Adapted from Koester, A., Pitt, A., Handford, M., and Lisboa, M., Business Advantage.

Student’s Book Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, 2017

 To acquire key vocabulary used to describe
culture
 To understand different cultures of work and
study
 To master the use of Present Tense Simple
and Present Tense Continuous
 To learn how to begin a business relationship
 Culture vs culture
 Culture =
masterpieces, works
of art, achievements
in literature,
painting, music, etc.
 culture = a complex
phenomenon
encompassing
customs, traditions,
rules of appropriate
behaviour, religion,
values, food, music,
etc.
 national culture
 regional culture
 our age group’s culture
 company/school culture
 the culture of the group with which you share
an interest

 One should understand one’s own culture

before trying to understand someone else’s
 1. Individualism  Collectivism
- At a deep level, people - At a deep level, people
see themselves as
see themselves as
group members
single, independent - The groups are natural
agents (family,
- Individual achievement neighbourhoods)
matters - Being member of a
- People want to express group is an issue of
their opinion identity
- Respect for traditions

the USA, the UK,

Australia Japan, China, Korea
 2. High uncertainty  Low uncertainty
avoidance avoidance
- People prefer to avoid - People are more
surprises and know as relaxed about the
much as possible unknown
beforehand - People don’t worry
- You should provide much about missing
detailed plans of every details
project

Germany Romania
 3. High power distance  Low power distance
- there is a wide gap between - People tend to expect
people in power and people that persons in power
with little power
earned it
- A small number of people
make most decisions - Power relations are
- There is little expectation of democratic
movement between classes - The management values
or levels teamwork and wants
- You need to communicate everybody to be involved
with top managers to get in the decision-making
answers and get things
done process.

Germany, France, Russia USA, Denmark, Norway

 4. (high) masculinity  (Low) masculinity
- values: competition, (femininity)
assertiveness, “looking - values: kindness,
out for Number One” relationship-building,
- It is possible to find reaching agreement
management teams through
made exclusively out communication
of men - Equality between men
and women

Greece, Ukraine, Russia Sweden, Finland, Norway

 5. long-term  Short-term orientation
orientation - values: living for the
- values: long-term moment
planning, saving, hard- - People do not expect a
work job for life

China, Hong-Kong, Greece, Morocco,

Taiwan Romania
 Features:
- Teamwork
- Planning
- Dress code
- Punctuality
- Formality (in how people speak to each other)
- Socialising outside the organisation
- Using mobile phones
1. What are the people like?
2. Do I have to learn another language?
3. What are the schools like?
4. Is there a good health system?
5. Is it expensive there?
 On-the-job training (OJT) – instruction
offered to paid employees while they are
engaged in productive work and that provides
knowledge and skills essential to the full and
adequate performance on the job.
 Cultural training – instruction about the
culture where one will be relocated (its visible
and invisible elements)
 Basic language training – expressions
essential for survival in the new country
4. Health insurance package – the right to have
access to medical services in the new country,
provided by the fees paid by the company
5. Expatriate financial package – money offered
by the company to the its employees that are
relocated (expatriates) in order to compensate
for housing expenses, taxation differences,
and other costs incurred through relocation.
1. Corporate culture / identity
2. Multinational team / company
3. Cultural differences/ similarities / policy
4. Business people / card
5. Local culture
6. Host / foreign country
7. International / global company
8. Relocation / expatriate / repatriation
package
 Present Tense Simple  Present T. Continuous
 Form:  Form:

