一
【CORPORATE CULTURE】
My company...
has a vision
has an entrepreneurial culture
People are highly competitive
is pretty bureaucratic
has a supportive culture
has a controlling culture
is quite informal????????

I know where it's going and I share its goals.
We're encouraged to look for new business and take risks.
We battle each other for promotion and for bonuses.
There are lots of regulations and 'correct procedures'. We're encouraged to do things by the book.
When we need them, we're sent on training courses. Every employee has a mentor.
The boss is autocratic, and we do as we're told without question.
It doesn't have a dress code.??? business formal/business casual

INTRODUCE YOUR COMPANY
I think there are three main aspects to my company's culture; first, there's...
Another feature is...
Finally, I should say that...
So, it's a good place to work, especially because.../ I'd prefer it to be more...

cut-throat - fierce; not involving consideration or care about any harm caused to others
back-up - support
get-together - informal meetings
sink or swim - succeed or fail without help from anyone else
red tape - paperwork
publicly accountable - responsible to the government
streamlining - making more efficient
dotcom - Internet company
yardstrick - standard by which you can judge the success of something
rat race - struggle of individuals in a compatitive environment

boil down to 歸結于
insular adj. 孤立的；島民的；海島的；與世隔絕的
How important the corporate/organizational culture would be？How could it influence the company's performance?
How should a director think about the "corporate culture" of the company on whose board he or she serves?
Corporate culture is a pattern of shared basic assumptions.
Every organization has a culture which manifests itself in everything from entrepreneurship to risk-taking all the way down to the dress code.
An overwhelming majority of directors say that culture has a powerful effect on their company's ethics, risk-taking, and bottom-line performance.
Even so, many directors are less comfortable dealing with issues of corporate culture than they are with more easily quantified concepts like profitability or market share.
an egalitarian, collaborative, high-performing business that's been consistently profitable in a notoriously tough industry.
這是一家平等、合作、高效的企業(yè)，在一個出了名的艱難的行業(yè)中始終保持盈利。
It was important for the board to get to know the culture so that we could support the next generation of management as they move forward, while preserving the values that really distinguish this company.

二
【LEADERS AND MANAGERS】
great leader - pull the employees
manager - push the employees

QUALITIES AND SKILLS
【vision】
Amongst other things, she has this tremendous ability to see how things could be in the future, and how the organization should develop.
【originality】
He's just great at producing new, unusual ideas, things other people would never have thought of.
【ability to delegate】
I really like the fact that he gives us all plenty of responsibility. We all feel so empowered.
delegation letter 授權書
【attention to detail】
I'd say one of his strong points is his ability to get down to the nitty-gritty（key points); nothing is so minor that it escapes his attention.
【good interpersonal skills】
One thing I have to say about him is that he has excellent people skills; he can handle even the most awkward member of staff.
【trouble-shooting skills】
One thing she's particularly good at is problem-solving. You know, in out line of work we seem to go from crisis to crisis, but she seems to be able to get everything runnning smoothly again.
【a hands-on approach】
She has a totally practical approach. I mean, she doesn't just sit in her office theorizing. She rolls up her sleeves and gets down to work with the rest of us.
【good communication skills】
She's just excellent at getting her ideas across（傳達）. To give you just one example...

7 Things Great Leaders Always Do（But Mere Managers Always Fear）
conacts daily work with goals vs. focuses only on the short-term
thinks of people as people vs. sees only titles or organizational charts
wants to earn respect vs. wants to be liked
is thrilled when team memebers achieve great things vs. is threatened
empowers people with honesty and transparency vs. parcels out information as if it costs him personally
cares mainly about results vs. is more concerned with process
understands that he is responsible if the team falls short vs. blames the team

MANAGEMENT
time management：the skill of administering your time so as to work effectively
quality management： managing systems in a company so that each department works effectively and produces products of the required standard
line management ：direct management of staff
middle management ：level between senior management and junior management
brand management：how a company tries to control its brands and brand image
crisis management：process of dealing with difficult situations
risk management：process of assessing and measuring possible dangers and envolving strategies to deal with them

