Three months ago he was disciplined for assaultinga colleague.He was fined one week's wages.He was wamed as to his future conduct.

F L.

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YOU:

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o ?r€ tired of the problemssurroundingMr Casenove . think the companyhas everyiustificationfor giving him the sack

t=

F . think the minimumactionshould be to replacehim as chargehand,puttinghim at a lowerlevel of responsibility. = F

YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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43 Pressand PublicRelations(continued)

-

StudentA

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YOU:

. think KAD has a good recordon health,safetyand pollutioncontrol . know that t45,000was spent on the plant last year - all directly linked to safety and the environment . soy this is the first maiorincidentfor fifteenyears . believeKAD is always looking for new ways to protectthe environment- within (confidential)cost limits o ore inriestigatingways to ensure no repetition . know KADwill pay t5,000for the clean-upoperation . think manyother localcompaniespollutethe river . know that KADemploys600 people . know (confidentially) that KAD is under-insured for industrialpollutionaccidents.

-!

YOURPARTNER WILLSTART. 4 I

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44 PRODUCT ENDORSEMENT

L

StudentA

=

(Negotiating ; forecasting ; urging)

= = =

When famous people endorse products, they say in advertisements that they approve of them and encourage people to buy them.

=

You work for an international agency representing leading sports personalities. On your list you have a rising young Swedish tennis star. You are now going to have a meeting with the representative of a sports footwear company (your partner) to discuss the possibility of your tennis player endorsing their goods.

= = = -

CLIENT FILE International Promotions Sporting Name: Age: Nationality: Profession: Coach: Professional:

Personal:

Potential:

Wahlstrdm Christina 17 Swedish player Tennis (father) BoWahlstrtim Junior 0penChampion at14, Swedish 16, Women's Champion at Swedish Finalist Wimbledon and Quafter Australian at17. Semi-Finalist 'TheJohnMcEnroe tennis.' ofwomen's relationships with(i) herfather; Stormy (iii)tennis (ii)numerous boyfriends umpires. asa player. Could dominate Stilldeveloping women's tennis withinthree international years.

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YOU:

F

r w?ht a dealworth $1mfor your client r ote convincedof her tennis potential

E

. think she has greatmarketingpotential:the first Swedishfemaletennisstar

F

r woht more informationaboutthe productwhich the footwearcompanywantsher to endorse:it has to havethe right imagefor her and it has to be reliable.

F

Persuadeyour partnerof your views.

F F

YOUSTART. != .1

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F

45 PRODUCTION DELAYS

StudentA

(Obliging fearlworry;urging) ; expressing

-

Productiondelayscan be causedby manyfactorsfrom the non-deliveryof partsto planningmistakes. Theconsequences can be small,suchas a littleinternaldisruption,or considerable, suchas lossof importantbusiness. Your company,DGS Holdings,has a subsidiaryin Portugal which produceselectroniccomponents for your main productionsites in Taiwan and Korea.Unfortunately the Portuguesesubsidiaryhas beenhaving sorheproblems,as shownby the fax below.

-1

EUSEBIOTORRESS.A. PASODO TOQrrl\[HO 200 TORRESVEDRAS OO7893FORTUGAL

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FA)G3516t 3Z4Zee TEL 35161567344

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FOR THE ATTENTION OF: Robin Keeler,DGS HoldingsProductionDept.

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MESSAGE I

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I am sorry to reportthat the orderdatedMay 22 for a consignment of part numbersDR 56821 and TR 55901 has been delayeddue to productionproblems.We cannotship the parts on Junel0 asrequested. Delayby threeweeks,to July 1. Weregretthe inconvenience this may cause. Bestregards,

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l\m;a 7,";'1" /li ./

MariaPintoandLuis Deias

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You are very concerned about this. Contact your Portuguese subsidiary to find out the reason. @ Penguin Books 1996

75

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45 ProductionDelays(continued)

=

StudentA

= =

YOU: =

. know that delays like this can affect productionschedulesfor the whole organization

=

. have receivedfive similar faxes in recentmonths

=

o w?rt to visit Portugalwith top level colleaguesto examinereasonsfor continuingproblems

=

r lll?g as a compromise,insist on sendingone individualfromheadoflice to help resolveproblemsat the Portugueseplant . have heardthat there is a strike on at the moment

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o lll?| haveto stop using your Portuguesesubsidiaryas a supplier- but naturally you do not want to do this.

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46 PROFITANDLOSSACCOUNT

$tudentA

(Knowing; sequencing; measuring andcalculating)

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= =

A pr.ofi.t and lossaccountis a statementof incomeand expenditurefor a businessrn a particulartime period,normallyoneyear. lt showstradingpertormancein termsof what hasbeen spentand what has beenraisedthiough iates and otherrene-nue generatingactivities.

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At the end of the financial year, a colleague from a sister company asks you for details of the profit and loss account for your company,which has interests in retailing,leisure and property.

=

Use the abbreviated profit and loss account below to answer his/trer questions.

-

YEAR TO31MARCH 19_

(before Trading surplus depreciation) Income property from Less: depreciation

$8.0m $2.5m

Previous year (9.5m) (a.6m)

$+,om

(3.sm)

profits Pre-interest Less: payments interest

$6,sm $2.sm

(10.6m) (3.am)

$+.om

-

Pre-tax orofits Less: tax

$1.3m

(7.2n) (2.3m)

-

Available toshareholders

$2.7m

(a,9m)

--tl

-

'

YOU: . thinkthefall in profitis dueto a crisisin the locateconomy

=

' believethe mainfactorwasa fall in incomefrom rentingofficespace.A lot of propertyowned by thecompanyis standingempty . thinknextyearwill be worse- you do not expecta quickrecoveryin the propertymarket ' knowthat interestpaymentsaredownbecauseseverallong-termmortgageswereredeemed in the previousyear . thinkthe companyhasdonewellto showa profitin verydifficulttradingconditions

-

' knowthatall propertycompanies arein thesamesituation- mostotherleisureandretailing companies havealsosuffered.

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YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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L

MANAGEMENT 47 PROJECT

StudentA

judging;measuring and (Agreeing/disagreeing; calculating)

= = F h-

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Project management is an important businessactivity which involves putting plans into practice. lt requires the coordinationof various activities,each within a specified time frame.

= =

You are project leader for a company that is planning to build a new f,2m production site. You have produced an outline of the project proposal. You have a meeting with the senior member of your i"urrr, the assistant project leader. Ask him/her for comments and get approval for your outline schedule.

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F b F

ts F

ts Week

Phase

Action

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Settingobjectives definitions Establishing cations specifi Establishing Organization projectleadersandteams Deciding andbudgeting Costestimating

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Puttingout to tender Detaileddiscussions of work on allocation Deciding with tenderers Meetings Contracts

2C_i2l 22-24 25-28 79-34 35-38

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scheduling Planning.md l:Sitepreparation Construction ll:Foundations Construction structure lll:Above-ground Construction work Finishing

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47 ProjectManagement (continued)

StudentA

i =

YoU:

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' have basedthis scheduleon your experienceof building a similar production site at a subsidiaryin Australia ' are absolutelyconfidentaboutthe accuracyof the schedule:16 weeksplanning + 16 weeksconstruction= 32 weekstotal . will acceptonly minimalchangesto the schedute o ?rs responsibleto the productionmanagerand the managingdirectoronly

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' understind that the companyrequiresthe project to be finished as soon as Possible

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. naturallydo not wantto upsetmembersof yourteam. YOU START.

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48 QUALITY

I

StudentA

=

(Agreeing/disagreeing ; judging)

b

b-

Quality improvement is the process of improving allthe systemsand procedures within your organization so that you produce better goods or seruices for your customers. Quality is not an absolute. The quality of your goods and seruices is defined by what your customers expect.

= = =

Your company has asked you and your partner to draw up a list of proposals for improving quality within your organization(s).

=

Select six of the following which you both feel should definitely form part of your company's new commitment to total quality:

b-

. oppoinlment goods ofquolity confiol inspeclors forrondom checks onfinished

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. (reolion ofquolity circles throughoul fte(ompony

E

. estoblishmenf quolity quolity oforegulor compelilion wifiprizes forbest forimproving suggeslions ond soving money

E

. infoducfion quolity oforegulor feoture infiein-house mogozine (e.g. . decision quolity loseek internofionol stondord lS09000) . drofling ofoquolity chorfer lobesenf loollcusfomers (0ngelimmediote . reolion oftelephone hotlines sofiol cusfomers help withproblems ondgive producb/services immediofe feedbock 0ny0ur . . . .

n T T

T progromme inlroducfion ofoquolity improvemenf lroining E forollstoff members progromme E oppoinfment ofolopmonoger lohove overoll responsibility forthequolity improvemenl (zero theestoblishment ofquolity torgets T defeds) inproducfion lheprominent disploy ofquolity notices ftroughod tl fiecompony buildings.

:F-

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b F F F F F >F F

Is there anything else you might like to add?

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+ F F ^ A

: + Y

QUIZl

F

(Questioning)

StudentA

t

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Quizzesare usuallyfairlylight-heartedbut theycan alsotell us quiteinterestingthingsaboutourselves and aboutotherpeople.

L

=

-\k your partner the following business quiz questions and then get him/her to ask you. You can either answer each question in turn or each of you can go through the whole list in turn.

3

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1 Do you work mainly: a) for money? bt forpower? c) for fame? d t for self esteem?

6 In a) b) c) d)

2 If you won a lot of money,would you: a t invest it in your company? b t start your own company? Cr feElref

7 In your opinion, should the averagebusiness meeting last: a) no more than an hour? b) no more than an hour and a half ? c) no more than two hours? d) as long as it takes to completethe businessproperly?

3 If someoneasked you how much you earned, rvould you: a' tell them the right figure? b r tell them the wrong figure? first? dt refuse to tell them? -l Which is most important for you in your rvork: a) chancesto meet people? bt friendly colleagues? c) a sympathetic boss? d) a good physical working environment?

meetings,do you normally: say less than the others? say more than the others? say as much as the others? chair the meeting?

8 Do peoplein your company normally arrive at a meeting: a) before or on time? b) less than five minutes late? c) between five and ten minutes late? d) more than ten minutes late? 9 Which of the following would most increase your own productivity at work: a) more autonomy? b) more time? c) more computers? d) more money?

5 If you found your new boss very difficult, would you: a) try to discuss the problem with him/her? b t try to tolerate the situation? d) leave the company?

,4

=

YousrART.

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F

StudentA

50 QUtz2

= =

(Questioning)

F =

Askyour partner thefottowingbusinessquiz questionsand thenget him/herto askyou. Youcan either answerelachquestionin turn or each of you can go throughthe wholelistin turn.

= =

, 3

Do you socialize with colleagues outside work time: a) often? b) sometimes? c) occasionally? d) never?

i How much time do you norrnally take for lunch at work: a) less than 30 minutes? b) 30-60 minutes? c) 60-90 minutes? d) more than 90 minutes?

If your boss told you that you were wanted to represent your company on a stand at a trade fair for five days, would the prospect: a) excite you? b) horrify you? c) frighten the life out of you? or d) would you ask for extra moneY?

7 Do you think an employee should be sacked if caught in the workPlace: a) stealing? b) smoking in a no-smoking area? c) taking drugs? d) sexually harassing a colleague? (You may wish to choosemore than one.)

Which is most important to you in your work: a) yourtelephone? b) your computer? c) your fax machine? d) your desk?

8 Do you prefer to be Paid: a) a high base salary with no fringe benefits and no performance-related bonus? b) a low base salary with good fringe benefits? c) a low base salary with perfonnancerelated bonus? d) a low base salary with perforrnancerelated bonus and fringe benefits?

4 In a) b) c) d)

= F

=

your opinion, should your company be: research-driven? product-driven? market-driven? customer-driven?

5 How many days'holiday (including public holidays) do you think people should take off work per year: a) fewer than 15? b) between 16 and25? c) between 26 and 35? d) more than 35?

9 Do you prefer to work: a) mostly in an office? b) mostly at home? c) mostly travelling around? d) a mixture of working at the office, at home, and travelling around?

F

F F F F

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51 RAISING FINANCE

StudentA

(Questioni ng; forecasting)

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Jcmpaniescan raiseextrafinanceto hetpmeet their needsin severalways.Threeexamplesare by a ' ilation (the sateof shares),a rights issue(setlingsharesat a specialtowprice to existing s^areholders), or takingout a loan froma bank througha moftgageor debenture.

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represent Chapman Whitney Ltd. The company needsto invest in new plant to meet expansion :.ans. You arrange a meeting with your company'sfinancial adviser to discussyour plans to raise =rira finance.

.tii 1'our adviser for his/her opinion on the expansion plans, and on the potential for raising extra :-':'ne]' to support the plans, either through a flotation, or through a rights issue, or through loans ::rm a bank or other lending institution.

l-

=

Here is a part of the company balance sheet for the last financial year.

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SOURGS OTTIl{AilG

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Sm 4.0 8.0

Shore ropilol 4million shores ot$1.0 profih Retoined

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funds Shoreholders'

=

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Debt finonce (3yeorsl 6%mortgoge Bonk overdroft

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Totol funds

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=

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Asels employed Fixed oseh Properly Mochinery Vehicles

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10.0 22.0

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14.0 8.0 22.0

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6.0 4.0

tig. | ftopmon Whitney [d. Abbreviohd bolonce sheet.