Aff: Sj + Vb (+s – 3rd Aff.: Sj + BE + Vb-ing

person) Neg.: Sj + BE + NOT +
Vb-ing
Neg: Sj +Do/Does+
Interrog.: Be + Sj + Vb-
NOT+Verb
ing
Interrog: Do/Does+Sj+
It is used to express:
Vb (infinitive)
It is used to express:
A temporary action; an
A permanent action, a action taking place at the
habit, a general fact moment of speaking
 Present T. Simple  Present T. Continuous
Examples: Examples:
1. What does “absurd” mean? 1. Where is he working at
2. Which company do you the moment?
work for? 2. Which departments are
3. When/Where do you taking part in the
usually have department project?
meetings? 3. Why/How are you
4. Do you always discuss dealing with this
decisions with your boss? problem?
5. Does she never arrive on 4. What are you working
time for meetings? on this week?
 Describe states which are usually permanent
 Usually, they are not used in the Present T.
Continuous
 They express:
- Emotions: like, detest, desire, love, wish,
prefer, want,
- How we think: decide, understand, know,
intend, doubt
- Possession: have, belong to, own, contain
 Introductions:
- Allow me to introduce myself. I am...
- Have you met...(x)? He is our Chief Financial
Officer.
➢ Responding to an introduction:
- Nice to meet you.
- How do you do.
➢ Greeting someone:
- Hello! Hi! Good morning/afternoon/evening!
 Polite conversation before you get down to
business, or during breaks, on topics such as:
- The weather
- Sports
- Family (among friends, close colleagues)
- Jokes
- Hobbies
- Food
- Traffic
 Use an expression that shows interest: Oh,
that’s good / Really? / That’s great!
 Add some information after answering a
question
 Make a further comment on the same topic
Adapted from Koester, A., Pitt, A., Handford, M., and Lisboa, M., Business Advantage.
Student’s Book Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, 2017
 To become familiar with the theory of
disruptive technology and how it affects
business
 To acquire technological and business-
related vocabulary
 To practice the use of passive forms
 To develop telephone communication skills
Disruptive technologies = innovations that
improve a product or service in a way that the
market does not expect
 E.g. digital cameras replacing film cameras
 To design = to make or draw plans for something
 To discover = to find information, a place or an
object, for the first time
 To develop = to bring something into existence, to
start to happen; to grow or change into a more
advanced, large or stronger form
 To invent = to create something which has never
been made before
 To innovate = to introduce changes and new ideas
 User-friendly – easy to use
 Tabletop – on top of a table
 Established (companies) – with a long
tradition and reputation
 Mainstream – important, central, core
 Inaccurate – not right, precise, correct
 Critical – important, crucial
 Knowledgeable – having acquired much
knowledge in a particular field
 Value chain =inputs to which businesses add value by turning
them into something of worth to other people.
 Joint venture = partnership
 Entrant = a business which enters a particular market
 Economic – related to the economy
e.g. The economic situation is Europe is not great.
 economical – which does not use many resources (fuel, money…)
e.g. She is an economical person and drives an economical car.
 Profit margin - expressed as a percentage, it indicates how many
cents of profit has been generated for each currency unit ($,
Euro, RON) of sale
 To be in demand – to be sought for and bought by a large
number of customers
 Demand vs supply
 Input - what is put in, taken in, or operated on by any
process or system.
e.g. There is little input from other members of the team.

 Output – outcome, result; the amount of something

produced by a person, machine, or industry.
e.g. Output from the mine ceased in May.

