Company operations

Núria Terradelles Palau

Àngles
Àngles Company operations

Índex

Introduction 5

Learning objectives 7

1 Events 9
1.1 Formal meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1.1 The past simple and the past continuous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.2 Trade fairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.2.1 Protocol and Social Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.2.2 Receiving visitors: Small Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.2.3 Travel arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
1.2.4 Making requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
1.3 Grammar: The Modal Verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.3.1 Modal verbs: can / could . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.3.2 Modal verbs: must / should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
1.3.3 Modal verbs: may / might . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
1.3.4 Modal verbs: will / would . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
1.4 Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1.4.1 Writing emails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
1.4.2 Thank you letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

2 Money 35
2.1 Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.1.1 Online banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
2.2 Grammar: The Present Perfect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.1 The present perfect simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.2 The present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.3 Finance department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.3.1 Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.3.2 Invoices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.3.3 Describing trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

3 Innovation 49
3.1 Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
3.1.1 Community managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.2 Grammar: Future tenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3.2.1 Future: will . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
3.2.2 Future: ’Be going to’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
3.2.3 Future: Present simple and Present continuous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
3.3 Expressing and asking for opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.3.1 Asking for opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
3.3.2 Expressing opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
3.3.3 Responding to opinions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
3.4 Scheduling an appointment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Àngles Company operations

3.4.1 Arranging meetings on the phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

3.4.2 Arranging meetings by email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
3.5 Writing a summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Àngles 5 Company operations

Introduction

This unit, “Company operations”, is intended to describe the some of the opera-
tions which take place in a company, such as placing orders, describing trends,
scheduling meetings, etc. You are going to learn vocabulary and expressions used
at work, and learn about formal and informal language, write emails, and talk
about the past and the future.

In every section there are texts, conversations, grammar reference, emails, and
other information. After the texts, there is a table with the new vocabulary. There
are conversations and useful vocabulary used in different communicative contexts.
The writing section includes explanations and multiple examples, such as emails,
or letters. Furthermore, there is a revision of basic grammar rules with examples
and exercises. You can revise the grammar and at the same time learn helpful
vocabulary used in the administrative field.

In the firs section, “Events”, you are going to learn about company meetings,
events and protocol. You are going to meet some people who attended a food fair in
Germany, and read the conversations they have in different situations: introducing
themselves, booking a hotel room, at the restaurant, etc. You are going to learn
how to make travel arrangements, and how to write an invitation to an event. Also,
how to write a thank you letter.

In the second section, “Money”, you are going to learn new vocabulary and some
facts related to banks and accounting. Besides, you are going to see conversations
which could take place in a bank. On the other hand, you can read about the
tasks performed in the finance department of a company, and see an invoice and
its elements. At the same time, you are going to learn how to describe trends by
looking at different types of graphs. In the grammar section you are going to learn
about the use of the present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous.

In the third section, “Innovation”, there is a text about the future, with predictions
on how the world will look like due to technology and artificial intelligence. You
are also going to learn about marketing and advertising your products. In the
sections related to communication, we are going to learn how to give your opinion,
and ask for people’s opinions, too. In addition, you are going to see how to
schedule and appointment on the phone, and how to arrange a meeting by email.
In the grammar section, we are going to see different ways to talk about the future.
Finally, there is an example of a summary of a film, and some tips on how to
summarize a text.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. They are serving the purpose
of showing plausible contexts and situations which students of administrative
management might encounter, thus, providing them with helpful vocabulary and
resources to use in a real workplace situation.
Àngles 6 Company operations

Each unit has a central theme and it provides information and examples set in
business contexts with the aim of giving the students the tools to develop their
language skills in their workplace. Furthermore, there are exercises and activities
online to practise the contents of the unit.
Àngles 7 Company operations

Learning objectives

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

1. Identify professional and everyday information in an oral discourse in standard

language, analysing the global contents of a message and relating it to the
correspongin language resources.

• Identify the main idea in a message.

• Identify and follow oral instructions.

• Be conscious of the importance of understanding the main ideas in amessage

even if you do not understand all the elements that make up the message.

• Recognize the finality of face-to-face and telephone messages, or messages

transmited through other auditory means.

• Get specific information in messages referring to usual aspects of everyday

and professional life.

• Place a message in its context.

• Identify the main ideas in a well-structured speech in standard language

about well-known aspects and transmited in the media.

2. Interpret professional information in simple written texts, analising the message

in a comprehensive way.

• Read simple texts in standard language.

• Interpret the general meaning of a message.

• Relate the text to its correponding context.

• Interpret a message transmitted through different means: post, fax and e-

mail, among others.

• Identify the terminology used in a message.

• Interpret technical manuals.

3. Produce well-structured and simple oral messages, taking an active part in

professional conversations.

• Describe brief, unexpected events related to your job.

• Identify and use the direct, formal or informal registers in a message.

Àngles 8 Company operations

• Use the appropriate protocol in presentations.

• Make a correct use of the terminology of your job.

• Justify the acceptance or the refusal of a proposal.

4. Produce simple texts in standard language by using the appropriate register in

different situations.

• Write short texts referring to everyday and/or professional aspects.

• Use the social conventions in documents.

• Fill in documents referring to your professional field.

• Organize the information in a coherent way.

• Apply the appropriate rules and specific vocabulary when filling in docu-
ments.

5. Show the correct attitude and behaviour in different professional situations by

using international conventions.

• Define the most distinctive aspects of the customs of English-speaking

communities.

• Describe the social conventions of your country.

• Identify the values and beliefs which are characteristic of English-speaking

communities.

• Identify the social and professional aspects of your job in all types of oral
and written messages.

• Apply the social conventions in English-speaking communities. (...)

Àngles 9 Company operations

1. Events

Companies often use corporate events, such as seminars, conferences or trade

shows, to bring people together to develop interpersonal relationships that do not
usually happen in an office. Organizing them involves a lot of time for planning,
and when attending them there are things that we need to take into account, such
as the rules of protocol, social etiquette, the attire, etc.

1.1 Formal meetings

Formal meetings are an essential part of the planning and direction of a company
since important decisions about the organisation may be taken. These meetings
are held at a specific time, at a defined place (venue) and according to an agreed
agenda, which should be sent to the participants at least one week in advance.

F i g u r a 1 . 1 . Belinda Jenkings, Pawel Janczak and Céline

Thierry at “Anuga Fair” in Cologne

freestockphotos.biz

Formal meetings are typically led by a chairperson, and the discussions and
agreements are recorded in what is known as minutes. One example is the AGM.
Most companies organize the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for all members
of the company. The agenda usually includes the approval of the last AGM, the
presentation of the annual accounts for the last financial year, a report from the
Management Comittee on the organisation’s activities during the last year, the
election of the Management Committee, and other relevant topics.

See the agenda of a meeting which is taking place at the headquarters of the
company ‘Building Supplies’:
Àngles 10 Company operations

F igura 1.2. Meeting Agenda

Eileen Taylor, the secretary, prepared the minute and sent it to Diana Thompson
for approval:

Minutes of Meeting

Date: 26 March 2021

Venue: Conference Room

Building Supplies headquarters

1. Diana Thompson, the head of the HR Department welcomed the attendants, and introduced
the programme and sessions.

2. Mr. Robinson did not attend the meeting. Diana explained that his flight had been delayed.

3. The Chairman gave a speech and thanked everyone for coming.

4. The accountant presented the end of the year report of the company. He assured that we
were progressing. The presentation is attached.

5. There was a break time. A catering company served the food. A lot of discussions went on
during the meal.

6. The Sales Director presented the sales trends. See the presentation attached.

7. The General Sales Manager introduced the discussion of the expansion into emerging
markets. Most of the attendants agreed with his views, and they added new ideas. Some
asked questions, such as, ‘Did the company trade with any of those markets before?’. The
Manager answered all the questions and decided to organize teams and develop ideas for
the next meeting.

Tau l a 1 . 1 . Vocabulary

AGM (Annual General Meeting): Assamblea Give a speech: fer un discurs o xerrada
General Ordinària

Agree: estar d’acord Headquarters: seu, oficina central

Agreement: acord HR Department: Departament de recursos humans

Answer: contestar/resposta Management Committee: Comitè de gestió

At least: com a mínim Meal: àpat

Àngles 11 Company operations

Attached: adjunt Minute: acta (d’una reunió)

Attendant: assistent Report: informe

Chairperson: moderador Sales trends: tendències de vendes

Delayed: amb retard (avió, tren...) Team: equip

Emerging markets: mercats nous/emergents Trade: comerç/comerciar

Flight: vol To be held: tenir lloc

In advance: amb antelació Venue: lloc, escenari (on té lloc un esdeveniment)

1.1.1 The past simple and the past continuous

Read the following sentences, which appeared in the minute above. The words in
bold are in the past simple and past continuous tenses:

Taula 1.2.

Diana Thompson welcomed the attendants La Diana Thompson va donar la benvinguda als
assistents

Mr. Robinson did not attend the meeting El Sr. Robinson no va assistir a la reunió

The Chairman gave a speech El President va fer una xerrada

We were progressing very fast Estàvem avançant/progressant molt depressa

Did the company trade with any of those markets L’empresa va comerciar amb algun d’aquests
before? mercats abans?

The past simple:

• The affirmative form of the past simple of regular verbs adds -ed to the
infinitive (present > presented).

• The affirmative form of the past simple of irregular verbs is a different

word from the infinitive (go > went).

See annex ‘List of

There are no rules to know which verbs are regular and which are irregular. We irregular verbs’ to see the
most common irregular
need to know the most common irregular verbs. verbs in English.

These are the forms of the past simple of a regular verb ‘work’:
Taula 1.3. Conjugation of the past simple of the **regular** verb: **’work’**

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I worked did not work didn’t work Did I work...?

You worked did not work didn’t work Did you work...?

He/She/It worked did not work didn’t work Did he work...?

We worked did not work didn’t work Did we work...?

You worked did not work didn’t work Did you work...?

They worked did not work didn’t work Did they work...?
Àngles 12 Company operations

Here are the forms of an irregular verb ‘go’:

Tau l a 1 . 4 . Conjugation of the past simple (irregular verb: //go//)

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I went did not go didn’t go Did I go...?

You went did not go didn’t go Did you go...?

He/She/It went did not go didn’t go Did he go...?

We went did not go didn’t go Did we go...?

You went did not go didn’t go Did you go...?

