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SUPORT CURS ENGLEZA

ANUL II

SEMESTRUL II

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UNIT 1

BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES at the end of this unit the student should:

− have become aware of environmental issues such as renewable sources of energy and recycled raw materials

− be able to debate on environmental issues using topic-related vocabulary − be able to describe technological processes using the Passive Voice

PART I READING PART II VOCABULARY PRACTICE Topic-related vocabulary PART III LANGUAGE FOCUS The Passive Voice PART IV PRACTICE TIME NEEDED TO COVER THE TOPIC: 6 hours

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ciuciuc, Olea, English for Business Purposes, Teora, Bucureşti 1999. Emmerson, Paul, Business Grammar Builder, Macmillan, 2002. Evans V. , Grammarway 4, Express Publishing House, 1999. Evans V. , Grammarway 3, Express Publishing House, 1999. Paidos, Constantin, Gramatica limbii engleze, Institutul European, 1993. Pile, Louise, Intelligent Business, workbook, Pearson Education Limited, 2005. Tullis, G., New Insights into Business, Express Publishing House, 2004. Turcu, Fulvia, Limba engleză pentru întreprinzători şi oameni de afaceri, Editura Sagittarius Iaşi, 1991.

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UNIT 1: BUSINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

I. Reading Session

The wind of change

On the eve of the new millennium there are growing signs that the world may be on the

edge of an environmental revolution at least comparable to the political revolution that swept

Eastern Europe. While the social revolution in Eastern Europe led to a restructuring of the

region’s political systems, this next global revolution could lead to an environmentally – driven

restructuring of the global economy.

For the first time since the oil age began, the world has the technology to wean itself from

petroleum coming from the politically volatile Middle East”, says Lester R. Brown, President of

the newly established Earth Policy Institute, a Washington D.C.-based environmental research

organization.

In the new economy, which Brown calls an eco-economy, renewable energy- a

combination of wind turbines, solar cells, hydrogen generators and fuel cell engines- will replace

climate-disrupting fossil fuels; urban transportation systems will be centred not around the car,

but on high-tech transit systems.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the global economy is out of sync. With the earth’s

ecosystem, as evidenced by collapsing fisheries, shrinking forests, expanding deserts or eroding

soils. This can also be seen in the earth’s changing climate as rising temperatures lead to more

destructive storms, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels. However, the needed restructuring of

the global economy has already begun and is gaining momentum.

Renewable energy sources

Nowhere is the new economy more visible than in the energy sector. The shift from the

fossil fuel era to the solar/hydrogen era can be seen in the contrasting growth rates of these

energy sources in recent years. During the last decade, the use of wind power grew by 26 percent

a year, solar cells by 20 percent, and geothermal energy by 4 percent annually. In contrast, oil

expanded by only 1 percent a year and coal use declined by 1 percent annually. For example, the

Danish government has banned the construction of coal-powered plants. From 1995 to 2000,

world wind electric generation expanded nearly fourfold, a growth rate previously found only in

the computer industry. Denmark gets 15 percent of its electricity from wind.

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The use of solar cells is also expanding rapidly. In remote villages or in certain other

inaccessible areas throughout the world investing in solar cell installation may be cheaper than

buying candles. At the end of 2000, nearly 1 million homes worldwide were getting their

electricity from solar cells. With the new solar cell roofing material developed in Japan, the stage

is set for dramatic gains in this new energy source as rooftops become the power plants of

buildings.

Raw materials –recycled/reused

Eco-economy also means a change in the materials. The challenge is to shift from a linear

flow-through economy to a comprehensive recycling economy. Progress is being made on this

front, but nearly enough, though some countries are advancing. For example, 58 percent of U.S.

steel production now comes from scrap. In Germany 72 percent of all paper comes from paper

recycling mills. If the entire world were to achieve this rate, wood needed for pulp production

would drop nearly one third. Moreover, with a comprehensive recycling economy, the need for

imported raw materials will also diminish, reducing vulnerability to external political and

economic instability.

Economic decision makers at all levels – government leaders, corporate planners,

investment bankers and individual consumers – are becoming increasingly aware of the need not

to strive for economic development at the expense of the environment. Sometimes it is learnt the

hard way. For example, in mid-August 1998, there were several weeks of record flooding in the

Yangtze River basin, caused partly because 85 percent of its original forest was cut. The flooding

displaced 120 million people and caused $30 billion worth of damage. In response, Premier Zhu

Rongji ordered a halt to tree cutting in the upper basin, arguing that trees standing are worth three

times as much as those cut.

(Ready For Business, Editura Universitara, Bucuresti, 2004, pp. 97-99)

II. Build your vocabulary:

A. Match the words 1-15 expressing environmental concepts to their definitions a-o.

1. deforestation

2. carbon dioxide emission

3. fossil fuels

4. acid rain

a. balance of natural relationships

in the environment

b. types of animals/plants in danger

of no longer existing

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5. ozone layer depletion

6. pristine environment

7. climatic change

8. hazardous waste

9. shrinking habitats

10. ecological balance

11. extinct species

12. biodegradable waste

13. endangered species

14. global warning

15. greenhouse effect

c. steady rise in average world

temperature

d. chemically radioactive wastes,

dangerous to health/environment

e. warming of the earth’s surface

caused by pollution

f. rain made acid by gases from

factories

g. carbon dioxide gas from cars,

factories etc.

h. Waste capable of undergoing

decomposition

i. Destruction/clearing of forests

j. Perfectly

clean/unspoilt/untouched area

k. Coal, oil etc

l. Reduction in quantity of zone by

chemicals (from refrigerators,

aerosols etc.) released on earth

m. Places where animals live and

breed which are decreasing in

size

n. Change in the weather/climate

o. Type of animal/plant no longer

existing

B. Give the Romanian equivalent of the following concepts on environmental issues:

Acid rain

Biodegradable waste

Best available techniques

Climate change

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Company environmental policy

Desertification

Ecotax

Emission factor

Global warming

Greenhouse effect

Greenhouse gas

Extinct species

Hazardous waste

Low-level radioactive wastes

Noise pollution

Noise barrier

Organic waste

Ozone layer depletion

Ozone-depleting substance

Pollution prevention

Sustainability indicator

Sustainable development indicator

Toxic waste

Transboundary air pollution

Water pollution

Waste oil

C. Build your own sentences using the words above

Ex: Companies should minimize environmental pollution – damage to the land, sea, etc. caused

by their activities.

D. Complete the sentences with expressions from the box below:

natural resources; depleted; overfishing; logging; deforestation;

reafforestation (BrE)/ reforestation (AmE); sustainable; renewable/ alternative

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energy sources; environmental/ green issues; greenwash

1 Illegal ……………… could accelerate degradation or even cause ………………, which

has affected more than 9.8 million acres of forest in the past 30 years.

2 Fishermen are being encouraged to catch alternative fish species

because…………………….has………………. the stocks to near-collapse.

3 The country’s society is maturing and adopting a model of economic development that

balances economic growth, social justice and the………………..use of ……………….

4. They accuse multinational companies of ‘…………………….’- polishing up their

images on environmental issues with brochures and advertising campaigns.

5. Many congressmen are keen to revive research into renewable ……………..

………………. like solar and wave power.

E. Debate on the following questions?

What does your local government authority do to encourage recycling? Does it do enough?

III. Focus on language: THE PASSIVE VOICE

Patagonia, a Californian company, is one of the companies that have a strong environmentally-

friendly policy. The following extract describes how Patagonia uses recycled plastic bottles to

make material for jackets. Notice the use of the verbs.

Soda Bottles to Synchilla Fleece

Bottles are brought to the local recycling centre. The plastic is converted into small

pieces and chopped into flakes. The flakes are melted and shaped into fine fibres.

The recycled fibres are shipped to the mill. They are made into clothes known as

‘PCR synchilla clothing”.

Voice is the grammatical category specific to the verb that expresses the rapport between

the predicative verb on the one hand, and the subject and object of the predicative verb on the

other hand. There are two voices in English: the active voice and the passive voice. The verb is in

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the active voice when the grammatical subject performs the action: Lucy (subject) has written

(verb) a letter (object). The verb is in the passive voice when the grammatical subject bears the

action performed by the object: This letter (subject) has been written (verb) by Lucy (object).

We form the passive with verb to be and the past participle of the main verb.

TENSE ACTIVE VOICE PASSIVE VOICE

Present Simple

Present Continuous

Past Tense

Past Tense Continuous

Present Perfect

Past Perfect

Future Simple

Future Perfect

Modals +be +p.p

Intel produces millions of

chips every year.

Our supplier is shipping the

goods next week.

The government raised

interest rates by 1%.

He was asking me some

difficult questions.

They have chosen the new

design.

They had chosen the new

design.

Rosa will give a press briefing

tomorrow.

He will have delivered the

parcels.

We can arrange a loan within

six days

Millions of chips are

produced every year.

The goods are being shipped

next week.

