grammar - Business English exam PDF

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BUSINESS ENGLISH UNIT 1 BRANDS BRAND MANAGEMENT LOYALTY (lealtà) : tendency to always buy a particular brand. IMAGE (immagine) : ideas & belief that people have about a brand. STRETCHING (ampliamento) : using an existing name on another type of product AWARENESS ( consapevolezza) how familiar people are with a brand or logo or slogan ( recognizes) PRODUCT LAUNCH (lancio) the introduction of a product to the market LIFE CYCLE the length of time people continue to buy a product RANGE (gamma) set of products made by a company PLACEMENT product used in tv ENDORSEMENT use of a well known person to advise the product MARKET LEADER the best selling product of a brand CHALLENGER 2nd best selling product of a brand RESEARCH information about what consumer want or need (focus group / interview) SHARE % percentage of sales a company has SEGMENT customer of similar age, income level, social group.. QUESTIONS - What are the advantages & disadvantages for companies of product endorsement? - How can companies create a brand loyalty? - Can u give me any examples of successful or unsuccessful brand stretching ? - Think of a cheap / expansive idea for a product launch - What other market segments can u identify ? - What action can companies take if they start to lose market share? BRAND IMAGE: CHANEL Its simply derived form the nickname coco, the double C become the logo after the first openings of Chanel stores. The combination of black- white is typical for the brand. Black express elegance & purity that the brand evokes. To develop communication campaigns Chanel counts on innovation and differentiation. The video are real short films whose purpose (il cui scopo) is to seduce the consumer unconsciously creating him need or desire of a product.

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LUXURY BALANCES: Value of a historic label Demands oh shareholders Need for exclusivity & expansion BEST ADVICE: Understand people from different countries & look for newness & what happens next. Need to develop supply chain & perfect the market PRESENT SIMPLE & PRESENT CONTINUOUS PRESENT SIMPLE

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

To give factual information for example about company activities

To talk about ongoing situations and projects

To talk about routine activities or habits

To talk about temporary situations

ASKING FOR OPINIONS - How do u feel about that? - What do u think? - What’s ur view? GIVING OPINIONS - I think / don’t think that’s a good idea. - In my opinion we need new products. AGREEING - That’s true. I agree. Absolutely. Exactly. I think so, too. DISAGREEING - I see / know what u mean but I think there’s a problem. I’m not so sure. Maybe but that’s not enough. MAKING SUGGESTIONS - I think we should reduce our prices - How about special promotion? - Why don’t we talk to the big stores? - Maybe / perhaps we could offer incentives. MARKETING STRATEGIES OPTIONS: 1. REPOSITION THE BRAND sell the product at medium prices ranges. Manufacture the products in a country where labour costs are low. Do not promote the products as Made in Italy. Use high volume, low cost strategy.

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2. DEVELOP THE BRAND promote the products as an exclusive brand and keep the made in Italy tag. Sell the products in the higher price ranges. Use product placement in films and tv to support the brand. Use a famous influencer to endorse the products. 3. HIRE A TOP DESIGNER (ASSUMERE) employ a top designer to reduce a new range of products for a new target of consumer. Sell the products under a new label. 4. DEVELOP A WIDER PRODUCT RANGE (su larga scala) sell a wider range of products under the same label different products at lower, competitive price. 5. STRETCH THE BRAND Open to new type of products under the same brand 6. DEVELOP SALES USING E-COMMERCE.

