Unit 1
1 A WORK TO LIVE OR LIVE TO WORK?
1. Before you start. Which of these statements do you agree with?
1) Work is the most important thing in life.
2) Work is just a way to get money so you can do the things you enjoy.
2. 
Reading. Read what three people say about their jobs. Complete the chart with notes on the good and bad things about Anna's, Tony's, and Erika's jobs.
| good things | bad things | |
| Anna | ||
| Tony | ||
| Erika |
3. Vocabulary. Match the highlighted words in the quotes with the definitions (1-8).
1) the people you work with ______________________________
2) the number of hours in the week you spend doing your job
___________________________________________________
3) the money you receive every month for the work you have done
___________________________________________________
4) the things you do, usually with other people, outside work
___________________________________________________
5) the time you have for eating in the middle of the working day
___________________________________________________
6) the time you spend at work after your normal working hours
___________________________________________________
7) a system where you can choose when to start and finish work
________________________________________________
8) the usual order and way that you regularly do things
________________________________________________
4. Complete the sentences (1-6) with an adjective from the box.
| boring ■ busy ■ difficult ■ creative ■ interesting ■ stressful |
1) If we have too much work and not enough time, it can be quite ___________________________________________________
2) In my job, I use my imagination and ideas a lot, so the work is
___________________________________________________
3) I do the same thing every day - my job is __________________
4) There is so much to do at work that I'm always ______________
5) Sometimes my job is _______________, but I would get bored if it was too easy.
6) My job is very__________________ because I'm always learning new things.
5. Speaking. Work in pairs. Which of the jobs in Exercise 2 would you most like to have? Which would you least like to have? Tell your partner why.
6. Listening 1. People are talking about their jobs. What do they like about their jobs?
7. Writing. Think of a job you would like, or would not like, to have. Write a short text about it, using the texts in Exercise 2 as models.
Get real
Interview someone you know about their job, e.g. a relative or family friend. Ask them what they like and don't like about their job. Find out if they live to work or work to live. Prepare to tell the class about them, in English.
B MOTIVATION AT WORK
1. Before you start.
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a) Work in pairs. Make a list of things that are important when choosing a job, e.g. earning a lot of money, working for a big company, helping other people. You have one minute.
b) Why do people choose these jobs?
a teacher b banker c doctor d engineer
2. Reading. Read about the quotes from two people talking about their jobs. Which one is motivated by:
1) helping other people? __ __
2) earning a lot of money? ____
Marie, accountant
I work in the finance department of a large company. There are a lot of benefits. For example, if the company makes a profit, all the employees get a bonus. There's also a profit share, but that's only for managers. I have a company car and I also travel abroad quite a lot -always business class and on expenses, of course. We also get a pension and private health insurance. The company pays for its staff to go on training courses to develop their professional skills. And we get free membership of the local gym. There are also rewards: it's hard work, but I get a lot of satisfaction from it. People recognize it if you do a good job, so there are good prospects for promotion.
Tom, physiotherapist
I work for the health service. There are a lot of
rewards: the main one is the job satisfaction. I get a real sense of achievement when someone says 'thank you.' You know you're doing a worthwhile job. If you work hard, there are opportunities for promotion. I like the responsibility of making a difference to people's lives. There are some benefits. We don't get bonuses or anything like that, but there's a very good pension. The health service pays for us to go on training courses, and people with children get help with paying for childcare. If I visit patients at home, I get a travel allowance, but it's not very much.
3. Look at this list of things that motivate people and tick the things
Marie and Tom mention.
Marie Tom Marie Tom
pension □ □
training □ □
profit share □ □
expenses □ □
company car □ □
bonus □ □
business class travel □ □
travel allowance □ □
private health insurance □ □
subsidized childcare □ □
job satisfaction □ □
promotion □ □
responsibility □ □
gym membership □ □
doing something worthwhile □ □
4. Which things in the list in Exercise 3 are benefits (extra things you get from your employer)? Which ones are rewards (things that make you feel good about the job)?
5. Speaking. Choose five rewards or benefits from the list in Exercise 3. Number them in order of importance to you. Explain your order to another student.
6. Writing. Choose one of these jobs, or another job you know about:
■ flight attendant ■ architect ■ dentist
■ hotel receptionist ■ salesperson ■ nurse
1 Make a list of the rewards and benefits of the job.
2 Imagine this is your job. Write a short text describing the rewards and benefits. Use the texts in Exercise 2 to help you.