Interest rates were raised by

1%.

I was being asked some

difficult questions.

The new design has been

chosen.

The new design had been

chosen.

A press briefing will be given

tomorrow.

The parcels will have been

delivered.

A loan can be arranged

within six days.

The object in the active sentence moves to the front in the passive sentence and becomes

the subject.

We form negatives and questions in the same way as in active sentences:

The new design hasn’t been chosen.

Has the new design been chosen?

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USES of the PASSIVE VOICE:

1) Focus on important information; when the person who carries out the action is unknown,

unimportant or obvious from the context.

A very large proportion of world oil production is generated in the Middle East (the focus is on

the amount of oil).

Deutsche Post AG will offer investors share price discounts and bonus shares as part of its

planned initial public offering. These incentives will be offered to retail investors in EU

countries who make an early subscription. (Here the writer wants to give information about the

incentives. Who will do the action (offer) is not important or not known.

2) Systems and processes; we often use the passive to talk about systems, processes and

procedures:

First of all the finished products are checked for quality, and then they are packed and sent out

from our warehouse. After dispatch we allow customers to follow the progress of their order on

our INTRANET. Finally, we get a digital image of the signature of the person who receives the

goods, so that this can be checked later, if necessary.

3) When we refer to an unpleasant event and we do not want to say who is to blame.

A lot of mistakes have been made. (Instead of “You have made a lot of mistakes”)

! Only transitive verbs (verbs followed by an object) can be changed into the passive.

E.g.: Grandma knitted my jumper. (Transitive verb)

My jumper was knitted by Grandma.

They travelled to Lisbon last summer. (Intransitive verb)

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We use by + agent to say who or what carries out the action. We use with

+instrument/material/ ingredient to say what the agent used: The pancakes were made by

Claire. They were made with eggs, flour and milk.

The agent is often omitted in the passive sentence when the subject of the active sentence is one

of the following words: people, one, someone/somebody, they, he, etc.

1) Somebody has rearranged the furniture.

2) The furniture has been rearranged.

The agent is not omitted when it is a specific or important person or when it is essential to the

meaning of the sentence.

1) The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

2) A new law has been passed by the government.

Personal/Impersonal construction

The verbs think, believe, say, report, know, expect, consider, understand, etc. are used in the

following passive patterns in personal and impersonal constructions.

Active: People believe that he lied in court.

Passive: It is believed that he lied in court.

He is believed to have lied in court.

Active: They expect him to arrive soon.

It is expected that he will arrive soon.

He is expected to arrive soon.

IV. Practice:

1. Complete each sentence with a passive verb. You may need a negative form.

a. Somebody damaged the goods in transit.

The goods…………. in transit.

b. Thousands of people see this advert every day.

This advert ………………………….by thousands of people every day.

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c. They will not finish the project by the end of the month.

The project ………………………. by the end of the month.

d. They have closed fifty retail outlets over the last year.

Fifty retail outlets …………………over the last year.

e. We are reviewing all of our IT systems.

All of our IT systems…………………………….

f. We cannot ship you order until we receive payment.

Our order……………………………until we receive payment.

2. Rewrite these sentences using the passive if it is possible. You may need a negative

form. If it is not possible (because the verb is intransitive) put a cross X.

a. Our R&D department have discovered a promising new drug.

……………………………………………………………………..

b. The inflation rate went down by 0.5% last month.

……………………………………………………………………..

c. One of our best young designers created this line.

……………………………………………………………………….

d. I’m sorry, we can’t do that.

………………………………………………………………………….

e. Something very interesting happened to me last week.

……………………………………………………………………………

f. We’re spending more than a million dollars on advertising this year.

……………………………………………………………………………

g. The Accounts Department may not authorise this payment.

…………………………………………………………………………..

h. I worked as a consultant for four years after my MBA.

…………………………………………………………………………..

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3. A marketing manager is writing a training manual that explains how the company

uses questionnaires to do market research. Complete the text by putting the verbs

from the list below into the present simple passive.

Design send back distribute offer put outsource analyse

First, we carefully select a sample of people to ask. Then the questions

……………………. by a small team within the department. Next, the questions

…………………… into sequence and grouped together by topic. After that, we print the

questionnaire and it ………………….. to everyone in the sample. Of course, not all the forms

………………….. to us, but we try to collect as many as possible.

Sometimes a small gift ………………… to people who return the form, as an incentive.

Finally we enter all the results onto a spreadsheet, and the information ……………….. by the

marketing department. If we are using a very large sample the distribution and collection

……………….. to an external company.

4. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct passive tense:

The Academy Awards Presentation …………….. (first/organise) in 1929 and since then,

it ………..(hold ) every year. The presentation ……………… (attend) by those at the top

of the film industry and ……………….. (watch) on TV by millions of viewers who want

to see who ………………(present) with the golden statue which ……………….(desire)

by everyone in the motion picture world.

The voting for the Academy Awards ……………….. (conduct) secretly and the results

………………..(not reveal) to anyone until the envelope …………………….. (open) on

stage in front of the audience. Awards ………………… (give) for the best individual or

collective work and …………………..(separate) into different categories. Up to five

nominations ……………… (make) in each category. The awards, which ……………..

(know) as Oscars, ………………..(consider) to be the highest honour anyone in the film

industry can ………………. (give).

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5 Complete the following passage with the appropriate passive forms of the verbs in

brackets.

a) A new campaign ……………….. 1.(launch) earlier this year by the UK

government which aims to reduce the amount of domestic waste. Households

……………………….2. (encourage) to recycles certain waste products and to sort and prepare

others for collection at specific sites. From these they ………………………. 3. (take) to special

waste treatment plants where special machinery will process them for reuse as recycled material.

In Britain today, when the contents of the average household dustbin……………………… 4.

(analyse), we find that, in terms of weight, 35% of the total …………………….5. (compose) of

paper and cardboard, 22% of kitchen waste, 12% of plastics with glass, dust and ashes each

representing a further 10%.

There are in fact only a few items of domestic waste that cannot …………………..

6.(recycle). One common example is disposable nappies which, as their name suggests,

……………..7. (design) to be thrown away after use. However, a lot of progress could

…………………….. 8. (make) to reduce the amount of kitchen waste most of which can

……………..9. (transform) into a useful garden fertiliser. Indeed, if more people chose to do this

then the weight of the average dustbin ……………………10. (reduce) quite significantly.

In terms of glass products, the situation is more encouraging as nearly 20% of all the glass

that ……………….. 11.(use) every year in the country …………………..12. (take) back for

recycling.

Nonetheless, it is clear that the mountains of domestic waste will only decrease is efforts

…………………….13. (make) both by individual households and local government authorities.

Special equipment such as collection trucks must ………………14. (purchase) and people must

………………………….(make) aware of how they can contribute to improving the situation.

This …………………………….. (achieve) with increasing success in a number of regions in

Europe during the last few years, a trend that ……………………(expect) to continue in the

future.

b) The barley (orz) used to make malt whisky takes about seven months to grow in

the field. In August the barley ………….. (harvest) and then ………..(leave) to rest for a couple

of months. The next step is ‘malting’, an ancient chemistry full of tradition. It gives a rich, warm

flavour to the whisky and causes the grain to produce starches, which …………(convert) to

sugars at a later stage of the process. The malted barley ………….(rest) for about three weeks

then ……(grind) into flour and ………(place) into huge vessels where it …………….(mix) with

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hot water to make a ‘wort’. The wort ………….. (cool), then………..(run) into another vessel.

Here, yeast ……….(add), and the starch is turned into sugars, producing a clear liquid called ‘the

wash’ (bragă). It is distillation that turns this wash into whisky. In distilling, the liquid

…………..(heat) until the spirit turns to vapour, then condensed back into liquid. By law, Scotch

whisky must ………(age) in oak barrels for at least three years.1

5. Complete the sentences about environmental consequences with: in, of, on, to or by.

1. Delays have been caused ……………… extended investigations into the route of

pipeline.

2. We’re concerned that this development will result …………………

environmental damage.

3. Due ……………………lobbying by environmentalists, the construction project

has been cancelled.

4. The involvement of too many groups might have a negative effect

…………………….our progress.

5. The protesters hope that their example will lead ………….. similar action by other

people.

6. A number of jobs have been created as a result ……………….investment in this

project.

7. The improvement in our standard of living has had a massive

impact………………….the environment.

8. We’re hoping government action will mean

improvements………………….working conditions.2

1 Emerson Paul, Business Grammar Builder, p.43, Macmillan, 2006. 2 Louise Pile, Intelligent Business workbook, p.22, Pearson Education Limited, 2005.

