Unit 8 Business Success
Part I Getting ready
Exercise B.
Keys:
1. 90-149 pounds
2. 465 pounds
3. 240 pounds
4. 46 pounds
5. 835 pounds
Tapescript:
Hu
Good morning.
bert:
Us
Good morning.
ugi:
Hu
Can I help you?
bert:
Us
Er, thank you but I'm just looking at the moment.
ugi:
Hu Yes, please do. Have you come across our product before?
bert:
Us
ugi:
I think I have heard of them, yes.
Hu bert:
We are relatively new but Golf Pro is acquiring a reputation very quickly. We have become world leaders in metal woods.
Us ugi:
Really? Well, actually I am quite interested in metal woods. Could you tell me what the prices are in this range?
Hu bert:
Of course. The prices start at 90 pounds and they go up to 149 pounds.
Us
ugi:
Did you say 149 pounds?
Hu bert:
Yes, that's right. I wonder if you would be interested in our new range of ladies' clubs as well?
Us
ugi:
Well, possibly. Do you think you could give me the prices?
Hu bert:
Yes. The range is called Golf Pro Lady and the full set of nine irons comes to 465 pounds. Woods, the set of three is 240 pounds and putters are 46 pounds each.
Us
ugi:
So, that was 46 pounds each, wasn't it?
Hu
bert:
Yes, 46 pounds each.
Us ugi:
Right, thank you, do you have some information about your top of the range full set of clubs as well?
Hu bert:
Of course. That is our Golf Pro X. This is real state-of-the-art when it comes to professional clubs. The set of nine irons comes to 835 pounds. Very reasonable I think you'll agree.
Us
ugi:
Mmm, not bad.
Hu
bert:
Would you like to try one out in the practice area?
Us ugi:
Er, no thank you. I'm afraid I don't have time at the moment. But I would like to read some more about your products.
Hu bert:
Of course. Here are some of our latest brochures with up-to-date information on the full ranges. And also my card.
Us
ugi:
Thank you.
Hu
bert:
Please contact me if you need any more information.
Part II Witty Ways to Success
Cynthia: The first impression is made in the first five seconds. They are absolutely critical. And the reason they are critical is because, as human beings, we don’t like to be wrong. So, once we have made a judgment about somebody, we hold on to it for dear life.
Your first impression starts with the handshake. In the business world, a bad handshake can signify that you’re a loser. Make sure you don’t practice any of Cynthia’s less than impressive greetings.
Cynthia:The limp handshake, the pumper, the bone-crusher, the two-handed handshake.
Okay, enough with what not to do. Better to accentuate the positive. What makes a good handshake? Well, it lasts about three seconds, with one or two pumps from the elbow. It should be firm but not crushing. And it should always be at waist level, never too fat above or below.
If you’re introducing the new secretary to the CEO, remember this rule. Introduce down, not up. So repeat after me, “Mr. CEO, I’d like to introduce you to the new secretary,” not the other way around.
Key Word: E-mail
Now that you’ve mastered the first five seconds, what about the rest of your career? Each day, over four hundred forty million mailboxes receive nearly 12 billion e-mails, each one a distinct opportunity to trip
up your skyward corporate climb.
Michelle Conlin(Editor, Business Week): Never, ever deal in e-mail with anything that’s either sensitive or could lead to a conflict.
This may seem obvious, but with e-mail, small beefs get blown up into earthshaking crises, because the “people factor” is removed.
And one thing to always avoid if you want to be taken seriously, a casual tone.
Michelle:People really get tripped up because e-mail has kind of this free-form nature, but whenever you’re using e-mail in a business sense, you must keep to business format.
That means you should save he smiley face and the winking emotions for your kids’ e-mail. They have no place in business communications.
Also, don’t try to emphasize a point by capitalizing. Typing in all caps means YOU’RE YELLING!
And what about the dreaded carbon copy feature? Only use it when you’re scheduling a group of people, let’s say, for a meeting. A big no-no is to cc the boss on everything just to prove that you’re doing work.
Keeping your e-mail buttons straight will stop you from becoming the office dunce.