To keep someone on track – to monitor, to follow, to keep

up with
 On the horizon – occurring in the near future
Form:
 Aff: Sj + BE + Vb (past participle)
 Neg.: Sj + BE + NOT + Vb (past participle)
 Interr.: BE + Sj + Vb (past participle)
e.g. Each major part of the vehicle was
developed in this way.
The car is powered by BMW’s three-litre, six-
cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine.
The Rally Fighter will be aimed at the huge
American community of off-road racers.
The names have already been voted on.
Uses:
 When the action is more important than who did it:
The Chrysler Building was designed by William Van
Allen.
 When we don’t know who did something or it doesn’t
matter who did it
My credit card has been stolen and I need to cancel it.
 When the speaker is making an announcement
The president’s speech about the economic crisis will
be given at 2 pm.
 When it is obvious who did something
I am confident that my report will be finished on time.
 Effective phone conversations
- The caller reaches the person he/she wishes to speak with
- If the person is unreachable, he or she leaves a message
- Speakers are polite, engaged in the conversation, follow
up on key words, use appropriate register
- Speakers follow a script:
1. Person answers the phone.
2. Speakers introduce themselves or ask the other person to
identify themselves.
3. Speakers greet each other or respond to a greeting.
4. Caller says why they are calling.
….
m. Someone summarizes what has been arranged.
n. Speakers thank and greet each other.
 Register = a level of language use adapted to the communicative
context (who is speaking/writing, to whom, what medium is
used, where the conversation is taking place, etc.)
- Formal register: initial contact, when speakers do not know each
other well, when discussing with your superior, an important
customer, a government official, etc.
e.g. Good morning! Could I speak with…?
This is X speaking.
May I have your name, please?
Could you please spell that for me?
Hold on one moment for me, could you?
Hold on the line, please!
I’m afraid he is not available at the moment. Would you like to
leave a message?/ Could I take a message?
Thank you very much!
 Neutral register = neither too official nor too friendly;
used when talking to a customer whom you have
already known for a while, to someone of the same
rank as you but who is not a close friend, etc.
e.g. What can I do for you?
Do give us a ring!
Thanks very much!/ Thanks for your time!
Nice talking to you!
 Informal register = casual, used when talking with
friends, family members, mates
e.g. Hi! What’s up?
I’m good! And you?
I’ll buzz you later (i.e. call).
Bye bye!
 Asking about/suggesting a day/time to meet
e.g. So, when would be convenient for you?
Would you be able to make it on…?
Well, how about…?
Can you make it at…?
 Saying you are free/not free
e.g. I’m free today/tomorrow.
Tomorrow morning would probably be better.
I am actually all booked up for tomorrow.
No, sorry, I’m out that day.
Let’s see, after that I’m not free again till…
 outstanding – 1. remarkable, excellent; 2. which has not been
completed, paid, etc.
e.g. His achievements are outstanding and he has been shortlisted
for the Nobel Prize.
You have an outstanding debt towards our company of $34,556.
 Checking information
e.g. Let’s see, Wednesday, that’s the 15th, isn’t
it?
I think we need to do this quite quickly, don’t
we?
Four fifteen. So, quarter past four.
Your office is at the right, isn’t it?
So that’s 3:14 this afternoon.
 Correcting information
e.g. No, we said four fifteen, actually. The
beginning of the meeting.
e.g. Yes.
Right.
Oh, I see.
OK.
Don’t worry!
Adapted from Koester, A., Pitt, A., Handford, M., and Lisboa, M., Business Advantage.
Student’s Book Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, 2017
 To understand and apply the theory of
motivation
 To practice the use of quantifiers
 To practice the use of articles
 To acquire key vocabulary for pay and
working conditions, performance reviews and
constructive feedback
Definitions:
Motivation = the experience of desire or aversion (you want
something, or want to avoid or escape something)
- Intrinsic motivation = one does something because he or she
likes doing that: to help other people, to be part of a team
- Extrinsic motivation: one does something because they want
to get something as a result: to earn money, to get more
qualifications, to be praised by other people
 Prof. Frederick Herzberg (clinical psychologist and
Professor of Management) – developed the “two-
factor” theory in 1959, based on a study that
included 200 accountants and engineers
Questions asked:
- When did you feel particularly good about your job?
- When did you feel exceptionally bad about your
job?
 Motivators – things that cause satisfaction
(associated with job experience and job content)
 Hygiene factors – things that prevent
dissatisfaction (associated with job context:
surrounding or peripheral aspects of job)
- Giving higher pay
- Offering more fringe benefits
- Providing better working conditions

! By concentrating only on hygiene factors,

management do not really motivate their personnel
 Company policy (e.g. a lot  Achievement (e.g. getting
of bureaucracy) good results)
 Supervision (e.g. not  Recognition (e.g. praise)
enough support in the job)  Work itself (e.g. a job you
 Relationship with the boss enjoy)
(e.g. an aggressive  Responsibility (e.g. the
manager) chance to manage a
 Work conditions (e.g. only a team)
few days of annual leave)  Advancement (e.g.
 Salary (e.g. low pay) promotion)
 Relationship with peers  Growth (e.g. the chance
(e.g. rude colleagues) to learn new skills)

Hygiene Motivation
 Few  Little
 A few  A little
 some  Some
 enough
 Several
 A great deal of
 enough
 A lot of
 A lot of/plenty of  A huge amount of
 A large number of  Plenty of
 Many  Much
 all  All

countable uncountable
 few (little) < a few (a little) < some / several < many / much/a lot of /
plenty of < most < all
Examples:
Some (many) of the employees (union members) feel that the new pay deal
is not enough.
We had to invest a great deal of time in learning how to use educational
platforms.
The outcome of the recent pay negotiations has had little effect on
improving the economic position of factory workers.
The Dean has promised to solve this problem in the next few days.