They went did not go didn’t go Did they go...?

The past simple is used to express the past tense in English. It refers to an
event that happened before now and is always completed.

See the examples:

Tau l a 1 . 5 .

I worked in a factory 20 years ago Fa 20 anys vaig treballar a una fàbrica

Did you watch the news on TV last night? Vas mirar les notícies de la tele ahir a la nit?

Mr Robinson didn’t attend the meeting yesterday Ahir el Sr Robinson no va anar a la reunió

Eileen met Barry at the office two weeks ago L’Eileen va conèixer en Barry a l’oficina fa dues
setmanes

It was very hot last summer, do you remember? L’estiu passat va fer molta calor, te’n recordes?

We felt happy when he left Vam estar contents quan ell va marxar

The past continuous:

Here are the forms of the past continuous:

Tau l a 1 . 6 . Conjugation of the past continuous **work**

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I was working was not working wasn’t working was I working...?

you were working were not working weren’t working were you
working...?

he/she/it was working was not working wasn’t working was he working...?

we were working were not working weren’t working were we

working...?

you were working were not working weren’t working were you
working...?

they were working were not working weren’t working were they
working...?

Notes:
Àngles 13 Company operations

• As in the present continuous, the past continuous is composed of two

elements: the auxiliary verb be (conjugated in the past) + the gerund.

• In the past continuous, we only conjugate the verb be. For this reason, there
is no difference between regular and irregular verbs (for example: I was
working, I was going).

• The verb be is an irregular verb (be > was/were).

We can translate the past
continuous into Catalan in
We use the past continuous: two ways: I was working
(estava treballant/treballava).

1. To express actions that were taking place at a specific moment in the

past. At that moment, the action was not fisnished yet. For example:

Taula 1.7.

I was sleeping at eleven last night Ahir a les onze de la nit jo dormia/estava dormint

What were you doing at this time yesterday? Què feies/estaves fent ahir a aquesta hora?

I wasn’t doing anything No feia/estava fent res

2. To express simultaneous actions in the past (with the connector while

[mentre]). For example:

Taula 1.8.

While I was doing all the work, he was talking on Mentre jo estava fent tota la feina, ell estava parlant
the phone with his friend per telèfon amb el seu amic

They were flying to Paris while I was waiting for Ells estaven volant a París mentre jo els estava
them in the office esperant a l’oficina

See Unit 1, section 2

“Grammar: The present
3. We often use the past continuous in combination with the past simple to simple and the preseent
continuous” for a list of
express an action that was taking place in the past (in past continuous) when verbs that do not take the
continuous forms.
another action took place in that moment (in the past simple). For example:

Taula 1.9.

I met Mr White when I was going out of the building Em vaig trobar el Sr White quan jo sortia de l’edifici

We were walking down the street when the tree fell Estàvem caminant pel carrer quan l’arbre va caure
down

There are some adverbs and adverbials associated to the past tense. We generally
say them at the end of the sentence, but we can also place them at the beginning
to emphasize the idea. For example:

• We met him at the airport yesterday.

• Yesterday we met him at the airport.

Àngles 14 Company operations

Adverbs and adverbials of time generally associated to the past tense

Some of the adverbs and time expressions that we can use with the past tenses are:

• Yesterday (Ahir )

• The day before yesterday (Abans d’ahir )

• In the past (En el passat)

• Before (Abans)

• At that moment (En aquell moment)

• One year ago (Fa un any )

• Then (Aleshores)

• Last week/month/year (La setmana passada, el mes passat, l’any passat)

• When I was younger (Quan jo era més jove)

1.2 Trade fairs

Big cities usually have a specific venue to hold fairs and exhibitions. Barcelona,
the capital of Catalonia, is known for its enterprising and dynamic nature. The city
is open to people and to the world and is an international point of reference both
socially and economically. Fairs and conferences take place in Barcelona every
year.

One example is the “Mobile World Congress”, which is held in Fira Gran Via,
and is a congress on the last technologies related to mobile communication. Other
annual fairs and exhibitions go on in the city, such as “Construmat”, a construction
industry fair, and “Saló de l’Ensenyament”, with information about universities,
courses and all kind of training for students, etc.

Trade shows or trade fairs are held in large spaces, showcasing the products and
services of often hundreds of vendors. Participating in a trade show is a powerful
way for companies and organizations to increase their brand’s awareness, and it is
also a great way to network and see what is going on in the industry. Companies
may also choose to host or sponsor a trade show to reinforce their image as an
industry leader among those who attend. However, event planning for trade shows
involves negotiating sponsorship rates for booth space, advertising, promotion,
etc.

There are hundreds of international fairs taking place every year. See an example
of a food trade fair which takes place in Germany:

Anuga Fair

Anuga Fair is held in Cologne. It is a food fair for the retail trade and the food service and
catering market. Companies related to food and hotel services summon there to exhibit
their products and share their knowledge through the various speeches and workshops. In
Àngles 15 Company operations

the fair there are gala dinners, banquets, and buffets giving different choices of menu each
day offering the best and most original food combinations.

F i g u r a 1 . 3 . Buffet in the fair

Belinda Jenkings, Pawel Janczak and Céline Thierry are of some of the attendants of the
fair this year. These are their business cards:

F i g u r a 1 . 4 . Belinda Jenking’s Business Card

Belinda Jenkings works for the Marketing department of the company “Ecotasty Food”. The
company develops organic processed products, they do research on organic farming and
organize courses and talks on organic products and cooking.

F i g u r a 1 . 5 . Pawel Janczac’s Business Card

Pawel Janczak is a Polish entrepreneur who has started a venture. He aims to introduce
and spread organic farming in his country, and to raise awareness among farmers. He
wants to attend the fair in order to see the current trends in the international market.
Àngles 16 Company operations

F i gura 1.6. Céline Thierry’s Business Card

Céline Thierry lives in the South of France. Since an early age she has been interested in
farming and ecology. In addition, she promotes fair trade in her region. She believes that
farmers have to be paid a fair price for their goods.

Tau l a 1 . 1 0 . Vocabulary

Agreement: acord Organic farming: agricultura ecològica

Aim: objectiu Raise awareness: despertar la conciència

Approval: Aprovació Research: recerca

Booth: estand Retail: al detall (venda)

Business card: tarjeta de visita Share: compartir

Entrepreneur: emprenedor, empresari Showcase: exhibir, mostrar

Enterprising: emprenedor Summon: reunir

Fair price: preu just Trade fair: fira comercial

Goods: béns Venture: empresa

Host: acollir Workshop: taller

1.2.1 Protocol and Social Etiquette

Protocol is very important in a business context. It is necessary to be well trained

in business meeting etiquette to ensure that a business meeting is effective. These
are some tips:

• First of all, a formal invitation has to be sent to the intended guests.

• Attire also matters; wear casual or formal clothes according to the type of
meeting. In very formal meetings or official dinners you will have to dress
up.

• Do not interrupt while someone is speaking, wait for the designated question
period to raise your questions. Take notes, since some of your questions
might be answered by the content of the meeting.

• During formal meetings it is quite usual to interchange business cards for

future contact. It is advisable to have them prepared and updated for that
day. You may have to wear badges with your name and the name of your
company. Badges are quite useful in order to identify other participants in
the meeting.
Àngles 17 Company operations

• Avoid nervous habits, such as tapping a pen or your fingers on the table,
making noises, or showing disapproval with your body language.

• After the meeting, a thank you letter should be sent to all the participants.

When we are introduced to another person, the social etiquette demands to ask
one or two questions to start a short conversation. We can ask, for example:

Taula 1.11.

Have you and [Ms. Thompson] known each other for Fa molt de temps que es coneixen, [la Sra.
long? Thompson] i vostè?

Is it your first time here? És la primera vegada que ve per aquí?

Do you like [Barcelona]? Li agrada [Barcelona]?

Topics to avoid
In a first meeting, avoid such
topics as religion or politics, and
do not ask personal questions
(marital status, age, salary...).
1.2.2 Receiving visitors: Small Talk

In business settings, such as when receiving visitors, picking someone at the

airport or other occasions, it is a good idea to start short conversations after the
greetings and introductions. It can help you to start conversations that let you
get to know the person that you are doing business with. The topics of these
conversations are supposed to be of general interest, nothing too personal. For
example a small talk could be about the trip, accomodation, the weather, the native
country, and the host country.

Taula 1.12.

Accomodation: allotjament Dress up: mudar-se, vestir bé

Advisable: aconsellable Guest: convidat, hoste

Attire: vestimenta Marital status: estat civil

Avoid: evitar Small talk: conversa superficial

Badge: acreditació Social etiquette: etiqueta, protocol

Casual clothes: roba informal Trip: viatge

Disapproval: discomformitat Updated: actualitzat

Meeting people

See three dialogues which took place in different contexts in the “Anuga Fair” held
in Cologne this year:

Dialogue 1

Belinda Jenkings: Hello, I’m Belinda Jenkings, I work with “Ecotasty Food”, in The
Netherlands.

Céline Thierry: Nice to meet you. I’m Céline Thierry, with “Agriécolo”.
Àngles 18 Company operations

Belinda Jenkings: Where are you from?

Céline Thierry: I’m from France.

Dialogue 2

Pawel Janczac: Good morning, My name’s Pawel Janczac. How are you?

Céline Thierry: Nice to meet you, Mr. Janczac, I’m Céline Thierry, with “Agriécolo”.

Pawel Janczac: Nice to meet you, Ms. Thierry. You’re from France. Aren’t you?

Céline Thierry: Yes, I am. And you?

Pawel Janczac: I’m from Poland.

Céline Thierry: What do you do?

Pawel Janczac: I’m an enterpreneur. I’m trying to raise awareness* of organic farming in
my country.

Céline Thierry: How interesting! I’m into farming and ecology, too.

(* Raise awareness: conscienciar )

Dialogue 3

Céline Thierry: Ms Jenkings, good to see you again! May I introduce you to Mr Janczac?

Belinda Jenkings: How do you do?

Pawel Janczac: How do you do.

Céline Thierry: Mr Janczac is Polish. He’s an enterpreneur and he’s interested in organic
farming.

Belinda Jenkings: Oh, this is my field too. In our company we develop organic processed
food and do research on organic farming.

Céline Thierry: So, we are all into organic farming. We have a lot of things to discuss
about.

