COURSE
INTRODUCTION
BUSINESS ENGLISH 2
Contact information
Lecturer:
BOGLARKA KISS KULENOVIĆ
Office hours: Tuesday: 10:00 – 12:00
1 more hour to be set for meetings
Room:
20
E-mail:
bkisskule@efzg.hr
Timetable
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Lecture: Monday, 10:00 – 11:30
Seminars:
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Tuesday, 8:30 – 10:00
Wednesday, 10:00 – 11:30
REQUIRED LITERATURE
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MacKenzie, I. (2010) English for Business
Studies, CUP
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Business English Resource Bank 2
(2014-15)
Print it out by next time!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
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regular attendance
You will not get a signature if you miss more
than 6 classes
doctor's notes or other proof of absence have
to be handed in maximum 7 days after the
class missed.
active in-class participation (home
assignments, participation in discussions);
Organise and role-play a business meeting;
passing progress tests or final exam.
TWO WAYS TO GET A GRADE
1) PROGRESS TESTING - BEFORE REGULAR
EXAM DATES
 regular attendance
 homework assignments
for signature
 Business meeting
 active in-class participation
 additional tasks presented in office hours for higher
grade
 3 progress tests
 oral exam
2) REGULAR EXAM DATES
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regular attendance
homework assignments
for signature
Business meeting
final comprehensive written test (regular
exam period)
final comprehensive oral exam (regular exam
period)
Main topics to be covered in the
semester
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BUSINESS MEETINGS
REPORT WRITING
DESCRIBING GRAPHS AND CHARTS
TRADE
BANKING
INSURANCE
FINANCE
THE BUSINESS CYCLE
MEETINGS
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The meetings will be held in my office during office
hours until the end of the semester
You will work with your group from the previous
semester.
I can supply a meeting topic and role-play
instructions OR you can suggest one.
If you are choosing your own topic, contact me at
least a week before the meeting to get it approved.
prepare the meeting, agenda, minutes and roles
Hand in the agenda and minutes on the day of the
meeting.
Use class input (RB 2) on the structure and
language of meetings
Rehearse your role alone and with your team
Meetings 1
Topics to discuss on meetings
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The purpose of meetings/ effective meetings
Key words/ key participants
The structure of meetings
The language of meetings
Downtoning
Key documents for meetings: memo, agenda,
minutes
Brainstorming
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What are meetings for?
What makes meetings effective?
What kinds of problems could occur at a
workplace?
How could these be solved in meetings?
Key words: nouns
Explain what these words
mean.
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Memo
Agenda
Item
Venue
Chairperson
Minutes
Minute-taker
Any other business (AOB)
Key words: verbs
Find connections
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Circulate the minutes
Schedule a meeting
Run a meeting
Take minutes
Put off a meeting
Choose a minute-taker
Draw up the minutes
Call a meeting
Send out the minutes
Postpone a meeting
Chair a meeting
Appoint a minute-taker
Key words: verbs
Find connections
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Circulate the minutes
Schedule a meeting
Run a meeting
First you take minutes
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Put off a meeting
Choose a minutetaker
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Send out the minutes
Call a meeting
Chair a meeting
Then you draw up the
minutes
Postpone a meeting
Appoint a minutetaker
Replace the Croatian words with their
English translation
Downtoning: firm, but polite
language
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Say please and thank you
Avoid being direct
Ask, rather than order
Use indirect questions
Avoid blaming or accusing
Understate the point
Downtoning. Match up the two
sides.
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Your prices are not
acceptable
You must send it
straight away.
Can you reduce your
prices?
You’ve made a
mistake with my order.
There is a problem.
B.
C.
D.
E.
I’m afraid there is a
problem with the
order.
It seems we have a
small problem.
Please could you
send it as soon as
possible?
I was wondering if
you could reduce your
prices.
We think your prices
are rather high.
DOWNTONING
“You must reduce the price”
“I’m afraid the price is too high for us.”
“The price may/ might be too high for us.”
“Maybe you could reduce the price.”
“I wonder if you could reduce the price.”
“Why don’t we consider reducing the price?”
“The price is a little too high for us.”
“The price is a bit too high for us.”
“The price is just too high for us.”
“Let’s see what happens if the price is reduced.”
Making suggestions and proposals
Downtone the following sentence:
“Read the report first.”
Finish these lines:
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I advise...
I suggest V+ing/ that...
Why don’t we ...
Shall we ...
Making suggestions and proposals
“Read the report first.”
“I advise you to read the report first.”
“I suggest reading the report first.”
“I suggest (that) we should read the report first.”
“I suggest (that) we read the report first.”
“Why don’t we read the report first?”
“Shall we read the report first?”
Watch and listen
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_kZT8t75J4
http://australianetwork.com/businessenglish/stories/ep04.ht
m
Minutes: Turn the following lines into action minutes.
(You have to add some words.)
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Ian Sullivan, Anne Bulter, Maggie Harrison, John
Smith
Results of the market research
Room 19
The Product Development Department was
requested to suggest new product features.
14 July
We all agreed that an upgrade was necessary.
May 2011, 3 p.m.
JS
The market research showed that customers are
dissatisfied with the opitional features of our
product.
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Minutes of the management meeting
Date: 3 May 2011, 3 p.m.
Venue: Room 19
Present: Ian Sullivan, Anne Butler, Maggie
Harrison, John Smith
1 Results of the market research
The market research showed that customers are
dissatisfied with the opitional features of our product.
We all agreed that an upgrade was necessary.
The Product Development Department was requested
to suggest new product features.
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JS
14 July
When preparing your role-play
meeting:
Know what each department does.
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public relations department (PR)
research and development (R&D)
legal department
purchasing/procurement department
personnel or human resources (HR)
production/manufacturing department
finance department
marketing department
information technology department (IT)
sales department
HW