BEC商务英语中级口语考试讨论实例

2021年1月24日发(作者：积极)
BEC
商务英语中级口语考试讨论实例
(1)
Your
co
mpa
ny is go
ing to
atte
nd a
trade
fa
ir
in the
U
S,

and yo
u are
re
quire
d to discuss wha
t should be
done
a
s
prepa
ratio
ns in a
dva
nce.

A:
W
ell, you s
ee, ou
r co
mp
an
y is
goin
g to attend a tr
ad
e f
air in th
e
US.

B:
Yeah
, s
ounds
ex
c
it
ing. S
inc
e
we'v
e n
ev
er
done th
at b
efor
e,
we
need to h
av
e good p
rep
arat
ions

for th
e tr
ip

in
ad
vanc
e.

A:
You're r
ight.
Th
e f
irs
t th
ing
to do
is
of
cours
e to make tr
avel and

ac
co
mmodat
ion
arr
ang
ements
, s
u
ch
as
choos
ing
an air
lin
e of
fer
ing

good s
er
v
ic
es
and
th
e f
light
of th
e r
ig
ht t
ime s
o th
at
we c
an
arr
ang
e
things

well
and

in
an
effect
ive way.

B:
Th
is
c
an b
e done b
y mak
in
g s
ev
er
al phon
e calls. And we h
ave to

mak
e
adv
an
c
e r
es
er
v
at
ion
with
a
loc
al
hotel s
o that th
e p
eop
le for

the t
rad
e f
air
can hav
e a p
lac
e to s
tay
i
mmed
iat
ely
after
th
ey
ar
r
iv
e
in
the count
ry.

A:
W
ith ear
ly book
ing, we may ev
en en
joy s
ome d
is
cou
nts. And it's

better
to choos
e a hot
el near
the tr
ade f
air. Th
at c
an s
av
e th
e t
ime
traveling th
er
e.

B:
Or
we
c
an
arr
ang
e
b
efor
eh
and
to
h
ir
e
a
c
ar
f
rom
a
lo
cal
c
ar

rent
al
co
mpany.

A:

In
add
it
ion
,
it
wou
ld
b
e
us
ef
u
l
to
kno
w
about
s
ome
bus
in
es
s

cus
toms
in
the US,
in
c
lud
ing co
mmon
ly acc
ept
ed b
us
ines
s
p
ract
ices
,

ways
of do
ing bus
in
es
s
,
and
laws

and r
egu
lat
ions
,
et
c.

B:

Yeah,
es
pec
ially thos
e d
if
ferent f
ro
m ours. Say,
d
iff
er
ent
id
eas

about pun
ctu
alit
y. I h
eard th
at in t
he Un
it
ed St
ates
,
peop
le t
end to

be
v
er
y
t
ime- cons
c
ious.
B
ein
g
lat
e
wou
ld
b
e
cons
id
er
ed
poor

et
iqu
ette.


A:

Als
o
in
Ch
ina,
bus
in
es
s

trans
act
ions

ar
e
often
con
c
lud
ed
b
y

treat
ing
bus
in
es
s

p
artn
ers

to
lav
is
h

d
inn
ers

and

g
iv
ing
th
em
ex
pens
ive g
ifts
, I'
m afr
aid th
ey s
eldom do it th
is
way in th
e W
es
t or
in
the US.

B:

I
was

told
that
in
W
es
tern
cou
ntr
ies
,
peop
le
attach
mu
ch

import
an
ce to fo
rmal
agr
eement an
d contr
acts
with d
etailed ter
ms

and cond
it
ions.
They nev
er f
eel co
mfort
ab
le with v
erb
al agr
eements.
In

Ch
in
a,
however,
bus
in
es
s

is

often
con
c
lud
ed
s
imp
ly
by
v
erb
al
agr
eement.