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YOU:

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. admitthat the companyis not tradingdynamicallyat the presenttime - salesare static in a contractingworld market

-

. believethat you have the expertiseto build new and innovativeproductsfor the next 25 years.

'

YousrART.

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StudentA

52 RECRUITMENT

= I

(Likingandpreferring;urging;declining/reiecting)

lE

!-

can be a Recruitmentis the processof tooking for and finding peopte to do particulariobs. Recruitment mistake' time-consumingand cosily process.-Recruitingthe-wrongperson can be a very expensive

!-:-!r-

You are an American up-market designer of men's clothes, running your own medium-sized your partner company jointly with yourAmerican partner. You provide the creative inspiration and has company Your Iooks after the business side of thingr. Yoo have a good working relationship. You are traditionally operated in the US and is now tryrng to break into the European market' phoningeach other based in New york and your partner has been in Paris for three months. You are job of sales and get new the should (at 10.00French time, 17.00us time) to decidewhich candidate you has shortlisted of Each marketing manager for France (and potentially for the whole of Europe). is not two candidates whom you have personally interviewed. Unfortunately your fax machine the phone' working, so you have to describe yoo" o*., shortlisted candidates to your partner over you prefer. 1 Read the two profiles below and decide which of your own two candidates 2 Describe them both to your partner. 3 State your own recommendation. C Persulde your partner of the advantages of your preferred candidate'

tt:-

F-

>tF-

YOU:

h-

. strongly tavour an American choice because you feelthat an American will integrate much roteluickly and easily into the company team and into the company's culture.

F F F

Name Age Nationality Marital status Education Experience Languages Salary expectation Interests Other relevant information

JeromeMcGraw

27

l-

American Single BA BusinessAdministration, MBA Hartford Marketing posts with Apple Computers and Coca-Cola (4 years total). Excellent references Native English, intermediateSpanish,a little French 'for peanuts' Very reasonable:would go to Paris All sports:captainedchampionship-winning university

F

basketball team; Politics; clothes Comes from poor working classbackground; of African-American origin; well-balanced,very attractive personality,intelligent, ambitious; he obviously has enormouspotential for progressup to senior managementlevel; wants to make big impact on smaller company; desperatelywants international

tr

F F F F J

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(continued) 52 Recruitment

StudentA

t

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! = EZ .L

\ame Age \ationality \larital status Education Experience

4 ! '4 i _ = ! 1 - z L ,1

Languages Salary expectation Interests information

NancyGuscott 40 American Divorced(3 yearsago) MA (andPhD incomplete)in Frenchlanguageandliterature 15years'marketingpostsin the US andEurope,specializing increasingly in up-market women's fashion: clothes and accessoriesvery good contactsin this sector.Currently Marketing Director for a reputable US mail order clothes company: $300m tumover per year. Some spin-off knowledge of men's fashion market Native English, fluent Hebrew, fluent spoken French, good written French, some Italian Reasonable Fashion,food, antique furniture spent severalyears in Paris with her French (now ex-) husbandwho has custodYof their three children

! ar.!

-

YOUSTART.

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StudentA

53 RECYCLING (Agreeing/disagreeing; i udging)

= -

ts l-

-

Recyclingis the activityof sortingout wastematerialso that it can be reprocessedby speciatistcompanies.Recyclingis broadtyconsideredto be a sensibleway to reducethe exploitationof the environment. Your companyproduces25,000tons of wasteproductsfrom its officesand canteen areaseveryyear.At presentthere is no policy on recyclingand you think there should be qne. Togetherwith a colleague,decideon the three most important advantagesof recycling Then decideif you want to and whether there are any important disadvantages. recommendthe formal introduction of procedureson recyclingand any related considerations.

F F = F F

YO U : . think the introductionof systematicrecyclingwillfinally bring the companyinto line with governmentrecommendations . think recyclingis a'good thing'and givesa good impressionto everyonein the company . fear that more spacewill be requiredfor containersfor differentmaterials

F F

=

. think employeeswill haveto wastetime sorting out differentmaterialsfor recycling,i.e. paper,cardboard,metal,glass . think that the companycould save money by encouraginggreaterreuseof paper - especiallyfor rough working, notes and internalmessages . think the companyshould use moredouble-sidedprintingand copyingand so save paper.

-

YOU START.

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54 RELOCATION

StudentA

(Judging ; negotiating)

)a I I

, rl L t

Relocation means moving your home, office or factory from one place to another.

You are a manager with a European company which has recently entered into a joint venture agreement whose head office will be in Brussels. You have been offered a fantastic job by the new boss in Brussels. But your wife/husband and teenage children are very settled where they are and you don't want to move. You therefbre propose to commute from your home to Brussels on a weekly basis, travelling out every Monday morning and back every Friday evening.

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YOU:

rl

. think you will be more productive away from your family and will not have the extra worry of their adjusting to a different environment

rl

. will save the company a lot of money in relocation costs

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= I I

. will,if necessarygiveup yourcompanycar in Brusselsto payfor thecostof the weeklyreturnplanefare(youalreadyhavea companycar at home). Discuss the question with your new boss at a meeting.You must reach an agreement. Although you want the job, you will not sacrifice your family's interests to keep it.

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YOUR PARTNERWILL START.

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StudentA

55 SALESTARGETS

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tr

correcting) (Measuring andcalculating;

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-/ D-

When you fix sales targets,you predict the quantity of goods or seruicesyou will sell during a future time period.

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t:r <

Your company's sales operation is divided into a number of regions, and you and your partner have joint respottribility for the Central region: you manage the West Central area and your partner managesthe East Central area. Last year the company's management announced a new incentive scheme for sales staff: the winning sales team wbuld win a week's holiday in the Caribbean for themselves and their spouses. Althouth you made big efforts to sell more than the other regions, you saw the other teams pulling ahead of yon. In addition, computer problems made you late with the figures for the last quarter of the year. Your computer manager now tells you that some of the original figures for your area are wrong: the new figures are on the whole higher than you thought.

>-

1 Calculate your new total sales for the year.

F

2 Callyouroppositenumberin EastCentralandseeif, together,yourfiguresarenowgood enoughto win the Prize.

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F - tr Fl

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Figuresin $US

North

West

South

East

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Firct nr rerfcr

93,137

94,005

85,2| |

93,140

l-

85,439

99,505

t-

87,674

107,099

a{

Secondquarter

t 0t , 1 0 4

Third quarter

t03,721

aa 411

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95,r06

| t00,47

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Total

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East Central Revised

Central Revised Total

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West Central lnitial

West Central Revised

East Central lnitial

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4 5 , 0r 0

4 6 , 9t 0

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ld

Secondquarter

48,763

48,963

5r,309

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49,345

49 7)7

5t,499

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50,847

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nr rerfer

Fourthquarter

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Total

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YOU START.

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4 I

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SMALL TALK 1 a c o 4 -

L 4

FtA

StudentA

(Welcoming; greetingsandfarewells; introducingself)

!

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! 1 > 4

Smalltalkis a vital skillin business.lt can be difficultto initiatea conversationand then to keep it going, but it is very importantto be able to do so - in Englishas well as in your own language.

4

1 A visitor to your companyis waiting to seeyour CEO (chief executiveofficer)and

!

4

you have been asked to look after him/her for ten minutes. It is your job to keep the conversationgoing.

!

1 !

4

Spend ten minutes talking to the visitor. While you are talking, try to direct the conversationso that the visitor uses as many of the words below as possible.At the end of ten minutes, count up how many of the words in the box below he/she used.

L

4

THrNK/ TRtp/ MOUNTATN / pHOTO(cRAPH)

!

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'-

PORTABLE / EAT/ COUNTRY/ FAST/ HOLD/ GREEN

YousrART.

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2 When you have finished,repeatthe activity. This time you take the role of visitor.

7

YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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h

StudentA

57 SMALLTALK2 expressing (lntroducing self; questioning; amazement)

{ F F l-

Fill in the form below to invent a new indentity for yourself!

l-

tudt Ittr.

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Nationality:

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Address:

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Company:

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activity: Company

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........ Responsibilities:

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ofservice: Length

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tripto: Current

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Interests:

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........ information: Other

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Now imagine that the'new you'is sitting in a plane next to another businesstraveller and that you begin to talk. Tell the other person (your partner) as much as possible about yourself. And find out as much as possible about your partner. YOU START.

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tt r 58 SPAREPARTS (Obliging;regretting;measuring andcalculating) t

StudentA

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_ )afts, or components,are put togetherin manufacturingor assemblyprocessesto makeproducts,or :'e usedto replacefaultyor damagedpartsin existingproducts.

= >

I -'ur companyneeds a special delivery of some parts to meet your production target for next month. !-,u contact a supplier and ask for the following products. Your preferred delivery times are stated.

F I

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Porlnunber

Ouontity required

When required

tR400l

220

immediote delivery

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immediote delivery

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140

7doys

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t00 250

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750

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YOU: -

. prefernot to haveany early deliveriesas you operatea just-in-timeproductionsystem

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. G?hrottolerateany delays in meetingyour fourteen-dayrequirements

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. coUldacceptone or two days'delayon up to 50%of the GA components

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. know that you are a very importantcustomerlor this supplier o eXP€Gt to pay on your usual terms: 60 days from deliverywith 10olo discount . coflsiderthis orderto be vitally important . do havean atternativesupplier,but the quality is slightly lower

=

. prefernot to use the alternativesupplier,but you would if there was any risk of not getting the goodsyou need.

=

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You START.

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@PenguinBooks1996

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59 TEAMBUILDING

StudentA

judging) (Likingand preferring;

h

= E

More and more work is project work and more and more project work is done in teams. ln the future, you could be a member of several teams working on several different projects at the same time. Team members play different but equally important roles and a good team is one with a good balance between roles.

You and your partner are forming a special team to work on a major new project. You are looking for two other people to join you to form a dynamic and balanced team. Look at the brief descriptions of team roles below.A well-balanced team will have people with different preferences situated in different places on the wheel.

= : = !-

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g0ininformolion Reporler-Advisers before tuking oclion; inlerprel siluolions ondgive odvice,

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fteolor-lnnovoton findnew ideos ondopprooches; reseorch; explore fiefuture.

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[xplorer-Promolers lookfornew findnew opportunilies; (onlods promole ondresources; ond sellideos.

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Assessor-Developers moke ideos workinproclice; develop protolypes ond le$plons.

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Thru$er-0rgonizers moke things hoppen; orgonize whol hos lobedone; ensure obleoives oremel. (onduder-Producers (0rythings plons through; work loorderly ond syslems; meet deodlines.

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(onfioller-lnspeclors processes; confiol inspect shndords; ensure pro(edures orefollowed. purpose, Upholder-Mointoiners volues cloilfy ondprinciples; provide supporl; moinloin slondords.

Margerison-McCann

TEAM MANAGEMENT WHEEL

The Team Management Wheel and role descriptions were developed by Charles Margerison and Dick McCann of Team Management SystemsUK Ltd. The Margerison-Mccann Team Management Wheel is a registered trade mark of Prado SystemsLtd. For precise pinpointing of a person's preferred role, it is necessaryto complete aimed at the Team Management Index, a questionnairedeveloped by Margerisonand Mccann, which also providesa detailed personal profile for referenceduring discussions improvingteamwork.

F r' F =-/ F J

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Discusswith your partner:

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r which role you think you would preferto play in the team

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r which role your partnerwould preterto play

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r which other two roles you needto makea balancedteam.

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60 TIMEMANAGEMENT

StudentA

(Blaming ; agreeing/disagreeing ; urging)

I

, = .

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. ',tanaging your time wellis one of the mostimportantskillsthatanyonein businesscan learn.lf you do ^it. the resultsare frustrationfor yourselfand your colleagues,and lossof moneyfor your company.

a = t-

tselo*'you can see several common problems for anyone who works in an office. Tell your partner =cout each problem in turn and see what solution he or she recommends.

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'fhe I 2 3 4A

problems

My phoneneverstopsringing. Peoplearealwayscomingin andout of my office. I spendfar too muchtime in meetings. ^^--- ^:-^^ -J--:r-----r, ^, ^ , : 1 | r I I| can manage-my time -perfectly well. tIt's technical andconstant breakdowns

Fproblemswithcomputerswhichmakeitdifficultformetom€nagemy.*". L

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\ts- 1'ourpartner is goingto tell you about someother typical time managementproblems.Choose :,im the list of suggestionsbelowthe solution which you think is best for eachproblemand tell your : a-rtner about it. Add your own comments.

|l

The solutions

I

a Prioritize.Delegate.Block time for importanttasks.Keepthingsin proportion.If theproblempersists,discussit with a superior. b Don't be afraidto tell peopleyou're too busyright now.Standup whensomeone comesin anddon't sit downagainif you don't wantthemto stay. c Don't alwaysagreeto seepeoplestraightawaywhenthey askto talk to you.Plan your day so thateveryoneknowsthatthereis a time whenyou needto work alone anda time whenyou arehappyto seeotherpeople. d Neverhandlea pieceof papermorethanonce.Eitheracton it, passit on or put it in thebin.

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PRIORITIES 61 TRAINING

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E

= { -

sequencing) (Knowing ; agreeing/disagreeing;

L-

prioritizing is deciding on an order of importance for a number of possibleactions, by comparing their usefutneis. The moit useful are often urgentty required, while the least useful may be disregarded.

= =

your company produces high quality audio equipment for use by professional sound engineers in the music, film and television industries. You are planning a major sales and marketing drive in several new export markets in Europe and Asia. Your colleague is the new marketing director with responsibility for this major initiative.

