TOPIC 1 NETWORKING AT THE WORKPLACE
05 OUMH2203_topic01
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Use the right expressions to introduce yourself at the workplace;
2. Greet, introduce and interact with people who visit your organisation in an appropriate manner;
3. Identify topics suitable for making small talk; and
4. Describe your company and profession to effectively project a positive image.
INTRODUCTION
This topic aims to equip you with skills that will help you interact more
effectively at the workplace. Your social circle will widen once you start working
and you will meet many different kinds of people from all walks of life,
including clients, colleagues, superiors and subordinates. This means that you
may need to adapt the way you speak and the language you use, depending on
whom you are interacting with. If you have no previous work experience, you
may find the section on „Starting a conversation‰ useful as it offers tips on how
to introduce yourself when meeting people for the first time. Also included in
this topic are exercises on how to describe yourself, your job and your company
or organisation in a professional manner. There are also activities that will hone
your vocabulary and grammatical skills to help you network effectively within
and outside your organisation.
1.1 STARTING A CONVERSATION
In the workplace, it is not enough just to be able do your job well; you must also
know how to network as this helps to build good relationships between you and
potential clients. To do this, you need to look and sound friendly, confident,
sincere and helpful. These qualities go a long way towards creating favourable
first impressions, which increase the likelihood of you being successful in
business dealings later on.
1.1.1 Introducing Yourself
The first networking skill that you need to learn is how to introduce yourself at
the workplace. Below are some expressions that you can use when meeting
people for the first time:
? Hello, my name is ...
I'm with IT services.
? Good morning, may I introduce myself?
My name is ... and I'm from the marketing department.
? Hello, I donÊt think we've met before.
I'm ... and I'm responsible for new product development.
? Hi there, my name's Timothy but everyone calls me Tim.
I'm with financial services.
Remember that when you introduce yourself, it is not just what you say that
matters. You must use the right words of course, but a friendly smile and direct
eye contact will definitely help you to create a good first impression.
SELF-CHECK 1.1
When you introduce yourself, what should you say or do?
(i) ............................................................................ (body language)
(ii) ........................................................................... (action)
(iii) ........................................................................... (speech)
ACTIVITY 1.1
Imagine that you are an intern in an engineering firm. Using the sub-
headings below, introduce yourself to your colleague.
Avita Engineering Sdn Bhd
Staff record
Last name:
First name:
Date of commencement of internship:
Duration of internship:
Major job duties:
Degree/academic qualifications:
Area of specialisation:
1.1.2 Introducing Others
Now that you have learnt how to introduce yourself, you need to know how to
introduce others at your workplace. When you introduce someone, it is good
practice to mention the name and position of the person you are introducing, so
that your colleagues not only know the person's name but also what he does.
This is the norm in business communication.
Phrases commonly used when introducing someone:
? Hi everyone, meet ...
She is my personal assistant.
? Can I introduce you to ...?
He's our new project manager.
? I'd like to introduce you to ..., our new web designer.
ACTIVITY 1.2
Read the conversation below and then answer the questions that follow:
Mrs Au : Margaret, let me introduce you to Michael Hill, from
our
Australian branch. MichaelÊs the operations executive
in Canberra. He's joining us here on a staff exchange
programme for a month.
Margaret : Hello, Michael. I'm so pleased to meet you.
Michael : Hi Margaret, I'm happy to meet you too. You've a nice
set up here.
Margaret : Yes, it's a great place to work in. HowÊs your first day
going?
Michael : Wonderful. ItÊs been really interesting.
Mrs Au : I was just showing Michael around. Can I leave it to you to show him the ropes?
Margaret : Oh, yes, of course. It'll be my pleasure.
Michael : Thank you so much, Mrs Au.
Mrs Au : YouÊre welcome, Michael. I'll catch up with you later.
Discussion questions:
1. What do you think can happen if visitors at a workplace are not properly introduced?
2. Do you feel that it is necessary to mention the positions of the people you introduce? Give reasons for your answer.
Adapted from: Jones, L., and Alexander, R. (1989). New international business English . UK: Cambridge University Press.