A:
W
e
s
hould
als
o
learn

about

bus
in
es
s

cus
toms

s
u
ch
as

th
e
dif
ferent
s
ys
tems

of
meas
ur
ement.
For
ins
t
an
ce,
we
us
e
th
e
d
ay
/
month
/
year
s
ys
tem for d
at
ing

wh
ile th
e
US us
e
month
/ d
ay/ y
ear

s
ys
tem.
And

th
er
e
ar
e
man
y
oth
er
d
iff
er
en
ces

inc
lud
ing

top
ics

ac
c
eptab
le
in
conv
ers
at
ion.

B:
A
ls
o, C
h
in
es
e
bus
ines
s
men tend to
hav
e bus
in
es
s
n
egot
iat
ions

in
a
r
ath
er
ind
ir
ect
mann
er
,
wh
ile
Amer
ic
an
bus
in
es
s
men
h
ave
a
mor
e
d
ir
ect

s
ty
le.

Our

p
eop
le
s
hou
ld

b
e
mad
e
to
und
ers
tand

all
thes
e d
iff
er
en
ces.

A:
But how to f
ind out
about
all th
is
?

B:

I th
in
k there
ar
e
man
y ways
to f
ind out about thes
e
befo
re th
e
trip
, s
ay,
we c
an go to the
Internet
, r
ead s
ome r
eferenc
e
books
or

get t
ips
fro
m
ex
per
ienc
ed
co
lleagu
es
and c
lients.

A:
Thos
e cou
ld
be eff
ect
ive
ways. L
et's
g
et them done.


BEC
商务英语中级口语考试讨论实例
(2)
Discuss w
ha
t a
co
mpa
ny sho
uld do
to
re
ta
in its sta
ff.


A:
You s
ee, in the p
as
t y
ear on
e of our c
lients
k
ept los
ing s
taff and

s
uffer
ed a heavy los
s. They worr
y a lot an
d turn to us. Hav
e you got

an
y cons
tru
ct
ive s
ugges
t
ions
?

B:
Yes. Our c
lient s
hou
ld f
irs
t ex
amin
e th
eir s
taff r
ecru
it
ing. Th
er
e
mus
t b
e s
ometh
ing

wrong
with t
heir r
ecru
it
in
g pr
act
ic
e.

A:
W
hy?
B:

You
kno
w,

k
eep
ing

s
taff

tur
nov
er
low
b
eg
ins

with

h
ir
ing
s
taff

members
who ar
e a good
mat
ch for th
e pr
act
ic
e and th
e pos
it
ion. So

it
c
an b
e b
en
ef
ic
ial
for th
e
c
lient
co
mp
any
to c
hange
its

id
ea fro
m

ing

and
r
et
ain
ing

th
e
b
es
t
emp
lo
y
ees

to

act
ing
and

recru
it
ing th
e s
u
itab
le emp
lo
y
ees.


A:

Good
id
ea!
By

r
ec
ru
it
ing
th
e
app
ropr
iate
new
s
t
aff,

our
c
lient

builds

the
emp
lo
yees
'
co
m
mit
ment
and
r
et
ent
ion
will
nec
es
s
ar
ily

follo
w.

B:
Ex
act
ly.

A:
Then ho
w to
recru
it
the r
ight
s
taff

is
c
ruc
ial to our
c
lient.

B:

Yes.

To
r
ecru
it

the
appropr
iat
e
n
ew
h
ires
,

it's

import
ant
to

adv
ert
is
e
the
job
vac
an
cy
in
th
e
n
ews
p
ap
ers

and
mag
azines

targ
et
ing
at th
e
id
eal
c
and
id
ates.


A:
To
ens
ure
that

a
c
and
idat
e's

s
k
ills

match

the
job,
it's

als
o

import
ant to limit the co
nd
it
ions
and r
equ
irements
of c
and
id
at
es
on
the job
ad
vert
is
ement.


B:

Y
es.

Bes
id
es
,

it's

b
etter

fo
r
ou
r
c
lient

to
condu
ct

thorough

ref
er
en
ce ch
ecks

and
f
ind out
wh
y
a
c
and
id
ate
left
a pr
ev
io
us
job.