=

Together with the marketing director, set priorities for training a staffof five marketing managers and 20 sales representatives and agents. Decide on an order of one to nine;eliminating the lowest three or four areas of training depending on vour assessmentof their value.

(on(erned infiecountries ogenfs ond forreps . foreign lroining longuoge monogers fivemorketing foryour . foreign lroining longuoge monogers forfivemorkefing . lroining oworeness inculturol direclor foryou0smorkefing strolegy ondmorkefing new morkefs . troining indeveloping ogents ond forreps slrolegy . lroining inmorkefing ondogenls folreps servi(e producl ondofier-soles technology . lroining innew monogers formorkefing service producl ondofter-soles technology . froining innew monogers formorketing compoigns formorketing sofMore . lroining supporf innew longuoges. invorious lepsondogents guidelines forsoles . produdion ofdetoiled

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62 TRANSPORTATION

StudentA

(Judging ; agreeing/disagreeing)

I -

: stnbutionis concernedwithmovinggoodsfrom the producerto the customer.

I

-,--,n. companywants to export goodsfrom Spain to Greece.You have asked a colleaguein Spain to : jsgest the most appropriate way of moving 120 tons of goodsto Greeceevery month. In the :---eantime, another colleaguein Greecehas sent you a proposal,details of which are shown below.

I I I7

FAXMESSAGE (30)31 From laxnumber: 547699 (33)1-44567321 Tofaxnumber: T0:ARANT Cie(Paris)

FortheAttention of Export Dept.

Re.Transpon ofgoods toGreece Herewith costproposal fromBarcelona toGreece, - roadhauliers. I suggest Andropolis S.A,ofThessaloniki Road transport get goods is betterasmoreflexible. Wecan moved around morequickly. Alsoeasy distribution toAthens andThessaloniki bysame lorries. Estimaled costs: Barcelona Athens. 1 x 5 toncontainer @$1,000 each per30toncapacity 6 containers lorry= $6,000. = $24,000. permonth Total fourlorries Cost reduction of10%perlorry forevery'10 hourdelay if caused by accident tolorryormechanical failure. Additional lorries canbearranged. Alldocumentation taken careofbyAndropolis. - Marseille - Milan- Bari- transfer Normal route:Barcelona byshipto Greeceonward toThessaloniki orAthens. Time:live days. Alternative perload. route:overland takes 7 days andcosts dollars $1,000 - subject Notrecommended todelays. I'

Comparethe two proposalsand decidewhich is moreconvenient.

I . I I . I

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YOU: o wort to movethe goods as economicallyas possible . think the companycan be flexibleon deliverytimes- any time in the first weekof the month is okay . needflexibitity- variationsin the consignmentsmust be possible. YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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63 WORKENVIRONMENT

StudentA

= !==

(Negotiating; measuring andcalculating; forecasting)

ts The workingenvironmenthaslongbeen recognizedas a key factorin improvingproductivity,employee satisfactionand in reducingdays lostthroughsickness. Youare a managerresponsiblefor the telesalesofficein a companywith a turnoverof f,1.25m.You to discusspossiblewaysof improvingthe havea meetingwith an employees'representative working environmentfor your team of eight people.

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. believethat productivitywill increaseif significantimprovementsare introduced r heedto decideon variousimprovementswithin an overallbudgetlimit of 816,000.This spendinglimit is confidential . havereceiveda memofrom a managementcolleagueshowingthe followingcost estimates. Thesecosts are also confidential.

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CONFIDENTIAL

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To:D-office From: HT Re:Officeimprovements

tRedecoration

84,500

lmproved sound proofing between desk areas

f,z,200

New triple -glazedwindows

f,3,800 F

f,4,850

Replacementof neon strip lighting

f,3,600

New ergonomicallydesigneddesks

f,4,400 f15,000

More office space

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Improved workstations, hands-freetelephones/screens/ footrests,etc.

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New ventilation system

f5,200

New chairs

€1,000

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64 WORKROTAS

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StudentA

(Regretting; declining/rejecti ng; agreeing/disagreeing)

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-clrday entitlement is establishedin employees'contracts but the exact time when holidays are taken is 'sually negotiated between the company and the individuals concerned. The company naturatty has to -ake sure that there is sufficient cover when employees are away on holiday.

4 4 1

!-,u are responsiblefor the implementation of production schedulesand work rotas in a fresh food :.ctory Here is a chart showing production schedulesfor July and August and work rotas for your :-.1'(l line supervisors,LSl and LS2. The production capacity is 7,000 units per week, but this volume : production requires both line supervisorsto be available for work as an additional smaller line :rasto be operated.

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In March oneof your line supervisors(LSl) requestedholidaysin weeks29 and 30.You provisionallyagreed.Try to persuadehim/her to have holidaysat a different time.

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. know that all productionhas to be for immediatedeliveryas the companymakesfresh foods c realiz9you have madea mistakeand that the supervisorwill haveto be compensated . knowthat the ordersfor July are from your most importantcustomers.

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65 WORKSCOUNCIL

StudentA

(Urging;agreeing/disagreeing ; hesitating)

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Many companies in the industriatized world have works councils: committees of representativesof both management and staff which meet regularly.However, the powers of works councils can vary widely from country to country and from company to company. ln Germany and Scandinavia, for example, employees'representativesmay participate in decisionsabout the company's financial, marketing and human resources strategy. Elsewhere, the works council may have a much more limited role.

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You and your partner serve on the works council of the medium-sized company where you both work. The company employs 100 people. Each year the council is given a f5,000 Christmas present by the company'sowners to spend in whatever way it wishes. You and your partner are meeting to brainstorrn your ideas before the full council meeting to discuss the subject. You have jotted the following ideas down on the back of an envelope.Compare your notes with your partner's and try to reach a joint decision on what you would like to recommend. (You can add your own ideas to the list below.)

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YOU think the money could go on: lor each o a Chrislmaeparty for lhe childrenof allstaft: food,queot,enlerlainer,anda 7reeent' child

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. a L5O caohgift per employee companyeoccerclub'e eVorteaeeocialion.The t Lhedonationof LheenNiresum Nolhe com?any'e roomobadlyneedrefurbiehinq chanqinq whichwouldlikelo orqanizea c a conLribution to the companyeTAA (ThirdAqe Aeeociabion) homevieilinqeervicefor elderlyex-eLaffmembere

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ICEBREAKER

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(lntroducing selfandothers;questioning)

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lce breakersare shortactivitieswhichhelppeopleget to knoweachotherat the beginningof a trainingcourse. Get the following information about your partner.One of you can ask all the questions first or you can take it in turns to ask eachquestion.

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1 Professional Find outyourpartner's: o 110fi10 o C0lTlpilll!

o c0rTrp?n!'s (inonesentence) activity . jobtitle . department . jobresponsibilities (inonesentence) . office location.

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2 Personal yourpartner's: Find outabout . . . . . .

home family journey towork leisure timeactivities favourite holiday location favourite restaurant.

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ADVERTISING

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Advertising is one aspectof promotional activity used by companies to increase consumer awareness of the company and its products, and to improve sales pertormance.

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You work for an advertising agency.You specialize in the sportswear sector.You have received the following letter:

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You prepare the following notes:

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You prepare the following notes: REGIS & BENNETT SPORTSCOMPANY 9-10 HouchenIndustrial Estate Coventry CY3 2TH Telephone01203542181Fax 01203 542281 L.

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we look for

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a new campaign to

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Dear Lee,

suggestions

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confirm that

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o cohhot give any guaranteeon increasedsales but you can guaranteeincreasedGonsumer awarenessof the brandname,Sporto,if your clientagreesto your suggestions . have useful contactswith famous Olympicathletes- they are looking for sponsors r c?nrot, of course,be sure that they willwin gold medals o ?cc€ptthat TV advertisingis expensive- but it is the most effective - perhapsup to 8100,000more. o would like your clientto agreeto spendmorethan 8250,000

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judging) (Agreeing/disagreeing;

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An agendacons,btsof the pointsthat will be discussedin a meeting,in orderto reachagreedobjectives. \ot all meetingshave writtenagendas,but everyoneshouldunderstandthe objectivesof a meetingand -

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Discussthe price rise.Ask the following:

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. how importantdo you think marketshareis?

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o dr€ there other ways to makethe return on this product greater,insteadof raising the price?

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. how price sensitiveis the market? r ?re thereways to increasethe pricewithout losingsales?

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o could salesbe increased? o wh?t if competitorsloweredtheir pricesduringthe year?

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6

BUSINESS ANECDOTE

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(Telling ; sequencing ; emphasizing)

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An anecdote is a short story which you tell, usualty about something which happened to you or to someone you know. Being able to tell a story is a very useful skill,both generalty and in business: when talking to the person sittingnext to you during a plane journey, for example. This activity gives you the chance to practise telling a story in a business context.

You andyour partner are going to tell each other a story about a company.Your partner will begin the story and then, after two or three minutes, you will take over, using the first sentence below.Then your partner will take over again, then you will take over again, and so on. Try to talk for about one and a half minutes each time before handing over.

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2 The big breakthrough came when . . .

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4 Jo and Les began to have different ideas about how the company should be run...

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7

ETIQUEfiE BUSINESS

StudentB

(Agreeing/d isagreeing; questioning) Business etiquette- forms of polite behaviour - can vary not iust from one country to another, but also from one pro;,fessionto another, from company to company, even from department to department. This exercise wilt hetp you measure how far you and your partner follow different codes of etiquette.

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your partner is going to tell you about five areas of office etiquette. In each case' your partner will first tell you how peJple behave in his or her company or department and will then ask you what the rules or conventiorr, ."" in the company or department where you work. Discuss the differences. Now do the same for the five areas below. First tell your partner how people behave in your company or department, then ask him or her about his or her workplace, then discuss the differences.

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conlod: business yourbusiness t00new cord doyoupresenl cords: I Business

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your . during meeting? . olfieendofyourmeeting?

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2 . . . .

Kissing: lf so,when? workcolleogues? lokiss o(ceptuble sociolly isil ever work colleogues? orhug emblo(e doyouevel thontheykissmen? more women kiss other dowomen kiss ofiermen? ever domen

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fieworkploce: outside colleogues doyoumeel Sociolizing: forlunch? ofierwork? fordrinks ofc colleogue? orinfie home inyourownhome infie evening oltheweekends? ocfivity? 0rcultulol sporling olher fieolreff some cinemo, formusic,

lendfo: inyourcompony dopeople 4 Hours: eorly? . sloileorly ondleove loh? o slorlloteondleove . slorl lole? ondleove eorly eorly? o sloilloteondleove Whol h'loh'? is'eorly'? Whol 5 . . . .

(onlocls, doyou: wifibusines lunching ot lumh:when Businers |helunch? firoughod tolkbusiness ofthemeol? theend towords only tolkbusiness themeol? ofier tolkbusines ololl? noffolkbusiness

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BUSINESS GIFTS

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(Agreeing/disagreeing permitting ; emphasizing; ; vetoing)

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Businessgifts are sometimes sent to customers or clientsin the hope that they build goodwilt- and help to secure business.ln many cases the activity is perfectly reasonable and open - but in some cases the practice of offering and receiving gifts is connected to dubious behaviour, malpractice or illegat activities.

You are one of two purchasing directors in a large manufacturing company with a $70m turnover. One of your punchasershas been sent a case of Grand Cru Bordeaux wine by a supplier. Some of vour management colleaguesfeel he should not have acceptedthis gift. At present the company has no policy on receiving grfts. Together with your partner, decide on a new company policy on receiving gfts. Prior to your meeting you draw up the following options:

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- Gifte policy-choiceo - Any kindof qifLohouldbeacceptedwith a smilet. - lf a new and ouVVliere shouldbe Volicyio adopted,all emVloyeel told by letter. - Onlyeeniormanaqerlshouldaccew qifNo.

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o persor?lly like the idea of gifts - you have receivedsome good ones in the past o receiveda case of GrandCru from the same companylast year - but you didn't tell anyone

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. think you and your colleagueswould only iudge supplierson purelyobjectiveand factual considerations.

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@PenguinBooks1996

109

=

9

INITIALS BUSINESS

StudentB

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(Knowing;correcting)

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When reading the pressin a foreign language, understandingthe initialscan sometimes create almost as many problems as understandingthe words. Here is a quiz to test and increaseyour knowledge of somebasic - and not so basic - sets of initials which you could meet when reading the business press in English. First test your partner on what the following sets of initials stand for. Then your partner will give you a similar test. Then compare scores.Warning: each test gets harder as you go along!

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Officer) (ChiefExecutive

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(VerylmportantPerson)

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3 H R

(HumanResources)

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(Public Relations)

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PhD

(Doctorof PhilosophyT

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ECU

(European CurrencyUnit)

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OECD

andDevelopment) Cooperation (Organization for Economic

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(AseaBrownBoveri)

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(japanAirlines)

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Publishing) (DeskTop

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(AnyOther Business)

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(GrossDomesticProduct)

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GDP

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Proposition) (UniqueSelling

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fl-otalQualityAssurance)

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10 BUYING ANDSELLING

B Student

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(Negotiating; urging;declining;reiecting)

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Buying and selling a product or seruice, especially abroad, often involves negotiation - an agreement through discussionof the terms of the buying and selling arrangement.