Formal conversations:

Here are two examples of formal conversations. In the first one, George Sullivan
meets Sarah Cornwall at an international conference on furniture and design. In
the second one, Lucie Bell and George Sullivan greet each other, and he introduces
her to Sarah Cornwall.

Conversation 1

George Sullivan: Hello, I’m George Sullivan, I work with GCM Inc.

Sarah Cornwall: Nice to meet you. I’m Sarah Cornwall, with Furniture Design.

George Sullivan: What do you do with Furniture Design?

Sarah Cornwall: I’m the marketing manager.

George Sullivan: Is this your first time at this event?

Sarah Cornwall: Yes, indeed. It is my first time here.

George Sullivan: What do you think about the conference so far?

Àngles 19 Company operations

Sarah Cornwall: I think the conference is worth it. The speakers are really well-prepared,
and I’m learning so many marketing strategies.

George Sullivan: I agree, though I wish there were more sessions on online marketing.

Conversation 2

Lucie Bell: Hello, Mr. Sullivan. Welcome to the conference.

George Sullivan: Thank you. Good to see you.

Lucie Bell: Are you enjoying the conference?

George Sullivan: Certainly, I am enjoying it and I have made some contacts, too. Let me
introduce you to Sarah Cornwall.

Sarah Cornwall: How do you do?

Lucie Bell: Pleased to meet you.

George Sullivan: She works for Furniture Design.

Lucie Bell: What is your company into?

Sarah Cornwall: We design and produce pieces of furniture. We try to be updated to the
latest trends.

1.2.3 Travel arrangements

In some cases, members of a company travel to another country for a formal

meeting and they have to stay away for some days. Business tourism can involve
individual and small group travel, and destinations can include small to larger
meetings, including conventions and conferences, trade fairs, and exhibitions.

Travel arrangements means transportation, accomodation, and other services. In

order to plan a business trip, you need to follow some steps. First of all, gather all
the information regarding the destination, flight schedule, preference for travelling,
and any other special arrangement. Next, make a travelling schedule, book flights,
rooms, and pick and drop for the people who are travelling.

Booking a hotel room

See an example of a telephone conversation, where Belinda Jenkins calls a hotel

to make a reservation:

Telephone conversation: making a reservation at an hotel

Receptionist: Hello, Central Cologne Hotel. How may I help you?

Belinda Jenkings: Good morning, I’d like to book a single room for two nights please.

Receptionist: When for, madam?

Belinda Jenkings: Next Friday, October 9th.

Receptionist: Let me check. Yes, we have one single room available.

Àngles 20 Company operations

Belinda Jenkings: Great. How much is the charge per night?

Receptionist: Eighty euro, madam.

Belinda Jenkings: OK, that’s fine.

Receptionist: Can I have your name, please?

Belinda Jenkings: Yes, it’s Jenkings. Belinda Jenkings.

Receptionist: Can I have your telephone number, please?

Belinda Jenkings: Yes, it’s six-oh-six-double two-five-six-eight-nine (606 22 56 89).

Receptionist: Ok. What time will you be arriving?

Belinda Jenkings: Around 5pm.

Receptionist: Thank you and have a nice day.

At the restaurant

Céline, Pawel and Belinda had a resevervation at one of the restaurants in the fair,
so they went there, the waiter let them in and took the order. See the menu offered
at the restaurant.
F i g u r a 1 . 7 . Menu at Anuga’s restaurant

Conversation: at the restaurant

Belinda Jenkings: Hello, we have a reservation for three people.

Waiter: Ok, your name, please?

Àngles 21 Company operations

Belinda Jenkings: Belinda Jenkings.

Waiter: Yes, I see. Would you follow me, please? I will show you your table.

Belinda Jenkings: What is on the menu?

Waiter: We have a special menu for the fair. Here you are.

Céline Thierry: Thank you.

Waiter: Can I take your order?

Céline Thierry: Sure. I would like to start with mixed greens and roasted chicken for the
main course.

Pawel Janczac: I’ll have the same.

Belinda Jenkings: What’s the pork loin like?

Waiter: It is very good.

Belinda Jenkings: Well..., then I’ll take a salad to start and pork loin as a second course.

Waiter: How would you like your steak? rare, medium or well done?

Belinda Jenkings: Well done

Waiter: Anything to drink?

Céline Thierry: We’ll have red wine.

1.2.4 Making requests

Look at the following examples from the previous conversations:

Taula 1.13.

How may I help you? Com el puc ajudar?

Can I have your name, please? Em podria donar el seu nom, sisplau?

your name, please? El seu nom, sisplau?

Would you follow me, please? Em segueixen, sisplau?

Can I take your order? Puc agafar la comanda?

They are all requests. A request is very much like an order or command. In fact,
an order is the strongest way of making a request. We make requests with a variety
of modal verbs. Their choice depends on the degree of formality.

Read the following requests, with an increasing degree of formality:

Taula 1.14.

1. Close the door! Tanca la porta!

2. Can you open the window, please? Pots obrir la finestra, siusplau?

3. Could you pick me up at the airport? Em podries recollir a l’aeroport, siusplau?

4. Will you switch off the light? Tancaràs el llum?

Àngles 22 Company operations

5. Would you follow me? Em segueixen? / Farien el favor de seguir-me?

6. Do you mind changing the ink cartridge? Et faria res canviar el cartutx de tinta?

7. Would you mind calling Ms. Thompson? Li faria res trucar la Sra. Thompson?

Notes:

• Sentence 1 is made with the imperative form ‘close!’. This is an order.

• In sentences 2 to 5 we use a modal verb: can, could, will, and would.

• The verb mind, in sentences 6 and 7, is always followed by a gerund:

changing, calling.

• Very often, we add the word please to soften a request.

The position of please: If we use the word please to soften our request, we
can place it in different positions.

Here are examples with the most common positions of the word please:

• Please, open the window! or Open the window, please!

• Can you please open the window? or Can you open the window please?

Responding to requests:

There are different ways of responding to requests. Here are some examples:
Tau l a 1 . 1 5 . Accepting the request

‘Could you have a look at this?’ ‘Yes, of course’

‘Will you go to the post office?’ ‘Ok, no problem’

‘Can you turn down the volume of your mic?’ ‘Yes, of course (I can)‘ (the modal verb in the reply
must be the same as that in the request)

‘Would you mind helping me carry this suitcase?’ ‘Of course I don’t mind’

‘Could you read the instructions?’ ‘Certainly’

‘Can I have your telephone number?’ ‘Sure’

‘Will you receive our visitor?’ ‘Why not?’

Tau l a 1 . 1 6 . Rejecting the request

‘Could you bring me a coffee?’ ‘I’m sorry, but I can’t’ (I’m on the phone right now)

‘Do you mind opening the window?’ ‘I’m afraid I can’t’ (it’s too cold in here)

As when responding to a suggestion or a piece of advice, we should explain why

we reject a request by giving some ‘excuse’.
Àngles 23 Company operations

1.3 Grammar: The Modal Verbs

We have learnt different ways to make requests. One of them is by means of a

modal verb : ‘Can you open the door?’, ‘Could you turn down the volume?’.

The modal verbs are a special type of verbs in English. They do not express
actions, but ideas like ability, obligation and possibility. They are also used to ask
for permission, make requests or express the future, for example.

The modal verbs are:

Taula 1.17.

can could must should

may might will would

The main characteristics of the modal verbs are:

• The modal verbs generally refer to the present or the future time, but they
have no tenses like the past tenses, the continuous and perfect tenses, or
the infinitive. To express a modal verb in any of these forms, we must use
an alternative expression with the same meaning. For example, to express
ability in the future, we will not use ‘can’, but ‘will be able to’: ‘She will
be able to attend the meeting’.

• The 3rd person singular does not add an -s: he can, she must, he may, etc.
It is wrong to say: he cans.

• They form the negative by adding not to the verb, as in the verb be: I cannot,
he must not, etc. It is wrong to say: I don’t can, he doesn’t must.

• They form the interrogative by inverting the order of the subject and the verb:
Can you...?, May I...?, etc. It is wrong to say: Do you can...?, Do I may...?.

• They must always be accompanied by another verb in the infinitive form: ‘I

can speak English’ (Sé parlar anglès). The sentence I can English makes
no sense.

Modal verbs are a subgrup of auxiliary verbs. They are used to express ability,
possibility, obligation, to give permission, make requests or suggestions, etc. They
are an important part of the English language and are widely used.

1.3.1 Modal verbs: can / could

The modal verb can is used to express:

Àngles 24 Company operations

Tau l a 1 . 1 8 .
1. Present ability

He can speak German [Ell] sap parlar alemany/[Ell] parla alemany

2. Certain possibility

Scotland can be very warm in August Pot ser que a l’agost faci calor a Escòcia

3. Informal permission

You can borrow my car if you want Pots agafar el meu cotxe si vols

I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here Em sap greu, però no pot estar aquí

4. Informal request

Can you come please? Pots venir, si us plau?

5. A suggestion

We can have a coffee Podem prendre un cafè

Can is a modal verb that only has a present form, though it can be used with
future meaning. For example:

• Barry can’t come tonight. He’s ill.

The past or conditional form is could.

For all the other tenses and forms, we use ‘be able to + infinitive’. For
example:

• Sean has been able to swim (present perfect) since he was three.

• I ‘d like to be able to fly (would like).

• You‘ll be able to practise (future) your German in Berlin.

The modal verb could is used to express:

Tau l a 1 . 1 9 .

1. Past ability

By the time I was five, I could read and write Quan tenia 5 anys sabia llegir i escriure

In school, Eileen could beat anyone in a race A l’escola, l’Eileen podia guanyar a qualsevol en una
carrera

He studied hard, but couldn’t pass the exam Va estudiar molt però no va poder aprovar

2. Uncertain possibility

I don’t think so, but it could be true No ho crec, però podria ser veritat

3. Formal permission

Could I leave early? Podria marxar aviat/d’hora?

4. Formal/polite request

Could I please have some water? Podria veure una mica d’aigua si us plau?

Could you please translate it into Spanish? Podria traduir això al castellà, si us plau?

5. A suggestion

We could have a coffee Podríem prendre un cafè

Àngles 25 Company operations

Note:

When we are talking about a specific situation or when noting a specific achieve-
ment, we use ‘was/were able to’ and ‘managed to’. For example:

• We were able to get a really good price on the car.

• We managed to get a really good price on the car.