A:

Yeah,
t
hat's

impo
rtant.
St
ill
there
ar
e
oth
er
contr
ibut
ab
le
factors

that
our
c
lient
s
hould
cons
ider,
s
uc
h
as

prov
id
ing

in
for
mat
io
n of
the c
urr
ent s
t
ate of th
eir
futu
re
work

env
iron
ment,

offer
ing
s
taff
with
p
roper
tr
ain
ing,
t
alk
ing
to
s
t
aff
memb
ers

and

s
olv
ing
p
rob
lems

as

they

emerg
e.

A
ll
th
es
e
c
an

be
import
ant

in

keep
ing
s
taff
turno
ver
lo
w.

B:
You ar
e r
ight.
Fu
rther
mor
e, th
e c
lient
co
mp
an
y s
hou
ld
s
tr
iv
e to

prov
id
e
s
up
er
ior

lead
ers
h
ip

in
th
eir
pr
ac
t
ic
e,

s
uch

as

k
eep
ing

commun
icat
ion
lin
es
open,
per
iod
ic
ally t
ak
ing t
ime to ex
amine th
e
wor
kp
lac
e
f
rom
the
emp
lo
yee's

p
ers
pect
ive,
and
cont
inu
ally

s
eek
ing to
imp
rov
e
it.

A:
Yeah
, that will h
elp to c
reat
e and maint
ain a p
lac
e wh
er
e peop
le
want to wor
k and s
tay. In add
it
ion
, g
iv
ing the emp
lo
yees
a s
ens
e of

empower
ment s
hou
ld
not b
e
ignor
ed.

B:
For
ex
amp
le?

A:
Such
as
pro
v
id
ing
a
br
eath
ing s
pac
e to t
ak
e r
is
ks
, to us
e th
eir

own bes
t judg
ment, and to b
e ac
countab
le for the d
ec
is
ions
they'v
e
made et
c.

B:
Yeah
, th
at s
ur
ely

works.


BEC
商务英语中级口语考试问答实例
3
Time
Manag
e
men
t


Your comp
an
y
h
as
fou
nd th
at
in
eff
ect
iv
e t
ime man
agement
is
on
e

of
the
major

prob
lem
ar
eas

throughout
t
he
wor
kfor
c
e.

You
h
av
e
been
as
k
ed
to
p
ut
for
ward

s
ome
s
ugg
es
t
ions

for
improv
ing
th
e

s
itu
at
ion.


Dis
cus
s
and
dec
id
e tog
ether:




?

W
hy
poor
time
man
ag
ement
c
an
b
eco
me
a
major
p
rob
lem
in

comp
an
ies

?

W
hat
proced
ur
es

cou
ld
b
e
adopt
ed
to
ens
ur
e
th
at
time
is

man
aged
eff
ect
iv
ely

A:
Mary, don't you think that our company is kind of out of control these days?
B:
Yeah.
I
do think
so.
It seems
that
everything
is
in
disorder
here
in
our
company these days.
A:
Then, what is the reason?
B:
Well in my opinion, obviously, it must have something to do with poor time
management.
you think so?
A:
You mean poor time management has caused all these problems. Why do
B
：
You know, when time is not well planned within a company, people usually
do not allocate blocks of time to specified tasks. That is, they do not have a
definite idea of when they should complete a certain task. And...
A:
And,
sorry
to
interrupt
you,
I
think
they
often
neglect
the
ordering
of
priorities. What I mean is that certain tasks need our prior attention. But in our
company every task is treated on an equal basis, even if it is something urgent.
Don't you think so?
B:
That's the point. So time should be planned according to the importance of
the tasks we need to deal with.
company?
A:

What
do you
think we can do so that
time is managed effectively here in our
B:
You mean what procedures we can adopt to ensure that time is managed
effectively?
A:
Sure. We have been asked to put forward some suggestions for improving
the situation, right?
B:
Exactly. I think we've got a lot to do. The first thing we should do is that we
should
make
all
the
staff
members
realize
how
important
effective
time
management is to our company.
A:

Yes, I do think it is of great importance. We can give all the staff instruction
in time management, especially those in managerial positions.
B:
Right, or maybe we can run a few training programs for them. If necessary,
we may even invite some experts in this field from outside to help us.
A:
I agree. And perhaps another thing we can do is to make all the managers,
or even every staff member, come up with a job description of their own. In this
way, they can be pretty sure about what they are responsible for and what they
are not.
B:
Good idea. And I suggest that the top managers of our company should
establish a set of rules as
to what kind of jobs
should be given priority to. In this
way, we can make sure that important tasks are dealt with first.
A:
I couldn't agree with you more.
B:
So now we can come to the conclusion: firstly, our company should run a
few
training
programs;
secondly,
every
staff
member
should
write
a
job
description of his own.
A:
That's it. I hope our boss will be satisfied with this.
B:


He wills, I'm sure.