1.1.3 It’s a Small World
The world today is increasingly a global village as more and more people work
far from home, often traversing the globe on professional assignments. You may
have met some of these „global citizens‰ in the course of your work (please refer
to Figure 1.1). Some may be permanent employees in your company while others
are appointed only on a short-term consultation basis. Yet others may be visitors.
Perhaps you yourself travel frequently to branch offices all over the world,
sharing knowledge and expertise. Truly, the 21st century worker must be one
who is able to socialise and network with people from different countries and
diverse backgrounds.
Figure 1.1: Global citizens travel widely
Source: [Airline passenger]. Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/airlines/
ACTIVITY 1.3
Do you know that we sometimes identify people by the countries they come
from? For example, if someone comes from Russia, we say he is a Russian.
What do you call someone who comes from the following countries?
ACTIVITY 1.4
Imagine that you are the chairperson at an international conference held
in Malaysia. You need to introduce delegates from various countries to
the audience. How would you go about doing this?
Firstly, you need to find out how to correctly pronounce the names of
foreign delegates. You should also get some general information about
the speakers, as well as the topics they are speaking on. Check their
name tags to be sure that you have got the right person, before you start
your introduction. A simple way would be to say: "It gives me great
pleasure to present the first speaker of the day, Dr Rena Goep. Dr Goep
comes from Sarawak, Malaysia, and will be speaking on the topic ... "
Now, introduce the following speakers:
1. Lo Wei Han (China)
2. Jaydip Gupta (India)
3. Ahmad Yusof (Indonesia)
4. Howard Atkinson (Britain)
5. Yumi Tanaka (Japan)
1.2 MAKING SMALL TALK
When networking with business partners and professionals at the work place,
you sometimes need to engage in small talk. This is especially true if you are
meeting people from different countries for the first time. What is small talk and
what do you say when making small talk?
Small talk may be defined as chatting about things not directly related to the
business at hand (please refer to Figure 1.2). There are no fixed rules about what
one should, or should not say, when engaging in small talk. Some subjects are,
however, considered „no-no‰ areas, for example, politics and religion. Likewise,
details about your family might also be deemed too personal a topic, especially
when one is at the workplace.
Safe topics would be those revolving round everyday issues like holidays, travel,
traffic, public transport, entertainment, etc. You can also talk about interests that
you and your conversation partner may have in common. Indeed, one of the
objectives of making small talk is to discover shared interests so that you
gradually learn to be comfortable with each other. However, common sense rules
need to be observed when making small talk. For instance, if the person you are
conversing with is older, or more senior to you in rank and position, you should
be more deferential in tone. Begin with exploratory questions to discover, slowly,
the areas that both of you feel comfortable talking about.
Figure 1.2: Small talk is not necessarily related to work Source: [Untitled clip art of office mates engaging in small talk]. Retrieved February 8, 2010, from http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~cooper/Small_Talk_Guide/index.html
When you are at a loss for words, you can resort to „ice breakers‰ such as the
following:
? How was your journey?
? Is this your first visit to...?
? Where are you staying?
? How has your visit been so far?
? Do you need any help or information?
? Tell me more about your country.
SELF-CHECK 1.2
What do you find difficult, or enjoyable, when talking to
(a) ... someone you are meeting for the first time at your workplace?
(b) ... a superior or head of department?
(c) ... people from different countries? (consider several different nationalities)
(d) ... a large group of people?
ACTIVITY 1.5
Work in pairs:
(a) Which of these topics would you avoid during a first meeting with a business associate?
Sports
Movies
Politics
The weather
Your family
Music
Business
Your education
Travel
Religion
(b) Would your choice of conversation topics be different if your partner was
? Of a different gender;
? Older than you; or
? More senior than you in the organisational hierarchy?
(c) Compare your ideas and opinions with another pair/group of students.
1.3 GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
In the course of meeting and interacting with people at the workplace, you may
be asked to describe your job or answer questions about the company or
organisation you are working for. It is important to use the right words so as to
project a positive professional image both of yourself, and of your organisation.
When people feel good about you and your company, they are more likely to
want to do business with you.
1.3.1 Talking About Your Job
Below are examples of questions commonly asked and phrases often used when
people talk about their jobs or organisations:
(i) Which company are you with?
I'm with XYZ.
(ii) What do you do at XYZ Company?