UNIT 2 TRAVEL QUESTIONS - How often to u travel by air/ rail/ road/ sea? - Do u enjoy traveling? What don’t u enjoy about it? - Put the following in order of importance to u when u travel: comfort, safety, price, speed LIST OF THING THAT IRRITATE PEOPLE 1. Poor quality food & drink 2. Flight delays and cancellations 3. Long queues at check in (code) 4. Tiredness and jet lag 5. Lost or delayed luggage WORDS THAT HAVE THE SAME MEANING - SUBWAY = UNDERGROUND - RESERVATION = BOOKING - CAR PARK = PARKING LOT - CARRY ON BAGGAGE = HAND LUGGAGE - DOWNTOWN = CITY CENTRE - SCHEDULE = TIME TABLE TRAVELING I spend 20 days in Uk. I go to Barcelona twice a year for conferences My choice of airlines is dictated by convenience I uses airline lounges: good chairs, newspaper and television. Some sentences: - GROUND STAFF all the people who work a the airport but not the pilots or the cabin crew - Upgrade= change to a better seat or level of service

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- Boarding pass a card u must show in order to get on a plane - Lounge a room in hotel/ airport where people can sit and relax - Check in = u go to a desk at a hotel / airport to say you have arrived - PEAK TRAVEL when the largest number of people are traveling

THE FUTURE Are GOING ON

To talk about what we intend to do and have already decided to do

WILL

To talk about something we have decided to do at the time of speaking

PRESENT CONTINUOUS

To talk about fixed arrangement: I’m traveling from Italy to Australia in May

PRESENT SIMPLE

To talk about a timetable or program: the flight leaves at 10:10. It arrives at 15:00

ANSWERING THE PHONE - hello Arianna speaking - Good morning MAKING CONTACT - I’d like to speak to Juliet, please - Could I have the sales department please? IDENTIFY YOURSELF - this is / my name is Arianna - Arianna Pavesi speaking STATING YOUR PURPOSE - I’m calling about - The reason I’m calling is MAKING ARRANGEMENTS - Could we met on Monday at 12? - How / what about may 22nd? RESPONDING - That’s fine/ ok for me - Sorry I can’t make it then - No problem

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CLOSING - good. So I’ll see u on the 12th march - Thank u, goodbye. Right - That’s great. CHANGING ARRANGEMENTS - I’m afraid I can’t come on Friday. I’m very busy that day. - Im sorry I can’t make it on Tuesday. I’ve got something on that morning - We’ve got an appointment for 10 o’clock but I’m afraid something’s come up. Could we fix another time?

UNIT 3 CHANGE We are starting to change the culture in many ways

PAST SIMPLE

PRESENT PERFECT

For action at a particular point in the past. Ex: in 2002 he became head of Mercedes

For actions linking the present to a point in the past. EX: mercedes has gone from the worst performing of the large luxury car

In 2012, 6 months ago, yesterday, last year

Since 2009 , yet, ever, recently, this week

A BUSINESS STARTING: - Ok let’s get down to business - Right, can we start, please? SETTING OBJECTIVES - the purpose of this meeting is…. - The aim of this meeting are ASKING FOR REACTIONS - How do u feel about ..? - What do u think ? DEALING WITH INTERRUPTIONS - Could u let him finish, please? - Could u just hang on a moment, please?

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KEEPING TO THE POINT - I’m not sure that is relevant - Perhaps we could get back to the point SPEEDING UP - I think we should move on now - Can we come back to that? SLOWING DOWN - Hold on we need t look at this in more detail - I think w should discuss this a bit more SUMMARISING - Ok, let’s go over what we’ve agreed. Right to sum up then… EXAMPLE OF A MAIL: PROBLEM OF NEW MANAGEMENT Staff are very unhappy about the changes. I’m worried about the high staff turnover. These are some of the reasons for the problems. The management has asked all employees to re apply for their jobs. Staff fell very insecure, they don’t want to compete against each other. Many employees from the sale dept. are looking for new jobs. QUOTA DI MERCATO = MARKET SHARE Why don’t we focus on our pricing policy first? I’m afraid, I can’t agree I think that best selling product is what’s most important

UNIT 4 — ORGANIZATION - SUBSIDIARY - FACTORY/ PLANT - CALL CENTRE an office where people answer questions and make sales over the phone - SERVICE CENTRE a place where faulty products are mended - HEADQUARTERS the main office or building of a company - DISTRIBUTION CENTRE a building from goods or supplies are sento to factories shops & costumers. - WAREHOUSE (magazzino) a building for storing goods in large quantities - OUTLET a place through which products are sold DEPT. - R&D carry out research - Customer services : DEAL WITH COMPLAINTS ( tratta I reclami)

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- Human Resources draw up contracts - Public relations: issue press releases (diffonde comunicati stampa) - Finance prepare budgets/ accounts - Administration

GREETINGS - Hello… great to see u again. - Ho … how are u? Fine thanks / not too bad.