Choosing a Venue for Product Presentation
选择举办产品展示会得
地点


Your company is considering choosing a venue for product presentation. You?ve
been
asked
to
make
recommendations
about
what
basic
requirements
the
venue has to meet. Discuss and decide:
你们俩 所在公司正在考虑选择某个地点召开
产品展示会。请你们俩对该地点需符合什么基本要求提出建议。讨论 并决定：


What facilities the venue should provide
该地点需提供什么样的场地和设备

Where the venue should be located

该地点需坐落在哪个位置


A:
Well, you know our company is going to organize a product presentation and
needs to choose a venue. What basic requirements do you think the venue has
to meet?
B:
I think there are some facilities that we cannot do without. You know, for a
product
presentation,
the
purpose
is
to
give
information
and
to
arouse
the
audience?s interest to buy the product, so a lecture
-hall like auditorium would
be desirable.
A:

Do
you
mean
the
kind
of
halls
with
the tiers
of
seats rising
one
above
another?
B:
Exactly. It is expected that there will be a lot of people coming, so we have
to consider the layout of the presentation room. A lecture-hall like auditorium is
good for concentration.
A:
You?re right. It should not be a U
-shaped room for
seminars or a round-table
room for discussion.
B:
And the room has to be equipped with basic presentation facilities, such as
flip
charts,
equipment
for
using
PowerPoint
effectively,
microphones,
white
board and OHP,
etc, so as to better publicize and promote the product to all
prospective customers.
A:

Speaking of microphones, we?d better ask for a wireless lapel mike. With that,
the presenter can move about the platform to make the atmosphere livelier.
B:
Even with all the facilities ready, ample preparations should be done before
the presentation to ensure that nothing goes wrong even when the PC crashes
and the projection system fails to work.
A:

Another
important
thing
is
location
of
the
venue.
We?d
better
choose
a
starred hotel with a complete range of conference facilities.

B:
I agree. A starred hotel gives a certain status to the presentation.
A:
Yeah. It is likely to be associated with reliability and professio
nalism, which
can leave a better impression on people attending the presentation.
B:
And the hotel should be nicely
located at the center of the city with good
transport connections. In that way, more people will come.

A:
And more people will know about the product.
A:
你知道我们公司将要选 择一个地点来举行产品展示会。你认为什么样的地点能满足基本
需求？

B:
我认为与有许多必须提供的设施。你知道为了产品展示，目的是提供信息让观众产生购
买产品的兴趣， 因此像礼堂这种演讲大厅是必不可少的。

A:
你的意思是那种作为一级比一级高的大厅么？

B
：是的。期待 将会有很多观众到来，因此我们必须考虑演讲大厅的陈设。像礼堂这样的演
讲厅有利于集中注意力。
A:
是的。不应是为研讨会或者圆桌会议讨论用的
U
型房间。

B
：房间也应该具备基础的演讲设施，比如挂图、有效使用投影幻灯片的设备、麦克风、白
板及投影仪等 。能够更好为潜在客户宣传和战士产品。

A:
发言用的麦克风，我们最好要求无线 佩戴式话筒。用这种话筒，演讲者可以在演讲台上
移动使气氛更加生动。

B:
即使准备好所有设施，在演讲前充分的准备能够保证即使当电脑崩溃和投影系统无法工
作时，也不会出 错。

A:
另一个重要的因素是演讲的地点。我们最好选择在会议设施齐全的星级酒店。

B
：我同意。星级酒店展示了演讲的地位。

A:
是的。星级酒店可 以让观众联想到可依赖性和高职业标准。可以为出席者留下一个好的
印象。

B: < br>而且酒店应该坐落在市中心地处便利的地区具备良好的交通。这样一来，更多的人回来
参加。
A:
而且更多的人将会了解相关产品。



































Trad
e F
air

Your co
mp
an
y is
attend
ing a tr
ad
e f
air in a for
eig
n cou
ntry
for th
e
firs
t t
ime.