Branson's skill as a brand builder is one of the reasons underlying his longevity as a business leader.
It is difficult to separate the success of the Virgin brand from the flamboyant man behind that brand.
I just announced in India that I was setting up a domestic airline, and we ended up getting on the front pages of the newspaper. The cost of that in advertising terms would have been considerable.
Being someone who cares about people is important.
That is how you bring out the best in them.
Branson places enormous value on time-management skills.
As much as you need a strong personality to build a business from scratch, you must also understand the art of delegation.
Lavish praise on them at all times.
People don't need to be told where they've slipped up or made a mess of something. They'll sort it out themselves.
Motivational strategies extend to innovative ideas.
Employees often leave companies, he reasons, because they are frustrated by the fact that their ideas fall on the deaf ears.
Setting the direction and then stepping back to let them navigate

三
【INTERNAL COMMUNICATION】
We take pride in what we do.
We make it easy, we make it work.
We are stronger when we are together.

COMMUNICATION
Email
one-to-one interview
memo
meeting
handwritten note
notice on the notice board
suggestion box
article in the in-house magzine
informal chat
phone call

BW: Best Wishes
mins: minutes
pls：please
cd：could
yr：your
asap：as soon as possible
PA：Personal Assistant
CEO：Chief Executive Officer

in lieu
With reference to your meomo concerning training courses in negotiating skills,...
Further to our discussions this morning, it occurs to me that...
Good talking to you on the phone this morning and thanks for your very useful input to this project.
As you probably know, Don Grant will be retiring at the end of this month and...
Just a brief to say...
Thanks for this information. In answer to your queries...
Many thanks in advance for your co-operation.
Further details can be obtained from...
I look forward to hearing from you.

四
【CHAIRING MEETINGS】
display an understanding of issues and topics
listen attentively and impartially
be displomatic and ensure everyone is heard
assert control and focus in all discussions

Chairing a meeting means ensuring that a meeting achieves its aim. The meeting should have been called for a specific purpose, and all discussion at the meeting must be conducted to this end.

Impartiality:
A chairman should ensure that all participants have an opportunity to express their point of view.
Assertiveness:
Ensuring that everyone gets a hearing will almost certainly involve stopping someone from dominating the proceedings.
Staying on course:
A chair must assess the importance of each item on the agenda, and allot time to each topics as required.
Summarising:
Summarising can be used at the end of a meeting to ensure that everyone has a clear overview of what took place or what action is now required.

settle down
come to order
psychometric tests 心理測試

Which meeting was the most productive?
useful
Were any of the meetings totally unproductive?
a complete waste of time
Which chair was most successful in making people stick to the point?
talk about the matter in hand
Was anyone guilty of wandering off the point?
disgressing
Did anyone miss the point?
misunderstand what someone was trying to say
Did any of the chairs let the meeting run over time?
take longer than scheduled
Did all the participants get a chance to make their point?
express their opinion
Did all the meetings have satisfactory outcome?
results

My company has introduced a strict dress code, which we eill alll have to adhere to.
The company whose culture I admire most is Microsoft.
The new product lauch that/which/ we had all worked so hard for was a disappointment.
He had forgotten about the budget-planning meeting, which incidentally is being held in the boardroom, until I reminded him.
The report which/that/ he wrote was well received by the board of directors.

Thank you for circulating the report which you wrote.
The head of the department where I work would like to discuss it with you.
She would like several of the marketing people whose input you obtained to be present at the meeting.
As someone who's new to this department, she'll need a bit of guidance.
As you already know, we're going to close these offices and move to Prague.
He was recruited into the company as a trouble-shooter.
I, like you, think that it's time to change.
I can't see any difference. It looks just the same as the previous model.