 Little and few have a negative meaning

e.g. I have little money left in my bank account (i.e. I will need a loan).
I have a little money in my bank account (i.e. it is not much but I can
manage)
I have few friends (i.e. I feel lonely, I wish I had more).
I have a few friends (i.e. I don’t have many but I am happy with those that I
have).
- Definite article: the
- Indefinite article: a/an
- Zero article (no article)
No article:
- With possessive adjectives
e.g. Can you go and pick them up in my car?
- With proper names
e.g. Would you like to come in and see Mr. Brown?
- Things in general (generic use)
e.g. Oil prices are going to continue to increase
over the next 2 years.
 We don’t know which one  The speaker and listener
or it doesn’t matter which know what is being talked
about
one e.g. Oh, no! I’ve left the documents
e.g. Can you lend me a pen, at the office.
please?
 We say which one we mean
e.g. It’s in the cupboard next to the
 Any member of a group photocopier.
 It was mentioned before
e.g. We need to hire a translator e.g. He saw a man enter the office.
to help with the French contract. The man had short blond hair.
 The first time we hear of  The only one(s)
e.g. The President is holding a
the object in a story press conference.
e.g. He saw a man enter the  With superlatives
If it happens, it will be the biggest
office late last night. takeover in history.

Indefinite article Definite article

 Salary = a fixed amount of money that an employee receives
 Commission = payment to somebody who sells goods. The
more they sell, the more of this they receive
 Severance package = pay and benefits that somebody
receives when they leave a job
 Bonus = extra money somebody receives for a good
performance
 Fringe benefits = extras to the money that an employee
receives, e.g. a company car, free health care
 Effort-reward balance = making sure that employees receive
the correct amount of money for the amount of work they do
 Tip = an extra amount of money you may pay to a waiter or
taxi driver to say thank you.
 Flexitime = a system of working where people work a set
amount of hours in a period of time, but choose when to start
and finish
 Mentoring system = a system where a new employee learns
from a more experienced employee at work
 Work-life balance = trying to make sure that people spend
the right amount of time at work and don’t work too much.
 Appraisal system = a way of measuring how successful an
employee has been
 Open-plan office = a working space where everybody has a
desk, but nobody has their own individual office
 Glass ceiling = a barrier that stops certain groups of people
getting promoted to the next level
 Performance review (synonyms: performance
appraisal and performance evaluation) = a formal assessment
in which managers evaluate an employee's work performance,
identify strengths and weaknesses, offer feedback, and set
goals for future performance
 Constructive feedback = Useful advice that is sometimes
critical
 To set goals and objectives = to decide a future plan
 Achievements = things a person has done well
 To review = to go over or look at something and analyse it
 assessment = judgement or evaluation
 Realistic expectations – things you hope for and which are
possible in the future
 To supervise – check another person’s work
 To take responsibility (for) – to be the person whose job is to
do something
Adapted from Koester, A., Pitt, A., Handford, M., and Lisboa, M., Business Advantage.
Student’s Book Intermediate, Cambridge University Press, 2017
 To understand how organisations plan their
human resources
 To acquire vocabulary related to recruiting,
training and keeping staff
 To discuss types of employment and
employee compensation
 To practice the use of future forms – will, (be)
going to, present continuous
 To master the use of questions and develop
interviewing skills
 Human Resource Management = “the
function within an organisation that focuses
on recruitment of, management of, and
providing direction for the people who work
in the organisation. It deals with issues
related to people such as compensation,
hiring, performance management,
organisation development, safety, wellness,
benefits, employee motivation,
communication, administration and training.”
 Compensation for employees: salaries, benefits
packages, perks (company car/phone, bonuses,
vacation vouchers, private health coverage, etc.),
