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Business English (Università degli Studi di Parma)
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Topic 1 – EMAIL “THE VIRTUE OF NECESSITY”
A serious safety problem is threatening the future of Transal, a pipeline company. Hundreds of yearly accidents have
led to high absenteeism, causing lost time, low morale, unsatisfactory efficiency levels, falling profits and a falling share
price. Press articles about the company’s lack of of concern for its employees are having a very negative effect on
customers, shareholders and staff. If the company is to survive, it must develop a “safety conscious culture”.
Three options are open to Transal.
1.
The International School of Industrial Engineering
Send all technical staff members on an intensive “safety awareness” course run by a high-profile school of engineering.
The course is very expensive but has an excellent reputation. This will be emphasised at a press
conference organised to announce the new company plans.
On their return, managers will train their team. The forecast is to have improved safety conditions by this time next
year.
2.
Stanford, Traynor and Weldon Associates
Bring outside consultants into every subsidiary to organise training schemes for all employees over a period of six
months. This would be more expensive nut would give low-level workers an opportunity to speak to experts and to
point put problems. The results should be almost immediate, and the experts would be on hand to talk to the press.
3.
Safety Charity Challenge
Offer to give a sum of money to a community charity of the workers’ choice every time they eliminate a safety hazard.
An untested idea suggested by the communications department. If successful, it could lead to a lot of positive publicity
and be very cost-effective. However, it relies on the employees’ willingness to take part in such a scheme. There is no
knowing how long it might take to improve conditions.
Choose the best option and write a brief email (about 150 words) to the Transal board recommending it and giving
reasons for your decision. Please note that you will be writing on behalf of one of the three organisations listed above
Subject: solution to your safety problem
Der Transel Board,
I am Klea Sala and l work for Stanford, Traynor &Weldon associates, a professional firm
specialized in providing consulting and training services.
I am just emailing to explain the reasons why Transal shold choose our program to raise
awareness of safety issue.
First of all, our consultants would be sent in each subsidiary to arrange training courses for
half year.
These courses would be addresses to all your employees, also the low-level workers, who
are the spinal column of your pipeline and the main victims of workplace injuries.
They would be able to consuet pur experts and repot potential problems.
The early improvements would be evidents immediately and the experts would deal with
thw press to announce the new safety plan, raising your reputation between shareholders
and staff.
As you could imagine, this project is expensive, but we guarante a growth of occupational
safety.
Please let me know if have any questions.
Yours sincerely,
KLEA SALA
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Topic 2 – LETTER OF APOLOGY
You work for a training organisation. Read the brief and write an email of apology
(about 150 words). Don’t forget to include a meaningful subject line.
Your company is offering a workshop on Building Customer Confidence on June 6th.
The maximum number of participants is 35. You set this limit because you want the
workshop to be as interactive as possible. You have received application from 40
people. Compose an email to the last five applicants explaining that the workshop is
fully booked. Because of its popularity, you plan to hold another similar workshop
later in the year. You will inform about the date when you know it. Give your
apologies. Say that you will let them know if there are any cancellations.
Subject: Inadisibility to building costomer confidence workshop
Dear Mr/Ms Red,
l would like to thank you for your application to our workshop on Building Costomer
Confidence.
The class has a limited numer of thirty-five participants, in order to allow a better
interactive expertience. Unfortunately, l could not accept your application because
the workshop is already completely booked. However, this class has been welcomed
with great appreciation and we are going to organize another similar workshop in
the next months.
I will inform you as soon as we fix the date.
Obviously, l will comunicate you if any participants cancel hil attendance for this
workshop.
I would like to apoligize for the incovenience caused.
If you have any questions, please contact me at any time.
Yuor sincerely
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Topic 3 – writing a reply
Jacqui Bond wrote the following email to Ili Enache about a meeting next week.
Subject: Meeting 31st January
Hello Ili,
Thanks for sending the agenda of our meeting.
I’m afraid I may not be able to make the 8:00 start. The train connections can be very
difficult at that time of the day.
Would it be possible to start at 9:00? It means we should finish at 17:00 instead of
16:00. Please let me know if this is a problem for you.
You asked me to send the feasibility report and I am attaching it here. Please note
that it is not yet in final draft and there may be some mistakes.
I’m looking forward very much to seeing you next week.