How’s everything going?

RESPONDING - Pleased to met u INTRODUCING YOURSELF - I’m from… I work for .. google company - Im responsable for … INTRODUCING SOMEONE ELSE - Can I introducing u to Miriam? - Rob have u met vladimir? TALKING ABOUT COMMON INTEREST - U & Tom have something in common. - You both like/ enjoy / are interested in… TALKNG ABOUT YOUR COMPANY - the company was founded in …. - We make / sell / supply … - We have subsidiaries/ factories / outlet in - We have a workforce of 2000 NETWORKING - we’re very interested in .. - Do u know anyone who could help us? - Could u let me have their contact details? - Could I call him and mention ur name? - Let me give u my business card. DECISION CONCERNING THE PROPOSED RELOCATION TO ANOTHER CITY This will be mad ein the near future. The relocation offers to our company significant benefits: the reduction in costs will boost (incremento) our profits, Tax incentives to relocate to their town, improved working conditions& better communication.

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UNIT 5 — ADVERTISING RATHER THAN = ANZICHÈ, PIUTTOSTO CHE - Slogan : short & memorable phrases like “just do it” - Celebrity endorsement is a technique very popular in tv advertisement - Free sample = campioni gratuiti ADJECTIVES : - CLEVER = INTELLIGENTE - EYE- CATCHING = CATTURA LO SGUARDO - POWERFUL, FUNNY, ORIGINAL, CONTROVERSIAL, INSPIRING, SHOCKING, STRANGE, INFORMATIVE TYPE OF ADVERTISEMENT: - WITH CHILDREN, - USING NUDITY - Promoting alcohol - An imaged flashed on a screen very quickly so that people are influenced without noticing it ( subliminal advertising) - USING SHOCK TACTICS - EXPLOITING PEOPLE’S (‘s= appartenenza!!) FEAR & WORRIES - Innovative attempts = tentativi di innovazione - PUBLICITY STUNT something done to get people’s attention - Design features an important / interesting or typical part of a project - Poster campaign : a series of actions intended to get a particular result. - Slogan : easy short phrases that is easy to remember - Press coverage: advertisement on newspaper & magazines

A/AN

THE

NO ARTICLE

Singular countable noun To introduce new information To refer to people’s job

When the listener know what we are talking about When it’s clear from the context what particular persone/ thing / place is meant because it has Benn mentioned before

Uncountable noun ex information The name of most countries, companies & people [ except: the uk , the Philippines, the Us ]

INSTEAD OF = INVECE DI COMMERCIALS= SPOT PUBBLICITARI

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USEFUL LANGUAGE INTRODUCING YOURSELF - on behalf (per conto) of Alpha Advertising I’d like qto welcome to u. My name is - Hi everyone, I’m Arianna. Good to see u all INTRODUCING THE TOPIC - I’m going to tell u about the ideas we’ve come up with for the campaign (idee elaborate per la campagna) - This morning I’d like to outline (delineare ) the campaign concept we’ve developed for u GIVING A PLAN OF YOUR TALK - I’ve divided my presentation into 3 parts. Firstly I’ll give u the background. Secondly I’ll discuss the media we plan to use. Finally I’ll talk you through the storyboard (a sequence of drawings, typically with some directions and dialogue, representing the shots planned for a movie or television production) - My talk is in 3 parts: I’ll start with the background to the campaign, move on to the media replan to use, and finish with the stori board of the commercial. INVITING QUESTIONS - If there is anything you’re not clear about, feel free to stop me and ask any questions. - I’d be grateful if you could leave me any questions to the end KEY QUESTIONS 1. Wha’s the campaign’s key message? 2. What special features does the product or service have? 3. What are its unique selling points? 4. Who is your target audience (di riferimento) ? 5. What media will u use? Several (parecchi) or just 1 or 2? 6. What special promotions will u use at the start if the campaign?