Key Word: People Management
A 1997 study says that forty percent of new management hires fail in their first job. The reason? Inability to build good relationships with peers and subordinates. So here’s some helpful hints.
Praise in public, criticize in private. A sense of discretion in such matters will not only help build teams, but will also build respect for you.
When it comes o sharing personal issues at work, a rule of thumb is to only share things that you wouldn’t mind reading in tomorrow’s newspaper.
And, perhaps the most basic rule that’s neglected, but according to the experts, has the biggest payoff, always return your phone calls.
Well, by now it ought to be pretty clear, bad office etiquette can really trip you up. Good etiquette can make you the company star.
Our last minute advice – nobody’s perfect, and you’re bound to screw up sometimes. So, if you make that faux pas, cop to it. It’s good etiquette and good office politics.
Cynthia: The act of apologizing many seems to be a way of giving away your power, but in essence, showing that that mistake is important to you to correct increase your power.
Seems simple enough. Now your job is to take these easy steps to
office etiquette and put them to good use.
Part III Technology in doing business
Exercise A.
Keys:
1. technologies; efficiency and sales
2. in the digital world
3. computer internet
4. electronic commerce; consumers
5. embrace; die
B. Keys:
1. F
2. T
3. F
4. F
5. T
Tapescript:
Many analysts say the revolution in technology will cause a revolution in the way companies do business. Among those experts is Bill Gates, founder of the Microsoft Company and widely regarded as one of the most influential men in the computer industry. The Microsoft founder recently discussed his ideas in New York.
Bill Gates says most businesses are still not taking advantage of existing technologies to increase efficiency and sales. He believes the
majority of companies are receiving only about 20% of the advantages they could gain through technology.
"If you just have the PCs in a company, and mainly what you're doing is sharing some files, and creating documents with them and not running the fundamental information flow through those PCs, then the value you are losing is greater than the value you are receiving. It's still probably a worthwhile investment."
Mr. Gates says many business leaders have sought his ideas on the effective use of technology and he responded with a new book titled Business at the Speed of Thought. He believes all businesses must learn to operate in the digital world.
"I think that, in most industries, if you keep trying to do business the way you've done it… in the past, that's going to create a real problem because you won't be as responsive, you won't be as efficient, as the people who are embracing the new approaches. We're seeing an incredible number of new start-ups coming into businesses, taking the interest as given, assuming that the information is there and they can reach out to their customers in this new way."
Bill Gates discussed his ideas at a recent entertainment industry conference sponsored by a Variety Magazine and the Schroeder
Investment Company. He told the meeting the computer internet is actually redefining what a market is. He gave an example of a highly specialized business which has used the internet to expand its market.
"There's a small company up in Wisconsin, that refurbishes old phones, or sells really old phones. Now that's a business that they couldn't have been in the old world because in any city they put a store in, they just wouldn't find enough customers. Because on the internet, they have a whole world, who happens to want this able to find them, their business is growing, they are hiring new people, and you know, it's kind of a… a specialized business. So that's a really profound thing because it wouldn't have been possible without the Internet there to form the new marketplace."
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates believes electronic commerce will grow rapidly in the next decade. That, he says, will give new power to consumers.
"I have no doubt that in terms of the consumer benefits here, it's unquestioningly going to be dramatic. You'll be a more informed buyer even when you don't go and do the purchase itself on the Internet."
Mr. Gates says technology is making and will continue to make fundamental changes in the way business is conducted. As he sees it,
companies can embrace those changes with enthusiasm, or ignore them and die.
Statements:
1. Bill Gates believes most companies receive only 12% of the advantages they could gain through technology.
2. If a company uses PCs only for files and documents, it will make far less money than it could otherwise.
3. Bill Gates' new book is entitled Business at the Speed of Technology.
4. The entertainment industry conference was sponsored by a variety of magazines.
5. As technology continues to develop, the consumer will become a more and more informed buyer.
Part IV More about the topic: How to Improve Your Executive Image?
Exercise A.
Keys.
1. d
2. c
3. a
4. b
5. a
Tapescript: