Bổ trợ kiến thức và bài tập: The business intermediate - Phần 1

Phần 1 của cuốn sách The business intermediate - Bổ trợ kiến thức và bài tập gồm 4 đơn vị bài học nhằm tổng kết từ vựng, kiến thức ngữ pháp, hướng dẫn cách thức viết kèm theo bài viết mẫu của các văn bản thương mại tương ứng với mỗi bài học, đồng thời cung cấp bài tập từ vựng giúp sinh viên mở rộng và ghi nhớ các loại từ khác nhau, bám sát chủ đề của bài học. Mời các bạn cùng tham khảo!

HÀ THỊ VŨ HÀ (Chủ biên) NGUYỄN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC - HÁN THỊ BÍCH NGỌC - HOÀNG THỊ ANH THƠ - TRẦN TRUNG DŨNG

THE BUSINESS INTERMEDIATE

Bổ trợ kiến thức và bài tập

MỤC LỤC

Trang

Lời nói đầu 2

Unit 1 – CORPORATE CULTURE 4

Unit 2 – CUSTOMER SUPPORT 33

Unit 3 – PRODUCTS AND PACKAGING 57

Unit 4 – CAREERS 87

Unit 5 – MAKING DEALS 127

Unit 6 – COMPANY AND COMMUNITY 155

Unit 7 – MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS 195

Unit 8 – INTERNATIONAL TRADE 221

Phần đáp áp 247

Tài liệu tham khảo 255

LỜI NÓI ĐẦU

Các bạn sinh viên thân mến!

Với mong muốn cung cấp thêm cho sinh viên nguồn tài liệu bổ ích, nhằm củng cố

và nâng cao vốn từ vựng, kiến thức ngữ pháp, khả năng viết các văn bản thương mại, cũng như hỗ trợ sinh viên trong việc tiếp thu vốn kiến thức phong phú của giáo trình The

Business Intermediate, cuốn sách The Business Intermediate – Bổ trợ kiến thức và bài tập đã được biên soạn để đáp ứng được nhu cầu quan trọng này Mỗi đơn vị bài học gồm

các phần chính là lý thuyết và thực hành Phần kiến thức trong mỗi bài học được phân bổ như sau:

SECTION 1 REMEMBER: Tổng kết từ vựng, kiến thức ngữ pháp, hướng dẫn

cách thức viết kèm theo bài viết mẫu của các văn bản thương mại tương ứng với mỗi bài học trong sách, cũng như gợi ý các chủ đề viết và các nguồn tài liệu trên các trang web mang tính cập nhật và phù hợp nhất với nội dung kiến thức của mỗi bài học

SECTION 2 PRACTICE: Cung cấp các bài tập trắc nghiệm và tự luận bám sát

nội dung mỗi chủ đề học trên lớp cũng như dạng đề thi cuối kỳ của sinh viên

 Question 1: Cung cấp bài tập từ vựng giúp sinh viên mở rộng và ghi nhớ các loại

từ khác nhau, bám sát chủ đề của bài học

 Question 2: Bao gồm hai phần, với phần thứ nhất thử thách khả năng tìm lỗi trong

câu, phù hợp với các hiện tượng ngữ pháp cũng như chủ đề của mỗi bài học và phần thứ hai cung cấp các bài đọc đa dạng (theo hình thức bài đọc đôi TOEIC và bài đọc

đi kèm các câu hỏi mở), liên quan đến chủ đề của bài học, giúp đi sâu, mở rộng và củng cố kiến thức

 Question 3: Bao gồm hai phần Phần thứ nhất là bài tập giúp bổ sung khả năng điền

vào chỗ trống trong một bài đọc phù hợp với nội dung bài học, sao cho đảm bảo hoàn thiện về mặt từ vựng, ngữ pháp và ngữ nghĩa Phần thứ hai chuyên về luyện viết các văn bản thương mại hoặc các câu hỏi mang tính nghị luận, phân tích sâu rộng vốn kiến thức của mỗi bài học

Hy vọng rằng đây không chỉ là cuốn cẩm nang hữu ích giúp sinh viên tự học mà còn là nguồn tài liệu tham khảo chân thực đáp ứng nhu cầu giảng dạy trên lớp cho giáo

Mặc dù được biên soạn rất kỹ lưỡng và tâm huyết nhưng cuốn sách không thể tránh khỏi những thiếu sót Kính mong các quý đồng nghiệp, quý độc giả và các em sinh viên có những đóng góp chân thành nhất để cuốn sách có thể hoàn thiện hơn trong những lần xuất bản tiếp theo

Nhóm tác giả

Unit 1 CORPORATE CULTURE

SECTION 1: REMEMBER

1 FOCUSES OF THE UNIT

1.1 About business – Work culture and placements

This module focuses on the culture of the workplace and the unwritten rules of behaviour that can be found in every organization

1.2 Vocabulary – Work organization and responsibility

This module focuses on the vocabulary of organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, and employment

