UNIT 14 - Business plans
In this unit you will learn how to talk about future business plans and make predictions.
STARTING OUT
Listen to a manager talk about a future business trip and choose the tab that brings only the correct information.
Leave on May 18th
Check into the Hyatt Hotel at about 11 a.m.
Talk about the new project with Mr. Lewis
Visit a new plant in Toluca on Wednesday
Meet business partners Thursday evening
Arrive in San Francisco early Tuesday morning
Have lunch with Mr. Lewis of Portola, Inc
Go on a tour of Portola’s production site on Wednesday
Speak at a sales conference on Thursday morning
Have a meeting with sales reps Thursday evening
Arrive in Mexico City at noon on Monday
Have a meeting with Mr. Lewis of Portola, Inc
Go on a tour of Portola’s new plant on Thursday afternoon
Speak at the local university on Thursday evening
Fly back to San Francisco early on Friday morning
Now listen again and repeat. Then, record yourself talking about a future business trip using the information in the tabs and send the audio to you teacher and to your colleagues.
LET'S TALK
Listen to this conversation between two coworkers discussing about a conference and check the words and expressions you know. The new ones will be SALES REPS and SAVE MONEY.
Now listen again and do woman’s part as many times as necessary for a good performance. Then, record it and send the audio to your teacher.
LISTEN TO ME
Listen to people making predictions about the future. Then, choose the tab that best represents a summary of what you hear.
CHOOSE ONE
Managers are going to ask more people for their ideas and opinions, but their staff less responsibility.
Small and medium sized companies will become part of only one mega corporation.
Management styles are going to change to a more communicative approach and the staff will have more responsibility and power.
Small and medium sized companies will become part of a few very large giant corporations.
Managers are not going to ask people for their ideas and opinions and the staff will not participate in the decisions.
There will be more and more small and medium sized companies, instead of just a few very large ones.
LET'S READ
Tchnology revolution
Online retailing is growing at a fast rate, with e-commerce accounting for around one quarter of the total retail market. Sellers who ignore the Internet may see their trade go down as customers continue to shift to ordering products online. However, it’s necessary to think carefully of all the advantages and disadvantages before deciding on whether or not to go online.
Pros and cons
Selling online removes the need for expensive retail premises, allowing to invest in better marketing and customer experience, but the growth of this market has attracted the attention of sophisticated criminals and the reputation of your business could be fatally damaged if you don’t invest in the security systems to protect your transactions.
LISTEN AGAIN
Listen to the audio with numbers in the sentences and write the numbers you hear. Then, check your answers with your colleagues.
UP TO YOU
What do you think will be the future of your company?
Does your company buy or sell products on the Internet?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying and selling online?
How often do you buy things on the Internet?
What kind of products do you usually buy?
Have you ever been a victim of any fraud?
SUMMARIZING
Approach
Busy
Conference
Corporation/Inc.
Cut costs
Damage
Discuss
Enough
Order
Power
Rate
Retail
Sales reps
Save money
Shift
Staff
Trade
Work hard
