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2021年2月21日发(作者：卷土的沙滩)

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Unit 1

Applying for a Job

II. Listening Task

1.

Recruitment

When a company needs to recruit or employ new people, it may decide to advertise the job or

position in the appointments section of a newspaper or on the Internet. People who are interested

can then apply for the job by sending in a letter of application or cover letter and a curriculum vitae

(CV)

or

ré

sumé

containing

details

of

their

education

and

experience.

A

company

may

also

ask

candidates to complete a standard application form

. The company’s Human Resource Department

or Personnel Department will then select the most suitable applications and prepare a short list of

candidates or applicants, who are invited to attend an interview.

2.

Some Common Aspects of Job Interviewing

Job interviews are all about making the best matches. Both the company and the job-seeker

want to determine if there is a correct fit between them. Job-seekers going on job interviews can

basically expect one of two styles of interviewing, the traditional job interview and the behavioral

interview. While the styles differ, there are some basic activities job-seekers need to do both before

and after the interview in order to succeed.

Preparing

and

Researching

:

Job-seekers

must

spend

time

before

the

interview

conducting

research on the type of job, company, and industry they are interviewing. Your knowledge of these

factors is critical to your success.

Anticipating

Questions

and

Preparing

Answers

:

Although

the

types

of

questions

differ

depending on the interviewing style, job-seekers must plan and be prepared for the typical types of

questions. You should not memorize answers, but script specific responses so that you will be able

to remember

more details

when asked

about

the question in the interview. You should also have

several questions ready to ask the interviewer.

Follow- Up

: It is amazing how many job-seekers skip this crucial step. You must immediately

write

a

thank-you

note

to

each

person

who

interviewed

you.

Not

only

is

this

letter

part

of

professional etiquette, but it is often time to reinforce a concept or skill that you have and that the

employer desires in the person they will be hiring.

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3.

Traditional Interview and Behavioral Interview

The traditional job interview uses broad-based questions such

as, ―why do you want to work

for

this

company,‖

and

―tell

me

about

your

strengths

and

weaknesses.‖

Interviewing

success

is

more

often

based

on

the

ability

of

the

job-seeker

to

communicate

than

on

the

truthfulness

or

content

of

their

answers.

Employers

are

looking

for

the

answer

to

three

questions:

does

the

job- seeker

have

the

skills

and

abilities

to

perform

the

job;

does

the

job- seeker

possess

the

enthusiasm and work ethic that the employer expects; and will the job-seeker be a team player and

fit into the organization.

The behavioral job interview is based on the theory that past performance is the best indicator

of future behavior, and uses questions that probe specific past behaviors, such as: ―tell me about a

time where you confronted an unexpected prob

lem,‖ ―tell me about an experience when you failed

to achieve a goal,‖ and ―give me a specific example of a time when you managed several projects

at once.‖ Job

-seekers need to prepare for these interviews by recalling scenarios that fit the various

types of behavioral interviewing questions. Recent college grads with little work experience should

focus on class projects and group situations that might lend themselves to these types of questions.

Hobbies and volunteer work also might provide examples you could use. Job-seekers should frame

their

answers

based

on

a

four-part

outline:

(1)

describe

the

situation,

(2)

discuss

the

actions

you

took, (3) relate the outcomes, and (4) specify what you learned from it.

Unit 2

Business Phone Calls

II. Listening Task

1.

How to Make Business Phone Calls

Being

good

in

your

job

requires

a

lot

of

hard

work.

It

is

about

submitting

the

most

comprehensive

report,

shining

during

business

meetings,

being

able

to

meet

your

deadlines,

and

having good presentation skills. Equally important as these competencies is your ability to conduct

effective business phone calls.

Phone calls can be very useful tools in developing your business. It’s a communication process

which can contribute a lot to your business if you know how to make every phone call work for

your objectives. Here are some tips for making business phone calls.

1.

Develop

a

professional

greeting.