Get real
Interview two people you know about their jobs. Find out about the benefits and rewards they get from their job. Tell the class.
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Unit 2
2 A JOBS IN AN ORGANIZATION
1. Before you start. Think about the people who work in your university, e.g. the lecturers, the administrators. What are they responsible for? Who are they responsible to?
2. Reading. Read the text about some of the people in a film crew. Complete the diagram.
This is a fairly typical film set. On this film set, the director, John, is the boss. He's like the managing director of a company. He's responsible for making sure the film is made on time and to budget. The producer is really in charge of the business. In a normal company, he would be the chairperson. Our producer's name is Sam and he is responsible to the studio. They're the shareholders - the people who invest money in the film. There are a lot of people involved in making a film. The camera operator is called Steve. He does all the filming and he's responsible to John. The sound recordist is Emma - she works closely with Steve. Her job is to record everything the actors say. Then there's Tony, the electrician. He looks after the equipment. Martin, the grip, organizes all the practical things and deals with any problems.
Finally, there's me. My name's Pat and I'm the assistant director. I help John, the director. I'm responsible for the rest of the crew, including Tony and Martin. My job is to make sure that everyone is in the right place at the right time and that they know what to do.
3. Vocabulary. Look at these phrases from the text. Use a dictionary to check any words you don't know. Then write them in your language.
Describing responsibility: My / Her job is to... ________________
... is responsible for... ________________
... is responsible to... ________________
... in charge of... _____________________
Saying what someone does:... looks after... __________________
... deals with... ___________________
... organizes... ___________________
... works closely with ____________
4. Complete the sentences (1-8) with a phrase from Exercise 3. Use each phrase only once.
1) The director tells the actors what to do and ________any problems.
2) Martin __________ the practical things, like finding the right props.
3) I'm the camera operator. _____________ record everything on film.
4) The director is ___________________ everything on the film set.
5) The electrician _______________ the cameras, lights, and recording equipment.
6) Emma is ___________________ recording what people say.
7) The producer ___________________ the studio.
8) Pat ____________________ the director, John.
5. Complete 1-5 with words from the first paragraph.
1) The ________________ is in charge of a company.
2) The _____________ is money you have available to spend on a particular project.
3) The ________________ is responsible for running a company.
4) To ___________ is to put money into a business.
5) _______________ put their money into a company.
6. Speaking. Work in pairs. Draw an organigram of an organization you know, e.g. your university or college. Explain it.
Get real
Talk to someone who works for a company or organization. Ask them how it is organized. Find out about the jobs and responsibilities of some of the people. Draw an organigram of the company and explain it to the class.
2 B PARTS OF A COMPANY
1. 
Before you start. Look at the photos. Which departments of a company do they represent?
2. Reading. Someone is giving a visitor a tour of a company. Read about the nine departments and match the pictures with four of the paragraphs. Then underline the names of all the departments.
OK, let's start here, in research and development, or R & D. This department is responsible for thinking of ideas for new products and finding ways to improve our existing products... □
This department looks after our computer equipment. They deal with any problems. This is information technology, or IT... □
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Purchasing buys all the things we need to make our products. They talk to our suppliers and try to get the best price... □
This is the main factory area, the production department. Here we make our products. It's the biggest part of the company... □
Here in the finance (and accounts) department, they check how much the company is making and decide how much to spend. They also pay invoices and employees' salaries... □
This department looks after the people who work here. Human resources is responsible for recruiting new employees, organizing training and helping with any problems... □
Sales and marketing is very important. The marketing people think up the ideas for selling our products. The sales people go out and sell our products to our customers... □
Customer services processes orders from customers. It organizes transportation, checks that customers have received their orders and deals with complaints... □
Finally, distribution is responsible for transporting our products. They receive orders from customer services, and plan how and when to transport the products so the customers receive them at the right time... □
3. Vocabulary. Match the names of the departments (1-12) with the phrases (a-l) to make a short description of each department.
| 1) | Sales and marketing | a | transports the products. |
| 2) | Information technology | b | pays the salaries. |
| 3) | Customer services | c | sells the products. |
| 4) | Human resources | d | makes the products. |
| 5) | Purchasing | e | looks after the computers. |
| 6) | Production | f | thinks of ideas for new products. |
| 7) | R&D | g | recruits new staff. |
| 8) | Finance | h | processes orders from customers. |
| 9) | Distribution | i | buys parts from suppliers. |
| 10) | Public Relations | j | checks the standard of finished products |
| 11) | Quality Control | k | checks contracts |
| 12) | Legal | l | talks to the press |
4. Which department in ex.3 above do these people usually work in?
1) cost accountants 4) representatives (reps)
2) laboratory technicians 5) training manager
3) lawyers 6) machine operators
5. Speaking. Work in pairs to test each other. Take turns to ask questions about the different departments.
Which department pays the salaries?