You have been
as
ked
to help
with th
e p
rep
ar
at
ions
for
the tr
ip.

Dis
cus
s
the s
itu
at
ion tog
ether,
and
dec
id
e
:

?

W
hat travel and
ac
co
mmodat
ion
arr
ang
ements

you
will
need

to mak
e b
efor
e th
e tr
ip?

?

W
hich k
inds
of bus
in
es
s
cus
toms
in th
e for
eign countr
y wou
ld

be us
efu
l to kno
w about
, and
ho
w cou
ld
on
e f
ind
abo
ut th
es
e
befor
e th
e tr
ip.


C
and
id
ate A
: It is
th
e f
irs
t t
ime fo
r our
co
mp
an
y to att
end a t
rad
e
fair
in
Par
is.
So we h
ave to do
a lot
of p
rep
ar
at
ions
b
efo
re we s
et
off.

Do you th
ink s
o?

C
and
id
ate B
: I
?
m of
ex
act
ly t
he
s
ame idea.
F
irs
tly,
I th
in
k we mus
t
arr
ang
e an

appropr
iat
e s
chedu
le.
For
ex
amp
le,
we s
hou
ld

arr
iv
e
a
day
ear
lier to g
iv
e us
t
ime to adjus
t and
ac
c
limat
ize.

C
and
id
ate A
: I ag
ree ent
ir
ely. As
we kno
w,
tr
av
el f
at
igu
e, c
limat
ic

ch
ang
es
, jet
lag, fo
reig
n food, et
c.
will
all h
ave g
reat eff
ect on us.

C
and
id
ate B
: Yes. And t
hen we s
hou
ld book air t
ic
k
ets
and r
es
erv
e
ac
co
mmodat
ions

in
adv
an
c
e.

C
and
id
ate
A
:
Yes.
I
th
in
k
we
s
hou
ld
cont
act
th
e
tr
avel
ag
ent

bec
aus
e
it
c
an off
er
v
ar
iet
y of
cho
ices

and
d
is
count.

C
and
id
at
e
B
:
That?
s

jus
t
wh
at
I
was

th
in
k
ing.
Then,
we
mus
t
remind every p
art
ic
ip
ant th
at cu
lt
ur
al d
iff
er
en
c
es
c
an c
aus
e a lot of

mis
und
ers
tand
ings

and

even

br
eak
a
deal.

So
th
ey

s
hou
ld

learn

mor
e
about F
rench
cu
ltur
e.

C
and
id
ate A
: C
an
you p
ut th
ings

into the
pers
pect
iv
e?

C
and
id
ate B
: For

ins
tan
c
e, s
h
ak
ing h
ands

with
everyon
e pr
es
ent,

in
v
it
ing

your
cus
tomers

to
lun
ch

r
ather
th
an

d
inn
er
,
avo
id
ing

talk
ing
bus
in
es
s

over
the
main
cours
e,
etc.
are
all
bas
ic
bus
in
es
s

cus
toms
th
at our
part
ic
ipants
s
hou
ld
bear

in
mind.

C
and
id
ate A
: I go along
with you
about th
at.
I t
h
in
k we c
an inv
it
e
French
p
eop
le
to
give
every
p
art
ic
ip
ant
lectur
e
to
help
them
familiar
ize
with
Fr
en
ch
cu
ltu
re.

C
and
id
ate B
: Ok
, th
at
?
s
ag
reed. I
?
ll pr
es
ent
our ideas
to th
e bo
ard

of d
ir
ectors.
Nic
e t
alk
ing
wit
h
you.





































Organ
izing
a
PR Ev
en
t

Your co
mp
an
y is
org
an
iz
ing
the pr
es
s
lau
nch
of a n
ew mod
el of its

car.