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UNIT 2

IMPORT EXPORT LEARNING OBJECTIVES at the end of this unit the student should:

− have built an image on important issues related to global trade: − developed topic-related vocabulary − be able to read and interpret the data on an invoice and a bill of lading − be able to describe trends and interpret graphs

PART I READING PART II VOCABULARY PRACTICE Topic-related vocabulary PART III LANGUAGE FOCUS Commonly confused words; Language used to describe upwards and downwards trends; Gerunds

and infinitives

PART IV PRACTICE TIME NEEDED TO COVER THE TOPIC: 6 hours

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ciuciuc, Olea, English for Business Purposes, Teora, Bucureşti 1999. Emmerson, Paul, Business Grammar Builder, Macmillan, 2002. Evans V. , Grammarway 4, Express Publishing House, 1999. Evans V. , Grammarway 3, Express Publishing House, 1999. Paidos, Constantin, Gramatica limbii engleze, Institutul European, 1993. Tullis, G., New Insights into Business, Express Publishing House, 2004. Turcu, Fulvia, Limba engleză pentru întreprinzători şi oameni de afaceri, Editura

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Sagittarius Iaşi, 1991.

UNIT 3: IMPORT EXPORT

Before reading: Listen to the text on the tape and write it on your copybooks. Pay attention to the

key vocabulary related on import and export.

I. Reading Session

1. The following sentences are from the first paragraph of the text below. Read the

sentences and decide where they fit in the text.

A. The 150 sweaters she sent off last week to Saks Fifth Avenue was the last order on the

company’s books.

B. As a result, Robertson has laid off her first worker in her production plant in the Scottish

borders town of Hawick, where more than half of Europe’s cashmere goods are produced.

C. With the spring shows just around the corner, this is normally a busy time of year for

Belinda Robertson, an Edinburgh-based producer of cashmere clothing for fashion houses,

boutiques and department stores.

CASUALTIES OF THE TRADE WARS3

If you think fashion is unpredictable, try world trade 1……………….. Last year she did

60% of her $2.5 million annual sales in the United States, but this year is starting differently.

2………………… “We’re low on work at the moment”, she says, because the mere threat of US

trade sanctions has put American buyers in wait-and- see mode, 3……………… Officials fear

the loss there of as many as 700 further jobs.

Hawick’s fate is tied, bizarrely, to bananas. Because the US believes EU trade policy

unfairly favours crops from ex-colonies in the Caribbean and Africa over those owned by US

firms like Chiquita and Dole, it threatens more than $ 500 million in “cross- sanctions” against

unrelated European exports from almost 20 product categories like plastics, sweet biscuits- and

cashmere.

3 Tullis, Graham and Power, Susan, New Insights into Business, pp.50-51, Longman, 2004.

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Washington won’t introduce the 100% punitive tariffs4 until March at the earliest,

depending on the outcome of negotiations at the World Trade Organization5 in Geneva, but the

threat alone is enough to damage Hawick’s cashmere industry. Clan Douglas Ltd., for instance,

landed a $ 1.65 million order from an American department store just before Christmas. That

price included normal duties of $100,000 but if the sanctions kick in they will rise to almost $

800,000. Our commitment to our contract could force us into bankruptcy, says finance director

Jeff Gutteridge.

There’s no American cashmere to fill the gap. Top-grade weaves come from Scotland and

from Northern Italy, whose industry faces the same sanctions; next in line is China with whom

the US already has an immense trade deficit. “If this goes through”, says Gutteridge, “the

Americans will be handing over our business to China and destroying the economic base of this

town.”

Little wonder that weavers of Hawick, like Belgian biscuit makers and German plastics

manufacturers, hope sanctions can be avoided. But with serious issues of procedure and

precedent on the line at WTO for both Washington and Brussels, negotiators were pessimistic on

prospects of a compromise. In trade as in fashion, reason isn’t necessarily the highest good.

2 Choose the correct answer to complete the following statements about the text.

1 Belinda Robertson’s company

a sold more than 60% of its production last year to department stores.

b is usually very busy during the first few months of the year.

c produces more than 50% of Europe’s cashmere.

2 Belinda Robertson has had to make some of her staff redundant because of

a the competition from China.

b the introduction of US sanctions.

c a shortage of US orders.

3 If the EU doesn’t change its trade policy, the US will

a apply restrictions on the imports of fruit to America.

b import more cashmere from Italy.

c import certain goods from non-European sources instead.

4 tariff or duty- a tax on imported goods 5 WTO (the World Trade Organization) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) regulate tariffs and reduce trade restrictions between member countries.

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4 If sanctions are imposed,

a some British companies could go out of business if they respect their existing export

contracts with the US.

b all European exporters will have to pay higher duties on their exports.

c some businesses will move to other countries

5 The US

a exports more to China than it imports

b imports more from China than it exports.

c imports as much as it exports to China.

6 The negotiations

a will determine which goods are subject to sanctions.

b are not expected to be difficult.

c involve some complex questions.

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II. Build your vocabulary

A. Which is the odd one out in each set?6

1 a seller b buyer c retailer d shopkeeper

2 a stock b supplies c inventory d commerce

3 a outlet b auction c transaction d market

4 a modify b tailor c bid d personalise

5 a customer b client c consumer d commodity

6 a rate b fluctuate c evaluate d grade

7 a track b discover c trace d follow

8 a leave b exit c withdraw d access

B. Complete the article with the following words:

acquisition model transaction buyers sales income risks monopoly

investigation interest

BREAKING INTO NEW MARKETS

A business model for e-commerce?

Ebay, the world’s leading online auctioneer, has a business …………… that definitely suits the

internet. Thanks to many clever search features, it can match up sellers and …………………of

even the most unfamiliar items. And because of its smart cost and revenue structure (it charges a

modest commission on each …………….and does not store goods), eBay has been one of the

most consistently profitable e-commerce business. In the first quarter, its net ……………..more

than doubled, to $104.2 m on revenues of $ 476 m. This was partly due to eBay’s ……………..

of PayPal, a payments business, last year. Taking out the effects of that deal,

…………………were up by 56% over the previous year. One of eBay’s greatest strengths,

however, is also one of the biggest …………………it faces. It business, like any marketplace, is

a natural …………….., and so once it is established, it is pretty hard for a newcomer to challenge

it. This has already aroused the …………….. of America’s Department of Justice. It took no

action after an …………………..a couple of years ago, but some think it will be tempted to take

another look as eBay expands.

6 Pile, Louise, Intelligent Business, workbook, pp.44, 45, Pearson Education Limited, 2005.

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C. Complete the phrases below, using words from A and B. There is sometimes more than

one correct answer, and some words may be used more than once.

A environmentally B fashioned

old term

short budget

low known

well friendly

high level

user trained

a) environmentally friendly packaging

b) ____________ _______ typewriter

c) ____________ ________ opportunities

d) ___________ _________ advertising

e) ___________ _________ personality

f) ___________ _________ decision- making

g) ___________ _________ software

h) ___________ _________ staff

III. Focus on language: A. describing trends and changes:

The table bellow introduces some verbs used to describe upward and downward movements.

Intransitive verbs

(verbs which do not have an object)

Transitive verbs

(verbs which have an object)

increase rise go up

decrease fall drop

go down decline

increase raise

decrease reduce drop

Ex: The population of the world is increasing. The government has increased income tax.

The prices of electronic goods have fallen. We have reduced our prices by 10 percent.

These corresponding nouns can also be used: an increase, a decrease, a rise, a fall, a raise

(US= increase in salary), a drop, a decline, a reduction.

Read the following sentences and give the Romanian equivalent of the expressions used to

describe trends:

1. Sales reached a peak of 11,000 euro.

2. Sales fluctuated from May to September

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3. Sales remained stable from September to November.

4. Sales stood at 10,000 in December.

5. Sales levelled off at about 8,000 in April.

B. Language focus: The Infinitive and The Gerund

1. The to-infinitive is used:

− to express purpose: Sam went to the bank to get some money.

− after the verbs: agree, appear, decide, expect, hope, plan, promise, refuse, etc. He

promised to help us with the decorations.

− after adjectives which a) describe feelings/emotions (happy, glad, sad); b) express

willingness/ unwillingness (willing, eager, reluctant, anxious, unwilling, etc); c) refer to a

person’s character (mean, clever, etc.) and also with the adjectives lucky and fortunate.

I was annoyed to hear that he had left.

He is reluctant to help.

Note: with adjectives which refer to character we can also use an impersonal

construction. It +be +adjective+ of+ noun/pronoun. It was clever of you not to believe

them.

− After certain pronouns such as: something, somewhere, anyone, nothing, etc.

We’ve got a lot of homework to do.

Take something to drink on the bus.

− with it+be+adjective/ noun: It is important to get there on time.

− to talk about an unexpected event which can be unpleasant, usually with only:

She came home to find her sister waiting for her. OR They rushed to the airport (only) to be

informed that the flight had been cancelled.

− after: be + the first/second, etc. next/last/best, etc.

He was the first to arrive.

− after verbs and expressions such as ask, learn, find out, wonder, want to know, decide,

explain, when they are followed by question words (who, what, where, how)

He explained how to operate the machine.