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You are the owner of a small company manufacturing computer games.You have just designed an exciting new game which you want to sell abroad. You have arranged a meeting with a potential agent (your partner), who operates in a region where there is a good market for new games. Using the table below,.negotiatean agreement covering: . the number of units that the agent will agree to take . th€ terms of payment: you are a small company and have the usual cashllow problems

. the discounton the standardpricewhichyou agreeto paythe agent.

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0uontity

Terms

Disrount

10,000 Score: 5 points

90doys Score: 5 points

30% paints Score:S

20,000 Score: l0 points

60doys ftore:l0 points

20% kore:l0 points

30,000 Score: 15points

30doys Score: 15paints

15% kore:15points

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40,000

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Score:2|points

Holf inodvonce Holf wilhin 30doys Score:2?points

50,000 points Score:25

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The agent may also ask you to provide:

. a CD-Romversion of your sottware.The current version is on disk and is |BM-compatible,and, althoughyou have begunthe adaptation,you don't expect it to be readyfor at least six months:score 15 pointsfor deliveryof a CD-Romversionin 6 months,10 pointsfor deliveryin 4 months,5 pointsfor deliveryin 2 months o Dewpackagingadaptedto the local market:score 5 points if you resist

Y

r promotionalliteraturein the target language:score 5 points if you resist.

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Negotiatean agreementwith the agent.Aim to get as many points as possiblebut do not reveal your scoringsystemto your partner.At the end of the negotiation,summarizeyour agTeement under all six headings(quantity,terms, discount,adaptation,packagingand literature) and then compareyour scorewith your partner's.Remember:your objectiveis to get as many points as possiblebut alsoto carry on doingbusinesswith your agent after the negotiationis finished.

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11 CASHFLOW PROBLEMS

StudentB

judging;urging;negotiating) (Forecasting;

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Cashflowproblemsoccurwhena companyhas insufficientfundsavailableto meetexistingoperating cosfs.A companymay have full order books,but stillsufferfromfundingproblemswhilethey waitfor customersto pay.

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You work in the marketing departmentof a companywhich has receivedan urgent order for 150 trailers from the governmentof a Gulf state.The trailers must be custom-builtto meet highty specificrequirementsand must be deliveredin only three months. Yourcolleagueis in the financedepartmentand is not keenon the orderbecausethe presentcash it. Discussthe orderand the presentcashsituationand decidewhat to budgetcannotaccommodate your do.Find out from colleague: . how much cash is available . the estimatedcost of completingthe order.

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YOU: . believeyour companyshouldacceptthe order- it could be a good lead-into other business

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. think that the existingcash budgetshould be redraftedto take into accountincomefrom the saleof a further150trailers- remindyour colleagueof this

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o estimatethat the ordercould add t700,000to sales

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. think your companyshouldask the bankfor a short-termloan(aboutt250,000)to meetthe costs of production . think therewould be no practicalproblemin meetingthe order if supportfrom the bank can be arrangedquickly . imaginethat the customerwould accepta tight paymentschedulein exchangefor a discount on the unit price- you can promiseto negotiatethis with the client . think that a discounton the unit pricewould help securethe contract,if you can guaranteea threemonthdelivery.

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rr 12 COMPANYOFTHEYEAR rr

StudentB

(Agreeing/disagreeing; emphasizing; iudging;urging)

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)ne wayof encouragingsmatl businesses to grow is to organizecompetitions withprizesfor young :tmpanies withspecialentrepreneurialflair. A moneyprize can be veryusefulfora companywith =nbitionsto expandbut limitedfinanceto do so. Theonly dangerfor competitors,stJccessful and -lsuccessful,is for themto spendmoretime on the competitionthanon doing business!

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Yru and your partner together run a successfulsmall business.You have just won a regional young -.:siness competition sponsoredby the local press, television,local government and the local :tamber of commerce.

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First decideon the following:

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Company activity:

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Mainmarkets: Turnover:

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Netprofitmargin:

Number of employees:

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\ow decidehow you are goingto spendthe f,100,000first prize.Somesuggestions are givenbelow. Shareyour ideaswith your partner and agreeon a commonplan.Youshoulddecidewhich options to gofor and how much of the moneyto spendon each.Draw up a final investmentplan for the u'holesum of moneY. YOUwouldlike to:

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. expandthe workforce(how manypeople?who?)

L

. pay off the company'soverdraft(t27,000)

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. establishan office in your mainforeignmarket . put the moneyinto a specialfund for eventuallybuyingout your maiorlocalcompetitor . organizea marketingtrip to a part of the wortdwhich was previoustytoo far and so too expensiveto visit . give a specialbonusto all membersof staff . boostthe trainingbudgetto provideall staffwith increasedtraining. List your own ideas. YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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@PensuinBooks1996

113

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StudentB

13 COMPANY ORGANIZATION (Declining/rejecting ; iudging;likingand preferring)

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Companyorganizationis sometimesdescribedin an organizationchart or organigram,often a simplified tor keypersonnel. diagramshowingareasof responsibitity

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Your company,I(EP Ltd, is involved in negotiations with a competitor, Altman Kopp, over a possible merger. In an informal meeting, you discuss ways to combine the two businesses into a single organization, allowing for the following facts:

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Present Structure of KEP Ltd:

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M a n a g i n gD i r e c t o r ( f ) C h a i r m a no f t h e B o a r d ( f ) Board of Directors

F i n a n c (ef ) Administration(f) Production(Fertilisers)(f ) (f ) Production(Chemicals) (f) CorporatePlanning

Marketing(f )

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PresentStructureof AltmonKoPP:

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Managing Director (f ) Chemicals Division

= F i n a n c (ef ) S a l e s( f ) Marketing(f)

Finance(f ) S a l e s( f ) Marketing(f ) Administration& Personnel(f ) CorporatePlanning(f )

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o walrt to reduceyour Boardfrom eight to four members . believethat your companyshould be a separatefinancialand cost centre . alreadyintend to mergeFinanceand Administration o plsn to abolish the Sales Department,incorporatingit into Marketing

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. for the purposesof the organizationchart, you plan to mergeyour productionactivities,with everythingunder one director o woht to abolishCorporatePlanning,bringingit underthe MarketingDepartment.

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tt 14 COMPANYPRESENTATION tt

StudentB

(Questioning ; sequencing)

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rrade fairs are opportunitiesfor individuals and companies to make contacts with potentialcustomers and other professionals in the industry. While many companies hope to sign up orders for goods, most are happy to improve consumer awareness of the company and to promote the corporate image.

\bu are at a trade fair. You visit the stand of a company called Conta Inc. You talk to someonethere a'oout Conta. Ask in particular about:

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. where the company is based o ov€rS€&ssubsidiaries . number of employees.

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Intermpt to ask for clarification or additional information whenever you like.

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Then talk about your own company,Edile S.p.A., using the following profile as a source of key facts.

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THEO/A MARTIN Sales& marketing Department

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Edile I nternational (Singapore) Limited 48 TanneryRow, Cencon Building, Singapore 1336 Tel747 7676Fax747 7688

: = : = : =

Name: Sector: Markets: 199- Sales:

Edile S.p.A. Property development Italy, Europe, South East Asia, United States,Argentina. $373m.

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(continued) 14 CompanyPresentation

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Include any of the following additional information:

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Head ffice: Subsidiaries:

Milan,ItalY'

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Edile International in France,Germany' UK' Argentina' Singapore,United Statesof America (Chicago and New York) and (planned for next year) Brazil and Japan'

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WorTdwideemployees:

more than 4,000'

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Current major project:

new SpaceResearchCentre in Houston, Texas.

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Recent takeover of Bab Ltd (UK).

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Note: As an alternative, present your own company. YOU START.

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15 COMPANY TOUR

StudentB

(Greetings questioning, andfarewells;sequencing; welcoming)

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S"owing a visitor round your company can be a usefulway of winning customers as well as promoting :-e mage of your company.

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: : u are a potential client of a manufacturer of sweets and chocolates,a subsidiary of a major US :,--d company.You are at the main plant of the company and one of its managers (your partner) is ::,rng to show you.round the site. 3efore you start, the manager is going to make a short presentation of the main features of the tour, --:urg the plan below. He/she will tell you about the company's main products, its history and its ,rganization. Then he/she will talk through the tour which you are about to make.

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are lookingfor a companywhich:

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. manufacturesquality products . is technologicallysophisticated . has progressivehuman resourcespolicies. ask for as much detailas you can on: . the company'sproducts . its computerand telecommunicationssystems . its health,safety and welfarepolicies

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whileyou listento your partner'sinitialpresentation. YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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16 COMPANY VISIT

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(Question ing; regretting)

Before you visit a company, it is usefulto check with the person you are visiting about how to get in. Some companies, for example those involved in defence, can have strictsecurity procedures which you need to know about in advance.

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You are planning to visit a contact whom you met at a trade fair and who works in a large company which has recently tightened up its security becauseof industrial espionage.Your contact has faxed you a plan of the premises but the bottom half of the page of the fax was eaten by your machine. The meeting is tomorrow. Telephone your contact to ask how to get inside.

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explainthat there was a problemwith the fax

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find out whereyour contact'sofficeis

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find out whereto park

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tind out which gateto use.

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17 CORPORATE CULTURE F \-

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(Agreeing/disagreeing; hesitating) forecasting;

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nake it unique.Somemanagersand businessobseruersbelievethat changingthe cultureof an crganizationis the bestway to significantlyimproveifsbusinesspertormance.

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\bu and your partner woke up this morning to find yourselves joint heads of a large international company.Unfortunately, it is losing a lot of money.You both feel that a major transformation of the culture of the company is needed and you have brainstormed ten possible policies below. Now go through the list and decide together which ones you will implement.

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- should - fieioinlmonoging give upyoulbig direclors | You your bose byfiemoin ond estoblhh offices onthetopfloor floor. onfieground PhotocoPier

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poy, poybosed 0nleom introduce 2 Abolish individuol pelformon(e.

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wilhin thenexllwo lobewomen ofmonogers 3 Aimfor50% (Atfie momenf yeors. ond5%ofyour 60% ofyoulemployees monogels orewomen.) seniff

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flyeconomy dos. 6 Moke ollmonogers (ompony (ors. people fieyhove when 0nollowonce Poy 7 Abolhh todrive oniompony business. - weor - yourselves 0(ompony included ollemployees 8 Moke uniform. up. shnd meelings shorler, hove evetyone 9 Moke

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gelsubordinofes opproising subordinoles, | 0 In$eod ofmonogers monogers' looPProise

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18 CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP

StudentB

judging;urging;negotiating) (Forecasting;

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Corporate sponsorship is big business.Companies give money to sporting, cultural and charitable organizationsas a way of bringing the company's name and products to the attention of a wider public.

Your company has decidedto spend a large sum of money on somekind of sponsorship.You and your partner have been made responsible for recommending the best option to the Board. You have shortlisted three possible organizations you could sponsor.The cost of each option is approximately the same.You are now in a meeting with your partner to decide on the best option.

FILE T The football club in the city where )rour company is based has just lost its sponsor after going down from the national first to the second division at the end of the last season.Now the club is desperately looking for a replacement.The manager has been sacked and replaced by a well-knorrn ex-international player with no previous managerial experience.There €rreno new players in the team. The club has large debts. Advanced sales of season tickets are poor and some people are saying that the number of spectators next season could be 2Oo/odovrn on last year. However, sponsorship would give your company excellent opportunities for advertising the company logo on the team shirt, in the weekly match programme and around the grround.Youcan e:rpect two or three home matches to be televised live during the season.There are also good opportunities for corporate hospitality at home matches.

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FILE 2 The government has reduced the gnant it normally gives to your local city orchestra which as a result will have to disband if it is unable to find money from another source.In fact,you have already been approached by a committee of local art lovers, including some representatives from the city council, seeking your help. The orchestra currently does not have a permanent conductor.The average age of the players (who are employed on a part-time basis) is 49. The orchestra normally gives six to eight concerts per year, almost always in the Toum Hall and another two or three during the city's annual cultural festival. One or two of these concerts might be broadcast on national radio each year.The orchestra has a regional rather than a national reputation but has traditionally been central to local cultural life. Some people say its progrrammes€Iretoo conservative: it rarely plays twentieth century music. Sponsorship would put your company name on concert prograrnmes and on all promotional literature.You would have free tickets for all concerts to offer to clients and prospective customers.

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FILE 3 Your city is the base for a young troupe of dancers who, in a short period of time, have gained a reputation for exciting choreography and irurovative technique. One national newspaper critic hailed them as'the most exciting development in modern ballet in the last twenty years.'The troupe is especially popular with young people: some of their most enthusiastic fans had never previously been to a performance of ballet. So far they have . managed on a shoestring budget but are now receiving invitations to perform elsewhere in the country and even abroad, and they need money to invest in rehearsal rooms, to pay an administration manager; and so on.At the moment they have no permanent headguarters. The troupe are novvactively looking for a sponsor and would be willing to incorporate the sponsor's name into their own name.Their activities are not, however, without contrwersy: there have been complaints about political bias in the themes presented in the dancing and some people have been shocked at what they see on the stage.You knor that one of the Board members is unhappy about his teenage children attending their performances. On the other hand, you have been advised privately that the troupe could have an international reputation within the next ten years.

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19 COSTSANDREDUCING OVERHEADS

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(Judging ; emphasizing ; forecasting)

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Cosfs include production costs and the costs of selling. Allaspects of a company's expenditure should be recorded as costs and good management aims to keep costs to a minimum within an agreed budget.

