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Введение

Изучение иностранных языков является неотъемлемой составной частью подготовки специалистов различного профиля. В настоящее время компетентность специалиста во многом определяется его умением пользоваться иностранным языком в его конкретной профессиональной деятельности.

Цели и задачи

Обучение английскому языку по данной программе имеет своей целью подготовку студента к иноязычному общению, что предполагает наличие у него таких знаний и умений, которые по окончании курса обучения дадут ему возможность вести беседу на профессиональные темы, а также читать оригинальную литературу с целью получения информации, переводить тексты по специальности, составлять аннотации, рефераты, деловые письма.

Взадачи курса входит:

-развитие навыков устной речи;

-развитие навыков речевого общения с целью использования их в профессиональных дискуссиях, конференциях, переговорах, интервью и других видах речевой деятельности;

-развитие навыков устной речи, необходимых для ведения переговоров, проведения презентаций и совещаний, делового общения по телефону и личных деловых контактов;

-развитие навыков чтения и письма, необходимых для ведения делопроизводства (деловая корреспонденция, различные виды отчётности и т.п.);

-развитие навыков создания вторичного научного текста (реферата, аннотации, тезисов) на основе анализа первичного текста.

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Методические указания

Настоящие методические указания имеют целью помочь вам в вашей самостоятельной работе над развитием практических навыков пользования английским языком в профессиональной сфере общения.

Особенностью изучения английского языка в заочной системе обучения на базе высшего образования является то, что языковой материал, изучавшийся ранее, необходимо повторить самостоятельно, научиться пользоваться этими знаниями, работая с экономической литературой и участвуя в общении на английском языке в ситуациях бизнеса.

На аудиторные занятия отводится незначительное количество часов за весь курс обучения, большая часть времени отводится на самостоятельную работу. Работая самостоятельно над разделами грамматики или над развитием того или иного навыка коммуникативной деятельности, необходимо выполнить две контрольные работы в течение двух лет обучения.

Контрольные работы необходимо выполнить письменно (в печатном виде на формате А4) и выслать на проверку преподавателю. Оформляя контрольную работу, необходимо иметь в виду, что контрольные работы выполняются полностью; частично выполненные задания возвращаются без проверки.

Просим обратить внимание на аккуратное и точное оформление контрольных работ. Строго соблюдайте последовательность выполнения заданий.

Отрецензированные письменные контрольные работы необходимо сохранять и предъявлять на экзамене.

Если у вас, в процессе работы над выполнением заданий, возникнут вопросы обращайтесь за разъяснением на кафедру Иностранных языков и межкультурной деловой коммуникации (ауд. 509, т. 37-49-50).

При выполнении контрольных работ рекомендуется использовать следующие источники:

1.Английский язык “English for Business” : учеб. пособие для студентов заочной формы обучения / сост. Н. И. Эмерель. – Хабаровск : РИЦ ХГАЭП, 2007. – 104 с.

2.Английский язык : учеб. пособие “Business Letter” для студентов 3-го курса специальности МЭ, МКД, ММ, ММА, УАВД дневной формы обучения. – доп. и перераб. / сост. Н. И. Эмерель, Н. Ю. Павлова. – Хабаровск : РИЦ ХГАЭП, 2006. – 224 с.

3.Кумарова М. Г. Новый бизнес английский /М. Г. Кумарова. – М. : АКАЛИС, 1997.

4.Лукьянова Т. Я. Настольная книга бизнесмена / Т. Я. Лукьянова. – М. : ВТИ-Дейта Пресс, 1993.

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5.Миронова Е. Ю. Деловой английский / Е. Ю. Миронова. – М. : Проспект,

2005.

6.Рыжков В. Д. Деловой английский язык: Менеджмент / В. Д. Рыжков. – Калининград, 2003.

7.Тейлор Ш. Деловая переписка и образцы документов / Ш. Тейлор. – М. : Проспект, 2005.

8.Федотова О. Л. Бизнес на английском / О. Л. Федотова. – М. : Экзамен,

2003.

9.Burke D. Buz Takl 1. – San Fransisco : Optima Books, 1993.

10.Bykanova V. I., Prokhorova T. V. Business English. – СПб. : Виктория плюс, 2002.

11.Ian Mackenzie. English for Business Studies. – Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2002

12.Jones L., Alexander R. International Business English. – Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 19991 (listening material).

13.Felicia Heather. Commercial English. – М. : Эксмо, 2006.

14.Naterop B. J., Revel R. Telephoning in English. – Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1992 (listening material).

15.Powell M. In Company. Macmillan, 2008.

16.Trappe T., Tullis G. Intelligent Business. Pearson Educational Limited, 2006.

17.http://www.ieltshelpnow.com/academic_writing_test_1.html

18.http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/graphs/line.html

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Контрольная работа №1

Exercise 1. Choose words and phrases below to complete these two telephone

-Witan International. ……………. help you?

-…………… to Mrs Weiss, please?

-One moment, please. I’ll ………….. .

-Kristina Weiss ……………. .

-- Good morning, Mrs Weiss. This is Ellen Johanssen from Ostlink Travel.

…………… if you got my letter.

-Yes, I’ve just received it. In fact, I ………… ring you. There are a couple of things I wanted to ask you about.

-RCL Electrics. ……………?

-Yes, …………. Kristina Weiss of Witan. ……….. Denise Martin, please?

-………….. if she’s available. No, …………. she’s just popped out.

-In that case, ………….. later.

-Who can I say phoned?

-Oh, it’s all right. I’ll phone back.

Exercise 2. Put a verb in each space to complete the conversation. Remember to use the correct form of the verb.

