Unit 1.

Describe your company’s current position

1
Pathway International is a travel agency that specializes in walking and hiking
tours. Pauline Robertson, a senior manager at the company, recently hired an
external consultant, Don Gray, to help analyze Pathway’s current position.
– So, Don. You’ve completed your analysis, … how bad is it?
– Well, Pauline, as you’re aware, the recent economic situation has affected not
only your business, but also that of everyone in the tourism and travel industry.
But the economy alone doesn’t entirely explain the recent fall in sales at
Pathway. One of the major issues we’ve noticed is a lack of direction. The
company needs clear goals and long-term objectives for the future.
– Yes, we know. Things have been difficult since the previous owner, Mr. Travers,
retired. And with the economic downturn, we’ve just been focusing on surviving.
– Yes, I can understand that. But that brings me to my next point. Because of the
poor economy, pricing has become more critical. Customers still want to go on
walking tours, but they want to spend less. That’s why your packages to the Alps
are more popular nowadays—the destination is closer and offers good value for
the money. It also explains why sales of your farther away destinations are down
so much. And your recent launch of the Andes destination, which targeted the
domestic UK market, was not only poorly timed, it was also badly marketed. It’s
just too expensive for your average British consumer.
– So, we wasted a lot of money on that?
– Well, maybe not. Let’s look at one of your biggest competitors, Alpine
Excursions. They noticed this trend early, and they began promoting their tours
more aggressively in countries nearer the target destinations. They have
attractive packages that offer value for money to mixed-nationality groups. This
tells us that the market is there for the farther-flung destinations, but Pathway is
not reaching it at the moment.
– So, we need to do something similar.
– Right, but you do have a competitive advantage over Alpine.
– In what way?
– The quality of the tours you offer and your customer service. The customers
we spoke to rated Pathway extremely highly in both these areas. And this is
where you have the edge on Alpine.

Unit 2. Describe changes and trends

1
– Who here likes ice-cream? I thought so. And don’t you think our Cadtree
chocolate bar would make a good ice cream? We do, too, … and we think there is
a major opportunity for Cadtree, with its strong brands, to develop a high-quality
Cadtree chocolate ice cream bar. Technically, we know it can be done, and the
responses to the samples have been positive. But is it worth it? Well, let’s take a
look at some figures for the domestic ice cream market.
As you can see in this graph, the total ice cream market last year was worth 12.4
billion dollars. This can be divided into two major sectors: the impulse buying, in-
hand sector—in other words, the hot, sunny day, let’s get an ice cream sector—
and the take-home, multipack sector. As you can see, the in-hand sector has
 been flat over the last several years, averaging about a five percent increase in
value per year. But look at the take-home market! This sector has risen by about
40% in value, and it is predicted that this upward trend will continue.
So, why would it be advantageous for Cadtree to enter this market? Well, we all
know the highest costs in our business are connected with establishing a brand.
But the Cadtree brand is already well-established. In fact, it’s one of the biggest-
selling brands in the region. With a Cadtree ice cream, we’d be building on both a
name (Cadtree) and a product (the Cadtree chocolate bar), which already have a
tremendous following, and this would mean a relatively modest advertising
budget …

Unit 4. Report market research results

1
– So, Ellen, you have the results of the video game survey?
– I sure do, and I’m sure it’s got a couple of surprises in it. Let’s look first at
who’s actually playing. The survey data was gathered from 2,000 households
during a random telephone survey. Just fewer than 60% of those households
report having at least one member who played video games, and there is an
average of two gamers per household. The ratio of male to female video gamers
is 55:45.
– Hmm, I didn’t think so many women were interested in gaming.
– And I bet you thought most gamers were under 25, too. In fact, the average
gamer is 30 years old. Here’s the breakdown: 32% of the gamers are under 18,
another 32% are in the 18 to 35 range, and 36% are over the age of 35. And more
women aged 18 or older play games than boys who are 17 or under.
– And do they play the same types of games?
– I don’t have the game-type-by-gender breakdown, but I will look that up for you.
What I can give you is a comparison of online versus mobile games. The most
popular types of online games are in the puzzle, board game, trivia or card game
category, at 34%. That’s followed by action, sports, strategy, and RP—role-playing
—games, with 26%.
– Aren’t the figures the same for mobile devices?
– You would think so, but nowadays it seems that different games are played on
different devices. The percentage of puzzle, board, and card games—at 35%—is
similar to the online results I mentioned earlier. But on mobile devices, casual
and social games also make up 35% of games played (compared with just 19%
online), and action / role-play games are played by 13% of mobile gamers. It’s
important to note here that 36% of all gamers also use their smartphones to play,
and 25% use other wireless devices—and these numbers are sure to grow in the
future.
– You also asked people why they like certain games, didn’t you?
– Well, we asked their reasons for purchasing a game. The top four responses
we got were the quality of the graphics, an interesting story line, that it’s a sequel
to a favorite game, or word-of-mouth. Now, let’s look at how much people spend
on video games …