You have b
een as
ked to help with th
e pr
ep
ar
at
ions
for th
e ev
ent.

Dis
cus
s
the s
itu
at
ion tog
ether,
and
dec
id
e:

?

W
ho you will
in
v
it
e to
attend
you
r pr
es
s
conf
er
en
ce.

?

W
hat infor
mat
ion
is
n
eeded

in th
e p
res
s

conf
er
enc
e?


C
and
id
ate A:
O
ur C
o
mp
a
ny is
o
rg
a
niz
ing
a
p
re
s
s
co
nfe
re
nce
to
la
unch o
ur

la
te
s
t mo
d
e
l. W
e
mus
t
ma
ke
ca
re
ful
p
la
nning
a
nd
co
ns
id
e
ra
te
a
rra
ng
e
me
nts

to
e
ns
ure
the
mo
s
t s
a
tis
fy
ing
o
utco
me.

C
and
id
ate
B:

T
rue

e
no
ug
h.
I
th
ink

the

f
irs
t

thing

w
e

s
ho
uld

ta
ke

into

co
ns
id
e
ra
tio
n is
the
p
e
o
p
le
w
e
s
ha
ll in
vite
to
the
p
re
s
s
co
nfe
re
nce.
W
ha
t a
re

yo
ur v
ie
w
s
o
n this
?

C
and
id
ate
A:

As

I
s
e
e

it
,

w
e

s
ho
uld

ta
rg
e
t
mo
s
t
i
mp
o
rta
nt
mo
to
ring

ma
g
a
z
ine
s
, na
tio
na
l
p
a
p
e
rs
, ma
jo
r
re
g
io
na
l
p
a
p
e
rs
a
nd
f
re
e
la
nce
jo
urna
l
is
ts
,

e
tc.

C
and
id
ate B:
Tha
t
?
s
a
g
o
o
d
p
o
int. W
he
n the
p
ub
lic re
a
d
s
p
o
s
itive
thing
s
in

the
ir
fa
vo
r
ite

ma
g
a
z
ine

o
r
ne
w
s
p
a
pe
r,
the
y

a
re

the

jo
urna
l
is
ts
?

o
w
n
co
mme
nts
a
nd
the
re
fo
re
mu
ch
mo
re
p
o
w
e
rful
tha
n a
d
ve
rt
is
ing
b
e
ca
us
e
the
y
a
re
n
?
t in
flue
nce
d
b
y
the
o
rg
a
niz
a
t
io
n.

C
and
id
ate A:
Ye
s. So
, o
ur g
o
a
l is
to
co
mmun
ica
te
the
q
ua
lity
a
nd
i
ma
g
e
o
f
o
ur ca
rs
to
the

mo
to
ring
p
re
s
s.
C
and
id
ate
B:

The
n,

ho
w

a
b
o
ut
the

info
r
ma
t
io
n
ne
e
d
e
d

in
the

p
re
s
s

co
nfe
re
nce. W
o
uld

yo
u co
mme
nt o
n th
is
p
o
int?

C
and
id
ate A:
I think
w
e
s
ho
uld
ma
ke
s
ure
tha
t p
re
s
s
info
r
ma
tio
n
p
a
cks
a
re

a
cce
s
s
ib
le
to
e
ve
ryo
ne
p
re
s
e
nt.
C
and
id
ate B:
I w
o
nd
e
r i
f
yo
u co
u
ld
e
xp
la
in

it
in
mo
re
d
e
ta
i
l.

C
and
id
ate A:
s
ure.
The
info
r
ma
t
io
n p
a
cks
in
c
lud
e
, fo
r
e
xa
mp
le
, b
ro
chure
s

a
b
o
ut
s
pe
cif
ica
tio
ns

o
f
o
ur
a
d
va
nce
d

ca
rs
,
the

mo
s
t
a
ttra
cti
ve

p
ic
ture
s

re
fle
ct
ing
the

mo
d
e
rn
i
ma
g
e
o
f o
ur
ca
rs
,
e
tc.