I am in charge of marketing.
I'm responsible for sales.
I recruit and train employees.
(iii) What business are you in?
I am in the computer business.
I am in the hospitality industry.
(iv) What do you do for a living?
I'm a doctor.
I'm in sales.
I'm a consultant with ABC Sdn Bhd.
(v) I'm with the Public Services Department.
I'm the assistant director in charge of Social Welfare.
ACTIVITY 1.6
Read the following texts carefully. Then, fill in the blanks on the four
personnel cards kept by the Human Resource Unit, summarising
information about each employee. Note the words used to describe each
job. It is better to adopt a positive tone when you talk about your job
and responsibilities.
Ian:
My name's Ian Lim and IÊm the chief accountant for Global
Enterprise. I take care of the day-to-day accounting for the
group. I'm in charge of financial management and
management accounting, and I handle the cash books,
purchase ledger, sales ledger, credit control, etc.
Every day, I have a different task to tackle, and it's always
urgent. I work with very tight deadlines. This means that I
have no chance to get bored. I find finance fascinating and I
truly enjoy my work.
But itÊs not easy trying to get money from people. I donÊt like
that aspect of my work.
Lesley:
My nameÊs Lesley Fernandez. At Global Enterprise, I work as
an administrator for the international business development
group. My duties include responding to correspondence, and
making sure that meetings are scheduled for the right rooms in
the right places, at the right times. I also handle the staffÊs
travel arrangements to different countries in the world.
I like working here. The people are very friendly and I enjoy
the diverse nature of my work.
However, I do wish that I am a little busier at times. As I am
with the international business development group, I need to
wait for people to be back at the office to generate work for
me. When they are out of the country, I have little to do.
Patrick:
My name is Patrick Abdullah. I am a systems administrator
for Global Enterprise. You can say I have a trouble-shooting
kind of job. I have all kinds of responsibilities, including
backing up data and installing new machines, operating
systems and all the products that Global Enterprise
produces. The work can be quite challenging because many
problems can crop up in the course of a day, from fixing a
loose cable to dealing with glitches that take hours to solve.
I think the nice part of my job is meeting these challenges.
Sometimes, my day can be very quiet but there are days that
are completely hectic. But that is okay because I enjoy being
confronted with all kinds of problems.
What I donÊt enjoy is doing routine back-ups of data as that is
tedious and time-consuming. The other thing that I don't quite
like is the working hours. The best time to fix problems is
when people are not around. This means that ideally, we
should do our work after 6pm, after everybody's gone home.
Sometimes, we can be stuck in the office till the early hours of
the morning.
Paul:
I am Paul Kandasamy, and I'm a training officer at Global
Enterprise. My job is to run training courses for our customers and
agents.
The thing I enjoy most about my work is being able to have
direct contact with customers and helping them.
What I dislike is the amount of time I need to devote to
teaching and preparing training material. I don't get enough
opportunities to do the hands-on programming that I enjoy doing.
Generally speaking, I like my job and the company that I work
for. ItÊs a very stimulating work environment.
Adapted from: Jones, L., and Alexander, R. (1989). New International
Business English . UK: Cambridge University Press.
Task: Fill in the blanks on the cards below.
ACTIVITY 1.7
What is your dream job? Complete the sentence below and write a short
paragraph about your dream job. What does it require you to do? Why
is it your dream job? Share details with your friends in small groups.
If I weren’t a ................., I’d like to be a ...........................
SELF-CHECK 1.3
Do you know of people who radically changed their careers in mid- life? Why did they do it? Were they successful? Do you think it was easy for them to make the change? Why do you say so?
ACTIVITY 1.8
Look at the sentences below and match them with the person concerned by drawing a line to join the description with the correct business card.
(Maggie Brown) (Consultant) (Sakura International).
1. I am responsible for artwork and design.
2. I recruit new staff for our agency.
3. I provide professional services to clients.
4. I am responsible for advertising, managing products and brands, and introducing new products into the market.
5. I am in charge of conducting research that can be used to come up with new products.
6. I work in the lobby of our corporate headquarters. I answer questions and direct people to various offices.
1.3.2 Describing your Company
Now, let us look at how you can describe your company.