Unit 5. Handle problems in telephone and online meetings

1

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 – Jeff isn’t available.
– Jeff isn’t available.

– Is he busy?
– Is he busy?

– Can I have a copy?

– Can I have a copy?
2
– I met you last year.
– I met you last year.

– What did you ask me?

– What did you ask me?
3
– I’ll go over that later
– I’ll go over that later.

– We are finished now.

– We are finished now.
4
– Is everyone here?
– Is everyone here?
5
– Who are we waiting for?
– Who are we waiting for?
6
– Could you hold on a moment?
– Could you hold on a moment?
7
– I sent you the file in the morning.
– I sent you the file in the morning.
8
– Just ask if you have a question.
– Just ask if you have a question.

Unit 6. Talk about job satisfaction

1
My wife and I have three young children, and I don’t want to miss seeing them
grow up. So, for me, work-life balance is critical. Without that, I’m sure I’d feel too
tired at the end of the day to spend any quality time with my kids—and I’m sure
they’d be disappointed.
2
I love my job—there’s always something new: new people to talk to, new events
to write about. The variety is what keeps me excited about my work. If I had to do
the same thing every day, I’m sure I’d become bored and disinterested very
quickly.

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 3
For me, the bottom line is the salary. You can have the most enjoyable and
interesting job in the world, but if the compensation is too low, then you will feel
dissatisfied and start looking elsewhere for a better-paying position. I know I
would.

Unit 7. Describe job perks and benefits

1
– What benefits do you offer your employees?
– Well, of course, we provide all the benefits required by law, and all employees
are eligible for our retirement plan. In addition, we have a health plan, with all the
costs paid for by the company, and we offer optional life insurance, with the
costs shared by the company and the employee.
– So far, that sounds like a standard benefits package. Do you provide fringe
benefits, as well?
– Well, yes. To address some of our employees’ work-life balance issues, we
subsidize the costs related to day care and after-school care for younger
children. And because we know family life can be unpredictable, we also offer
flexible work and leave schedules.
– Having such a young staff, I’m sure that’s popular. But what about
performance-linked perks?
– Well, we don’t offer bonuses or commissions, if that’s what you’re referring to.
What we do have, instead, is a profit-sharing plan where we distribute a part of
the profits to employees each year. And we offer a stock-purchase program,
giving employees the opportunity to buy shares of the company’s stock at a
lower price. I think these motivate employees not only to do their own jobs well,
but also to work together so the whole company does well. And if the whole
company is performing well, then everybody benefits.

Unit 8. State concerns and discuss causes of production problems

1
Maintenance.
Our biggest problem is that we’re working with 20-year-old machines that are
constantly breaking down, hard to repair, and dangerous. Sometimes we’re faced
with a couple of breakdowns at the same time, and we don’t have enough people
to take care of all the repairs. By the time we get one problem solved, something
else goes wrong. We spend so much time on repairs, we don’t have time for
routine maintenance. We’re understaffed and overworked—it’s a nightmare.
2
Loading dock.
I worry about safety. One man was seriously injured here in the loading area just
last week because of faulty equipment—he’ll be out for at least a month. The
maintenance guys never do any preventive maintenance work—they just fix
things after they’ve broken down. The procedures and safety regulations just
don’t cover the situations we get into. We’re being asked to do the impossible.
3
Assembly line.

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 We know the plant’s falling short of its quota, and we’re as unhappy about that
as anybody. But what can we do? If the equipment’s not working, neither are we.
… It’s really frustrating! But we don’t dare complain. Our supervisor told us if we
complained, we’d be replaced by robots. We’re in a difficult position—we can’t
afford to lose our jobs.