UNIT 6 MONEY BORROWING MONEY = PRENDERE A PRESTITO - EQUITY STAKE = equal parts into which the capital or ownership of a company Is divided - RECESSION a period of time the business activities decreases because the economy is doing badly (sta andando male) - FORECAST= PREVISIONE a description of what is likely to happen in the future - Stock market (mercato azionario): a opache where company share are sold & bought - Debt money risked when a business owns part of another company - Share (azioni )

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- Pre taxes profits are the money a business make before payment to the government - Bankruptcy (bancarotta) is when a person or organization is unable to pay their debts - Investment money which people put into a business t make a profit - Dividend= a part of the company’s profits paid to the owner of the shares - Profit margins is the difference between the price of a product and the cost to produce it - Annual turnover the amount of money which a business obtains (ottiene) in a year from customers by selling goods (beni) or services - Trading on the stock market = negoziazione di borsa ASSETS - CASH - FIXED INTEREST SECURITIES= TITOLI A TASSO FISSO - INDEX LINKED SECURITIES = COLLEGATI AD INDICI - EQUITIES = AZIONI - HEDGE FUNDS FONDI DI COPERTURA

- VOLATILITY : sudden & quick change - BEAR MARKET: a financial market where prices are falling - TRADERS people who deal in shares & bonds - RESEARCH ANALYST / FINANCIAL ANALYST - BUSINESS SECTOR

VERB OF CHANGE: - SOARED (SALIRE) - FALLING (SCENDERE) - IMPROVED (MIGLIORARE) - DECREASE OF - GONE UP FROM … TO … - SALE RISE BY ..% OVER - HALVE = DIMEZZARE - DOUBLE RADDOPPIARE - PLUMMET PRECIPITARE FURTHER = ULTERIORE RISING = AUMENTO ENTREPRENEUR= IMPRENDITORE WEALTHY PEOPLE = PERSONE BENESTATI CON ELEVATO REDDITO

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MAKE YOUR PITCH FAI LA TUA PRESENTAZIONE EXAMPLE SALE PRESENTATION ASKING FOR MONEY TO DEVELOP THEIR IDEAS PURPOSE = SCOPO BRINK OF BANKRUTCY= SULL’ORLO DI CARRY OUT RESEARCH = EFFETTUARE ISSUE PRESS RELEASES = EMETTERE COMUNICATI STAMPA TRAIN STAFF = FORMAZIONE DEL PERSONALE AUDIENCE = PUBBLICO APOLOGIES = SCUSE TOPIC= TEMI /ARGOMENTO

STRUCTURED/ UNSTRUCTURED

CONSIDERABLE= NOTEVOLE, RILEVANTE THE PRODUCT IS AIMED AT = è RIVOLTO A It can be adapted to any space It looks impressive It can only used once If the investors accept the offer, they will end up owning 20% of the business

UNIT 7 CULTURES BOWING = INCHINARSI IDIOMS - BREAK THE ICE - THROWN IN AT THE DEEP END (DOING SOMETHING VERY COMPLEX/ UNFAMILIAR) - SEE EYE TO EYE - GOT INTO HOT WATER TROUBLE/ EMBARRASSING SITUATION - PUT MY FOOT IN IT (‘CAUSE EMBARRASSES, NERVOUS) - GET ON LIKE A HOUSE ON FIRE (SAME) - LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER - EYE OPENER

TIPS TO DOING BUSINESS IN THE UK. - U need the right cross- cultural skills (abilità interculturali) - In order to be successfully transferred employees must understand the host- country culture - they may have different patterns of behaviour which need to be understood ad appreciate in order for everyone to work together successfully - Global companies should never underestimate the effect that culture can have on international assignment (assegnazione)