(a) What it Offers
A company offers either a product or a service. A product is something
tangible usually something that can be inventoried, like shoes, cars,
houses, etc. A service, on the other hand, tends to involve an act that cannot
be typically inventoried, like cleaning the lawn, washing the windows, etc.
What does your organisation focus on? Does it provide a product, a service,
or both?
Sometimes, a company is described in terms of the products or services it
offers. For example:
? We design software.
? We build storage units.
? WeÊre in the insurance business.
Scan the newspapers to identify and select a company for this exercise.
Make a list of the products and services offered by the company, describing
each in detail. You can organise these products and services by putting
them in bullet form this will allow you to easily describe your products
and services to an end user.
For example: Look at the flyer below highlighting Samy's Window
Cleaning Services (please refer to Figure 1.3). Can you see the difference
between its products and the services it offers?
SAMY'S WINDOW CLEANING SERVICES
Products:
? Magic window washing cleanser.
? Super spray-on foaming mist.
? Samy's secret stay clean formula.
Services:
? 24 hour on-call answering service.
? 1 hour window cleaning.
? Screen and trim cleaning.
? Pressure washing.
Figure 1.3: Samy's Window Cleaning Services
Source: OCAL (Artist). [n.d.].
Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://www.clker.com/clipart-11440.html
SELF-CHECK 1.4
Now, use the words given below to write a short paragraph describing
your company. You must use ALL the words given but you can use
them in any order you like.
main products, services, markets, competitors, head office, employees
Adapted from: Emmerson, P., and Hamilton, N. (2005). Five-minute
activities for Business English. UK: Cambridge University Press
(b) The Business Structure
A company or organisation can be a sole proprietorship, partnership or
corporation. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned by one
person. It is the most simple and basic form of business organisation. Without
the owner, the business would not exist. The sole business owner assumes all
responsibilities, liabilities and risks, and of course takes all the profit.
A partnership is established by two or more people. All the partners
contribute something to the business money, labour, skills or property
and share the profits.
Corporations are businesses where the shareholders transfer money and/or
property for the companyÊs capital stock. Profits are distributed according
to investment in the capital stock. A corporation can take some of the same
deductions as a sole proprietorship, while enjoying special tax deductions.
(c) Logo
Figure 1.4: Popular company logos.
Source: Cass, J. (Blogger). (2009). Top 10 logos [Image], Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://logodesignerblog.com/100-best-global-brands-of-2009/
Most companies have their own logos to give them a sense of identity
(please refer to Figure 1.4). Logos are also a form of branding to build the
company's image. Some logos are recognised all over the world, for
example, McDonaldÊs "golden arches", Nike's "swoosh" and ShellÊs
"seashell".
SELF-CHECK 1.5
What does the OUM logo mean?
(d) Development Plans
You should also be able to explain your company's future development and
expansion plans. Helpful phrases include the following:
? Next year, one of the major developments in my company is likely to be/.
? I think weÊll probably ...
? We might ...
ACTIVITY 1.9
Carry out a SWOT analysis on a company of your choice.
A SWOT analysis is a common way in business to get a quick snapshot
of a company and its market (S stands for "strengths", W for
"weaknesses", O for "opportunities" and T for "threats").
These words might help you:
Strengths good market share, experienced management, good brand image...
Weaknesses small market share, high levels of debt, lack of modern technology, poor distribution channels ...
Opportunities possible new markets, growing economy,
developments in technology ...
Threats slowdown in the economy, new competitors, changing
consumer tastes...
It is good to have basic networking skills at the workplace.
Introduce yourself to people with whom you are establishing contact for the
first time.
It is important to introduce others, including people who come from abroad.
Small talk at the workplace helps to build relationships.
There are no hard and fast rules when you engage in small talk but in
general, politics and religion are a "no-no", while talking about your own
family is often regarded as too personal.
It is advisable to adopt a positive tone when you describe your job
responsibilities.
When describing your company, you can highlight various aspects the
products and services it offers, its business structure, logo, and future
development plans.