I don’t know why he left.

2. The –ing form is used:

− as a noun: Cycling is a popular form of exercise.

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− after certain verbs (admit, anticipate, appreciate, avoid, consider, continue, delay, deny,

discuss, enjoy, escape, excuse, fancy, finish, forgive, imagine, involve, keep, mention,

mind, miss, resist, suggest, stand, quit, prevent, understand, etc.)

They considered moving abroad.

He avoided answering my question.

− after; dislike, enjoy, hate, love, prefer to express general preference.

She likes painting. BUT would like/would love/would prefer + to –inf to express specific

preference. I would like to paint your portrait.

− after expressions such as be busy, it’s no use, it’s (no) good, it’s (no) worth, what’s

the use of, can’t help, there’s no point (in), can’t stand, have difficulty (in), have

trouble, have a hard/difficult time, etc.

What’s the use of waiting for an answer?

She is busy writing the wedding invitations.

− after: spend, waste, lose (time, money, etc.)

We wasted a lot of time trying to find a parking space.

He lost $100,000 investing in successful companies.

− after prepositions: He was found guilty of lying in court.

− after certain expressions: look forward to, be used to, get round to, object to, in addition

to, prefer (doing sth to doing sth else): She objects to working on Saturdays.

− after the verbs: hear, listen to, notice, see, watch, and feel to describe an INCOMPLETE

action: I listened to James singing a song. (I listened to part of the song. I didn’t listen to

the whole song) BUT I listened to James sing a song (I listened to the song from

beginning to end.)

3. The bare infinitive is used

− after modal verbs (can, should, must, etc.): He should apologize to his parents.

− after the verbs let, make, see, hear ad feel: They saw her talk to the manager.

BUT She was seen to talk to the manager. (passive + infinitive)

When see, hear and watch are followed by an -ing form, there is no change in the passive:

I saw her getting into a taxi.

She was seen getting into a taxi.

− after had better and would rather. You had better see a doctor.

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− Help is followed by either the to-infinitive or the bare infinitive. She helped me (to) fill in

my application form.

IV. Practice

25

26

27

A. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct infinitive form or the ing form.

Sue has decided …………. (apply) for a new job. Her mother advised her ………………..(write)

to several different companies. Sue would like ………….(work) for a large company where she

can ………….. (meet) new people.

Daniel would like………….. (get) his teacher a present, but he doesn’t know what

………….(choose). He is thinking of ……………. (buy) her a book because he knows that she

enjoys ……………….(read). His sister will help him ……………..(pick) a good one.

I dislike …………….(shop) because I can’t stand ……………..(be) in crowded places. If I have

to …………..(go) into town, I avoid ………………(visit) shops where there are a lot of people.

B. Underline the correct word:

1. I really can’t afford to eat/eating in such an expensive restaurant.

2. Do you mind to come/coming back I half an hour?

3. Do you want to come/coming back I half an hour?

4. Kate denied to give/giving the office keys to anyone else.

5. He admitted to make/making a serious mistake.

6. We have been trying to enter/entering the Chinese market for some time.

7. If she isn’t in the office when you call keep to try/trying.

8. I considered every possible option. I even imagined to resign/resigning.

9. I refuse to believe/ believing that we can’t do it. We have to try harder.

10. I can’t stand people to interrupt/interrupting all the time. It’s so rude.

11. Where do you fancy to go/going for lunch today?

12. We guarantee to deliver/delivering the goods by the end of June.

13. Imagine to win/winning the lottery!

14. He offered to meet/meeting me at the airport.

15. I enjoy to get away/ getting away to the coast at the weekend.

16. I’d love to get away/ getting away to the coast this weekend.

B. Complete the sentences with a verb form from the list below. Choose either the –ing form

or to+ infinitive.

cause come compromise get get through give make rise unpack wait

1. He admitted …………………a mistake on the invoice.

2. Do you fancy …………………..with us for a drink?

3. Wages tend…………………..faster than inflation.

4. I can’t manage…………….when I call. I keep …………….an engaged tone.

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5. Do you mind……………….for a couple of minutes while I write this email?

6. They agreed ………………us thirty more days to pay the invoice.

7. The transport company deny………………..the damage.

8. Their negotiating position was very rigid. They refused…………….

9. I saw him ………………the goods, and there was no damage visible.

C. Complete this letter by putting the verbs in brackets into the correct form, -ing or

to+infinitive.

Dear Audio World

I am writing to complain about the poor service that I received when I was in your store last

week. Recently you decided ……………. (remove) listening facilities in your stores, and your

sales staff encouraged customers ……………..(take) home their choice of CDs without

………………(hear) the first. You invited us ………………(return) any CDs that we did not

like, as long as we kept the receipt as proof of purchase. In my opinion this was an excellent

policy as it allowed customers ………………(risk) …………….(buy) things that were a little

different.

A consequence of your policy is that customers will buy more CDs, and this means

…………..(return) more that they don’t like. In fact last week I brought back eight CDs, from

fourteen I had bought on the previous visit. Your salesman refused ……………………..(accept)

such a large number, and accused me of …………………..(take) the CDs home just

……………(copy) them. I strongly objected to ………………….(be) treated like this as I had

remembered ………………..(bring) the receipts with me and my actions were within the terms

of your guarantee.

I can’t help ………………..(think) that you will lose a lot of business if your staff go on

……………….(behave) in this way, and I advise you ………………….(train) your staff

……………..(deal) with customers in a more polite manner.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Carr

D. Translate the following sentences into English:7

7 Nicolae, Mariana, Ready for Business, pp. 78; 84, Editura Universitară, Bucureşti, 2004

29

10. Comerţul depinde nu numai de activitatea comercială propriu-zisă ci şi de o gamă

se servicii vitale pentru buna desfăşurare a acesteia, cum ar fi : distribuţie şi depozitare, transport,

servicii financiar-bancare, asigurări, publicitate.

11. Comerţul interior se ocupă cu distribuţia mărfurilor în interiorul ţării, în timp ce

comerţul exterior se ocupă de exportul şi importul mărfurilor.

12. Mărfurile destinate comerţului pot fi clasificate în mijloace de producţie

(producer’s goods) şi bunuri de consum.

13. Materiile prime esenţiale sunt tranzacţionate la bursa de mărfuri (commodity

exchange).

14. El ajungea primul la birou şi pleca ultimul. (the first to come…)

15. Nu e uşor să satisfaci cu promptitudine o asemenea avalanşă de comenzi (rush of

orders)

16. Mărfurile ajung de la producător la consumator prin intermediul angrosistului şi

detailistului.

17. Uneori producătorul îl ocoleşte pe angrosist şi tratează direct cu detailistul.

18. Depozitul este folosit pentru stocarea mărfurilor.

19. Depozitele cu plata în numerar (cash-and-carry) nu livrează mărfurile şi nu oferă

credite, iar acest lucru le permite să practice preţuri competitive.

30

UNIT 3

MARKETING LEARNING OBJECTIVES at the end of this unit the student should:

− have become aware of marketing issues: marketing mix, the four Ps; the four Cs; market segmentation

− be able to describe a product they bought recently in terms of the four Cs. − be able to describe a product from the seller’s point of view in terms of the four Ps − be able to describe trends and quantify using adverbs of degree

PART I READING PART II VOCABULARY PRACTICE Topic-related vocabulary PART III LANGUGAE FOCUS Verbs often confused RISE, RAISE, and ARISE

Adverbs of degree

PART IV PRACTICE TIME NEEDED TO COVER THE TOPIC: 6 hours

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ciuciuc, Olea, English for Business Purposes, Teora, Bucureşti 1999. Emmerson, Paul, Business Grammar Builder, Macmillan, 2002. Evans V. , Grammarway 4, Express Publishing House, 1999. Evans V. , Grammarway 3, Express Publishing House, 1999. Paidos, Constantin, Gramatica limbii engleze, Institutul European, 1993. Tullis, G., New Insights into Business, Express Publishing House, 2004. Turcu, Fulvia, Limba engleză pentru întreprinzători şi oameni de afaceri, Editura Sagittarius Iaşi, 1991.

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UNIT 2: MARKETING

I. Reading Session

According to the American marketing Association, marketing is the process of planning

and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to

create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives.

The external environment consists of the outside forces that influence marketing strategy

and decision making. The political-legal environment includes laws and regulations, both

domestic and foreign, that may define or constrain business activities. The social-cultural

environment is the context within which people’s values, beliefs, and ideas affect marketing

decisions. The technological environment includes the technological developments that affect

existing and new products. The economic environment consists of the conditions, such as

inflation, recession, and interest rates, which influence both consumer and organizational

spending patterns. Finally, the competitive environment is the environment in which marketers

must persuade buyers to purchase their products rather than their competitors.

Market segmentation is the process of dividing markets into categories of customers.