Best regards,
Jacqui
Write a reply to Jacqui (100-150 words). Say that you can start at 9:00, but you will
have to finish at 16:00 because you have another appointment after that. Suggest
that you take a shorter lunch break so you can finish earlier. Don’t forget to thank
Jacqui for the report, and sequence your point in the recommended way.
Subject: Next week meeting schedule
Hello Jacqui, how are you?
Thanks for your promt reply.
As you requested, we can start the meeting at 9:00. It the way anyone should not
have problems with transport.
However, we have to conclude the meeting at 16:00 as we have planned since, l
have another engagement after that.
I propose to reduce the time for having lunch in order to finish on time. Would it be
a problem for you?
Thank you for sending me the feasibility report.
I will check it as soon as l can. I can send it back to you with my notes.
I am looking forward to hearing form you and also to seeing you at the metting.
All the best,
Eli
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Topic 4 – IN STEP’S RELOCATION
A US-based shoe manufacturer must decide whether to relocate the head office of
its European subsidiary, InStep, from Paris to Beauchamp, a small industrial town
120 kilometres away. InStep’s factory has already been moved to this town, which
has a population of 25,000, with a high proportion of young people. If the relocation
goes ahead, employment opportunities for local inhabitants will be created.
As the Vice-President of the parent company, you have come to Paris to discuss the
proposed relocation with two seniors managers from the Paris subsidiary and an
independent relocation consultant. During the meeting, you have discussed the
relocation in terms of its advantages and disadvantages for InStep’s employees, and
you have finally prepared a recommendation to the Board of Directors on whether
to go ahead with the relocation or not. Write an email (around 150 words) to
InStep’s CEO, informing him of your decision concerning the relocation, with your
reasons.
Subject: decision about InStep’s relocation
Bear, Mr Black
I am writing to comunicate you my decision regarding the relocation of InStep’s head
office from Paris to Beauchemps.
I had a productiove meeting with two managers from the Paris subsidiary and a
relocation consulant.
The relocation certanly involves disadvantages, especially for our staff, but in my
opinion, advantages are higher.
First of all, having all the staff in one site wille improve communication, personnel
relations andd team working.
We could help employees to relocagte with facilitation.
Secondly, increasing rental costs in Paris could make difficult an expansion of InStep,
while in Beauchmp would not be so expencivee. Besides, the local owthority has
guaranteed us tax incentives.
Finally, relocation will reduce our costs: the company will benefit in the long run,
with growing profits and making us more competitive.
For these reasons, l am in favour of InStep’s relocation to Beauchamp.
Let me know if you agree with my opinion.
Your sincerely.
Vice – President
Topic 5 – Business travel services
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Business Travel services (BTS) is based in Philadelphia, USA. One of its most important clients is the large
multinational corporation NeoTech, whose head office is also in Philadelphia. Recently, four of NeoTech's
senior executives have had problems when on business trips organised by BTS:
1.
Mr Park (Senior Executive 1) was given an upgraded room, but there was no safe, and the lightning
was poor. Besides, there was a group of noisy people next door, so he asked to be moved to another
room, which was no better: there was no water for four hours, the coffee machine and ice machine
were out of order, and the desk was too small. The executive called the receptionist, but she did not
help him.
2. Mr Davies (Senior Executive 2) travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, three months ago, but three pieces of
his luggage did not arrive. He reported the loss to the airline at once, but a few weeks later the
airline replied they could not find his luggage, and so they asked him to fill in a claim form, which he
did. Mr Davies has not received any news yet, probably because the airline has recently merged with
another company.
3. Ms Leone (Senior Executive 3) rent a car in the medium price range ($250 per week), but once at
the airport, the rental office could not give her that car. Instead, they offered a choice between an
uncomfortable car with a small trunk, and a big car for an extra $20 a day. She expected a free
upgrade, but the clerk refused to do so, and she ended up paying $490 for the car.
4. Ms Clarkson (Senior Executive 4) was on a flight to Moscow which was diverted to Helsinki because
of bad weather conditions. In Helsinki, the airline sent all the passengers to the same hotel: there
was a lot of confusion, and some passengers become aggressive. In the end, all the passengers had
to pay, and some of them even had to share the same room. The next morning, Ms Clarkson had to
wait six hours in a cold terminal for her flight to Moscow. The airline has refused to give
compensation, claiming the circumstances were beyond their control.