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You.work for a subsidiary of an international company.Your head office has sent instructions that costs should be reduced by LUVonextyear.

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L20 CUSTOMER CARE Lr-a (Questioning ; iudging) LL{

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Customercare is knowingyour customers,knowingwhatthey want,reactingto their changingneeds,and keepingcloseto them.lt is importantfor all membersof business organizationsto thinkabout whotheircustomersare and how theycan improvetheir seruiceto them.

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RATII{GS: Excellenl Good Sotisfocfory Disoppoinling Unoccepfoble

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5 frequency ofconloct 6 undentonding ofcuslomen'needs

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7 personolized service 8 flexibility porlnenhip, 9 building long-ferm loyolty tocurlomers

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21 CUSTOMER COMPLAINT

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You have just returned from a skiing holiday and have written the following letter of complaint to the company which organized the package.

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"February I have just returned from one of your so-ca11ed skiing breaks" extremely disappointed with your company's service for the following reasons. 1 The two-star hotel descrj-bed in your brochure as a "comfortable family-run hotel" in fact offered only The food was poor. and was dirty. basic facilities "if insufficient snow in 2 Your brochure also says that t o c 1ose, your resort causes lifts a n d /o r s k i s c h o o l we'11 do our best to arrange free coach transport to another resort where skiing is possible." Although skiing conditions were so poor on three days out of sj-x that the skiing was unsafe, as your own 1ocal representative himself admitted, we were not provided promised. with the transportation The

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(continued) 21 Customer Complaint

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YOU: r ?re unhappybecauseyou had really neededa breaklrom a very stressfuljob and found the hoteland the skiing conditionsbelowyour expectations . definitelyfelt that it was unsafeto ski at least half the time you were there e would settle for less than you have claimedin your letter,but want Super Skibreakto offer significantcompensationfor the inconvenienceyou have been caused. YOURPARTNERWILL START.

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HOLDUP 22 CUSTOMS

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(Questioning ; urging; expressingamazement; regretting)

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Frontier delays are usually caused by errors in the documentationaccompanying goods. Occasionattyother problems arise where the goods in a particular consignment do not match the description given to customs authorities.

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You are a customs official at a frontier check.A lorry from Allen Deal Inc. has been stopped. The lorry is carrying electronic components and printed circuit boards. The driver has been arrested and is now in police custody.The lorry has been held for further examination of the cargo.

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23 EMPLOYEE MORALE

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(Urging; sequencing ; agreeing/disagreeing)

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Many companiesare reducingthe size of the workforce,whileat the same time expecting theiremptoyeesto providea high levelof customercare.Maintainingthe moraleof the managementchallenge.

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You and your partner, in the Human Resourcesdepartment of a company which is in the proces.sof reducing its workforce by 20Vo,meet to devise a stratery to ensure that employee morale remains as high as possible during the period of downsizing.

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1 introduce full consultation with the trade unions on future redundancies

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programmesfor all staff 3 promisetraining-for-all and training-for-life

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24 ENTERTAINING VISITORS

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(Greetings andfarewells;introducingselfand welcoming; others;questioning; sequencing)

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25 ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY OFFICE (Sequencing ; urging; agreeing/disagreeing)

More and more companies are becoming concerned about the effect their activities have on the natural environment.Some companies are carrying out environmentalaudits, others are publishing environmentalaccounts which try to measure this impact. There is no doubt that this will become a major activity of companies in the future.

As part of a campaign to make your company more environmentally friendly, you and your colleague have been made responsible for improving the environmental balance in the office block where you both work. Look together at the following suggestions and prioritize them.

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plonl 6 Anindoor onevery desk. 7 Adoily record sheet forollphotocopies mode. quolo perdeporlment 8 Adoilyphotocopying loreduce number by25%the of pholocopies mode. 9 Apolicy ofturning offollelectric lights inuno(cupied r00ms. | 0 Punishmenl ofemployees who leove lights rooms. oninunoaupied | | Use oflowenergy lighbulbs throughod fiebuilding. 12 Reduction ofthelemperofure by5"(ftroughout thebuilding. glozing | 3 In$ollofion ofdouble ftroughouf. | 4 Incenlives loencouroge employees lofrovel lowork fionsporl rofterfton bypublic byror. youondyourportner youroffices | 5 Anyoftersuggeslions whkh conofferlomoke pl0(es. m0re environmentolly friendly

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26 EQUALOPPORTUNITIES

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(Agreeing/disagreeing ; likingandpreferring) ; correcting

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Equatopportunitiesis an area wheremanycompaniesand many stateshave rulesor legislation designedto protectspecificgroups from discriminationor unfair treatment.Such areas as termsof job securityand workingconditionsare affectedby equal contract,wagesand salaries,career prospects, opportun itiespolicies.

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You are part of a discussiongroup which must producerecommendationsto the Board on waysto improvethe.positionof womenin the company. Note that:

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. the companyhas no policyon encouragingwomento returnto work after maternityleave, consequentlyonly a very small numberdo return . the Chairmanhas said he wantsto improvethe positionof womenin the company.

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In discussionwith a colleague,prioritize the following suggestions(from the most important to the least important) to createan enlightenedand progressivepolicy for employment.

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leove. molernity . Actively ofler loking lorelurn lowork women en(ouroge promolions. forinternol loopply women . lmprove encouroging fioining opportunilies, inlernol dghts. porl{ime . [ncouroge wilhfullemployee work, elc. more iob-shoring, (flexilime}. . Iniloduce flexible fime{obling . Provide fodlifies. crdche . lmprove wififulliobsecudty. molernily leove posilions. . Seloqu0l0 represenlolion inmonogemenf forfemole condifons. inemployment . (orporole tobeinduded hotossmenl slolemenl 0nsexuol immediotely. horossmenl . Apromise reporls ofsexuol l0inve$igole frommonogemenl . More ofdofiing. woment choice lowords liberol ottitude

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(Judging;knowing;hesitating; correcting; declining/rejecting)

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;ranchising is running a business which appears to be part of a chain of similar businesses,each with :ne same name, image and ethos, similar products and a similar marketing strategy.A franchiseepays a ',anchisor a fee and in return gets advice and support on how to run the business.

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\bu are an area manager for a franchising company,Eet Up, which has over 300 fast food outlets. \bu have a meeting with the manager of one of them, in a medium-sized town. You need to sort out someproblems. \bu have received the following letter - you have added some points showing your thoughts. You realize you will have to compromise on some issues, but do not want to give much away.

A. Cook Area Manager (Franchise Agreements) Eet Up Park Grove London SW152RT

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Dear Mr Cook, Following our recent conversation, I write to confirm the points for discussion at our meeting next month. I would like to talk about the following agreement changes to our present which is due for renewal in the Spring of next year: - a reduction in the franchise fee from the present

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28 HEALTHANDSAFETY

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urging) permitting; emphasizing; (Obliging;

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Companies are controlled by legistationaffecting heatth and safety. ln addition, many have their own poticiesto ensure that heatth and safetyissues are constanttymonitored and improved where necessary.

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Your company has a very bad record on health and safety. Employee representatives and gorr"rr*urrt officials have demanded immediate improvements; otherwise the company may be forced to close.

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You have a meeting with a colleague to discuss ways to improve the situation. The following is an extract from a report on incidents concerning health and safety in recent

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J a n u ar y 1 2 = C a s u a I w o r k e r e L e c t r o c u t e d b y f a u t t y wiring. worker February15= Fork tift accident hospitaLized. The operator llas not quatified to use a fork Lift. February 17:. ttorker faIts off a roof whiIe carrying out a rePair. C h e m i c a Lt e a k f r o m a f a u L t y H a s t e p i p e ' ApriL 4: C h e m i c a LL e a k : u n d i t u t e d c h L o r i n e t4ay 19= a g e n t s p o Lt u t e d n e a r b Y r i v e r Roof bLown of f storage dePot i n a JuIy 2; storm. Two trorkers injuredFire on a rubbish tiP. August 23= N ight security man attacked bY r 2 = Septembe intruder. Not discovered for two hours' ReceivedhospitaI treatment0ctober 16= Lorry crashes i n desPatch areaW it n e s s e s s a y d r i v e r u t a s g o i n g t o o f a s t . A L o t o f d a m a g ec a u s e d t o vehicte: driver unhurt.

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(Agreeing/disagreeing ; likingandpreferring ; measuring andcalculating)

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An in-house magazine can be an important toolfor internal communication.lt can serue to inform staff members of important company devetopmentsand encourage them to identify with corporate objectives.

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You and your partner are members of a small task force formed to upgrade your company's in^housejournal. You have been given a free hand to draw up a set of

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recommendationsto submit to seniormanagement.

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. decideon how often the magazineshould appear . decideon the pagesize, numberof pagesand generallook . think of a name . draw up a budgettor a magazinewith a circulationof 5,000(editorial,designand productioncosts). For the content,decidewhich of the following you think shouldor shouldnot appear in eachissue: o ? trless?gefrom the Chairmanof the company r teC€htsalesfigures o otherfinancialinformationrelatingto the company'sperformance . news and photographsof new recruits

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o news and photographsof recentretirements

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. teaturespresentingindividualemployees

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. featurespresentingthe work of individualdepartments o colrlp?lly sports news,social club news,news from the company'svarious clubs and associations

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. interviewswith senior executives

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. tradeunion news o ? sulrllrlaryof coverageof the companyand its products in the nationaland specializedpress

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. future plansfor expandingor contractingthe workforce

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o r€Ger|tacquisitions,ioint ventureagreements r roGehtproductlaunches,newsof futureproductplans

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TECHNIQUES 30 INTERVIEW

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ng) (Judging; agreeing/disagreei

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tnteruiewingtechniqueaffectsboththe styteof an interuiewand the typeof questionsasked.Many interuiewsusea combinationof approachesto discoveras muchas possibleaboutthe applicant.

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Look at the followingjob advertisement:

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With your partner, classify the following interview questions into three groups: PersonaV psychologicat(PP),Academic and Profes-sionalBackground (AP), Hypothetical (H). Then assessthem reasons ona scale of 1 to b: where 1 = most useful in a job interview, and 5 = Dot useful at all. Give for your assessments. in your 1 Can you give an example of a situation where you have been in conflict with colleagues present job or in a previous job? 2 bo yon enjoy working alone or do you prefer teamwork? 3 How does yoot "*p"rience until to* p""pure you for the work in this company? 4 How does your family feel about your relocation to London? food sector b Given your lack of experience in software development your background is in the is this likely to be a problem? 6 What do you do when you need to relax? would n I If a product you were responsible for was obviously failing in a particular market, what you do to resolve the situation? 8 i{ow do you see the future of the computing industry in ten years'tfme_? your present job? I Can you-describea particular project that y6u have been closely involved with in

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A iob applicationis a formalrequestfor a job. Youusuallymake an appticationby replyingto an advertisement.Peoplewhoapply for a job are job appticants.

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You saw the followingjob advertisementin the newspaperfive weeksagoand immediatelysent your letter of application.Sincethen you have heard nothing apart from the acknowledgement below.Call the current personalassistant(your partner)to find out what has happenedto your application.You alsowant to know more about the job:

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And remember:this is the chanceof a lifetime - sell yourself! o |ou speakyour own language,Englishand one other languagefluenily o |ou can type, and have good word processingexperience o |ou havea cleandriving licence o |oU are hard-working,flexibleand havegood communicationskills o |ou can start tomorrow.

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travel:how much and whereto? hours:typicalworkinghours? p?|: bonusesdependon what? wh?t are the main problems? the nameof the director! ary otherdetailsyou would like to have.

HELP! MY PA IS LEAVING ME! In fact,we're partingon good terms after five yearsbut I need a replacement FASTlf you'vegot what it takesto be PA to a well-knownfilm directo; write to Box XPAl475 at this newspapernow.Good salary(performance-related), No previousfilm industryexperiencerequired.

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MEGA MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT

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7I GracechurchStreet LondonN1 lQA Tel: 01712227548Fax: 0171 358 6037

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Berlin - London - Paris - New York - Rome - San Francisco

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Thank you for your recent advertised post. You will shortly.

application for the hear from us very

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YOUSTART. @PenguinBooks1996

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SMALL 32 LARGEVERSUS COMPANIES

StudentB

(Likingandpreferring; iudging;correcting)

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A company's workforcemay range in size from one employee to tens of thousands of peopte. Some people prefer to work in smatt companies, others prefer to be part of a large organization.

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In this activity, you are going to debate with your partner the advantages of working for large and small companies.You prefer large companies,your partner prefers small. Use the arguments below to help you win the argUment. Add your own arguments to the discussion.

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YOU believe the following arguments: 1 In a big company,there are more people to meet. It's more stimulating. 2 Inabig company,if you don't get on with one group of people,you can get a transfer to another department.

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3 There's more opportunity for specialization in a big company.And there's more mobility within the organization.

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4 People in big companies earn more money.

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5 You feel proud of belonging to a company which has a national or even an international reputation.

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6 People who work in big companies are not afraid of competing with large numbers ofother able and talented people. 7 Big companies are stronger during downturns in business.You're less likely to lose your job becausethe company is less likely to go bust.

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8 The advantages of working in a big company are more resources,bigger responsibilities, more opportunities.

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9 You've got more chance of realizing your full potential in a big company'

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You also think that . . .

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LOF INVOICE L- 33 LATEPAYMENT L-J

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Cashflowconsiderations may sometimescreatedifficuttieswherenaturallyone companywants immediatepaymentbut the otherprefersto delayas long as possible.