Businesses have learned that marketing is more successful when it is aimed toward specific

target markets: groups of consumers with similar wants and needs. Markets may be segmented

by geographic, demographic, or psychographic variables. Marketers are consequently always

looking for market opportunities- profitable possibilities of filling unsatisfied needs creating new

ones in areas in which the company is likely to enjoy a differential advantage, due to its

distinctive competencies (the things it does particularly well). Market opportunities are generally

isolated by market segmentation. Once a target market has been identified, a company has to

decide what goods or service to offer. This means that much of the work of marketing has been

done before the final product or service comes into existence. It also means that the marketing

concept has to be understood throughout the company, e.g. in the production department of a

manufacturing company as much as in the marketing department itself. The company must also

take account of the existence of competitors, who always have to be identified, monitored and

defeated in the search for loyal customers.

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Rather than risk launching a product or service solely on the basis of intuition or

guesswork, most companies undertake market research (GB) or marketing research (US). They

collect and analyse information about the size of a potential market, about consumers’ reactions

to particular product or service features, and so on. Sales representatives, who also talk to

customers, are another important source of information.

Once the basic offer, e.g. a product concept, has been established, the company has to

think about the marketing mix, i.e. all the various elements of a marketing programme, their

integration, and the amount of effort that a company can expend on them in order to influence the

target market. The best-known classification of these elements is the ‘4 Ps’: product, place,

promotion and price. Aspects to be considered in marketing products include quality, features

(standard and optional), style, brand name, size, packaging, services and guarantee. Place in

marketing mix includes such factors as distribution channels, locations or points of sales,

transport, inventory size, etc. Promotion groups together advertising, publicity, sales promotion,

and personal selling, while price includes the basic list price, discounts, the length of payment

period, possible credit terms, and so on. It is the job of a product manager or a brand manager to

look for ways to increase sales by changing the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion).

It must be remembered that quite apart from consumer markets (in which people buy

products for direct consumption) there exists an enormous producer or industrial or business

market, consisting of all the individuals and organization that acquire goods and services that are

used in the production of other goods, or in the supply of services to others. Few consumers

realize that the producer market is actually larger than the consumer market, since it contains all

the raw materials, manufactured parts and components that go into consumer goods, plus capital

equipment such as buildings and machines, supplies such as energy and pens, and paper, and

services ranging from cleaning to management consulting, all of which have to be marketed.

There is consequently more industrial than consumer marketing, even though ordinary consumers

are seldom exposed to it.

(English for Business Studies, Cambridge

University Press, 2001, p.52

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II. Build your vocabulary

A. Listen to a marketing manager talking about her company. Complete the

passage below.

It’s true that we’ve been deeply affected by our competitor’s latest .................... A new

plan of action must be developed as soon as possible. .............. have been particularly high in

every foreign .................... We have lost .................... in Russia and Venezuela. Even in the

home market we ............................ However we are not going to ................... We are developing

a new .................... which will help us regain some of our ....................... The war will continue

for some time yet but we are confident that we can still win.

B. It is very common to use military metaphor in business; we talk about

management strategy and tactics, and takeover deals are often described as coups and raids.

Replace the words and phrases in exercise A with military expressions from the box.

Surprise attack; casualties; are outgunned; campaign; territory;

surrender

Key strongholds; rage on;

(New Insights into Business, Longman,

p.125)

C. Match up the words or expressions on the left with the definitions on the

right.

1. distribution channels A all the companies or individuals involved

in moving a particular good or service from the producer to

the consumer;

2. to launch a product B an idea for a new product, which is tested

with target consumers before the actual product is

developed

3. market opportunities C attributes or characteristics of a product:

quality, price, reliability, etc.

4. market research D dividing a market into distinct groups of

buyers who have different requirements or buying habits

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5. market segmentation E. places where goods are sold to the public

– shops, stores, kiosks, market stalls, etc.

6. packaging F. possibilities of filling unsatisfied needs in

sectors in which a company can profitably produce goods or

services

7. points of sale G someone who contracts existing and

potential customers, and tries to persuade them to buy

goods or services

8. product concept H collecting analyzing and reporting data

relevant to a specific marketing situation (such as a

proposed new product)

9. product features I to introduce a new product onto the market

10. sales representative J wrappers and containers in which products

are sold

(English for Business Studies, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p.50)

D. Look at the word partnerships with the word brand. Match them to the definitions

bellow. Use the business dictionary if necessary.

brand loyalty licensed brand

national brand brand awareness

brand switcher brand manager

brand competition private brand

luxury brand brand equity

brand image brand recognition

brand mark brand name

brand management

a) the ideas and beliefs which consumers have about the brand

b) brand-name product that a wholesaler or retailer has commissioned from a manufacturer

c) pattern of regular consumer purchasing, by, widely distributed by, and carrying the name

of a manufacturer

d) brand-name product produced by, widely distributed by, and carrying the name of a

manufacturer

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e) brand – name product for whose name the seller has purchased the right from an

organization or individual

f) competitive marketing that appeals to a consumer perception of similar products

g) a brand associated with expensive, high quality products

h) the person responsible for planning and managing branded products

i) the tangible and intangible value of a brand

j) consumers’ knowledge about the existence of a brand

k) a symbol or design or a particular form of lettering used to identify a brand

l) the ability to identify a name or logo with the product or service

m) a person who shows no loyalty to a particular brand

n) responsibility for a particular brand in a multi-brand company

o) the name given to a particular brand.

III. Focus on language: A. Verbs often confused RISE, RAISE, and ARISE

Infinitive Transitive/Intransitive Simple

past

Past

Participle

Meanings

rise intransitive rose risen Increase

Reach a higher level, position,

rank

raise transitive raised raised Obtain/generate/collect/support

Bring up/mention/put forward

Put up/make higher

Heighten

arise intransitive arose arisen Occur/appear/become evident

Choose the correct form of the correct verb and complete the sentences that follow:

9. Sales………. from $ 68 m in 2000 to $ 156 m in 2001.

10. It is often necessary to …………. funds o finance the launch of a new product.

11. The company cannot afford to …………. salaries to keep in line with inflation.

12. The marketing manager will …………. this question at the next meeting.

13. I would like to …………. a point here, if I may.

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14. The company’s profits ………………. by 25% last year.

15. Inflation ………….. by 8% this year.

16. The candidate ………… the question of salary.

17. The company was forced to ………….. prices.

18. Some unexpected difficulties have ………………….

19. The company’s turnover has ……………… 5 times in recent years.

20. The campaign certainly succeeded in ………….. brand awareness.

21. The bank has …………………interest rates again.

22. Through his work and skill he …………… to a senior position very soon.

Focus on language: B. Quantifiers: The use of quantifiers before an adjective, an adverb, or a

verb can make it more precise.

Ex: The common thread was that they all wanted a much faster and easier service than

anything already available said Dave.

It was done a bit late/ quite quickly/ very professionally.

I really disagree. They’ve increased their offer a little.

a) Adverbs of degree: They make the meaning weaker (small degree) or stronger (large

degree)

Small degree: a little, a bit, slightly

Medium degree: quite, fairly, pretty, rather, reasonably, relatively

Large degree: extremely, really, very, absolutely, completely

b) Too, enough, not enough

Too means ‘more than is necessary or good’. Not enough means ‘less than is necessary or good’.

Enough means ‘as much as necessary’ or ‘sufficient’.

Adjectives: The salary is too low. The salary isn’t high enough.

Adverbs: I’m sorry, it goes too slowly. I’m sorry, it isn’t fast enough.

Nouns: There’s too much work. There isn’t enough time.

c) So and such: are used for emphasis

So – with adjectives and adverbs: The meeting finished so quickly.

Such a- with adjective+singular noun: It was such a quick meeting.

Such/ so many/ so few with plural nouns: You have such friendly colleagues.

We sold so many policies last month!

Such/ so many/ So little with uncountable nouns: It was such good advice.

37

I have so much work to do.

d) Quite, fairly, pretty or rather?

− Quite, fairly and pretty mean ‘a medium amount’.

Ex: Like most businesses, we’re fairly cautious about what might come in the next couple of

years, mainly because of the Asian situation.

− In American English pretty is a common way of saying ‘very’.

− We can change the meaning of quite in British English by stressing the adjective in

speech. The meaning changes to ‘very’

The restaurant was quite good. (it was OK)

The restaurant was quite good. (it was very good)

− Rather also means ‘a medium amount’, but it often suggests that something is bad,

surprising or unusual. It is more formal.

It’s rather late to do anything now. (It’s a little too late, I’m afraid)

The restaurant was rather good. (I enjoyed it, surprisingly).

− With comparatives we can only use rather, not quite

The meeting took rather longer than I expected.

− With some adjectives quite means ‘absolutely’ or ‘completely’. These include:

absurd, certain, different, hopeless, impossible, ridiculous, right, sure, true, wrong.

