BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

LESSON A1

Being Assertive

I. WARM-UP

Vocabulary

Match the words with their meanings.
A						B
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

assertive
requeststaff
employqualifications
deadline(to) bugdig intoloads (of )				

a. botherb. to work oneself energeticallyc. describe someone who says his opinions clearlyd. time and date by which something must be finishede. a large amountf. people who work for a company
g. to hire the services of a person
h. to ask politelyi. qualities and skills needed to do a job

II. DIALOGUE BOX
HR Manager : I’m afraid I don’t have much good news for you Mr. Lee.
Mr. Lee: Can you tell me about it anyway?
HR Manager : Well, your request for two additional staff will have to wait for another two weeks.
And...
Mr. Lee: But I thought I made it clear in my letter that...
HR Manager : Wait a second. Let me finish what I was going to say. We are very aware of your		 situation and your needs Mr. Lee. But it is not easy to employ people with the		 right qualifications. I wish we could do that in a matter of seconds.
Mr. Lee: If only the deadline of the projects was not so soon I wouldn’t bug you with this.
Why don’t you dig into the applicant’s file you have already - There are loads. It
saves you calling new applicants.
HR Manager : Oh if only we could do that. We would have done it.
Mr. Lee: Then why not? What’s the problem?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

Being Assertive
Comprehension Check
1.
2.
3.
4.

What is the concern of Mr. Lee?
Why does Mr. Lee insist on his request?
Why is the HR Manager acting assertive?
Do you think being assertive in this situation is good?

III. LANGUAGE BOX
Wish and If only are used to express desires or feelings.
• To express something you would like to be different now, use wish and if only		with the past simple form of the verb.		I wish I received higher pay. (I would like a bigger pay than now)		 If only I had a better job. (He would like a different job)
• To express something you want but which is impossible to achieve, use wish		and if only with could.				I wish I could take a year-long vacation. (But it’s impossible)		 If only the company could give two meal breaks. (But they can’t)•To express your disapproval of someone’s behavior, use wish and if only with would.		I wish the supervisor would stop shouting. (He does this frequently and I don’t like it)		 If only my boss wouldn’t call me. (I answer too many phone calls from him)
Look for wish and if only in the Dialogue Box!
IV. SAY IT! You are working on a project which needs to be finished in two weeks. But a
supplier has not delivered all your orders. As a result, the work has been delayed.
Call the supplier informing them that you will not accept any more lapses.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

LESSON A2

Training People on Their Jobs

I. WARM-UP

Vocabulary

Guess the meaning of the underlined words.
1. It was difficult to follow the company’s ground rules on tardiness. I hate waking up early.
2. Some workers were opposed to having a union.
3. Providing health insurance to workers is vital in every company.
4. The secretary complained because her boss had given her loads of paper work. She 		
couldn’t go home on time.
5. The HR manager carefully looked at the well-written resumes of the applicants.
6. She was awarded for her brilliant performance at work.
7. The company wasn’t keen on hiring because some applicants gave false information.
8. The President really pondered whether to give salary increase or not.
II. DIALOGUE BOX
Training Officer : Welcome to our second day of training. Today, I’ll teach you how to schedule
applicants’ interviews. There are no hard ground rules here as opposed topolicies on attendance. But the most vital thing here is the way you organize
the papers and schedules so you don’t miss anything.
Trainee: Okay, I don’t think that’s difficult.
Training Officer : All right. Now, I have the loads of applicants’ resumes. Do you think it’s wise togo through each of these forms and call the applicants one by one?
Trainee: Hmmm. I think that would take a lot of time and effort. So, at no point will I dothat. I’d rather determine the applicants who have the right qualifications thencall them.
Training Officer : Brilliant. Seldom have we got someone as keen as you.
Trainee: Thank you, sir. I’m happy you’re impressed with my answer.
Training Officer : Okay. Now, I’ll show you a short film about an HR staff preparing someschedules. While watching, I want you to ponder on what she’s doing wrong
and how she could improve.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