These are the conjugations of can and could:

Taula 1.20. Conjugation of ’can’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I can cannot* can’t can I...?

you can cannot* can’t can you...?

he, she, it can cannot* can’t can he / she / it...?

we can cannot* can’t can we...?

you can cannot* can’t can you...?

they can cannot* can’t can they...?

Cannot
Taula 1.21. Conjugation of ’could’
The long form of the negative of
Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative can is spelt as one word (cannot).
Long form Short form This form is only used in formal
written texts. When speaking,
we always say can’t.
I could could not couldn’t could I...?

you could could not couldn’t could you...?

he, she, it could could not couldn’t could he / she /

it...?

we could could not couldn’t could we...?

you could could not couldn’t could you...?

they could could not couldn’t could they...?

1.3.2 Modal verbs: must / should

The modal verb must is used to express:

Taula 1.22.
1. Obligation

Passengers must fasten their seatbelts Els passatgers s’han de cordar el cinturó

2. Prohibition

In a non-smoking area you mustn’t smoke En zones de no fumadors està prohibit fumar

3. Predictions

You’ve got a call. That must be James Tens una trucada. Deu ser en James
Àngles 26 Company operations

Strong obligation
Must and Have to are both used for strong obligation. Must is used for
internal obligations, whereas ‘Have to’ is used for external obligations.
However, the meaning of these two form changes in their negative forms.
In the negative form, mustn’t expresses prohibition, whereas don’t have to
means lack of necessity.

See the examples (affirmative form):

Tau l a 1 . 2 3 .

It’s so late! I must go És tan tard! He de marxar

If you travel, you have to carry your passport Si viatges has de portar el passaport

See the examples (negative form):

Tau l a 1 . 2 4 .

You must not turn off the computer (background No tanquis l’ordinador (està fent tasques en segon
work is going on) pla)

You don’t have to turn off the computer. I’ll do it No cal que apaguis l’ordinador. Ho faré jo després
later.

In the first example turning off the computer is prohibited, whereas in the second
example it is not necessary to turn off the computer.

The modal verb should is used to express:

Tau l a 1 . 2 5 .

1. Moral obligation

I should call Ms. Spencer Hauria de trucar la Sra. Spencer

2. Advice

You should start your own company Hauries de muntar la teva pròpia empresa

Obligation and moral obligation

The difference between an obligation and a moral obligation is not very clear because it
often depends of the person’s point of view.

An obligation is something that we must do because it is established by the regulations

(for example, we must wear a jacket to go to a formal meal) or because we think that it is
necessary or very important (for example, you must go if you want to take that flight).

On the other hand, a moral obligation is something which is not obligatory, but we feel that it
is important for us or in a given context (for example, I think I should practise more if I want
to improve my oral skills).

These are the conjugations of must and should:

Àngles 27 Company operations

Taula 1.26. Conjugation of ’must’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I must must not mustn’t must I...?

you must must not mustn’t must you...?

he, she, it must must not mustn’t must he / she /

it...?

we must must not mustn’t must we...?

you must must not mustn’t must you...?

they must must not mustn’t must they...?

Taula 1.27. Conjugation of ’should’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I should should not shouldn’t should I...?

you should should not shouldn’t should you...?

he, she, it should should not shouldn’t should he / she /

it...?

we should should not shouldn’t should we...?

you should should not shouldn’t should you...?

they should should not shouldn’t should they...?

Alternative forms:

The modal verb must expresses an obligation in the present. To express an

obligation in other tenses, we can use the expression:

• Have to (‘Haver de’)

For example:

Taula 1.28.

We had to wait for three hours in the rain (passat Vam haver d’esperar tres hores sota la pluja
simple)

You will have to give an explanation (future) Hauràs de donar una explicació

The verb should usually refers to the present (as in: I should go now) or to the
future (as in: I should go tomorrow). To speak about a moral obligation in the
past, we can use this expression:

• Should have + past participle:

For example:
Taula 1.29.

I should have called him L’hauria d’haver trucat

Àngles 28 Company operations

1.3.3 Modal verbs: may / might

The modal verb may is used to:

Tau l a 1 . 3 0 .

1. Express possibility

I may watch a movie tonight Potser miraré una pel·lícula aquest vespre

These tablets may produce side effects Aquestes pastilles poden tenir efectes secundaris

2. Ask for formal permission

May I ask you a favour? Li puc demanar un favor?

May I borrow your pen? Puc agafar el seu bolígraf?

May I go now? Puc marxar ara?

3. Give formal permission

You may sit down now Ara podeu seure

Students may travel for free Els estudiants poden viatjar gratuïtament

4. Requests

May I see your driving license? Puc veure el seu carnet de conduir?

May I use your phone? Podria fer servir el seu telèfon?

The modal verb might is to:

Tau l a 1 . 3 1 .

1. Express a remote possibility

Our boss was sick yesterday so the meeting might El nostre cap estava malalt ahir, així que pot ser que
be postponed es postposi la reunió

2. Conditional

If I enter the contest, I might win Si entro al concurs, pot ser que guanyi

These are the conjugations of may and might:

Tau l a 1 . 3 2 . Conjugation of ’may’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I may may not - may I...?

you may may not - may you...?

he, she, it may may not - may he / she / it...?

we may may not - may we...?

you may may not - may you...?

they may may not - may they...?

Àngles 29 Company operations

Taula 1.33. Conjugation of ’might’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I might might not - might I...?

you might might not - might you...?

he, she, it might might not - might he / she /

it...?

we might might not - might we...?

you might might not - might you...?

they might might not - might they...?

When expressing possibility, may and might can normally be interchanged

without a significant difference in meaning. However, ‘might’ often implies a
smaller chance of something happening.

Tau l a 1 . 3 4 . Degree of
Modal Possibility
possibility
Must 95-100%

May 50-80%

Might 20-40%

Can’t 0%

Alternative forms:

When we express a possibility with may or might, we always refer to future

possibilities. To speak of possibilities in the past, we can use these forms:

• May have + past participle: It may have rained (És possible que hagi plogut
/ Pot haver plogut).

• Might have + past participle: He might have gone (Podria ser que hagués
marxat / Podria haver marxat).

Other ways of expressing possibility are:

• with the expression be possible that + clause: It is possible that it rains

tonight (És possible que plogui aquesta nit).

• with the adverb probably and the future tense: It will probably rain tonight
(Probablement plourà aquesta nit).

1.3.4 Modal verbs: will / would

The modal werb will is used to:

Àngles 30 Company operations

Tau l a 1 . 3 5 .

1. Refer to the future

The shop will close down next week La botiga tancarà la setmana que ve

2. Make requests

Will you help me please? M’ajudaras si us plau?

The modal verb would is used to:

Tau l a 1 . 3 6 .

1. As a conditional (hypothetical) form

I would go if I had time Jo hi aniria si tingués temps

2. Make formal requests

Would you please send me the application? Em podria enviar la sol·licitud si us plau?

3. Make invitations(with like)

Would you like a coffee? Voldria prendre un cafè?

These are the conjugations of will and would:

Tau l a 1 . 3 7 . Conjugation of ’will’

Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form

I will will not won’t* will I...?

you will will not won’t* will you...?

he, she, it will will not won’t* will he / she / it...?

we will will not won’t* will we...?

you will will not won’t* will you...?

they will will not won’t* will they...?

Won’t
Tau l a 1 . 3 8 . Conjugation of ’would’
Notice that the short form of the
negative is won’t. This form is Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative
used in speech and informal Long form Short form
written texts.

I would would not wouldn’t would I...?

you would would not wouldn’t would you...?

he, she, it would would not wouldn’t would he / she /

it...?

we would would not wouldn’t would we...?

you would would not wouldn’t would you...?

they would would not wouldn’t would they...?

Alternative forms:
See Unit 3, section 1.1.
“Grammar” to see another
way of expressing the The modal verbs will and would have no alternative forms.
future.
Àngles 31 Company operations

1.4 Writing

In this section we will describe the characteristics of written language and we will
focus our attention on business emails.

Unlike the oral language, which makes use of non-verbal language to transmit
the message, a written text is what we see. When we speak we can leave some
sentences unfinished or change the volume or the tone to express emotions, but we
cannot do that in a written text. That is why in a written text, sentences must be
complete, they tend to be longer, with subordinate clauses and we use punctuation
to organize and structure our writings.

Some of the characteristics of written language are:

• Use of long forms:

Example: when introducing the reason for writing: “I am writing to inform
you...”. We use the long form “I am” instead of “I’m”.

• Some grammatical constructions are only used in writing, as are some kinds
of vocabulary.
Example: the closing sentence in formal letters: “We are looking forward
to your reply.”

• Use of a particular layout depending on the type of text (descriptions,

reports, business letters, invoices, forms...)
Example: business letters have a very fixed layout. See the structure of the
business email samples below.

• Organization in paragraphs. It is very important to organize the ideas in

different paragraphs and leave a blank space between them.

• Use of connectors and punctuation. See the previous Section 2.3.2 Writing:
connectors and punctuation.

• Use of correct sentence structure. The structure of the sentence is very

important in English. See Unit 3, Section Grammar: sentence structure.

• Use of formal language, except in informal writing (informal emails, notes,

etc.) See the annex Formal/informal language.

1.4.1 Writing emails

Emails are usually short. When writing an email, try to keep up to the point and
avoid adding too much information. The objective is to get your message across
and to get a swift response from the recipient.
Àngles 32 Company operations

Parts of an email

Emails have a particular layout determined by our email service provider.

See the different parts of an email in the next image:

F i g u r a 1.8. Parts of an email

In general, these are the parts of an email:

1. Sender: In this box there is your email address. In the example, it is the box
“From”.

2. Recipient: In this box, write the email address of the recipient. In the
example, it is the box “To”.

3. Subject line: You should write a short description of the content of the
email so that when the recipient opens the mailbox, they know what it is
about. In the example, “Subject”: Invitation to AMM.

4. Greeting: We can simply write “Hello,” or “Hello Mr/Ms...”, or more

formal “Dear Mr/Ms...”. In formal emails we write the surname of the
recipient, not the first name.

5. Body: You have to organize the contents of the email into different
paragraphs.

6. In the first one you have to state the purpose for writing. You should also
provide a reference or context. For example: “This is with reference to your
Àngles 33 Company operations

mail dated...”. In the sample email: “I am writing to invite you to...”. We

state the reason and the date and venue of the event.