Conversation 1

Receptionist: Witan International. Can I …..….. you?

Sanjay: Could I …….… to Mrs Weiss, please?

Receptionist: Who’s …….…… please?

Sanjay: Sanjay Rahman of LRN Technical.

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Receptionist: Sorry. What did you ………. your name was?

Sanjay: Mr Rahman of LRN Technical.

Receptionist: Could you ………… your name to me?

Sanjay: R-A-H-M-A-N. Sanjay Rahman.

Receptionist: Of course, Mr Rahman. I’ll ………… you through.

Conversation 2

Julia: Sales. Julia Wells ……….. .

Paolo: Morning, Julia. This is Paolo Ferrei from BRN. I’m …, to find out if you …… my fax. Julia: Hold on. Let me …….. a look. No I don’t think so. When did you ……… it? Paolo: This morning. It should have ………… by now.

Julia: I’ll check again and ……….. you back later.

Paolo: Fine. I’ll ………… in the office till half past twelve.

Exercise 3. Sometimes it’s not easy to understand people on the phone. Here are some expressions that might make things easier.

Sorry, who did you say you wanted to speak to?

I can’t hear you. Could you speak up?

Could you speak more slowly, please?

Use an appropriate expression to complete the gaps.

1.Receptionist: LRN Technical. Can I help you? Paula: Could I speak to Mr Rahman, please? Receptionist: ……………………………………..

Paula: Sahjay Rahman. In finance.

2.Bill: … and the order is for 370 AS3 cables and 35 JF1 switching units. Paula: ………………………………………………

Bill: Sorry. I do tend to speak too fast. I said: 370 AS3 cables and 35 JF1 switching units.

3.Eleni: So we’ll change the meeting to two o’clock on Friday? Paula: …………………………………. . There’s a lot of noise here. Eleni: I said: Let’s have the meeting at two o’clock on Friday.

Paula: OK, agreed.

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Exercise 4. Put these sentences in the correct order to make a conversation.

AI’m afraid she’s in a meeting at the moment.

BThank you. Goodbye.

CI see. Well, can you ask her to call me back?

DI’ll make sure she gets your message, Mr Paved.

EHersch Trading. Can I help you?

FCan you give me your name, please?

GCould I speak to Mrs Elliot, please?

HI’m Rajit Paved of Central Power. My number is 215 56 78. Could she ring me some time this afternoon?

Exercise 5. Translate the following conversations into English.

А.

Это офис г-на Хаммонда?

Да.

Моя фамилия Сидоров. У меня назначена встреча с г-ном Хаммондом на завтрашний день, но случилось кое-что срочное, и я должен уехать из Лондона на пару дней. Не могли бы Вы перенести встречу на четверг после обеда в то же время.

Хорошо, я выясню, и Вы получите подтверждение сегодня. До свидания.

До свидания.

В.

Алло, не могли бы Вы соединить меня с г-ном Филлипсом?

Соединила. Говорите, пожалуйста.

Доброе утро, г-н Филлипс.

Это г-н Павлов? Доброе утро!

Мы бы хотели разместить ещё один заказ у Вашей фирмы на запчасти для оборудования, поставленного Вами в 1-м квартале прошлого года.

Хорошо. Когда они Вам нужны?

Не могли бы Вы поставить их, скажем, в ноябре этого года.

Я думаю, это возможно.

Полагаю, что запчасти будут поставлены по тем же ценам, что и раньше.

Это будет зависеть от заказанного количества. Нет проблемы. Нам нужно большое количество.

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Тогда всё в порядке.

Мы пошлём Вам на подпись письмо с подтверждением этой сделки и с приложением 2 экземпляров оформленного заказа со всеми данными.

Спасибо. Мы сразу же примем меры, чтобы выполнить Ваш заказ в нужный срок. До свидания!

До свидания!

С.

Алло, можно поговорить с г-ном Роджерсом?

Да, говорите, пожалуйста.

Это г-н Рогов. Доброе утро, г-н Роджерс!

Доброе утро! Что-нибудь случилось?

Нет, я просто хочу, чтобы Вы сказали мне, как выполняется наш заказ.

Мы можем отгрузить первую партию товара досрочно. Это Вас устраивает?

Да, отлично.

Что касается второй партии, боюсь, Вы можете получить её с небольшим опозданием.

На сколько дней?

На пару дней.

Мне кажется, мы обойдёмся, если это только день-два. Но не больше того.

Я обещаю и надеюсь, что мы сможем поставить последнюю партию в срок (по графику).

Очень хорошо тогда. До свидания! До свидания!

Exercise 6. Arrange the parts of the letter so that everything is in the right place.

(1)Simon Thomas

(2)WIDGTERY LTD

(3)6 Pine Estate, Westhornet, Bedfordshire, UB 18 22BC Telephone 9017 23456 Fax 9017 67893

e-mail: Thomas@yandex.com

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(4) I look forward to hearing from you

(5)Your ref. MS/WD/22/09 Our ref. JB/MS/44/09

(6)Yours Sincerely,

(7)James Bowers, Sales Manager, Electroscan Ltd,

Orchard Road Estate, Oxbridge UB84 10SF

(8)Production Manager

(9)Thank you for your letter. I am afraid that we have a problem with your order.

(10)6 June 2009

(11)Unfortunately, the manufacturers of the part you wish to order have advised us that they cannot supply it until September.

(12)Dear Mr Bowers

(13)Would you prefer us to supply a substitute, or would you rather wait until the original parts are again available?

Exercise 7. Read and translate the letters below, decide what kind of letter each is.