1.3 Grammar – Past tenses and advice structures

This module focuses on the use of the past simple, past continuous and past perfect It also introduces a set of advice structures Students use this language to tell stories and give advice

1.4 Speaking – Meetings – one-to-one

This module focuses on the ways of using diplomatic language to deal with difficult meetings

1.5 Writing – A placement report

This module focuses on writing reports and the language and style used in them

1.6 Case study – Counselling

This module focuses on living and working abroad and the use of counselling skills and counselling language to discuss problems

assignment

(noun)

/əˈsaɪnmənt/ Nhiệm vụ, bổn phận được giao

His first assignment as a reporter was to write about that politician (Nhiệm vụ đầu tiên với tư cách là phóng viên của anh ấy là viết về chính trị gia đó)

autonomy

(noun)

/ɔːˈtɒnəmi/ Quyền tự trị, tự quản

New regulations have severely restricted our autonomy (Những quy định mới đã giới hạn nghiêm ngặt quyền tự trị của chúng ta)

/(bi:) ðə ˌdʌn ˈθɪŋ/ Một điều đúng đắn để làm hoặc cách

đúng đắn mà mọi người nghĩ một người nên cư xử

Keeping silent is the done thing for her (Giữ im lặng là điều mà cô ấy nên làm)

burst into tears

The dress code in our office is very formal – everybody wears a suit (Quy tắc

ăn mặc ở văn phòng của chúng tôi rất trang trọng – mọi người đều phải mặc vét)

etiquette

(noun)

/ˈetɪkət/ Nghi thức, phép xã giao, ứng xử

Office etiquette demands that you don’t read other people’s messages (Có một quy tắc ứng xử ở văn phòng đó là bạn không đọc tin nhắn của người khác)

get in (to the

office)

(phrasal verb)

/ɡet ˈɪntə ði ˈɒfɪs/ Đến/ có mặt tại văn phòng

Mark never gets in before 9.30 (Mark không bao giờ có mặt ở văn phòng trước

9 giờ 30 phút)

induction

(noun)

/ɪnˈdʌkʃn/ Quá trình hoặc nghi lễ giới thiệu một

công việc, kỹ năng, tổ chức mới, v v… với ai đó

The induction of new employees will take place in the main hall (Buổi lễ giới thiệu nhân viên mới sẽ diễn ra ở đại sảnh)

ấy sẽ phải là người đi trước một bước để

có thể cải thiện mối quan hệ của họ)

(noun) Most employers prefer interns who

already have some work experience (Hầu hết những nhà tuyển dụng đều thích những thực tập sinh đã có một chút kinh nghiệm làm việc)

pick up

(phrasal verb)

/ˌpɪk ˈʌp/ Thu thập thông tin hoặc học được một kỹ

năng mới một cách vô tình hoặc không cần cố gắng

She picked up good English skills when living in England (Cô ấy đã học được nhiều kỹ năng tiếng Anh một cách dễ dàng khi sống ở Anh)

skive off

(phrasal verb)

/ˌskaɪv ˈɒf/ Không có mặt ở trường học hoặc nơi làm

việc trong khi lẽ ra bạn nên có mặt ở đó

You must never skive off work (Bạn không bao giờ được trốn việc)

solidarity

(noun)

/ˌsɒlɪˈdærəti/ Sự đoàn kết, tình đoàn kết

He expressed his solidarity with the workers (Anh ấy đã thể hiện tình đoàn kết của mình với các đồng nghiệp)

co-stressed out

(adjective)

/ˌstrest ˈaʊt/ Căng thẳng vì có quá nhiều công việc

hoặc chịu quá nhiều áp lực

I am always stressed out whenever my boss complains about my work (Tôi luôn

bị căng thẳng quá mức khi sếp phàn nàn

về công việc của tôi)

subtle

(adjective)

/ˈsʌtl/ Tinh vi, tinh tế, không dễ phát hiện,

không dễ mô tả

There are subtle differences between the two ways of working (Có những sự khác biệt khó miêu tả giữa hai phong cách làm việc này)

turn out

(phrasal verb)

/ˌtɜːn ˈaʊt/ Hóa ra là

It turns out (that): It turns out that I was

right all along (Hóa ra là tôi đã luôn đúng)

1.2 Vocabulary – Work organization and responsibility

as such

(phrase)

/əz ˈsʌtʃ/ Dùng sau một danh từ khi muốn nhấn

mạnh đến nghĩa thông dụng của danh từ

đó

Right now we don’t have an HR department as such, so our Office Manager takes care of personnel (Hiện giờ chúng tôi chưa có phòng nhân sự nên quản lý văn phòng đang làm công việc đó)

dog eat dog

(phrase)

