Tapescript 1 First version of the conversation

Rusconi: Rusconi.

Garcia: Hello, this is Al Garcia.

Rusconi: At last! When can we expect the next consignment in our warehouse?

Garcia: Late Thursday or early Friday, depends on the traffic and the weather. When will you accept deliveries?

Rusconi: Up to 4 pm and from 7.30 am. Whose trucks are delivering the goods?

Garcia: Two of ours, and the others are on hire from Alpha Transport.

Rusconi: How do you spell Alpha?

Garcia: A-L-P-H-A

Rusconi: How many trucks will be coming?

Garcia: Five.

Rusconi: Will they arrive all on the same day?

Garcia: Two will set off half a day early, so they should arrive Thursday. The other three will arrive towards midday Friday. How long will it take to unload each truck?

Rusconi: About an hour. We can’t unload more than two at a time, you know.

Garcia: I want to know what happens if one truck arrives late. Can you unload it on Saturday?

Rusconi: I don’t know. Our warehouse manager would know.

Garcia: What’s his name?

Rusconi: I don’t know. Our warehouse manager would know.

Garcia: What’s his name?

Rusconi: Mr. Ferrari.

Garcia: What’s his number?

Rusconi: 345 9800 extension 71.

Garcia: Goodbye.

Rusconi: Goodbye.

Second version of the conversation

Rusconi: Jupiter Products. Tony Rusconi speaking.

Garcia: Hello, this is Al Garcia.

Rusconi: Hello, Mr Garcia. How are you?

Garcia: Fine, thanks. I’m phoning about our delivery next week.

Rusconi: Ah, yes, good. I was just about to call you. Er… could you tell me when we can expect the consignment to arrive in our warehouse?

Garcia: Yes, as far as I know, the trucks should arrive late Thursday or early Friday, it depends on traffic and weather. Er … what time will you accept deliveries?

Rusconi: The latest time we can start unloading is 4 p.m.? but… but we can start as early as 7.30 pm. Er… could you tell me whose trucks are delivering the goods?

Garcia: Yes, certainly. Two of them will be ours, and the others are on hire from Alpha Transport.

Rusconi: Let me just make a note of that. Er… can you tell me how you spell Alpha?

Garcia: Yes, of course. It’s A-L-P-H-A.

Rusconi: Fine. A… and I’d also like to know how many trucks will be coming.

Garcia: Ah… there will be five altogether.

Rusconi: Can you tell me if they will arrive on the same day?

Garcia: I’m not entirely sure, but… er… as two will be setting off half a day early, they should arrive Thursday. Er… the other three will arrive towards midday Friday. Could you let me know how long it will take to unload each truck?

Rusconi: Yes, er… each truck will take about an hour. Er… I think you should know that we can’t unload more than two trucks at a time.

Garcia: I see, well, thanks for letting me know that. Er… I wonder if you can tell me what’ll happen if one of the trucks arrives later and can’t be unloaded on Friday? Do you know if it can be unloaded on Saturday?

Rusconi: I’m afraid I don’t know; it might have to wait till Monday. Er.. you’d have to ask our warehouse manager about that.

Garcia: Could you just remind me what his name is again?

Rusconi: Yes, of course. He’s… er… Mr Ferrari.

Garcia: Ah, and… er… can… can you tell me his number?

Rusconi: Yes, it’s 345 9800 extension 71.

Garcia: Good. Thank you very much. It’s… it’s nice to talk to you. Goodbye.

Rusconi: Bye now, Mr Garcia.

Tapescript 2

Part One

INTERVIEWER Professor Singh, economists are almost unanimously in favour of free trade, but these days it seems that a great many people in industrialized countries are opposed to it...

PROF. SINGH ... this is a strange situation, because in the past it was the developing countries who used to worry about free trade leading to disadvantage for them because they didn't have a developed manufacturing industry, they didn't have firms which could compete with large firms from Western countries, but now many countries like Korea, Malaysia and others feel they can compete with advanced countries on a range of products because they've learned the lessons, they've been able to import technology from the rich countries, they've been able to educate their labour forces, set up an infrastructure, and since their wages are lower, they think they can compete. So now the complaints about unfairness of free trade come from people in the rich countries.

INTERVIEWER And what do you think about these complaints?

PROF. SINGH I think the answer really lies in whether or not the world is moving or operating at a level of full employment, or it isn't, or it is not. When the world economy's growing fast then.. .and jobs are being created, then people are able to put up with the disruptions which free trade Causes. What free trade means is that you may have trained for a job then someone in Osaka learns to produce cars a bit cheaper, and then you in Detroit immediately lose your jobs. Free trade can be very disruptive. But of course it has the advantage that it leads to more efficiency, more output, but people can't put up with that disruption if they just lose their jobs, but if there are other jobs to go to, then they're usually able to bear the pain of being made unemployed for a while, while they can go and look for another job. So really, it depends upon the level of world economic activity, whether free trade is good for you or not.

Listening Tapescript

PartTwo

INTERVIEWER What about the effect of free trade on countries that are less industrialized?

PROF. SINGH Well, the point is the fact of free trade is that they may never industrialize because the thing is that they start with an enormous disadvantage. Suppose you want to produce cars in Africa. Well, how are you going to do that, unless they were heavily subsidized, because you can't compete with the existing car producers so obviously countries which have not industrialized at all, they need a period of protection for their industry in order for them to make it strong enough to compete in international markets.

INTERVIEWER So how are economists or governments in the rich countries going to convince people of the benefits of free trade?

PROF. SINGH If you are talking about free trade, then the best way to promote free trade is to ensure that other measures are taken at the international economic level — cooperation between leading countries to ensure that there is more or less full employment in the rich countries.

But what is also clear is that if the unemployment problem - mass unemployment in the rich countries, 10% unemployment in Germany, in France and near 10% in this country - if these problems are not solved then people will walk away from free trade, and the world will be poorer as a result, so in order to sustain free trade, it is essential that governments tackle the unemployment problem. The other point is that no country on its own in an interdependent world economy can deal with the unemployment problem just on its own in a single country, it can only be dealt with by cooperation between countries, that the big countries have to coordinate their economic policies, but there is no prospect, unfortunately, at the moment, that they are willing to do so.