Don’t

just

say

hello

and

jump

into

your

telephone

presentation without taking a breath or allowing the other party to participate. Your greeting should

err

on

the

side

of

formality.

Begin

with

Mr.,

Mrs.

or

Ms,

as

in

―Good

morning,

Mr.

Smith.‖

Or

―Good evening, Mrs. Jones.‖ Everyone else says, ―Hello.‖ Be different. Be professional.

2.

Introduce

yourself

and

your

company

.

―My

na

me

is

John

Smith

with

ABC

Company.

We’re a local firm that specializes in helping businesses save

money

.‖ Don’t get too specific yet.

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Don’t mention your product. If

you do, that allows the other party to say, ―Oh, we’re happy with

what

we’ve

got.

Thanks

anyway,‖

and

hang

up.

By

keeping

your

introduction

general,

yet

mentioning a benefit, you’ll peak your prospect’s curiosity and keep them on the line longer.

3. Express gratitude.

Always thank the potential client for allowing you a few moments in

his busy day. Tell him that you won’t waste a second of his time. ―I want to thank you for taking

my

call.

This

will

only

involve

a

moment

of

your

time

so

you

can

get

back

to

your

busy

schedule.‖Don’t

say

that

you’ll

―just

take

a

moment.‖

The

feeling

evoked

by

them

hearing

that

you’ll take anything from them will put them off.

4. State the purpose of your call.

It’s best if you can provide the purpose within a question.

―If we

can show you a way to improve the quality of your product at a lower

cost, would you be

interested to know more?‖ This is very likely to get a yes response. At this point, you’re ready to

start selling an opportunity to meet this person or get their permission to provide them with more

information. You’re not selling your product yet—you’re selling what your product will do for him.

5. Schedule a meeting

. Get a confirmation to meet, either in person or to the teleconference to

get the information you need in order to give a solid presentation. If he’s so interested that he wants

to do it right then and there, that’s OK.

6. If a face-to-face meeting is the most appropriate next step, use the alternate-of- choice

questioning strategy

. Offer him two times,

―Mr. Johnson, I can pop by

your office at 2:15 p.m.

today to discuss this further. Or would 9:45 a.m. tomorrow better suit your

schedule

?‖ You didn’t

say, ―When can we meet?‖ When you use the alternate of choice, you take control of getting the

appointment. And note: Asking for an off-

hour gets you noticed. There’s something about

setting a

meeting

at

an

off-

hour

that

says

you’re

a

salesperson

who’ll

be

punctual

and

respect

your

prospect’s time. Try it.

7.

Thank

them

for

their

time

today

and

for

the

upcoming

appointment

.

Reconfirm

the

date, time and location of the appointment. Ask for directions if you need them. Tell him how much

preparation you’ll do in order to make the best use of the time you’ll share. Give him your contact

information

this

way:

―If

anything

else

comes

to

mind

that

I

should

be

aware

of

prior

to

our

meeting, pl

ease contact me at 88662688‖.

8.

Follow

up.

If

your

meeting

is

more

than

a

few

days

in

the

future,

send

a

letter

of

confirmation immediately. If the meeting is tomorrow, send an e-mail confirmation. Keep it short

and upbeat.

2.

Telephone Manners

Although

email

and

instant

messaging

are

quickly

becoming

standard

forms

of

office

communication,

the

telephone

still

plays

an

important

role

in

business.

Just

like

a

face-to- face

meeting, telephone conversations are expected to follow certain rules of etiquette to help make the

experience pleasant and productive for all those involved.

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When making a business call, be sure to first identify yourself and your company. If you’re

routed to a receptionist or operator, also include the name of the person you’re trying t

o reach. A

simple, ―Hello, this is Mar

k Robert from Pacific Edge International. May I speak to Mary

Grand?‖

will do.

Be

prepared

with

one

or

two

sentences

explaining

the

purpose

for

your

call.

When

you

are

connected with the person, state the purpose of your call and then be sure to ask if you are calling at

a

convenient

time.