Letter of Confirmation

Enquiry Letter

Letter-offer

Letter of Complaint

Letter-order

Invitation

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4)

Dear Sirs,

We confirm our agreement reached by telephone today about the change in the terms of payment, which will be made by a Letter of Credit to be valid for 45 days. The Letter of Credit will be irrevocable and confirmed.

We hope our cooperation will be to the mutual benefit of the companies.

Yours faithfully,

5)

Dear Mr. Winkel,

I do not know if you remember me – we met at the Healthcare Exhibition in Zurich last year.

We are holding another conference on Pharmaceuticals and the Law in Paris from March12 – 16 and we would be very pleased if you could participate. Perhaps you would also like to speak to the conference about the law in Switzerland?

I look forward to hearing from you and hope very much that you will be able to attend.

Yours sincerely,

Brian Corbin

6)

Dear Sirs,

We thank you for your inquiry for our new model of Harvester and enclose with this letter our latest leaflet for details.

But unfortunately the delivery date you asked for is rather short, and we hope you can extend it, say by another month. In that case we are ready to make you an offer.

Your early reply on the matter will be appreciated.

Yours faithfully,

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Exercise 8. You are the Purchasing Supervisor at Green Supermarkets Ltd. 13 Station Road, Dublin, Ireland. Your manager has just sent you this memo. Write the letter as instructed following the layout rules.

We sent an order for orange juice to Corona Ltd on 4 January but we have still not received it.

Please write to them and ask them when they can deliver the orange juice. Their address is Calle Major 340, Madrid, Spain.

Exercise 9. Translate the following letters using the proper vocabulary and style.

А.

По совету г-на …, (должность), мы обращаемся к Вам, чтобы узнать, сможете ли Вы снабжать нас хлопчатобумажными тканями в кусках.

Мы являемся оптовыми торговцами хлопчатобумажных тканей и обычно получаем товары из США, Великобритании, Индии и Китая. В последней из названных стран мы покупаем ежегодно товары на сумму … долл.

Пожалуйста, сообщите, какие типы хлопчатобумажных тканей экспортируются из Вашей страны, вышлите нам образцы и уведомите нас о Ваших ценах и условиях. Мы не ограничиваем наши закупки только специальными типами тканей и заинтересованы как в набивной хлопчатобумажной ткани, так и в суровом полотне.

С интересом ждем Вашего ответа.

B.

Уважаемые господа, Мы посылаем Вам сегодня почтовой посылкой образцы химикатов и надеемся, что Вы

будете удовлетворены их качеством.

Посылаем Вам наш прейскурант химикатов. Химикаты, помеченные буквой Д, имеются (хранятся) на складе. Они могут быть отправлены в порт погрузки немедленно по получении Вашего заказа и отгружены первым подходящим пароходом. Остальные химикаты могут быть отгружены во второй половине мая,

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при условии, что мы получим Ваш заказ в течение 10 дней от даты этого письма.

Сцены химикатов, помеченных буквой А, предоставляется скидка 10%, остальные цены – строго без скидки. Все цены понимаются фас СанктПетербург и включают стоимость упаковки в прочные (крепкие) ящики.

Наши условия платежа: в фунтах стерлингов в Лондоне наличными без скидки против документов.

Это предложение действительно при условии получения Вашего акцепта. Ожидаем с интересом Вашего ответа.

Суважением

C.

Благодарим Вас за заказ. В настоящее время мы не можем его выполнить в связи с неожиданной задержкой поставок от наших зарубежных поставщиков. Мы сохраним Ваш заказ до прибытия товара и сразу же отгрузим его Вам. К сожалению, в настоящее время мы не можем сообщить Вам конкретную дату отправки товара.

Приносим извинения за доставленные неудобства и заранее благодарны Вам за терпение.

D.

Благодарим Вас за запрос на нашу (наименование продукции). Прилагаем наш каталог для ознакомления.

Мы разработали (наименование продукции) для того, чтобы обеспечить потребителей (описание достоинств предлагаемой продукции).

После того как Вы ознакомитесь с предоставленным материалом, будем рады выслушать Ваши замечания и с удовольствием ответим на вопросы относительно нашей продукции.

Ещё раз благодарим Вас за интерес к нашей (наименование продукции).

E.

Мы обнаружили в Вашем грузе, отправленном (дата), который прибыл к нам сегодня, 10 совершенно отсыревших упаковок. В результате изделия, находящиеся в них, в количестве 100 штук, оказались повреждёнными и непригодными для продажи.

Мы возвращаем Вам эти изделия сегодня же и просим немедленно заменить повреждённый товар.

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Exercise 10. Prepare the appropriate letters as instructed:

A.You are the secretary at Regina Radio Co., Ltd., 18 Kingsway, Croydon, Surrey. Write a letter to the Parkinson Paper Co., Ltd., Maid Stone, Kent, asking for samples and prices at which your company could be supplied with typewriting paper.

B.Medtec Ltd., Cotton Road, Exeter, England, EX4 9LT, is a manufacturer of medical equipment. Write a letter to be sent to regular customers drawing their attention to your latest products and offering the most favorable conditions.

C.As assistant buyer for Fenway’s Store, 1704 North Broadway, Richmond, Virginia 23261, write a letter to the Marco Toy Company, Inc., 223 Sunrise Highway, Glen Cove, New York 15666, to order two dozen Baby Jenny dolls (at $10 each), one dozen Baby Jenny layette sets (at $415 each), and three dozen 18-inch Tootsie teddy bears (at $7 each) to have these items in stock in time for the pre-Christmas selling season. You want to make this purchase on account and have it shipped air express. If Marco has available any special Christmas displays for their merchandise, you would like to receive these, too.

