B CULTURAL MATTERS: DOING BUSINESS IN JAPAN
1.Before you start. Work in pairs and discuss the questions.
1) What do you think it's important to know about another country if you are going on holiday or if you are going to work or study there?
2) What do you know about Japan?
2.Reading. Read this information for visitors to Japan. Is it for tourists, business people or students?
A When you meet someone in Japan, it is normal to bow. However, it's OK to shake hands, particularly with people who work in international companies. It's not a good idea to hug people.
B Always use chopsticks with your right hand. Place them on the side of a dish after you have started eating, not on the table. And never leave them standing in the rice bowl -it's bad luck.
C Your business card should state your name, company and position in your language and (on the back) in Japanese. Always give and receive cards with both hands. Treat other people's cards with respect – look at them carefully before putting them away. Never write or make notes on them.
D Send an agenda in advance and make it clear what the meeting is about. Also, send any documents - translated into Japanese. Try to find out who will attend, and check if your hosts speak English. If not, you will need an interpreter.
E Allow time for proper introductions and small talk as a friendly atmosphere is helpful. If there is silence during the meeting, don't worry - this is thinking time. Always take notes, and write to thank your hosts and confirm any decisions.
F You shouldn't use someone's first name until you have met several times and know each other well. Be sure to use titles such as Mr, Ms, or -San, but never use -san when referring to yourself.
G Japanese businessmen wear a blue or grey suit, a white or blue shirt and dark tie. Businesswomen should also wear a suit and use only a little jewellery and make-up. In summer when it's hot and humid, it's a good idea to pack several changes of clothes.
3. Readthe text again. Match the headings (1-7) with the paragraphs (A-G).
1) What to wear □
2) Business cards □
3) Eating out □
4) Greetings □
5) During and after meetings □
6) Talking to others □
7) Before a meeting □
4. Hereare some dos and don'ts about working in Japan. There are several more in the article. Find another two of each and add them to the lists.
Dos Don'ts
bow when you meet someone
use chopsticks with your right hand
____________________________
____________________________
hug people when you meet them
put chopsticks on the table
___________________________
_________________________
5. Vocabulary.Use these phrases to make sentences with the information you found in Exercise 4.
Dos
You should...
Always ...
It's OK to...
It's a good idea to ...
It's important to...
It's polite to...
Don'ts
You shouldn't...
Never...
It's not OK to...
It's not a good idea to
It's important not to..
It's not polite to ...
6.Speaking. Work in pairs. Make a list of dos and don'ts for visitors to your country.
7.Writing. Use your list to write some information like the article in Exercise 2.
Get real
Choose another country with a business culture that is very different from your country, e.g. China, South Korea, Brazil, Saudi Arabia. Use newspapers, magazines, books or the Internet to find information about doing business in this country. Make a list of dos and don'ts for that country. Create a class file on 'Business Culture.'
4 C CULTURAL MATTERS: TABLE MANNERS (Listening 7)
In the Philippines, it's considered good manners to eat all the food on your plate.
In Afghanistan, wasting food is frowned upon, and talking with your mouth full is viewed as being discourteous.
In China, it's customary and respectful to pass food to the elderly first. You should never stab chopsticks' into a bowl of rice and leave them pointing upwards: this is regarded as extremely disrespectful. It can also be offensive to remove rice from a bowl with a spoon
Glossary
• etiquette the formal rules of correct or polite behaviour in society.
• manners (pl) behaviour that is considered polite in a particular society or culture.
• frown on/upon sth/sb (often passive) disapprove of sth/sb.
• discourteous (FML) having bad manners and not showing respect, opp courteous, courtesy n.
• customary usually done in a particular place or situation, custom n.
• respectful showing polite behaviour towards sb/sth. opp disrespectful
• upwards moving or pointing towards a higher position opp downwards
• offensive rude in a way that makes sb upset or annoyed, opp inoffensive
Spotlight CONSIDER, REGARD, VIEW, PERCEIVE FML
| These verbs all mean to think about something in a particular way. They are commonly used in passive constructions like this: It is considered (to be) the correct thing to do. It is regarded/viewed/perceived as the correct thing to do. |
1. Correctthe spelling mistakes.
1) inoffencive ______________
2) curteous __________________
3) etikette __________________
5) percieve ________________
6) downwords _____________
7) chopstiks _____________
2. Completethe sentences.
ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY
1) It is с ______________ to eat chicken with your fingers when you're at the table.
