4.1 Read and translate the text:

Peter Wiles, Hector Grant's nephew, is the Production Manager. He is

going to have a very hectic day, but he thinks he will have a quiet

morning dictating into a dictating machine a long report which his

secretary, Jane, can type back later. John Martin comes into Peter's

office very worried. He has just received a memo from the Production

Department telling him that there will be a delay in delivery of some

special plastic-coated steel sheets. These sheets are wanted for an

important order. They will form part of a console for a computerized

control system, the place, where one man can sit and be responsible for

the production of a large, fully-automatic chemical plant. To get the

order, Harper & Grant had to promise to deliver these desks before a

certain date. If they fail to deliver on time they will lose money,

because there is a penalty clause in the contract. To make these desks,

the firm need steel sheets which are coated, or covered, with plastic.

The plastic coating is finished in a heat-treatment oven called an

annealing oven. But the steel company who supply these sheets are not

able to deliver on the date they promised: that is to say, they cannot

honour their contract with Harper & Grant. But Harper & Grant did not

have a penalty clause in their contract with the suppliers, so they may

lose money unless something can be done about it pretty quickly.

4.2 Listen to the dialogue.

(Peter Wiles's office)

PETER Jane, will you go and see if you can borrow John Martin's

tape recorder for me? I've left my machine at home.

JANE Here is Mr. Martin.

PETER Oh, hello, John. Are you using your dictating machine this

morning? I've got a long report I must dictate. Could I

borrow your machine?

JOHN Of course. But can you spare me a second? This memo you sent

me about the delivery delay on the console control desks.

What's gone wrong?

PETER Everything, John. We have to get the steel sheets which we

need for these desks from new suppliers. Well, the suppliers

have got some trouble or other. They say they'll be a bit

late with delivery.

JOHN But they can't be! Those console control desks are a special

order. They're wanted for one of the big computer companies.

It's a very important contract.

PETER When did we promise delivery?

JOHN On Thursday week. And there's a penalty clause. We stand to

lose ten per cent of our price for each week of overdue

delivery.

PETER Oh, these penalty clauses! Why do you sales people accept

them?

JOHN We have to accept them, otherwise we don't get the contracts.

PETER Well, let's get on to the Buying Department. I only heard

about the delay yesterday because we kept the production

line clear to handle these special sheets. It's a dreadful

nuisance.

JOHN It'll be more than a nuisance if we don't meet our delivery

date. It'll cost us a lot of money.

PETER Keep calm, John. We can perhaps claim compensation from the

steel suppliers for failure to deliver on time. That'll

offset the penalty clause.

JOHN Well, if you can...

PETER (He dials on internal phone) Hello, Jones? Those plastic

coated sheets - Mid Wales Steel Company are the suppliers,

aren't they? Who do you deal with there? Mr. Morgan. Can you

find out why there's this hold-up on delivery? Those sheets

are urgent. Yes, they're wanted for a special order. What?

You didn't know? Well, does that mean there was no time limit

in the contract? Yes, phone me back, will you. If you like,

I'll speak to Morgan myself.

JOHN Does that mean we can't claim compensation if they fail to

deliver on time?

PETER It looks like it. Jones is checking our order now. He didn't

know they were being ordered against a special job. He thought

they were wanted for stock.

JOHN Just our luck!

JANE Mr. Jones for you on the phone, Mr, Wiles.

PETER Hello. What did Morgan say? Oh, no! Well, if that's true, why

did Mid Wales offer a delivery of thirty days? They must have

known they couldn't honour it. Why did they accept our order

at all? Yes. O.K. Morgan is ringing me, is he? Yes. I'd like

to hear his excuses. Thanks, Jones. (He puts the receiver

down.)

JOHN What's the reason for the delay?

PETER Deliveries are held up because one of their annealing ovens

broke down. (Telephone rings.) Ah, that may be Morgan now.

JANE Mr. Morgan of the Mid Wales Steel Company on the line.