7. In the next paragraphs, we have to add the information we need to provide,

and organize the ideas in different paragraphs:

• In the sample, in the second paragraph, the recipient is informed about

the attachment and asked for confirmation of attendance, and in the
third paragraph, the recipient is informed about the accommodation.
• Finally, we ask the recipient for feedback or to take a particular action.
In the sample: “We are looking forward to your confirmation.”

8. Closing: A standard formula to close an email or a business letter is “Yours

sincerely”, but we can use others, such as “Best regards”, or “Thank you
and regards”.

9. Attachments: You can attach files to your email, but you should notify it in
the email. In the sample: “See attached the agenda of the meeting”.

10. Signature: You should provide your name, position and contact details.

1.4.2 Thank you letters

After a business meeting, it is quite common to send a thank you letter. This type
of letters should include the following information:

1. First paragraph: Thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet you.

2. Second paragraph: Restate your interest in the company/school/organi-

zation. Mention something you learned from the meeting or comment on
something important that you discussed.

3. Third paragraph: Thank the interviewer for their time and consideration.
If it is the case, you can close wiht a suggestion for further action.

See the following sample:

Agriécolo

1, rue des Pertuisanes

34000 Montpellier

France

Montpellier, 21 October, 2016

Ms Lena Schöeder

Wilhelm-Leuschner Strasse 31

60329 Cologne
Àngles 34 Company operations

Germany

Dear Ms Schöeder,

I am writing this letter to appreciate your invitation to the Anuga Fair held in Cologne last
week.

I have heard nothing but praise from all who attended the fair. The exhibitions were very
interesting and the food was delicious. The presenters were well prepared and the sessions
were well attended. You did a good job organizing the workshops and selecting the topics.

Furthermore, it was very profitable, since we had the opportunity of meeting other
companies and have interesting discussions, which might lead to further cooperation with
them.

Congratulations on both a successful and a memorable fair. Thank you for your invitation.

We look forward to attending the next fair next year.

Yours sincerely,

Céline Thierry

Sales department
Àngles 35 Company operations

2. Money

Different countries have different currencies. The EU has a common currency,

the euro, except for some countries like UK, where £ pounds are used. The
exchange rate between different currencies changes every day, according to market
fluctuation. This can change the cost of living and the price of goods. The price of
goods or services, called market price, depends on the supply and the demand of
these products; if the demand is constant, and there is a decline of supply it results
in a rise of its market price and vice versa.

The next diagram depicts how supply and demand determine the market price:

F i g u r a 2 . 1 . Supply and demand curves

Source: wikipedia

All this is part of an economic system in which banks play a crucial role. They
accept deposits and they use the funds to create loans, empowering people to buy
houses, to start businesses or to send their children to school.

2.1 Banks

Banks might give an interest on some types of accounts or deposits individuals

or companies have. People have their savings accounts, and they can withdraw
money from the ATM in order to pay their bills, the school fees, or to go on
holidays. The money they spend depends on their own budget, if they overspend
they might become broke!

Another way to pay for a purchase is to issue a bank check. But sometimes the
money you have in the account might not be enough to afford, for example to buy a
house. In this case, the bank gives you a mortgage, which is a loan they give you so
that you can acquire your house and you keep paying the money back in different
instalments, which means that you will be making payments at successive fixed
times.
Àngles 36 Company operations

Read the following conversations. The first is a telephone conversation and the
second takes place at the bank.

In this telephone conversation, a customer wants to pay a bill for the acquisition of
some products. Her first intention is to pay through credit card, but the assistant
offers her an alternative.

Telephone conversation (I)

Assistant: Your bill amounts to 350 euros.

Customer: Do you accept credit cards? How can I pay?

Assistant: I am sorry, we don’t take credit card numbers on phone for security purposes. I
can send you an email with an online form that leads to a secure payment page.

Customer: Won’t that take too long?

Assistant: Well, I can also mark it for cash on delivery and you can pay in cash to the
delivery boy.

Customer: That’s a good option. When will he deliver?

Assistant: You will get this product within 2 days. Please keep the cash ready.

Customer: Sure. No problems.

This conversation takes place in the bank. A customer has tried to use the
ATM machine to make some transactions, but unfortunately it does not work.
Subsequently she enters the bank to see what is wrong.

Telephone conversation (II)

Customer: Good morning.

Bank clerk: Good morning madam. How can I help you?

Customer: I’m having a problem with the ATM.

Bank clerk: What seems to be the problem?

Customer: I have been denied access to my account.

Bank clerk: Are you sure you entered the right pin number?
Money withdrawing from an ATM
(Automated Teller Machine). Source:
Tax Credits (flickr.com) Customer: Yes, I’m sure, and I followed all the instructions carefully.

Bank clerk: Ok, let me see. I will try to access your account from my computer. First, I
need to enter some information about your account.

Customer: Certainly.

Bank clerk: Saving or checking account?

Customer: Checking account.

Bank clerk: What’s your name?

Customer: My name is Lidia Walter.

Bank clerk: Do you have your account number?

Customer: Yes, it is 123354645645

Àngles 37 Company operations

Bank Clerk: Let me see, there is nothing wrong with your account. I will check the ATM
status on my terminal.

Customer: Ok, thank you.

Bank Clerk: I’m afraid the ATM is not working. What kind of transactions would you like to
make?

Customer: I’d like to deposit a check and withdraw 200 euros, please.

Bank clerk: Here you are.

Customer: Thank you.

Bank clerk: You are welcome, madam. Please, accept our apologies for the inconvenience
we caused you.

Customer: No problem. Have a nice day.

2.1.1 Online banking

Most banks offer the possibility of performing banking transactions through the
Internet. The banks provide a username, passwords and security codes to prevent
fraud. Customers can pay their bills or check their account balances.

See the following online bank statement:

Figura 2.2 . Bank statement

Taula 2.1. Vocabulary

Account (n): compte Checking account (n): compte corrent

Amounts (v): ascendre (a una quantitat) Customer (n): client

Apologies (n): disculpes Deliver (v): fer lliurament/lliurar

ATM (n): caixer automàtic Deposit a check (v): ingressar un txec

Àngles 38 Company operations

Bill (n): factura Savings account(n): compte d’estalvi

Cash (n): efectiu Secure (adj): segur

Cash on delivery (n): contra reemborsament Withdraw (money) (v): treure (diners)

2.2 Grammar: The Present Perfect

Read the following sentences:

1. The bank sent us the details of our transactions for the month of January.

2. Mr. Okonko didn’t have enough money in his account, so the bank didn’t
honour his cheques.

3. Ms. Wealthy has just deposited 12,000 dollars into her bank account.

4. The Finance department has not received the payment yet.

5. Have you settled all your debts?

6. We have been chasing late payments.

7. There hasn’t been any response from our creditors since last May.

8. We have been investing in infrastructures for years.

The verb tense in sentences 1 and 2 is the past simple, they refer to a time in the
past. The verb tense in sentences 3, 4, 5 and 7 is the present perfect, they also
refer to the past, but have a connection to the present. The verb tense in sentences
6 and 8 is the present perfect continuous, which describes how long you have
been doing something thay you started in the past and still continue now.

As you can see, the present perfect tenses are composed of two elements: the
auxiliary verb have and the past participle form of the verb, with the ending-ed
for regular verbs. You will have to check the list of irregular verbs for to know the
past participle of irregular verbs.

2.2.1 The present perfect simple

These are the forms of the present perfect simple of a regular verb (“to work”):
Tau l a 2 . 2 . Conjugation of the present perfect simple (regular verb)

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Short form

I have worked ‘ve worked have not haven’t worked Have I

worked worked...?
Àngles 39 Company operations

Taula 2.2 (continuació)

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Short form

You have worked ‘ve worked have not haven’t worked Have you
worked worked...?

He/She/It has worked ‘s worked has not worked hasn’t worked Has he
worked...?

We have worked ‘ve worked have not haven’t worked Have we

worked worked...?

You have worked ‘ve worked have not haven’t worked Have you
worked worked...?

They have worked ‘ve worked have not haven’t worked Have they
worked worked...?

Here are the forms of the present perfect simple of an irregular verb (“to eat”):
Taula 2.3. Conjugation of the present perfect simple (irregular verb)

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Short form

I have eaten ‘ve eaten have not eaten haven’t eaten Have I
eaten...?

You have eaten ‘ve eaten have not eaten haven’t eaten Have you
eaten...?

He/She/It has eaten ‘s eaten has not eaten hasn’t eaten Has he
eaten...?

We have eaten ‘ve eaten have not eaten haven’t eaten Have we
eaten...?

You have eaten ‘ve eaten have not eaten haven’t eaten Have you
eaten...?

They have eaten ‘ve eaten have not eaten haven’t eaten Have they
eaten...?

The present perfect simple is used:

Taula 2.4.

1. To express an action that started in the past and continues in the present

I have worked for this bank since I left university He treballat en aquest banc des que vaig acabar a la
universitat

He has been on the phone for one hour Fa una hora que parla per telèfon

2. To express a recently finished action whose consequences still continue in the present

Sean is in hospital because he has broken his leg En Sean és a l’hospital perquè s’ha trencat una cama

I have bought a car M’he comprat un cotxe

3. To express a finished action in an indeterminate past, used for experiences and accomplishments

Have you ever worked in a foreign country? Has treballat alguna vegada a l’estranger?

I have never applied for a mortgage No he demanat mai una hipotèca

I have been to Canada many times He estat al Canadà moltes vegades

Àngles 40 Company operations

Prepositions and adverbials used with the present perfect

Prepositions For and since:

• For + period of time: for two hours, for one month, for ten years, for a long
time

• Since + point in time: since three o’clock, since yesterday, since I was 10,
since 2010

Adverbials of time commonly used with the present perfect:

Tau l a 2 . 5 .

This week we have taken important steps to proctect Aquesta setmana hem fet passos importants per
consumers protegir els consumidors

Tania has never called the emergency services La Tània no ha trucat mai als serveis d’emergència

Maria has just called (*) La Maria acaba de trucar

Have you already withdrawn the money from the Ja has tret els diners del banc?
ATM?

Has David ever invested in shares? En David ha invertit mai en accions?

My order hasn’t arrived yet (*) La meva comanda encara no ha arribat

(*) Some of these adverbs need an explanation:

• Just is used to say that the action has finished very recently. It means ‘acabar
de’ + verb. Examples:

– I have just met Mr Bramwell (M’acabo de trobar el Sr. Bramwell).

– He has just gone (Acaba de marxar).