C
and
id
ate B:

I a
g
re
e
e
ntire
ly. W
ha
t
?
s

mo
re
,
I th
ink
w
e
lco
me

info
r
ma
tio
n

a
nd
itine
ra
r
ie
s
fo
r g
ue
s
ts
s
ho
uld
a
ls
o
b
e
p
re
p
a
re
d
in a
d
va
nce.

C
and
id
ate A:
O
h,
e
xa
ctl
y.

Cutting Departmental Costs
Wang
：
You know our departmental costs have risen a lot recently.
Zhang
：
Yes
，
I think we are exceeding our budget.
Wang
：
What do you think are the reasons
？

Zhang
：
I
think
there
are
many
reasons
for
this.
You
know
last
month
we
run
a
series
of promotion campaigns. That
＇
s a lot of money
，
isn
＇
t it
？

Wang
：
Yes
，
but
I
think
we
spent
too
much
on
that.
I
mean
we
could
have
spent
less.
Zhang
：
Uh Um
？

Wang
：
You
know
we
have
been
traveling
a
lot
around
the
country.
And
most
of
us
travel
by air.
Zhang
：
You mean some of the travels are not necessary.
Wang
：
Exactly.
You
know
，
some
of
the
face
－
to
－
face
talks
may
simply
be
replaced
by email communication.
Zhang
：
There
＇
s
a
lot
in
what
you
＇
ve
said.
I
think
we
should
make
full
use
of
our
modern facilities and save some expensive travels.
Wang
：
Not only that. I think modern facilities
，
like computers
，
should be made
full use of within the company
，
too. I mean a lot of money could have been saved
，

if we had done that.
Zhang
：
What do you mean
？

Wang
：
You see
，
each month we spend a good lot of money on office supplies like
print paper.
Zhang
：
Yes
，
some of the managers always ask for printouts instead of retrieving
information from the computer system.
Wang
：
Especially those senior managers
，
who are usually older than others. They
are simply not accustomed to the advanced computer system.
Zhang
：
And
young
people
are
also
responsible
for
the
increase
in
costs
，
too.
You
know many of them often keep their computers on for the whole night.
Wang
：
And
very
often
they
forget
to
turn
off
lights
when
they
leave
their
offices.
Zhang
：
So
，
something must be done before things become any worse.
Wang
：
Right. I think we should offer some incentives to those who save costs in
their jobs.
Zhang
：
Like what
？

Wang
：
Like a quarterly award for them.
Zhang
：
And personally I see an absolute need for a training course for our staff
members.
Wang
：
On computers
？

Zhang
：
Yeah.
So
that
they
can
make
better
use
of
them.
And
in
this
way
，
I
believe
we
＇
ll be able to bring down our costs.
Corporate Image
Wang
：
You
know
we
are
going
to
run
a
series
of
activities
for
the
local
community.

Zhang
：
Yes
，
just
to
improve
our
corporate
image.
But
what
do
you
think
we
can
do
for the community
？

Wang
：
I think we can do something for the needy people.
Zhang
：
You mean we can contribute to the local community charity.
Wang
：
Exactly.
And
apart
from
that
，
I
think
we
could
sponsor
a
few
programmes
of
entertainment.
Zhang
：
Like an orchestra or a singing performance or something
？

Wang
：
Yeah. And I think we should also do something for the primary pupils. You
know how important they are nowadays.
Zhang
：
Yeah. We may provide them with some school things.
Wang
：
You mean school things they can buy anywhere or those made to our special
order
？

Zhang
：
I
think
we
can
have
them
made
to
our
order
，
with
our
name
or
logo
on
them.
Wang
：
All these shall benefit us in many ways.
Zhang
：
Yes. Obviously
，
they help establish a favorable corporate image.
Wang
：
Yes
，
more
people
in
the
community
will
come
to
see
us
as
a
company
willing
to help them.
Zhang
：
Yeah
，
and
in
this
way
our
customer
base
shall
be
reinforced
and
expanded.
Foreign Trade Mission
Zhang
：
You know a foreign trade mission from the USA is coming to visit our
country early next month.
Wang
：
Yeah. I was told that one week ago. And we are supposed to give a talk to
them about our company.
Zhang
：
What do you think should be included in the talk
？