PETER Hello. Good morning, Mr. Morgan. Yes, Mr. Jones has been

telling me. Well, you've put us in a nice mess. Those sheets

of yours are for a special order. We're due to deliver the

finished console desks by next Thursday, and now you say

there's a two-week delay... When did the oven break down? Yes.

Well, the point is, what can you do to help us? It's too late

to get the material for this job from another firm now...

What? Well, if you can, that will help. Yes, I think we'd be

prepared to share the extra cost of sending the goods by road.

Yes . . . Goodbye.

JOHN What does he say?

PETER He says he can have half the items ready ex works by noon on

Monday. That'll give us a day and a half to assemble the

desks... one day for packing and delivery. Yes, well, we'll

have to make this a crisis operation. Jane! Come in here, will

you.

JANE Yes, Mr. Wiles.

PETER Get the Works Manager on the phone for me as soon as you can.

JANE Yes, Mr. Wiles.

JOHN What about the other half?

PETER Morgan thinks he can let us have them on Wednesday. By the

time we get them assembled and delivered... let's see...

they'll be about a week late, but maybe the customer will

accept this. What do you think, John?

JOHN I'll get on to them and find out.

PETER Have you got the Works Manager yet, Jane?

JANE I'm trying to get him; he's not answering his phone.

PETER Well, try him on the public address. He's never in his

office.

JANE He's on the line now, Mr. Wiles.

PETER Ah, Fielding. We have a crisis. How soon can we assemble

those console-type desks? Yes, it'll involve rescheduling the

production line, but what I want to know is... if we get the

sheets by Monday, can we have them assembled, packed and

ready to leave by Wednesday afternoon? It'll be only half the

order arriving on Monday. The rest of the sheets will be

delivered on Wednesday, which will give us the weekend... I

can't help that. Paying double time will still be cheaper

than the loss we shall make if the customer insists on the

penalty. Yes. You think you can? Good man. O.K. Thanks. Jane!

Get the customer on the phone here for Mr. Martin, and then I

must get down to that report.

4.3 Answer the questions:

1. What are the special sheets wanted for?

2. Which company has the penalty clause in the contract?

3. What is the trouble at the steel company?

4. What is the way out of the situation?

5. How will the workers be paid?

4.4 Find definitions for the terms:

compensation, honour a contract, penalty clause, meet a delivery date,

production line, overdue, overtime, ex works

a. a paragraph in a contract allowing the buyer to deduct a percentage

of the price as a penalty for late delivery

b. do just what the contract specifies despite unforeseen difficulties

c. not received on the date promised

d. the process through which the raw materials pass to make a finished

product

e. have goods ready by the agreed time

f. ready to leave the factory

g. money or goods given to offset a loss caused through failure to

fulfil an obligation

h. work which is in addition to the normal weekly working hours

4.5 Fill in gaps in the sentences:

1. To make sure that the goods are delivered on time, we'd better have a

... in the contract. 2. Some employees like working on Sundays and

national holidays because they get paid ... 3. The firm had a strike

last month and it looks as if they won't be able ... 4. Part of a

machine tool fell on the foreman's big toe and broke it. The firm are

responsible, so the will have to... 5. Can you let us know when the

goods will be ready ... so that we can collect them? 6. The steel

company agreed to deliver the steel sheets ... days. 7. The hold-up was

due to the breaking ... of one of the steel company's annealing ovens.

8. If you use a dictating machine you can dictate ... it at any time. 9.

The Production Manager is responsible ... coordinating all the processes

of manufacture. 10. If there is a penalty clause in the contract you can

claim compensation ... failure to deliver on time.

4.6 If goods are not delivered on the day on which they were promised

the buyer might send a letter, or a telegram or fax (if he needs the

goods urgently), to complain and ask the manufacturers, or suppliers, to

hurry up the delivery. The following is a typical "complaint" letter.

Complete it with the given words:

failure, cancel, enquiry, delay, date, placed, delivery

------------------------------------------------------------------------

B R E N T W O O D S C H O O L,

HAMBLEDON,

CUMBERLAND.

The Manager,

Sales Department,

Harper & Grant Ltd.,

Great West Road,

London, W.25. 16th September, 197..