pensions
 Hiring staff: maintaining contacts with universities,
recruiting new staff, advertising for new staff
 Performance management: organising trainings,
setting up a system of employee reports, developing
staff abilities, supporting heads of departments in
getting the best work out of their staff
 Organisation development: organising inter-
team/interdepartmental meetings, safety, working
with departments to bring about change, informing
employees about developments
 To hire = to recruit = to employ – a angaja
 Employees (countable) = staff (uncountable)
= personnel (uncountable) = workforce
(uncountable) – angajați
 Full-time/part-time/temporary contract
 To retain staff = to keep staff – a păstra
angajații
 To brand, branding, (luxury) brand - marcă
 To found – a fonda
 To foresee – a prevedea
 To let go – a concedia
 Crisis (sg.), crises (pl.) – criză/crize
 Safety – siguranță
 Sabbatical – an sabatic
 Reluctant – reticent
 Merger – fuziune (între companii)
 Corporate – corporativ
 Retail – cu amănuntul
 Wholesale – en gros
 Challenge – provocare
 Expatriate – expatriat
 Trainee – stagiar
 Stakeholder – parte interesată
 In-house – în interiorul companiei
 Career prospects – perspective în carieră
 Proficient – priceput, cunoscător
 Vacancies – posturi neocupate
 To deliver – a livra
 Business acumen – pricepere în afaceri
 To deploy – a desfășura
 Liability – răspundere, liabilities – pasive (in
contabilitate)
 To groom – a îngriji
 Stakeholder = somebody who is involved in an
organisation or company and has an interest in its
success
 Prospects = the probability of having future success
at work
 Orientation = training or preparation for a new job
 Proficient = highly skilled and experienced
 To groom somebody = to prepare somebody for a
special job
 Acumen = skill in making correct decisions
 Passion = a strong interest and wish to do something
 Inadequate = not good enough
 360-degree feedback = performance data from
superiors and subordinates
Form:
 Aff: Sj + will + Vb (short infinitive)
 Neg.: Sj + will not/won’t + Vb (short infinitive)
 Interr.: Will + Sj + Vb (short infinitive)?
Uses:
- To talk about decisions at the time of speaking
and for offers and requests, e.g. Natalia will help
if you want.
- To talk about wishes or predictions without
present evidence, e.g. I hope he will make a lot of
money when he finishes his course.; What
changes do you hope you will see in your country
in the next five years?
Form:
 Aff.: Sj. + be (am, are, is) + going to + Vb. (short
infinitive)
 Neg.: Sj. + be (am, are, is) + not + going to + Vb.
(short infinitive)
 Interr.: Be (am, are, is) + Sj. + going to + Vb. (short
infinitive)?
Uses:
- To talk about intentions, e.g. I am going to
recommend you for promotion at the next meeting.;
What are you going to do this evening?
- To talk about predictions with present evidence, e.g.
The economic situation means we are going to have
problems meeting the sales targets.
Form:
Aff.: Sj. + be (am, are, is) + Vb. + -ing
Neg.: Sj. + be (am, are, is) + not + Vb. + -ing
Interr.: Be (am, are, is) + Sj. + Vb. + -ing
Use:
- To talk about arrangements, e.g. We are
meeting the head of HR this afternoon to
discuss the recruitment strategy.
 Closed questions are questions to which one can
only answer with yes or no.
 E.g. Do you agree that the qualities required of
the candidate are important for this type of job?;
Should you try to have small talk?
 Open questions are questions one cannot answer
with yes or no. They invite the person who
answers to elaborate on the subject discussed.
They start with Wh- words, such as: who, what,
when, where, why, how.
 E.g. What other qualities do you think are
important?; Why does the interviewer have to do
this?
Direct questions Indirect/diplomatic questions

How can I get promotion quickly? I would like to know, are there any
opportunities for promotion?
Could you tell me about the
opportunities for promotion?
Are you only motivated by money? What else would motivate you
besides monthly pay?
Can you demonstrate this skill What would you say if you had to
right now? give a little demonstration of your
skill?
What is the sick leave policy? I would like to ask you about the
sick leave policy in your company.
 Career prospects
 Attracted to a job
 Make/take a decision
 Interpersonal skills
 Take on/assume responsibility
 Strong/weak points
 Handle/deal with a problem