Unit 10. Review

1
– How do you get to work, Steve?
– Well, I only live a couple of blocks from the office, so I walk to work.
2
– What do you think has helped improve job satisfaction the most at your
company?
– Oh, that’s easy. Letting people work from home has made a huge difference.
3
– Any ideas on how we can attract more highly-qualified job candidates?
– Well, I think we should look at our benefits package. It’s pretty standard at the
moment.
4
– How did you get along with the new system? Did you have any problems?
– Since I was unfamiliar with it, there were a couple of issues. I just asked a
colleague of mine for help.

Unit 11. Describe reactions to stress

1
– So, Mr Wilson, what brings you in today?
– Actually, I’ve been meaning to see you for a couple of weeks now, but I just
haven’t found the time—work, you know. But this morning, my heart was
pounding so hard and so fast, I thought I’d better come in.
– Yes, your pulse does seem a bit elevated. Let’s check your blood pressure, OK?
Hmm … your blood pressure is a bit on the high side, too. What were you doing
when this happened?
– Nothing. I was just thinking about the project I’m working on at the moment.
I’ve got a big deadline coming up—it’s all I think about these days.
– Are you working longer hours because of that?
– That’s all I do now—work, work, work.
– And what are you doing to relax?
– Relax? I don’t have time to relax! If I don’t finish this project on time, I might as
well start looking for a new job!
– I see. Do you have any other symptoms or complaints?
– I’m not sleeping too well. I keep waking up in the middle of the night. And
because of that, I feel tired all the time, and that makes it difficult to concentrate.
– And how long has this been going on?
– For about four or five weeks.
– Mr Wilson, it sounds like you had a panic attack this morning. This and your
other symptoms are most likely due to the stress you are experiencing at work.
Your body is telling you that you need to slow down, to relax.
– But like I said, I don’t have time. My deadline …

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 – Mr Wilson, I suggest you make time. Or find a way to share some of your
workload. If you don’t, you may end up in hospital. Here is a booklet on work-
related stress I’d like you to read …

Unit 13. Describe management styles

1
Yoshio
I can’t say enough about my supervisor. She’s excellent. She knows how to bring
out the best in people. She worked her way up to her current position in our
department from staff level. That makes a big difference—she knows our jobs
inside and out. The work isn’t always easy. There are plenty of stressful
moments. But when things get really difficult, she rolls up her sleeves and
pitches in with us. We know that we can go to her anytime we have a question or
problem. She’s supportive and knows how to motivate us. The bottom line is that
she’s committed to her team, and we all know it.
2
Shirley
A few years ago, I had a manager who—how can I say this?—who left a lot to be
desired. He was rather disorganized, and he wasn’t very reliable. Half the time, he
didn’t even answer my email. When I would ask him a question, he was evasive—
I almost never got an answer out of him. It was stressful at times because all of
us in the department needed guidance in our work and we weren’t getting it. We
sometimes wondered if he knew what he was doing. It sure didn’t seem like it.
3
Simon
My current manager is a bit of a tyrant. She makes all the important decisions
herself. She would never dream of asking us for input. It’s a shame because
some of us have ideas, and we’d love to share them. The fact that our opinions
mean nothing has gradually eroded the morale of our entire group. How would
you feel in our shoes? She doesn’t trust us, she doesn’t support us, and she
doesn’t respect us. It’s not a great situation.
4
Helga
I once had a manager who was too friendly with us. She acted as though she
was our buddy. She also had a hard time directing us in our work. That was a
problem. Some people took advantage of her management style and didn’t really
do their jobs, but she never said anything to them. That made us feel that it
didn’t matter if we were doing our job or not. We also discovered that when it
came to discussions with upper management, she suddenly wasn’t our buddy
anymore. She never stood up for us. When we found that out, some of us left the
company. It shows that one person can make a big difference, either in a positive
way or in a negative way.