6. Listening 2. PMP is a company which manufactures security doors and gates. You are going to hear some of PMP's employees talking about their jobs.
1) What do they do?
a ___________ c ___________ e ___________
b ___________ d ___________ f ___________
2) Which departments do you think they work in?
7. Listenin 
g 3.You are going to hear a presentation about the company structure of PMP. Listen carefully and complete the organization chart below.
8. Listening 3. Listen to the presentation again and match 1-5 to a-e to form sentences.
1) Laura is responsible
2) Dr Karl Cooper is in charge
3) There are seven people
4) Sales and Marketing are part
5) The Main Board is responsible to
a) the shareholders.
b) of the Commercial Division.
c) of Production.
d) for the Commercial Division.
e) on the Main Board
.
9. Complete these sentences using a word from the box.
Into for of to for in
1) Dr Karl Cooper is in charge ______ the Production Division.
2) 395 people work ________ PMP.
3) The Commercial Division is responsible ______ advertising and promotion.
4) The market is divided ______ three regions.
5) The head of the Accounts Department reports ______ Jane Figgis.
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6) Mike Saunders works ______ the HR Department.
10. Look at this company layout and say what departments are described below.
1) It's on the second floor next to the Legal Department.____________
2) It's behind Reception. _____________________________________
3) It's below Sales and Marketing. _____________________________
4) It's on the ground floor at the back of the building. ______________
5) It's in the middle of the first floor. ___________________________
6) It's between the fitness centre and the cafeteria. ________________
11. Listening 4. A member of the PR team is showing some visitors around the company.
1) Listen and say where they are.
2) Listen again and complete the gaps in the extracts below.
Visitor 1 Excuse me1 ___________________ here?
Visitor 1 2 _______________________ at the moment?
Employee 3 ________________. We are looking for people to work in the Customer Relations Department.
Visitor 1 4______________ responsible ________________?
Employee www.kazoo.com. It's easy to remember,5 _________?
Visitor 1 The reps spend most days visiting clients, 6 ________?
7 _____________ come here?
Visitor 2 8 _________________ British?
Employee 9 _________________. In fact he's German.
Visitor 1 But it's a British company,10_________________?
12. Speaking. Imagine you work in the human resources department of a manufacturing company. Give a short talk to some new employees.
Decide what the company makes, e.g. bicycles, computers.
Prepare the talk for some new employees. Explain what each department does. Don't write every word - just make notes.
Give your talk to some other students.
Get real
Use the Internet to find out about a large company, or visit a factory in your home town. Find out what the company makes, what departments it has and what they are called.
Unit 3
A GETTING STARTED IN BUSINESS
1. Before you start. How much free time do you have outside university? How do you spend it? Would you like to spend some of your free time earning money?
2. Reading. This article gives advice for someone who wants to start their own business. Match the questions (a-f) with the paragraphs (1-6).
a) How much will my business cost to run? ____
b) How do I get started? ____
c) Where will I get the money? ____
d) Can I make a profit? ____
e) How much money will I make? ____
f) How much should I charge? ____
What do Juan from Spain and Jessica from the USA have in common? They are both teenagers running successful businesses. Juan, 16, has a gardening business with 75 clients and three employees. Jessica's company cleans new houses. She started it when she was 14. If you want to start a business, good planning is important. Here are some tips.
1 Get organized. Decide what your skills are. Find out if there is a market for them in your area, e.g. ask your neighbours what they need. Babysitting, coaching for exams or sports, and computer training are all possibilities.
2 Decide how much money you need to start your business. Think about how to get the capital. You can use your own money or you can ask the bank for a loan. If you get a loan, be sure you can afford to pay the interest.
3 Calculate your costs. First, work out your fixed costs, for example, the rent on your office or the interest on a loan. Then add your variable costs, for example, equipment or tax (if you pay it).
4 Work out how much to charge for your service. Find out what other people are charging and use this to set your own prices.