Dear Sirs,

With reference to our order of 30th July for twenty-five

student-type desks, we shall be glad to know when we may expect ..., as

these are now urgently required.

When we made the initial ..., your department assured us that

delivery would only take three weeks, and we ... the order on that

understanding as we wished to have the desks before the beginning of the

new term. Your ... to deliver by the promised date is very inconvenient.

Will you please inform us by return, by telegram or telephone, of

the earliest possible ... when you can deliver these goods. Should the

... be longer than two or three days, we shall regretfully have to ...

the order.

Yours faithfully,

Paul Wilson

HEADMASTER

------------------------------------------------------------------------

4.7 Make a conversation using these sentences.

* Friday is our deadline.

* They will certainly claim compensation.

* We cannot help accepting penalty clauses.

* We'll have to share the extra costs.

* We stand to lose ten per cent of our price for each week of

overdue delivery.

* In that case it will be impossible to honour the contract.

4.8 We have spoken a lot about selling goods. Now let us turn to

providing services for a change.

Car hire is a service provided by many hotels. Read the information

about hiring a car from Hertz.

HERTZ

You'll enjoy the reliability of a car that's:

i) usually a maximum of seven months old;

ii) checked, cleaned, and with a full tank of petrol;

iii) delivered FREE to your doorstep.

Your car will usually be no more than seven months old, or will have

covered no more than 50,000 kms AND will have passed a 19-point delivery

check on all important mechanical and other parts before rental.

Furthermore, all cars will be delivered to you thoroughly cleaned, both

inside and out.

To help you make the most of your holiday motoring, Hertz will give you

an area road map. All four-door cars are equipped with rear-door

child-proof locks, and child safety seats are normally available at a

small additional charge.

Not only are the prices very competitive, but they are inclusive of:

i) delivery and collection to and from your hotel or apartment

ii) unlimited mileage

iii) 3rd party, fire and theft insurance

iv) collision damage waiver, which covers the renter's responsibility

for accidental damage to the vehicle

v) all local taxes

Your car will be delivered to your hotel or apartment free of charge

with a full tank of petrol and collected from you again at the end of

the rental. Should you experience any difficulty with the car, a

replacement vehicle, if necessary, will be delivered to you as quickly

as possible.

Expenditure on oil and maintenance repairs will be refunded on

production of receipts at the end of the rental.

When you pre-book your Hertz car, availability is guaranteed, provided

that you indicate your requirement at the time of booking your holiday.

4.9 Are these statements true or false?

* Cars are never more than seven months old.

* You have to collect the car from a garage.

* When you get the car it will not be dirty.

* You do not need to buy a local road map.

* You must pay local taxes.

* If you have a problem with the car it will be changed.

* You can drive as far as you want without paying extra.

* You must pay for any oil and maintenance repairs you need.

4.10 Imagine that you have hired a car from Hertz but they have not

fulfilled some of their obligations. Make a conversation with a Hertz

representative.

4.11 Translate the sentences:

1. Задержка поставки необходимых материалов не должна помешать нам

выполнить этот заказ. 2. Дайте-ка я взгляну на контракт: кажется, в нем

не предусмотрен пункт о штрафах. 3. Не можешь ли ты уделить мне минуту?

Согласно условиям контракта, мы должны собрать эти блоки в среду на

следующей недели, но в сборочном цеху возникли какие-то сложности. 4.

Выплата всех наших долгов просрочена. 5. Разумеется, мы потребуем, чтобы

они выплатили нам компенсацию; только боюсь, что это мало поможет делу и

не возместит наши потери. 6. Вы хотите сказать, что не знаете причин

падения сбыта? 7. Мы готовы разделить с вами дополнительные затраты по

упаковке товаров, однако не рассчитывайте на большее. 8. К полудню вся

партия товара будет готова к вывозу с территории фабрики. 9. Ну что ж,

поскольку я не вижу иного выхода, придется заплатить рабочим по двойному

тарифу. 10. Питер очень не любит работать сверхурочно, но в этот раз у

нас срочный заказ, и я думаю, что он согласится поработать лишние три

часа. 11. Из-за вас мы попали в изряднейшую неприятность. 12. Ради этих

изделий вся производственная линия будет перепланирована. 13. Надеюсь,

что заказчик не станет настаивать на штрафах.