D.You are employed by Henry Clay & Co., Ltd., Larsen Street, London, N21 8DY. Write a letter to acknowledge the order from Bowley & Son, Chattisfield Road, Newtown, NE12 OLD to acknowledge their order for your carpets. Enclose a new catalog and the price list and await future orders.

E.1) A package of 12 doz. electric bulbs was received by you in a damaged condition. Three dozen of the lamps were broken. Invent all necessary details and write a letter of complaint.

Refer to 1) and write an adjustment letter.

Exercise 11.

A. Read the text and decide if the author is generally optimistic or pessimistic about future strategic alliances.

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SPRING IN THEIR STEPS

Some notes for company bosses out on the prowl.

After a long hibernation, company bosses are beginning to rediscover their animal spirits. The $145 billion-worth of global mergers and acquisitions announced last month was the highest for any month in over three years. There are now lots of chief executives thinking about what target they might attack in order to add growth and value to their companies and glory to themselves. Although they slowed down for a while because of the dot-com boom, they are once again on the prowl.

What should CEOs do to improve their chances of success in the coming rush to buy? First of all, they should not worry too much about widely-quoted statistics suggesting that as many as three out of every four deals have failed to create shareholder value for the acquiring company. The figures are heavily influenced by the time period chosen and in any case, one out of four is not bad when compared with the chances of getting a new business started. So they should keep looking for good targets.

There was a time when top executives considered any type of business to be a good target. But in the 1990s the idea of the conglomerate, the holding company with a diverse portfolio of businesses, went out of fashion as some of its most prominent protagonists – CBS and Hanson Trust, for example – faltered. Companies had found by then that they could add more value by concentrating on their “core competence”, although one of the most successful companies of that decade, General Electric, was little more than an old-style conglomerate with a particularly fast-changing portfolio.

Brian Roberts, the man who built Comcast into a giant cable company, was always known for concentrating on his core product – until his recent bid for Disney, that is. It is not yet clear whether his bid is an optimistic attempt to acquire and break up an undervalued firm, or whether he is chasing the media industry’s dream of combining entertainment content with distribution, a strategy which has made fortunes for a few but which regularly proves the ruin of many big media takeovers.

If vertical integration is Comcast’s aim, then it will be imperative for Mr Roberto to have a clear plan of how to achieve that. For in the end, CEOs will be judged less for spotting a good target than for digesting it well, a much more difficult task. The assumption will be that, if they are paying a lot of money for a business, they know exactly what they want to do with it.

If CEOs wish to avoid some of the failures of the 1990s, they should not forget that they are subject to eternal tendency of business planners to be over-confident. It is a near certainty that, if asked, almost 99 per cent of them would describe themselves as

17

“above average” at making mergers and acquisitions work. Sad as it may be, that can never be true.

They should also be aware that they will be powerfully influenced by the herd instinct, the feeling that it is better to be wrong in large numbers than to be right alone. In the coming months they will have to watch carefully to be sure that the competitive space into which the predator in front of them is so joyfully leaping does not lie at the edge of a cliff.

Notes

dot-com boom – rapid growth of internet-based business

protagonists – most important people involved in a particular situation falter – weaken

spot – identify

herd instinct – natural inclination to follow others rather than act alone

B.Read the text again. Are the following statements true or false? (Do it in writing.)

1.In the first paragraph, the author says that CEOs can no longer find targets for mergers and acquisitions.

2.Studying facts and figures from the recent past won’t necessarily help CEOs to form a successful alliance.

3.The trend in the1990s was for companies to build portfolios with diverse investments.

4.The author suggests that media merges are always likely to improve share value.

5.CEOs need above all to find the right company to acquire.

6.If business planners wish to avoid some of the errors of the 1990s, they should be prudent when taking risks.

C.Read the text again and answer the questions given below (in writing).

1.Why did CEOs reduce their involvement in mergers and acquisitions for a time?

2.Why should CEOs ignore the statistics concerning the success rate of acquisitions?

3.What should CEOs be aware of when venturing into alliances?

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Exercise 12.

•Read this text taken from an article about how companies’ decision-making can go wrong.

•Choose the best sentence from the one given below to fill each of the gaps.

•For each gap 1 – 6, mark one letter (A – H).

•Do not use any letter more than once.

•There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Bad business decisions are easy to make

Those who make disastrous business decisions generally exhibit two characteristic types of behaviour. First they make a selective interpretation of the evidence when deciding to go ahead with a project. (0)...H... .

How do such bad decisions come about? One reason is that the people in control are determined to make their mark by doing something dramatic. (1)......... . Once the leader has decided to put his or her name to a project, many in the organization believe it politic to support it too, whatever their private doubts. (2)........ . These doubters know that such a perception will cloud their future careers. The desire to agree with the boss is typical of committees, with group members often taking collective decisions that they would not have taken individually. They look around the table, see their colleagues nodding in agreement and suppress their own doubts. If all these intelligent people believe this is the right thing to do, they think to themselves, perhaps it is. It rarely occurs to committee members that all their colleagues have made the same dubious calculation.

Responsible managers usually ask to see the evidence before reaching a decision.

(3)........ . Even those who consider all the evidence, good and bad, fail to take account of the fact that expert predictions are often wrong. The reason for this is that feedback is only effective if it is received quickly and often; and senior executives rarely become the experts they claim to be, because they make too few big decisions to learn much from them.