• Yet is only used in questions and negative sentences. We usually place it at

the end of the sentence. Examples:

– Have you started the course yet? (Has començat ja el curs?)

– We haven’t met Mr Bramwell yet (Encara no hem conegut el Sr.
Bramvell).

2.2.2 The present perfect simple and the present perfect continuous

The present perfect continuous is composed of three elements: the auxiliary verb
have + the past participle of be (been) + the gerund of the verb.

The table shows the forms of the present perfect continuous of the verb to work:
Àngles 41 Company operations

Taula 2.6. Conjugation of the present perfect simple (irregular verb)

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Short form

I have been ‘ve been have not been haven’t been Have I been
working working working working working...?

You have been ‘ve been have not been haven’t been Have you been
working working working working working...?

He/She/It has been ‘s been has not been hasn’t been Has he been
working working working working working...?

We have been ‘ve been have not been haven’t been Have we been
working working working working working...?

You have been ‘ve been have not been haven’t been Have you been
working working working working working...?

They have been ‘ve been have not been haven’t been Have they
working working working working been
working...?

The present perfect continuous is used in the same cases as the present perfect
simple, but sometimes there is a difference in the emphasis on the continuation of
the action.

1) The following sentences have the same meaning:

• I have worked in this company for 20 years

• I have been working in this company for 20 years

• (Porto 20 anys treballant en aquesta empresa)

But we can only use the present perfect simple in:

• I have been a worker in this company since 1998 (He estat treballador
d’aquesta empresa des de l’any 1998).

It is wrong to say: I have been being a worker in this company since 1998. Re-
member that there are some verbs that are not used in the continuous forms.

2) In the following sentences, the difference is in the emphasis on the duration

of the action:

• The street is wet because it has rained all night (El carrer és moll perquè ha
plogut tota la nit).

• The street is wet because it has been raining all night (El carrer és moll
perquè ha estat plovent tota la nit).

With the present perfect simple, we explain what has happened to explain why
the street is wet, the action is finished and it has given a certain result. In the
present perfect continuous, we emphasize the duration, not the action itself. With
the present perfect continuous, the idea is that it has been raining all night and it
is still raining at present.
Àngles 42 Company operations

2.3 Finance department

The Finance department is responsible for the money coming into and going out
of the business. This includes employe wages, petty cash, paying suppliers and
receiving money from customers.

They manage cash-flows in an efficient manner, negotiate with vendors and

suppliers, and do the book keeping.

In this section, we are going to learn about some of the duties of the Finance
department, for example:

• Some details about accounting and bookkeeping

• Collocations related to business terms

• The parts of an invoice

• How to describe business trends and stats

2.3.1 Accounting

Accounting is one of the key functions for almost any business; it may be handled
by a bookkeeper and accountant at small firms or by finance departments with
dozens of employees at larger companies. Companies use financial statements
to control their performance. Typically, they are the balance sheet, the income
statement and the cash flow statement.

The balance sheet reports a company’s financial position based on its assets,
liabilities, and equity at a single moment in time. A standard company balance
sheet has three parts: assets, liabilities, and ownership equity. Assets are all the
things the business owns. This will include property, tools, cars, desks, chairs,
machinery, and so on.

Liabilities are the company’s legal debts or obligations that arise during the course
of business operations. They include loans, accounts payable, mortgages, deferred
revenues and accrued expenses. For example, the outstanding money that a
company owes to its suppliers would be considered a liability. Current liabilities
are debts payable within one year, while long-term liabilities are debts payable
over a longer period.

The account form consists of two columns displaying assets on the left column
of the report and liabilities and equity on the right column. They are also called
debits and credits. The debit accounts are displayed on the left and credit accounts
are on the right. It is called a balance sheet because the two sides balance out. That
is, a company has to pay for all the things it has (assets) by either borrowing money
(liabilities) or getting it from shareholders (shareholders’ equity).
Àngles 43 Company operations

See the translation of some words from the text:

Taula 2.7. Vocabulary

Account balance: saldo en compte Income statement: estat d’ingressos

Accountant: comptable Income tax: impost sobre la renta

Accounting: comptabilitat Installments: a terminis

Account: compte bancari Insurance: assegurança

Accrued expenses: despeses acumulades Issue a bank check: emitir un txec bancari

Actually: en realitat Landline: línea fixe de telèfon

Afford: permetre’s Liabilities: passius

Amount: quantitat Loan: crèdit

Assets: actius Long-term: llarg termini

At least: com a mínim Machinery: maquinària

ATM (Automated Teller Machine): caixer automàtic Managing director: director general

Average family: família mitja Market price: preu del mercat

Balance out: quadrar Meals: àpats

Balance sheet: full de balanç Mobile phone bills: factures de telèfon mòbil

Bank statement: extracte bancari Mortgage: hipoteca

Be aware: ser conscient (de) National insurance: seguretat social

Become broke: arruïnar-se Non-essential expenditure: despeses no bàsiques

Bookkeeper: comptable On average: de mitjana

Borrow money: demanar diners Outstanding money: diners pendents

Budget: pressupost Over: més de...

Car insurance: assegurança del cotxe Overspend: gastar més del compte

Cash flow statement: estat dels fluxos de caixa (To) Owe: deure

Clothing: roba (To) own: pertànyer

Commute to work: anar i tornar a la feina amb algun Password: contrasenya

tipus de transport

Consolidate one’s debts: consolidar els deutes Pounds: lliures esterlines

Cost of living: cost de la vida Prevent fraud: evitar el frau

Council tax: taxa municipal Property: propietat(s)

Currency: moneda, divisa (To) Provide: proporcionar

Customer: client Purchase: compra

Deferred revenues: ingressos diferits Report: informe

Deposit: dipòsit Savings account: compte d’estalvis

Display: mostrar School fees: taxes escolars

Disposable income: renta disponible Security code: codi de seguretat

Earn: guanyar (diners) Shareholder: accionista

Employee: empleat, treballador Slightly: lleugerament

Equity: net patrimonial Supplier: proveïdor

Essential expenditure: despeses bàsiques Supply and demand: oferta i demanda

EU (European Union): UE (Unió Europea) Survey: estudi

Àngles 44 Company operations

Exchange rate: tipus de canvi Take into account: tenir en compte

Figure: xifra Total figure: xifre/quantitat total

Funds: fons Up to: fins a...

Goods: béns Username: nom d’usuari

Gross income: ingressos bruts Utilities: serveis públics

Home insurance: assegurança de la llar Withdraw money: treure diners

There are some collocations from the text:

Tau l a 2 . 8 .

Bank statement extracte bancari

Crucial role paper crucial

Cost of living cost de la vida

Essential expenditure despeses bàsiques

Exchange rate tipus de canvi

Market fluctuation fluctuació del mercat

Supply and demand oferta i demanda

“Collocations” are words that go together or form a fixed relationship. See

some examples of collocations related to economic terms.

2.3.2 Invoices

An invoice is a document that a supplier sends to a customer detailing the cost of

products or services supplied and requesting payment. All invoices should include
five components:

• An invoice number

• A date

• Business contact information

• Descriptions of goods and services

• Payment terms

See an example of an invoice:

Àngles 45 Company operations

Figu r a 2 . 3 . Invoice Office Supplies

Invoice template

You can find an invoice template, in this link:

Invoice Template

2.3.3 Describing trends

In the English-speaking business world you may have to discuss the information
on graphs. See different types of graphs in the table below.
Taula 2.9. Types of graphs

Graph Description

A pie chart is a special chart which uses “pie slices” to show relative
sizes of data. Pie charts are generally used to show percentage or
proportional data.

A bar graph or bar chart is a graphical display of data using bars of

different heights.
Àngles 46 Company operations

Tau l a 2 . 9 (continuació)

Graph Description

A line chart or line graph is a type of chart which displays information

as a series of data points called ‘markers’ connected by straight line
segments. It depicts changes over a period of time, showing data and
trends.

How to describe trends:

There are four basic trends: upward movement, downward movement, no move-
ment or change in direction. Read the following statements describing some of
these movements:

Upward movements

• Sales of music equipment went up in 1995 and continued to rise steadily until 1996.

• There was a sharp increase in raw materials prices.

• The number of temporary contracts has increased drammatically.

• Prices of basic commodities have gone up over the past months.

• As the costs of energy and raw materials skyrocket, everybody is talking about ‘going green’.

• The profits soared and the industry flourished like never before.

• There was a dramatic rise in sales in the last term.

• The successful business’s profits continue to grow.

Downward movements

• The sudden collapse in share prices has surprised everyone.

• The economy is in a downswing.

• The ratio for wheat is forecast to plummet to 20% this year.

• In the future, the rate of mortality is expected to decrease.

• The objective is to reduce costs.

• The recession is over and unemployment is declining.

In these examples we have used verbs and nouns to describe upward and downward
trends. See some more in the table below:
Tau l a 2 . 1 0 . Verbs and nouns describing trends

Upward movement Downward movement

Verbs Nouns Verbs Nouns

be/go up (an) upswing collapse (a) collapse

boom (a) boom cut (a) cut

expand (an) expansion decline (a) decline

grow (a) growth decrease (a) decrease

increase (an) increase drop (off) (a) drop

Àngles 47 Company operations

Taula 2.10 (continuació)

Upward movement Downward movement

Verbs Nouns Verbs Nouns

jump (a) jump fall (off) (a) fall

peak (a) peak go down (a) downswing

progress (a) progression plummet/plunge (a) plunge

rise (a) rise reduce (a) reduction

skyrocket (a) jump slump (a) slump

To describe graphs which depict no movement, we can use verbs such as:

• keep or remain stable

• hold or stay constant

• stabilize

• Nouns such as: stability or balance

Taula 2.11.

Food prices have stabilized recently Els preus dels aliments s’han estabilitzat recentment

Inflation will remain stable or even drop slightly La inflació romandrà estable o fins i tot caurà
lleugerament

Expressions to indicate changes of direction are:

• level off

• flatten out

• stop falling/rising

• change

• stand at

• start rising

Taula 2.12.

The volume of export will start rising after the El volum d’exportació començarà a augmentar
construction of the new harbour després de la construcció del nou port

Stocks leveled off after early losses Les existències es van anivellar després de les
pèrdues inicials
Àngles 49 Company operations

3. Innovation

Innonvation highly depends on many factors, such as demography, political and

economic changes, technological advances and demands from new generations.
Some people believe that time will come where technology will be so advanced
that it will make machines smarter than humans and that time may be closer than
we realize. According to various surveys, robots and software might replace
traditional jobs, which will become reduntant.