/ˌdɒɡ iːt ˈdɒɡ/ Tranh giành, cấu xé lẫn nhau vì quyền lợi

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there (Ngoài kia là một thế giới cạnh tranh khốc liệt)

on a day-to-day

basis

/ɒn ə ˌdeɪ tə ˌdeɪ ˈbeɪsɪs/

(chỉ tần suất) Hàng ngày

(phrase) on a daily/weekly/monthly/annual, etc

basis: hàng ngày/ tuần/ tháng/ năm

Safety equipment was checked on a daily basis (Các trang thiết bị an toàn đã được kiểm tra hàng ngày)

organigram

(noun)

/ɔːˈɡænəɡræm/ Sơ đồ chứa tên hoặc vị trí của toàn bộ

nhân viên của một tổ chức hoặc phòng ban

Our company’s organigram is big (Bảng

sơ đồ tên nhân viên công ty của chúng tôi rất lớn)

overview

(noun)

/ˈəʊvəvjuː/ Khái quát, tổng quan

overview of: The book gives an overview

of management techniques (Cuốn sách này cung cấp tổng quan về các phương pháp quản lý)

predecessor

(noun)

/ˈpriːdəsesə(r)/ Người tiền nhiệm

Alexander seems to have learned nothing from the faults of his predecessors (Alexander dường như không học được gì

từ sai lầm của những người tiền nhiệm)

subsidiary

(noun)

/səbˈsɪdiəri/ Công ty con

My company has many subsidiaries in Europe (Công ty của tôi có rất nhiều công ty con ở châu Âu)

take over

(phrasal verb)

/ˌteɪk ˈəʊvə/ Giành lấy, giành quyền điều khiển, giành

quyền kiểm soát, tiếp quản

This company is taking over a much smaller company (Công ty này sẽ mua lại một công ty nhỏ hơn nhiều)

1.3 Grammar – Past tenses and advice structures

/daɪv/ Nhảy lao đầu xuống nước

He dived into the pool (Anh ấy nhảy lao đầu xuống bể bơi)

neglect

(verb)

/nɪˈɡlekt/ Sao lãng, cẩu thả, không chú ý, bỏ mặc,

thờ ơ

neglect to do something: She had

neglected to inform me that the company was having financial problems (Cô ấy đã sao lãng việc thông báo cho tôi biết rằng công ty đang gặp vấn đề về tài chính)

nickel

(noun)

/ˈnɪkl/ Đồng 5 xu của Mỹ hoặc Canada

The nickel is a US coin worth five cents Twenty nickels make a dollar (20 đồng 5

successor

(noun)

/səkˈsesə(r)/ Người kế vị, người kế nhiệm

successor to: They haven’t yet found a

successor to their great CEO (Họ vẫn chưa tìm được người kế nhiệm cho vị CEO tuyệt vời của họ)

tactful

(adjective)

/ˈtæktfl/ Khéo léo, cẩn trọng trong cách ăn nói

hoặc cư xử để không làm mất lòng người khác

tactfully (adverb): Speak tactfully if you

want the boss to accept your criticism (Hãy nói một cách khéo léo nếu bạn muốn góp ý với sếp)

1.4 Speaking – Meetings – one-to-one

authoritarian

(adjective)

/ɔːˌθɒrɪˈteəriən/ Độc tài, độc đoán

My previous boss was a very authoritarian one (Sếp trước kia của tôi

là một người rất độc đoán)

clear the air

(phrase)

/ˌklɪə ði ˈeə/ thảo luận về một vấn đề hoặc một tình

huống gây bầu không khí không vui vẻ hoặc căng thẳng

Why don’t you ask her to have a coffee with you and just clear the air? (Tại sao bạn không mời cô ấy một tách cà phê và cùng nhau thảo luận về vấn đề gây căng thẳng đó nhỉ?)

The company has failed to show its commitment to the employees (Công ty

đó đã thất bại trong việc thể hiện sự cam kết của họ đối với nhân viên)

meet/miss a deadline: hoàn thành/

không hoàn thành việc gì đúng hạn

If we can’t meet the deadline, they won’t give us another contract (Nếu chúng ta không hoàn thành đúng hạn lần này, họ

sẽ không ký hợp đồng lần nữa với chúng ta)

dogmatic

(adjective)

/dɒɡˈmætɪk/ Giáo điều, võ đoán, chắc chắn rằng nhận

định hoặc niềm tin của mình là đúng và muốn người khác cũng phải nghĩ như vậy

You can’t be dogmatic in matters of taste (Đối với vấn đề sở thích, bạn không thể

võ đoán được)

threatening

(adjective)

/ˈθretnɪŋ/ Mang tính đe dọa, hăm dọa

a threatening look: ánh nhìn hăm dọa

She gave me a threatening look (Cô ấy nhìn tôi đầy hăm dọa)

1.5 Writing – A placement report

/kənˈveɪə ˌbelt/ Băng tải

A conveyor belt is at the heart of our operations and the key to profitability (Băng tải là trọng tâm hoạt động của chúng ta và là chìa khóa dẫn đến lợi nhuận cao)

My car’s gearbox needs to be fixed (Hộp

số ô tô của tôi cần phải được sửa chữa)

it’s a good job

(that)

(phrase)