Training People on Their Jobs
Comprehension Check
1. What is the topic of the training session?
2. What is the first problem raised by the Training Officer?
3. How does the trainee answer the situation?
4. Do you think the trainee gave the best solution to the problem? Why or why not?
III. LANGUAGE BOXInversion
Normally, the word order of auxiliary verb + subject occurs in questions. But this form canalso be used in some structures.
a. when a sentence starts with a comparative• But more important is the way they cater to the needs of the customers.
b. when a sentence starts with a negative meaning• Not until she took up rock climbing did she overcome her fear of heights.
c. when a sentence starts with word that suggests limitation or restriction• Seldom has he seen anything strange.
• Hardly had he stepped outside when it started to rain.
d. after as to express a similarity• She’s a great team leader – as is the whole team.
IV. SAY IT! As the supervisor, your department head asks you to train the new employees on
handling the machines they will use in their work area.
Guide questions:
1. What are the main things they need to know or understand?
2. What are the key things they will need to be able to do?
3. What are the most important rules and guidelines to warn them about?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

LESSON A3

What to Do in an Interview

I. WARM-UPVocabulary

Match the words with their meanings.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

A						Bapplicanta. the means of communication, such as radio or television
strengthenedb. to make stronger
publicc. a person who applies for a job position
exposured. readiness in taking action
media
e. public appearancecater
f. people
initiative
g. issues of printed material for sale or distribution
publications
h. provide

II. DIALOGUE BOXHR Manager
Dan (manager)
Rob (applicant)DanRobDanRobDanRobDanRobDan: Wonderful! Dan, would you like to ask our applicant, Rob, anything?
: Yeah. Rob, tell us about a time when you built or strengthened your relationship witha client.
: Well, I was responsible for the public relations of a British band touring in the US. I had
to work closely with the media to create exposure for the band.
: How did you decide which media to approach?
: Well, my client plays music so I thought of radio station which cater to the kind ofmusic the band’s playing.
: Would it be more difficult if you didn’t like music?
: Maybe, but still a challenge - that’s why I love this work! It’s about taking initiative andhow to approach a project.
: Was the band satisfied with what you’d done?
: Oh, yes!
: Your experience is largely in America. Our ideal candidate is someone who can buildand maintain regular contact with clients and the media. How would it work for you
in the UK?
: I get to know people easily. And some of my contracts work internationally on Englishpublications.
: Well, thank you Rob for your time. We’ll give you a call.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

What to Do in an Interview
Comprehension Check
1. What kind of job did Rob have?
2. Did Rob like it?
3. What kind of person is the company looking for?
4. Do you think Rob has the qualifications? Why or why not?
III. LANGUAGE BOX
Types of Questions in Job Interviews
1. Open questions can be WH-questions or statements beginning with Tell me about/Describe....
a. What are your long and short range goals and objectives?
b. Tell me about an occasion when you were able to make a contribution to your 		company.
2. Statements reflecting the candidate’s experience, followed by more open question, arethen used to find specific evidences or highlight gaps in a candidate’s experience.
a. What criteria are you using to evaluate the company which you hope to work in?
b. If you took the job, what would you accomplish in the first year?
3. Reflective questions can be used to round off a topic
a. What can you do for us that someone else can’t ?
b. How do you feel about the company’s decision?
IV. SAY IT! Work with your teacher. You are the interviewee. Your teacher will ask you several
questions. Be honest as possible with your answers.
Questions:
1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Why did you choose the company?
3. What qualities do you have that fit you for the job?
4. What are your plans 5 years from now?
5. What salary do you expect to get?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

LESSON A4

Motivating Someone

I. WARM-UP

Vocabulary

Match the words with their meanings.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

My managers have been criticizing how bad my presentation was last time.
The supervisor is constantly updating the developments of the project.
I quit my job because the last one didn’t work for me.
I have been coping with how rude our HR manager is.
The company president complained on the workload he had to do.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

having a negative effect or influence on the mind or feelings of a person
to struggle or deal
the amount of work to be done
judging or discussing the good and bad of somethingalways or continuously

II. DIALOGUE BOX
Chung
Greg
Chung
Greg
Chung
Greg: I’ve come to see you because I don’t think things are really working for me here, so I’m
thinking that it’d be best if I could be transferred home.
: Whoa! Hold on a minute! Why do you think that things are not working? I haven’t
heard any complaints. In fact, I’ve heard how hard you’ve been working.
: That’s because I have to. You know I’ve never worked totally using English before, andit takes me ages to deal with all my emails and go through all the documents. Theothers are always criticizing me for not being ready on time.
: Are you sure they’re not joking? You know they all miss deadlines from time to time.
: I don’t know. Maybe. I don’t think my English is good enough. I’m constantly making
mistakes. Maybe it’d best if I left.
: Don’t be so hard on yourself! Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Look, I understandit’s not easy to move to a new country, but you shouldn’t give up so easily. I thinkyou’ve been coping very well with the workload. OK, you’re having some problems inthe short term, but you can turn these around quite quickly. You just need to giveyourself a bit more time. You’ve only worked here for two months so far.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

Motivating Someone
Comprehension Check1.
2.
3.
4.