I’m quite certain about this. (= absolutely certain)

Are you sure that’s quite right? (= completely right)

IV. Practice

A. Put these quantifiers in the correct column:

Slightly a little considerably significantly

Moderately far somewhat much

a. a small degree of difference

b. a degree of difference c. a large degree of difference

B. Underline the correct words:

1. The salary they are suggesting sounds so good/ too good to be true!

38

2. There were so few/so little customers that I went home early.

3. We can’t pull out now. There’s too much/too many money involved.

4. It was such/ so a boring meeting that I nearly fell asleep.

5. The meeting was such/ so boring that I nearly fell asleep.

6. I had to say ‘no’ – the cost was so much/ too much for the budget I was given.

7. We have so few/so little information that we can’t make a decision.

8. The meeting was so short/too short to cover all the points properly.

9. Can you help me? I’m not enough tall/tall enough to reach the top shelf.

10. There isn’t enough money/ money enough in the budget for your idea.

C. Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first sentence and

contains the word in brackets.

1. I didn’t buy that laptop because the screen was too small. (enough)

I didn’t buy that laptop because the screen wasn’t large enough.

2. The problem was so difficult that I referred it to my line manager. (such)

It …………………………. that I referred it to my line manager.

3. There weren’t enough copies of the agenda. (few)

There ………………………………of the agenda.

4. There’s not enough space on this spreadsheet for all the results. (little)

There’s …………………………..on this spreadsheet for all the results.

5. It was such a good presentation that they gave us the contract immediately. (so)

The …………………………………….that they gave us the contract immediately.

6. I sold too few units last month to get a bonus. (enough)

I …………………………….. last month to get a bonus.

7. I’ve got such a busy schedule that I can’t meet you until next Tuesday. (so)

My schedule ……………………………..that I can’t meet you until next Tuesday.

8. We’ve sent out lots of brochures and we’ll need to print some more. (many)

We’ve sent out ………………………… we’ll need to print some more.

9. I haven’t got enough time to prepare for the meeting. (too)

I’ve got …………………………….to prepare for the meeting.

D. Rewrite the following sentences using a quantifier and a comparative form of the

adjective in brackets.

39

Example: We have a very large market share in comparison to or competitors (big)

Our market share is much bigger than our competitors’.

1. This year’s sales figures increased by only 1% on last year’s figures. (high)

This year’s figures are ………………………………

2. In recent years a few advertising laws concerning children have been relaxed. (easy)

Advertising to children……………

3. Our products only cost a bit more than our competitors’ products. (expensive)

Our products are …………………………………….

4. In comparison to the US, advertising laws in Europe are very complex. (complex)

……………………………………………………..

5. We can see a small improvement in our market share this year. (good)

This year’s market share is…………………………

6. It is interesting to learn other languages, but English is the international language of business.

(useful)

English is…………………………………..

E. Choose the correct alternative to complete each sentence:

1. This …………………….is present in many small outlets.

a. figure

b. poll

c. brand

d. dealer

2. Some people buy cars or clothes because they are……………

a. status symbols

b. brands

c. exposures

d. targets

40

3. In many markets there is firm with a much larger market share than its competitors,

called a………………

a. monopolist

b. conglomerate

c. market leader

4. Teenagers make the bulk of our ……………………audience.

a. customs

b. survey

c. report

d. target

5. Our top priority is to increase our market ………………

a. revenue

b. income

c. share

d. trend

6. These statistics will have to be ……………….into more detailed categories.

a. broken down

b. cut down

c. pull down

d. brought down

7. the findings of the market ………………are disappointing.

a. statement of account

b. invoice

c. bill of exchange

d. survey

8. The first stage in marketing a product is to develop a brand ……………

a. equity

b. management

c. loyalty

d. awareness

9. We are going to make a much higher quality model at a much higher price. in other

words, we are going …………. market.

a. high

41

b. low

c. down

d. up

10. The third P is ………………, which concerns where the product will be available.

a. promotion

b. price

c. place

d. product

11. The marketing mix is a combination of………………

a. distribution and transportation strategies

b. product, pricing, promotion and distribution strategies

c. distribution and insurance strategies

d. convenience product strategies

12. Target markets are …………….

a. open markets

b. competitive markets

c. groups of people with similar wants and needs

d. monopolistic markets

13. Market segmentation is ………………..

a. dividing a market into categories of customer types

b. taking buying decisions

c. developing buying habits

d. marketing health products

14. A convenience good is a/an ………………

a. moderately expensive infrequently purchased product

b. expensive, rarely purchased product

c. expensive, long-lasting industrial product

d. inexpensive product purchased and consumed rapidly and regularly

15. Small, specialised companies, which target segments within segments are

called…………

a. market followers

b. market nichers

c. market failures

42

d. market competitors

16. In the vocabulary of marketing ……………is paid promotion in the four major media.

a. publicity

b. advertising

c. personal selling

d. sales promotion

17. A ………………..may be a consumer good, an industrial good, a service, or an idea.

a. need

b. want

c. depot

d. product

18. An advertorial is a/an ……………….

a. warning

b. advertising editorial

c. leaflet

d. sample

F. Translate into English:

Marketingul este acea functie a organizatiei, care prin intermediul unor metode si tehnici

stiintifice, permite identificarea si satisfacerea, in mod sistematic, a nevoilor, cerintelor si

dorintelor publicului tinta la nivelul dorit de acesta.

Aceasta functie a marketingului doreste sa puna in evidenta caracterul practice, pragmatic,

pe care il are aceasta stiinta. Bineinteles ca o abordare din perspective a ceea ce inseamna , in

general, definirea unei stiinte, ar putea sa conduca la o exprimare relative diferita a conceptului

de marketing.

Totusi, desi nu contine termenul de “stiinta” sau “stare de spirit” , doi termeni desul de

des intilnii in definitii, definitia de mai sus pune la cel mai inalt nivel abordarea practica din

perspectiva stiintifica si nu empirica. Mijloacele prin care o anumita organizatie cunoaste si se

adapteaza cerintelor mediului intern si extern, sunt “metodele si tehnicile stiinifice”.

Nu in ultimul rind, trebuie precizat ca modul in care a fost realizata definitia, pleaca de la

premisa ca in caracterul sau pronuntat aplicativ, marketingul reprezinta, la ora actuala, pentru

orice organizatie, in primul rind o modalitate practica (stiintific determinata) viabila de care

43

aceasta trebuie sa tina seama – pentru a desfasura o activitate eficienta si mai putin o stiinta care

trebuie studiata si dezvoltata pentru a-si dovedi utilitatatea practica.

In final, trebuie mentionat faptul ca functia de marketing a organizatiei este foarte

importanta, pentru ca permite optimizarea utilizarii resurselor necesare satisfacerii optime a

clientilor.

(Ready For Business, Editura Universitara, Bucuresti, 2004, p. 179)

44

UNIT 4

ADVERTISING LEARNING OBJECTIVES at the end of this unit the student should:

− have built an image on important issues related to advertising: − developed topic-related vocabulary − be able to design a radio commercial for a product at their choice

PART I READING PART II VOCABULARY PRACTICE Topic-related vocabulary PART III LANGUAGE FOCUS

PART IV PRACTICE TIME NEEDED TO COVER THE TOPIC: 6 hours

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ciuciuc, Olea, English for Business Purposes, Teora, Bucureşti 1999. Emmerson, Paul, Business Grammar Builder, Macmillan, 2002. Evans V. , Grammarway 4, Express Publishing House, 1999. Evans V. , Grammarway 3, Express Publishing House, 1999. Paidos, Constantin, Gramatica limbii engleze, Institutul European, 1993. Tullis, G., New Insights into Business, Express Publishing House, 2004. Turcu, Fulvia, Limba engleză pentru întreprinzători şi oameni de afaceri, Editura Sagittarius Iaşi, 1991.

45

ADVERTISING

I. Reading Session

Read the text and answer the following questions:

6. What is the best kind of advertising?

7. Why do most companies use advertising agencies?

8. When a company hires an advertising agency, what are the roles of both parties?

9. What is a media plan?

10. Why does advertising become ineffective after a certain point?

Advertising informs consumers about the existence and benefits of products and services,

and attempts to persuade them to buy them. The best form of advertising is probably word-of –

mouth advertising, which occurs when people tell their friends about the benefits of products and

services that they have purchased. Yet virtually no providers of goods or services rely on this

alone, but use paid advertising instead. Indeed many organizations also use institutional or

prestige advertising, which is designed to build up their reputation rather than to sell particular

products.

Although large companies could easily set up their own advertising departments, write

their own advertisements, and buy media space themselves, they tend to use the services of large

advertising agencies. These are likely to have more resources, and more knowledge about all

aspects of advertising and advertising media than a single company. The most talented

advertising people generally prefer to work for agencies rather then individual people as this

gives them the chance to work on a variety of advertising accounts (contracts to advertise

products or services). It is also easier for a dissatisfied company to give its account to another

agency than it would be to fire its own advertising staff.