So when it becomes clear that disaster looms, many executives insist on pressing ahead regardless. (4)........ . The repercussions of doing so can be daunting. So what can be done to prevent companies making bad decisions? (5)........ . Another is to delegate the decision on whether or not to continue to people who are not in the thick of the decision making, such as the non-executive directors. (6)........ . But they

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shouldn’t expect any gratitude: people who have made huge mistakes are not going to say ‘Thank you, we should have paid attention to you in the first place.’

AIt would be far better, though, if dissidents in the organization raised their doubts beforehand, and were listened to.

BThey want to be recognized as having changed the company in a way that history will remember.

CThis is not to argue that companies should never attempt anything brave or risky.

DToo much money has been spent and too many reputations are at stake to think about stopping at this stage.

EOne solution is to set targets for a project and to agree in advance to abandon it if these are not met.

FAfter all, people who persistently point to potential pitfalls are seen as negative and disloyal.

GBut they often rely only on those parts of it that support their case.

HCoupled with this, they insist that the failure was someone else’s fault.

Exercise 13.

Read the text, translate it in writing and be prepared to discuss it with a teacher in class.

1776, the year that Americans associate with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, also marked the publication in England of one of the most influential books of our time, The Wealth of Nations. Written by Adam Smith, it earned the author the title “The Father of economics”.

Smith objected to the principal economic belief of his day. He drifted with the physiocrats who argued that land was the only source of wealth. He also disagreed with and argued that land was the only source of wealth of a nation by its money supply, and who called for government regulation of the economy in order to promote a “favourable balance of trade”.

In Smith’s view, a nation’s wealth was dependent upon production, not agriculture alone. How much it produced, he believed, depended upon how well it combined labour and the other factors of production. The more efficient the combination, the greater the output, the greater the nation’s wealth.

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The heart of Smith’s economic philosophy was the belief that the economy would work best if left to function on its own without government regulation. In those circumstances, self-interest would lead business firms to produce only those products that consumers wanted, and to produce them at the lowest possible cost. They would do this, not as a whole by providing it with more and better goods and services, at the lowest prices.

To explain why all society benefits when the economy is free of regulation, Smith used the metaphor of the “invisible hand”:

“Every individual is continually exerting himself to find the most advantageous employment for whatever capital he can command. It is his. It is his own advantage, and not that of society, which he has in mind … but he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention, for the pursuit of his own advantage necessarily leads him to prefer that employment which is most advantageous to society.”

The “invisible hand” was Smith’s name for economic forces that we today would call supply and demand, or the marketplace. He sharply disagreed with the merchantilists who, in their quest for a “favourable balance of trade”, called for regulation of the economy.

Instead, Smith agreed with the physiocrats and their policy of “laissez faire”, letting individuals and business function without interference from government regulation or private monopolies. In that way, the “invisible hand” would be free to guide the economy and maximize production.

The Wealth of Nations goes on to describe the principal elements of the economic system. In famous section, Smith turned to the pin industry to demonstrate how the division of labour and the use of machinery increased output.

“One man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head: to make the head requires two or three distinct operations …”

Although modern technology has improved the methods by which pins are produced, the principles pertaining to the division of labour remain unchanged.

Similarly, other sections dealing with the factors of production, money and international trade are as meaningful today as when they were first written. Smith’s The Wealth of Nations contains some of the best descriptions of the principles upon which the economic system of the United States is based.

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Exercise 14.

•Read the article below about life coaching – regular meetings between a business person and a neutral consultant to discuss work-related problems.

•Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each gap from A, B, C or D given below.

•For each question 1 – 10, mark one letter (A, B, C or D).

•There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Why I Found a Life Coach

Anyone who has ever (0) D through a self-improvement book has probably learned that such books do not hold the (1) . . . . . . . of personal happiness. Having read too many of them without success, I was (2) . . . . . . . to staying vaguely dissatisfied for the rest of my life. But when I (3) . . . . . . . a newspaper article about a new kind of consultant, called a life coach, I became curious, and decided to learn more.

I was looking for a more personal way to (4) . . . . . . . my life: I’d achieved my material goals before (5) . . . . . . . the support of a coach, but professional challenges, long hours and not having someone neutral to talk to were putting my work and relationships at (6) . . . . . . . . I realised I needed to learn how to deal with problems before they occurred.

My life coach is very good at asking me (7) . . . . . . . questions which help me to discover what I’m dissatisfied with in my life, and to understand who I am. It’s good to have someone you can trust and respect to (8) . . . . . . . things over with.

I sometimes pick topics in (9) . . . . . . . of our discussions, such as situations at work, or conflicts between me and colleagues, though I don’t always (10) . . . . . . . an agenda. And I know that everything I say to my coach is in the strictest confidence. I’m far better at tackling difficult situations now, and best of all, I feel much more at ease with my life.

Exercise 15.

•Read the article below about working abroad.

•For each question 1 – 10, write one word.

•There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Example 0 it

WORKING ABROAD

An increasing number of people are finding (0) . . . . . . necessary to spend at least part of their working life abroad. An international career used to be something people opted into from choice, but (1) . . . . . . many it has now become a requirement of staying in work. You do not have to be working in a huge multinational corporation to find (2) . . . . . . being asked to work abroad. Companies that not so (3) . . . . . . years ago reserved foreign travel for directors, are now sending middle managers and even new recruits on projects overseas.

The characteristics of international travel will vary widely. For some people it will mean that they will occasionally have to spend a (4) . . . . . . days in a foreign city, while for others it will mean that they will constantly be moving from (5) . . . . . .

country to another until they eventually lose touch with (6) . . . . . . original national identity.