Branding
Network
Corporation
Partnership
Distribution channels
Product
Experienced management
Services
Global citizens
Small talk
Logo
Sole proprietorship
Market share
SWOT analysis
05 OUMH2203_topic01
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
1. Use the right expressions to introduce yourself at the workplace;
2. Greet, introduce and interact with people who visit your organisation in an appropriate manner;
3. Identify topics suitable for making small talk; and
4. Describe your company and profession to effectively project a positive image.
INTRODUCTION
This topic aims to equip you with skills that will help you interact more
effectively at the workplace. Your social circle will widen once you start working
and you will meet many different kinds of people from all walks of life,
including clients, colleagues, superiors and subordinates. This means that you
may need to adapt the way you speak and the language you use, depending on
whom you are interacting with. If you have no previous work experience, you
may find the section on „Starting a conversation‰ useful as it offers tips on how
to introduce yourself when meeting people for the first time. Also included in
this topic are exercises on how to describe yourself, your job and your company
or organisation in a professional manner. There are also activities that will hone
your vocabulary and grammatical skills to help you network effectively within
and outside your organisation.
1.1 STARTING A CONVERSATION
In the workplace, it is not enough just to be able do your job well; you must also
know how to network as this helps to build good relationships between you and
potential clients. To do this, you need to look and sound friendly, confident,
sincere and helpful. These qualities go a long way towards creating favourable
first impressions, which increase the likelihood of you being successful in
business dealings later on.
1.1.1 Introducing Yourself
The first networking skill that you need to learn is how to introduce yourself at
the workplace. Below are some expressions that you can use when meeting
people for the first time:
? Hello, my name is ...
I'm with IT services.
? Good morning, may I introduce myself?
My name is ... and I'm from the marketing department.
? Hello, I donÊt think we've met before.
I'm ... and I'm responsible for new product development.
? Hi there, my name's Timothy but everyone calls me Tim.
I'm with financial services.
Remember that when you introduce yourself, it is not just what you say that
matters. You must use the right words of course, but a friendly smile and direct
eye contact will definitely help you to create a good first impression.
SELF-CHECK 1.1
When you introduce yourself, what should you say or do?
(i) ............................................................................ (body language)
(ii) ........................................................................... (action)
(iii) ........................................................................... (speech)
ACTIVITY 1.1
Imagine that you are an intern in an engineering firm. Using the sub-
headings below, introduce yourself to your colleague.
Avita Engineering Sdn Bhd
Staff record
Last name:
First name:
Date of commencement of internship:
Duration of internship:
Major job duties:
Degree/academic qualifications:
Area of specialisation:
1.1.2 Introducing Others
Now that you have learnt how to introduce yourself, you need to know how to
introduce others at your workplace. When you introduce someone, it is good
practice to mention the name and position of the person you are introducing, so
that your colleagues not only know the person's name but also what he does.
This is the norm in business communication.
Phrases commonly used when introducing someone:
? Hi everyone, meet ...
She is my personal assistant.
? Can I introduce you to ...?
He's our new project manager.
? I'd like to introduce you to ..., our new web designer.
ACTIVITY 1.2
Read the conversation below and then answer the questions that follow:
Mrs Au : Margaret, let me introduce you to Michael Hill, from
our
Australian branch. MichaelÊs the operations executive
in Canberra. He's joining us here on a staff exchange
programme for a month.
Margaret : Hello, Michael. I'm so pleased to meet you.
Michael : Hi Margaret, I'm happy to meet you too. You've a nice
set up here.
Margaret : Yes, it's a great place to work in. HowÊs your first day
going?
Michael : Wonderful. ItÊs been really interesting.
Mrs Au : I was just showing Michael around. Can I leave it to you to show him the ropes?
Margaret : Oh, yes, of course. It'll be my pleasure.
Michael : Thank you so much, Mrs Au.
Mrs Au : YouÊre welcome, Michael. I'll catch up with you later.
Discussion questions:
1. What do you think can happen if visitors at a workplace are not properly introduced?
2. Do you feel that it is necessary to mention the positions of the people you introduce? Give reasons for your answer.
Adapted from: Jones, L., and Alexander, R. (1989). New international business English . UK: Cambridge University Press.
1.1.3 It’s a Small World
The world today is increasingly a global village as more and more people work
far from home, often traversing the globe on professional assignments. You may
have met some of these „global citizens‰ in the course of your work (please refer
to Figure 1.1). Some may be permanent employees in your company while others
are appointed only on a short-term consultation basis. Yet others may be visitors.