The client company generally gives the advertising agency an agreed budget; a statement

of the objectives of the advertising campaign, known as a brief; and an overall advertising

strategy concerning the message to be communicated to the target customers. The agency creates

advertisements (the word is often abbreviated to adverts or ads). And develops a media plan

specifying which media – newspapers, magazines, radio, television, cinema, posters, mails, etc. –

will be used in which proportions. (On television and radio, ads are often known as commercials

46

that are pre-tested in newspapers, television stations, etc. in different part of a country before a

final choice is made prior to a national campaign.

The agency’s media planners have to decide what percentage of the target market they

want to reach (how many people will be exposed to the ads) and the number of times they are

likely to see them. Advertising people talk about frequency or ‘OTS’ (opportunities to see) and

the threshold effect – the point at which advertising becomes effective. The choice of advertising

media is generally strongly influenced by the comparative cost of reaching 1,000 members of the

target audience, the cost per thousand (often abbreviated to CPM, using the Roman numeral for

1,000). The timing of advertising campaigns depends on factors such as purchasing frequency

and buyer turnover (new buyers entering the market).

How much to spend on advertising is always problematic. Some companies use the

comparative-parity method – they simply mach their competitors’ spending, thereby avoiding

advertising wars. Others set their ad budget at a certain percentage of current sales revenue. But

both these methods disregard the fact that increased ad spending our counter-cyclical advertising

can increase current sales. On the other hand, excessive advertising is counter- productive

because after too many exposures people tend to stop noticing ads, or begin to find them

irritating. And once the most promising prospective customers have been reached, there are

diminishing returns, i.e. an ever-smaller increase in sales in relation to increased advertising

spending.

(English for Business Studies, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p.57)

II. Build your vocabulary

A. Find the terms in the text, which mean the following:

20. free advertising, when satisfied customers recommend products to their friends;

21. advertising that mentions a company’s name but not specific products

22. companies that handle advertising for clients

23. a contract with a company to produce its advertising

24. the amount of money a company plans to spend in developing its advertising and

buying media space or time

25. the statement of objectives of an advertising campaign that a client works out with

an advertising agency

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26. the advertising of a particular product or service during a particular period of time

27. a defined set of customers whose needs a company plans to satisfy

28. the people who choose where to advertise, in order to reach the right customers

29. the fact that a certain amount of advertising is necessary to attract a prospective

customer’s attention

30. choosing to spend the same amount on advertising as one’s competitors

31. Advertising during periods or seasons when sales are normally relatively poor.

B. Choose the correct alternative to complete each sentence:

C. Choose the most suitable word for each space

After more than fifty years of television, I might seem only obvious to conclude that it is here to

(1) ……….. There have been many objections to it during this time, of course, and (2)…………..

a variety of grounds. Did it cause eye-strain? Was the (3)………………. Bombarding us with

radioactivity? Did the advertisements (4) …………………. subliminal messages, persuading us

to buy more or vote Republican? Did children turn to violence through watching it, either

because so (50) ……………… taught them how to shoot, rob, and kill, or because they had to do

something to counteract the hours they had (6) ………… glued to the tiny screen ? or did I

simply create a vast passive (7) …………………………… drugged by glamorous serials and

inane situation (8)……………………..? On the other hand did it increase anxiety by

sensationalising the news (or the news which was (9)..…………….. suitable pictures) and filling

our living rooms with war, famine and political unrest? (10) ……………………….in all,

television proved to be the all-purpose scapegoat for the second half of the century, (11)

……………….. for everything, but above all, eagerly watched. For no (12) …………………….

How much we despised it, feared it, were bored by it, or felt it took us away from the old paradise

of family conversation and hobbies (13) …………….. as collecting stamps, we never turned it

off. We (14) ……………….. starting at the screen, aware that our own tiny (15) ……….. was in

it if we looked carefully.

1) A) long B) stay C) exist D) be

2) A) with B) over C) by D) on

3) A) screen B) danger C) machine D) reason

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4) A) contain B) of C) take D) having

5) A) that B) far C) many D) what

6) A) almost B) spent C) quite D) madly

7) A) programme B) personality C) audience D) tense

8) A) comedies B) programmes C) perhaps D) consequently

9) A) taken B) presented C) capable D) accompanied

10) A) Taken B) All C) Somewhat D) Thus

11) A) broadcasting B) looking C) blamed D) ready

12) A) one B) matter C) difference D) reason

13) A) known B) even C) described D) such

14) A) refused B) received C) turned D) kept

15) A) fault B) reflection C) situation D) consciousness

III. Focus on language: Adverbs

Adverbs usually describe verbs, adjectives, other adverbs or sentences. An adverb can be one

word (carefully) or a phrase (in the morning). Adverbs can describe manner (how), place (where),

time(when), frequency (how often), degree (to what extent), etc.

a) He drives carefully.

b) Your bag is here.

c) They’ll leave tomorrow.

d) He sometimes goes fishing at the weekend.

e) She is very polite.

FORMATION OF ADVERBS

- We usually form an adverb by adding – ly to the adjective.

Serious- seriously

- Adjectives ending in –le drop the – e and take – y.

Gentle- gently

- Adjectives ending in consonant + y drop the –y and take -ily

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happy- happily

- Adjectives ending in –l take – ly.

Awful – awfully

- Adjectives ending in – ic usually take – ally

Dramatic- dramatically BUT: public- publicly

- Adjectives ending in – e take –ly

Polite – politely BUT: true- trule

- The following words end in –ly, but they are adjectives: elderly, cowardly, friendly, likely,

deadly, lively, lonely, silly, ugly, lovely, etc.

She’s a lively child.

We use the words way/manner to form adverbs: She greeted me in a friendly way/ manner.

She complained in a cowardly way/manner.

- The adverbs loud(ly), cheap(ly), quick(ly), tight(ly), fair(ly) and slow(ly) are often used

without –ly in everyday English.

Come here quick/ quickly.

- Some adverbs have the same form as adjectives. These include: hard, fast, free, high,

low, deep, early, late, long, near, straight, right, wrong. Also hourly, daily, weekly,

monthly and yearly.

The lake is deep (adjective)

They went deep into the forest (adverb)

These biscuits are very hard.

He tried hard in order to succeed.

ORDER OF ADVERBS

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When there are two or more adverbs in the same sentence, they usually come in the following

order: MANNER- PLACE- TIME

The baby slept quietly in his bed all night long.

If there is a verb of movement, such as go, come, leave in the sentence, then the adverbs

come in the following order: PLACE- MANNER- TIME

He came to work by bus this morning.

1) Adverbs of MANNER go before the main verb, after the auxiliary verb or at the end of

the sentence:

She easily passed the exam.

We are eagerly waiting for his letter.

He acted foolishly.

2) Adverbs of DEGREE (absolutely, completely, totally, extremely, very, quite, rather, etc.)

go before an adjective, an adverb or a main verb, but after an auxiliary verb.

This is totally unacceptable.

They arrived rather early.

We absolutely love her sense of humour.

I don’t quite understand what you mean.

3) Adverbs of FREQUENCY go after auxiliary verbs and the verb to be, but before the

main verbs.

He is always ready to help.

Sam often complains about his salary.

4) Adverbs of PLACE and TIME usually go at the end of the sentence.

There is a café nearby.

I’ll meet you tomorrow.

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Some one-syllable adverbs of time such as soon, now and then, go before the main verb, but

after the auxiliary verb or the verb to be.

She then told him what had happened.

He will soon inform us about his decision.

5) We can put an adverb at the beginning of a sentence if we want to emphasise it.

Slowly, he closed the door behind him. (MANNER)

In the living room, there is an antique grandfather clock. (PLACE)

Yesterday, I met the President. (TIME)

COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE FORM OF ADVERBS

The comparative and superlative forms of adverbs are formed in the same way as those of

adjectives.

- Adverbs which have the same form as the adjective usually take –er in the comparative

and –est in the superlative.

Hard- harder- hardest; late-later-latest

- Adverbs formed by adding –ly to the adjective take more in the comparative and most in

the superlative form

Comfortably – more comfortably- most comfortably

IV. Practice

A. Translate into English:

Publicitatea cuprinde toate actiunile de comunicare impresonale, platite de un sustinator

(firma, organizatie, individ etc.) identificat, realizate orin intermediul mijloacelor de comunicare

in masa cu scopul influentarii comportamentului tintelor vizate (consumatorilor).

Dinamismul economico-social a determinat de asemenea si o puternica diversificare a

formelor concrete de desfasuratre a publicitatii. Aceste modalitati pot fi grupate dupa o serie de

criterii care vizeaza obiecul publicitatii, „tinta”acesteia, aria geografica de raspindire, ‚virsta

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produsului pentru care se realizeaza publicitatea, tipul mesajului difuzat sau suportul mesajelor

publicitare.

Realizarea unor actiuni publicitare eficiente presupune un efort intens din partea

intreprinderii. Ea trebuie sa-si defineasca cit mai clar tinta si obiectivele campaniei promotionale,

incercind totodata sa intocmeasca o schita a modului in care aceasta se va derula.