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It is now January 7th. You have not paid the following invoicefor servicesreceivedin November. The creditor calls to ask about your intentions regardingthe payment.

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KWAN SERVICES 450-58JalanBukit Bintang 55100Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Telephone(03) 77878779 Fax (03) 77878562

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INVOICE ArndalePromotions 112DepotRow PO Box4567 Auckland, NewZealand

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2 December199Ref.Yourorderdated24 September SingaporeMarketAnalysisConsultancy Report Fee: Expenses:

$Us4,ooo $US 567

TOTALNOWDUE

$US4.567

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Bankdetails: KWANServicesCurrentaccountNo.70852406 BranchSortingCode:20-99-56 CreditBankInternational, JefanMelaka200, KualaLumpur, Malaysia. Terms: 30 daysfromdateof invoice.

L LLL YOUnotethat: L_- r |ou havecashflowproblems . report supplied by KWANcametwo weeks later than they promised L o th€ |ou havea policy of paying60 days from invoicedate(but sometimesyou agreeto pay before L- 60 days). L YOURPARTNERWILLSTART. L t3'7 4

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ANDLEADERSHIP 34 MANAGEMENT SKILLSFORWOMEN

StudentB

(Urging; negotiating ; agreeing/disagreeing)

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Companies and training organizationsare increasingly offering courses especially for women, for example in leadership skittsand assertiveness,in order to help women increasetheir setf-confidenceand their belief in their own ideas and actions in professional and personal situations. You and your partner are helping with the design of a new training progTammewhich will eveniually be followed by all female employees who are managers or who have management potential, as part of the company's overall employee development progTamme.

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You have identified five problem areas to look at during the course.

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L Dealing with a team member who is not pulling his or her weight. 2 Handling former colleagues who are jealous of your success'

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3 Managing employees who are older than you.

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4 Managing men.

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5 Supervising a closefriend.

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Decide with your partner:

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e the best way to handle these problems . a training idea (role play, simulation, game' discussion' case study . . .) to help the course participants to learn how to handle each situation better.

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35 MANAGEMENT QUALITIES

StudentB

(Sequencing ; judging; agreeing/disagreeing)

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l!!\ditficult to find universalagreementon the specificpersonatityand professional characteristicswhichmak3 a good manager.Teambuitdingusuatty aimsto cover a range of qualitiesas one individuatcannothavi att thepositivei"r^ge^"nt attributes.

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partner, rank them in order of importance:

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. obility togetonwellwifi colleogues

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. technicol knowledge

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. experience ofmonogemenl indifferenl indu$riolseclors

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. obility people tomoke lough

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. willingnes towork upto60hours oweek

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. confidence inmoking decisions

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o Gon(err forwell-being ofevery employee fiomthetopb fie boflom ofonorgonizolion . obility tounderstond detuils ofcompony ottivity . ability toplon ondunderstond corporote objecives . knowledge oftheworld . highly educoted ondcuhured individuolwith wide ronge ofpersonol interests . (ommilmenl lomoking money . shble heolth ondpsychologirol moke-up . supporlive fomily

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. obility todelegote

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36 MARKETRESEARCH

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(Questioning; likingandpreferring)

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to carryout marketresearchto help themtargef Companiessometimesemployexternalconsultants to gitner productsand seruicesbetter.Somemarket researchis very useful,butthe techniques'used informationhave to be carefullydesigned.

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You work for a marketing consultancy.A hotel chain with several hotels and restaurants has asked you to run a survey of custcmer opinions on the quality of service provided in their establishments. You carry out a survey using a questionnaire left in hotel rooms. After receiving more than 1,000 completed forms, you analyse results and send a preliminary report to the Marketing Manager of the hotel group.Here are the preliminary results:

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PRELIMINARY REPORT

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Number of respondents:1,147

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tAnalysisby purposeof visit: Business:787o Private/tourism:22Vo

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Analysis by duration of visit: Onerught:48Vo Zngh'a: 33Vo 3 nghts: lU%o More than 3 nghts:9%o

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Analysis by servicesused: Bed & Breakfast onlv: 65Vo Evening meal:35Vo

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Quality Assessment: I = outstanding 2 = very good

J = average { = poor

5 = very bad

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Welcomeon arrival: Quality of service at reception: F acilities available from reception: Rooms, comfort, decor, etc.:

2.5 2.1 3.0

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Beds:

3.0 2.6 3.4 2.8 2.9

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Room service: Valuefor money: Breakfast: Dinnerlrestauront:

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Seethis researchas only a first step and think more researchis needed would like to conduct telephoneinterviewswith hotel guests a week after their stay havethe addressesand phone numbersof 825 of the respondents think that in your experiencethe scores should be around 2.F25 to indicatea satisfactory levelof performance . do not havedetailson what percentageof the guests completedthe forms but you think more than 50olo did . did not detect much differencein results betweenhotels in the group.

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37 MARKETSURVEY

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StudentB

(Questioning ; likingandpreferring)

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Marketresearchis the activityof cottectinginformationaboutconsumersand what consumerswantand need.Thisinformationis usedto helpproducethe goodsand seruiceswhichwill ensuresuccessfor the company. lbu are walking alongthe street and are not in a greathurry. Someoneis conductinga market survey.You agteeto answerhis/her questions.

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YOU: o wdrt to know who is asking you the questionsand why they are asking,what companythey represent,if the surveyis anonymousand if you will receiveany junk mail . don't like giving informationawayfor nothing . don't like beingaskedanythingpersonal.

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YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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ARRANGEMENTS 38 MEETING

StudentB

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(Obliging; urging;iudging) declining/rejecting;

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One definitionof a meetingis:the gatheringtogetherof a groupof peoplefor a controlleddiscussionwith a specificpurpose.The essentialelementsof a meetingare: c o . o .

or training a purpose:problemsolving,idea-gathering points to be discussed dDaQelda:the listof the members:the chairperson,the secretaryand the othermembers d ESUII:the outcomeof the process a report: u,suallythe minutes(writtenby the secretary).

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You are an agentfor electricalgoods.A supplier from overseascalls about someproductsthat you sell for him/her.

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r ?cceptthat your sales performancehas not been brilliant

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o ?re very busy and have severalmore importantand more successfulproducts on your mind

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. do not reallywant a meeting o would preferto discuss things by phone.

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Here are your appointmentsfor next week:

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l6Thursday

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big TlanGroupMeet'inq A 4n-6

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| 4Tuesday

17 Friday

FKD- allday. Meelinqwith

Meef,Jo B ?,^, Grand Hotel

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ts | 5 Wednesday CallAlex1o,3O Meet,MarieB ?,^. Excelsior Folel

| 8 Saturday

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- 3e MtsstoNsTATEMENT |l

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StudentB

(Knowing;iudging;urging;sequencing; permitting)

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A missionstatementis a statementof the aims,purposeand future activitiesof an organization.Theobiectiveof the missionstatementis to define- for the company's employees,itscustomersand itsshareholders- whatkindof organizationit is,whatit believesin, and in whichdirectionit wantsto oo.

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You and your partner both work for the same international company.You have been given the job of producing an effective mission statement for your company.Your task is to draft a first version of tn" statement for circulation, about a dozen sentences lone.

Your draft could include statementsabout: . the usetulnessol the company'sproductsand servicesin the community

. the company'sobjectives . thecompany's values . the company's policieson qualityandon customercare . thecompany's principleson personnel . the company'spolicyon the environment andtowardsthe countriesof the developing world . anythingelseyouthinkis important. YouR PARTNER wrLLsrART.

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40 PAYVERSUSBENEFITS

StudentB

= = =

(Negotiating ; declining/rejecting ; urging)

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Most employees get some benefits from their employer in addition to their basic pay. Some senior managers receive very generous fringe benefits from their companies, which together are worth much more than the salary alone. Some people prefer to receive just money for the work they do; others prefer to receive pay plus other kinds of benefit. The total of what you receive is called your remuneration package.

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In this exercise,you play the role of an executive talking to your partner who is a personnel manager in the company where you both work. Until now, the company has offered its more senior managers a wide range of benefits in addition to basic salary. Now, however, the company wants to cut the range of benefits being offered and wants to bring earnings under tighter control. Look at the information below and discuss with your partner how your remuneration package can be altered.

Health club membership Total

F =

Gurrent package per annum Base salary Performance-related bonus last year (Note: maximum possible PRBwas Company car and private use of petrol Long-term disability cover Subsidized lunches Employer contributions to company pension fund Private medical insurance Parking Life assurance Annual health screening Financial planning

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920,000 s10,650 s20,000) $3,600 $1,500 91,250 sI,200 s1,200 s950 s300 s200 s200 gr 50 s4t,200

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YOU :

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e woht to increasethe overallvalueof your new package

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o appreGi?te and enjoythe rangeof fringe benefitsyou currentlyreceiveand do not want to lose too manyof them.Someof them will be moreexpensiveif you haveto pay for them yourself.

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o or€ awarethat the companyis currentlyreducingits workforceand severalof your colleagues haverecentlybeenmaderedundant.So you do not want to appearto be too uncooperative.

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41 PERFORMANCEAPPRAISAL

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(Emphasizing your ; blaming; telling; expressing fearlworry;vetoing)

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Evaluationand appraisal are used to ensure that emptoyees develop their fult potentiat within the company'Accurate assessment is vital in determiningpay, career development and the company's commitment to individuals.

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You are a manager in a production company.You have a meeting with a colleagueto discuss an employeewho is doing badly at work. Last week he failed to arrive on Monday and Tuesday,he was late on Thursday and on Friday he incorrectly completedwork record forms. Here is an internal report on the employeeinvolved:

' a EMPLOYEEPERFORMANCEEVALUATION & HEALTH REPORT

LI

STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

1 Name: Sex: Position:

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John Casenove M Lineoperator/Chargehand

History John casenovejoined the company three years ago. For eighteenmonths his record was above average,with a good level of performance,low absenteeismand excellent inter-personalrelations. He was promoted to chargehand18 months ago. For six months he respondedwell to the promotion and continued to be a valued employee.

1

4 1 I

Recent problems casenove beganto arrive late for work and was frequently absent.A supervisor'sreport said he appeareddepressedand uninterested.He was offered counselling by the company counselling service.The offer was refused. Three monthsago he was disciplinedfor assaultinga colleague.He was fined one week's wages. He was wamed as to his future conduct.

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. feel the companyshouldsupportan employeewho usedto be highlyreliable

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. do not think the companyshouldsack Mr Casenove r would preferthe followingoptions: a) offer him additionalresponsibilities b) persuadehim to use the companycounsellingservice c) warn him that indisciplineor continuedabsenteeismcould cost him his job d) find out if he has seenhis doctor. YOUSTART. @PenguinBooks 1996

t45

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42 PRESENTING INFORMATION

-

StudentB

I

(Sequencing ; questioning)

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Presenting information is a skill requiring clear organization and concise description. Keep your presentations simple, use shott sentencesand a clear structure.

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Give a three-minute presentation on one of the topics below.You have two minutes to prepare your presentation. At the end your partner will ask you one or two questions.

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Then ask your partner to present some information to you. Afterwards, you must ask one'or two questions.

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Repeat the task with another topic if you like. i

Topics:

. industryin yourregion o sorrethingyou boughtrecently . tourismin yourcountry . changesin business

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. a hobbyyouenioy o corTtpolly organization

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43 PRESSANDPUBLICRELATIONS

1 1-

StudentB

vetoing) (Judging ; knowing;agreeing/disagreeing;

1-

Publicrelationsis concernedwith the imagethatsocietyin generaland customersin particularhaveof a company.Attcompanies,especiattytargerones,are veryconcernedto developa good corporateimage throughtheirproducts,seruices,personnel,brandnamesand logos.Thereputationof a companyis formedthroughattentionto all aspectsof publicrelations.Badpublicityof any kind can haveserious commercialconsequences.

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You are a journilist investigating a seriouspollution incident at a chemicalsfactory.Chlorine and other bleachingagentsleakedfrom a factory into the local river and killed hundredsof fish. You are sent to interview a companyrepresentative.In your interview,find out what happened, when it happened,why it happenedand what the companyplans to do to stop any repetition.

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The following briefing sheetwill help you:

{

TO RIVER POLLUTION CHEMICAL

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Company:KAD Ltd lncident:20October Background protectionat . Localpeoplehavealwaysbeenconcernedabout poor safetyand environmental the plant. . Formeremployees havecriticizedsafety. . 45 pollutionincidentsin the pastten years. . Fifteenyearsago a gas leak causedpanic in the area and the companywas closedfor six weeks. o KADspendstoo little on environmental protection. non-existent' . Safetyand supervision at the plantduringthe weekendis practically . Leakdetectionsystems are available. poordesign. . Obviousproblemsat KADare poorstandardof pipemaintenance, o Costof cleaningrivercouldbe f 100,000. o No otherfactoriesin the areausechlorineor bleachingagents. o Manypeoplewant the plant closeddown.

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YOU:

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. don't like the chemicalsindustry

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o supportyour paper'scampaignon environmentalprotection,sponsoredby environmental pressuregroups . know that many of your readersopposethe factory - but many others work there.

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ENDORSEMENT 44 PRODUCT

StudentB

(Negotiating ; urging) ; forecasting

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When famous peopte endorse products, they say in advertisements that they approve of them and encourage people to buy them.