一般將來時與將來進行時主要區(qū)別：將來進行時敘述的的動作有具體時間

五
【CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS】
CRM：customer relationship management
after-sales service (customers' need/requirement)
customer loyalty
information about future needs
information about product updates
cost savings
personalised treatment 個性化服務

Companies are still failing to put their customers first.
curiously different from the silvery promises of television advertisements and the salesman behind the counter
A chasm（鴻溝） now separates individuals and firms, and that gap is the next big business opportunity.
People long for support to help them through life's complexities and those moments when the promise of reliability turns sour.
The reality is the frantic woman dashing from one ariline's gate to another, trying to get onto a flight home and finding one cancellation after another and unpleasant, unhelpful staff.
turn a good deal into a lousy one
they want choice, reliability and to be looked after as individuals
But does the solution really lie in new corporate structures and new businesses, designes to support customers in trouble with their airling or computer company?
That depends on whether consumers are willing to pay for suppport.
If they are not-which many firms fear-support will remain a cost with no matching benefit, at constant risk of being squeezed.

Customer relationship management is a business strategy that helps a company integrate itself and forge a tight connection with customer. The promise is that by using technology and human resources strategically, businesses can transform themselves into the proverbial friendly general store-to provide the same levels of customer service that were typical decades ago. But the goal goes beyond simply satisfying customers. While providing customer service, clever companies are also gathering data on their customers' buying habits and needs, then storing and analysing that data and using it to improve products or services as well as management policies, wiht the ultimate aim of turning consumers into customers for life.

六
【COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE】
Advantages
To attract investment, governments need to ensure that their resource sectors are as globally competitive as possible. High tax rates can deter spending on exploration.

a proven track record
being one step ahead of the competition
clear brand identity
competitive prices
customer relationship management
good value for money
market research

dedicated: designed for just one purpose
resources: money and people
tracking: recording the progress or development of something
outset: beginning
allocate: choose to work on a particular job
rapport: good understanding of someone and ability to communicate well with them
benchmark: measure the quality of something by compating it with something else of an accepted standard
perspective: particular way of considering something

Two years ago, we set up a dedicated team to coordinate tenders（投標） as part of our growth strategy.
analyzing revenue versus costs
We also identify which market sectors and company types we wanted to target.
It's important to be specific so you don't waste resources chasing tenders that don't fit overall business objectives.
As well as being members of relevant professional bodies, we monitor the trade press, attend networking events and use an online tool for tracking public-sector contracts.
balancing skills required against existing workloads
We hold meetings at key stages and map critical paths so everyone knows what they have to produce and when.
If we have queries, we contact the client, which also helps to build a rapport before the tender document is submitted.
We regularly bechmark ourselves againgst similar-sized agencies so we know our pricing is competitive.

bid for: offer to do some work for a particular price
come out with: produce
come to: add up to
go about: approach the problem
go for: try to get
put together: prepare/organize
team up with: work together with
work out: calculate

七
【A PROPOSAL】
Extent product range or not?
extensions of the smae basic product
competitors' activities
diversification and market changes
the company's skills base
brand identity
marketing and product development costs
company expansion versus specialisation

at the same time=also=furthermore
while=although
in turn=as a result
apart from=in addition to
in connection with=related to
since=because
in response to=for the reason
therefore=as a result

PROPOSAL
Purpose
The aim of this proposal is to suggest new products we could add to our existing product range and to identify ways in which the products could be developed.
Our current product range
At the moment, our company produces accounting software for small retail outlets, the purpose of which is to take managers of small businesses through the process of producing legally acceptable accounts step-by-step while at the same time producing VAT returns (增值稅返還) and, where necessary, the payroll.
The need for new product
While we know from the feedback that we are achieving high levels of customer satisfaction with our existing products, we have recognize that we operate in a dynamic and swiftly changing market.
Furthermore, more extensive market research among our clients has uncovered a demand for compatible software to perform stock-control and ordering functions.
Resources
Our programming department currently employ six systems engineers and produces regular updates for existing products, while tailoring them to suit individual clients.
Although two engineers could be assigned to the development of the new programs, it would probably be necessary to recruit two further engineers for the new project team.
This, in turn, would give rise to higher overheads and other costs, particularly for salaries and equipment.
I envisage that the initial project will take 18 months, but at the end of that period will generate profits which will justify the outlay.
Other costs
Apart from the recruitment requirements mentioned above, the only extra cost I have identified in connection with this project is a requirement for extra office space to accomodate the project team.
Recommendation
I therefore recommend that we proceed with this projects as soon as is convenient.