Why does Chung want to be transferred?
What reason does Chung have for deciding to transfer?
What kind of an employee is Chung?
How does Greg try to make Chung feel better?

III. LANGUAGE BOX
Present Simple and Present Continuous
A. Present Simple is used to talk about habits, routines, long-term situations and facts.
Everyday, always, every week/monthly/year are common time expressions used in thepresent simple.		 • The company meets every last Friday of the month.		
• The planning team always do their best to give the best product.		
• I take the bus every day.
B. Present Continuous is used to talk about activities happening now, at the moment, ormomentary actions. Adverbs of time such as always and constantly are commonly inpresent continuous sentences.		
• The company is constantly changing the color of the company logo.		
• We’re always trying our best to give satisfaction to our customers.
Stative verbs like, believe, know, want and own are not usually used in the present continuous:Businessmen believe that giving customer’s satisfaction is the key to succeed in business. 		
(not Businessmen are believing that giving customer’s satisfaction is the key to succeed in business)

IV. SAY IT! One of your sales representatives has failed to meet the last two months’ targets,
despite apparently working hard. They are feeling demotivated and not making
as much effort as previously. You have a meeting to improve their motivation.
Questions:
1. What will be your motivating factors?
2. How would you convince them to stay?

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

LESSON A5

Being an Intermediary

I. WARM-UPVocabulary

Match the words with their meanings.
1. The secretary became the intermediary of the conflict between the president and the vice-president.
2. The sales manager was blamed for the low income this year.
3. It would be a good idea to renovate the office because the furniture and paints is too old.
4. We need an urgent solution to the problems in our department.
5. In order to advertise our product more, it would be a good idea to give leaflets on the streets too.

a. small folded papers used as advertisements
b. a person acting between persons or parties
c. very important and needing immediate attention
d. to place the responsibility for an error or fault
e. to restore something to its good condition

II. DIALOGUE BOX
Miki
Lisa
Miki
Lisa
Miki
Lisa
Miki
Lisa

: Hello, Lisa. How have you been?
: Hi, Miki. I’m pretty good. I’ve had an email from Victor.
: Oh, I see. What has he been doing lately?
: Well he’s back in town to advertise the new internet phone, called the “Magic Jack”: Wow! That sounds cool.
: After being an intermediary he became a sales agent.
: So, what does he exactly do?
: Well, he gives leaflets to different offices and I think he loves his job. They don’t have a permanent
office yet because the building is under renovation.
Miki : Oh, I see. Well, Lisa, I have to go. I still have an urgent meeting with my manager. Let’s find time tomeet Victor.
Lisa : Okay, I don’t want you to blame me for being late.
Miki : You are still funny. Bye.

BUSINESS ENGLISH 7

Being an IntermediaryComprehension Check
1. What news does Lisa have for Miki?
2. Who do you think Victor is?
3. Why do you think Lisa is excited for Miki about Victor?
4. Why is Miki in a hurry?
III. LANGUAGE BOXPassives
We can use the passive to focus on what is done, and who or what is affected. Passive verbs
are formed with be + the past participle of a transitive verb.
• The leaflets have been sent to the head office.
• The offices will be renovated at the end of next year.
We can also use the passive to be less personal, and distance ourselves from the action.
• Mistakes are made and can be rectified.
• The files weren’t sent out in time.
To use the passive with reporting verbs, an empty subject “it” is used.
• It is said that the minister is likely to resign.
• It’s been suggested that we change our working schedule.

IV. SAY IT! Your boss, the marketing manager, has gathered some designs for the newpromotional leaflets. He is pleased with them and asks you to get feedback fromthe managing director. You are going to report the things written below to yourboss. (The student will report it using the grammar structure learned).
Disappointing – I don’t like them. The layout
on the leaflet is totally different to what wediscussed.
The colors are also different – need bright,
strong colors. Those pale colors are unattractive.