5 Your revenue is the amount of money you receive from selling your service. You need to calculate this very carefully. Your revenue is the number of hours worked multiplied by (x) the price per hour.
6 Your business will make a profit if your revenue for a year is more than your costs. If your costs are higher than the revenue, you'll make a loss. Work out carefully the number of hours you need to work.
3. Vocabulary. Match the words in bold in the text with the definitions (1-7). Write them in your language.
1) an amount of money you need to start a business __________________
2) the money you receive from selling a product or service ____________
3) what you make if your revenue is more than your costs _____________
4) what you make if your revenue is less than your costs ______________
5) an amount of money that someone, e.g. the bank, lends you __________
6) money you pay for things and services to run your business __________
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7) an amount you pay for borrowing money, e.g. from the bank ____________
4. Speaking. Work in pairs. Look at this summary of two companies' profit and loss accounts for next year. For each company, calculate:
1) Pre-tax profit (= revenue minus costs)
2) Profit after tax (= pre-tax profit minus tax).
Which company will be more profitable?
| Company A (s) | Company B (s) | |
| Revenue | 17,575 | 18,850 |
| Costs | 14,940 | 16,625 |
| Pre-tax profit | ||
| Tax | ||
| Profit after tax |
5. Work in pairs or small groups. You have decided to start a small business to earn extra money outside university. Discuss these questions.
What service are you going to sell?
How much capital do you need to start it?
What are your fixed and variable costs?
What price will you charge?
How many hours' work will cover your costs?
How much profit will you make?
6. Write a profit and loss account to show your plan. Use the table in Exercise 4 to help you. Present your plan to the class.
Get real
Talk to someone who has their own business. Find out how they started it. Was it easy or difficult? Is their company profitable?
3 B SETTING UP A BUSINESS (Listening 5)
Setting up a business is a risk. Twenty per cent of new businesses fail within twelve months; fifty per cent go out of business in three years. It may be because of poor quality services or goods, or one of these common mistakes:
inadequate market research
| Spotlight: Prefixes OVER- and UNDER- |
| As prefixes, over- usually means too much and under- means too little. He overcharged us. (He made us pay too much.) Companies often overestimate sales figures. (Companies think that sales figures will be larger than they are.) oppunderestimate. With adjectives, they may be followed by a hyphen, e.g. over-ambitious. |
poor control over suppliers and customers
being over-ambitious and over-optimistic
poor management of stock and assets
inadequate knowledge of rivals
employing the wrong people
Glossary
set up a business start a business.
risk the possibility that sth bad may happen in the future, risky adj.
fail (about a business) be unable to continue, syn go out of business,
quality the good or bad condition or character of sth compared with similar things.
goods (pi.) things that are made to be sold.
inadequate not sufficient: not good enough, opp. adequate.
market research the study of what people want to buy and why.
supplier a company that provides sth for another company, supply v.
stock everything a company has for sale at any particular time.
asset a thing of value that a person or company owns (e.g. a factory).
rival a person or company that competes with another, syn competitor.
employ sb give sb a job (an employer is sb who does this; an employee is sb who works for an employer), syn take sb on inf.
1. Circle things in this list that you can own or sell.
Competitorifbusinessemployeeassetmarketrivalgoodssupplierstockquality
2. Complete the sentences. The meaning must be the same as in the sentences on the left.
► This business is risky.
1) When did she start the business?
2) Why did the business fail?
3) We are the main company that supplies them.
4) Their products aren't very good.
5) Do you still employ him?
6) When did you employ her?
This business is a ___risk_____
When did she set ___________?
Why did they go out ________?
We are their main ___________.
Their products are of poor _____.
Are you still his ___________?
When did you take __________?
3. What mistakes do businesses make? Complete the sentences using words from the box.
| rivals optimistic research assets estimates employs suppliers |
► The company doesn't have effective controls over its customers or its ____ suppliers _ ___
1) The company doesn't carry out adequate market _______________
2) The company is poor at managing its stock and its _____________
3) The company doesn't have a very good knowledge of its_ ________
4) The company _______________ the wrong people.
5) The company is over-____________, and it over-_____________ what it can achieve.