As the Account Manager of BTS, write an email (about 180 words) to NeoTech's Head of Travel apologising
for the inconvenience. Offer some compensation and explain what steps BTS has taken to make sure a
similar problem does not happen again.
Sebject: reimbursmets for incoveniences during business trips
Dear Mr Turner,
l am writing on behalf of the entire company in order to aplogize for all the incoveniences which occured
during your senior executives’ business tripes.
Your company is one of our most important clients, therefore we would like to offer your senior managers
some compesations for the troubles experienced.
Mr Park would have a free stay for his next business trip in whichever 4 – star hotel he desires.
Regarding Mr Davies’s problem, we would try to contact the airline company, inciting them to go ahead
whith the research of your manager’s luggage.
Following Mr Leone’s incovenince, we would reimburse the higher price pride for the car rental and we
would pay back Mr Clarkson the hotel expenses.
Furthermore, we would offer a free plane ticket for her next business trip.
I would like to thank you for reporting us these issues: we have contacted all the companies you had
mentioned to ensure that such inconveniences will not happen in the future.
Additionaly, we have established new collaborations with other imporant and reliable business.
Please accept our apologies once more.
We look forward to dealing with you soon.
Your sincerely.
C.A.
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Topic 6 – Reported speech
Study the conversation below, and write the email Marco will write to her colleague
Britta, making sure you rephrase the message using your words (100-150 words).
Don’t forget to include an appropriate subject line.
MG: Marco Gallieri, Travel Section. Good afternoon. How can I help you?
KM: Karim Melki speaking, from Marketing. I’d like to speak to Britta Keller, please.
MG: I’m afraid Britta isn’t in today. Would you like to leave a message?
KM: Yes, please. The reason I’m calling is Britta is in charge of our travel
arrangements for the Dubai conference next month, and there are some changes.
First, there are now four of us instead of three. The additional name is Sylvia Lohmar.
And then Britta has booked us in a flight LH630, leaving Frankfurt at 14:55 on
Monday 6th. However, I’m afraid something’s come up, and we are now leaving on
Tuesday. The flight is at about the same time, I think.
MG: Fine, I’ve got that, Mr Melki. Was there anything else?
KM: Could you just ask her to call me back tomorrow morning as soon as she’s made
the changes?
MG: Right. I’ll make sure she gets the message.
KM: Thanks for your help. Goodbye.
Subject: Karim Melki’s meggage
Hello Britta, how are you?
I am writing to report you a Karim Melki’s message.
He has called you to day to communicate some changes regarding the trip for the
Dubai conference next month.
First of all, they are attending the conference in four, rather than three, the added
person is Sylvia Lohmar. Furthermore, he has requested you to reserve another flight
because something’s happened and they are leaving on Tuesday 7 instead of
Monday 6.
He believed the departure time of the flight is about the same as the first one.
Finally, he would like you call him back as soon as you revise their flight booking,
preferably tomarrow morning.
If something is not clear contact me.
Best regards.
Marco
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Topic 7 – Unsolited job application
Imagine you have just graduated, and now you wish to find a job or do an internship
abroad. Choose an international company, and write an unsolicited job application
(150-200 words).
Subject: unsolicited application for administrative position
Dear Ms Bardi,
My name is Klea Sala and l came from Prma. I would like to apply for position in your
administrative departement.
I would like to work for an importanant Italian food company which has many
relationships with foreign contries.
I think this dynamic enviroment coul give growth opportunities to young people.
Furthermore, it would be an honor working for the first Italia tomato producer and
processor.
I have just been awarded a Bachelor Degree in Economic and Management at the
University of Parma. During the second year I took part in the project “impresa
simulare” where students learn proctically to run an entreprise managing a fake one.
Moreover, we joined in an European fair of simulated entreprises in Bruxelles.
I have good knowledge in bookeeping and preparation of financial statement.
I am familiar with the most common computer programs.
I like to share and discuss my points of view about job and my passions with other
people.
I think it is an added value because debates are useful ways to lecern new things and
create new ideas.
I am attaching my cv for more information about my education and work
experiences.
I would welcome an opportunuty to talk with you to see whether l could bring
benefit to your company.
I can ben reacheed any time via email or my mobile phone.
Thank you for your consideration.
Your sincerly.
Klea Sala
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