bussiness english 5 - international business culture
DESCRIPTION
Bussiness English Lesson 5TRANSCRIPT
Business English
Unit 5
International Business Culture
Business English - Unit 5 2
Vocabulary
Forum
Reading
Writing
Listening
Exercises
Key to the materials
!
These images may be linked to activities, materials, and so on. Make sure you click on all of them so you don't miss any!
Business English - Unit 5 3
A lot of agencies are making loads of money by training businessmen to deal with foreign enterprises. But is it really that different?
What nationalities do you tend to associate with the following characteristics?
● They insist on sticking to a strict agenda.● They can´t see any further than next month’s sales figures.● They like to get to know you before they do business with you.● They’re generally pretty disorganised.● They avoid confrontation at all costs.● They keep changing their minds.● They say what they mean and they mean what they say.● They seem to argue for the sake of arguing.● They tend to dominate meetings.● They see meetings as an opportunity to exchange information and
share ideas.
Check your guesses with the reading. How dangerous do you think it is to stereotype people in this way?
Business English - Unit 5 4
Boardroom culture clash
Learning to cope with cultural clashes
Gift giving in the international business context.
Adjectives of nationalityBoardroom
culture clash
Business English - Unit 5 5
Assessment task
A memorandum (or memo) is a very common form of business communication which is exchanged between members of the same organisation. The memo usually focuses on one message or piece of information, and often requests action to be taken. It may be sent to a single person or a group of people. There are many different techniques used in memo writing, but several basic rules should always be applied:
Since memos are a little less formal than business letters, it is best to use simple language and a neutral tone.
Keep your memo clear. Use short, simple sentences.
A memo should not be any longer than one page. Most people do not have time to read long memos.
The opening and closing formula can be more direct, and less formal than in a letter.
Business English - Unit 5 6
Pharmatec Pharmaceuticals is sending a delegation of executives to Japan for the first time to negotiate an important contract, so the executives are going to attend a series of seminars given by Tomomi Moriwake, a Japanese consultant.
Listen to the Japanese consultant discussing the content of her seminars and make notes. These notes will help you to organise the memo which you should write: the memo from Vincent Mills (Human Resources Manager) to Philip Groves.
Example of a memo
Business English - Unit 5 7
Now write the memo from Vincent Mills.Be sure to respect the standard memo format and do not forget to include the course of action that Vincent Mills thinks should be taken.