Conversation Topics

Asking about personal views. 1. Why do you study English?

2. Why do you want to study business?

3. What do you think of some modern methods of payment (credit cards, cheques, bank transfers)?

4. What role does the computer play in modern business?

5. What are some necessary steps for preparing a business trip overseas?

6. Which kind of office would you prefer to work in, cellular or an open-plan office?

7. What do you think of international trade?

8. How to deal with customer enquires on the phone?

9. Transportation: (What is your usual means of transportation? Compare the various means of transportation)

10. Health and safety in the workplace (How to ensure a healthy working environment for employees? What are some health hazards in the office/factory shop? What safety measures should be adopted in the workplace?)

11. How to keep a balance between growth and environment protection? 12. Radio and TV (What are your favorite/TV programs? Why?)

13. What kind of role does advertising play in promoting your products/services? Which form of advertising is most effective in your opinion? 14. What are the required qualities of a modern manager? 15. What do you know about flexible time? Example

Question: Should firms train their employees? Answer:

By training their employees firms may be able to increase their profits

BECAUSE trained staff are likely to be more productive and make les mistakes. Employees might also be more motivated BECAUSE they might be able to undertake more interesting work and BECAUSE managers are showing that they value their staff (which can satisfy their esteem needs). HOWEVER training costs money and is not always successful. It can also lead to a loss of production while staff are being trained. OVERALL, management will have to weigh up the potential benefits against the costs. If, for example, the firm has the necessary resources, the training is relatively cheap and is likely to lead to significant increases in productivity and profitability the firm likely to invest in it. If, ON THE OTHER HAND, the firm lacks the necessary finance and staff already have the skills required then training is LESS LIKELY. WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN…? RELOCATION A BUSINESS

 LOCAL WORKFORCE AVAILABLE  LOCATION OF SITE

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN…?

CHOOSING RETAIL PREMISES TO RENT

 LOCATION

 LENGTH OF CONTRACT

Key points: location of the premises; local workforce; rent a premises Local workforce: a. Might technology support and skilful workforce are the two crucial elements leading a modern enterprises to success. So when locating a business, the management people in the business got to consider local workforce.

b. Skilful workers are just like the hands of a business, they are the direct creators of company’s profits.

c. The diversity of the workforce’s skills will diversify the quality of the products. (Swiss watch, Volkswagen cars)

d. Skilful workforce is particularly important to hi-tech oriented companies. The hi-tech products require the company to maintain a strong research and development team, which are normally the more valuable assets of the company.

e. When locating a business, the managers need to consider whether the local workforce is capable of producing such a strong R&D team.

f. Moreover, cheap local force will certainly reduce the production costs. (Consider why many foreign companies choose China as their manufacturing base)

Location of the business site: Consider the following issues:

a. Whether it is convenient and easy for raw material supply and transporting out the products.

b. Whether it is easy to get access to the electricity, water, gas and other supporting energy supplies.

c. Whether it is convenient for most of staff to go to work d. The property price there e. Environmental issues f. Planning permission g. Tax liabilities

The length of the contract: a. Longer contract would cover issues in more details. The contract should cover certain matter, which are likely to incur, such as assignment, service charges, and rent review clause.

Marketing

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN…? AIMING TO REACH NEW MARKETS  MARKET RESEARCH  ADVERTISING

WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHEN…? ADVERTISING A NEW PRODUCT  TARGET MARKETS  CHOICE OF MEDIA

Market research:

a. Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producer to consumer or user.

b. Marketing research is always the first step before the company gets into the market.

c. The fundamental goal of marketing is the satisfaction of consumer needs. No organization can survive for long without meeting consumer needs. People will simply not purchase a product or service that they do not need.

d. Thus, any organization, if it is to be successful, must proceed from the goal of customer satisfaction and adjust its programs to deliver an offering meeting consumers’ needs.

e. E.g. foreign medium and high range car manufacturers did not attempt to enter into the Chinese market until recent years, because following market researches, they discovered that Chinese consumers, in general, could not afford to buy and maintain expensive cars. … f. E.g. Pizza, Pasta…

g. Talking about Market Research

 The company has done a lot of market research for the product.  Can you tell me how a company starts selling a new product?  Do you often carry out/conduct market research?  What’s objective of market research?

 One of the purpose of market research is to find out whether

there’s a market for the product.  We did a detailed market analysis.

 Market research is actually an analysis of a specific market for a

particular product.

 We have to run the market test for two months.  We have a wide product range.

 The stock market is uncertain at the moment because interest

rates are falling.

Advertising: a. Advertising is the most useful way to propagandize a company’s products and make them known to the public. Advertising is also the way to get the products orientated. (E.g. whether the products are for female/male market, high earning people or low earning people. Sports shoes… perfume)

b. When advertising a new product, it is essential to consider the target markets. Consumers’ needs in the target market. c. Choice of media: see Advertising Strategies.

Hmm…well, my hometown is Nantong. It lies at the mouth of Yangtze River, the longest in China. It has a population of 5 million. There’s quite some places of historical interests there. And the economy there is growing fast in my hometown. The friendly environment has attracted a lot of investment from overseas.

Oh, yes. But I don’t work for companies. I teach several private students. I think teaching is a very interesting job, especially when I see my students are making progress. And just as Miss B said, money is an important consideration for me. So I teach for entertainment as well as for cash.

Life: What’s your name? Where are you from? Do you think the place you are living in is an ideal place for living? Where do you like to live, in the city or in the countryside? Do you live near here? How did you come here?

Work: Where do you work? What kind of work do you like? Who do you work for? What do you like best about your work? What do you think of your present job? What do you think of working at home? Do you like your boss? What kind of boss do you like best?

Study: Where do you study? What kind of subjects do you like best? Do you like your school? How do you like exams at school?

Hobbies: What do you often go shopping for? Do you like sports? What kind of sports do you like best? Do you think football is more popular in China than before? What are you hobbies? What kind of extracurricular activities do you like best? Why are you interested in golf?