3 C GROWTH (Listening 6)
The first years may be a struggle, but if a company can survive this difficult period, it may develop into a successful business:
customer numbers grow and the company gains a share of the market
turnover increases-the company breaks even
the brand develops a reputation
| The market is the amount of buying and selling of a particular type of goods, e.g. There is a large market for these computers. It also refers to an area or group of people who buy something, e.g. the European market, the teenage market. The market leader is the company with the biggest share of a market. |
the company needs more capital and may sell shares to the public to obtain the finance
eventually this growth may result in the company being taken over
Spotlight: MARKET
Glossary
growth the process of increasing in size or number, grow v.
struggle a period of action to achieve sth difficult, SYN effort, struggle v.
survive continue to exist in a difficult situation, survival n.
gain sth obtain sth. OPP lose sth
share a part of sth that has been divided.
break even not make a profit or a loss,
brand the name under which one or more products are sold, e.g. 'Nike'.
reputation the opinion that people have about sth (it can be good or bad).
shares (usu pl) units of equal value that a company is divided into and which are then sold to raise money (the buyers then own part of the company).
take over a company take control of another company, takeover n.
1. Complete the sentences. The meaning must be the same as in the sentences on the left.
► Will they continue to grow?
1) Will they take it over?
2) People say the company is very good.
3) They won't make a profit or a loss.
4) It's the biggest company in the market.
5) Are you worried they may not survive?
6) They've survived, but it's been difficult.
Will there be continued __ growth __?
Will there be a ___________?
The company has a very good
_______________________.
They will_______________.
It's the market ____________.
Are you worried about their
_______________________?
They've survived, but it's been
a _______________________.
2. Complete the sentences.
► It's been a struggle, but I think the business will ___ survive ___.
1) The company now has a 10 per cent _____________ of the market.
2) I bought 1,000 _______________ in that company. They are now worth over £10,000.
3) People go on buying the same _____________ of breakfast cereal because it's familiar.
4) There has been considerable _________ in the soft drinks _______: up 25 per cent in two years.
5) I think the company may be _________ over by the end of the year.
6) It's been a good year: we've _______________ another 5 per cent of the market.
Unit 4
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
1. Before you start. Think of things that you have in your home or university, e.g. a fridge, a TV, a computer. What are the names of the companies that made them?
2. Reading. Read the text and correct the statements.
1) British companies don't sell overseas. □
2) Multinational companies sell the same products in different markets. □
3) Increased competition is good for producers and bad for customers. □
4) Changes in the exchange rate are not important in international trade. □
International trade is when companies from one country sell their products or services in other countries. For example, the UK produces cars, machinery, oil, and chemicals, which it exports to overseas markets. Other British exports include services like banking and travel. These earn foreign currency for the UK. Imports to the UK include cars, food, and electrical goods.
Many companies set subsidiaries overseas, either for manufacturing or for distribution, or both. These companies are called multinationals - Shell, Ford, and Sony are examples. Most multinational companies 'think global and act local.' This means that they try to understand and cater for the needs of every market they sell in.
International trade means there are more companies competing with each other to sell their products. This means lower prices, which is good for customers because they pay less and have more choice. Producers, however, make less profit. Multinational companies often look for ways to reduce their costs, for example, by manufacturing their products in countries where labour costs cheap.
Changes in exchange rate can make a company more or less competitive. The exchange rate is the amount of one currency needed to buy another currency. For example, in 2002, one British pound bought about 200 Japanese yen, so the exchange rate was 1:200. If the exchange rate falls, exports become cheaper, so companies become more competitive. If the exchange rate rises, exports become more expensive, so companies become less competitive.
3. Vocabulary. Match the words and phrases in the text in bold with the definitions (1-8). Then write the words and phrases in your language.
1) what a company pays for its workers _________________________
2) the type of money used in another country or market ____________
3) the value of one currency compared to another _________________
4) smaller companies that are part of a larger company _____________
5) companies that operate in more than one country _______________
6) things produced in your country and sold in other countries _______
7) places abroad where you can sell your products ________________
8) things produced in other countries and sold in your country _______
4. Look at the word map for the verb compete. Make similar word maps for these words: produce, employ, operate. Use a dictionary to help you.
5. Speaking. Work in pairs. You work for a multinational company. You are looking for a new overseas market to manufacture and sell your products in. Look at this information about two possible international markets. Discuss which market seems better, A or B.
| Market A | Market B | |
| Competition from other exporters | high | medium |
| Exchange rates | stable | rising |
| Labour costs | $$$ | $ |
| Personal income of the population | $$$$$ | $$ |
Get real
Use newspapers, magazine articles or the Internet to find out about a multinational company that interests you. Find out what it makes, what are its main markets, and where its subsidiaries are. Prepare a short talk.
