Making appointments by phone.

Russian visitor: Hello, is that the Metal Works Corporation?

Secretary: Yes, hello, Mr. Nobi's secretary speaking.

R.v. : This is Smolin of the Russian Economic Counsellor's office.

S.: Good morning, Mr. Smolin. What can I do for you?

R.v.: I'd like to arrange a meeting with your President, Mr. Nobi.

S.: When do you wish to see him, Mr. Smolin?

R.v.: The sooner the better. The matter is urgent.

S.: Will 10 o'clock tomorrow morning suit you?

R.v.: That will be fine. Thank you.

S.: Not at all, Mr. Smolin.

* * *

R.v.: Good morning, can (could) I speak to Mr. Adhanon, please?

S.: Good morning. Who's calling, please?

R.v.: This is the head of the Russian delegation.

S.: Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Ishutin. I'm sorry, Mr. Adhanon is out at the moment. Would

you like to leave a message or call back?

R.v.: I think I'd rather arrange to meet him.

S.: O.K. When could you come?

R.v.: Any time you say.

S.: Just a moment, I'll look in the diary. Yes, I can fix an appointment for you for tomorrow. That's Tuesday afternoon. Will 2 p.m. be all right with you? R.V.: Yes, thank you.

S.: What shall I tell Mr. Adhanon your business is about, Mr.Ishutin?

R. v.: It's about our deliveries under the Assembly Tractor Plant Contract.

S.: I see.

Coming for an appointment

R.v.: Good morning. I want to see the Managing Director.

S.: Good morning. Have you an appointment?

R. v.: Sorry, I haven't. I was driving by, so I decided to drop in. Is Mr. Din in?

S.: He is, but he's in conference. Will you wait or could you possibly come tomorrow, say at 10 o'clock?

R. v.: Well, you see, I'm here for one day only. The matter is urgent, so I don't mind waiting if Mr. Din can see me. Here's my card.

S.: Do take a seat. I'll tell Mr. Din about your request.

R. v.: Thank you so much.

Business talks

F. r.: Good morning, gentlemen. How are you?

R. v.: Good morning, Mr. Georgis. Fine, thank you, and you?

F. r.: Very well, thanks. Have you met Mr. Nur, head of your commercial department?

R. v.: No, I haven't had the pleasure. How do you do, Mr. Nur.

F. r.: How do you do, Mr. Smolin. It's nice to meet you. This way, gentlemen,

please. Will you sit down? Coffee or tea?

R. v.: Tea, please. It's a hot day, isn't it?

F. r.: Yes, you may find our climate a bit too hot. But I hope you'll enjoy your stay here all the same.

R. v.: I'm sure I will. Do you mind if we get down to business right now?

F. r.: Yes, time's getting short. Well, gentlemen, I don't think we need to read the minutes of the last meeting. Copies of them have been circulated to you.

R. v.: Yes, I've got a copy. There's no need to go over the same points. Let's proceed with the discussion of our Draft Contract for the delivery of chemical equipment. What shall we take up today?

F. r.: We're finished with the prices, but there are some comments on the delivery dates and guarantees.

R. v.: Is there anything you don't like about the delivery schedule? The dates are the shortest we can afford.

F. r.: But the project is a top priority one. We would ask you to speed up the deliveries.

R. v.: All right. We are always ready to cooperate where we can but we can't give our final reply before we get the manufacturers consent.

F. r.: How long will that take?

R. v.: About two weeks at the outside.

F. r: All right, we'll look at this again later.

R. v.: Then let's pass on to the guarantee clause. You are aware, I'm sure, that the equipment we offer you is highly sophisticated, reliable and easy to run. It's in great demand, you know, and on top of that, our guarantee period is accepted throughout the world.

F. r.: You sound very convincing, Mr. Smolin. Well, gentlemen, we've been 2 hours on the Draft Contract. How about, some lunch?

R. v.: That would be very welcome.

Speaking

6. Give a brief summary of each dialogue.

7. Keep the conversations going.

A.

- Hello, Mr. Sedov. Mr.Nur’s calling.

- Oh, hello, Mr. Nur. What can I do for you?

- I’m afraid, I won’t be able to keep the appointment with you on Thursday.

- Oh, is anything the matter?

- Yes, there’s be an emergency at one of our plants, so I have to go there right away.

- I see. Then……

B.

- Hello, secretary speaking.

- Hello. It’s Mr. Aman from Metal Works Corporation. Can you make an appointment for me to see Mr. Han?

- What time do you have in mind?

- How about Wednesday at three?

- I’m sorry, but he will be busy. ……..

Listening

8. Listen and write down George Colby’s appointments.

Mr. Davis

Day: _______________________

Time: ______________________

Ms. Andreou

Day: _______________________

Time: ______________________

9. George Colby makes some appointments. Listen. Complete the chart with his appointments.

Name	Day/Date	Time	Purpose of visit
Harry Norris
Mariko Tanaka
Dr. Epstein

Follow up

10. Imagine you are a businessman travelling on business. Make up a three-day programme of your stay in London. Include formal and informal occasions. Then tell the group about your business trip.

1st day.

Morning__________________________

Afternoon_________________________

Evening___________________________

2nd day

Morning __________________________

Afternoon _________________________

Evening ___________________________

3d day

Morning __________________________

Afternoon _________________________

Evening ___________________________

COMPANY ACTIVITIES

Unit 4

Forms of Business Organization

Lead in

1. Discuss the questions in pairs. Then present your ideas to the whole group.

What famous companies do you know?

What is their activity?

What other forms of business organization do you know?

Reading

2. Read the text. Find definitions of each form of business organization. Make a list of advantages and disadvantages of each form. Discuss them.

Forms of Business Organization

A Sole Proprietorship.

There are several forms of business organization. The most popular of them are: a sole proprietorship or individual proprietorship; a partnership; a corporation.

They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

A sole proprietorship is a business owned by one person. Sole proprietorships are the most numerous kind of business organization, but most are very small. The reason for their popularity is that they are the easiest and least costly to organize. There are other advantages. Sole proprietors own all the profits of their enterprises, they are their "own bosses", free to make whatever changes they please. They do not have to pay the special taxes placed on corporations. Sole proprietors also have the opportunity to achieve success and recognition through their individual efforts.

There are also disadvantages. A very serious one is the unlimited liability that each proprietor faces. All debts and all problems associated with the business belong to the owner. If a business fails the owner must personally assume the debts. A second disadvantage is that it has limited capital. The money is limited by the amount of his or her savings or ability to borrow. Other disadvantage may include lack of opportunities for employees, limitations of size and growth .