2) Talking with your mouth full is usually f ___________ upon.
3) Parents think it's important for children to have good table m __________
4) Not eating food you are given is generally
v ________ as discourteous.
5) It is c _______________ very bad manners to eat everything you are given.
6) C ____________ related to the serving of food are the same all over the country.
7) It is r _____________ asr _____________ to offer food to the elderly first.
8) As a guest, it would be o _______________ to say the host's food was badly cooked.
9) It is d ___________________ to start eating before others have been served.
10) It is normal e _______________to put your knife and fork / chopsticks by the side of your plate/bowl when you have finished eating.
_______________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
________________
3. ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY.Are the sentences in Exercise 2 true or false, or does it depend on different factors? Write your answers, or ask another student
Unit 5
A WHAT IS MARKETING?
1.Before you start. What is marketing? Why is it important?
2.Reading. Read this article about marketing. Match the questions (1-6) with the paragraphs (A-F).
1) How do I meet my objectives? □
2) What do I want to achieve? □
3) What is marketing? □
4) How do I communicate my message? □
5) How do I find out this information? □
6) What do I need to know? □
A Marketing is finding out about your customers and competitors so that you can provide the right product at the right price.
B Think about the people you want to sell to: your target market. Different products have different target markets, for example, Swatch and Rolex watches. Questions to ask are:
• Who are my customers - age, sex, income?
• What is the size of the market?
• Is it possible for the market to get bigger?
• What about product awareness- do people know about my company's products?
C You find out this information through market research. Market research uses interviews to find out about people's attitudes and questionnaires to find out about their shopping habits.
D When you know who your customers are and how big your market is, the next step is to set your objectives. Do you want to increase sales? To increase market share? Or to make your product different from the competition?
E Next, think about your strategy for meeting your objectives. If your objective is to increase market share, you could:
• find new customers by making your product more attractive
• take customers from your competitors
• persuade your customers to use more of your product.
F How will you make your strategy work? What message do you want to send? There are many types of promotion and it's important to choose the right one, e.g.
• advertising on TV, in newspapers, etc.
• direct marketing by post (mail shots)
• telesales - selling to customers on the phone
• point-of-sale material in shops - free samples or special offers.
Now you are ready to launchyour product in the market. Good luck!
1. Vocabulary.Match the words and phrases in bold in the text with the definitions (1-8).
1) ways of telling people about your products ____________________
2) the part of the total market that buys your products ______________
3) knowledge of your company's products _______________________
4) other companies that sell similar products _____________________
5) finding out about the market ________________________________
6) to introduce a new product to the market ______________________
7) the kind of people you are interested in selling to _______________
8) a plan you use in order to achieve something ___________________
2. Lookat the text again. Find and underline:
1) Two market research methods
2) Three marketing objectives
3.Speaking. Work in pairs. Take turns to describe the marketing process. Use these phrases:
| ■ First you have to ... ■ Then … ■ After that... ■ Finally ... ■ Next… |
4. Work in groups.Think of a product you would like to produce and sell. It could be a new kind of drink or snack or a new range of make-up. You decide. Give your product a name.
5.Writing. You have completed the process in Exercise 5 and are ready to market your product from Exercise 6. Draw up a marketing report with information under these headings. Then present your report.
Product name: _______________________________________
Target market: _______________________________________
Objective: __________________________________________
Strategy: ____________________________________________
Promotion: _____________________________________________
Get real
Do some research. Think of a product you know or buy regularly, and about how the company markets it. Who is their target market? What are their objectives? Find out what you can about the company. What is their market share? Who are their competitors? Tell the class.
5 B THE BASIS OF MARKETING (Listening 9)
Marketing is the activity of presenting, advertising, and selling a company's products. To do that, you need to understand the company's strengths and weaknesses, and be aware of possible opportunities and threats. This is called a 'SWOT analysis':
| Skill (U) is the ability to do something well, usually needing practice, skillful adj. You often need a particular skill (C) for a job. skilled adj., opp unskilled. He has the right management skills. She's a skillful negotiator. We had a number of highly skilled workers. |
Strengths, e.g. specialist skills in the company