This

is

one

of

the

most

overlooked

areas

of

phone

etiquette,

and

allows

the

person you’re calling the opportunity to better address your needs at a later time.

People make business phone calls for specific reasons. Very rarely do clients call just to catch

up.

Telephone

calls

usually

lead

to

some

action

to

be

taken,

so

make

sure

your

first

vocal

impression is a good one by trying to answer the phone as pleasantly and professionally as possible.

Identify yourself and your company when receiving an incoming call. While it’s not impolite

to say, ―Pacific Edge International, Mar

k

Robert speaking,‖ it might be easier on the listener to say,

―Thank

you

for

calling

Pacific

Edge

Internationa

l.

This

is

Mark

Robert.

How

may

I

help

you?‖

Variations

on

this

theme

can

convey

your

greeting

quite

effectively.

If

you

work

at

a

large

corporation with many departments, it may also help to include your department or section name,

―This is Mar

k Robert, a

ccounts receivable. How may I help you?‖

If

you

have

to

leave

a

message

or

voice

mail

for

someone,

make

it

short

and

to

the

point.

Speak clearly and slowly and leave your name, phone number, and a brief message. Say your name

and number at the beginning a

nd again at the end of the message, especially if you don’t know the

person

you’re

calling.

If

the

voice

mail

system

allows

you

to

play

back

your

message,

consider

taking advantage of that feature to make sure your message is clear and communicates your needs.

Returning

messages promptly is always appreciated. It’s customary to return telephone calls

within 24 hours. If you cannot attend to the caller’s needs within that time, briefly phone the person

to say when you will be available.

3.

Telephone English

A

lot

of

people

find

it

difficult

to

make

phone

calls

in

a

foreign

language

—and

that’s

understandable. You can’t see the person you are talking to, their voice might be unclear, and you

might find it difficult to find the right words.

One

thing

you

can

do

to

improve

your

telephone

skills

is

to

learn

some

of

the

multi-word

verbs that are commonly used in telephone conversations. Most of them are featured in this module.

Hold on means

―wait‖—and hang on

means ―wait‖

, too. Be careful not to confuse

hang on

with

hang

up!

Hang

up

means

―finish

the

call

by

breaking

the

connection‖—in

other

words:

―put

the

phone down.‖

Another

phrasal

verb

with

the

same

meaning

as

―hang

up‖

is

―ring

off‖.

The

opposite

of

―hang up‖ or ―ring off‖ is ―ring up‖. If you ring som

ebody up, you make a phone call. And if you

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pick up the phone, (or pick the phone up) you answer a call when the phone rings.

If

you

are

talking

to

a

receptionist,

secretary

or

switchboard

operator,

they

may

ask

you

to

hang on while they put you through.

―Put through‖ means to connect your call to another telephone.

With this verb, the object (you, me, him, her, etc.) goes in the middle of the verb: put you through.

But if you can’t get through to the person you want to talk to, you might be able to leave

a

message

asking

them

to

call

you

back.

―Call

back‖

means

to

return

a

phone

call.

If

you

use

an

object (you, me, him, her, etc.), it goes in the middle of the verb: call you back.

Unit 3

At the Meeting

II. Listening Task

1.

Meetings

Meetings are communicating with an audience in a format in which more than one individual

come together to introduce, review, or decide something. Many people make fun of meetings and

say they are a waste of time but these are the places and times when a lot of decisions are made and

business gets done. Meeting times and places have become more complicated as new technologies

have emerged and become less expensive and more popular. As examples, teleconferences are now

a

standard

way

to

bring

people

in

different

places

together

for

a

meeting.

Videoconferences

are

more expensive and require broadband connections and more expensive equipment, but their use is

growing rapidly. The use of audio and video conferencing over the Internet is now growing quickly.

Its lower price is attractive, but the lower quality can be a distraction.

Usually

someone

calls

a

meeting,

and

other

people

check

their

calendars

and

attend

if

their

schedule

is

free

and

they

don’t

have

a

conflict

or

other

prior

commitment.