/ɪts ə ˈɡʊd ˌdʒɒb/ Dùng để bày tỏ rằng thật may mắn khi

điều gì đó đã xảy ra bởi vì nó giúp ngăn chặn một việc tồi tệ nào đó

It’s a good job that our company has a new fireplace put in two weeks ago It’s freezing cold these days (Thật may là công ty chúng ta đã có lò sưởi từ cách đây hai tuần Dạo này trời lạnh cóng)

mailshot

(noun)

/ˈmeɪlʃɒt/ Thư quảng cáo (gửi cho nhiều người một

lúc)

You may need advice on who to target with your mailshot (Bạn có thể cần nghe

tư vấn về đối tượng bạn nên gửi thư quảng cáo)

rapport

(noun)

/ræˈpɔː(r)/ Mỗi quan hệ hệ tốt, sự thấu hiểu giữa

người với người

I’m in rapport with my colleagues (Tôi

có mối quan hệ tốt với đồng nghiệp của mình)

take the mickey

(phrase)

/ˌteɪk ðə ˈmɪki/ Đùa nhưng không có ác ý

My colleagues often take the mickey out

of me but I know they don’t mean to offend me (Đồng nghiệp của tôi hay đùa cợt nhưng tôi biết họ không có ý xúc phạm tôi)

1.6 Case study – Counselling

(noun) Body language is a type of nonverbal

communication in which physical behaviours, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information (Ngôn ngữ có thể là hình thức giao tiếp không dùng lời để thể hiện hoặc truyền đạt thông tin)

bounce back

(phrasal verb)

/ˌbaʊns ˈbæk/ Trở nên mạnh khỏe, hạnh phúc hoặc

thành công sau khi trải qua một chuyện gì

/ˈekəʊ/ Phản ánh, lặp lại lời của ai

He echoed the views of many employees (Anh ấy phản ánh lại quan điểm của rất nhiều nhân viên)

headache

(noun)

/ˈhedeɪk/ Cơn đau đầu, chứng nhức đầu

I have got a terrible headache after trying to meet the deadline (Tôi bị đau đầu khủng khiếp sau khi cố gắng hoàn thành đúng hạn)

open question

(noun)

/ˌəʊpən ˈkwestʃən/ Câu hỏi mở (có từ để hỏi, còn gọi là Wh-

question), trong đó người được hỏi sẽ

cung cấp thông tin dựa theo câu hỏi, khác

với câu hỏi đóng (hay còn gọi là a closed

question hay Yes/No question) mà trong

đó người được hỏi chỉ cần trả lời Có (Yes) hoặc Không (No)

I prefer Yes/No questions to open questions (Tôi thích trả lời câu hỏi Yes/No hơn là câu hỏi mở)

outlook

(noun)

/ˈaʊtlʊk/ Quan điểm

share an outlook: cùng chung quan điểm

They shared the same kind of outlook on life (Họ có cùng quan điểm về cuộc sống)

đó là không được bóp méo nội dung của lời nói gốc)

perspective

(noun)

/pəˈspektɪv/ [danh từ đếm được] Một quan điểm về

điều gì [danh từ không đếm được] Sự xem xét một cách khôn ngoan về tầm quan trọng của thứ gì khi so sánh với những thứ khác

keep something in perspective: xem xét

thứ gì đó một cách khách quan, khôn ngoan

It’s important to keep things in

perspective and not dwell on one accident (Điều quan trọng cần làm là phải xem xét mọi thứ một cách khách quan chứ không phải là chỉ lo ngại mãi khi một tai nạn không mong muốn xảy ra)

reassess

(verb)

/ˌriːəˈses/ Định mức lại, đánh giá lại

We tried to reassess his suitability for the job (Chúng tôi đã cố gắng đánh giá lại xem anh ấy có phù hợp với công việc này không)

didn’t

Past tense form

To be

To be is different from all other verbs in having two forms of the past simple:

I/She/He/It was

We/You/They were

It is also different from other non-modal verbs in forming questions and negatives without

did

Question word

n’t

knives?

Past Simple is used for:

 Past actions that took place immediately one after the other

E.g She ran into her room, broke down and cried

 Past habits or states which are now finished In such cases, we can also use the expression “used to”

E.g When she was young, she rode/used to ride her bicycle to school

 A complete action or event which happened at a stated time in the past

E.g He passed his exam last week

(When? “Last week” – stated time in the past)

 Complete past actions not connected to the present with a stated or implied time reference

E.g Shakespeare wrote a lot of plays

(Shakespeare is now dead, he won’t write again – period of time now finished – implied time reference)

Time expressions used with Past Simple: yesterday, last week, etc., (how long) ago, then,

just now, when, in 1992, etc

3.1.2 Past Continuous

We form the past continuous with was or were followed by the main verb in an -ing form

Question word

was/were Subject was/were not or

n’t

-ing form

Past Continuous is used for:

 An action which was in progress at a stated time in the past We do not know when the action started or finished

