FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE AND CONTENT
1)
What information should you include in the opening section
of a report?
2)
Make improvements in the following sentences:
1.
We got to an agreement after a whole lot of effort.
2.
The deal is good for both sides.
3.
There was no way we could go along with want they wanted.
4.
XYZ asked for 20% commission. That was way above what we
wanted to pay.
5.
Long-range wanted us to cut out Tiger Shark and Hurricane. They
just wanted us to sell their stuff.
6.
We made a list of what the union wanted and then we told what
we wanted.
7.
They wouldn’t budge an inch on the health cover. It was a pretty
touchy thing.
8.
They seemed to think that the company was making a lot of
money. When we told them the profits were falling, they pretty
much went along with what we wanted.
9.
The workers were worried about getting sacked; so we told the
management that they had to keep their jobs.
10. The union didn’t want to give anything away on this point.
3)
What is wrong with the way this list is formulated?
XYZ agreed to:
- provide storage facilities
- shortlist young talents for sponsorship contracts
- covering the distribution costs in Norway
- they will look into the possibility of penetrating Sweden
4)
Choose the correct alternative in the following passage(s):
It was/there were several issues that had to be discussed before an/any
agreement could be reached. The personnel was/were primary/primarily
concerned about job security and buying power. The both/Both of
this/these issues was/were high priority items.
According to/Regarding job security the management team was agreed
to/agreed to investigate the possibility of providing a six-months/sixmonth no lay-off guarantee if the union was/were willing to consider the
possibility of a wage freeze.
The union meant/felt that this would be unfair. They pointed out that
wage/wages had fallen after/behind the inflation/inflation. The
management acknowledged the drop in real wages, but told/said that
salaries had held up with/kept pace with inflation rate/the inflation rate
if the rise/raise in the health insurance costs were/was taken into
account.
Apart from/Instead of focusing on increased cost/costs the union
representatives chose/choice to focus on finding on ways of reducing the
number/amount of accidents. In their/theirs opinion, an/a improvement in
security routines on/in the factory would rise/raise safety standards,
so/thus reducing claims.
The union representatives felt that the management was/were to/too
occupied with/preoccupied with saving/cutting costs. They proposed that
the company should consentrate/concentrate on increasing their/its
market share.
The management agreed to consult the union before dismissing/sacking
surplus/extra staff. But/However, the union agreed to make/carry out a
survey to find out if any of the workers with a long seniority/ancienity
would be interesting/interested in/to consider/considering early
retirement.
The union representatives proposed/submitted that the company should
focus on upgrading the employee’s/employees’ skills. They felt that this
could be accomplished by a combination of job rotation, job posting and
an/a training scheme. The management representatives agreed to
consider weather/whether it would be feasible to arrange training
courses. They realised/recognised that this would lead to/led to
increased quality standards and greater/better productivity in the long
time/long term, but was/were worried about increased short-time/shortterm costs. The union agreed that only fifty percentage/percent of the
training should find place/take place under/during working hours. The
rest/The remainder would be scheduled under/during the
worker’s/workers’ free time/spare time. The both/Both parts/parties
were agreed/agreed to a six-month/six months trial period.
Expect from/Apart from a small/slight disagreement on the case/issue
of outsourcing, both sides felt that they could give their/theirs full
support to the agreement. The new conditions for would gain/benefit
both parts/parties.