A

meeting

place

and

meeting

time

are

arranged,

and

an

agenda

or

the

goals

of

the

meeting

are

set.

Once

these

are

established

and

agreed

on, people

prepare

what

they

will need

for

the

meeting,

like

graphs,

or

a

PowerPoint presentation.

The

future

of

meetings

is

that

they

will

happen

anywhere

you

are,

any

time

you

are

awake.

Businesses now often have to make strategy and plan and take action quickly. To do this, the people

involved have to come together in some form, review the situation, and make a decision. More and

more, these people are in different places, and may even speak different languages. These are the

challenges

that

modern

meeting

technologies

need

to

solve.

Advances

in

compression

and

streaming technologies are allowing higher and higher quality audio and video transmission over

the Internet, so many people believe small, affordable Internet meeting technologies are the future

of meetings when people can’t meet face to face.

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2.

Why Have a Meeting?

Depending on your job, you may be involved in meetings once a week or several times a day.

Many

work teams, for example, function by

meeting together formally and informally

to discuss

workplace issues. Organizations use meetings to help co-ordinate activities involving a number of

people or work groups. Meetings are used to negotiate sales, investigate problems, plan events, set

up business arrangements, develop new procedures and so on. Community bodies and social clubs

also have regular meetings, so even your spare time can be taken up in this way.

Meetings

offer

many

benefits

to

an

organization

and

its

members.

A

well-run

meeting

encourages

co- ordination

—

people

can

keep

up-to- date

with

developments

and

changes,

which

means better planning and co-operation between sections. Meetings can give people an opportunity

to

share

ideas

and

help

develop

team

spirit.

Other

benefits

of

well- managed

meetings

include

greater organizational consensus resulting from collaboration, and more effective problem solving.

Different

situations

require

different

kinds

of

meetings.

Depending

on

the

problem

to

be

solved, the type of business to be transacted and the nature of the group and leadership style, you

might choose: committee meetings; conferences; informal decision-making sessions; conventions;

general staff meetings; formal board meetings; meetings to give instructions and training sessions.

3.

Meeting Opening

Well, we’d better make a start. I would like to start by welcoming everyone. This is the first

meeting in our new series of weekly meetings just for engineers. The reason why we are here today

is to discuss the two most important issues we will be dealing with next month. Most of you have

asked me to include these on the agenda, and I have done so. As you can see on the agenda, these

issues are: first, the renovation of our laboratory; and second, the selection of the design team for

our PWC project. The meeting will finish at noon. That gives us two hours. Ordinarily, the meeting

will last only one hour. But I think this first meeting will require a lot of discussion, since you are

all eager to d

iscuss the two issues on the agenda. So, let’s begin with the first item of business: the

renovation of our laboratory. Let’s begin by going around the table and getting everyone’s opinion

before we have a free discussion.

Unit 4

Business Presentations

II. Listening Task

1.

The Role of Business Presentations

Anyone

who

plans

a

career

in

sales,

training,

or

education

expects

to

make

many

oral

presentations

to

customers,

employees,

or

students

each

week.

What

you

may

not

have

realized,

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though,

is

that

almost

everyone

in

business

will

give

at

least

one

major

presentation

and

many

smaller

ones

each

year,

to

customers,

superiors,

subordinates,

or

colleagues

—

not

to

mention

presentations at various kinds of meetings, civic clubs and the like.

The costs of effective presentations are immense. With many managers earning big salaries, a

presentation that discusses ideas incompletely and ineffectively wastes time and money. Sales are

lost, vital information is not communicated, training programs fail, policies are

not implemented,

and profits fall.

Technology

is

undoubtedly

changing

the

physical

characteristics

of

oral

presentations

in

business

—

for

example,

by

making

presentations

possible

via

interactive

computer

or

television

rather than in person. Competent communicators recognize, however, that the compelling effects of

verbal and nonverbal communication strategies that are possible in oral presentations will continue

to make them a critical communication competency in the contemporary business organization.

2.