F F

You are promotional director for a leading manufacturer of sports and fashion footwear. You are going to have a meeting with the agent (your partner) who represents Christina Wahlstr6m, a rising young Swedish tennis star. You are interested in the possibility of her endorsing a new line of tennis shoe which you wish to promote.

bF t-

You know that: . Christina Wahlstrdm is 17 . is coachedby her father . has reached the quarter finals at Wimbledon and the semi-finals of the Australian Open . has already attracted a lot ofpress coveragebecause of her fiery temper on and offcourt. You are worried that she would create a bad image for your products.

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Your product: . is a new tennis shoe in a range of pastel colours which you want to promote heavily in the teenage market . incorporates a revolutionary new kind of sole which gives extra bounce,lift and speed of turn. (Tests are not yet complete but you are keen to rush the product to market in time for the new season) . is very expensive, so you want the endorsement of someonewith whom teenagers will identify strongly.

YOU:

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o ?re readyto sign a deal worth $t/zmwith the right person

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o w?[t reassuranceabout Wahlstrtim'simage

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. don't want to talk too much about how long it will taketo completethe tests on the product. Persuadeyour partnerof your views.

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r 45 PRODUCTIONDELAYS Ii

StudentB

(Obliging fear/worry; urging) ; expressing

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)roductiondelayscan be causedby many factorsfromthe non-deliveryof paftsto ptanningmistakes. -he consequencescan be small,such as a little internaldisruption,or considerable, such as lossof

nportantbusiness.

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\ou are production manager for a Portuguese electronic components manufacturer. One of your najor customers is your parent company, DGS Holdings. You recently sent them the fax below.

EUSEBIOTORRESS.A. PASODO TOQTJThIHO2OO TORRESVEDRAS 007893 P'ORTUGAL FNA)C 351 61 324288 TEk 351 6156nA*

FOR THE ATTENTION OF: Robin Keeler,DGS Holdings ProductionDept.

MESSAGE I am sorry to report that the order datedMay 22 for a consignment of part numbers DR 56821 and TR 55901 has been delayeddue to productionproblems.We cannotship the parts on June10asrequested. Delayby threeweeks,to July 1. Weregrettheinconvenience this may cause. Bestregards,

frlo*;a7;1"

Lz4. -'

Maria PintoandLuis Deias

!

The production department at DGS contacts you to ask for an explanation.

@PenguinBooks1996

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45 ProductionDelays(continued)

StudentB

= = =

YOU: =

. do not want DGSto visit you becausethere are many problemsat the plant which you would preferto resolvealone

=

. know that there have been problemssince a very popularsenior worker was sackedfor stealingan electricdrill

=

. do not want to admit it, but there is a strike on at the moment . know that the plant lost a maior local customerlast week and that any further lops of businesswould be a disaster . fear that the managementwould be reorganizedif DGSsend a team to Portugal to investigate

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. GoUldsuggesta top level internalinquiry to resolveproblems.

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YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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L r-I StudentB L 46 PROFITANDLOSSACCOUNT (Knowing;sequencing; measuring L' andcalculating) L rJ L A profit and lossaccount is a statement of income and expenditure for a businessrn a particular time period, normally one year. lt shows trading pertormance in terms of what has been spentand what has L' been raised through sales and other revenue generating activities. r-.4 L At the end of the financial year, you telephone a colleague at a sister company to ask for details L of \-a his/her company's profit and loss account. Your compuni"r operate in the property, retailing and leisure sectors. . L t-a for information to complete the missing information in the abbreviated profit and loss account L_ Ask shown below. E'

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YEARTO3l MARCHlg_

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Previous year

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(before Trading surplus depreciation) Income fromproperty Less: depreciation

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profits Pre-interest Less: payments interest

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(9.sm) (a.6m) (3.5m) (10.5m) (3.am)

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Pre-tax profits Less: tax

(7.2m) (2.3m)

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Available toshareholders

(a.9m)

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YOU:

e w?[t to know reasonsfor the fall in profit

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r wort to know what the prospectsare for next year

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o ore surprisedby the figurefor interestpaymentsand ask for an exptanation

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o ?r€ personallyvery worriedaboutthe trend,especiallyin the light of marketconditions

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o wont to know your colleague'sassessmentof the company'sperformance o would like to know moreabout competitors'performance.

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47 PROJECT MANAGEMENT

StudentB

(Agreeing/disagreeing; judging; measuring and calculating)

b

= = =

Proiect management is an important businessactivity which involves putting plans into practice. tt requires the coordination of various activities, each within a specified time frame.

= = =

You have recently been made assistant to the project leader in a project to build a new f2m production site. Your boss has presented you with the following outline schedule. He/she asks for your comrn€nts and./orapproval of the schedule.

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Week

Phase

Action

6-7

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Settingobjectives Establishing definitions Establishing specifi cations Organization Deciding pro1ect leadersandteams Costestimating andbudgeting

8-9

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|| 12-15 l6-lB

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Puttingout to tender Detaileddiscussions Deciding on allocation of work Meetings withtenderers Contracts

2C_.2l 72-24 25-78 79-34 35-38

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Planning andscheduling Construction l:Sitepreparation Construction ll:Foundations Construction lll:Above-ground structure Finishine work

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47 ProjectManagement (continued)

StudentB

YOU: . think thereare manyseriousproblemswith this schedule . think it is impossibleto say how manyweeksthe actualconstructionwill take . think it is even more impossibleto dividethe time requiredfor the construction into accurateforecasts r ?re an experiencedgeologistand you think that only aftersurveysof the site can estimatesbe madefor the time requiredto build the foundations o ?r€ sure that the exacttime requiredfor the buildingwill dependon who wins the contract- and that will not be decidedfor four months . think the site could be preparedbeforethe contractsare awarded- and could be done concurrentlywith any other stage,so saving 2-3 weeks . think that site preparationdoes not haveto be done by the maincontractor . feel strongly about all the above,but you do not want to upset your boss right at the beginningof a proiect that you will haveto see through together. YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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=

StudentB

48 QUALITY

= =

(Agreeing/disagreeing ; judging)

= >.

Quality improvement is the processof improving allthe systemsand procedures within your organization so that you produce better goods or seruices for your customers. Quality is not an absolute. The quality of your goods and seruices is defined by what your customers expect.

-

e=

Your company has asked you and your partner to draw up a list of proposals for improving quality within your organization(s). Select six ofthe following which you both feel should definitely form part of your company's new commitment to total quality:

=

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(ontrol goods . oppoinlment forrondom checks onfinhhed inspedors ofquolity o creoli0n throughod fie(ompony ofquolity circles quolity quolity forimproving . estoblhhmenf wifiprizes forbe$suggeslions rompetition oforegulor money ond soving quolity . introducfion inftein-house mogozine feoture oforegulor (e.g. quolity . decision stondord lS09000) loseek internolionol . drofting lobesenl toollcuslomers ofoquolity chorfer (0ngelimmedioh withproblems ondgive . (reotion help hollines sofiol cuslomers oftelephone produdsAervices onyour immediole feedbock proglomme members . infioducfion forollstoff improvemenl lroining ofoquolity ploglomme imptovemenl . oppointment responsibility forthequolity tohove overoll ofolopmonoger (zero . fieesfoblishmenl torgets defecb) inproducfion ofquolity . fieprominent buildings. firoughod fie(ompony nolices disploy ofquolity

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-t 4e QU\Z1 > a

StudentB

(Questioning)

t ia

Quizzesare usuallyfairly light-heartedbut they can also tell us quite interestingthingsabout ourselves and aboutotherpeople.

a a >

-\sk your partner the following businessquiz questionsand then get him/trer to ask you.You can either answereachquestionin turn or eachof you can go through the whole list in turn.

:

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a

1 Do you work mainly: a) for money? b) for power? c) for fame? d) for self esteem?

6 In a) b) c) d)

2 If you won a lot of money,would you: a) invest it in your company? b) start your own company? c) retire? d) spend it?

7 In your opinion, should the average business meeting last: a) no more than an hour? b) no more than an hour and a half? c) no more than two hours? d) as long as it takes to complete the business properly?

a

would you:

t

b) tell them the wiong figure? c) ask them to reply to the same question first? d) refuse to tell them?

i i 7 _ a t

4 Which is most important for you in your work: a) chancesto meet people? b) friendly colleagues? c) a sympathetic boss?

:. Z i

a I

meetings, do you normally: say less than the others? say more than the others? say as much as the others? chair the meeting?

8 Do people in your company normally arrive at a meeting: a) before or on time? b) less than five minutes late? c) between five and ten minutes late? d) more than ten minutes late? 9 Which of the following would most increase your own productivity at work: a) more autonomy? b) more time? c) more computers? d) more money?

5 If you found your new boss very difficult, would vou: a) try io discuss the problem with him/her? b) try to tolerate the situation? c) ask for a transfer to another department? d) leave the company?

YoUR PARTNER WILLSTART.

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50 QU/,Z2

StudentB

= =

(Questioning)

F -

Ask your partnerthe followingbusinessquiz questionsand thenget him/herto ask you. Youcan either answereachquestionin turnor eachof you can go throughthe wholelistin turn. Do you socialize with colleagues outside work time: a) often? b) sometimes? c) occasionally? d) never?

How much time do you normally take for Iunch at work: a) less than 30 minutes? b) 30-60 minutes? c) 60-90 minutes? d) more than 90 minutes?

=

F =

If your boss told you that you were wanted to represent your company on a stand at a trade fair for five days, would the prospect: a) excite you? b) horrify you? c) frighten the life out of you? or d) would you ask for extra money?

Do you think an employee should be sacked if caught in the workplace: a) stealing? b) smoking in a no-smoking area? c) taking drugs? d) sexually harassing a colleague? (You may wish to choosemore than one.)

Which is most important to you in your work: a) your telephone? b) your computer? c) your fax machine? d) your desk?

Do you prefer to be paid: a) a high base salary with no fringe benefits and no performance-related bonus? b) a low base salary with goodfringe benefits? c) a low base salary with performancerelated bonus? d) a low base salary with performancerelated bonus and fringe benefits?

In a) b) c) d)

your opinion, should your company be: research-driven? product-driven? market-driven? customer-driven?

How many days'holiday (including public holidays) do you think people should take off work per year: a) fewer than 15? b) between 16 and 25? c) between 26 and 35? d) more than 35?

Do you prefer to work: a) mostly in an office? b) mostly at home? c) mostly travelling around? d) a mixture of working at the office, at home, and travelling around?

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tFINANCE t: 51 RAISING r€

StudentB

lG-

(Questioning ; forecasting)

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Companiescan raiseextrafinanceto help meet theirneedsin severalways.Threeexamplesare by a flotation(the saleof shares),a rightsrssue(sellingsharesat a speciallow price to existing shareholders), or takingout a loan froma bank througha mortgageor debenture.

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You are a financial consultant.You havebeenaskedto look at the accountsof a companycalled ChapmanWhitney Ltd. They want to invest in new plant to meet expansionplans.You have a meetingwith a representativeof the companyto discusswaysto raise extra finance.

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Ask the representativeof the companyfor: o ?n ass€ssmentof the world market o dn dss€ssmentof the presenttrading performanceand future prospectsfor ChapmanWhitney. Here is the companybalancesheetfor the last financial year.

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SOURCTS OI ]INANCE

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4million Shore copilol shores olSl.0 profih Retoined Debt finonte (3yeorsl 6%mortgoge Bonk overdroft

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funds Shoreholders'

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YOU: . think expansionshould be madeonly if at leastone of the followingconditionsare met: a) expandingworld market b) increasingmarketshare . think shareholderswill not want to investmore in ChapmanWhitney- unlessthe abovetwo conditionsapply . think the presentlevel of borrowing(see Fig. 1) is too high - almost 50o/o of total assets. WILLSTART. YOURPARTNER

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52 RECRUITMENT (Likingand preferring;urging;declining/reiecting)

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particutar iobs. Recruitment can be a Recruitmentis the processof tooking for andfinding people to do a very expensive mistake' time-consumingand costly process.-Recruitingthe-wrong personcan be

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you are the business partner of an American up-market designer of men's clothes, running your own inspiration and you look after medium-sized company.He/she (your partner) provides the cieative company has traditionally the business side oitnirgr. You have .-gooa *orkittg relationship. Your Your partner is based in market. operated in thb US and i"snow tryrng to"break into the European phoning each other (at 10'00 French Newyork and you have been in paris for three months. You are job of sales and marketing time, 12.00 US time) to decide which candidate should get the new of you has shortlisted two manager for France'(arJ foterrtially for the whole of Europe). Elch partner's fax machine is not your candidates whom you have p"rrorrully interviewed. unfortunately your partner over the phone' working, so you have to describe your own shortlisted candidates to you prefer' 1 Read the two profiles below and decide which of your own two candidates

2 Describethem both to your partner. 3 Stateyour own recommendation. C persuide your partnerof the advantagesof your preferredcandidate'

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YOU: penetratethe . stronglyfavoura Europeanchoicebecauseyou feelthat a Europeanwill europiin marketmuch more quickly and successfullythan an outsider'

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Name Age Nationality Marital status Education Experience

Languages Salary expectation Interests Other relevant information

Yves de Lalaubie 31 French Engaged(for 3 years) part of his MBA from prestigious HEC, Paris (one year at Stanford as French MBA course) (2 years) Marketing position with major French men's fashion house 'fashion broking'consultancy which was before founding own of bankrupted four years later during the recession attractedlots attention in the specializedmedia fluent' Native French, fluent Italian, English passablebut by no means Asking for 20Voover the upper figure we agreed Paris night life of A well-known younger figure on the French fashion circuit' Lots contacts.Thinks Paris fashion is dead and that new marketing to techniqueswill revolutionize the way people buy clothes. Rumoured have very right-wing views

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(continued) 52 Recruitment

Name Age Nationality Marital status Education Experience

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Languages Salary expectation Interests Other relevant information

StudentB

Ashley Ryedale 29 British Single Architecture at Cambridge and MBA from INSEAD (European businessschool near Paris)just completed 3 years in architecturebefore moving to Paris for personalreasons.2 years in a marketing job in the travel businessled him to do the MBA. 'he made a significant Glowing referencefrom former employer: impact on our figures, he has brilliant marketing intuition' Native English, fluent French, and varying degreesof command of Italian, Spanish,German and Dutch. Currently learning Hungarian Reasonable Art and architecture,theatre,music, literature, history of fashion. Quiet, discreet,good talker, great senseof humour. Genuinely enthusiasticabout our designs.Wants a job combining aestheticwith businessinterest. Declared openly at the interview that he is homosexual:does not have establishedrelationship with one partner

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53 RECYCLING (Agreeing/disagreeing ; iudging)

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Recyctingis the activity of softing out waste material so that it can be reprocessed by tpeci"tif companies.'Recycting-isbroadty considered to be a sensible way to reduce the exploitation of the environment.