E.g At 3 o’clock this afternoon, they were having coffee

 A past action which was in progress when another action interrupted it

E.g I was washing the dishes when the phone rang

(The action in progress – was washing (Past Continuous) - was interrupted by another action – rang (Past Simple))

 Two or more actions which were happening at the same time in the past (simultaneous actions)

E.g He was cooking while she was sleeping

 Background description to events in a story/description

E.g The sun was shining…

Time expressions used with Past Continuous: while, when, as, at 3 o’clock yesterday,

n’t

Past participle

Affirmative Everyone had spoken

Past Perfect is used for:

 An action which happened before another past action or before a stated time in the past

E.g She had already finished her homework before her mother came home

(She finished her homework first and then her mother came home)

 An action which finished in the past and whose result was visible in the past

E.g When I saw Mary yesterday, she was sad because she had failed the exam

 The Past Perfect is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect

E.g There was no cake left; he had eaten it all

(Present Perfect: There’s no cake left; he has eaten it all.)

Time expressions used with Past Perfect: for, since, already, after, before, as soon as,

just, never, ever, yet, by, by the time, etc

3.1.4 Past Perfect Continuous

Form

We form the past perfect continuous with had followed by been and the main verb in an

-ing form

Question word

had/’d Subject had/’d not or

doing?

Negative I hadn’t been

working

for long

Past Perfect Continuous is used for:

 An action of certain duration continuing up to a specific time in the past

E.g She had been trying to find a job for months before she gave up

 A past action which lasted for some time in the past and whose result was visible in the past

E.g Her fingers ached because she had been playing the violin all evening

 The Past Perfect Continuous is the past equivalent of the Present Perfect Continuous

E.g She stayed in bed that day because she had been feeling ill all day

(Present Perfect Continuous: She’s staying in bed today because she has been feeling ill all day.)

Time expressions used with Past Perfect Continuous: for, since, until then, by the time,

prior to that time, before, after

3.1.5 Used to, Be used to, Would and Was going to

 Used to expressed past habits, regularly repeated actions in the past or past states E.g She used to walk to school (ALSO: would tell me…)

He used to live here (NOT: would – state)

He used to have a moustache (NOT: would -state)

 Would expresses regularly repeated actions and routines in the past (Stative verbs

are not used with “would”)

E.g My grandmother would always make me a big breakfast (ALSO: used to

make…)

 Be used to means “be accustomed to”, “be in the habit of”

E.g She isn’t used to getting up early (= She isn’t accustomed to getting…)



E.g She was going to move to Sydney but then she decided to stay in Melbourne

3.2 Advice structures

 You should/shouldn’t + V

 Have you considered + V-ing?

 How about + V-ing?

 It’s a good idea + to V

 Have you thought of V-ing?

 You could + V

 It’s wise + to V

 Why don’t you + V?

 You ought to V

 You might want + to V

 Have you tried + V-ing?

 It’s important + to V

 It’s unwise + to V

4 WRITING – A PLACEMENT REPORT

4.1 What is a placement report?

A placement or internship report is a document in which one writes about the work experience, tasks and responsibilities, colleagues and managers, the company, the department(s) he or she worked in and what he or she learned while staying at the company

It will be written in a formal style

4.2 Structure of a placement report

1 Introduction: some background information answering some or all the questions who,

what, when, why, how; for example, objectives of the internship, description of the

company and how it is organized, practical details about the placement

2 Experience from work placement: the tasks performed, details of responsibilities,

analysis of success and failure

3 Observations about the company: details about the company and the department he or

she worked in, description of the company’s culture and policies, evaluation of the company as a potential employer

4 Professional achievements: the skills and experience he or she gained, suggestions for

the future

5 Appendix: extra information which may be of interest, but is not required in the main

body of the report

(Adapted from The Business Intermediate Unit 1)

4.3 A sample placement report

I was employed for three months at the University of Wollongong in Wollongong, Australia, under the supervision of Ms Wood The objective of the internship was to gain experience with the library computer programs and the media department work at one of the most reputable universities in Australia, which has highly advanced facilities

For most of the time, I worked in the university’s modern library, where I was able

to learn the basic functions of the library computer programs as well as the shelving and signature systems and the media department called JAM (journalism and media), where I got my first insight into the iOS and Adobe Photoshop My tasks at work also included plenty of little things I could do for both the library and the JAM department In the library,

I would assist the counter staff, research library service’s evaluation methods and put them into presentable form for meetings, help my co-workers with everyday tasks, do surveys among the lecturers, tutors, students and much more In the JAM department, I was trusted

to gather an academic format stock list of all the different kinds of media related books in the library, helped lecturers, tutors, students and staff with camera work, did research about things like the university’s partners and went downtown with the media students Apart from all the valuable experience that I already mentioned above, the new things I learned during my stay include the very basics and logistics of running a library, a relaxed way of working with university students, how to have good meetings, working smoothly with different supervisors and a whole lot more I also learned some very specific things like shelving books properly or taking and editing photographs which might indeed prove useful in the future