How to Overcome Presentation Nerves

Good

morning,

everyone.

I

would

like

to

give

you

a

brief

talk

on

how

to

overcome

presentation nerves.

It’s important to think about why people get nervous and the effects nerves can have on you

when

you

present.

There

are

all

sorts

of

symptoms

that

can

be

created

through

nerves.

And

sometimes they can manifest themselves quite a lot when people present.

So the more you are aware of them and aware of the fact that it’s quite normal to feel nervous

then the more that you can actually start to overcome them.

Preparing for the presentation

The first thing to think about is preparing yourself for your presentation. Your preparation may

involve the planning, structuring, the visual aids, etc. But there’s also you—

the presenter and how

best to prepare yourself.

Obviously

the

benefits

of

proper

planning

are

very

important

—

and

will

certainly

help

to

reduce nerves.

However there are other things that you can do to fully take control of the nerves

before you present.

Physical techniques

The benefits of breathing are often overlooked but this one simple technique can really help to

calm you and slow you down. When you are nervous you probably also speed up your speech. So

controlling the speed that you speak at is a good way to help control your nerves. Of course, as you

can imagine, there are lots of other physical strategies that people employ to help reduce nerves and

focus their minds.

Psychological techniques

There are also some key psychological techniques that you can apply to help you to kick out

those negative thoughts that can creep into your mind and reduce your confidence.

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These

techniques

can

help

you

to

maintain

a

positive

mental

attitude

towards

your

presentation and help you remain in control if any negative thoughts start to creep into your mind.

One technique is to imagine that the presentation has just taken place

–

and that it was successful.

Spend

time

imagining

that

success

—

and

how

you

feel

at

that

time.

Imagine

the

voices

and

other sounds that you hear at the en

d of the presentation and what the audiences’ faces look like and

what else you can see in the room. Take time to imagine all of the positives about the presentation

that made it a success.

A

lot

of

the

time

our

imagination

focuses

on

the

negatives

—

so

forcing

it

to

focus

on

the

positive can help to turn things around and will help build your confidence.

Rehearsing the presentation

Rehearsing your presentation is essential for practicing and assessing your timekeeping, body

language

(such

as

eye

contact

and

hand

gestures),

voice

projection,

pace

of

speech

and

logical

order of content. It gives presenters a chance to amend their presentation and envisage how they

will go about presenting on the day. It may be useful to record your voice on a mobile phone, or

video yourself and watch it back, noting good points and areas for improvement.

The more presentation experience you have the more confident you will feel and less nervous

you become. Familiarize yourself with several techniques for overcoming presentation nervousness

so that your next speaking engagement can be a fun and rewarding experience.

3.

ACT Systems Corporation

My name’s

Jane

Littlefield and I’m the Technical and Quality Manager at ACT in London and

work within the MTD

—

the Materials Testing Division, which makes equipment used by industrial

firms

to

test

the

strength

and

durability

of

materials

like

plastics,

metals

and

so

forth.

We’re

a

subsidiary of ACT Systems Corporation, an American firm based in San Francisco. ACT employs

about

2,880

people

worldwide

and

is

a

leading

supplier

of

mechanical

testing

and

simulation

equipment. Our

major development and

manufacturing operations are located in the US, Britain,

France, Germany, and Australia and we have sales and service offices around the world.

Before

I

describe

the organization

of

my

department,

I’ll

outline

the

structure

from

the

t

op,

starting with David Johnson, our CEO, who oversees all aspects of our activities here. Just below

him

is

the

General

Manager,

Bill

Harry,

who

is

my

immediate

superior.

Then

there’s

Edward

Brown,

the

Human

Resources

Director,

and

Alice

White,

the

GM’s

S

ecretary,

who

also

report

directly to him. We have a management team that includes myself, Peter Smith, the Sales Manager,

Catherine

Lee,

the

Finance

Manager,

and

of

course,

Sanjoy

Bose,

who

is

also

the

Marketing

Manager.