Unit 14. React to ideas, comments, and suggestions

1
– What do you think makes a good team player?
– By definition, a team is a group of people working together toward a common
goal. And team members have different tasks that will help the team meet that
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 goal. Therefore, team players must be reliable. Everyone must be able to count
on the other members to do their fair share of the work and to get that work done
on time. Almost nothing will hurt a team faster than the feeling that someone
isn’t pulling his or her weight.
– I think we’ve all been in that kind of situation before. It’s dreadful.
– It sure is. Good team players also participate actively. They take the initiative,
volunteer—they don’t sit around waiting to be assigned something to do. They
are willing to share their ideas, knowledge, and experience with others.
– So, someone who believes information is power might not make the best team
player?
– Well, that type of person is usually more interested in his own agenda than
that of the team. And this brings me to the next quality of effective team players.
They need to have good communication skills, during both formal and informal
discussions with other team members. They need to be able to express their
thoughts and opinions clearly, honestly, and in a positive way. But not only that,
they also know how to listen, and I mean actively listen, to others’ ideas. They
can take what they’ve heard and use it to engage in a useful discussion, not a
debate or an argument.
– And what about personality types?
– Teams can be made up of all kinds of people, and this variety can lead to
better, more balanced discussions. But what is important is that each person is
respectful of others on the team, independent of differences in personality.
Without that, there may be arguments or worse, a complete breakdown in team
communication.
– Any last thoughts before we move on to our next topic?
– Yes, one. When working on any team project, changes in the scope or direction
of the project happen. So flexibility is a key quality. Good team players don’t get
stuck on an idea and try to defend it to the death; they adapt to change and then
move forward.

Unit 16. Discuss how to build customer loyalty

1
Frank
I just love A&M Motors. I’ve bought my last four cars from them. Not only do they
give me a competitive price, but they contact me personally when I’m due for
service, and they always give me a courtesy car when I take my car in for service.
Last time, they even fixed a small scratch on one of the doors—at no extra
charge!
2
James
My favorite dealer is Adamsville Motor Collection. I received a $500 voucher
online, which I could use toward any new or used car. They also offered me a
20% discount on a two-year service plan. I ended up buying a new sedan that
was on sale because they were making room for the new models.
3
Grace
Have you been to the new EcoCar dealer in Middleburg? They have the latest
two-person green cars that are all over television and the Internet. I just bought

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 one last week, and my friend, Elaine, is looking at them too. It has the best
mileage available and all the latest safety features.
4
Lisa
I’ve been going to the same dealer that my family has used for years. It’s about a
mile from my home. They sell new and used cars and have a full-service repair
facility that is open from Monday through Saturday. They’re convenient, and they
appreciate my business.

Unit 19. Assess (your) performance

1
John
– So, Linda, tell me about your assessments so far. Let’s start with John. He’s
been with us for six months, right?
– That’s right, Steve. In general, John does excellent work.
– I remember his interview. He was very impressive.
– Yes, well. His attendance, I’m afraid, is a matter for concern.
– Hmm?
– In the past two months, he’s missed ten days of work. And although he does
call in, these absences have created problems for his team. They say they can’t
rely on him, they never know if he’s going to be in. Because of that, they only
assign him non-critical tasks.
– Which is not why we hired him.
– No, and I think he’s capable of a lot more.
– Do we know why he’s been absent?
– Not really. He just says it’s “a family matter.”
– Why don’t you ask him what the problem is? If we know that, maybe we can
find a way to solve it.
2
Dana
– Right, then. What about Dana?
– Dana is a real pleasure to work with. She knows her job inside and out and
consistently produces outstanding work.
– Yes, I’ve worked with Dana before. That’s pretty much what I’d expect from her.
– She’s also been taking on extra tasks, and she frequently volunteers to assist
newer colleagues. I think she’s a valuable asset to the company.
– Do you think she’s ready to move into management?
– I think she’d be thrilled.
– OK, then. Maybe you should consider working on a career development plan
with her.
3
Colleen
– How is your new assistant working out? Colleen, right?
– Oh, Colleen.
– That bad?
– Oh, no, absolutely not. Colleen is passionate about her job and has extremely
high standards for herself. She’s incredibly organized; the department has never
run so efficiently.

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 – That’s excellent.
– Yes, but Colleen expects everyone to meet her standards. If they don’t, she can
be hypercritical. What’s more, she has criticized people in front of others on more
than one occasion. She doesn’t take the time to think before reacting. This has
upset several people in the department.
– I can imagine. Do you think the promotion was a mistake?
– No. This is the first supervisory position Colleen’s had. Perhaps we just need to
find a way to help her improve her interpersonal skills.

Unit 20. Review

1
In general, the quality of my work is outstanding, and my organizational and
planning skills are quite good. If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s compiling and
analyzing information. I consider myself to be a fairly quick learner—it only took
me a matter of hours to become comfortable with the new reporting system we
implemented last month. One area I would like to work on is my communication
skills. I can get rather impatient with people if things aren’t going as quickly as
I’d like–and I tend to show this. For the most part, though, I get along pretty well
with everyone.

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