The University of Wollongong is indeed a prestigious university with highly competent staff and state-of-the-art facilities My work placement was incredibly fruitful and fun The kind and competent staff helped me a lot and whenever there was a little downtime, they had a chat with me about all kinds of intercultural topics I had many occasions in which I would drift away into genuinely interesting conversations with my co-workers and my fellow students They listened to and considered all kinds of suggestions made even by me as a placement worker, and never came across in any authoritarian manners

My experience in research as well as my few media related qualifications proved very useful and valuable Furthermore, my written English was important for the research tasks, while the confidence I acquired during the presentations I had done for the past few years was incredibly useful in general Switching from my role and my tasks as a student

to being a part of the staff at the university was smoother than I had expected, and many of

my skills translated quite nicely into work My spoken English definitely improved during

my stay since I got to practise a lot both during work and at weekends I can surely say that this great working abroad experience will definitely help me with my job in the future The fact that I managed to finish all the tasks I was given quickly and got along well with my bosses and colleagues helped me having a positive outlook on my future career

Overall, I found that my work experience placement at the University of Wollongong really helped me in a number of things, ranging from language to self-confidence and cultural education The cherry on top was the fact that I met a lot of nice people and had a great time

Appendix: A Daily journal, B Copies of letters to and from Ms Wood, supervisor

5 OTHER SUGGESTED WRITING QUESTIONS FOR UNIT 1

 What is corporate culture?

 What are the so called “unwritten rules” in companies?

 How does corporate culture affect employees’ life and work?

 How do the leaders and their leadership influence corporate culture?

 What do you think is the good corporate culture?

 What do you think is the bad corporate culture?

 What corporate culture do you imagine you might encounter in a small private company in Vietnam?

 How to have a good placement at a new company?

 Roles of placement in your study now and how does it help you prepare for your future job?

 What kind of internship do you want to have? Why?

 What are some examples of unwritten rules in corporate culture and their influences

on individuals in a company?

6 USEFUL WEBSITES

Websites with background information on company culture include:

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-makes-up-your-company-culture-1918816 https://www.answers.com/search?q=organizational-culture

https://neilpatel.com/blog/great-company-culture/

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249174

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/company-culture

culture/#3427232249b5

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alankohll/2018/08/14/how-to-build-a-positive-company-SECTION 2: PRACTICE

QUESTION 1

Fill in each blank with the correct form of the word given in brackets

1 A lot of universities want to preserve their (autonomous) from central government

2 Last year, the council decided to (initiative) its own study and carry out research at the request of many non-govermental organizations

3 (Intern) can be defined as a period of time during which someone works for an organization or a company so as to get experience of a particular type of work

4 People are frustrated because the goverment is _ (neglect) its duty to protect the vulnerable

5 What the new CEO needs to do is to learn from the mistakes of all his _ (predecessor)

6 A lot of people fear that their countries are sliding towards (authoritarian)

7 The government must _ (commitment) itself to improving healthcare and welfare

8 That man was accused of stalking a famous actress by repeatedly calling her and sending _ (threatened) letters over the past few months

9 There is a danger of becoming too (dogmatically) about certain studying methods

10 If you want her to accept your criticism, try to speak very (tactful)

QUESTION 2

I Choose one underlined word or phrase which needs correcting in each sentence

1 My colleague said that he didn’t feel like overworking because he can end up in the

hospital

A like B can C up D hospital

2 My sister was watching TV during my brother was doing his homework

A was watching B during C was doing D homework

3 Having my car repaired by the mechanic whose telephone number you had given me, I continued my journey smoothly

A Having B by C whose D had given

4 Never before I had seen an employee like him who enjoyed being scolded

A Never B I had C enjoyed D scolded

5 I wish you didn’t damage your health by working so much last year

A wish B didn’t damage C by D so much

6 He had seen entering the house at midnight but when he was asked, he said he didn’t do

it

A had seen B entering C asked D do it

7 I was afraid of talking to her because I could see that she was angry The boss told her off again

A of talking B could see C told D off

8 Harry was expelled from school for having playing truant for a long time

A from B for C having playing D truant

9 She stopped smoking because the doctor had told her that she should give it up if she wants to be healthy

A smoking B had C should D wants

10 Whoever said this he must have been a liar because it is something that even a little child knows to be true

A he must B something C that D to be true

II Read the passages below and choose the best answer

1 Read the following passage and choose the best answer

to do it in the future You will also get 20 vacation days and 5 sick days per years Stock options and a pension plan are also available I would suggest that you make

an appointment to come in and speak with Joon Kim, our benefit expert, very soon, and she can explain the full benefits package to you At the same time you can fill out some paperwork for us