Perhaps you yourself travel frequently to branch offices all over the world,
sharing knowledge and expertise. Truly, the 21st century worker must be one
who is able to socialise and network with people from different countries and
diverse backgrounds.
Figure 1.1: Global citizens travel widely
Source: [Airline passenger]. Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://www.norcalblogs.com/transportation/airlines/
ACTIVITY 1.3
Do you know that we sometimes identify people by the countries they come
from? For example, if someone comes from Russia, we say he is a Russian.
What do you call someone who comes from the following countries?
ACTIVITY 1.4
Imagine that you are the chairperson at an international conference held
in Malaysia. You need to introduce delegates from various countries to
the audience. How would you go about doing this?
Firstly, you need to find out how to correctly pronounce the names of
foreign delegates. You should also get some general information about
the speakers, as well as the topics they are speaking on. Check their
name tags to be sure that you have got the right person, before you start
your introduction. A simple way would be to say: "It gives me great
pleasure to present the first speaker of the day, Dr Rena Goep. Dr Goep
comes from Sarawak, Malaysia, and will be speaking on the topic ... "
Now, introduce the following speakers:
1. Lo Wei Han (China)
2. Jaydip Gupta (India)
3. Ahmad Yusof (Indonesia)
4. Howard Atkinson (Britain)
5. Yumi Tanaka (Japan)
1.2 MAKING SMALL TALK
When networking with business partners and professionals at the work place,
you sometimes need to engage in small talk. This is especially true if you are
meeting people from different countries for the first time. What is small talk and
what do you say when making small talk?
Small talk may be defined as chatting about things not directly related to the
business at hand (please refer to Figure 1.2). There are no fixed rules about what
one should, or should not say, when engaging in small talk. Some subjects are,
however, considered „no-no‰ areas, for example, politics and religion. Likewise,
details about your family might also be deemed too personal a topic, especially
when one is at the workplace.
Safe topics would be those revolving round everyday issues like holidays, travel,
traffic, public transport, entertainment, etc. You can also talk about interests that
you and your conversation partner may have in common. Indeed, one of the
objectives of making small talk is to discover shared interests so that you
gradually learn to be comfortable with each other. However, common sense rules
need to be observed when making small talk. For instance, if the person you are
conversing with is older, or more senior to you in rank and position, you should
be more deferential in tone. Begin with exploratory questions to discover, slowly,
the areas that both of you feel comfortable talking about.
Figure 1.2: Small talk is not necessarily related to work Source: [Untitled clip art of office mates engaging in small talk]. Retrieved February 8, 2010, from http://www.lcc.gatech.edu/~cooper/Small_Talk_Guide/index.html
When you are at a loss for words, you can resort to „ice breakers‰ such as the
following:
? How was your journey?
? Is this your first visit to...?
? Where are you staying?
? How has your visit been so far?
? Do you need any help or information?
? Tell me more about your country.
SELF-CHECK 1.2
What do you find difficult, or enjoyable, when talking to
(a) ... someone you are meeting for the first time at your workplace?
(b) ... a superior or head of department?
(c) ... people from different countries? (consider several different nationalities)
(d) ... a large group of people?
ACTIVITY 1.5
Work in pairs:
(a) Which of these topics would you avoid during a first meeting with a business associate?
Sports
Movies
Politics
The weather
Your family
Music
Business
Your education
Travel
Religion
(b) Would your choice of conversation topics be different if your partner was
? Of a different gender;
? Older than you; or
? More senior than you in the organisational hierarchy?
(c) Compare your ideas and opinions with another pair/group of students.
1.3 GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
In the course of meeting and interacting with people at the workplace, you may
be asked to describe your job or answer questions about the company or
organisation you are working for. It is important to use the right words so as to
project a positive professional image both of yourself, and of your organisation.
When people feel good about you and your company, they are more likely to
want to do business with you.
1.3.1 Talking About Your Job
Below are examples of questions commonly asked and phrases often used when
people talk about their jobs or organisations:
(i) Which company are you with?
I'm with XYZ.
(ii) What do you do at XYZ Company?
I am in charge of marketing.