While robots will be handling most of the tasks and responding to the needs of
guests at a hotel in any language, humans will be only monitoring security cameras Robots and artificial intelligence will
be part of our lifes in a few years time.

to supervise whether everything is working properly.

Source: Unsplash, Yuyeung-lau.

This loss of jobs might result in an income gap between the rich and the poor, as
many people will end up unemployed, while highly qualified professionals will
increase their wealth. Some might start their own business if they are able to
identify the markets needs. That is the case of Lena Ahmatova, who started an
online shopping site, which has been very successful. She explains her experience:

If you want to start a business, you have to spot a need which is not met in the
market. That need might be a product, such as a car, a phone, a drone, or even
software, or a service. If, for example, you are going to start a childcare business,
you’ll have to do research, know your competitors, and the area of influence. In
my case, I was looking at very unique products to sell, I was highly motivated, so
I went for it. With online business, the feedback from your customers is vital, and
not only those that rate you high. Negative feedback is going to help you improve
and follow the trends.

As Lena pointed out, market research is of paramount importance in order to

Lena Ahmatova. Source: Unsplash,
develop your ideas, but once you have set up your business, you will have to market priscilla-du-preez.

your product and you will need your customers’ feedback.

Taula 3.1. Vocabulary Customer: client Monitor: controlar, monitoritzar

Handle: tractar, gestionar Point out: assenyalar

Improve: millorar Spot a need: detectar una necessitat

Income gap: bretxa salarial Successful: que té èxit

Loss: pèrdua Unemployed: aturat (sense feina)

3.1 Marketing

Marketing is about communicating the value of a product, service or brand

to customers or consumers for the purpose of promoting or selling it. The
oldest, simplest and most natural form of marketing is ‘word of mouth’ (WOM)
Àngles 50 Company operations

marketing, in which consumers share their experiences of a product, service or

brand in their communications with others.

The main purpose of marketing is to increase product sales and therefore the profits
of the company.

Marketing techniques include choosing target markets through market analysis

and market segmentation, as well as understanding consumer behaviour and
advertising a product’s value to the customer.

Digital Marketing consists in using digital channels to promote or market pro-

ducts and services to consumers and businesses. The key objective is to promote
brands, build preference and increase sales through various digital marketing
techniques which use the Internet as a promotional medium.

Social media is a tool that allows people to create, share or exchange information,
interests, photos and videos in virtual communities and networks. Social media
fosters communication. People communicate with their families and friends, share
experiences, look for a job or advertise themselves through different social media
sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

Each social network has its own personality and requires a different strategic
approach for a business to be successful on it. See some examples:

• Twitter has millions of active users that send millions of tweets per day, so
it has a lot of marketing potential. Brands can create their business accounts
in order to get in contact with Twitter users, who will prefer to buy from
brands they know and they trust. Twitter marketing services help raise brand
awareness by connecting current users with potential customers. People
who follow a brand on twitter are more likely to visit that company’s website.

• LinkedIn is the social platform where professionals go to connect and

network. It offers businesses a chance to establish themselves as experts in
Most websites nowadays include a
set of the so called social buttons to
their industry by sharing content, joining group discussions, and connecting
allow users easily share the contents
on the social networks. Source: with other professionals. In addition, businesses can post job applications
on this website to expand and add new talent.
Niccolò Agnoletti

• Facebook has adapted to the marketplace and created new ways to connect
with users. Most businesses have a Facebook account. Facebook is an
opportunity for businesses to connect with their followers, engage new ones,
and gain feedback for future projects.

• Businessess use Instagram to reach new customers and engage existing

ones, by creating their own business account and posting regularly. It is
essential to interact with the followers. Therefore, if they leave a comment
on your post, take the time to thank them. It is advisable to incorporate ways
to get the followers interact with the posts.

• Youtube is a large video sharing network, it gives businesses the opportu-

nity to advertise themselves. It is a great place to do influencer marketing if
you want to sell products that require an explanation or tutorial. Influencer
marketing creates brand awareness.
Àngles 51 Company operations

Social media is contributing to success and growth in businesses. Companies can

get information about their audience and they can as well assess their competitors.

3.1.1 Community managers

With digital media, consumers have access to information any time and any place
they want it. Consumers use multiple channels and a variety of digital devices.
They are no longer influenced by just what you say about your brand. In fact,
consumers are more likely to be influenced by what others say about your brand,
and they can easily find the information online, either through blogs, forums, or
|Most people use mobile devices
social media. such as smartphones to interact with
other users in social nerworks.
Source: Unsplash, Marvin Meyer.

Customer interaction is dynamic, so it makes it hard for companies to manage

digital marketing. Community managers play this role, they are the face of the
company. They are responsible for all communications, they create engaging text,
image and video content for social media accounts, and respond to comments
and customer queries. Furthermore, they work on new ways to engage the
digital community, they will participate in discussions, finding new customers and
interacting with the current ones.
Taula 3.2. Vocabulary

Account: compte Network: (fer) xarxa

Application: sol·licitud No longer: ja no

Approach: enfocament, mètode Play a role (of): fer el paper de

Behaviour: comportament Success: éxit

Engaging: que crida l’atenció Target market: mercat de destí

Growth: creixement Tool: eina

Join: afegir-se Trust: confiar

Main: principal Word of mouth (WOM): (el) boca-orella

3.2 Grammar: Future tenses

Read the following sentences from the previous texts:

1. Technology will make machines smarter than humans.

2. The loss of jobs might result in an income gap between the rich and the poor.

3. Highly qualified professionals will increase their wealth.

4. You are going to start a childcare business.

5. Negative feedback is going to help you.

All these sentences refer to the future, but not all of them use the same structure:
Àngles 52 Company operations

• Sentences 1 and 3 are predictions, and they use the structure: subj. + will
+ infinitive

• Sentence 2 expresses possibility. We have already seen this structure in

section 1, ’might’ is a modal verb.

• Sentences 4 and 5 use the structure: Subj + be going to + infinitive. In

sentence 4, we are referring to a plan or an intention of doing something.
Sentence 5 is a prediction based on evidence.

Let’s have a look at different ways of talking about the future:

3.2.1 Future: will

The following table shows the forms and uses of the future with will (with the verb
“to work”).
Tau l a 3 . 3 . Conjugation of the future with ’will’

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Negative
Short form

I will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will I work...?

You will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will you
work...?

He/She/It will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will he work...?

We will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will we
work...?

You will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will you
work...?

They will work ‘ll work will not work won’t work Will they
work...?

Will has different uses:

Tau l a 3 . 4 .

1. Will for predictions/opinions about the future

The offices will close down Els despatxos tancaran

Twitter users will prefer brands they trust Els usuaris de Twitter s’estimaran més les marques
en què confien

Jobs will become redundant Les feines esdevindran innecessàries

I think that I will talk to Mr Harris Em sembla que parlaré amb el Sr Harris

I’m sure that you will get well very soon Estic segur que et recuperaràs molt aviat

2. Will for future actions which do not depend on our will

It will rain all the week Plourà tota la setmana

I will be 65 next year L’any que ve faré 65 anys

Àngles 53 Company operations

Taula 3.5.

3. Will for spontaneous decisions

The photocopier ran out of ink! I’ll change the ink La fotocopiadora s’ha quedat sense tinta. Canviaré el
cartridge cartutx

4. Will to make requests, offers and promises

Will you please help me with my suitcase? M’ajudes amb la maleta?

I promise I won’t help you again Et juro que no et tornaré a ajudar

5. Will in conditional sentences

If you write a good CV, you will find a job Si redactes un bon currículum, trobaràs una feina

If you learn English, you will have more opportunities Si aprens anglès, tindràs més oportiunitats

The following expressions are often used to make predictions:

• I think that... I will stay at the office until late

• I’m sure that... new jobs will be created

• I’m convinced that... everything will get better

• I believe that...: we will soon see the results of the measures taken.

• I guess that... Ms. Chen won’t attend the meeting.

3.2.2 Future: ’Be going to’

Here are the forms of the future with be going to (with the verb “to work”):
Taula 3.6. Conjugation of the future with ’be going to’

Affirmative Affirmative Negative Negative Interrogative

Long form Short form Long form Short form

I am going to ‘m going to am not going ‘m not going to am I going to

work work to work work work...?

you are going to ‘re going to are not going aren’t going to are you going
work work to work work to work...?

he/she/it is going to ‘s going to is not going to isn’t going to is he going to

work work work work work...?

we are going to ‘re going to are not going aren’t going to are we going
work work to work work to work...?

you are going to ‘re going to are not going aren’t going to are you going
work work to work work to work...?

they are going to ‘re going to are not going aren’t going to are they going
work work to work work to work...?

Be going to is used:
Àngles 54 Company operations

Tau l a 3 . 7 .

1. ‘Be going to’ for plans and intentions

Is Mary going to apply for the job? La Mary sol·licitarà (té la intenció de sol·licitar) la
feina?

I‘m going to watch the match on TV Miraré (tinc la intenció de mirar) el partit a la televisió

Anne is going to buy a new computer L’Anne comprarà (té la intenció de comprar) un
ordinador nou

2. ‘Be going to’ for predictions based on evidence

You’re working too much. You are going to fall ill Treballes massa. Et posaràs malalt

With the verb go, we usually

say: I’m going to work
instead of I’m going to go to
work.

3.2.3 Future: Present simple and Present continuous

Sometimes, we can express plans and intentions with the present continuous
tense. In this case, the context must clearly indicate that we are speaking about
the future. For example:
Tau l a 3 . 8 .

I am attending an international fair next year L’any que ve aniré a una fira internacional

He is working until 11 tonight Aquesta nit treballa fins a les 11

We must go. We are taking a bus in three minutes Hem de marxar. D’aquí a tres minuts agafem un
autobús

When we speak of events in timetables, schedules, etc., we can use the present
simple to speak about future events. Again, it is necessary to include a time
adverbial referring to the future. For example:
Tau l a 3 . 9 .

My train leaves at four El meu tren surt a les quatre

Read the following conversations, where different verb tenses are used to refer to
the future:

A: Hurry up, James! The train leaves at 10!

B: I’m trying my best. Will you carry your suitcase?

A: Of course, I will

• In the first sentence, the present simple is used to refer to the train timetable.

• The second one is a request, and the third, a response to the request.

A: When are you leaving?