Welcome to Bunnings, Inc We look forward to working with you

Sincerely,

Clinton Mead

Thank you for your offer of a position at Bunnings, Inc Unfortunately, I have decided

to take another position I say this with real regret as I am sure that I would enjoy working at Bunnings, Inc., and the benefits are vey attractive However, I believe my new position at Woolworths Group will be better for me Bunnings, Inc Has offered

me a higher salary and twice as many vacation days as Woolworths, but Woolworths has offered me the same type of job and it is closer to my home I find that location

is very important It would take me over an hour just to get to work if I had the job at Bunnings, Inc

Because of my family and other commitments, I cannot agree to put myself in such a situation Thank you again for the offer

A Mr Mead

B Ms Lloyd

C Ms Wood

D Mr Kim

3 Why did Ms Wood NOT accept a new position at Bunnings, Inc.?

A The salary is too low

B The benefits are not good

C The location is inconvenient

D The job isn’t interesting

4 What job did Ms Wood take with Woolworths Group?

2 Read the following passage and answer the questions

Every organization has a culture which refers to its employees’ values and attitudes The employees of a business with an unhealthy culture act as individuals, which means they perform their duties to meet their own needs, such as paycheck or health benefits A healthy corporate culture values each employee in the organization regardless of his job duties, which results in employees working as a team to meet the company and their own personal needs It is also fair to say that healthy corporate culture improves the performance of a business in a number of areas

Employee Retention

Employees in a company that values them for their contribution to the business experience high morale and a positive attitude towards the organization When they have a positive

attitude, they tend to be loyal to the organization, which reduces employee turnover It is a very positive impact because worker turnover has a high cost to a business and also leads

to increased costs for recruitment, hiring and training With a healthy corporate culture, a company can retain valuable employees and reduce human resources costs

Reputation

Companies with a healthy corporate culture can gain a good reputation among potential workers This helps attract talented and skilled workers to the organization Besides, a positive business reputation allows the company to charge a higher price for products and services and increases the company’s value in the financial market Customers may also prefer to conduct business with a business which has a solid corporate reputation

Productivity

The improved morale of employees in a company with a healthy corporate culture results

in the increased productivity, which means the financial health of the organization improves and profits increase Increases in productivity are also a measure that illustrates efficiencies and effectiveness in the company Employees benefit from increases in productivity with higher salaries in employees benefit programs

Quality

Workers in companies with healthy corporate cultures are encouraged to deliver quality products and services Companies with cultures valuing the highest standards create the motivation for workers to deliver products that can meet those high standards The cultural standards for excellence play a vital role in creating a product or service with a reputation for high quality

(Adapted from “Importance of a Healthy Corporate Culture” in The Houston Chronicle - https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-healthy-corporate-culture-20899.html)

6 What is the result of a healthy corporate culture?

7 Why is reduced employee turnover a positive impact?

8 What does a solid corporate reputation help attract to the organization?

9 What do increases in productivity measure?

10 Why do workers in companies with healthy corporate cultures deliver quality products and services?

QUESTION 3

I Choose the suitable word to fill in each blank

History of Corporate Culture

Awareness of corporate or organizational culture in businesses and other organizations such as universities emerged in the 1960s The term corporate culture (1) _ in the early 1980s and became widely known by the 1990s Corporate culture was used during those periods by (2) _, sociologists, and other academics to describe the (3) _ of a company This included generalized beliefs and behaviors, company-wide value systems, (4) _ strategies, employee communication, and relations, work environment, and attitude Corporate culture would

go on to include company origin myths via charismatic chief executive officers (CEOs), as well as visual symbols such as logos and trademarks

By 2015, corporate culture was not only (5) _ by the founders, management, and employees of a company, but was also influenced by national cultures and traditions, (6) _ trends, international trade, company size, and products

There are a variety of terms that relate to companies affected by multiple cultures, especially in the wake of globalization and the (7) _ international interaction

of today's business environment As such, the term cross-culture refers to “the interaction

of people from different backgrounds in the business world”; culture shock refers to the confusion or anxiety people experience when conducting business in a society other than their own; and reverse culture shock is often (8) _ by people who spend lengthy times abroad for business and have difficulty (9) _ upon their return

To create positive cross-culture experiences and facilitate a more cohesive and productive corporate culture, companies often (10) _ in-depth resources, including specialized training, that improves cross-culture business interactions

(Adapted from “Corporate Culture” in Investopedia - https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporate-culture.asp)

1 A came B developed C went D entered

2 A managers B manager C managing D management

3 A personality B truth C character D core

4 A managing B management C manager D managers

5 A made B created C found D founded

6 A economy B economical C economically D economic

7 A decreasing B decreased C increasing D increased

8 A experienced B spent C found D gone

9 A returning B remaking C readjusting D reconsidering

10 A invest B devote C dedicate D perform

II Writing

How does corporate culture affect companies’ business performance?

