Unit Five

Working Together

Study Objectives• This unit looks at various aspects of working

in business and occasions when people may be expected to talk about their workplace.

• Firstly, one may have to show someone physically around the office or premises. Then, more generally, one may be asked to describe how the business is organized. Furthermore, people in business may often be called upon to describe to outsiders or friends what their company actually does.

• Manager-employee relationships are also considered.

5.1 Getting to know the workplace…

• This section covers the important question of finding one’s way about a company’s premises either as someone who is new to the company or as a visitor.

• It concentrates on office life and how offices are laid out.

Departments/Sections of a Company

• Personnel• Human Resources• Administration• General Affairs• Marketing• Sales• Finance• Purchasing• Dispatch• Production• After-sales• Quality Control (Q&C)• Research & Development

(R&D)• Advertising• Public Relations (P&R)• Logistics

• 人事• 人力资源• 行政管理• 总务• 营销• 销售• 财务• 采购• 发货• 生产• 售后服务• 质量控制• 研发• 广告• 公关• 物流

Step A

• Listen to the conversation and number the rooms that Michael is shown.

• Attention: the tour starts at Mrs. Bronson’s office.

Step B Discussion

• Work in pairs and decide which points you think are important.

• If you think any of them are ‘silly’ piece of advice, how would change them?

Step D• Imagine that an important visitor is

coming to your firm. She has sent you this fax.

• The fax provides reading input and sets the scene.

• Homework: Draft a fax to Ms Trosborg arranging the date and the

time you propose for the visit.

• MODEL MEMORANDUM• From: Publicity Officer To: Managing Director

• Subject: Visitor from Denmark Date: 13/9/--

• On 15 November Ms Trosborg, Design Director of the Tivoli Design Consortium of Copenhagen is paying a visit to our offices.

• I would like to ask whether you are likely to be in that morning. If possible I would like to bring Ms Trosborg to see you for a brief meeting, probably ten minutes or so, just to make contact. Would 11.45 be OK?

• Please let me know as soon as possible if it is convenient.

• Thanks,

• (Signature)

• Model fax• Anita Trosborg• Design Director• Tivoli Design Consortium• Berstorffsgade 19,• DK-1557 Copenhagen,• Denmark• Fax: + (45) 56 39 42 38 Date______• Dear Anita Trosborg,• We thank you for your enquiry concerning your prospective visit here.

• I am writing to say that it would be convenient for you to visit our office on 15 November, from 11.30. I have arranged a brief meeting with our managing director and then a meeting and possibly lunch with our design manager after that.

• I hope you will find the time convenient. If so, please confirm as soon as possible.

• We look forward to receiving you.

• Yours sincerely,• (Signature)• Publicity Officer

5.2 Different Kinds of Companies

• This section deals with types of business and occupational structure in various sectors of industry and product groups.

• Divisions of economic activity: ①primary industry ②secondary industry ③tertiary industry

Sole Proprietorships个人企业

独资经营企业，由一名出资者单独出资并经营

Own all assets, profits and liabilities or debts

Partnerships合伙企业

两人以上组成，订立合伙协议，共同出资，合伙经营，共享收益，共担风险

Common ownership, shared profits and losses, right to participate in managing the operation of the business

Joint Ventures合资企业

两个或以上属于不同国家（地区）的公司、企业或其他经济组织以合资方式组成的经济实体

Poll resources & expertise from different areas or countries, share risks and rewards

Corporations公司

依公司法的规定设立的法人组织，具有独立的法人资格，有权以公司名义拥有财产，享有权利，承担义务

Legal entity, empowered with legal rights such as to sue and be sued, own property, loan and borrow money

Franchises特许经营

特许者将自己拥有的商标、技术、经营模式等授予被特许者使用，并收取相应费用

Use a business name and sell products or services, usually in a specific geographical territory

Forms of Business Ownership 企业产权形式

• state-operated enterprise• state-owned enterprise• privately-owned

enterprise• township enterprise• collective enterprise• multinational company• parent company• subsidiary company• branch office• representative offices• holding company• listed company

• 国营企业• 国有企业• 私营企业• 乡镇企业• 集体企业• 跨国公司• 母公司• 附属公司• 分公司• 代表处• 控股公司• 上市公司

Step A

• Which of these companies do you know? Match them up with the sectors of industry and the product groups in the chart.

Step B Reading

• Suggested answers: business, major, secondary,

services, workers, another, most, countries, work, primary, lab our, basic, fully, productive, economic, fishing, percent

5.3 Company organization

• This section deals with the divisions and departments of a company and the use of job titles within the company.

Top Level Managers 高层(president, chief executive officer)

Middle Level Managers 中层(department manager)

Non-managerial Employees(line jobs, staff jobs)

First Level Managers 基层(production, sales, R & D supervisor

Accounting supervisor)

Attention: American job titles differ from British ones.

• USAUSAPresidentChief Executive Officer

(CEO)Vice-PresidentFinancial ControllerDirector (Personnel

Director)

• GBChairmanManaging Director (MD)DirectorAccountManager (Personnel

Manager)

Step A

• This listening exercise involves listening for detail.

• Answers: Robert leaf, Finance Director, Marketing Manager, George Harris, Personnel Manager, Research and Development Manager, Chow Fung, General Manager

5.4 Company Developments

• This section looks at the history of two contemporary companies, and encourages students to consider the development of their own company (or, if they don’t work, the company in the advertisement in File 70)

Step A Reading

• Answers: 1) Planning and Building for over 150 years----

Philipp Holzmann2) Pioneering Tomorrow’s Electronics---Siemens

5.5 Working with people

• Besides its reading and listening activities, this section deals with the functions of agreeing and disagreeing.

• You have the opportunity to discuss opinions about company organization and manager-employee relations.

Step A Reading• Discuss which of the titles seem more suitable than

others---the original article was titled The World’s Most Unusual Workplace though others might be equally good.

• Suggested answers: 1)Workers 2) the assembly line and economies of

scale 3) a quarter of employees fix their own 4) The workers decide 5) employees 6) employees 7) there are no central computers 8) there are no controls over expenses and business travel 9) he makes his own

Suggested answers: 1) pumps, dishwashers and cooling units 2) they have

increased fivefold 3) Good,$30 million 4) 23 per cent is exported 5) Free of debt

Step B

• Suggested answers: bureaucracy at work Staff promotion systems Management elections by the workers The design of Semco’s factory building The success of large corporations

• Suggested answers: True: 2 3 5 7

False: 1 4 6 8 9 10

Step C Discussion

• Please discuss the options listed and use the functional exponents for agreeing and disagreeing.

• It is important to choose polite forms when one disagrees with someone in a business setting.