4.12 Read and translate an abridged article from 'The New York Times':

NOT A BAD START FOR THE WORKERS

President Bill Clinton's initiative in the fight against apparel

industry sweatshops around the world was formally announced on Monday in

a ceremony at the White House. Given the scope and complexity of the

problems to be addressed, it is not a bad start at all. But it is only a

start.

The Workplace Code of Conduct agreed to by the president's task

force prohibits forced labour and the employment of young children in

apparel factories, requires companies and their contractors to pay the

minimum wage established by local law, recognizes the right of employees

to associate freely and bargain collectively, and prohibits physical,

sexual, psychological and verbal abuse or harassment.

The task force, known as the Apparel Industry Partnership, is a

coalition of labour, human rights and consumer groups and several major

apparel makers, including Nike, Reebok, Liz Claiborne and Nicole Miller.

It will now set up an association to begin implementing the code of

conduct.

The companies that have joined the partnership have agreed to allow

outside monitors to inspect their factories. And while the monitors will

be hired by the companies, they will have to be approved by the new

association and will be required in the course of their inspections to

consult with human rights organizations concerned about the plight of

sweatshop workers.

"It's a historic and significant beginning," said Jay Mazur, a

member of the task force and president of the Union of Needletraders,

Industrial and Textile Employees. However his comments were tempered by

a certain skepticism. "My concerns have to do with follow-through," he

said. "It's like collective bargaining. It's one thing for them to say

they're going to do it, and another to get them to do it."

Probably the biggest disappointment for people who have done

pioneer work on the sweatshop issue was the inability of the task force

to agree that all factory workers should be paid at least a subsistence

wage. In places like Haiti and Vietnam, that is not enough to cover the

most basic needs of a full-time worker.

"Until workers are paid a livable wage a sweatshop will continue to

be a sweatshop," declared Medea Benjamin, director of Global Exchange, a

human rights group based in San Francisco.

There are other concerns. Will the inspections be thorough, and

will abuses be made public? What good will it do to recognize that

workers have a right to organize in China, which has exhibited such

contempt for the concept of freedom of association? Will companies that

operate in that kind of atmosphere be allowed to stitch "No Sweat" into

their garments?

Will the "No Sweat" labels, so desired by the companies, be

meaningful guides for consumers, or will they be mere public relations

devices that serve to obscure rather than to eliminate workplace abuses?

The latter could happen in the absence of real safeguards.

But at some point on difficult issues you have to take a chance.

You have to move. Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labour

Committee and one of the most militant advocates for sweatshop workers,

said: "We don't have the choice to sit on the sideline. This is a step

forward, and now we have to fight to make this thing real and make it

work."

4.13 Answer the questions to the text:

1. What are sweatshops and what do they make?

2. Where can they be found?

3. What kind of wages are paid to the sweatshop workers?

4. Who try to protect the workers?

5. What was the first step on that path?

6. What thing is supposed to indicate that no sweat labour is used

at the factory?

7. What are the foreseen difficulties?

4.14 Speak about sweatshops comparing them to your imaginary business.

Prove that working conditions at your firm are much better.

4.15 Translate the article:

БОССУ СЛЕДУЕТ ВНИКАТЬ В ПРОБЛЕМЫ СБЫТОВИКОВ

Опыт работы с российскими компаниями позволяет сделать вывод, что

высшие менеджеры, включая президентов, часто смотрят на проблемы продаж

свысока. Во многих фирмах все, что связано со сбытом, находится в

ведении отделов продаж. Для многих руководителей единственный способ

взаимодействия со сбытовиками - это оказание на них большего или

меньшего давления.