The growing demand for people with the skills and experience to work in crossnational contexts places a premium on those who have developed the skills to enable them to rise to that challenge. (7) . . . . . . is needed is flexibility and adaptability, both of (8) . . . . . . arise from a state of mind rather than from innate ability. Teamworking skills are also important and (9) . . . . . . is the ability to communicate effectively, especially (10) . . . . . . long distances, via new communications technologies, such as videoconferencing and teleconferencing.

An international career requires a variety of skills. The time to begin preparing for such a career is now.

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Exercise 16.

•Read the text below about writing good covering letters.

•In most of the lines 1 – 12 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.

•If a line is correct, write CORRECT.

•If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word in CAPITAL LETTERS.

•The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00).

Examples: 0 C O R R E C T

00 Y O U

DON’T GET “FILLED IN THE BIN”

0When you’re applying for a job, what can you do to ensure that your

00covering letter doesn’t just get ‘filled’ in the rubbish bin? Firstly, you

1always remember that the purpose of a covering letter is there to

2complement for your CV. This means it should flesh out and explain

3clearly through any points that the CV alone doesn’t deal with and that

4therefore might otherwise be missed out by prospective employers.

5For example, if you’re looking to change in industries, then your letter

6ought to explain them why you want to make the move, what your

7motivation is, and what you hope to achieve. If your CV shows that you

8don't hold a relevant qualification that the job ad has specified it (say,

9a university degree or a vocational diploma), so you’ll need to explain

10why you should still be considered. It’s not easy, and often writing the

11letter can take twice as long as writing your CV. But because to some

12extent that is how it should be: a CV is a formal, with structured document that simply imparts information, whereas a letter is your chance to make an impression.

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Контрольная работа №2

Exercise 1.

MEETING TECHNIQUES

A. Read the text and say why the author thinks meetings can be waste of time.

THINK BEFORE YOU MEET

Too many meetings are a waste of time

What do corporate leaders do all day? Much of their time is spent in meetings. No wonder: the rules of team working are established in meetings, which in turn are the basic building blocks of corporate existence. However, meetings might not always be the best use of the team’s time.

Meetings, like teams, do not necessarily achieve what they set out to do. One recent study in America by consultants Synectics found that senior and middle managers spent more than three-quarters of their time in meetings. On average, only 12 per cent of managers thought their meetings were productive. In high-performing companies, that figure rose to 25 per cent and in the lower performers it dropped to 2 per cent.

Despite IT, we all go to more and more of them,” reflects Jonathan Day of

MicKinsey. But there must be a way to make them work. They can’t all be a waste of time. Perhaps team leaders should do everything they can to make sure they organize them properly. Indeed, running meetings well is clearly an art, and a growing number of companies (including Synectics, which modesty claims to run the best meetings in the world) are offering help. Lots of meetings, of course, happen in the corridor or around the coffee machine, and those are probably the most efficient sort, because they tend to be spontaneous, small and quick. Bigger ones are usually more problematic, and team members have to put up with meetings where too little thought goes into the agenda, the location, the people asked to attend and the outcome, say those who try to improve them. That allows unimportant ideas or tedious individuals to hog the floor, with the result that a lot of team members find it hard to look forward to the next meeting.

Meetings tend to be held either to share information or to solve problems. For the first sort, Roger Neil of Synecics advocates asking all the participants to say at the end what they think they have heard, and correcting their accounts if they are wrong. With problem-solving, the aim ought not to be just brainstorming and coming up with ideas

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but also paying proper attention to putting solutions into practice. He also thinks it is wise to ask people what they liked about the things they heard; criticism usually comes unasked. Pessimism, skepticism and challenge all cause trouble.

What makes meetings especially important to companies, though, is that this is where teams are moulded. That is why companies must learn how to run them. David Bradford, a professor at Stanford Business School, who specialises in studying teams, argues that meetings often waste huge amounts of time: in one business, the executive team spent three meetings designing business cards. Of course, one person should have done this before the team started working together. The way to get a good decision is to frame the question carefully. If you want to invest in China, do not announce that you are planning to do this, or ask, the meeting whether you should. Instead, enlist your colleagues’ help by saying:”We want to be in the Chinese market: how do we get there?”

B.Read the text again and answer the questions in writing.

1.Why are corridor and coffee machine meetings often efficient?

2.What are the two main reasons for holding meetings?

3.What kind of feedback do people give easily?

4.Why do companies consider meetings to be very important?

5.What happens when meetings are not properly organized?

C.Give your opinion in writing.

Teams can be moulded in meetings. Some companies organize other teammoulding activities like paintballing, away days and bungee jumping. How do you feel about these activities? What other activities can help to build a team? Which ones would you personally like/not like?

Exercise 2.

Read the text, translate it in writing and be prepared to discuss it with a teacher in class.

The Globalization of American Industry: The Trade of a Tape Measure

There was a time when the term ‘international trade’ referred to goods or services created entirely in one country that they were imported from, or exported to another.

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But trade between nations today is far more complex. Companies based in one country may manufacture components in another, assemble them in a third, and market the finished product all over the world. It is little wonder therefore, that people often use the terms ‘global’, and the ‘globalization of industry’ when referring to trade between nations today.

One American company to have followed this pattern is Stanley Works of new Britain, Connecticut, founded nearly 150 years ago. Stanley has long been one of this country’s best known hardware and tool manufacturers.

Prior to 1970, overseas sales of Stanley products consisted of goods with a “made in the United States of America” label. Then, with foreign competition cutting into their tool and hardware market, Stanley decided to meet the problem head on by moving some of its manufacturing operations overseas.