Passive tense
Passive is more impersonal.
It is often not important or necessary to say who is doing or who did something.
The market research, which was carried out in Liverpool between May and September, revealed that the price could be raised by 50% with only a 5% loss of market share.
I'd be grateful, if you could...
It would be highly appreciated if you could...

八
【PRESENTING AT MEETINGS】
slides/pie chart

Embedded Questions
I'd just like to know what the total sales for the Chinese market are?
Can you tell me how Chinese companies are reacting to this competition from abroad are and also, how these competitors are going about increasing their market share?
I wonder what sort of price you think we could sell our products at?
How do you think we would position them?
I wonder when the new factory site will become operational.
Do you have any idea how long the construction work is expected to take?
Could you please tell me why the goods couldn't have been delivered on time?
Several people have asked me if we have to send the invoice with the goods.

Structure the Talk (Organize the language)
I'm going to make three main points. The first one is...
The market has been growing for two reasons: firstly,...
There are three factors to be taken into account. The first one is...
Now, moving on to point number two,...
The second thing I'd like to point out is...
Finally,...
And my third and final point is...

Market Comparison
Thailand-in an attempt to further expand its business
be keen to gain some ground on rival ice-cream maker
boost its market share
maintain its leading position in the market
in an effort to capitalize on growing niche markets
Philippine-be vulberable to foreign exchange fluctuations

九
【ADVERTISING AND CUSTOMER】
strategy, customer service, social media, marketing, technical support, sales
Advertising (Reasons)
make an advertising creative
as a brand-building activity
to increase awareness of the brand
to launch a new product onto the market
to boost sales and to increase
to maintain customer loyalty

Do you pay attention to banner ads when you're using the Internet?
Have you ever put a classified ad in the newspaper?
What sort of things advertised on street hoardings in you country?
When you visit shops, do point-of-sale displays ever persuade you to buy things?
Would you ever buy something as a result of a product endorsement from a famous person?
become a big noise 聲名大噪，聲名鵲起

十
【ADVERTISING AND THE INTERNET】

TOP 5 FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE ONLINE PURCHASE DECISION
1. Customer services
2. Big discount
3. Payment options
4. Fast delivery
5. Easy return

Functions of Internet
to check prices
to find the nearest retailer/dealer
to customise the purchase
to compare differnet products
to check availability
to track delivery
to make a reservation
to make the final purchase

straightforward=easy to understand / simple
haggle=argue / neotiate?
trade-in = a method of buying a new product
browse= look at information on the Internet
handy= useful
appraisal form= place where you can write your opinions of something
pop up= appear
screen out=filter out / remove
haggle over the price (negotiate on the price)

轉折
despite / in spite of / however / in contrast / although / while

十一
【SALES REPORT】
bar graph / table / pie chart

Sales Activities
telephone sales
mail order (catalogue 產品目錄)
e-sales??????????????????????????????????
sales events
vistits from company reps
retail sales

time-share holiday home?????
advertising space in magazines
life insurance
corporate catering services
clothes for older people
machine tools
rare books
theatre tickets
web-design services

Describe the Trend
increase / soar / rocket
decrease / decline / plummet / shrink / recede / dwindle

十二
【THE SALES PITCH】
Cold Call

solicit : ask someone for money, information for help
risk-averse : have a strong dislike for taking risks
liability : responsibility
screening : examining someone or something to discover if there's anything wrong
got them on board : made them part of a group or team
up and running : operating
crack : find a solution to a problem
track record : all the achievements or failures that someone or something has had in the past.

Cleft Sentence
What had a positive effect on sales was the CRM system.
What they did was outsource their production to Indonesia.
What they sold was/were paper products.
It's the time (which/that) it takes that is the problem.
It's Internet fraud that is out biggest problem.