Между тем в современной экономике работать таким образом становится

все труднее. Настаивая на таком характере общения с отделом продаж,

компания может проиграть много очков своим конкурентам. Менеджерам есть

смысл подумать о стратегическом подходе к организации сбыта (назовем его

"президентским" подходом):

- если покупателями являются компании;

- если вы продаете продукцию на крупные суммы;

- если в компании-покупателе решение о покупке вашей продукции

принимается одновременно несколькими людьми;

- если на принятие решения уходит много времени;

- если такое решение требует утверждения высшим менеджером;

- если ваши отношения с покупателем носят долгосрочный характер.

Если что-то из перечисленного (тем более все) справедливо для вашей

компании, то ваши специалисты по продажам должны уметь продавать на

"президентском" уровне. Другими словами, они должны быть в состоянии

работать с самим президентом компании-покупателя, а не только с ее

специалистами.

Что это значит для вас? Если вы - президент компании, то должны

рассчитывать на то, что вы сами станете частью команды по продажам. Вы

должны быть готовы к тому, что время от времени вам придется

присоединяться к своему менеджеру по продажам, если он впервые

встречается с президентом компании-клиента.

Главная выгода этого в том, что, чем более высокий уровень

взаимоотношений вы установите с самого начала, тем меньше вам придется

заботиться о таком факторе, как цена: вы будете говорить о качестве и

продуктивности. Высшие менеджеры озабочены тем, как ваш продукт или

услуга помогут им в достижении долгосрочных стратегических целей.

Средние менеджеры и специалисты редко говорят на таком языке. Продавая

им ваш товар или услугу, вам приходится говорить на их языке, основные

понятия которого - цена, техническая спецификация, гарантии,

обслуживание и т.п.

Вероятность успешной сделки гораздо выше, если вы начнете разговор

с самого верха. Кроме того, продуктивность потраченного вами времени

тоже будет выше. Кто лучше других может ответить, подходит ли

компании-клиенту ваш продукт? Конечно, президент этой компании.

Кто принимает окончательное решение? Обычно президент. Если вы не

поговорите с ним сами, ваш продукт ему будет представлять какой-нибудь

специалист. То есть этот сотрудник чужой компании фактически становится

вашим продавцом. Разве он может представить продукт так же, как вы?

Сделка становится все менее вероятной с увеличением количества

инстанций, через которые проходит ваш продукт. Например, ваш продавец

беседует с их специалистом, который встречается с еще 50 продавцами из

других фирм. Возьмем благоприятный вариант: у вашего продукта есть 50%

шансов добраться до следующего уровня принятия решений. Следовательно, с

каждым следующим уровнем вероятность уменьшается в два раза.

Итак, в качестве резюме:

1. Добейтесь того, чтобы ваши продавцы могли говорить на

"президентском" языке и продавать на "президентском" уровне.

2. Вы сами тоже должны приобрести основные навыки торгового

представителя. Кроме того, вам нужно обладать навыками консультантов, то

есть ставить вопросы именно так, как это делают они.

3. Убедите сотрудников своего отдела продаж, что они всегда могут

подойти к вам с любым вопросом. Они должны быть уверены, что вы всегда

можете помочь им организовать встречу с высшим руководством

компании-покупателя и отправиться с ними в эту фирму, если это

необходимо.

4.16 Write a letter of complaint about goods not being delivered on

time.

UNIT 5.

THE FACTORY EXTENSION MEETING

extension 1. пристройка 2. удлинение; расширение

apply for smth подавать заявление на что-л.

authorities органы власти, администрация

approve одобрять

approval одобрение

be in charge of заведовать, руководить

Board Room помещение, где заседает совет директоров

item on the agenda пункт повестки дня

folder папка для бумаг

minutes протокол

minute вносить в протокол

taken as read считается заслушанным

bye-law постановление, распоряжение органов местной власти

machine layout расположение станков

skilled labour квалифицированная рабочая сила

training programme программа обучения

contractor подрядчик

estimate смета, калькуляция

NB: 'taken as read' is a phrase used when it is decided not to read

the minutes of the last meeting aloud. According to rules governing

official meetings, the minutes must be read aloud if they have not

previously been circulated.