Inainte de a lua decizia de cumparare, consumatorul potential se informeaza cit mai

amanuntit cu privire la produsul pe care il doreste. El foloseste mai intii propria sa experienta si

daca aceatsa nu ii este suficienta pentru luarea deciziei, apeleaza la surse de informatii externe

(inclusiv la cele furnizate de publicitate) folosind (mental) un sistem de evaluare a plusurilor si

minusurilor produsului, sistem alcatuit din trei niveluri psihologice:

- nivelul cognitiv (ceea ce consumatorul cunoaste deja)

- nivelul afectiv (in functie de informatiile cu privire la produs consumatorul realizeaza

o evaluare a acestuia);

- nivelul comportamental (transpunerea in practica a atitudinii fata de produs)

B. Underline the correct item:

It was Lucy’s birthday and she was very sad/sadly. She had been waiting hopeful/hopefully

all morning for the postman to arrive. Sudden/ Suddenly, the letterbox rattled gentle/gently and

the envelope fell soft/softly onto the doormat. Picking it up, Lucy noticed miserable/miserably

that it was a bill. There were no cards, no presents and no pretty/prettily bouquets of flowers.

Lucy near/nearly burst into tears. Just then, there was a loud/loudly knock on the door. Opening

the door slow/slowly, Lucy saw all her friends holding brightly/bright wrapped gifs and

shouting ‚”Happy Birthday”. Lucy immediately/ immediately cheered up and greeted her

friends warm/warmly.

C. For each gap, turn the adjective into an adverb.

Julia was walking ..................... (quick) down the street when she heard someone call her

name ........................ (loud). She looked ......................... (nervous) behind her, but the street

was ....................... (complete) empty. There was nobody there. .......................... (Sudden),

she heard her name again. She turned to see her brother running towards her,

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smiling...................... (cheerful). Didn’t you hear me? ‘he laughed …………….. (happy).

Nick! gasped Julia. Ýou …………….. (near) frightened me to death!

D. Complete the second sentence so it has a similar meaning to the first sentence.

1. There was a slight fall in profits in April.

In April profits ..............................................

2. The was a dramatic improvement in our share price last month.

Last month our share price .....................................

3. There has been a significant drop in demand for oil over the last few months.

Demand for oil ..............................over the last few months.

4. Let’s have a brief pause for coffee.

Let’s .................................for coffee.

5. There has been a steady improvement in the inflation figures.

The inflation figures .................................

6. There was a slow recovery in consumer confidence last year.

Consumer confidence ............................last year.

7. There has been a gradual rise in unemployment.

Unemployment....................................

8. There has been a considerable growth in Korean GDP over recent years.

Over recent years Korean GDP..................................

E. Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences:

1. The best form of advertising is free................advertising, which occurs when satisfied

customers recommend products to their friends.

a. mouth- to- ear

b. face-to-face

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c. word-of-mouth

2. Large business firms tend to hire the services of a/an ......................

a. advertising company

b. publicity agency

c. adverting agency

3. The client (company) generally decides on its advertising ...................

a. account

b. budget

c. deal

4. A contract to develop the advertisement for a specific client, product, or service is called

a/an........

a. arrangement

b. agreement

c. account

5. A statement of the objectives of the adverting campaign is known as a ...................

a. message

b. mission

c. brief

6. The ...........................to be communicated is also provided by the client.

a. opinion

b. mission

c. brief

7. The choice of how, where, and in what proportions to advertise is known as the...............

a. medium plan

b. media planner

c. media plan

8. The customers whose needs a company plans to meet as known as the ...................market.

a. segment

b. target

c. open

9. The unpaid favourable mentions of the products or services of a company in any kind of media

are known as...................

a. public relations

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b. advertising

c. publicity

10. The advertising of a product or service during a certain period of time is called an

advertising.....................

a. mix

b. medium

c. campaign

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SELF-ASSESSMENT TEST

Choose the right answer:

1. The term “producer” refers to one who:

a. grows crops or manufactures goods

b. adds value to a product

c. provides raw materials of food

2. Which one of the following statements is false?

a. Commercial services add value to products

b. Most goods would not be produced if there were no commercial services

c. Commercial services cannot begin until the manufacturing process has been completed

d. Every stage of production cannot begin until the manufacturing process has been

completed.

3. Generally speaking a wholesaler

a. sells cheap goods to householders on their door steps

b. is a connection between the retailer and the manufacturer

c. only deals in goods which can be sold in very large quantities

d. insists on cash payment from his customers

4. Commerce

a. is a synonym with trade

b. included other functions in addition to trade

c. includes only the distribution and transport of goods

d. includes only banking and financial services

5. Cash- and- carry wholesalers

a. require customers to transport their own goods and to pay for them in cash

b. never take possession of merchandise

c. merely take orders which the producer or supplier sells to the customer

d. carry the customer’s goods

6. If there are too few retail shops, prices may rise because

a. bigger shops spend more on advertising

b. more assistants are needed

c. there is too little competition

d. customers must buy more goods

7. The basic function of a retailer is

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a. to provide consumers with the goods and services that they want

b. to buy goods only from a wholesaler

c. to sell goods in large quantities to the public

d. to sell goods and services from one business to another

8. Prices keep………these days.

a. rise

b. to rise

c. rising

d. risen

9. He is not used ……….by night.

a. to drive

b. driving

c. to driving

d. drive

10. They look forward …………from you soon.

a. hear

b. to hearing

c. hearing

d. to hear

11. His boss hopes he will get used ………..

a. to get up

b. getting up

c. to getting up

d. to get up

12. She can’t help …………… she is right

a to feel

b feeling

c to feeling

d feel

13. We wouldn’t like him …… at once

a. leave

b. leaving

c. to leave

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d. left

14. It’s no use …………at him.

a. shouting

b. to shout

c. to shouting

d. shouted

15. She objected …………overtime.

a. working

b. work

c. have worked

d. to working

16. Please ring before ………..in.

a. come

b. have come

c. coming

d. came

17. Would you mind ………?

a. repeat

b. repeated

c. repeating

d. to repeat

18. They will be surprised ……….you

a. with meeting

b. at meeting

c. meet

d. have met

19. I made him …………my car

a. repaired

b. to repair

c. repair

d. have repaired

20. They’d better ……….old cars

a. to stop selling

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b. they stopped selling

c. stop selling

d. them stop selling

21. He would rather ……….business with them

a. not to do

b. not did

c. not do

d. does not do

22. Why not ………..him to the trade fair?

a. to invite

b. invite

c. invited

23. Our car needs ……..

a. be repaired

b. repair

c. repairing

d. repaired

24. It is worth ………..at the supermarket

a. to do shopping

b. do shopping

c. doing shopping

d. done shopping

25. They finally agreed …………. half the money in advance

a. paying

b. to pay

c. paid

d. having paid

26. It won’t be any use ………to borrow any more money

a. you try

b. your/you try

c. to your trying

d. you tried

27. She couldn’t resist …………on the Internet.

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a. shop

b. to shop

c. shopping

d. to shopping

28. The police suspect suspect him of ………….stolen goods

a. try to sell

b. trying to sell

c. try sell

d. try selling

42. This problem is too difficult …….

a. explain

b. to explain

c. explaining

d. having explained

43. Would you like to come with me?

a. Yes, I’d love

b. Yes, I’d love to

c. Yes, I would

d. Yes, I will

44. He is always the first …..

a. coming

b. comes

c. to come

d. came

45. Tom prefers reading ………..

a. to talking

b. to talk

c. than talking

d. having talked

46. I did nothing but …………..

a to agree

b agree

c agreed

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d agreeing

49. He could do nothing except……..

a. complaining

b. complained

c. complains

d. complain

50. I apologize …………before

a. for not write

b. not to write

c. for not writing

d. not having written

51. John used …….. cigarettes

a. smoking

b. to smoke

c. having smoked

d. smoked

52. His ability ……………..with people is his main asset

a. to get on

b. to getting on

c. in getting on

d. get on

53. You can’t prevent him ………….his own money.

a. to spend

b. from spending

c. spend

d. without spending

54. I appreciate ……….. this opportunity.

a. to be given

b. being given

c. to have given

d. given

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ciuciuc, Olea, English for Business Purposes, Teora, Bucureşti 1999.

Emmerson, Paul, Business Grammar Builder, Macmillan, 2002.

Evans V. , Grammarway 4, Express Publishing House, 1999.

Evans V. , Grammarway 3, Express Publishing House, 1999.

MacKenzie, Ian, English for Business Studies, Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Paidos, Constantin, Gramatica limbii engleze, Institutul European, 1993.

Tullis, G., New Insights into Business, Express Publishing House, 2004.

Turcu, Fulvia, Limba engleză pentru întreprinzători şi oameni de afaceri, Editura

Sagittarius Iaşi, 1991.