Unit 2

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SECTION 1: REMEMBER

1 FOCUSES OF THE UNIT

2.1 About business – Call Centres

This module focuses on the culture of the workplace and the unwritten rules of behaviour that can be found in every organization

2.2 Vocabulary – Customer Service and Telephoning

This module focuses on the vocabulary of organizational structure, roles and responsibilities, and employment

2.3 Grammar – Asking Questions and Giving Instructions

This module focuses on the use of the past simple, past continuous and past perfect It also introduces a set of advice structures Students use this language to tell stories and give advice

2.4 Speaking – Dealing with Problems by Telephone

This module focuses on the ways of using diplomatic language to deal with difficult meetings

2.5 Writing – Formal and Informal Correspondence

This module focuses on writing reports and the language and style used in them

2.6 Case study – Cybertartan Software

This module focuses on living and working abroad and the use of counselling skills and counselling language to discuss problems

uproar

(verb)

/kɔːz (ən) ˈʌprɔː(r)/ Gây ra sự phẫn nộ

His negative comments caused an uproar

in the audience (Lời nhận xét tiêu cực của anh ta gây một sự phẫn nộ cho người nghe.)

cheery

(Adjective)

/ˈtʃɪəri/ Vui tươi, hạnh phúc

He left with a cheery “Goodbye” (Anh ta rời đi với một lời tạm biệt vui tươi.)

computer

literary

(noun)

/kəmˌpjuːtə ˈlɪtərəsi/ Trình độ máy tính

Low levels of computer literacy in any organization are a disaster (Trình độ

máy tính thấp ở bất cứ tổ chức nào cũng

là một thảm họa.)

counterpart

(noun)

/ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt/ Người có cùng địa vị, tương nhiệm

The Minister held talks with his Chinese counterpart (Bộ trưởng đã có những cuộc nói chuyện với người tương nhiệm Trung Quốc của ông.)

East Enders

(noun)

/ˌiːst ˈendə(r)/ Một bộ phim dài tập của Anh về một

nhóm người sống ở phía Đông London

farm out

(verb)

/ˌfɑːm ˈaʊt/ Chuyển phần công việc cho người khác

bên ngoài công ty

Call centres are being farmed out to the developing world (Các tổng đài tư vấn đang được chuyển dần sang các nước đang phát triển.)

(verb) If the tank leaks, liquid comes out of it

(Nếu bình chứa rò rỉ, chất lỏng sẽ chảy

ra ngoài.)

overseas

(adverb)

/ˌəʊvəˈsiːz/ Hải ngoại, nước ngoài

He is considering going overseas for his study (Anh ta đang cân nhắc việc đi học nước ngoài.)

slap in the face

(noun)

/ˌslæp in ðə ˈfeɪs/ Hành động gây ra sự thất vọng

The closure of the school is a slap in the face to the local community (Việc đóng cửa ngôi trường như một cú tát vào mặt cộng đồng địa phương.)

sweatshop

(noun)

/ˈswetʃɒp/ Công xưởng bóc lột tàn tệ

If a worker does feel that he is working in the sweatshop, then he can quit at any time (Nếu công nhân cảm thấy họ đang phải làm việc trong công xưởng bóc lột tàn tệ, họ có thể bỏ việc.)

Their lives are worlds apart (Cuộc sống của họ khác nhau hoàn toàn.)

2.2 Vocabulary – Customer Service and Telephoning

(adjective) She thinks I’m brainless (Cô ta cho rằng

/ˌkɒndɪˈsendɪŋ/ (Thái độ) bề trên

He has a condescending attitude towards women (Anh ta có thái độ bề trên đối với phụ nữ.)

earth

(verb)

/ɜːθ/ Tiếp đất một thiết bị điện

You need to earth your computer (Bạn cần tiếp đất máy tính của mình.)

2.3 Grammar – Asking Questions and Giving Instructions

broadband

(adjective)

/ˈbrɔːdbænd/ Băng thông rộng

They plan to provide rural areas with fast broadband (Họ dự định cung cấp băng thông rộng tới những vùng hẻo lánh.)

ISP

(noun)

/ˌaɪ es ˈpiː/ Internet service provider - Nhà cung cấp

dịch vụ Internet

An ISP is a company that offers various

technologies by which its customers can access the public internet (Một công ty cung cấp dịch vụ Internet làm nhiệm vụ cung cấp những công nghệ giúp cho khách hàng của họ có thể vào được mạng)

2.4 Speaking – Dealing with Problems by Telephone

những gì họ vừa nói)

freeze

(verb)

/friːz/ Đóng băng, tê liệt

If the computer screen freezes you cannot move the cursor (Nếu như màn hình tê liệt bạn sẽ không thể di chuyển con trỏ.)

PDF

(noun)

/ˌpiː diː ˈef/ Portable Document Format: một loại

định dạng có thể chứa văn bản, hình ảnh,…

/ˌpaʊər ˈaʊtɪdʒ/ Sự cố mất điện

A power outage is when the electric power goes out unexpectedly (Sự cố mất điện là khi nguồn điện đột ngột bị ngắt.)

quit

(verb)

/kwɪt/ Rời đi, thoát

She forgot to quit the program when she left for home (Cô ta đã quên không thoát chương trình khi trở về nhà.)