One of Stanley’s most successful products has been its retractable steel tape measures. To increase its overseas sales of that item, the company purchased an existing tape factory in France, and plants in Taiwan and Mexico that could be adapted for that purpose. The moves proved to be enormously profitable. Tape sales are now running at about US $145 million annually, with half that amount coming from foreign sales.

In analyzing why its foreign tape facilities were so successful, the company discovered the following:

Since the tapes were manufactured locally, they could be sold with “made in …” labels indicating European, Asian and Latin American origins.

The company was exempt from the tariffs normally levied on foreign imports.

Wearing Stanley tapes clipped to one’s belt has become something of a fad among young “do-it-yourself” abroad.

By purchasing concerns in foreign countries, Stanley was able to benefit from the advances those firms had made in manufacturing technology.

Exercise 3 .

Read this text taken from a business magazine.

Choose the best sentence to fill each of the gaps.

For each gap 1 – 6, mark one letter (A – H).

Do not use any letter more than once.

There is an example at the beginning (0).

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Spare me the details

There is a huge gap between what consumers want and what vendors would like to sell them. Lisa Hook, an executive at AOL, one of the biggest providers of traditional

(’dial up’) internet access, has learned amazing things by listening in on the calls to AOL’s help desk. (0) H The help desk’s first question is: “Do you have a computer?”

Surprisingly often the answer is no, and the customer was trying to shove the installation CD into the stereo or TV set. The help desk’s next question is:”Do you have a second telephone line?” Again, surprisingly often the answer is no. This means that the customer cannot get on to the internet. (1) …. And so it goes on.

Admittedly, in America, where about half of the internet households now have highspeed (‘broadband’) connections, these AOL customers are so-called ‘late adaptors’, or ‘analogues’. But even younger, savvier ‘digital natives’ or ‘digital immigrants’ can provide surprising insights for those who care to listen.

Geneviene Bell works for Intel, the world’s biggest semiconductor-maker. She has been travelling around Asia for three years to observe how Asians use, or choose not to use, technology. (2) … Americans tended to say things like ‘my home is my castle’ and furnish it as a self-contained playground. Asians were more likely to tell her that

‘my home is a place of harmony’, ‘grace’, ‘simplicity’ or ‘humility’. (3) ….

Even within Western cultures, Ms Bell, who is Australian, has found startling differences in the way people view technology. (4) … As she did so, she immediately got a mocking ‘Oi, what do you think you are, famous?’ from the next table. ‘For

Americans, adopting technology is an expression of American-ness, part of the story of modernity and progress,’ says Ms Bell. (5) …

And even Americans, perhaps more prone than others to workaholism, can get frustrated by technology. Chris Capossela, boss of productivity software at Microsoft, commissioned a study where office workers were shadowed (with their consent) after they left the office. (6) … Thanks to technology (laptops, Blackberries, smart phones and so on), he says, ‘the boundaries of nine-to-five no longer exists.’ This creates a new demographic category, ‘the enterprise consumer’, for whom not only technology but all of life has grown more complex.

AShe recently opened her laptop in a caf? in Sydney to check her email.

BHe or she is, of course, already on the line to the help desk.

CThe industry is currently hoping to develop these technologies even further.

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DShe was especially struck by the differences in how Westerns and Asians view their homes.

EFor many other people, it may be just a hassle, or downright pretentious.

FThey recoiled from gadgets that made noises or looked showy or intrusive.

GIt showed that people feel pressure even in their cars and homes to keep up with the expectation that one is always available.

HUsually, the problem is that users cannot get online.

Exercise 4.

Read and translate the report in writing.

As Market Research Manager, I provide information to our national and international management teams about how our products are selling. This information is collected by a team of quality auditors, who cover twelve areas nationally. I produce journey plans for them, to ensure that they cover the maximum number of retail outlets in a particular area. They check the number of our products present in the shop and in stock, the stock rotation procedures, the sell – by dates and the way in which the product is being displayed. All this information is then collected in our department, and weekly statistics produced by computer to track the progress of each product. This may sound very routine, but I have to ensure that the auditors are doing their work accurately by checking up on them when they are on the road and by looking at the information they provide. So you have to develop an instinct about people, their working methods and reliability.

In addition to knowledge of the retail sector and the problems of selling fast – moving consumer goods, a mathematician or statistical background allied to knowledge of how to exploit computer software is vital in collecting and interpreting data. Most Marketing degrees will include the necessary subjects.

For this job, you must be organized and pay attention to detail; but you also need the creativity and imagination to understand what motivates consumers to buy your products. Make the wrong marketing decisions now and the company will not be successful in the future.

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Exercise 5.

Read the advice below about the use of technology in presentations.

Choose the best word to fill each gap from A, B, C or D. For each question 1 – 15, mark one letter (A, B, C or D). There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Guidelines for Giving Presentations

you want to say and how to say it as clearly as possible. As a first step, you need to (10) ...... the main points you want to get across. Audiences are easily bored and (11)

...... to remember only the most entertaining, exciting or unusual ideas.

Next create your materials, choosing the images for your presentation carefully. Remember you do not want to stop your audience from listening to you, nor do you

Exercise 6.

Read the article below about a retailer.

For each question 1 – 10, write one word.

There is an example at the beginning, (0).