I'm responsible for sales.
I recruit and train employees.
(iii) What business are you in?
I am in the computer business.
I am in the hospitality industry.
(iv) What do you do for a living?
I'm a doctor.
I'm in sales.
I'm a consultant with ABC Sdn Bhd.
(v) I'm with the Public Services Department.
I'm the assistant director in charge of Social Welfare.
ACTIVITY 1.6
Read the following texts carefully. Then, fill in the blanks on the four
personnel cards kept by the Human Resource Unit, summarising
information about each employee. Note the words used to describe each
job. It is better to adopt a positive tone when you talk about your job
and responsibilities.
Ian:
My name's Ian Lim and IÊm the chief accountant for Global
Enterprise. I take care of the day-to-day accounting for the
group. I'm in charge of financial management and
management accounting, and I handle the cash books,
purchase ledger, sales ledger, credit control, etc.
Every day, I have a different task to tackle, and it's always
urgent. I work with very tight deadlines. This means that I
have no chance to get bored. I find finance fascinating and I
truly enjoy my work.
But itÊs not easy trying to get money from people. I donÊt like
that aspect of my work.
Lesley:
My nameÊs Lesley Fernandez. At Global Enterprise, I work as
an administrator for the international business development
group. My duties include responding to correspondence, and
making sure that meetings are scheduled for the right rooms in
the right places, at the right times. I also handle the staffÊs
travel arrangements to different countries in the world.
I like working here. The people are very friendly and I enjoy
the diverse nature of my work.
However, I do wish that I am a little busier at times. As I am
with the international business development group, I need to
wait for people to be back at the office to generate work for
me. When they are out of the country, I have little to do.
Patrick:
My name is Patrick Abdullah. I am a systems administrator
for Global Enterprise. You can say I have a trouble-shooting
kind of job. I have all kinds of responsibilities, including
backing up data and installing new machines, operating
systems and all the products that Global Enterprise
produces. The work can be quite challenging because many
problems can crop up in the course of a day, from fixing a
loose cable to dealing with glitches that take hours to solve.
I think the nice part of my job is meeting these challenges.
Sometimes, my day can be very quiet but there are days that
are completely hectic. But that is okay because I enjoy being
confronted with all kinds of problems.
What I donÊt enjoy is doing routine back-ups of data as that is
tedious and time-consuming. The other thing that I don't quite
like is the working hours. The best time to fix problems is
when people are not around. This means that ideally, we
should do our work after 6pm, after everybody's gone home.
Sometimes, we can be stuck in the office till the early hours of
the morning.
Paul:
I am Paul Kandasamy, and I'm a training officer at Global
Enterprise. My job is to run training courses for our customers and
agents.
The thing I enjoy most about my work is being able to have
direct contact with customers and helping them.
What I dislike is the amount of time I need to devote to
teaching and preparing training material. I don't get enough
opportunities to do the hands-on programming that I enjoy doing.
Generally speaking, I like my job and the company that I work
for. ItÊs a very stimulating work environment.
Adapted from: Jones, L., and Alexander, R. (1989). New International
Business English . UK: Cambridge University Press.
Task: Fill in the blanks on the cards below.
ACTIVITY 1.7
What is your dream job? Complete the sentence below and write a short
paragraph about your dream job. What does it require you to do? Why
is it your dream job? Share details with your friends in small groups.
If I weren’t a ................., I’d like to be a ...........................
SELF-CHECK 1.3
Do you know of people who radically changed their careers in mid- life? Why did they do it? Were they successful? Do you think it was easy for them to make the change? Why do you say so?
ACTIVITY 1.8
Look at the sentences below and match them with the person concerned by drawing a line to join the description with the correct business card.
(Maggie Brown) (Consultant) (Sakura International).
1. I am responsible for artwork and design.
2. I recruit new staff for our agency.
3. I provide professional services to clients.
4. I am responsible for advertising, managing products and brands, and introducing new products into the market.
5. I am in charge of conducting research that can be used to come up with new products.
6. I work in the lobby of our corporate headquarters. I answer questions and direct people to various offices.
1.3.2 Describing your Company
Now, let us look at how you can describe your company.