There

are

also

two

new

departments

—

Customer

Service

and

NVD,

the

Noise

and

Vibration Division

—

headed by Louis Regnier and Alan Seymour respectively.

Now, getting back to the way my department is organized, I’m responsible for operations, so

I’m

in

charge

of

Purchasing

and

Planning,

R&D

an

d

Quality.

The

Purchasing

and

Planning

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Department

schedules production based on orders provided by the sales team and forecasts

from

the

Marketing

Department.

In

R&D,

there

are

about

three

sub- departments

—

Mechanical

Engineering,

Electronics,

and

Software

Engineering

—

which

are

involved

in

developing

new

products

and

modifying

existing

products

to

meet

customer

demands.

They

receive

technical

specifications

from

the

Marketing

Department

and

provide

drawings,

a

parts

list

and

assembly

instructions. Arvin Marsh works closely with me on Quality

—

an area that takes up nearly a third of

my time. And finally there’s the head of Shipping, as well as the person in charge of Assembly, who

also report to me.

Unit 5

Business Travel

II. Listening Task

1.

Tips for Travelling Abroad

If

you

plan

to

travel

abroad

either

for

business

or

leisure,

you

should

check

that

you

have

made all the necessary arrangements to minimize travel problems. The following tips can help you

to make your travel easier and safer:

1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. Also, before you go fill

in the emergency information page of your passport.

2. Register so the department concerned can better assist you in an emergency. This will help

them to contact you if there is a family emergency in your country, or if there is a crisis where you

are traveling.

3.

Familiarize

yourself

with

the

local

laws

and

customs

of

the

countries

to

which

you

are

traveling. Remember, while in a country, YOU ARE SUBJECT TO ITS LAWS!

4. Make 2 photocopies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if

your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home. Carry the other with you in a separate place

from your passport.

5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with your work unit, family or friends at home so you can be

contacted in case of an emergency.

6. Notify by phone or register in person with your embassy or consulate upon your arrival.

7. Don’t leave luggage unattended in public areas. Don’t accept packages from s

trangers.

8.

Don’t

be

a

target!

Avoid

conspicuous

clothing

and

expensive

jewelry

and

don’t

carry

excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards.

9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange

money or purchase art or antiques.

10.

If

you

get

into

trouble,

contact

the

embassies

and

consulates

abroad.

They

can

provide

emergency assistance to their citizens.

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2.

Reservations for a Business Travel

In

having

to

travel

to

a

distant

location

because

of

a

business

conference,

a

meeting

or

an

event,

there

are

things

that

you

have

to

be

mindful

of

aside

from

just

packing

your

clothes

and

things and driving yourself to the airport.

The first thing you should know is the cost of the travel. You can opt to purchase an economy

or

coach

plane

ticket

which

tends

to

be

the

least

expensive

among

the

three

coach

group

in

the

airplane.

But

if

you

really

want

a

seat

or

place

in

the

airplane

which

has

more

leg

room

and

amenities suitable for you to still work with your laptop computer while on the plane, you can opt

to travel in the business class or coach. This costs more than the economy coach and a little less

than the first class. Before booking a reservation in a hotel or an airline, it is advisable to take note

of the venue of your business meeting or conference so you can book a reservation in a hotel and

airport near the place.

It is also advisable to book a flight that will take you to your destination at least a day or a

couple of hours prior to your meeting or conference to give yourself time to rest first in your hotel

room and rethink all the things that you will do in that event.

3.

Sarah:

Good afternoon, I’m Mrs.

Smith. I’m traveling on business to the States next month and

would like to book a ticket.

Clerk:

Good afternoon, Mrs Smith. Well, we offer several types of tickets, Mrs. Smith. What is

your itinerary?

Sarah:

Um, I’ll be traveling

to the States for several weeks, visiting five or six cities, starting from

Los Angeles.

Clerk:

Right

then,

Mrs.

Smith,

the

normal

full-fare

business

class

ticket

sounds

the

most

appropriate option. It offers more flexibility.