Littlewoods rethinks catalogue strategy

The retailer Littlewoods is reviewing the PR strategy across (0) its home-shopping brands. The retailer is looking to rejuvenate what it offers in (1) _______ face of fierce competition from firms (2) _______ as Next Directory, cable TV shopping and websites. PR work for brands including LX Direct is up for grabs, in addition (3)

______ sub-brands under the Shop Direct umbrella, for example Kays Lifestyle,

Abound and Additions Direct. ‘We are looking at this (4) _______ a brand-by-brand basis and won’t necessarily hire [just] one agency,’ said a Littlewoods spokesman, adding that the review had been motivated by standard business practice’. It (5)

______ thought that around six agencies will take part (6) _______ a pitch process for which firms have been asked to submit written proposals. Agencies including Brazen PR and Cohn &Wolfe currently promote brands within the Littlewoods empire. The spokesman declined to specify (7) _______ their roles could be in a revamped agency line-up. Any agency appointed would report to individual brands up for grabs. Littlewoods, owned (8) ______ the Barclay brothers, hit the headlines late last month, (9)

_______ it revealed that it was planning to close 126 of its loss-making Index cataloguebased shops. The decision followed nearly 20 years of losses at the chain. The Barclay brothers bought Littlewoods from the Moores family in 2002 (10) _______ £759 m.

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Exercise 7.

Read the text below about non-financial reporting.

In most of the lines 1 – 12 there is one extra word. It is either grammatically incorrect or does not fit in with the meaning of the text. Some lines, however, are correct.

If a line is correct, write CORRECT.

If there is an extra word in the line, write the extra word.

The exercise begins with two examples, (0) and (00).

Examples: 0 C O R R E C T

00 A N D

Ethical business?

0 Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) is a medium-size banking and

00insurance business and with its roots firmly in the north of England and the the

119th century. But in one respect at very least it is a 21st century world leader.

2In a ranking of firms’ non-financial reports, CFS came out at top ahead of

3second-placed Novo Nordisk, a Danish drug company, and BP, the British oil

4giant. The ranking, which is published this week, has been prepared by the UN

5Environment Programme, and Sustain Ability, a consultancy, in the partnership

6with the credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s. In their non-financial reports,

7firms volunteer such an overview of their ‘environmental and social impact’

8during the previous year. Since the last such ranking, many more of firms

9have chosen to produce non-financial reports. It is been claimed their

10quality has increased – as, less happily for the environment, has their own

11length. What was, ten years ago, a voluntary practice is now becoming

12mainstream – in Europe, at least. Only these two American firms are in the top

20, but several of Europe’s biggest businesses are there.

Exercise 8. Arrange the parts of the resume so that everything is in the right place.

Objective

To secure a part-time position that offers a variety of tasks, in which to use my secretarial skills and knowledge of foreign languages.

References

References are available on request.

Other skills & occupations

I now work regularly as a volunteer for the Red Cross. I also have a clean driver’s licence and a good knowledge of Spanish and French. My personal interests include classical literature reading, independent travel, modern Jazz and swimming.

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Exercise 9. Prepare the letter of application answering one of the following classified advertisements:

1. OFFICE ASST

Textile distributor has highly diversified position for a person who enjoys detailed work and has good typing. Business background helpful $200/wk. Box 7705.

2. REGIONAL LEASING AND PERMITS ACCOUNT MANAGER

As a part of the sales and marketing team at our national sales office, you will be responsible for recommending objectives for new and existing business and negotiating permits for leases with city building and planning departments. An advanced degree or MBA is a plus. Prospects are first class. Appointment carries potential for rapid promotion.

3. ADMINISTRATOR

London subsidiary of international French wine company offers opportunity to gain experience in accounts and administration. The successful applicant will possess good organizational skills and the ability to work under pressure. An eye for detail and sense of humor are essential. Typing skills and PC experience will be an advantage.

Assistance to study towards trade or other professional qualifications is available.

Exercise 10. Translate the following letters using the proper vocabulary and style.

A.

Управляющему директору требуется исполнительный секретарь

Престижной западной финансовой организации требуется исполнительный секретарь управляющего директора, в обязанности которого будут входить обеспечение полной административной поддержки директору, установление и развитие контактов с главными клиентами на высоком профессиональном уровне, выполнение всех секретарских функций и поддержание связей с общественностью.

ОСНОВНЫЕ ТРЕБОВАНИЯ К КАНДИДАТУ: свободное владение английским языком, возраст от 24 до 30 лет, хорошая скорость машинописи, владение компьютером, солидный опыт секретарской работы на уровне первых лиц не менее

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2 лет. Просьба высылать резюме по факсу: 095 222 22 22 на имя Jane Brown, менеджера по подбору персонала.

B.

Уважаемая миссис Браун!

Кас.: Вакантной должности исполнительного секретаря управляющего директора

Я заинтересована в должности исполнительного секретаря, вакансия на которую была объявлена вчера в газете The Moscow Times.

Как видно из прилагаемого резюме, я работаю в подобной должности около двух лет. Должность личного секретаря президента компании, которую я занимаю в настоящее время, предполагает в том числе исполнение обязанностей, упомянутых в Вашем объявлении, а именно: обеспечение полной административной поддержки президента, ведение дел по линии общественных связей в офисе, хотя наша компания и небольшая.

Ябы с удовольствием воспользовалась возможностью работать в такой известной компании, как Ваша. С моей точки зрения, работа в новом окружении – это ещё одна возможность испытать свои силы.

Ябыла бы рада встретиться с Вами и обсудить эту вакансию в любое время. Была бы очень признательна Вам, если бы Вы пока звонили мне не по рабочему, а по домашнему номеру телефона.

Снетерпением жду Вашего ответа.

Искренне Ваша Ребекка Уилтон (Мисс)

Exercise 11. Write the following as instructed.

List all the facts you can think of about your personality, background and experiences. Then arrange the list in a logical order and decide on categories under which to group the facts.

From this worksheet, prepare your resume.

Exercise 12.

Describe the general organization of your company or one you know.

Describe your department and its function. Describe your job, your responsibilities.