(a) What it Offers
A company offers either a product or a service. A product is something
tangible usually something that can be inventoried, like shoes, cars,
houses, etc. A service, on the other hand, tends to involve an act that cannot
be typically inventoried, like cleaning the lawn, washing the windows, etc.
What does your organisation focus on? Does it provide a product, a service,
or both?
Sometimes, a company is described in terms of the products or services it
offers. For example:
? We design software.
? We build storage units.
? WeÊre in the insurance business.
Scan the newspapers to identify and select a company for this exercise.
Make a list of the products and services offered by the company, describing
each in detail. You can organise these products and services by putting
them in bullet form this will allow you to easily describe your products
and services to an end user.
For example: Look at the flyer below highlighting Samy's Window
Cleaning Services (please refer to Figure 1.3). Can you see the difference
between its products and the services it offers?
SAMY'S WINDOW CLEANING SERVICES
Products:
? Magic window washing cleanser.
? Super spray-on foaming mist.
? Samy's secret stay clean formula.
Services:
? 24 hour on-call answering service.
? 1 hour window cleaning.
? Screen and trim cleaning.
? Pressure washing.
Figure 1.3: Samy's Window Cleaning Services
Source: OCAL (Artist). [n.d.].
Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://www.clker.com/clipart-11440.html
SELF-CHECK 1.4
Now, use the words given below to write a short paragraph describing
your company. You must use ALL the words given but you can use
them in any order you like.
main products, services, markets, competitors, head office, employees
Adapted from: Emmerson, P., and Hamilton, N. (2005). Five-minute
activities for Business English. UK: Cambridge University Press
(b) The Business Structure
A company or organisation can be a sole proprietorship, partnership or
corporation. A sole proprietorship is an unincorporated business owned by one
person. It is the most simple and basic form of business organisation. Without
the owner, the business would not exist. The sole business owner assumes all
responsibilities, liabilities and risks, and of course takes all the profit.
A partnership is established by two or more people. All the partners
contribute something to the business money, labour, skills or property
and share the profits.
Corporations are businesses where the shareholders transfer money and/or
property for the companyÊs capital stock. Profits are distributed according
to investment in the capital stock. A corporation can take some of the same
deductions as a sole proprietorship, while enjoying special tax deductions.
(c) Logo
Figure 1.4: Popular company logos.
Source: Cass, J. (Blogger). (2009). Top 10 logos [Image], Retrieved February 8, 2010, from:
http://logodesignerblog.com/100-best-global-brands-of-2009/
Most companies have their own logos to give them a sense of identity
(please refer to Figure 1.4). Logos are also a form of branding to build the
company's image. Some logos are recognised all over the world, for
example, McDonaldÊs "golden arches", Nike's "swoosh" and ShellÊs
"seashell".
SELF-CHECK 1.5
What does the OUM logo mean?
(d) Development Plans
You should also be able to explain your company's future development and
expansion plans. Helpful phrases include the following:
? Next year, one of the major developments in my company is likely to be/.
? I think weÊll probably ...
? We might ...
ACTIVITY 1.9
Carry out a SWOT analysis on a company of your choice.
A SWOT analysis is a common way in business to get a quick snapshot
of a company and its market (S stands for "strengths", W for
"weaknesses", O for "opportunities" and T for "threats").
These words might help you:
Strengths good market share, experienced management, good brand image...
Weaknesses small market share, high levels of debt, lack of modern technology, poor distribution channels ...
Opportunities possible new markets, growing economy,
developments in technology ...
Threats slowdown in the economy, new competitors, changing
consumer tastes...
It is good to have basic networking skills at the workplace.
Introduce yourself to people with whom you are establishing contact for the
first time.
It is important to introduce others, including people who come from abroad.
Small talk at the workplace helps to build relationships.
There are no hard and fast rules when you engage in small talk but in
general, politics and religion are a "no-no", while talking about your own
family is often regarded as too personal.
It is advisable to adopt a positive tone when you describe your job
responsibilities.
When describing your company, you can highlight various aspects the
products and services it offers, its business structure, logo, and future
development plans.
Branding
Network
Corporation
Partnership
Distribution channels
Product
Experienced management
Services
Global citizens
Small talk
Logo
Sole proprietorship
Market share
SWOT analysis
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