Sarah:

Will I be able to change my itinerary, if necessary?

Clerk:

Yes, Mrs. Smith, and the free day departure allows you to travel whenever you like.

Sarah:

What about the cheaper economy class tickets?

Clerk:

Well, we have normal economy and excursion fares.

Sarah:

What’s the difference between excursion fares and full

-fare tickets?

Clerk:

The major difference is that excursion fares are not so flexible

—

for example, they have a

fixed departure date, which means,

you

must travel on the date specified on your ticket,

otherwise you may need to buy another ticket.

Sarah:

I see. I think I will take a business class ticket. One more thing. Do I need a visa to travel?

Clerk:

Well,

a

visa

is

not

necessary

for

the

US,

but

it’s

always

advisable

to

have

one

as

a

precaution.

Sarah:

Could you get the visa for me as well?

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Clerk:

Certainly. I guess the one-month validity is enough for you.

Sarah:

It might be. But in c

ase I’d stay a little longer, I think a 3

-month validity is safer.

Clerk:

Sure. Is there anything else I can do for you?

Sarah:

Yes, please. I’d like an aisle seat in the non

-smoking section.

Clerk:

No problem, Mrs. Smith.

Sarah:

Also, I’d like to order v

egetarian meals for the flight.

Clerk:

I’ve put it down, vegetarian meals. May I have your full name and your passport number?

Sarah:

Yes, of course. Sarah Smith. S-a-r-a-h, Sarah. And my passport number is G0456780.

Clerk:

I’ll

repeat

that.

Sarah

Smith,

G

0456780. Thank

you,

Mrs.

Smith,

would

you

like

to

pay

cash, by check or by credit card?

Sarah:

I’ll pay cash.

Unit 6

Building Business Relationships

II. Listening Task

1.

Seeking Clients

The most important problem in international trade is how to seek clients. The buyers want to

know where the sellers are, while the sellers want to know where to find their buyers.

Generally

speaking,

more

commodities

(except

very

few

important

materials

such

as

petroleum & rare metals), belong to the buyers’ market. Apar

t from this, most countries exercise

control

over

foreign

exchange

and

foreign

trade,

awarding

commodity

export

and

restricting

commodity import. Therefore it is much more difficult for an export merchant to seek his clients

than an import

merchant to seek

his own. No

matter

whether it is an export company

or factory

manufacturing

goods

for

export

sales,

it

should

cherish

any

chance

available

to

get

some

information of its counterparts abroad. They may be approached through such channels as banks,

chambers

of

commerce

in

foreign

countries,

commercial

counselor’s

office,

trade

fairs

and

exhibitions, advertisements and the Internet.

2.

How to Establish Business Relationships Online

The Internet has changed the way we do business. Today, with a few simple clicks, you can

make

contact

with

a

customer

or

supplier

from

the

other

side

of

the

world.

When

engaging

in

international trade, you are likely to be dealing with people from all sorts of different cultures. It is

in your best interest to build up a good relationship so that your partners and customers can grow

together with your business. Here are some tips on how to establish business relationships online.

Tip 1: Establish trust and credibility

When making your first contact, bear in mind that whoever is at the other side of the line does

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not know you as a person. Instead of just barging in with your demands and requests, take the time

to introduce yourself properly. This step is necessary for setting the foundation for a good business

relationship. It’s alway

s easier to work

with someone

whom

you know as a person then to

work

with a ―faceless‖ individual sitting on a computer at the other end of the world.

Tip 2: Mind your net etiquette

There is such a thing as good manners on the Internet. Since most of the time communications

take place with the written text, it is important to remember not to convey the ―wrong‖ messages.

You don’t want to come across as an unreasonable person. For example, if you capitalize all your

words, your email may come across as impatient and even rude. Use non-verbal cues like smiley

faces or be clear with your communications to avoid misunderstandings.

Tip 3: Ask, don’t demand

Demanding

almost

always

spoils

relationships.