Wang
：
Naturally
，
we should brief them on the track record of our company.
Zhang
：
You mean to emphasize that our company has a long history of more than 100
years old.
Wang
：
Not only that. We should let them know that we have been very successful in
our line of business.
Zhang
：
Do
you
think
we
should
let
them
know
that
we
are
a
leading
exporter
of
Silk
Garments in East China
？

Wang
：
Exactly.
I
think
we
can
give
out
some
pamphlets
about
our
company
before
the
talk.
Zhang
：
Good idea. But mind you
，
do not bare everything about us at the meeting.
I mean there
＇
s certainly a lot that we have to keep as a secret.
Wang
：
You mean marketing intelligence.
Zhang
：
Sort of. I mean there is no need for us to tell them how our products are
priced. And also our detailed plan to expand into overseas markets.
Wang
：
I know what you mean. Well
，
what types of social activities do you think
we can provide for them after the talk.
Zhang
：
I think we can show them around one of our main manufacturers.
Wang
：
A factory tour
？

Zhang
：
Exactly.
Wang
：
And we may invite them to a dinner at a restaurant nearby.
Zhang
：
That
＇
s
what
we
usually
do.
I
don
＇
t
think
we
need
to
make
this
trade
mission
an exception.
Staff Turnover
The
managing
Director
of
your
company
is
keen
to
reduce
the
number
of
staff
leaving
after
a
short
time.
You
have
been
asked
to
suggest
ways
of
encouraging
staff
to
stay
in the company
Discuss
，
and decide together
：

What kinds of incentives might help to retain staff
How to ensure that staff satisfaction is maintained
Follow
－
up questions
：

What benefit does having a stable workforce bring to a company
？

What are the most common reasons why people change companies
？

Is it a disadvantage for a job applicant to have a history of changing jobs
？

Do you think people wilchange jobs more frequently or less frequently
？

Wilit become more important for an employee to have a wide range of skills in the
future
？

Market Research
Your
company
is
considering
introducing
a
new
product
and
wants
to
assess
the
market
potential. You have been asked to suggest ways of doing this.
Discuss
，
and decide together
：

What kinds of information would be usefuto obtain
How to decide whether to go ahead with the product
Follow
－
up questions
：

Is market research essentiawhen introducing a new product
？

What kinds of products or services is market research most usefufor
？

How accurately do you think consumers respond to marketing questionnaires
？

In what ways can companies influence consumer opinion
？

How necessary is it for a company to diversify production
？

Product Recall
Your company has discovered a design fault in a new product and needs to recalthis
product
from
customers.
You
have
been
asked
to
make
recommendations
about
the
best
way to handle this incident.
Discuss
，
and decide together
What
would
be
the
most
effective
method
of
informing
customers
of
the
product
recall

How to ensure the company
＇
s reputation remains undamaged by the incident
Follow
－
up questions
：

How can attitudes to a company change if one of their products has to be recalled
because of a problem over quality
？

What else can have a negative effect on consumers
＇
attitudes to a company
？

What measures can companies introduce to avoid the need for product recalls
？

Is quality always the most important consideration for consumers when purchasing
a product
？

How can companies succeed in developing brand loyalty
？

Sales Conferences
The
export
sector
of
your
company
is
expanding
，
and
plans
are
being
discussed
for
holding annuaconferences for overseas agents. You have been asked to make
recommendations for the proposal.
Discuss
，
and decide together
：

What the benefits of annuaconferences would be for the participants
What the content of the conferences could be
Follow
－
up questions
：

Should companies which send overseas agents to conferences be consulted about the
content
？

What kinds of data should be provided for agents at this kind of conference
？

What would be an effective way of following up the conference
？

How
might
sales
strategies
and
products
vary
from
one
country
or
region
to
another
？

How important is networking in the modern business world
？

Project Abroad
Your company is proposing to send a team of staff abroad for six months to set up
an
office
and
train
locaemployees.
You
have
been
asked
to
make
recommendations
for
the project.