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your company produces 25,000 tons of waste products from its offices and canteen areas every year. At present there is no policy on recycling and you think there should be one. Together with a colleague, decide on the three most important advantages of recycling and whether there are any important disadvantages. Then decide if you want to recommend the formal iniroduction of procedures on recycling and any related considerations.

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think thereis good publicrelationsvaluein recycling think recyclingwill reducethe amountof rubbish fearthat you will haveto dealwith variousditferentrecyclingcompanies believethe volumeof paperused could be reducedby using moreelectronicmail think the companyshouldonly buy recycledpaperproducts' WILLSTART. YOURPARTNER

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54 RELOCATION

StudentB

(Judging ; negotiating)

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Relocation means moving your home, office or factory from one place to another.

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You are the manager of a new joint venture whose head office is in Brussels. You are busy recruiting a number of people from all over Europe, including people from two parent companies.You are keen to recruit one European manager (your partner) but you have strong reservations about his/trer refusal to relocate from hisftLr own country: all your other recruits have agreed to move. He/she proposes to commute to Brussels on a weekly basis,travelling in on Monday morningand out on Friday evening each week.

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YOU:

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. feel you cannot treat one memberof the team difterentlyfrom the others

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. think that payingthe weeklyair fare will be very expensive

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. believethat too much travellingis bad for productivity. However,you are keen to have himlher on the team. Discussthe questionwith your new employeeat a meeting.You must reachan agreement.Although you want your partner on the team,you will not sacrificeyour company'sinterests to keep him/her.

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55 SALESTARGETS

StudentB

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(Measuring andcalculating ; correcting)

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When you fix sales targets, you predict the quantity of goods or seruices you will sell during a future time period.

l!=

Your company's sales operation is divided into a number of regions, and you and your partner have joint responsibility for the Central region: you manage the East Central area and your partner manages the West Central area.

F F

Last year tlie company's management announced a new incentive scheme for sales staff: the winning sales team would win a week's holiday in the Caribbean for themselves and their spouses. Although you made big efforts to sell more than the other regions, you saw the other teams pulling ahead of you. In addition, computer problems made you late with the figures for the last quarter of the year.

=

Your computer manager now tells you that some of the original figures for your area are wrong: the new figures are on the whole higher than you thought.

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1 Calculate your new total sales for the year.

2 Callyour oppositenumberin WestCentralandseeif, together,yourfiguresarenowgood enoughto win the prize.

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Figuresin $US

North

West

South

East

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94,005

85,2| |

93,t40

Secondquarter

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98,276

85,439

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Third ar rer+er

t03,721

99,422

87,624

t02,099

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89,473

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Fourthquarter

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Total

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West Central lnitial

West Central Revised

East Central lnitial

East Central Revised

Central Revised Total

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47,194

47,668

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Secondquarter

48,763

5r,309

5t,309

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49 ?4\

5t,499

5t,699

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49,557

5t,446

s0,230

Total

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56 SMALLTALK1

StudentB

(Welcoming; greetingsandfarewells; introducingsetf)

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Smalltalk is a vital skittin business.lt can be difficuttto initiatea conversationand then to keep.itgoing, but it is very importantto be abte to do so - in Engtishas well as in your own Enguage.

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A visitor to your company is waiting to seeyour CEO and you have been asked to I^ok after him/her for ten minutes. It is your job to keep the conversation going.

Spend ten minutes talking to the visitor. While you are talking, try to direct the conversationso that the visitor uses as many of the words below as possible.At the end of ten minutes, count up how many of the words in the box below he/she used.

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FEEL/ FLIGHT / SLOW/ PICTURE / CARRY/ CIry/BEACH/SIT/RED

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57 SMALLTALK2 expressing (lntroducing self;questioning; amazement)

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Fill in the form below to invent a new identity for yourself !

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Now imagine that the'new you'is sitting in a plane next to another business traveller and that you begin to talk. Tell the other person (your partner) as much as possible about yourself. And find out as much as possible about your partner.

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58 SPAREPARTS

It

StudentB

(Obliging;regretting;measuring andcalculating)

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Parts,or components, are put together in manufacturing or assembly processesto make products, or are used to replace faulty or damaged parts in existing products.

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Your company is a successfulmanufacturer of high precision metal components.A customer calls 1-ouwith a surprise order.

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The following is a computer print-out of stock and availability for the goodsrequired.

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In slock

possible Shortest delivery time

FR400l

I432

immediote delivery upto600 + 3doys forevery odditionol 200

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250

immediote delivery upto| 00 + 7doys forevery odditionol 200

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200

7doys forupfo100 + 2days forevery odditionol | 00

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7doys foruplo50 + 2doys forevery odditionol 50

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immediote delivery upto300 + 7doys forevery odditionol 100

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immediote delivery upto250 + 7doys forevery odditionol 100

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immediote delivery upto1000 + 7doys forevery odditionol 500

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immediole delivery upto300 + 7doys forevery odditionol 300

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cannot allow stocks to fall below 50 for any product can offer to supply part of an order when your stocks do not allow you to meeta whole order know that the calleris an importantcustomerbut you haveother largecustomersplacing regularorders that you must meet can offer to supply some of the above parts beforethe requesteddate cannotimproveon the availabilitysituationdescribedabove could offer slightlysub-standardproductsto meetadditionalrequirementsfor FR products would prefernot to offer any discounton such short noticeorders- but use your judgementin this case will invoice at the time of delivery,with paymentat 60 days from delivery.

YOURPARTNER WILLSTART.

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59 TEAMBUILDING

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(Likingand preferring; iudging)

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you More andmore workis projectworkand moreand moreproiectworkis doneln teams'In the future, Team time. same proiects the at coutdbe a memberof severalteamsworkingon severaldifferent ptaydifferentbut equattyimportait rolesand a good teamis one witha goodbalancebetween members roles. you and your partner are forming a specialteam to work on a major new project.You are looking for two othei peOpleto join you to form a dynamicand balancedteam. Look at the brief descriptionsof team roles below.A well-balancedteam will have peoplewith different preferencessiiuated in different placeson the wheel.

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TEAM MANAGEMENT WHEEL

and Dick Mccann of Team Management SystemsUK Ltd' The Team Management wheel and role descriptions were developed by CharlesMargerison TheMar9erison-MccannTeamMana9ementwhee|isare9isteredtrademarkofPradosyst personal profile for reference during discussionsaimed at improving deveroped by Margerison and Mccann, which arso provides a detailed " o"lr,ir^;aire ;;ff;;;;;ii";"",

Discusswith your Partner: o which role you think you would preferto play in the team . which role your partnerwould preferto play . which other two roles you needto makea balancedteam.

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60 TIMEMANAGEMENT

StudentB

(Blaming ; agreeing/disagreeing ; urging)

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Managingyour time wettis one of the mostimportantskiltsthatanyonein businesscan learn.If you do not, the resultsare frustrationfor yourselfand your colleagues,and lossof moneyfor your company.

3 3 3

First of all, your partner is going to tell you about four typical time management problems. Look at the list below and tell him or her which you think is the solution to each problem. Add your own comments.

3

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The solutions a Give subordinatesmore autonomy so that they don't feel the need to check with you all the time. Teachpeople that a closed door meansthat you should not be disturbed. Tell everyone that there are certain fixed times of day when you need to work on your own. b Hire a full-time technical consultant with unlimited patience and an unlimited willingnessto explain. Spend three times as much money on technical training as you do at the moment. c Get the receptionist or a secretaryto screenyour calls or, if you have a direct line, install an answeringmachineand switch it on when you don't want to be intemrpted. d Always be clear when each meeting is supposedto finish. Don't have a meeting just becauseit's the weekly meeting,even if there'snothing to discuss.Don't tolerate discussion between two people which is of no concern to the others present. Decide how much time you should spend in meetings and then count how much time you do spend in meetings. If the first figure is smaller than the second,then do everything you can to bring the secondfigure down.

Now it's your turn to tell your partner about four common problems experienced by people who have difficulty managilg their time. Listen to the solutions which he or she recommends and add your own commenf,s.

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People don't understandthat my time is valuable and not to be wasted. My desk is a mess. People are always dropping into my office to chat. I work very hard but there always seemsto be even more work piling up.

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PRIORITIES 61 TRAINING

StudentB

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(Knowing sequencing) ; agreeing/disagreeing;

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Prioritizing is deciding on an order of importance for a number of possible actions, by comparing their usefulness.The most useful are often urgently required, while the least useful may be disregarded.

Your company produces high quality audio equipment for use by professional sound engineers in the music, film and television industries. You are planning a major sales and marketing drive in several new export markets in Europe and Asia. You are the new marketing director with responsibility for this major initiative and your colleague is another senior executive of the company. Together with your colleague, set priorities for training a staffof five marketing managers and 20 salesrepresentatives and agents. Decide on an order of one to nine, eliminating the lowest three or four areas of training - depending on vour assessmentof their value.

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(Judging;agreeing/disagreeing)

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Distributionis concernedwithmoving goodsfrom theproducerto the customer.

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Your company wants to export goods from Spain to Greece.You are based in Spain and have obtained information on the most appropriate way of moving 120 tons of goodsto Greeceevery month. Contact your colleagueto discussyour proposal.

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. think your companyshould use its own export departmentto arrangetransport througha Barcelonashippingcompany,puig HernandezS.A. . know that Puig Hernandezruns a regularmerchantshippingservicefrom Barcelonato Athenswith departureJeveryMondayand Thursday . understandthat the voyagetakes four days o w?rt onward delivery in Greeceto be co-ordinatedwith the Greekhaulage companyHalkosS.A.,alreadyregularpartnersto your companywith a fleetof 40 lorries . haveobtainedthe followingcost estimates: Per month$18,000for 120lons of goods + road haulage$7,000.

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Glossary Cashflow The relationship between money received (sales)and money going out (costs). Chargehand A low level position of non-managerialresponsibility, a chargehand is in charge of a small group of workers. Chargehandsreport to supervisors. Commute Travel from home to work and from work to home. Conform Do or be the sameas everyone else. Contractor An independent company contracted to carry out specific work for anothercompany at an agreedfee. Convention Ausual way of doing things, a habit. Corporate hospitality The wining and dining of clients or potential clients at sporting or cultural events. Corporate planning Major planning and development concerns within a company, such as new product areas,new markets, image building, marketing and financial goals. Doing businessillegally for your own advantageis comrpt. Corrupt Cost of sales All costs involved in preparing a product or service for sale up to the actual sale itself. These include fixed overheads(rent, heating, wages and salaries)and variable costs (raw materials, overtime payments). Cost of selting The cost of all promotional activities including advertising, sales commissions, fees to agents and distributors, disffibution, storage and transport. Counselling Confidential support and advice given to an individual with professional or personalproblems. Counselling service A service for giving advice to employeeson personal or work-related problems. Courtesy The treatmentof other people with politenessand respect. Creditor Someoneto whom money is owed. Current assets Assets used by a company in its daily work, such as materials, finished goods and cash. Deadline The date or time by which you must complete a certain piece of work. Debenture An agreementto pay back a loan at a fixed interest rate. Debtor Someonewho owes money. Delegate Give work to a subordinatewhich you would otherwise do yourself. Delivery Getting the goods physically to the customer. Depreciation A notional sum appearing as an expense on a profit and loss account to spread the cost of capital assetsover several years rather than appearingas a single expenditure at the time of purchase. Discount A percentageor amount taken off the standardprice. Double glazing Windows with two layers of glass. Downturn A period of falling salesor profits. Etiquette Forms of polite behaviour. Fixed assets Property or machinery which a company uses. Flexibitity Readinessto adapt to changing conditions. Flotation The selling of sharesin order to raise capital. Found a company Start a company. Franchise A licence to trade using a brand name in retum for the payment of fees. The owner of the brand name is the franchisor who gives licences to franchisees.The more money franchiseesmake, the more they pay in fees. Franchisee Someonewho pays a royalty in order to trade using the name of a franchisor. Fringe benefits Other advantages earned by an employee in addition to salary,for example a company car. 174

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