When

there

is

an

issue,

ask

if

it

can

be

corrected in a nice and polite manner. You are more likely to receive a positive response if you ask

nicely. If you demand in a forceful manner, whoever is on the other side will tend to behave in a

similar manner. In the end, such actions are just harmful to business relationships.

Tip 4: Get in touch regularly

Even if it’s just a simple email with a couple of sentences, be sure to get in touch every week

or so. People drift apart due to lack of communications. So don’t let that happen to you, especially

if you know that you have some really good partners and customers in your portfolio. Spend more

time developing those accounts that you think will help grow your business. Eventually, the time

that you have invested in developing those relationships will pay off handsomely.

Tip 5: Be personal

The

Internet

is

essentially

a

one-to-one

communication

tool.

For

instance,

an

email

or

an

instant chat session tends to be personal

—

you are communicating with just one person at a time. So

be a real and genuine person. There is no need to talk business all the time.

Once in a while, drop a personal note or message to find out how your partners and customers

are doing. When you do so, you stay closer to your customers. If they are in need of help, just lend

a helping hand and you will earn yourself a loyal friend. Your contacts will eventually help boost

your international trade business to greater heights.

3.

Johnson:

Hello! My name’s Peter Johnson from the United States.

Chen:

How do you do, Mr. Johnson? My name’s Chen Jia.

business cooperation. After knowing you’d hold the trade fair in your city, I decided to

come

here

in

person

to

explore

the

possibility

of

establishing

business

relations

with

you.

Chen:

12

We’d be very pleased to enter into trade relations with your company.

Johnson:

Pleased to meet you, Ms. Chen. Before my trip to China, I sent you a letter seeking for

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Johnson:

Thank

you,

Ms.

Chen.

We

learned

from

our

Commercial

Counselor’s

Office

in

your

country that you’re a leading importer of electronic products in your area. We’ve bee

n in

this line

for

more than twenty

years. Here is our catalogue. Some of our products are

very popular in the Chinese market. I hope some of the products will appeal to you.

Chen:

I

hope

so.

As

you

know,

there

is

an

increasing

demand

for

electronic

products,

especially, computers in China. If your prices are competitive, we can place orders on a

regular basis.

Johnson:

Well,

I

can

assure

you

that

our

prices

compare

very

favorably

with

the

prices

of

the

same kind of products on the international market.

Chen:

That’s

good.

Now,

we’ll

first

go

to

see

your

exhibits,

then

study

your

catalogue

and

decide what items we are interested in. Then we can have further discussions tomorrow.

Johnson:

That’ll be fine.

Chen:

Chen:

I’ll phone tomorrow for the meeting.

See you then.

Johnson:

Good! See you tomorrow.

Unit 7

Enquiries and Offers

II. Listening Task

1.

Enquiries and Offers

Business negotiations in international trade usually start with an enquiry by an overseas buyer

to a seller, inquiring for sales information. Nevertheless, at some times, a seller can also initiate the

negotiation by making an enquiry to a foreign buyer, including his intention of selling certain goods

to the latter. It is worthy of note that whoever makes an enquiry is not liable for the buying or the

selling, and, the opposite party, at the same time, can make no reply at all. But, according to the

commercial practice the receiver of an enquiry will respond without delay in the usual form of a

quotation, an offer, or a bid.

An offer means submitting or furnishing details including prices, conditions and other related

items needed for a contract. Or, according to

CISG

, ―a proposal for concluding a contract addressed

to

one

or

more

specific

persons

constitutes an

offer

if

it

is

sufficiently

definite

and

indicates

the

intention of the offerer to be bound in case of acceptance.‖

There are two kinds of offer: a firm offer or offer

with engagement and a non-firm offer or

offer

without

engagement.

The

former

has

legal

effect

and

is

binding

on

the

offerer

within

its

validity. The latter has no legal effect.

A firm offer must satisfy the following requisite conditions:

(1) It must be sent to one or more specific persons;

(2) The contents of the offer must be definite, that is, the conditions given must be complete,

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