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- Cultural awareness is much more the simply knowledge, it is about understand how and why - Tailored training solution (su misura)

ADVICE consiglio

OBLIGATION/ NECESSITY

OBLIGATION / NECESSITY TO NOT DO

SHOULD / MUST (stronger)

HAVE TO (obligation came from another person or institution, like law) / MUST

DON’T HAVE TO = NON È NECESSARIO

BUSINESS SITUATION - congratulations - Cheers (alla salute) - Make yourself at home - I don’t mind (NON MI DISPIACE) - Excuse me danno minimo es chiedere permesso, intervenire - Sorry - It’s on me (offro io / tocca a me) - I’m afraid … - Could you … - That sounds good - After you - That’s no problem - Bad luck = sfortuna - Not at all (affatto, per niente)

APPARENCE - How do men & women dress in business? Is casual permitted in business meetings? - How do people dress in social occasions ex an informal dinner? BEHAVIOUR (COMPORTAMENTI) - Do people like a lot of personal space? - Do they usually stand close or far away from another person when talking to colleagues? - Do staff use first or family names when addressing each other? ENTERNAINMENT (INTRATTENIMENTO) - Do business people prefer to entertain guests at home or in a restaurant? - What advice can u give about gifts? - What are good / bad topics( argomenti) of conversation?

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MEETINGS - How important is the punctuality in your culture? Is it ok to be later for a meeting? - Is a persona status important in meetings? Does the most senior person always lead (coordina) a meeting ? - Is decision making slow or fast in business? BUSINESS PRACTICE - Do u have to make appointments well in advance? (Prendere appuntamenti con largo anticipo) - What are the usual business hours? What is the usual time for a business lunch? How long does it least?

UNIT 8 HUMAN RESOURCES - APPEARANCE , INTERESTS,

INTELLIGENCE,

REFERENCES,

BLOOD GROUP,

HOBBIES/

MARITAL STATUS, AGE/ GENDER, SICKNESS RECORD (= NUMERO DI

ASSENZE PER MALATTIA) , EXPERIENCE, CONTACTS/ CONNECTIONS , ASTROLOGICAL SIGN , FAMILY BACKGROUND, PERSOALITY, QUALIFICATIONS , HANDWRITING (SCRITTURA, CALLIGRAFIA) - probationary period = periodo di prova - Covering letter = lettera di accompagnamento + application form + cv - PSYCHOMETRIC TEST TO ASSESS THEIR MENTAL ABILITY - TO TRAIN NEW STAFF = FORMARE - TO SHORTLIST THE CANDIDATES = ELENCO DEI CANDIDATI - TO ADVERTISE A VACANCY POST = POSTO VACANTE - TO ASSEMBLE AN ITERVIEW PANEL - TO MAKE A JOB OFFER - TO CHECK REFERENCES = CONTROLLARE LE REFERENZA

PERSONAL SKILLS - CREATIVE Be able to come up with ideas (come up with= trovare) - AUTHORITATIVE Be respected & listened to by others - OBJECTIVE Be able to see differences points of view - Can see how to put ideas into action - AMBITIOUS Be determined to succeed (riuscire) in their career - ENTHUSIASTIC Have lots of energy and often gets excited - METHODICAL (metodico, sistematico) Be concerned (interessato) with details and getting things right (fare le cose per bene) even if it takes time - ANALYTICAL Like to assess and evaluate - ADAPTABLE who is able to change with new situations - RELIABLE (AFFIDABILE) someone you can trust and depend on

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- Had no say in decision making (non avere parola a riguardo) - Real estate agency = agenzia immobiliare - Fulfilling their worth & potential = realizzare il proprio valore e potenziale

VERB AFTER ANOTHER VERBM WHAT WE WERE DOING) - AFFORD TO INCREASE - INTENDS TO SIGN - STOPPED TO HAVE...