Module I

Topics: International Business Cooperation.

English as a World Language.

Customs, Traditions and Holidays.

Mass Media

Grammar: Sequence of Tenses.

Reported (Indirect Speech).

Unit I

Ex. 1. Answer and discuss in the group.

1. What does the word “business” mean to you?

2. Why do countries import or export goods?

3. What products does Ukraine (Great Britain, the USA, Russia etc.) specialize in?

4. What do you think multinational cooperation mean?

TEXT A

International business cooperation

Business is a word that is commonly used in many languages. Traditionally, business simply meant exchange or trade for things people wanted or needed. But today it has more technical definition.

It is a combination of all activities: production, distribution, sale and making profit.

People may do business either in their own country or organize international business cooperation. For efficient business, nations export or import goods. International trade makes a wide variety of goods and services available to people everywhere. Many of items that we use daily are imports, - products that are sold where we live but produced or grown somewhere else.

For example, Saudi Arabia imports automobiles; the United States, bananas; and Mexico computers. Natural, human and technical resources help determine which product a nation will specialize in.

Saudi Arabia is able to specialize in petroleum because it has the necessary natural resources, the USA is able to specialize in the computer industry because it has the technical expertise necessary for design and production. Ukraine is able to specialize in ferrous metallurgy because it is rich in natural resources such as manganese, coal, iron ore.

Regardless of its resources, no country today can produce all the goods and services demanded by its citizens. Countries naturally tend to export those things that they can produce better or less expensively than other countries and on the other hand they import things that cannot be produced efficiently at home.

These international relations are organized through joint ventures, stock exchange or different multinational companies. A company often becomes involved in international trade by exchanging goods or services with another country. This is the first step in the development of a multinational business. As trade expands, the corporation’s dealings with companies or people outside the ‘home country’ of the corporation increase. The next step in the development of a multinational business is focusing on the world market.

Since World War II, multinational corporations have grown rapidly. The names and products of many of the multinationals have become well-known in the world marketplace: International Business Machines (IBM), General Motors, Royal Dutch Shell, Sony, Coca-Cola and Volkswagen. Coca-Cola, for example, now has operations in more than 180 countries. These companies control great sums of money and they operate in countries with different political and economic systems.

The main objective of multinationals is to maximize global profits and global market shares. Each subsidiary is part of an international network of affiliates. They all interact with each other, each part serves for whole, the centre controlling the network – the multinationals’ headquarters – is frequently thousands of miles away from these subsidiaries.

A multinational corporation operates in a complex business environment. Cultural, social, economic, political, and technological systems change from country to country. In order to operate successfully, a multinational company needs a basic understanding and appreciation of foreign business environment.

Doing business with other countries business people often attend meetings, speak over the phone with foreign partners, make presentations. Every professional spends a lot of time in conferences. They have informal and formal conversations during these meetings so they must understand what other people want to say and express their own ideas and thoughts. For this purpose the language of communication is needed and English performs such function now.

NOTES:

regardless of	незважаючи на
expensively	дорого
maximize	збільшувати
affiliate	філія
purpose	мета
appreciation	повага, оцінка
interact	взаємодіяти
petroleum	нафта, гас
ferrous metallurgy	чорна металургія
manganese	марганець
coal	вугілля
iron ore	залізна руда
technical expertise	технічні знання

Ex. 2. Find in the text the answers to the following questions:

1. What is business?

2. What factor is important in business in addition to production, distribution and sale?

3. What is international trade?

4. What do we mean by export?

5. What do we mean by import?

6. Where may people do business?

7. Is it possible for one country to produce all the goods and services demanded by the citizens?

8. How does the company become involved in international trade?

9. What is the next step in the development of a multinational business?

10. When did multinational corporations begin to grow rapidly?

11. What multinationals are well-known all over the world?

12. What is the main objective of multinationals?

Ex.3. Find an appropriate word for each blank space.

objective, exchanging, control, produce, import, do

1. People may _____ business either in their own country or organize international business cooperation.

2. Doing business nations export or ____ goods.

3. No country today can ___ all the goods and services.

4. A company often becomes involved in international trade by___ goods or services.

5. Multinational companies ____ great sums of money.

6. The main ____ of multinationals is to maximize global profit and global market shares.

Ex. 4. Use the words to make the meaningful sentences.

1. Used, many, a, word, languages, is, business, in.

2. Variety, trade, a wide, goods, of , international, makes.

3. Headquarters, the, companies, control, of, the, network, multinational.

4. Spends, professional, every, in, conferences, time, a lot of.

Ex.5. Choose one or two answers that are correct.

1. Nations import goods they…

1. produce efficiently.

2. specialize in.

3. lack or cannot produce efficiently.

2. Specialization often results in…

1. growth of population.

2. increased output.

3. decreased costs.

3. The USA is able to specialize in the computer industry because of its…

1. natural resources.

2. technical resources.

3. international trade.

4. Saudi Arabia is able to … in petroleum.

1. produce

2. design

c) specialize

Ex.6. Role play.