B: I‘m flying to Chicago tomorrow.

Àngles 55 Company operations

A: And when are you coming back?

B: I don’t know yet. I might take an early flight the next day.

• In these sentences the present continuous is used to talk about plans at a

particular time in the future.

• In the last sentence the modal ‘might’ is used to express possibility.

A: Oh, no! The paper again! I need to print these documents!

B: Don’t worry! I‘ll add paper to the paper tray.

• In this conversation ‘I’ll’ (will) is used for a spontaneous decision.

A: Do you know if they are going to open that restaurant?

B: Not yet, they were looking for a cook.

• In the question, ‘be going to’ is used to ask about someone’s plans or
intentions.

Some adverbs and time expressions that we normally use with the future
tenses are:

• Tomorrow

• The day after tomorrow

• Next week/month/year

• In the future

• Tonight

• This evening

• One day

We can place these adverbs and adverbials at the end or at the beginning of
the sentence, so we can say:

• I will tell you tomorrow

• Tomorrow I will tell you.

When we place the adverb at the beginning, we emphasize the time; when
we place it at the end, we emphasize the action.
Àngles 56 Company operations

3.3 Expressing and asking for opinions

In our daily lives and in our working environments, asking for and expressing
opinions is a very common activity. During a conversation, we express or listen
to opinions most of the time.

Read the following conversation, where some people give their opinions about
the future of artificial intelligence, and whether it will cause an increase of
unemployment. Note the expressions in bold:

Melissa: Do you think machines will take our jobs?

David:I believe there are things in our life that we do that cannot be automated. My job
cannot be done by a robot.

Melissa: You’re right, a robot cannot be a psicologist. However, I might lose my job in
some years.

David: I don’t agree with you. How can robots drive a taxi?

Melissa: I see from where you are coming, but currently machines are making cars, and,
as I see it, they will soon be capable of driving them!

David: No way! It can’t be! Do you feel people will take a taxi without a driver?

Melissa: Of course they will. According to a famous car manufacturer, driverless cars will
be available in the market in less than a decade.

When we listen to an opinion, we can do two things: we can agree with that opinion
(‘I agree’ or ‘I see your point’ or we can disagree (‘I disagree’). Opinions are so
common that it is necessary to learn how to ask other people about their opinions,
how to express them ourselves and how to respond to them.

3.3.1 Asking for opinions

The most common ways of asking for other people’s opinions are:

• General opinions: What do you think of...?

• Specific opinion: Do you think (that)*...?

(*) When we speak, we normally omit the word that.

Here are some examples of questions asking for opinions:

Tau l a 3 . 1 0 .

What do you think of the new iPhone? Què et sembla el nou iPhone?

What do you think of the company’s policy? Què en penses de la política de l’empresa?
Àngles 57 Company operations

When we speak in informal situations, we can also ask for other people’s opinions
with a question tag. For example:
Taula 3.11.

The new iPhone is too expensive, isn’t it? El nou iPhone és massa car, no et sembla?

3.3.2 Expressing opinions

When we speak, people will generally understand when we are expressing an

opinion and when we are stating a fact. However, sometimes it is necessary to
make sure that the other person understands that we are expressing an opinion. To
do this, we can use different expressions:

• I think (that)...

• In my opinion, ...

• From my point of view,...

• As I see it,...

• In my view,...

• As far as I am concerned,...

We can also show that we are expressing a strong opinion. For this, we can say:

• I believe (that)...

• I’m sure (that)...

• I’m convinced (that)...

The word that is very often omitted in speech.

Here are some examples of opinions:

Taula 3.12.

In my opinion, your boss is too demanding Jo crec que el teu cap és massa exigent

I believe we must go on strike right now Crec que hem de fer vaga ara mateix

From my point of view, this restaurant is excellent Des del meu punt de vista, aquest restaurant és
excel·lent

I’m sure Anne is the best candidate De ben segur que l’Anne és la millor candidata

I’m convinced that you will like the idea Estic convençuda que li agradarà la idea
Àngles 58 Company operations

To express negative opinions, we simply say the statement in the negative. For
example:
Tau l a 3 . 1 3 .

I think we shouldn’t go on strike Penso que no hauríem de fer vaga

In my opinion, your boss is not too demanding Jo crec que el teu cap no és massa exigent

With the expressions I think... and I believe..., we can also express the verbs in
negative and the statment in affirmative, like this:
Tau l a 3 . 1 4 .

I don’t think Bert is a serious candidate Em sembla que en Bert no és un candidat seriós

I don’t believe robots will steal our jobs No crec que els robots ens prenguin la feina

Neither do I Ni jo tampoc

3.3.3 Responding to opinions

During a conversation, we will probably have to respond to other people’s opinions.

When this happens, we can agree or disagree with the other person. To agree or
disagree, we can use these expressions:
Please notice that in English
we must say: I agree, I don’t
agree and I disagree. It is Expressions used to agree:
wrong to say: I am agree,
I am not agree and
<del>I am disagree.

• I agree (with you)

• Yes, I think so

• Yes, that’s right

• So do I

Expressions used to disagree:

• I don’t agree (with you)

• I disagree (with you)

• No, I don’t think so

• Neither do I*

• I understand what you’re saying, but...

(*) We use Neither do I when replying to a negative sentence, such as:

Àngles 59 Company operations

• A)‘I don’t like robots’.

• B)‘Neither do I’.

When we disagree with somebody’s opinions, it is proper social etiquette to

express your own opinion on the subject. For example:
Taula 3.15.

Things are getting worse, aren’t they? Les coses van pitjor, no et sembla?

Well, I don’t see it thay way. You’re too pessimistic Bé, jo no ho veig així. Ets massa pessimista

Another way (informal) of responding to an opinion is by saying yes or no and

then adding the subject pronoun and the auxiliary verb or modal of the statement.
It is like answering a ‘yes/no question’. Here are some examples:
Taula 3.16.

‘This car is too expensive’ ‘Yes, it is’ ‘Aquest cotxe és massa car’. ‘Sí, si que ho és’

‘He speaks too low’ ‘Yes, he does’ ’Parla molt baixet’. ‘Doncs sí’

‘We were in Japan last year’ ‘No, we weren’t’ ‘L’any passat érem al Japó’. ‘No, no hi érem’

3.4 Scheduling an appointment

Read the following conversation:

Secretary: Mr. Turner is on the line, madam. She’d like to attend a meeting in Milan next
Friday. Is that all right with you?

Victoria: Could you check my diary? Am I free on Friday next week?

Secretary: Yes, madam. Friday is fine.

Victoria: Then tell him I’ll be there at 11h.

3.4.1 Arranging meetings on the phone

Scheduling appointments is part of an administrative assistant’s job. You might

have to make appointments with business partners, or customers on the phone.
See the following expressions:
Taula 3.17. Setting up a meeting is a common
business communication.
Suggestions Reponses

I’d like to arrange an appointment Ok, that’s fine

Are you free next week? I’m afraid I’m busy on Thursdays

What about Friday? I can’t make it on Friday, I’m afraid

Àngles 60 Company operations

Tau l a 3 . 1 7 (continuació)

Suggestions Reponses

Can we meet on Tuesday? Tuesday is good for me

Let’s say 12 o’clock? I’ll see you at 12 o’clock then

Which day would suit you best? Any time on Monday or Tuesday would be ok

Let me just check my schedule Ok

Would Wednesday morning be convenient? I’m afraid I won’t be able to meet on Wednesday

Shall we say 11 o’clock? That works for me. Let’s meet next Wednesday at 11

Could you make it a bit later? No problem. Is 11.30 ok with you?

3.4.2 Arranging meetings by email

Sometimes, instead of arranging a meeting on the phone, we might send an email.

Let’s look at the example:

To: [email protected]
Subject: Request to set up a meeting
Dear Ms. Chambers,
My name is Hellen Patterson, and I work for the company Beautylish. I am
writing to schedule a meeting to show you our new range of products.
I would like to meet next week, if that works for you.
Please let me know when and where you would prefer to meet. I look forward
to speaking to you in person.
Sincerely,
Donna Johnson

3.5 Writing a summary

Writing a summary means to express the most important ideas of a text in a

few words. A summary often means to change the words and sentences of the
original text, but sometimes you can simply cut down the text by eliminating all
the superfluous information and keep only the main ideas. From the point of view
of learning, writing a summary is an excellent means of practising your writing
and reading skills.

To write a summary, you must follow these instructions:

• Include only the main ideas.

• Do not include superfluous information. This includes: examples, words

and sentences to reinforce the main point, repetitions of the main idea to
Àngles 61 Company operations

give emphasis, etc.

• Try to use more simple sentences and your own words as much as possible.
Where it says: I was astonished to hear that you had resigned your post you
could say, for example: I was surprised to know about your resignation.

• Do not change the information of the original text. You must say the same,
but in fewer sentences.

• Do not express your own opinion in a summary or add information that is

not in the original text.

Writing a summary requires some practice and some knowledge of the basic
vocabulary and syntactical structures of the language, in this case, of the English
language. Here are some tips for writing a good summary:

• First of all, read the whole text to have a general idea of the contents.

• Write down what you remember of the text without looking at it.

• Read the text again and underline or highlight the main ideas: see if they
coincide with the ideas that you have written down.

• Write down the summary carefully. When possible, choose more simple
sentences; you can also use the same sentences, but make sure that you
eliminate all the unnecessary information.

• Read your summary. If you think that it is still too long, cut out all the
unnecessary details or try to change the sentences for more simple ones.
A summary should be as short as possible without losing any important
information.

Here is an example of a text and its summary:

The Island (text)

In recent years, we have seen significant developments in cloning. Sheep, cows, cats and,
more recently, dogs that have been cloned in the name of scientific progress. One of the
potential use of cloning is to ‘grow’ replacement organs for people who are ill in human
clones. It is this subject that is portrayed in a new film released this week in the USA called
‘The Island’.

The film features Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanssen and it raises awareness of this
highly controversial moral issue. However, in spite of excellent performances from both
main actors and spectacular special effects, the film received a disappointing reaction from
American audiences. It is possible that the subject is too difficult and that some audiences
prefer thrillers without the moral dilemmas. The film opens in the UK next week and it will
be interesting to see how the British audiences react.

The Island (summary)

The new film ‘The Island’, which deals with the controversial subject of cloning people, has
not been received well in the USA. Although the acting and effects are very good, some
audiences may have been disappointed by the moral message of the film.